undergrounds | Game Opening: May Ball

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED.

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 The lights are off, the desks and chairs have been replaced by beanbags and there's a table in the corner with a chocolate fountain, marshmallows and strawberries.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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I guess that makes sense. When I think undead, though, I always think zombie. 'Least they look the part. I can't tell with you guys, sometimes." He pauses to poke at something stuck in his teeth before adding, "Not that zombies are a thing? I've never seen one, anyways."

Folding his arms in front of him on the bar, Clint shrugs. "You already said it: I'm a straight-up human hanging out in a magic school. What the hell would I be teaching here?"

"If they are, I've never seen one either. Think they're firmly in the realm of Night of the Living Dead." There were some things in the world just so fantastical that they had to be fiction. If not, the zombie apocalypse was probably just around the corner and then they all wouldn't have to worry about factions or politics ever again.

"I dunno. Maybe you're one of those professors that just sticks around because he likes to get under the student's skirts." Cooper should teach a class at Redbright: how to win friends, influence people, and then piss them off all in the same conversation.

"Eh.. good. Sometimes witches surprise me with some of the magic they can cook up." And that's not even mentioning what fae can do, because he's pretty inexperienced with them, but he's heard stories, man. At one time in his life, he would have though a zombie apocalypse to be the epitome of cool. Now he knows better.

Clint's brows draw together as he turns on Cooper for that comment. "How the fuck did you draw that conclusion? Of course I'm not a teacher, dumbass!" You're the eternal teenager, buddy. If anybody wanted to mess around with underage girls, Clint bets it would totally be you.

"I dunno. You're old and you got the look of someone who's ended up on a sexual predator registry at least once in their life." He deliberately raises an eyebrow and gives a smirk designed to get under Clint's skin. Now he's just having fun messing with the hunter's head.

"You're the immortal creeper, pal! Plus you've got the..." He waggles his fingers in front of his own eyes. "Mind control eyes, or whatever. You could make a kid do whatever you wanted! So don't go calling me the predator."

Cooper's efforts are working flawlessly. Clint is so mad. A vampire has never accused him of being the bad guy, before. What is even going on?

Cooper is tempted to correct him that technically he needs someone's blood to pull a mind control whammy on people, but he doubts Clint is in a listening mood any longer. It's fun playing the hunter like a fiddle. "Y'know, you keep saying all that, but I don't hear any actual denial coming from you. Anything you want to share with the class, old man?"

He slams his hand down on the surface of the table, drawing stares from the people around them. Oh my god, he is so mad he might just end up causing a scene here if he's pushed too far. How can any kind of governing body willingly protect these guys, seriously? (Not that this kind of taunting is strictly limited to vampires, because humans can be creepy assholes too, but who cares.)

"No! I don't have anything to hide. How about you start talking about all the dirty deeds you've done, kiddo? Bet you've got a laundry list."

Cooper getting just the reaction he wanted out of Clint. He leans up against the table, arms crossed. "Oh, I do. I've killed everything that's walked or crawled on this earth at one point or another. The difference between me and you is that I'm honest that I'm a monster. You may like to get all sanctimonious about this, but consider this--"

He points a finger in Clint's direction, almost but not quite touching his chest. "--how many have you killed?"

"I couldn't give you a count, there, to be honest," he bites out; staring at Cooper's finger as it invades his personal space. In his work with SHIELD, Clint was often assigned to live war zones on high security protection detail. He's blown up nests of terrorists, without actually being fully aware of the body count. He's not proud of it. It was his job.

"But you know what? Ever since I started killing shits like you, I've at least been able to sleep better at night."

Cooper's eyes flash with anger as Clint brags about killing vampires. It's a good thing they're in a neutral zone right now, otherwise, Cooper would have no compunctions about making Clint eat the nearest curb.

"There you have it. We're a pair of killers, you and I. The difference is that in twenty years, I'll still be around t'do as I please and feed off of whom I like. But you? Give it a couple more years, old man, and you'll be hunting someone just a little too young and smart for you to handle. Then you'll get taken down just like that." Cooper pokes Clint in the chest hard.

Game Opening: May Ball

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