entrancelogs | [NYE Party] happy new year and lots of fun

Entry tags:

[NYE Party] happy new year and lots of fun

Who: EVERYONE, but especially you!
Where: Wonderland Ballroom
When: New Year's Eve
Rating: PG - PG13 (will change if applicable)
Summary: New Year's Eve Party
The Story:

[ Previously in the month all residents received an invitation to a formal event: a black tie affair to ring in the New Year. The ballroom and adjacent areas are decked out for the party starting at eight o'clock sharp, meticulously planned and executed, glittering décor to match the no doubt glittering attire as music pours into the halls from the dance floor.

Bars flank each side, service for all manner of alcohol unless a minor requests something, and the primary setting stage features an enormous clock for the countdown. ]

[ Where will you be when the clock strikes midnight? ]

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[ pressing - something he's very good at under the hood or around people who know his secret. but when he's trying to keep so much to himself, it's difficult to pose questions he doesn't want turned back around at him. ]

What do you do? [ also not a favorite question for oliver, but he can at least use the standard in between jobs line. and he is - queen consolidated slipped through his fingers, and he's sure eventually he'll have to figure out something to do for income. ]

[ and there it is. the question she's had to navigate answering a few too many times since arriving in wonderland. back home, it was easy enough to lie: i work for the telephone company. but saying so now, with so many dangers around them, would be as facile and ridiculous as oliver queen's motorcycle excuse.

no. she's been here long enough that she can appreciate what it might mean to let another resident know that -- should the shite hit the fan -- she can handle herself. ]

I'm a federal agent, Mister Queen. [ but she won't be giving her agency's initials quite as easily. after all, a federal agent could be a lot of things. she could be pencil pusher, if he wanted her to be. ] Or I was. It's not as though I landed here with my credentials in hand.

Edited 2018-01-03 15:05 (UTC)

[ the title agent comes with certain expectations in tv-dominated times, and combined with the calm, practical reception she's given him and a vague mention of him not being the only one requiring medical assistance upon arrival strike the idea of a pencil pusher from his mind.

a federal agent. was argus a thing in 1947? because it would be very fitting for him to run into one of their agents in a parallel dimension. heck, if one of their agents is here he isn't going to be so quick to believe they just happened to get kidnapped. he's not so quick to believe him being chosen was accidental, either.

and she was the one to greet him in an otherwise empty entrance. with a handy coat, as if she meant to venture outside in the cold. to look for him? he sees her in a whole new and cautious light now. ]

That sounds exciting. [ that doesn't mean he's about to drop his act, not unless she says something to make him do it. ]

If you find fetching lunch orders and brewing coffee exciting, certainly.

[ the best fabrications come with a seam of truth, don't they? and this is a rather bitter one. perhaps it's been something of a year, back home, since she's suffered the worst of her coworker's dismissal -- but the point remains that for a very long time she'd been underutilized by her office.

all in all, she's entirely prepared to use that old predicament to (attempt to) make oliver just uncomfortable enough that he doesn't go digging too enthusiastically. ]

It's not like many people are clamoring to put a woman in the field. [ her smile is a little regretful. ] I haven't actually seen much in the way of action since the war.

[ he's not any more convinced by her dismissal than she was by his accident excuse, but she let him stick to his obvious lie and he intends to offer the same courtesy - if only to avoid the same questions being addressed to him.

oh, he has no problem believing that chauvinistic crap, he's sure he's sinned at it more times than he could count. it's that she let it stop her that he's not quite buying anymore. ]

Careful what you wish for. [ gesturing around them, as if to say or inter dimensional abductions happen or action's right around the bend. ]

Oh -- don't you fret, Mister Queen.

[ there's a note of too-sweet concern in her voice. as though she's willfully (almost teasingly) taking his counter as an indication that he might be worried that danger might erupt from beneath every table cloth. as though ]

If something kicks off you're more than welcome to stick near me. The war is over and done with, yes, but I do believe I just might remember how to get out of a bind. Should a bind arise.

[ she is a little curious, of course. some words get said just for the benefit of witnessing his reply. ]

I feel safer already.

