welcoming ball begins

[wrnpcs]

[It's quiet as night falls on Balamb Garden, quiet enough to hear the crickets chirping on the ground below and the sea waves lapping the shore in the distance. The sky is clear and full of stars. The halls of Garden are empty except for a couple cadets here and there -- indeed, even the faculty seems to be missing from their usual posts

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[whiplashings]

[Quistis is standing near the entrance in a gradient one-shoulder dress with matching black heels. Not much effort was put into her hair-- she simply pulled her blond locks into a low side ponytail draped over her clothed shoulder, though her bangs are swept to the side unlike usual. It's the closest her hair will ever come to being completely down from the standard clipped up style. She's here to greet the new cadets-- come bother her if you want.]

[bloodinked]

[ Sliiiiiides on over. Hey there, pretty lady. Reno's in his Turk uniform, as expected. It still doesn't look like it's seen the flat side of an iron in the last decade, as expected. But he did wash up and preen in the mirror just a little bit. ]

You know, for a gal who ain't lookin', you're quite the tease.

[ He means 'hi'. ]

[whiplashings]

[She shakes her head, placing a hand on her hip-- but there's a smile, too.]

Hello to you too, Reno.

[Her eyes briefly take in the suit he's wearing.]

Nice suit-- I didn't expect to see any of the guys actually come in anything other than the cadet uniforms.

[bloodinked]

What can I say? I'm the master of exceeding low expectations. [ Laughs at that, making himself comfortable by leaning against the wall next to her. ]

I'm guessin' you're standing here to herd all the green little cadets in the right direction?

[lastesper]

[ The ball! The music! The eats. .. aaaand the crowd. She's actually the slightest bit nervous about it, but as the ballroom wasn't completely crowded yet, she wasn't too troubled. She's not in cadet uniform, but in a plain red dress she'd picked out at the store earlier, and one that didn't look too different from her usual dress at that. Hands clasped behind her back, she wandered the perimeter of the ballroom curiously. ]

[birdwhoseeks]

[Wandering around herself, Gwendolyn noticed a familiar face. She moved to approach her.]

Good evening, Miss Terra. I see you chose a fine dress for the night.

[lastesper]

[ Terra smiled a greeting to the other girl, her aimless wandering halting. ]

Hello Gwendolyn. I like your dress as well. It's ... interesting, this ball, isn't it?

[ By "it" she refers to a couple people already dancing - she doesn't get it, personally, which is why she's doing her level best to avoid the center of the room. ]

[birdwhoseeks]

'Tis an interesting spectacle, true. Some people appear to have begun the dance - a sign of confidence, or perhaps of recklessness.

[Honestly, she didn't get the point of dancing. A traveling merchant had once described it to her as a different sort of battle, and she could see that - there was a flow to follow and risks in failing, not to mention the need to synchronize with your partner - except that no one ever made dancing competitions in Erion, nor did matters of state get settled on the dance floor.]

[nordr]

[ Cloud isn't sure why he's there, really. It's not mandatory, and he knows he won't enjoy himself, yet there he is, standing awkwardly against the wall. He's got his cadet uniform on, and his hands shoved into his pockets, and he watches the crowd, looking out for someone he knows. Aerith or Tifa has to turn up at some point, right? ]

[bloodinked]

[ Unfortunately for you, Cloud, the first person to spot you appears to be Reno. And he makes a beeline for you. ]

Heeeeeeeey~ Is that my favorite feather-headed chocobo jockey?

[ And look, his arm is around your shoulders again. ]

And here I was thinking I'd have to hunt you down and drag you out of your dorm room by the ankles!

[nordr]

[ Cloud's a quick learner, and doesn't even bother trying to shrug Reno's arm off ]

I figured you would. That's the only reason I'm here.

[bloodinked]

[ ...such a good boy. Definitely a keeper. Reno's going to lean some of his weight on you now that he's not in danger of falling, because he wouldn't be him if he wasn't still somewhat obnoxious. And.

Give him a moment to recover here. He wasn't really expecting that to come out of Cloud's mouth. ]

That so? Why Cloud, I had no idea you cared.

[soundcirculates]

[ having just arrived that day, Luka's had no choice but to stick to her usual outfit. While she might not look the part, she certainly is having a good time; she smiles and everyone who passes her, especially if they happen to be pretty girls in pretty dresses, and moves through the crowds, eager to get acquainted with people ]

[roadrolling]

[Ah! A familiar face! Rin doesn't waste time to rush forward through the crowd, bursting forth to throw her arms around the other woman and bury her face in Luka's stomach. There's some muffled sounds, something about "leaving me alone" and "I knew you'd miss me" before she lifts her head to look up at her.] Is everybody else here, too?

[soundcirculates]

[ Luka, admittedly, has forcefully overwritten some of her coding to remain calm, which is why she's all taking this in her stride. However, Rin suddenly crashing into her makes her feel off balance in more ways than one, and had it been any longer than a day, Luka thinks she might tear up a little ] Rin! [ kneeling down, Luka pulls her into a proper hug ] But, ah-I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone else here but you. Do you mean that Len isn't with you?

[roadrolling]

[Finally, a familiar face that recognized her too! She shifts to the new position, chin on the other girls shoulder and arms tightly around her until she has to let go.] Nobody else? [And then that mention of Len. The broken heart look in her eyes explains it all, but she shakes her head slowly.] No, he's not... You know, that boy is so useless, I'm fine without him but he won't know what to do without me around. [She forces a laugh and puts on a smile, doing her best to remain cheerful - it doesn't need to be said that she misses him already.] I bet everybody else'll show up soon, though!

[swordbitch]

[She came out of spite. She'd heard some of her classmates and... they said she'd never go because she's too much of a man. And that annoyed her.

So she's here. In a nice dress for once. Not unlike her usual clothes but it's better than being in the cadet uniform which she hates so. Much.

Naoto's giving herself thirty minutes in here, and against a wall, before she walks away. Just to show those people she can go to a party if she wants to.]

[swordbitch]

[... A what?

Back it up, she knows that voice. Kind of. And it's no wonder someone's been spouting nonsense. It's... What's his name again? Oh, yes, "Yuri".

He can go bite himself.]

What are you talking about now?