1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

[iam_senpai]

Perhaps it's the leaves of fiery golds and oranges drifting on the breeze, or the sight of various hard squash being mangled into festive ornaments, or even still the bowls of candy left out simply everywhere in the Nexus that signifies the import of today. Regardless of when you take heed, Halloween has come to the Nexus.

Neat little handmade signs and fliers of all kinds lead to a particularly festive sectioned off block with the Crossroads Cafe at the center. The brick building has more than its fair share of decorations hung from every available windowsill and door. Hanging skeletons, jolly Jack-O-Lanterns, orange and black streamers cascading down and blowing to and fro in the crisp breeze.

The doors are propped open just waiting to beckon you inside. What are you waiting for?

((See the OOC post if you have any questions! Backtagging and threadhopping are fine. Come on in and have a blast :D ))



Coats and Costumes
The Cafe
Bonfire
Dance Floor
Haunted House
Side Halls and Storage

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

She doesn't need to see his face to know that he's grinning. She shrugs and smiles shyly in reply. The party has her in a good mood, maybe she'll humor him more than one.

Surprised by a style that is more formal than she anticipated, she relaxes in his grip and lets him take the lead, grateful that they're staying close to the edge of the floor. She even laughs when he spins her, a spontaneous happy sound instead of nervousness. "You'll make me dizzy," she protests good-naturedly, the snakes in her hair bobbing merrily as if in agreement.

[shardofwinter]

"I'll take it slowly," he assures her. Sure enough, the next spin will be an incredibly gentle one. After that, however, he'll give her a break. It gives him time to smile at her. "Is dancing with me as bad as you thought?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia's blush is visible underneath her stylized green scales. "It's not what I imagined," she admits, smiling. "But I didn't picture us in costume, either."

The break from spinning gives her a chance to look around as well -- at the other dancers, the decorations, and take it all in. "We don't have anything like Halloween where I'm from, but... I like this holiday quite a bit."

[shardofwinter]

Gently he pipes in, "Better than you imagined, I hope."

"This incarnation of it is certainly fun," Reynard agrees with a cheery hum. "A little the the Venetian carnival, but with more sweets to eat. Do you have any holidays with masks?"

[chiron_survivor]

"Yes," she agrees, her expression sincere. Her smile turns wry. "Wearing snakes on my head must make me brave."

"This incarnation?" she repeats curiously. "What has it been like before?" She tilts her head thoughtfully at his question. "Not holidays per se, but there are theater festivals. Some of them go back thousands of years. The actors wear stylized masks when they perform."

[shardofwinter]

The joke gets a low chuckle from her dance partner.

"This all used to be to fend off demons and the dead." Leaning closer he explains, "It was more fearful and serious than the dancing and games you see now."

"Ah!" He exclaims at her response. "Like the Greek theatre! Yes! Did they do plays of myths and legends? About the gods and heroes?"

[chiron_survivor]

"I see," Adia murmurs, expression sobering. She thinks back on her conversation with Felix, about the demon invasion that occurred in the Nexus a year ago, and her surroundings take on an ominous turn. The glowing bonfire, the strange costumes, the chill in the air...

Mentally, she shakes her head. She's safe here. The worst thing that could happen would be someone drinking too much or getting a tummy ache from all the sweets. She smiles up at Reynard. "That explains the decorations. Although... do you know what the pumpkins have to do with Halloween?"

There's that mention of Greece again. She nods, a bit bewildered at the similarity. "Yes, all of that. Mostly tragedies, but some comedies, too."

[shardofwinter]

"Ah, yes... The pumpkins." He takes a deep breath, enjoying their dancing for a moment before he divides his attention between storytelling and making sure Adia doesn't step on his toes. "They used to be turnips. Some people used them to represent evil spirits, but most used them to scare evil spirits off. That's why they all have scary faces carved into them. Mostly."

Reynard nods as she talks, leaving a pause before he asks, "Do you have a favourite?"

[chiron_survivor]

As the dance continues, the easier it is to follow Reynard's lead. Unless he plans to throw in a complicated spin or dip, she should be fine. "So why did they switch to pumpkins? Is it because they ripen in the fall? I've always associated them with harvesting."

Adia thinks on it a moment, although the answer comes to her easily. "Orpheus and Eurydice. It's so sad, but it's filled with such wonderful music." She smiles softly. "They always had a really good singer performing as Orpheus, too."

[shardofwinter]

"They had to discover them first, and then found that they worked better." His head bobs a little from side to side before he concedes, "They do look better than turnips and potatoes."

He leans back so that she can fully see his surprise. "A tragedy indeed. Have you always appreciated the bittersweet and melancholy?"

[chiron_survivor]

She puzzles over what he means, briefly. "The pumpkins weren't growing where Halloween originated?" she guesses. She laughs a little at the comparison. "Well, I think they taste a lot better than turnips, anyway."

His surprise makes her self-conscious for some reason. "I guess... I mean, I've never liked sad stories about children or animals, but it's different somehow when it's about lovers. And Orpheus... he never hurt anyone. He just sang from his heart. His only flaw was his own doubt."

[shardofwinter]

"No. Halloween originated in Ireland and the pumpkins were in America. They had to cross an unforgiving ocean for the perfect Jack-o'-Lanterns." He echoes her laugh with a chuckle. "You're right. They're better by a mile, my dear."

It's hard for him to temper his smile, but at least he comes close again and stops looking at her. "A character you sympathise with, perhaps?"

