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

[goingbythebook]

Arrival
Huey was definitely getting more used to this world, and dances? Dances he could do. He's gotten himself a mostly formal outfit, and had walked in at first with Lena, as Louie had asked Webby and he hadn't wanted either of them to feel left out. That's not being a good friend, right?

Though they came in together they weren't together the whole time, and in fact Huey can be found here and there still marvelling over everything... magic about this place. Most of all he seems caught by the twilight, staring at it through the invisible Hall. What a fitting sight for a lovely site like this.


Let the Revels Begin
...That was certainly a speech, wasn't it? Anyway- definitely not making a note about "river" and "Bison" in a notepad stowed under his cap, NOPE -Huey spends most of his time on the sidelines, watching most of the others have their dance. Part of it, alright most of it, was he still didn't know many people yet and felt awkward, but he was perfectly content to observe the event. It had been haphazardly put together (when measured against his own Huey Duck, Party Master planning skills anyway, to anyone else this dance would be going well), but there was plenty to enjoy all the same, and every now and then he amused himself by identifying the different dance steps people were using. Tango, waltz, one ambitious couple performing the paso doble, there's an improvisational pair, and then of course the uh, "swing dancing on amphetamines" exhibition.

But of course, while spending time not on the floor, there's also-


Food!
Someone must've missed the memo about "light food not weighing you down" because Huey has gotten himself a big ol' plateful. Fish, an arrangement of meat slices and cheeses, a sandwich or two, and a neat stack of cucumber slices that practically reformed the cucumber they'd come from. With a cup of punch to go for it.

This plate is on an empty chair beside him so he doesn't have to try and juggle carrying it, eating, and holding his drink all in one, but that doesn't mean he isn't open to conversation. Just have to get him between bites.


Wildcard
Anything else goes!

Food!

[talkyourwayout]

When Louie spots his brother, he's amused, and sees the chance for a bit of fun. He loops around to approach Huey from behind, leaning over the chair with the plate on it.

"You know, there'll be food tomorrow, too," he sasses, as if he hadn't brought his school bag and filled it with treats.

[goingbythebook]

Huey had been midbite when Louie arrived, so he chewed and swallowed fully before answering.

"I know! But they worked so hard to lay out all the refreshments here, it would be rude not to partake of them! Besides, a well-fed body is a happy body."

He placed a cucumber slice on his tongue and curled it into his mouth, crunching into it pleasantly. Ooh, they were nice, fresh, and crisp.

[talkyourwayout]

"Or you could do the smart thing," Louie lightly flicked Huey's forehead before patting his school bag, "and save up. Honestly, makes even more sense for you than me - you're the one who's always hungriest."

[goingbythebook]

He winced at the flick, but couldn't do much about it. For now.

"Who's to say I'm not doing both? Stock up your body and stock up your larder, and you'll be double prepared!"

...Boys, doesn't this school offer sufficient meals on its own-? Eh, nevermind.

[talkyourwayout]

"You sound old when you say words like larder, you know," Louie teased with a smirk. Then, a thought struck, and he carried on with a shrug. "But then again, you are an old man compared to me."

[goingbythebook]

He snorted a bit, turning to face Louie better. "Yeah, and don't you forget it! Maybe you'll listen to me more if you remember that I am indeed older than you."

Brotherly jabs? Brotherly jabs.

[talkyourwayout]

Brotherly jabs were welcome - especially as something normal in a place that, no matter how long Louie was there, still felt strange.

"Listen to you more? In your dreams, Hubert. You may have the booksmarts, but those will only get you so far."

[goingbythebook]

"Right, Llewellyn. But as we're in a school setting, unfortunately for you we're more in my wheelhouse than we are in yours. You may have gotten the jump on me by pure circumstance, but I'm catching up quick."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie raised a finger in the air. "School's only part of it, though. There's still other things to do - people to win over, trouble to get out of, and benefits to gain. That's my thing."

