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

[treno_nobleman]

[Amused, Kuja watches Eleven blush at the ones watching them. They've been watching for some time, but if Eleven isn't bothered by them, Kuja will pay them no mind. He has a lesson to teach.]

Good. Now. [Once they've reset again, Kuja steps away, moving at a learner's pace still, and waits for Eleven to do his part before lowering the boy back as it should be.]

[puzzlers]

But who says we have to keep tradition! We're in a strange, new, and, frankly, awesome place... so why wouldn't be able to make some new traditions.

[puzzlers]

[ as soon as he's dipped his face flushes and he's left gaping up at kaiba. he picks his jaw off the floor and gives him a shy smile. ] I don't think I'll soon forget. I'm glad I could help, Kaiba. You deserve to be happy. We... we all deserve to be happy. [ he gives him a smile, pressing closely as soon as he's able again. ]

[bearshermark]

[Eleven takes a moment to remind himself that no one's expects anything in particular from him, then turns into Kuja's hold and lets himself dip back.

He tips a triumphant grin up at his partner. His steps had barely faltered. When he's pulled back up, he's practically beaming]

We did it. [He laughs again- bright and almost giddy] Thank you for taking the time to teach me.

[treno_nobleman]

[Seeing the delight on the boy's face brings an unexpected note of satisfaction along with it. Oh, he had certainly made people happy in his time, in whatever business dealing or conversational means he had with them, but this? He would later liken it to what he had felt when he had teased Zidane a world ago for having two left feet, as he put it, in battle and had the thief snap at him for it.]

[Maybe it had been fleeting then, given the circumstances, but now it was there and gone because he wished it would be. This was no time for such thoughts. He told himself he had no need of them, but his smile remained there, genuine, and ever pleasant.]

Oh, no need to thank me. I am quite dismayed that you haven't fully enjoyed this art until now. Dance is a profound performance and requires a certain awareness of the mind, body, partner, and surroundings all at the very same time, much like battle. [He won't ask Eleven if he ever has fought. This is just his take on it.] Shall we continue?

[areasontohope]

"Well, that's good to hear." And Yuki really meant his words because keeping a lady waiting wasn't a good idea.

Looking down at the package in his hands, he presented it to Fluttershy, not sure if other ladies here were wearing such things, but he was going by the instructions he'd received.

"This is for you, I hope you like it."

Revels

[areasontohope]

Yuki had been walking by and heard something about Fluttershy. So he turned his head and saw Webby pointing at the dolphin and whale swimming together.

He'd admittedly curious so he stops a moment to watch the pair swim.

"How did you get them to do that?"

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik refrained from the words that ran through his mind. Had the Luminary been the Prince of Dundrasil, things like this would be more commonplace for him. However, fate hadn't been that kind.

And then there was the fact that Heliodor castle had things like this, and again, Eleven would've been able to witness a Ball or something similar.

"If we remember this place when we leave, then you can see about creating one yourself." After the world is saved, of course.

[unswervingcompanion]

"It seems to be a lot of people's first Ball." And somehow that made him sad, wondering what people did for fun back in their worlds.

Once the food was in her mouth, the knight could only smile.

"Have you had the chance to display your lessons?"

[stillnewatthis]

Your assertions are all true. As is mine. Love cannot directly overcome all obstacles, although it may find other means of achieving a very similar goal.

[perfectenn]

The smile eases into a smirk; Tenn makes no effort to sort his own hair - the mussed look comes with the job.

"Steps and routine are important. But it doesn’t mean anything if you aren't feeling the music and enjoying yourself." Which he would not say in a professional capacity. But this is far removed, and passion is most important in the beginning as the basis for everything that follows.

The musicians are picking up the beat again, so Tenn moves closer. "Having good partners does make all the difference. You seem to be lacking one now?"

[perfectenn]

It's a curious sight at first; there appears to be a rock the size of a large ottoman beside the pond, and a finely dressed dancer from the ball kneels before it with a plate balanced on one knee and a hand extended to rest gently on the stone. But the clouds move, the light adjusts, and an angled shell and tortoiseshell patterns are revealed.

The familiar notices the arrival of company sooner than his young master, eyeing the disturbance while munching on his offerings; a slow blink indicates he is not in the least concerned. But Tenn stiffens and raises his head, then rises to his feet.

