8254/A Hellfire Halloween

A Hellfire Halloween
Date of Scene:	28 October 2021
Location:	The Grand Edward Ballroom - Hellfire Club
Synopsis:	The Halloween bash at the Hellfire Club goes as planned. Darkness, debauchery, deals, and costumes a plenty. Though, given the shenannigans toward the end, the bar might need to put a hold on jello-shots for the foreseeable future.
Cast of Characters:	Felicia Hardy, Azazel, April O'Neil, Johnny Storm, Michael Hannigan, Ruby Lasertrava, Gothic Lolita, Ka'shira Raptorethi, Nico Minoru, Tynan Ireton, Darcy Lewis, Emma Frost, Talia Wagner, Wade Wilson, Satana Hellstrom

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Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Halloween Night.

    The doors are swung open with the grand halls exposed and granting those to enter and explore the Hellfire Club with music thumping through the walls of the place. From the ground floor to the upper ninth and tenth floor ballroom.

    Outside four large spot lights rotate back and forth to summon those near and far to the headquarters of the adult club.

    The DJ's are playing all kinds of music, but they are carefully curated by the proprietor of the club and his subservients who planned the whole night. Catering is perfect, and varied with all types of finger foods, generally doing a good job of matching the vibe of the room they're provided in.

    While the lower floors are a mix-mash of all sorts, but at the top floor it is much more 'Halloween' theme in its music, and decorations. There's an open bar and open candy bar with any and all sorts of candy to be had, and booze as well.


        Come on in. Enjoy the party.



    Felicia Hardy, The Black Cat, has made her way into the party, and is holding a solo cup up to her red painted lips wearing what could only be called a 'Slutty Pirate' costume. With her shoulders and more exposed in the air, her shirt has frills and fluff while the eyepatch she wears under her tricorner hat fits the bill perfectly. Knee high boots are tucked into by a pair of trousers with black and gold stripes, hugging the curves of her legs tightly with a plastic swashbuckling sword and fake pistols tucked into the overly large belt. Looking around cautiously as she lifts her cup to her lips and takes a sip of her brown alcohol before lifting her hands up and giving a cheer as she shimmies on the dance floor with joy allowing herself to limber up and open up while in public.

Azazel has posed:
    There's a noise one might call a *BAMF* and suddenly, there's a pirate standing up on one of the chandeliers. He's holding on to the central chain with one hand, looking out over the crowd. Wearing a black tricornered hat, long pirate style leather duster, black leather pants and cuffed boots, he looks every bit the part.

    Except maybe for the fact that he's red, with a black Van Dyke beard and a barb tipped tail lashing behind him.

    On one shoulder in place of a parrot, there's a small version of himself peering around the room. After looking over the ballroom for a moment, he leaps from the chandelier, turns one flip and lands in the middle of the dance floor. Not even pausing, he walks over to the bar and orders a glass of rum, apparently matching his drink to his look. He also orders a shot glass of rum which he hands to the imp on his shoulder. Looking over at Felicia, he shakes his head, "I suppose it was too much to hope to be the only pirate in a gathering this large."

April O'Neil has posed:
"Harley?!" A voice whisper shouts from behind a doorway and open pillar archway in to the party. "Harley!" The voice says loudly again as it sounds like it is searching for either a person named Harley, or a motorcycle maybe? Either way... from around that doorway comes a young woman dressed in something she looks very uncomnfortable being in. It's the golden metal bikini from Return of the Jedi.... like a museum quality replica of it.... The young woman, holds a chain wrapped up around her left wrist that is attached to a collar around her neck. She holds the skirt around her thighs with her other hand but it is a test of will and ability since its a open skirt on either side.

"Where did you /go/?" April shouts in this state of ... geekdom lore costume.

Somewhere at the party is a Star Wars Twi'lek in rainbow colors that is Harley Quinn in disguise... having abandoned her roommate and 'slave for the night', April in Metal Bikini.... who is now bashfully wandering around the party looking at people and smiling when she makes eye contact with them. "Have you seen a Twi'lek around here?" She asks one couple, then goes on to explain what that even is...

Johnny Storm has posed:
Always one for the limelight, Johnny Storm has arrived shortly after the doors open, and he has indeed come in costume, his costume being a white toga of shorts that leaves much of his athletic torso exposed, a pair of greek styled sandals on his feet, and a sash about his waist with embroidery of scenes of fire and forge.

Adding flash and flare to his costume, in a typical Johnny Storm fashion, is a laurel wreath 'crown', though this crown isn't made of leaves or plants, or even imitations of blastic, it's blazing with fire. Additionally, in his hand he carries a large goblet for libations!

Michael Hannigan has posed:
It seems like a memo was passed out requesting pirates as a man in black wearing a mask of similar coloring is wandering through the crowd. Scanning the gathering, it's even more apparent there definitely was some coordination with one group of attendees as there is a smattering of others dressed as characters from the same movie.

As Dread Pirate Roberts wades through the sea of bodies to seek his Buttercup and Fezzik tries to find Vizzini, a long-haired brunet heads over to the bar. Similar to the others in his likely group, the costume is movie quality. The long brown hair has been stylized to have a bit of curl and the moustache and facial scars look very much real. The rest of the tan and brown attire looks to be sourced properly to recreate Inigo's look well. And for those knowing the man behind the Nick Drago persona wearing the costume, ALL that likely means someone else had a say in where the outfits were sourced. A betting man would likely pin it on his former bandmate Wade Shaw, who ended up getting the Dread Pirate Roberts costume.

Either way Nick-ego Dragoya is more concerned with getting his drink on.

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
The woman called Ruby Lasertrava has never celebrated Halloween. Not once in her life. UNTIL... NOW.

Ruby got wind of the shindig from someone in truly dire straits. No, not that she beat it out of them; she is proud to think she may have saved a marriage, or something marriage equivalent, and getting told about something that 'suits your taste', which was flattering to hear but somewhat incomprehensible to her.

What do you wear to a Halloween party, Ruby had asked this client.

'Well,' he had said while rubbing the back of his saved marriage's other party, 'I think you can just go with your gut.'

AND THAT IS WHY there is a purple faintly-luminous space warrior suitable for the cover of one of the cheap kinds of pulp novels that you might have seen at the lake house if you were of a certain age, or perhaps more likely in the gallery of a pulp librarian. Ruby has lowered the opacity of the one-piece slightly after reading the mood of the room, but has otherwise been orbiting, enjoying the alien thump of the music and taking her choice of the proffered treats.

She has a miniature hot dog in one hand, garnish and all, and is about to raise it to her mouth when she hears a question. "A Krylek?" she asks, before suddenly turning about and advancing on April. "There's a Krylek here?" Ruby asks April, up close, suddenly intense. ("Sorry to interrupt," to April's nearby couple.)

"They must not have arrived yet, you'd know them if you saw them," Ruby concludes, after a quick back and forth of the room. At which point she nips off half the hot dog, gazing curiously at April while chewing her food.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
Gothic Lolita, Agent of SHIELD arrives at the Hellfire Club's Halloween party. Why? Let's be fair. Does she need a reason to dress up in a costume out in public? Not one bit. Is she going to take any excuse to do so?

Yes.

GL's makeup is on point. Her eyeliner is dark, her lipstick is black, and it looks like she's contoured her face to be just on the other side of gaunt. Unlike their usual dark color, her eyes pop a bright, bloody red, and when she smiles slightly at the door attendant, her canines are just a bit long.

The mecha arrives in an off the shoulder dress with ribbons that lead from the top of the bodice to a black leather choker. Her shoulders are bare, but the dress has sleeves that poof out only to be cinched at the wrist with black ribbon, leaving fountains of material to fall over her hands. It's tight to the waist where it flares out a bit, only falling to mid thigh. (It's completely decent!) There's the telltale strip of flesh between the hem and the start of her black stockings. They wouldn't be anything to note except the metallic purple bats printed on them that glimmer in the club-like lights. Chunky heeled mary janes cover her feet. Granted, her outfit isn't outlandish, but it certainly fits the vibe.

Somehow, she's already made it to the top floor and appears to be drinking! Who knows if it'll do any good!

Ka'shira Raptorethi has posed:
     A new face to the Hellfire Club, Kashira makes her way to the top level. She perhaps misunderstands the costume tradition or at least is accustomed to more formal affairs. She wears a finely tailored tux, not unlike the waitresses, though hers is obviously of couture origins. Elegant finger-waves carefully style her slicked back and naturally dark hair. In place of a mask, the tall, slender woman wears a delicately bejeweled net, pinned to hair, that does little to obscure her features.
     With redundantly tall high heels adding to her height, Ka'shira starts towards the bar. Brown eyes rove, almost restlessly beneath feathered brows. As she walks, a young woman in scanty metal garb passes by. "I don't know what a Twi'lek is." She answers.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico is out of her element. Hell, she was out of her element five blocks back. Her costume's barely a costume, though perhaps in a way other than most costumes will 'barely be' costumes for the evening. She's got a conical witch's hat on, a slim black dress with a ragged hem just above her knees, revealing opaque black stockings into chunky heeled ankle boots. Her left forearm appears to be covered in some sort of metallic gauntlet, her right hand grips a dark metallic staff capped with a simple large ring.

It's only once she's reaching the party proper that she realizes this costume really _really_ doesn't measure up.

On the plus side, the realization puts a pretty good 'dour witch' glower on her face as her eyes dart around... well, pirate costume's certainly out. She waits in line for the bar, mind racing. She can fix this. She can totally come up with a plan to show she belongs!

She's just going to get a little liquid courage and maybe some of those appetizers before she decides on exactly how to go about this burgeoning totally wise idea.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Well, ok...Ty got a card inviting her to the Hellfire Club for a special Halloween event. She blinked, and looked it over a few times, and decides to go. The woman put a few jobs to the side so that she could attend the event. As for her custom...Ty didn't have much time to look for one, so she took a chance.

