Completed First Annual Solstice Ball [Dreadlords]

[Mars Pallatrix]

"Mayhap the last class who might be worthy of such a laudable title."

"Hm."

Those from outside often had a fanciful vision regarding the Dreadlords, or perhaps Banick was buttering the aging Proctor up. Mars could never immediately tell with these noble types, but he approached politics the same as warfare: patiently and shrewdly.

Though, sometimes they stated their intentions forthright.

"Sir, take a good look," he nodded at the mingling crowd, "and note the absence of Arne Kellmir. I would not trust these children with cleaning the mud off my boots."

There were a few that would be ready with more time and missions under their belt. The rest, though, were too occupied by changing times and confused emotions to bear the weight of a nation.

Long ago, Mars was entrusted with many lives once, 9 to be exact, and of them, only one still walked the earth, albeit with a limp. Trust had no place in his Order, only individual excellence.

"You would understand, being a soldier; no matter how many allies you have around you, you will always die alone."

 

[Dorian]

"Glad you made it."

"Well, thanks for making it sound like I had the choice," he said with a wry smile and quiet snort.

He let his eyes wander, curious as to how his peers looked. As expected, the ladies were expectedly easy on the eyes.

He couldn't believe they let Eleanor wear a dress like that, and it distracted him entirely from Noel and Kristen, who stood next to her.

Sable and Edric's appearances fell within his expectations.

Vance cleaned up rather nicely.

And then his gaze fell to the pair in question, only a moment of attention given to Meredith before focusing entirely on Chasmine.

"Yeah," he softly answered, unable to pry his eyes away from Chas, "I guess they do."

Dorian's head canted to one side, and a brow shot up. Chasmine tended to be absentminded, but she seemed off even to Dorian, who thought he knew her well.

"She didn't..." he uttered.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Hi, Noel!" Was Kristen frightened of Noel? Yes. All the time. Her entire demeanor was cold and oppressive, as if she were a blade of steel (or perhaps platinum) that had gained a malicious sentience. Suppressing her trepidation didn't come easily in Noel's presence, and hopefully it didn't show...too much.

Truly, from what comparatively little Kristen knew of the Academy, it was unimaginably tough and demanding. But it didn't produce monsters, now did it? Of course not. Evangeline--Proctor D'amour, Proctor D'amour, she needed to get used to calling her Proctor D'amour--was one of the kindest people Kristen knew. Noel was a person too, Academy or no Academy, and underneath all of that ice there was someone who, Kristen thought, was probably a whole lot like herself. Mother always said a warm smile and gentle heart would get her far, and Kristen believed that as much as she could. Mother's words were being...tested...here in the Academy, certainly, but! But! They would ring true, in time. Of course. Even with Noel. They would ring true.

Ella, though. Ella was already a nice--

"Oh."

It wasn't...this...the First Annual Solstice Ball wasn't simply a rebranding of the previous ceremonies? There was no ball last year? But...it was all so lovely...

"Oh..." she said, some of her cheer deflated.

The same, ahem, manure that had brought Kristen to the Academy. Much had changed since the revolution. Much indeed. And it was all for the better, naturally. Why did...Kristen had thought Ella would have liked the revolution and what it did for Vel Anir. Admittedly, she hadn't really talked to Ella all that much, the friendship Kristen desired more imaginary than reality. But...

Dispelling the downcast thoughts, Kristen summoned a portion of her cheer again. Stay positive. It was a festive event, so said Captain Grealish himself.

"Well, normal or no, Ella, Noel, you've both dressed magnificently for the occasion! You're naturals. The dance I'm certain you'll find to be an enchanting experience."

Eleanor Noel

 

[Meredith]

Meredith drug her friend gently across the ballroom floor, it hadn't taken long at all for Chas to experience the effects of her mushrooms. It would help her though, Meredith knew that. She looked over as Chas tripped over her words, and she gave small giggle and a smile. Giggling, since when did she do that? "Thank you Chas, you're stunning too." She patted the other girl's hand as she walked, softly plopping her in an open chair. "You wait here, I'll get you something to drink." Not that she was certain Chasamine would stay, but at least she would be easy to find.

