daybreakacademy | VALENTINES BALL

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VALENTINES BALL

VALENTINES BALL

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February 14th is a day both famed and notorious for feats of love, passion and confession. And violence, as this year’s theme suggests - a 1920s speakeasy theme, initially based off the Valentines’ Day massacre of 1929 and toned down to be significantly more fun and less a dark reminder of bloodshed. While this year’s event has no predicted surprises like a daemon invasion in store, the Student Council has still chosen to hire extra security for the ball; bulky constructs in surprisingly well-tailored pinstripe suits and hats stand guard outside the entrances to the venue, impassively watching for any signs of trouble.

The ball itself is laid out similar to a 1920s club, with a large space for dancing, a stage for entertainment, and plenty of tables and chairs for sitting, dining, and chatting. Bars on both sides of the room provide a place to order and collect both food and drink, and the second storey of the venue has been put into use to provide quieter and more secluded places to sit.

A. Classy…? Cocktails
As ever, the Academy has provided a lavish and thematic spread of food for the occasion, with a few unique twists to fit the theme. The drinks of are particular note - aside from the usual range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that Daybreak provides, many are tailor-made for the ball due to a collaboration between some of the alchemy and culinary classes in Daybreak (who were rather too eager to volunteer). Have you ever wondered what it’s like to drink cake or a steak? You’ll find plenty of experiments here, both savory and sweet, to facilitate that experience.

If that’s not to your tastes, some drinks are purely decorative, providing some unique visual or audio effects - you might find yourself sepia-toned or monochrome, chattering like an old-fashioned radio host or filled with an irrepressible urge to sing everything you say - among other things. Mercifully, everything wears off by the end of the night.

B. Changing Stages
While this ball is by no means illegal, there has at least been an attempt to capture the more ‘forbidden’ aspects of a speakeasy. As the night goes on, switches and buttons appear on the walls, and pressing them will make the room shift and change to reveal secret doors and elevators - partially mechanical tricks, but mostly through clever application of magic and mundane illusion. These exits from the room provide ample opportunity for attendees to stretch their legs and take a walk and a break from the rest of the party through mazelike, glittering hallways and smoke-hazy corridors that lead to balconies and small lounges looking out onto strange, abstract views. Walk far enough, and you might end up in a completely different part of the venue than you were before - though for the truly lost, the corridors will always bring you to someone you can ask for help sooner or later, or guide you out.

Well, eventually. It wouldn’t quite fit the theme of a speakeasy without a little bit of uncertainty, would it?

C. Nyeh, See?
For those who would rather indulge in the darker implications of the theme and have no patience for the other entertainment on offer, this maze of corridors offers one other attraction - enchanted guns and gear for laser tag. In strict adherence to the theme, all guns resemble the kind of weaponry that 1920s gangsters would be boasting - and no matter what you were wearing at the time, as soon as you attach a pendant to your clothing, you're immediately in magically-fitting suits any gangster would envy. They even give off the illusion of bleeding should you be 'shot' by one of these enchanted guns, though to avoid causing undue concern the illusory blood sparkles and shines different colours.

D. Shall We Dance?
No Valentines ball is complete without the opportunity to get close to someone you might enjoy the company of, after all. To fit with the speakeasy theme, music and entertainment has been provided - both stage performances from volunteers and a selection of recorded music from the era. And for those up on the second floor, a station has been provided for whatever you’d like to broadcast to the entire room. Whether you’re up on the stage, down on the dancefloor, or you simply want to set a little mood music for certain people to take a hint, there’s bound to be something to do.

Some of the spirits and other, benign creatures that inhabit Daybreak’s grounds have decided to invite themselves, finding the music and warmth too irresistible to refuse. As a result, masked figures dressed in the vague approximation of 1920s fashion can be spotted among the more solid attendants, and those who don’t have a dance partner might well find themselves being asked to dance regardless - and be given small gifts as a token of gratitude for the indulgence. Or they might just nudge you into dancing with someone new...