    The woman has on a black cat suit on, thats zipped just enough up to hide her chest, but there's white fur there. Her boots are white boots that come calf high, with white fur at the time. And the woman is wearing white gloves. She is wearing a simple face mask, and got a white wig on. Did Ty just...Yes. She did. The woman walks in, dressed up as The Black Cat. And to make things worse...As Ty walks into the club, Stray Cat Strut plays on her radio that she has in her ear. She kinda does a small strut as she walks.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy Lewis is not precisely a high-society elite. Buttttt she is technically some kind of spy and one of the cooler spies had an invitation and couldn't make it. Score!

Plus? She likes Halloween! And costumes! It is a time of sanctioned, open expression of nerdy interests, where none of the other spies or general coworkers or cool kids will make fun of you for it not like that's ever happened... Ahem!

Of course, dressing for a Hellfire Club event proves another sort of challenge, one of mental fortitude and bravery. She only knows the place by reputation, and that reputation, as she would put it, is 'Posh AF.' Also something about weird old-timey Britishness, cravats & corsets, and wanton fetishism. Tough crowd!

But, after much internal debate, Darcy is here, repping her Sci-Fi fandom. It is not exactly a costume that blends, with glinting golds and lush greens, and a certain lack of abundance in material. And at first, arriving and seeing the ridiculously awesomely (and sometimes super fancily) dressed crowds spread out all triggers a touch of self-consciousness.

Nervously, she is making her way to the drink bar, to try and summon her courage, when someone taps her arm.

"Hey, I think your friend is looking for you?"

"What?" she turns, and looks dumbfounded, blinking owlishly.

"Over... over there somewhere. There's a lady looking for one of those... alien slave ladies, like from Star Wars? That's what you are, right?"

This causes immediate NERD BRISTLIING. "What? No! I'm an Orion Slave Girl. That's from Star /TREK/."

"That's not the same thing?"

"IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE SAME THING!!"

"Uh... ok well, I think your friend is looking for you, anyway." He thumbs back at April, shrugs, and walks off.

But yes. The green of the costume is bodypaint, and it covers Darcy nearly from head to toe, with the remainder of her outfit consisting of a similar golden bikini-like top, and a long shimmering lame skirt supported by a chain-like belt. Beyond that, she has sandals, and a few pieces of bangle-like jewelry, and not a hell of a lot of anything else.

Emma Frost has posed:
It was a risk for Emma Frost, stepping foot back into the Hellfire Club. In her last involvement with them, the White Queen had been betrayed. Her powers nullified and slated for experimentation and death alongside with the other mutants being captured by a rogue operation.

So it is that she enters in a costume that should conceal her identity. An elaborate 18th century French ball gown covers her. Mostly. She couldn't pass up a swooping neckline, but the garment is not in white, for a change. A large masquerade mask conceals all but her mouth. Her throat has a special effects wound as if it has been sliced clean through, and with the crown upon her head one might be able to guess she has come as Marie Antoinette.

Marie-Emma makes her way in with a confident stride. Telepathy on the alert for anyone spotting familiarities that might help identify her. One server noted her gait and, other attributes, but his mind was easy enough to push on to other thoughts.

From behind the mask, her blue eyes sweep the room, looking for the one that was behind her betrayal. With luck, by the time the night is through, she will have learned who else was a part of it.

And then? Then they will pay.

April O'Neil has posed:
April pauses to look at Ruby with huge blue eyes, her dark auburn hair is tied back in to golden laced buns with the gold and bronze headdress of her costume framing her face on either sides. She shows Ruby, and then Ka'Shira both a smile. "twi Lek. Its from Star Wars. The... ya know... girls with the head tails things?" She mimicks it by putting her hands up near her head like thats gonna do anything. Her chain jingles around her arm and she just sighs and lowers them again.

"Thanks though. I'll keep looking... she has my freakin' phone with her..." April mutters as she sees a person with drinks walk by, snatching one for herself with her non-chained-up hand.

The Orion Slave girl gets a raise of her drink though before she takes a sip from it, then drinks the rest of it down... the Leia cosplayer clearly needs some booze in her...

Talia Wagner has posed:
    Talia Josephine Wagner-Lehnsher is absolutely not dressed as a pirate. Though that would be hilarious. No she has gone a different direction with it, one which some may say is cheating or at least not much of a costume.

    She is wearing black leathers. Tight black leather pants, the back pocket embroidered with blood red sequins that have 666 on her ass effectively. Black fancy fluevogs. A stunningly designed black leather corset with blood red steel metal accents. Black leather fingerless gloves with red steel rivits on her knuckles. The black and reds go fantastic with her light dark blue fur, deep yellow eyes, and devil tail swishing behind her. The final touch is a carefully applies series of horns, like a crown of blue horns across her forehead leaning into the demon aesthetic she is leaning into for the party.

    She is mostly scanning the floor level crowd as she takes everyone in, looking honestly for someone specific as she does. Not looking up and noticing anyone on chandeliers.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Turning towards Azazel, Felicia lifts her drink up into the air and gives a smile with her red painted lips towards the astonishing looking pirate. "I feel like your hope was misplaced." Felicia says, lifting her hand up to play with the amulet she's decided to wear for the night.

    A large orange stone hanging from a black chain with a black clasp holding the jem, allowing it to dangle between her chest, and the dark Jack Sparrow eyeliner she wears causes her blues to REALLY pop.

    "But that doesn't mean you can't have -" Felicia pauses as several others enter the large roofed ballroom and her thought is interrupted when she spies... Herself.

    "Excuse me." Felicia says as she walks past and takes a second long pull from her drink. The woman's boots clap heavily against the wooden floor as she makes her way towards a specific person, but gets lost on the way. Standing before a sci-fi fishbowl helmet wearing man. And she frowns. Turning twice in place, her blonde hair falling out from under her hat as she gets a bit frazzled, but having lost The Black Cat, Felicia takes another panicked sip, finishing her drink while looking lost.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    The doors open and admit a mammoth of a man.

    He's got a face that might be recognizable for the last great character actor in Hollywood (Ryan Reynolds) but the body and style is something altogether different.

    Muscles on top of muscles is the best way to describe the man as he stands a lofty seven feet tall. Veins ripple along the sun tanned skin of his bare torso. His bleach blonde hair is styled up into a very dude-bro pompadour.

    He's wearing what might be called utility khakis, with extra pockets and zippers. Red boxers with the words "GAME OVER" is white text peek from the waist line. His shoes are sneakers--though where he got Sketchers that size is a mystery. There are leather cuffs at both wrists, the size of them large enough to possibly be chokers for some of the women in the club. A gold chain hangs around his neck only accenting the definition of his pectoral muscles. On the left pectoral is a tatto. It looks, for all the world, to be of a light blue polo shirt.

    Wade looks around at the gathering socialites and with a wide grin offers one word as greeting to them all.

    "~Catchphrase!~"

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
Ruby looks at April with a sort of cheerful blankness. "Oh, I've never heard of those. Krylecks have tails too, of course, but they're not really on their head. They don't really have them at all," she continues, before finishing off her bite of hotdog. "Good luck, though!"

She drifts after April, though, because there's someone coming up behind her-- who is--

Ruby click click clicks forwards and comes up to the bar. Which puts her briefly alongside Darcy and gives her a chance to ask: "Is this voluntary or otherwise bonded? Or is it a costume," she says, with a faint grimace and then a laugh. "I forgot! It's a costume holiday, isn't it?"

Then, a bartender. "You're not in costume too, are you?" she asks, in case it's a deceitful, 'false' bartender, and then says, "Oh, I don't know what to drink." Ruby makes a circular gesture with one hand. "One of you pick for me," she says, an open invitation for peril!

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Of course, angry nerd-shouting in the midst of a fashionable 'do is the kind of thing that can earn a stare or two. An Darcy didn't really intend to end up at the center of any sort of attention, especially in an outfit that took quite a bit to work up the courage to go out in, in the first place.

Looking one way and the other, she's suddenly suuuuper self-conscious, and just makes a quick darting motion to grab a drink off a tray and then starts scurrying away from the scene, hopeful that the muckity-mucks will go back to the snobbery and forget her existence. Her retreat does put her back in the path of April, perhaps hopeful for some sort of camouflage beside her fellow pulp slavegirl, or maybe to explain the misunderstanding, or maybe just because they're alternately coming and going from the drinks. But this also puts her in the path of the... is that a /glowing space warrior/ in her own company?

"Wow."

She says what she's thinking out loud, as she stops and stares at Ruby. "Your costume is amaze- what? Bonded or... of course it's a costume, what else would it be?" Blink. Then a momentary realization. "Oh you're probably just staying in character, right? That's really cool. And your costume is absolutely fantastic. But I don't recognize what it's from, and I know... uh, I don't wanna brag but basically EVERYTHING..."

April O'Neil has posed:
April is chugging her glass of whatever it is as she lowers it to see Darcy in the near mirror Star Trek version of her own attire. She looks the mystery woman over before smiling at her. "We really got suckered in to this, didn't we?" She says at her. "At least we look f'ing great?" She adds before nodding about Ruby. "You look totally great too!" The tipsy Leia Slave-girl says before her eyes wander the party some more. "This place is hopping tonight... but where the hell is that rainbow twi'lek...." She growls after saying this, all while idly spinning her chain in her left hand....

spin spin spin....

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL moseys through, emptying her RED SOLO CUP and expertly tossing it at a nearby trash can. Without looking. She uses the exact amount of force to compensate for the air pressure in the room and the extra breeze from that guy dressed as Chewbacca walking by. It hits the rim of the can, bounces once and then tumbles inside.

She seemed to forget about it as she rolls on past April, Darcy and Ruby. The mecha pauses in midstride, her leading foot hitting the ground a lttle too hard. She flicks her eyes across the two nerds and the glowing one. Her sensors go crazy, but she can't exactly identify.

She does put her two cents in about liquor because of course she heard with her TERRIBLE ROBOT EARS.

