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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

[eyeforaneye]

"Sounds like the difficult part is over if you know what your aim is. You make a lot of excuses for someone who theoretically has so much less to lose... Can't you enlist the help of the living if you think that your own reach is so limited?

If you have a goal that's strong enough then you can find a way as long as you stop intentionally weighing yourself down. The motivation is the only hard part."

[megidoomed]

It'd be so much easier to explain. It'd clear up everything, show why she ties herself into illogical knots, make it into something that isn't just two teenagers snapping at each-other. But she just

can't

and it causes no end of frustration. Curse you, bad decisions. Curse youuu.

"Most of the living can't see or hear me. And I can't snap my fingers and solve all my problems."

you are the master of edits

[eyeforaneye]

"No, you can't. Neither can I. You have to work hard at them; that's what life -- and death, I guess -- are about."

He's far too goal-oriented and stubborn to be able to accept this kind of attitude lying down; he just can't do it.

i keep forgetting things.........

[megidoomed]

You're being awfully motivating over there, Sasuke. One would wonder if this is just about Aradia's problems now, but that would require her to be perceptive. As it is, there's a long moment where she stays silent, thinking.

"I know. I'm trying and I--" At least the frustration's gone, even if the monotone replacing it isn't much better. "Don't know how to make it make sense, okay? Sorry."

It's fine!

[eyeforaneye]

Even he can realize when it's perhaps time to let a topic fade in order to give it time to settle instead, sighing softly at himself.

"Do you normally come to places like this? Parties, either? Seems inconvenient if you have to hide your presence, but I suppose that's easy for you."

[megidoomed]

The change in topic is appreciated, and a bit of warmth creeps back into her voice. Ghost freakout promptly averted, the electricity bill is saved.

"I try to, sometimes. Most are boring but it's the easiest way to stay informed of what's going on. Supernatural parties involve a lot of talking which you probably noticed - and I don't usually want to hide. It just happens."

[eyeforaneye]

"Sounds like a welcome gift to me, but I don't have a gift for socializing." You don't say.

"I'd rather not have to talk and deal with people if I don't have to."

[megidoomed]

"Trade you?" Safely back into 'amused' as far as ghostly moodswings go. "It gets lonely pretty fast. Though it's useful for eavesdropping, I guess."

[eyeforaneye]

"If I wanted to be dead then I would've taken that step already. I'm going to see where this chapter of existence takes me first before I rush into the next one.

Do you have a regular place that you..." Ah. What's the delicate terminology here. "... haunt?" Probably not that.

[megidoomed]

"It was worth a shot."

Someday, someone'll want to trade. Someday - even if she's not that sort of ghost, it's still a nice icebreaker. "And haunts... hm. I usually stick around my apartment building, but I'm working on pressing my boundaries. It's like a rubber band sometimes."

Not gonna mention that this is the longest she's been outside her haunt in a while, because that brings up complicated questions.

[eyeforaneye]

"Sounds irritating, being tethered to one place like that. If you're able to be here then it seems as if your attempts to test that hold are working out, though."

It's difficult for him to imagine but brings up so many things he hadn't considered before. If the dead really did linger like this, and if they were possibly limited in the scope that they could travel, then... maybe he had some places he needed to revisit.

[megidoomed]

"Older ghosts have a better grasp of staying away. It's just a matter of practice."

She's... honestly oblivious to any ideas she's causing. Sharing information is just nice. "The living have it easier. Even if you can't go through walls."

[eyeforaneye]

"Then even just getting out to something like this is an exercise in diligence for you." ... "Even if you are still choosing to make a chocolate fountain your safe haven. Can you practice making yourself visible without resorting to means like that, too?"

[megidoomed]

The fountain is her friend. It's important.

"I can manifest if I put effort into it, but possessing things is easier and I don't risk losing my focus halfway through a conversation. The fountain being here was... convenient."

... yeah no still not admitting she fell into it by accident.

[eyeforaneye]

"That's why I used the word 'practice'. If you envy the living so much and want more ties with them, this is an important skill. You should set goals for yourself." The pushy motivational tactics don't stop even after the lightbulb's exploded. He's brave, there's at least that.

[megidoomed]

"I have a goal. Most ghosts do."

She can't fault him for sticking to his ideals, even if she's wary of slipping back into their previous not-argument. Conviction is a useful trait to have. "It's part of what makes us stay."

[eyeforaneye]

"There's something greater than a short term aspiration. An ambition. This isn't so grand as that, just something for you to focus on practicing while you're working towards what really matters to you."

[megidoomed]

"... I've been practicing possessing a computer without destroying it. Does that count?"

Dodging around the topic while being incredibly literal. Yep.

[eyeforaneye]

"It counts for something. Not specifically what we were talking about, but something." I mean...

[megidoomed]

"But it still counts as a goal. For all you know it could be important." Important for annoying people, maybe.

[eyeforaneye]

"Important for annoying people, maybe." You did this.

[megidoomed]

"Annoying people is a valid goal." We've made some mistakes, okay. "Don't disrespect my un-life choices."

[eyeforaneye]

"I'm disrespecting it if I think it's stupid." Wow, don't hold back. "You could be accomplishing any number of more important things. Like materializing outside of a fountain."

[megidoomed]

"The fountain's part of my master plan. Fear the fountain." Even she can't really buy that one, but sticking to her guns is the only option.

[eyeforaneye]

"I don't believe that you have a plan for next Tuesday, let alone a master one."