Welcome to the Castle, Darling (a Burlesque RP) [Inactive]

[MissPenny]

A cool breeze swept bits of litter along the streets of downtown Los Angeles as the sun began to set, resulting in a pink and orange hued horizon. A few misplaced tourists still roamed the cracked sidewalks in search of one last 'Kodak moment' before the true night life took off. Among the vacationing families, street bums, and well-to-do citizens was Katrina Parker. In her snug skinnies and off the shoulder sweater she weaved her way around small clusters and city trash cans, keeping a tight grip on the navy clutch in her left hand. Her place of occupation wasn't exactly enclosed by the safest of areas, after all. She walked the same route everyday; four blocks from her apartment to The Castle, across the street for an extremely late dinner after the club had closed, and back up the four blocks to 'home sweet home', as usual.


The bottom of her Toms made soft, padding sounds against the concrete as she passed the off-brand pharmaceutical shop, as usual, and made a left into the next alley. This marked the employee entrance to the club, with a metal door towards the middle of the molded walkway outfitted with a fairly high-tech card reader. From the outside, this was perhaps the only sign that something much more posh and lavish lay within the dilapidated walls. Kat pulled her employee I.D. from her pocket, quickly passing it in front of the little green light and awaiting the affirmative 'ding' before slipping through the door.


The smell of perfume with a twinge of alcohol and maybe a splash of cigar smoke filled her lungs as she stepped inside, as usual. She stood in a plush dressing room decorated in crimson and gold. The carpet felt comfortingly familiar under her feet as she strode over to one of the five makeup tables surrounding the walls. Each countertop was complete with a velvet stool and full sized mirror held by an elegant, golden, picture frame. Near the top of every mirror was a title written in flawless cursive; Belle, Mulan, Snow White, The Evil Queen, and Ariel.


Katrina took a seat on the stool in front of her counter; Belle. Her brown eyes locked onto themselves in the mirror and she gave a slight smile. She was the first one to arrive, as usual. Another night of work. Another night of dancing. Another night of what the past had proved to result in interesting events. Though some looked down on what she did, Kat didn't mind the job. It was steady pay and if she happened to have a little fun along the way, well...so be it.


"Welcome to The Castle..." She murmured to herself, a grin playing at her lips.

 

[wormz]

Despite the fact that the sun was setting, this was around the time Henry was usually waking up. Working late shifts at a club was probably a piece of what his sleep schedule had become. It had become far from average, obviously.


Sighing heavily, he moved to the edge of his bed and pushed himself to a standing position, then sauntered off across his apartment to draw the curtains and let in what little light of the day was left. For a moment he stood there, only to realize that he was a bit behind when he glanced at his old digital clock on his nightstand. Saying he was only 'a bit' behind was actually an understatement. "Shit!" He hissed and then dashed to his dresser, pulling out a random shirt and a pair of jeans. Hurriedly, he changed, not bothering to clean up all the shirts and other apparel that was now scattered in various areas of the room. With that, he grabbed his phone, keys, a pack of cigarettes and his wallet and promptly left the apartment—almost forgetting to lock it. Especially in the area he lived in, forgetting to lock your apartment really wasn't a good idea.


As he walked down the street he thought about taking a taxi, but when he looked at his watch he found he barely just had enough time to walk there. He was supposed to be at the club half an hour before the dancers got on with the show, because customers sometimes leaked in early, wanting to eat beforehand. But at this rate, he'd probably only get there fifteen minutes before. The manager wasn't terrible, though—and being late wasn't a habit for Henry, thank god. Henry hated being late for anything, and when it came to jobs he tried to be as responsible as he could. So being fifteen minutes late was a bit of a stretch.


All this was making his hands shaky, so he pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit it, taking a satisfying drag from it. Smoking wasn't something he did too often, either. Maybe two cigarettes every other day—or whenever he felt he really needed one. Which, of course, was rare. Smoking calmed him down, which is the only reason he really did it in the first place.