"You want to start the evening light. Get a tall vodka soda with a double lime twist."

The benefits of having a permanant internet connection in one's brain.

Ka'shira Raptorethi has posed:
     "Star wars?" She muses wryly, "I don't recognize that galaxy." Kidding? Most likely? The woman gives a genuine smile, however. Gaze briefly trails Ruby as the passingly familiar turns away for other pursuits. And then both women have moved away.
    The elegantly dressed woman takes a place by the bar. In contrast to those seeking sustenance from their drinks, orders simple mineral water. Before she can do much than order, Wade's muscles and broad greeting get a nod of acknowledgment.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
How best to attract attention to yourself when going to a Hellfire event? Underdress, obviously, but with Emma Frost's likely presence that won't make anybody stand out. Grand entry march ... like everybody else well-heeled and egomaniacal.

Damn. It's hard.

So... costume. Here she has an edge. Nobody will be beating her for realism in costuming tonight. Add in fashionably late arrival and you've got the recipe for attention.

The ballroom doors swing open and in strides someone who has spent far too much money and/or time on her costume: a full-on demoness. Barely dressed in blackened hides, strung with skull beads. (Literal skull beads. Someone went through a lot of work with small animal skulls to make these.) Red scaly skin applied so carefully and bonded so tightly you'd swear it was her real skin. Stunningly crafted hooked horns protruding from the hairline. A motorized tail so cunningly attached and programmed it looks real. And a huge pair of leathery wings mounted to her back seamlessly.

And bare feet that are clawed enough they click against the marble flooring.

"I'm terribly sorry!" she says as she steps in, voice carefully modulated to carry. "A few last minute problems with the costume. Did I miss anything?"

She looks around for a server and walks straight at him, wings and tail getting out of the way of passers-by. Two flutes of champagne in her hands later, she peers around at the costumes. "Oh, very nice indeed!" she gushes over Ruby's costume. "Every time I think I put enough work into my look, someone outdoes me. That's ... really cute!"

Something in her face suggests she's not talking just about the outfit.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost moves further into the room, slowly making her way through the crowd. She spots Talia Wagner, a familiar face. And wearing something Emma actually approves of. Too bad she can't encourage her. Emma-turned-Marie Antoinette gives Talia a wide berth, taking a champagne flute from a tray.

Across the room she spots her quarry. For now she just mingles though, drifting through the crowd in a seemingly aimless way, though in truth it is slowly circling the man as Emma focuses on his surface thoughts. Difficult to make out with so many minds, but she has time tonight.

The champagne is sipped, and from behind the mask the blue eyes glance over, spotting... someone from the media. What was her name? August? April? Some month. April O'Neil hadn't made anchor yet, so her name hadn't stuck with Emma, who continues on.

Johnny Storm has posed:
Goblet in hand, while flames licking across his hair, Johnny begins to walk across the room towards one of the ballroom staff, offering out his goblet.

"Wine, please!" He exclaims, a grin cracked upon his lips as he awaits the goblet to be filled.

Drink secured, Johnny's attention wanders, finding his way over towards a table as he leans his arm lightly against it, lounging as he looks over the assorted costumes within the crowd.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    And then there's a Strutting Black Cat that walks past Felicia, and grabs a drink. Hers is just a normal whiskey. Ty watches the crowd a bit as she moves around. She doesn't have the grace of the real thing, but she does already in a party. Better once she gets her third drink in her This is just her first. The woman snickers at a few of the costumes. Then again, she looks down at her's and blushes a bit. She didn't think the catsuit would be this revealing. Then again, she never wore one, so yeah. She dances around a couple of people, trying not to bump into people. This is definitly a different type of party then she's used to.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
At an open bar with anything they could possibly think of. What does Nick pick?

The pint of black liquid is set before him. The moustached swordsman glances to it. "Thank you." He states firmly and to the point. Taking the glass up, he sips peacefully, registering a bit of nerd rage going on somewhere behind him. Beer sampled, he sets it down and turns, looking to see where the rest of his group is. It appears that Fezzik is still looking around but the flash of red and black disappearing around a corner hints that Dread Pirate Roberts was a bit more successful. Giving a bit of a smirk, he turns back to his drink.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade wades (get it) through the crowd, his muscles rippling in over-exaggerated pulses with each heavy footfall. And they are heavy, he might not be tipping the scales as much as GL but there is a definite thud with each Sketcher's step. He reaches the bar gives the bartender a smile and another customary "~Catchphrase!~" before turning and calling out "I'm going to be doing Jello shots! Who's with me?!"

    Anyone who knows the Merc with a Mouth would recognize his voice coming unfiltered or put on from that mammoth body, the question is how he managed to hide what often made him wear red and black spandex most of the time.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Having lost her target, Felicia reaches up to her eyepatch and flips it up, allowing her to look with both her eyes and the thief frowns deeply. There's some nerd talk over there... Best to avoid that, but there is quite a bit of skin showing, but she can't act like that isn't a surprise, not here. Nor with her date supposedly maybe showing up.

    Felicia turns away from that group with nothing to say but unneeded flirting, and the demoness catches her eye due to the magnitude and the scale of the effort to wear something so well crafted.

    But again, Felicia has to clear her mind. And instead she steps up to the 'Candy Bar' and holds her hand up, "Two. Dark." She says to the bartender, and smirks at him, waiting for a pair of dark chocolate candy bars to be put into her hand. "And a jello shot." Felicia says turning and taking a bite of her first bar and holding up her shooter towards 'Guy.'

    "Happy Halloween!" She shouts, trying to wear a mask of happiness and not feeling alone in this crowd.

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"Don't worry about it," Ruby tells Darcy. "And as for the outfit, well thank you! I did adjust it some for the occasion. I suppose it is pretty good," she continues, sweeping one hand down over the parts of it that are vaguely luminous. "And that's because it's the uniform of --"

Ruby is given LIQUOR ADVICE. She points an index finger at G.L.: "Give me EXACTLY what she said!" As other people's drinks get served, Ruby turns her attention back to Darcy. "Anyway, this is my first time here. Are you a regular? Are any of you regulars?" She looks at April - GL - Nick as she says this, which unfortunately means she doesn't spot Ka'shira -- YET.

"What's a jello shot?" Ruby asks the bar-at-large.

April O'Neil has posed:
April spares a glance at Wade at the bar calling for shots, she notes the Aviation Gin bottle resting beside him and wonders what that stuff even tastes like... But its the question from Ruby that draws her eyes back to the space woman. She shows a quick smile and stops spinning her chain attached to the metal collar around her throat.

"Never been here before. My roommate comes here regularly. Harley Quinn. She's around here somewhere.... She said she saw some guys she had t'bust the knees on, whatever that means...." April says with a frown as she finishes off her drink and signals a server to exchange her one for a new. "At least the booze is good!"

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"Suckered into it?" Darcy wonders back at April. "Oh, you mean, uh, your date? I'm sorry, maybe we can find her-" There is some concerted looking around, scanning the nearby crowd, in case another member of the apparent space slave club should make an appearance.

After a moment, she looks back and gives a helpless shrug of failure. "I don't see her. And I didn't come with anyone, I just, well, I didn't know what kinda thing would be appropriate exactly? I heard these Hellfire things were kind of adult, and I've always been too chicken to wear this to a normal fan event... The guys can get a little weird about it." Her gaze, still occasionally idly searching around the space, does a bit of a whiplash thing as the Robo Lolita goes zooming by. "Now I wonder if we overdid it. Or under-did it? I thought this party was going to be all, I don't know, Victoria's Secret Angels and that kind of thing. But it turns out, we've kind of got a lot of them beat. The slutty pirate," that is absolutely the proper name, "looks kinda modest by comparison."

Then she looks back and shakes her head at Ruby. "Same," she echoes April. "I'm not the kind of person to get invited to this kinda place, but a friend of mine... ANWAY. You have got to tell me what show your outfit is from!"

Gothic Lolita has posed:
"I am not a regular," GL answers Ruby pleasantly. "I just wanted the excuse to dress up like a sexy vampire." She pauses. "Not that I need an excuse. I dress how I like," she says. She considers the bar herself. "I'm not even sure why I'm drinking. I don't think I can even get drunk. Then again, maybe I can."

She glances at the bar. "I want ... Tequila. A triple. And some lime. If I'm going to try to get wasted, better start with the rocket fuel."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Spotting a familiar face approaching the bar, Nick sends a smile Felicia's way, lifting his glass once more in a mock toast to her. You too!" Nick shouts back before turning back to his drink when he catches glimpse of someone else who came in to the party. Ok. If he remains still. They won't see him... right?

Sensing someone looking his way to ask something. Albeit a general statement, Nick turns his head, fortunately away from the other sight, to look over towards Ruby. "I usually don't come to these things." He admits, "But my friend is."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico waits for her turn at the bar, ordering herself gin, straight up... a brand she's never even _heard_ of, but when you're a Runaway, that's pretty much anything you can't shoplift from a bodega.

There's so much commotion going on... is that an Orion slave girl yelling at some guy? Cool! And she's pretty sure she saw a rainbow twi'lek disappear into the crowd. Maybe this club's not so Boomer as she figured it would be.

Which just means her costume's even more disappointingly pedestrian. But she knows exactly how to fix it. Step one: Slam that gin. Step two: Wow, that barely burns! Step three: Wellll... when you've got a magic staff and a witch costume...

"Time for a wardrobe upgrade!" it's not a whisper, it's not really a shout, but the words seem to carry with unintended gravity. Presumably the sudden flare of purple fire along that gauntlet the goth witch wears is more intended, as it swirls, growing more intense, washing over her slim figure to obscure her. in a wave, traveling across and down her right arm to engulf that staff.

She raises the staff above her head and spins it in her hand, flames spilling down to surround her like a curtain, sweeping along with either end, providing brief glimpses within. It's hard to tell, but it seems like the witch is levitating, every glimpse somewhat different, that plain dress changing, fabric shifting, vanishing, moving like liquid fire.

