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 Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 3:20 pm
Many a Destiny City resident had visited the Earth and Space Museum as a child, but few of them remembered it being a very swanky place. Strange, then, that tonight’s highly-advertised Murder Mystery Game called for cocktail attire! Museum Director Iouri Spekter did not consider himself to be much of an actor, but he did have a flair for the theatric, and when he put his mind to planning an event, he pulled out all the stops. The museum lobby had been transformed. The information desk was, for one night only, an open bar serving a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to the denizens of cocktail hour. The lighting was swank and theatric, glittering off the sculptural representation of the solar system that dangled from the ceiling. At the center of the room stood a machine, sleek in design and mysterious in origin and purpose – undoubtedly intended for tonight’s performance. During cocktail hour, Iouri mixed freely with the guests, introducing himself to people and getting into character, building up to the evening’s rehearsed series of events and feeling slightly awkward about Morgan clinging to his arm, being as she was some twelve years his junior. When his watch beeped seven-thirty, however, he disentangled himself from his fictional love interest and took to the microphone. ”Hello, everyone!” he called, catching the room’s attention. ”I will begin tonight’s demonstration of my world-changing invention in five minutes! Until that time, please feel free to continue talking amongst yourselves!---------- For tonight’s game, we have gathered on the first floor of the Destiny City Earth and Space Museum! At the end of this post you will find a map detailing the layout of the building, as well as the locations of several players you will encounter once the game begins! Once the game begins, you will have until 11:59 PM EST on Saturday to question as many or as few subjects as you wish about their motives and alibis as you try to pick the case apart. You will have until 8 PM EST on Sunday to post who your character thinks the murderer was in the designated J’ACCUSE thread. (To be posted Saturday night.) On Sunday evening, we will roll winners and commence with the Event Finale (which is dastardly). The in-character prize for this event is a One Year Museum Membership, which will get your character free admission to the museum and planetarium, and a discount on any special events that they wish to attend. The out-of-character prize will be One Stick Art and Bragging RightsThe first floor Hall of Earth contains but is not limited to: Several cases of rare gems and minerals.
An interactive model of plate tectonics.
A Big Honking Meteorite The first floor Hall of Space contains but is not limited to: A Gemini Space Suit.
Apollo Sixteen
A “Do you have what it takes to be an Astronaut” height chart. The upper floors (which are off limits tonight) contain but are not limited to: Dinosaurs
Dioramas about early hominids
Taxidermy African mammals, circa 1926.
Offices.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 3:49 pm
Morgan, a.k.a the Lover, had little experience acting. That did not stop her come considering herself a natural. The redhead was completely engrossed with her character; it helped that she had 'the best' part. No longer was she Morgan, Shlip Student, she was now a throwback to 1940s film noir. Her hair was curled and pinned back, adorned with a tiny black fascinator. She wore a slinky, low cut red dress with a faux fur wrap around her shoulders. Just above Morgan's lip was a fake beauty mark, completing her costume. Playing up her role, Morgan waited and watched Iouri adoringly. It wasn't so bad hanging off the man's arm for the better part of cocktail hour. If she squinted really hard, he kind of looked like Jude Law. She made cutesy waves and blew a kiss as he talked. Morgan also shamelessly batted her eyes at every other male that crossed her path; it could simply not be helped, the lover was only human.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 4:46 pm
Standing sullenly in the corner, Bebe, or Dr Durand as she snappily introduced herself to people as, was struggling with her role. While her face was drawn into a scowl, inside she was jumping in circles and giggling. Tonight was the night! So much planning and practice and work had gone into it, and finally the it had arrived! It took all her self control keep a smile off her face, and a bounce in her step as she began to stalk around the room.
The 'martini' she was constantly refilling was just water with a faint hint of olive, but apart from that she was pretty sure her costume was immaculate. A strict, no-nonesense blouse and pencil skirt that dropped to just below her heels, combined with low heels gave her stark contrast to most of the girls there, but to show some sense of occasion, her hair was brought up into a complex bun, and her vivid red lips and nails stood out against her modest outfit.
