« get up off that wall and change your life « CLOSED

[agoddessonce]

« Who: Closed to Ororo agoddessonce's CR
« What: It's Definitely Just Poker Night
« When: mid June
« Where: Old warehouse residence in the Down
« Content Warnings: drinking, gambling, consolidating information!

Poker Night

ground floor: bar and kitchen

( alcohol, aphro )

At three-ish stories high, Ororo's warehouse home in the Down isn't quite as impressive as its old namesake in Texas. Forge's Aerie had been a feat of steel, glass, and modern technology that could not be recreated here. Ororo's own Aerie only features a simple but effective security system of its own, keeping outsiders out, and letting invited guests (and plus-ones) in. Its simple, sparse and highly industrial design reminded her a lot of how starkly clean Forge used to prefer things, and before today, this Aerie was mostly a sort of in-between place that no one lived in much anymore. Lately she'd felt the need to change that - things seemed to be happening , and hopefully someone somewhere could do something with all the information floating around these days.

So here she is, using it for one of its intended purposes. A place to meet with other people to catch up, and hopefully put a few puzzle pieces together, maybe get some ideas flowing. Food and games were decent enough excuses to gather, so when people ask: it's really just dinner, drinks, and poker. The food itself is nothing fancy: pizza, nachos, some takeout, beer. There's some harder stuff in the kitchen for anyone who asked nicely (or knew how to cozy up to her.) Someone's set out some pre-mixed drinks in punch bowls, all clearly and neatly labeled:

» "For Candor" | kosher - salted honey syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, whiskey, ginger ale, drunken cherries (no aphro, but charmed to encourage openness and sincerity)
» "For Companionship" | no alcohol - limes, whole milk, sugar, fresh mint (available with and without aphro)
» "For Quota Help" | a bowl that starts out empty, but characters are invited to discreetly place their names inside if they want to offer someone else some help with quota this month. Let's help each other out! Surely no one will place another person's name in here to start mess.

2nd floor: the war room

( possible talk of sedition )

Tucked away into the back of the second floor are two whiteboards, a long worktable of pens, markers, and post-its, and a ream or two of office paper. The paper is for notes and note-taking for anyone who wanted to have hard copies of whatever people wanted to discuss up here - Ororo hasn't said anything specific, but there is a clear map of the Up and the Down on those boards. She has little round magnets placed on various parts of the city - the main Obelisk, and where the other, smaller ones used to be. There are some names she's placed in the middle of a discussion board - the Creator, of course, his mysterious Dominant marked with a question mark, and an 'Aldrete' encircled with red marker leading out to different notes of paper - DTF?, the gangs?, and Other Cities?. Everyone is welcome to add sticky notes of what they know about these, and more! Ororo's vocal about how she hopes to keep this section of the warehouse set up this way for the foreseeable future.

The War Table set-up from the Christmas potluck also makes a return; for those who missed it, it's a recreation of the city made up of beer and whiskey bottles, takeout containers, and red plastic cups for locations of interest, meant to help with simulations and strategies. This time, the lighthouse is indicated by a highball glass, and the sea with a sheet of plastic. Someone's also put a tentacle-shaped dildo right in the middle of the "sea", and while Ororo will have no idea who'd put it there, she'll be happy to discuss what she knows of the kraken ("Don't fight it alone" and "It doesn't like fire or lightning.")

Finally, there's also a copier machine! Because Ororo doesn't want to put too much of what's discussed here on the network, and people should have paper copies of any notes made tonight if they want them, she's decided a photocopier is a decent little investment. If you need help figuring it out, or if the machine is jammed, please ask for some assistance. Thank you!

3rd floor: poker

( gambling, stripping )

The reason she'd ostensibly asked people to come to this thing is still poker, so there are a couple of card tables set up on the third floor, along with a few squishy couches for anyone who just wants to watch and maybe heckle. Up here, the windows are cracked open and Ororo allows smoking. All she asks is people be careful not to set anything on fire with their cigars or cigarettes, and for there to be no physical brawls over the games. If she sees anyone coming to blows over a round of cards, she's not opposed to throwing people out the nearest window herself. She'll ensure you land within the warehouse perimeter, so climbing back up to collect winnings and other possessions shouldn't be difficult.

The games start out with Texas Hold 'Em, and a round or two of Blind Man's Bluff. There are chips to bet with, but someone eventually starts betting with clothes (their own, or someone else's), kisses, dates, or drinks. There's a laundry basket for any stripping that happens, and Ororo makes sure there are towels or blankets for anyone that starts to get cold. Ororo's also the type to keep bathrobes or sleeping robes on hand, so if anyone wants to borrow one - there's a closet of them available! They range from simple and soft to extravagantly fluffy - but most are (thankfully) unused and even have their pricetags on, but all smell vaguely like camphor.

rooftop access / outside

The rooftop is easily accessible, but there are also wrap-around outdoor decks on both the second and third floors. Ororo's claustrophobia and preference for seeing the outside from nearly any part of the floor makes that a necessity. So it shouldn't be hard to go and get some "fresh" air, or a view of the Down 'skyline.'

From the rooftop and the decks, the street that the warehouse is on will seem mostly quiet all the way down to where Patch's Gym is sitting closed for the night. Ororo works hard to keep her tiny corner of the Down free from crime and gang activity, but occasionally a few troublemakers slip through the cracks to get their turf back. But because it's generally so quiet, it won't be hard to tell when a fight starts in some alley down the road.

Exiting the warehouse is not difficult - there's a fire escape down the side, and there's always just flying or flinging oneself from the edge of a balcony. Security might be tough coming back in - someone has to let you back in the proper way (through the front door.) Ororo's alarm system is designed by a Robin, and may or may not be keeping close track of who comes and goes, and how often they come back in.

CODE CREDIT ♡