the grand opening of the raccoon room

[royalfling]

Who: YOU AND YOUR BEST BUDS
What: The Grand Opening of the Raccoon Room
When: October 31st
Where: The Raccoon Room in Cellar Door

Content Warnings: N/A for now

Welcome to the Raccoon Room! Code

You find a green door on a townhouse nestled in the middle of a long, cute cobblestoned street. There's a raccoon logo emblazoned on the door. When you enter, you're greeted by sumptuous green velvet drapery, a marble statue of a familiar looking guy with devil horns on his head, and surly ticket taker (Mako, rather unhappily wearing a Victorian style vampire outfit, including vampire fangs) who will make sure that you're paying your fair share for your ticket. That's either a nice rock, a nice shell, or a beautiful feather. If you don't have anything that's worth the right amount, he'll ask for more, or give you drink tickets if you over paid. Does Mako know what makes a feather beautiful? Who knows. It's all subjective here.

You enter the venue through heavy velvet curtains. The light is dim, there are tables scattered everywhere with plush chairs and flickering candles. It's a large room, but it feels intimate. You find a seat, get a drink, or take a look around.

At 8:00pm sharp, the show begins, with Wu, dressed in his grown, flowering top hat, made by Fern, and an impeccable green tuxedo with tails, a gold cape and fake vampire teeth, takes the mic.

"Welcome, welcome to the Raccoon Room! I'm so, so, so glad that you're all here. Things are dreary and dangerous outside, but in here, sit back, relax, and enjoy yourselves."

And with that, he waves the first performer on.

Throughout the night, you'll see Scorpia and Zari Tarazi sing, Fritter (Wu's raccoon omen) and Pabu the fire ferret perform tricks, and the headliner, Ryan Akagi of Chicken Choice Judy, rock out. Wu comes up between the sets and vamps, makes jokes, and applauds the performers, adding plugs to come talk to him if you want to perform.

Over at the bar, Mako's moved on from taking tickets to making drinks. You can order any old beer, wine, or cocktail, or the Jade Dragon, a speciality absinthe cocktail Mako created for the Raccoon Room.

Feel free to top level, make your own night of it! Your esteemed host will be a bit preoccupied, but this space is for Sleepers to come, enjoy themselves, and mingle.

If your character wants to perform, let Wu know.

Comments

Mako | taking tickets, bartending, and generally being a proud boyfriend | ota

[arclightning]

1. tickets

[ Mako is, indeed, decked out in a very frilly vampire costume. He's parked himself at the front of the theater, and while Wu has instructed him to be nice and let people in, there's no way he's letting people in without enough of a contribution. This is a fancy place! They have a lot of sconces! That costs... if not money, then definitely fancy feathers and rocks and stuff, even if Mako might squint at your entry fee for a long moment, trying to figure out if it's fancy enough. Maybe you can sell him on it?

Alcohol is also accepted. ]

2. behind the bar

[ For the rest of the night, Mako parks himself firmly behind the bar, sans fangs. He's not the best bartender on the planet—for one, he doesn't really chat with people, although he'll certainly listen—but he's decent, and the drinks are good. If you order a fancy enough drink, he might set it on fire before he serves it to you, grinning to himself in satisfaction.

Occasionally, a little red dragon head pops up from behind the bar and lights a drink for you. Zuko is also wearing a tiny little cape that flows down her long, scaled back. She'll push drinks down the bar and ferry empty glasses back to Mako and also, occasionally, poke her nose into your drink for a little sip. Don't mind her! She's very cute, so you obviously can't hold it against her.

Every once in a while—during the interstitials, when Wu is on stage, full of energy and life, Mako can be caught watching him up there with a soft, proud smile on his face. He'll cough and look over at you if he's caught, his cheeks flushing a quiet blue. ]

What? He's doing a great job. Should've seen him try to make a speech.

3. after the show

[ The show goes on for a while, and Mako stays behind the bar as long as he possibly can, but eventually, when the night has grown long and the moon is finally sinking redly below the buildings outside, he emerges to congratulate any of the performers left and start cleaning up.

And, you know. Escort you from the building if you're too drunk to move. Time to go! They have a theater to clean! ]

1

[notimeforfailure]

Good evening, ticketmaster.

[A substantially-sized cart appears in the doorway, its contents veiled by a heavy black cloth. Behind it stands a girl who has, in light of the unfortunate events of the last month, committed to wearing both an elegant bird mask and elaborate face paint simultaneously.

The person in the stuffy vampire costume is clearly Mako. In the spirit of fancy-pants high society fraternization, Lysithea will feign ignorance.]

I believe this suffices as my entry fee.

2!

