victory_road | Club Medusa's Haunted Attraction

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Club Medusa's Haunted Attraction - Open Mingle Log

Who: Lust - OPEN

Where: Ecruteak, Club Medusa

When: Until Halloween

Summary: Club Medusa, the burlesque nightclub run by Lust, is putting on a burlesque themed haunted house!

Rating: PG-13

Log:

About a week and a half before Halloween, Club Medusa in Ecruteak undergoes a transformation. The little outside drinking and dining area out front is gone, replaced by temporary fabric walls patterned like the expanse of a dark forest. The main club room has been divided with temporary partitions, making a ring of small rooms around the stage and center of the floor, where the tables and chairs have all been relocated. A sign outside proclaims 'Club Medusa's Haunted Castle', an attraction that's been advertised for the last week.

From the sidewalk one pays the doorman and enters through a flap and suddenly finds themself in a forest. It's dark, the illumination coming from a large golden 'moon'. Fog drifts among the stage trees and underbrush. Thunder rumbles as though in the distance, thunder and drums. There's music playing, something heavy and pulsing. Something moves through the fog, humanoid figures that move in time with the music.

The werewolves are coming. Club dancers with furred wolf ears and tails and dramatic makeup appear from between the trees. Furred gloves and shoes give the impression of paws, and their costumes are ragged clothes that have been very strategically ripped to show a good deal of skin. There's a certain wild frenzy to their dance, but it's all expertly choreographed. It's as much a display of acrobatics as anything else, each of the lupine dancers well muscled and athletic.

But they fade back into the fog as the song fades out, and the door of the club opens to invite guests inside.

The first room is an old candlelit library. Skulls and eerie curios sit amongst the books. Unsettling portraits grace the walls. Curtains billow between the bookshelves. There's only one dancer in this room, that emerges suddenly from the falls of fabric that make the curtains. In black feathered bustier and dancer's bustle and a crown of black feathers, the whole thing invokes the idea of a bird. Opera length gloves with long talon-like claws and a fall of gauze and even more feathers give the impression of wings. The illusion of a bird is only furthered as the curtains turn out to be aerial silks. This performance takes place in the air.

The next room is the classic dungeon tableau, all chains and swords and axes on the wall. A dancer in fanciful red with elaborate curved horns dances around a rack on which is chained a scantily clad man who writhes and twists in time with the music. The fabric of the demon's costume is shimmery and colored in an ombre to mimic flame. Bursts of fire appear overhead the two at intervals - provided by Pokemon hidden cleverly - and at one point the demonic dancer grabs a torch and lights it with the overhead burst, incorporating it into the dance.

Through there is a sumptuous bedroom with a trio of vampires that rise from the bed, this performance slower and more blatantly sensual than those that came before it. Form hugging black and red are the dominant costume colors, each a very minimized version of formalwear that shows off legs and shoulders and abdomens. They dance both alone and together, languid and evocative. Occasionally the dancers will reach out towards the audience, but never actually touch. Until a crack of thunder signals the end of the performance, and they slink back to the bed to prepare for the next audience.

The final room is a little kitchen with a steaming cauldron. Here two witches in purple and green lace and veils have a 'victim' tied to a chair. Each has a ribbon baton made to look like wands, which they use with skill as they spin and leap around the cauldron. And sometimes the audience, whirling about them with high kicks and twirling their baton-wands overhead.

Finally the haunted attraction gives way to the center, with stage and tables and waitstaff bringing drinks and food. Here guests can mingle and dance and enjoy a party-like atmosphere. On stage is the hostess herself, Lust, all in white lace and ghostly makeup, with streaks of white in her hair. As well as a dance, she's providing her own music and singing a variety of very old-time sounding, jazzy Halloween songs.

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Radley has never been a huge fan of burlesque, but he does consider himself a connoisseur of the arts and he's quite open-minded. The Halloween slant gets him and he comes to check out one of the shows. Halloween reminds him of his friends back home, so he feels quite melancholy even as he enjoys and appreciates all the work that went into every stage show. He focuses on the here and now and soaks in the shows, thoroughly impressed (albeit uncomfortable by the dungeon performance). Afterwards, as he settles in to eat, he looks around for anyone he knows. The music is pleasant and feels very much like home. He wonders if Lust is from his world, or another similar one, perhaps.

