Participants:
| Scene Title | Burned Hair and Brimstone |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Unsuspecting clients step into a haunted salon, and things of course go awry. But all's well that ends well. |
| Date | October 30, 2010 |
It /can't/ be close to midnight cuz of things like curfew and the like but the salon is open in the afternoon/evening hours as usual, even on a Halloween weekend. Cambria's Salon and Day Spa is decked out in spooky night spirit, little pumpkins of candy and stylists and nail techs dressed in costumes. There are even a few cobwebs strung over things and in door-ways, the Salon taking on the feel of an old…salon from the 50s or so, abandonned and a bit run-down. The candles are in the process of being lit but none other than Raquelle, who is not dressed in a costume but in enough black to make a good Goth wear pink. He hums softly as he lights candles.
Peyton Whitney is not dressed in costume, but in jeans and boots and an angora sweater. She looks a little startled when she enters the salon carrying a tell-tale pink bakery box full of Halloween-themed cookies for her favorite hair dresser; she didn't actually make an appointment and is hoping to get squeezed in. Once upon a time, she would have assumed that she would be served immediately based on her celebrutante status, but now she hopes to eke in on merit of friendship.
"Raquie! The salon looks amazing," she calls to him, giving the front desk clerk a smile as she breaks etiquette to holler at the owner. "Happy Halloween," she adds.
Melissa is one goth who will never be caught dead wearing pink. Especially not on the night before Halloween! So tonight, she's in a black reaper type costume, though the hood has been tossed back and she carries no scythe. Her hair is black though, along with all her makeup. At least the makeup that isn't stark white.
She comes in not long after Peyton, and she beams. "Wicked! Lookin' good, Raquelle! And hey Peyton, long time no see!" she says, grinning at the other woman.
Kendall helped Raquelle decorate! That's what minions are for, after all. And in a direct contrast to Raquelle's outfit, Kendall is decked out in all white. Why? Because white looks awesome under a blacklight, and there's a few here and there. Having finished his part, he's sitting off to the side, looking happy and armed with a sketchbook. He'll wait for a good crowd to come in before he starts his hijinks.
It is the day before Halloween, and Harmony Roberts is out looking to get something done with that hair of hers. She has a costume lined up for a party that will be happening, and it would require that her hair be anything but super curly like it is. The girl knows enough fashion to suite herself and look good, though she isn't quite versed in making her hair look fantastic. So she seeks out a place where she can have that done. The girl is dressed in a pair of tight, hot-pants, leather, black, a belt composed of large silver loops at her waist, and a vest-top to cover her torso, a thick, black leather bracelet band with spike studs over one wrist, her nails also done in an unchipped black.
"Oooooooh, lookie lookie a little hottie and death's concubine. How /precious/." Raquelle drawls with a wink as he sets aside the lighter and opens his arms as he approaches the two women. "C'mon, no hug no service, you caaaaaaame, just in time for all the chocolate and chills." He waggles his eyebrows his own gift wrapping around the word chills to inspire goosebumps before he winks and then turns slightly to see the new person, eyebrows shooting up. "…holy shizbiscuits, lookit them /legs/…" He eyes Kendall and then the new comer, flashing a smile. "Ooooh, Kendall dahlink, looks like we have a guest."
"I didn't know you were having a thing," Peyton says a little worriedly, setting the pink bakery box on the counter and wrapping her arms warmly around the tall stylist, kissing his cheek and then stepping back so Melissa can do the same. "Melissa, right? I'm not sure under all that black. Good to see you," she offers, smiling over at Harmony when the newcomer enters the salon. "I actually was wondering if you could fit me in, but I can come back another time when you're not trying to scare paying customers." She smirks at the irony. Usually screams are not what a stylist wants to hear in his salon.
Hugs aren't something Melissa's holding back on tonight. Raquelle gets one. Peyton even gets one, albeit not quite as enthusiastic since she's not as well known. Kendall though…Poor kid may think Mel's trying to crack his ribs, but she hasn't seen him in a while! "Death's concubine, huh? Damn. My costume's getting more play than I am," she says with an impish grin to Rauqelle. "how you been, honey? And you too, Kendall. Don't think you're not still answerable to me, boyo."