[lightinside]

[ Laurel bides her time until the bar is quiet before going over to introduce herself to Mako. Based on Wu's description of him, she immediately knows who he is. She takes a seat the bar, offering Mako a smile. ]

Hey. Mako, right? Wu might have mentioned me or not, if he didn't have the time, but that's fine. I'm Laurel.

3

[royalfling]

Hey there, stranger.

[ The show's over, and Wu has finally left the stage area to lean on the bar, smiling at Mako. He could have looked over here during the show, but that made him more nervous, so he didn't look at Mako at all. But now it's over, and it was a success (he thinks) and he can flirt with his boyfriend all he wants. ]

2

[imaglyphwitch]

[Luz is behind the bar ready to order, but don't worry Mako: it's not what you think].

One Shirley Temple please!

[She had it once and it was lovely so she definitely wants it again. She does spy Mako's little smile toward Mako and gives him knowing smile].

We haven't talked in awhile, Mako! Looks like some stuff happened during that time, huh?

tickets

[auralaura]

[Ruby's party was also tonight, but Fox had been interested in visiting this place, getting to hear what kind of music they'd be playing. So he plans to stay for an hour before heading over. Might give him some ideas for a gift for her too.

Except Fox also has no idea what a "pretty feather" would ever look like, so he picked up a few he found on the beach--three seagull feathers and a very smooth black one, not that he would notice--and some shells. They happened to be cracked, but they felt really smooth on one side so that's good enough right?]

Do you really accept shells and feathers instead of money?

Shiro | wallflowering | ota

[shiro2hero]

PERFORMANCES
[If Shiro hadn't promised he'd come, he probably would still be back on the beach, or holed up in the orphanage again. Instead, he'd found a reasonably appropriate outfit, and a table in a corner. The feelings assaulting him this month haven't really faded away. There's still healing marks where his skin had split, where he'd bled. But - he's here. He told Wu he would be here. He told Ryan he'd be here. This is one promise he can actually keep.]

[Even if he is tucked away, back to a wall. He's alone at the table, and, so, if anyone chooses to sit at the unoccupied chairs, he'll accept it. Even try for a smile.]


BAR
[Look, Shiro really doesn't drink. He avoids it after what happened several times in Deerington. But, again, he'd promised to try. Promised he'd at least taste the new concoction his friends have put together.]

[It's a bit hard to miss the big guy, leaning on his elbows at the bar, carefully nursing whatever drink is set in front of him. Please, please bother him. He could use it.]

bar

[lightinside]

[Laurel hasn't touched a drink for over two years and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. So she is sticking to water or soda, whatever non-alcohol thing was on the menu.

She comes up to the bar for a refill, immmediately noticing the guy nearby. Laurel could tell that he was tall, despite him leaning against the bar. Before ordering her drink, she turns to the guy with a friendly smile.]

Hey. You one of the performers or just here for the show?

performances

[inkedspell]

[The drums weren't ready yet, so Sarona won't be playing and just listens to everyone else's performances instead. She spots a familiar looking figure by the wall though and makes her way over.]

Hey, long time no see. Enjoying the show?

BAR

[imaglyphwitch]

Hey Shiro!

[Luz is drinking another Shirley Temple, idly fiddling with the cherry].

You come here to see someone specific?

Ryan | performing and mingling | OTA

[chickenchoicejudy]

A. PERFORMANCE

[Before his set, Ryan is backstage practically vibrating with excitement. He keeps bouncing on his heels and peeking out at the crowd like a child. He had been so nervous before this, but now that he's here? Now that there's a crowd here? He's so ready.

His choice of costume is subtle at first - he's wearing the same tailored red suit from the promo post with a pair of little red devil horns and a tail hanging from his belt loop. However, after he enters the stage, he shrugs off the suit jacket and tosses it to someone backstage and reveals the real centerpiece of his costume - a red harness with little devil wings in the back. It's strapped on over his shirt, but it's still pretty provocative.

The set list is a mix of original songs (some worked to death and others that are clearly just him trying to see if something works) and covers to fill in the gaps since he's only had a couple of months to work on it. Some are even precisely targeted to people in the audience. They know who they are.

However, something interesting happens during his set if you are either in the front row of tables or backstage you'll hear something...extra, when Ryan plays. Despite the fact that he's obviously alone on stage, there's a second instrument bleeding into the routine. Most of the songs will mysteriously sound as though they are accompanied by a synthesizer. Anyone further back or hearing the set from farther away will only hear Ryan's electric guitar.]

B. MINGLING

[Any time Ryan isn't performing, either before or after his set, he can be found mingling among the guests. He's always been a social butterfly whether that means chatting people up at the bar over a fancy drink (not too much though, this time - he's got a show to do!) or just walking around tables between sets and seeing who's around.

