Game Opening: May Ball

[undergroundmods]

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

Comments

[emotioneater]

A: Dining Hall

The first spot Cooper stops by for the evening is the dining hall. If he doesn't get some blood in his system, he's likely to turn cranky, and that would just spoil the mood of the evening. It's also a great opportunity to scope out the people that have shown up to this shindig. He'll be off to the side, occasionally sipping a blood cocktail, and looking decidedly uncomfortable in his suit and tie.

B: Dancing

Later on that night, he heads for the Assembly Hall and the thumping beats coming from within. The choice of music makes his ears wince. He never even liked disco when it was popular. Alas, beggars can't be choosers. He watches for a short period of time before making up his mind. To hell with dignity. He jumps in. Cooper's not the best dancer in the world, but he'll make up for his lack of grace with an abundance of enthusiasm. Get too close and he will force you to dance with him.

C: Large Marquee

Though he looks a bit too young to be in the area, Cooper's around and about. Though he barely touches food or drink, he's friendly enough, chatting with whoever happens to be nearby. He sighs as he gets another strange look. He sighs, a long-suffering sound that comes from a lifetime of being an eternal teenager. "Yes, I'm over eighteen."

A

[eyeforaneye]

Ah, good, someone else as miserable in their formal attire as he is in his. Granted, his own is considerably too small and looks like it would've fit well on him approximately two to three years ago, but that's beside the point.

"You stand out." Not the most personable greeting in the world, admittedly.

[emotioneater]

"I'm more used to leather and jeans than this monkey suit, that's for sure. But you can't show up t'something like this looking like a ragman." Cooper eyes the newcomer, noting his own ill-fitting clothes. Well, there's comfort in shared misery. He sips his blood slowly as he asks a question. "So what are you, then? One of the students?"

[eyeforaneye]

"Perhaps a prospective one." There's a safe answer, though his eyes are lingering on the glass in his conversational partner's hand and the way the liquid clings to the side. Thick.

"What about you?"

[emotioneater]

"Vampire. From the Islington Clan." There's a note of pride in his voice. After all, there has to be someone here to represent the clan in a good light. It might as well be him. "Name's Cooper." He offers his free hand to shake.

[eyeforaneye]

That hand is eyed with a healthy amount of skepticism and wariness before he eventually extends his own, making the shake firmer than it needs to be.

"Sasuke Uchiha. You're the first vampire I've ever met. Or at least the first to declare himself openly."

C

[acrookedchild]

"Must get annoying," Abigail offers the words as she approaches, hearing him say that to someone. Of course, he could be lying. She wonders, for a moment, how easy that would be -- passing as an immortal. She's over eighteen now, but she has to wonder if anyone in the school has ever tried it.

She offers her hand politely. "Abigail Widdowson."

[emotioneater]

"I'd like t'say I'm used to it by now, but that would be a lie. It's a damn nuisance." His usual grin is replaced by a frown that flits briefly across his face. "Two-hundred years of this crap is enough for anyone."

He gives Abigail's hand a firm shake. "Cooper." He's a one name sort of guy, like Bono or Madonna.

[acrookedchild]

It's not the first person to just give her one name, but she doesn't blame anyone. She knows the power of names. Her spellwork has taught her that much, but her name is known. She can't hide it if she tries, which might be why her family has such bad luck. They're so known. Still, she can't help but smile a little.

"A pleasure. What brings you to Redbright?"

[emotioneater]

"Oh, the pleasure of making the acquaintance of some very interestin' folks." His tone is light, but his eyes carry a more serious look. This is a prime opportunity to forge alliances and find out where he stood with possible enemies. Plus, there was clan pride to think of. As a Baron, it was his duty to represent Islington in the best possible light.

"'N what about you, girlie? What brought you out this night?"

[acrookedchild]

"I suppose it's pretty much the same reason. I've heard a lot about the Institute, and I wanted a chance to see it for myself." She'd also wanted to meet Sylvia Redbright, which she had. She still wasn't sure what to make of that, too.

"It's been a nice night, I think."

[ B! ]

[warmheartedly]

"Cooper!"

Guess who is excited to see him here, also enjoying himself to the world's most wonderful music? A beaming Clara, that's who. While she stands out from the crowd thanks to her almost monochrome appearance and her seethrough form, the colorful decorations and lights around them almost pale in comparison to her smile.

Which simply become brighter when she goes to him, happy to see he was here too. It was so nice to see a friendly face here. And one she could speak to was a bonus. "Care for a round or two? This old bag of wind has some moves left in her, you know."

[emotioneater]

Cooper's head whips around when he hears someone calling his name. He has a smile that could light up a room when he spots Clara in the crowd. "Look who it is!" Much as he's a social butterfly, sometimes it's just nice to see a familiar face at an event like this.

He joins Clara in her dancing. The two of them can look like a pair of dorks for all he cares. He's here to have fun. "Hah! If you're old, what does that make me?"

[warmheartedly]

It's amazing to see him here! She was wondering if she would be able to even catch a glimpse of him or not. To actually run across him and enjoy a dance just has her all bubbly and excited.