That curtain of fire rises up once more, flaring above her head, only to rain down in glimmering purple and silver sparks.

And Nico's handled her costume in... well, less than responsible fashion. That plain costume store dress is gone, or at least mostly so. There's a thin, glossy choker around her neck, leaving down to a top portion that clings to her chest, shimmering silver and black mesh that somehow beguilingly remains opaque, thin strip encircling her torso, halting to bare trim midsection, before a daring, pleated skirt flares around her hips, and a portion of her thighs not quite generous enough to completely reach the elastic tops of stockings, less fishnets and more spider webs, clinging to lengthy legs that still go down into ankle boots, but they're now capped with gleaming silver buckles, and the sensible heels from before are gone, replaced by wickedly spiked stilettos.

Magical Witch Girl Nico has arrived.

There's a flare of light and the staff the young woman was holding above her head vanishes.

And now Nico does her best to look like that was _also_ part of the plan.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty goes up to the 'Candy Bar', and makes her order. "Twix, please.", she says with her irish broughe. The woman coughs a little bit. "Geez, this stuff is tight. How do people move in these suits.", she says. The woman shakes her head, and laughs, strutting a bit in front of Felicia. The woman goes back into the crowd again, only to appear near Wade a bit.

    "Can I get another whiskey please?", she orders. And then the 'Black Cat' Ty starts to mix in with the crowd near Felicia once more, dancing with a few people out there.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade grins to Felicia, admiring her costume for a moment before he takes up the glowing green shotglass. "Happy Halloween~!" he says to the woman before he tips it and his head back and swallows the whole semi-gelatinous mixture in one go.

    He offers his hand to the woman, large as it was, and says. "I'm Wade. I don't think we've ever met. I'm pretty sure I would remember you if I had."

Emma Frost has posed:
For Emma Frost, the sight of many familiar people, members and even staff of the Hellfire Club whose identities are not concealed by their costumes, fuels an angry flame inside of her. She sips on her champagne as she focuses in on the thoughts of her target. To get the information she needs from his mind in this setting without alerting him, touch will be necessary. But how to work that where she isn't the one approaching him?

The man looks around the room, noting the member of the Fantastic Four getting his wine goblet filled. The lips of 'Marie Antoinette' grow into a faint smile. She encourages the man's interest in meeting the famous hero, even as she herself heads over there to bump into Johnny Storm first.

Emma arrives beside Johnny, swapping her mostly empty champagne flute for one of the wine glasses like Johnny has. "Do you recommend the wine? The champagne was lovely, but I think something with more body would be appealing," she comments to Johnny Storm.

Azazel has posed:
    Taking a sip of his rum, Azazel pushes off the bar and starts to circulate through the crowd, looking over both costumes and the people wearing them to see if he can spot anyone he's dealt with before. So far, no luck on that front, though he does have a slightly - *ahem* - devilish grin after passing a few of the more scantily clad women in the crowd.

    The figure of the demoness catches his attention, and he gravitates in that direction. Eyes narrow as he looks her over from a slight distance, then he chuckles and cuts through the crowd towards a currently unoccupied table. Pulling a chair out with his tail, he sits down, leaning back and putting his feet up on the table, legs crossed at the ankles as he balances the chair on it's rear two legs. The mini-him on his shoulder takes a sip from it's shot glass and hops up onto his hat to peer around the room.

    When Nico changes her outfit, Azazel's head tilts as if listening to something, and the chair comes down to all four legs as he looks in her direction even though there's a crowd between them. Looks like someone can at least sense magic being used.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
Of course GL gets her tequila, served neat in a tumbler with a big wedge of lime in it. She's taking a drink when Nico's magic goes off in wicked anime stylings.

Stylings that the mecha can appreciate.

Perhaps she's starting to get tipsy, but she starts to clomp her way over to the witch, footfalls much heavier than her size says they should be.

She tilts her head a bit, grinning with her fake(?) fangs glinting. "That was ho--awesome."

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"Oh, I'm not a performer! It's from Zamaron, basically," Ruby explains to Darcy. "It's sort of my personal take on it, though." Having been given her beverage, she cups it in both hands and takes a big swig.

Which seems to take her momentarily aback, but only momentarily. Ruby's attention goes out towards the indicated slutty-pirate. "I have the feeling that a lot of people are going for a sort of performance aspect rather than something flirtatious," she answers Darcy, her diction getting kind of offbeat for a moment. "I definitely like the music!"

AND THEN: There is a witchy happenstance. Ruby pushes herself up on the balls of her feet and looks towards that burning presentation, declaring with vigor, "Wow!! Ooh, that was GREAT!" To Darcy, "Wasn't that great? See, now that's something from a show, right there."

Ruby's attention flits back to Nick for a moment. "Oh! A friend you already had or one you're hoping to make here. This does seem like a great place to make a new friend. Or four or five."

Ka'shira Raptorethi has posed:
     The disguised Shi'ar wearing her human costume continues to lean at the bar, sipping her mineral water. Not far away, a show of 'magic' perhaps, or pyrotechnics? She watches as Nica changes her costume, and applauds politely. She assumes it to be part of the show.
     And what a show it is. People watching at its best. A slim hand reaches for the untied silk bowtie that dangles about her neck. Despite the plunging neckline and mostly unbuttoned tuxedo shirt, she was over-dressed compared to her surroundings.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "Felicia." The woman in the blonde wig says, as she flicks some over her shoulder, showing off a lot of skin with her costume. "And no, I don't think we've met either." The woman notes before she looks away and back to the Goliath of a man. "N-nice costume." She says, feeling a tinge of guilt as she turns around after finishing her shot and stepping away, lowering her chin so her hat covers her face.

    Backing up, back to the bar and off to the side, Felicia the Pirate, spies the Black Cat and swallows the fear in her throat at the sight of a literal copy cat. Maybe P-G will know the difference when she gets here?

    Raising a chocolate bar to her lips she takes another bite and turns, to move quickly away her self consciousness flairing harshly. Thankfully the magic could be a great distraction for her to get out and recover her facilities.

Johnny Storm has posed:
Either the greek god costume, or fiery Frat-Boy decorated Johnny storm turns his attention towards the approach of Marie Antoinette, hand coming up to let a little vine of grapes grow out of it as fire.

"Wine's the best gift to man since fire, and the wine here at the Hellfire Club is always top notch!"

Talia Wagner has posed:
    Talia doesn't pick up on Emma, diguised as she is as Marie Antoinette, and is still slowly looking around the establishment, her tail curling this way and that. As she turns back to look at the entrance her tail lifts up nimbly and snags a glass of champagne off a passing server's tray. The tail passes it up into her hand and she takes a sip.

    She absolutely catches Satana's entrance and her eyes widen, it is impressive after all. "Damn." maybe refering to the costume or maybe just the whole thing. She starts to walk towards where Satana has drifted tail back to swaying behind her as she approaches.

    Only to be momentarily distracted by Nico doing her Magic Girl routine, slowing to glance at her before looking back and continuing on towards her target. Well destination. Target sounds awfully violent. "Your costume is absolutely fantastic!" she says chipperly to the demoness. "Much better than mine." the drink is sipped.

    She still hasn't noticed Azazel nearby.

     Yet.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Nick chuckles to Ruby's question, "Already had the friend. If you spot any characters from The Princess Bride wandering around in here, they're probably from my group. Although Vizzini's going to be hard to spot."

He gives a bit of a shrug, "You're probably right about making them here as well. I've spotted a few very friendly types already."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma gives an appropriate laugh at Johnny's comment. The woman is in her element, with years of experience entertaining and hosting the biggest of VIPs within the club. She offers her glass in a small toast before taking a sip. "Oh, that is quite good," she tells him.

She turns to glance around the room. Her quarry is making his way slowly towards Johnny, though Emma didn't need to look to know that. She turns back to the Fantastic Four member. "So I would tell you how I'm such a fan," she tells Johnny. "But I have a feeling that would be rather... ordinary for you. And if there's something I don't like being, it's ordinary," she tells him. And quite honestly at that.

"So someone like you must be quite the regular here?" Emma asks Johnny, as she hears the thoughts of the man she's waiting for drawing nearer. "I'm Marie, if the crown didn't give that way," she says with a smile, and offering her hand to Johnny, though in a way more appropriate for an 18th century lady rather than to shake.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    The flash of magic did take Wade's attentions off the woman for a moment, enough for her to be gone when he turned back to her. He shrugs and waves another shot from the bartender. "Maximum effort tonight, Wade" he says before turning around and hawking back the second shot. He was content to people watch, even if he starts talking to hiself (or was it his audience?)

    "Halloween is a time to be something other than what you are. To show the mask instead of the man--or woman, or neither, or both--inside. So I came as a character from a movie that I don't even think exists here... does it fall into the area of a costume, you bet. But I don't win points for originality. Not in my book. Not when you have sexy pirates, Space heroes and heroines, and a demoness in evidence. Also when someone's tossing around literal mystic arts not just that rabbit and hat bullshit." He pauses and sighs. "But you know... coming here was a good idea. Gets me out of the house--so to speak--and into the fray."

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"From Zamaron? I haven't heard of that one." That SHOW, Darcy obviously still means. But it's good, in this case, that expectations keep her fixated on the incorrect track.

"I had another one I considered wearing. It was a bit more, you know, kinda Victorian-ish, which I thought might fit the whole Hellfire Club vibe. But it was pretty covered up, aside from like, pretty MEGA cleavage with the corset," she goes on explaining, apparently quite happy to yammer on about costuming choices and alternatives. "But that one's from a game, so maybe no one would get it," and instead ended up berating a normie on Trek vs. Wars. "Plus I was worried it would come off, I don't know... tame!" Muttered, lower: "I didn't wanna be tame."

