I see trouble on the way.

[lacquers]

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.

Comments

clary fray ( open. )

[creatio]

a. with a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan

( The thing is, Clary loves Halloween. She always has. And while part of her is sure she's supposed to not now that she knows all about the real things that go bump in the night, her enthusiasm for costumes and silly spooky stuff has not dimmed. In fact, tonight is even better because she's high on the success of getting Jace to wear a costume. It's like all her teenage fantasies come to life.

The first thing she does is eye up the cocktail menu, because Magnus never disappoints when it comes to his magical concoctions. Unfortunately, producing electricity is an integral part of being a Pikachu and considering that won't happen, she leaves the last on the list well enough alone for now. Instead she picks up Frankenstein's Monster and takes a sip, grinning when it zaps all the way down. To whoever is nearest, Clary's proclamation comes loud and clear. ) Okay, you have to try this. It's like how you think poprocks and coke would be like, only less deadly.

( Join her. )

b. i have swept the very bravest off their feet

( She's not all that disappointed they didn't win the costume competition - though she's going to lament to Jace that they were robbed any time he's in earshot. She's just pleased to have done something a little dumb and a lot fun. When the winners are announced though, she happily ditches the mask and the gloves in favour of free movement and heads to where the majority of the partygoers have gathered.

Clary drags whoever she can find onto the dancefloor with ease. Protests are ignored and people implored upon ( she is going to get Alec to dance with her if it kills her, watch this space ) but most of the time she's looking Jace's way. Or one memorable moment forgetting they're in public and leaning over to kiss him mid song, tasting of magic and alcohol. Maybe she should have mentioned to old acquaintances that they weren't actually related, oh well. Rest assured though, she's definitely down to boogie, shimmying to whoever has stopped moving to beam at them. )

You're next on my list, come on!

c.

( WILDCARD. Hit me up with whatever!! )

a;

[remarkablymodest]

[ Ah. Aymeric remembers her, the glitter bomb girl. He looks a little different in his costume; long blond hair and silver instead of blue but the ears are still the same. Which happens to work well, apparently, since Elezens and 'Elves' share that feature. ]

You'll have to forgive me, I'm not sure what poprocks are. [ ... Well. ] Or Coke. At least, not in the context you're referring to it.

[ He lives such a sad life, Clary. Help him. ]

[creatio]

( Oh, Aymeric. )

You haven't had a coke yet? ( Okay, okay. She's got this. The bartender gets flagged down and Clary orders two, because it's good to intersperse the alcohol with something, right? )

It's a soda. Kind of like this but without the alcohol. Still as unhealthy but when you're in need of a sugar fix it's like nectar from the gods or something. It's a shame I can't get poprocks here though. They're these little candies that you stick on your tongue and the fizz and pop and burst. They're amazing.

( She's so weird. )

[remarkablymodest]

[ Nectar... from the gods... He blinks, but smiles still and sincerely appears to be charmed by the redhead's quirkiness. ]

They sound rather entertaining, [ he admits, trying to think of if there's anything similar in Eorzea. If there is, he hasn't partaken of it. Though it wouldn't surprise him if something of its nature was around and he just hadn't gotten to it yet. Aymeric, as she's likely established, has led a rather sheltered life. ]

[ Soon as the drink arrives, he's taking a sip and- ] It's sweet.

[ Which is said in a tone that's probably the closest to excited as Aymeric gets. ]

[creatio]

Yeah! But good, right?

( She's very earnest in her appreciation of soda. And also encouraging of trying new things. Aymeric seems like he could use a guide. ) I mean, I can have Pepsi if need be, but I love a coke. The sugar really hits the spot.

( #1 Advertiser. )

Are you enjoying the party?

[remarkablymodest]

Exemplary, [ which is probably far too fancy a word for soda but gets his earnest approval across all the same. He thinks he might have found a new indulgence. Variety never hurt anyone, right? Even if he was partial to birch syrup in his tea still. ]

I'm enjoying it quite thoroughly so far. And what of yourself? I'm not familiar with your costume, but it suits you.

is aymeric in costume my friend? i tried looking through the post but i'm probably missing it.

[creatio]

( "Exemplary". That's so cute. Aymeric, she likes you. )

I'm really glad you like it. If there's anything else that catches your eye at this party you should let me know. I'll be your junk food and soda guru. And it's Batgirl. ( She looks down at herself, does a little preening motion. ) Aka one of the best superheroes ever. I made my boyfriend dress up as Nightwing so we matched. You'll probably see him around somewhere.

( A pause. ) If he's not too busy brooding.

( Because, Jace. )

yes! he is a generic elf king (tho lotr style)

[remarkablymodest]

[ He'd be happy to know his vocabulary is charming. Being well read is just one of the requisites for nobility. ]

Ah. I have a friend myself who is a quite known for his tendency to brood. [ Perhaps the closest that Aymeric will get to teasing is what he says next, which is, ] He also had quite a few admirers because of this fact though. Some women seem to like the more mysterious, contemplative men.