E. Wildcard
Anything else you’d want to do at the dance? Feel free to enjoy the night - it’s for everyone to indulge themselves, after all.

code bases by tricklet

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[Despite the differences between them, they do tend to approach things in the same way when possible. She won't deny that.

But, hearing it actually pointed out as one reason why they're a good match for each other...

Under normal circumstances, it would be mildly difficult to tell if or when Desidera is blushing. However, seeing that she's currently stuck in a five-color palette thanks to that last drink she had, this time it's blatantly obvious by how her face is very suddenly the same red as her eyes.]

Ah, perhaps that's— Perhaps that's part of it. [There are other reasons why they're together, too.]

People are confusing, after all. They're difficult to tell. But I think it's correct, anyway.

"Indeed..!" Honestly it feels like there's so many things to look out for these days...

But hey. "And it is fine, I assure you!" It might be a bit dampened, yes. "As you say, it is of the utmost importance. I thank you for sharing the information with me!"

"It is more than merely horrifying," Emille responds, eyes narrowing into angry slits. "It is a matter of life and death. If a stand is not made against the Dragons, this world is finished." She doesn't want to dampen the mood further by actually stating such, but there's a very strong chance that the Dragons are looking forward to using Nightfall as their chance to attack in full force. Yet another reason to put all efforts into preventing it from happening.

"If there is a Dragon daemon in existence that feels more than a primal urge to destroy and feed, then it has not made itself known. My instinct says that there is no doubt that all Dragons are threats to humanity."

As she stews in her fervent hatred, a blue glow is once again faintly seen around Emille, this time taking form as a translucent hand resting on the woman's right shoulder. Almost instantaneously, Emille takes a deep breath and snaps out of her frown as the hand fades. She doesn't acknowledge what just happened, and she doesn't expect anyone else to, either.

[She looks to the right at the pair Hazel mentioned, who are also much taller than Emille, and she hopes that the darkness conceals the sudden what am I doing here frown that slides down her face for a moment. But she shakes out of it and looks back at Hazel.]

I see. At the very least we may have a size advantage against them.

[Emille fingers her pendant.] I suppose it is time to activate this. [She puts it on over her head, and the second it hits her chest, her clothes seem to morph into a perfectly-tailored dark suit. If she could actually see, she would notice that it also has tiny white pinstripes. It's quite an impressive illusion.] Hm. This is certainly interesting.

"And I thank you for listening. I hope you are able to continue enjoying your evening, so that you can begin anew tomorrow with renewed energy to put towards your studies." That's her serious professorly way of saying, "have fun while you can, because there are important things at hand."

She bows her head once more. "Again, it has been a pleasure to meet you, Sir Gongenzaka. I hope to see you around campus." It'll be hard to miss a talking bear, after all.

[Once she changes back to her normal appearance, the smile on her face is almost quite literally from ear to ear.]

Ah, would I now? Perhaps I should pay this Hades a visit. I'm sure I would get along well with the residents. Although practical joking aside, your words reminded me of something. Your love of sardines is well-documented, so I thought to put in a special request ahead of time.

[Reaching into her purse, Urtz pulls out a glass bottle that should not have been able to fit inside the bag. A cork is sealing the bottle tight to prove it has yet to be opened, but the thing that will likely draw Valvatorez's gaze is the picture of a sardine on the label and the soothing blue coloring of the drink. Her smile contorts into a smug grin as she hands it over to him.]

There are spells like that, should I wish to conserve my magic levels, but I simply cut out the middle man in order to identify the effects and flavors of each drink. It's doubtful we will be under any kind of attack today, so I see no harm in splurging.

[Waving a hand, she gestures to the glass still full and in Emille's possession.]

By the way, the drink is blue raspberry flavored. You would think it would be orange or banana flavored, but alas. My theory is the culinary staff went mad with power at some point during the preparations.