Any time he talks to someone, he's full to the brim with energy. He's clearly having a great night.]

Hey there! Enjoying the show?

[It might just be as simple as that. Or, if he knows them and they aren't dressed for the occasion, he will lean against their chair and tease them like the little devil he's dressed as.]

So, who let you in here without a costume?

B but also kinda A

[klussy]

(Eddie almost didn't come. But at the end of the day, the kid was lonely and Ryan was probably one of his best friends in this place. It would be shitty to not show up for his first live show here. A flicker of that old Kaspbrak loyalty crushed out whatever depression funk he was in, and he actually went out and put together a costume. It wound up with white shorts with red buttons, a white collared shirt with red crosses on both ends of the collar. He had a generic white nurse's cap on, complete with a red cross, and was in some white knee-highs and red shoes. He had a red fanny pack at his hip that was filled with actual medical supplies (just in case).

All in all, he thought it was pretty funny considering. He felt slightly awkward at the party, despite seeing a lot of familiar faces around, and mostly kept to himself with a drink clutched in hand. He was never good with people like this, but once he saw Ryan, he felt a hell of a lot lighter. But also kind of warmer too because what the hell, Ryan. No pun intended.

He's sipping on juice. Normally, he'd go for an actual drink, but this month alcohol did nothing to him. The juice was doing a good enough job of giving him a buzz, thanks, October.

When Ryan finally gets a moment off stage and approaches, Eddie visibly perks up and relaxes just slightly.)

Hey. (He needs way more to drink, but keeps his cup down for now.) Yeah, you're doing great, man. You're officially the closest thing I've ever experienced to a live Taylor Swift concert.

A

[royalfling]

[ Wu is vibrating with excitement. This night is going so, so well, and he's thrilled and ecstatic by everything that's happening. He's so proud of Ryan, and he's close enough to hear the synthesizer.

When Ryan starts playing Montero, he gasps aloud, and cheers enormously when he's done, calling for an encore as much as everyone else. As soon as Ryan's done, Wu rushes out onto the stage to engulf him in a huge hug, whispering to him: ]

You were amazing!

[ Before turning back to the crowd to close out the show. He finishes that and bounces back to Ryan again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. ​]

Really, Ryan! You are so, so, so good. That was amazing! And you played Montero. For me?! Ryan!

[ He simply can't contain himself. His pride and excitement are rolling off of him in waves, palpable in the air as he forgets to contain his new powers. ]

A

[droptheious]

[EXCUSE YOU, RYAN, EVERYONE LIKES COW RAISINS.

He's well aware this song is directed at him- mostly because Ryan is staring at him a lot and also because who the fuck else would it be directed at. At some point, he does head backstage on his sound and light checks where he definitely hears the synthesizer. Unfortunately, Varian doesn't know what a synthesizer is, much less what one sounds like, so he's assuming there's something wrong with the sound equipment.

So either when Ryan finishes, or he takes a break, Varian can be found poking at one of the speakers, brow furowed. He glances up at Ryan, tapping the speaker with a screwdriver. ]

Hey. Did you notice any weird noises while you were out there? Did everything sound okay on the stage?

B

[peripheries]

Yes. It was very interesting.

[It sounds sarcastic but it's not. Kaworu had been absolutely captivated by the entire performance. On a napkin, he's scribbled notes, literal notes, like he was trying to translate some of the songs from ear on the fly.

He pushes closer to Ryan. Which isn't really unnerving in theory because Kaworu is about five feet tall and 100 pounds soaking wet but there's something distinctly off about him, though he doesn't seem malicious.]

Your instrument... the guitar, right. Tell me more about it.

B

[imaglyphwitch]

[Luz has casually been having a few drinks (Shirly Temples, thank you) but definitely had her eyes on Ryan when he started performing, cheering as loud as she could (not the loudest, she saved those cheers for Scorpia, but was still pretty enthused! The last song really got her off her feet and doing the dance (no, she didn't care who saw) and once he was done, Luz was feeling pretty jazzed about everything.

So when he asked that question, she had to respond with enthusiasm].

That was great, Ryan! I knew you'd kill it!

[And she was properly dressed too!

closed/open to his CR

[monoceroscaeli]

Closed to Lumine:

[Childe stands outside, waiting for Lumine- he'd told her that the show started at eight, so he's a little early. Other patrons were being admitted in, and he occasionally glances around to see if he can see her approaching. There's a bit of nervous energy to him. He hopes that this is something she'll enjoy, and she did say yes, after all.