The skepticism in his narrowed eyes is apparent, though not as intense as it might have been in other circumstances. In his experience, eavesdroppers rarely comply with common courtesy. And if Kuja’s fine conduct during the party was anything to judge by, he’s not a fool looking for mischief. Tenn settles on returning the greeting in a restrained manner.

"Good evening."

[bearshermark]

Eleven smiles, though it's all nerves. He's just a little intimidated.

"Yes. Did you want to..? I- I mean, I'm not as good as you."

Neither is he as nicely dressed, he can't help but notice.

[stillnewatthis]

As an omnic designed for combat, I am not programmed with any. My presence at a wizard ball was unanticipated.

[She says this so matter-of-factly, too!]

[sevenyearsasleep]

"Maybe magic works in different ways here and I'll just have to learn to do something differently."

[treno_nobleman]

The tortoise becomes all the more apparent in the moonlight, but Kuja pays the creature, familiar or not, no mind. He is more concerned with its master, watching him as though he had something sinister in mind. This night, Kuja hasn't, and his abilities are no more advanced now than they had been just a week ago, before he went back and dove into his studies a bit more than usual, as was his wont.

For now, he's just a fellow Sundered, wandering down paths that should be publicly open and available, but are strangely occupied by other Sundered by the light of the moon for whatever mysterious purpose the Sundered wants them to be. Kuja can see the apprehension he has earned himself and chuckles at it, no true humor to his mirth.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm only here for the scenery, but I can see I am no longer welcome. I'll be on my way, then."

[burningbrighter]

"Oh, I'd love to!"

Sunset smiled brightly at her.

"It's not all about dating, after all. Like you, I'm just here to have fun with my friends."

[bearshermark]

Yes. [He's enthusiastic in taking Kuja's hand again, and emboldened by achieving something like proficiency with a new, more advanced step, moves with more confidence]

I'm from a small village in the mountains, so we never had anything like this before. This is my first time at a school and at a ball.. I'm learning a lot.

[blue_ice]

[ Huh. Kaiba cranes his neck to look for her date and shakes his head, turning his full attention back to keeping up with her. He almost trips, but she slows just in time. That would've been embarrassing. ]

He'll be making the rounds for a while. No need to rush.

[ And just to be the barest minimum of polite: ]

How's your night going?

[blue_ice]

[ He looks adorable. His heart swells with...oh, yes. He knows what that is. Kaiba gently pulls him up and hugs him close, suddenly struck by an idea. He takes a deep breath. ]

...Would you want to rent a room in town tonight?

[bearshermark]

Hm, that's right. Well, let's invent a new one then.

[Eleven doesn't have any idea of how to go about that but she's taller than he is, so he decides to start there and raises her arm over his head]

How easily can you turn?

[treno_nobleman]

[Admittedly, he hadn't expected Eleven to jump on the lesson like this. But, if nothing else, he's willing at least. There is far more to teach than simple dip, at least. So he takes that hand and settles back into a standard hold with the boy and starts around the dance floor again with him.]

Well, then, far be it for me to deny you a fancy or two out on the dance floor. We'll still be working for the beginner steps, but they're no less elegant.

[king_of_egypt]

.. And just how do you intend on responding to them?

[Kaiba had never backed away from a challenge before, and he wasn't likely to now. Atem was not disappointed]

Sparring? Then I should be more mindful of where you place your feet. [Reaching out to take Kaiba's hand in his. Somehow he hadn't predicted that things would develop this way, but it was refreshing to see the usually more uptight boy this at ease] I would think it's a bit more like a tag duel- since a dance requires both participants to be more in-tune with the other, able to adapt and move accordingly.

Let's.

[bearshermark]

[Eleven nods, perfectly happy to follow Kuja's lead and learn a few more steps. He only hopes he remembers after the night is over]

Where did you learn to dance?

[blue_ice]

I did explain that to him, though not quite in those words.

[ He surprises himself with how easily he falls into step with Atem...though given their previous affinity as a tag team, maybe it's not so surprising. They're a whirlwind on the dance floor, of course. ]

Mm. You're good, but I'd expect nothing less.

[ A smile. ]