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

[talkyourwayout]

Louie could... Kind of relate to that, but not entirely. He didn't need the world to know he was worth something, but it would be nice for someone to - and it usually felt like no one did.

But this was about Webby. He just wished he knew what to say to that - or rather, that he felt comfortable saying what he knew to say to that. Because Webby was great just the way she was. How did she not see that?

"I think... I think you'll do great at that, Webs."

[talkyourwayout]

"Oh, that romcom thing. Weird," Louie commented, nodding. "So, are they going to do a long-distance thing? Or is Tango going to stick around the school?"

[talkyourwayout]

"Oh."

Link's casual delivery surprised Louie a bit, but the idea of dealing with someone evil trying to ruin the world for their own reasons, though not common for Louie... Well, it wasn't new for him, either.

"So did you beat him?" He couldn't assume that just because Link was present, here, he'd been victorious. Lena was here, after all.

[woo_oo]

Webby beamed, always happy as punch to get praise, especially from those she cared about.

"Yep, I know I will too!" She flashed a playful grin at him. "Ducks don't back down!" She'd be carrying that catch-phrase with her for the rest of her life.

[talkyourwayout]

Louie smiled. Things that weren't difficult were generally up his alley, but... Hmm. He wasn't sure about that second question at all.

"Not really, but I have no idea what you mean by spot."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie had the very brief notion to apologize to Lena just to get the discomfort over with, but he still couldn't see where he had anything to apologize for. Lena had kept the secret, put him in the middle of things, and nearly gotten Webby mad at him. Apologizing to Webby when he hadn't felt he needed to had been fine, because he hadn't felt she'd done something wrong, either. This was different. So apologizing was out, at least for now.

"You came with Huey, huh?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

You don't have portents in the stars on your world? I mean, on Earth, one of the places I'm from, that's happened in the past...[And she shrugs at that.] I doubt it's that different here, just the stars are. I'd have to check it out in one of the libraries, though.

[Isabel chuckled again, there.] They say fortune favors the bold, don't they? It worked in my favor this time, at least! [But then, she nodded.] Said offer still stands. Sometimes it's just easier to get another viewpoint, but only if you need to. I hope you work it out, though!

[And then she laughs outright.] Yes, that would be me. Isabel Knight, at your service! [She'd offer him a hand, but something tells her that wouldn't be right. So she drops a curtsey, dainty as she can, and smiles at him, taking his hand.] Delighted to make your acquaintance--and dance with you, too!

[nomoremistergneissguy]

[Cliff couldn't help but make a face, then. Alliance stuff. Ugh. ] That sounds about as dry as what I was asked to endure at home.

[Well, his was a little worse because he doubted that his companion was asked to shepherd young ladies around with the intent of getting them married off...but maybe he had been? Only one way to find out.]

So were these people you supported--did they ever attempt to arrange marriage for you to any of their daughters?

[king_of_egypt]

That may well be, but I am sure that it was unintentional on their part.

[Orisa has always struck him as an understanding type. As they started to dance they likely made one of the more eye-catching and strange couples. Atem was rather short for a guy, and Orisa was what you might expect of a robot from the distant future. He'd start the motions off slow so it would be easier to ensure that they were on the same wavelength]

[king_of_egypt]

Oh, I see what you mean. There are those that would claim to see such signs, yes. [The stars had always been favorable from his perspective but throughout history it was not always the case] I'm from Earth as well, Egypt to be more specific. Pardon me, but did you say Earth, as a planet is one of the places you're from? Does that imply that you've been to another world prior to this one and other than Earth? [He could be way off base but if he's not it's a fascinating prospect]

They do indeed. [Smiling at that] Thank you, again. It is a generous offer. [Not wishing to seem ungrateful by any means. He hesitated a moment longer as if considering asking something but then he said nothing.]

[Such a jovial partner Eleven ended up with for the Twilight Ball. It's not hard to see why he would have said yes] It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Knight, or do you prefer Isabel? [If she had he would have taken it and given her a handshake as the motion would have implied. It helped having experiences he could drew from that came from a variety of sources.. The curtsy looks a little peculiar for her, but he doesn't comment about it and instead bows in return, Once she accepted his hand, he'd lead them out to the dance floor.]