She looked up and scanned the room for a moment. One more cursory look to her peers. As her eyes roved, they landed on Sable again. Was..was her staring at her? She felt a blush creep across her cheeks as she quickly looked away. Surely he was looking at everyone, just as she was. She walked a small distance and poured a drink of..something into a glass and went back to find her friend.

Sable Pembroke Chasmine

 

[Walter Banick]

Arne Kellmir. Walter was unfamiliar, but perhaps he was another name to keep in mind, being so esteemed by Mars Pallatrix. If Pallatrix wouldn't trust these initiates (even those whose majority of training was done under the old way) to clean the mud off of his boots, then Kellmir likely shared the same sentiment. Which was good. Quite good.

"'Death is a journey taken in solitude,'" Walter said by way of agreeance, quoting a line from an Anirian play, amusingly, about the Battle of the Blades.

Most of the initiates from the class designated to participate in this farcical ball were in the dining hall now--at least, such was Walter's estimation, given how full either side of the hall appeared to be now. He'd a few moments before the commencement.

Looking out among the initiates, hands on his hips, Walter said, "I have been privy to many a concerning talk among the representatives of the Republic, Proctor Pallatrix. Do you feel hamstrung now, in what methods you are able to employ to train these young men and women? I'm afraid it will only get worse with time. The Republic, by all appearances, seems hellbent on gutting the Academy and neutering its Proctors."

Walter pointed briefly at one initiate in particular. "There is no more clear a herald of the future than Initiate Pirian. As with her, you and your peers will be expected to do more in less time with weaker tools and in this new deprived circumstance to produce the same results as you always have. To clear their consciences, the Republic will ask the impossible of you."

The doors to the dining hall were closed by the Guardsmen posted there.

To Mars, Walter said, "Just something to ponder."

Mars Pallatrix

 

[Vance Calgrave]

"I have a better chance at sleeping with the Dynast of Dornoch than making it past Proctor Pellatrix."

Vance did laugh at this. Edric’s crass humor seemed a nice icepick for the frosty and awkward evening this was certain to be. Though the more the moments passed, and the more there was nothing else to look at, the sparkling and shimmering ladies across the floor drew a greater proportion of his attention. Noel would never inspire anything but coldness from him, Meredith was beautiful but deadly as a serpent, Ella… made him feel things he didn’t want to think about right now. This other girl tha— holy fuck was that Chasmine? Vance could barely stifle a laugh before Edric cut through his thoughts.

"Otherwise I'm sure I could find that nice new Proctor to teach you another lesson."

He stiffened, and instinct told him to snap back. That was his usual solution, after all, discharge some lightning and see what happened. He couldn’t do that here, though. “How do you know she hasn’t?” he responded with trademark aloofness returning. “She’s taught me plenty of things that I’ll be glad to show you on our next spar.”

He charged himself just enough to send a static shock to Edric’s nearest fingers with a wicked smirk before he saw Walter engaged with Pallatrix.

“Fuck me, he looks important. What would a noble be doing at this travesty?”

He couldn’t be recruiting, not when the noble houses were supposedly taking a back seat and certainly not here.

“I’ll need a drink to get through this. Reckon there’s anything good over there?” He nodded at the table with food and drink.

 

[Edric]

Edric chuckled. "That so?"

The two of them had gone toe to toe more than once, and though he hadn't exactly tracked every fight Edric was pretty sure that their ratio was near fifty and fifty. Vance's magic was strong, his skill with a blade decent enough, but Edric had the gift of outlasting most of his opponents.

As long as he had the required resources anyway.

"We'll have to s-" Before he could finish his sentence a small spark jumped through his fingers, hand immediately yanking away from Vance's shoulder. "OW!"

He barked. "Little fuck."

Edric said with a grimace, shaking his hand as he glanced up and towards the man that Vance was talking about. He frowned for a moment, peering at Walter Banick.

