Free Night at the Casino

[fieldtrip]

Who: OPEN to all / mingle log
Where: Queens (the casino!)
What: Wow July sure was a month! Time to take a breather and have a night out, courtesy of Toph and Mitsuru!
Warnings: N/A

FREE NIGHT AT THE CASINO

GAMBLING

Feeling down after that space infestation made you murder some friends? Getting tempted to bury yourself in the sand at the beach so no one can ever perceive you again?

Time for a tone shift! It's a free night at the casino. For tonight only, chips mean nothing -- which means everyone gets a rack of chips when they walk in and can let loose! Entertainment, food, and drink are also free within reason. (Abuse the privilege and find out who works security here the hard way!)

Welcome to Queens, the formerly shady but now revamped and reimagined casino in the entertainment district of Aldrip. Classy and minimalist but not gaudy, it's run, staffed, and heavily patronized by Chosen. Maybe you know someone who works there, maybe someone dragged you in to lighten up for once, maybe you're just stopping by for some fun.

Appropriately, the most popular game of the night is Queen's Blood, with tables set aside purely for teaching. There's also the standard casino games available in spades -- poker, slots, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and so forth.

AT THE CLUB

It wouldn't be a casino without alcohol, music, and dancing. There's a low-key bar for those looking to have a conversation where they can hear one another over the pleasant live jazz, and a much livelier dance floor set off to the side in a different part of the casino with a DJ playing dance music.

FIGHTING TOURNAMENT

Beneath the casino is a massive underground cavern converted into a fighting arena.

It's a bit hard to find, intentionally -- either you were personally invited by someone or you stumbled across the covert speakeasy-style entrance in a corner of the main floor, possibly from the people jostling to go in and out. The stairs go down and down until they suddenly open out into the huge room, lined in walkways to view the fight.

There's three circuits to the fighting tournament: a bracket for fighting with powers, a bracket for fighting without powers (hand-to-hand and weapons only), and a shooting competition. Toph (fieldtrip) serves as referee for all of the above and is prepared to break up anything that goes too far. This is just for fun, folks!

Sign up in the comment below and maybe you'll even win something! Toph promises a super cool prize to the winner of each circuit!

FORTUNE TELLING

Get a free tarot reading!

It does seem like some of the glitching in Aldrip has made it maybe a little more accurate than usual lately... or maybe that's inaccurate? Feel free to have the cards have a real effect on them with a glitch!

DOG THERAPY

In one peaceful corner away from the din and bustle is a dog petting station. All manner of adorable and highly trained dogs are available for cuddles and play time.

Some of them are even up for adoption if you want to take one home!

Kakashi (battlefieldbrat) runs and operates this station with the kind supervision of Koromaru, our local good boy.

Code by 10billionghosts.

Comments

[orphne]

Whaaaat!!

[Kotone's shock is almost entirely feigned, but she really plays it up, gasping dramatically and pressing a hand to her heart as if stunned and horrified.] You mean I'm just helping people for free?!

[Now Kotone has been known to sometimes be a little ruthless where money is concerned -- a girl's gotta finance her extracurriculars, after all! -- but perhaps more than that, she truly does like to help out. Somebody else can unpack her desperate need to stay busy to keep from lingering on recent events.]

Sorry Scott, I guess I'm not buying dinner after all...

[As if they'd really made some kind of agreement that Kotone would use whatever imaginary money she got from working here (they hadn't), but her pout is still impressive. Granted, it's for Scott's benefit, not Toph's, but it's the thought that counts!]

[fieldtrip]

[ Kotone..... is so dramatic. Toph snorts, openly amused by the joking around. It's transparently a joke considering the main circumstances of how they met were Toph helping to rebuild the clubhouse, a place that essentially exists to have gooey friendship time with others. ]

The dinner's free, too, [ she points out sarcastically. With that comment, she realizes Scott is sitting at the bar nearby apparently doing nothing while Kotone flits around fulfilling orders. ]

Did you seriously drag your boyfriend here to watch you work?

[ Kotone, pls. There's staying busy, which Toph respects, and then there's being incapable of chilling out. Kind of the whole point of free casino night. ]

[laserguy]

[For a few seconds, he just lets Kotone and Toph talk it out, idly tipping his glass of water because he's not in the mood for alcohol. He doesn't want to feel even remotely out of control after the past month. He just... really wants to be him, Scott Summers, the teen from universe who knows what. Universe that doesn't suck.

But Toph soon draws attention to him and okay, he has to chime in now.]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Is there some level of dryness that's finally entered Scott's voice, something bordering on teasing as he rolls his eyes in the direction of his girlfriend? Maybe not unusual when Scott is feeling normal, but that's the thing, he really hasn't been himself for over a week-- ever since the stuff that happened with the gnosia. Sometimes when he closes his eyes still, he can picture that gaping hole in the chest of the girl in front of them, or the neck his hand was wrapped around, but being around Kotone soothes a lot of those bad memories.

He's been able to sleep, at least for the most part.]

Promise me a date night but she's out working... [He sounds so put out.]

[orphne]

Hmm...

[Well, Kotone does love free food, but she also doesn't want to take advantage of Toph's (and by extension, Mitsuru's) hospitality. Besides, she's having a good time, and Scott can't even complain too much because she leans across the bar and plants a kiss right on his mopey little forehead.]

