gooseberryhigh | MASQUERADE

MASQUERADE

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!

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Quinn met Ty at the Coppertale camp to get her griffin mask, identical to his apart from the color, and the two had walked down together exchanging banter and flirting and talking about their plans for the night. Despite being here with his girlfriend, though, and saving most of his dances for her, he's a social guy and he can't help flitting around to talk and dance and play with his unfamiliar classmates. It's fun trying to pick people out and he enjoys succeeding and failing in equal measure. As always, he'll spend most of his night on the dance floor, showing off his moves and never seeming to run out of energy, but will definitely take breaks to enjoy some free food, socialize, do some karaoke, and generally take advantage of the fact that he's at an awesome party. Thank you, Event Committee!

Quinn's already learned two things tonight: never expect Christopher Park to apologize for being an asshole, and never trust a freshman in a mask.

Momentarily done with entertaining strangers, she picks her way across the main pack in search of Ty. She'd been confident that she could identify him by smile alone (the way he grins at her may still inspire a sort of self-conscious excitement in Quinn), but it isn't proving easy.

Calderon-Boot had said masks and voices were the most reliable ways to identify companions and after a couple passes through the crowds she spots a familiar griffin mask. Laying a hand on their shoulder she asks, hopeful, "Potions?"

It's more of a test for recognition than an invitation.

Ty hasn't been burned by the anonymity charm just yet, so when he turns and sees another griffin looking back at him he assumes without hesitation that it's Quinn. Even if the effects of the spell make it somehow...difficult to tell. The shape and colors and contours of the mask, even the pretty eyes and the lips that he should know, seem unfamiliar to him. It's sort of a head-trip. Still, he grins. "Hey! It's sort of...crowded for Potions, don't you think? I mean. Unless you want some really interesting pictures from the photobooth."

Ty's grin helps other traits fall into place and Quinn drops her forehead to his shoulder with a relieved sigh and a laugh. "Tran would kill us for ruining her kick-ass dance with scandal." Trying to find him in a sea of obscured and constantly shifting identities made her feel like she was drunk, and now that she's found the Coppertale she's determined to hang on for a little while—and literally, as her fingers wrapping around his wrist probably hint at. "If anyone's going to earn her death glare for misbehaving it's going to be the freshman who just tried to get fresh with me," she shakes her head, now feeling more amused than upset. "I swear they got worse this year."

"Ah, but we're anonymous," Ty points out playfully, still smiling...but a bit less broadly and a bit less easily now. Wherever Quinn got off to, she apparently hadn't been enjoying herself as much as he has been. He hooks an arm around her shoulders and is about to ask when she takes the initiative herself, prompting the remnants of his smile to vanish too. "Jeeze. Seriously? He didn't, like... You okay?"

Quinn welcomes Ty's arm, moving in closer, and rolls her eyes. Well, she also raises her eyebrows but they're blocked by the mask. (She never realized how much she communicates by brows alone until the night's dress code so cruelly curtailed that ability.) "It's fine, he backed off as soon as I told him to. He thought the masks would help him make out with the first hottie he saw." She motions to her dress as if to say you're damn right I fit the bill and her face breaks into a self-satisfied grin. (Well, the bottom half does.) "Braydyn got a very stern talk and I got the memory of his face when he realized it was a senior prefect under the side the mask." Because, like, fuck that guy.

Quinn said she's fine, but Ty still bristles as the girl explains the situation and puts a name to the freshman. Fucking Braydyn. He shakes his head. "Good. Little creep." It's unusual for Ty's feathers to get so ruffled, especially in an aggressive way like this, and even he doesn't seem entirely sure what to do with the feeling. He gives the girl a brief squeeze and exhales a breath and tries to force a smile as he adds, "That's got to be, like...fifty points from Ribbonfin, right?"

She's seen more of Ty over the past couple months than ever before--whether as his usual peppy self, frustrated, or downright sad thanks to his asshole parents--but this side (somewhere between territorial and angry, even if he's not stomping around or shouting) is... new, and she's not a fan.

"That many points and I get to tell Hightower the tale, so let's make it an even sixty." Quinn replies with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "And it's not as though I can really talk down on clandestine makeouts, considering--" she leans in and kisses his neck since earlier attempts to exchange kisses on the lips just ended up with them bonking masks. "-- you."