He's not wearing his usual Harbinger uniform tonight. Rather, he's chosen something more along the gothic style of Trench; a dark red tailcoat with black trim with a black undershirt buttoned all the way up to his neck, and black pants that are tucked into some very familiar boots. He pulls at the fabric around his neck, not used to wearing a shirt like this as he waits.

When he finally spots her, he smiles and approaches.]

Comrade, it's good to see you. Come on, let's go in so we can get a good seat.

Open to CR: At the bar

[He's gone up to grab a few drinks for himself and Lumine. Childe leans against the bar, waiting patiently while glancing back at the table he was sitting at, hoping that she was enjoying herself. He is a little distracted, so that's why he's surprised when he sees someone he knows here as well.

He'll give a little wave, he's got a few minutes to talk before he goes back to sit with her.]

[traversal]

[ it would be a good distraction, lumine remembers telling herself when she accepted his invitation. the incidents a couple of weeks ago, while strange and disconcerting like many incidents she's experienced in the other worlds she's been to, left her with unsettled feelings, a heaviness in her chest that she's yet to let go of or talk to someone about. she doesn't think it merits uttered words, anyway, used to moving through places with very little discussion about her feelings.

still, cloverfield's loneliness was infectious, like a disease coiling around one's heart and squeezing it tight when recollections start trickling in. so yes, this is good for her and her mental health if she were to continue living in this world.

childe at least looks normal, she muses as she walks towards him, despite having taken someone's life. she's yet to speak to him about it, and she wonders if she'll ever have a chance; he doesn't seem like the type to have a heart-to-heart with someone, barring that one time he spoke about his siblings.

she lifts an eyebrow at his clothes, amused. and here she showed up in her usual dress, thinking it wouldn't be too different from the pearl galley. ]

You look dressed up tonight.

Laurel | OTA

[lightinside]

(i) 🇲‌🇮‌🇳‌🇬‌🇱‌🇮‌🇳‌🇬‌

[ Dressed in all black, Laurel has put together a cat costume with a tail and make-up to complete the look. It was the easiest thing she could come up with, especially when she had limited resources. She was looking forward to the show and seeing all of the performers. Laurel was also keen to meet new people as well as catching up with anyone she has already spoken to before.

Between each performance Laurel mingles with the rest of the crowd, offering people a smile as she walks by them. She is open to conversation if anyone wants to stop her for one. They could talk about the performances or anything in general.

Having been to similar social events in the past, Laurel feels completely at ease here. ]

---

(ii) 🇹‌🇭‌🇪‌ 🇵‌🇪‌🇷‌🇫‌🇴‌🇷‌🇲‌🇦‌🇳‌🇨‌🇪‌🇸‌

[ Laurel finds herself a seat somewhere in the middle of the venue, giving her a good enough look at the performances but not too close in case any of them were particularly loud. She watches each of them, joining in the cheering and the applause when each performance ends, eagerly awaiting the next one until all of them are done.

When there's a pause in the set, Laurel turns to the person next to her with a smile. ]

What do you think? I can't imagine myself being up there.

[ Sure, she has the confidence, but Laurel has no idea what she would even perform. ]

---

(iii) 🇨‌🇱‌🇴‌🇸‌🇮‌🇳‌🇬‌ 🇹‌🇮‌🇲‌🇪‌

[ As Laurel didn't drink, she would offer to be someone's designated driver or walker, in this case. Happy to escort them home if they needed it. She will also look out for anyone who might seem like they needed a hand, but has the sense to back away if they didn't want it.

If someone does come up to her, she will give them a warm smile or a friendly wave. Or a:]

Hey, you okay?

[ Laurel will hang around at the front entrance for a while before she needs to go home herself. ]

(iii)

[peripheries]

cw: underage drinking

[Really, he hadn't drank that much. Just a glass or two because he was curious about the liquid inside. The unfortunate fact is that it's compounded by the fact that he doesn't really have to eat or drink at all so he has very little tolerance for anything.

He's in the middle of examining his hands.]

It's strange. I feel like I'm floating but my feet are on the ground. Is this feeling pleasant to humans? Is that why they drink?

II

[imaglyphwitch]

[Luz looked up at the woman who'd addressed her, giving her a shrug].

Oh, I don't know. I think I could give it a shot if I thought it'd be good! I think I'd rather leave it to the professionals though. If I want to just have fun and goof around, I'll do that in Jennifer's club!

Varian | OTA

[droptheious]

Performing/Backstage

[Varian isn't really a natural performer. When you come from a world where everyone can sing nicely and bursting into song about your feelings is as natural as speaking about them is, he's never really seen it as a Big Deal. Certainly nowhere near as important as science is to him, come on. He's actually here to keep an eye on the electronics of the building- making sure the lighting rigging he's put up is still working and the like. But some cajoling from Wu has brought him to the stage for one number.

