estoria | //CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

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//CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

Who: Everyone! ... who glitches into this wonderful night, anyway.
When: OOC: 1/4 ; IC: 5/2
Where: Just your ordinary, adventurous ViViD level. Right? Of course.
What: You saw a flyer go out, a nice little promotion declaring that anyone who signed into ViViD today at a specific time would be awarded 500 credits. You thought that sounded nice, so you decided to log in for a quick game, thinking it would be no big deal. You absolutely did not get what you bargained for.
Rating/Warning: Let’s say PG for now. If this changes, please say so in the header of your thread and let Pip or Xan know so we can change the rating!

//CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

You've seen the flyer. Or maybe you haven't. Whatever your reasons may be, you've decided to log onto ViViD today at around 6 PM. At first, all seems normal as the game loads, and you prepare to start on what should be an average adventure. Maybe you'll do a little fighting, or some exploring, or even a little platforming. Either way, there shouldn't be anything unusual about this.

Right?

You couldn't have been more wrong. The moment you log in, something goes strange. The game glitches around you, whatever world that started to load seizing up and freezing with static, warping with strange colors. And then a different setting loads smoothly like nothing ever happened. The first thing you notice is that it's sprawling and beautiful, if not a little ostentatious. Should your curiosity draw you from the courtyard you've arrived in through the great double doors, you'll arrive in...

... a ballroom. Welcome to prom.

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ 600 ] There are tables scattered around the periphery of the room, and a DJ, somewhat out of place in this beautiful setting, is stationed at the back, spinning out tunes to help you get settled into the start of the night. On the scattered tables are... punch bowls? They look tantalizing, and they come in quite a rainbow of colors. Should you be brave enough to take a sip, you'll find interesting things will happen. Drink the red punch, and you'll end up in rococo fashion. Drink the pale champagne-colored punch, and you'll find yourself sporting elegant regency attire. How about that cool blue punch? You'll step right into the roaring 20's. What about that dayglo orange punch over there? How about some far out 80's, man? That futuristic purple punch will suit you up in Tron style. And then there's one last punch bowl on a lonely table in the corner. No one can quite identify that color. Is that ... brown? Brave this punch bowl and you'll be, uh ... richly rewarded with modern-day fashions. Will you step up and test these refreshments, for science? Or will you be the first onto the dance floor, or to make an insane request of the DJ?

Last but not least, certain Cerealians who glitch into the level may find they have a specific corsage attached that they cannot remove! If they stick around long enough, they'll find one other lucky soul with a matching corsage. This is your ViViD assigned date! No one is going to force you two to dance... but you might find that the longer you put off dancing, the tighter that corsage gets around your wrist, or the more it begins to prick your chest, depending on its location. Might want to rethink your position...

Dates:
Shijima Kurookano & Himeko Inaba
Trucy Wright & Enomoto "Ene" Takane
Adelina & Rock Lee
Byakuya Togami & Lailah
Archer & Touka Kirishima
Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane & Maya Fey
Leon Kuwata & Alisha Diphda

PHASE II

[ 730 ] So you're here. Whether out of curiosity or you've resigned yourself to the strange festivities, you're in. Maybe you've been wallflowering it up for a while, even with the cool kickin music playing. Whatever the case may be, the DJ announces themselves (DJ Slim Shaydee, not to be confused with that knock off from Earth). You're welcomed in an enthusiastic manner. Also hey, if you're near a table, see those cute placards? Yeah the ones in the center pieces mixed in with the bowl of candy and flowers. You'll notice they have a neatly typed out list— DJ Slim Shaydee says whoever fulfills the criteria on the list will be crowned Prom Royalty. Who doesn't want that???

Successfully complete a slow dance
Do the cha cha slide OR do the electric slide without messing up the turn
Make out in the rose garden out back
Have a dramatic fight with a close friend and storm out (you may come back after)
Comfort a crying friend in the bathroom
If you're a minor, accidentally get drunk
Successfully spike every punch bowl within a 20 minute time limit
Confess romantic feelings to the object of your affections

To truly kick it off or maybe give those ambitious types a head start, DJ Slim is gonna play you (yes all of you) a group dance! Hope you know the moves to the Cha Cha Slide. If not, don't worry, the song will tell you every step.

Oh and one more thing — anyone who fulfills an item on the list will get a confetti surprise. What does this mean? It means a golden, multi-faceted little ball will spontaneously appear over your head out of nowhere soon after you fulfill a condition, hovering for a moment before it explodes into a shower of confetti. Enjoy!

