[OPEN] We'll Take A Cup of Kindness Yet

[nascensibility]

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:

[The morning of December 31st, all residents will receive a handwritten invitation slipped under their door.]



You are cordially invited to attend a party
celebrating the New Year

Wonderland Ballroom
8 pm - 1 am

Semi-Formal Attire
Buffet & Bar
No RSVP Required

All Ages Welcome

For inquiries, contact E. O'Connell

[Punctuality in planning is important: the ballroom itself will only be ready for guests at exactly 8 o'clock, bedecked in glittering golds and the red-green of Christmas' vestiges, still clinging to the old year. Dining tables surround a central dance floor, bars and buffets dot the edges of the room and both holly and mistletoe are expressed liberally through the interior.

Mingle, dance, eat and be merry! The New Year will come in at midnight - the band will play and the drinks will flow for long after.]

Comments

Re: Sharon | OTA

[signalized]

[Bruce attends parties fairly normally but this is his first one in Wonderland so he's trying to make a good impression. He managed to get a nice suit out of the closet and has a few things tucked away on his person in case he needs them.

Mostly though, his mission for tonight, is to mingle and put himself out there. So with that in mind he'll make his over to Sharon to introduce himself.]

Bruce Wayne, I don't think we've met yet.

[agentxthirteen]

I don't believe we have. [ She holds out her hand, trying to think of why his name is familiar. The network post? No, it had struck her as familiar before that, it was just that the event had come up before she'd had time to pin it down. ] Sharon Carter. I saw your network post but didn't have anything particularly insightful to say. How are you adjusting to Wonderland, Mr. Wayne?

[signalized]

As well as anyone could expect. As far as first events go, that dream world was a hell of way to start.

[While he gets that it wasn't as violent as some might have been but he can't shake how unnerving it had been.]

[agentxthirteen]

[ She tilts her head to the side, her lips quirked. ] Good or bad? Of course... [ She looks around the room, the decorations that have magically appeared. ] Sometimes, Wonderland can be overwhelming whether events are nice or not. Hell, it can be overwhelming without events at all.

[ She shrugs. ] Wait until another zombie event kicks in. Sometimes I think that's Wonderland's way of hazing people.

[signalized]

Bad. I don't take the idea of our memories being taken from us well. I had heard of the possibility of it but to see it in such widespread action was alarming to say the least.

[It's made him all the more paranoid about the possibility.]

I think I'd take zombies over that.

[agentxthirteen]

So would I, honestly. At least you can punch zombies, but how do you punch a missing memory?

[ She shifts her weight for a moment, then nods to the dance floor. ]

Want to take a spin around? There aren't many light-hearted parties at Wonderland - I'd like to take advantage of this one while I can.

[signalized]

You wouldn't even be able to know to punch it, that's part of the problem.

[But it is a party, and he supposes they're supposed to be having fun. He can act like he knows how to do that and he is very good at dancing, if nothing else.

He holds out a hand.]

I don't think I could say no to an offer like that.

[agentxthirteen]

Exactly. [ She slides her hands into his and determines to let him lead. The small degree of control might help him feel marginally better, and Christmas is the time to be considerate. ]

And that's not the only way this place can screw with people. When I first got here, my great-aunt was here, too, only she was still in her twenties and had no idea who I was. I'd no sooner told her who I was than Wonderland took her away.

This place could probably qualify as torture in some ways. But at least there's magic, I guess.

[signalized]

[Bruce does like the feeling of being in control, she isn't wrong about that. He places a hand on the small of her waist while continuing to hold onto her other hand as he settles in time with the music. It's clear that he's had formal training in this area.]

That must have been difficult.

[Selfishly, Bruce wonders if some version of his parents could ever end up here. What would he even say to them? They probably wouldn't be proud of who he's become, it's better not to think about it.

Anyway.]

Magic has been an adjustment, we had aliens and metahumans in my world, but all things that could still be rooted in science of some sort. Magic is illogical.

[agentxthirteen]

"Difficult" is really just a way of life here. Even the fun times have a way of torturing you. But they're mostly psychological.

[ She guesses that she hasn't had as much training as he has, but she's learned how to react and respond to others in fights, and dancing is like a fight where you don't constantly challenge the person. So long as she remembers that her goal isn't to drop him on the floor, she should be okay. And honestly, the shoes are helping. She doesn't wear heels very often, and she's starting to remember why. ]

We didn't have magic back in my world, either. Well, not really. And alien stuff was... limited. I know people who use magic here - I'm just glad they're not homicidal.

[signalized]

Like the events where they make you think you've lived a completely seperate life. Or the weird dreams we had around Christmas.

[Not to mention the whole idea of losing memories over time. That's what scares Bruce the most - losing memories of the people he's lost, the people who he only has in his memories now.

Without those, who would he be?]

People not being homicidal is always a plus -- we had too many people who were exactly that in my city.

[agentxthirteen]

[ She nods along as he speaks. ] Exactly. Even in the events where you're happy, when you come out of it... [ When they come out of those events, it's a shock to discover how different they are to their happy selves, how things will likely never be like the events where they were happy. ]

If you're going to say something like that, I have to ask - Where did you live? And just to be on the safe side, were you one of those homicidal people? [ She's teasing, Bruce. Really. Mostly.

Just doing her due diligence. ]