Although she's eying another round of drinks, Ruby's suggestion turns her back to the pyrotechnic display being put for another arrival's grand entry. "Some of these folks are really next level." She makes an effort to smile past Ruby at Nick, a kind of 'remember to be social!' thing more than anything... until mention of his groups costume theme brightens her up. "Oh that's a great one to do." She starts craning around again. "I think I see Fezzik!" He'd be doing it wrong if you couldn't see him from pretty far off.

April O'Neil has posed:
April shakes her head at Darcy's question. "Harley's just my roommate.... and, ugh, no, I'm not calling her that no matter if I lost the bet tonight or not." She mutters as she glances down at the chain she has to hold on to in the absence of her Twi'lek companion for the evening. She tips back her second glass and just looks around the party. "There's a Jedi... I'm gonna go seduce him out of his robe...." The auburn haired reporter says as she walks toward the man across the party in his dark brown robe, a big smile hitting her lips as the Jedi Knight notices the Slave Bikni adorned woman on approach... easy target! Gimme ur clothes!

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's fingers fidget... her arm drops a _little_ self-consciously. No wonder they always transform right before a fight in anime. Transforming right before 'Hey, get back to the party' is a lot more awkward.

Also, losing your totally authentic witch costume prop? Even more awkward. On the plus side, putting on a spectacle means you can cut the line at the bar it seems, and she gets herself another drink. Something nearing neon with a little umbrella in it.

She doesn't slam that one of course. You gotta respect the umbrella drinks. Plus, sipping slowly helps one ponder things like 'Can I jump the subway turnstile in these boots?'

She should probably also ponder the moral and ethical considerations of using her family's magical birthright for parlor shows. But that's for Future Nico to deal with. Poor Future Nico always has to deal with that.

Johnny Storm has posed:
"To good wine and good gifts." Johnny says with a little toast of his own in response to Emma, flashing a quick grin towards her as he inclines his head.

"Ah, it's always wonderful to meet fans anyway. And it's not every day your amdirerer's are royalty!" He says with a quick grin as he glances across the room briefly.

"Nice to meet you Marie, I'm Prometheus, tonight anyway. But yes, I've been coming about the club for a while now." He says with a nod of his head to the woman.

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"Oh that's true, you'd have to dip low enough to have the nipples hanging out to be shocking around here and I'm not even sure that would do it -- and I'm some bumpkin who just fell off the rautor cart," Ruby concurs with Darcy, taking another swig of the drink. Her attention goes out towards others -- the cultural freight of Emma's costume eludes her but she can admire it as pure confection.

"Good! Have fun, be safe!" Ruby tells April, before leaning back against the bar and asking Nick, "What's a vizzini?"

"Oh! He's got writing on the band of his shorts! I assume they're shorts," Ruby says, indicating the Merc with a Message in the Mpants. The approaching Nico gets a "That was amazing," and a raised beverage of salute.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Picking up on Darcy's excitement, Nick grins, "Oh yes. We kind of ended up with the characters we were closest in type to. I think the real reason my friend was insistent on me attending this one was because my hair was the right length for Inigo's and I wouldn't care about the scar makeup."

He brings the glass closer to his lips. "Funny thing about the Victorian comment is we almost did a more Victorian themed story but it was too close to work for one of us."

He sips his beer as April shares in her mission plans, giving the slightest of nods to silently wish her luck in her clothing conquests. Ruby's question does merit the need to look to her again. He blinks, setting the glass down. "Vizzini is the name of a character from a movie my friends are dressed to be part of. He's comparitively shorter than the other characters and takes pride in his cunning wit to keep up with the fighters in the story." There's a slight sarcastic tone lacing a couple words in the description. "And he doesn't miss a chance to remind people of this."

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL starts moseying back to the bar that Ruby and Darcy are hanging out by. Because they seem like nice people and they may keep her out of trouble.

Or they'll get her in fun trouble.

As long as SHIELD doesn't have to literally or figuratively dig her out of a hole, she's got pretty free reign to do as she likes. In this instance, it's linger by glowy lady and the nerd. She drinks more tequila, thinking she might be feeling it. Maybe.

"How do I know when I'm drunk? Should I be feeling anything yet?" She asks of both Darcy and Ruby because they might know.

She should be. There were like 4 shots of tequila in that glass when she left. It's mostly empty now.

Ka'shira Raptorethi has posed:
     Ka'shira will definitely need to put more research into this particularly debauched holy day if she wishes to observe it again next year. She finishes her mineral water, and delicately leaves the glass on the bar. She then begins slow progress of cutting across the crowded floor to descend to lower levels of the club.

Emma Frost has posed:
The masked woman gives a smile of white teeth to Johnny as she adds, "And to good company as well." She inclines her head back to him, that smile warm and inviting.

"I shall have to have you over to Versailles sometime if you don't get enough interaction with royalty. Though I'm afraid the bloody peasants may have overrun the place," she jokes, a hand going to the guillotine mark on her neck. She leans closer to Johnny and says in a conspiratorial tone, "I'm not sure, but I think it might have been the cake comment," she tells him with a faint nod.

The man Emma is waiting for finally arrives. About forty years old. Stalwart and confident. "Pardon me," he says to Johnny and Emma. "I hope I'm not interrupting. Count Milo Thenopolis," he offers by way of introduction. "I just wanted to wish you both a welcome and see if you are enjoying the party here at our little club," he says.

Emma avoids grinding her teeth. Thenopolis is only of middling rank in the Hellfire's court, but you'd never know that talking to him. Instead though she smiles to him. "Oh, so nice to meet you, Count," she tells him, offering the man her hand. He takes it and kisses it.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade gets *yet another* Jello shot and downs it. Apparently the Maximum Effort wasn't just for show. He catches a flutter of conversation. Something about 'writing on the band of his shorts' and after a brief scan of the gathering realizes that the speaker might be talking about him. "It's a threat to all who might oppose me!" he calls out to the room at large in the voice of Dude (the character he was playing tonight), since he couldn't pinpoint the speaker.

    "It's what they'll see after trying to beat me... in anything!" he adds and sends his pectoral muscles to dancing for emphasis with his shit-eating grin.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"Well I hope you can find her!" Darcy calls after April, and then quickly ammends as her plan turns torward bagging her own Jedi, "er... well, um, may the Force be with you?" What else do you say to that?!

Then it's back to Ruby and Nick, stuffing down a bit of a snicker at the former's characterization of the crowd's sensibilities. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Kind of silly to worry either way, maybe. Prim or debauched, they're probably not going to take much notice." And yet, mention of particular bits hanging out has her doing a quick double-check to make sure her golden bikini is still properly containing the goods!

Alien lingo, on the otherhand, slides past unremarked, clearly simply proof of good knowledge of the source material!

"Yeah, doing something that fits you is often a lot easier," she agrees with Nick, before a curious look dawns over the would-be, could-have-been alternate costumes. "Should I ask?" And, naturally, of the missing Vizzini: "I bet he's running around doing the wine bit with people. Or that's what I'd be doing."

"And uh, well normally, hmm... it's kind of like being very relaxed?" she explains to Gothic Lolita. "Or at least that's kind of how it starts. If you can't really notice anything at all, you're probably OK. But if you notice yourself mixing up words or having any kind of impaired coordination, it means you probably oughta slow down."

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
Ruby takes several healthy sips while considering what Nick says. "Oh, I know the type," she says, once Vizzini has been adequately limned.

"I think you're going to feel a certain sort of sense of well being and relaxation at first, and after that it's going to depend a lot on your own internal nature," Ruby tells G.L. before taking another big sip of the drink, which is looking pretty depleted.

"Is he challenging people to do these jello shot things with him?" Ruby asks, kind of rhetorically.

Johnny Storm has posed:
"Well, it's not too common I get invited to any palaces here on earth!" Johnny agrees with a laugh, "Perhaps Versailles might be fun. I'm sure we can dodge the guillotine's though." He says, taking a drink from his goblet.

The arrival of the man brings a nod of Johnny's head and he offers a quick smile towards the man, "Ahh, good day Count Thenopolis, it's nice to make your acquaintance!"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico flashes a bright smile to Ruby and bobs her head, "Thanks! I... uhhh, didn't read the invitation closely beyond 'costume' so I kinda had to improvise." She looks down at herself and frowns thoughtfully, "Kinda wish I'd improvised a jacket... but that's what the lost and found is for!"

She points a finger of her gauntleted hand at Gothic Lolita and chimes in, "Oh! If you're standing in the bathroom looking at the mirror and start to wonder why it's tilting? You are _actually_ falling backwards."

Her eyes dart to Darcy and go wide, "Wait, like... actually doing the wine thing? That's... gotta be all kinds of dangerous... right? I mean, like, there's no way both glasses would just be wine, right?"

And now Nico's eyes are looking around mildly suspiciously, lest she be drawn into a battle of wits.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL looks in her glass and then upends it to empty it before setting it on the bar. She frowns slightly. "I'm not sure it'll even work on me," she says. "As an artifi--wait." She giggles at herself. "Man, am I stupid. I just need to make it work on me."

The mecha seems to concentrate for a moment, doing something internally. "Alright. Another one of those. I'm here to party."

Now she's in trouble as she starts drinking. Being able to control all of her bodily functions means she can just turn that toxin resistor off so the booze will work. Just nobody try to carry her home, you'll get a hernia.

Emma Frost has posed:
While Count Thenopolis holds her hand, Emma begins plumbing his thoughts. The names of those who were in on the plan to make her one of the victims begin to surface, though he releases her hand before the task is complete.

Emma turns back to Johnny, subtly influencing the Count to take more notice of her, as the band begins playing a good song for dancing. "Or if not dodge it, turn it into a toasty bonfire," she says with a smile for Johnny Storm. She would enjoy seeing his power firsthand, something more impressive than the vine-shape he made. The woman reaches into the bodice of her ball gown, and retrieves a small card secreted away in a pocket there. "Give me a call and we could arrange a visit," she tells him with a cheerful smile.