When Iouri went up to the microphone, she bristled and the rather loud che! of annoyance was slightly over-exaggerated, but clearly marked annoyance at his speech. Turning on her heel away from the podium the microphone was on, she stalked back to the drinks table to top up her tap water martini. Dr Durand, one of the head assistants and collaborator on the project, as she was quick to tell people, was clearly annoyed at something.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:29 pm
She idly tapped her glass. Christa, or "Christine" as she introduced herself, was rather embarrassed. It was her father's idea to get out of the house and helped her work out her "costume", which consisted of little more than your standard secretary's attire. Professional yet approachable, or so he told her. In truth, she wasn't sure how she felt, and simply modified her nickname since it was the only thing she would likely answer to. All other names would be forgotten.
She stood by another person, Lysander (she thought his name was) and they were both positioned by a space suit. Christa pretended to be interested in studying it (though she was interested in space for certain, being an actress was not one of her skills). As one of the Rivals to the victim, it was up to her to keep her alibi straight through the course of the game. She collaborated with the young man in that respect, and suddenly wondered if the museum director had a case of cabin fever to make up a game like this.
"So... um." Christa started, glancing down at her drink. "...I'm not even sure what to do right now."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:36 pm
"Oh, this is awesome!!" the ten-year-old grinned in excitement, perking up at the sound of 'the Scientist' speaking into the microphone. He'd never been to a murder mystery party before! He'd never had the opportunity, really. When he'd been left with his brother for the weekend, he didn't think he would actually be able to do something fun, but thanks to Chris's inability to tell their mother 'no' Peter found himself at the Museum for some kind of opening. And not just any opening, but a space exhibit opening!
There were people in costumes and everything was set up for this 'opening/murder mystery'. He would have brought a costume for himself had he known he'd be going to something like this. "I bet you're the murderer. It's always someone you don't expect," he told to his brother as he nearly skipped down the hall, before pausing and correcting himself. "No, actually, sometimes it's really easy to tell who the murderer is. I bet it'll be really easy to figure out." Peter nodded to himself, before pulling out his phone and open an application that would let him keep notes. "It's okay, though. I'm always the best at Clue. This should be just as easy." It was all a matter of keeping the right information.
———————————————————————————
"Peter, please behave," Chris-- er... the 'Financial Backer' hissed at his little brother, trying to grab at the back of his collar as he skipped away. He was supposed to be in character, but with his brother there... He didn't know how well he'd pull that off. Great... And he thought he'd be having a fun night, too. But no, his mother had called him just earlier that day asking him to watch Peter as she went to a party for one of the charities she worked with. Dad wasn't home and Michael was still overseas, and the usual babysitter was unavailable... so of course he would end up being the one his mother went to.
What was he supposed to tell her??
Chris frowned, straightening up again at the announcement, and trying to get back in character. His hair was slicked back and he wore a dark grey suit with silver fastenings, a white shirt, and red tie. He hadn't shaved in the past few days, so he had a scruffy (and hopefully more adult) look to him. He glanced towards the others who were standing around, wondering if it would be in his character to keep to himself or to go and talk with the others.
For now, he was just going to see if he could spot Paris come in. He'd convinced her to try out and felt guilty that he was stuck watching his brother instead of just... having a good time. Go figure. Hopefully she was okay wherever she'd wandered off to.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:08 pm
Zia seemed to do the impossible and forgo any work or mind numbing filing she had penciled in for this hour and manage to show up. But it was given she would eventually; Cocktail attire and several persons of her or Zirconia's interest involved in this event? She had to attend, obviously.
She had arrived and given a cursory glance at the machine and felt the need to butt into anything Peter said as she walked by. "Clue is just a guessing game even if you get everything right," She snorted. Her first instinct was to just impose herself on Chris and Peter. They were the ones here she knew best, they were 'comfortable', but when she spotted Iouri, she quickly abandoned that notion and started making her way over to him Lifting up one hand and getting off most of a 'hi' before she noticed who was on his arm.
