When they stepped out later that evening, the lawn really did tell a different story - a beautiful setting to everyone else, but to Ryan, it felt like the universe was truly against him.
There were ropes of light wrapped around poles, rows of tables arranged in a wide circle, with each team having its own table, forming a ring around a small stage at the centre. The trees stood tall and dark behind them a few yards away, looming in silence like something invisible.
The music played softly at first filling the air with delightful rhythms and then went louder after a while. People were eating, drinking, shifting between tables, laughing too much at someone singing off-key at the middle stage, and someone else tried to dance and nearly tripped.
The night dragged on with games voluntarily and casually until the main one, a mandatory round of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' game where improvised prompts are thrown at each team.