The Count beams to Johnny as well. "The Hellfire Club is always happy to have you here, Mr. Torch. And you have the most delightful taste in companions. If it would not be intruding, might I take this royal lady for a turn on the dance floor?"

'Marie Antoinette' gives a little movement of her shoulders as if it wouldn't bother her, but neither something she seemed to be seeking out. She looks back to Johnny as if to make sure he won't be upset if she leaves him for the offered dance.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"You can ask but I probably won't answer. Best not to jinx things when they're not fully settled yet." Nick answers honestly, "As for Vizzini, if he does the wine bit he's going to be falling down a lot." Nick pauses, setting glass back down and glancing for the bartender's attention to indicate the need for another. The glass is still in one piece so it may take awhile. "But then Fezzik could just follow the laughter until it suddenly stops. Like an odd game of Marco Polo."

He looks over towards GL, "Generally depends on the type of drunk you are. Sleepy, Horny, Silly, and Angry are the most common types I've seen. You don't want to be the angry one."

Azazel has posed:
    Standing from his chair, Azazel starts moving in Nico's direction, as actual magic being used seems more interesting than somewhat drunken folks in various costumes. Somehow, he manages to make a beeline through the crowd without jostling anyone, finally appearing beside Nico. "Well well, an actual witch at a Halloween party, how interesting." His smile reveals rather pointed incisors to match his pointed ears. Unconciously mirroring Talia's move, his tail snags a glass of champagne from a passing server's tray. He finishes the rum in his hand, passes champagne to his empty hand, the tail takes the empty glass and deposits it on the same tray before the server is out of range.

    His crimson eyes sweep over Nico, then he continues by saying, "So what sort of witch are we, my dear? I can offer a certain amount of experience with magic over a very long history. Perhaps we could make some sort of deal involving a bit of instruction."

    He may be dressed like a pirate, but that offer would fit better were he actually dressed as the Devil. Or maybe he is. After all, whatever the Devil is wearing counts as being dressed like the Devil, right?

Johnny Storm has posed:
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've had use the fire to get out of the frying pan in an exotic palace!" Johnny says with a raise of his cup to 'Marie' before his gaze shifts back to The Count.

"Oh, just call me Johnny, Mr. Torch is so formal, we're here to relax and enjoy ourselves afterall, aren't we? And of course, don't let me stand between you and a dance with her majesty!"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade hadn't been drunk since his creation. He wasn't sure it was even possible since his body returned to baseline so quickly. He'd been poisoned once, it took for all of 2 minutes before he processed it, spat it up, and kept going. Alcohol likely wouldn't fare much better in his system. The Jello shots sure weren't doing anything. He downed yet another one in one fell swoop.

    Finally pinpointing the speaker in Ruby he gestures her to come to him. "You want to try your luck, young lady?" he calls to her giving her a smile. "You might get lucky. Maybe it'll be me who hits..." he gestures to his waistline, "~Game Over~. But I doubt it."

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"... Uh well I was assuming they'd both be wine, and he'd just be, you know, doing it like a joke? A little in-character ice breaker or whatever? Like walk up to someone, offer them a drink, and then 'Oh, but have I poisoned it? Would you prefer to change with me?' And kinda on like that. Sometimes its hard to talk to people you don't know." But only now that Nico has raised the specter of actual wine murder, or whatever other sorts of alterations, does Darcy seem to consider it. "What else would you possibly put in it? DRUGS?" OH GOSH.

And now, a serious (maybe?) look turned on Nick. "Your friend's not running around drugging people's wine, is he?!"

Not cool! (And also probably made up!)

In the end, no actual alarm over wine intrigue seems to be raised, although all the drunk talk does have her pondering her own sobriety. "Maybe," she tells Ruby. And then, no, Wade's definitely challenging her. She scrunches her nose up some. "I dunno if I'd get into any contests around a place like this," she advises in low tones of cautious conspiracy, before speaking up loudly enough for the man to hear, "but... maybe we could all just do a round of them together?"

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
A diagnostic assessment of the types of drunk are presented. Ruby considers what Nick says, but she seems to be needing to assess these categories for a moment. She rests a fingertip against the tip of her nose and finally asks Nick, "So which one do you think -"

And then a challenge! Ruby straightens upwards, beaming at Darcy - "Totally, but I'm not going to back down from a challenge. Hang out around here if you want!" - and advancing towards the challenge, hips swaying as she goes. "What's the game? I've never had any of these before. But give me the rules and I'll give you a run for your money, any day of the month."

Talia Wagner has posed:
    Talia makes a noise, that is a bit like someone stepped on her tail. This is after Satana moved on from the compliment on the costume to whatever demon queens do at parties or away from parties. Very mysterious.

    The reason for the noise is she caught the red out of the corner of her eye and Azazel heding to Nico. On the bright side she didn't wing her empty champagne glass at the back of his head. That would go poorly. For everyone involved really.

    She watches him with Nico there and then sighs "Damnit." and sets the empty on another server walking by's tray. She cracks her knuckles and then trails after Azazel maybe a face at the bamf if it looks back at her. If it doesn't well she lingers behind Azazel contemplating her life choices as he does that whole business of offering a deal. "I'm sure she has plenty of teachers." is finally what she says cutting in on the talk.

Emma Frost has posed:
When Johnny Storm indicates he won't mind her accepting the dance, Emma gives him a deep curtsey, giving the low-cut ball gown an extra assist. Not that it really needed it.

She straightens and the Count holds out his hand for her, Emma resting her own in it and letting him walk her over to the dance floor. As they do, she's already back to work, the physical contact helping her delve his memories deep enough to find the names of his co-conspirators without him noticing.

She spends the song dancing with him, and making pleasant small talk. The thoughts of what she is going to do to Count Thenopolis and his cronies makes keeping that pleasant smile a simple enough thing.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL seems to take all this advice in. Internally, she adjusts her strength limiters to 'Enough to move with', because any more than that if she does get ruined means she might hurt people badly on accident, and that's paperwork.

"I'll do a jello shot," she says only to pause. "What's a jello shot?"

More tequila down the hatch. She has a flush creeping up her pale face and down her neck and shoulders. Uh oh.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico might be a touch tipsy, but like... that's a _devil_. Oh sure he's dressed like a pirate, but... pirates are devils of the sea or something! And he has a tiny him on his shoulder! And a tail! And the tail's clearly not just stuffed fabric or whatever! She's not drunk enough for this.

Which is why she does her best to drain her neon fruity drink. Also, you know, it buys time for her to respond.

"I... wait, make a deal with the devil for magic instruction? I mean, I thought the going deal was for golden fiddles."

Eyes narrow thoughtfully though... she's mostly been doing 'street level' magic, or as anyone else would call it 'Kind of just winging it'. But lately she's met some more magical sorts. Probably the sorts who'd give her a well-researched list of why even talking to this guy is bad news.

And then Talia's speaking up, "Oh! I mean, I haven't actually got any _teachers_ but I'm... kind of like... I dunno, working for a guy? He's kinda English? Grumpy? Wears a trenchcoat? He almost got speared by Big Bird."

Her shoulders shrug lightly. Whatcha gonna do? That's NYC, baby.

She eyes Azazel again, "So like... do you have a contract to read or what?" It's just curiosity! She's not actually considering it! ...Probably.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Nick's brows raise at Darcy's suggestion of someone being SO committed to the role that they're actually poisoning people's wine. Attempt to acquire more beer forgotten, he turns to her. "Well. First off, He wasn't the one who did the wine poisoning in the story. That was Dread Pirate Roberts. "

He pauses, glancing over to the corner of the room he last saw that character disappear to with Princess Buttercup but one could likely assume they're not making an appearance anytime soon.

He looks back over, "Second, I think I've got a bit of waiting so, sure. A round shouldn't be too bad."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade grins as he has takers to his challenge. "This..." he says, gesturing for the bartender to present all the challengers with a neon green (or blue) shot glass, "is a Jello shot. Mixture of Jello and alcohol. Tasty and dangerous if taken in large quantities... for most people."

     "Rules are simple. Drink til you drop, or give up..." He takes his shot glass up and downs it in one fell gulp. "~CATCHPHRASE~" he says with another flex of his obscenely overdone muscles.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy opens her mouth to say something (probably further caution advising) to Ruby... and closes it. Oh, there she goes!

The temporarily green-skinned woman looks on after her once-companion with lingering uncertainty. "Uh well if you think you're up to it," she allows somewhat lamely in the charging Zamaronian(sp?)'s wake, since, well, she DOES sound very confident about the whole thing. Is this a cultural thing in the show? What show was it again? She really needs to find out.

And in terms of drunken disasters in the making, she faces trouble on multiple fronts. "Oh it's just kind of like a jello cup but-" And here, Wade helpfully explains in detail. Although she is hapy to add her own thoughts: "They're colorful and fun and sugary so you don't quite notice how much booze is in them." Explaining it probably doesn't do anything to ward off the impending doom of this whole thing.

Still, she laughs and smiles back at Nick. "I don't think anyone really meant it." Then, she takes a breath. "It seems like we're doing this. Well, to START. I'm just gonna have the one..."

Famous last words!

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"Ahh, I see," Ruby answers Wade, slowly nodding her head several times. And then she reaches for one and gazes upon the artificially green compound within and tilts it back to throw it into her mouth and gulp!

"Hm! That's fun," Ruby says, going for a second one. "What's the prize if I win?" she asks Wade while going for a second. Gluplp!

She goes a *little* slower on the third, maybe just so she can taste it.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
Lolita sets her once again empty tequila glass aside. She peers at the jello shots before her, reaching out for a RED one. She tosses it back smoothly, frowning slightly.

"That ... That does not taste good."

Still, she reaches for another. "I am feeling fuzzy. ... What did he say? Sleepy, horny, silly and angry? I am incapable of sleepy, I am not angry. ... Fifty-fifty shot of things getting very interesting, it seems."

