PROM

[finchmods]

MURDER ON THE FINCHWOOD EXPRESS

For the final time this year, the gym has been transformed for a dance; this time, it's a murderous train, along with train station and platform! Upon entering the gym, students find themselves in a train station filled with (pointless) columns, benches, and a destination board with random Haling Cove destinations. A few paces in, a freestanding arch opens up into the rest of the gym. A newspaper stand off to the side contains old time-y looking news papers with the headline 'Finchwood Express's Maiden Voyage.' The paper is mostly filled with lorem ipsum, but the article accompanying the headline has been written by freshmen. It lists Gregory de Leon as a famous private detective that will be on the train, along with the rich (but horribly ugly) railroad owner [Character B], and "very murderable" actor/actress [Character C].

Walking through the freestanding archway leads to a train platform that's clearly the dance floor. Smoke spills across the floor from all the steam engines that are operating out of this station, and lights overhead give the impression of filtered sunlight (with some colored lights and a disco ball for fun.) The music tonight is pretty all over the place, but one song that just keeps playing is a little dated. Who keeps putting this on?? (It's [Character D]).

The rest of the gym is taken up with a train built by the hardworking theatre tech crew and shop students! Most of the cars sport only three walls and are much wider than a car would actually be, but who cares? Each contains some seating and maybe a photo op or two, though two in particular are special. The main attraction is an engine car spewing smoke from a smoke machine in its chimney, but there's also a dining car that contains a bar with a few signature mocktails, food, and lots of booths for the travelers to sit at. Martin Geary offers discreet shots from their flask to some of their classmates until a freshman yells "Poison!", grabs it from them, and takes off running. Get back here!!

About halfway through the dance, the music cuts so that the prom court winners can be announced by Neal Valentine and Venus Rosales! Winners have to come up on stage to get crowned, and they're asked to share a dance with their winning partner. But they can't make you. The freshmen will boo you if you don't, though.

When it's time to go, students file out of the gym in their fancy dress. It's a pleasantly warm and clear evening, and it's really a shame they have to head back to their dorm rooms. Maybe if they walk a little slow they can hold onto the simplicity of the evening a bit longer.

HOW THIS WORKS

• The theme of prom is Murder on the Finchwood Express! The dance begins at 7:00 PM and ends at 11:30 PM. Then everyone must return to their dorms.


• There is a "bar" where student council members and volunteers are making mocktails for the guests. While none of it is alcoholic, the drinks are served in cute glasses with convincing garnishes. The menu is:
  1. Murder on the Orient Express. Chocolate syrup, hazelnut coffee, non-alcoholic Irish cream, grated chocolate on top.
  2. Death by Not Gin. Elderflower cordial, lemonade, non-alcoholic bitters (they don't trust the bartenders with real bitters).
  3. Amber Moon. Water, vanilla extract, raw egg, and Tabasco sauce.
  4. Murder Train. Sparkling grape juice and grenadine.

PROM COURT WINNERS

Queen Pearl Kline	Queen Suzy Choi
Princess Hadlee Loxton	Princess Venus Rosales
Duke Gregory de Leon	Duke Mason Chambers

» Before the Dance: It's time to get ready! Even though you're probably all gussied up, be sure you're ready for some murder too!

» The Train Station: Upon first entering the gym, the area is set up to look like a nice train station - there are pillars (that hold up nothing), nice benches, and a small archway to walk out through that leads onto the platform (aka the dance floor).

» The Platform: A large area has been set up to look like a train platform, with the clear purpose of being the dance floor.

» The Dining Car: The bar and snack table have been encased in a roomy fake train car, where there are booths to sit in while you dine or drink. Sadly, no real alcohol is being served, unless you slipped a flask in to spike your mocktail.

» Train Car Photo Ops: As with the other dances, there are various photo ops placed throughout the gym. There's one at the engine car (you can lie on the tracks in front of it, if you want), a few different looking train cars, and a stack of luggage in an ornate sleeper car that has the tiniest bed you've ever seen (and no privacy - don't try anything funny).

» Prom Court Winners: About halfway through the dance, the music is cut and the prom court winners are announced! Come up on stage and get your crowns! Please don't give a speech!

» Murder Afoot: A game has been set up so that students can really get into the murdering spirit. Results of each round of the game will be posted here.

