[Midnight Hotel] July catch-alll

[gistful]

Characters: Anyone, everyone.
Date: Month of JULY, 2016.
Location: The Midnight Hotel.
Situation: Catch-all post! Feel free to use this post for anything that happens within the Midnight Hotel during the month, using the subject header to label specific rooms or for specific people. See also the OOC note at the bottom.
Warnings/Rating: Mark your threads if content warnings become applicable, please!

Though the attack on Anton and Jintou occurred outside of the Hotel, its effects can nevertheless be seen on the Hotel’s runnings during July. Jintou is absent, in the first place, though Anton keeps his room in the event he’s found.

For the last few days of June and the first couple days of July Anton is preoccupied with rebuilding the shops he damaged in his attempt to stop Jintou from being taken, and therefore a good deal of the Hotel’s daily running is in the hands of his staff and a handful of trusted ex-gang kedan.

Within the first few days of the month Anton’s health takes a nosedive. Though the chronic condition discovered by Raine and Tony wasn’t previously active, the poisoning attempt apparently changed that and for the rest of this month Anton is under enforced bed-rest—or if not bed-rest then an enforced holiday. For that reason, any and all offers to help out with maintenance, cleaning, cooking, accounting and other daily chores at the Hotel will be welcomed.

Provided, that is, that no one minds the Hotel proprietor hovering over their shoulders—when he isn’t being sat on by a giant wolf to make sure he doesn’t overtax himself.

Hotel rules are, obviously, still in effect.

[ooc: The Midnight Hotel’s status page is available here, with the rules at the top and ongoing status at the bottom. PLEASE POST TO THE STATUS PAGE IF YOUR CHARACTER WOULD LIKE A ROOM, JOB OR AREA IN THE GARAGE, OR ARE MOVING OUT. Anton will manufacture means of payment until Foreigners are able to properly offer recompense or choose to move out.]

Comments

PARTY TIME | Late July | OPEN

[edgeoftheknife]

It's been almost a month now since Erskine's "hostile takeover" of the Hotel, and since the call for assistance around said Hotel while Anton was on bedrest. Things have been running smoothly, more or less, which speaks pretty well of the help that's been given. Meals are getting cooked (and not poured from cereal boxes). Laundry is still getting done, things are clean, and the Hotel's books are finally back in order (no thanks to Erskine on that one--thank you, Klaus).

So maybe it's time to thank everyone for their help. Erskine realized a few nights ago that aside from the few words of direction he's given people, or the occasional absent greeting, he really doesn't know anyone who works at the Hotel. And considering the fact that he's not only been on staff for months, but has barely left the Hotel in months, that's quite an accomplishment.

Today there's a large sheet cake in the common room of the Hotel, flanked by little plates, forks, glasses, and drinks of various non-alcoholic sorts. The cake has "THANK YOU" scrawled across it--it's a very nice, very pretty cake. Erskine didn't make it.

Anyone, and I do mean anyone except China kthxbai, is welcome to come around and have a piece of cake. This might even turn into a party.

If there's music, it might even turn into a dance party.

Spoilers: It will.

((ooc: Please feel free to make other threads under this, tag in ANYONE, and have fun! Replies can be in prose or actionspam idec. Just have fun and enjoy a non-flaily non-angsty party :3 ))

OTA

[wolfstrike]

Spoilers: Yuri made that cake.

And since he made that cake, and helped with the set up, he's hovering around.

With everything that's happened lately he's been a bit preoccupied, but one wouldn't know that from looking at him. However he hasn't let Anton down since that one time he'd shown up late, and has been doing his part to keep the hotel running smoothly.

Yuri seems in good spirits enough when people arrive and he cuts the cake, handing out pieces.

>:3

[phoenixstrut]

Dove is in an exceptionally good mood today, and as Yuri is hovering around the cake, and as its his cake and she knows how good a cook he is, she'll eventually find her way over toward it.

Don't bother trying to hand her a slice through. She's content just to swipe a finger across the edge of a slice he has yet to cut and pop her finger in her mouth to sample the icing, all the while grinning and daring the chef to say something before she can glide away.

Era's just going to follow closely and hope Yuri drops a piece.

Re: OTA

[gathersnomoss]

"Can I have a slice of cake?" Zelgadis asked.

That's what he's here for. Free food. He still isn't used to parties, so generally sticks to the ones where he can get something to eat and doesn't feel trapped by crowds of people.

DANCE TIME | open to all!

[phoenixstrut]

Spoilers: once the music starts, Dove will be the first to start the dancing.

It's been far too long since she had last felt rising spirits, and the sensation of any sort of carefree happiness is like a drug to the lovely angel. She's going to latch onto it and keep the spark growing, if it's the last thing she does. It's what she's made to do, and she's good at it.

Easily approachable and practically glowing (maybe even a bit literally, as her inner Light swells with the lifting spirits), all she needs is a dance partner, be it ballroom or freestyle. She's flexible.

