While the monthly in-service is generally held in a different part of campus each time, this month’s isn’t on campus at all. Instead, in light of both the recent successes in Daybreak’s mission and the recent stresses involved in getting that far, the Academy has decided to reward both staff and students by renting out an arcade in the outer edges of Soleil, allowing everyone to visit and have a nice time, with the staff eventually retiring to a back room to conduct their monthly meeting in private as the students continue to enjoy themselves. Jaunty Rick’s is, despite the mildly dubious name, a solidly quality establishment with a bowling alley, a roller-skating rink, and a number of classic games to lose vast amounts of tokens on.

Just don’t try the claw machine. We’re pretty sure that thing’s rigged.

The staff meeting room is specifically a private room usually reserved for birthday parties; as a result, neon glow in the dark decorations seem to cover every inch of wall and ceiling. While slightly on the tacky side, it’s still more than sufficient to suit the meeting’s needs...though, with the faculty being as they are, stealthy students can easily listen in.

The major items on the agenda are as follows.

While the Tower of Adamant has been known for being aloof, the lack of communication for months has made the oldest faculty members and more than a few seers furrow their brows with concern. An emissary was sent to speak with the faculty, and returned with the news that they received no response, it’s recommended that an investigative group should be sent out to make sure they’re still alive.

As per Professor Emille’s suggestion, some of the more outdoor-minded members of the staff have taken it upon themselves to arrange a camping trip to take advantage of the wonderful weather. While the discussion is ongoing and often heated in the staff room, there are rumors of some kind of scavenger hunt being the chosen activity.

The strange mark continues to appear in the general population, so far all the individuals manifested powers they did not have before, and there is something even more alarming going on with these poor souls: many of them suddenly turned up missing, with the hallmarks of professional abductors at work. A few confused eyewitness accounts strongly suggest that the kidnappers are not of any mortal organization - they may even be vampires.

A.
Ever played Pac-Man? DDR? Any of those endless amounts of racing games that all seemed to be more about losing control of the vehicle and causing pixelated mayhem than successfully crossing the finish line? Well, if you haven’t, here’s your chance. Rumor has it there’s secretly one of the original Polybius game machines hidden under more innocuous casing somewhere in the arcade, but that’s probably not true. And even if it is, it’s probably not as dangerous as the urban legends said it was. Or if video games aren’t your speed, there’s the more physical options- skee ball, bowling, bumper cars… it’s an arcade, it’s there for you to have fun. Go wild. ...just try not to cause any property damage. And if you’re on the mini-golf course, please don’t swim in the water hazards. Even at such a nice arcade, that’s just not sanitary.

B.
Every time you win a game, it spits out a small amount of tickets. These can be exchanged for overwhelming nostalgia for the mid to early 90s a number of fun prizes up at the front counter: cool figurines or pens with glow in the dark ink for smaller amounts of tickets, giant plush toys and hilarious hats for larger ones. There’s the usual assortment of squishy goo in a can, sticky rubber hands, plastic rings, rubber balls, and various other small toys available. The most impressive and ticket-costly item available is a model rocket the size of a small child. It even has a little astronaut doll inside…

C.
The arcade is full of amusements tucked away in nooks and crannies, and the food is surprisingly good; a cafe provides both pre-made and fresh-made selections of pastries, salads, sandwiches and soups, giving the catering staff a break for once. And, of course, it’s suitably dark enough to make a good arena for hide and seek, or other lower-tech games of that sort. Just for today, Daybreak attendees have a full run of the place to themselves, so they’re free to do whatever they wish.

code bases by tricklet