"I don't know. Maybe looking for a new minion to throw under the bus?" The initiate said with a scowl, a certain bitterness touching his tone.

Lips thinned, and then he added. "Drink?"

He tilted his head.

"I could use one of those too." Reaching out with his still aching hand, he grasped Vance and pulled him to his feet. Shoving him towards the drink and food table.

 

[Mars Pallatrix]

Mars' expression soured at Walter's quotation.

"I do as bade of me," the Proctor remarked flatly. The impossible did not strike fear into the aging killer, for he had faced worse in his time. His heart still thundered healthily and warmly despite this.

"I have my concerns, Sir Count, but I will also die myself in the coming years, and when I die, I will be laid unceremoniously in the dirt where I will turn into bones, my bones into carbon, and that carbon into dust."

And like dust in the wind, so too would his concerns blow away.

Just then, the music quieted, and Captain Grealish of the Guard stepped to the room's center and loudly clapped his hands over the hushed chatter in the hall.

The Captain cleared his throat, "Well, I was afraid this may happen!" he said with a guffaw, "This is a ball, and at a ball, you dance! It would be a tragedy if these fine young ladies prettied themselves for nothing, so since you lads haven't gotten to it yet, we've prepared a little something..." Grealish looked over his shoulder and beckoned a young Guardsman over, who carried a pair of hats. "... to get things started!"

With a wide grin, the Captain looked over the children in front of him.

"Your names are in these hats, and I will be drawing your names for pairs! When I do, if you'd kindly seek your partner out, we can resume festivities!" The Captain looked an utter fool as he gesticulated.

The drawing was painfully long.

"Jaxan Rolfe and Erina de Roon!" Erina, initially horrified at dancing with Jaxan, smiled when she found out that the dark-skinned boy was absent from the ball. Refusing to leave anyone out, Captain Grealish suggested she dance with Mars Pallatrix, but the brunette instead began to cry and ran out of the ballroom.

"Br-.... Brutte Brötte and Shiele Feu!"

"Hank... Henk and Noel Schwarz!"

"Dorian Reeve and Lady Kristen Pirian"

"Vance Calgrave and Eleanor"

"Edric and Chasmine Grey"

"Sable Pembroke and Meredith!"

Finally, with the drawing done and pairs made, the music restarted. Apprentices shuffled around the room to find their partners and take to the floor.

 

[Noel]

"Hi, Noel!"

Noel raised a slender hand in a wave and a nod at the noble girl. Mommy and daddy might've bought her admission to this place but that didn't mean anyone owed her a thing. In fact, the girl's insistence at trying to fit in and be one of them was absolutely grating. At least other late joiners like Chasmine were completely insane and stayed the hell where they belonged.

Kristen, on the other hand, was a busy body who felt the need to inject herself in every single facet of the acadmey. Thus, Noel couldn't help but stifle a laugh when Ella put the auburn haired initiate in her place.

Though, to her credit, Kristen recovered well enough. "Yeah, enchanting," she cut a look to Eleanor before the charcoal-haired girl rolled her eyes. She was already distancing herself from the Pirian offspring when a voice cut through the noise of the gala.

Henk? She could think of worse partners. At least she wasn't being asked to dance with Proctor Pallatrix like poor Erina. Once the announcement was finished she gave a parting wave to Eleanor, while explicitly ignoring Kristen, and then bounded across the floor straight for the scarfaced apprentice.

Her pearlescent heels clicked on the floor as a flow of emerald from her swung behind her. Once she had closed the gap she practically stared through the other boy. "You're supposed to ask me to dance now." Glancing down at her feet she admired the shoes that the students had been gifted. While they weren't practical for any sort of fighting Noel had grown rather fond of them. "If you step on me I will break your thumb."

With that she extended a hand towards him and waited for him to start.

 

[Edric]

Edric stopped himself mid-stride.

Chasmine. The young Initiate thought to himself. That's what it was.

Thoughts of that were quickly dispelled however as the realization of what was going on actually struck him. They were supposed to dance? What in the fuck for? It wasn't like it taught them anything.