When he neared the club, it was much quieter. Not as many cars passing by, nor any rushing people winding past him. This street was even more calming.


He got up to the entrance and threw his cigarette on the ground, putting it out with the heel of his worn slip-on vans and took out his employee I.D.—although he usually didn't need it. Coming through the entrance was something he did often, and the bouncers knew him. All he had to do was flash them his signature cheeky grin and give them a quick greeting, and he was in. He made his way to the backroom by the kitchen to punch himself in.

 

[LannaRae]

The dingy cab screeched to a halt, throwing the girl inside out of her daydream. Lanna shook her head as if she were just waking from a dream (which, in a way she was) and blinked behind her oversized sunglasses, suddenly aware that she'd already arrived at her destination.


" That'd be 20 dollars, miss."


She nodded silently and rummaged through her bag, distinctly aware about how disorganized it was. Half-used bottles of nail polish, empty gum wrappers, a tube of lip gloss and some of her make-up and jewellery lay scattered about, criss-crossing each other and making the inside of her bag look like a mini landfill of some girl's junk. Well, her junk. Finally, she spotted the edge of her rhinestone purse poking out between her compact mirror and some flyers she'd forgotten to clear out. She fished it out immediately, relieved to find that she hadn't, in fact. left it at home. Handing the man a crisp 20-dollar bill, she stopped out of the cab and onto the curb, where the waning sun washed over her like warm, melting rays of gold and red. She smiled slightly, relishing the last few minutes of Sunlight she could get before the night truly began.


The heels of her wedge lace-up boots clicked softly against the asphalt as she made her way down the street, her red curls billowing behind her as a gust of cool air blew across her face. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, save the one or two tourists that were still hoping to salvage whatever daylight and picture-perfect opportunities they could. Lanna was in an unusually good mood, and she wasn't sure exactly why- though she suspected that it might have something to do with the fact that she just moved out from cranky old Martha's apartment- She even waved to old guy Martin by the street, who usually only speaks to her when he's trying to sell her drugs. She made her way into an alley and towards the employees' entrance. Slipping her I.D out of her coat pocket (she'd reminded herself not to put it in her bag this time), she passed it in front of the card reader, and waited for the reader to confirm her identity. With a tiny beep, she heard the door click and she pushed it, stepping into the dressing room.


The smells of the dressing room were extremely familiar to her, and extremely comforting. She slipped off her denim jacket and headed towards the make-up tables, not surprised to see that Katrina was the first to arrive, since she usually was. Lanna's green eyes twinkled and she grinned at Katrina from the mirror, " Evening, Katrina." She took her seat on her stool at her counter, which was labelled " Ariel", and propped her elbows onto the table, resting her head against her palms.

 

[Mir Lee]

The delicate violet and orange light of the setting sun flowed around the tops of buildings and the scarce trees in such a large city. A gentle breeze punctuated the awaiting gentle night, carrying dead leaves from their resting place on the ground to new homes. As the city bustled, a lone figure among friendly groups walked down the concrete walkway. Her black hair was scattered across her face, her porcelain features hidden. Her comfy combat boots clicked on the pavement, the mug of coffee in her right hand quickly becoming lukewarm in the twilight breeze. Wearing all black, from head to toe, she looked out of place among colourful tourists, well dressed business men and women, and fashionistas.


Miranda sighed as she neared her place of employment. The Castle-- a hit burlesque joint. As a college student, it was hard to pay off money she had been loaned from the bank. Mir didn't hate the job-- not at all! She loved flaunting her sexuality and making conservatives uncomfortable. She just simply wished that she had more time to herself sometimes. Especially on chilly days like these when the time was prime to curl up and watch horror movies with her cats.


