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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

[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."

[megidoomed]

"Sure I do. Haunt apartments, break lightbulbs, continue to exist. That's what I'm doing next Tuesday."

[eyeforaneye]

"Haunt multiple apartments or just the one you usually hang around in?"

[megidoomed]

"Multiple. There are some people willing to tolerate me."

... though, sometimes she wonders. Whoops.

[eyeforaneye]

"You have a list of compatriots? Somehow you seemed more antisocial than that."

[megidoomed]

"I'm social when I want to be. I just usually can't be bothered."

[eyeforaneye]

Color him incredulous.

"Name three friends that you have."

[megidoomed]

Now this presents a dilemma. List her old living friends, and risk him looking them up out of sheer stubborn spite. Don't mention them, and expose that she's a sad lonely ghost with no friends.

"You're awfully curious about my life. Being dead doesn't make me less deserving of privacy."

Or we could. Deflect by being annoying. That works too.

[eyeforaneye]

You realize exactly what that sounds like, right. You must.

"You don't have any friends."

[megidoomed]

Realizing and accepting are two different things.

"I had friends." Wait, shit. "Have friends. They're just not in London."

[eyeforaneye]

"... I don't have any either. Don't worry about that. That kind of companionship is overrated nowadays." Actual friendless losers club.

[megidoomed]

The sudden 180 from the agitated questioning is almost startling, even if she switches tracks without commenting.

"It's hard to keep in contact anyway." They need t-shirts or something. Though, that'd end up turning into a beacon for any extroverts in the area. "So I'm okay with it. It leaves more time to practice things."