"Hi," he greets whoever is at the next table. This may be someone he knows or a stranger; Radley is happy to try to reach out to people. "How did you like the show?"

In Lust's opinion, their first haunted attraction is a roaring success. Perhaps it's a bit on the small side, but it's the first year and they only have so much room. Maybe it will become an annual tradition, and they can go bigger in coming years.

She wouldn't mind if it came a yearly occurrence.

For now, she's just enjoying the celebratory feel in the club. Everyone seems to be having a good time and enjoying the show and all the holiday trappings. It's really all come out very well, she thinks. Why hadn't she done this before?

Between her own performances, she's on the floor, dropping by tables and chatting with patrons or playing hostess at the bar. One of her pair of Meowstic is often with her at the bar, sitting beside her on the bartop and simply staring out into the crowd.

When Lust explained the various roles she was planning for the so-called 'haunted' club, the werewolves caught Felix's attention right away as the most athletically rigorous and combat-adjacent act. So here he is tonight, lupine costume features furred in the same color as his hair and makeup drawing attention to his amber eyes and prominent cheekbones.

Once the werewolves' portion of the dance is over, Felix removes the furry gloves and shoes before he makes his way to the bar with his shiny Lycanroc in tow. He gives a nod of greeting to Lust's Meowstic and then to Lust herself.

"I trust you are satisfied with the first act's success?"

"More than."

Lust lifts her drink in both greeting and toast to Felix as he approaches.

"I think it's safe to say that our haunted attraction is quite the hit."

There will certainly be bonuses after this. The staff deserve them, it couldn't have worked so well without them. They're what people are really here to see, the rest is just stage dressing and atmosphere.

"You know, I got my start in the entertainment industry working at a haunted attraction. That was...oh god, six or seven years ago."

Felix nods, satisfied and looking vaguely smug. "Agreed. Though calling it 'haunted' seems a bit dramatic. There isn't even a single ghost among us." Okay, so this may or may not be related to the fact that he had to convince Dimitri to attend and explain to him that there was nothing actually haunted about it...

"Oh? Was it here in Johto, or elsewhere?"

"I'm the ghost." Or ghostly, at least. "Anyway, 'haunted attraction' or 'haunted house' are just names for any Halloween themed event, they don't require actual ghosts. Anything from urban legends or monster stories are fair game - vampires, were beasts, devils, witches...It's all holiday themed."

Though Lust realizes now that there's quite a lack of pumpkins, and those are very traditional. Ah well. Next year.

"Oh it was right in Goldenrod. There used to be a circus there, run by a man who became a dear friend. Each October he and another man put on a haunted house and haunted-themed circus shows. My brother was already working there so I thought why not? I ended up joining the circus after Halloween, I was a headliner till the day it closed. We were a trapeze and acrobatics act."

"Hm. I suppose you are. Very well, I can accept 'haunted' in that case." Right, because she totally needed your approval, Felix...

"A circus, huh?" Felix muses. "I've never seen such a thing before, although I have heard of them." He pauses. "You have a brother?"

Jarlaxle is so very glad he took this job. He would dance wantonly in revealing costumes for free--being paid is a bonus. And for all that he is pushing six-hundred, he's as quick and as flexible as he was in his prime.

And he has to say that this devil costume--oh, Lady Lust says that it is a demon, but it's much more in the style of the order fiends than the chaos fiends--suits him very well. He'll be pleased to bring it home after the engagement is over.

He's on his break currently--one of the other dancers is subbing in as the so-called 'demon'--and is sprawled out in a booth with a drink in front of him. He raises his glass when someone of interest catches his eye and calls over, "Come drink with me, friend!"

(Yes, even if he's never met you before.)

Edited 2022-10-28 21:17 (UTC)

He seats himself across from him. He has hardly bothered to dress up - he is mostly dark clothing on dark skin, only distinguished in the low lighting of the club by his white hair - and by the faintly unimpressed expression on his face, he doesn't seem to have found much to catch his attention here. (No offense to the club itself, naturally. It is just not his environment.)

"Must I?" As if he didn't just take a seat.