His head turned towards Proctor Pallatrix, as if the man might offer some reprieve from this hell. Perhaps this was why he had pulled Edric aside days ago and said dueling with a sword was like a dance. He must have seen it coming. For a few moments the Initiate simply stared at the Proctor, waiting.

When the man did not move or even offer any objection to the crime currently going on Edric gnashed his teeth together.

This whole thing was humiliating.

"Have fun buddy." He said, shoving Vance forward. "I'm going to try not to end up half-way through the floor."

Edric rolled his eyes, then crossed the room towards Chasmine. As he approached her his shoulders squared, his head back stiffened, and his eyes settled upon her as though she were the only other person in the room.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Noel was...curt, as usual. But she spoke to her! That was something, was it not? Even when first Kristen had arrived into the Academy, it was as if Noel simply refused to acknowledge that she even existed. All good things came in their due time, however, even in a place as dour and harsh as the Academy. Mother was also quite fond of saying "Sunshine is never more than a day away," and this was something Kristen often reminded herself of to maintain patience and couth--good decorum for a young lady.

There was hardly any more time to speak with Ella, though (perhaps later!), for soon came Captain Grealish and his announcement. Oh! Oh, how wonderful, they were going to be drawing names out of a hat! Kristen's shoulders hiked up in excitement, cheeks puffing from her broad smile, and she cast quick little glances over to Noel and Ella. Who would they be paired with? Who would she be paired with?

The names were being called out. Jaxan and Erina (the latter of whom...oh my, that was...an incident), Brutte Brötte and Shiele Feu, Henk and Noel, oh how marvelous for you, Noel, Henk was quite the charming young man--

Dorian Reeve and Lady Kristen Pirian.

Kristen's heart soared with joy when she heard her pairing. Dorian! Oh my! Unlike Edric, who was very much as icy as Noel and as well carried himself with a frightening intensity, or Vance, who, to be dreadfully honest, was rather preoccupied with himself and witheringly boastful, Dorian was mellow and affable--so far as she knew. She would have liked to imagine that he was sweet (or at least could be) and further so that he was among the more mature of the young men of the Academy.

Certainly the pairing could have been much worse! Kristen pitied the poor girl whose fate it was to be drawn together with Ignatius, Bull, or (Aionus forbid!) Charon.

Dorian, with his unique white hair, made him stand out quite readily among the others at the boys' side of the dining room. When the music began and the slow tide of initiates begin to mingle, Kristen walked right up to Dorian, hands folded primly before her. She had danced times innumerable before she'd come to the Academy, so why now, all of a sudden, did her heart beat with a painfully nervous rhythm?

"Hello, Dorian," she said, performing a slow and meticulous curtsy to him. "May I have the pleasure of a dance with you?"

She couldn't stop smiling.

Dorian

 

[Henk]

Henk's attention was drawn away from Dorian as Captain Grealish awkwardly shuffled his way into the center of the room, looking about as awkward as could be. Henk thought that embarrassing enough, but when he started speaking as though this ball were anything but entirely abnormal, the scar-faced boy couldn't hide his face twisting in second-hand shame.

It was news to him that the pairings were being decided at random, though. It was already a lot to ask of many of these initiates to be here. To not allow them to choose who they spent their time with? It was bold, and Henk would almost dare to say foolish. Still, with the Proctors present Henk doubted anything would get too out of hand.

The Dreadlord students may not respect the authority of Grealish, but they knew better than to disobey the likes of Pallatrix.

His name was the fifth called during the unnecessarily elaborate drawing process, followed quickly by Noel. It didn't really matter to Henk who he was paired off with; he did not overtly dislike any of the options, and he endeavored not to make himself disliked either. Usually he kept to himself and focused on the tasks given to him. He did feel he'd gained some level of respect for his quiet dedication, but he couldn't know for sure.

