not_a_goddamn_princess | MASQUERADE PARTY, 33 Apocalypse Ave, Friday Evening

Party night. The best of nights. An ornate sign on 33 Apocalypse’s door invited all to knock and make themselves known.

The space inside was bigger than it looked from the outside, stretched and displaced by magic. The wallpaper was green and textured, hinting at the English countryside. On one side of the room sat a significant bar offering food and drinks, while the other gave ample space to sit. A large Jenga tower held prominence in a corner.

It was easy to miss it, though, in favor of the little streams of water that ran across furniture and floor. Tiny glass gondolas, animated by magic, made their way back and forth across each stream. The gondolas were real, though the water itself was an illusion. It called attention to the ceiling, doubly enchanted: both to draw all cigarette smoke to itself so it wouldn’t blow in anyone’s face, but also to mimic the starry sky above Venice.

You could watch the stars twinkle, or see the occasional cloud go by. Magical fireflies added to the illusion, dancing through the air like tiny lights. If you listened closely, you could hear the sea rolling in across an invisible beach. Even the air smelled faintly of it: the sea, warm food and good wine.

Welcome to Eliot and Margo’s pad, people. They’d make damn sure you had a good time.

[ocd up, come party!]

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Well, Wanda had to come and support her employee's party (or was it weird for your boss to come?). In true Scarlet Witch fashion, the mask and dress she wore were both red. It was her thing, okay? Let her have it.

She would be extremely impressed by the house, especially when she discovered it was bigger on the inside. One day she would try that kind of magic on her apartment when she wasn't in fear of destroying the town by accident.

The door opened to reveal Margo in all her purple glory. She took one look at Wanda’s outfit, and made an educated guess. “Eliot’s boss, I take it?” she said, grinning. “Welcome. I like the statement colors, I’m feeling the drama.”

"Sort of my brand. The red, not the drama," Wanda said with a smile. "Yes, I'm Wanda, nice to meet you."

“Red’s always dramatic,” Margo pointed out. She held up a hand. “No judgment. You’ve got a brand, it works for you.”

She lowered her hand. “I’m Margo. El’s best friend. Also a magician.”

"And I'm sure another magician who knows way more than I do," Wanda said lightly. "Which is a relief, I've been living in fear of someone coming into the store and asking me a legitimate question ever since it fell into my lap. I'm glad Eliot is there now."

“Eh, every time you think you know everything about magic, something pops up and fucking zaps you in the ass,” Margo said dismissively. “Assume anybody who asks you questions doesn’t know what they’re talking about either.”

"I like that logic," Wanda said with a nod. "I'm going to use it. Thank you for throwing this party, by the way. It's nice for the opportunity to meet people when you're not stuck in a giant hole with them."

“No problem,” Margo said, smiling. “I know I go fucking insane without a social life, so. . . here’s to trying to have one, right?”

Wait.

“Wait, did you say giant hole?”

"Oh, god, it was a whole thing. No pun intended," Wanda said. "A bunch of us got sucked into a hole by raccoons for a couple weeks so you really had a lot of time to get to know your neighbors."

"Or ignore them and get really drunk, whichever you preferred."

“You ever just have one of those moments where you really wish you weren’t too fucked up to be weirded out by something, but you are?” Margo asked.

Edited 2021-10-22 14:46 (UTC)

"So, so many times, you have no idea," Wanda said with a little laugh. "This place's weirdness is actually kind of cute and charming compared to what I'm used to."

“As long as it’s not trying to kill or maim you, right?” Margo said. “Fuck our standards are low. I blame magic.”

"It really has been a double-edged sword kind of thing," Wanda agreed. "On one hand, you can do cool stuff. On the other, horrible things tend to follow."

“Death and destruction everywhere, but hey, I can break things by moving my hands just right,” Margo agreed. “Not that I’d give it up.”

Re: Arrive and Say Hi

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"Madam Boss." Eliot gave her a dignified bow. "I see you've embraced our theme with enthusiasm. Thank you."

"I didn't want to embarrass you by being lame," Wanda joked with a cute little curtsy of her own. "You guys did a great job; this place looks amazing."

"We truly appreciate that," Eliot said, with a little more conviction than was strictly necessary.

Look, they'd had concerns, okay?

"And thank you. Margo gets most of the credit. She has a fantastic eye for interior decoration."

"Clearly," Wanda said, smiling slightly as she wondered if that word choice was on purpose. "Compared to this my tacky Halloween decorations must hurt you on a personal level."

"They do," Eliot agreed easily. "But I try not to hold it against you."

He was (mostly) joking.

"You only have to deal with it nine or so more days," Wanda promised. "Well, except for Jeff."

Oh yes, Jeff was staying.

"I suppose there's something to be said for a giant skeleton adding a witchy vibe," Eliot mused. "I'll have to invest in more giant-skeleton sized hats for him."

"Oh good, we're already covered for Christmas," Wanda said, looking absolutely thrilled that Eliot approved of this. "Have to find something for Thanksgiving that isn't horrifically offensive."

"And also not a turkey hat," Eliot said. "There's kitsch and then there's just plain tacky."

"Between the two of us I'm sure we'll be able to find something that toes the line between kitsch and tacky," Wanda assured him.

"If nothing else, we're sure to be able to magic something into being," Eliot agreed.