The Ghostblood Ball

[PrinceDusty he/him]

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This is going great. More popular than I thought, and most of your time zones don't line up with mine- plus school and stuff, so I will be limited to a specific 4,5-hour period each day. I might double post sometimes to keep up with everyone- but if I do, it is for the sake of keeping everything amongst my characters more organized, unlike the usual other way around, so don't get on to me too much for it.Thanks for the overwhelming response everyone, have some shameless bribery upvotes! Dang, I ran out.

2

A guitarist looked up, surprised. "Cotton-Eye Joe? Of course! We haven't had that one requested in quite a while!" Smiling, the guitarist of the group formerly known as MoTab[sorry obligatory GenConf reference] switched to the requested song.

~~~

Night breathed out shallowly. "Yes, I may be. The man in the brown cloak- Something's off about him. And I know for a fact he wasn't invited... one of only two or three that the Ghostbloods didn't invite, actually. See him, moving around behind you?" The ballroom had filled up considerably, and as Arden moved towards the stage, Night had a harder time keeping track of him.

Night noticed Tena, steelpushing herself through the air. And was that the Mr. Amber that had just been announced? The chocolate specialist? Multiple people Night recognized were heading towards the eggnog and root beer bars, and a few more members of the Ghostblood Council had arrived. 

~~~

Arden pretended to drop the cracker he had just grabbed off of one of the trays being circulated by an underling. He drew a Line of Forbiddance, his chalk selected to blend into the glossy, brown, stained wooden floor.

I'd have been married a long time ago

If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe

Where did you come from, where did you go?

Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?

"Where did you come from, Third of the Night? And where did you go?" Arden thought, growing angry. He grabbed a root beer off of another tray.

Edited October 8, 2018 by PrinceDusty

[Sherlock Holmes he/him]

Tena didn't like root beer. That was primarily because the person writing this didn't like root beer either, and anyway wanted to see some mimes fixing the fourth wall. Of course, it might be their day off or something. 

She always had a flask of whiskey on her, so she downed the entire thing in one gulp. 

[MetaTerminal he/him]

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@Cyanic. I like that system!

"Anything?" His mind went over the complexities of Rithmatism that he had been studying for some time - but he was close to a breakthrough there, the diagrams almost complete. If Alum could get an answer to anything, it would be far more fruitful to inquire about areas he was less knowledgable in. An older art, whispered in the volumes of history, that few powerful people could use.

"Very well. How can I access and study..." his voice lowered, as if it were dangerous, "Alleymatics?"

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Alleymatics being the original magic used by Mac, Lopen, Voidus, Rhaizen and Solace, and others. Cenet doesn't need to know the answer - I just need to show that Alum's planning to study it.

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by MetaTerminal
Pronoun clarification, because it bothered me.

[Silva]

Mejin hoisted up her dress and climbed up the steps to the building. Times like these really made her wish that formal female fashion had so many requirements. Despite all her adjustments to add manueverability and storage space in the skirts, dresses were just so storming uncomfortable.

She handed the Ghostblood at the entrance her invitation quickly and tapped steel to move away fast so she wouldn't have to listen to herself being announced. Attention was not something she liked to attract. Boredom had enticed her to come, though she was slightly worried a fight would break out shortly.

It would only be expected with these people. she thought, chuckling. Lei, her spren, was nowhere in sight, she figured he was just off exploring.

Standing against the wall to the left of the entrance of the hallway containing the private rooms, Mejin scanned her immediate surroundings. Nothing looked like it could kill her, but she knew this was the Ghostbloods. The building was hiding something. She just knew it.

She just wasn't quite sure what it was yet.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Silva

[Sherlock Holmes he/him]

Tena noticed an uncomfortable-looking woman in a dress and strolled over to her. She rocked slightly on her heels in time to the music, looking the woman up and down and noticing the steel metalminds she wore. “You’re a steel Ferring, huh? I am too, ‘cept I’m also a steel Misting, so I’m like SUPA fast, eh?” 

She noted that this woman had felt it necessary to wear a dress. That’s silly, Tena thought, why would you feel the need to do that? She herself was wearing semi-loose trousers and a short sleeve shirt with her Ghostblood tattoo quite visible on her shoulder. She was even equipped with all her combat gear. 

[+Ark1002]

It, satisfied with It's eggnog, walked over to Mr. Amber.

