Night Tournament Opening Ceremony

[undergroundmods]

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Every four years the Night Tournament is held in London as a celebration of the physical, mental and magical prowess of its supernatural inhabitants. Over three weeks the chosen competitors will take on various challenges in an effort to be crowned Champions of their species. Tonight, the grand opening ceremony is taking place at the Redbright Institute, where guests can expect a spectacle of magical wonders and of course the parade of this year's competitors.

The ceremony takes place from 8pm-11pm Sunday 6th August. It is being hosted by the school's Chancellor, Sylvia Redbright, accompanied by event organisers Alexandrie Belrose, the Dean, and Yasmine Merad. Guests must have purchased a ticket in order to attend the event, unless of course you are one of the competitors or someone involved in organising the tournament.

Rules of entry
• No weapons. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol except that provided at the event. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence.

There is security present on the grounds during the event. The school itself is shut. (In fact, if your character is a member of the Redbright Institute, you could have them acting as security if you want.) They will respond to and put a stop to any trouble.

Order of events
The entirety of tonight's ceremony takes place outside in the grounds, namely the football field. There are stands around the field where the audience can watch the show. A number of stewards (student volunteers) will check tickets and direct guests over to the right place. They are also selling a variety of drinks and snacks to cater for all supernatural tastes. Vampires without daylight jewellery are directed through to the "shade zone": a section of the stand which is completely shielded from the sun.

8pm-8.30pm: Redbright Choir
Led by the Head of Music Ms Sandra Ng, the Redbright Choir is comprised of a variety of students representing all supernatural beings coming together to sing in harmony. They are accompanied by a live band.

8.30-9.30pm: Welcome to the Night (nb. sunset is at 8.45pm)
Settle in for one hell of a show. The hour's entertainment, proudly organised and performed by students at the Redbright Institute, features a showpiece from every supernatural type, from witches performing a spectacular light show of magic, meta humans showing off their powers, to werewolves and shapeshifters dancing in fur costumes. The theme again is harmony: the show ends with all performers joining hands in a giant circle on the pitch before performing their final dance.

9.30-9.45pm: Sylvia's Welcome Speech
As the host and sponsor of the Night Tournament, Sylvia will then step up to a podium to say a few words. She talks about (you guessed it) peace and harmony and coming together to celebrate supernatural diversity. She speaks proudly of the Redbright Institute's record of welcoming and teaching any supernatural student, no matter their background. The one thing that does get all the journalists scribbling furiously, however, is a brief mention of the Night Council's new President. Though she doesn't mention him by name, she does say that she welcomes the President's stance on promoting peace and unity.

9.45-10.15pm: The Parade
At last the 16 competitors are introduced one by one. Dressed in spectacular costumes, each competitor gets their own float which makes one round of the field before they all meet in the centre of the pitch. The parade is accompanied by inspiring music and showers of glitter (or is it pixie dust?). Smile and wave, everyone. Smile and wave.

10.15-11pm: General Mingling
Finally, the audience are allowed to invade the pitch where they can mingle with the competitors as they please. Stewards walk around serving more drinks, and there is a live band playing until the end of the event. Stick around to catch some gossip, place a bet on your preferred competitor, or offer support to your favourites.

[OOC: Please see the information post for more details on this event and to ask any questions!]

Comments

NPCs

[brightwitch]

She may no longer run the Night Council, but Sylvia Redbright still carries the same air of authority she always has. It's an odd thing, being in the spotlight again. Like putting on an old coat and remembering how well it fits. Of course everyone expected Sylvia to be making this speech as President. The tournament is her brainchild, organised largely by a committee at the school, so she's seeing it through but she won't be the one who hands out the prizes at the closing ceremony.

Despite the strangeness of the occasion, she is pleased to witness all they've achieved. Her students have done her proud. And the batch of competitors this year are... interesting.

After the parade, she mingles with the crowd. Some might expect her to be downtrodden or putting on a brave face. Certainly there are a couple of hacks in the press who would like to paint her that way. But there's a certain calmness that comes after the storm, not just before it. She has her school. And maybe right now that's all she needs.

Meanwhile, Samantha Okeke wears a smile that is perhaps a little more strained. She's learned some hard lessons in her first few months as Mother of Witches, and she's having to be more patient than her natural inclination. But she's out tonight looking fun and fresh, and on the search for some friendly company. If she's going to get what she wants, she needs to start making allies again, that much is clear.

Also at the ceremony are Katherine Moore, the werewolf alpha who looks like she doesn't want to be here but she's going to have a drink anyway, Yasmine Merad and Alexandrie Belrose of the Redbright Institute who have helped to organise this event and are looking pretty pleased with themselves, and Peter Vrinak of the Night Council who looks generally suspicious of everything going on. Rumour is that he's been suffering some illness as of late, but outwardly he appears to be fine.

[ooc: Say which NPC you'd like to talk to if you tag! If you want to know more about any of these characters, they're all on the Elites list.]

sylvia!

