Electric Fairyland Opening

[Daniel Leto]

Daniel stood to one side of the doorway, wait. Watching. Observing who was coming. Who was going. Who was serving. Who might be serving Them.

There was another Changeling… wait? Yes? No? Maybe? The woman’s pale flesh looked almost like porcelien and her limbs moved almost like they were being jerked around by strings. At first he thought for sure she was a particularly disturbing Mannequin. However, after a closer look (before turning away to not be caught staring), he was pretty sure she was fey touched. Either that or had very thin mask.

Then there was the riveting woman with the confident stride. Even without a fey aspect she could easily be of the Fairest. If the color of her hair was anything to go on (the Mask was hardly something to could place judgement by) she might be a Flamesiren.

Then there was the bartender. If anyone looked like they belonged among the mad and lost it was him. He exude a wild and manic air. That grin. Of course that could just as easily be in line with the theme as an indication he could Moonborn.

“Terri!” he replied to the Steepscrambler, instantly. Even without her fairy feathers and ears, he recognized her instantly. “Um, yeah,” it took him a moment to realize what she wasn’t using double speak and talking about his abrupt change to being slightly transparent. “I just had it cut. It was getting kind of shaggy.” His hair was (as it always was with the Mask) blond, he had to remind himself. The Darkling reminded himself that he really needed to hang out with mortal more often. Even Terri’s comment had almost thrown him for a loop there.

“And yeah, a drink sounds great.” He was tempted to tell her why he was here (through code of course). However, if there were Loyalist about, he didn’t want to tip them off.

He almost jumped when L'aire whispered in his ear. Even without the powerful mantle present, it hid her presence till the last moment.

“Lurking’s what I do now. Good for the soul, don’cha know,” he said back quietly, attempt to hide his start behind calm.

Following Terri, he approached the bar.

“Water please,” he asked Crowley. A declaration of intent. The Darkling was going without alcohol this evening. Maybe he was playing DD. Maybe he was AA. It didn’t matter what was assumed, so long as the message got across. "And you can put their's," he indicated the two Queens (one former, one current) "On my tab." He gave a smile to the roguish man a couple seats down. To Minnesotan, hospitality was a challenge.

[Lesingnon]

Rick paused for a few moments after entering the establishment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Then he found himself staring curiously at the decorations on the wall for a while. The proprietor of this place had more than just a passing imagery in occult themes, it seemed. And his mind churned for the few brief moments; picking out the pictures and symbols that he saw, connecting them with where they all came from and what they all meant.

But he wasn't here to stare at decorations, he supposed. And it was the work of a few seconds to pick spot Terri and L'aire. Well, to pick out L'aire and confirm that Terri was next to her. The Dancer was a decent bit taller, and much easier to pick out in a crowd. Daniel was with them too and, huh, it looked like they'd all hardened their masks. Not something he necessarily saw the point of, but he supressed a sigh as he channeled a few motes of stolen emotion to solidify the fae illusion encompassing him anyway. Going in without it when everyone else had hardened theirs just seemed a bit...rude, he supposed.

Though part of him couldn't help but ponder how he'd never had to deal with that when mostly hanging with Summers.

Then he made his way over to them, one hand slipping easily around Terri's waist. "Didn't keep you two waiting all that long, I hope." And he offered a wave of his free hand to the Changeling he hadn't been expecting to see here. "Hey Daniel."

[Terri Nutkins]

The squeeze on the arm from L’aire brought Terri round to give the Fairest a hug, wrapping her arms around the taller woman’s body with a smile. “Nice hat, how was work?” she replied, grinning as they headed over to the bar, interested in how the dance school was going. At Daniel’s offer, the Truefriend nodded gratefully and ordered a vodka-Red Bull, falling back on her longtime fave. The sound of her beau’s voice brought that whimsical look to her blue eyes and she planted a kiss on Rick’s cheek.

“Just arrived ourselves, so you’re only fashionably late,” she joked, arm wrapping around his waist and resting her hand on the small of his back, fingers stroking up and down in a repetitive motion, not even thinking about it; a natural friskiness that seemed to come from this time of year.

“So, the decor’s very interesting. Anyone know the owner?” And that was about as good at double-talk as Terri could get without blatantly coming out with is the owner one of us?

[Crowley]

One Thing at a Time.

Crowley focusses on the White Lady, grin fixed in place as his hands rise, framing an imaginary picture. "Well... let me see... Well I think with that aura - you'll enjoy this! Its a craft beer from a local microbrewery. Light, more fruit than alcohol. Alluring! Mysterious! And unique!"

No magic. Just showmanship and for larks.

He scurried away and returned with a bottle and a glass. He placed both before Alice with a sly wink as though he was sharing a special moment with his customer.

Alas the effect was tarnished when Konrad burst onto the scene. The facade of Crowley's malleable face became brittle and began to fade; his face lit up once more at the magic words of "tab" and "Whatever you have on draft." Manic grin once more stuck to his face like an errant half-moon, Crowley the Enchanter Barman got to work.

"Here you go," he said at last, handing the foaming drink to Konrad. Crowley's eyes bounced between the mysterious gent and Faye as the pair seemed to know one another.

Still grinning, he turned his attention to the pale wraith with the craft beer. Alice Hart @Saber_Sloth

Another call for service. Another fellow. Another tab. Parable Daniel Leto Crowley barely managed to keep the grin on his face, his visage again turning brittle. Lifting a finger to indicate he would be back, the barman - such a terrible chore now, a toil and an anchor to his soul. Oh how could anyone... - set to work on preparing a tray filled with alcoholic beverages to entertain and delight.

And a glass of water.

Cheapskate...

