Charity Gala

[wingspanned]

Charity Gala

welcome

It’s a warm evening in Phoenix, Arizona. The sun is going down, and the wealthy are here (in theory) to donate to the reconstruction of downtown and protect at-risk young mutants from Kick. (Tickets were incredibly expensive.) The night opens with Warren Worthington III and (newly outed) Emma Frost thanking all of the attendees for their support. Warren speaks about how deadly Kick can be, and emphasizes that the death of Mona Elswick is a tragedy that could have been averted. The pair also mention that the actions of the Sentinels were dangerous and frightening, and legal action is being taken against their manufacturers.

But let’s keep the mood of this event optimistic. Warren and Emma invite the participating X-Men (including themselves) to join them on stage. They read out the names of their dates as the heroes step forward, with applause after every announcement. A live band begins playing as the party finally starts.

auction

Drama.

The setting of the gala is the BOOJUM TREE HIDDEN GARDENS, a five acre private garden. The grounds range from beautiful outdoor dance floors to romantic gazebos, private nooks, water features, and open bars. It’s easy to get lost here. Local and tropical plants crawl across the grounds, and as the sun sets the whole place is lit up with romantic fairy lights and lanterns. The on-site horticulturist, Lovell Sun, is a mutant who can encourage plant growth, and they’re very proud of the gardens.

Linford Duncan, a moderate politician, has a little too much to drink and starts talking about how Kick just emphasizes how dangerous mutants are. Some of them can do this much damage when perfectly sober! Any type of drugs or alcohol could make them just as much of a threat. Of course the X-Men are valuable to America, but there's a reason why they have mutant registration laws.

Volunteers.

Paige Guthrie ends up hitting it off with Lovell Sun, the mutant horticulturalist. After some time talking at length about plants, they share with them a rumor about where local mutants are getting their Kick. They’re worried about what’s happening in Phoenix.

Even though Remy LeBeau has a date, a strange man who introduces himself as Brenton Moreau won’t stop trying to get their attention and strike up conversations. He asks them to dance while their date is distracted, and it’s up to them if they agree.

Scott Summers is just trying to get through the night when a waitress accidentally crashes into them, spilling several drinks onto their outfit and the outfit of another attendee. She’s deeply apologetic, and Scott has to defend her to the billionaire she dumped a martini on. The waitress is grateful and, in a panic, gives them some weed in thanks before she scurries off.

The end of the night.

It’s 1:00 AM when the party starts to wind down. Many of the attendees are drunk or just exhausted, but the festivities trail along until 2:00 AM. There’s a limo planned in advance to take the X-Men home, assuming they don’t have anywhere else to be. Warren, however, does insist on a roll call just so that he knows where everyone is going at the end of his event.

Overall, the gala was an incredible success. An absurd amount of money was earned, and things are looking up for Arizona's rebuilding efforts. (Feel free to roll for how much your character earned in the auction!)

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