new delhi ♔ but in all chaos there is calculation | dropping glasses just to hear them break

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ Glory + Gore - Lorde

WHO || David L., Alex K., Andie, The Doctor, Natasha, Alex U., Shulin Desai
WHAT || The Knights hunt the Decanter of Dionysus
WHERE || New Delhi, India
WHEN || June 7th, 2014, evening.
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

Talk about a soiree.  The team has walked into what is clearly legitimately a Gatsby party, but with an Indian flair.  Even upon approach, it's easy to see that this place is without parallel:  people are driving cars right up on the lawn of the fabulous mansion, which looks half-modern and half like a palace out of a Bollywood film.  Men and women in bright colors, fabrics, beads and silks move inside en masse, and as the doors are opened before them, they can see the grandness of the interior, with its diamond garland, draped fabrics, giant jeweled elephant statues, indoor trees that arch to the ceilings, twirling dancers, and a tall dramatic staircase leading up to a balcony above where the host himself reclines surrounded by admirers and friends, smoking a cigar.  

Liquor flows freely, and food is carried around on golden trays through the crowds.  It's an overwhelming buffet for the senses, a dizzying spectacle of color, laughter, dancing, and entertainment.  

Comments

[bowtimeandspace]

[ THE DOCTOR DIDN'T LIKE THE PLANE. No really, he hated it, pity whoever sat next to them because he would have been a grumpy child the whole way. But NOW there's a party, and his mood seems to have much improved. He's even dressed for the occasion (disguise 34).

He might look like he's just there for a good time, and maybe in part he is, but he's alert, and you bet he's watching to see who might be someone to look out for. ]

[asap]

[Andie's here and looking fine (disguise 16). She's munching casually on a granola bar she stashed in her pocket to keep herself from eating on the potentially dangerous hors d'oeuvres. She's just as glad as the Doctor to be off the plane, but even now she's vibrating with energy, working hard to keep herself from springing up and sprinting around the room as fast as she can.]

[krasnayapautina]

[Natasha is here and so glad to be off the plane as well. (disguise 18). She'd eaten her snacks on the plane, so no munching here for her. Now at the party, she's avoiding the food and drink, as well as keeping her eyes and ears open.]

[divisional]

[If anyone has picked up a newspaper in the last six months (Pop Culture DC 10 or higher) they may recognize one of the party goers as Alexandra Udinov (Disguise 27), the modern day version of Anastasia who is now on the level of the likes of a Kardashian or Paris Hilton, minus the reality show. DC 15 or higher and you'll know the whole sordid tale of the daughter of a Russian Oligarch whom everyone thought was dead but had in fact been taken by human traffickers and sold as a sex slave. She won the hearts of many with her harrowing tale, a story of riches to rags then back again... all crammed into a Barbara Walters special.

The drink in her hand remains untouched and every time one of those golden trays passes her by, she'll politely decline but she certainly seems friendly enough and probably won't throw that drink in your face should somebody want to introduce themselves.]

[ambitionist]

[alex is here looking classy as fuck, too. (disguise 18) he ate his fill of snacks on the plane, and he also has a flask. of like ... dr pepper. ultimate class over here.] Are we gonna break? I feel like we should break. [instead of ... standing around trying to look cool like weirdos. sorry for backseat leading david.]

[generaldavideus]

[David probably looks the least impressive out of all of them (disguise 12), but he still looks nice enough. He's been more focused on making sure things go according to plan than how he looks, but he at least blends in. His eyes scan the room and he clocks Alexandra Udinov (pop culture 17), but he doesn't really care enough to bring it up.

From what he read on the news, she's just another celebrity. As far as he knows, she's not relevant to the mission. So he just moves on and nods to Alex.]

Let's mingle.

[Which is funny because he's awful at it. This is why he's managing the Doctor.]