[hurtcomfort]

She made the speech. So that means she's in charge? Cole doesn't really know who's in charge of these things, but Sylvia seems like a solid choice. Sylvia can probably sense him coming because witch powers and all that. But Cole just doesn't realize that he should do something like 'introduce himself' or 'not creep up on people.' Instead, he straight up creeps behind Sylvia, manifesting himself right out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry I couldn't wear the costume," he apologizes, in a quiet voice. Surprising no one, it's a bit futile to try and put a fun spangly costume on someone who's intangible 90% of the time and is currently having a bit of trouble trying to hold onto tangibility for the other 10%.

[brightwitch]

It's a good thing that Sylvia is a witch and therefore more sensitive than most to ghostly activity. She feels a prickling at the back of her neck as Cole approaches, but even so she still flinches when he appears out of nowhere.

"Oh!" A hand flies up to her chest. She steadies herself, taking a moment to stare at the... boy... ghost. He's competing in the tournament. Sylvia isn't sure why but she never is when it comes to ghosts. Sometimes they just feel better for being included. "Not at all," she says. "I understand. Are you looking forward to the tournament?"

It's her reassuring voice, the one she uses on the recently deceased. Surprising how often she has to use it.

[hurtcomfort]

"I think so," Cole simply responds, entirely oblivious that Sylvia's using her 'talking to dead people' voice. After all, he's never met any other ghosts, he's no idea how most people deal with this.

"It's big and bright and people will see me. I'm looking forward to that."

[brightwitch]

"I see." She smiles. That seems like a natural impulse for a ghost. They're often lonely. Some of them retreat and don't want to be seen. Others seek out the company of the living, searching for some kind of bearable existence. She doesn't think she could be a ghost. No, when she dies she'll pass on as soon as she can. She won't linger. "We're very happy to have ghost representation this year. I wish you the very best of luck."

[hurtcomfort]

"Do ghosts not often do this?" Cole's legitimately confused as he asks this. Because that's silly. It's a chance to not be alone and a chance to meet people. Why wouldn't someone what to do this?

[brightwitch]

"Ghosts can be difficult to get hold of." For obvious reasons. "We don't have as many mediums as I would like in Circle Daybreak at the moment. Did you have a question for me?"

She assumes that he's approached her for something to do with the tournament, unless he just couldn't help his ghostly instinct to sneak up on people.

[hurtcomfort]

There's an awkward pause.

"I wanted to apologize because I couldn't wear the costume," he repeats, looking at Sylvia with a bit of a frown. Obviously this is a Big Important Deal for Cole, even though it might not be as important a point to other people (and he hasn't realized it might not be as important a point to other people). Though now that she mentioned mediums...

"You should talk to Desmond. He's going to be a medium."

[brightwitch]

Really, that's it? Well, she supposes that makes her life easier. They already talked about that.

She nods at the mention of Desmond. "I will, thank you."

She has no idea who Desmond is. Turns out stepping down as Mother of Witches puts you out of the loop.

Syyyyllllviiiiaaaaaa

[stauncherhearted]

When Nancy first heard the news about Sylvia, she'd actually laughed right at the breakfast table. There had been some celebrating, comments made that this woman wasn't as sweet as she wanted you to believe, calling her a hypocrate, all sorts of great things that probably only made half-sense. It didn't matter. Nancy had felt vindicated, despite her ever-growing complicated feelings about Sylvia.

But that doesn't mean she can pass up the opportunity to say hello to the former Mother of Witches- grandma of witches, now, she wanted to know? Perhaps she would make a run at Crone. Now that would be beautiful to watch.

Nancy's a few glasses of wine in by the time it's time to mingle. Dressed casually, Nancy could almost be anyone when she sees Sylvia. She doesn't have a plan, just wants to talk to her. Let her know that hey, she's still here. And she's still surviving. Without Sylvia's help.

"Nice speech!" She tells her as greeting. "I wanted Cooper to compete, but he's got too much on his plate right now."

[brightwitch]

...Oh, it's the prostitute. Nancy, the girl who refused to join Circle Daybreak even after being pardoned, instead running into the arms of a vampire. From what little Sylvia knows of Cooper, he's by no means the worst of his kind but Nancy is still a walking representation of her own failure. She's reached a point where seeing her is just... well, sad.

Her expression is neutral, however, and she greets Nancy with perfect cordiality. "Thank you. How is Cooper? I know how much work there can be."

There's something else that makes her wary around Nancy. The scandal that caused her downfall as President was revealed by a vampire, she's almost sure of that. Only someone in the Islington Nest could have known that information. It could even have been Cooper, perhaps with Nancy whispering in his ear. Does the girl hate her that much? She hopes not, not when she has tried to offer help and forgiveness, but Nancy has spurned Circle Daybreak at every turn. She can't rule out the possibility.

[stauncherhearted]

Damn straight she went right to Cooper. He was the one she could count on in the middle of the night when her home was taken from her. Daybreak had never been there for her. They were the ones who had destroyed her circle.

