party at the bellagio

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party at the bellagio

what's up?

The aurors who have found themselves invited to Friday night's party were briefed by the Oddtrees before heading out. Eleanor reminds them tersely that they are attending to work, not to have fun. After she leaves the room, Everett contrarily advises them that having fun and forming genuine bonds with important art world contacts is the work. Nobody gives them an appropriate drink maximum, so that's up to their own discretion.

Liberatore Rubio spares no fucking expense when it comes to his lavish parties, thrown out of the Chairman Suite of the Bellagio hotel. The theme of the night is ✨Mysterious Fates✨, everything is decorated in a pseudo-Roman style, and the party features such amenities as an open bar, a tarot-card reader who claims to be an actual Seeress, and a fireworks show off the balcony at midnight.

Everyone who's anyone in the Las Vegas art scene is here, which means that there's a good chance somebody knows something about the robbery. Where to start with the colorful assortment of characters is anyone's guess.

how this works!

⬥ This IC/OOC is open to the following characters: Rory Howlan (and his plus one), Sidney Rucker, Sloan Silversmith, Llewyn Llewellyn, Wendelin Sparks, Ichabod Godfrey, Linden Krup, Rosamund Urquhart, Indigo Blue, Remora Statler, and Verity Fortuin. To some aurors' surprise and delight/horror, Arden Oddtree is also here and undercover.

⬥ There are a handful of interesting guests at this party. Every auror can talk to one of them and receive a maximum of ten replies from the NPC account. Multiple aurors can talk to the same NPC if you want, but there are more guests than there are aurors present, so you'll have to pick carefully!

⬥ Any character who reveals themselves to be an auror risks having their cover blown, which will make performing covert operations against certain NPCs more difficult in the future (although not impossible thanks to disguise and concealment techniques).

locations!

⬦ PARTY GUESTS: Each auror can participate in one thread in this section!

⬦ TAROT READINGS: Have your mysterious fate revealed by a woman who claims to be a Seeress.

⬦ SCENES: For general party mayhem.

⬦ OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

Comments

PARTY GUESTS

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Liberatore Rubio

[crowmurder]

Liberatore Rubio is a handsome man in his late forties with a 70's mustache and a man bun. He somehow makes this combination work for him. As he is the host of the party, he can be found flittering around all evening, making sure his guests are entertained and engaged. Although he has a devil-may-care attitude, any keen observer will note that he cares what people think of him quite a lot and is looking to impress.

A Wallflower

[crowmurder]

It'd be easy to miss this wisp of a woman, late twenties, plainly dressed. Her pale skin and white-blonde hair give her the appearance of a ghost returned to flesh, and she sits quietly on a sofa for most of the evening, even as the party grows raucous around her. Observing her for a time will reveal that she speaks to nobody and nurses a single drink for hours.

Not a Licensed Bartender

[crowmurder]

This person, androgynous and dressed in a stylish red leather jacket, barely looks old enough to drink. Which makes it all the more alarming when they commandeer the wet bar from the hired bartenders and insist on mixing up their own concoctions for passersby. The way the hired help puts up with this bossiness suggest to a seasoned observer that they probably have Liberatore's blessing to do as they please around here.

A Well-Off Kid

[crowmurder]

One of the not-bartender's first victims is this stocky brunette teenager, absolutely not old enough to legally drink. Some people just exude the air of wealth, though, and he's one of them. His perfectly tailored sport coat isn't the coolest attire in the room, but it may be the most expensive.

This person looks familiar to Linden Krup, but he can't quite put his finger on where he knows him from.

Andy Haanraadts

[crowmurder]

The kindly middle aged gallery owner who invited Sidney, Sloan, and Llewyn. When they first met him, he absolutely did not seem like the kind of person who would mesh with the wild Vegas party scene, but he's here and he's having a great time. He's even wearing a toga!

Andy, as his prior acquaintances know, is a bit of a gossipmonger in the Vegas art world, and he knows a lot about the rest of the party attendees.

An Overdressed Woman

[crowmurder]

It's a little hard to get a beat on this woman's age - she may be anywhere from forty to a youthful sixty-five. Even though she's aged gracefully, her dark brown hair is dramatically greying in wide streaks, and she has kindly crow's feet wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. The dress she's wearing doesn't help much, either: it's a decadent black Victorian get-up. Anyone who saw her enter might have noticed that she arrived wearing a veil, but it's been discarded by the time anyone has an opportunity to speak with her.

A Pretentious Man

[crowmurder]

Even though none of the aurors recognize this man, within a few minutes of standing near him they all know his line of work. He's a potioneer who specializes in rare alchemical pigments which are very in demand, and he's entertaining offers from several artists in attendance for exclusivity contracts on his newest pixie-wing cyan. His suit is appropriately chromatic, a neon colorblock number that's easy to spot from any corner of the party.

A Heavy Drinker

[crowmurder]

This very tall curly-haired man in his late twenties arrives late, still in work clothes, and wastes absolutely no time getting a drink. By 11:30PM, he's absolutely hammered, and has started complaining about his boss to anyone who will listen.