[asap]

I'll go... look for a bathroom. [It might take her a while, even at her speed. Since she's not actually planning on looking for the bathroom so much as use that as the excuse if she runs into anyone while searching the rest of the house. She starts to amble towards the door, painfully slowly by her standards, but she doesn't want to play the speed card yet.] Text if something exciting happens!

[divisional]

[Alex finds herself pulled into conversation with one of the other guests, smiling and nodding and even laughing loudly at the appropriate moments when in fact, she's ignoring most of what they have to say and is instead looking to see where the waiters are coming and going with their trays of food and drink. (Spot 24).]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ it's easy to see where the 'kitchen' must be - down an ornate hall to the left, through a set of double doors that are almost constantly being opened again by someone carrying a tray one way or another. ]

chapter three ♔ in all the chaos, there is calculation

[jotun]

[ green cloak swishing out, loki turns in one decisive movement to raise the decanter to the crowd like it’s simba and this is the lion king. ]

It would be a shame for such an evening to be wasted. Guests. [ he takes a series of slow steps down the stairs, black flat-heeled boots clicking against each stone level. when he rephrases, a dry chuckle comes out with the word: ] Friends. Drink, celebrate, rejoice—for I am your salvation, come at last.

[ a single man in the crowd takes the opportunity to scream at the top of his lungs, and the entire assembly follows suit in a sudden panic. ice blue eyes widen in an instant, darting around the room.

suddenly, he lowers the decanter in one careless hand, holding it like a simple jug, and his other hand raises. blinding light encompasses him and four identical duplicates appear around him, like a small personal army made in a funhouse mirror. as he gesticulates and speaks, pacing forward, they mimic the gesture and provide an echo. ]

Very well.

I had hoped for loyalty given freely, but I would be remiss to deny you what you so plainly desire. [ he raises his hand and turns it in a flippant manner, drawing all of the doors of the mansion shut at once. ] You offer me no choice but to persuade you.

[ambitionist]

[WOW HE REALLY JUST. this clown came in and took the goblet of fire THANKS TO ALL OF ALEXANDER'S METICULOUS PLANNING. you're welcome lil bitch. >:( using a hand to hold mchottie back like "you wait here", he peers back towards the stairway, trying to stay hidden while loki does all his villain monologuing. (hide 15) he thought about taking a shot at him bc shit is already chaos so why not open fire, but now there are four of him so … that's great. yeah he's just going to use his turn to text andie.]

we are officially fucked without lube

[bowtimeandspace]

[ Well things just got a whole bucket load more interesting. No, six buckets. Possibly seven. Things are never just simple, are they? There's always someone turning themselves into five people and setting the host on fire.

Okay maybe not always.

He could step away, could do all sorts of things that might be well thought out and sensible, but why break the habit of a lifetime? ]

You know, you might want to work on the whole sales technique.

[krasnayapautina]

[Kicking off her shoes and picking them up -- because it's hard to move as fast as she'd like to right now in the kind of shoes she had picked for this evening -- Natasha starts towards the exit of the kitchen. Her turn is going to be hauling as much ass as she can to get to the location where shit is currently Getting Very Real. There's nothing left to do in the kitchen, not now.]

[asap]

[??? Andie doesn't text back because THAT SEEMS BAD. Instead she just runs up to the trophy room and oh man does she ever wish she had brought a sword.]


What... what the hell? Who--

[THIS IS NOT WHAT SHE HAD WANTED. She looks around (spot 17) hoping that there are some weapons in the trophy room (like a rapier it's ok if there are diamonds in the hilt) she just... really doesn't think she can take four identical creeps at once barehanded.]

[generaldavideus]

[You and David both, Andie. You and David both.

David, on the other hand, is looking up at this guy like he wants to punch him in the face, which he does but he won't. (Yet.) He just moves through the crowd, trying to make his way through the crowd to the stairs (dexterity 13).]

Hey! Excuse me!

[He waves a hand, smirking slightly as he goes.]

Who is saving us, exactly?