PHASE III

[ 900 ] Whew. All these fast paced songs sure have you tired out, right? Maybe take a sip from the many punch bowls around the room if you haven't tested them out yet. Or try your hand at fulfilling another portion of that list from earlier—by spiking the punch. Better work fast though, the bowls themselves refresh fairly quickly once they sense contamination. See how many you can get in one go! Or if you're not a dirty prankster, see how many people you can catch spiking those dang bowls.

While you're doing that, the DJ seems to want to wind down the energy in the room. That means, you guessed it: time for that coveted slow dance. As the first chords of the song play, the doors to the garden veranda and hedge maze open. How romantic.

PHASE IV

[ 1000 ] It's the end of the night, and maybe you've been trying your best to satisfy all those win conditions. Or maybe you haven't! Either way, it's clear from the mood in the air that the time is drawing near for the announcement of the Prom Royalty. The DJ brings the lights low, and spotlights hit his stand. He brings a mic to his mouth, and announces grimly that there will be no Prom Royalty. Apparently, no one satisfied enough of the win conditions! How can that be? Surely someone tried! Well, whatever happened, the DJ isn't happy, and the lights in the room will come back up. The DJ will mess with some of the equipment at his station, and all across the room, small panels will open up near the ceiling. Pouring out will come ... balloons? And not just any balloons - they're water balloons, and not only are they somehow floating, they're coming straight for you. How are they flying? We just don't know. If they come in contact with you, they'll frizz your perfect prom hair. Worse, if you apply even the mildest force to them, they'll immediately pop and drench you in freezing cold water, leaving you drenched.

The ballroom quickly fills with these angry little balloons, threatening to flood the room completely if too many of them pop. Will you flee and save yourself? Try to save your friends? Try to reason with the DJ and stop the balloon menace? No matter what you do, you'd better work fast. The floor is already getting dangerously wet...

BONUS

[ hour ??? ] Remember that garden maze? From a certain point of the evening on, prom guests have been free to wander through as they please. They're beautiful, a rose maze by day that looks even more breathtaking at night with fairy lights glittering and winking in between all the flowers and leaves. Maybe you wandered out there to get away from the craziness in the party. Perhaps you want to be a true wallflower. But should you explore this maze with another at your side, you'll find it a pleasant enough trip, and if you manage to make it all the way to the center of the maze, you'll discover a secluded little gazebo that seems like it was placed there just for you.

Go in alone, though, and the maze seems like a completely different place. The fairy lights will be dimmer, less pleasant. You'll hear a rustling too loud to just be the wind. What was that sound? Turn around, and nothing is there. Too late you'll realize that the maze itself is alive, and has been watching you this entire time. It doesn't like lone wanderers. Better run fast or find a way to get out of the plant's clutches before you really become veggie.

However, if you get caught, you'll be trapped by the sentient vines that shoot out from the walls and bound to the side of the maze until another lone explorer finds you. At this point the vines will reach out and snap up that unlucky soul, too, wrapping you both up in a not-so-tender embrace. You'll both be stuck there until you can do whatever it is the maze wants that will convince it to set you free. What is that? Well, it does seem to be fond of lovers... and public displays of affection.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He also understands the importance of looking good on special occasions, so clearly they're on the same page! And even if he wouldn't be quite as verbally harsh (probably), he's... he's definitely still laughing like a rude butt. This poor NPC accidentally wandered into Mean Girls: The Sequel.]

If you're still lonely later and can't find anyone to dance with, come find me again, okay? I won't turn a dance down.

[Even if it's from PUSHY NPCs. This one apparently isn't too thrilled by the idea though, and starts to slink away, seemingly defeated.]

[As soon as the NPC is gone, Shiho relaxes somewhat (though she still keeps her arms crossed in case Kashuu was going to start asking her to dance too. Having to deal with people potentially getting angry at her for the psychometry was something that she had never gotten used to despite what she tries to tell herself.]

You didn't have to come and help, you know. But thanks. I guess.

[Shiho is, as always, cautiously and reluctantly grateful.]

[He doesn't, in fact, ask her! Even though he's normally a truly stubborn force when it comes to getting dances out of people, he can tell when it's better to back off.

Her tsuntsun thanks gets a nod in response, and he sets his hands on his hips, watching the NPC corner down some other poor soul.]

No problem. I totally get wanting to dance and all, but if a person can't even read the atmosphere, they're probably not a very good dance partner.

Or probably an extremely desperate one, which still isn't a good thing. Who knows what kind of reason he has for wanting to dance so badly, right?

[Probably some kind of nefarious reason, if the way she smiles is any indication.]

[WHY IS IT ALWAYS NEFARIOUS WITH HER. He makes a face and then shakes his head, like maybe that'll shake the creepy-crawly gross dance partner vibe along with it.]

Eh... Right, right - it's better to avoid 'em either way. [A beat, and then:] You really aren't big on dancing though, huh?