» Around Campus: Some people have decided to opt out of the dance, so they're free to enjoy the quieter-than-usual campus.

» The end of the night: It's been a long, fun night, but it's time to rest.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

Comments

THE PLATFORM

[finchmods]

Gregory Lucid Dreams

[de_leon]

There is a trope in cinema where at the climactic dance, the randomly moving bodies of the people on the dance floor magically align in such a manner that a part is formed in the crowd and someone is revealed across the way. The person our hero longs to see. The love interest they didn’t know would be there but who they desperately hoped would show. Such an improbability happens here, the sea of dancers parts, and there... on the other side of the floor... are Dallas and Merry.

Even if he didn’t have the extra detective powers bestowed by his drawn-on Hercule Poirot mustache, Gregory would recognize this as a date. Time slows. Sound recedes. Lights dim everywhere except around them. This is Christmas morning wrapped in Halloween night. This is the love-child of wish fulfillment and fan service. This is everything he has ever wanted.

Gregory wonders if he’s dreaming. And he’d be forgiven for thinking this. Merry has gotten (understandably) frustrated with him for saying he thinks they’d be a cute couple. And Dallas didn’t even mention he and Merry were going together. Perhaps this is a dream then, Gregory nods, with slight melancholy. Nothing more than a bittersweet dream. But then a thought dawns on him. If this is a dream, and he’s aware he’s dreaming, then he must be lucid dreaming. So from his lips escapes a quiet, hopeful command: “Kiss.”

Lucy the Prom Crone (Open +)

[lucillefer]

A small dark figure with bright hair wanders the periphery.

Lucy's get-up of mourning veil and clouds of ink-colored gauze and lace make her a tragic background character on the Finchwood Express; to look at her, one might imagine nobly-borne, delicately powdered solemnity rather than soft pettiness and boredom, which are more accurate but less ethereal.

On the Platform she melts into the background, hidden by rolling smoke and shifting throngs of dancing youth, which suits her just fine. She's not really here because she actually wants to be, or at least that's what she keeps telling herself. She is a limited spectral quantity, only here to look good and say hello and allow a small handful of dances before bailing on the scene entirely.

The truth is, though, Lucy does feel oddly wistful beneath her posturing. Maybe she should've gotten high before coming here. Maybe someone has a flask.

Lucy & Dallas

[dallaslevy]

Despite the crowd and the flashing lights and the smoke that fill the dance floor, as soon as Dallas spots the dark figure with a mourning veil he knows that he's found Lucy and he can't help smiling to himself. No one on their squad takes this school dance stuff particularly seriously and he thinks that's a good thing, but...he's still glad they're all here. Maybe just because it's the last time.

He isn't thinking about the why when he takes a few quick steps to catch up with her and greets her with a quick wave, though. "You haven't bailed yet," he observes lightly, "That's some endorsement."

Lucy & Dallas

[lucillefer]

Lucy dips into a shallow curtsy.

"I'm having the time of my life," she drones, coolly extending a hand in invitation.

The assertion from days ago hasn't been forgotten, after all, and this encounter is at the top of a list that must be checked off before she can leave, like a spirit with unfinished, disappointingly mundane business.

"Shall we?"

Lucy & Dallas

[dallaslevy]

Dallas hadn't forgotten the agreement either and he'd always intended to see it through, but his face still lights up with surprised and frankly uncharacteristic delight as Lucy offers her hand to him. Mundane or not, it seems to makes the boy happy, even if his expression quickly evens again. "...Like you've gotta ask."

He takes her hand without hesitation and starts to lead them into the fray.

Lucy & Dallas

[lucillefer]

Lucy glides along behind Dallas, lifting her skirt with her free hand. When they come to a stop on the floor, she releases it with a flourish to rest her arm companionably on his shoulder.

Away from school functions, alcohol and the right ambiance make Lucy dance: not like present company can, ever, but free with her body and mind and time. Prom achieves exactly .3 of these parameters, but she's here for Dallas, who can move like an artistic ideal anywhere, anytime. She'll feed off of him like a little vampire of vibes.

But also:

"Tell me," Lucy ventures, leaning in just slightly to both listen and be heard. "Were my instincts correct?"

