#haha v ic

[gambling-bartender]

closed starter for @tangledfate

It had been 3 years since Husk had sat down and sketched out his idea for the Afterlife Casino. 3 years of work and managing and dealing with the ever-present warfare of pentagram city but finally all that work had come to fruition. Finally, Husk's magnum opus would be opened and revealed for all the world to see.

His plan was to throw quite a little get together, drawing in Hell's overlords and the most famous traditional sinners the ring had to offer. He had managed to get some imps to extend invitations to a number of the sins themselves as well but those bigger names had all declined, not that he expected them to show themselves. It was about the principal of it, and a number of them had sent in their apologies for being unable attend so Husk wasn't too upset about it. Mammon had offered to attend but only in the event that Husk signed over 50 percent of the casino's profits and he had thanked Mammon for the offer but had turned it down.

The get together in question was to be one of the best parties Pride had ever seen, and not just that, but a masquerade. Husk had even gotten into contact with some of the best glamour crafters in envy and directed the various attendees to commission them if they wanted a truly disguising costume.

Husk's disguise had been one he had worked very directly with the designer to create. Rather than the winged cat he was naturally, a form he did not mind all that much but certainly wasn't his favorite, he would take on a far more fox-like appearance along with losing the wings. He had kept the black and red coloring but introduced some gold into the clothing. His outfit was to be a black and gold ornate eye mask with a matching vest layered over a cream shirt and matched with a pair of black slacks.

He had very specific plans for the party that evening. The on stage where the various performances would be held normally he had hired a number of live musicians to perform intending to cover a number of musical genres over the course of the night. What would normally be the main gambling hall had been left absent of the usual tables and roulette wheels, instead he had left it empty to act as a dance floor for the evening. The dances were to change over the the course of the night, matching the changes in music and the goal was to provide music and dance from times of the the lives of the various attending overlords. Along the sides of the dance floor was to be playing tables for various games, creating space for guests to gamble to their hearts content and as a favor to those attending Husk had included in his invitation an announcement that all attending would receive 5 thousand dollars in chips to start with, and they could buy or play for more once there.

Husk himself would play little part in the actual running of the event, however. He had left the operations of the event in good hands and had every intent to enjoy himself as a simple guest.

The night was going to be a night to remember, he was sure of it.

[strayslost]

In another life, perhaps Ryunosuke would've looked at Kyusaku and seen someone who could understand. After all... if anyone should know the sting of Dazai's rejection, it would be them. As far as Ryunosuke knows, Kyusaku's fate of being shut away from the world and imprisoned was all thanks to Dazai - and even putting Dazai aside... he's sure that, just like Ryunosuke, their life has been full of pain from the very start.

As it is, though, right now - Ryunosuke feels very little. Perhaps it's a sign of his selfishness, his true nature as a heartless beast unable to feel a thing for someone else. All he wants has always been the same thing - to find a reason to live - and Kyusaku can't provide him that. In fact, sometimes seeing them stings, when he thinks of how they've been rejected even in spite of the power they hold... if they don't stand a chance of gaining Dazai's respect, what chance does Ryunosuke stand, as weak as he is now? What awaits him at the end of the road he's dedicated his life to following?

Thoughts like that aren't ones he wants to face, so he pushes them away. But something is strange about his feelings today. Because while that blank, apathetic smog of nothingness he feels should have him turning away and leaving, there's something that stops him... driving him to speak to Kyusaku for reasons even he doesn't understand.

"And?" he responds to the child's question with an almost-empty gaze, something unidentifiable smoldering underneath. "Tell me... why would you come to me of all people for a reason like that?"

@theircurse ( starter for yumeno! )

[radiaking]

+ memes / accepting!

@stormlit (jo) said: "I'm trying to get the fuck out of here."

        "You and me both but they ain't gonna let you just walk on outta here. Make yourself useful." He reluctantly tosses her a gun but he's got shit to do and is tired of all the detours. If this gets him back on track faster, then so be it.

[shadowedresolve]

"Sakura-san! It feels like it's been forever."

