undergrounds | Game Opening: May Ball

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Game Opening: May Ball

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED.

It had to be done.

Welcome all to the Redbright Institute's May Ball! This evening is a celebration of the Institute's achievements over the past year. Students aged 16 and above can attend on their own, while younger students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Meanwhile, friends and guests of the Institute are invited as a gesture of friendship and harmony between the various factions.

Rules and etiquette
• This is a black tie event. Formal attire is required.
• No weapons. This is a school, there are children present. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol. Obviously. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence.

There is security within the school and present at the event. (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.

Places to go
The main action takes place in the large Assembly Hall. This is where the Chancellor Sylvia Redbright will give her address. It's also where you can party later on. The disco is family-friendly – not exactly a rave, but the kids will love it.

Drinks and snacks are available in the dining hall. The drinks are non-alcoholic. Vampires, no need to worry about your cravings: blood cocktails are provided! They're given in good faith on the assumption that you won't be snacking on anyone else tonight.

Just off the dining hall, one of the classrooms has been converted into a chill-out area. The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries. A video of young witches taking part in various night-time rituals (they mostly seem to involve chanting and bonfires) plays silently on the screen.

One of the lecture theatres has been opened up to showcase students' work from the past year. On the screen you can watch a slideshow of notable events and achievements. Strangely enough there aren't many people in this room.

Outside, there is a giant chessboard on the lawn. The pieces are made of plastic and can easily be moved around. Why, you ask? Why not, is the answer.

Finally, a large marquee has been set up in the quad. This is the adults-only area, with wine and cocktails served at the bar, nibbles available at a few high tables dotted around and a sophisticated atmosphere. No children under 18 allowed. (Note that the legal drinking age is 18.)

Timeline of events
20:00 – Doors open.
20:57 – Sunset.
21:15 – Sylvia Redbright makes her address in the Assembly Hall.
22:00 – Disco in the Assembly Hall. The DJ has atrocious taste.
01:00 – Disco stops. The event officially ends.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It was the fashion sense." Wait for that bad joke to sink in with a complete lack of laughter. Yep, that's the stuff.

"You said you weren't up to par with your witchcraft so I assumed you weren't heavily focused on magic. That rules out a few options... and somehow it seemed better than asking if you were a werewolf or a vampire.

Besides, I'm human too."

Is this kid being serious or not? Clint just doesn't know. But when Sasuke goes on, he figures it was probably an attempt at humor.

"Guess that's a safe assumption to make. Vamps don't usually like being called out on it, anyways." At least, not by a guy who normally has 'hunter' written all over him when he's out on the job.

Huh. Well, that's unexpected. "So what are you doing hanging around with this crowd, kid?"

"I'm not a kid." It's not aggressive but it is firm, a quickly inserted note for future reference. Somehow he has a feeling that that won't do away with the nickname so easily but a guy has to try.

"But I was invited, same as you assumedly were. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to get information; it's the first time I've been here." Which immediately says a few things about his allegiances, anyway. "You?"

Yeah, sorry Sasuke, the only acknowledgement Clint offers in response to that is a placating nod. Insistence on the matter will only make things worse.

"I've never been here, either. I just got into town a couple of weeks ago, but I've been crashing at the Hillingdon place. Thought I'd come check things out." Of course, if Sasuke knows anything about what goes on at the Hillingdon House, then that says something about how Clint spends his time, too.

Immediately his eyes return to Clint, gaze having started to wander in a quick sweep of the room.

"Hillingdon? I suppose that explains a few things. You looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't quite place those features." Here he sips that coffee of his, seemingly having forgotten how much he hated the flavor of the sugar in it. Mistake.

"I've lived here for some time but I'm new to this side of the community, so I guess we're in a similar situation."

And suddenly the nagging feeling that he'd seen Sasuke around somewhere before this makes sense. It must have been at Hillingdon. "Yeah... you too, actually. D'you hang out there often?" Clint can totally commiserate on gross too-sweet coffee. Sorry about your mistakes. He takes his black.

"If by 'this side of the community,' you mean...." he makes a vague gesture at the people outside of the chill-out area before continuing, "all of this? I didn't grow up in it, but I've been doing what I do for a long time. Just not here. I'm American."

Black coffee is the only real coffee. Everything else is just tarted up hot water.

"Yeah, my only awareness of anything supernatural was learning a few of the things I could do on my own. I assumed I was the anomaly, not that all this was hiding in the shadows." Another pause to again look Clint over, considering. Yeah, it's pretty clear that you're American even at a glance.

"I went to Hillingdon because it had the least structure. An organization with resources and security, maybe, but without restraining me or holding me to different rules."