Lucy & Dallas

[dallaslevy]

Dancing may come easily to Dallas, who immediately sets a pace and a rhythm for both of them as they find their place on the floor, but pinning down the situation he's found himself in tonight with Meredith...doesn't. The question, almost whispered, startles an uncertain smile out of him and he spins Lucy neatly as if that might get him out of answering. He knows it won't, though.

"...I dunno," he admits once she's facing him again, "I can't tell. And seems sorta late to ask."

Lucy & Dallas

[lucillefer]

That tidy little turn spins the veil out of Lucy's face. For one loud moment, she sees everything in smoky, light-up color. Then it's dark again.

"Just have fun then," she advises, brusque and mildly breathless. "And figure it out later."

Noah & Eli

[strikings]

Student Council outdid themselves again. Every once in awhile, Noah regrets not trying harder to get himself on the dance committee, but then, who would be the appreciative audience? Who would ooh and ahh and tell Venus and Neal that they're geniuses? No, better that he just enjoy all the fun, and none of the work.

And anyway, he's on a date. He'd rather devote his attention to Eli than worry about freshmen breaking props, or votes being tallied properly. "Dance with me," Noah demands, putting his arm around Eli's waist and tugging him towards the dance floor. "Before you can find a weapon and be the one to murder me."

Noah & Eli

[pleaseloveme]

As they hit the dancefloor, Eli flops his skinny arms around Noah's shoulders. Sometimes he feels weird about Noah being taller than him. It's not bad or anything. Sometimes it just reminds him about things, even though he's always been taller than most of the girls and a lot of the boys, too. It's just different when you're kissing, or dancing.

"Uhhhh," Eli stammers, easily distracted from his earlier angst by Noah's banter. "I can't even murder Shadows, let alone you."

Noah & Eli

[strikings]

"Which is precisely what you'd say if you were trying to lower my defenses." Noah grins, blissfully unconcerned with his own death, and tightens his arms around Eli's waist. This isn't really a slow dance type of song, but he doubts that Eli will argue with him. "Oh, remind me that I have something for you."

Mason & Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

The Quad City DJs are playing for the fifth time tonight, at least. Hamsi's not sure of the exact number, having previously been busy with murder games-ing. Now that murderin's no longer in the cards, she's onto her second favorite activity: making Mason's life more difficult.

Now that he's landed gentry, that should be even easier.

She finds him on the edge of the dance floor, hurries toward him, skirt bouncing, and dips into a deep curtsy just feet short of crashing into him. "Milord!"

Mason & Hamsi

[coalblooded]

Mason flashes a grin, playful but still embarrassed. "My lady." He answers her curtsy with a deep bow. Too deep. The crown falls off his head, bounces once, then rolls away from the both of them. "Oh, crap." Not very Duke-ish.

Mason & Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

Hamsi giggles just a little, the sound matching every bounce of the crown as it rolls away, until at Mason's muttered oh, crap she guffaws. "Mason," she gasps over laughter. "You lost the vestment of your station!"

Before he can respond, Hamsi's wrapping her hand around his wrist to pull him after the crown— onto the dance floor. "Recovery mission!"

Mason & Hamsi

[coalblooded]

"Maybe it's a sign that I wasn't meant to be a duke," Mason replies, watching the crown escape. Apparently, however, Hamsi isn't going to let him passively accept this, because she's dragging him onto the dance floor. "Okay, okay, okay," he says, stumbling along after her, doing his best not to jostle anyone who's actually trying to dance. "Where'd it go?"

Mason & Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

Avoiding dancers seems far less pressing to Hamsi, who immediately bumps into a couple of freshmen, stopping only long enough to yell at them. "Leave room for Jesus!"

Then she's off again, glancing over her shoulder at Mason and grinning. "Oh no, you can't give up that easy. We're going to get you re-crowned Duke Sir Chambers, don't sweat it. It's—" She points. "There!" And as soon as she's said it, Hamsi releases Mason and dives for the crown as though it might scurry away, looking utterly ridiculous in her purple tutu.

Mason & Hamsi

[coalblooded]

"Sorry!" Mason calls out to each person that Hamsi jostles, waving the hand not captured in an apologetic acknowledgement.

"I never wanted to be— royalty," Mason says, though he's not sure that she can hear him over the music. She frees his wrist and then dives forward towards his wayward crown. He coughs and turns his head so he doesn't see her underwear in the scuffle.

