imperturbatus | EVENT: Valentine's Dance! February 13th

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[For a moment Yogi has no idea what run him over and can someone get the license number of that hungarian horntail? And did Tamaki just say he looked ravishing?!!!]

Eh... Ta... Tamaki, waaaait~

[But it's too late already, they're on the dancefloor and Yogi doesn't know for a second where to put his legs first. He vagually remembers how to dance fox trot, but he would have preferred a few seconds to recall it. At least Tamaki turns out to be a good lead and soon, if not his steps, Yogi at least finds his rhythm and slowly remembers where his feet are supposed to be. Maybe.

It's strange how... strange the dance feels. Dances with friends never felt strange to Yogi, but this one is... plain weird. Tamaki has a strange look in his eyes and it sends chills down YOgi's spine. Especially when his body is suddenly pulled tightly against Tamaki's, their faces inches apart.]

Ta... Tamaki?

Yes... Yogi?

[ Perhaps he is pulling the other teen just a little too close, and although his face shows traces of concern it's clear that Tamaki is completely enamoured at the moment. To Tamaki this feels almost as natural as breathing, and while they dance he's patiently waiting for Yogi to finish his thought. ]

Are you sure you're feeling alright?

[Yogi asks, gulping. A faint blush is covering his cheeks. He's enjoying the dance, but the look in Tamaki's eyes is still creeping him out a little.]

I've never been better.

[ Nothing strange going on here. Everything's wonderful to him, dancing with his wonderful roommate and friend... What could be better? ]

Okay…

[At least Tamaki doesn’t look sick and it does seem like he’s genuinely enjoying himself, so for now Yogi believes him. They were both having fun and that was what mattered, right? Yogi finally smiles and relaxes. After all, Tami’s a friend and you had to trust your friends. Tamaki would surely tell him if something was wrong. But still, one thing makes him curious.]

Ah, what brought this on? You never wanted to dance with me before.

[He had never seen Tamaki dance with a guy before and whenever Yogi asked him for a friendly dance, Tamaki refused, saying he had to keep himself free for the girls. Yogi didn’t mind, it just made him curious.]

Because there's no one else I'd rather dance with right now.

[ The answer is so simple, and it makes him wonder why he didn't take Yogi up on his offers earlier in the night. Oh well, it's remedied now at least. ]

[Huh. That doesn’t really answer that and there’s the creepy look again, but Yogi suppresses the bad feeling. He already decided he is going to enjoy this.]

What changed your mind though? I mean, I’m happy we get to dance, I just… didn’t expect it, I guess?

I woke from my daze of course, it was like magic that I realized my error! I'm sorry for not taking your offer before.

Ah, no, it’s okay. I just thought it might be fun.

[And he had been right. Dancing with Tamaki is fun. His room mate is a great dancer and Yogi feels like his feet don’t feel as clumsy and trippy as usually.]

You’re really talented, Tamaki!

Well, a gentleman has to know these things in order to make the people around them happier. Isn't that why you do a lot of what you do, too?

Yes!

[Yogi answers with a smile and bams at Tamaki. He had never realized the two things were similar, but Tamaki is right.]

I just want people to smile more and be happy, because I think it’s sad when they’re not. Is it the same for you, Tamaki?

But of course! What else would I use my incredible talent, looks, and charm for than to share it with the world and bring joy wherever I go!

[ He paused mid-dance to pose dramatically, almost as if trying to prove his point further. ]

It would be cruel and unbelievably selfish to keep the perfection contained in one man to myself, so naturally I have to share myself with the world!

[Yogi chuckles, watching his friend’s antics. He doesn’t know about perfection, but he agrees with sharing your talents and the things you were good at with others. Keeping it all locked up is selfish.]

That’s right.

[He says with a smile when they return to the dance.]

It’s nice of you to take people dancing, when they don’t have someone other to go with. No one should stand alone in a sea of people. That has to be incredibly lonely…

You're absolutely right, Yogi. It would be terrible to feel left out after they went to the trouble of coming here tonight. After all, it's supposed to be fun.

[Yogi smiles a happy smile, glad he’s got such a good friend. The song slowly goes over to it’s grande finale and Yogi wonders.]

Is there anyone else you haven’t danced with, but would want to?

Well, I want to make sure all the girls who came here without a date get at least one dance on the floor tonight, so they don't miss out. So I would have to say them.

Then you should do just that!

[It seems whatever had been wrong with Tamaki is gone now and his friend is back to normal.]

I have to thank you for the dance. I enjoyed it!

I enjoyed it as well! I hope you have a lot of fun here with the rest of the night as well, and I'll keep doing that as well!

[ He gives a friendly wave to Yogi before going off to chat it up with the other girls around the hall, though he could have sworn he felt differently than before... Oh well, it's probably not a big deal. ]