She double-fists a red and blue jello shot, knocking back two and three in a row. She grins at Darcy and Ruby, fangs glinting. ... They're kind of stained purple from the jello.

Azazel has posed:
    Azazel grins as Nico asks about a contract, glancing back to Talia and blinking, deal forgotten for a moment at the sight of, well, a female Kurt. Still, he's not one to be thrown by things for more than a second, so the smile returns as he says "Well, apparently she may have a little interest in my offer, it seems. But we do need to talk very soon, I think."

    He turns back to Nico and shakes his hand, a scroll unrolling in a little flicker of fire and smoke. A quill also appears, floating next to the scroll in case it's needed. "For something as simple as instruction, you won't find any of those pesky 'soul' requirements. It's more of an official acknowledgement that I'm owed a favor or two should I need a hand with something."

    He releases the scroll with a slight gesture towards Nico, and it floats over to her at an easy distance to read over. "Feel free to read it over, I don't care for hidden clauses or anything."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Well, he did agree to a ROUND. But after Nick takes his shot, he finds another one in placed front of him. The mustachio'd musican looks to it in consideration. It's not beer. But- It's at least getting served.

Well then.

Giving a shrug, he knocks back the next one. "So much for just one."

THUNK.

There lies another one.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade nods with a grin. "That's the spirit!" he says, taking up another and gesturing for the bartender to get more. This might be a while. He downs maybe his fifth or sixth with as much fervor as his first, already aware that he's cheating. But Deadpool doesn't play fair if he doesn't have to. "I like the enthusiasm. Keep 'em coming!" He glances at his captives--because let's be real, that's what they are at this point--and smiles. "Maximum fucking effort!" he says boisterously.

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
Four! "You're not answering my question," Ruby complains, but not very vigorously.

Five! Ruby is swaying a little, propping herself up on the bar and opening and closing her eyes slowly. She smacks her lips once. She reaches, with the slow deliberateness of someone who is feeling it, "Nobody ever tells you things here in a, like, a reasonable, graduated way, it's always either 'you should go talk to the lanterns' or 'I see you're Not From Around Here' and it is as if uuuugh of course I am not! Honestly!"

Ruby is hesitating to hit shot #6.

Talia Wagner has posed:
    Talia just makes a soft pained noise as she rubs the bridge of her nose below her crown of horns there. She breaths in and then breaths out as Nico engages asking about contracts. "It was inevitable that we would need to talk very soon honestly." she responds to Azazel. "Also... yes she does appear to be interested despite all common sense. I blame the fruity drinks."

    She flicks her tail out and snags another drink from a server and hands it to herself. She looks like she needs one. The whole scroll roll and quill is classic touch though. The drink is siiippped. "That is pretty generous of you." she notes about the whole no soul business just favors owed.

    To observers they probably just assume they have some sort of routine going. Funny right.

Emma Frost has posed:
By the end of her dance, Emma Frost has the information she needs. The Count invites her to come 'on a tour of the club'. But The woman is not quite ready yet to make her move. She courteously declines, and leaves the dance floor, pausing only to get another glass to have a few sips.

After that, she looks back around the room. A few familiar faces are looked at briefly. And her eyes go back to the member of the Fantastic Four. A potentially valuable contact to cultivate. Hopefully he makes use of the card she gave him. If not, other opportunities can be arranged.

She hands off the glass to a wait staffer without paying the man any mind, already breezing past, ball gown sweeping about her as she heads for the exit. It won't due to overstay and have Shaw or Elektra recognize her.

Emma makes her departure.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico is tipsy at most, sure, there's also a little adrenaline from the show earlier, and just the thrill of being at the swankiest of swanky clubs.

But there's a literal fiery contract and a damned _quill_ in front of her now. Eyes widen, mouth falls open. Nico can practically hear a grumpy English accent bellowing in her head, which is really weird.

She glances past Azazel to Talia, eyebrows lifting higher... well, they clearly know each other. But the other gal sure seems skeptical. Eyes keep darting back to that contract... magic instruction? She's got so many questions about it... is one little deal _so_ bad? "Uhhh... can I like... take this, read it over and like... fax it in or something?"

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy reaches for one as well. "I haven't really done this since college..."

Down the hatch!

She does not, however, chain slam them or double fist anything. In fact, she looks on with a certain degree of impressed awe at Ruby's fearlessness or the Vampire who is a Robot's pure enthusiasm for the new experience. Or just for her colorful fangs, which earn a little laugh. "See? Colorful." And compared to the inexperienced 'bot, she adds: "And yummy."

'Yummy' is followed by her eying another one. OK maybe two...

But she is clearly not competing, not racing, not keeping up with Ruby in the slightest, because Ruby is some kind of alien warrior goddess from space. Well, in costume (and also actually from space).

When she has the next one: "Ooh, I think this is... it tastes like a fruity cake or a jelly-filled donut or something?" They do make cake vodka!

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade thinks for a moment. "You win... you get my shorts!" he says with a grin. "If I win... uh..." Usually, this is the point where Wade would suggest something raunchy and not at all PG-13 or even R. But there's things to consider these days. Things named Sara Pezzini.

    "If I win I get the satisfaction of a victory. I'm the final boss after all!" He laughs and appreciates being saved by video game logic before he downs another. Was that eight or nine? He hadn't been counting.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Well, Nick has a bit of a predicament. He's got a shot. He takes a shot, He's given another shot. And waste not, want not comes into play. By the time the sixth one is picked up and the bartender starts the collect the empties, he pauses. "Leave them for now." He requests. Looking to the containers, four are grouped together while the fifth is spaced away from the first group. Collection saved, he downs the next one and places it with the fifth. "They're giving me a lot of cherry flavored ones." He states to Darcy. His tongue is bright enough a red to back his statement.

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
Ruby answers this by downing shot #6.

She swallows audibly. She raises an index finger and then pushes the ring on her other hand against her forehead, staring back at Wade. "I just - need to breathe a moment. What got you... INTO this game?"

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL keeps double fisting. Because she's a maniac who has never done this before, is a robot and not cheating because of it and most importantly she can't get a hangover.

That means she wins by default. She hits number six by the time Ruby does. Then she hits another. She sways a little bit, gripping the bartop so she doesn't topple through the floor.

"Okay. This is fun. I like this. ... I think everyone is very attractive and I love them ... Shit."

Azazel has posed:
    Chuckling at Nico's question he replies, "No need to fax it. Feel free to take it with you to look over." He snaps his fingers and the scroll rolls itself around the quill, still floating in front of Nico at an easy distance to be plucked out of the air. "If you do decide I could be of help, simply sign it and it will return to me. After all, those of us with a more mystical bent have no need for all the technology the plain old humans keep building to try and make up for their lack of ability." He takes a sip of champagne, then raises the glass slightly to Nico, "A pleasure meeting you, I will let you get back to enjoying the festivities. Business can wait when there's such an elaborate gathering going on."

    He glances over to Talia to ask, "Now, do you want to do this now, or shall we continue to enjoy the party and talk afterwards?" The bamf hops from one shoulder to the other, still clutching it's half empty shot glass of rum.

Talia Wagner has posed:
    TJ blinks when Nico actually seems to be considering it, she peers at her with those yellow inhuman eyes and then sips her drink again. She isn't being paid to keep this person out of trouble. She tried to about the extent she will be. The question about faxing it does get a chuckle. "Well if anything is infernal it would be a fax machine..." she trails off.

    Then her attention shifts to Azazel. "Up to you I suppose since I outed myself. One way or another we will be talking I am sure. The party is very nice. Did you get a membership?"

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"I love you back!" Ruby calls from the bar, as if on reflex.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico nods and plucks the scroll out of the air and... right. No jacket. No purse. Well, she's holding a goddamn _parchment_ for the night it seems. At least it sort of fits the costume. "Right, yeah, I will... totally consider this. I'm sure there's no fine print."

And then, well, sure, she's contemplating a deal with a (the?) devil, and Talia seems less than approving about it... which, hey, definitely bears considering... maybe she'll try to track the blue gal with yellow eyes down to ask for more info sometime.

But those folks with the jello shots are making some noise, and that's enough to draw her attention. Especially when Ruby's yelling out, "Oh... jeeeeeze, what'd I miss?!"

Darcy Lewis has posed:
There is clearly no keeping up with any of these people, and Darcy is more and more convinced of this the longer things go on. If anything, she should be honored to merely be in the presence of such implacable, unrelenting competitors.

Time gives her the opportunity to be picky. "They've got all different kinds," she points out to Nick, as the things are being delivered in larger batches to keep up with the demand of the competition. "You just gotta pick the ones that look interesting. I think..." She reaches out, a hand hovering this way and that over a multi-colored tray, ready to swoop in and pick it's victim. "... maybe this one." It is a bright yellow-orange. And her third, putting her easily at HALF the pace of the more impressive competitors.

But also at way more than 'just the one.'

"Mmm," she announces, after downing it, licking around her lips a little to get the last bits and savor the taste. "Tropical. Maybe some kinda fruity thing and, hmm, maybe coconut? I gotta hand it to them, they do some fancy-ass shots!"

It is also fortunate that they are being distracted by this and not the display of SINISTER ARCANE DEALINGS nearby. Darcy, mostly by her crazy and hard competitive new friends, who are now declaring love, for each other or the world at large. Which does cause her to crinkle her nose and edge nearer to Lolita. "You said you've never done this? Maybe you oughta stop. 'I love everyone' is one of those things like the room turning sideways..."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Well, we now know what type of drunks those two ladies are." Nick comments, "My money is you being the silly type."

Amongst the storm of calamity and random love declarations, Nick continues to sit rather peacefully in the eye of it. The containers are carefully grouped together until there are two groups of four in front of him. Nick glances up as another is set before him. "Bu-" He lifts his hand in a cutting off motion, "...No more after this. Last one. And... since you're listening, could I get another Guinness please?"

