gooseberryhigh

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PROM

PROM

It's an overcast, windy day as all the prom-goers excitedly pile onto the busses to leave the anti-apparition zone. After that, it's a quick Portkey to California, where a mansion has been rented out for the dance.

It's just beginning to drizzle as everyone is given a short reprieve to drop off their things, get into their clothes for the dance, and maybe recover from a bit of portkey sickness. After that, it's time for dinner, and finally... the dance!

It's raining hard, filling the room with a romantic roar as everyone files into the ballroom. Ursula de Luca gets up on stage to greet the crowd, and to announce this year's prom royalty. Four freshmen hold little pillows with the suitably fancy crowns as Ursula reads off the names:

Queen Wilhelmina Tran & King Leonardo Fiori

Princess Mackenzie Prince & Prince Casey Patterson

The winners are called on stage to be crowned, and a few embarrassing snippets from their nominations are read aloud to the student body. Mrs. Bloom commends Mina on her willingness to take control, and Leonardo for his determination and responsibility. Kenzie is complimented for her ability to command respect, and Casey is lauded for his enthusiasm and drive. The audience applauds. Their dates are invited to stand with them for the prom court photos, and then they are invited to take to the floor for a dance.

After that's over, the lights go out! Thre's a sudden crash and scream! It's obviously part of the story, though, as Todd Skynner jumps up on stage as the lights come back on. They announce that Mr. Gooseberry, the billionaire philanthropist host, has been... murdered!!! But by whom??? Everyone who signed up for the game is asked to check their clue cards, which are charmed visible only to them. Whoever can solve the mystery by the end of the night will win 100 dragots, a deerstalker hat, a mysterious magnifying glass charm*, and will earn their house an advantage in next month's water balloon fight.

*The magnifying glass will be an asset in the end game plot, but we cannot tell you how!

RULES

Busses will pick up the rest of the students going to prom at 5:00 PM. If they're spending the night, they'll need to bring their own necessities.

The busses will take the students to a location where portkeys will transport them to... a mansion in California! Unfortunately no one gets to enjoy the nice west coast weather, as it looks like a storm is rolling in.

Upon arrival, everyone will be given an envelope that contains information on how to play in the murder mystery, their room assignment and key, a colourful nametag with their prom name (optional to wear), the schedule, and general rules.

Students will have about 45 minutes to drop off their things in their rooms and put on their dresses and suits!

It begins raining at 6:00 PM.

Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM in the ballroom, which offers four different dishes: chicken, beef, vegetarian pasta or vegan ratatouille. It's a sit-down dinner with large tables for groups, and smaller tables for couples.

Photos will be taken of couples or friends on the grand staircase in the entryway.

We had to ditch the idea of prom crimes. We simply didn't have the time to fill in the gaps. Sorry everyone. :(

By 7:00 PM, the rain has become a dramatic thunderstorm. The mansion is positioned so if you go to the western windows and balconies, you can see it raging over the ocean.

The dance begins after dinner at around 7:30 PM, so if you eat quickly you can go freshen up before heading to the ballroom.

Prom royalty is announced, and after that, the Murder Mystery begins at 8:00 PM. This is essentially a big, live action version of Clue. Each year plays a separate game, and has separate killers to track down. All the rules can read HERE. All suspects, weapons and rooms are listed HERE. (You can hit "File > Make a copy" to get a document you can edit.) We're cutting off accusations and announcing winners after Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 11:59 PM MT.

Quiet time in the hotel wing of the mansion begins at 10:00 PM, but curfew isn't until 12:00 AM, when everyone is expected to be in their room.

No one is allowed to leave the grounds. You will be punished if you're caught with illegal substances or items.

» BEFORE THE DANCE: On campus waiting for classes to end, time just seems to drag on and on for the students going to prom.

» Arrival & prep: See your rooms and get ready to go! There's a rush of activities as everyone scrambles to get read and look their very best. The hallways are chaotic with laughing, screaming teenagers all blasting their own music. This is a non-mystery area, you can't question other murder mystery players here.

