spooky scurry

[coopdetat]

A Halloween party is just in standard Coop fashion. He's had the house decked out for weeks now, he has loads of booze and food set up near the kitchen and on the deck, and he's invited pretty much everyone he knows--and in turn, he's pretty sure they've invited everyone they know--to tonight's festivities. He's already got guests mingling downstairs, and Coop is about halfway through getting into his Halloween costume on when the lights go out.

"Oh, you gotta be fucking shitting me."

He can already hear the sounds of his guests complaining downstairs, and Coop's already prepared to go check on the breakers when he realizes that something's a little bit off. Even for a blown fuse, everything seems a little too quiet, a little too dark, and he steps closer to his window to find that every house that's normally in sight is pitch black. Even the sky looks darker than usual, like the moon and stars have decided to take a night off, and he checks his cell phone to see if he's gotten any texts about what's going on yet, only to find that the service is spotty at best.

Coop abandons the rest of the costume that's laid out on his bed and uses the flashlight app on his phone to guide himself down the stairs. He'd sparked up the fireplace when the first of the guests had shown up but it doesn't do much to light up the room. Coop turns to face his guests--the ones whose faces he can see, at least--and offers a wide smile.



"I guess it's time to improvise. Everyone up for a giant orgy, raise your hand."


[OOC: You can be arriving at the party when the lights go out, you can already be there, you can be seeking refuge from the wraiths outside... Whatever you like! If your characters have been doing something and you want to come up with a reason why they're there for later in the evening, anything will do lmfao.

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[seas_open]

She's made the trek with Caden over to Coop's house, letting him help her walk and allowing herself to be deposited onto a couch with a promise that she won't go wandering around without help. Her ankle throbs and it's definitely swollen, but there isn't much to be done about it that she's not already doing.

Besides, with the power out, she isn't sure what a hospital would do for her anyway. Probably just send her home with an ice pack and April thinks she'd rather be here than alone in her apartment right now. As least Coop's party has drinks and half-dressed men parading around asking if anyone is interested in a giant orgy.

With a soft laugh, she tips back the rest of her drink and she isn't drunk, she isn't even close, but this is the first time in a very long time she's finished an entire drink at a party. Her ankle hurts and she wants to dull the pain, but it's more than that. It's possible she's getting comfortable here.

[coopdetat]

So apparently, there aren't that many people super down for an orgy right now because they're all to pressed about the lack of power, which is totally not even Coop's fault so he doesn't think he should be punished for it but whatever. He catches a glimpse of April on the couch before his bottom lip and push too far into a pout, grinning instead as he nudges his way through the increasingly grumpy crowd of people until he can plop down in the open spot next to her.

His grin fades when he sees her ankle, the swelling obvious even in just the light of the fire, and he gives her a mock stern expression. "The hell did you to yourself, Ross? Five seconds into a blackout and you're already gimpy? You'd never survive a zombie apocalypse."

He gives her a gentle nudge to the side before shifting his body so he can face her, something more akin to concern settling over his expression. "Seriously, though, you need me to do anything? You're supposed to keep that elevated, you need to use me as a foot rest?"

[seas_open]

"You're already offering to be my personal furniture?" she asks with a grin, turning on the couch to look at Coop. "That has to be a new personal best. Five minutes at a party and I've already been offered both an orgy and a man willing to submit to me. No wonder I like your place so much."

She's teasing, of course, she knows he knows that she and Les are together in their own different sort of way, and she works for him now. Which she knows she all put him off limits, but she can't help it. He's sweet and he's exceptionally enjoyable to look at and it's not like he's ever toned down the flirting with her, so she thinks it's fair she does her best to return what he offers.

"I was out on the beach when the lights went out," she explains, lifting her leg to look at her swollen ankle. "Something rushed me and I tripped."

[coopdetat]

Coop rolls his eyes but it's good-natured, and he grabs one of the pillows from behind him to set on his lap before reaching down to gently lift her leg and bring it to a rest over the cushion. "You're hilarious," he says dryly, tilting his head as he lets the dull glow from his phone shine over her ankle. It's swollen, he doesn't need all that much light to see that, but it doesn't look bad enough that they need to rush her to the hospital.

"More booze and rest, those are my temporary prescriptions as a licensed veterinarian. A few makeout sessions here and there probably wouldn't hurt, I'm just saying. Hopefully your boss isn't a huge enough asshole to not let you have a few days off to recover."

He slides out from under the pillow so April can get more comfortable and scoots all the way to the end of the couch, draping an arm over the back. "You came with Caden, right?" He arches an eyebrow, smirking. "Does this mean Les can stop being such a goddamn cocktease now?"

[seas_open]

"Les can stop being a goddamn cocktease any time he wants," she answers with a surprised laugh. "He knows where I stand on the matter of sharing." Granted, he'd been a little drunk at the time she had suggested it, but she doesn't think he's forgotten. They haven't really spoken about it all that much, but she thinks she's made her thoughts on the matter clear enough.

"Caden saved my ass out there on the beach," she admits. "I'm not much of a damsel, but he did the whole thing. Picked me up, carried me to his place, gave me some ice for my ankle." And she'd repaid him by turning into a monster, something she doesn't plan on repeating here. It's not that she thinks Coop will care, but for all that she likes him, she doesn't know him well. The fact that she's a siren isn't something she shares with everyone and with good reason.

"There was a chance for that to be all you," she teases, giving him a shrug and a wide-eyed look of innocence. "He just got there quicker than you did."

[writtenby_caden]

Caden and April decided to make the trek over to Coop's once he had gotten dressed and they'd iced her ankle a bit. He blew out all the candles because the last thing he needs is the beach house he's renting to burn down, but he leaves two burning on the railing of the back deck so he can make his way back easily.