She hadn't seen Morgan since their little 'outing' and, after inferring the worst from what she could remember, all she could do was stop in her tracks and avert her eyes with some semblance of shame and a blush creeping into her expression.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:28 pm
Paris stood off to the side with a drink at hand. He'd considered using his fake ID in order to procure an alcoholic beverage, but seeing as Chris was going to be here as well, he hadn't thought his boyfriend would appreciate it. He settled for a Shirley Temple instead -- innocent, but with the appearance that he might just have something stronger at hand. Of course, Chris had been the one to convince him to do this in the first place -- Chris had been convincing him to do quite a lot lately, he noticed -- so he didn't think his boyfriend had much room to complain.
He wore a ruffled, lilac colored cocktail dress with silver heels and jewelry, his hair straightened and done up in a classy french twist, his face brushed with some light makeup. He thought he pulled the part off rather well. Acting was hardly an issue for him, and he doubted keeping up the appearance of a greedy, vengeful ex-spouse would present much of a problem. It was simply a matter of putting on the appropriate snooty facial expression and carrying himself in a manner that made it seem as if he were used to glamour and decadence.
He looked around for Chris and slowly began to approach him as he saw him enter with Peter. It wouldn't be out of character for him to chat up the Financial Baker, would it? After all, he was the one with all the money. As he made his way over, walking gracefully through the crowd, Paris made sure to throw a few scathing looks at the girl playing The Lover, as well as The Scientist himself. Truthfully, he didn't mind being here and taking part in this, though to act the part he had to pretend as if such an event were some great bother.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:57 pm
Talia rolled up to the museum and parked on the side of the street, very carefully. She didn't want to ding up her car after all! There were a ton of cars parked, so it looked like she wasn't the only one arriving to this "murder mystery" game. Some friends at school said it was going to be a refined sort of event, and Talia loved a good mystery. As she stepped out of the car, dressed in her fancy trenchcoat she thought she rather looked the part as well.
On her head was a fedora, designer of course. Black strappy heels tapped up the stairs as she entered the museum. A few people were still gathering at the entrance, but Talia was busy looking for someone she knew. Quietly, she entered the coat room and unbuttoned her jacket, revealing a stunning teal cocktail dress and a long string of black (fake) pearls going down to her stomach and winding around her neck. She kept the fedora on, it was stylish after all right? Talia wanted to look cute at this event, not accurate. Why? There might be boys.
Talia walked into the lobby like a true diva; she subtly slid into the lobby like a snake on the prowl. After all- Chu meant noble serpent; she had to act the part right?
Figuring she should get as much info as she could, Talia walked over to the Hall of space near the Gemini Space suit. Like a true actress, she suavely walked over to the twosome standing in front of it and said, "My, isn't this a lovely party? Whom do I have the honor of speaking to tonight?" She gave a little wink to the boy and a smile to the girl. Friendliness was always nice, right?
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:29 pm
Iouri had given his guests a bit longer than five minutes to continue their chatter, but that was only good manners. However, they had dallied long enough, and it was now time to get the show on the road! Looking dapper in in his tuxedo, the museum director took once more to the microphone and glanced quickly around the room, judging the turnout and the Who's Who of Destiny City before speaking.
"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and patrons of science!" he said to the crowd, and waited for the chatter to die down at the corners of the room. "I am Doktor Iouri Abramovich, your host for the evening, and I must begin by saying how thrilled I am to see you all here - for tonight, we stand at the dawn of a new era!" (He had decided that the patronymic sounded far more mad scientist appropriate than his real surname.)
"Before I show you what my marvelous machine does, however, I must thank a few people, without whom this evening would not be possible. First of all!" He gestured grandly to Chris, looking appropriately like a roguish billionaire. "My financial backer on this endeavor. Sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar, and your investment will be repaid to you a hundredfold."
He then gestured first to Tate and then to Bebe. "Secondly, where would I be without my research assistants?" he asked the crowd. "They are both bright, brilliant young women - I dare any of you who is looking for an intellectual challenge to try to get their phone numbers! You will not be disappointed."
