Charity Ball

[fixedpointintime]

WHO: The well dressed and ready to party of Alpha Complex
WHAT: being well dressed and partying?
WHEN: daycycle 116, 1800-2200 hours

NOTES: There will be dedicated threads for the big pillars of the Ball, but feel free to make your own top level if you want to. You can use the account sweetcharity to RP as NPCs at the ball. The Game NPC journal is also been made available by Sam. Information on how to access both can be found here.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: All raffles/auctions/sign-ups/whatever will end when the daycycle is over. All basket raffles, dance raffles, and the winner of the dance contest will be decided with RNG and I will comment with the winners.

NEW! The dance auctions seem to be wrapping up on their own as they reach a natural conclusion, so we'll just use that method. If you need an NPC, let me know and I will try to find you one.

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The mingling portion of the ball lasts for about half an hour. The band playing light instrumental music that doesn't so much encourage dancing as it does give people ample opportunity to enjoy the buffet, browse the items available in the silent auction and the baskets for the raffle, and get a good eyeful of the various Specials in attendance, who they're with and what they're wearing. It'll be important later on.

On one side of the room, tucked out of the way but under a prominent sign, is a table where couples can register to be part of a dance contest with the promise of an exciting mystery prize for the winners.

Along a back wall, small round tables are lined up and showcasing items donated for a silent auction. There are a mix of actual physical items, as well as less tangible experiences, and bids are made on electronic input pads set up in front of each item, and using a citizen's ME card. Funds will be automatically deducted for each item won. Groups can bid on items together that the individuals might be otherwise unable to afford on their own. Physical items and vouchers for experiences will be delivered next daycycle.

In addition, there are a few baskets that will be raffled off during the evening. Winners need not be present to claim a raffle prize. Each basket has a theme, and tickets can be purchased at any time for five credits each using your ME card.

At 1830 hours, Stiles silently slips through the crowd, placing a lavish setee in front of the stage. Once Stiles is gone, Morgana makes her way over and sits on it. As soon as she's settled, the pre-recorded music dies down, then swells again in a new song. There is no formal announcement of the beginning of the entertainment, Jack Harkness simply crosses the dance floor, moving through people when he has to, and he and Morgana perform a choreographed waltz routine. Half way through the routine, a curtain on stage is pulled back to reveal a bandstand of actual live musicians, each wearing a suit jacket or dress of their clearance level. Yes, it's a bit of an eyesore, but they sound fantastic. Besides, people are meant to be watching Jack and Morgana.

Once the routine has got everyone's attention, Jack will activate a lapel mic and welcome the crowd to the evening's event. Someone will bring him the jacket for his suit, a suit so orange it's almost painful. He thanks Morgaga, kisses her hand, and then the band takes their cue and the music abruptly takes a turn for the upbeat. Jack encourages everyone onto the floor to learn a few line dances. Volunteers (including Stiles) will move through the crowd, encouraging people to join in as those in attendance are taught the hustle, the time warp, the YMCA, and yes, the unkillable chicken dance. Stiles will start a spirited conga line around the room while Jack sings Copacabana.

Around 1915, now that the crowd is good and energized, Jack will draw attention to the area available to sign up for the dance contest, and remind everyone that the silent auction and raffle tables will be open until the end of the evening.

He'll also be joined on the dance floor by Isabelle Lightwood, and the two will perform a tango routine in order to encourage bids for the auction prize of a private dance lesson with the pair of them. Anyone who doesn't want some one on one time with Izzy after seeing her in that dress is obviously insane. Jack will also follow this with the exciting news that the celebrity judge for the dance contest is none other than Alpha's beloved Teela O'Malley. All couples who have signed up will receive their numbers, and be asked to take the floor, giving spectators the chance to eat and to spend even more of their money on bids and raffle tickets. Couples will be eliminated by Teela, moving through the crowd, until only one remains. Their prize is an appearance on Teela's show, during Jack's opening section, on daycycle 118.

At about 2000 comes the part that quite a few specials won't enjoy. They haven't quite raised the funds he was hoping for yet, and Jack is auctioning off dances with Specials. As bidding progresses, he may attempt to persuade them to give even more of their time in an effort to drive the bidding higher. A few Specials have agreed to help out in this way ahead of time, and quite a few more will be talked into it on the spot. The rest of the evening will be peppered with Jack stopping the music to auction off a few more dances.