[ he is worried that danger might erupt from beneath every table cloth. and the roof. windows. drinks. food. the person standing to their side. her.

everything and everyone is a potential threat, because they're all unknown to him. he keeps a sharp eye and a sharp ear, but some of them don't have to try in order to catch the beating of his heart. to him, that's something to worry about. the mansion can transform overnight. it's responsible for all of their supplies, and something tells him should it choose to let them go without, the forest won't yield anything either.

but he's not about to throw the game by admitting to any of that, nor to the fact that should any of that happen - he already has plans of action, some fully formed, some still forming, in his head. ]

[ it's all ridiculous, of course. if something did kick off there are individuals here far better equipped -- down in their very cells -- to sort it out before she could even reach the blaster holstered beneath her dress. doesn't make her any less invested in becoming the cavalry, should the cavalry be required.

but on that far less teasing note: ] There's a surfeit of decent people here. If something does happen? I actually do believe we're all safer here than we would be holed up in our rooms.

[ depends on what happens, is his true answer, but as is often the case, he keeps it to himself.

should something happen cover or no cover, he intends to be one of those people sorting it out. ]

Point them out to me? You know, in case something happens it's good to know who to call if you can't call the police -

[ or, good to know who she trusts, or at least recommends. good to know who to watch out for and who might be in cahoots with argus. ]

[ yes, her next glance is cutting. peggy doesn't say anything at first. she knows when she's being scraped for intel -- but the reality is that her answer won't be any different regardless of that fact. there are names she'll give with ease and there are names she'll keep protected.

the first one is easy, although she personally doubts the man's emotional health. tony stark has made something of a spectacle of himself over the network and so referencing him and his armour won't jeopardize much of anything. peggy gestures in his direction. ]

Gaudy purple suit. Across the room. He's saved my hide once already since he's arrived. [ she's not ashamed to admit it. ]

[ he's not expecting her to give up her true sources, but a partial list is better than no list at all.

the fact is, he's new. he needs allies. if he can avoid obvious mistakes - that would be preferable.

his eyes follow her gesture. it's not hard to spot the man she's referring to. ]

What from? [ it's a multi-purpose question: 1. learn more about the dangers of wonderland. 2. learn about her limits. 3. learn about the man in the purple suit's abilities. ]

Monsters.

[ that's the simple answer, at least. but the fuller one -- the proper one -- takes a little more explaining. ]

A few months back we all woke up stuffed into this tower. Each floor had a fresh kind of hell hidden behind its corners. Shape-shifters and hellish creatures.

[ and her bullets didn't do near as much good as she'd hoped they would. ]

[ he already sleeps armed, but he makes a note to sleep armed and suited up, bow and all. his secret identity is important, but survival still comes first, unless there's a clear risk to someone else from the aforementioned discovery.

he wants to ask more questions - but he reminds himself of that secret identity. how would felicity respond to this news? okay, bad example, geeking out while freaking out is not in the oliver queen repertoire. thea? before malcolm. tommy. what would tommy say at the possibility of being trapped in a tower and facing monsters?

at least he'd be alive. ]

They should change it to horrorland.

[ sad is close enough to scared, expression-wise? his own is some sort of odd step in between. ]

How's he listed? In case I need a monster slayer. [ felicity could probably contact him using facial recognition (she'll definitely be offended by that use of 'probably') but he's no felicity.

not that he intends to call anyone for help. ]

Tony Stark.

[ she doesn't go so far as to explain their connection. it's moot, really. the fact that tony is the son of one of her few actual friends -- the fact that tony calls her his aunt despite how they don't share blood in common. her connection to the man doesn't mean anything -- what matters is that she knows tony's a good asset to have in a bad situation.

there are other she could name, but she keeps this list brief. ]

[ while he would gladly listen to her talk if she needs to, it's not essential information for him, nor does he expect it. it's not like they know each other, after all.

there's a very clear tension between them of all the things that go unsaid. he knows he's not the only one who has his suspicions. what's worse - there are too many people around here who can confirm her suspicions.

he nods at the name, filing it away for later. ]

So, who else? [ she did seem to indicate there was a multitude of people. ]

Miss Johnson.

[ -- there are current shield agents in attendance, but peggy wants to keep her particular reliance on someone like fitz far deeper under wraps. but daisy! daisy makes an excellent case study.

without pointing, she indicates where the young woman stands. ]

Accomplished. And, as an added bonus, considerably more friendly than Mister Stark.

