#helltownevent3

The darkness that had settled upon the town was...unsettling, if one was to put it lightly. But time didn't stop. It just kept on moving, and Bastian had stopped trying to make sense of any of it long ago. They had to keep on keeping on - and one way they would do that is to make sure they all got at least a somewhat satisfying meal in their bellies.

Bastian had made it his own personal mission to try and keep the survivors of the town fed with healthy and tasty meals, even if what he was working with was limited. He was working on a stew on this particular evening when someone stepped into the diner and closed the door firmly behind them. Yeah, life still went on and people still needed to eat, even if there were creatures looking to kill you beyond those doors.

He shook away the thought and slapped a smile onto his face, grabbing a spoon and a bowl to fill with a serving, soon approaching the newcomer and extending the bowl in their direction. "Here - please. You've got to try this and let me know what you think."

She’d been drinking far more than she would back home, but since the world was ending or whatever, Dee felt it was only necessary. Giggled erupted from her as she bit into her last piece of bread. Having started drinking pretty early, munching on some of the food set out seemed like the only way to lessen the alcohol’s effect. There was the obvious option of stopping her intake all together, but what was the point of coming to the party if she didn’t plan on enjoying it in its entirety. She did have water in between each alcoholic beverage, and ensured to take her time with each pour. Serving another set of drinks, Dilara found the next familiar face and extended her hand. “  I wish I knew enough about what was in the mixture to have a proper offer, but uh- drink?  ” she said with a large smile.

Parties were easy to get lost in. If there was one thing that Joel enjoyed more than unraveling in his paintings, it was getting the chance to fuck around with a pretty girl or two. He didn’t tend to linger for longer than a few hours with them, but just enough to enjoy himself, make them happy in some way, and effortlessly depart. No promises of another time, or even seeing each other again. Just live by the moment and enjoy it while it lasted. That was his defining romance, though he had often yearned for more. Granted their… death? upon entering Arcadia, all yearning of finding more became moot. “  How much of the rumors do you think are true?  ” he asked, taking a sip of his - whatever the fuck they put in the container - drink and turning towards his current partner in crime. He couldn’t be caught dead hanging around alone in that house of horrors.

Planning what she was going to do once the party was over hadn't been particularly high on Tessa's list of important details for the night. It wasn't as if she had a home here to go back to, after all. The cinema was the closest thing to it...and it wasn't really a home anyway, was it? Maybe it depended on one's definition - but Tessa didn't think it fit hers. A cage. A prison, maybe. But no, certainly not a home.

Staying until the first signs of sunlight seemed like the best bet, she supposed, so she'd found a place to rest a few hours. Now, she was watching the windows out of the corner of her eye, trying not to look too closely at the creepy smiling faces on the other side of the glass.

At first he didn’t understand the reasoning behind everyone’s panic. So what if the lights went out? They should come back up soon enough, it wasn’t the end of the world. Joel shifted through the crowd, navigating the darkness to try and find his brother. There weren’t too many places where he’d be, knowing well that Dayn hadn’t wanted to go there in the first place, so he was rather irritated when he couldn’t find the familiar head amongst the attendees. “  Fucking hell.  ” he cussed, instinctively reaching for his cellphone for all the help it could provide, “  Hey, sorry, have you seen my twin? Not that we can see anything with the lack of lighting or whatever, but - he was wearing -  like, a black shirt. I think. Or maybe it was blue. ” Moments like this he wished his cellphone worked still so he could show pictures. “  Oh, um, he looks just like me. Less handsome - beggars can’t be choosers or however the saying goes.  ”

Dancing with the devil. That’s what Dilara felt she did each time their eyes met. Shiver ran down her back without sense for what it all meant, but her dance did not cease. Even as she turned and twirled, enjoying the cadence of the song and the beat traveling through her flesh, she felt a gaze. Or perhaps it’s what she wanted to feel. A want and not a fact. Still, she moved through the dance floor until her feet ached and sore. Until the length of her heels felt embedded in her foot and she could handle it no more. Finding a hallway that lead away from the crowd, Dee made her way through cautiously. She’d never been there before, nor did she know what she’d come across after hearing all those rumors, but she needed somewhere quiet to sit and dismount her shoes. While she knew it did not matter here, Dilara couldn’t help but feel the need for privacy when she felt out of sorts. Taking her shoes off in a crowded room did not appeal to her person. “  Hello?  ” she inquired into an empty hallway as she stumbled in pain. “  Thank goodness.  ”

Everything was a mess, despite Mia thinking that nothing could get worse; it managed to do exactly that. Not only was her sister trapped here, but another creature lurked in the town with abilities that would defy safety in the sunlight. The latter she wasn't exactly aware of yet, hence why she decided to take a morning daylight stroll and get some books. Reading kept her sane in this hellhole, allowing her mind to find solace in fictional stories where the protagonist fought their own battles and won.

Thumbing through the old books, she gathered enough to keep her mind at ease for a few days and was about to make her way out, but an odd creak rang out, causing her to bolt behind a table and stand guard. Mia wasn't sure if she had always been this jumpy; it was hard to think of the person she used to be after months filled with terror, but she swore it wasn't always like this. Squinting her eyes to get a better view, she was able to realize that the noise had come from a person, not some scary demon who wanted to rip her to shreds. With her hands up in a way that showed she meant peace, Mia slipped out from behind the desk and cleared her throat.