"At least keep me company on my break as I drink, then," Jarlaxle insists. "Dancing wantonly is thirsty work, Kimmuriel. I can assure you of that."

The horned headband, which he had worn for his act, is lying on the table for now. It is nice to have its weight off his head for the moment.

"So," Jarlaxle says, "you have seen my place of work and the show we have put on. Did you at least enjoy my part of it? I would not expect you to find much enjoyment in the dancing of strangers, but we are no strangers, you and I."

"You certainly are putting a lot of effort into it, I know that much," Kimmuriel comments. He picked up a drink on the way in - some kind of obnoxiously colourful thing - and is nursing it like it is the last drink he'll have in some time.

He fiddles with the headband, clearly finding it amusing.

"It is not what I am used to with you," he finally admits, "but certainly, I enjoyed that you were enjoying yourself." Really, Jarlaxle could do anything and he would usually find it interesting. Or worrying.

Jarlaxle is amused at the coloring of Kimmuriel's drink--it looks like it ought to be part of his wardrobe. He is also amused by Kimmuriel's fascination with his headband.

"There is little room for wanton dancing in a mercenary company," he agrees, "but I am a drow of many talents. And I have been enjoying myself very much since I started work here" He pauses dramatically, before leaning over to his partner and murmuring, "I would give you a private performance later, should you wish."

Edited 2022-11-01 01:06 (UTC)

He idly inspects its construction - some kind of glue, he assumes. "I could make you better," he comments at last, putting it down.

"That you are enjoying it, I have no doubt." He raises his eyebrows at the obvious flirting, his expression unchanging. "Is a private proposition allowed when you are still at work?"

"Please do improve on it, then," Jarlaxle says, with a crooked little smile. "I would much appreciate a better constructed one for recreational purposes.

"And technically I am on my legally mandated break," he adds, "so I am not actually working at the moment. So I do not think it materially matters so much."

Felix has been performing at Club Medusa for long enough now that he's actually fairly well-known among those in Ecruteak who pay attention to such things - and where that group overlaps with those who pay attention to the televised gym challenges, well, there's a decent chance that anyone who recognizes him from his battling as a Pokemon trainer will learn about his secondary job tonight, should they check out the Halloween celebration here.

Felix is dancing as one of the werewolves, preferring a more athletic and combat-adjacent sort of dance. It matches his usual style best among the available acts. So anyone present for the werewolves' appearance in the 'forest' area of the club may spot Medusa's resident sword dancer dressed instead as a wolf-man, with furred costume features that match the color of his loose hair and makeup that emphasizes his amber eyes and prominent cheekbones.

After that part of the performance is over, anyone who sticks around long enough to reach the area with the food and drinks may find Felix, still in most of his costume minus the gloves and shoes - so as to be recognizable as part of the act - standing by the bar sipping a drink and watching Lust's own performance.

Sylvain's pretty sure fiancé obligations mean he has to be here. But what's more important is that he wants to. Because missing Felix dance is never an option, although the wolf costume is certainly new. Despite the show of almost bestial grace, Sylvain hangs back to just enjoy. He's well behaved save for a wink thrown Felix's way early on in the night.

It's the small afterparty where he gets mischievous, and comes up behind Felix to tug playfully on his wolf ears piece.

"Hey there tall, dark and fuzzy, Come here often?"

Sylvain's wink earns him a slight smirk and a bit of deliberate taunting, as Felix finds an excuse in the choreography to whirl close enough to Sylvain to be only just out of reach for a few provocative moves before he spins away again.

Later, the tug on his costume gets him turning around with an annoyed scowl, one hand planted on his hip. "What do you think you're--" But as soon as he realizes who it is, he relaxes, even if he is now rolling his eyes.

"Yes, obviously, Sylvain. And if you think I'm tall, you're even dumber than you look." The corners of his lips pull upward into a small smile, though. "I suppose I'll let you buy me a drink to make up for that terrible attempt at flirting."

"Hey, hey, hey-" Sylvain shakes his head as Felix shoots down his great flirting, thank you very much. "C'mon, just boosting your ego a little. Those paws gave you some extra height I'm pretty sure."

Sylvain loops his arm around Felix's shoulder, half-leaning on him, half-gesturing with said lean towards the refreshments. "What, the star dancer doesn't get complimentary drinks? Shouldn't you be treating me?