[goingbythebook]

"Then it's a war of attrition! Book smarts versus street smarts. Which will finally come out on top?"

[talkyourwayout]

"The answer is obviously street smarts, but we can pretend there's a contest there - you know, to save you from total embarrassment."

Revels

[shiningkindness]

One of the people he might be observing out on the dance floor was Fluttershy, though at this particular moment a break was in order. As she headed off, she laughed softly as two dorsal fins circled around her before they returned to their own dancing.

And upon spotting Huey, she smiled and headed over.

"Hi, Huey! Are you enjoying yourself?"

[goingbythebook]

Huey did notice her, smiling in particular as he noticed the dorsal fins moving. As she came over, he crossed a couple steps to meet her, nodding.

"Hello, Fluttershy! I'm greatly enjoying myself here, more than I thought I would be!" A light, sideways kinda chuckle. "Kinda neat being part of a party without being the party planner, I guess.

"How about you?"

[shiningkindness]

She nodded. "Oh yes, I'm having a wonderful time. It's nice seeing everyone having such a good time."

She could kind of understand now how Pinkie Pie felt when she was throwing a party, getting to see people having fun.

arrival

[woo_oo]

"Huey!"

Webby eagerly ran up to him, all smiles and sunshine as usual.

"Isn't this great? There's all these stars and everyone looks pretty and fancy music and this is my first dance and I'M SO EXCITED!"

Exhale. Phew, she managed to say that all in one breath!

[goingbythebook]

He braced himself just as a matter of habit, but relaxed when she didn't actually tackle the air out of him this time. Her giddiness was listened to with a bright smile, and he nodded at the end.

"Yeah, it's really cool! I'm beginning to see just what the magic here can really do."

[woo_oo]

"Yeah, it has endless possibilities!" Webby was practically vibrating with excitement. "And all those stars are so pretty! Do you think they have the same constellations here, or different ones?"

[goingbythebook]

"You know, that's an excellent question that I hadn't yet taken the time to consider!" Huey looked up and around them, as if about to start on that right now. "It's an entirely different world with its own rules, so it's more likely it does have its own constellation system. But imagine the meaning if it were the same!"

Please distract him Webby, or he'll be busy with SCIENCE all night and won't enjoy the dance.

[woo_oo]

"C'mon, let's go take a look at all of them to see!"

With that, she grabbed him by the wrist, giddily trying to run all around.

[goingbythebook]

By now, Huey's at least adept enough to keep up with her by now. Time to look at all the stars and write a few maps! Luckily he's got paper on him, even for a fancy ball like this. After all, the Guidebook is only a grab away under his cap.

However, it's a little while into this that he does a pretty good job of his own thoughts roaming. Chart temporarily forgotten, he skimmed the crowd around them and then looked back at Webby.

"You and Louie came here together, right?"

[woo_oo]

"A-huh!" Webby slows down her frantic sprinting to a casual stroll, since they're having a conversation.

"He asked me with a letter! And I had to fight him to get it. It was funny! But you have to ask people to come to these things," so she understood it, "so I guess I was just the first person he thought of."

[goingbythebook]

"He asked you with a letter?" That part he hadn't known. He'd just caught wind that Louie had asked Webby, and so-

"Heh, I guess so. It simply is tradition to ask someone to events like these, so after Louie asked you, I asked Lena..." Huhm. he didn't see her either. He was a bit more worried about Louie though, he hoped wherever he was he was having fun.

[woo_oo]

"You asked Lena? Aw, lucky you!" She let out a little laugh. "Good thing you got to her first. I bet she had, like, a million people who wanted to go with her... not that she'd say yes to most of them because she's the cool loner type."

Gosh, Lena was awesome.

[goingbythebook]

"Her?" He scoffed a little. "What about me? I've been here for five minutes, so to speak, and I had people chasing me across the halls to ask for me.

"You'd think they'd never seen a duckling before. Which is even more unbelievable because of all of you having beaten me here."