The lovely Miss Schwarz approached him quickly, seemingly not interested in dawdling or delaying. Of course she wouldn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary. Noel was less than interested in dancing, he could tell, half of the time she was either looking past him, or on the floor beneath them. Nevertheless, he extended his hand, and placed a welcoming smile upon his lips. The one who'd dressed him had even applied some sort of makeup to one side of his face; his scar was there, but far less prominent than usual.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Lady Noel. You look divine tonight, would you join me?"

Noel

 

[Eleanor]

Eleanor smiled weakly at Kristen's comments right before their attention was drawn to Captain Grealish as he started to read off names.

"Vance Calgrave and Eleanor"

Ella cursed quietly and a sneer crossed her lips. Out of everyone she could be paired up with, she got Vance. Fate was cruel. Noel had already disappeared to dance with Henk and Kristen was headed over to Dorian. She groaned again before setting off to find her dance partner.

As she approached Vance, she tried to smile but her face wouldn't let her. It just wouldn't move from the scowl that had planted itself there. "Vance, it looks like we are stuck together for this thing. Could you try to keep from disappointing me again?"

Her words were harsh and she didn't care. He was definitely the last on her list of people she wanted to spend more than two minutes with.

Vance Calgrave

 

[Dorian]

Several names were listed, and as Henk was paired with Noel, Dorian swaggered off before the latter arrived while inwardly wishing the quiet lad good luck.

There was also the vague sense that he'd dodged an arrow. A sharp arrow. An arrow made from a particular metal. A platinum arrow. With raven-black fletching.

He patiently watched as his classmates found their matches until, again, his gaze fell onto Chasmine. There was a slight pull in his stomach as Edric approached her, but the click-clack of a pair of smart and fashionable shoes and subsequent greeting earned his attention.

There weren't many people, if any at all, that were happy to see him. Most dreaded it, and a rare few were ambivalent towards him. As for Chas, Dorian spent a lot of time with her, listening to her go down mental rabbit-holes of stories and trivia, but he could never quite tell if she actually enjoyed his company.

As for the young Lady, she seemed thrilled. Dorian regarded her impassively, ethereal blue eyes slowly giving her a once-over. Then, looking up at her, his features softened into a sweet smile, like poisoned nectar.

"Hey, Kris," his words were like silk, and he took a single step forward and offered his hand to her, palm up. "Sure thing."

He let the Pirian girl lead. For a year, she'd lived in their world, but for this evening, they lived in hers.

"Say, you don't mind if I call you Kris, right?" he asked after the fact. Then before she could answer, Dorian jumped to the next thought. "Is that violet scent you?" The pair came to a stop. Dorian leaned an inch closer and sniffed, then smiled. "I love violets."

Well, he didn't really, but he recognized it all the same thanks to picking flowers in the forest with Chasmine.

 

[Chasmine]

Since Meredith had stepped away, Chasmine's attention floated briefly from face to face within the hall but was inexplicably pulled to a brilliant glimmering of light. Noel's dress. It flickered, it flashed, it sonic-boomed before her. Chas watched the girl with widening eyes as the raven-haired Initiate became consumed by the glare of silver shine.

A cup was pressed into her hands and she gripped it so tightly that it sloshed.

"Mer, is Noel alright? Her dress is exploding and I am concerned." Chas took an uneasy sip, immediately tearing her gaze away from Noel to look at her cup. It was blooming with red berries. Positively blooming.

"Perhaps a cup of berries would calm her down..."

She looked up again and instead of poor, exploding Noel she was met with terrible, charging Edric. Chasmine fixed him with a look of wild alarm, "Hello Edric, have you come to get berries for Noel?"

 

[Sable Pembroke]

She felt a blush creep across her cheeks as she quickly looked away.

Shit. Oh shit. Oh no. Sable looked straight down, into the contents of his cup, but it was already too late. She'd seen him. She'd seen him staring and he looked like a weirdo, at best. Wonderful. He hadn't even taken his shot and he'd already blown it.

Stupid, stupid, stupid... He thought to himself, wondering if he could drown himself with the contents of the little cup. Probably not, he decided. His lungs were way too huge.