Pulling out her ID card out of her hefty messenger bag and scanning it quickly upon reaching the establishment, she waiting for a green light and a small ping. Inhaling the sharp scent of perfume, self-confidence, and alcohol (the latter two of which are synonymous), she smiled from ear to ear. Brushing her hair out of her pale face, she waved politely at Henry as she walked past him to get to the dressing room. "Hey, Henry. Have a good day? Hope work's not too hard on you tonight!" Heading straight for the plush dressing room, she found herself the third person to get to work.


The dressing room itself was lovely-- the decor was designer and the combination velvetine crimson and lavish gold was sensual. The women inside were even lovelier. They were two of the nicest women Mir had ever had the pleasure of working with. Mir found herself grinning again at the thought. "Good evening, ladies. Good afternoon?"


Sitting down at her adorned vanity with "The Evil Queen" donning the top in beautiful scrawl, she examined her fresh bruises from the concert she had been to. Prodding her knees albeit gently, she winced gingerly. The mosh pit had been brutal, leaving her with bruised knees, elbows, and various other nicks and sore spots. It seemed like she was never as flawless as the other dancers. Her smile quickly faded.

 

[SliverOfHope]

A cool breeze had already settled into the almost night sky, the temperature lowering noticeably. People, mostly tourists, were bustling about in the busy streets of Los Angeles to drown themselves in the hyperactive nightlife that raged on until the early hours of dawn. Neon signs were just being turned on, bars only now opening. Clubs letting in their pool of visitors that surrounded them from all directions to embrace what the lively city awakened. Among these clubs was one called 'The Castle', a burlesque club home to many new or old employees and customers alike.


As the sun continued to dip lower into the sky, the moon coming out as a form of replacement, a single female rushed along the sidewalk, passing by people without a second glance. All she could think about was how she couldn't wait to be into the homey atmosphere of the beloved burlesque club she worked at. Well that and the fact that she was a bit later than when she usually arrived.


The girl, who is know by the name of Whisper, wraps her thin jacket tighter around her slim frame as she hastily rushes past a poor trashcan that had been viciously attacked with graffiti, turning a sharp corner into a alley. After a bit more running she arrived at her destination. Slowing down in front of the employee only entrance she pulled out her ID card from her hand bag and let out a sigh once the reassuring ding was sounded along with a bright green light automatically turning on, signaling that the door was unlocked.


As soon as Whisper opened up the door the mixed smell of perfume, alcohol, and the occasional smoke assaulted her nose. Of course by now she was already accustomed to it so she took another deep breath of it, a tiny bit of tension melting away from her stiff shoulders as the scents pleasantly floated around in her nostrils.


Nudging the door shut behind her with her foot Whisper walked over to the nearest chair, which just so happened to be at the bar, and settled herself into the seat, crossing her arms on top of the sleek counter before laying her head down onto them. She still wasn't in the best of moods, considering that she just got the letter not even a mere hour ago doubled with the fact that because of it she was almost late to work which wasn't very like her, and sat there for another minute or two before deciding to make her presence known.


"I have arrived." The slight stressed out female just hoped that whoever was there heard it considering that the response was a bit muffled with her head still resting on her arms.

 

[Avlystein Hjalla]

Michael sat in a dark compartment on a long, soft seat made of velvet. The colours weren't visible, but the seat was a royal dark blue, and the table in front of him was white, giving off a supernatural glow under the black light above him. He took the occasional huge drag on his cigar. These cigars were his favorite, he wouldn't, maybe even couldn't tell you the name of them, but they were expensive, around three hundred dollars a piece.


"Hey, Jimmy, get me to The Castle... You know the drill man..." He would say before a man-Jimmy, said, "I'm on it... And not too fast, right?" he inquired, donning a small smirk. "You know it, I may be a regular, but I'm a classy regular... Gotta stay sharp, Jimmy, m'boy..." Michael said in a playful manner, and with that, they pulled out.


It had been nearly fourty-five minutes, maybe an hour, as they rolled into the area, "Tourist season, huh?" Michael said as he made an imaginary shotguns with his hands and shot through the window at them. "Yup, you know what it's like to live where it snows, I bet they hate it too, Mr.Steele..." "MICHAEL DAMN IT! You know my first name! You're older than me, and I respect you! Just call me Michael! Ya goof..." Michael immediately protested. A huge, wheezy full-bellied laugh came from Jimmy, "Yeah yeah, alright Michael..."


