daybreakacademy | 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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He hums, taking note of that. Maybe at another time he can do something with that. That time is not now.

He bobs his head at tawdry work of fiction. He has thoughts but again he waits. His chin lifts a little with the true answer that comes. He has to really think about that and it leaves a long silence. He takes another drag and watches smoke and breath rise in the chill night air.

"I've never been very good at rivalries. I don't think it's in my nature to keep," He says. "And as an orphan kid, I've spent a good few years on idle day-dreaming like that, that someone might be my family, someone near or someone far, far out there." His hand twirls and the smoke from the cigarette trails.

"I think it would take me some time to work out each part piece by piece. The joy of family. The relief. The pain. Knowing that you can't get those years back and they never really existed. Wondering why it came to be this way. And anger... a good bit of anger for it. For those who hid it and maybe a little feeling toward the sibling for any divide between that exists-- and for the truth. I imagine a lot of those feelings would get tangled up." He takes another long drag.

"Perhaps fate had something to do with your meeting, but none of us are ever going to know that. So, I'd just remember, what you feel toward that person is your real feeling. You can look deeper or you can decide not to and there's nothing wrong with either choice."

He listens, attentively - they really did come from different walks of life. However, as the other man speaks, some of that messy knot that's been tangling up in his attic-space seems to unravel, words don't fix things, but identifying the pieces helps - not knowing things is the worst for him - knowing what each piece of the puzzle is the first step, always the first for an answer, that's what he always abided by.

"...It's like the Gordian knot and I am lacking a sword... My family never told me I had a twin. It makes me questioned everything I know about them." He exhales softly, an accusation was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallows it. "I think Moriarty and I are still - trying to figure out what this means in the long run."

"Moriarty," He repeats with a small smile. "I thought this might be him. He mentioned... a similar problem." And really, there were only so many other people it could be.

The smile slips away. He shakes his head.

"I couldn't fault you. A lie told to protect is still a lie. It breaks trust and that's a wound. It's a lack of faith in you and it means wondering what else was hidden to protect you. And no way really to really confront them for that matter." Which, he finds, can be the hardest thing sometimes. It means keeping it all inside.

"I would take your time with it. It only means as much as you want it to, after all."

"Yes... got us both completely soused." The next noon hangover was not pleasant to say the very least.

"Time... I suppose that's what I have in spades," He takes a seat on a nearby bench, rolling the cigarette between his fingertips, mindful of the lit end. "I - Family was complicated for me, even before all - well this came up. Things were far different then."

He follows. The guitar on his back is set down to lean against the bench and he takes a seat next to Sherlock.

"I'd say I can imagine," He starts, "But I just admitted I had no family. I've only seen the complicated from the outside." And home. The best of all but so far and out of reach. "I'm guessing it's not a good different though."

He shook his head but seems reticent to elaborate on the fact for now. "It's not."

Then he pauses, giving a crooked smile to Héctor. It actually felt nice, opening up like this - even if he still kept a few things to his chest as he turns his gaze upwards. "It's a very nice night, Doubtful many people would notice."

He could ask. But, since Sherlock seems unwilling to speak of it, he decides not to pry. He takes another quick drag of smoke.

His gaze turns upward too, taking in the stars and moon in all their glory.

"Si, it is nice," He agrees. "I always thought I would grow to hate the night just wishing for the day. But it never really happened."

VALENTINES BALL

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cw: alcohol references

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