[chiron_survivor]

Ireland! That's a new country name for Adia. She'll try to remember it so she can look it up later on one of the Nexus terminals. Which reminds her of something else she looked up recently. "Oh, Reynard, I watched some videos of svanuri dancing the other day. It was amazing. I don't think we had a dance like that in any of the colonies."

It's easier for her to answer when he looks away. "Almost all of our heroes are warriors. There aren't many to aspire to if you don't like to fight."

[shardofwinter]

"I'm glad that you liked it." And he looks a little chuffed that she both looked it up and enjoyed it. "It is marvellous, isn't it?" A grin sneaks onto his face. "Maybe one day we'll move onto doing a bit of Svanuri."

That's a fair point. Fighting was a basic part of life for so long in so many cultures that it's hardly surprising to find Adia's world applauds its virtues too. "You need more stories of tricksters and thinkers. Have you heard of Anansi? Or Br'er Rabbit? You might like them more."

[chiron_survivor]

Rather than dismiss Reynard's teasing suggestion, she smiles thoughtfully. "It looks like a lot of fun, actually. Although I didn't see any women dancing in the videos."

Being at war -- or under occupation, at any rate -- seems to bring out the desire to fight in so many around her. It's exhausting. "I haven't. I'll look them up... we have a few stories of tricksters, like Hermes, but he can get away with it." She smiles wryly. "Fooling the gods never ended well for humans."

[shardofwinter]

"Women do dance too." With a cheeky grin he adds, "They're half the reason to after all."

"You need more stories of gods tricking gods and humans tricking humans. Or humans tricking beasts and spirits."

The song ends and as it does Reynard tilts his head and looks at Adia questioningly. "Another dance or would you like a drink?"

[chiron_survivor]

"I'll have to watch more videos, then." Adia perhaps accurately assumes that Reynard has swept many a woman off her feet, both literally and figuratively. "And read more stories, apparently. If you know of any other good ones, let me know."

It's a difficult decision -- she actually wouldn't mind another dance, but the heat of the lights and all the moving around has left her a bit parched. "A drink would be nice, actually." She smiles shyly. "That was fun, Reynard. Thank you for reminding me that I do like to dance, sometimes."

[shardofwinter]

"It's my pleasure, Adia." He steps back to offer her an elbow for her to take before he leads them to the café. While they walk he scans the place for a good spiced wine. It would be perfect right about now.

"Have you carved a pumpkin yet? If you haven't you should give it a go."

[chiron_survivor]

She doesn't really need to, but she takes his elbow anyway, grateful. It's so much easier for her to enjoy herself at a party when she's with a friend, especially one who is more comfortable taking the lead.

"No, not yet. It looks a little messy to get the guts out. Have you carved one? They look very nice, all glowing from the inside."

[shardofwinter]

It's as much for show as it is for leading and sticking together. The Devil and Medusa walking through a party amuses him too much for him to resist.

"I have. I've done a fair bit of carpentry in my time. Carving pumpkins is a frivolous follow on from that." Finding a glass that catches his eye, he scoops it up and turns to Adia again. "If you like I could 'disembowel' one for you. Some of them require a bit of elbow grease to hollow out, but I would be happy to help."

[chiron_survivor]

She's glad that she put in some effort on her costume. She'd be disappointed, otherwise, walking with someone so impressively dressed.

"I would never have associated pumpkin carving with carpentry," Adia says with a small grin. After some deliberation, she also decides to take a glass of spiced wine. It smells delicious, and she has a full stomach, thanks to the cafe's generous buffet. She's not worried about becoming intoxicated.

"Oh... thank you. I'd appreciate the help." She's not afraid of hard work, or getting dirty. Her normal attire would attest to that. But unlike her dusty coat or mud-caked shoes, the dress she has on is spotless. She'd rather not get her sleeves flecked with pumpkin gunk.

[shardofwinter]

"It means I know how to use a lot of tools perfect for pumpkin carving," he explains with a grin.

The acceptance of his offer is met with a bright smile. He dips his head and leads them back out to where the pumpkins and tools are waiting. "This is why Halloween is an excellent time to make pumpkin soup. There's always plenty of ingredients for it. Would you like to choose which one you'd like to work with?"

[chiron_survivor]

It does seem like a fun and creative tradition, even if the initial reasons for carving scary faces into gourds wasn't nearly so light-hearted. "Sure, I'll choose." Taking a small sip of wine, she looks over her options. The larger pumpkins offer plenty of surface to work with, but would take longer to scoop out, so she picks one on the smaller side. "That one's good."

[shardofwinter]

Reynard untangles his arm to place a hand on his heart and bow obligingly while he keeps the wine glass in his other hand steady. He takes a sip and then hefts the chosen pumpkin under one arm to move it to a bench with some carving materials. If he looks comfortable in the way he sets down his glass, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, it's because he is. Hard graft and he are close friends.

"What do you think you'll carve? A scary face? A nice one? An image like a bat or a cat?"

[chiron_survivor]

Never one to take his gestures for granted, Adia smiles and follows his to the work bench. Digging out pumpkins isn't so messy that she can't stand nearby and watch him work.

It takes her several seconds and another sip of wine to consider his question. This party has been a crash course on Halloween, and after having dressed up, socialized, and even danced, she wants to select an image for her pumpkin in the true spirit of the holiday.

"A scary face," she says finally. "The scariest one I know."