Terrible flirting.

"Hmph. I don't need inventive flattery. If you want to boost my ego, tell me what you liked about my performance." Not that his ego needs any boosting regardless, but hey.

"I do. But you have done nothing to earn it." A quirk of his eyebrow. "Yet."

Whatever Felix, you wouldn't know good flirting if it walked up and kissed you. Which it routinely does on the daily.

"Nothing? I'm your whole fiancé-" Sylvain lays his hand over his heart like he's been struck. "Alright Fe, I guess I gotta schmooze up my own man." So that lean ends up with Sylvain nearly purring in Felix's ear, voice lilting into a sly curve.

"I definitely like the way you moved like you could have killed me right then and there when I winked at you. Very sexy."

Sorry, Sylvain, you can't win; Felix thinks all flirting is terrible unless it's with a weapon in hand. Not a dick! An actual weapon!

It's stupid, Felix thinks, but Sylvain calling himself his fiancé will never not make him feel warm and content, no matter how much he refuses to say so.

Speaking of things that make him feel warm, albeit in a slightly different way...Felix lifts his chin with a self-satisfied little smile, neither pulling away from Sylvain's blatant disregard for his personal space (nothing new) nor leaning into it yet. "Go on. I'm listening."

Dicks are weapons, you're being way too picky, Fe-

"More? Someone's greedy today. Tell you what, come to dinner with me and I'll tell you all about how much I like you over some wine. You gotta have a decent appetite after that, huh?" Sylvain's lack of respect for Felix's personal space extends further by throwing an arm over Felix's shoulders, and leaning onto him. He also continues to ham up his flattery of Felix's ego. "After your little reception party of course, I know you're a bit of star, wouldn't want your fans missing out on seeing you."

"I have to say, I do enjoy your costuming," says one of the newest dancers hired, a slim, bald, dark-skinned man fully old enough to be Felix's father, whose curved horned headband denotes him as the dancer playing the part of demon--or 'devil' as he insists, claiming that demons are hairier. "I enjoy everyone's. Such creativity and color! And Lady Lust does well to regulate the temperature inside this building for our comfort too--she is a most exemplary employer so far."

Oh - that guy. Felix recognizes him vaguely as someone who joined the staff recently, though he can't remember the man's name. He's seen him dance a few times in rehearsals, but never spoken to him. Or any of the others, really, besides Lust. He doesn't stay to socialize much.

Felix glances at the other man's costume, then down at his own. "I suppose. This event's costumes are more garish than I'm used to. I dislike them." But then he nods. "I have been working with Lust for roughly a year, and have never had cause to complain. Quite the professional."

That just gets a chuckle out of the man. "You sound like my partner. He never wishes to wear much color, either. But I am glad she is such a good employer. I would like to remain with the establishment once the holiday is done."

He smiles at Felix and adds, "I am Jarlaxle of the mercenary company Bregan D'aerthe."

Felix tilts his head, somewhat curious. "What kind of partner do you mean?"

Then the mild curiosity turns to actual interest, as he gives this man a second look. "Felix Fraldarius. So, you're a mercenary. Tell me, what style of combat do you prefer?"

"My other half, so to say. He is my co-leader of Bregan D'aerthe and my traveling companion and frequent bedmate besides." So yes, he is talking of a boyfriend.

"One in which I have time to prepare and outwit my opponents," he answers readily. "Or do you mean which weapons do I prefer? A rapier, wielded in the duelist's style, is my preferred blade in melee, or if we are talking as to ranged combat, throwing knives."

"I can only assume then that you and your partner spar often to keep each other's skills sharp, as well. Commendable. My fiancé is quite an accomplished warrior, as well, though he dislikes sparring and wishes to set down his lance. This place allows him to do so."

Felix nods, satisfied. "Versatility is a boon on the battlefield. Though I do hope your study of the blade extends beyond dueling techniques. Such a style is far less effective when you must engage many foes at once. I prefer to keep as many styles honed as I can to suit the wide variety of combat situations that may arise."

He sure does have a lot more to say about this than about this dancing gig they share, huh.

He does. It's oddly adorable.

