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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

[warmheartedly]

"Oh Cooper." She would never tell people about what he tells her or give him any judgement for him. Instead she simply gives him a smile, quite happy for him that he has that.

"Well-- If it means anything to you, I just want you to know you're also always welcomed to the coffee shop. Especially on Thursdays." Hoping to keep the tone light, she pretends to lean forward so no one can hear her whisper, "Because on that day, you can order a drink and get a freebie with it if you order between 1 PM to 3 PM if Cynthia is the barista."

[emotioneater]

"Givin' out insider tips, are we? For shame, Mrs. Seville!" He mock scolds as he wags a finger at her. "I really do appreciate it. Coffee helps with the cravings when they hit something fierce." He couldn't always just grab the nearest person and chomp down when he was hungry, so making do with alcohol and coffee had become essential.

[warmheartedly]

She gives him an innocent 'who, me?' look but that smile is anything but innocent. "Well, I would like to see them catch me if I can. If the first spiritualist couldn't shoo me away, I think I'll be sticking around for a long time."

"...." There's a thoughtful pause as she reconsiders her words, remembering how long she's been around but also remembering all her run ins. So she turns and knocks on the closest piece of wood to her. Which happened to be a clipboard of a passing teacher, causing them to squawk in surprise. "Oh! I'm so-- Oh dear. I never seen someone run so fast in dress shoes. I hope they don't trip."

[emotioneater]

Cooper cracks up with laughter as he watches the teacher awkwardly spring away. Clara's like the least-threatening person he knows. Clara the Friendly Ghost right there. "Y'know, there's some poltergeists that would pay good money to be able to do that naturally."

He has no worries about Clara getting exorcised. People who did that for a living tended to go after aggressive ghosts who were disrupting the status quo. Even if one did bother her, all she would have to do was mention it to Cooper and he'd make sure the next placed they performed an exorcism was the middle of the Russian tundra.

[warmheartedly]

She winces as the teacher disappears in the crowd, looking at Cooper with a sheepish expression when they've vanished among the throng of people.

"I still feel so bad whenever it happens though, accident or not." Because she never means to scare them and she feels awful when it does happen, accidentally or not. Both for herself and for the person who got caught up in it. "Long as he doesn't report it or go investigating later, I think it'll be alright. Who knows? It can be a funny story for him to laugh about later. Like you dancing with a ghost and some people's expressions! Their faces were priceless. Did you see them?"

In the past she would have been more worried about the possibility of getting exorcised or banished. Nowadays? There's a sense of security knowing Cooper and the others were there to deter it in their own ways.

I got this halfway done and my phone ate it! :(

[emotioneater]

"It's a good experience for them. None of these teachers will last long if they don't get used to supernatural occurrences early on. Hell, I'll bet there's even a few little ghostie students this year." Cooper had a certain fondness for ghosts. It was so much easier to let his guard doen around them when he knew there was no possibility of him hurting them.

He laughed a little when Clara asked if he had seen people's faces. "That I did. Bet most of 'em were jealous." Or possibly terrified, but then that was their loss.

booo phone you can't stop us

[warmheartedly]

Her interest is quipped when he mentions the possibility of ghost students being here with them. She's already looking around to see if there were any lurking around the corner, simply out of sight and out of mind, because if that's the case goodness.

"I hope they aren't and they're at rest," she comments to him, her smile wistful and worried. "I would feel awful if I never noticed them before. It can get lonely sometimes when you're a new ghost and don't know the new world yet."

Realising how depressing that must have sound, she looks back at him and adds, "Unless you have good friends and have a great deal of luck, of course. It's thanks to you and the others that my life has been so colourful since I never went through that door."

[emotioneater]

"You're probably right. Most people tend to pass on when it's their proper time." Not that Cooper would know. He was terrible when it came to spotting other supernatural creatures. It had only been pure dumb luck that he'd even seen Clara in the first place.

"Sometimes, you only really start livin' after you're dead." Cooper can fully attest to that. His life hadn't exactly been boring before being hanged, but the next two-hundred odd years had left him with many more stories than he would have had otherwise.

[warmheartedly]

"I wish my husband was able to linger a little bit longer then..." It would have been nice, being able to catch up with him again and get some time together. She looks a bit sadly as she peers out a window near them, enjoying the view and knows he would enjoy it too. That or the bar nearby. Whichever he saw first. "But! Let's not be a downer tonight. We're here to have fun."

The music switches to another song that Clara knows and, thankfully, it's a song that Cooper can both dance to and know is considered not that bad. "Come on! I haven't shown you how to do the funky chicken yet. It was all the rage when I was young."

Being undead isn't that all bad. It does allow people to have more adventures, stories than their old lives would have allowed. Give them chances to live in a way that being actually alive didn't allow. And Clara here is determined this night will be one of the many stories to have in the future.