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Daycycle 116 [ November 13 - November 26 ]

daycycle 116

[Nov 13 - Nov 26]

[OOC Plotting for this Daycycle can be found here.]
[The Charity Ball Entertainment post is here.]
[This DC has been extended through 11/26.]

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty

No Special Troubleshooters have been selected for a mission this morning.

Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

Matt Murdock's office will be assigned to defend the most recent Specials accused of treason. He will not be allowed to contact the traitors directly, but he will be given the task of preparing his cases. He has 48 hours to prepare.

Jack Harkness has been selected to plan the entertainment for tonight's Charity Ball, thanks to the popularity of his performances during the Alpha Talent Show a few days ago. When he asks The Computer for help, several specials are assigned to him. Izzy Lightwood will be his event planning assistant and "Stiles" Stilinski will assist in MCing the night's event. Due to their popularity, all Specials will be approached about being auctioned off for dances in order to help raise money by Jack, Izzy and Stiles. They will also be asked if they're willing to take part in specially planned choreographed dances. Dance lessons will be provided for those that require them during the afternoon hours.

Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will begin at 1800 at the Alpha Museum of Fine Art and will be hosted by The ~~Humanists~~ Alpha Society for the Arts. Tickets to the event are 1000cr and can be bought up until an hour before the event begins. Attendees have been given special permission to wear Old Reckoning clothing for this event only, as long as it is the same color as their clearance level. Specials may notice that many of the Alpha Citizen's outfits have gotten key parts of Old Reckoning clothing wrong, with buttons instead of sequins, for example, or men wearing ties that are much too long and go to their knees. Alpha's Very Special Forces will be present to ensure the safety of those attending.

An entire wing of the museum has been cleared as a makeshift dance floor. In an attached room there are several tables covered in white tablecloths and set with the crystal and china that usually only graces Violet citizen tables. Along the wall is a massive buffet made with real food and including an elaborate ice sculpture. There is a bar in the corner where Alpha's finest spirits are being disbursed freely. For the first hour, the focus is on the food and mingling. The music playing is calming and instrumental. There are some that steal the dancefloor for a slow spin, but the majority of the attendees seem reluctant to move away from the buffet.

And then at approximately 1900, Jack Harkness will take the stage and begin the evening's real entertainment.

Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Buffy is actually, totally okay with Alcide thinking that about the way she looks; well, not the part about her being too good for him, because she definitely doesn't think that she is.

She's forgotten the difference a suit on a guy can make. Alcide is gorgeous; she'd have had to be blind not to notice that, but in a suit he is incredible looking. She'd noticed him earlier, but wasn't sure whether he was trying to avoid her or not. Maybe, he just hadn't noticed her until now because every time she'd looked his way, he'd been looking somewhere else.

She turns when he speaks, not realizing he's behind her until he speaks. He's busy devouring her with his eyes and she's doing the same, only looking back up at him after a pause that was far too long to be polite. "He-hey," she says belatedly. "You too. With the nice looking." She licks her lips, trying to catch her breath. "Really nice."

"Nice." He echoes the word in place of a thanks. Really, how many times can two people say the word nice in the time span of about ten to fifteen seconds? They're off to a great start, the two of them visually feasting on one another while they compliment each other in the most stunted way possible. This is a moment where the actions most certainly speak louder than words.

Oh, Alcide has definitely noticed her. In fact, he'd looked for her the moment he and Zee had arrived and many, many times subsequently after that. His gaze, continually drawn to her like the full moon calls to wolves. He's just an expert at hiding it, at being on the outside looking in and wanting what he's pretty sure he can't have.

He glances over to Derek who's not far away. "Here with Derek?" It makes sense. It's the safer choice. Just like Zee, his closest friend here, is the safer choice for him.

"M-more than nice," she quickly assures him. "You're hot. I mean...yeah," she sighs, shifting and knowing that she is incredibly awkward right now. The urge to babble is almost overwhelming and she feels like she's having to choke all of her words back so that she doesn't spew nonsense and potentially even more embarrassing things at him.

She hadn't really expected Alcide to show up to this in all honesty. It doesn't seem like his sort of deal. However, she is very glad that he did show up, especially looking the way that he looks.