"A very graceful ager," is her quick reply, her smile matching his since she's just so happy, being able to enjoy herself with someone she considered a friend. She does a twirl, forgetting herself for a second and causing nearby dancers to shiver at the sudden coolness around them. "And a graceful dancer too! Look at you, busting out the beats as the kids would say!"

Because that's what the children would say. Right?

[emotioneater]

Oh, Clara. Don't you ever change. "Yes, that is exactly what the kids would say." He even manages to say that with a mostly straight face. Several of the dancers are giving them a wide berth now, perhaps to avoid the sensation of (pardon the terrible pun) having a ghost walk over their grave.

Though he lacks a drink in his hand, he still raises it up as if for a toast. "Here's to a night we won't soon forget!"

[warmheartedly]

Clara just has to cover her mouth to smother her laughter, knowing fully well that no one else could hear her except for a select few but that doesn't stop her from minding her manners.

"Agreed!" She mimics it, her motions more dainty. Even in life she wasn't that kind of party girl, preferring dancing to drinking. "It's so good to see that you're having a good time! I couldn't help but notice that the others seemed-- Less than enthused by the music tonight."

B

[mensrea]

Stiles has tries every trick in the book to persuade the DJ to play a different genre of music. After at least thirty minutes of wheedling, haranguing, and even pleading, the man finally relents (for a single song!) on the condition that Stiles never speaks to him again. It is a victory and Stiles graciously accepts. When he returns to the dance floor, the first few beats of a Madonna song have just started. Stiles whirls around, betrayed, because while it may not be disco, this is definitely not what he had in mind—and in his clumsiness, he backs straight into Cooper.

“Whoa!” Reaching out, he tries to steady the other boy. “Sorry dude. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

[emotioneater]

Cooper is grooving away to the opening strains of Holiday when he gets bumped into. He stumbles and then catches himself on Stiles' arm. He takes in the sight of the American teenager who has bumped into him.

"'Salright. No harm done." He's seen Stiles up by the DJ for quite some time now and figures that the switch to Madonna is no accident. "You the one responsible for the song change?"

[mensrea]

Relieved that he hasn't managed to piss off someone (for once), he heaves a huge sigh in response to the question before shooting the DJ a murderous look.

"Yeah, but I was hoping for something like...Kesha."

[emotioneater]

"Oh no. You're one of those." Those being people who don't know the good classics from the bad pop music. Cooper says this sympathetically, like Stiles told him he has a terminal disease. "You need a musical reeducation, kiddo. Kesha equals bad. Crosby, Stills, and Nash equals good."

[mensrea]

Wow, in an amazing turn of events, Stiles—the guy who has been flinging around "you're one of them" at basically every supernatural tonight—has been designated as "one of those." Whatever that means. He starts to look offended, purely on principle, before understanding what he's being accused of (albeit sympathetically).

"Well, duh, but she's easy to dance to. And I've never heard of those other bands."

Sorry Cooper. Stiles genuinely thinks that Crosby, Stills & Nash is three separate musical artists.

C

[nestinghabits]

"Hey, I didn't say anything," Clint responds, raising an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his lager. Okay, perhaps he hadn't actually said anything in regard to this kid's age, but he's certainly been giving Cooper that look ever since he spotted him. This guy is way young-looking, and yet he's not getting carded or kicked out of the big kid tent? Suspicious.

"Guess I'm just getting old. Everybody under twenty-five looks like they're sixteen to me." That's a lie. Years of playing the spy game have actually made Clint pretty perceptive. He's just playing dumb and fishing for information. It's one of the only reasons he's even bothered to come to this gaudy-ass party.

[emotioneater]

"No, but you were thinkin' it. I can tell." Cooper folds his arms, a flat look in his eyes. There's a brief, familiar flare of annoyance that rises up within him and then dies down again. He's used to getting this out in the mundane world, but here, he'd hoped people would know better than to judge based off appearances.

Cooper shrugs, none the wiser to what Clint's really after. "Then you're going t'have a helluva time with some of the fae, old man. There's ones that are close to a thousand and don't look a day over twenty."

[nestinghabits]

"So? Take it as a compliment. At least you don't have any of these, yet," he offers, scrunching up his face a bit. Clint has some very prominent crow's feet, which he points out at the corners of his eyes. He's not bothered by them; at least they're associated with smiling. There are worse wrinkles to have.

That revelation doesn't shock him, because he's heard such things about both vampires and fae, even if he's met very few of the latter, and none of the vampires he's hunted have ever been that old. "Oh yeah? I'm from Iowa, in the States. Not as many fae there as you've got over here."

[emotioneater]

"And I never will. That's the trade-off. Getting carded anytime I go to a bar in exchange for never getting a gray hair." He can't complain too much about having eternal youth. It's something most people would kill for and the benefits do tend to outweigh the disadvantages.

"Just look around the room. I'm sure you'll find a few right here." Though it's not like Cooper would know. He's pretty unobservant when it comes to seeing through magical glamours and the like. "How'd somebody from the Hawkeye State end up all the way across the pond?"