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

[perfectenn]

Tenn’s eyes narrow further. He didn't expect humor, didn't feel the situation merited it, and it ruffles him more than relieves tension. He would be content to leave it at that and let the man go on his way. His familiar is of another opinion.

Goliath can hardly roll his eyes or kick his master under a table, but around a mouth-full of celery, he does give a pointed snort. Really now, why all this nonsense when there were Sundering classmates who could give perfectly good advice? What was the point of their conversation if only his help was being asked for?

Enough of his subtle exasperation carries over to draw Tenn up short. The boy casts a questioning glance down to his serious-faced companion. Admittedly, Goliath has often proved the wiser in the past.

"It's fine." Tenn looks back up and blinks, easing out of the glare. And then suddenly, with no preamble except whatever took place between himself and his familiar, "You're in Ka, aren't you?"

[treno_nobleman]

It was humor at face value, but the glare he received in response didn't bother Kuja in the least. He clearly wasn't wanted in this place right now, clearly was not welcome, so he resigned himself to finding somewhere with more pleasant surroundings - and perhaps fewer of the living among them - to end his rounds before he returned to his dorm to say goodbye to the evening.

And then the other Sundered directed a question to him, and Kuja stopped, still in a mood to humor him.

"I am." His movement stopped, one foot still on the path, one foot placing itself down on the ground in midstep, and looked over a shoulder out toward the man. "But what does it matter? None of us had any true word in where we would be seated in the end, did we?"

[perfectenn]

The moonlight shows a subtle change in Tenn’s posture as his shoulders lower, weight shifting. Judging by that answer, no, the man did not overhear the conversation. Truly just out to enjoy the scenery, then? Reassuring. But further questions stall in his mind, distracted by that answer.

Making the decision to add Sundering as his final class had not come easily, but ultimately, aside from the dangers and reputation, it seemed a good decision. And while he’s aware of issues that have come up around campus due to classes installing confidence in reckless students, he hasn’t heard complaints for the quality of the material itself. The students of Ka have not always been well-received, but his issue is not with that.

"I have no preconceived judgments against your house." Tenn assures with professional punctually. "I only have an interest in the progression of the curriculum and the state of Ka, particularly during the ongoing research." A trace of hesitation shows in his brow – or maybe frustration. "I intended to begin participating in active spell work this month before the… incidents." Yes, he noticed the little random portals around campus; it was hard not to.

[treno_nobleman]

Whether the man did or didn't like him, that wasn't for Kuja to decide. They had only just met, and as long as they didn't step on each other's toes, he didn't care what the man did. He liked this about as well as any of them, and the houses meant nothing to him short of what classes he was required to take. "That's just as well. The houses are a good distraction, but little else."

He looked aside, to the man's familiar, then away to the water beyond with a hum. "Good luck to you with it. This so called research the locals have been conducting to try and sort everything out with people like us doesn't seem to be making much progress, does it? I do wonder if their focus may be misplaced."

[perfectenn]

Distraction? Tenn raises his eyebrows. A house should be far more than a mere diversion. The influence from his house is why he's been able to pick up Fantastics so quickly despite his non-magical origins. There is no substitute for being saturated in its culture every day. He knows Ka is held to much stricter guidelines (the students can’t pull off spells like Valhudor’s burst in song), but surely Makerion Keep holds many things of interest.

"I don't doubt the focus of the students summoning goblins and cherubs is misplaced." Tenn replies. Was that humor? Hard to say when his expression is deadpan. "But I think those accidents prove why the research is progressing slowly." And why he's putting off drawing those cursed circles as long as he can. See: the teleporting last month. "If you consider Ka’s expertise and culture to be a mere diversion, and the research teams’ effects unsatisfactory, do you have another source to look to?"

The last person duck he presented that question to couldn't give him an answer to that. He expects the same here.

[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."

[perfectenn]

His eyes narrow, amused. "So. You do pay attention in class?" Nope, sorry, not engaging does not excuse you from being the brunt of his humor. But skepticism aside, that’s one of the more sensible deductions Tenn has heard.

"I, too, would prefer the governing systems turn their attention to seizing the culprit. But do we know what the rulings are for rogue wizards, or what may be involved in such a hunt? Perhaps there's too much bureaucracy in the way for them to move forward in the matter." A distasteful frown. But knowing law is a required course for Ka students, he raises it for speculation nonetheless. "Either way, we students are hardly in a position to take up the task without an understanding of the magic and culture." Isn't that why they are here?

"You assume the wizard is on the earth below. That may be true. There should be too much scrutiny here for such spellworking to escape notice." And then the kaiju happened, and he's willing to bet that was some sort of summoning judging by the difficulty had in taking the beast down. "But recent events could suggest otherwise. I'm not going to rule out that there may be a Sundering practitioner here in the city. Perhaps they would find this place more advantageous as neutral territory."

And he does not like to think about that at all. Because if the Sundering user is far away, Tenn can hold to his theory of their travel here being a side effect of a greater spell. If the culprit is closer... that would bring up a great many concerns.

[treno_nobleman]

The snark isn't lost on him, and he does not appreciate being taunted while he offers a simple enough thought on how this all may have happened. It's enough that he has lost interest in the conversation entirely, and turns to leave. He isn't going to tolerate this mistreatment for an accidental encounter.

"I do. More than you, who knows nothing about me, may believe." He lifts his hand in a wave as he leaves, and that's all that he'll offer the boy. If he's going to find his way out of this world, it won't be because of what happens here tonight, and that's a shame, but he isn't going to let this ruin his mood.

"Oh, and good luck with... whatever you were doing. You may well need it. If you intend to think like a student for the rest of your time here, you may well need it, indeed."


(ooc: Probably best to end this thread. I didn't intend things to go south like they clearly had and if it's just gonna keep going this way, I'll have to end it anyway. Feeling a bit like I made a mistake here, tagging this character.)