‘Cause a Halloween party’s a rad excuse To put your body through mad abuse | OPEN

[heatmetal]

Who: The Stranger Things cast
What: A Housewarming Party hosted by the gang & Settling in to their new haunted home
When: Late October - Early November
Where: Private Housing, Sunset Falls
Content Warnings: probably drugs, drinking

Moving In.

[ It's not quite the joyous occasion they were hoping it would be. The disappearance of one of their own has left a heavy air over the group, but they're determined to try to make something of the situation. And so they proceed with the move, their belongings loaded up in the back of a teleporting truck.

Neighbors are welcome to spy the new arrivals. A perfect collection of unlikely friends that look like they belong in a horror movie cast. You'll get a drink for your trouble - or something a little less legal (or more legal, if you aren't) if you offer to lend a hand. Evidentially, some among their number are not terribly well equipped to do heavy lifting. Damn sticky nerd arms. ]

HOUSEWARMING PARTY is written in slanted block print on a piece of cardboard, staked just outside the newly purchased manor seated near the edge of town. It is a utterly ridiculous piece of architecture, and the gathered teens have more space than they know what to do with.

So how better than to fill it with a house party?
There's a stunning indoor pool just begging to be cannonballed into. A classy lounge for enjoying a little existential angst and ennui. There’s enough guest bedrooms for anyone who wants to crash, though be warned: few are furnished. Some rooms are off limits, for your own sanity rather than theirs.

The music pumping through the place alternates between 80s metal and pop, with some newer tunes sprinkled in there for flavor.

There’s food, a legion of kegs and, well, that less than legal stuff is making the rounds too. ]

Comments

[eggplanting]

[The loosened grip worries her for the wrong reason, at first. She thinks she might have said something wrong, made Cass thinks she blames her for leaving, or didn't sound genuine enough, or any number of things. But Cass doesn't leave, like she would if she was mad at Steph.

But she does choke on her words.

Steph stops floating, shifting her weight until her legs drop down into the water and she can stand on the bottom of the pool, grateful it's shallow enough that she can. She doesn't let go of Cass, but she wants to be looking at her, not floating beside her.]

Do you want to tell me you're thinking? Or do you want me to just be here?

[It's careful phrasing, trying to let Cass know that if she wants to try explaining what's going on, Steph will be patient until she can, but she doesn't want her to feel pressured to find words, if she doesn't want to.

They can just be here.]

[louder_than_words]

[Cass shakes her head. The words aren't there. Won't happen. But she grips Steph's hand. Tight. She wants her here. To stay.

She always... wants Steph. To stay.

She floats in the water.

There were times Steph helped her float. Fly away. But that was when Steph was... not-dead. And Cass was dead. And Cass was drowning-burning.

This is real-Steph. And she holds Cass. Her hand is an... anchor. And the water is cool. And the air is fresh. And they're both alive.

She wants to tell Steph. That when Cass dies, she sees Steph. Welcomes her. She wants to tell Steph they're both alive. But the words... float away. So she clenches her fingers.]

[eggplanting]

[It's enough of an answer for Steph.]

I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.

[If the death grip on her hand is any indication, Cass is a little concerned about the idea of her leaving, so she'll offer the extra reassurance to be safe.

She'd like to know what's wrong, so she can help and try to fix it, but it isn't worth trying to pressure Cass into explaining when she's not ready. The best she can do is close her other hand around Cass's, sandwiching her palm between her own, reinforcing the grip on her.

It's a repetition. I'm not going anywhere.]