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

Dances and Dragons

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Well, I did promise my date I wouldn't stay attached to his hip all night, so here I am. [Her tone was gently teasing, but really, Isabel would have let Eleven do whatever he wanted, pretty much. She didn't know that he'd known Kuja, for example, but he'd seemed to enjoy it when they danced together, so that was what was important, if you asked her.]

So what about you, Seto? Enjoying yourself? Care to go slumming and give me a dance?

[She's teasing again at that, to judge by the wink she gives him...]

[blue_ice]

Mm. It could be worse.

[ Kaiba raises a glass to Isabel, and the look on his face is almost approving. Congrats on being on the short list of people he tolerates. ]

And I could. Come here.

[ He moves into a perfect posture and offers his hand all gentleman-like. He has a handle on this part, at least.]

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

[It's clear that Isabel has done this sort of thing before as well. She takes Seto's hand with a slight twirl of her knee-length skirt, making a pretty curtsey. Entirely playful, and smiling cheerfully to see he's willing to entertain her.]

So, have you been enjoying yourself so far? I think I've seen your date around campus--he's got quite the sartorial flair, if I do say so myself.

[Not to say that Isabel's a clothes horse, but both of her parents had an eye for dressing well, and she certainly inherited it, on her part.]

[blue_ice]

I have. Yugi worked hard tonight. Between us, I'm the aristocratic snob, so to speak...but he did his part.

[ Kaiba was a fair dancer, twirling her at just the right times and keeping an easy rhythm going. ]

And you've done a fair job yourself, Isabel.

[ That was how to compliment a lady's formal wear, right? Right? Sorry, he doesn't usually do this. ]

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Oh, I try, but I'm used to having a bit of help with my formal wardrobe. [She's aware he's probably struggling a bit, so Isabel takes it in stride. Besides, he's so serious, it kind of makes her laugh. Amused, not offended or offensive. But honestly, her dad or mom did help her with formal stuff. She could handle herself well in most other situations.]

Honestly, Seto, I've met worse snobs in my time. Some of the real old money types back home turned up their noses at me plenty of times, and I'm third generation at least! You seem fine to me. Besides, isn't the entire point of all this to entertain? I'd think enjoyment was paramount. And I sure am enjoying myself!