MASQUERADE

[goosemods]

MASQUERADE

Classes are not cancelled this afternoon, which leaves Event Committee scrambling after 3 PM to get everything in order in the Atrium. Students having dinner are given only 30 minutes before they’re ushered out past the privacy curtains again, since EC claims they need the cafeteria for a “special surprise.” At 7 PM sharp, the Atrium opens, and the Anonymity Charm activates.

Mardi Gras is the theme of the night, and the Atrium has been decorated all over in purple, green and yellow. Floor-to-ceiling backdrops are arranged along the walls, depicting a festive city street, and painted figures of masked performers tumble, juggle, swallow swords and perform magic tricks for the students. The ceiling is decorated with glimmering, stylized stars and a smiling silver moon, and multicoloured confetti falls continuously, vanishing just above everyone’s heads. Purple, green and yellow balloons are strewn across the dance floor, but will magically skitter out of the way so no one accidentally steps on one.

The refreshments table is the real star of the night, with a chocolate fountain surrounded by plates of various fresh fruits, marshmallows, caramels, cream puffs and cakes. A long table features treats styled after the theme, with mask-shaped cookies, cupcakes with edible beads, macarons in purple, green and yellow; glittery cake pops, and sprinkles on literally everything. (A few special treats have been set aside for vegan students, and Prospero will point to them.) At the far end of the table is an open bar adorned with feathers and colourful silk, where students can order mocktails from a menu. Isabelle Sargent, Ursula de Luca and Todd Skynner all volunteer to take shifts behind the bar for an hour (or two), and make conversation with their anonymous classmates while serving up drinks. A masked house-elf will always be present behind the bar, if no one wants to play bartender.

Step through the doors into the cafeteria and you’ll discover a stage has been set up with anonymous karaoke. Have you been too afraid to sing in front of your classmates? Now, if you perform badly, no one will know who you are, so get up there! This room is also popular for the MVSC photobooth in the corner, which automatically spits out a strip of four animated photographs for the low, low price of a half-dragot.

If you want a quiet moment, then the balcony is the place to go. The decorations out here are just as bright and glittery, but the little benches have comfortable purple, green and yellow cushions, and there’s bluebell flame lamps providing warmth and light on this chilly but romantic February night.

Staff is present and also wearing masks, but they aren’t using the Anonymity Charm, to make it easier for students to get help if there’s any trouble. Anyone who’s using anonymity to harass others will be given only one warning before they’re ejected from the dance. Observant partygoers will spot Dr. O’Hare on the arm of Mrs. O’Hare (appropriately, they’re wearing matching rabbit masks), but his partner, Agent Larke, is nowhere to be seen…

Just before midnight, Mr. Oakes presents an awe-inspiring fireworks show right above the lake. You can walk outside for the full view, but the backdrops will be taken down so you also watch from the tall windows of the Atrium. The last fireworks light up the sky at the stroke of midnight, when the Anonymity Charm ends.

HOW THIS WORKS

• Decorating the Atrium begins around 3:15 PM, and the cafeteria is cleared at 6:30 PM.


• Cocktail dress code. That’s party dresses and suits, but you won’t be dinged for getting too fancy or dressing slightly more casually. No jeans or t-shirts, though!


• The dance starts at 7:00 PM, and runs until around 12:00 AM. These are also the hours of the Anonymity Charm: the charm activates just as the clock strikes 7:00 PM, and only within the confines of the lodge and the immediate surrounding area, and permanently deactivates at midnight. If students don’t have a charmed mask of their own, a simple domino will be issued to them at the door.


• Anyone wearing a charmed mask becomes unrecognizable to those looking at them. You might have known a person by their voice, height, hair, skin, or lips, but now suddenly… you aren’t certain. This could be anyone.


• This effectively means that you can’t guess the identity of an individual by their physical traits. However, you might recognize them either from their speech patterns, or something they tell you.


• It’s easier to recognize people by their masks, but if you want your character to struggle with this as well, you may. (The same applies to clothing.) This means you might be at risk of losing track of your date if you come as a couple. This is up to individual players.


• Mr. Calderon-Boot has the power to take the charm away, though, so if you act in a truly horrendous manner or break a rule, you could still get caught. Not to mention that a lot of people will remember if the guy in the blue domino mask was being a total dick all night, and someone might later see it amongst your possessions.


• If you leave the dance, the charm deactivates until you return. If you remove your mask, the charm deactivates, but will reactivate once you put your mask back on.

» Setting Up: In the afternoon, Event Committee works on getting the Atrium looking its best. Event Committee has thrown up magically impenetrable curtains around the Atrium, so even students exiting dinner at 6:30 PM won't be able to see what they're working on.

» Before the Dance: Dress to impress! Do you let your friends see your mask, or are you hiding it until you get to the dance? The trails have been swept by Mr. Covington, to make it easy as possible for students get to the lodge. (He recommends wearing your boots, and changing footwear once you reach the lodge.) Doors open at 7 PM.