"Enjoying the party?"

[I Am Witless she/her]

The young man continued dancing, only paying vague attention to what was going on. He tried to beckon to other people to dance with him. A high heel-kick at the turn made his confidence wax even stronger.

[PrinceDusty he/him]

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I'd like to try and talk to everyone here at some point, but that might be hard since there's already over sixteen characters here. If I accidentally double post, it is simply to try and make things more organized, unlike the usual negative effect, so don't bother me about it too much please.

"Let's go meet some more people," Night said to Althea. "I'd like to get a feel for the crowd- I'm woefully unprepared in my knowledge of the individual inhabitants of the Alleyverse, considering that I am the Ghostblood Representative." Night may or may not have been boasting. Looking around, he realized that he didn, in fact, know most of the more prominent guests- at least by name. But there was one young man who he had never seen before and knew nothing about. Not wanting anyone to go unnacounted for, he headed over to the young man, who was gathering quite a crowd with his dancing skills. Night jumped into the circle next to him, pulling off an epic moonwalk. Not wanting Althea to feel left out, he looked over to wherever it was she chose to be standing and gestured for her to join the dancers.

"Hello, what's your name?" Night asked. "I feel like I should know you."

The music changed as Cotton-Eye Joe ended, but Night glared at the MoTab musicians and they hastily restarted the song.

[Archer he/him]

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No need to talk to these guys. 

Suddenly, the skylight was thrown open. A face-paint covered figure peeked over the edge, looking down at the party guests below. They were visibly frustrated. In response to a signal by his gloved hand, two others joined him. Then the three of them jumped through the hole.

They assumed the skydiving position, arms and legs making a star shape, facing the ground. The crowd watched in horror, for the men didn't appear to have any ropes connected to them, or parachutes to open. But, inexplicably, just as they were about to hit the ground, they stopped. As if suspended by an invisible wire, they hung in midair, inches from the floor. 

The mimes, for that's what they were, used finger scissors to cut themselves free of their invisible safety net. They then put on their invisible hard hats, took out their invisible bottles of glue, then began repairing the hole in the fourth wall that a certain root-beer-hating guest had created. 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Archer

[MetaTerminal he/him]

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But doesn't the act of acknowledging the fourth-wall break by repairing it cause another fourth-wall break, thereby rendering any attempt of repairing it moot?

Best not to think about it, I suppose.

 

[PrinceDusty he/him]

Night acknowledged and at the same time completely ignored the mimes. Experience said it was best to go about it that way.

[Life&Death he/him]

1 hour ago, Ark1002 said:

It, satisfied with It's eggnog, walked over to Mr. Amber.

"Enjoying the party?"

“Yes I am indeed.” Mr Amber replied. “Are you? And I don’t believe I know your name.” He shifted his can from his left hand into both hands clasped in front of him. He still looked relaxed and polite, but now he was ready to draw the sword concealed within it at a moments notice.

[I think I am here. he/him]

Lusk looked around with a smile. The Ball was going well. Very well. He’d been happy when it had first been announced, and he was just as happy now. Members from all guilds were here, and that would make the Plan easier.

Lusk was familiar with the Plan. He’d been a hand in its creation, after all. A way for the Ghostbloods to get back into the spotlight. A way for the Ghostbloods to show they meant business. The age of the Ghostbloods was coming, and it was coming soon.

Lusk was so caught up in his thoughts he almost didn’t notice the slight tremor beneath his feet.

[Cyanic he/him]

5 hours ago, MetaTerminal said:

"Anything?" His mind went over the complexities of Rithmatism that he had been studying for some time - but he was close to a breakthrough there, the diagrams almost complete. If Alum could get an answer to anything, it would be far more fruitful to inquire about areas he was less knowledgable in. An older art, whispered in the volumes of history, that few powerful people could use.

"Very well. How can I access and study..." his voice lowered, as if it were dangerous, "Alleymatics?"

"All right," Cenet nodded his invisible head. "As this is a sample, I may tell you this without charge. Though I'd still like to know what that machine in your hand does, just for conversation's sake," he said with a polite chuckle, then metaphorically closed his eyes. Metaphorically. This was the first time he'd heard of Alleymatics, but the way this man said it seemed like it was a science or a thing of study, so he could likely just Highcall the truth.

