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

Yotsuyu and Jecht Double Attack

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Arrival (both)

When you look as good as these two do, you flaunt it.

Believe it or not, Jecht had his chest covered today, or at least most of it -- his brilliant black-and-red dress robes might be open to about the end of his sternum, but otherwise they did a magnificent job of covering but not concealing his build. Somehow they seemed to suit him despite how much the general idea of robes did not; thank some effort put into finding them by both him and his date.

Speaking of said date? Yotsuyu knew perfectly well how to make herself appeal. Her dress was equally stunning in shades of crimson and gold with black accents, and most of her raven-black hair had been swept back into a bun, leaving her bangs and two long tendrils to hang from either side. Anything more than that would have gilded the lily; sometimes, simplicity itself was elegance.

With her quiet dignity and his easygoing grin, they made quite the couple as they sauntered on in like they owned the place.

[[Specify if you want one, the other, or both in your reply to this prompt!]]

Food! (Jecht)

Aww, man! What's with the lame spread?

Not that his opinion stopped Jecht from chowing down -- right now he was squishing about three of the meat sandwiches together to make one heftier portion. "Could've at least had a cake," he said to no one in particular.

Let the Revels Begin! (Yotsuyu)

Having left her date (such as he was) stuffing his maw at the laden buffet table, Yotsuyu snapped her fan open, fluttering it in front of her face and watching the others swirling around the room with narrowed eyes--half-lidded with amusement, this time, instead of annoyance or anger. The keep itself was more fascinating, transformed as it was, but for now, she was searching for a dance partner. If this was supposed to be a party, well, she was not about to miss her chance at the festivities!

Food!

[talkyourwayout]

Louie was pretty content with the spread, but then again, he wasn't the biggest eater. So he just sort of shrugged up in Jecht's direction.

"Cake is more like... For birthday parties, usually," he pointed out.

Re: Food!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"No way! There's always some sort of cake!" Jecht waved a cucumber slice in Louie's direction. "Victory parties and receptions and all that crap. I had to live it all back in the day, I should know."

[talkyourwayout]

"Oh, yeah? I wouldn't know," Louie admitted. "Nearly all of the parties I've been to have been for birthdays... Did you have victory parties for that weird game? Was your team good?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"'Course we did, and we had a lot of 'em. Because we were the best! Thanks to me, mostly." Modesty was never Jecht's strong point. And he sure wasn't gonna mention his decline there, near the end.

[talkyourwayout]

"Okay," was Louie's only response, at first. Then a thought hit him. "Were you a pro? Like, did you get paid to play?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Heh, 'course I did." Jecht folded his arms. Blitzball was a comfortable place for his mind to dwell, and it showed. "I was the star of the Abes. People packed the stadium to see me play."

[talkyourwayout]

"Well, I guess that's pretty cool, then," Louie admitted. "Have you started learning Bala-Inlota yet?"

Because if Jecht liked one sport, he'd like another. Clearly that made sense.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Course I have!" Jecht gave the duck a look like he'd grown a third head. Sure, it wasn't bliztball, but it was the thing around here! "Fun little game, even if it lacks the polish."

Revels

[unswervingcompanion]

(earlier than the thread with Eleven)

Having gone to the Ball, the knight wasn't going to stay too long. He'd come to check on his friends and then he was going back to go do more research. Because of being a seasoned warrior, he did keep his eyes open for any trouble, but other than that he wasn't staying long.

However, he happened to see Yotsuyu and he wanted to see how well she had picked everything up now that they were at the real Ball and were no longer just practicing.

A simple song had started to play so this couldn't get complicated, and he walked over to her and bowed. This one he could get away with because they were in public and wasn't afraid of her snapping him with that fan, at least not right now.

So he held out his hand to her after straightening up.

"May I have this dance?"

[darkenedmoon]

As if Hendrik had a thing to fear from Yotsuyu and her fan. She fluttered it in front of her face briefly, arching a brow at him, but the smile that crossed her lips could not be mistaken.