Always an important qualification when considering a life saver.

[ he grins, even as his eyes gravitate towards the next person on her list. he knows better than to judge by appearance. superpowers? training? how good? he has so much to learn, still, about the people of wonderland. ]

She one of the - you know - enhanced? [ there's a way to find out about her empty-hand capabilities; aggravate the woman who has been underestimated for her gender by insinuating another needs powers in order to kick ass. it's a dirty tactic to get her saying a little bit more, but sometimes resorting to them seems the easier route. if he starts questioning her too closely about other people, he has a feeling he'll be instructed to go talk to them.

and he doesn't know how they'll react to being recommended. he knows how he'd react, and it wouldn't be productive. ]

You will have to ask her about that, Mister Queen.

[ and that's just the thing, isn't it? peg has gone out of her way to give names whose owners (she suspects) won't mind the slim bit of publicity given to them. unlike others -- because there's no hope in hell she's volunteering natasha romanoff's name.

(with an unfortunate pang, however, she realizes that if steve was still in the mansion his would have been the first on her lips.)

either way, it's not her place to start blabbing about inhumans. her non-answer is more of a yes than a no, but it helps to keep her own ego in check. there's a considerable chip on her shoulder about this whole enhanced/baseline argument, but it's so wrapped up in an old love that she can't bring herself to rise to oliver's bait. ]

[ it's the very reaction he hoped to avoid, but it still teaches him something - about agent carter. as does the fact that she allows him to question her freely without throwing back any questions in return.

it's very convenient, but also suspicious. yes, she could be assuming all she'll get will be half truths and blatant lies, like the motorcycle story. she could just not be interested. or she could know more than she's letting on. ]

Fair enough. [ he takes another small sip of his wine, and looks out at the crowd. ] Would you say we have about a full house here? [ the mansion is huge, and it makes him wonder. why are so many rooms kept empty?

what's the next stage? ]

[ she may not be an easy creature to get along with, but peggy has a soft spot for being useful. and, right now, giving another (newer) resident some decent intel about how to stay safe and alive within the mansion is exactly the speed of useful she's prepared to be -- no matter what other secrets he might be harbouring.

because in the end, even her secrets aren't worth someone else's well being. ]

Oh, I doubt it. [ she tips her glass. ] Not everyone likes a party. Although this one is rather well-attended, from what I can tell.

[ she hums a moment. ]

But there was another about a week ago, wasn't there? Perhaps some of us are partied out.

[ but she didn't attend that one. ]

[ on that, they're in full agreement. well, maybe not full, he will definitely choose his secret over the well being of bad guys but then again he's not particularly concerned with their well being to begin with.

he's more their chief threat. ]

That one had a lot more cases of identical twins.

[ he did attend. he didn't mingle so well, mostly observed, listened, looked out for trouble. much as he does now, except he's being a touch more social.

familiar faces do help with that. ]

So I keep hearing. I didn't go.

[ but, now that she thinks about it, perhaps her mirror had. now isn't that a dreadful thought. distracting enough, certainly, to make her bury her attention for a moment in her scotch. ]

[ he's not sure whether to be glad or beat himself up for not approaching her when he noticed her face in the crowd, then. surely, meeting her mirror would have been pretty informative. but he was busy pretending to be a drunk jerk, and it seemed like other people had it covered. ]

Maybe that's what had your face-twin so upset. [ there isn't a lot of information he can repay her with for all the questions she's answered, but he's got that much. ]

[ -- her composure goes stiff. she doesn't make an effort to hide her spark of interest when she stares. and stares openly. because this is actually the first report she's ever heard of her mirror. peg's seen neither hide nor hair of her, and no one else has mentioned her in her company.

she doesn't know what to expect. ]

You saw her. [ peggy sets aside her drink, now, and gives oliver her full and undivided attention. ] Did the two of you talk?

[ he wouldn't expect any other response; who wouldn't be curious about their living opposite? it would be suspicious not to take an interest.

sadly, there isn't much he can offer her here. he shakes his head. ]

Didn't get around to it, I just saw her across the room.

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