I'll make it up to him later, promise. [And while Toph can't see Kotone's wink, it's definitely audible in her voice as she presses one more quick kiss right to Scott's nose before stepping back behind the bar and going back to drying and putting away some glasses.] The staff looked like they needed some help, and then some of them wanted to take a break, so I don't mind stepping in for a little while.

[Clink, clink, as she sets another glass properly into its place, and adds,] This was a really good idea, Toph. Getting everyone together like this.

[fieldtrip]

[ Forcing people to get back to doing something normal and lighthearted was really the whole point of tonight, so Toph's hardly about to go prodding into what she's sure are recent traumas unless it seems like someone needs to. Since they're now having a whole conversation, Toph hops up neatly to sit on the bar itself, facing out and away from Kotone and adjacent to Scott. Usually she simulates eye contact by at least facing the person she's speaking to, but when she feels more comfortable she doesn't bother. ]

Don't think I don't know you just did gross couple stuff. [ Her teasing is part fake disgust and part genuine mocking. The sound and body weight shifting is subtle, but Toph's spent a lot of time around Aang and Katara by this point, and they are champions at gross couple stuff. ]

Thanks. I wanted to make sure my friends weren't just holing up having individual pity parties by themselves, and it seemed faster to drag everyone out at once. Plus, I get to finally launch my fighting tournament!

[ Which she is very clearly excited about. ]

[laserguy]

[The first kiss drove away about 25% of his mopey demeanor, the second another 25%. So, that leaves Scott still halfway sulking. Improvement??

At least he doesn't show it too much, with the mutant slowly straightening up to look at Toph. Although, guess it really doesn't matter that much either way, since his friend is blind and all, but it's the principle of the matter. Plus, Kotone can still see him. He... he honestly doesn't want to just be a depressed sad sack for days on end. He wants to start feeling better too, he wants to be happy for her. The last time he was so low energy was when the corruption hit and he knows that exhausted Kotone after a while.

He doesn't want her to overwork herself, at least, he wants to be there for her again.]

...She's right, this is a good idea. I think a lot of people needed something like this. [After the terrible shit with the infection. A chance to have fun, feel normal just for a little while. Scott thinks he's feeling a little more like that since being here, even though he's nowhere near his best.

Although...]

But seriously, Toph? A fighting tournament? [He's exasperated, mostly because he doesn't want to be anywhere near that place. Do some people seriously want to fight more after last month? ...Actually, yeah, probably. Especially if they're in control again, he can see it. Still not for him though.]

[orphne]

[She at least has the dignity to blush a little at being called out for "gross couple stuff," even if she only giggles and doesn't deny it. She never used to be the type for these kinds of physical displays of affection in public -- not genuinely, anyway; doing things just to get a reaction out of the other person doesn't count -- but after the Gnosia infection especially, it seems kind of silly to not to show Scott how much she cares when the opportunity seems right.]

It's hard to have a pity party with this many people! [she agrees, setting another glass up in its place. Kotone doesn't even blink at the idea of a fighting tournament; she'd known enough people in her life who seemed to express their emotions through fighting way easier than with words. Whatever helps people, helps them, she guesses!] You're gonna compete yourself, right?

omg I did not get this notif

[fieldtrip]

[ Of course Toph can't see Kotone blushing a little, but even if she could it wouldn't matter. She just likes to needle to people; she didn't seriously intend to make either of them feel embarrassed about caring for one another. ]

Heck yeah I am, [ she enthuses, kicking her feet in the air. ] What's wrong with letting loose for a bit? I won't let anyone get seriously hurt.

[ She's confident in her ability to restrain people even if she has to wrap them in metal to do it. ]

I used to fight in this tournament at home and I really miss it. It's cool to see what people can do.

[laserguy]

[Scott bites his lip, stopping himself from mentioning that things could still get out of hand, even with her amazing control over her earth bending powers. Not to mention, he's pretty sure that the whole glitching stuff hasn't fully stopped yet and that worries him. It's an extra reason why he doesn't want to participate at all, half afraid that he'll glitch into something else once more if he starts getting beaten down.

But he doesn't want to ruin this for Toph. It sounds like she's already got it planned, for one, and she really went out of her way to throw this free casino night. It... things will probably turn out fine. Maybe he and Kotone should stay nearby, in case anything happens, even if the thought of her getting hurt once again and so soon nearly gets him to stop breathing.

It's fine.]

Uh-huh, are you sure you're not just doing this to show off?

[Scott teases just a little, although it sounds slightly half-hearted as his eyes drift back to his girlfriend. He reaches across the table to Kotone, something maybe a little needy-- a little clingy in his expression as he holds a hand out to her.]

[orphne]

Cool!

[She glances toward Scott when he reaches out, setting down her glass and towel to drift closer to him and let him take her hand. It's not hard to guess at his worries with this kind of tournament after what happened -- everyone fighting each other and trying to kill each other, then being put in a ring? It's not really her style, but she knows enough people like Akihiko to think it's a good idea for some. Her thumb runs gently over Scott's knuckles as she squeezes his hand reassuringly as a tangible reminder that she's alive, then looks back to Toph.

If she has any worries of her own, they're not remotely audible in her voice as she adds in an attempt to reassure Scott further,] It's a good idea for people to let off some steam. I bet you won your tournaments all the time, huh Toph?