Kendall oofs as Melissa assaults him with hugs, stepping away as soon as he's free. "I'm good, I've made a new friend. Her name's Valerie." he oh-so-innocently drops that in both Melissa and Raquelle's hearing. "Does this mean we can't scare them?" he asks his boss, since there are guests here. Aw.
Harmony looks around at all of the decorations and people dressed up, wondering for a second if she is in the right place. Her bright blue eyes blinking a few time. Her tongue presses into her cheek, and she ummms very lowly. However, Peyton's request about being fit in reassures her, as well as the greeting she receives as a new face. Her shoulders relax and she meanders in their direction. "Hello~" she offers in a sing-songy tone, getting a gander at those gathered. She does actually recognize Raquelle, even though she didn't actually meet him, and he's with Kendall too. Harmony's eyes squint thoughtfully, recalling as she looks at them, "Hey.. karaoke night, right? A little bit ago? Yeah, you're the guy that was having fun the minute you came in, and.." she looks to Kendall, "You're that one kid's friend. Brand?"
"No, I'm Kendall." he replies to Harmony. "Brand is…" he pauses, eying Harmony speculatively. Oh, it's HER. "…the guy who tried really hard to get into y
Raquelle chuckles at Peyton. "It is a thing but…I can handle a thing and some hair too, don't worry." He air kisses near cheeks, eyeing Mel's make-up critically before nodding slowly to himself. "Hike up the skirts and lower the neckline honey and maybe you'd be getting more play than the costume as well. It is all in how you wear it." He winks and chuckles softly. "I've been better…but I'm okay." He blinks at Peyton. "I have no idea what's going to happen tonight…well not everything so hey, it'll be a surprise for us all." Then he attention toes to Harmony. "…I'm not quite sure honey but I usually do have fun the moment I enter a place so c'mon honey, c'mon in…just in time for sweets." Then to Kendall. "…I told you. You have 2 days. I'm not going to tell you to or not to." He holds up two fingers.
"I just need a cut, so it shouldn't be too hard," Peyton says with a smile, then glances at the others in costume. "I am feeling a bit underdressed, I admit. You all look great." She taps the bakery box. "Some goodies in there for you boys, too." Glancing at Kendall, she tilts her head. "So you're the fright meister? Just don't get too bloody and realistic and it's cool with me. I think I've seen worse than anything you guys have in store, sadly." She shares a glance with Melissa, who she knows has an idea of what she's talking about.
Kendall met a girl? Melissa eyes him like she's considering smiting him down. "You made a friend with a girl? Like, a girlfriend? You know I have to meet her and possibly have a private chat with her, right?" she tells him, in the tone of mother's everywhere suggesting a kid shouldn't argue. She glances back to Peyton, nodding a bit. "He's not bad with the spooky though."
"No, I'm Kendall." he replies to Harmony. "Brand is…" he pauses, eying Harmony speculatively. Oh, it's HER. "…the guy who tried really hard to get into your pants." at Melissa's words, he turns to stare at her. "No." he replies, looking suspicious. He has a good idea exactly what kind of 'talk' Melissa wants to have with Valerie! "…and is that a challenge?" he asks Peyton, grinning at her.
Harmony ahhs with a smirk, "Hey, that's the way to be." the girl shrugs her shoulders, "No arguments from me." being the partier that she is. She looks from Melissa to Peyton, "Well.. They're both ahead of me," she points back and forth between the two girls, "And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to look like a princess. Straight hair, sparkling flair. Specifically.. I need to look like Princess Peach." Harmony reaches up and pulls a few long curls to display, "See my dilemma?" She sighs, "So yeah, if I could place an appointment, that'd be great."
"Hm? Ah.. yeah. Brand.." Harmony grins and chuckles, "He was cute, but a total lawn boy. And I'm no desperate housewife. I remember you too.. You popped his bubble preeetty hard." Harmony's brows raise as she nods.