» Beginning of the Dance: Students are allowed into the Atrium and get to admire the decorations and everyone's masks. The music aims to get everyone dancing with a playlist that’s heavy on the jazz, ragtime and brass band. (~7:00 PM)

» Refreshments Table & Open Bar: Food and drinks are available all night, and there’s little tables, decked in colourful tablecloths, if you want somewhere to sit. Head to the bar if you want someone to mix a drink for you—all non-alcoholic, of course. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» Anonymous Karaoke: Through the doors to the cafeteria is a stage with a karaoke setup. Can you guess which one of your classmates is performing? (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» Photobooth: In the corner of the cafeteria, you can take instant mementos of your night. Just insert a half-dragot coin, and strike a pose! Note that the Anonymity Charm does not work in photographs, so your pictures might give away your identity... (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» Balcony: The balcony overlooks the lake, and some students mingle out here to chat or appreciate the scenery. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» End of the Night: The music winds down with some slower, romantic songs. Just before midnight, there’s a fireworks show. The charm immediately ends at the stroke of midnight, Cinderella. So either leave the dance by then, or stand around with everyone else to unmask and see who you’ve been talking to! (~11:00 PM-12:00 AM)

» OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Comments

Senior Azurgents

[indiefolk]

Diego has not been hiding his outfit from his cabin, and his preoccupation with the idea of a plague doctor mask is revealed by those eye pieces. As it turns out, glasses + mask = no fun, and Diego's eyesight is pretty bad. However, Diego got Mina to help him transfigure a spare pair of glasses into the lenses of his mask, so when he puts it on he can see perfectly.

He's barely been able to focus on anything but the dance today. He has no idea what happened in class. He and Ravi have big plans tonight, and Diego wants to deliver on the promises he made. Serious agent of the king, hunting down spies, saving the world, being really competent and sexy. Diego looks at himself in the mirror and doesn't really see it in him. He pulls the mask down over his eyes, though, and suddenly it seems a little more plausible.

Senior Azurgents

[choneychurch]

Cecil Honeychurch is not conventional vampire material, but he is a devoted boyfriend and has tried to get something together that Levi will like. Using a combination of charms and transfiguration, his boring suit is now black leather and actually sort of striking when paired with a black button-up shirt, a black leather mask, and a stylized metal earring borrowed from Levi. He also went to Cole to take advantage of his offer of assistance with makeup; as a result, he's looking paler than usual (will his inevitable blushing manage to show through? only time will tell) and his canines are looking more pronounced than usual (due to prosthetics rather than magic). The odd little Ribbonfin also convinced him to allow for the addition of colored contact lenses that have turned his brown eyes a dark and subtle red and red eye makeup that is barely visible beneath his mask, but gives his eyes a somewhat otherworldly sense. Overall...it turned out better than he'd had any reason to expect that it would. Though, he only looks vaguely like himself.

The real judge, though, will be Levi. Just back from Ribbonfin and ready to go whenever his date is, he peeks into the Azurcrest cabin to check in with his roommates and look for his boyfriend. Seeing Diego, he smiles brightly (and fang-ily?) and announces himself by saying, "That looks great, Diego! Does this mean you and Mina got everything figured out with the lenses?"

Senior Azurgents

[jijmjr]

Cecil's return from Ribbonfin is Jesse's cue to get out of bed and actually put on some clothes. He seems a little flustered and maybe even a scooch frustrated with whatever he was scribbling in his journal, but that's easily forgotten once he pushes back the curtain to his bed and rejoins his cabinmates.

They look terrifying. What is happening? "I thought we were doing swuits?!" he cries, with passably realistic indignation.

Senior Azurgents

[gdilevi]

Levi isn't in event committee with Cecil and so he's been leisurely wandering around since OE let out. A shower, then over to Ribbonfin to have Cole do his makeup, then back to Azurcrest to straighten his curls and put on his suit. The silver glitter on his suit jacket from winter formal is charmed to black, with a black button up and black tie beneath. His numerous piercings are edgy enough as accessories, but in an attempt to shoehorn in the "gothic" vampire theme he has a skull accessory pinned to his lapel. As if his pointed canines aren't enough of a giveaway.

Inside his bunk with the curtains drawn open, Levi is reclined back in his bed and sipping from his flask of Firewhisky when he hears the cabin door swing open and banter ensue. "Don't tell me you didn't get the memo, McBride!" he cries, banging on the partition that separates his and Jesse's bunks. "We're not doing swuits anymore, we're doing modern goth!" With a laugh, closes his flask and swings his legs over the side of his bed to slide off of it. It's now apparent that his obligatory Space Theme has taken the form of constellation socks that clash with the aesthetic. Whatever. It's Levi.