[Draw attention to him, keep it off the other innocent people in the room. That's the plan. And maybe get close enough to see if he can distract him enough that someone can grab the decanter.

Probably by punching him in the face.]

[divisional]

[Lights out. Shit getting real? Alex chooses not to run head first into the action but moves as quickly as she can, taking up a position where the hall that leads from the kitchen opens out into the main area to try and scope things out without drawing attention to herself. (Hide 17. Spot Check 22.)]

[jotun]

[ with spot and listen at 34, neither alex is really successfully hiding from loki. on the other hand, neither has done anything to cause them to stand out in the crowd of frightened partiers either. natasha and alex both reach the threshold of the main room and are able to lean around it to see the flames lighting drapery and rugs.

desai is inexplicably gone, and a pile of ashes stands near five different lokis, all standing in a tight cluster. they continue to step forward to where david questions him at the bottom of the stairs, all in unison, and their voices ring out like an echoed chorus. ]

I am Loki of Asgard.

[ in the trophy room, andie finds a short sword that's dulled for display with jewels embedded in its hilt. not, perhaps, functional for swordwork, but as useful as any of it for bludgeoning.

in reply to the doctor, loki persists beyond his introduction. ]

Do I not bring glad tidings? I have freed you from the blind service to a man without ambition.

alex & piffy ♔ closed

[panaceum]

[ guess what it's gonna be a little while before loki makes his drama queen announcement via twitter, so in the meantime, epiphany offers up her dorm for those who don't want to run out and about scouring the city all night, what a good.

most of those fuckers have to sleep on the crowded living room slash kitchen floor. alex, however, gets grabbed by the collar when none of them are looking and yanked into her bedroom, where she swiftly shuts the door and releases him. ] Golden ticket for you, Charlie. I've got room for one in here.

[ambitionist]

[o-oh HELLO MA'AM. he's not complaining with this turn of events. the stupid grin on his face makes that pretty clear.] Does that mean the rest of my people are getting turned into blueberries? [not that he would even give a fuck. he sounds about as concerned as willy wonka was. ~oh no.~]

[panaceum]

Only if they start fucking around with my potion stores. I take it most of them don't read Russian. [ her room is in a casual state of disorder, bed unmade, full ash tray on the dresser beside it. the window is cracked, the sound of traffic outside keeping silence from ever really filling the space. ]

[ambitionist]

None that I know of. Besides the inferior Alex. [he can talk like that now that they're alone haha ha ha...] If she can read. [no really he's an ass.] My grandma was really forceful about heritage.

[panaceum]

I know how that goes. Family is a big deal for my folks. Which is ironic, since we're sure as hell not the Brady Bunch, and I haven't talked to them in like, a year.

[ambitionist]

Tell me about it. I haven't really talked to mine in ... four, maybe five? Something like that.

[panaceum]

Must be nice.

Dad comes around whenever he needs something - or sends for me to come home for a few months. Just one more business asset, as far as he sees it. He thought it'd be useful, having an alchemist at his beck and call. Can't say he's been wrong. [ who sounds bitter??? not this girl. /knocks a cigarette out of a pack, and then offers him one ] But what do you do. Anti-scrying spells don't come easy, and he's got the mages on call to magically track me down if I took off. So I make the best of it. [ she takes a long drag, which seems to sap some of the tension out of her shoulders that the subject had brought up, allowing her to look him over, taking stock of him. ] Just like when the Norse god of thunder goes flying out my window to track down Loki the Trickster God, and leaves his good-looking pals hanging around. Might as well make the best of things.

[ambitionist]

[she gets his "hi i'm alex karamazov and i'm shit at comforting people" catchphrase:] That sucks. [it's also ... not really something he can relate to because his home life was some party of five realness. but then there are cigarettes and he takes one like thank jesus because he's been secretly longing for one all evening. /girls of his dreams tbh.] At least your best is pretty great. [is he talking about her skills??? himself???? both????

nah probably just himself.]