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

[nomoremistergneissguy]

It is different from your usual! Not that I can't say the same. [Considering he's usually in his Gekronus Maius robes. The colors are similar, at least! But as they dance, he goes rather slow, considering the height difference. That, and he doesn't want to be flinging Webby around! That would be unconscionable.]

You dance well, too! Have you been practicing? [He doesn't need to, as there were plenty of these soirees where he's from, but Cliff is well aware that's not the case for everyone.]

[nomoremistergneissguy]

No, no. I mention them, but I'm not a native. They're still on my homeworld, there are just some things that translate here, I guess. [Cliff waves a dismissive hand at that.]

And they're just as annoying. Ugh. Well, at least Rounder appears to be enjoying himself. [Cliff's glad that his familiar had the opportunity. Rounder can be found dancing (if you can call it that) with the rather large Omnic, though he's very good at not getting beneath Orisa's feet, for a wonder.]

[woo_oo]

Hendrik taught me, along with Kazuma!

[It had been very weird, but very fun.]

I've never done anything like this before... Or even gone to any actual parties or balls or dances.

[perfectenn]

And yet Tenn is smiling, because he revels in a challenge and watching when others take them up. Considering Louie's feet, making some ballet-inspired calculations, he brings his feet into a more spaced-apart angle and steps into a turning, traveling sequence, checking himself so his strides aren’t too long or too fast.

"Start slowly. The key is to get it consistent in your mind and body before you speed up."

[advocateofgenderequality]

Scopes leads the pair on quite a path, with lefts and rights like rats in maze, going between increasingly older and older looking buildings and structures, each more decrepit and abandoned looking than the last.

Finally, after enough twists to leave most people hopelessly turned around and directionless, the owl alights on the branch of spindly evergreen. Before them lies a battered, burned-out building. It's foundations are burnt black to the core, and spouts of small embers still smoulder throughout.

"Welcome and behold, The Library of Fire and Ash." Kazuma declares with added bravado.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

There's a first time for everything, right? The only reason I ever went was because my parents made me, so this is a new experience for me, too.

[Cliff winks at that.] So do you want to do one of those fancy dance moves where you get twirled into the air?

[Some things must be universal. Cliff just figures it's better to ask than take advantage.]

[talkyourwayout]

"...In my mind?" Louie repeated, sounding somewhere between confused and skeptic. But he shrugged and made a second attempt, stumbling again - but not nearly as badly, and after a longer stretch of time.

[talkyourwayout]

"Cool. I haven't really been paying attention to it, but maybe I should start watching games," Louie said. He didn't mind watching sports, it was the participating he hated.

[areasontohope]

"I'm glad you got home safe. But traveling to other worlds doesn't bother you?"

In his eyes, Webby had to be pretty resilient and brave if something like this didn't faze her like it didn't seem to.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"You still might want to grab something for later. It'd keep, I imagine." Isabel shrugged at that, but grinned before letting him go, fluffing his hair just a little bit. It had slipped a bit out of the ponytail he'd had it in, after all.

"So, shall we?" She'd let him get more food for later if he wanted it, but she wasn't about to push him.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Damn straight you should!" He probably ought to watch his language around kids. "You get the chance to tell people you got to see the Great Jecht get his start here!"

[talkyourwayout]

Louie was ready to roll his eyes and just say 'okay' again, but then something about the way Jecht had said that hit him, and he paused.

"...How long do you think we'll be here?"

[woo_oo]

[Webby gasps, then begins excitedly bouncing on her heels.]

TWIRL TWIRL TWIRL TWIRL!

[shiningkindness]

She returned the smile as she glanced up at him with a nod. "Oh yes...I can't imagine the kind of magic they must have used to do something like this."

Even if they were used to magic and had done this before, she imagined it must have taken a lot of skill.

"But people say that this dance is a pretty big deal, so maybe they wanted to make sure everyone can appreciate it. Hopefully they're able to enjoy it too."

[shiningkindness]

A bit surprised at first, Fluttershy giggled as she let Webby lead her to the dance floor.

"Right...!"

[shiningkindness]

Uh huh. Though we actually first met when we were both taking part in the research, and that's when we found out we're in the same house.

[Which is strange, because you'd think she'd notice a duck person in the same common room or something.]

[woo_oo]

"Why would it? Adventures like that are the best! I want to travel to every single world there is!"

Just talking about it makes her so excited she begins bouncing on her heels.

[outofyourshadow]

Lena snickered a bit. "I guess that's true." Then she shrugged again. "Still, I don't know if it's anything like that."

Then again, she didn't know Huey that well either, so.

[outofyourshadow]

With a grin, she nods. "Let's go."

Luckily, it is an upbeat song, so she's more than happy to move her body to the music. It's not so different from how other people are dancing, so she can pretend that she knows what she's doing.

[noasark]

"R-Right!" And from there, Noa can somewhat blatantly attempt to copy literally everyone at once to try and dance properly. If he does that he'll be fine right?

He totally knows what he's doing here, shh.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"I suppose you don't need checking up on--I'm well aware you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, you know!--but that's what friends do--and even if you don't agree, I'm your friend."

That was said with a sort of 'tough titties' attitude--he'd have to deal, like it or not.

"So I brought you a snack. I mean I know I see you around on occasion, but it probably sucks to not have more to do on a night like tonight, huh?

[mithrarin]

"It's not much different from any other night for me." Honestly, he was glad not to go to the dance, if for no other reason than he wanted to avoid Fluttershy till this whole... thing had passed.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Dunno about average. I'm staying forever. I'm -- sorta dead and sorta nonexistent back home, so I got nothing back there." He shrugged, not really bothered.

[holdyourhorns]

Flip things around and one might assume any purple dragon is one of Spyro's relatives. But he does end up broaching that exact off-topic subject anyway. "Are you guys related?"

... Another reason the dragon doesn't keep up with the talk of necessary preparations is that he's been on more than enough adventures with little to no need for such besides locating butterflies and his own tenacity. And there's no Sparx to feed butterflies to here.

[blue_ice]

That's an interesting question. Seto straightens his robes with a small cough.

"His father was my legal guardian for a time, making us stepbrothers."

He gives Spyro and then Adelai a nod. "That should work. Ready?"