Interesting. This specific system of magic —and this was a system of magic— was actually a variable, its various properties, while not a dynamic truth, was not a static one either. Its fundamentals were established but its specifics and its effects were... malleable.

What is most interesting is the variability of this 'Alleymatics.'

Up until the moment the man asked Cenet, it hadn't existed in a long while.

The city was destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons don't affect space/time/dimensional anomalies, yet the city was destroyed anyway, and even before that, there were a few residents that never encountered the city's interesting nature. Even though they've lived their lives in that city and have been scouring the alleys themselves.

Cenet put an unseen hand on his unseen chin. This was more fruitful of a dip into knowledge than he'd expected. Though he was yet to answer the man's question: "You will need to find the architect of the AlleyCity itself, and study from them. The answer to this truth is a variable, but the likely variable is a being named Voidus who resides within the worldspike, the spike in the heart of the AlleyCity."

While this was all interesting, he didn't inform the man of his additional findings. Cenet was here for business and the man only asked for a specific thing. No freebies, unfortunately.

Cenet observed the mimes 'patch' an invisible 'hole.' The mimes themselves were variables which was interesting as this was the first truly variable 'verse he'd visited. While he hadn't visited them, this felt like the SCPverse, which was also built on variables, and even its non-variables had a sort of malleability to them. He'd visit that place someday.

He did notice the tremor, but gravity was no object, so he remained standing, his cane on the ground. He was curious what was to happen soon though.

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Also, @ing inside quotes apparently doesn't work since I wasn't notified

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by Cyanic

[I Am Witless she/her]

1 hour ago, PrinceDusty said:

"Let's go meet some more people," Night said to Althea. "I'd like to get a feel for the crowd- I'm woefully unprepared in my knowledge of the individual inhabitants of the Alleyverse, considering that I am the Ghostblood Representative." Night may or may not have been boasting. Looking around, he realized that he didn, in fact, know most of the more prominent guests- at least by name. But there was one young man who he had never seen before and knew nothing about. Not wanting anyone to go unnacounted for, he headed over to the young man, who was gathering quite a crowd with his dancing skills. Night jumped into the circle next to him, pulling off an epic moonwalk. Not wanting Althea to feel left out, he looked over to wherever it was she chose to be standing and gestured for her to join the dancers.

"Hello, what's your name?" Night asked. "I feel like I should know you."

The music changed as Cotton-Eye Joe ended, but Night glared at the MoTab musicians and they hastily restarted the song.

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I..... He.... He freaking MOONWALKED TO COTTON-EYE JOE???!??!?!???!?!?!

THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS

"You can call me Bro-Dude." The young man said, stopping and pulling an uninflated basketball from a back pocket. One of the mimes tossed him an invisible air-pumped, and the young man proceeded to pump up the basket ball.

" 'cause I'm a bro, and I'm totally a dude." He shot the ball at a punchbowl, but missed by a good six feet. It hit one of the mimes.

[Nohadon he/him]

Devaan scanned the room. Until he saw Mr Amber talking with It. 

“Lord Amber?” He asked in the calm accent of the old terris. 

“My lady has a buisness proposition for you. Allow me to explain,if you please”

@Life&Death

Edited October 9, 2018 by Nohadon

[PrinceDusty he/him]

10 minutes ago, I Am Witless said:

I..... He.... He freaking MOONWALKED TO COTTON-EYE JOE???!??!?!???!?!?!

THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS

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I have many secrets.

Third of the Night resisted a strange urge to laugh. Even he didn't understand what was funny. "Alright, Bro-Dude. It's been nice meeting you." Night had been moonwalking for a solid hour because of cracks within the 4th wall, so he exited the dance floor and returned to Althea's side. Cotton-Eye Joe ended and a much slower song started playing. Night looked nervously at Althea. "Care to dance?" Night suspected that most would ignore the slow song and formal ballroom dancing, despite the fact that it was, after all, a ball. To be honest, Night wouldn't be surprised if Althea ignored him.

@Sorana

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Y'all, ignore everything your leaders have ever told you about stake dance etiquette   (sorry, it's a mormon Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints inside joke that I couldn't resist making). Have a good time! Though I do think the ball would be more fun and work better in the plot if we treat it like a Mistborn Era 1 ball.

