To make sure everything was in order, they dispersed throughout the building and examined the surrounding region. Ensuring that no third parties are interfering with their operations.

The entire building only had two floors, the first of which served as the primary dance floor and the second as the main lounge where guests could sit back and relax in a bar.

William climbed the stairs because he was stationed on the second floor and could see the first-floor stage from up there. He had a wider perspective on the whole floor, creating a great vantage point.

There are a few baristas and waitresses that are preparing food and beverages for the guest to enjoy later, with everything set up perfectly themed to the party.

William strolled through the floor, checking every crew and waitress preparing food for the guests. Everything seemed normal and wasn't out of the ordinary. 

"The East-side of the first floor is clear. The whole area is clear for our operation." said one of the containment crew through the walkie-talkie.

"Same goes with the North-side. Nothing but the crews setting up the stage for the party later. There were no outsiders either." said the other containment crew.

William grabbed his walkie-talkie and pressed the button, "Nothing that I found out of the usual here. Everything seemed to be according to the usual preparation before the party started."

"Noted. Keep observing the premises and report to me if there are any signs of SCP-2331 appearing within the building." said Grace through the walkie-talkie.

"What are the plans if we see SCP-2331 before the party starts? Do we just going to secure him immediately to our escort vehicle or anything else?" asked one of the guards.

Grace looked around her surroundings, "We should keep an eye on him until his performance is over. Taking him away before the show starts would only enrage the people that were coming to the party, and it would be troublesome later. " 

"Once his performance is finished, one of you guys will act as his bodyguard and escort him to the vehicle that Officer Clint had provided us later. A better approach to not raise the audience's attention."

"Roger that." 

William heard a bit of commotion coming from the first floor. One of the performers appeared to have arrived at the venue before the party began. He was surrounded by numerous bodyguards and wore a formal outfit.

Clarence can be seen talking to the artist. He looked a bit worried that the artist showed a bit of annoyance toward him. The artist simply went to the waiting room as his security stood at the door.

05:00 PM, 30 minutes before the party started.

The event organizers had opened their doors and started to let in some of the guests that were already lined up hours before the party started. They appeared to be a bit overwhelmed since there were a lot of them waiting to enter the venue.

One by one, they were coming into the building, and they had to go through a few security checks before they could enter the venue. It was pretty strict due to the fact that there would be a lot of famous artists performing later.

While some continue to make their way up to the second floor to enjoy the bar area until the party begins, some of them are already waiting on the first floor, chatting and playing with one another.

Grace and her group had anticipated that the celebration would be packed with people, but this was more than they had anticipated. To prevent overcrowding, the event's organizers had to set a limit on the number of attendees within the venue.

The lights began to shift, and the music began playing earlier than planned as the majority of the audience was already inside the venue.

The audience turned their focus to the previous performer, who had earlier caused a commotion as he took the stage. From the stage, lights and fireworks began to flash.

Several audiences on the second floor started to come down to the first floor as they joined the party, while some of them stayed to enjoy their drink at the bar. 

With everything happening all at once, the music blaring through the speakers and people jumping from their feet to the beat. It gets quite disturbing for William to focus on his observation.

It went on for a few hours, with several artists performing their music, and the audience was restless. It would be a long night for all of them, waiting for their target to come and finish the performance.

William heard someone talking from the walkie-talkie, "Anybody saw SCP-2331?"

"Negative, no signs of his appearance whatsoever. I've asked one of the EOs that they haven't seen him at all." 

Grace fell into deep thought. They said that SCP-2331 would appear in this event, and it would be the perfect moment to capture SCP-2331 which had been causing the Foundation a headache for the past few days.

Was the information they got wrong? Did Secretary Noah's research team make a mistake regarding SCP-2331 potential appearances?

A fog suddenly appears, followed by reddish-orange lights in the shape of a pumpkin that flash throughout the building just as the previous performer had finished.

William and Grace both turned to look at the stage as the audience roared in excitement at what had just occurred, but no one was there.

A beat and a church organ can be heard through the speaker, followed by a menacing laugh. The middle of the stage was being filled with dense, billowing smoke, and a shadow could be seen from inside of it.

Just as the bass dropped, the smoke dissipated, and a scarecrow-looking figure with neon glowing inside the pumpkin head appeared on the stage out of nowhere. 

Both SCP-2331 and the audience jumped following the rhythm of the music; it seemed that everyone had come to the party to see its performance.

"Alright, team. SCP-2331 had already appeared on the stage. Keep an eye on him at all times. We'll move once he has finished with his performance." said Grace through the walkie-talkie.

William replied, "Understood." 

Grace continued, "Gabe, Vic, be ready to escort him once the music's over. It appears he had some sort of ability to teleport to show up like that. It would be very troublesome if we lose him after this."

William set his eyes on SCP-2331 from the second floor. It was a bit of shame that he couldn't be near it as he was a bit curious about what kind of anomalous ability he would get from SCP-2331. 

However, a number of wine bottles began to tumble off the bar's shelf, diverting his focus. While the barista began to clean up the mess, some of the guests were staring.

William dismissed it as likely the result of an accident caused by the barista itself and carried on distantly observing SCP-2331.

One of the event organizers walked to the stairs while panting profusely and seemed anxious. He was panting and appeared to be looking for someone as he scanned the entire bar area.

William looked at him and asked, "What's wrong with you? Anything bad happened?"

The event organizer caught his breath first and said, "Have you seen an old man coming to this floor?"

"An old man?" William raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, an old man in his fifties, with a long beard and ragged clothing, he carried some sort of a sack. He entered this building through the backdoors, and now we can't seem to find him."

Just as he was finished talking, one of the light bulbs on the bar exploded, and several guests screamed. 

William's eyes narrowed, "Does he wear some kind of a robe?" 

"Yes! We're trying to find him since he wasn't allowed to enter the building through the front door, and he went to sneak through the backdoor instead."

An old man in his fifties, ragged clothing and a sack on his back. William was familiar with the description, and it wasn't a pleasant one knowing who he actually was.