Piper Allison / Alessandra De Luca (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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royal_musings2023-09-16 12:22 pm
callmeles) wrote in royal_musings2023-09-16 12:22 pm
Entry tags:
Meme - Welcome to Rose Red
𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖉, 𝕾𝖎𝖗/𝕸𝖆𝖉𝖆𝖒
You find yourself being helped out of a coach in front of a large majestic mansion. Inside is a party in full swing with people you may know, others you may not and some may even be celebrities from a time before who you swear mysteriously disappeared. Music is pouring out of the open doors and inside is a variety of foods and drinks to consume, dancing to be done and endless entertainment. At the end of the night, complimentary smokes and party favors are given out (if you make it). The garden is lit by tiny lights and has its own fully stocked bar should you prefer a quiet and intimate conversation with someone special.
Beyond the extravagant decor and party, is something much more sinister.
If you choose to explore, you might want to take a friend or bread crumbs (or rope) because the way you came may not be how you return. Windows, doors, and hallways tend to appear and disappear at the whim of the house. Rooms the owners may not even be aware of suddenly appear and others disappear. Ignore everything that rational thought tells you about a house being an inanimate object. This house is alive and it loves to play. It isn't only rooms, doors, and hallways that disappear - people do as well. Ghosts are rumored to haunt these halls and perhaps be responsible for the number of disappearances and deaths reported in and around the home.
If you're "lucky", you may even receive a welcome from one of its illustrious hosts, Ellen and Sukeena. If you're "really lucky", you may even get an offer to stay... permanently.
How to play
1 Tag in (use the prompts, don't use the prompts. up to you!)
2 Tag around
3 Have fun
4 Don't fuck with the house
Prompts:
1. Arrival Welcome to Rose Red. You'll be assisted out of your coach and led to the front door where someone will take your coat and welcome you in. From there, you are free to roam to your heart's content. Please stay a while, won't you?
2. Schmooze with the Rich and Famous There are people everywhere - the who's who of now and maybe even of a bygone era. Maybe you see someone you think you know or someone you swear mysteriously disappeared in the 20s or 30s. Go, introduce yourself! What's the worst that can happen?
3. The Garden We get it, you need to take a breather. Why not stroll out into the conservatory or into the garden? There are twinkle lights to set the mood but plenty of shadowy corners to disappear with a special someone. A fully stocked bar is ready for guests to stop by for a drink. You may want to stay clear of certain plants though, they have thorns and they really love blood.
4. Exploration The lure of being invited to an estate like this is exploring and you should definitely do so. The house seems welcoming and invites you to explore its depths. But, you may want to bring a rope or bread crumbs with you, you don't want to get lost, do you? Hallways and doors can be very misleading and you could end up in an entirely different part of the house than you expected. No one knows quite how big the place is and it just keeps adding on. Is that hammering you hear in the distance?
5. Apparitions and Ghosts Lore has it that a number of people have either died here during its construction (and after its construction) or have simply disappeared. If the locals are to be believed, it now requires blood to sustain itself. Who's to say, really? But, in between the music, the talking, the endless food, and the flowing alcohol, you swear you can hear a faint hammering in the distance. The bartender that you were just chatting up suddenly disappears and now there is a woman there offering you a tequila shot. Where did the young man go? Are there suddenly more or less guests?
6. What is This Feeling? The longer you stay, eat, drink, and be merry the more... your thoughts change. You were happy, you were enjoying yourself and now you're... what? Angry? Feeling overcome with guilt? Feeling betrayed? Or are you lustful? These feelings may not be your feelings but the emotions of the house. Just what are you doing to do with these feelings?
7. The Escape / Leaving Leaving so soon? Just when things were really getting good? Well, if you must. You'll be met outside with decadent party favors and smokes as you go which may or may not disappear as soon as you leave the premises. After all, were you really attending a party at the infamous Rose Red? When it's been run down and/or even demolished years ago?
For extra spice, use rng to determine if you stay or if you go. Evens: you make it out safely. Odds: Go back to #1
8. Choose Your Own Adventure!
Piper Allison / Les De Luca | witch oc
Imagine her surprise when she received an invitation to a party at Rose Red. A house she's sure she's heard about in passing. She's not sure what prompts her to go, likely her curiosity, but here she is. She's helped out of the car that was sent for her, wearing a sleek black dress (with a knife or two strapped to her side) and shown to the door.
Her gut, something she listens to a lot these days, tells her everything about this is bad but when in Rome. In addition, her senses prickle much like her house in England made her prickle. Only this one wasn't a familiar and warm presence. No, this one was much, much different.