She nods at his question. "Yeah. I didn't want to come alone so..." Besides, she and Derek can make sure the other doesn't do anything they'd regret under the influence of the alcohol here.

"Do you want a drink? I mean...have you had a drink?"

The escalated compliment makes Alcide smirk and dip his head. He can graciously take a compliment. He's never had a problem with that except maybe when he was younger. Aside from an awkward couple of years as a teen, Alcide has always known he was easy on the eyes. He's never had a problem attracting women. He's had a problem attracting women who treat him as well as he treats them. Unlucky in love is an understatement for Alcide. But a compliment to how he looks, that's easy. He murmurs a thanks, feeling a strange fizziness in his belly at the knowledge that a girl like Buffy thinks he's hot.

Same stupid mistakes over and over again. Such is the story of his life. Buffy is taken. She's with a fanger back where she's from. He's trying so damn hard to reverse course with Buffy and is incredibly unsuccessful at it. Especially since with each passing day, and with distance from Sookie herself, he's starting to realize how one-sided their relationship had been. Sookie tried. But she was always someone else's. These realizations are making it even harder to reverse course.

He feels a slight pang of jealousy that Buffy is here with Derek. But he tells himself that it's stupid because they're just friends. Just like he and Zee are. Both Buffy and Derek have assured him that they're just friends. "I wasn't gonna come. But Zee wanted to come and she didn't wanna come alone either and... I mean, I've always had trouble sayin' no to people I give a shit about." He looks at Buffy pointedly, silently letting her know that he would have brought her too if she asked him. Which is stupid. Because why would she ask him?

"I've had plenty, but I could have another." He says with a nod, offering her his arm like any good Southern gentleman would.

She really does have foot in mouth disease sometimes. She doesn't want Alcide to think that he just looks nice when he looks so much more than nice. They haven't had the same sorts of relationship problems, but they are both unlucky in love. She nods a litle at his thanks, feeling awkward for a moment.

She had thought that maybe her relationship with Spike was going to be different. He loves her. He's loved her for almost as long as she's known him, but it had taken her a long time to fall in love with him. More importantly, and more correctly, it had taken Buffy a long time to get herself to a point where she loved herself enough to love someone else.

There's no reason for him to be jealous of Derek. She smiles a little when he mentions that he has trouble saying no to people he cares about. She gets his pointed look and honestly, she'd wanted to ask him. She'd considered it, but had been afraid that would fall into the 'leading Alcide on' category and after hearing about his relationship with Sookie, she doesn't want to do that until she's resolved her emotions.

She takes his arm with another smile, her hand resting on his forearm . "What are you drinking tonight?" she asks as they approach the bar.

It feels good to have Buffy on his arm, even if just for a little bit as they walk to the bar. Zee is his best friend. Buffy is a friend too, and something more maybe, and closer to his own age. So there's just a different vibe with her that would still be there even if they hadn't fucked a day after meeting one another. So he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel different, in a good way, to be with her here for a little bit.

"Beer." He tells her. It's probably obvious that there's very little about Alcide that gets fancy, including his drinking preferences. "I don't really get outside of the realm of cheap beer unless it's a shot of tequila or somethin'."

He looks sidelong at her. "What about you?"

There's a very different vibe between Buffy and Alcide as opposed to Buffy and Derek, or any of her other friends. Sure, part of it is that afternoon they'd been drugged, but it had been there before. That vibe had been there that first day when she'd answered questions for him about this place. It is good to feel this way, this fizzy, warm excitement that bubbles in her when he's near.

She nods a little there. She remembers very clearly drinking the magicked beer at college and in some way it had soured her for beer. Of course, back home, beer doesn't do anything for her and she sticks to Jameson or tequila.

"Daiquiri earlier, but I had some beer after that. I think I'll do another daiquiri."

Thankfully, that's one problem Alcide doesn't have. He can get drunk on the same amount of beer back home than he would here. He's actually kind of thankful for that. Alcide likes that buzzed feeling he gets when he drinks just enough. He doesn't like to be shit faced. He's too much of a control freak for that. But he does like to feel good.

At the bar, Alcide orders for the both of them and then turns to her as they wait for the tender to make her daiquiri. "Maybe I could coax a dance outta you too. After drinks. Don't think our dates would mind. Do you?"

