Dance Dance Reprobation

[magicademymods]

The Twilight Ball Arrival The Promenade has been transformed. Literally. With Modification. Ha ha. Cough. Crickets. Toad familiars eat the crickets. Circle of life. Animals bow before singing lions. You get the idea. Neither tree nor stone form the Promenade now. It is instead a long bridge over a shallow and brilliant pool, the gentle ripples of which catch the afternoon sun and scatter it into a million highlights that play over the Great Hall, the bridge, and those who walk down it. There is no formal receiving line, merely a gentle procession of people across the bridge at whatever speed feels comfortable, slowly making their way to the Great Hall. The Great Hall itself has been enchanted to be completely invisible while one is inside it, save for the outline of doors so people can actually find their way out through means other than smacking their noses into the invisible walls till they find a place with no resistance. Thus the twilight for which the ball is named will show all around the dancers, while they are protected from any errant breezes, faint hints of rain, or slime monsters that might otherwise threaten the festivity. Come in. Find your date and get comfortable. The fun is just beginning. Let the Revels Begin After Headmaster Birony welcomes everyone with a speech about she's going to get on her boat, go upriver, and kick that sonuvabitch Bison's ass so HORDT that the next Bison-wannabe is gonna feel it, the dance formally begins with a peppy number designed to get people out and moving. The orchestra here comprises some of the finest players available anywhere in the world, thanks to the whole Valhudor shtick and graduates of said house, and the music is infectious as it drifts through the slowly-darkening air. But as the dance progresses, they play something for everyone. Martial waltzes and slow dance ballroom numbers. Powerful tunes to lose yourself in, and gentle melodies that slip beneath conversation and encourage intimacy and closeness. Professors Trammel and King treat everyone to an exhibition of what an Earth resident might call 'swing dancing on amphetamines' and many students do call 'the closest I have ever come to death'. No pause for speeches, no announcements or interruptions -- just a steady stream of music, bringing dates and lovers together in dance, as the sun sets and casts the room into gentle and romantic twilight. Also a dolphin and a whale are swimming through the floor and they, too, are unmistakably dancing. If this is the weirdest thing you've seen all night, you need your eyes checked. "Food! One of the food tables has been discreetly slid against a wall, where it positively shudders under the weight of a massive buffet open to everyone. The food here tends towards the light, such as fish and vegetables, cucumber sandwiches and thin-sliced meats. Things that will give you energy without weighing you down, so you can keep dancing till the dawn comes. At one end of the table, an owl the size of a cupboard sits on a perch, serenely watching the varied drinks laid out for consumption. 'Spiking the punch' is so cliche that no one is going to pretend it won't happen or the students will behave on their honor, so here you get a chaperone. Even so, this whole area is a popular gathering spot for those between dances or partners, drawing steady attention throughout the night. Meanwhile, Elsewhere Shockingly, not everyone has found that loving feeling, asked out an attractive someone, and gone to the dance with romance on their minds. The rest of the campus, and of course Anastara itself, remain open as normal... and perhaps even less-minded than normal. The faculty, the familiars, the cleaning golems -- almost all attention is on the dance itself. If there's mischief to manage, now would be the perfect time... or just something else besides wallflowering and missing out. Wait, Wasn't There a Ghost Dragon and an Off-Brand Shoggoth? Professor King managed to find a way around the protoplasmic ooze's resistance to magic and splatted it (with no small amount of help from students and faculty!). The dragon disappeared into the caverns beneath the Magicademy. That certainly isn't ominous and won't inspire anyone to go down there, will it? Don't fall in the river down there. Please don't fall in the river.

Comments

[sevenyearsasleep]

Food

What happens when an eleven-year-old in a seventeen-year-old's body picks out his own tuxedo? Look no further than the Hylian at the buffet table. Not that they had any clothing like this in Hyrule, especially not the Kokiri Forest.

Green coat, yellow trousers, pink striped bow-tie. Complete with matching green top hat and fancy cane. In some worlds, he could be mistake for a children's breakfast cereal mascot.