As the bartender moves back, Nick takes his time with the ninth (AND FINAL) one.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
Lolita blinks a few times, swaying on her feet. "I know I can keep going. My physiology will not allow me to get sick. In a few hours, I will be fine," she says.

She pauses and winks suggestively at Ruby. Because jello shots.

"However, should I fall, I will either hurt someone or damage the floor." Another pause. "I cannot afford to repair this floor. I concede."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade pumps his fist as he downs another. "~CATCHPHRASE!~" he says after a swallow. He eyes the others still going in for more and nods, grabbing another of his own. "One down... three to go." Even if Darcy is going at half speed, he figures its a turtle strategy. Which is valid in his opinion

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"I think," Ruby says finally, "I think that you've defeated me... You must not betampolize ethanol or... something... ooh, I feel all fiddly. Wow!" She breathes out, straightening up and raising her hands above her head. She flicks her tongue out, which is currently stained mostly green but also some purple and at least a little red in there from her shot choice.

"This was very fun, deven if I think I have to admit defeat," Ruby says to Wade, sliding her pinky finger into the corner of her mouth and sucking idly on it while looking back towards GL and Darcy.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL draws a deep breath and straightens, smoothing her dress a bit. "I am an artificial life form. I can allow myself to get drunk, but suffer none of the consequences." She gives Ruby a once over, smirking slightly. She sways a little again. "My hyperdense construction is ... problematic in this instance. ... I also don't want to rip my stockings. They're cute."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Final shot completed, Nick turns his head. "Ok Conceding now." He states towards Wade.

THUNK.

The Guinness is set down in front of Nick.

Azazel has posed:
    He shakes his head at Talia's question, "I don't have a membership yet, but I think I may just need to fix that oversight, this is quite the interesting venue. I'll have to pester someone about it once the party is over, I'm sure they're all quite involved at the moment." Sipping his champagne again, he continues "Why don't we talk later? There's plenty of time when we're not in the middle of an elaborate party, I'd hate to miss the entertainment. Why don't I look you up later, or perhaps tomorrow depending on how the evening goes?"

    He gestures around the ballroom, "This is not something to be missed, after all. It's probably been planned for months. Do let us enjoy it, shall we? Long talks are for days when nothing more interesting is going on."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico can't help but be drawn to the drinking contest, parchment clasped in her metallic hand, her natural one gets to work plucking out jello shots from the arrayed variety, "Okay... I'm not gonna do a _full_ rainbow, that seems bad but like... these are free, right?"

Not that she waits for an answer, red, orange, some sort of garish liquid dish soap yellow coloured one... that one draws out a snort, eyes widening, "Oh god! It's like those marshmallow banana candies? Who would do this?! EVIL PEOPLE!!"

The bright, cheery yellow must be undone, and the rest of the rainbow is skipped for the closest thing to black she can find. Good old gothy black. That'll fix things. What? It's not like it's going to be black licorice or something.

Nico shoots it back and lets out an inhuman noise. Are demons arriving through the witch? No, no. It was just black licorice.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
It doesn't look as if Darcy is quite sure how to process the end result. But she'll take it!

"Your stockings are SUPER cute," she reassures GL, presumably filing away the rest as more VERY INTENSE method acting. These people are some awesome cosplayers. Or they're a bunch of actual aliens and robots, which isn't actually her realm of experience, and perhaps that possiblity is starting to actually creep in.

Or maybe even Darcy is a few shots in and not thinking about it too deeply.

"Super, super cute. Just so cute."

And then, less this be mistaken as a representation of her Drunk Persona Archetype and not merely an expression of her love for good costuming, she informs Nick: "I have a reputation around the office for being terrifying. I think I'm probably the mean kind."

Can it be believed? She is not one of intimidating demeanor, to be sure. And now that the contest of honor seems satisfied, she is willing to bother Ruby again. "You fought well, mighty Zamazon!"

Was that a slip of the tongue or clever? HARD TO SAY.

Talia Wagner has posed:
    "You should absolutely get a membership, Hellfire club really suits you." then Talia nods "I'm positive you can find me later Azazel." she offers him a smile, she has very sharp canines too. It really goes with the rest of the look.

    "Please enjoy the party, the demoness I came to see tonight seems to have vanished. I may go try to find her." she looks away from Azazel and around the party. "They do know how to throw one hell of a party here." yes pun intended. She wiggles her three fingers at Azazel and starts to step back. Shooting a salute at the Bamf before turning to disappear in the crowd.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade fists pumps again, playing the final boss bit to a tee. "~CATCHPHRASE TIMES TWO~" he says double-fisting two shots after he says his part. He gives Darcy a look. "So how about it, tortoise? You still in or you going down the way these players have?" he asks her, his smile is positively beaming as his pecks jump on command again.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
GL beams at Darcy. "Thank yooooou~" Oh god, she is hammered. She leans towards Ruby slightly and makes the 'Call me' gesture. "I'm ... going to go. I need to walk this off before a world shattering crisis happens."

Notwithstanding that she gave Ruby any identification or name or anything. She's drunk. The woman glows. She can find a gothic lolita smashbot out there, right?

GL pushes back from the bar and starts to sway her way out of the party. This takes a moment because she is rather intoxicated and it's a lot of crowd to get to the elevator.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing Wade's challenge to Darcy, Nick looks over to her, "So, apparently not silly but angry type. Does that mean you're going to make him fear you or you going to sort of keep to your word of just one shot when you factor in actual strength level of these particular ones?"

Ruby Lasertrava has posed:
"Oh," Ruby says to GL, sounding disappointed, but then, "Alright. Be careful. Alright? Goodbye," she breathes in conclusion, before getting onto a bar stool before Earth's gravity claims her.

"Thank you! I di dmy utmost but this is something, I mean, I think I'm talking funny, aren't I? Am I talking funny?" Nico screams like she's being tortured. "Oh, is that normal? It's supposed to be a scary holiday, right?"

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Oh, has she been challenged?! Darcy?! How dare-

Nope. Darcy don't care.

Wade's bold effort is met with a "Neeeeeeeewp. Nopenopenope. I concede. I am defeated. I mean, these are really good," and indeed, she may even reach for ONE LAST ONE NO REALLY, but that still leaves her a couple behind, and even this one, she holds in hand for a few moments, rather than rushing to immediately cram down her face hole. "Because if I get tipsy I'm gonnna fall out of my costume."

Lacking the technological advantages Ruby possesses, this is a real possibility.

However, as Lolita turns and stumbles off, she looks briefly worried, and like she might even make some attempt to catch up but... well, ultimately, it's this kind of place. She can't live anyone's life for them. Also? Nico is making unholy noises. She looks at her, at Ruby, back and forth and shakes her head.

"I... I really don't know. I don't... I don't think that's normal.

Toward the bartender: "What flavor was that even?!"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico recovers and shakes her head slowly, mumbling out, "Who flavours things with licorice? Why? This isn't a party for grandmothers! I think it had _salt_ in it! Was it a prank? Do I win a prize?"

That must be it! It was the secret prize winning jello shot! Like Willy Wonka! Nico pumps her fists in the air, "Yeahhh! I won!! I'm the greatest!"

Nico is not the greatest. Nico is like 105 pounds of witch with a glass of gin, a weird umbrella drink, and she's not actually sure how many jello shots in her. Also, she didn't eat dinner because 'That party's going to have a buffet' she somehow forget to check out the buffet.

Nico wins a hangover.

She's the greatest.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing Darcy concede, Nick gives a nod. "Ah responsible drinking. Very good." He lifts up his beer glass in a toasting gesture towards Darcy's final shot.

A rather large man in a light colored shirt lets out a loud cheer, lifting up a smaller man over the crowd. "Huh. Looks like Fezzik found Vizzini!" He gets up from his seat, beer still in hand. "That is very good because he's the Designated Driver."

Tilting his head back, he starts to down the beer in a few gulps. When the task is done, he sets it down on the bar and looks towards the remaining ladies, "Pleasure to meet you all. But I must help track down Princess Buttercup and the Dread Pirate Roberts so our group can go home."

He gives a tilt of head before striding towards the large man on the other side of the room.

Azazel has posed:
    "So true on multiple levels. And I can always find someone if I need to, so I'll be in touch. For now though, enjoy the party." There's a *BAMF* and a slight scent of brimstone where he was standing, then another as he appears back in his chair back at the table he had laid claim to. He's got a self-satisfied grin on his face as he watches various levels of hedonism going on around the ballroom, though as a holiday party, it's far tamer then can usually be found in this building.

    At some point, he simply vanishes between one moment and the next, leaving nothing but an empty glass on his table.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "And I am the victor once more" Wade says, taking up one more shot and downing it. He smiles and eyes the remaining attendants of note. "So beyond hangovers... what are your plans for the night?" he asks, flipping over the shot glass to let the bartender know that the game is done.

    He's dropped the voice act and is back to his normal Wade tone of voice. A little whiny, a little sarcastic, and very direct.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Through alcoholic attrition, the group at the bar is slowly whittled down. The Robot has departed to parts unknown, possibly Kool-Aid Man'ing her way across town.

Nick finds his merry band of thematically costumed friends, perhaps the most wholesome ending of those possible.

While Nico meets the harsh fate of a terrible drink, leaving the judges (???) to decide if her victory is fairly earned, or if Wade retains the title by default. And Wade, surprising none, seems like he may be up to continue as long as the night goes on, indefatigable in his pursuit of a good time and weird cultural references.

"I think my plan is to change out of this before it really starts to chafe," answers Darcy, adjusting her impractical top. It is not the most sexy of answers!

However, one goal still seems to hold her. With a slight sway, evidence that her slower consumption of the shots has not left her totally immune, she finishes her return to Ruby, and leans in, personal-space invadingly close. "And you, you sexy space lady..."

Is this the horny drunk effect, as foretold?!

"...you really gotta tell me about this SHOW."