Most of the time, it hadn't mattered much to Buffy. She'd gotten smashed twice fairly early on, once she'd been drugged and ended up a sacrifice to a giant snake. The second time had been on magical beer and she'd turned into cave!Buffy. It had been enough for her to want to stay sober most of the time. She'd only taken Spike up on his offer of drinking an entire bottle of Jameson because she'd had a really bad day. Of course, she'd ended up having to fight nerds. Historically, Buffy and drunk don't go well together. She's hoping tonight will change that trend, if she decides to get drunk that is.

His suggestion draws a bright smile out of her. She reaches up to tuck her hair behind one ear and nods. "I'd like that. A lot and no, I don't think our dates will mind." On a whim, she reaches out to touch Alcide's forearm, slow in drawing her hand back.

She reaches out to him and he absolutely comes undone on the inside. He grins and dips his head a bit. He has no idea what it is about her that he finds so appealing. But true to form, he's fallen hard and fast and is wanting something he can't have. Such is the story of his life. One thing can be said for Alcide, he never does anything halfway, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.

"Good, cause I'd like to stay on Derek's good side." He says, mostly as a joke since he thinks him and Derek are okay now. Alcide pushed it and talked it out with him in the same way he had with Buffy. He doesn't like things just festering without acknowledging them.

And truthfully, it's a joke because his wanting to spend time with Buffy has nothing to do with Derek or Zee or anyone else. It's all about her. "But mostly I just wanna dance with a pretty girl."

She likes the way he grins when she touches him. Buffy feels the attraction too. She can't say that she's falling for Alcide, but she likes him. Buffy has spent the last couple of years before Spike not getting involved in a romantic relationship. She's spent that time becoming cookies. She's used to wanting things and not having them. She'd gotten used to it a long time ago when she was in high school. Maybe that's made it harder for her to want things.

"Probably a good thing. Room mate," she jokes in return. It's a good thing that Alcide doesn't like to let things fester. It had saved their relationship.

She hopes that it has nothing to do with anyone but her and him. She likes Alcide enough that she wants to spend more time with him. She wants to flirt with him. She wants to see where and how things go. Now it's her turn to grin and duck her head, to flush a little. "How can I say no to that?"

He isn't exactly sure what reaction he was hoping for with that last bit, but the way she grins and ducks her head is a helluva reaction. He sips at his drink and rubs his hand over the back of his neck beneath the collar of his dress shirt. His skin is tickling with goosebumps. Buffy does this to him. Yes, he's had his fair share of beer, but this is all Buffy.

He does whatever passes for a semblance of a shrug and lightly brushes his knuckles over a section of her arm near her shoulder. "Well I was kinda hopin' that the word no wouldn't be a part of the equation."

It's sweet. He's sweet and Buffy likes Alcide more than she should, especially with a boyfriend back home. That being said, she can't help but react to Alcide this way. She's currently trying to ignore the rush of warmth that always seems to accompany Alcide.

"You're in luck. I'd love to dance." Her smile is bright, tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I warn you though. I only know how to do the swaying thing."

Alcide inappropriately has a flashback to how Buffy's body had moved against his when the drugged coffee had been in full swing. She knows how to do more than the swaying thing. He'd bet his life on it, whether she knows she knows it or not, she's capable of more.

"I can sway." He says, taking her hand in his and tilting his head toward the dance floor to see if she's ready. If she is, he'll lead her out there and they can... sway.

He studies her for a long moment, looking down at her because he's so very tall, before speaking again. "You're tellin' me you never went out to a club and danced when you were younger? Like, just let yourself go and dance. I mean I know this ain't that kind of shindig, but you... you're pretty self aware." Aware of her body, is what he's saying.

Those are exactly the sorts of things that Buffy is trying to avoid thinking. That's only going to make this more awkward, isn't it? She can't even say if she knows anymore. It would certainly be easier to give into all those thoughts and feelings, but casual sex doesn't ever work out well for Buffy. Life has taught her that time and time again. She knows how to dance, how to move, but not how to tango or foxtrot or waltz or whatever it is that some of the people are doing out there.