She gave him the faintest of bows in return, and offered him a hand, snapping that fan shut and tucking it in her belt--which was not a serpent, at the moment. No, Gosetsu was in her quarters, taking a well-deserved rest.

"I would be delighted. You may!"

[unswervingcompanion]

He saw that smile of hers and was surprised that she had bowed to him. So he smiled in return at the gesture that wasn't something Yotsuyu would normally do. The knight wasn't looking to see if her familiar was with her, but he probably should've just in case.

With a nod at her assent, Hendrik took the offered hand and led her quietly to the dance floor. The last time he'd gotten to hold her hand was when he was helping her to learn how to dance. Due to her hand in his on the inside, he felt like a little boy though none of this showed outwardly.

The knight chose a spot on the Ballroom floor and stood in position. Here though, he allowed his smile to show once more.

[darkenedmoon]

It was true she was being a bit guarded--as fashionable as she knew she was, Yotsuyu was not sure she was meant to be at a celebration of romance. That sort of thing was not meant for her, either, but she was not about to pass up a party that involved dancing. Romance be damned!

"Thank you for...broadening my horizons, shall we say? I appreciate it. As well as your patience in teaching me." It was not as if she had been a poor student, but she had been nervous.

Yotsuyu still was, to be honest, but she was doing her best to ignore it. She was glad enough that Hendrik was going to give her a dance--really, this was not the sort of thing that would make a warrior comfortable, either, she suspected. This sort of thing was for the young.

But she'd never had the opportunity to do this when she was young--damn Asahi to the seven hells!--and by the kami, she was going to take the knight's advice, and grasp this chance with both hands!

[unswervingcompanion]

The thank you caught him off guard as they danced. Really, of all of the things that she could say, that wasn't one of the things he expected, so he wasn't sure what to say at first. His mind raced as he struggled to come up with anything other than what he said.

"You are quite welcome and were a better student than you give yourself credit for. The honor was mine to instruct you."

Inwardly the knight cringed and wondered if he sounded as old fashioned and out of place to Yotsuyu as he did to his own ears. It wasn't something he thought about until he'd come here and heard the way men spoke here. They didn't speak of honor nor did many know how to dance. So at times like this, he wondered if he even had a place here other than being the Luminary's guardian.

[darkenedmoon]

Honor. Oh, she wasn't laughing--Hendrik did not sound out of place or old fashioned to her--Yotsuyu had mentioned that he reminded her of Ishgardian knights from Hydaelyn--so something she was at least used to, if only in passing. Certainly she did not know a great deal about them, but that was neither here nor there. His worries about how he sounded, at least, had little base.

But honor...that left a bit of a sour taste in her mouth. Yotsuyu was uncertain as to why it was some sort of honor--save that he was a knight and pretty words came easily to his tongue. But if Hendrik were anything, he was honest to a fault, as well.

"I do not know why. Though I suppose you knew that if nothing else, I would not stomp upon your toes, and so was likely better than your other students!"

A small attempt at a jest, and a poor one, she was sure, but Yotsuyu did not want to be too solemn at a party she was supposed to be enjoying, with a dance partner whose company she was enjoying...

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik didn't know what to say in return, because what he had thought to say was out of place. And this was why he was only dancing one dance with her so that the knight could return Yotsuyu to Sir Jecht's side.

That thought almost made him scowl because of how unhappy she always seemed around the other man. But instead, he resolved to speak to her at some future point regarding it. He just wanted her to be happy, not ruin her second chance at another life. She'd been through so much and Hendrik wanted to see her happy, even if it wasn't going to be with him. He was her friend and that's where it had to stay because even if the dinner was a fluke, being someone's date certainly couldn't have been.

It wasn't in him to interfere with this, and that's not what he was planning do. He would simply ask a question or two and be done with it as much as it pained him. She had chosen and it wasn't him and he could respect that. Her apparent unhappiness was what bothered him.

