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

Comments

[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? ]

[roadrolling]

[She looks up at the translator as she tells her what was said, then shrugs lightly.]

You're not making much of an appearance by hanging on a wall, though.

[nordr]

[ he shrugs in return ]

I'm waiting for friends. Anyway, standing here seems to be drawing plenty of attention to me...

[roadrolling]

Ohh... [Like that explains everything. Well, it does in a way.]

I'll wait with you! [And she moves to stand beside him, leaning against the wall and mirroring his position.] My name's Rin! [She looks up at him.] What's yours?

[kaiserknuckle]

[ Tifa comes up to him from the side, and taps him on the shoulder gently, giving him a small, somewhat nervous smile. ] Hey, Cloud.

[nordr]

[ he turns sharply, and it immediately shows that he's glad to see her ] Tifa. [ it's a little awkward, after their last chat, but Cloud soldiers on ] Didn't want to leave without saying hi.

[kaiserknuckle]

You're taking off already? But the dance just started! [ She winks at him, her tone teasing. ]

[nordr]

[ he shrugs a little ] I wasn't even gonna turn up, honestly...

[kaiserknuckle]

But you did. So you can't just leave. [ There's that mom tone of voice. ] Come on, let's go mingle! [ And she reaches for his arm! ]

[nordr]

I guess another half an hour won't hurt. [ he lets her take his arm, because it seems better than making excuses to turn and leave. All things said and done, it is good to see Tifa again, even if she does seem to think things happened that really, really didn't ]

[kaiserknuckle]

[ She begins to tug him away from the wall -- she wasn't going to mention the awkward conversation they'd had previously. Tonight was a night for fun! ] That's the spirit, Cloud!

[nordr]

Sure. [ glances around, looking for something distracting, that doesn't involve dancing ] Do you want something to drink?

[kaiserknuckle]

Hm. [ She ponders for a moment, and then nods. ] Yeah, sure. They've got snacks here, too, right?

[nordr]

Right. I think they're over-[ as he scans around the room, a caterer walks past them. Cloud abruptly stops them with a Hey-!, and takes two drinks from the tray they're carrying ] Here. [ he holds one out to Tifa ]

[pinkgospel]

[Coming across Cloud once she spotted him on duty as a wallflower, Aerith made her way through the busy dance floor with a smile upon her lips. Wearing a lovely pink ensemble this evening, the humble flower girl from the slums looked lovelier than usual.]

Sooooo, I guess you won't be dancing tonight...

[nordr]

[ Cloud looks at Aerith, at her outfit, and then realises that he might've been staring for a second too long. He looks down at his boots ] I've got two left feet. [ he rocks on his heels, as if to prove a point.