When Toshiro finally made his way back to the real world after believing he might not ever see it again, he knew he might not be able to see the Phantom Thieves for a long time. With what he planned to do - and has done, now- exposing his father's crimes, as well as accepting his own responsibility for staying silent for so long - he'd known that his life would quickly become a chaotic one.

But to call it merely a scandal would be putting it lightly. With the constant attention and scrutiny he was suddenly subjected to, under fire with criticism from all directions and having sent ripples of shock through the entire country - he didn't want to subject those kids to any potential negative attention that might come from being associated with him.

It might've been fine, of course, but it wasn't worth the risk. Anyway, the media had had enough of a field day trying to figure out the truth behind his abrupt disappearance alone, coming up with all kinds of crazy, ridiculous theories... though of course, none even as close to as crazy as the truth. The thought makes him laugh. ...They really have no idea.

But he couldn't keep the poor kids worried any longer after seeing firsthand how worried they were for him. In particular, he's especially glad to be able to meet with Futaba today. He's grateful to each and every one of the Thieves, and they've all wormed their way into his heart, of course, but when he thinks back on his time in the Kingdoms... often, it's Sakura's words to him that he remembers the most.

"I'm sorry about the hassle. Avoiding the media can be a bit of a nightmare, but... let's say I've picked up some tricks along the way!"

@oraclememehacker ( starter for futaba! )

[platywarp]

HAPPY to live rent free in someone's mind <3

[guardiandamned]

If the past Ryouga could see himself today, he would've laughed out loud in disbelief - or maybe he'd have been furious. Even now he finds it hard to believe what he's doing- seeking out the person he called his enemy for so long, who he hated to the rotten depths of his heart... and for what? A heart-to-heart?

It's not like he was prepared for it at all - not with the way he is now, uncertain and wavering, raw and desperate for a way out in a way he's never experienced before. But right now, Ryouga is even more thrown than he expected. Because the person standing before Ryouga isn't IV... but III.

Ryouga has never known what to make of him. He'd always been so focused on his older brother that III himself had escaped his attention. He gives off the kind of aura of a harmless kid, easy to dismiss out of hand, and yet... that's nothing more than a carefully crafted deception. Or maybe it's not crafted at all? The idea that his gentle demeanor really is genuine, but that it doesn't make him any less dangerous... it's quite the scary thought, really.

How would III react if he found out what Ryouga really is? It's been a mere day or so since Ryouga found out himself, even if he'd been suspecting it for longer than that. But the Barians, after all, are the enemy of III's family, the one's who'd used them and caused him so much pain - a pain that Ryouga is bitterly familiar with in a way that now feels all too horribly ironic. He doesn't know what to do. What is he supposed to say? Why is Ryouga- no, Nasch, leader and Emperor of the Barians, frozen in place here like nothing more than a child?

"...I wasn't expecting you here." He recovers quickly, his usual scowl settling over his features once again - but on the inside, he feels sick. "I guess IV's hiding away, then? ...What a coward, as always."

@tophatz ( starter for iii! )

[faultyconscience]

@heartlesshuntsman said: “Here, let me show you how.” (Emma)

Emma knew how to handle herself with plenty of weapons, not extensively but enough base knowledge to get by in a pinch, but she'd never had any reason to use a bow and arrow. Could you imagine her trying to hunt down a bounty with a bow and arrow? That would be ridiculous. And between growing up in cities for the most part and being shuffled from foster home to foster home, there were precious little opportunities for hobbies...not that archery would have been one of them anyway. Seriously, who still did archery?

Though not typically one to let a man show her how to do something, she was definitely out of her comfort zone, so she let Graham assist, relaxing as best she could as he moved her arms and legs into the proper position. When she let the arrow fly it veered wildly off course but it did fly, so that was something, right?

"Where did you even learn to do this?" She asked, turning back toward him as she let her arms fall back to her sides. "And why?" She'd admit it was kinda fun but not very practical.