But then that guard captain, Grealish, he recalled, made his announcement. The students had dallied a bit too long, evidently. Forced pairings. Well, maybe this night wouldn't be a total bust. He continued drinking as he listened to the captain pair the students off at random.

"Sable Pembroke and Meredith!"

Sable almost spewed the drink in his mouth all over the room. Instead he just inhaled some of it and struggled with the minor coughing fit that resulted. Huh, maybe he could've drowned himself after all. Wait, no, that would be stupid. What were the odds of this?

Get it together, Sable, this is your chance!

The large lad straightened his posture, looked himself over, and smoothed his jacket. Gods, there were the nerves again. It felt like his heart was in his throat. He got Meredith. Meredith! Other students were already beginning to find their pairs. He felt his feet start to carry him forward, mind moving a thousand miles a minute.

She wasn't hard to find. Sable stood far taller than anyone else in the room, and he couldn't forget that look of hers. Great, so he'd found her. Now he just had to, well...not blow it. Easy, right?
"Um...hi, Meredith!" He found himself greeting her as he stepped up next to her. Oh gods, she was even prettier up close. Lords and ladies, it was hot in here. "Would you have this--I, I mean, may I do the honor--er..."

Sigh. Try again, you big dolt.

"...Could I have this dance?" He finally managed, then braced himself for the worst.

 

[Vance Calgrave]

Just as he was about to get a drink of... whatever that was, the dancing pairs were announced. Edric's treetrunk-like arms shoved him forwards but he didn't hear what the boy said, he was too busy tripping over his own dread.

Why in the fuck did it have to be Ella? He looked up despite wishing to keep his eyes firmly on his own feet, and found her immediately. What the hell was she doing in that dress? Shit, she was coming right towards him. Fuck fuck fuck.

He swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry. "H-" Failure. He cleared his throat. "Ella. You look... good." What the hell else was he supposed to say? His brain was uncooperatively blank.

"Vance, it looks like we are stuck together for this thing. Could you try to keep from disappointing me again?"

Her words bit, but he could hardly feel more uncomfortable than he already was. He told himself he didn't care. He didn't care what she thought of him, this was all stupid nonsense. She wasn't his friend, she was a competitor. He couldn't care less what she made of him.

He was lying.

"Yeah, sure. Come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the edge of the dance floor amidst the other exceptionally awkward apprentices. His hair had started to stand more on end than usual as static welled in it.

 

[Edric]

Dear fuck what did these bastards get me into. Edric thought to himself as Chasmine peered up at him like a deer staring at a wolf.

It was easy to tell by the dilation of her pupil that Chas was currently not all there. Whether that was the ordinary state of affairs or she had taken something before the dance Edric had no idea. In truth he wouldn't have been surprised at either option.

A frown touched his face for a brief moment as he considered, and then a wolfish grin spread over his lips. "No no, Chasmine."

His finger waggled for one brief second, then he reached out to take the cup from her. His fingers were surprisingly gentle as he wrestled the glass from her hand. Then he slowly leaned into her, placing the cup onto the table behind her as he whispered in her ear.

"I'm here to take your heart." As he spoke his hand slid onto the small of her back, Edric gently but firmly pushing Chasmine out onto the dance floor.

At least he could have a little fun with this situation.

 

[Eleanor]

As Vance took her hand and led her to the dancefloor, Eleanor felt slightly bad for her words. It had been two years and they had not spoken outside of forced interactions since then. She supposed she was not really mad at him anymore…more irritated with the whole situation. She would be lying if she said he did not look handsome tonight though.

“I…” Ella was not sure what to say. She didn’t apologize, but perhaps he deserved one. “Sorry,” she mumbled quickly they reached their destination. They had had very limited dance lessons prior to this ball so hopefully that would help with some of the awkwardness. “How…have you been?” She asked while she waited for him to take the lead.

Vance Calgrave

 

[Chasmine]

"No no, Chasmine..."

Edric smiled into a stretching mouth of teeth that engulfed his face and swirled into an amalgamation of gums and pearly whites. The girl stared, wide eyed, as she watched branching colors of her surroundings leak in. In the same way that ghostly presences and disembodied voices had a tendency to startle, Chas nearly jumped off the edge of her chair at the sudden voice in her ear.