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by PrinceDusty

[MetaTerminal he/him]

4 minutes ago, Cyanic said:

"You will need to find the architect of the AlleyCity itself, and study from them. The answer to this truth is a variable, but the likely variable is a being named Voidus who resides within the worldspike, the spike in the heart of the AlleyCity."

"So you're saying I have to ask a god, who is locked inside an impenetrable Aonic shield, with a possibly invincible Guardian, behind several layers of Hemalurgic and eldritch security. Excellent. I'll be sure to ask him after teatime. Is there anyone else who can help me?

"And, in answer to your question, this is a pocketwatch, of sorts. It runs independently of any allomantic temporal influence, so even in a bendalloy bubble it keeps time accurately. Took a few prototypes, but I pulled it off." He snapped the lid shut and pocketed it. "Doesn't do time travel, though. Working on it. I've got schematics."

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So does Cenet trade info for info?

 

[I Am Witless she/her]

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My young man is based on my younger brother (read: is my younger brother) and I've told him that he needs to dance with a girl every single stake dance. He does.

The young man who called himself Bro-Dude walked up to a random female character (I don't care who right now) and smiled winningly.

"Would you like to dance?"

[Cyanic he/him]

Just now, MetaTerminal said:

So does Cenet trade info for info?

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He does, but he can also specify other prices

Cenet chuckled at the sarcasm, "Indeed!" he said then caught the walking cane in his hand, "you may be able to glean this information from the leader of the Craftsmen, I believe he's the man over there?" He gestured to the man who'd arrived in armor with his cane.

"Ahh, interesting," Cenet replied to the man's comment about his piece of machinery, "may I ask for your name? You're free to reserve that for yourself to trade, but I must warn you that that piece of information isn't very expensive," he chuckled again.

[+Ark1002]

58 minutes ago, Life&Death said:

“Yes I am indeed.” Mr Amber replied. “Are you? And I don’t believe I know your name.” He shifted his can from his left hand into both hands clasped in front of him. He still looked relaxed and polite, but now he was ready to draw the sword concealed within it at a moments notice.

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Oof, that isn't very nice, considering that Hellbe... It is a Ghostblood councilman.

It noted the change of posture. And It grinned at that. A sword. How pathetic.

"They refer to me as It. A simple title, for a not so simple creature. I have fought the greatest warrior of the first era, and I nearly one. I killed many in my thirst for blood. I stabbed Harmony. But It will do. It will do just fine...:

[MetaTerminal he/him]

16 minutes ago, Cyanic said:

"may I ask for your name? You're free to reserve that for yourself to trade, but I must warn you that that piece of information isn't very expensive,"

"Ah, yes. I've met Mac before. He gave me some spikes, as a matter of fact. As for my name, you can call me Alum -  that's what everyone else calls me, in any case. Thank you for the info. I'll be sure to let you know if I wish to trade with you in the future." Out of habit, he rose to shake his hand, but gave a sort of awkward wave instead.

Talk to Mac. It was certainly easier than releasing a god, although that might just be happening anyway from what he'd heard.

 

[Cyanic he/him]

"Right, have a good night." Cenet addressed the man as he left. He made his way to a seat and looked around for more potential clients, sitting one leg crossed over the other.

[+Sorana she/her]

 

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Formal ball etiquette as ordered xP

Althea would have loved to join the rest on the dancefloor, but sadly her narrator had been sleeping.
Surprised Althea looked at Night, when he came back from the dance floor. He was asking her to dance? Nobody asked her for a dance, from her experience people prefered to walk away from her. Remembering her lessons she nodded and then curtsied. Afterwards she offered him her hand to lead her to the dance floor.
"Of course. I would love to dance with you."
It had the additional advantage, that they would be able to talk more freely there.

@PrinceDusty

Edited October 9, 2018 by Sorana
Typo

[I think I am here. he/him]

Another tremor. Lusk could feel it this time. A few party-goers looked around in surprise, but Lusk assured them that it was nothing. What was that? Feeling the vibrations beneath his boots, he stormed to one of the Ghostblood underlings and signalled then over.

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you feel these tremors?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And it’s not part of the Plan, is it?”

“No, sir.”

“So why is it happening?”

The youth fumbled. “I... I don’t know, sir.”

Another tremor. A few unnoccupied chairs flipped over, the music quietened slightly. Slowly, Lusk turned to the underling.

“Go get backup.