He's drawn some lazy stitch marks on him and is wearing some chunky platform boots to be a pretty good (but not green because he's BOOK ACCURATE!!!) Frankenstein's Monster. He definitely doesn't have the showmanship of the other acts and once it's done, he's just going to go right back to the (much more important) task of working backstage- but you might catch him as he wanders around, checking various devices to make sure they're working right for the acts to follow. ]

Mingling : probably CW for underage drinking

[When he's not obsessively checking the electronics, he can be found largely wallflowering. He spends a lot of his time with Fern, who has borrowed some of his lab equipment to pull off a Frankenstein outfit (don't indulge them, they think they're being clever) but you can catch him alone now and again- often avoiding getting in people's way. He might also occasionally try his luck at the bar to try and get a beer, though that's a little more tricky when the bartender knows exactly how old you are, but Varian is nothing if not a trier.

If you catch hold of him, he'll give an awkward smile. ]

Uh...hey. Wu's really outdone himself with this place, huh?

Performing

[imaglyphwitch]

"Yeah Varian, AWESOME!"

Little sister Luz is obviously going to cheer the loudest for his performance, and once he's gone back to fiddling with things in the back, Luz is going to pop up and give him an enthusiastic pat on the shoulder.

"You NEVER sing enough for my tastes, you know. You're great!"

Fern | OTA

[laminae]

[There's absolutely no way he's missing the grand opening of the Raccoon Room. Wu and so many other people have been working so hard on all of it, including himself with all the floral decor, that Fern is thrilled to finally see it all in action. It's great, it's a bit of wonderful escapism for the evening from the realities of the city.
Fern arrived here with Varian, very eager to use this opening as a perfect date night. He's commandeering a table near the stage so the two of them can enjoy the music and, more importantly, so he can watch Varian perform with an incredibly lovey-dovey expression. This. Is the best.

That performance alone is causing a superbloom all over his body. Cherry blossom branches are sprouting from the sides of his head like horns and there's a mixture of wolfsbane, evening primroses, yarrow,  lactarius and fly agaric mushrooms, pumpkin vines, and maple leaves are all blooming in his hair and along his arms and face. Since he's trying to be better about his body he's refraining from yanking all of that out, so he'll be around the night looking like a walking garden, trailing flower petals and leaves everywhere he goes. At least he's dressed decently, for once? He's borrowed a lot of gear from Varian - goggles, heavy-duty gloves, even boots and a lab coat - for his costume as Doctor Frankenstein. He's even got his enormous amount of blond, grassy hair pulled back into a braid, rather than his grass bear hat.

At any rate, he can be found grabbing a drink or two from the bar, or chilling at one of the tables enjoying the performances.]

Man, this is great!

[lightinside]

[It would be hard not to notice the figure dressed up in lab gear and covered in all sorts of greenery. Laurel isn't going to question it too much because of the things she has already seen in this place and for all she knows, it could be all part of their costume.

She comes up beside the person at the bar, looking for a refill of her soda, giving them a smile.]

I really like the costume. I could only put this together quickly, but I was glad to find something to make a tail and ears with.

Ruby Rose | RWBY and Ange Ushiromiya | Umineko | Open to being caught by anyone

[onekindsoul]

After Hours

[Ruby had a very important birthday party to attend. It was her own and her girlfriend had put it together so she definitely wasn't about to bail out for the opening night of the Racoon Room. ...But that didn't mean she didn't plan on making an appearance or leaving her mark.

Her and Wu had been working on a statue of Mako not unlike the one of Bolin that was presented in the entrance of building. Except this one was made entirely out of deer antlers and looked more grumpy than it's counter part but that was just part of Mako's charm, right?

With her hood raised and the statue on a cart she gently pulled it toward the entrance of the Racoon Room. She hummed her own covert ops style theme music as she looked back and forth before looking to Ange.]

Is the coast clear?

[entreats]

Hm-mm. [ She just replies with a nonchalant sound.

This isn't the sort of thing Ange would usually be doing. But it is technically still Ruby's birthday, even if it won't be for long anymore, and Ange is already way too weak when it comes to a specific one-eyed girl. Saying no to Ruby is hard on a regular day, which ups the difficulty of it to straight up impossible on Ruby's birthday of all days.

It's why Ange is here. Part of Ruby's little mission. Because Ruby desires so. She even put on a cloak herself, just to play into the theme more. The things she does to make a girl happy.. ]

Seems like they've already closed. I don't think anyone is around anymore by now.