Raquelle makes mental notes as he looks from Peyton to Harmony, mostly at their heads just nodding slowly and he does eye Melissa and Kendall for a moment. "Oh Melissa, honey, don't do the talk…he'll never get his little cherry pie nibbled on if you scare away all the bakers." He tsks softly and then just gives Kendal a chin up. "I'm sure she's a very sweet girl, just remember if you're going to stir the pot wrap up the ladle. Sometimes there are teeth in there." He coughs and shakes his head, looking to Harmony curiously. "Awww, my boys were popping bubbles and offering to mow your lawn? You sweet thing. Princess Peach it is." He nods and gestures towards Kendall turning to bend over the front desk so he can rummage for his appointment book. "And you look beautiful Peyton honey, only way you'd be underdressed is if you stripped down to your bra and panties."
The celebutante-turned-business-woman snorts a bit at the "wrap the ladle" comment, and arches a brow at the teeth comment. "No wonder you're gay, if you think we have teeth in there," she says with a rueful shake of her head. "Such a shame." There's a sassy wink and she begins to move past the counter, toward whatever chair Raquelle points her to.
No isn't a word that Melissa likes hearing from Kendall, and she jabs a finger towards his chest. "Don't make me track her down. You know I can find her if I look, and if I have to find her myself, it won't go as well. So be nice, and bring her to dinner or something one night. And no, I won't cook."
She glances to Harmony and shrugs. "I was just coming to visit Raquelle and Kendall. I don't need a slot tonight. And Brand's a douche, plain and simple. He accused me of being a murderer because I was helping a lost girl on Staten Island," she says flatly. Raquelle gets a shrug. "I'll be pretty happy if he doesn't have his…god. I don't even wanna think about that," she says, wrinkling her nose.
"Huh?" Kendall blinks uncertainly at Raquelle and Melissa. "Teeth in where? Er… you're saying something that I assume are euphemisms of some sort, but…" aww, he's so innocent. "…nothing is going on. I mean, just because we live in the same apartment, and her sister's not there, and we have a lot in common…" ok, so that sounds a LOT WORSE than it actually is. "So, anyway. Who's interested in a haunted salon? I can get things started, but… if you want your hair done first…."
Harmony laughs, "Well, Kendall was doing the popping, Brand was trying to mack. Hard. If Kendall hadn't mentioned that Brand was 17, I would never have known. And I probably would have went on a date with him. A bit young for me.." she muses, "But if he keeps that figure in about 3 or 4 years, I might being a little Harmony into his life. Or Harm.. which ever is preferred." The girl smirks, "That's my name, by the way. Harmony, or Harm for short." She makes mention, as he goes to appointment book. Can't have one without giving your name. "Whoa.." she blinks, "What? Douche.. wow..Umm.. I wouldn't have gone so far as to say douche. A fetus, maybe, but he seemed alright. I don't know anything about any murder or Staten Island.. unless I was drunk that night and you recognize me from something stupid.. or someone's You Tube site, giving the walk of shame.. in which case.. I can explain that." she knits her brows together. The girl turns to lay a hand on Kendall's shoulder, "And trust me. Only the really gross girls have teeth down there. I recommend you ask for medical records before doing the do.."
"Oh honey, I'm gay because I've ventured to no-man's land before." Raquelle chuckles softly. "Okay so then I'll take in Peyton and ahhh, as you have said Harmony? Okay honey…" He gestures to Kendall. "I'm talking about screwing nasty girls sometimes have infections and icky things down there. You have very good taste, I'm not that worried about you." He points to Melissa. "Brand also works for me, he's a baby still. You can't be a douche until you hit 18 sweetie…" He sighs softly. "I'll do you both honey, not sexually but hair-wise after Kendall here has a bit of fun." He gestures vaguely around and settles down in the chair behind the front desk.
Peyton snaps her fingers as if in disappointed, and settles into a chair. "I would argue with the 18 year old thing. I think I've met plenty of people who had peaked in their asshattery before they were technically of age," she says, reaching up to pull the hair elastic off the ponytail that keeps her long dark hair together. The long locks hit mid-back, but she gestures to her neck, giving a chopping motion. "Chop it off, Raquie, I'm tired of it."
