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

[advocateofgenderequality]

"Let me know if you find one for owls." Kazuma comments after Yuki reads his book's title aloud.

"Pffthahaha. Nothing all that useful, not yet anyway." He snorts out a laugh as he tosses another tome over. 'Magic in the Bedroom: Spells to Spice Up Your Sex Life' is the title plastered over the front cover, accompanied by a rather suggestive illustration of a woman 'utilizing' her wand.

[areasontohope]

He nodded and decided doing something like that would give him a reason to start looking through the books here. It was tougher because he didn't want to end up bringing all of them back and he was afraid that some of them were actually on fire.

At the book that landed in his hands next just bugged his eyes out of his head for about a full minute. He couldn't even speak and literally threw it, moving as fast as he could away from it.

[advocateofgenderequality]

Kazuma gasps over-dramatically as he points at the 'literature' Yuki finally manages to snap away from and toss aside.

"Throwing a book!? What kind of librar-dork are you!?"

[areasontohope]

"I don't have time to read that sort of..thing." Yuki snapped. Truth be told he didn't want to see that sort of book at all. Too many things had run through his head and he just couldn't handle it.

"Tell me when you find something better."

[advocateofgenderequality]

"Define 'better'?" Kazuma's answer is cynical as he owls up another book and looks it over with a frown. "Cause with this library, it's a totally crapshoot for what you can and might find here."

[areasontohope]

"A better topic." came the reply. Having looked up at Kazuma, Yuki narrowly missed getting singed by a random fire tornado or whatever the heck it was.

His eyes noted a book and he had to wait for the damn thing to move, but once it did, he grabbed it. It was on the subject of botany, which was right up his alley. And it immediately got added to his pile.

[advocateofgenderequality]

Another wandering swirl of heat and ash barrels in towards Yuki, but rather than hitting the teen, his pile of chosen books are the victim. The tomes are tossed and scattered all about, practically undoing all the effort spent towards sorting them out.

"Oh yeah." Kazuma chimes in cheerfully. "Don't leave anything you want lying around. The library seems to take offense to it. I think it hates organization of any sort, or something."

[areasontohope]

"Now you tell me." This came out as a slightly annoyed sigh. But there Yuki goes, scurrying to pick up the mess. But this time he puts a few precious books in his backpack and wears it.

But it was good to know because now he would be on his guard better.

[advocateofgenderequality]

"You're welcome!" His answer is still happy-go-lucky. Whether he missed the sarcasm or he was just being cheeky is up for debate.

"But the good news is that despite all the fire, the books never seem to get burnt up at all." Kazuma continues explaining as he and Scopes hunt for their own reading. "Good luck if you want re-find something you read before, though."

[areasontohope]

Eyes narrowed at Kazuma though he was probably too busy running amok to actually see it. The warning did give him pause though so that his hunt could be more calculating and successful.

He had to duck down since the owl seemed to almost fly right above him. The last thing he needed was to get part of his scalp ripped with those talons.

"If you find anything on gardening let me know." At least he hoped that would deter the other from throwing any more sordid topic books at him.