» Dinner: In the ballroom before the dance begins, students can be seated in pairs or goups, where they'll receive a limited table service meal. The cuisine is Italian, and you have your choice of chicken, beef, vegetarian pasta, or vegan ratatouille. Dessert is tira misu, or vegan sorbet. This is a non-mystery area, you can't question other murder mystery players here.

» ballroom: After all the tables are cleared out, the large ballroom hosts the main part of the dance. There's plenty of space to shake your stuff, and a refreshments table for when you get thirsty. A little sign reminds people that students are limited to three cupcakes a piece. Huh. Why is that? Earlier in the evening, the music will be modern and exciting, but as the evening winds down it begins to favor classical and romantic ballads. This is a non-mystery area, you can't question other murder mystery players here.

» conservatory: A glass and iron greenhouse extending out into the garden. The sound of the rain is almost deafening, but it's very romantic. There are little tables to sit at, and lush plants for decoration. It smells incredible.

» billiard room: There are billiards tables available if anyone wants to try their shot at pool. There will be RNG matches of pool, ran somewhat like Quidpong. Post your character's name to accept challengers, and the mods will roll you results. You're limited to two games per character, after which we'll stop rolling results for you.

» library & study: A very scholarly room, with ceiling high bookshelves overflowing with old texts. This is a relatively quiet room, and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to get lost in.

» lounge: This is a popular sitting and socializing area, with chairs pulled around coffee tables and the music of the dance perfectly audible. The lounge has a balcony that provides an incredible view of the storm over the ocean.

» accusations: If your character is making an accusation to try and win the murder mystery, comment here with who they think the murderer is, the murder weapon, and the room it was done in. Remember, you only get two accusations before you're disqualified. Anyone disqualified or any killers/accomplices caught get a small consolation prize.

» end of the night: Everyone returns to their room, and some students take the opportunity to end up in rooms they weren't strictly assigned to. I'm sure there's nothing scandalous going on, though! All the rooms are unique, and somewhat eclectic. They may contain twin beds or queen beds, and will all be rather darkly decorated. This is a non-mystery area, you can't question other murder mystery players here.

» the morning after: Everyone wakes up... well, maybe not in their own bed, but a bed. Grab breakfast and get ready for the trip home.

» OOC: QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

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Jaime thinks he looks preeeeetty slick. He's got most of his dances reserved for his adorable date Pippa, but he won't argue with attention from others as well.

Not tied to a date, Avery is going to get in and dance with everyone. She spots Jaime during a dance unattended and steps up. "Hey! Wanna dance?"

"Of course!" Jaime chirps, immediately offering the girl his hand. He'll never turn down cutting a rug with a pretty girl!

Why had she never really spoken to Jaime before? She had had fun with him at the Grotto party and he was actually a gentlemen, taking her hand and everything. "Are you having fun? Where's your date? Did you bring... isn't it Hazel?"

Taking Avery's hand and moving a little more onto the dance floor, Jaime shakes his head. Does he know Hazel?? "No no, Pippa! She is off having fun - I do not want to cramp her style all night, you know?"

Avery blushed. Pippa and Hazel didn't look anything alike, but they were both rather high spirited girls. She had to admit, she really didn't know the sophomore class that well. "Pippa, that's right." Pippa was the girl she saved from the woods that time. "Pippa's a sweetheart. But definitely good date material to not cramp her style and steal all the dances!"

"She is! Very sweet, and very brave, you know? She asked me to prom! So because she is so independent, she definitely does not need me bothering her all evening." Jaime spins Avery with a grin. "You must have a date, yes? You look too pretty not to."

"Girl's got guts!" She would have been terrified to ask out a junior when she was a sophomore. Even the seniors still seemed a little intimidating. Not as much now that she was almost a senior herself, but still. When Jaime asked if she had a date, Avery shook her head no. "No one asked me, and I didn't know who to ask. The couple of guys I thought would be fun to take already had dates."

"Right?" Jaime sounds impressed because, honestly, he is. He tilts his head at Avery's later words, hmming softly as he spins her like it's nothing.