"YOU WHAT?" Melissa all but screeches at Kendall's 'innocent' comments. "Oh hell no. What kind of people are the Fffffucking people you're living with?" At least she managed not to yell out 'Ferrymen'. "There is no way this is gonna happen!" She glances at Raquelle, eyes narrowed. "He's a douche. He hadn't even spoken to me and was telling this Katya girl that I was gonna murder her. Just because I ran into her and offered to help her get un-lost. Then he continued to be an ass even after that."
"Brand is actually younger than me. He's only 16." Kendall is a way more mature 17. "I don't know, he seems like a bully to me. He didn't react very well to my pointing out that he was trying to drink illegally in the bar. Bars can get closed down for serving drinks to minors." he nods sagely at that, although he eyeshifts in Melissa's direction. As Raquelle gives him the go-ahead, and Melissa starts her banshee impersonation, he darts a look at her and flees to his corner with the sketchbook again. Ahem. Time for a distraction, eep.
A few lines on the paper, and the sun outside starts to set in fast-forward, light fading as the sky turns dark and a full moon(whether it's the correct spot in the lunar-cycle or no) rises, larger than any moon ought to be. At that point, time freezes. "Welcome to the Dark Hour." a disembodied voice whispers in a deep bass tone.
The lights inside dim as well, cloaking the salon in darkness, and then THINGS start creeping down the walls, the sound of scissors slicing metallically echo from every corner. Maybe some of the things are crawling up a few legs?
Harmony blinks and sorta shrinks under Melissa's tirade. She reaches up with a finger and wiggles it around in her ear as if she were cleaning out the deaf from it. "Whoa.. chill. It's not all that bad, really. You don't look old enough to be his mom, and if he's older than 16 like he says, he'll be having sex with girls at any moment. If he isn't already.. Or at least tried to. Young boys are young boys, and the girls probably can't keep their hands off of him. Look at him, he's adorable! As long as he's responsible, let em be a kid." she shrugs her shoulders. When things start to get a little out of the ordinary, Harmony's eyes glance around a bit wide.. "Um.. I'm SO not high enough for this shit.." the girl blinks, biting her bottom lip.
Raquelle gives Peyton a slow nod, looking thoughtful. "I think we might get enough for locks of love." He starts to chuckle softly before sighing softly, tilting his head back. "Sometimes we all need to chop something off from time to time…" Then there is screeching and he presses two fingers to his temples and sighs softly getting to his feet and shaking his head slowly. "Right right right, I forget sometimes, I'm just a biological and adoptive father of two, I don't know a thing." He presses a finger to his lips. "Shh, ignore me." He blows a kiss. "Let me know when it is over." He nods slowly to Kendall. "Have fun don't ruin my salon or chase away customers." He bows to Harmony. "I'll be in the back." And that's where he's sneaking off to, his office as the voice starts talking.
Melissa gets a wide-eyed look from Peyton, and then the room begins to go dark, and she simply closes her eyes, choosing not to see the frightening shadows climbing down the walls. She could tune out the sound of scissors, if she opted to tune into someone else's surroundings elsewhere in the world, but that would make it difficult to talk to Raquelle. "Oh, good idea, I didn't even think about that. I think I have enough," she agrees, putting the hair band back in, though this time lower, about where she thinks she wants her hair to be cut. But then he's slipping back into the back room. "No scaring off the stylist!" she teases Kendall, peeking one eye back open a little dubiously.
Unfortunately, Melissa is used to Kendall's illusions and they're not much of a deterrent for her. And Harmony isn't helping the situation either, as she jabs a finger in the woman's direction. "I'm NOT his mom. I'm his sister. And he better not be having sex! Kendall? No sex. It can't happen. The world will implode. The sun will explode, and trust me, that's not a thing you wanna see!" Trust her, she knows. She's seen sun energy at work!
Then she seems to realize that she's gotten into Mom-mode, and shakes her head, tossing out a bit of muttering, with a Chinese curse tossed in for flair. "Enjoy the haunted house. I've gotta go bitch out a couple of sisters and preach about abstinance. If it's good enough for me, forcibly, it's good enough for him," she mutters, heading for the door.
