Quoted By:
<span class="mu-s">"A warm welcome to all on this first week of Spring, the annual commencement of our sacred purpose, to which this gathering of kindred minds and spirits will beat witness."</span>
All this fancy and flowery speech is impressive, albeit a little boring for you in your tipsy state. As well as that, you're still not entirely sure what this whole place is about. But you can at least try and keep your head up, your eyes open for whatever play-thing they want to put on. Fortunately the speech itself is not that long, something about celebrating the purpose of this establishment, looking forward to the year ahead, and some initiation to start things off. The finishing applause from the audience jolts you fully awake from any risk of dozing off again. What follows is much more interesting to you, if a bit weird and creepy, as the rest of the robed figures make a procession onto the stage.
Some sort of strange commencement ceremony, the deeper meanings of which are entirely lost upon you. Probably largely in part to their chanting of some foreign language, possibly Latin even? Definitely weird and creepy seeing them all move in practiced coordination and patterns, in time with whatever they're chanting on about, preparing the stage both symbolically and physically for some sort of initiation process. Which becomes apparent when a pair of the robed figures whom seemed to be the focus of the ritual, are summarily disrobed entirely, two impressively fit young men standing naked before all.
<span class="mu-b">"Whoah... wh-what kind of party is this?"</span>
<span class="mu-g">"It's the chance to prove themselves Cat."</span>
<span class="mu-g">"Usually they stagger the genders but on same-nights, expect the guys first."</span>
Covering your eyes in an embarrassed panic... though not completely covered, you glance about for the reactions of anyone else at this scandalous display. By the looks of things though, this seems completely normal or accepted to everyone in attendance, Ryan and Robin included. If this sort of thing is normal then, well you can try not to stick out like a loser, and do your best to play along. As a semicircle of the other robed figures is formed behind the pair of initiates, being symbolically anointed for whatever ceremony is to follow, with oil or body paint or whatever you assume it to be.
<span class="mu-s">"Here we stand, dear members, guests, and initiates, at the threshold of ascension. Come to the end of this journey, may these men be blessed with clarity, courage, and inheritance."</span> the lead speaker brings things to a head, in time with some rather eerie music sounding in from who knows where. <span class="mu-s">"Incipe!"</span>
An unseen bell sounds, and the two men immediately rush one another with a ferocity that causes you to jump in your seat. Clutching the hands of Ryan and Robin in surprise over the fight that commences. By their reactions and that of others though, again this seems normal and so you try to settle into things and just go along with it.
