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

Yotsuyu and Jecht Double Attack

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Arrival (both)

When you look as good as these two do, you flaunt it.

Believe it or not, Jecht had his chest covered today, or at least most of it -- his brilliant black-and-red dress robes might be open to about the end of his sternum, but otherwise they did a magnificent job of covering but not concealing his build. Somehow they seemed to suit him despite how much the general idea of robes did not; thank some effort put into finding them by both him and his date.

Speaking of said date? Yotsuyu knew perfectly well how to make herself appeal. Her dress was equally stunning in shades of crimson and gold with black accents, and most of her raven-black hair had been swept back into a bun, leaving her bangs and two long tendrils to hang from either side. Anything more than that would have gilded the lily; sometimes, simplicity itself was elegance.

With her quiet dignity and his easygoing grin, they made quite the couple as they sauntered on in like they owned the place.

[[Specify if you want one, the other, or both in your reply to this prompt!]]

Food! (Jecht)

Aww, man! What's with the lame spread?

Not that his opinion stopped Jecht from chowing down -- right now he was squishing about three of the meat sandwiches together to make one heftier portion. "Could've at least had a cake," he said to no one in particular.

Let the Revels Begin! (Yotsuyu)

Having left her date (such as he was) stuffing his maw at the laden buffet table, Yotsuyu snapped her fan open, fluttering it in front of her face and watching the others swirling around the room with narrowed eyes--half-lidded with amusement, this time, instead of annoyance or anger. The keep itself was more fascinating, transformed as it was, but for now, she was searching for a dance partner. If this was supposed to be a party, well, she was not about to miss her chance at the festivities!

[puzzlers]

[ the same could be said for yugi too. he wore his heart on his sleeve though, which made things like this especially difficult. he hadn't meant to make atem feel anymore guilty that he already did. ]

[ yugi's thankful that atem doesn't move away, and to keep him from doing so or even thinking about doing so he tightens his grip on him, even going as far as to take a step closer. ] How can you be so sure? [ he's silent for another couple of seconds before humming a response. ] N- No, not this... [ his shoulders sink inward. ] I just hate knowing that you're hurting. [ especially when he's more or less the reason for it. ]

... [ what he says next comes as a surprise. he can only imagine how much strength it took to say that, especially feeling as he did. it means a lot though, especially coming from atem. ] T- Thank you, Atem.

[advocateofgenderequality]

"Lucky you then." He answers with a chuckle before he lets out a sharp whistle.

An eastern screech owl silently soars down from the dark night sky and alights on Kazuma's held out arm. "Alright then, Scopes. Let's try this again, huh buddy? To the Library, the secret one, avoiding any more people this time, right?" The owl bobs his head in what might have been a nod before taking flight again.

"I hope you aren't afraid of fire, fellow night dweller." Kazuma calls back to Yuki with a grin as he takes off at a run after his red feathered companion.

[puzzlers]

He can't help but to chuckle at that. "Thank, Lena, I really appreciate that. I don't think I'll have anymore problems though. We, ah, encountered a few obstacles, but nothing recently, so that's good."

Yugi offers her a hand and smiles encouragingly, glad when she decides to accept. "I promise I won't step on your feet. I've been practicing." He winks, leading her to the dance floor.

[puzzlers]

He chuckles, his face burning brighter. "M- Me too, honestly. It's kind of freeing, you know, but I just, ah, I hope it keeps going well. Kaiba means a lot to me. I guess you two are, uhm, friends?"

Food!

[talkyourwayout]

Louie was pretty content with the spread, but then again, he wasn't the biggest eater. So he just sort of shrugged up in Jecht's direction.

"Cake is more like... For birthday parties, usually," he pointed out.

[talkyourwayout]

He had to roll his eyes at the phrase - it was an automatic reaction, really - but he was smiling.

"Well, this Duck does," he teased. "But yeah."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie considered this - he wasn't exactly sure why it was called "shadow magic", what Kaiba was described, compared to the shadow magic he'd had to deal with. It didn't seem to involve literal shadows, at least, not nearly to the same degree. Still, it was an interesting topic - not so much the magic itself, but how it had turned Kaiba off of magic on a larger scale.

"Yeah... I know what you mean. Magic here isn't - It isn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but after what I've dealt with back home? I wasn't exactly thrilled to start learning magic when I got here. It's kind of..." Scary was the word he was looking for, but was unwilling to say. "...Too weird."

[talkyourwayout]

"So you have two awesome familiars, and I have exactly one rat," Louie commented. "Yeah, that seems fair."

He was only playing around, though. He was starting to grow really fond of Cash.

[talkyourwayout]

"Sounds like you caught a lucky break," Louie said without thinking, before the obvious thought - how worried Link must be - hit him. "Oh... We're not sure how time works when we're gone, but if it helps, my brother got here months after me, but from the same time back home. So it might not be passing for Zelda at all."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie did follow, indeed, and watched. It seemed simple enough in theory, so after finding a focal point - he decided to look at Tenn, since he was standing right there and all - he began to turn in quick spins - though they weren't nearly as fast, or contained, as Tenn's.

And after just two, he tripped over his (large, webbed) feet and stumbled to his knees.

"...Fun."

[talkyourwayout]

"Mmhm, that sounds like Huey," Louie said, sounding distracted. He was starting to regret this dancing idea - he felt irritated already. Why was Lena acting like nothing happened? And if she was going to ignore the issue, couldn't she at least have been talking to him regularly all this time?

"You do know why I'm mad at you, right?"

[woo_oo]

Hm? Well, I'd like to see... your dance moves!

Wanna hit the floor?

[woo_oo]

"C'mon, you stick around when it counts!" Webby wouldn't allow anyone to put themselves down unless she felt they deserved it.

