xistentia | I see trouble on the way.

Entry tags:

I see trouble on the way.

Characters: Everyone! Yes, you too!
Summary: Mandy's Masquerade hosts a fantastic Halloween party with a costume contest, some very special cocktails, and a few other surprises.
Date(s): Late in the month of October.
Warnings/Notes: Please mark any threads that need content warnings.

Mandy's is looking a bit festive this evening. Arrayed with spiderwebs, pumpkins, and other ghoulish decorations, the interior resembles a spooky haunted house. Spooky, not scary! Everyone's invited to stop by and celebrate All Hallow's Eve with spirited drinks, excellent company, and a lot of that Magnus flair.

You can loosen up on the dance floor to Monster Mash, Thriller, Dead Man's Party, or maybe something from this list. The spooky sky's the limit! Visit the bar for one of several special drinks you won't soon forget. You can also sample some tasty and holiday-appropriate baked goods, courtesy of the other Mr. Lightwood-Bane. Finally, stop by the table with the MAGIC 8 BALL to learn a little more about your fellow partygoers.

Potions.
drink list

Siren Song
If you're a little tone-deaf, don't fret. This drink will turn you into a master at serenading. It won't actually give you the ability to influence anyone via magical means, but maybe if your song choice is apt, you'll woo someone either way!

Firework!
A drink that comes with a portable fireworks show hovering over its surface. Drinking it will give you the sensation of ingesting liquid pop-rocks.

Blacklight
Does what it says on the tin and makes the drinker glow under a black light. It's also kind of sour.

Frankenstein's Monster
This drink is quite shocking. Not dangerously so, but when you drink it, you'll have the impression of getting a tingling little jolt of electricity down your spine. It's aliiiiive.

To Be or Not To Be (A Daemon)
Drink this and you will find you've been magically swapped with your daemon. It only lasts ten minutes, but hey! You'll get to see how the other half lives. A note: you won't inherit one another's abilities!

Who Wore It Best?
costume contest

Congratulations to our costume contest winners!

In first place for individual costumes...

Rafa wins for his devilish costume and he'll be awarded 2 potions: the first of which will up his luck stat, granting him good fortune in an endeavor (it says "Deal with the Devil" on the bottle) and the second will up his persuasion stat, helping him to be more successful in an argument (it says "The Devil's Advocate" on the bottle).

In second place for individual costumes...

Nico plunders the second place spot and will be given a treasure chest full of chocolates that are rum flavored. Careful, they pack a bit of a punch and when consumed, they'll make whoever eats them feel especially happy. No sad drunks here!

In third place for individual costumes...

Zeke and his amazingly sunny costume are in third and he wins a sunflower plant that will never cease to bloom and seems to have a bit of a glow about it. Plus, perpetual supply of sunflower seeds?

In first place for couples costumes...

Magnus and Alec came first for their portrayal of... each other... and they win a pair of seemingly mundane t-shirts that say "Bennet" and "Darcy" on them. What's that about?

In second place for couples costumes...

Vex and Kenzi delighted with their take on the Addams' family patriarch and matriarch and won second place. As a prize, Kenzi will be given a shampoo and conditioner set that seems pretty innocuous until you check out the writing on the bottles: 'Have YOU ever wanted hair like Cousin Itt? Are you ever in luck!' Just a small amount will make her locks lustrous and smooth. Vex will be given a very lifelike and animated hand in a box.

In third place for couples costumes...

Rose and Kaz were drop dead gorgeous in their mafia-inspired garb. As prizes, they will receive the following: for Rose, a pair of magical die that make music when thrown, and for Kaz, a set of playing cards that are intricately illustrated with astonishing art that seems to move. Watch out for the face cards, they get very opinionated about your playing. They both also receive a chip that can be relinquished to Magnus for a small magical favor.

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Yes. You are not the reckless sort.

But that was the easy part. What would you wish for? With your three wishes, after five years.

( you make it sound hard but here he goes, listing things off immediately. )

First for Izzy, Jace, Max and my mom to live long full lives ( quietly omits father ), for things to go well with the Downworlders and the cabinet I started, then... ( purses lips. ) To make it possible for me and Magnus to have a child in the future that isn't in a hundred years.

( after a sip of his drink: ) You?

[ Rafa doesn't look surprised until that very last wish, at which point his face softens considerably. He hadn't known Alec was thinking about children.

But he would make a good father. That's very obvious.

He can't answer so quickly, or so certainly. But at length, he says: ]

For my world to be safe from D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. Then for myself, Shane, Hunter, and Hunter's boy to return to it, without incident or separation. And the last...

[ More hesitation. Then he lifts his shoulders. ]

For peace that lasts. The most impossible of all.

[ He looks up at Alec. ]

You are ready for children? Truly?