"I'm here to take your heart."

And then she was being lifted to her feet and all the colors smeared away. For some reason the word heart translated in her mind as acorn. At some point her clutch had slid off her lap and landed on the floor with a plop, acorn rolling out and across the floor to stall in a spiral before bobbling to a stop.

"I think I left it in my clutch," she remarked to Edric as he steered her out onto the dance floor, her feet moving lightly in spite of all things, "I was going to put it in Meredith's pocket for luck, but I don't know where she went."

When they reached the floor and he brought her to a stop, she could not help but survey the others with round doe eyes, "Oh dear." They were splotches of blooming color with poignant faces floating amidst the mess, like paint hitting a canvas. It was not the prospect of dancing that overwhelmed her, but the dizzying spill of shapes and movement all around. Having her attention redirected to Edric gave Chas a moment for her mind to slow down ... or catch up. She wasn't sure. The teeth were gone at least.

"Do you know the Galloway Minuet?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

All Kristen perceived was the nectar.

This was more than a reprieve from the rigors of the Academy and a brief escapade back into the comfortable, familiar life she had always known. She knew why her heart was threaded through with a nervous flutter: though she had danced often, she had never before danced with a suitor. N-Not that she thought of Dorian as a suitor, why, that would be so brashly forward to even suggest! The truth of the matter was that she had either danced in innocence with other children, in practice with instructors, or in cordial formality with older friends of the family. But a young man of fifteen, sixteen, seventeen years--her age? No, she had not.

She accepted Dorian's hand, and together they moved. His motion was a touch stiff--she could tell--but he seemed not to be bothered at all by his inexperience in dance. It was rather becoming of him.

Say, you don't mind if I call you Kris, right?

"I--"

Is that violet scent you?

He leaned in and afforded himself a small indulgence in her perfume. Oh snickerdoodle (pardon her language!), she truly did hope that the Pirian handmaids didn't overdo it again! There was a time once when, during a dance not so much unlike this one, a friend of her father's and her were sharing a dance and he, overcome by the thick scent of perfume a careless handmaid had applied, began to sneeze and sneeze and had to secure for himself an additional three handkerchiefs before excusing himself to a washroom. Exquisitely and dreadfully embarrassing, and she was but eleven at the time!

I love violets.

No. She wasn't reliving that day, to her immense relief.

"Why--why thank you!"

Before they began again, Kristen thought it apropos to improve their form.

"Here, Dorian, come closer, press yourself to me. And we shall extend one pair of arms out like so, and hold one another with the other pair." She smiled. "You'll feel my movements in our hands and in the motion of my body. You need only flow with it."

Then, the simple joy of tutoring someone in something she loved was starkly interrupted. Interrupted by the belated recognition of what exactly she was asking him to do, the necessary component of the style of dance she'd chosen without thinking too much about it. Come closer... Press yourself to me... In our hands...

Suddenly abashed, she added quickly, "I-If that is all right with you, that is, and you've n-no objection, of course!"

Dorian

 

[Edric]

A smile touched his face as she spoke, steps slow as they moved through the gathering crowd."Maybe she touched you, and slipped through the floor."

He suggested, knowing her simply for the propensity of falling through objects, and Meredith for her own...talent.

Edric turned on his heel to face Chas as the two of them came to the center of the dance-floor. For a few seconds he simply watched as she stared off into space, her eyes wandering over the figures around them as though they were flying through the air.

The two of them had never much interacted before, had certainly never held a conversation. The Proctors had sicced him on her more than once on the sparring grounds, but other than that he'd never much taken note of her.

There had never been a reason to, other than mocking Dorian. She was no threat. No concern. Just another runt in the litter.

You really do live in your own little world. The Initiate mused to himself, watching as Chasmine's eyes finally seemed to focus upon him. It was odd, looking at her. Edric had intended to amuse himself, play with her like a young wolf did with it's food, and yet...He felt something strange dash through him.

