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

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?

[king_of_egypt]

[Atem had hoped his behavior had gone unnoticed, that the festivities had been enough of a distraction to evade further scrutiny. Apparently they hadn't been. When he felt the tap on the shoulder, he almost didn't need to turn to identify who it was.

This was it. Turning on his heel, to face the other he convinced himself he was ready for this] Yugi.

[Giving Yugi a broad and sincere smile] Yes, Yugi I would. [Reaching out to take his hand, he felt warmth surge through the simple touch. Then he proceeded to lead Yugi to the dance floor to show off what he learned. Hope you weren't planning on leading]

[puzzlers]

[ he’s not going to say anything about it so at least there’s that. he doesn’t want to make things awkward here of all places, so if they decided to addresss anything at all it’d be done somewhere else - somewhere for just the two of them. ]

[ his response earns a smile and he’s glad his other self accepted. honestly he would have already thought atem would know what he’s doing. he always seemed to exude style and grace, unlike himself. he had practiced a bit here, but he’s definitely not as inexperienced as he might have lead anybody to believe. his friend was a dancer and he’s seen and practiced all sorts to help out in various situations. he’s no the best, noooo, not by a long shot, but he can hold his own. ]

[ yugi didn’t expect to lead either atem or kaiba, so he goes along with the dance and the rhythm easily. ] Are you having fun?

[king_of_egypt]

[That was likely a wise decision on Yugi's part. It was something that could be addressed later if need be]

[This already seems to be starting off on better footing than the last time, if Atem can just see it through. With any luck, his lessons would maintain that illusion for his current dance partner but truthfully Atem hadn't had much time to participate in balls quite like this before. Sure there were festivals in Egypt but the style and manner in which those dates were celebrated had their own variations. Atem had seen Téa dance before, most notably when she wiped the floor with Johnny Steps but he still didn't think he would be able to pull off those sorts of maneuvers. It wouldn't be the first time that Yugi had ever underestimated himself either but Atem was sure he would have no trouble with this.]

[Some of Atem's nerves seem to dissipate as they move across the dance floor. Focusing primarily on Yugi, and their motions it's as if the rest of the party fades away leaving the two of them for a few brief moments. He gets a bit lost in it until Yugi's words snap him out of it] Oh yes, of course. [Fun. Right. That's all it is. An amusing diversion.] Haven't you been enjoying yourself?

[puzzlers]

[ he regrets opening his mouth. it seemed like atem had gotten caught up in the moment and, truthfully, he had too. but it was a harmless question... or so he thought. he gives his a brief smile, his expression going neutral as he looks aside and starts counting the steps under his breath. he nods at the question, his tone growing softer and softer until he's back in the rhythm. ] Sorry.

I'm glad you came. [ since he didn't know if atem would bother. ] And I'm glad we're sharing a dance... especially since we never got a chance to do something like this. [ or much of anything, really. ]

[king_of_egypt]

[It was a harmless question, really but once again being ill-prepared for it had fostered doubt. It became obvious that it was a misstep with Yugi looked aside. Atem gave himself a mental pep talk. It hadn't been the worst thing he could have said. They could recover from this] .... [He doesn't acknowledge the apology since he thinks it will lead to lingering on the odd tension threatening to stir up rather than helping them move past it]

I'm glad I did too. [It has had it's highlights, and he ended up getting to meet with a lot of his new friends.] Mm [Nodding to that statement.] It would have been impossible before.

[He wasn't able to quite get back to that point where he let the music and the rhythm take over again, now more acutely aware of how close the two of them currently were.]

[puzzlers]

… [ for the moment he decides to say no more. he doesn’t want to upset atem again, especially since he had originally been on the fence about coming. but now he’s having a good time, and so he’d like to keep it that way. his other self deserves this and… and so much more. his grip on atem’s shoulder tightens as he dips his head and swallows the nervous lump that’s amassed in his throat. ] I missed you. [ he gently bonks his forehead to atem’s, his eyes closing as he lets out a sigh. ] … [ nothing he says now about what happened is going to change anything. what happened happened. but that doesn’t stop him from wanting a do over. ] It, ah, seems we still can’t keep from getting caught up in m- magic… h- hah… [ and back to awkward small talk. ]

[king_of_egypt]

[Likewise, Atem was more concerned about not bruising Yugi's feelings again. He still wasn't entirely sure how his other half had interpreted the last exchange and it made him considerably more nervous than it should. He used to always be able to read these sorts of things easily and naturally. Their physical and spiritual connection they once shared had made it nearly impossible to hide much from one another. This existing separately thing was leading to new pitfalls all of it's own. Feeling the tension on his shoulder, Atem is sure that Yugi is about to say something even before he does] I..... know Yugi. I hope you know that it was mutual.

[His own voice had grown soft so only Yugi could hear what had been said. Then with what followed it was a reminder to just how close the two were standing, close enough to be sharing the same air. Close enough.... that the space could only be shortened a little further....]

[As if he was suddenly shocked by some stray bit of static electricity, Atem straightened his posture and leaned back slightly praying that the gesture wouldn't seem too out of place] No, seems not. We must be as drawn to it as it is to us.