"Oh, you are not a fun one, are you? Though you think you are," she says, mostly to herself, and stares at the home for a long moment before shoving the presence out of her mind. She would stay for an hour and then go.
[ooc: open to all prompts! have a witch that no doubt the house would love to stay. ]
Zayne | oc djinn | ota and open to all prompts
So when he finds himself exciting the cat sent for him and finds himself standing before an old mansion, he isn't sure what to think of it. Given his family, this could well be a game.
Given what he is, it might mean a trap.
That isn't going to stop him though. Even as he steps through the door, the music washing over him, and he considers just what this madness might mean. Raising one hand, he waves it over himself and it changes his jeans and a tee to a tailored suit, black on black, and he runs a hand through his hair.
"Bring it on."
(ooc: Open to any prompt, anywhere in the house. Let's see where things go.)
2, 3 & 4 (and we can go from there!)
She watched people laugh, dance, flirt... and a couple who were being very risqué in the corner. Not that she was judging in the least, she was sure had it been her and David, they would have done the same. She pushed him from her mind quickly, she didn't need those reminders right now.
Not right now.
And, especially not here.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she spotted someone she knew but focusing in, it wasn't them, and hell, the person didn't look remotely like the person she thought they were. Honestly, this place was a hot mess and she didn't like it one bit. The next time she looked toward the doorway, she spotted someone different. Someone who felt different than everyone else here and dressed in a nicely tailored black suit.
She looked him over briefly, where did she know him from?
Had she met him before? Or was he famous? She couldn't remember and normally she was great at faces and names.
"So, how did you wind up here," she asks, deciding to take the chance and walk up to him. Piper may not know what or who he is but she can tell that he's not a normal human like the vast majority of those in this room.
no subject
Not that he wasn't used to those two things combined but without knowing where he technically was - he remembered being in the cab but not the actual drive there - and who had sent the invite he isn't sure either of those things were good. No, he knew they weren't.
Someone actually acknowledges him though, speaking to him, and Zayne turns towards the woman. For a moment he's silent, giving her a long look as if she didn't quite fit in. Which was true. Her magic was there, brilliant and yet so different than all of it that surrounded them.
He smiles then, shaking his head.
"I was told it was a gathering of the rich and infamous and a good place to make connections. Not saying it isn't true but I prefer my schmoozing to be somewhere that doesn't feel like I'm waiting for Mr Boddy to turn up dead in the parlor with the lead pipe."
He pauses, taking a drink of his champagne while giving her another look. "Though if you mean literally how I got here, I'm still not entirely sure. You?"
no subject
She snorts though at his comment about the place and nods. "You know, same," she agrees. "At least there isn't a thunderstorm otherwise that may be a little too spot on for a creepy house on a hill."
"I'm not exactly sure myself but all I know is that we should be careful. It has a very twisted sense of 'fun'." She assumed he wasn't like anyone or anything else here. He appeared solid and his magic felt different and yet brilliant all at the same time.
no subject
Wouldn't surprise him in the least. Nothing about this place felt right, and at least mundane things would be better than how the rest of the place felt. Heavy and thick, like walking through water he couldn't see her feel, but it was pressing down on him nonetheless.
"Kind of weird to end up at a party where you have to wonder just how safe you are." He shifts though, offering her his arms. "Come on. Let's explore."
no subject
The pressure in her mind from the house, a consistent presence since she entered the grounds, had left some but it wasn't entirely gone.
Her mouth curls up at his remark and glances at the arm he offers, taking it after a moment. "I'd like to say it's pretty normal in my life but that's debatable as well," she says and glances around.
"Where should we start? I'm sure each room is more creepy and benevolent than the next. The solarium and gardens seem innocent enough but I imagine will be anything but innocent."
no subject
A brow arches at that admission. "Oh is it now? And why is that? What kind of life do you live where creepy haunted houses are the norm?" He pauses before his eyes go wide. "Do you do a ghost show on cable? Please tell me you do."
Because that would definitely make things interesting, that's for sure.
"Start with the innocent? Least start things slow before the oogie boogies maybe come out?"
no subject
Her mouth curls up. "I am not featured on one of those shows though that would be fun," she admits with a grin. "No, I...," she pauses and looks at him. "I'm a witch with a questionable destiny now. And I may have lived in a semi or fully-sentient house like this. Only better because this place feels entirely wrong." Should she have admitted that out loud to him? Maybe, maybe not but he should know at least that she was capable of handling herself.
