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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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.

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[ there is a part of Derek that resents the vitriol he's faced with - it seems unreasonable, unfair when he had been acting previously with Stiles' best interests in mind. he's not so delusional as to believe it, however. more irritating is that Stiles has shown up again, and that's as much because Derek wants to be spared reminders of Beacon Hills as it is the urge to keep anyone safe.

either way, the childish retort might be irritating, but Derek's smugness is a soothing balm to his vexation. glancing back at Stiles over his shoulder, he smiles in as airy a manner as is possible for him. it's the type of lofty good nature that says he's not going to dignify that with a retort, thank you very much.

instead, he uses his stupid fat head to see where to go, seeking out a table that's a little removed from the crowd, but not so much as to stick out terribly. ]

It comes in useful. Nancy, [ he says, all pleasantness. ] Try over there.

[Kenzi finds her merry band of misfits quickly enough. They all sort of stick out in a crowd like this of posh elitist fuckers. At least to Kenzi's eye.

She traipses over with the bottle and glasses in hand and a clever little smile on her face.]

Look what I got!

[It's a three-hundred bottle of champagne. She was being economical by stealing it.]

Stiles, [Nancy manages to hiss at him, pulling at his elbow. SOMEONE needs to behave. She's here to have a good time, and honestly, she doesn't want anyone to get attacked right now. Derek was playing nice. Stiles was not. At least, that's how she saw it in this moment.]

I see it! Thank you! Let's quick claim it for ourselves before someone else gets there. [Which, with a large fat head in tow, was extremely easy. They'd just settled in before Kenzi appeared.]

You're perfect, [She told Kenzi earnestly.] Take a seat, let's let the two of us have a glass. Unless the boys want to join for a change...? [She looked at Stiles again, this time warmly. If he really was having a bad time, she'd let him go. But he needed to try first.]

[ Fuming, he doesn’t quite manage a contrite look in response to the hissed reproach. While he will readily acknowledge that he’s coming off childishly, he can’t stomach the sight of that plastic smile Derek is putting on for the girls—not when he can still so vividly remember Derek’s true smile, gleaming at him in the dead of night, all teeth and restrained violence. “Run,” he’d whispered. Stiles’ jaw tightens. Uncharacteristically silent, he pointedly sits down on one side of Nancy, arms heavy and tense on the table surface. For someone who is usually all flailing movements, he is unsettlingly stiff now. ]

The whole bottle, huh? [ he remarks eventually, but his tone is all wrong. ] Jeez, you must be loaded.

[ Derek regards the spoils of Kenzi's excursion with a sigh. ]

She's something. [ muttered, just audible through the throng of people - though gruff, there's a fondness there, or at least a familiarity. he takes the seat across from Stiles, because even if that's likely to be uncomfortable it's probably the lesser of evils. for what feels to Derek like the hundredth time, his gaze flicks over him again, brow furrowing.

annoyed, he looks back over to Kenzi, affecting nonchalance. ]

I'm not bailing you out again. [ Nancy seems quite aware of Kenzi's pasttimes, and Stiles - well, Stiles is Stiles. ]

[Kenzi sits and places the four glasses down with soft, careful clinks. She knows Derek isn't having any and Stiles is being....weirdly standoffish for a teenager with two attractive girls and guy near him, but it's the thought that counts. She starts unwrapping the foil around the cork while giving Stiles an estimating look. She can't quite figure him out.]

So what's up your butt?

[Directed at Stiles and - shockingly - not Derek. Always to the point, that Kenzi.

She starts twisting the wire cage around the cork off and is pointing the bottle away from people - because that was all she needed. If it hit someone who could murder or curse them she was booking it.]

Who said I even wanted you to bail me out Mr. Smart Wolf?

[It was a lie, please keep bailing her out Derek.]

[And this is one of the many reasons why she loved Kenzi. She had no problem asking wtf was wrong with people. Even if she'd just met them and they were her date for the evening. But she's right.]

Wait- You're a werewolf, Derek, am I hearing that correctly? [She decided, maybe, it was for the best if she ignored Stiles just right now and focused on Derek. Maybe it was rude, but, so was Stiles.]

[ The blunt, direct question immediately puts him on the defensive. Weight shifting, he leans away from the table as if to instate space between them and then folds his arms over a narrow chest. He affects an innocent look, one that seems to say, “Who, me?” but doesn’t get a chance to answer before the conversation moves along. ]

You heard right, [ he tells Nancy, though his eyes are now settled warily on Derek across the table. ] I found out a few weeks ago when this guy nearly put me through a tree for being on public property.