[agonizedembrace]

she can’t ignore the sounds coming from the bathroom. sobs are coming from the other side of the door, and akali knows that voice. it’s evelynn. it’s… hard to believe that it’s her of all people breaking down in there. it’s even harder to simply walk past and pretend akali never heard anything. for a good while, she simply stands there outside, staring, unsure what to do, silent. then—she slowly leans against the wall next to the bathroom door, arms crossed. she doubts evelynn would let her comfort her at a time like this. so she’ll stay here instead. stay and keep her company, even if evelynn doesn’t know she’s here.

she barely made it past the door, letting it close with a gentle thud before tears finally escaped her.

slumped now, a robe that hardly covers her form ; emotions that evelynn swore she threw away consuming her dry. a part of her holds some sort of surprise that she managed to hold them back until she's alone, rather than underneath the rapper who was more than keen on making her feel good. and she did -- in all the right aways.

how long did she wait for this moment? ignorance would say months -- that is what an average human would think. she knows better, bitterly so. centuries that pile upon one another that her soul touched her like so. but how could she possibly explain to the young human what exactly is at stake? without making her run away?

everything is so different.

her chest heaves with a sob, ripping through her and she loathes the way it echoes in the bathroom. it's an ache she shouldn't have: she should be happy -- THRILLED -- to get what she's wanted after all these years. instead she finds herself struck with such a grief, a reminder of how they departed under the bloodied moon.

evelynn runs a hand through locks of magenta, ever stressed as she tries to suppress another cry. she knows she can't stay in the bathroom much longer -- akali isn't dense, and frankly likely already heard her dilemma. how pathetic she feels, their first night doing this and she's locked herself up in some bathroom as her chest burns from emotions she's swallowed away.

the thought alone causes her to choke down another cry, definitely heard by the other.

[laidtowaste]

"... ... ... ..." Staaaaring long and hard at another version of himself. Doesn't drifting include... taking his other self's place? If there's another one, does that mean there's two of him here?

...Please don't tell him the Devourers tried to replace him here.

Yeah, that long and hard stare is very much so returned.

Sal has absolutely no clue what to say. What the other doesn't know (and neither does he, vice versa) is that the exact same train of thought is going through his head right now; because he was trying to drift, as well.

".....................Uh." Is all he can manage.

[moonrecalled]

Ryoji still has so much he wants to learn.

What does it mean, to live? Why do people carry on? From the moment he was born as 'Mochizuki Ryoji', he had always been bursting with curiosity about every aspect of the world. The desire to experience life had overflowed from within him in everything he did...

Maybe he was naive, back then. Now, he understands more things - the pain of death, and the fear of losing what one has. But SEES... and especially him... they'd all managed to face those things, and move forward anyway. And he can't help but wonder - how do they do it? Jealousy was once an alien emotion to him, and he can't say it's exactly what he's feeling now, but maybe it's something close.

Ryoji shouldn't be alive to begin with, unlike them. The sole meaning of his existence is to bring death to this world, to everyone without distinction, whether they want it or not. And... many do seek death. Nyx wouldn't be drawn to this world to begin with if they didn't. When so many people suffer - how do some have the strength to deal with that suffering, and to face the things that hurt them even when their time in this world is limited?

He wants to understand. But he doesn't even know how or why he's alive - and that terrifies him.

"Oh... I'm sorry for staring." Ryoji suddenly smiles as he realizes he's caught someone's attention. He doesn't go around asking every pretty girl he sees on a date, nowadays, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to... regardless, after a moment, his brows furrow as if he's deep in thought.

"I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before... on TV, maybe?"

@shellofdenial

[velcryons]

@nomdepen // cont from x

Daella looked to her skirts with a small, embarrassed smile, her hands flitting with her dance card as she tried to hide the flush in her cheeks. She had not intended to voice her opinion on the matter, nor had she expected to receive a compliment for doing so.

"I'm afraid I've been told I'm not much of a dancer. But there's still fun to be had from the side, is there not? I do so love to people watch, " Daella continued, looking back to Penelope with a sudden furrow of her brow, as if she had said something offensive. "Not that you are left to the side often, that is to say...!"

[strayslost]

"You..."

It's the first time Arthur has spoken aloud in a very long time... and yet his voice is clear and steady, showing no signs of strain or disuse. Perhaps it was quieter than he would've liked, but... it's only natural that he'd be out of practice, isn't it? After all, who has there been for him to speak to, as of late?