[ """Some women.""" ]

[ a. ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki lets her finish before raising an eyebrow at her. ]

I have no idea what any of those are. Though I question any food that has the word "rocks" in them.

[creatio]

Honestly, I'm going to have to find a way to run a candy store here. There are far too many people who've been deprived throughout their lives.

( Technically she knows it's mostly down to different universes and worlds, but whatever. She's still going to go for it. ) They're these little fizzy things that you put on your tongue and they fizzle and pop. They're awesome. But you're not supposed to put them in coke because apparently they'll explode. It was a rumour in high school.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki's eyes light up slightly at the idea of explosions. He makes a note to test this later. Perhaps mortals are not without some . . . ingenuity. ]

And no one thought to confirm it? For shame.

[creatio]

The rumour also said someone from like small town nowhere had to get their stomach stitched back up after it blew up. Kids aren't necessarily the smartest.

( She knows that's not how it works now, but eight year old Clary definitely didn't want to risk it. )

You're better off with Magnus' drinks anyway. They actually do something fun and you definitely don't have to worry about your internal organs becoming party decorations.

[dothelokimotion]

Oh, I rarely have that fear.

[ Loki is fairly immune to all poisons and potential liquids. His strange body chemistry does the work for him. Saved his life recently too, though Loki doesn't know how he feels about that. ]

So this Magnus is a mage?

[creatio]

I think he prefers warlock, but mage kind of fits too.

( Actually, he might not prefer either. Sometimes warlock gets tossed about as an insult. She's seen the way it makes him flinch. ) He should be around here somewhere. ( Cue her trying to peer around the mingling crowd to find her magical friend. It doesn't do much good, she's too short. ) He did this a lot in Eudio, threw parties with magic drinks. It's always fun to go in blind and try and figure out the effects of each one. Once he made a cocktail that meant you could phase through walls. I had a blast with that.

( Startling Alec Lightwood - her favourite pastime.

But Clary is curious now. ) Are they indestructible? Your internal organs? ( Everyone she comes across seems to have some power or other. This is her way of trying to find out his. )

[dothelokimotion]

Nothing, as far as I know, is indestructible.

[ Even the Hulk, Loki is sure, has some Achilles' heel. He makes a note of Eudio — he has heard it before in other conversations, but he did not know what to make of it. Or another him wandering around, making friends. Distasteful. ]

I merely have a higher tolerance than most.

[ He assumes. The joys of unknown parentage. Half is from Jotunheim. The other? Who knows. Certainly not Loki. If Odin knew, he would only say so if there was a way to draw use from Loki. ]

c!

[pillz]

I didn't want to ruin your shit when you came back from homeworld, [kavinsky is hunching over his blood drink and eyeing her closely, talking loud enough to be heard over the pulsing music of the halloween party.] But don't think I didn't fucking notice. [he glances over his shoulder just briefly. these days, he has no trouble with seeing in darkness. he can state with some confidence that jace isn't in earshot.] Who the fuck is blondie?

And who did his Goddamn lip implants? Shit. [kavinsky's one to talk, with his big poofy mouth that once upon a canon, ronan made weird internal comments about. but it makes weird freudian sense for an adoptive 'dad' to hate on his baby girl's boyfriend for sharing similar traits. only nobody point that out. besides, he's joking. right? he's probably joking. this whole thing is-- kind of like joking; it's not like he really thinks he managed to single-handedly bring clary out of a womb and into this world. probably.]

I think it's a little fucking early for matching costumes, Fray. You don't want to give him the wrong idea. Men are shitlords. Straight up.

[creatio]

( She feels him arrive before he speaks, something about his newfound vampirism alerting the hunter in her to his presence. Clary's already smiling as he starts, an eyebrow arching closer to the flame of her hair the more he progresses. ) That's Jace. ( Her own lips twitch at Kavinsky's comment on her boyfriend's mouth, clearly trying to hold back a laugh. ) And it's definitely not too soon. We have history. A lot of history.

( Clary knows she'd fight for the right to have this kind of moment, something helpless and happy and ridiculously youthful about a party with dancing and drinking and matching costumes. She'd die for it.

Her gaze automatically searches him out, smile turning softer. She's lovesick. It's a solid diagnosis.

But!! She's not abandoning her friends, so Kavinsky gets her attention back again almost immediately. ) How are you? How's the whole creature of the night life treating you? Have you started a rock band yet?

[pillz]

[lovesick! kavinsky's attention cuts back at her. then back again. he tennis matches twice in quick succession, sour displeasure darkening his brow. he opens his mouth to get into it, to criticize jace's weird hair and the womanish way he's standing with his butt poking out that way, but then she heads him off with

1. an adorable look of smitten infatuation, and
   
2. a question about his vampirism.

and if we know anything about kavinsky, it's that he likes talking about himself as much as he hates having to be vulnerable or honest about any of his personal experiences.] It's treating me pretty good. [didn't magically solve all his personal problems, shockingly, but he'd known that going in -- on some level. after all, he'd had the ability to dream himself whatever he wanted, even personal servants to do all his bidding. by now, he knows it's slower and shittier going than all that.] You're trying to throw me off the scent. Jace's scent. What's your history? How come it didn't happen earlier, if he's all that.