"That is a hard situation - people seem to ask very early so that makes it a little harder. But you are very pretty, so I am sure you will have good luck if you decide to ask anyone next time!"

She's not the greatest dancer, but she follows well enough and spins easily with him.

Avery nodded her head. It was disappointing to not have a date, and then to lose Prom Princess, but she wasn't phased by either. She was still feeling great, and the dance was fun regardless. "Thanks, Jaime. You're handsome yourself. Pippa is lucky."

You expected some cute girl? Too bad! It's Ennis!

Ennis looks around for Pippa and when he doesn't immediately see her, he takes it as a green light to approach his friend. "Jaime!" he calls excitedly and holds out his hands for him, those dark eyes sparkling with glee. The gesture might make it seem like he intends to ask him for a dance, but instead he gushes, "There's internet here!"

"Ennis!"

Jaime isn't sure what to do with Ennis' outstretched hands, but makes a split second decision to take them. Any momentary awkwardness is completely eclipsed by the other boy's next words. "Internet?? Do you have your phone or anything, then? Can we watch a movie later?" He's pretty excited about this prospect.

"I do! I do... I, um!" Since he can't wring his own hands, he squeezes Jaime's instead. "I brought my laptop in case I needed a break from the dance, and I... can probably tether it to my phone? But I'm not sure if it will load fast enough to watch a movie?" He's not really sure what sort of data plan they have now that he's in school, but he knows tethering his laptop to his phone is going to be a bad idea. Still, he's a stupid teenager and he very desperately wants to appear impressive and he'll deal with the consequences at the end of the billing cycle when his mom sees the overages.

"We can't watch a movie, but we could probably watch some cute animal compilation videos?"

Though a little surprised by the hand squeezing Jaime just tries not to think about it for the moment, instead continuing to smile at his friend. He has no idea what tethering his phone means, or about anything like bandwidth that might cause things to load too slowly... but he's certain he won't be disappointed by anything that involves the words 'cute animal.'

"Oh! Whatever you think will work. I mean, I will happily watch anything," Jaime beams. "It will be a great end to prom."

Ennis lets out a stupid, giddy little laugh at Jaime's response. If his hands could sweat right now they would, but Ennis has slathered his own concoction of antipersperant lotion all the way up to his wrists. Instead, his hands begin to feel unusually warm and he begins sweating profusely from his inner elbow to compensate. Nice.

A normal person would've released hands by now, but oh no no, not Ennis. He's dragging Jaime down to Awkward Town with him. As the song switches to something more uptempo that he's familiar with, he unconsciously sways the beat and moves their hands along with him.

"We can, um, watch them in my room if you want? Oh-- and-- I can show you a picture of the lambs my mom just sent me? And, um, we can look up random questions you want the answer to?" Damn, Ennis, killin' it.

Though Jaime is unaware of Ennis' poor sweaty elbows, he's very aware of his warming hands and the fact that they've been... holding hands for a bit. But then Ennis starts swinging their hands and maybe they're dancing?? Should he let go? Nope, he's going for it. He will sort of awkward dance with Ennis for a bit.

"Yeah! That sounds great. I would love to see the lambs too!" He laughs a little, the sound only slightly awkward due to their semi-dancing. "I will have to think of some good questions. What do you ask the internet, though?? Just... anything??"

Ennis only realizes they're semi-dancing when he notices Jaime going along with his movements like a good sport. Bless him. "Mmn, anything you want to know and it might have the answer!" he chirps, stepping in and stepping out again in what looks like a legitimate dance move. "Like... ah..." He chuckles and lifts Jaime's arm to twirl himself; a most favorite move in his repertoire. "How to dance! -- Unfortunately for me, there's no internet at the school, is there? So I just keep spinning."

Pippa loves dancing, and Jaime has been the best date, bopping away with her earlier in the evening but happy to let her go off to dance with her friends too. Now, however, after much exploring and investigating, Pippa winds up back on the dance floor... and the music is slowing down. She spots Jaime -- looking as handsome as ever -- and before she can talk herself out of what she's about to do, she goes over and slips her hand into his.