Edited 2020-02-27 05:41 (UTC)

Giorno smiles and takes the offered paw, and they head out to the dance floor. It's clear the blond is putting in effort to keep with the dance, and at least avoid stepping on his dance partner. His movements are fairly fluid, and might actually even be nice, if he could keep time with the music for more than a couple steps.

At the very least every time he gets off beat and realizes to try and recover it, he gives a bit of a grin, looking happy anyway. His cheeks are a little flushed, though it has nothing to do with the wine he's had, but rather some sincere enjoyment as they dance.

Impressive, as always. There may well truly be a spell for everything.

Blue raspberry, you say? [Emille brings the glass up to her nose, curious to know if it also carried the aroma of raspberries. What exactly was the difference between red raspberries and blue ones, anyway?] That flavor is more frequently used for children's candy, is it not?

[Oh well. Tipping her head backwards, she downs the drink in one gulp. True to her word, the drink tasted like fake confectioner's raspberry -- a little sweet and a little sour.

The effect took longer to kick in than it took for the drink to go down Emille's gullet. She first noticed the dance floor's lights begin to soften and fade, leaving spots of white everywhere. The myriad drinks on the table in front of them slowly drained of color until they were white, grey, or black. Emille never did notice much of a change in Urtz, but that is only because she was already basically black and white with her choice of dress.

Once the effect was complete, Emille was momentarily lost in a colorless world, where the lights were very bright and the shadows truly dark. Eyes wide, she kind of mutters out loud as she looks around and takes in the sights,]

This magic is indeed quite potent. How fascinating.

[Now the gears in her head are a-turning. Let's see. Does she know anyone who is both male and hates Valentine's Day? Well, there's Professor Atchison, but...

...

...wait a minute.]

[She audibly gasp, looking excited all of a sudden.]

Are you waiting for Professor Atchison, Mister Ekkehardt?! He's the only person Desco knows who hates Valetine's Day! He said it's a big dumb holiday for babies and the only good thing about it was the half price chocolate!

[She's probably exaggerating.

Slightly. Very slightly.]

Edited 2020-02-27 16:43 (UTC)

Oof. Yeah, not exactly the kinda thing where you can just ghost 'em and hope nobody calls you on it.

[There's an underworld joke in there somewhere...]

Guessing you ain't exactly keen on the whole "going up to Olympus" thing, huh? [Aphrodite's last comment didn't go unnoticed. She suspects it's not entirely proverbial- they really can't wait, or at least they won't, and when you're a god then your timetable is everyone else's problem.]

You gotta stop asking questions I can't answer in front of the kids, sweetheart.

[Seriously, this is a school dance, she's not going to get past "suggestive insinuation" within earshot of small children and Hector.]

But why don't we start with a dance?

[At that response, Urtz puffs out her cheeks in mild annoyance and gives Jail's gas mask a light bap with her hand. Almost like a cat.]

Darling, you're lucky I don't have a pillow to hit you with.

[Though it is partially her fault for asking Jail of all people the question.]

Why not indeed. A dance would be nice. Hmm... [Her expression changes. Initially she looked annoyed, but in a fake way. Now she looks quite pleased, even as she "considers" the proposal.] I suppose I'll allow it.

They'll play something of another style eventually.

[ They'll play something where it's appropriate for someone twice your age to stand on your feet and be moved around like a widdle kid, surely.

Rex's talent for analysis serves him well as he reevaluates Ekke's skill level and comfortability by the second, adjusting to become more or less elaborate as they go. It's only when he's absolutely sure Ekke is ready he does a proper, full arm's length twirl. ]

"Hmmm." It takes Rex a moment to puzzle this out. As he does, he shifts the way he's holding Desco so she can comfortably sit on one big beefy arm. He's been hauling around a sword the size of a small horse all day for a while now, Desco can stay there for as long as she wants. What's hard is working out what counts as 'cool' or especially 'really cool.'

His eventual conclusion is just his latest thing. "Well... I made a human body for a ghost, who is possessing a bat. He pilots it from the skull. Is that cool?"