Somewhere nearby, her little black kitten is perched and rolling its eyes at her. At least she's happy and giving that angel glow again.

[radiantwingedone]

Duke's attention had absently gone toward Dove, because a light source that isn't in the ceiling is worth noticing.

However what brought him to that side of the room was the kitten. Duke drops to a knee near the kitten, pulls off a glove and offers his fingers for inspection.

"Hello."

[edgeoftheknife]

Did someone say ballroom dancing with lovely ladies? Because sign Erskine up.

Maybe not the first dance, but when the music comes around to something that seems workable, and when Dove isn't already with a partner, Erskine's going to head over to where she is. By this point he's ditched his suit jacket, though he's still got his tie and waistcoat on.

Once he's caught her eye, he smiles and extends a hand.

"Can I claim this one?"

Care for a paso doble, Dove?

[wolfstrike]

Once Yuri had finished with cake duty and had a little fun, he's easily able to find Dove among the other party goers. She's pretty hard to miss after all. What with the subtle glow and the joy that just seemed to exude from her as she danced.

On the sidelines, Yuri put a hand on his hip and paused to watch. It was really nice to see someone this happy. Didn't really happen much around here.

[irishthor]

It's pretty late on in the night when there's some movement from the kitchen. He's not exactly trying to be quiet, things just lean that way for him.

Shay is currently checking the cupboards with one hand, hunting for a decent glass to drink from the bottle of rum in his other hand. He hears the party in the other room, but doesn't rightly feel social right now... He's also not going to inflict himself on the others having a good time.

So, rum-drinking alone, it is.

/SLAMS IN HERE

[edgeoftheknife]

It's been a good party and a good night, but all of the excitement is getting to be a bit too much for Ravel. He's very rapidly approaching the point where he's not going to be able to handle it anymore. Making the customary polite excuses, he ducks out of the party before everyone's left, intending to go make himself a cup of tea and huddle in Anton's room for the rest of the night.

Only he spots Shay in the kitchen. Shay, whom he hasn't seen all day and he's pretty sure never stopped by the party. Ravel pops back into the party just long enough to grab a plate with a piece of cake and a fork and goes back to the kitchen, hoping that Shay's still there. A peace offering, maybe.

Except Ravel can't resist teasing the other Irishman while he's at it. When the opportune moment arises, he creeps up behind Shay and lifts up to his toes--giving him just enough of a boost in height to rest his chin on the top of Shay's head while he holds the plate of cake out in front of the other man.

"Thought you could avoid us, eh?"

And because I didn't actually say what he's doing... Erskine | OPEN

[edgeoftheknife]

Once he's relatively sure that things are running smoothly, Erskine's going to find somewhere along the fringes of the party to sit back and have something to drink.

He's used to having to mingle at parties, whether he wants to or not. Whether the people he's mingling with are anyone he'd actually want to mingle with or not. Such are the perils of having been a politician for the last hundred years, and then the Grand Mage of Ireland for the last handful. Granted, not all of the parties he's been to over the last century have been those sort of parties, but this isn't necessarily the other kind of party either.

This is... friendly. Nice.

There's no alcohol in the Hotel, so he's not getting drunk. He's just... enjoying the atmosphere. And trying not to get too overwhelmed.

Come bug him anyway?

[gistful]

Why did Anton do it? Who knows. Could be an unacknowledged flair for mischief. Could be very pointed evidence that, after the power surge from the attempt to contact Tu Vishan, Anton was perfectly fine and capable, and able to handle himself with some rigorous exercise.

Regardless, even though he had been in the corner keeping an eye on the party's level of rowdiness and on whoever happened to bring alcohol (just in case), when Erskine had sat for long enough to be rested Anton appeared by his chair. He bowed, held out his hand, and said with a perfectly straight face: "May I have this dance, madam?"

Alright, so Anton didn't know anything from past the 1700s. But he and Erskine could dance some old Irish dances, surely.

[denyamenti]

Bakura had not been overly invested in the idea of dropping by, but he'd had to go out anyway to get some fresh food (note to self: being stuck in the Ring for a week was a good way to waste all the groceries) and the Hotel was the easiest way to get to the Water Sector from the dojo.

Plus Ravel was right: everybody liked free cake.

He skirted the dance area conscientiously, watched a few of them with interest; they weren't like anything he'd seen before, even with Ryou's memories. Although, some of the more spirited dances reminded him of the revelries often held at various rich estates up and down the Nile.

He spots Ravel sitting off to one side, and drew a seat nearby, one leg folding up beneath him in a lazy posture. "Run out of energy to play the gracious host already?"

OTA

[seismometrics]

[Parties mean one very important thing: Cake. And Toph is taking full advantage of it. Plate piled high with the stuff, the girl is camped out near the edges of things, eating large bites with her fingers (and sucking them clean in between).]

[If the music is going at that point, you'll probably find her foot tapping, enjoying the beat . . . but it's anyone's guess if you could get the blind girl to dance.]