[ Well, the cat’s out of the bag now—or the wolf, as it is. ]

[ once again, Derek is opening his mouth to answer when Stiles does it for him. the look he fixes him with is remarkably petulant, the reproach there bordering on childish. his shoulders tense, visible even beneath his suit.

stubbornly, he looks back to Nancy. the harsh lines of his posture ease up just a little, though it takes considerable effort. anger threatens to make him run flush with heat, because he'd had to -- ]

Part of the East End Pack. Their alpha. [ he's the alpha. although his tone couldn't be called soft, there's a warmth there that doesn't come from frustration.

at least, until his gaze snaps back to Stiles. he doesn't feel a great need to redeem himself in his eyes, or even to gain his understanding, but the argument is open and Derek's awed by his stupidity. ]

And that would have been better than the alternatives.

Edited (whoops) 2015-05-29 23:50 (UTC)

[Kenzi probably should be horrified that something like that happened to Stiles and she does feel mildly sympathetic. Supernatural shit is scary and even scarier when you're just...you.

As it is, she instead looks incredibly amused.]

Aw, dude, is that what's got your panties all wadded up?

I'm too tipsy to make a cherry popping or bad first time joke, but it's in there. Somewhere.

[She gestures wildly to her head before attempting to pop the cork out with a little leverage.

It's not going well.]

[Nancy couldn't help herself. She giggled. Just a little. Okay, a lot, and to make up for it, she put an arm around Stiles and drew him close, affectionately.]

Oh my- Stiles! Oh, love, I'm so sorry that happened. I just- [And it was rude of her to laugh and she knew it.] I'm sorry, Stiles. I really am. And I'm sure, given the evidence, [she gestured over to Derek and nodded.] while there may or may not have been another option, Derek is sorry to have startled you and hurt you.

[Now say yes so they can get their drink on and make new friends! Her arm didn't stray from around Stiles, his head right near her shoulder.]

[ Shit. Eyes widening comically, he pales in response to the information that Derek is the alpha of the local pack. Though he's been helpfully answering questions on the werewolf's behalf, this is definitely a detail that had escaped his notice. And yet this doesn't stop him from opening his mouth angrily. He's prepared to launch into a debate about actual better alternatives; like explaining with words instead of violence why it'd been so necessary for Stiles to leave the park. Before he can, Kenzi chimes in with a patronizing remark and he bristles. It's only Nancy's actions that keep him at the table—and even then, it's less because he's been appeased and more because he can't wiggle free easily. ]

No, it's cool. [ Irritation isn't an emotion Stiles wears kindly; his eyes are hard and judging. ] If I were a powerful witch or werewolf, I'd laugh too.

[ God, screw his earlier statements. He's going to need a drink to get through this charming little get-together. Leaning over, he swipes the bottle from Kenzi and digs out his keys—the cork is conquered after a few seconds. Stiles is annoyed enough to be tempted to drink straight from the bottle, but pours himself a glass instead. ]

And it's boxer briefs, thank you very much.

[ Derek's eyes slide between the witches, not sure if he's pleased about the humour that Stiles' - confession? accusation? both? has evoked. on one hand, it's probably less of a headache than all three of them turning on him, but Derek usually takes things seriously, and it wasn't like he'd bared his teeth for laughs, and Greenwich on the run-up to a full moon is nothing to ignore.

he continues to remain impassive, either way, doing nothing to confirm or deny Nancy's apology on his behalf. while (as he thinks of it) he doesn't care enough to act, there is a genuine desire to move on, to keep what he sees as personal business private.

that may be the only thing that prompts him to speak up, even if he is curious. he looks between Nancy and Stiles. he doesn't particularly want to address Stiles with this question, doesn't want to encourage the idea of him getting involved with anything here, but he's also wondering -- ]

You were here for the speech?

[ how's that for some skillful conversation. ]

[Kenzi gives Stiles the stink-eye as he swipes the bottle out of her hand. Not that she wouldn't have done the exact same thing if someone was giving her shit.

Still. Her champagne. Kenzi snatches the bottle back and pours two more glasses for herself and Nancy. Least you could have done was pour enough for everyone Stiles.]

Don't be a baby.

[Directed at Stiles as an aside. It's no skin off her back.]

[Stiles, darling. Nancy lets go of his shoulders for a moment only to drop her hand to his thigh.]

Thanks, [she mutters to Kenzi as she accepts the champagne.]

Yeah- I was here for that. [She takes a small drink and sets it down, bringing her free hand down to itch at the thin skin of her wrist of the hand on Stiles' thigh. It's slightly awkward, but it relieves the itch of the cleverly concealed bite marks on her wrist.

