As midnight approaches the Grey Maids appear in the rooms of the women who have agreed to attend the party. They are armed with fine dresses, and other jewelry to match the ornate jewelled collars the women received at the beginning of the evening.

They women will be washed and dressed, their hair braided with many small stones. Then they will be taken upstairs. A foul smell lingers in the air, though someone has lit incense and fine smelling candles to try to mask it. They will each be seated at a fine table made of a deep red wood; the white cloth thrown over it shows signs of red, blood-like stains beginning to seep through from below as the night goes on. The table sits within easy view of a large window, although there is little outside save darkness and fog, surrounded by plushly padded chairs of the same rich red wood. A grand fireplace with carved stone gryphons forming part of it brings warmth to the room, aided by brass vents also stylized with images of gryphons. The room has an intricately embroidered carpet covering the stone floor, while a chandelier lit by small enchanted stones that nearly drips crystals provides more light over the room. For the moment, their host is not in attendance, though two of his guards stand at one of the doors, leering at them with eyeless, black marked faces.

In the Kitchen the cook is still busy sliding food onto trays, clearly irritated with how short handed they are due to the fact that the Grey Maids are otherwise occupied now. Any help offered will turn into a half wage for the helpers in the morning. It will also allow any characters who refused and males to see the dinner.

Outside in the hallways, , the Sirens have gathered along the hallway near the stairs up, only warded from following upstairs by a couple of nervous guards and a pair of growling gargoyles; they are agitated and potentially dangerous to men in that stretch of hallway, although they will keep an unhappy distance from anyone running errands for the kitchen. The Tyger occasionally pauses in the hallway to watch them, which seems to only agitate them further.

The first chime of midnight stills the music. The musicians freeze in place, the pianist stills, and one of the creatures clinging to the wall shrieks a brief note of defiance before stilling.

On the floor, the ghosts draw close to their partners, clinging to them with a desperation that has been missing from the chaos of the dance. Any house-guest still dancing with their partner may use the moments of midnight to step away from their partner or to explore the tables, but the grip of their partners is both welcome and protective.

The second toll silences the ghosts throughout the house, stilling them.

In the Mirror Bedroom, the ripples still, and the Shadow Man lifts his head. Anyone watching might see the brief glint of something hidden in his palm. Around him, the mirrors crack.

There is a sound throughout the house as every mirror in the house cracks, half covered by the second chime.

In the Photography Bedroom, the Photographer suddenly stirs from his otherwise passive examination of photos. He becomes increasingly agitated as the chimes sound, moving erratically, and frantically flip through pages and photos. He doesn't even seem to care that things are being knocked around. As the last chime ends, he suddenly freezes in his efforts. Anyone near him will have him violently lash out, before he sets out into the house itself for his desperate hunt.

The Mirror Man pauses on his journey through the house, head canted to the side as though listening to the clock. Where the other ghosts stand frozen under the sound, he seems almost curious. He will not attack anyone during the lull in the music.

The Phantasms return to the house, two heading for each of the seven. Though many will try to resist, they will find their struggles futile and ultimately pointless. As they, like those before them, are dragged through the floors and to the lair of the Phantasms.

The only pause comes when Lock steps between them and Akito, and then only for a moment, as his claim is assessed and accepted and the two boys are dragged together through the floor.

For the chosen, the Experiments will now begin.

In the mist in the Greenhouse something begins to move. Though it remains unseen, much can be heard; the occasional sound of something snorting, the tap of a shod hoof against stone, or the jangling of tack. A light flashes in the darkness, but nothing materializes to anyone watching from the house.

A dirt path has appeared, circling from out of the fog it passes by the locked door that seems like it might lead to the ballroom and the door to the gardener's wing before vanishing into the fog again.

For Venus, lost within the fog, the sound seems unnaturally close. As though turning around might find her face to face with a horse.

In the Journey Bedroom the Lady In White has appeared, sitting almost demurely on the bed with her hands tucked in her lap. Some of her unnatural radiance seems to have been dimmed by the blood spotting her dress and the echoing sound of the music makes her seem almost human, if a bit tired. She seems to be waiting for someone.

As the last chime fades, the music begins to play again, the dancers returning to their chaotic patterns across the floor.





Occ: The experiment order is: Luke, Akito, Leon, Raven, Bobby, James, Niall. Experiments can be completed in any order, Luke and Niall are with Caitlin, Akito and Leon are with TC, Bobby is with Infy, Raven is with Allison, James is with Raile. Talk to the mod handling your experiments for further details.