Link was quite content to spend this occasion grazing at the food table. Dancing didn't strike him as terribly interesting, but, he was more than willing to talk with people who were able to contain their laughter at his poor fashion choices.

[woo_oo]

Haaaa ha ha, of course Lena is totally confident in her looks, Lena's always so confident, Lena's always so pretty - words are being said.

"Oh, right!" Momentarily broken out of her stupor, Webby grabbed fistfuls of her dress and twirled around. "I've never been to this kind of thing before, so Yotsuyu helped me find a new dress! And Hendrik taught me how to dance!"

[goingbythebook]

"Yeah, I know, but..." Once they get out onto the floor, he took her other hand to start dancing with the music playing right now.

"Following steps in my head helps me focus."

revels

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba can't help but be drawn to the sight of the pharaoh. He really did make it all his own, which was very impressive. For a moment, he had a flash of an image of the king in all his glory, surrounded by adoring subjects.

Here, he was..just one of them. And someone he could stand to make more of an effort with, as much as he hated to admit such things.

He stepped up beside his old friend, taking in the cape with a knowing smirk. ]

That isn't how formal attire works. But you've always been one to make the rules work for you, rather than the other way around.

[ Not that he's one to talk, given that he's picked a white and lavender suit with a billowing tail. ]

Let the Revels Begin

[pawper]

[Wholly unused to events like these, Lys escapes the dance floor with an overwhelming sense of relief, plucking at her borrowed finery like a dog chafing under a tight leash. After a second (and then a third, a fourth, even a fifth) trip to the buffet table, she's found a comfortable berth for herself by the translucent walls — content to watch the revelries play out around her as she feeds diced vegetables and bits of salad to the capybara familiar draped sleepily over her shoulder, his own dapper attire making them look like a paired set.

She glances at Atem between mouthfuls of olives and cheese squares and breaded fish, mulling over some private thought or another, then turns just slightly to face him, concern rising up to shadow her thin features.]

...I don't mean to be rude or anything, but is something wrong? You kinda look like you don't really wanna be here.

[If only because he's been sticking to the sidelines too, from what she's noticed, instead of living it up with the rest of the party goers.]

revels

[blue_ice]

[Socializing was...something he could perform as an obligation relevant to his role, but it being something he actually almost wanted to pursue was new. In one of the lulls of quiet, he found himself drawn to Fluttershy dancing along...

...he'd been about to say something when a certain whale swirled around her. What a showoff. But it was...cute. ]

I should have known you'd be in the swing of things.

[ He watches Ballet go with a befuddled expression. When he speaks next, he doesn't elaborate, hoping the meaning will be clear enough. ]

...and thanks, for earlier.

[burningbrighter]

"Definitely!"

Well. Not entirely. Seeing all the couples has stirred up some old feelings in her that she clearly still needed to work through...but she could put that aside for one night. Her friends' happiness was the most important thing, always.

She bobbed along at her side with a smile. "You two look amazing together. I'm so happy for you!"

[outofyourshadow]

"Oh yeah? That's pretty cool."

Leave it to Webby to come prepared, even for something like this.

"Gotta admit, I've never been to one of these either. So the dancing isn't really something I'm familiar with."

[woo_oo]

Webby stopped twirling long enough to hold her hand out.

"I could teach you what he taught me! It's really easy!"

[outofyourshadow]

This time she did laugh, though it still wasn't at him. "You still think too much. Just let loose, have some fun!"

As the music picked up, she suddenly spun him around.

[goingbythebook]

He let out a surprised whoop as he was turned around, having to keep a hand on his hat to stop it from tipping off. Let loose? Have fun? He can be plenty loose!

As if to prove just that, he took Lena's hands and turned one above her head (or as much as he could manage anyway) before spinning her out to arm's length, and pulling her back. "Catching" her, he couldn't help but smirk some as they continued moving to the music.

