Never Meant To Cause You Any...

[Asa]

Friday, March 25th, Crest Theater 7:00p

There would probably be enough purple crushed velvet and lace to outfit the Baroque Era.

Asa smiled at the memory of a tabloid writer who had once described Prince as 'dipped in sweat and rolled in hair'. Thirty years later, it was no less funny or true, but now it described a musical legend.

Thirty years.

The parking lot would turn into a Prince-themed party, much like Rocky Horror Picture Show showings; of that, there was no doubt. But it wasn't the revival or the party as much as the memories that drew the Prince of Sacramento to the event. Asa laughed softly as he parked, already seeing the over-the-top costumes people wore in tribute to the one, the only, His Purple Majesty.

And that's coming from a Ventrue.

Grabbing a beer bottle from the cup holder beside him, Blushing, and waving at a magnificent drag queen as he exited and locked his car, another purple majesty strolled into the parking lot to see what the night had to offer.

Purple Rain

[Asa]

It could have been a Toreador party.

And maybe that was the magic of artists like Prince. Or Bowie. A public statement that it was okay to be over the top. Asa was not over the top. His concession to the atmosphere was one of his (many) deep purple dress shirts. Not even leather pants, opting instead for dark slacks but eschewing a jacket and tie.

Preternatural senses were damped down to avoid the wash of sight and sound, and for a while, it was like swimming. Murky sight, muddy sounds, only the most pungent of odors making their way through. But even that handicap didn't totally dull an ability he'd spent decades perfecting...

...namely, picking a beautiful woman out of a crowd.

"Fancy meeting you here," he smiled as he approached L'aire . Some bodies moved for him, other simply gave way to his size and purpose.

"Are your friends with you?"

He vaguely remembered a pretty redhead. And someone a red trench coat.

[Wod.Infant]

Prince in one of those artists larger than life itself – Purple Rain was released in the year I was born and yet thirty something years later it’s still celebrated in large and very public purple reveries!

To get into the vibe of the purple 80’s frenzy I decided to wear a pair of crazy extra form fitting black leather pants - the looks and the eyes… I’m also wearing my black leather jacket and a pair of high heeled boots, around my neck I bring a purple silk écharpe – because purple!

I arrive at the parking lot by the Crest Theatre by cab, once I’m out I get to experience the environs. I find myself smiling for no reason other than being here, of all places…

Then despite the noise, the fun, the alcohol, the purple and who knows what else I decide to push a pint of blood from my heart to my veins and my skin – it’s effortless but costly – nevertheless you never know when someone might pick a walking dead body from the crowd. Embarrassing and masquerade threatening.

Now it’s time to party![expenditurereason]-1 blood: Blush active for a scene[/expenditurereason]

[Asa]

"I honestly... don't... know."

Asa offered a bemused smile, both at the question and the exploration. And, really, he didn't. Ghouls only knew what was left in his closets from the Seventies, and he doubted midnight blue would have counted. Well, they might have counted with one person, but bespoke tailoring took a very specific audience.

Maybe even crazy.

"Whether I own velvet. I'm entirely certain I arrived alone." A playful bob of the eyebrows accompanied the suggestion that lay in distinguishing between arrival and departure. "I thought it might be fun, too. I don't know about you, but I suppose I think of it being right up there with 'The Wall' and '101'. Okay, maybe a little higher than '101'."

Asa turned into her her hand, raising his own and threading it around her. It was a natural, comfortable act, unburdened by any self-consciousness or doubt.

"So are you a fan of the music? Or the atmosphere?"

For a moment, the words were left hanging -- rhetorical questions that would become something more until they froze in pure hatred of recognition when his turn completed. Not the who, but the what. Like calling to like and made no easier by the complete unfamiliarity with the other predator. Behind L'aire's back, tendons rose in a hand that fought to clench while the Man beat back the Beast.

  Conceal Reaction 4 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-03-30 23:10:29		Asa rolls 8 to I ain't mad (manip + sub) (10 Again)		10, 3, 7, 1, 4, 10, 8, 4, 2, 10, 2		4 successes

[Varyx]

These sorts of parties could often be Varyx's favourite. It was simultaneously an excuse to dress up and an excuse to let loose from the restraints of fashion rules. Tonight, the sultry Warlock arrived wearing a strikingly purple jacket over a simpler dark dress, her blonde hair bleached white in the unnatural light.

Heels clicking against the pavement, taking in the beautifully strange outfits (and beautiful strangeness in general) of those around her, she paused for a moment at the sight of a face she recognized. The dancer from the Hallowe'en party. The lovely lady who'd gone skating with Emyrs. Sasha, wasn't it? She smiled and took several steps towards her with the intention of greeting her, when another shift in the crowd revealed who L'aire was talking to - a man, tall, handsome, and with the sort of physical presence that commanded a room. And oh, what was this? The man, reaching for her hand...? She was torn, for a moment; on the one hand disappointed that she hadn't arrived five minutes earlier to snag a conversation with so compelling a companion, but on the other, there was a certain vicarious pleasure in watching the two of them flirting harmlessly. They made quite the stunning couple.

She did nothing to draw L'aire's attention, but if the other blonde happened to spot her, Varyx would give her a wink and a knowing sort of smile before turning her attention elsewhere.

[Wod.Infant]

All skin blushed with blood and warm with life I stride through the parking lot, browsing through the menagerie of kine in costumes I spot them. He was like the sun, bright among a sea of stars and beaming with a halo of charisma around him, she was like the moon, more subdued but with a strong allure.

I try not to make it more obvious, green eyes lock into the background until I grab a beer bottle at one of the stands and drop payment for it.

A few paces away from them I notice this most sultry of costumes, bleached white hair clad in a purple jacket. Alone and by herself.

There is this silly grin, hard to take away… if I had to guess she was eyeing the couple as well.

I decide to approach to engage in "harmless" conversation. Varyx

”Oh, hi!” Silly smile, quick wave of my empty hand.

”I like your hair!" I step a little closer as if to inspect it in detail.

”Been admiring it since I came in… how did you do it? I never found the courage to dye it like that!” Right, start by telling how amazing her hair is… next one I’ll probably be rambling talk about her nails – internal shrug!

[Asa]

"I thought I saw someone..."

"...sitting on my car."

It was a passable lie*.

It was the worst lie he'd told in decades. He'd have to be careful; if she'd caught his hackles, she was far more perceptive than he'd thought. Asa turned to give L'aire a frank appraisal.

"I'm sorry. That isn't true." A wry, apologetic smile was offered. "There's someone here that knows people that I know, who doesn't know we know... See? That's why I said the bit about the car. It's convoluted, boring, but everything is perfectly fine. It just surprised me."

Asa nodded in the general direction of Martine.

"It's that woman, talking to the white-haired woman that looked like she was going to speak with you." The eyebrow went up in an unspoken question, but stayed wholly focused on the woman he had his arm around. "And, speaking of you, tell me this concert. Were you living in Chicago at the time, or did you for the show or something else?"

He was genuinely curious, and it showed. He was also genuinely curious about the way her velvet felt, but maybe they'd circle back to that later.

  *

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-04-02 23:36:46		Asa rolls 8 to OK, So I was mad (manip + sub) (10 Again)		8, 7, 5, 5, 6, 3, 6, 3		1 success