entrancelogs | The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash

Entry tags:

The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash

Who: April Ludgate-Dwyer and everyone ever
Where: Realside Ballroom
When: HALLOWEEN
Rating: PG-13?
Summary: ITS A HALLOWEEN PARTY
The Story:

[it's no secret that halloween is april's favorite holiday - she'd been planning this since her network post in september. she'd been ignoring the network and the tapping on her own mirrors in favor of just having this one stupid thing, and she really does go all out. it's a testament to the fact that when april puts her mind to something she can do anything she wants (with the help of a few gracious wonderlanders, and the magic here) and somewhere, leslie is just so proud, she's probably exploding. gross.

when characters arrive, they'll find the ballroom transformed into a creepy halloween paradise - tons of pumpkins, fake spider web (or is it???), fake dead bodies (or are they???), and a plethora of other decorations carefully handpicked by april. she didn't just ask the ballroom to do this, she worked out every detail.

there's an open bar and more candy than you ever needed in your life, plus a bunch of different Halloween themed food (spagehtti for brains, apples for bobbing). there's a dance floor playing a mix of mostly halloween music but also some other stuff even she can concede her taste in german death reggae isn't for everyone. and honestly, she actually wants people to have a really good time.

april is dressed up as moritica addams from the addams family and will actually be around mingling with people and being sociable - maybe that's the true horror of the holiday.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gonna take that as a 'no.'

[He's quick to move, narrowly avoiding the grasp of her claws, his gaze narrowing sharply at the sudden change in her-- whatever is happening, it's making her less and less Faith with each passing moment.

He retaliates rather than retreats, aiming to knock her clawed hands aside and get a tight grip on her, grabbing for one of her shoulders only to use his size to his advantage to flip and attempt to send her crashing to the ground, something he could only hope wound buy him enough time to knock her senseless without doing any lasting damage.

Thankfully, she's a Slayer. Whatever he has to do, she can take it-- and he'd bet money that she'd rather he intervened now than let her hurt anyone else.]

[ the monster's quieted as the body coughs breath from lungs she had just filled -- and she stays still on the floor for a moment. when she does stir, the movements are sluggish and disoriented.

jabberfaith blinks slowly, eyes darting around without seeing as she attempts to situate herself. ]

[The opportunity she gives him by taking a moment to gasp for air is enough-- disoriented is good, but he knows unconscious would be better. He grabs her by the front of her shirt, hoisting her up and grimacing as he looks her square in the eye.]

Faith, if there's any part of you in there that can still hear me-- I'm sorry about this.

[Bracing himself, he slams their heads together, feeling the pain shoot through his own skull as they connect, but hoping it will be enough to take her down long enough for him to drag her up to the office and get her safely behind bars.]

[ angel's blow had been hard enough to put the slayer down through the night. still, the jabberlizard has more to contend with than simply a lost and angry young woman's cacophonous memories. perhaps it incites the dreams, racing through faith's own memories and still hungering for more.

whatever causes it, it's not until the morning that faith wakes with a start, hands grasping at her throat as her legs kick out to move, to flee, to get away from the beast with the teeth that had sunk so very deep.

eyes wild, she starts again when her back hits metal bars that pierce into her shoulder blades, drawing her focus. the bars are cool under her hands, familiar somehow. faith uses them to stand, eyes darting to take in the distance she's got in her confinement before she even thinks of extending her view beyond the cage. a lion too-long captive, faith begins to walk the perimeter, counting steps as she goes. she only stops when she finds the lock, only then realizing she had nothing with which to pick it.

the bars clang as faith's fear channels into action and the heel of her wrist slams into the other side of the lock. the echo resonates through her, but it doesn't drown out the pounding heart in her chest. ]

[She isn't left on her own for long. For awhile, Angel had stood guard over her while she remained unconscious, something he thought better of when he began to think she might come to her senses before long. If she was still more monster than Slayer, he wasn't sure how he would proceed, and when he heads back towards the cage with a coffee mug in hand, he's still not entirely sure what he'll see when he gets there.]

You're awake.

[She looks more like herself than he'd thought she might, and that in itself is a relief. He exhales, setting his mug aside to fold his arms across his chest.]

How you feeling? I tried pulling my punches to avoid doing any real damage, but things were getting pretty hairy back there for a few.

[ she hadn't even heard him coming.

faith stills at the sight of angel, the sound of his voice ringing in her ears before she registers the words. her own voice is quiet, unsure of what words to use until they come out. ]

Yeah... just got a wicked headache.

[ she can't help the way her eyes dart from his face down to his shoes, to the exit behind him and back to the lock again. faith presses her lips together, shallow breathing threatening to ramp back up to panic. she angles herself away, something more comfortable about watching him from the side.

part of her wants to rush the bars, beg him to let her out. ask who she is and why she's got nightmares of being some kind of serial killer. instinct stays her, waving a big ass red flag in her face. it's just-- well she's got no clue what the hell the flag is supposed to mean. ]

Was I ... dangerous?

As far as I know, the only person you tried to hurt was me.

[Something he doesn't seem all that troubled by in and of itself. He could take a few hits-- more than a few, if he was being honest.

He watches her carefully, hears her heart speed up in her chest as panic begins to rear its ugly head, frowning as he remains a foot or so away from the bars.]

Hey-- it's okay. You didn't end up hurting anyone. Take a deep breath, alright?