Kendall appears disgruntled. "I just SAID it's not LIKE that!" he mutters. She's totally overreacting! They sleep in separate rooms! They play video games together! Anyway, he's got scaring to do. And there's still a couple people here who are willing to be scared. As Melissa heads for the doors, the floor beneath her starts to crumble, huge chunks falling from under her feet and spreading, and those caught in its path will feel like they're falling. Underneath the floor seems to be a yawning chasm, filled with fire, screams, and demons wielding…. red-hot curling irons. Watch out! There's even a stench of burning hair and brimstone, something that will never actually happen in the salon.
If there is one thing Harmony isn't, it's a prude. She is a bit of a free spirit with very little inhibitions.. At least normal ones. Deep down inside, she is a pretty emotionally complex person. But when she sees how Melissa practically flips out, she just purses her lips and frowns, "Mm-kay.." she comments, watching the girl go, and not adding any fuel to the fire. Now.. in terms of emotions, if there is one that Harmony doesn't handle too well, it's fear. Not that she is easy to scare, it just isn't good when she gets that way. Kendall succeeds in doing so, the blonde girl's eyes going wide and making her backpeddle to press her body against the wall, her heart starting to leap into her throat. There is a little slip of her hold of her own ability, while she plants herself flat against the wall. Wireless signals and radiowaves are interrupted by the ones she puts off, and a bright light begins to shed from her skin. She lights up like a veritable Christmas tree and doesn't look like she is too aware.
Raquelle sighs softly, keeping his door open as he sings softly under his breath something about Thriller and he watches out of his door just staring with a quirk of an eyebrow and then he watches Harmony light up and then he facepalms.
The floor fades back into view, but then suddenly disembodied suits of armor leap into the room, carrying giant shaving blades like those seen in Sweeney Todd. They flash as they go off towards the two women remaining, cutting through them(only not) with blood flying. Of course, they don't feel the pain even if they don't dodge, but it certainly LOOKS real enough. Abruptly, however, everything disappears at once, returning to normal. The cause of this appears to be the fact that Kendall might've overexerted his powers between this and what he did the other day. He seems to have passed out. He'll be fine soon enough.
Peyton's other eye opens and she blinks at Harmony's display, unsure if its part of Kendall's or just a reaction caused by adrenaline. "You okay, miss?" she says softly, getting up from her seat and moving toward the other woman, though giving her a wide berth — approaching an Evo whose ability you're not sure of? Maybe not the brightest thing she's done, but she's also not going to let the girl freak out alone. She knows what that's like, too.
The blades come slicing, then, and she closes her eyes — seeing her own blood splash out of her, even if it's just an illusion, is just a little too close to comfort for the clairvoyant, having seen her own death that's now just a week and a couple of days in the future, if the visions hold true — not that she believes in that particular time and date. She turns as Kendall slumps and she shakes her head. "Raquelle, you might wanna teach that one about … moderation." Irony coming from Peyton Whitney, but then, she's not the girl she once was. "Miss? It's over. You can relax." A hand reaches as if to touch Harmony, but she drops it before doing so.
"Wh—what is going on?!" Harmony is as confused as she is frightened. One could see her heartbeat, in the form of the light throbbing brightly with the increase of her heart. Like a slow strobe light, pulsing to the beat of a metronome, or a lighthouse, the beams of visible light that pour from her form see to add to the show. She does look like some kind of great ghost or something. There really isn't much danger of her doing harm to anyone. It's like she's a walking tanning bed at the moment. Sure.. if you were bombarded for quite a long time, you'd get burned.. and could probably get cancer. But this light isn't gonna last the hour or so it would take to cause that kind of damage. It is then that things just seem to die down. Her blue eyes looking at Peyton with so many questions in the, "What the HELL just happened?" she shouts, the light does manage to die down and go away, leaving her the way she was. "I just came in here to get my hair done, and then I'm in some kinda Hell on earth thing! Was.. was that supposed to be a joke?"