She nods in agreement. "So the solarium and gardens then," she says, walking in the direction she assumes would take them to said location. She keeps her eyes peeled on everything around her as they walk.
Eliza Burkett | original character | ota (voicetesting)
She was grateful that she was able to borrow a dress from a friend. It wasn't like she went to fancy parties all the time and this would be, hands down, fancy. She was sure of it. It had to be, right?
She had to be careful though. She knew the stories and knew she couldn't expect a regular party. Even during its heyday, Rose Red wasn't 'regular'.
When they arrive and she's helped out of the coach, Eliza stares at the brightly lit mansion in front of her and hears the music drifting from the open doors. "Well then, here I am. Eliza Burkett, on the scene at the infamous Rose Red. All the rumors of it being demolished were... greatly exaggerated then."
[ooc: Eliza is a relatively new oc. I've had her journal forever but have never done anything with her. She's an investigative journalist and probably has a podcast. Interested in the paranormal and true crime. Has a gift but has no idea about it yet. Open to all of the prompts!]
Fright at the Festival!
Kaz has gone before for the sake of jobs, and the sheer amount of bodies sets his teeth on edge. He’s glad he can avoid the crowds in favor of breaking into the impenetrable Grisha-guarded tower of one of his current greatest enemies who’s already tried to kill him.
Getting inside and snooping proves easier than getting out. He’s called on Jesper for distraction and the man does his job well, but the Tidemakers aren’t easily trifled with. When getting out he runs into two of them he hadn’t accounted for earlier, and his mind is frantic in trying to think of a new threat to avoid them filling his lungs with water and drowning him. It’s only when, being right on the harbor, both he and the Tidemakers are distracted by a curious sight.
The waves are pulling backwards.
Mangled, bloated bodies are staggering out onto the sand, heading towards the center of the city.
Kaz is positive it’s a trick. That, or he’s going mad. The only thing that grounds him is the fact that the Tidemakers look shocked, too. Taking advantage of this fact, Kaz jabs his cane into one’s face and another’s stomach, making them double over and giving him time to get away. He’s got what he needed within his jacket. Stumbling and coughing up water, Kaz races to where Jesper’s on the edge of the fair. They don’t have much time.
He looks a rumpled mess, with saltwater dribbling out of his mouth that he wipes away and has wet his shirtfront. He’s bleeding a little from the corner of his mouth, but Kaz has looked worse. No, what stands out now is that Kaz looks rattled. He tries to hide it, but he can’t entirely. Though he's not so startled that he can't think quick on his feet. He actually pulls Jesper aside, grasping his sleeve at a time like this, saying in a harsh, raspy whisper, “We need to clear the area. All of it. If a tidal wave doesn’t crash through here, something worse is. I saw… I don’t know what they are, but something…” Okay, he’ll just sound crazy. “People are rising out of the harbor, and they’re heading this way. Barricade what you can with the metal around here, they’re approaching from fifth harbor. I’ll get Nina and Piper.”
Kaz sends them a quick group text, including Adonis since he can teleport. ’Near the harbor exit. Head here now. Party of at least 30 approaching. Might be more. Capabilities TBD.’
no subject
Until, that was, Kaz made his move to get into and out of the watchtower.
Making a distraction was easy and just plain fun. Sometimes he didn't even count it as work. Afterward, he expected Kaz to stroll up with the air of a man who had accomplished his mission for the night but what he got instead surprised him... and frankly alarmed him.
Kaz was never rattled and he definitely looked rattled now!
"What?" Because clearly he hadn't heard him right... right?
But there's a noise in the distance and Jesper nods. "Clear the area and barricade it, got it."
It says a lot about his trust in Kaz (and knowing Piper was in Ketterdam) that it takes Adonis all of a few minutes to read over the text, change and grab a weapon before teleporting to the said harbor exit. "Who and what are we dealing with?" He didn't need the weapon - he had enough abilities on his own but it had been a while and he needed the practice.
no subject
Which begs the question of who would, really. Things like this don’t just happen by themselves.
“I told Jesper to barricade this entrance as best he can to buy us some time, both in figuring this out and getting people away from ground zero.” Kaz looks over at Jesper then. He knows this is a needle in a haystack question but he still asks it. “Was there anyone you noticed conspicuously missing from the festival? Or conspicuously present that normally isn’t?” One or the other might be a place to start in figuring out who is causing this, and from there how to stop it for good.
Nina comes running up then, her face pale and looking ill like she can sense something wrong within her bones. Wylan’s not far behind. “What’s going on?”