"We do, as well as we can with such limited weapons as Johto affords us, which unfortunately seems to be camping knives and wooden rods. And yes, I do know other styles beyond that of the duelist. As a boy, I was lucky enough to train under the then-weapons master of House Baenre, whose shadow I was raised in. I learned four styles from the old drow."

He starts counting them on his fingers. "First, bautha z'hin or 'dodge and walk' to take advantage of my natural dexterity. Second, kyorlinn plynn or 'watch and take' to learn how to capture my enemies alive. Third, orbb alur or 'superior spider' which combines the best parts of both and is useful for fighting multiple enemies, though I only truly mastered it later, with the guidance of my great friend Zaknafein. Fourth, I learned the basics of draa velve, the two-sword technique, which is highly prized by my people, though I have not the gift of being double handed, as all the truest masters of draa velve are. Zaknafein was one such. Oh, but he was grace itself in battle: brutal and beautiful. I will never forget the first time I saw him fight."

It's an odd form of masochism, perhaps, that drives Dedue to return to Club Medusa in time to watch one of Felix's acts. The last time he'd seen Felix perform, it had given him things to think about and, ultimately, things to set aside for the good of himself, Felix, and likely the entire household. Were he a wiser man, he would refrain from watching the very act that made him consider the idea of anything beyond a tolerable ceasefire between the two of them.

Felix would have many things to say about the wisdom of his decisions, no doubt. Dedue can easily imagine his comments.

It is a good thing, at least, that this particular event has Felix dressed up in costume, and one that Dedue finds more ridiculous than alluring. He's still as skilled as ever when he dances, moves with strength and grace, but it's not the same sort of beast-- pun not intended-- as when he was wrapped in silks and sheers. A minor test of fortitude.

The rest of the dances in the adjoining rooms are interesting, at least in their themes and execution, but don't hold Dedue's attention beyond what would be polite for a performance.

In the final room, Felix drinks at the bar and watches the woman onstage. Dedue had intended to leave without being noticed, but he will, by necessity, have to walk past the bar to exit the building. Though he is skilled at generally remaining unnoticed, Felix is unlikely to miss a man of his height in this crowd. And while Felix may or may not attempt to interact with him upon seeing him, he would know that Dedue was here, despite the well-known fact that he does not like crowded places, loud places, or parties, and this place embodies all three of those things. If he does not try to make for the exit, Felix will still undoubtedly see him when he leaves the bar to return to his act.

He shouldn't have come here. The Felix-in-his-head was right: he is a fool.

Dedue is correct on a number of counts, including that Felix does notice him as he passes by - not only difficult not to spot in a crowd, but a very familiar figure as well. And Felix is surprised to see him here. He was surprised the first time, too, especially when Dedue sent him a congratulatory drink afterward (less surprising that he tried to do it from a distance). That time, it mostly only led to a bit of awkward conversation, which is their usual when they're not arguing, really.

So yes, it's surprising to see that Dedue came back here. Sure, he could assume that Dimitri asked him to come, but he doesn't see the king nearby, which suggests that wasn't the case. And the only other reason Dedue would possibly come here...would be to see the performance. And as far as Felix knows, he's the only performer Dedue knows here.

Huh.

So he sets down his drink and moves through the crowd easily until he steps into Dedue's field of vision, looking up at him with his head tilted in mild befuddlement. "What are you doing here?" Contrary to what Dedue might expect, it's not a demand or an accusation - just a question.

As expected, Dedue is quite quickly caught, though this is again unsurprising when he stands head and shoulders above most of the crowd. That Felix actually approaches him to talk is a little unexpected-- he had thought it more likely that he would continue with his business and not trouble himself with whatever Dedue is doing-- but here they are. Speaking.

His tone is civil, if perplexed. Dedue has caught him in a good mood for once, though perhaps dancing in general puts Felix is a good mood. Perhaps Dedue should only ever speak to Felix after he has had the opportunity to dance.

"I was here to see the performances," he replies, as that is, mostly, the truth. "I am leaving now."

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Club Medusa's Haunted Attraction - Open Mingle Log

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OTA

sorry for the delay!

No worries!

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OTA

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Re: OTA

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His training is headcanon based on drow fighting styles and what he's done in canon

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