No-one perceives him, after all. Which makes sense, because Arthur Rimbaud should no longer exist in this world. To be precise, he's not exactly a ghost - ghosts don't have physical bodies, as far as Arthur is aware, and he's more than capable of interacting with the physical world. To an extent, anyway... people don't seem to notice anything unusual happening even when he does.

He doesn't understand it. Objectively, it's a fascinating situation he's found himself in, one that he can admit sparks his curiosity, but that brings him no comfort in the face of what it means. After all, with no-one to perceive him, nor acknowledge him, how can he even be sure he's Arthur Rimbaud at all? And... still without knowing what happened to him...

"Excuse me." he speaks again. His tone is polite, yet somehow it feels like it could make one weary just to listen to it. "The person you were speaking to... was it me, by any chance?"

@theircurse ( starter ! )

[humanitydiscarded]

"That Tatsumi-san is such a sadist... but he's right, you know."

Megumi has always been blunt, but somehow her attitude seems especially pointed today as she gives Tohru a look and sighs.

"You need to get over it already. Even if you don't attack anyone, someone else will, right?" In spite of what she's talking about - attacking and killing innocent people, draining their blood and taking their lives without mercy... it seems like the thought doesn't particularly bother Megumi at all. She speaks as if she's asking about his Tohru's day, or talking about the latest television show - in such a disarmingly casual manner that anyone listening would surely think they were the ones going crazy.

But as far as Megumi's concerned, she's completely right. After all...

"If you don't drink, you'll die for good this time. And Tatsumi won't let you fall out of line anyway, so... you've gotta accept it. Don't you have anyone in this village who's ever treated you badly?"

@limitlesspossibilities ( starter for tohru! )

[sandcrafted]

"You're not honest with yourself at all, are you?"

It pisses her off. It's not like Annie's the only one to do so, and in some ways, the other girl is remarkably honest - her blunt nature and cynicism have always seemed genuine enough, and Ymir gets the impression that she's not the type to lie to herself a lot.

Yet there's still something there... an impression Ymir gets - telling her there's something that Annie won't admit to herself. Just like Ymir. And just like everyone else on this planet everyone calls home... humans just can't escape their own natures, huh?

"Eh, forget it." It's not like Ymir to dismiss her own criticism like that, but for whatever reason, today she lets it go. "I just wish I could figure out what you're thinking..."

@worldhell

[sorrowveined]

Alucard has slept for a long time. Thus, it's only natural that the world has changed in his absence... yet, despite knowing that, it's funny how much difference a mere hundred years can bring.

It only takes an instant to turn the world on it's head. But while he's always known that, what's strange about this time is that the world itself seems to have very little to say about Dracula. Sure, his name can be found in legends and stories, but the general belief held by humanity seems to be that his existence is a mere rumor, or at the very least, something belonging only to the distant past.

But Alucard knows that his father is still here... he can sense it. The bone-deep awareness he feels; of dark magic and hatred and evil - it can't be mistaken for anything else. It was the reason he awoke in the first place, even, but it seems... that this time around, if he wants to understand the nature of his father's wicked plans - he'll have to dig around a little deeper than before.

"Though, humans certainly bring enough ruin to themselves on their own..." ...He may fight for them, and he would never hate them, but Alucard holds no illusions about the darker nature of humans - and it's never been more obvious than it is now.

"...Ah." But it seems he's not alone anymore. Turning to face the person who's newly arrived beside him, Alucard's expression is impassive - his somewhat melancholy true feelings hidden well behind a resolute mask.

"I hope I haven't caused you any trouble. To find me in a place like this... is there something you need from me, after all?"

@viitlumi ( starter for vito! )

[radiaking]

+ memes / accepting!

@vaulttecexec said: if you ever want to talk, i'm here to listen.

        He offers her a soft smile and nods. It's still...not weird, but not normal either, talking with her, being friends. While he doesn't think of friends as less than, it is a strange situation to go from marriage to friends. But he thinks they're better this way in the end. "No, I know, but I didn't come by just to talk about myself all day." Besides, it feels unfair to unload on her about his troubles.

        "How's Janey been?" She's older now, busier. "Thought she mighta been around...not that I don't enjoy catchin' up with you, too." He enjoys it. He just...doesn't do it often. It just never feels quite right.