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

[woo_oo]

"Oh, yeah, Louie invited me." She gave an off hand shrug about it, still not really getting the process.

"Did you come with someone too?"

[burningbrighter]

"Nah, I'm still single. But that's okay! I'm not really ready to date again anyway. It just makes me happy to see all of you having fun!"

It's mostly true. Her smile's convincing enough.

"So you're gonna dance the night away with him, right?"

[woo_oo]

... Huh? What did single and dating have to do with any of this? To Webby, it made as much sense as if Sunset had suddenly brought up quantum physics - interesting, but not relevant to the topic as hand, as far as she knew. So this got a quizzical tilt of her head.

"I want to dance with everyone! We can dance too, if you want!"

[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."

[woo_oo]

"You say a lot of weird things, Sunset."

But she says it cheerfully before grabbing her friend by the wrist and dragging her to the dance floor.

"Let's go!"

[burningbrighter]

I get that a lot.

[ She laughs and follows Webby, happily bouncing along at her side. ]

Wow, you're moving so fast!

[woo_oo]

I'm just so excited! I love doing new things with my friends!

[life is good!!!]

[burningbrighter]

Huh. Speaking of new things...

[ She glances up at the sky. ]

Did you look up at the stars? They always seem to be at their most beautiful on nights like this.

[woo_oo]

I know, right? And since we're in a different world, that could mean different constellations!

[burningbrighter]

Yeah. I've been meaning to check out this book I saw in the library. Eiather's really big on that kind of thing---finding meaning in the stars and casting spells according to what it says.

[woo_oo]

That's so cool! If you discover something brand new, you'll probably get to name it!

[burningbrighter]

"Mm. I think I'd want there to be a Harmonious constellation." Something bright and beautiful that reminds her of her friends.

"What name would you pick?"

[woo_oo]

Webby cupped her beak in thought. "Well, considering we're in a different world, I'd name it after someone I missed, so that way we'd always be together... like my Granny!"