"He's good! Lots to do." There's a bit of tightness in her voice when she mentions the vampire. Things have been tense lately, but she tries to keep that bit inside. No one needs to know how much finding out about her ex had caused tension between the two lovers.

"But he's loving his job. I'm so so proud of him. He's off somewhere," she waves a hand to indicate that he was somewhere on the property. "You're rooting for Lance, I'm sure?" Yeah, her cool patrol officer, for lack of better terms.

[brightwitch]

And immediately Nancy suggests that she might be biased. Tut tut. Sylvia shakes her head.

"I'm the host so I'm strictly neutral, of course. Did you come to support anyone in particular?"

Who are she and her boyfriend friendly with nowadays? It might be useful to know.

[stauncherhearted]

That wasn't her goal goodness!

"I've got a lot of people I know participating," she admits. "Lydia Bennet, Eames, and Lance as I said. Micheletto, as well." She smiles. "My usual crowd I guess."

[brightwitch]

Her usual crowd. Sylvia is taking note of every one of those names and the one that makes her raise her eyebrows is Lydia's.

"Lydia? Does that mean you're feeling more positive towards we Daybreak witches?"

Sylvia doesn't know Lydia, so it's hard to say whether she's a positive influence on Nancy, or whether Nancy is a bad influence on her.

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy frowns. "I have nothing against Daybreak witches, Ms. Redbright- I try not to discriminate against individuals." So she's better than you, just to be clear.

Also Nancy is a great influence on Lydia. As odd as it sounds.

[brightwitch]

"It sounds like Lancelot has been a good influence on you." She smiles. "I'm glad. That's what this tournament is about – fostering peace and friendship across the entire supernatural community."

It's what her school represents, and the tournament is a way of sharing that same philosophy across London, with every faction. Sylvia is proud of that. And just to be clear, Nancy, that means she's better than you.

Samantha

[longterm]

Speaking of allies, Cesare makes his way up to Samantha, drink in hand. He smiles at her. He's not going to be accusatory just yet. He knows mistakes happen, after all. But he's curious to see what she has to say for herself regarding Mogget's behaviour. The sooner they can sort this out the better. After all, it helps if your supposed allies aren't sneaking around on you.

He leans in slightly to talk to her.

"Your cat has been spying on me."

[brightwitch]

Samantha raises her eyebrows when he approaches, then lifts her glass to toast him. He's the President and she's the Witch Representative. It's not unusual to see them talk in public.

"I know," she replies easily. "I ordered him to. Wouldn't you?"

She doesn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. It's just common sense.

[longterm]

"I am afraid not. I have a tendency to trust people until they prove otherwise." Unlike Samantha who seems increasingly intent on pushing him away with extreme levels of suspicion.

"Besides," he smirks. "I have no cat. If you are concerned about something, you can always come and ask me. I'm right down the hall..." I mean seriously. Just talk to him. Gosh.

[brightwitch]

Well, that's his mistake.

"I know where you are, darling. I only wanted to know if there were any things you weren't telling me. Now I know I can trust you with everything except keeping it in your pants, so that's progress, isn't it?"

She gives him a winning smile. Hey, she could have found things that were much more damning. Once she'd had Mogget interrogate Lydia and realised that the girl knew absolutely nothing of importance, she felt much better about the whole thing.

[longterm]

Cesare doesn't quite know how to take that. On one hand she's being pretty insulting. On the other hands, she's pretty accurate. He sucks on his tongue for a second as he thinks on it.

"We never said we were exclusive..." he says, wondering quite why he's trying to defend actions that he doesn't think need defending. Apparently Samantha has that effect on him. "I have no doubt you have a plenitude of your own gentlemen at your disposal." After all, Samantha and Cesare have a business relationship, don't they? Albeit one with perks.

[cutting in, with permission]

[dredefulchilde]

"That's hardly gentlemanly of you, Borgia, impugning a lady's honor like that." Joscelin has only heard the last few words of the exchange, having been turned away from the bar because he looked too young to drink. Really, this is a Night Council event. They should be able to tell a vampire apart from a human by now. So he's annoyed, bored, and looking to cause mischief. He sidles up to his sometimes friend and the unknown lady and gives her his most angelic smile.

"You deserve better than Cesare Borgia, madame."

[brightwitch]

The interruption is poorly timed. Samantha raises both eyebrows, taking in a breath when she sees the child vampire. God, he's creepy. Even the thought of a child vampire is creepy and here's one butting in on a private conversation.

"I bet you're not the first one to say that." She glances at Cesare. "Cesare and I are colleagues. We were discussing business."

It's sort of true, if you spin it the right way.

[longterm]

Totally and completely true. In a sense. Cesare shrugs and nods, trying his best to play it cool. Truly, why is Joscelin barging in on this? He should know better. Or perhaps he does and he simply doesn't care.

"Even I myself would say it. Sorry to disappoint, Joscelin. But I fear she knows far better than to liaise with a dreadful cad like me." Also somewhat true. After all, Samantha has just made it very clear that she knows he's a bit of a whore.