Soon enough, they had reached the club, it should have been maybe ten minutes after they opened. Michael stepped out and adjusted his pin-stripe suit and checked for his belongings before stepping to the drivers window, "Open it up Jimmy..." The window came down, "Yes?" A one-hundred dollar bill was passed from Michael to Jimmy before he patted his shoulder and finished his drag, "You know I like to be generous this time of year... Have a good night, tell the kids I said hi, and the wife too!" And with that, Jimmy nodded and drove off, Michael approached the club.


"I hope you guys kept my seat!" He said to a bouncer out front as he passed a crowd of sorts. He chuckled as Michael walked in, talking another drag, he looked around and nodded at employees. He saw a bartender, smiled and said, "You know, Russian import water, the higher proof, throw it on some ice and some Dew... Bigger glass, I'm thinking tonight I can get away with just a big glass..." He smiled when they nodded and leaned against the wall and watched the stage, awaiting his drink.

 

[MissPenny]

With a small smile, Katrina gave a nod towards the two ladies that had joined her. "Hello girls. Sleep well, I hope?" As she spoke, she stood and reached for the garment hanging on a hook next to her mirror. The dress, if you could call it that, was a brilliant yellow as to resemble the famous ball gown from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'. With the hanger hooked around her index finger, Kat stepped behind one of the room's Asian inspired, dressing screens. The top of her head poked out over the layers of rice paper and border of oak wood, making only her chocolate brown eyes visible.


"I got a few calls, our other princesses may be running a little late." She started as she began to shed her everyday clothes. "We might have to start the show without them. We can start out with routine four instead of the normal order. What do you think?" She raised and eyebrow towards the others, finishing up pulling on the minimal costume and slipping her feet into a pair of white heels.


"Or we could always throw something new at them. We haven't tried the new number on an audience yet." Katrina returned to her seat and focused on the task of her makeup. "What do you say? Are you in the mood to keep it simple or should we blow their minds?" The shadow of a smirk played at the corner of her lips as her fingers selected a tube of bright red lipstick.

 

[Scintilla]

Emily sat in the bus, tapping impatiently on the glass pane. In her hand was some piece of paper which she crushed as the bus drew nearer and nearer to the more secluded part of the city. She quickly stuffed the crumpled paper--an application form for some corporate job--into her bag and slipped on her sky blue jacket as soon as she saw her stop. She got up and quickly disembarked the bus, holding on to her red satchel close to herself. She teetered on her heels as she walked as quick as she could past the dingy little alley and entered the back door to her 2nd most favorite place in the world: The Castle.


"Hi, um, sorry I'm late... again," she murmured as she stepped inside, past mirrors and labelled seats. Emily quickly rushed to her own table labelled Mulan. She just hated how her parents kept meddling with whatever choices she made. She just wanted to be a photographer and finance herself through dancing--not the most decent job in the world, but it was fun, letting her 'wilder' side loose. She quickly tugged her rich dark hair out of the messy bun it was in and combed it in place. Then, she pulled her jacket off and pulled out her makeup bag. On went a thick layer of almost geisha-like powder, eyeliner and lipstick.


She went for the side of the room and took a pink robe hanging from a hook. She nonchalantly slipped off her blank tank top and quickly tied on the robe over her black underwear before anyone could even notice. Then, she undid her jeans and tugged them off without having to remove her heels. She smiled and sighed in relief as she was finally dressed. She sunk back into her seat, contented. "How much more time til we're on?"


(Low quality post. Sorry. :/ Brain's a bit jumbled up.)

 

[LannaRae]

"Hello girls. Sleep well, I hope?"