She lets him lead her out to the dance floor, turning to face him as she reaches up,one hand moving toward the curve of his neck while the other rests on his chest. She can feel his heart thump in his chest beneath her hand. She kind of likes swaying. It's him close to her and that's nice.

She tilts her head up, accustomed to having to look up to people. "Oh. That kind of dancing. Yes. I mean I can get my groove thing on...which are words I probably should never say again, but yeah. I like that kind of dancing." Before she can stop herself she blurts out "I hear there's a club like that here. We could go sometime if you like dancing like that."

There's something to be said for the fact that his thoughts aside, Alcide is trying so very hard to be cool, to keep things simple and upbeat. That isn't always easy for him to do when his heart's involved. And like it or not, whether he chooses to admit it or not, his heart is involved. He didn't mean for that to happen, but it did, somewhere, true to form for Alcide, he'd fallen hard and fast.

"Oh I haven't danced like that in a long time, not since I was... well, it's been awhile. But I used to like that, yeah." Alcide says with a nod. "Honestly, I'm just tryin' not to step on your feet right now. And you know, make sure you're havin' a good time."

His hands are at her waist and he's trying not to think about another time his hands were at her waist like this. It's just dancing. But wait, did she just ask him on a date? "Wait, did you? I mean... there is? A club. The one that's got the drugged alcohol?"

If Buffy knew, she would appreciate the effort that Alcide is putting into not pressuring her. Her heart isn't involved because she's still involved with the guy she left behind back home, but she knows her heart could be involved. She likes Alcide, more than she probably should considering said guy back home. She feels guilty for liking Alcide as much as she does. She'd also feel guilty if she knew how hard this was for Alcide. At the same time, as much as she doesn't want to admit it to herself, she doesn't want him to stop flirting with her, to stop being sweet, to stop liking her. It's selfish, and she knows that.

"My feet can take it," she tells him with a soft smile. "And I'm having a very good time." She gives him a curious look. "Are you?" Because that's important too.

It's just dancing, but yes she asked him out o a date. She nods a little. "I don't think the alcohol is drugged. In fact, I'm not sure there's any alcohol at all. I think it's just dancing and those bubbly drinks the commissary sells, but I'm not certain. I haven't been there. I've just heard about it."

To be fair to Buffy, nobody falls as fast as Alcide does. He's always been one to jump in head first where matters of the heart are concerned. And to be fair to Alcide, once he's in, he's in, loyal almost to a fault where he's so easy to walk all over and he'll still be all in. He's kind of a pushover for his own emotions when the heart is involved. So there's really no hurry for Buffy to get there. Once Alcide's there, which he is, he's there whether she is or not.

"Yeah, actually I am. Which is surprising." Because he's got a lot of feelings about this shindig and very few of them are good. Charity his ass. What a sham, in his opinion. But seeing Buffy and Zee all dolled up like they are, that's a plus.

"Oh, someone said the drinks there were... happy drinks and I just figured it would be alcohol, I guess. Cause... club." They usually go hand in hand. But then again there's nothing usual about this place so maybe he shouldn't have assumed.

And she's learned to hang back, to guard her heart and to take her time. To say that Buffy is gunshy about relationships and romance is an understatement. Everything is further complicated by her relationship with Spike back home. She'll try not to lead him on, but she won't pull away from him either. Even with all of the complications involved in a romantic relationship here, she knows that she could fall for Alcide. He's kind, generous, incredibly sweet and gorgeous. The problem (or solution) will come when she can no longer control how she feels about Alcide.

When he says he's having fun, a smile slips across her lips. She's genuinely glad that he's having fun, glad that Zee talked him into coming here and glad that she decided to come. As for whether this is a sham or not, Buffy doesn't much care. It's doing something good for everyone here: giving them a good meal and a chance to forget the drudgery of their daily lives. That's all that really matters tonight. Plus, she's excited to be dressed up and looking like a girl for a little while. She's also pleased that Alcide is getting to see her dressed up (despite knowing that she shouldn't care).

She nods a little. "Yeah. I think they give you nice fuzzy feelings, but I don't think it's anything compared to the coffee or a lot of alcohol. They probably have the same chemical the happy pills they sometimes force people to take. A lot will make you not act like yourself. A little just makes you...buzzed. Okay, I guess they are like alcohol in that way."