[shiningkindness]

[Glancing up at the voice, she smiles, though is distracted a moment as Ballet circles around her.]

It's actually been really fun. The music has been really catchy.

[She giggles as Ballet swims off to rejoin Tango, but Seto's words has her looking at him again, this time with a gentler smile.]

You're welcome. I'm glad you were able to come after all.

[woo_oo]

No, no, I'll eat it! It's just... not what I was expecting.

[She nibbles on it, eyeing the human.]

[shiningkindness]

She couldn't help blushing a bit, knowing what Sunset was referring to. "Thank you...it's been a lot of fun, and I'm glad he asked me to come with him. But I don't think he meant anything romantic about it."

[outofyourshadow]

She hesitated for just a moment; not because she didn't want to dance with Webby, but there was something...strange about it, even if she wasn't sure what.

But determined to just enjoy herself and have fun with her best friend, she nodded and took Webby's hand.

"All right...show me what you've got."

[outofyourshadow]

The move honestly surprised her, though it only lasted a moment before she met his grin with one of her own.

"Hey, that's not too bad."

[woo_oo]

"Great! I'll take the lead. See, you put your hand here..."

On the surface, it was just as easy as Webby said it was. Left hand to Lena's hip, right to Lena's hand - Lena's other hand on her shoulder - step back, step to the side, step forward, step to the side, repeat.

"After you do this for a while, you can do it without thinking about it! One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four."

[goingbythebook]

"Thank you." His smile practically glowed with the praise, which from Lena was about the level of high congratulations. "I don't practice much, but I do know a few things."

[woo_oo]

Webby knows nothing about fashion, so as far as she's concerned, Link looks quite dapper!

"Aw, I didn't know we could bring canes! I would've totally gone for an Uncle Scrooge look."

[pawper]

Huh....yeah, I guess it's not all that—

[a pause as she swiftly inhales five sandwiches in one go, making sure to swallow the lot before continuing]

—fancy, right? Nothing's been set on fire or dipped in gold. [...Hm.] Unless someone else ate it all before I got here, maybe.

food

[woo_oo]

"Hey, Fluttershy!"

Webby flounces on over, always happy to see a friend.

"Did you see Tango and Ballet dancing together? It was so cute!"

arrival

[woo_oo]

"Hey, Sunset!"

Webby runs up to her friend, all smiles and sunshine.

"Isn't everything pretty? Isn't this great? Are all dances like this? THIS IS GUNNA BE FUN!"

let the revels begin.

[puzzlers]

[ it's hard not to notice atem standing on the sidelines, especially when he's barely moved throughout the night. yugi had already been dreading coming to the dance, because it was just going to reinforce how horrible their conversation had went and how things had yet to resolve themselves. he approaches from the side, giving him a small smile and tapping him on the shoulder. ]

Hey Atem. [ he looks to the dance floor, wondering if he should bother. wondering so many other things, but he buries them deep and forces his smile to stay in place as he offers him a hand. ] Would you dance with me, Atem?

arrival

[woo_oo]

[Webby had merely intended to greet him, ask how he's doing, if he's ever been to one of these before... but that mysterious necklace instantly grabs her attention.]

Whoa, what's with that? Is that some kind of... golden eye pyramid?

[puzzlers]

[ he seems relieved when kaiba leads them to somewhere much quieter, even though it's only momentary. though he's happy to be spending time in his boyfriend's company, especially in this sort of environment, he can't help shake the feelings that have been simmering all week. ]

I remember. [ he looks aside and gives a laugh. ] Hard to forget something like that. [ gazing back at kaiba he smiles and, using their linked hands, he tugs him down for a brief kiss. ] I think that much is definitely obvious tonight, Kaiba, you're not pulling any punches, huh?

[ not that he's about to complain. it's cute and he's glad that kaiba isn't any kind of embarrassment or nervous about them. ] S- Sure, we could dance. [ he knows kaiba has more experience, but he'd been doing a little practicing, himself, so this should be fine. ]