The Life of the Party

[crowmurder]

This striking young woman is hard to miss; her hair is dyed hot pink and she has an array of gemstones glued to her face. More than anyone else (perhaps even Liberatore himself), she looks like someone who should be partying in Las Vegas. She can frequently be found flirting with the bartenders, out on the patio dancefloor, or in one of the two lavish master bathrooms fixing her make-up.

A Nervous Artist

[crowmurder]

There is not a single piece of hotel art to be found in Liberatore's suite; it's all been replaced with custom purchases (possibly without the hotel's approval). A particularly large oil painting holds a position of honor in the main room, illuminated by a couple spotlight charms. It depicts the wizarding answer to the myth of Hercules: the slaying of the first basilisk. Its Grecian setting is the inspiration for the theme tonight.

Nervously hovering by his creation, for the entire evening, is the artist. He's a haggard-looking man of about thirty, and this is his first big break. He often asks passersby what they think of the piece.

A Discerning Man

[crowmurder]

A greying-at-the-temples man in his mid-fifties who doesn't seem like he wants to be at a party. He can be seen speaking to Liberatore in hushed asides several times throughout the evening and tries to get him to take a private meeting with him to no avail. By eleven PM he's frustrated enough that he just leaves the party.

A Docent

[crowmurder]

This redheaded woman in her thirties apparently came straight from work, because she's still wearing the uniform of a National Archive docent. She's in a chipper mood, but doesn't seem to know anybody at the party particularly well. She often playfully offers to "buy a drink" for a stranger from the open bar in attempts to spark up a conversation.

An Actual Dryad

[crowmurder]

This woman is a performance artist hired by Liberatore to adorn the hotel suite. She's dressed in a lavish dryad costume made of living plants that cling to her body precariously. She's not supposed to chat with guests while she's on-duty, but she's not the most diligent worker, and is happy to chat with anyone about how she accomplished creating her costume if they'd like to know.

The Actual Bartender

[crowmurder]

There are a couple bartenders over the course of the evening, but this young man is the one who gets pre-empted by the imposter. Since he doesn't care to stop them from their bar-theft, he instead sits off to the side, texting on his phone.

Pamphilos Gerfrid

[crowmurder]

Another surprising sight for some at this party: the world-renown professor of living portraiture from Ilvermorny. A stout German man with a large bald spot and a Santa-esque beard, he has a jovial manner that makes him a popular teacher at the wizarding school. He is not, however, an attentive one: even if you took his class all seven years, he is not likely to recognize you or remember your name unless you were an artist of considerable talent.

TAROT READINGS

[crowmod]

The brunette woman doing tarot readings introduces herself as Lennox (unclear whether this is her Christian name or her surname). She's dressed up like the Oracle of Delphi for this fine occasion, although her dramatic golden eye makeup is not exactly period appropriate. Ask her any question, she has your answer!

TAROT READINGS: Sloan

[sloanranger]

Sloan flops down in the chair with a forlorn sigh. "Lennox. Am I going to find love any time soon?"

TAROT READINGS: Sid

[ruckedup]

Sid greets Lennox very enthusiastically, offering to shake her hand like it's a job interview, before asking, "What is my destiny?"

TAROT READINGS: Linden

[lickspittle]

"Y'see a career change in my future?" Linden asks with a forced casualness.

TAROT READINGS: JosieRosie

[rosiedisposition]

Rosie is a little apprehensive about approaching the tarot reader. If she is a true Seer, as some partygoers have said, it would be unwise to open herself up to questioning while undercover. But what better contact to make than someone who has intimate knowledge of the psyche of major movers and shakers in the Vegas art world? It would be a professional misstep for Rosie to pass up the opportunity.

Which means Josephine Landry must have a question for the Oracle. Rosie as Josie adjusts her many rings to make sure her wedding band tan line is obscured before taking a seat across from the brunette. "This has just got to be the saddest question you've been asked tonight," she sighs and tips back the last sip of her champagne. It's Rosie's first glass but Josie seems more like she's three or four drinks in. "But will I find who I'm looking for?"

NO TAROT READINGS, THANKS!!!

[flirtpole]

For a moment, Rory wonders if Kit has the ability to put up a psychic shield to block other Seers from Seeing them. It doesn't occur to Rory that Lennox might not be a Seer at all or that, even if she was a real Seer, she's not omnipotent. Kit, an actual Seer, didn't even know what a Cool S was. And yet Rory's doing all he can to avoid Lennox, blocking his thoughts out with the mental soundtrack of Snoop Crupp's Firewhisky and Polyjuice album whenever he sees her.

His (attempted) Occlumency methods probably work against probing Seers.

TAROT READINGS: A Bear

[youbetcha]

A bear attempts to shove its mass into a chair and adopts a thinker pose while expelling a long sigh. After a few moments, it lets out a snort and lifts its paws in question. "Raaooruu?"

SCENES

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Sidney, Sloan & Llewyn

[llewellyngood]

"I haven't had a–" Llewyn stops himself even though they aren't at the Bellagio yet and continues in a hushed tone, "–a task in quite a few years." He nervously readjusts his paisley bowtie despite the borderline giddy smile he's worn all day about going to ✨ a party! ✨ "What are your cov– your vocations?"

OOC 🥂 QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

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NPC Conversation Coordination

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All the NPCs are up! You guys can coordinate here about who's going to talk to whomst if you'd like to.