[InvertedMonkey]

What Changeling wouldn't be drawn to a pub styling it's self as in touch with the fae of yore and legend? Any sensible Winter, that's who. In theory, anyway. Really, this could be a none-too-subtle trap. As with most things Ramona worries about, it's rather unlikely, but it never pays to be ignorant of the possibility, ignorant of the risk. When Ava mentioned she was interested in scoping the place out, of course Ramona had to come along. For many reasons. The first, and most immediate, being to enjoy the pleasure of her friend's company and whatever the venue might have to offer. But the second, and more important, was to make sure it was safe. Or at least that she was safe. In truth, as Queens, they were relatively equally high-value targets at this point, but Ramona first promised to protect Ava when that hadn't been so, and her thinking has not yet changed on that score.

She's dressed casually, for an enjoyable evening. The hem of her black-and-white peasant blouse brushes against the leather of a pair of shiny-black knee-high combat boots. The color theme is continued in her black blouse with white buttons, and the black leather jacket, a black handbag, all topped off by her head of dyed white hair. As usual for her, she steps aside from the doorway, keeping the passage free and preventing herself from being silhouetted in the portal, and quickly scans the room for red-flags and exits. The scan returns no immediate concerns, but a few... oddities. One of them being the cluster of other Changelings, not recognizable due to their miens, but due to some familiarity she's gained by this point with their masks. Including L'aire. Leaning slightly to put her lips closer to Ava's ear, she whispers to her companion; "Not good. Too crowded. Big personalities? We should go." If this is a trap, it's just lured three Queens in one night. There are too many ways that this could go wrong. The last Freehold burned down in dragon fire. There could be any number of hexes, curses, or entrapment ready to work upon them here. You could even seize this opportunity without any magic at all. Three targets in one place like this, you could simply gun them down, plant a bomb, or start a fire and block the exits. And they already had reason to suspect this pub.

Ramona's outfit, or close to it.

[Alice Hart]

"Oh! Thank you!" Alice turns to the flame-liked blond, "I just got it offline." With a laugh, "I tend to do most of my shopping that way. You can find anything and everything you want." She says, her smile a little too wide.

Her attentions are taken by the bartender, and his surprising showmanship. Then all to suddenly he returns, bringing with him the bottle, a glass and a sly playful wink. Alice couldn't help but giggle. "Thank you sir!" she says as her will her vitae to move. It wouldn't do for her to upchuck all over this pretty bar.

Just when Alice was beginning to grow used to the true warmth of living bodies around her, another monster appears.

Her teeth grit, her slim white-white fingers clench themselves tight atop the bar, as the Wraith wakes, it's ice urging her away. His smarmy voice greets the flame-licked blond - Madison - Alice's eyes hard and cold, looking more and more like the gemstones they imitate as the savage touches that beautiful skin. Fuck him. Alice feels a growl rolling around inside, wanting to take the flame haired blond away, because-because Alice saw her first! And now with this ass here, she couldn't sneak away with a prize taking them far enough away from that invisible line that was only for the Prince and those in his favor.

She takes a breath, shaking her head, realizing that Konrad delayed his greeting so she could thaw the frozen rage that dwelt within. "Konrad! Hey!" her voice was tight, her to wide to fake smile, making it seem like she wanted to add 'the fuck you doing here asshole?' "Totally! I heard about this place and had to check it out for myself!" Alice waves around to the decor, and the ever growing crowd.

Her eyes returning to her beer. Pouring the fruity beer into the provided glass, Alice first takes a sniff, then a sip. "Yum!" she says trying to bring back the moment lost when Konrad squishes himself between her and Madison.

[Coco]

For the longest time the thought of going to a club or hopping between bars had all the appeal of biting into the putrescent slop of last seasons fruit. The milling crowds of strangers, the smiles shared between false friends, the devouring stares of the poorly socialized, the inevitable thrown drinks and heels meeting insteps...Suffice it to say, all the illusions of revelry and hedonistic abandon had been stripped away. The veil of temptation had been torn down and trampled on, perhaps by Coco's own feet as much as any others, yet the result was the same: if the Wasp wanted to drink then she did it alone.

That is, until she wandered into a garden of roses at the behest of a brisk spring rain...

Now, here she was, walking down the stairs of Electric Fairyland in heels that sparkled like silver and a matching dress that would have been perfectly molded to her form were it not for the elegant slant of the hemline that allowed her legs to move freely. Truly, she was dressed to impress, and her cane was nowhere in sight. Which, was a small cause for anxiety, though Coco was confident that she and her date would survive the night. That's what pepper spray was for, after all. A nice little surprise waiting in her clutch just in case.

Thus, feeling a slight flutter as she recognized some of the Freehold amidst the bar's numbers, Coco crafted a beaming smile into place and strode up to the bar.

"Two Cosmopolitans, please," she called to the barman.

[Crowley]

Crowley bounced from customer to customer.

He eyed the carefully place dollar bill, malleable visage softening conspiratorially. He added an extra glass to the tray and a pitcher of frosted glass with extra water.

"You are together... right?" A finger jerked between the Dancer and Daniel.

At L'aire's question the Barman is pulled up short. He turns back slowly. "Eh. Yeah? Oh! Hey! Yeah! That was me." He leaned casually on the bar, twisting lightly so he focussed on the Dancer and her friend from the shop exclusively. "Call me Saul."

For the moment, the intriguing pale wraith chick could wait. Had to wait. She was lost in the gaggle crowding around the bar. Hopefully he'd get chance to catch up with her later.

At the periphery of his vision he spied a beam red head. Tired of bouncing he hurled a glance over to his assistant and watched while the man prepared the Cosmopolitans.

Back to the two women from the bookshop. "So. Welcome to my place. Please enjoy yourselves tonight. Drink... and be merry. And tell your friends."