Laughter.
Iouri gestured next to Morgan, beckoning her forward into the light. "Last but certainly not least - my lovely muse! She is the inspiration for my life's work, certainly the most beautiful woman on this or any planet."
He blushed just saying it, then bowed and pressed a chivalrous kiss to the back of the girl's hand, forcing himself into a most uncharacteristic display of affection for the sake of theatrics. "My dear," he said, loud enough for it to be picked up by the microphone. "Men have built palaces and cities and great monuments for the women they love. They have fought wars and climbed mountains and sailed oceans. But none of that compares to what I have done for you." (He was really rather proud of this script.)
Iouri straightened up and gestured grandly to the mysterious machine. The center of the room was bathed in a spotlight, adding to the theatrical air of the evening.
"I have challenged the laws of the universe and won.
He approached the machine. "I stand before you a simple man! A humble servant of science! But I will emerge from this machine a god!"
Iouri flung the door open and stood bathed in an unearthly blue glow. And then, he stepped into the machine and closed the door.
At first, nothing happened. Then all the lights in the room shifted from white to the same blue, and the machine began to whir and click.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:54 pm
The scene was set. The players were ready, and the show was about to start.
Jack was in his element.
Whether or not he had any real talent for acting was dubious. But whatever he lacked in skill, the dark-haired young man made up for in passion. If it meant the success of a show, there was no limit to the lengths he'd go. Still, regardless of his enthusiasm, Jack could never be described as a method actor. Oh no. It was probably more accurate to say that he was an overactor.
The confident, yet thoughtful swagger, Detective Stark employed as he wove his way through crowds was painfully predictable. He stood tall, the end of his unlit cigar clamped pretentiously between his lips, and tried to look as though it made sense for a criminal investigator to be somewhere no crime had been committed.
Yet.
It was difficult to pinpoint the precise nature of his hammy accent. Indeed, sometimes, it even seemed to change. One moment Jack sounded like he might have come from Brooklyn. And the next? Yes, maybe that was a Scottish brogue.
Wait. Are you sure he doesn't actually hail from Canada?
Cool as a cucumber, presenting his absolute best Humphrey Bogart, Jack glanced towards the good doctor every time he picked up the microphone. And pretended to listen as though they hadn't rehearsed these moments several dozen times before.
"Dr. Spekter is a good friend of mine," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, around the end of his cigar, to whoever happened to be listening.
'I have challenged the laws of the universe and won.'
Detective Stark rearranged his hat, and narrowed his eyes.
'I stand before you a simple man! A humble servant of science! But I will emerge from this machine a god!'
As serious as serious could be, Detective Stark stood bathed in that eerie blue light, and did not let a flicker of emotion pass over his face.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:09 pm
Lily had been really enjoying her summer thus far, as there was just so much to so and now this. This which Chris, Paris, and Christa were participating in, which of course had her rather excited to go, even if all she could add to the mystery managed to be her attendance for the night. She though it would be very fun to get the passes, but still not the most important of reasons to attend.
Lily walked in smoothing her cocktail dress out, and giving a hi and an excited wave to Chris, Paris and Christa as she passed each, before hurrying on to find a good place to enjoy the beginning of the show, as she didn't think it would be good to disturb them. She could chat it up later.
She moved over to Zia and gave her a wave and a small shy grin.
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Seraphina was of course all dolled up for the event, quite happy to attend anything that involved cocktail attire, not that she hadn't been interested in a murder mystery right off. It sounded fun and Phina was 100% sure she would be able to enjoy herself.
For the moment, she skipped the cocktail bar and headed into the crowd, despite being alone on the night, that wouldn't stop her from having a good time and maybe making a new 'friend.'
She took up a spot off to the side and watched the beginning of the goings on.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:28 pm
"It takes skills, Zee! Skills!" Peter called out to his light haired neighbor as she went past, looking up from his phone as he keyed in the possible suspects he'd managed to bully out of Chris in the car ride over to the museum.