Ty knows he can't argue with that and every justification for trying just falls flat even for him. The kid hadn't tried to pass himself off as someone else or manipulate anyone or force himself on anyone; he'd just made a bad play trying to hook up with a pretty girl. It happened. The fact is that he just didn't like the idea of Quinn having to deal with unwanted attention from Braydyn or anyone else and that he'd been momentarily jealous over some little freshman boy trying to get with his girlfriend. It's an uncomfortable realization.

He exhales a soft breath as she kisses his neck and slips his other arm around her before acknowledging, "...Sorry. I know. I know that. I just..." Instead of finishing, he shakes his head and produces a lopsided grin that is, at least, more genuine than what came before. "Guys are idiots, huh?"

That's more like it. Quinn drapes her own arms over his shoulders, pausing on the way to brush her thumb over the lopsided grin. "Present company excluded."

"Present company very much included, but working on it," Ty returns lightly, moving to bump the beak of his mask against the beak of Quinn's mask, "I am the guy that came up with masks that wouldn't let him kiss his own girlfriend, remember?" He pauses for a moment, then glances out toward the dance floor, then back at Quinn. "I can still dance with you, though?"

"That just means we have to be creative about it." She shrugs, pushing her mask up far enough to allow for a quick press of her lips to Ty's. "The kissing, that is, not the dancing. Though we can get creative about that, too."

Hazel has momentarily lost her date somewhere, but she's not overly concerned; they'll find each other later, probably via yelling. In fact, she's going to employ Micah's technique now, though she'll be using it to seek out her favorite senior. They need a repeat of their irreverent winter formal dance.

"SQUIRREL NUTKIN?!" she calls out, hoping that her voice will carry over the sound of the music and general noise of the dance.

Miraculously, Ty isn't on the dance floor when Hazel begins her search for him and that makes hearing his 'name' considerably easier. He smiles and glances around, immediately down for this impromptu game of Marco Polo. He has no idea how Hazel's dressed or what she'll look like tonight, but he can definitely follow the sound of her voice. He calls back, equally loud, "TWINKLEBERRY?!" Will that help her stay anonymous? Does it matter? Whatever.

Listening closely for anything that resembles 'Twinkleberry,' Hazel is not disappointed to hear Ty's voice. She's equally excited to hunt for him; she doesn't care if them wandering around and yelling is annoying to anyone. This is a dance people, have some fun!

"SQUIRREL NUTKIN~?" She calls out again, this time singsongy as she heads in the direction she'd heard her own "name" being called.

Hearing Hazel again, Ty gives a delighted laugh and weaves through the crowd a bit more quickly. He almost collides with someone and almost causes that same someone to spill their drink -- sorry, sorry, his bad! -- but feels certain that he's getting close to the origin point of that familiar voice when he calls out again, "TWINKLEBERRRRRY?!" Unbeknownst to him, though, he's actually passed his friend by....putting her in the perfect position to get the jump on him.

Hazel is practically mirroring Ty's quick movements through the crowd, though her small size makes it easier for her to skirt past people and not almost cause a traffic accident (jeeze Ty). Moments after they slip past one another, though, she hears him call for her again. She whirls around with a grin.

The sophomore is about 99% sure that the guy she sees looking around is Ty. Ok, maybe more like 95%. Whatever, her odds are still good and she's still going to jump on his back. And she totally does jump-hug onto his back with a happy squeal. Being a cheerleader she gets some decent height on the jump, but latching onto another human being when they're not expecting it and when you're in a dress is not the easiest thing, so she's almost instantly sliding down his back. Super dignified.

Seeking a male student for Hazel to jump on instead of Ty (whoops). Must be:

❯ Drinkless (she'd feel bad, guys)
❯ Able to not collapse under the weight of Hazel Keating
❯ Willing to not kill Hazel Keating (look how cute she is?)
❯ Willing to not kill Ty Hawkeswood (who will laugh his ass off)

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MASQUERADE

Ty

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty & Quinn

Ty + Hazel

Ty + Hazel

Ty + Hazel

Ty + Hazel

Ty + Hazel

VOLUNTEER NEEDED