Lanna laughed softly, getting up from her seat. " That, my dear Katrina, would be an understatement." She said as she grabbed her outfit. She stopped for a moment, admiring it. The purple bikini top resembled seashells, the top part glittering with sequins. As for the bottom part of the outfit, well... it mainly consisted of a grin bikini bottom with a sparkly light green, semi-transparent skirt. She thought the skirt itself was beautiful, with slits running up both sides and the end which fanned out into a fish's tail. Finally bringing her attention back to Katrina, she walked behind her screen and started changing. " I've finally moved out from that old witch's place. No more doing extra laundry! I slept like a log! I'm in the best mood I've ever been in for months. In fact, I'm in such a good mood, I'm going to treat you ladies to a drink after work."


When she was done, she stepped out from behind the screen, twisting around to see if she had missed anything. Satisfied that she didn't, she slipped on her green open-toed heels and headed for her vanity. She did her make-up as she listened to Katrina's suggestions, putting on her usual light blush, baby blue eye-shadow and crimson red lipstick. " I'd say we go out with a bang." She said, her voice barely above a whisper as she arranged her curls. Her eyes twinkled, she was in high spirits today, and she was more than ready to put on a show the crowd won't soon forget.

 

[Mir Lee]

Mir stood, gathering her dress in her arms with a certain lack of grace that only she possessed. Slipping behind a dressing curtain, she stripped down and flattened the cloth of the costume before her. It was black and purple in colour, the front of the dress short enough to show panties while the back was more than long enough to cover her knees. Reaching into her purse for her knee high stockings and garter belt, she slid them on and attached the garter belt to the tops of the sheer black hose. Slipping into the costume, she admired the way it framed her figure. Her waist was cinched in, making her bust look even larger. The dress accentuated her cleavage perfectly. The dark colour scheme contrasted with her sickly pale skin, making her smile. Calling out from behind the curtain, she laughed. "For a drink? I'm down if you guys are."


Stepping out from behind the lush velvetine curtain, she sat back down at her vanity. Applying blacks and purples with an artist's hand, she created swirling intricacies on her face and tried to contour her round face. She breathed life into the art she was creating out of her body. There was a certain amount of free expression that came with being a burlesque dancer that she loved. Finishing with a dark red lip, she secure her crown onto her voluminous, unruly mountain of curls. Her strong brows raised at her own reflection, a wicked smile creeping onto her porcelain face. If only for only a moment, she was a Queen. She commanded a crowd with a wave of her hand and a well placed smile.


"I think we should change something up tonight. The same old same old kind of gets redundant, don't you think? I think we can make something.... artistic... out of this. Aw, fucking hell, I forgot my deodorant. Do any of you have some I can borrow?" Laughing awkwardly, she ran a hand through her soft but messy black hair. Her crown went tumbling to the dressing room floor with a loud clink, rolling under the table. With a sigh, she reached for it.


Okay, maybe she wasn't a Queen.

 

[MissPenny]

This role play has been marked "inactive". Inactive role plays are defined as "role plays showing 0 activity within a 30 day period".


Please contact an @Rp Moderator if you feel this was a mistake or if you would like to have your role play reactivated.


Thank you for your participation within the RpNation!

 

[MissPenny]

This role play has been marked "inactive". Inactive role plays are defined as "role plays showing 0 activity within a 30 day period".


Please contact an @Rp Moderator if you feel this was a mistake or if you would like to have your role play reactivated.


Thank you for your participation within the RpNation!

 

[MissPenny]

This role play has been marked "inactive". Inactive role plays are defined as "role plays showing 0 activity within a 30 day period".


Please contact an @Rp Moderator if you feel this was a mistake or if you would like to have your role play reactivated.


Thank you for your participation within the RpNation!

 

[MissPenny]

This role play has been marked "inactive". Inactive role plays are defined as "role plays showing 0 activity within a 30 day period".


Please contact an @Rp Moderator if you feel this was a mistake or if you would like to have your role play reactivated.


Thank you for your participation within the RpNation!