The soon to be fifth-grader looked up when Paris made her way over in her cocktail dress and smile and Peter rolled his eyes. Ew... Chris and his girlfriend. "Hi Paris," he greeted with a little chirp, despite his exasperation about Chris being all gaga over his girlfriend. He would remind his older brother about the last girlfriend he'd had if he didn't think he would bust into tears or something. Okay, maybe he wouldn't burst into tears, but he'd probably be moody for the rest of the weekend. And the last thing he wanted was for Chis to change the password to his internet router... Not that he couldn't just jump another network, but still.
Peter looked up when the Scientist made his way into the machine, snorting in amusement at the theatrics of the game. Although, he did change the setting on his phone to 'video' in order to record what was happening. He might upload it onto his blog later that weekend.
—————————————————————
Chris frowned as his brother wandered off, though he figured he would be okay inside the museum. He wasn't stupid enough to go wandering outside, right?? Thankfully, though, Peter didn't wander off too far, obviously distracted by what was going on around them.
He offered a small smile at Paris when she made her way over, before rearranging his face to something much more serious and unimpressed. "Having a good time?" he asked when she was close enough, though still observing the others around them, and frowning suspiciously at Zia when she passed him by and headed towards the stage, only to stop. Huh... hopefully she was okay.
"Oh, Lily's here, too," he said under his breath, nodding to their mutual friend. He would have suggested going over had he not been called out, and Chris nodded to Iouri when he mentioned his character, trying to make his face read 'yeah, I better be repaid a hundred fold' before watching in amazement at the lights from the machine. Well, that was cool.
He was going to guess that this thing was just about to get a lot more interesting.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:43 pm
The Ex-Mrs. Scientist smiled at a few people and glared harshly at others, slipping around a few clusters of guests and crossing paths with Peter with a quick "Behave yourself" before coming to a stop near Chris, not standing directly beside him, but close enough for them to be able to talk to one another while still putting on their respective acts.
"Good enough," he said, shooting another foul look at The Lover and The Scientist as the initial presentation began. "It'll get more interesting once it really starts, I bet," he added, and gave Lily a small smile and a wave as she passed.
He watched The Scientist and his machine with barely any trace of interest, sipping at his drink and rolling his eyes at the bit about building palaces and cities. Men really were pathetic when they were "in love."
"That's a good look for you, by the way," Paris commented lowly, intending for only Chris to hear him as he motioned toward his face. He'd wondered why he hadn't seemed to bother to shave recently. It was sort of adorable how hard he was trying to get into the part. "You should leave it like that. Makes you look sort of rouge-ish," he said, then turned to face him enough for Chris to see him mouthing silently 'Very sexy.'
He returned his attention to the demonstration as The Scientist entered the machine, retaining an expression of disinterest as the lights shifted to blue.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:49 pm
Everything came to a grinding halt. The machine made a terrible crunching noise it most certainly wasn't supposed to make, and the power surged. The twinkling event lights went out, and the recessed emergency lights came on, lighting the room nightmarishly red.
The door to the machine burst open, releasing a puff of smoke, and the scientist's limp form tumbled to the floor and did not move from where it had fallen.
There was a flower of vivid, red, arterial blood blooming across the front of his crisp, white dress shirt.
The main lights came back on. A woman in the crowd shrieked, although it was difficult to say whether this was a plant or not.
Something had gone very, very wrong with the scientific breakthrough of the century.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:55 pm
It was a good thing the event had allowed for a cocktail hour, as Gigi had been running late. She'd clattered in at the last minute on unstable pink heels for a cocktail-ten-minutes, claiming an alarmingly-coloured alcohol-free drink quickly before drifting into the crowd, trying to guess who were characters and who were guests like her. Not seeing anyone she knew immediately, she hovered by herself, with a notebook in hand to unravel the mystery.
Yay, she hadn't missed the start!
When the scientist started the experiment, she craned her neck to get a good look at the people indicated, and had a go at scribbling down his speech.
She gasped when the lights went out, and crept closer to gawk at the 'murder' when the scientist fell out. It looked really real, wow.
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