2100 brings a new idea from Steve that the specials aren't going to like any more than the dance auctions, the last dance raffle!. Which is really just an excuse to get the maximum number of Specials up on stage, through all of Jack and Steve's combined charisma and manipulation, for one last big fundraising push.

[[OOC: It should be noted that everyone who has helped Jack with the planning and execution of the Charity Ball, including anyone who took part in a choreographed dance routine, will not only get into the Ball for free, but will be able to come to the wrap party the next day after Teela's show, where even more real food and alcohol will be available. If you want your character to have a choreographed routine, or to otherwise contribute to the evening, you still have plenty of time to let me know.]

Formal Wear! In alphabetical order: Cisco Ramon, Jack Harkness, Lydia Martin, Natasha Romanoff, Primrose Everdeen, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark

Comments

[a_man_out_of_time]

When Tony suggests that maybe his popularity can help him win the basket somehow, Steve lets out a breathy laugh, and gives Tony a playfully skeptical look. “I appreciate the idea, but hopefully they won’t bend the rules. I wouldn’t want that, though-“ He tilts his head from side to side, weighing an idea. “… I could always go back and buy more tickets.”

He’d already bought five. Steve felt kinda guilty, honestly, because he’d be willing to bet that most people who entered the raffle probably couldn’t afford to get the whole set at sticker price. But the attendant had been so friendly and told Steve that anyone could buy as many tickets as they wanted for the basket raffles … so … he only bought five. That’s … fair right?

Still, he and Tony had never talked about his hobby before, maybe in passing but not really, and seeing Tony actually interested was … well, unexpected, and really nice, and Steve feels like he hasn’t smiled this much since a very, very long time ago. In fact, he’s basically been smiling ever since Tony came over, and it kind of feels a little wrong to be happy for so much time at once, like he's betraying Peggy's safety or something.

It's dramatic, maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that ever since getting the serum, Steve has felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even here in Alpha, he spends all of his days and most of his nights worrying about the Specials — like somehow he's personally responsible for all of their safety and that every attack and every injury is his fault. And because he's Steve, that kind of pressure isn’t enough to dent his determination or willpower. Instead, it forces him to compartmentalize and push forward. Steve is always pushing forward.

Yet despite all that, he was still powerless to stop the arrests. It doesn't matter how far up he climbs, or who he knows. IntSec keeps taking them, keeps questioning everyone else, and Steve has no concrete information or road to get it. What did they do? Why were they taken? Simple, basic questions that are always left unanswered.

So yeah, he feels guilty for smiling, or just … enjoying himself for ten minutes straight, even if Steve knows that his job requires him to be here, and that he can’t spend this time investigating the arrests. His options are literally, feel guilty while being here, or feel anything else while being here — and somehow, Steve still manages corral his thoughts towards the former, constantly.

All of this — the guilt included — dislocates from his mind however, when Tony moves closer. There is literally nothing in the world that could have prepared Steve, for the sight of Tony's hands reaching for his tie. Everything seems to move in slow motion, and when he feels that tug just below his neckline, an inexplicable bout of nervousness and panic swells in his chest. Is he about to- Steve can already imagine the taste of alcohol, and when he speaks, his voice is quiet. "Tony, before you pull on-"

But before he can finish the sentence, Tony's obviously not pulling. He's adjusting and moving the knot, and smoothing out the tail. Soon, he'll probably be tucking it back into Steve vest.

Of course.
He wasn’t- Why would I even think that he'd want-

It takes Steve a second to calm down from the anxiety, but he does. Tony's hands are still working, and by now, he can probably feel how warm Steve runs. The back of the tie, his shirt, the vest — everything is warm because Steve is warm.

Steve, who, can’t seem to finish sentences and can’t seem to stop looking down at Tony, as long as he’s this close.

"-I mean. You're ... thanks."

It's not that his ties are precious, or that he doesn’t want Tony to fix it. It’s just that … for Steve, pulling on his tie triggers two very striking memories — both meaningful and beautiful in their own way, even if one was maybe a mistake — and he never, ever, ever expected that Tony would want … what the people in his memories wanted.

They're- they're not like that. Tony's not like that. Tony would never want that. Even if he hums old songs, or pays attention when Steve talks … or fixes his ties. Tony’s just being nice. To a friend.

Isn’t that what Steve’s hoping for? That maybe, the next time it comes up, Tony won’t say the blatantly past tense ‘so was I’ when it comes to being his friend?