Marty & Liam

[survivalof]

Marty is dressed in the suit that Noah had bought him, after the Junior Wands collective had voted it the most dashing. It's blue, with an oil slick sort of pattern and sheen. It doesn't exactly fit the theme, but who cares? What had CC said, it looked explosive but beautiful? That's much more important.

When Marty finds Liam, he approaches him with both his hands in his pockets, eyes glittering with mischief. Liam isn't actually his target (it's Nora, which he feels a little bad about), but he doesn't mind if he thinks he is. "Having fun?" he asks, too casually to be casual.

Marty & Liam

[unironickylorenfan]

It's a busy night. Aside from the dance itself, they've got, at minimum, two bets going, the murder games, and a late night adventure planned to look forward to. And still Liam finds himself instantly distracted from all of that by the sight of his boyfriend in a striking and well-tailored suit. Noah did good work. Liam feels, as he always does, like the luckiest boy in the room, and tries not to think about how he should never have agreed to a sweeping-off-of-feet competition with Marty. Shit.

Liam's instinct may be to press in close, but he's not about to let Marty murder him in the first moments of the game. He dips his head, clearing his throat and taking a half-step back to create distance. "Well, I am now," he quirks a brow. "Mm, who's your target?"

Marty & Liam

[survivalof]

Liam takes a step back, and Marty can't even pretend to look hurt. It feels a bit like every party they attended before the roller rink — the closer Marty gets, the harder Liam tries to duck him. It only makes his grin widen and pull up at the corners. "Now, why would I tell you that? Who do you have?" He keeps stepping closer, slowly and casually. "How am I going to sweep you off your feet if you keep retreating?"

Marty & Liam

[unironickylorenfan]

"How are you going to sweep me off my feet with your hands in your pockets?" Liam counters, tilting his chin to the side and meeting that grin with a dubious smile. Each step Marty takes, Liam matches in reverse. It's an old dance. A familiar dance. Strange to think that once he'd moved so carefully to protect his heart — strange to think he'd need to protect his heart from Marty at all. Now, though, he's just trying to protect his chances of getting the most marshmallows at the end of the night (metaphorical or otherwise). Liam squints, estimating how much space he has left to back away. "Show them to me and maybe I'll tell you who's on my card."

Marty & Liam

[survivalof]

"Good point." Slowly, Marty takes his hands out of his pockets, holding them palm up to display that their empty. He doesn't take any further steps forward — Liam is out of space, and he doesn't want the other boy to bolt just yet. He doesn't actually need to capture him, anyway. "You can pat me down to make sure I'm not hiding any weapons on me, if it makes you feel better." He can't resist the temptation, though, and takes one big step forward so he can stage whisper, "Might make me feel better, anyway."

Marty & Liam

[unironickylorenfan]

Liam's heartbeat jumps to a rabbit's pace and at first he can't fathom why. It occurs to him, though, that it's an automatic reaction—muscle memory. Marty'd corner him with that lascivious grin, his heart would leap up into his throat, and Liam would inevitably find a way to melt out of Marty's reach at the last moment. Tweak his nose. Roll his eyes. Duck away. Away from danger. Away from feeling.

His breath catches, but only just. There's no reason for any of that, now.

Except maybe the eye rolling. Eye rolling sounds like a good move here.

Liam does his best to make that hitch of air in his throat sound like a laugh when he moves in to meet Marty. "Damn. Someone's eager to start the second half of the night." He catches one of Marty's hands in his own, then rests his left hand at Marty's waist — the way he'd been shown at the Valentine's dance. With a grin puckish enough to rival Marty's, he lowers his voice. "You're gonna have to work for it."

Kyra & Marina

[weewilywilkie]

It's a shame that she has to kill Petra. She's a nice girl. But sacrifices must be made. Kyra's prowling, wearing white but wishing she was back in the noir get-up she had been in the Shadow World. It had been a good outfit, but she's all right in this one too. On the way back from her assignment, Kyra looks around for Marina one more time. They're at a dance. It feels strange to not be at her side. She dances a few feet away from the other girl's shoulder, not near enough to touch, for now.

"Who are you killing?" Comes her voice from behind. "Anyone tough? Is it me?" There's something that passes for a proud smirk on Kyra's face at that.