He gets drinks for April and himself before he even sees Coop, and then groans when he does. God, really? He feels like he's sixteen again, with as horny as he's been lately. It's a thought that usually easy enough to ignore, but lately it's been hard. ...Damnit. He just needs to get laid already, is his point.

The drink table is calling his name, and he hightails it over to grab another whiskey and soda. Hey, it is a party, after all. Blackout or not.

[coopdetat]

He's headed into the kitchen to grab a drink because the power's not back on yet, and Coop has a suspicion that this is going to be a long fucking night. Guests are panicking because someone's already tried to go out on the deck to make a call, only to be chased back in by something the guy could only describe as a "shadow thing" so isn't that fucking great? So prime, best goddamn Halloween party ever: a blackout and shadow things just dicking around outside his house. Everyone's super stoked.

He's so caught up in how irritated he is--though he's pretty sure most of that stems from the lack of takers for the orgy, and he still doesn't know why it hadn't been voted a brilliant plan--that he nearly crashes into Caden on the way, reaching his hands out to steady his friends before offering a cautious laugh and smile as he takes a tiny step back.

"Sorry, dude, that was my bad. Gotta say, I'm glad you could make it even if you made it just in time for my totally planned blackout." He shakes his head, rolling his eyes even though he's not sure Caden can see any of that. "Can you fucking believe this is happening on Halloween? Halloween is my favorite, I had such a badass costume and everything!"

[writtenby_caden]

Caden laughs and reaches out to clap Coop on the arm, but winds up finding his bare side instead. He huffs and pats him a few times before slowly (reluctantly?) withdrawing his hand. "Glad I could be here. It's very... atmospheric."

He laughs and looks around, eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness. "No reason this can't still be a party. Get some candles lit and it'll set the mood for that orgy you're gunning so hard for."

At least in the dark Coop can't see his blushing cheeks enough to tease him about them. He tells himself that he's not disappointed about that. "I think I have a battery operated CD player at my place, leftover from forever ago. Want to come grab it with me?"

He knows how much Coop loves a good party, and Caden genuinely wants to help make the most of the night, and for everyone to have fun. Including himself.

[coopdetat]

Caden's hand ends up slapping against his side, and Coop just tilts his head in amusement when his neighbor doesn't draw his hand back right away. "Atmospheric," he repeats, biting back a chuckle when Caden finally pulls away and crossing his arms over his chest as he glances over his shoulder at the huddle of people in his living room that he can barely even make out right now. "Right. Well, nobody seemed all that up for a rousing session of sexual prowess so I guess that's their loss."

The mention of a battery operated CD player gets an actual laugh out of him. "Under normal circumstances, I might totally be shitting on you for that because why but considering there's a very good chance it could bring the mood back, I'll let it slide."

He claps his hands together then points out toward the deck. "Fastest way, let's get going."

[writtenby_caden]

Caden is trying to come up with something charming to say about how he could be up for a rousing session of sorts, but then Coop is laughing and Caden goes pink.

"Shut up," he says, knocking their shoulders together. "I've had it forever and I used it on my deck in San Francisco. I'd rather that thing get stolen or rained on than an iPod dock."

Coop grabs his hand and Caden follows, biting his hip and shifting a bit so he can thread their fingers together as they hit the sand. The candles on Caden's deck are still burning and he leads Coop towards them, shivering a little in the cool night air. "It's pretty spooky out here, huh?"

[coopdetat]

"I can't really tell but I'm pretty sure you're blushing," Coop says, leading them out of the kitchen and toward the deck. They could leave out the front door, sure, but where's the fun in that? He wants to feel the sand between his toes and if Caden wants to get grabby then hey, all the better. Halloween's always a good night for that kind of thing. Hell, any night is.

A few of his guests shout at him about leaving, but he only laughs with a promise that he'd be right back and they should sit the fuck down for five minutes, and he winks at April when he catches her smirking at them from her spot on the couch.

Once they've hit the beach, heading toward the tiny, flickering lights that mark Caden's house, he releases his friend's hand and takes a few steps forward so he can step into the shorebreak. Everything's quiet, everything, and he lets out a laugh as he holds his arms out to let the breeze roll over him as he looks out at the water. "Spooky? What's spooky about it, there's nothing to be af--" He turns his head to look over his shoulder as he speaks and freezes when he sees it, a huge, shadowy figure that hovers just over and behind Caden, and his jaw drops at the sight.

"Okay. Uh, listen, buddy. Do me a favor, kind of just don't look behind you and keep walking. Just keep walking toward your place, and I'll be right behind you." The shadow jolts and lets out an earpiercing shriek, and Coop can already hear the terrified screams echoing from inside his own house. "Yeah, scratch that plan, dude. Fucking run!"

[writtenby_caden]

Caden can't help but to be a little disappointed when Coop lets go, but he shrugs it off and chuckles as his friend frolics in the water.

The happy expression slips from his face at the sudden change of Coop's demeanor, and then he tells Caden not to look. Caden writes horror, and thrillers, and he knows that he shouldn't look. But still, like any character in any medium when faced with the same situation, he looks.

He barely has a chance to see anything before a shrill scream makes his ears ring, and he stumbles through the sand as he tries to get away from it. Reaching out to grab Coop's wrist as he darts forward, he heads for his back deck. Coop is right behind him, thanks to Caden's vice like grip, and they stumble onto the deck with the thing right on their heels.

The flickering candle he left there earlier steals his attention and on instinct he reaches out for it and lobs it at the creature. The flame lights it up and it vanishes like it was nothing but a shadow, and the candle flickers out when it lands in the sand.

He pulls Coop through the back door and slides it shut, fingers fumbling on the lock. "Okay, so I know my vintage boombox is awesome, but it was not worth that."