[im_ironman]

That laugh of his makes Tony's features soften, just a little, but he gives a small nod as if to silently say 'fair enough.' Still, it doesn't change that Tony finds himself hoping for Steve to get that basket anyway and, if he doesn't, let's just say there's already a portion of his brain that is planning and thinking of ways to get the man charcoals. Somehow, he'd find a way. He's Tony Stark, for god's sake; he may not know how to fix the hole in his chest, but charcoals? He'll figure out a solution. The thought is yet another thing that makes a voice in Tony's brain to yell out in alarm, as if trying to warn him that he's slipping too far down this...whatever this is, but it's easy to ignore it all over again when he sees the way that Steve smiles, and...

Nope. Nope, not going there.

Whatever self control he has left, though, seems to just evaporate when Steve speaks. His voice is so quiet and, while the room is filled with noise around them, he doesn't notice any of it. Music, voices, laughter - it's practically nonexistent for Tony, because he's far too in tune with the way that Steve speaks. The way that he mentions something about pulling, and Tony bites his bottom lip as he tries to keep himself from smirking, raising his eyebrow slightly. It's done in a curious gesture, but he would be lying if it's also not flirtatious as well, at least in some way. Because, with the mention of pulling, that is suddenly all that Tony can think about now. With the alcohol amplifying his emotions, all he wants is to do is pull Steve closer - suddenly he just wants to kiss him, and Tony's brain feels too sluggish to think past that.

Especially as he tucks his tie into his vest, even if for a moment he seems fixated on not letting go as he glances down towards Steve's lips. It's brief, but the way his eyes trail down is still there. His attention is pulled again, though, when it's suddenly impossible to miss how warm Steve feels, especially since Tony runs so cold now thanks to the reactor, and yeah, his brain is essentially short circuiting right about now.

But no, he reminds himself. He can't do this. He can't go down this path - not only because he's terrified of getting hurt, but also because Tony also doesn't think that Steve would want this. As it is, some part of him is still bracing for him to pull away, question why Tony's doing this at all. He's expecting this moment to end, even if just the thought manages to make his heart feel like it's already free falling right to his feet.

His fingers linger against Steve's chest for a little longer, before letting his hand drop. Don't do this, he tells himself. Don't do this, this will hurt, this will--

"No problem," he finally responds, his voice still quiet as he braves a small smile.

[a_man_out_of_time]

Holy h-

Make no mistake, the way that Tony’s biting his bottom lip and raising an eyebrow as he fiddles with his tie makes Steve uncomfortable, and in a way he’s felt only once before. There’s a pounding in his chest and he just swallows, because he’s lost the ability to speak. But even if he could say something, how would Steve even answer the implied question?

Sorry Tony, I thought you were gonna kiss me right then. It’s what folks normally do when they reach for my tie. My mistake.

No way in hell is Steve going to say that. Nor is he going to explain how what he did end up saying (‘Tony, before you pull on-‘) basically implies that he would have let Tony kiss him. And that’s when the thoughts start pouring in. Thoughts that Steve had never needed to directly address, because he’s never been in this situation.

He hadn’t pushed Tony away. He hadn’t stepped back. He’d seen what he thought was coming and he’d stayed. There’s no point in rationalizing it to himself now. He’d stayed. Because as soon as he thought Tony had wanted it, he’d realized he wanted it too.

And dear God. Steve is fighting himself to form complete thoughts, because it feels like there’s an entire era of people reaching for him and trying to suffocate him so that he won’t do this, won’t think this, won’t go down this path. But then he sees the way Tony’s eyes linger on his lips, and he feels that sudden tug on his heart, and the question he’d buried so deep in his mind finally comes up for air.

Since when, he asks himself, did kissing Tony Stark become something he wanted?

Since when, he demands of himself, did he begin to want something that he’d grown up being told was absolutely and unequivocally wrong? Something that, in his childhood, was declared a mental illness by law. Something that, if he had admitted at the age of 21, would have automatically deemed Steve unfit for service, even before the army recruiter saw his endless list of medical conditions.

But then he feels the pressure of Tony’s hands on his chest, tucking in the tie and smoothing it out, and suddenly, Steve is so very conscious of everything that happens next — like his body is moving without his input and all his mind can do is watch.

So he watches, as he stares at Tony, wondering when everything changed. He watches as his lungs seem to stop working for as long as Tony’s touching him, and he’s watching still when Tony drops his hand, and Steve feels like he’s just lost something precious.