[puzzlers]

I... I know... [ yugi says under his breath, but since they're pressed so closely to one another atem should still be able to make out his response. he continues to lazily sway along with the music, his grip once again redoubling, because of the implication of both the question and the answer. maybe things would have been different had they said something to each other way back when. but they didn't. ]

[ his head is tilted slightly down, because he's still kind of counting the steps in his head as they glide to a more private part of the dance floor. he lifts his gaze, catching atem's, the closeness doing nothing to phase him. it seems right. seems natural. but then he straightens up, prompting yugi to do the same, though his gaze inevitably falls aside again. ] Yeah... [ his lips lift in a small smile as he returns focus to the dance. ] This is nice...

[king_of_egypt]

[It was soft but still audible, and something about it was alluring. Like as if there was an unspoken promise in it Keeping close to Yugi as they continued to follow the music, it wasn't hard to envision that it was the two of them that had ended up together and not the other way around. This line of thinking was dangerous ground to be treading, but even then Atem still lingered close until certain urges nearly prompted him to cross the one line he shouldn't. He knew this had been a bad idea that would lead to temptation, but at least he was still able to exercise his self-control] [Atem isn't even aware of where they'd drifted, so caught up in the moment itself. If he had decided to do the less honorable thing, likely no one would have been the wiser save for the two of them..... but he couldn't place Yugi in that position. It wouldn't have been right, nor fair to anyone involved. He feels a bit guilty despite not having done anything.] Mm, yes.. it's nice. [A little too nice, but nice all the same. Atem started thinking of ways to disentangle himself from Yugi but he should at least wait until this song had completed]

[puzzlers]

[ it's hard not to think about this. about them. how long had yugi beat himself up following the ceremonial duel and how long had he tries and failed to force all those feelings into the darkest recesses of his heart, because they could never and would probably never have been returned. atem had a duty and his own was to help him, not hinder him, and that's exactly what these things would have done. he keeps a tight hold on his him, losing the rhythm of the dance he had learned, but instead just following the flow of the music and doing whatever. that's probably how they get to the corner of the dance floor. ]

[ yugi can only nod his head in response. words are going to fail him. he can feel it. if only he had known. if only he hadn't given up. kaiba... hadn't given up... maybe he was the one standing in the way of... them... he tenses at the realization, his hold becoming shaky as the song comes to an end. he had been gearing himself up to ask atem for another dance, but now he can't even bring himself to move. ] ... [ he looks up to atem with cloudy eyes, the space between them dwindling as yugi hugs him tightly. ] I'm sorry I hurt you.

[king_of_egypt]

[Yugi had done such an exemplary job at concealing those feelings that Atem hadn't realized they were there which was saying something when they had shared so much before. The marginally shorter duelist had even set the pharaoh up on a date with someone else much to Atem's surprise and bewilderment. Sure there had always been a mutual level of trust and understanding between them, once Yugi acknowledged that there was a spirit living inside his puzzle but that didn't have to mean there was something greater.] [Feeling Yugi tense up, Atem feels guilt welling up inside of him. Tonight was supposed to make up for the other day. It was supposed to smooth over all the unpleasantness before and make this a more magical evening for Yugi. Then things could just go back to normal. There was nothing wrong with just being friends........ The song ends and they just stand there, quietly for a few moments.] ..... [Although he'd been thinking about parting Atem can't bring himself to initiate it just yet, then the look Yugi gives him triggers another pang of pain through his heart. Instinctively he returns the hugs, griping the other firmly to him] Yugi- ................. You didn't...... you shouldn't think of it like that. We're together again aren't we? Isn't that enough? [Unsure who he was trying to convince more]

[puzzlers]

[ if atem had developed anything then yugi wasn't aware either. they shared a lot with each other, but they also managed to hide a few things here and there. and that wasn't so much as an actual date as something to cheer him up. they ended up at the museum, right? and, no, maybe not, but... well, it hardly matters now. ]

[ yugi doesn't move either, and there's only a fraction of a second before the next song starts and they're left standing there instead of dancing. yugi's jaw tightens and he shakes his head. ] I... [ he did. and he's still doing it. he's glad atem can't see his face right now, because he's trying and failing to pull himself together. ]

Is it, Atem? [ he's got your number. ]

[king_of_egypt]

[Either way, it had been a shock when they traded places. Atem remembers he made quite an undignified scene. Mm, things had progressed beyond being able to reflect in earnest on the subject. It would only trouble them further to fixate] [Hearing the shift in tunes, he still doesn't make a move to go one way or the other. The tension has returned two-fold, and it's not disappointing with any rapidity. He's so sorry that it turned out like this Yugi] You... don't have to try to say anything more. [Resting his head against the others.] [The next question has him reeling, not having expected to be called out. His own muscles take on a rigidity of their own] ..... [Swallowing hard he takes an extra moment to reply] Yes, it will have to be.

[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.

[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.

[king_of_egypt]

[There were a series of factors playing into their interaction that neither one of them really had any control over. Either way that wouldn't alleviate any guilt either one of them may have been feeling]

[Yugi's grip tightens again, and were he of a larger build or stature it might have been crushing, but Atem could handle it.] ... because it will have to be. I'll personally assure that it is, not just for me but for you as well. [He owes much to Yugi, and he doesn't want to do anything that might interfere with his happiness] .... [He's silent for a few moments longer] It's not more than I can bear. [Though he wanted to argue that he wasn't hurting at all, it would have been a blatant lie]

[It did take a lot, admitting that you thought a couple was right for each other when it meant further separating yourself. To have what you desire so close to you and not being able to do anything about it.] Think... nothing of it.. Yugi. I mean it.