"What time is it anyw--" he begins to ask before he gets his first eyeful of Cecil. He stops. He stares. A hideous groan resonates from within him as he clutches a hand over his heart and braces himself against the arm chair in front of his bunk. It's a sound not unlike the one he made last time they discussed vampires. (God bless him.)

Sorry, everyone.

Senior Azurgents

[indiefolk]

Diego taps the glass of his lenses when Cecil asks after them. "Crystal clear, which is good because otherwise I would think I was seeing things." Cecil is dressed in a very un-Cecil-like manner, and Diego immediately attributes this fashion decision to Levi. Levi's, uh, appreciation for vampires is well documented. Diego's somewhat bemused smile can still be seen under his large mask. "Looking sharp, man."

And that's when Jesse and Levi emerge to react to Cecil's goth vampire makeover. It reminds Diego a little bit of that scene in... uh, what's that no-maj movie with the dancing and the cars? Grease? When the good girl walks out in the sexy black outfit? Yeah. He shakes his head and snorts as Levi looks ready to pass out.

"You guys have fun, I've got a spy to catch," Diego says affectionately as he heads for the door, throwing his cape around his shoulders. "Don't get kicked out of the dance for biting people, and please don't feed on Jesse as soon as I leave!"

Senior Azurgents

[choneychurch]

Cecil smiles sheepishly, but doesn't have a chance to praise Diego and Mina's ingenuity or thank his friend before Jesse and Levi have joined them. Levi's dramatic response overshadows everything else for a moment and forces him to lower his eyes. His cheeks are already starting to burn, but it doesn't show at all. "...You look nice too, Levi," he teases quietly, as if his boyfriend had casually complimented him or at least managed actual words, then turns his gaze back to Diego, curious. A spy?

"Good luck," he says brightly after a small pause, having no idea what his friend is talking about but deciding that he seems happy enough about it, "And, I promise, no biting anonymous strangers. Or Jesse." He watches Diego go, then crosses the room to his boyfriend. He reaches for the boy's hand and leans in, as if he's going to quickly kiss his cheek or lips as he almost always does when coming or going from his company. Instead, though...he kisses his neck. Because if he's doing this to please Levi...he might as well go big. That's how vampires say hello, surely.

It's slower than usual but still relatively brief and once he straightens again he suggests, "We should get going too?"

Sorry, Jesse.

Senior Azurgents

[gdilevi]

Levi's eyes haven't left Cecil and if he heard a word of what anyone said, he doesn't seem to acknowledge it. As Cecil nears him, he can see the dark red of his colored lenses and his heart gives a leap. This boy really did go all out for him. This is the height of romance. Still slumped and holding on to the armchair, he eagerly and expectantly tilts his head up as Cecil takes his hand and begins to lean in.

A kiss on the neck is far more and far better than he expected and he inhales sharply as Cecil's lips all-too-briefly press against his skin. The foundation on his face isn't heavy enough to conceal the rare tinge of pink on Levi's cheeks as Cecil pulls away. That disgustingly starry-eyed look from the beginning of their relationship is back with a vengeance, and he stares at Cecil for several moments before finally responding. "What?" A pause. Oh, right, the masquerade. "Oh! -- Wait. I have something for you." He reaches into his trouser pocket to pull out a pin identical to the one on he's already wearing and steps forward to affix it to Cecil's left lapel. "So everyone knows we're together." As if it wasn't going to be painfully obvious even without the matching pins.

Senior Azurgents

[choneychurch]

The way that Levi is looking at him leaves Cecil simultaneously very embarrassed...and very happy. His smiles even as his dark eyes lower again, feeling very warm and very aware of his quick heartbeat and very unvampire-like. He starts to answer the question, to remind Levi that there is a party to get to, but stops with the realization that Levi has something for him. Something that he's apparently pinning to his jacket. He watches his boyfriend's nimble fingers, laughs softly as he recognizes the trinket, and raises his eyes again. Still no sign of the blush that must be there.

He taps the pin and smiles at Levi fondly, "I knew this was missing something. Thank you."

Senior Azurgents

[gdilevi]

Even without the color in Cecil's cheeks, Levi can tell Cecil's blushing. The paler complexion is endearing in its own way; he'd never thought of vampires blushing without the blush.

Levi's unconcerned about the presence of their roommate(s?) as he returns the favor by pressing a lingering kiss to the side of Cecil's neck; he considers it a favor to everyone present that he's keeping the kiss close-mouthed and relatively chaste. You're welcome, Jesse. (And potentially Ryan.) But also, sorry.

"Alright, let me just put my shoes on and grab my mask and I'm ready," he says once he pulls away, and swiftly steps toward his bunk to do just that. "Later, Jesse. Sorry the swuit idea was a flop."

wait, it's friday. Levi was in Astronomy, not OE. LMFAO MY BAD

[sheepish]