EVENT: Valentine's Dance! February 13th

[ouranhostking]

Dinner in the great hall was not only early, but fairly short. Everyone had to be out of the hall by six so that preparations for the party could be made, and when everyone was allowed back in at the start of the party it had transformed entirely.

The large tables normally used for meals now lined two sides of the great hall, holding a great variety of finger foods, drinks, and desserts that would continuously refill throughout the night. The ceiling above still reflected the night sky, but along its edges and throughout the walls were balloons, ribbons, and flowers of vast variety, with the most numerous of the flowers being white, pink, and red roses. All of of the flowers seemed to be emitting just enough light to effectively illuminate the Great Hall, giving it a - for lack of better term - rosey feel. At one corner near where the staff table normally stood was a group of string instruments, charmed into playing a selection of classical dance music as soon as the first students not involved with set-up stepped into the hall.

That was when Tamaki Suoh, a sixth year student and primary organizer of the dance, appeared at the front of the hall, smiling wide and dressed in an ivory-white tuxedo. He waved his wand briefly before he spoke, his voice magically projected with a charm so that he could be heard above any din that might happen with everyone's arrival.

"Welcome, everyone! I'm pleased to present you with our Hogwarts Valentine's Dance, and I hope you enjoy your time here tonight! Feel free to eat, drink, dance, and be merry in a break from studies and winter cold! Also keep in mind the Dance King and Queen contest, which can be anonymously voted for by you, the students, for the final spotlight dance at midnight tonight, as well as a prize of house points to the winners! Now, let the party begin!"

Prompt 1: Desserts, Drinks, and Wallflowers
Perhaps you're taking a break, enjoying the spread, and watching the other students dancing at various paces in different styles on the floor. Maybe you don't intend to go out onto the floor at all, because the chairs at the sides of the hall are just too comfortable or because you don't want to look like that idiot on the left. You know the one. Either way, congregating at the hors d'oeuvres can be a perfectly acceptable way to pass the night.

Prompt 2: Shut up and Dance
It is a dance party, after all! Grab a partner, whether it's ballroom dancing or just doing your own thing! Granted, the latter might get you some funny looks, but who cares as long as you're having fun? The smell of flowers is quite invigorating, the stars of the enchanted ceiling are above, and there's nothing more important than you and whoever your partner is, whether you know them intimately or have only met them for the first time tonight.

Prompt 3: A Breath of Fresh Air
Maybe the party is a little overwhelming, and you need to step away further from the hall than just sitting near the walls. Although no one is really supposed to leave the dance area for an extended period, who will know if you decide to use the loo as an excuse to get away for a few minutes? Maybe you just want to be somewhere more private, either by yourself or with someone else. Be careful not to get caught though, or it might be detention for you!

Prompt 4: "Love" is in the air?
Uh oh! We have no idea who, but someone seems to have spiked one of the punch bowls with a love potion! This potion is scentless and tasteless, and because the punch bowl is huge (and ever refilling) the effects are, thankfully, greatly weakened in comparison to a normal love potion. This little bit of mischief might result in some of the student body (or even some of the faculty) being a little more openly affectionate than usual with the first person they meet for the night, so a little bit of caution might be necessary. At least it's not at full potency!

Prompt 5: A moment in time that lasts forever!
A professional photographer has been hired to take pictures of students throughout the night! Although it might not be the last memory of the school year, it could be a night you want to cherish forever even if it’s just in a photograph! Is a photo an embarrassing moment or a precious time captured on a special slip of paper?

Prompt 6: Write your own Love Story!
Come up with your own prompts and have a ball AT the ball!

OoC: A note, there will be separate threads for Dance King/Queen contest sign-ups, as well as a contest for best-dressed and an attendance register that will be used to award a door prize drawn by lottery! The prizes are as follows; 50 House Points to 1st place, 25 to 2nd place, and 10 to 3rd place in their respective contests, and a 20 galleon gift receipt for Honeydukes (courtesy of Tamaki pulling some strings with the owner) as a door prize!

There will be a thread below for students to vote on Dance King/Queen, and the best dressed will be decided by members of staff specifically. RNG will be used to determine the door prize. Alright, have fun guys!

A NOTE ABOUT DANCE KING/QUEEN: Although the titles are gendered, who can be entered into each category is not! A boy can be the queen, a girl can be the king, and any combination can happen. The only limitation is that there will be two winners selected from the entrants in the contest!

Comments

Prompt 3

[seasaltkeys]

[The answer is, of course, no.

Roxas has also left the party for a bit. There's a lot of people and while he's gotten better at socializing, it's still a lot of people and he needs a break. He notices Adela, but doesn't necessarily say anything at first. He's just sort of admiring the image of her admiring the grounds.]