They both have every reason to be gunshy about whatever this is between them. Buffy acts on those fears and Alcide barrels right through them. He can be somewhat of a reactionary though. Like seeing Buffy dressed up right now like she is, yeah, he's reacting to that. Of course, he thinks she makes those jumpsuits look good so there's that too. Basically, she's beautiful. And that's the bottom line. He's learning that she's beautiful on the inside too and that just makes her even more beautiful on the outside.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense, in a messed up kind of way." Because he's just about had it with this place and the drugs - even though he knows it's not changing or stopping anytime soon.

They continue to sway back and forth to the music and Alcide is kind of hoping this song lasts forever. It won't, of course. But a guy can hope. And after some deliberation, he finally nods too. Because drugged drinks be damned, he wants to go out with Buffy. "Yeah, I think goin' dancin' with you would be a good time. You know, whenever."

It's funny (or it would be if they weren't the ones with the issues) how each of them respond so differently to bad relationships. Honestly, she'd hoped that Alcide would react to how she looks dressed up. She's reacting to how he looks dressed up; she's simply more subtle, but she's currently thinking that she's very glad she told Derek not to let her get naked with anyone during or immediately after this party. It's not that she doesn't want to get naked with Alcide (quite the opposite actually) but she doesn't want to confuse and muddle whatever relationship they've got (or are in the process of building) with more sex. Plus, she's got to figure out how she feels about Spike not being here and what she's going to do about that before she actually starts any sort of romantic relationship. It's Alcide's interior, rather than his exterior, that puts Buffy in danger of falling in love with him. Yes, he's gorgeous, but gorgeous means very little in the long run. She'd learned that with Angelus.

She shrugs a little. Buffy isn't sure it makes sense, but it is what it is. At least they can choose not to drink the bubble drink if that's what they want.

Swaying is good. She likes swaying. She rests her head on his chest and closes her eyes for a moment. She's basking. She thinks she's earned that. When he finally speaks, it's a rumble in her ear and she lifts her head to look up at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't thought about the invitation; she'd just blurted it out so she hadn't had time to form any expectations of his answer, but it's clear that his agreement to go dancing with her makes her happy. "Yeah?" She's giving him that sunshiney smile that's hard not to smile back at. "We could go in a few days. I mean if that worked out okay for you. Maybe right after dinner, just head down there and--it'll be fun."

Fewer complications would be nice. Although Alcide isn't sure he would know what to do without them. He's more accustomed to working around them than he probably should be. When he'd been younger there would have been a time when being with someone who wasn't a wolf, someone who wasn't pack, would be unheard of. Wolves in his world can be very insular for the most part. But at some point along the way, Alcide broke away from that way of life and that line of thinking. He's different from the rest. And he doesn't want to go backwards.

When she smiles like that, Alcide finds it hard not to smile too. His lips slowly pull into one that makes him look just a little bit goofy, he thinks, so he quickly gets that under control so that it's just a small grin.

"I like that idea. Less fancy. Smaller affair. Just you for company. I'm good with that." The song ends and they're still swaying slightly - until Alcide notices they're doing it and he stops, his hand slipping away from Buffy's waist but the hand holding hers still lingering a moment longer before letting go too. "Guess I should go find Zee... make sure she's not too drunk to stand up." He says this with fondness. Zee's his best friend.

In all honesty, Buffy wouldn't know what to do without those complications either. She probably should consider dating someone 'normal' again, but someone normal will get killed in her world. Someone normal won't understand the complications that come with being the slayer and despite the fact that she is neither slayer nor is he wolf here, she still thinks that's some of Alcide's appeal. He knows what it's like to live in the supernatural world. They understand each other.

She likes that goofy smile, likes that she can make him smile that that when he doesn't ordinarily smile like that.

Now it's her turn to smile like a goof, ducking her head so that it hides the smile a little. She doesn't notice the lack of music either, to be honest, not until he stops dancing. She nods a little, disappointed that he doesn't want to dance a little more, but he's right: he needs to go check on Zee. "Okay. Good luck. Besides, I'll see you later tonight."

Room mates, after all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Daycycle 116 [ November 13 - November 26 ]

daycycle 116

[Nov 13 - Nov 26]

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