[creatio]

( She is definitely trying to throw him off the scent, and him calling her out on it makes her narrow her eyes his way. ) You're not allowed to threaten him. He'll take that as a personal challenge and I am not mediating. ( She stabbed her last dad because he pissed her off, Kavinsky. Watch out.

Actually no, she's not being murderous today. She's having fun and she will continue to do so. Which means getting another drink. ) I don't know if you'd believe me, honestly. It's a really complicated story. But Jace and I have wanted this for a long time. We just couldn't. Now we can.

( She shrugs her shoulder, aiming for dismissive. But it's important to her. )

Also, he's cute. ( PLS, CLARISSA. )

[pillz]

[there's a long, calculating pause, as kavinsky considers several likelier scenarios and then chooses ultimately to say, and this is not a gag tag,]

His dingle was broken, weren't it?

[creatio]

( Excuse her, she's choking on her drink. )

No! ( Jeez ... )

It's a really weird story, okay? I mean, Maury kinds of weird. ( Huffing out a sigh, and then in a somewhat begrudging and embarrassed statement -. ) We thought we were related. We were lied to. After we fell for each other. So it was definitely kind of a mess.

B, ish

[estrayer]

[ Jace's time at parties is usually spent around the bar, or in a booth with drinks already in front of him. Dancing and costumes? That's not usually his style. If it had been his style, he probably still wouldn't have dressed like this - and not just because the name 'Nightwing' really doesn't mean anything to him. Tonight, though, he's been all too happy to follow Clary's lead. She wants matching costumes, she gets matching costumes. She wants Jace on the dance floor, she gets...

Well, she gets him in her arms, at least, and distracting her with kisses. His drink of choice has involved fireworks, tonight, so the taste of them will still be on his tongue. He smiles as they break, and touches his nose to hers. ]

We could just do this all night. I wouldn't mind, I'm not that friendly anyway.

[ With other people, he means. Also, he's probably going to try and reclaim her whenever she goes to dance with other people. What? He's waited for this moment long enough, okay? ]

[creatio]

( She is very touched by his costuming sacrifice, he has earnt many a brownie point in his favour and can redeem that at a future ( and non deadly ) time.

For now she's too busy letting him kiss her, the two of them entwined on the very edge of the dance floor, his smile pressed into the curve of her neck and Clary's hands against his hips. ) Dance? ( There's a laugh in the question, something lyrical as she shifts to catch his mouth and press the lightest of kisses to it. ) Because I don't think that's really what we're doing.

( Swaying, yes. It doesn't matter to her though, she's enjoying this far more than actual dancing. )

We'd have to go home at some point, otherwise we're definitely overstaying our welcome. ( Then, innocently. ) And this costume is tricky, you know? I might need your help getting out of it. So I thought maybe I could come home with you. Somewhere private.

( Like she's stayed anywhere else, recently. But don't be fooled by her fluttering eyelashes and sweet smile, Herondale. )

[estrayer]

[ It’s a totally unnecessary question. Can she come home with him. She’s been home with him, almost every minute since they got back to this world. Jace hasn’t complained about a single second of it. He can’t get enough of her. He’s been in love with her for so long, it felt like there would never be anything more than that. Unrequited feelings and the memory of what might have been, and never got the chance to be.

Now they have a chance, and it’s literally the only chance they’re ever going to have. For Jace, there is no world outside this one. No home to go back to, and no hope of a future with the woman he loves, unless somehow they can make it here.

And why shouldn’t they? Why do they always need to be denied everything? Jace isn’t in the mood to deny Clary anything at all. ]

Well, I can’t have you struggling by yourself. [ He says, playing along. ] But I have a lot of space, and I had no other plans tonight, so. I guess it’s just you and me. Doing more of this.

[ He tilts his head in, kissing at her neck and nudging his nose against her jaw. His hands tighten on her hips, pulling her a little closer against him. This is probably not the kind of thing Magnus would want to be going on at his party, but right now Jace doesn’t care. He’s getting lost in the moment. He starts to kiss his way along Clary’s neck, rising up towards her ear. ]

[creatio]

( High Warlock, who?

The noise she makes is lost to the music around them, a single pleased note in a cacophony of sound. Clary's own hands move, press up his back and then shift so that she can lock them around the slope of his neck, her fingers knitted together to keep the two of them in place. When she moves it's only to bare more of her skin to his questing mouth, nose crinkling when it tickles. )

Mm. ( "I guess." She leans back a little to smile at him, eyes bright and mischievous, her cheeks warm. )

Hey. ( She loves him. It's in the curve of her mouth and the depth of her eyes and in the way her eyelashes move as she takes him in. It's an impossible thing to contain. ) I'm really glad you came here with me.

( To the party. To Xistentia. To whatever ends of the earth he has to follow her to. It doesn't matter which, they're all true. )