Re: Prompt 3

[enchantressofore]

[ At first, she doesn't notice him. She's simply watching the snow fall outside, taking in the dim light off the reflected snow. It feels quiet, almost deafening that way-- ]

Mm?

[ She's a little surprised when she sees him, recognizing him and turning to face him fully after. ]

Roxas?

[ How long was he standing there? Or was she really just that lost in thought that she hadn't seen him coming... ]

[seasaltkeys]

[And now it's Roxas's turn to be embarrassed.]

Hey.

[enchantressofore]

Uhm, hi...

[ Ugh, it's probably obvious that she's red-faced even in the dark isn't it? It feels like it is, and she ends up holding her arm to herself as the silence draws on. Finally she can't take it any more though, instead attempting to break it. ]

You, uh... You needed a break from the dance, too?

[seasaltkeys]

Yeah. There's a lot of people in there. I needed a break from the crowds.

[He leans back against the wall.]

Sorry, I shouldn't have been staring.

[enchantressofore]

Don't worry about it, it probably looks really strange on me. I don't normally bother with this kind of stuff at all.

[ She sighs, shaking her head and waving off the comment about staring. ]

[seasaltkeys]

Same, but it doesn't.

[He looks away, his gaze fixed on the floor.]

I just thought you looked kind of nice, staring at the snow like that. It was pretty.

[enchantressofore]

[ She can feel her skin heating up at that, and she immediately looks out the window again because it's easier than meeting his eye. Just what the hell is she supposed to say to that!? ]

Uh... Thanks...

[seasaltkeys]

Yeah...

[Now he's wondering why he said it. This kind of conversation is completely foreign to him. Does it count as flirting? He wouldn't know.]

I guess, I'll get back to the party...

[enchantressofore]

Uhm, yeah... Guess I'll see you later.

[ Why is this so awkward? She should just accept the damn compliment with a smile, shouldn't she? Is he flirting or just saying she looks nice? She'd think Roxas would just say it because it looks nice, but she doesn't know him that well so maybe...

No, that's dumb. She should just take the damn compliment for what it is, right? ]

... I mean it, thanks. I worked hard on this, you know?

[seasaltkeys]

[He goes to turn away, though truth be told he's not actually ready to go back. And is considering that maybe he'll just take his leave and go zone out in his dorm instead. He stops though, and smiles.]

You're welcome. It, uh, really does look nice.

[enchantressofore]

... It's still weird to hear compliments like that.

[ She sighs a little, and even if the slightest bit of a smile pulls at her lips she still feels uncomfortable. ]

[seasaltkeys]

I guess, but I do mean it.

[enchantressofore]

All right all right, you don't need to keep saying it.

[ There isn't any heat when she says it, and she finally tries to meet his eye again. ]

Did you uh, come here with anyone Roxas? To the dance.

[seasaltkeys]

Uh, no. Just me. I couldn't really think of anyone to ask.

[At least, not without giving the wrong idea, and wondering if that was even a bad thing. Which led to his frustrations with Valentine's Day in general.]

You?

[enchantressofore]

Just me, too. I mean, there really wasn't anyone for me to ask and no one asked me, either.

Honestly I only came because I was a little curious, and a friend of mine wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I didn't show up after I told him I would.

[seasaltkeys]

Guess we're in the same boat? I figured I would make an appearance at least, but I think I'm done.

I'm not the best with big events like these.

[enchantressofore]

Me neither, I'm not even sure if I should stay until the end or not. I mean, at least the food is decent, but it gets kind of overwhelming.

[seasaltkeys]

Exactly, and I think I've eaten enough.

I think I can head back to the common room guilt free.

[enchantressofore]

[ She seemed to think about it for a moment before a sigh left her, and she shook her head. ]

I should probably stay. It'd be a shame if I left and my only memory of the night was a twisted foot and a bad dance, so if there's even a chance that something will happen that will be better I shouldn't go.

[ And it totally wasn't her mun making sure she stayed to hear the queen contest winner announcements, not at all. ]

[seasaltkeys]

Yeah, it does sound like you've had a bit of a rough time. But you shouldn't push yourself if your foot hurts.

[enchantressofore]

It feels like it should, but it doesn't. Madame Pomfrey healed it right up, after talking my ear off about how we shouldn't have been dancing like that or how I shouldn't have been wearing heels. Honestly that was probably the worst part.

[seasaltkeys]

There are worse things to be yelled at for. I think you'll live.

[enchantressofore]

I know. I've been yelled at for worse before too.

Besides, no one said I had to dance again if I didn't want to, right?

[seasaltkeys]

Right.

I think I've reached my limit as well.