( alec smiles softly at rafa's enumeration. it's pretty much what he would have expected from his friend, and they're good wishes. in all of their differences, their desire to protect their loved one and see peace are shared. )

Good ones. ( he shifts a little on his feet, letting rafa's question hang before taking another sip of his drink. a hand comes to the back of his neck to rub at it. it's not sheepish, though. there's a lot they have to deal with, together, after recent events back home, and surely more to come and throw a wrench in any future plans they make. but alec has always wanted a family, and his certainty that magnus is the person he wants it with is ironclad. )

One day. Not yet, but — I don't want it to take too long, either. I didn't think it'd be possible before I was immortal. ( and now that it is, he hopes it doesn't take three centuries. )

[ Ah, there's that familiar shyness. Rafa has to smile. Alec might be dressed as Magnus, but those gestures make him unmistakably Alec. He touches his hand, gentle and affectionate. ]

Anything is possible. You would make a good father. Look at how you care for all around you.

[ He lowers his voice a little. ]

What does Magnus think? Have you told him how you feel?

( he forgot he was meant to emulate magnus for a bit there, but the conversation warrants a bit more honesty than playing pretend and teasing magnus by imitating him, so he's dropping it. something flashes in his face when rafa says he'd be a good father, but it's gone quickly. he really hopes he will be. he wants to be, especially with the simmering bitterness he feels toward his own. he wants to be better. )

Thanks. ( it's soft, but very grateful. he doesn't think he's there yet, not in a place where he could be the best father he could possibly be, but he thinks he and magnus will both know when they are. ) I have, yeah. Before we went back home for a bit.

( the smile that tugs on his lips is clear enough of a response on how that conversation went. )

Have you thought about that kind of stuff?

[ Rafa's quiet for a moment, hesitating over his words. He steps a little closer to Alec, his expression less guarded than usual. It's not everyone he would have this conversation with. ]

I used to think…because of my own childhood, I could not countenance it. Shane asked, when we were younger, and the thought. Upset me, greatly.

[ He'd thought that it would stay that way. Rafa looks down. It might have been easier for him if it had stayed that way. ]

I had a vision? In Eudio, a vision of a possible future. I saw myself, with Nikolai, Hunter and Shane, and there were children. A girl and a boy between myself and Shane, and triplet boys between me and Hunter. The way I felt then was unexpected. It made me think, perhaps…I would like that. If that is my future, I think it may please me. I have never expected that.

( that's understandable, really. alec has his own reservations, but family has always been so important to him. to be able to make one of his own, by choice, with someone he loves and chose, it's a precious gift.

he smiles softly, nodding. )

That sounds like a nice vision. ( he hopes it'll come true, if it made rafa happy. he wants his friend to have a good, full life. not that children are required for that — but if this vision pleased him, surely it would please him to live it. ) Whatever happens, I hope you're happy. And it makes sense to wait until you feel ready or sure that it'd make you happy to have kids.

[ Rafa doesn’t look completely sure. He smiles, though. ]

I suppose that must be true. I was tempted to say yes many times, if only because I knew it would make him happy. But he does not like it, if that is the only reason why I do it.

Do you worry that...with you and Magnus, that it may change how you are together to have a child?

[ That’s what worries Rafa. He has trouble imagining how children would fit into their lives. He only knows that he saw it, and that the version of himself in the vision had been pleased by it. It’s not much to go off, though it’s a very great lot more than he had before. ]

( the question somehow doesn't come as a surprise, although alec has never considered that. he hasn't worried that much about it so concretely — the priority being magnus recovering from his recent foray in some nasty memories and healing their trust slowly. he wants kids, but after this, so he's mostly been worrying about this. all he knows is he can't imagine being a parent with anyone else at his side. he gives the question a few seconds of thought, staring down into his drink with his brow furrowed.

it's a logical question. he wants to give rafa his proper, thoughtful answer. )

I think things would change, yeah, and maybe that's a little scary. But I guess... after everything we've been through to get where we are, I'm not scared it would drive us apart. It's like — you're making your family bigger and loving someone together, right? I think it would only add to it.

( he looks back to rafa. )

If you're not ready for things to change between you... That's not a bad thing. It might just mean you want more time for the two of you, and that kind of makes sense after... ( gestures vaguely. ) Everything.

[ Rafa looks down. It's not the first time he's heard that argument. That it rolls so easily out of Alec's mouth makes him smile. Alec has always reminded him of Shane. It's fair to say that he's never done so more keenly than now. ]

That is what Shane always said to me. That I would not be losing him, I would be gaining so much more. Family had never meant anything good for me. Families were cruel, manipulative, competitive things.

But he thinks as you do. Perhaps you both are right.

[ There's no doubt Rafa hadn't been ready to accept that before. He would not even have envisioned a time when he would be ready, before Eudio forced it on him. ]

You would get along. The two of you.

Do you think Magnus is ready? I did not even ask if it was something he had done before.