Now it's Clint's turn to give Sasuke an appraising look. He's not very good at judging a person's magical identity by looks alone. Sometimes witches have a witchy look to them, but then sometimes they turn out to just be hippies or something. Underfed vampires are pale as fuck, but sick humans can be similar in appearance. It's not easy, man. "You're... what, a meta, then? What can you do?" Not that he can help with the magic part. He's just curious.

"That's a good way to put it." If he were in Sasuke's shoes, he'd have gone the exact same route. "I'm Clint, by the way. Clint Barton," he introduces, sticking out his hand for Sasuke to shake.

"Nothing as complex as what people here can do, I'd guess." The explanation's postponed when Clint offers his hand out, slowed by his usual wariness before he's willing to take it for a surprisingly firm shake.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Metahuman with some elemental ability and a few physical ones. I thought maybe around here or at Hillingdon I'd get the chance to hone those skills and get a better grasp of what I can really do." Vague, perhaps, but he has a feeling he'll be seeing more of this man later anyway. "You said you've been doing what you do for a while. What is it?"

"Tell me about it. Just when you think you've seen it all, somebody else shows up with bigger and flashier powers." While he might sound kind of annoyed by it all, Clint just takes the supernatural in stride. It's just part of the job.

"Nice to meet you. I'm sure you could find a lot more specialized help here at the institute... but like you said, they've got an agenda and more rules to contend with." He shrugs. "There seems to always be somebody new floating through Hillingdon, though. A lot of hunters, there, too. That's what I do."

"I have no intention of siding with these people but if one or two classes will be useful then I'll take advantage of those." That's his way, after all. Scramble here and there to get by and with as many leg-ups as possible.

"Even still, I think you're right and that I'm likely to learn more outside of a classroom. As for being a hunter... are you contracted for those jobs or do you do them on your own? Seems like there wouldn't be much money in the latter."

"Makes sense. When I was just starting out in this shit, I was on my own, mostly. Classes, or clans... you've got options, at least." Even to himself, Clint sounds like one of those grandpas hobbling around and grumbling, When I was your age, we had to walk uphill to school, both ways!! But oh well. He'll be too old for this life when it finally gets him killed. No sooner.

"Both. But yeah, there's no money in my line of work unless somebody offers it to you." His own personal vendetta does tend to take priority when he gets a lead on it, but of course, he's not going to get paid for that.

"You had that complaint queued up." Yeah no, you're not getting away with that comment all that easily, jiji. It's a source of amusement more than real criticism on his part, only more interested in Clint's experiences if they were fraught with extra handicaps. It means he knows more; it means he's better at surviving.

"And you live comfortably with your lack of funding?"

"Yeah, it's one of my fall-backs. When you've picked up a profession full of death and monsters, there always seem to be more people your age running around, than mine." The same could be said about being a spy, too; even if he'd been facing a different kind of monster back then. Still dangerous.

"A bounty comes along once in a while, but I sold off all of my property before I left the States, so I'm not really hurting." Plus, he doesn't really pay rent, where he's crashing. So there's that.

"Sounds like you're waiting for your number to come up. It'd be better if you didn't die now that I've only just discovered you; you could be a useful resource." Officially forbidden from death, Clint.

"So you're just a cheaply-living nomad now. Normally people settle down in reverse, you know."

That actually causes him to laugh. "I don't wanna die, but that shit happens every day. I'll try not to, though. Just for you, kid." You'd better put him in a bubble, then, Sasuke.

"Guess that's one way of putting it, yeah. I've been settled. It didn't... work out."

That is outside of my skill set. How about a flame suit.

"You were unable to adjust to that version of things? You seem like the kind of person who's not meant for an easy home life." That could've been more delicately worded but he's not a delicate person.

That sounds terrible and dangerous. Clint would have way too much fun with it.

The look on his face clearly says I don't wanna talk about it. "Story of my life, right there. How about you, kid? You got a girlfriend or anything running around?"

We should change his name... to Flint.

That's an expression he knows very well how to read, appropriately averting his gaze in a tacit surrender of that particular territory. "'Anything'?" Hm. "... I have a cockatiel."

That would get him into so much trouble though.

"A bird? That's it?" Oh my god, Sasuke, do you even know how pathetic that sounds?

"Did you at least teach it dirty words?"

Flint Arson, omfg it's perfect.

"Why would I teach him dirty words?" ... "I didn't intentionally teach him slang; he picked it up." But from where, if Sasuke lives alone. Oh, right. Temper issues. "He knows 'fuck', 'wanker', 'there's a body in the Thames', and 'good morning'."

His next alias, if he ever needs one.

Clint listens patiently, looking ever more amused. He's a dog person, so he just assumes being able to teach a bird swear words is one of the perks of having one to be honest. "You toss many bodies in the river? Because that's kind of specific, right there."

"I'm not responsible for what he overhears and what he doesn't. He's selective." That's about as non-specific as he can be.

"'Good morning' is the one I can't work out. I don't know when he would've heard it."

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Game Opening: May Ball

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