And regardless of whatever Yotsuyu said, Hendrik would always be there for her and be right by her side if needed. And he would do his best to try and find a way to save her no matter what.

So as he was about to say something, the music was over and he stopped, nodding to her slightly.

"I do believe that concludes repayment for my lessons."

[darkenedmoon]

It seemed like the music was over too soon. Only one dance? There was a part of her that wanted to protest. After all, in a place surrounded by so many people, surely Eleven had to be safe, here.

Couldn't he?

"You could take another, if you liked," Yotsuyu said. "It is not as if Jecht would mind." Indeed, he was probably still over at the buffet table, stuffing his face. She wasn't about to check--mostly, she had asked Jecht instead of Hendrik for two reasons. Yotsuyu thought Hendrik would be uncomfortable--and the gods knew, he certainly seemed like he was. And there was his oath to Eleven to consider. He had his duty, and she knew it. Nor would she stand in his way--at least, not for long.

On the other hand, Jecht had a way of schmoozing--it might have to do with his stardom in Zanarkand, or perhaps Spira. He soaked up attention in a social setting--oh, Yotsuyu would likely dance with him more than once, but if she left him alone for a time, Jecht wouldn't think a blessed thing of it.

"You look very nice tonight, you know. One more dance? Please?"

[darkenedmoon]

Finally, she'd dragged Jecht away from the buffet table. Not that she'd been able to eat--the excitement of the night had Yotsuyu's stomach full of butterflies. She had already had a dance or two with Hendrik, and a few others, but it was only proper that she actually danced with the one she'd asked.

Even if Yotsuyu had only asked Jecht because she was certain he wouldn't have a bad time, whether he danced with her or not. That and she had to admit that they'd made a fashionable pair as they'd entered--though she was prideful enough to take most of the credit for that, as well.

"I hope you have not had a bad time of it, waiting for me," she said.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Good things are worth waiting for, huh?" Heh, he knew what line to fire back at that! Honestly, he was pretty happy Yotsuyu had unbent enough to enjoy herself here... even if that had to be filtered through 'Yotsuyu' in general. Her laughing happily and smiling openly probably was a sign of the end times, right?

[darkenedmoon]

"How trite," Yotsuyu sniffed. There was that filter again. However, she was smiling--perhaps not as openly as Jecht might like, but she was hardly covering it with a hand or attempting to hide it.

Perhaps the end times were coming, after all.

"So were you enjoying yourself? Not that I think you might find that difficult, but I am curious. How is the food?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Pretty sure I could starve to death eating it," he groused. Given his calorie intake that might almost be true. "But hey, so long as it keeps me going till we get outta here, I'm good. Maybe we should crash a late-night place out in town when we're done, huh?"

[darkenedmoon]

"I am still not certain I could eat." Though it was true Yotsuyu could watch Jecht eat, if only because it was like watching a sideshow attraction. The amount of food the man could put away was truly amazing.

Although it might make her coinpurse whimper its way into submission...

"We could stop so you could eat, at least." Far be it from her to make him suffer more than he already had. Being her date! Having to dress up! Horrors abound!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Hey, we got a while before that's a problem. By the time we finish dancing you'll probably be starving!" His preferred styles weren't exactly slow and quiet waltzes or whatever the hell, after all. They were gonna move!

[darkenedmoon]

He was going to have to let her catch her breath, then, because she was both unfamiliar with those sorts of dances, and perhaps a bit out of shape. Not terribly so, though--Yotsuyu walked to class, and everywhere else she chose to go, as well.

"Perhaps. Did you have a place in mind? I do not often find myself off campus in the middle of the night, searching for a meal, you understand..."

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Naw, but you know me. I'm easygoing about that sort of thing so long as they have good food." He figured she was a picky eater. She just had that sort of air about her, right?