"You're not too tired for one last dance, are you?" Pippa asks, pretending that the only reason she's holding Jaime's hand is because she's trying to pull him to an empty spot. Her tone is light and teasing, but she'll be disappointed if he says he is too tired. Pippa feels like she could dance all night.

As he sees Pippa and her hand finds his, Jaime straightens up just the slightest and beams.

"I would never be too tired to dance with you!" he responds easily, allowing Pippa to guide them out onto the dance floor. He's had such a great night, only made better by his great date. All he can think is that, even with all the drama of whatever is going on in the forest and his worries about being less wild, this year hasn't been bad. And it's certainly coming to a close on a high note.

Once they're out on the floor Jaime puts his free hand on Pippa's waist in proper slow dance form, smiling at her. "You've been having fun, yeah?"

If being bold and daring wasn't so terrifying, Pippa would do it more often, because the rewards are definitely worth it. As Jaime's other hand finds her waist, she's surprised she doesn't melt into a puddle of bliss. Pippa rests her hand on his shoulder and smiles up at him, happiness written all over her face. "Yes!" It comes out as half-squeak, half-sigh, and her cheeks go pink. Striving for a more normal voice, she adds, "It's been a perfect evening! The dinner, the mystery, the mansion... my date. Are all proms this amazing?"

Jaime laughs quietly, meeting Pippa's gaze as they begin to dance. It's hard not to see how happy she is, something that boosts the Azurcrest's confidence and mood. He is a good date! Good job, Jaime!

"Good, I am really glad! Proms are always a lot of fun, but, you know, this is the best prom I have ever been to. My date has been very charming, so I think it is maybe that." He sways easily with Pippa, his dancing, while nothing fancy, smooth and confident.

Pippa's cheeks get an upgrade from pink to red at Jaime's compliment. He thinks she's charming! And this is probably his THIRD prom and he STILL thinks it's the best! Pippa wants to duck her head to hide her blush, but that would mean breaking eye contact with Jaime, and she's enjoying that too much. She'll just have to hope he hasn't noticed how flushed she is in the dim lighting of the ballroom.

"I can't imagine anything being better than this," she confesses, swaying to the music and savouring the feel of their linked hands. "My date hasn't been so bad either. He hasn't stepped on my toes once."

Catching sight of Pippa's blush, even if he can't really assess how deep it is, has Jaime mentally preening. He's ecstatic that he's improving Pippa's night, and that he's apparently saying some things right. He laughs brightly at her assessment of his dancing, going to spin her even if it's not totally appropriate for the song they're dancing to. It's fun! And pleasantly surprising, he assumes. "I am very glad," he says brightly once she's back in his arms.

Pippa lets out a surprised laugh at the sudden spin, and uses the move as an excuse to step in closer to Jaime afterwards. (Mm, he smells good.) "So, did you hear I'm a murderer?" she asks, eyes sparkling. Being caught hasn't dimmed her enthusiasm at all.

"I did! It is very intimidating, I will have to be extra nice to you so I don't end up on your bad side." For whatever reason Jaime has decided that he should attempt to deliver this with a straight face, and almost immediately he fails.

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PROM

Jaime + OPEN

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime & Avery

Jaime + Ennis

Jaime + Ennis - that freaking pic

Jaime + Ennis

Jaime + Ennis - Sorry Ennis' fam, Jaime wants to watch cute videos

Jaime + Ennis - His mom's just happy he has human friends :^( BUT MY GOD, ENNIS, WHY??

Jaime + Ennis

Jaime + Ennis

Jaime + Pippa, later in the evening

Jaime + Pippa, later in the evening

Jaime + Pippa, later in the evening

Jaime + Pippa, later in the evening

Jaime + Pippa, later in the evening ("Good job, Jaime!" ← I'M DYING)

Pippa & Jaime (HE IS DUMB SORRY PIPPA)

Pippa & Jaime (HE IS CUTE, SO NO COMPLAINTS HERE)

Pippa & Jaime