Fourty pounds in her pocket, and a new friend.] Interesting. I try to stay out of territories and politics as much as I can. Never really been involved. So long as she stays out of Bexley. [Nancy takes another sip of champagne.]

[ Champagne is not meant to be guzzled, and yet that is precisely what happens next. While graceless in most social matters, Stiles is fairly self-aware; he knows when he’s whining or being a brat. Typically, he does either for comedic effect. This is not one of those times, and he’s more than just a little put off by Kenzi’s attitude regarding an encounter she’s totally ignorant of. Are all witches like this? Stiles thinks about Nancy, laughing at the idea of him being thrown into a tree, and wonders. The sweetness of the alcohol is quickly soured by his mood. Baby.

Wordless, he pours himself another drink, this one nearly to the brim. Emboldened by the alcohol and wanting to make some kind of statement, no matter how idiotic, he leans over and presses a dry, chaste kiss to Nancy’s temple. Then he’s sliding out of his seat. ]

I’ll catch you later, Nancy.

[ He’s not sticking around for this. Derek Hale definitely found himself a girl to match his shitty personality. Without waiting for a response, he takes off with his glass in hand. Time to get drunk and angrily face-time Scott. ]

[ Bexley. he thinks about it, but it's cut short by movement. with a deepening frown, Derek watches Stiles slip away from the table, feeling less scornful of it than he expects from himself. sighing under his breath, the roll of his eyes lands on Kenzi, whom he fixes with a pointed look. getting rid of people is meant to be his job.

honestly, it's weird not being the one responsible for it. Derek pours himself half a glass of champagne and takes a drink.

for a moment, his lips purse like he's about to ask something, either about Stiles or about Nancy, concerned as she is. he doesn't. there's nothing to ask, as he considers it, and it'd ruin his street cred anyway. he's going to ignore the whole damn thing, which strikes him as the best option.

back to the real subject, which Kenzi so rudely interrupted. ]

Bexley is probably too out of the way. For now.

[Now that she can understand clearly, and shrugs with wide, too-innocent eyes. What?

Stiles was being a total drama queen and that's her job. Well, she wasn't being rude because she was feeling threatened in her niche. Kenzi was just...genuinely rude ~~sometimes~~. Most of the time.]

Next thing you know it'll be Redbright City.

[She doesn't seem too concerned with that fact. Kenzi was a wanderer by nature. Moving from place to place depending on how she felt or just on the weather.]

-Stiles! Stiles- come- oh for fuck's sake! [Nancy swears, standing up to try to chase after Stiles, but her heel got stuck in her skirt and she was forced to remain sitting.

Damn it, Stiles!

Sighing heavily, she took a lazy drink before fishing her cellphone out to quick text Stiles. Which was just what she did while Kenzi and Derek got political.]

Not like we're part of it anyway- we're pretty accustomed to doing exactly what Redbright doesn't want.

[ don't give him that innocent look Kenzi he knows you too well now. his eyes narrow in return but it's less his usual frown and more a childish 'yeah, you' on the way his chin juts out with it.

thankfully, this all happens when Nancy is distracted. Kenzi's comment, though as flippant as any, hits the mark as far as Derek suspects. ]

Are you sure about that? You don't think that might be one reason why they're doing this?

[Kenzi is guzzling down the rest of her champagne when Derek poses the question, and she almost chokes in her eagerness to answer. She likes having friendly fights, even if they're not technically "fights". Debates.

She must look like she thinks shes so smart as she rolls her eyes while responding.]

It's not like they're being secretive about it.

More territory means more power means more appealing for the Night Council weirdos means less us.

[It sounds convoluted, but it's all still pretty straightforward.

[Kenzi is right, and Nancy says just as much, before taking another drink for dramatic effect.]

The whole thing makes me want to go crawl back to Fagin's until it's all done. [There they were pretty much completely neutral. But that wasn't happening.] Though I'm sure we're doomed to live on the wrong side of the law anyway, Kenz.

Derek, on the other hand... [She looks him up and down and shrugs with a smile. She doesn't know you well enough to make judgements like that.]

[ it might not be how he'd have worded it, but he nods in agreement to Kenzi's summary all the same. point made, he's content to listen, quietly curious, until Nancy addresses him. his lips quirk in response. it's not quite a smile, nor is it particularly innocent. ]

We have a reputation.

Just a lil' bit.

[Kenzi squishes the air with her fingers in illustration and grins. It's not a particularly pleasant one either, more troublesome than anything else.]

So there we go.

[A grave declaration, but she made it all the same, with a drink to support it.]

Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

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