"Uhm. Not really." It's a difficult question for Rex, because he listens to music 24/7 with no genre being elevated above another. He can't afford to play favourites or he'd run out of songs. "I mean, it's all a reflection of a human's desires. Even the most manufactured sort has its charms- there's something to appreciate it any piece of music."

Though after a moment he adds- "I do like covers that change the genre of a song. It's fascinating."

Gongenzaka in contrast, manages to keep beat but at the cost of rather repeatedly getting distracted- audibly, anyway. His ears swivel back and forth, and while he somehow fails to ever step on the other's toes despite missed steps, it seems that may well be because of whatever he's listening to.

Rather like Giorno, he's finding it...Enjoyable, genuinely. It's been a while since he danced which might affect it, but now that he Is dancing, he's having some fun with it for sure.

Hard to tell if a bear is grinning back, but it Feels like it at least.

My mother is somewhere out there.

[Another drink.]

The mortal world is so much bigger than I expected and I have no idea where she is. I know she's alive because if she was dead she'd be back in the underworld, but I don't know WHERE.

Edited 2020-02-28 03:51 (UTC)

They probably made a bit of a spectacle as a pair, dancing like this, but that was hardly something Giorno cared about when he thought about it, instead finding it easy to just focus on their dancing and the music.

He can't remember a time when he's just enjoyed himself this much. It's rather amazing to him to think that he'd find an easy friend out here, at a school he hadn't even known existed a year ago. He wasn't half so frustrated at moving out here now than he'd been the first time they met, and he couldn't help but think having the Werebear as a friend had a bit to do with it.

Giorno was so lost in thought on the idea for a moment that he missed more than just a beat and ended up nearly tripping over himself. "Oh! I should watch out for my head in the clouds." He says with a laugh as he tries to right himself.

His shoulders hike, as much nervous with what she details as he is just over someone being angry like this. He's never done well faced with another's anger. No matter how tall, he seems to shrink on himself.

But the blue glow distracts him from the fury in her face. He watches it as it takes form, breath pulling. And then, Emille changes. He blinks, looking from her shoulder to her face and back again.

"Uh," He starts. "I- I apologize if uh... if this is... odd. And also very, very off-topic. But... have you, er, noticed anything... around you recently? Say, lights? ...beings...?"

It's a nice answer. It's spoken in Rex's dull tone with slightly clinical and detached terms, but at the heart of it, it's a good answer. He bobs his head a little.

And he manages just the slightest, hesitant smile at the addition.

"Oh yeah? Like, say, heavy metal played acoustic on a Spanish guitar by any chance?"

Can he offer that? He could play it sure, but can he play it with Rex around?

You do seem quite impressed. As an aside, the potion's effects should wear off by the end of the night, but if you desire I can provide an 'antidote' to the effects if you grow tired of them before then.

[Seeing Emille react to the magic drink was both interesting and amusing, but she also can't say she has much in the way of interest for them herself. Maybe it's her paranoia, maybe it's the fact that she'd rather not willingly consume anything that could be considered harmful to her body (especially considering she still doesn't feel like it's completely hers), who can say.]

I'm sure you would get along just fine there. Though being good in a scrap is practically mandatory if you prank the wrong person.

[He chuckles at the thought of his younger days back in Hades. Oh, what a rough and tumble and incredibly silly, charming place. How he missed that part of the Outlands sometimes. Fondness for his home rarely came up in this day, but it did rear its head from time to time.

But when Urtz produces that bottle with the sardine label, he smiled quite devilishly, with a tone to match. He did reach out to accept it gratefully, however.]

Oh, my. Thank you! That's very kind of you. Ah, but I suppose I must simply taste it, to see if it tastes as good as its source.

[There's a hidden tone in his voice that suggests he's aware of the risks, given the conversation they were just talking about, but honestly, even if it was also a prank? What would be the harm? Oh, it might be just good for a laugh for both of them.]

Do you mind terribly if I try it now?

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VALENTINES BALL

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You are good and I will not hear anything to the contrary

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1/2

Done

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