Yeah? I hope I get to know him better. ( it's pretty much guaranteed he'll have opportunity, now that he'll live forever. he's glad, too, that someone else has conveyed the same thing to rafa before. it feels important to take into account your own personal readiness before jumping into something like that, but also see it as adding to what's already there, rather than breaking it.

that's how he sees it. it's just not that simple.

he looks down at that question, shuffling on his feet. as a rule he doesn't like speaking for magnus, especially not on a matter so personal. )

When we went back home, not long ago, it was — a lot happened. I think it will take time for things to go back to what they were exactly. ( that kind of answers it, right? and it's why alec doesn't feel ready yet either. that, and something else, equally important. )

You know how my people don't like Magnus'. If we were to adopt a child, there's no guarantee we could do it legally. If it was a Nephilim orphan, they wouldn't want Magnus to raise it, and his people might find reason to undermine his authority. If it was a Downworlder, it might be used against me to undermine me. It might be difficult for us, and I don't want children to have to suffer that kind of political tension.

We're going to wait. Until the alliance between our people is stronger.

[ Rafa shifts, standing a little straighter and looking at Alec. That's not the answer he was expecting. He knows there are difficulties between their races at home. It's not surprising given the nature of Alec's work, or the fact that there's prejudice between them.

Still. He hadn't realised any of that had come to a head. It's disappointing that it had. ]

That makes sense, and is a wise choice, I think. That alliance matters for more than just the two of you. It must be prioritised.

[ But that's Rafa the King and politician talking, and not Rafa, friend of Alec Lightwood. He reaches out now, hand covering Alec's. He knows what shuffling and fidgeting means. ]

What happened at home, Alec? You and Magnus, are you…?

( alec expected rafa would understand. he's a leader too, someone with people to look after as both alec and magnus do. focusing on that is better for the greater good, and once they'll have taken a few steps, maybe some of those reasons keeping children a difficult matter might start to disappear, one by one. )

I want to do everything I can for that alliance. ( he trails off, because it ties into rafa's question. he didn't particularly want to talk about this today. it's a party, so he put it all out of mind so he could celebrate with his friends. and he chose to focus on the choices he'd made with magnus since their return, how they'd talked about how to move forward from all of it.

but it's rafa. it's almost harder not to tell him. )

Honestly, it was... bad. ( he looks down at his drink. ) A lot of things went wrong. Someone was hiding among us right beneath our noses. I nearly lost my little brother. Magnus — has been through a lot and I made it worse. I did something I thought was the right call, but it was the wrong one for Magnus.

( that much he can say without too much emotion overwhelming him, but it's clear this is stuff he's been thinking about. he lets out a slow sigh, looking up from his drink to his friend again. what he'd said a moment ago will become even more understandable. )

What I was saying, about our people finding reason to undermine us by way of any potential kids — The Seelie Queen did it already. She used our relationship against Magnus. ( he doesn't want to say magnus left him, because not only does it hurt, not only does he have better context for it now that he knows about the queen, not only did he lie and therefore believe he'd brought it on himself for a while — it's in the past, and they talked about it, and alec is doing a good job at shoving all that back and focusing on the now. ) We're okay. But it's been hard. It's better now, but still... you know. It'll take time.

Edited 2017-11-10 14:50 (UTC)

[ And of course, the problem was a faerie queen. Rafa's eyes all but roll out of his head. ]

Ah yes, of course the source of your woes would be a faerie. Why am I not surprised? They are all too good at what they do.

[ He knows. He might be at peace with the faeries of his own world now, but he's never going to mistake a lack of violence for trust. Neither is it a surprise to him that the queen used their emotions to attack them. The faeries of Alec's world don't seem that different to the ones of Rafa's. ]

I am glad you have come through it, and her manipulations did not stick. I am sorry about your brother, as well. And for the choices you have had to make. You must always make the right one for your people, I know this, but…you know how highly I value love. You must find the balance. Perhaps, if your people were more united, there would be no choice at all.

[ So if Alec's alliance is successful, maybe he'll have less to worry about with his relationship, too. ]

I'm meant to be diplomatic with them in order to improve those alliances, but after that... ( he trails off. he's angry about it. beyond words. he's sickened to think someone would use their relationships against them, and he's annoyed at himself for being so stunned by hearing of it. as if he didn't already know he wasn't assigned as head of the institute because he's with magnus. as if he didn't already know he owes his position to jace's heritage. as if he hadn't heard the inquisitor herself talk about downworlders like valentine did.

alec is not one to let his emotions jeopardize a mission with a greater goal. what the queen did is unforgivable to him, especially after she colluded with their enemy,
but he has a lot of work to do. ) I'll just be wary. That's all I can afford. ( for now. he has to prove himself and the shadowhunters of new york worthy of their trust. )

That's what I — ( he stops, correcting himself. magnus agrees they can hope for that in the future, and that until then they'll work together side by side, but it doesn't erase what happened from alec's heart. ) What we hope. That'll take time, too, but eventually... it might not be an issue at all.

( and he agrees with rafa. love has become important in a way he never allowed it to be before. )

I don't think you need to sacrifice love for duty. Not anymore.

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I see trouble on the way.

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