“Walking dead,” Kaz explains by way of shorthand, then pointing a finger at Jesper, “Do not make a show reference.” He looks back at Nina. “Can you stop it?”
“I don’t even know what started it, Kaz. As far as I know, I can control them when I make them rise, or when I call on a ghost. I can try, but…” In the distance she can see the figures wobbling towards them and shudders. Licking her lips she raises her hands and concentrates. Some of them stagger but don’t stop and she shakes her head. “No. They’re not listening to me. Whatever magic is causing this, they’re listening to that. We’ll have to stop them another way. While you do that, I'm going to focus on calming the crowds and convincing them to exit. Now.”
“When in doubt, a good shot to the head never hurt.” Kaz glances over at Jesper and Wylan. “Let’s try some long-range tactics to see if we can thin the herd at least.”
Wylan looks terrified but he’s quick to act, having already an explosive in hand. Glancing over at Jesper he suggests, “I can’t throw for shit, carry this for me?” With Jesper’s abilities the grenade could go far, and that certainly splatters some of the bodies to the ground. They don’t get up. “Looks like violence is the answer. For now.”
“It’s Ketterdam,” Kaz replies, his eyes on the distant horizon and his cane ready. “Of course that’s the answer.”
no subject
He had the fleeting thought that if those two ever truly pared up together to take something on other than a pie contest, nothing would stop them.
As he works, he considers Kaz's question. "No one that comes top of mind, no. But that's like a fucking needle in a haystack."
Adonis frowns as he considers that. It wasn't often that he ran into something like zombies. As all of the possibilities run through his mind, he helps Jesper out with the barricade. There's barely any time at all before he senses Nina and Wylan coming closer and not far behind them is Piper. At least they were safe.
As she runs up to them, she hears the part about the actual walking dead and only barely holds in her own joke about the TV show. "Fantastic," she says, her hands going to her hips and watching as Nina attempts to control the forms coming closer to no avail. "We can't go one trip without something crazy happening, can we," she asks.
"You got it, boss," Jesper says after snorting at Piper's comment while pulling out his beloved pistols and then nodding at Wylan. Between them, they're able to flatten some with the grenade before he rapid-fire shoots others in the head, watching them fall.
Adonis looks at Kaz. "Are there other points we need to barricade?"
Piper lifts a hand, watching a fireball form before tossing it at one of the figures stumbling their way up. "Who else has the ability to call forth an undead army?"
no subject
“Maybe they aren’t working alone,” Wylan suggests, scrambling to toss another grenade for Jesper to help carry. At Kaz’s side eye quirk, Wylan feels emboldened to add onto it. “We are after all in Ketterdam, Kaz. Why do something yourself when you can make a deal to get it done.” Sometimes Wylan’s quiet demeanor and moral fortitude makes people forget that he, too, has been born and raised in this city. He knows what Ketterdam is like.
There’s a faint look of almost pride from Kaz at that. “Who would want to make a deal to raise the dead is the question, then.”
“Someone who had a deal turn sour and wants to make someone pay?” Wylan suggests.
Kaz shakes his head. “That would call for a more targeted approach. This is messy. Sloppy, even. Jesper might have had a point about needles and haystacks - someone might be raising a haystack looking for a needle. Who recently suffered a loss, and has the means to make a deal of this nature to get them back? Someone rich, and someone who doesn’t care who gets harmed in the process.”
He looks over at Jesper, to see if he’s thinking of the same Councilman that Kaz is who lost his wife recently at sea. Which gives Kaz another idea. “Some of us should hold down the fort, the rest should start heading to the Councilman’s house. I have an idea for a little backup that might come in handy. I’ll meet you there.”
no subject
Jesper grins proudly at Wylan. "He's learning," he says before leaning over and pressing a smacking kiss to his cheek then looks at Kaz when he asks the question and nods. "Sounds about right," he says before shooting at another.
"What kind of backup are you needing," Adonis asks knowing Piper can take care of things here. "I'll come with you.
"You guys go, I've got this," she says, keeping her focus on the horde stumbling in their direction.
Spooky Shuttle Shenanigans
The shuttle had been originally designed on Mariposa, a member of the Federation. Ultimately it was determined not to be optimal for medical transport and they allowed Kirk to transport it over to the current starbase hangar where the Farragut is residing. What will be done with it after his crew and Les turn it into a haunted shuttle he has no idea, perhaps donating it. For the moment he’s just concerned about letting them let their hair down, so to speak, and getting to see Les again. They stay in touch via communicators, but it’s not the same as getting to see a friend in person.