[A panicked Faith is never good news, though it's been a long time since he's smelled this kind of fear coing off of her.]

[ it feels like instinct the way faith sucks in air at the man's suggestion. slow, like she's done it a million times. muscle memory forces her to let it out slow, taking another once her lungs are empty. ]

You put me here?

[ her heart can't slow down, not entirely. the prospect of being put in a cage by some guy really doesn't promote inner peace. not alongside the flashes of memory that woke her only a few minutes ago. ]

[He nods, just once, matter-of-fact.]

Thought it was best. For you and anyone else you might get at while you weren't yourself-- but mostly for you.

[Because despite all their ups and downs, no matter how many events work their damndest to drive a rift between them and send them at each other's throats, she's family. She's the only family he has left, at the moment.]

Wonderland kind of went to hell in a handbasket real fast on Halloween. Well, maybe not hell. Hell-adjacent.

...Wonderland.

[ familiar in a distant kind of way. it's easier to focus on that than the way he's talking to her, the way he's looking at her. she fights the urge to back up a step -- instincts warring within her between curiosity and survival. ]

So-- we know each other, then?

[The question alone is enough to bring his thought process to a screeching halt.]

You-- don't recognize me.

[That potentially explained a lot. It also had the potential to complicated things immensely-- not that they weren't plenty complicated already, given Wonderland's treatment of the both of them since Faith's arrival.]

Yeah, we know each other. Pretty well, I'd like to think. The name 'Angel' doesn't ring a bell?

[ before she realizes what's happening, faith huffs out a lot. ]

Your name's Angel. [ this just keeps getting better. she turns away, scoping out her confines again to hide that her movement is nervous. ] I'm in a cage because I'm dangerous and some guy named Angel put me here.

[ her face drops out of amusement then, mixed feelings darting across it in succession. worry, confusion, even a sliver of disgust as she whirls back around to face angel again. ]

Is this some kinda kinky thing? I mean-- you're wearing a lot of black.

Ki--? [He cuts himself off before he can even get the word out.] No.

[Great. This is exactly the kind of confusion they needed.]

The black is just-- I like not having to worry about matching. [A beat.] We're friends.

[Family, he'd go so far as to say.]

[ well, that was a pretty believable reaction, at least. a small part of faith's ego is a little insulted but the fight-or-flight is still in charge, and for faith lehane that usually means fight. ]

But I'm still locked up.

[ her arms cross over her chest as she squares off again, facing him straight-on instead of angled. ]

Not for long.

[That, at least, he can change-- once he's sure she's going to going to rip his throat out the moment he opens the door.]

It was just a precaution, in case that thing was still in charge when you woke up. Aside from the memory loss, you seem alright now. I assume the loss is temporary.

[Otherwise, he's going to have a hell of a time explaining vampires and Slayers to her.]

If I let you out, do you promise not to attack me?

[ she chews on the question longer than probably inspires confidence. whatever is fighting inside of her, faith can't be sure either side won't take over. ]

Maybe.

[ logically, she's not sure it'd be a great idea. ]

You promise not to give me a reason to?

Scout's honor.

[Not that he's ever been a boy scout. Eaten a few girl scouts, definitely.

Now really isn't the time to revisit that.]

Here.

[He reaches deep into one pocket for the key, offering a show of trust as he steps forward to unlock the door and let it swing free.]

[ she's not sure what she expected, but faith hesitates as the door swings open, bracing for-- something. some primal instinct in her is screaming trap even as her lungs feel more able to take in air.

one boot, and the next, until she's past the door and wondering just how able she is when it comes to attacking anyone. ]

Right. Thanks.

[ hesitation gone, she starts heading for the exit. ]

Wait!

[He won't keep her, not if she wants to go-- but he exhales slowly after calling out to her, a grimace fixed in place.]

You don't-- have any more questions? About who you are, who I am? If you really don't remember--

[He sighs.]

I'm probably the best one to help you fill in the blanks.

[ faith stops as she reaches the door, considering her options. bolting seems like a good one, but angel's not wrong: she's not sure how to get out of this place or where home even is. ]

M'hungry. Gotta be a pizza place around here we can talk at, right?

[ a public space would be nice. ]

There's a diner a few floors up.

[She does have to say it for him to know what she's getting at. Public is better for this kind of thing-- it'll keep the both of them on their best behavior, should they need the help, though he's not sure he will this time around. It's her turn in the hot seat.]

Can get just about anything you want there. It's up on eight.

Rather uh, talk around other people. No offense.

[ she gestures toward the door, stilted. she's got a better shot with robert smith here that alone, right? and despite her protestations, faith doesn't actually want to be alone. ]

None taken.

[He'd probably feel the same way, if their roles were reversed. His shoulders hunch forward as he moves, heading through the doorway-- if she doesn't want to give him her back, fine. He'll offer her his. If she pulls anything, he's confident he can put a stop to it without things exacerbating, at least with her in this state.]

Coffee might do you some good, too.

Couldn't hurt.

[ it does offer her some measure of ease-- until they don't head outside. faith hesitates, finally, just outside the diner. ]

...What the hell is this?

[He looks at her for a moment, doubtful before he gestures to the door itself, offering a sheepish half-smile.]

The diner?

[Oh, Wonderland.]

Just head inside, see for yourself. Everything is tucked inside one big mansion here.

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