[Hopefully between cake and music, the party will be a lift to her mood.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[don't mind this guy, he's just making a quick trip to the cake spot, and-]

Are you going to save some for the rest of us?...

[he means to be teasing, but a moment later, recognition hits him- thankfully, he's able to regain his proverbial footing before his voice betrays him.

he thinks.

not this kid]

[michaeljangelo]

[Once a poor kid, always a poor kid. And if there's one thing a poor kid can't turn down, it's free food.

[This goes double when the food is cake.]

[And triple if the kid in question is Mike.]

[Quiet, yet distinctive, feet pad past Toph towards the cake.]

[Stop.]

[And then backpedal.]

I didn't know you danced.

Re: OTA

[whitelotustile]

Ah, there you are! Enjoying the party.

[Iroh has cake, tea, and a musical instrument. He looks like he's enjoying himself, but that's not terribly surprising for Iroh.]

Shall We Dance? OTA

[redlightgreenlight]

She was never really one to miss a party, and considering all that had been going on, she needed the light atmosphere that parties always seemed to have. Being around others, especially those she saw as equals, made the emptiness go away. In fact, she almost felt happy now that her magic was dormant, it wouldn't stay that way forever, but for now it was enough. It helped that the music was upbeat, suitable for numerous styles of dance, and all she needed was a partner.

[wolfstrike]

After having served a lot of cake, Yuri catches sight of Valdis and decides to take a break. So he ends up wandering over to her.

"Looking for someone?"

[phoenixstrut]

Dove's glowing. No, really-- she's literally radiating the slightest hint of light as her inner Warmth shines brightly at all the excitement in the room.

When she spots Valdis amidst the crowd, and finds her lighter than their past few meetings, she can't help but head over to greet the other woman. "Need a wingwoman?" she laughs, wiggling her shoulders to make her pun all the more obvious-- you know, in case the HellHound queen has somehow forgotten in the past few days that she's got wings. Regardless, she's in very high spirits, and would be delighted to share some of the excitement with Valdis.

OTA

[risingwinds]

[Ever since Terra left, Ven's mood has tanked. He tried to hide it, but after finally seeing both his friends again, just knowing that their trio's down one member stings like a thousand hornets. But, not one to wallow in his own sorrow, news of a party was just the medicine he needed.

But he hasn't come alone. Having picked up on Xion's awkwardness before, he opted to take her along for the ride. Maybe they can use this party as an opportunity to get to know each other better and, more importantly, have fun. So don't be surprised if he walks up and tries to start a conversation. He might be a touch too eager, but at least he's friendly!

With that said, Ven can be found all over the place, greeting strangers with bright smiles and enthusiastic waves. This is a great opportunity to make new friends, and when the music starts, he does this. Sparkling break dancing, ladies and gentlemen. It's a thing.]

Let me know if this works, also open to others!

[needmetoo]

[Xion, meanwhile, is trailing awkwardly behind Ven, looking a little unsure what to do with herself. Or with the person who half-dragged her here. Terra had been right, there wasn't really any sort of option on whether Ven would be her friend or not.

But that still doesn't change the fact that she isn't sure she's ready for this and she's reasonably sure she doesn't have the energy to match Ven's enthusiasm.

Still, she doesn't try to split up with him, or anything like that, even watching in awe when he starts dancing.]

LATE TO THE PARTY

[purered]

It was late in the evening when Klaus awoke to the muffled hubbub downstairs. Tying a dressing gown around his pyjamas, he padded down the steps to see just what the fuss was. The fuss was, apparently, cake. And music. And dancing.

Klaus had nothing against cake. He quite liked it, in fact. He also liked music and dancing.

Correction- he quite liked watching other people dance. Beyond his enormity making dancing with a partner fifty shades of awkward, he just had no talent for it. He instead munched contentedly on a slice of cake, watching the party with a sort of bemused interest. For a man who was only twenty eight, he could be a bit of a fuddy duddy.

Re: PARTY TIME | Late July | OPEN

[whitelotustile]

[Free cake? Why not! Iroh is willing to provide tea suitable for desserts in exchange, but the tea goes best with sweets. So he's going to help himself to some cake.]

There's tea if anyone wants it.

[After he's finished a cup of tea, however, he might set up his pipa and take a turn at playing music. This looks like good grounds for a sign-a-long.]

open;

[inkulcation]

[As 'anyone except China Sorrows' is not actually a phrase that Ravel remembered to attach to his open invitation, China turns up to the party. She even partakes of cake. This is at least 90% because it will bother Ravel and Shudder, and things have been a little quiet for her lately.]

[As a result there's an unfairly beautiful woman who's made herself a fixture in one corner, watching the intermittent dancers with an eye a little too speculative to be anything other than interested. And mentally critiquing the dancers, of course. She won't outright address anyone who comes near her, but she will smile. No magic -- she's not that ambitious, with Shudder in the area -- but a smile.]