He’s waiting for her to be transported aboard the Farragut now, arms crossed and an anticipatory smile on his face. He wouldn’t be surprised if she came with her own supplies to add to the ones he and the crew have gotten. From here he’ll take her to the shuttle. Once she materializes, he moves forward to give her a hug in greeting. “Hey, stranger.”
love everything about this!!
Les just rolls her eyes at their knowing looks even if she can't deny it.
She was really excited about turning the shuttle into some sort of haunted shuttle attraction and modifying it to fit whatever the crew and they want. It was way beyond what she was given back home and so of course she wanted to take every opportunity they had at their deposal.
As he expected, she did come with her own supplies and things she thought they could use.
She grins when she spots him after materializing and meets him halfway so she can hug him. "Hey you," she says, having missed him.
<3
Pulling back, Jim cheerfully introduces Les to the transport officer, Lieutenant Shaska, who gives a wave and teases, “Congrats on getting our first officer to actually take shore leave.”
“I know you’re not saying you’re all sick of me,” Jim teases back as he reaches down to help carry Les’s bags.
“Never, sir,” Shaska replies back innocently, and it’s clear that Jim has a friendly relationship with the crew from the bantering.
It’s only a short while for them to store Les’s personal belongings in her guest quarters on the Farragut and then taking a transport to the hangar where the shuttle in question resides. A few crew are milling about, enjoying some drinks and snacks and wave when they arrive. Everyone’s waiting for them to discuss a vision for the shuttle before getting down to business.
Inside the shuttle, unbeknownst to them, a blue spark of odd energy crackles beneath the control panel.
no subject
She could say she's never decal'd a space shuttle before so this would be her first. She was looking forward to the challenge of it with this crew.
Les grins at the Lieutenant Shaska and gives her a wave. "I'll be happy to inspire him to take more," she says teasingly and picks up the last bag. She was glad to see the camaraderie between him and his crew. It said a lot that he had that level of friendliness and respect.
The closer they got to the hangar, the more excited Les got. Not that she wasn't excited to be here with Jim and to be part of his world, because she was but again, she didn't have many opportunities to decal a space shuttle. She waves to everyone.
She drops one of the bags of supplies down out of the way. "Hey everyone. What are some ideas you have about the shuttle?"
no subject
no subject
When Jim first mentioned it to her, she'd started thinking of a haunted shuttle with a distressed outside, similar to a decrepit house back home. She really liked the idea of plant life taking over the ship.
"Sadly, I haven't done a Halloween-themed vehicle though I'm not sure why, it seems no one is ever in the Halloween spirit as much as I am," she sighs with a playful tone.
"My first thought was an ode to the classic haunted house on the outside - distressing things to make it look like it could fall apart. I really like the idea of plant life though and there's no reason why we couldn't work from the outside in. So, on the outside, it looks like a shuttle but on the inside, plant life is taking over." She'd brought some materials that would help with the distressing, some paint she had, some stencils she'd created over the years, and some other supplies that would go far for something like this.
no subject
As they begin to draw on the outside of the shuttle, a spark of electricity crackles inside and around an unknown plant sample in what used to be the cargo hold of the med transporter. Tiny, minuscule residual sap that has seeped into the floorboards makes them shake, then slowly, branches begin to sprout. They burrow through the cracks and crevices of the ship's interior, sending off a particular scent. The scent would be different to each person, drawing them back to a ghostly memory of their pasts.
"I'm gonna see if there's anything worth stripping inside the ship, captain," D'andri calls back, an Engineering ensign who of course wants to get his hands on the shuttle's interior. At Kirk's nod he opens the hatch, coughing a little as the scent wafts out to him.
no subject
Over the years, she's done a number of fascinating paint jobs and rebuilds. Many were more colorful or had interesting patterns than the traditional paint jobs that many see on the daily drive. Still, she had to admit, that the artistic challenge of creating something to this scale was something she'd always dreamt of.
She shook those thoughts from her mind as she looked at Jim. "Let's get started then," she says, grabbing her bag before walking closer to the shuttle. When D'andri mentions going in, she's tempted to follow him - simply to see what the inside of the place looks like even though she'd have plenty of opportunities over the next few days. When the hatch opens and he coughs, she pauses though she's unsure why. It's not like she caught a whiff of anything, she hadn't been standing that close to him but still.
"You good," she asks, coming up to him after a moment and getting a whiff of... a barbeque? That wasn't right, right? "What is that smell?"