Not anger, not the rage he usually felt when looking upon the weakness of the others.

No.

This was pity.

He had never thought that Chasmine was a threat to him, not even for a second. Now though, now he realized that she simply didn't belong here. A year ago I would have snapped your neck and called it a mercy.

It was a grim thought, one he could not help but think as he stared into her eyes. It still might be.

Finally, his head shook slowly in answer to her question. "No. No I don't."

 

[Meredith]

Meredith had pressed the cup to Chasmine, encouraging the girl to drink. She was all over the place, and even though this wasn't uncommon for Meredith to see, it always worried her. Who would have thought that the girl who had repeatedly fallen onto of from the ceiling, would have become so dear to her.

She was barely able to console Chas about Noel when, it was announced they'd be dancing in pairs. She stood awkwardly while she waited for her name to be called. It seemed she was called last, and with Sable no less? She could already feel the blush return to her pale cheeks.

Meredith stared down Edric as he approached, letting him know that she was watching and Chas had better be fine the entire time. Once she was whisked away, she turned to the crowd again, her eyes meeting Sable's as he walked her way.

She smiled shyly as he approached, another new thing for her. She wasn't one to be shy. She suppressed a giggle as he stumbled over his words. "Hey Sable, sorry you got stuck with me." She laughed softly, she knew how the others thought of her and her abilities. "I'd love to dance, don't worry I have my gloves." Her smile faded into a sad one, but only for a moment.

Sable seemed nervous, she assumed it was because everyone did. She held up a gloved hand and wiggled her fingers teasingly before sliding her delicate hand into his much larger one. "See, harmless." She looked up at him, the hint of an amused grin on her lips, her flushed cheeks giving everything away.

Sable Pembroke

 

[Sable Pembroke]

...But the worst never came. Sable had expected to be blown off at worst and an eyeroll and sigh at best. To his great surprise, neither happened. Instead, he received a smile, a greeting, and...an apology? This was going substantially better than he thought it would, but that was a little odd.

"Oh, n-no, I..." He stumbled some more, trying to find the right words. He glanced at her gloves as she'd mentioned them, then saw the expression on her face shift. Right...her powers. Sable often forgot that not everyone here fully viewed their abilities as a gift. There was a modicum of truth, then, that Meredith had to worry any time she made skin-to-skin contact with someone.

Then she slipped her hand into his, and in an instant his face was just as bright red as hers. He blinked at her, silently appreciating the humor of the situation. He had been so worried over something so miniscule, while she'd been worried about the wellbeing of whoever she got partnered with.
"Meredith, I..." He sighed deeply, finally pushing past the initial embarrassment and getting his brain and mouth to cooperate. "You have nothing to apologize for. I was actually...really excited when our names got called together. You honor me with your presence. And..."

He held up his free hand just as she had and made a thin barrier cover it, the magic coat shimmering in the light like topaz. He returned her smile warmly, face still burning.
"Neither of us should have to worry about that. Gloves or not."

 

[Noel]

"I wouldn't dream of it, Lady Noel. You look divine tonight, would you join me?"

At least Henk had the good sense to complement her. You'd have to be blinder than Silka not to recognize just how good Noel looked tonight. But the flattery was certainly welcome and with a bit of makeup you could hardly even see the other student's scar. "You look great too," it just seemed like something you were supposed to say, "tonight, I mean. You look good tonight."

Ugh.

This whole thing was so unpleasantly awkward. Noel knew that none of this mattered, none of it was going to help her reach her potential after the academy, and afterwards many of the students would refer to the dance with a dismissive tone. Despite all of that though it felt impossible not to get so caught up in the moment. Everyone here looked lovely and for one of the only times in her life Noel felt beautiful.

"Yes, let's," she said finally taking graps of Henk's hands and letting the taller boy lead.

Initially it was difficult to focus on Henk or the upcoming dance as she couldn't help but notice how intently Chasmine was staring her down. Noel looked herself up and down a few times, making sure there wasn't something on her dress. She practically beamed when Edric finally took Chas' attention away.