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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

"Glad that someone feels that way. Most of the time my honesty tends to be gettin' me into trouble." People either liked that he tells it like it is or they wanted to sock him in the jaw. "Still, what would these politics be without half-truths and out 'n out lies to make things interesting for all the factions?"

[eyeforaneye]

"I'd pass on the interest. I hate lies in all of the various forms they take." Which definitely speaks for why he's not too terribly popular. Unnecessary compliments count as deception, after all.

"Don't your kind rely on charm and guile to a certain extent, however?"

[emotioneater]

"I don't know about all vampires, but I will admit to it. It's easy t'make people underestimate you when you look young 'n they treat you as such." He looks pleased with himself at the admission. It was a strategy that had served him well over the course of his long life. People had consistently treated him like he wasn't a threat and only discovered the truth when it was too late.

[eyeforaneye]

"... You sound proud of that." Far too much so for his own tastes, but perhaps that's judging too quickly. His specialty.

"You still hunt on your own, then? Surely there are peaceful alternatives that don't require you to need to be underestimated in order to get a meal."

[emotioneater]

"Why shouldn't I be?" Cooper counters. "It's kept me alive this long. I'd prefer to be a crafty old bastard who's still alive then to play by everyone else's rules and be dead."

There's a look in his eyes, something old and monstrous peeking out then. "Once you get used to doing something, it's hard to ever break the habit. Even if that's feeding off the unwilling."

[eyeforaneye]

Again his eyes go to that glass of blood, held oh-so-carefully, and back to Cooper.

"I see. Sounds like you're just set in your ways, then... More so than most humans would choose to be. I think your way of life would probably be too difficult for them, or me, to fully understand. We're too changing."

[emotioneater]

He feels like he's being judged, despite Sasuke's earlier comments about never meeting a vampire before. Oh well. He can judge all he likes. Cooper's not changing for anyone but himself.

"You're right on the money. It's hard to be of the world when you're not really a part of it. Everything around you changes, and instead, you're like a rock. Immobile and stuck forever the way you are."

[eyeforaneye]

"... It sounds lonesome." Somehow it's all he can think to say, in the midst of their dissenting viewpoints and disagreements. Is it pity, commiseration, or some mix of the two?

As usual the answer's almost always in the middle way. "Do you not have other longterm vampire companions?"

[emotioneater]

Cooper nods when Sasuke mentions the loneliness. Moreso for Cooper than other vamps. He's never turned another person, too unwilling to subject them to the kind of long, torturous life he's experienced. "A few, scattered here and there over the globe. But most vampires are arrogant pricks. I prefer to spend time with people I can actually stand."

[eyeforaneye]

"You mean you prefer to spend time with people that are just going to be forced to leave you. Are you trying to torture yourself?"

[emotioneater]

He lets out a laugh, a sound filled with bitter emotions and the weight of two-hundred and thirty four years behind it. "Life for a vampire is filled with nothing but pain. The pain you cause others and the pain you cause yourself. And so it goes on 'n on, 'till the day some hunter gets lucky and shoves a stake through my heart."

[eyeforaneye]

"That tone partnered with those words makes it sound like that's what you want, so maybe you should reconsider them." If not it's a little too telling.

[emotioneater]

Cooper folds his arms and fixes Sasuke with a glare. This is what he gets for opening up. "What do you know about it? You're practically a child!"

[eyeforaneye]

"Even if I were, you don't have to be more than a child to consider that death is better than the life you're living. You're not that naïve; that's obvious." It's far too forcefully stated and he forces himself to dial it back, disliking showing too much emotion in conversation anyway.

"... either way, something's keeping you attached to this world. That's your business."

[emotioneater]

"My business and no one else's." The words are snapped out. Sasuke has hit a bit of a nerve. Cooper's always possessed a self-destructive streak that promises to be the end of him someday. "You're rather quick t'judge someone you've only just met. Ever turn that high-powered magnifying glass on yourself?"

[eyeforaneye]

"When I'm feeling up to it." Or perhaps just particularly brave. "You've judged plenty about me too, haven't you? I'm sure you've drawn a few conclusions that weren't offered to you. It's what people do."

[emotioneater]

"I certainly have, Mr. Nosy. But unlike you, I possess a little thing called tact 'n know to keep my opinions to myself." That in and of itself was unusual. Restraint was not one of Cooper's strong suits.

[eyeforaneye]

"So don't be tactful," he returns simply. "I'm an honest person and I'm unpleasantly blunt. You don't need to be anything more or less with me in return if you don't want to be."

[emotioneater]

"I will. Not much I can say though, since I don't know that much about you. Maybe the next time we meet I can piss you off good 'n proper." It did seem to be a specialty of his. He also seemed to be assuming that there would, in fact, be a second meeting.

[eyeforaneye]

"Is that a challenge? I feel like between the two of us you're the one that's been quicker to anger, but maybe you're just having an off day.

Next time I expect you to not hold back." And here he makes the same assumption, and they're both way too comfortable with the idea of making this into a competition.

[emotioneater]

"Challenge accepted, kid." There's a glint in his eye that says he's looking forward to that second meeting for all the wrong reasons. Cooper shouldn't like Sasuke. He's judgmental and has all the social skills of a goat. Yet there's something he rather enjoys about verbally sparring with the young human.

"You enjoy yourself tonight. Me, I've got other people t'see. Some of them actually enjoy my presence, unlike you." With that, he bids farewell to him with a nod of his head.