It feels surreal, as he feels his forehead furrow and his lips move, and he hears the sound of his voice, whose volume is still too quiet for his own good: “Maybe later … we can try out those dance moves you taught me. See if they’re any good.”

But it’s always something small that breaks the camel’s back — or wrestles a man out of the spell he’s fallen under. It’s in this very next moment, as he’s waiting for Tony’s response, that Steve notices how Tony hasn’t stepped back, even after he was done fixing the tie, and he can’t … oh god he can’t stop looking at Tony’s lips. And just like that. It becomes too much.

He can’t do this. Hell, he can’t be here. He can’t stand this close to Tony, because if he stays like this for much longer, he knows he’s going to betray something, and Steve doesn’t even know what that something is.

“I should go,” he says, just on the border between too quickly and just quick enough to pass as normal. “Armed Forces is- We’re working security for the night. It’s about time I go swap someone out.”

And as soon as Tony makes some type of indication that yeah, okay, please go — because Steve’s too polite when it comes to this — he’ll nod and take off, searching for any member of his team he could relieve right about now.

[im_ironman]

No, Steve hadn't pulled away. He hadn't even flinched, and that's partly (mainly?) what Tony holds onto. He hadn't screwed up by doing something that could be considered so intimate. Fixing his tie, tucking it back into his vest. It's not something Tony has done for anyone that isn't Rhodey, and there's a brief moment that Tony himself can't even comprehend his own actions. How had it all gotten to this?

Whatever the answer to that question is, Tony doesn't even try to find it. Not when Steve is speaking again, and he's... Is he seriously suggesting...

It's stupid, that it's that suggestion what makes Tony feel almost hopeful, in some sort of way. Which isn't what he wants (even if he does) because he doesn't want to get hurt. He doesn't want to open himself up for this, because there's such a big part of him that is still doubtful that Steve could possibly feel...this. Any of this. Tony remembers with frighteningly clarity how Howard had reacted the night that he had discovered that his only son was fooling around with someone of the same sex. He remembers the beating he had received - hell, he still has the markings to prove it - and in a lot of ways it has shaped how Tony has carried himself to the world in terms of his sexuality. He's not shy to admit when he finds someone attractive, whether it's a man or a woman, but he has never had a public relationship with any men before. He has slept with them, he has even dated them, but publicly? No. He had been the CEO of Stark Industries, after all. He had a reputation to keep in front of his father's military buddies, and his company had the biggest weapons contract that the United States Military could draw up; how could he have even considered going public with any of it?

And now he's here, all but flirting with America's Sweetheart, the man that essentially represented the military - the man that Howard himself never shut up about, and it feels like such a hopeless thing to do. His brain is screaming how this is a disaster, this can't possibly work out. How could it? And even if Steve feels what he does, should Tony even trust him? He's trying, he has been working on trusting him again, but apparently trusting him ended up meaning...something else. Something that is making his insides twist. Something that is making it hard to breathe, especially when he notices how Steve is looking at his lips, and--

And just like that, it's over. The smile that had been playing on Tony's lips, especially at Steve's suggestion about trying out the dance moves they had practiced, falters and it feels like he has lost his balance all at once. Because for some reason he had thought this would go differently. Because, seeing Steve not move away, had made him think that maybe something else would happen, but... But this had been what he had been expecting, right? This shouldn't be a surprise.

Still, even if he had been expecting it, it still feels like someone has just punched him right in the chest. It even makes him tempted to look down, as if to check if the reactor is still working because it feels like his heart isn't working right, but he doesn't. He's being a drama queen, he can hear Howard sneering in his ear. How could he have thought any of this would--

No, he reminds himself. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, even if when he tries to nod it feels like he's imploding. It doesn't matter, even if he can't quite hide the way his eyes lose a little bit of the sparkle that he had been floating on, but he pretends to smile. As if this is okay, as if it's not a big deal.

As if this doesn't matter, even if the way it stings says otherwise.

"Yeah," he says with that fake smile that he tries to play off as the real thing, and he tucks his hands into his pockets as he steps back. It's a silent gesture, as if to remind himself that this had been stupid. Reaching out for his tie had been stupid. Thinking that this could be different was entirely idiotic, and Tony hates himself for it all over again. His voice is still quiet, but now it's mainly to hide how his throat feels as if it has closed up on him. "Have fun with that."

Without another word, he turns around and walks back into the crowd. To find a distraction, or maybe more booze; all he knows is that he needs to stop thinking. He needs to make this stop before it drowns him completely, even if it already feels as if it's too late.