[SHE HAPPENS TO LIKE NEFARIOUS OK.]

Or maybe I'm just not big on dancing with creeps that I don't know.

[It's not that at all, but Shiho isn't planning on telling anyone else that she's a psychometer.]

You seem to like it a lot, at least.

[Kashuu can understand that, at least... There's a little hum of acknowledgement, and then he nods in response to her latter statement. SHE'S NOT WRONG... If Shiho likes nefarious, Kashuu likes being all up in everyone's personal space.]

It's a lot of fun! I wasn't able to do stuff like that before, y'know? Dancing or any of that. [Being an inanimate object is Hard.] So it's like, I gotta take advantage while I can, right?

[That bothers her. It bothers her a lot and if Shiho weren't determined not to, she probably would have fidgeted. Curse her conscience.]

....if you want to dance so badly then why are you still here?

'Cause I like talking to you, too!

[Said without hesitation... Though Kashuu also has a mild tsuntsun streak, he honestly makes up for it by being so blunt when it comes to his attachments to people or his opinions about them.]

There's still plenty of night left to get some dances in if I want to, anyway.

[Blunt people are so difficult for her to deal with. Being mean to them always makes her feel like an awful person...and she never wants to be mean to them in the first place....]

Well......I-I guess we could talk. If you're sure.

[Kashuu: Making life hard for everyone accidentally or semi-intentionally for 500 years...]

I'm sure! I'll go dance in a little bit, but for now- [Is he dragging a chair over? He's dragging a chair over.] -Let's catch up! It's been a little while since we talked, anyway.

[why is he dragging a chair over???]

Well....what did you want to talk about anyway....?

How've you been? What's been going on? Did those ghosts bother you a lot? Did that knife ever find a home?

[Ah, The Endless Question Flood. Surely she missed it!]

I've been fine. [She didn't even get sick or anything (because she's just not pure-hearted enough sorry)]

And nothing. Just doing some detective work, going to school, that sort of thing. Besides didn't those ghosts bother everybody? [She still refuses to admit that she's scared of them.

Despite the fact that she's looking defensive, she's still answering every question.]

As for the knife: it did. I took it back.

[Kashuu doesn't seem too surprised by the answer, but he smiles brightly anyway like a dang dingus.]

Thanks! [Why is he thanking her, good lord...] I'm sure it's a lot happier back with its owner now. But they better take good care of it!

Anyway, yeah, those ghosts were a real pain. One haunted our doorknob and zapped everyone who touched it. Super rude, right?

[Don't thank her!!]

What are you thanking me for? [She was the one holding the knife for ransom, Kashuu.] And I know they will. It...it seems important.

Your...doorknob? What a stupid place to haunt...

'Cause you returned it! You didn't have to even if it was the right thing, so. [A shrug! He knows Shiho isn't as much of a jerk as she sometimes seems, but he's being honest when he says that, at least. He'll nod once in response to her latter statement, too; it's always good to hear that a blade has a master that cares for it.

AS FOR THAT:]

I know. I was like, what are you trying to accomplish inside a doorknob, you weird ghost? At least go for the oven or the microwave! But nope, it just went straight for the door.

Well, I was always going to return it! [Regardless of whatever she said.]

Did it try to lock the door and make sure you guys couldn't leave, at least?

I figured, but it's still nice to hear.

[Nodding along! Yes yes, he's very familiar with the "prickly tsun but actually Not That Bad" thing... He's surrounded by people like that for some reason. That said:]

Not even once! All it did was zap our fingers a little. Lame, right?

[Shiho makes an annoyed little huff which is not tsundere at all nope.]

How is that any different from pranking someone with a joy buzzer? Lame.

I know! I mean, I guess I should be grateful it didn't go after the stove and set our apartment on fire, but still. I dunno whether that guy gave the rest of us a good name or a bad name.

[Or just a sad name... "Can't even possess doors right."]

Wait...rest of us-

[...........................was he trying to say that he was some sort of ghost too.]

Oh - right! I'm a tsukumogami, y'know! A sword spirit. There's a whole bunch of us here.

[KIND OF A GHOST...]

But I'm not like those creepy futons that come back and smother people or something, so don't worry!

[She would have been happier if he never mentioned anything about the creepy, people-smothering futons.]

Wh-What, so you just come back and stab people instead?

[Does this make him the same kind of thing as a ghost??]

[HE LIKES MAKING HIMSELF LOOK BETTER. Unfortunately, it's backfired here...]

No way! ...Not people, anyway. I was summoned by my master to fight against some other guys kinda like us. But they're real bad, so we do our best to make sure they can't hurt anyone.

[Which is why he'd fallen into place so easily during the ghost attack. That's basically his job!]

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