"…" Raquelle gets to his feet, sighing softly and making his way to where Kendall lies and he works on carrying the youngin' to the back office and get him situated and set up while calling out. "You have NO idea honey." That's what he calls out before he takes a deep breath. "Get her a bottle of water from behind the desk and give her a cookie or a piece of chocolate for my Peyton honey, I'll be right out. Keep her calm for me honey…"
"He said he was starting a haunted salon," Peyton says to Harmony, her low voice soft and hopefully soothing, though she's not used to calming other people. "I'm guessing his ability is illusion, I didn't really know, but look, see, there's nothing hear now. It was just a trick of the senses he played. No harm no foul. See?" She nods toward the tiles where there had seemed to be a chasm into hell, now back to their normal glossy and intact state. "Let me get you some water," she says, moving to the little fridge and pulling out a bottle of water, bringing it back to Harmony and offering it. "He's just a kid, he went a bit overboard. Looks like he knocked himself out, the idiot, but he's not a bad kid, I don't think."
Well that explains it enough for her. A haunted house sort of effect. She might have guessed. Harmony pauses as she listen to Peyton's explaination and closes her eyes tightly. "Wow.. Now I feel kinda stupid." she admits, shaking her head, "Illusions.. I can see how that would make for one of the best Halloween parties ever.. It probably would have been better if I KNEW what to expect." Not one to blush, Harmony hides her embarrasment well, watching them carry Kendall off toward the back. "Ah.. thanks." she takes the offered water. "Um.. is he gonna be okay? I don't think.." she frowns and looks at her hands, "I mean.. I didn't do anything to damage him, did I? It.. it was just light, right? Nothing hot?"
Raquelle makes his way back into the area, taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "Sometimes folks don't really realize how…their talents might be too much for them to handle." He offers softly before kneeling down beside Harmony and giving Peyton a small nod of appreciation. "You two, you're on me tonight okay? Your hair and so on and I'll give you coupons for mani-pedis."
"I think he did it to himself. I didn't feel anything hot — but you … if you react that way, you wanna make sure you're registered or if not, that you have some fake registration cards on you, miss," Peyton says quietly, voice low. "Just in case something like that happens in public — it's a pretty bad tell that you can't hide, it looks like, so you don't want someone to scare you into getting arrested. I mean, if you're not registered. But you probably are. I'm sure you are." Because it's none of her business.
Turning to Raquelle, Peyton shakes her head. "Not necessary on my account, hon. Just lop off that pony tail so I can look like a professional business woman instead of a girl scout without putting it into a chignon or something, right?" she says, setting the water down on the counter near Harmony should she change her mind, then returning to her salon chair so Raquelle can get to work.
"No.. I am." Harmony purses her lips together, reminded about it. "I'm registered and.. don't usually have too many bad accidents. I mean.. I haven't had any, save for just one, when I first got this ability. Usually, it's just light but.. I worry yanno? That one time, it won't just be light. I can do other things.. bad, permanent, radioactive things. But on the up side, I can sleep in an area where there is fallout and not feel a thing. Always a silver lining somewhere, huh?" Harmony nods, trying to forget about the incident. "Anyway.. Thanks." she smiles, "That little stunt actually would have been really cool if like.. you had advertised it was gonna happen. Charged admission, made a profit.."
Raquelle shakes his head a little bit, pointing to two chairs. "You will be there Princess Rapunzel and you will be there Princess Peach." Thankfully Peyton already has her chair and he idly cracks his neck. "Yes, yes, my bad…lack of advertisement, but we'll work on it. Little Kendall was really feeling the holiday spirit." Then he takes a deep breath. He has work to do.
The brunette gives the blonde a smile and a nod. "Right. Remind me to stay on your good side. I'm Peyton, by the way," says the former socialite. "That's good. I'm not really an advocate for registering except you can't really hide something like that, I think. Only reason I was warning," she adds.
Her eyes close as she leans back in her chair, content to let Raquelle do his magic. "Kendall will be okay. Every power has its limits, and he's still learning the boundaries I guess. Next time, though, maybe tell him to keep it to friendly Caspar ghosts and the like so as not to freak out the paying customers, right? Now, please tell me you have some chocolate with caramel in it, and Harmony and me will be perfectly content for the rest of the afternoon." She flashes a bright smile and prepares for the sound of those snipping scissors to return, but this time they will be held in a very human and very corporeal hand of a very talented hairdresser.