[ OPEN ] That haunted house was our tunnel of love.

[hostage]

Date & Time: After dinnertime on October 31 (forward-dated)
Location: Cafeteria
Characters: OPEN!
Summary: As mentioned here, it's half a cookie-baking party and half a Halloween celebration.
Warnings: Warnings in subject lines if necessary (???)
Notes: Party-style! Just tag in and tag around. And don't cause too much trouble or you'll be, um, escorted out.

[For anyone who's been at any of the previous baking sessions, the setup is much the same, only larger in scale now that they're in a cafeteria instead of Unit 409's kitchen. Supplies and ingredients are everywhere, including food dye, nuts, sprinkles, and frosting. Anyone who's new at this will at least have gotten five minutes of instruction from Jesse, though the recipe is written and on display for anyone who's forgotten details. It's all very simple and easy-to-understand, because your host is also very simple and easy-to-understand. How exactly you decide to flavor and decorate the cookies is left up to you.

The cafeteria itself has been livened up with Halloween decorations. Snacks have been provided so the party-goers don't end up eating all the cookies meant for newcomers. And there's music! Some of it appropriately themed, some of it the hip hop and dubstep that can typically be found on Jesse's iPod. The atmosphere is relaxed and people can be expected to make a mess.]

Comments

[lucency]

Ah, nope. Just Belle!

[ and lacey. once before. she doesn't like to talk about that. ]

Can't say I've been asked that before, either.

[gevurah]

[ She grins. ]

I assumed it was a nickname since it's not too uncommon. Like Kate... short for Katherine.

[lucency]

Oh! [ to be fair, she does come from a place with names like snow white and rumplestiltskin. ] Is - that yours? Katherine?

[gevurah]

[ And she comes from a place where people call themselves Batman and Batgirl... and then you've got the Riddler, Two-Face, the Mad Hatter. ]

It is, but I prefer Kate.

[ Only her dad gets to use the full name ultimatum on her. ]

[lucency]

Of course. I'll be sure to remember that.

[ rudeness? absolutely not. belle knows how to be respectful. she's got this. and she doesn't ask a question about it, either. it's her name. it's all good. ]

[gevurah]

[ She extends a hand for Belle. ]

And it's nice to meet you.

[lucency]

[ and handshake number two, with a warm smile. ]

You too.

[gevurah]

How long have you been here, Belle?

[lucency]

Three months? Four? [ she frowns, slightly. it's not that time's been a blur, but she's kept busy. it's fast. ] Not very, compared to others. You?

[gevurah]

Year and some days.

[ She slips her hands into her pockets. ]

Long enough. They're still pulling in new Transports, I imagine.

[ They have so much ahead of them to figure out. ]

[lucency]

Like clockwork, it seems. [ even if she hasn't been here as long as others, she figured that part out relatively quickly. ] You haven't - seen any of them? The new Transports?

[gevurah]

Not yet. I'm hoping they don't bring any new folk in.

[lucency]

Have they ever stopped before?

[gevurah]

I'm not sure.

They shouldn't risk it at this time, though.

[lucency]

[ a thoughtful sigh at that. ]

Maybe they agree. Maybe they can't turn it off.

[gevurah]

There's a lot of things they can't do, apparently.

[ She can't help but remain skeptical about the Initiative's competency, even if she is willing to help them. ]

[lucency]

That's - why we're here. [ she's slightly skeptical herself, mind, but if there's no way out, she isn't going to sit around moping just yet. ] To be more efficient.

[gevurah]

You're okay with that.

[ It's not a question as much as a statement. She lifts a curious brow. ]

[lucency]

I'm - [ she sighs, looking away in thought. the truth is, she doesn't have another option, does she? ] If it's going to get us back home faster, I'm willing to give it a try, at the very least.

[gevurah]

I don't hear that often.

[ It's not a bad thing; while she doesn't completely trust the Initiative and often feels the Transports aren't competent enough, there are people like Belle who remind her what she's fighting for. This isn't just about her world anymore, it's Belle's, Collette's, Ellie's... everyone's. ]

If people can't trust the Initiative, we have to trust in each other.

[lucency]

Exactly. [ and that's why she can support things like this, even if it doesn't directly influence the efforts of the war. where would they be without relaxation? it's a form of a trust building exercise. ] We can't take a chance on disharmony.