"For a boy who loves money, you sure love selling yourself short."

[talkyourwayout]

"Sometimes I do, but I still wouldn't say that's selling myself short," Louie said, tone casual despite the fact that what Webby had said meant a lot to him - and made him think. "I'm okay with who I am, Webs."

Not entirely true, but not a flat-out lie, either. It was... Complicated.

[woo_oo]

Well, that was fair. So she gave a little shrug, casually dancing back and forth.

"All right! I'm okay with you too!"

[talkyourwayout]

He shook his head and laughed. "Thanks, same to you." Louie gave her hand a light squeeze before letting go of it. "I'm going to get us something to eat, okay?"

[woo_oo]

"Okay!" She let go of him without any hesitation.

"I hope they have chocolate." Just putting that out there.

[talkyourwayout]

Louie just shook his head again. "Noted. I'll see what I can do."

So this whole "going to the dance with Webby" thing hadn't gone as he'd hoped, sure. At this rate, he was starting to wonder if anything with Webby was going to go as he hoped, or if she'd remain oblivious for the rest of their lives.

But he'd have time to be bummed about that later. For now, he was having fun with his friend. Couldn't ask for much more.

[outofyourshadow]

There was a look of...something that passed across her face, but it was hard to say what it was as she glanced away. Then she took a breath, and when she looked back at him it was gone.

"Yeah...I know," she replied slowly. "And I've apologized. If you haven't forgiven me by now, then nothing else I do is gonna change that."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

[It's clear that Isabel has done this sort of thing before as well. She takes Seto's hand with a slight twirl of her knee-length skirt, making a pretty curtsey. Entirely playful, and smiling cheerfully to see he's willing to entertain her.]

So, have you been enjoying yourself so far? I think I've seen your date around campus--he's got quite the sartorial flair, if I do say so myself.

[Not to say that Isabel's a clothes horse, but both of her parents had an eye for dressing well, and she certainly inherited it, on her part.]

[talkyourwayout]

"You only apologized for part of what made me upset," Louie said, speaking slowly himself. Being mad for having been put in the middle of things was easy to express - was safe to express. The rest of it... Not so much. It was a topic that would leave him more vulnerable, but, well, that couldn't be as bad as letting this go on. Could it?

"...Look, Lena, I always thought you were pretty cool - okay, really cool. But when we got here, I thought we were becoming friends. When you showed me that wand, I was excited, okay? You trusting me with a secret was a big deal!"

He sighed and looked down at his feet as they moved. "But you hadn't told Webby because you wanted to protect her, which I still don't really get. By the time you wrote me that note, though, I realized that really sucked, because it was like... Well, like it meant you're only real friends with Webby."

Louie looked back up at Lena with what could only be described as hurt in his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to explain the rest - how reluctant he usually was to open up to others. How he'd broken the rule for her, jumped right on - because she'd saved Webby, admittedly - and how it felt like he'd been punished for that.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

I actually wasn't born on Earth, though my parents were from there. My dad was born in Pittsburgh, in the United States, and I have a birth certificate from there, but my mom's family had moved to a nexus-world since then. She had a hard time staying on Earth because it wasn't a terribly magical world. So I was actually born there.

[Well, at least Isabel's version wasn't a terribly magical world. Others' mileage may vary, of course.]

Of course Dad went back to Earth from time to time, to both take care of his businesses there and visit family, and he took me with. So I had a presence there too.

[She just nodded to his next words--so long as he knew she was open to listen, there was no need to pry further.]

I prefer Isabel, thank you! Might I have the pleasure of your name in turn? [Sure, he'd said Egypt, but there was no guarantee that she could hazard a guess at his name. Best to ask, even as she followed him out on to the dance floor. She'll happily let him lead, but it's pretty clear she's done this sort of thing before.]

every party needs a pooper, that's why we invited Dust

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

And that was what had caught Isabel's attention, those spinning lights. She was fairly sure they didn't have police on Diatu, not with blue-and-red lights like on Earth, so there was only one person that could be.

Eleven was otherwise occupied, spinning around the ballroom with some new partner or another. Isabel figured she could step out for a moment or two, and not leave him thinking she'd ditched him (because she wouldn't, they'd been having fun, darn it!)

Still, she wasn't about to harass Dust empty-handed; she raided the buffet table first, piling a plate with meat-filled finger sandwiches and the tiny sausages wrapped in bacon and coated with barbecue sauce that seemed ubiquitous at every party. A small pile of cheese cubes followed that, and then a few of the cookies and petit fours that rounded out the menu--but no actual cake?

Weird. Well, Isabel hadn't been there long enough to figure out all of the customs. She scooped up a cup of punch, shouldered her way out, and darted out to where he was practicing.

"Hey," she said, by way of interruption as she arrived. "Figured since you were training, you could probably use a snack."

[treno_nobleman]

Oh, sarcasm. How he hasn't missed that. Kuja could retort with a bit of banter of his own, but he isn't interested, and if this Sundered wants an argument, he'll have to look elsewhere. He'll only offer the boy a smile.

"Consider that those incidents summoned relatively small creatures which seemed to be native to this world, and yet more Sundered appear. Going by this world's rules, it stands to reason, does it not, that a far greater, far more focused spell has been used to bring other people from other worlds into this one?"

He paused to shake his head and looked out to the lake again, admiring the moonlight glinting off its surface. "We can play at being teachers' pets and winning favor and learning cheap tricks of magic all we like, and we may even gain mastery of it some day, or what of it they will allow us to learn, but I doubt that will be the answer we all seek. All we know of this world, as vast or small as it may be, resides here in this academy, but what of what lies outside of this place? If the magic pulling us from our lands is not being cast by one or more of the heads of this academy, then the one holding the wand is not here on the grounds at all."