[puzzlers]

[ it's not atem's fault. ] ... [ he shouldn't have expected this to go better. things hadn't been resolved and here was probably not the best place. now probably not the best time. he stammers out a few more broken sentence bits, going silent only as atem asks him too. he's sorry. he's so sorry. ]

[ his answer stings, as expected. ] O- Other me... [ he holds him tighter, protectively, though he should really probably back off, since the one he needs protecting from is himself. ]

[king_of_egypt]

[Still, he felt like it was. If he had a better control over his own emotions there wouldn't have been an issue] .... [He'll try harder Yugi. He'll try harder. The sounds that never formed cohesive sentences were difficult to listen to]

[Of course it hurt to hear, but it was honest] ........ Yugi. [He wouldn't try to move away. Not now. Even if it was getting difficult to bear.]

It's... alright... or... it's going to be. [Letting his fingers start to slide in what he hoped was a comforting arc along the other's back] .... This is a party isn't it? [Trying for a smile but it didn't reach his eyes, which was well enough since Yugi couldn't see it anyway] It.. .should be a time for celebration, not .. .not this.

[Still seeking the right words he added the following] Besides... it might not feel like it now.. but I am happy for you, and for Kaiba. The match... makes sense, and I hope it continues to strengthen and grow.

[areasontohope]

It was something he'd never thought of, but a sword instead of a ring? That really might depend on the people involved, so he's not sure about that. He could see both but not a sword over a ring.

"Is..that how they do things where you're from?"

[areasontohope]

To his surprise, Fluttershy was opening the flowers and hadn't thought she would be doing that anytime soon. But he smiled when she had carefully pulled them out to put them on.

"Here.."

Yuki helped get the corsage on and it did match her dress. But really he'd chosen them because of the color of her hair. So after a few moments, he looked up at her.

"Is that better?"

[woo_oo]

Oh yeah, I'm not saying they aren't. I wouldn't trade away my knowledge of martial arts for anything.

It's just about a balance, that's all!

[woo_oo]

But now it's my turn to have a question!

... Wanna dance?

[woo_oo]

[And thus, Webby begins DROOLING.

So much drooling.]

I have pictured nirvana.

[woo_oo]

"Nah, they still use rings." Said with a little shrug. "Which I guess is nice, but commitment means sacrifice and if you ask me, nothing says sacrifice like a ceremonial dagger."

[stillnewatthis]

Certainly so. They have been most accommodating so far! [Witness her robes, for example! They fit her perfectly well, having been adapted to her form. They even tend to swirl quite nicely when she turns, which adds to the effect while they dance.]

[stillnewatthis]

Martial arts are beneficial for health and mental state as well as defensive abilities. [And relatively useless for the latter purpose, in Orisa's opinion. Strong punches and kicks are still ineffective against an armed opponent.]

[sevenyearsasleep]

"...not yet. Zelda and I were ready to go face him when I ended up here."

At least she had Navi with her. That was some small consolation for Link.

[noasark]

Noa nods. "It's appreciated then. Ah..."

He manages a small sigh, confirming Lena's question. "...Not entirely- I was more familiar with the sorts of 'balls' that adults held for business related gatherings...hardly a social event for the ones under 18, I can assure you that." The boy shrugs. "This is certainly less boring, but it doesn't change the fact that nothing's stood out as 'interesting'..."

[treno_nobleman]

Whether the man did or didn't like him, that wasn't for Kuja to decide. They had only just met, and as long as they didn't step on each other's toes, he didn't care what the man did. He liked this about as well as any of them, and the houses meant nothing to him short of what classes he was required to take. "That's just as well. The houses are a good distraction, but little else."

He looked aside, to the man's familiar, then away to the water beyond with a hum. "Good luck to you with it. This so called research the locals have been conducting to try and sort everything out with people like us doesn't seem to be making much progress, does it? I do wonder if their focus may be misplaced."

[treno_nobleman]

[Shared disdain was still shared anything, and Kuja had no qualms about complaining about the aristocracy. They were people as useful as they were useless. But he couldn't help but give a soft, amused sound.]

Some of them did. I declined them all, of course, as one might in such a situation. One even thought he could corner me with the proposition and tried to hold a business angle over my head when I said no. I've never seen a man turn so red so fast when I turned that back around on him.

[sevenyearsasleep]

Link grinned. "Awesome."

Hey, Webby wasn't going to embarrass Link. If someone wanted to be his friend? He was all for it.