Beata's Winter Formal 2016

A soft rapping on the door disturbed Minami from her nightly routine. She had been wrapped up in her favourite pajamas with a hot cup of cocoa when a strange boy dressed to the nines came to her dorm. He seemed startled by her appearance, and asked her why she wasn't ready. The girl was completely clueless and had stared at him for what seemed like forever before bothering to ask what he meant.

It took him a minute to explain before it clicked with the girl. She swallowed hard and turned around in embarrassment. Obviously, she had made a promise to this boy she had forgotten to write down. How stupid could she be? Something important as a dance should be noted, even if your memory was spotless.

Apologizing briefly, she frantically ran to her room. She was more than surprised to find a dress already waiting for her but shook her shock away as quickly as she threw on the gown. It was a sweet plum colour that barely reached her knees. A bedazzled sash held her waist and two thick straps wrapped around her neck, holding the dress up and in place. Practically throwing on her makeup, she ran out the door with a small black purse and the matching heels she found, and quickly followed her date towards the dance.

The auburn-haired Spring could tell something was on the boy's mind from the tension he held when looking away from her. She wasn't sure exactly who she was here with, nor what was dragging his attention away, but she was sure she wasn't his first choice. Even with his playful tone, there was no sense of affection in his eyes.

Despite the slightly crushing blow to her self esteem, she let him take her coat and headed to the buffet table for a snack.

...

Minami wasn't one for dancing to begin with, so awkwardly standing on the sidelines with snacks wasn't much of a bother to her. She couldn't be quite as sure with Jake (she had managed to figure out his name without admitting she forgot his entire existence), but he had yet to make a complaint.

She stood silently, staring at her shoes and twisting her foot as she nibbled on a biscuit. A voice had echoed through the noise of the room though she barely paid any attention. Her thoughts were still dwelling on how she hadn't written even a single note about the dark haired boy.

At least one of them knew what they were doing. If she gripped at his shoulder any harder, it felt as if her fingers would break straight through to the bone. Liam could feel her palm sweating against his hand as the two of them turned in time with the music, or tried to anyways. Step. Step. Back. Step. Step. Back. The announcement, the winners, the crown; it all meant nothing to him. He couldn't hear or see any of it, only focused on the girl hiding away from him. It'd be nice, he thought, if he could see her face for one moment.

"Maisie," he muttered, his hand drifting from her waist and resting just above her hip. "Don't die on me."

---

The Spring wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting. For him to jump in surprise, or laugh, or nudge her away; something playful, something stupid. Instead, his face had flushed as about as red as hers must have been, if not more-so. Something about it was, well, unsettling, but not in a bad way, she just wasn't sure what to make of it. "Surprise?" Dakota called up in a soft voice, laughing a bit. She'd been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't even noticed once the announcements had started.

"H-Hey!" He grabbed at her hand and dragged the two of them off over to the main floor. Many were staring up at the front stage, but she kept her green gaze glued to where he held her. Who said he could do that? Then again, who said she could ... do what she'd just done? Pepper, Preston. Chris, Steph. None of those names meant much of anything to her. She looked up at Will instead. "Is this the part where I get my dance out of you?" Better than him heading to the punch bowl, she guessed.

---

Preston couldn't think of the last time, if ever, he'd seen her laugh and smile so much. It was painfully obvious how fast that punch was rushing to her head, but he wasn't about to be the one to stop her fun. He took another sip of her drink, finding it impossible to mask his own grin away. That giggle of hers was growing contagious. "Pink. Me? Never." Great, she said. He reached up and flattened out his collar, straightening up his tie. Did she actually like it or was she just bullshitting him? The laugh left him weary, but he was never one to turn down a compliment anyways.  "I could say the same about -"

The squeal of the mic interrupted his thoughts. Shit, he'd forgotten completely about the damned royalty crap the moment he'd stepped inside. He hadn't expected to even be entered in the first place, much less win the entire damn thing, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel thrilled and smug about the whole fucking thing. Preston had went and lost last year to the well-loved angel last year, but look at him now; Jane, Sophia, all those other women in the crowd could just stand back and watch him in his rightful place. Maybe patience paid off after all. He was smart not to graduate so soon. Not that he'd stayed just for the stupid title, he'd only ever held back just for...

His gaze flickered back down to Kayla, clearly the only one smiling now. What was her deal? Pres shrugged out his shoulders, as if it were no big deal. "Fat head? Is that any way to speak to your new King?" He raised an eyebrow, that stupid smirk of his growing. It was all-too easy to spot his new Queen out through the crowd, pink and glimmering and tall and slender. He'd never talked to her much, but it was plain as day how she stood out from the rest of the crowd, even bar her new royal title. "Bitch, I'm always wanted."

In truth, the longer he stood there with his not-a-date, the more hesitant he was to leave her. The crew up front seemed to have spared him no patience all the same, the song already started and his Queen had a slightly anxious look clear across her face. It was easy to spot even from afar. He wouldn't leave her alone for long, he told himself. He couldn't. Especially if it meant leaving her with full access to the fucking punch all night. Just one dance wouldn't hurt. "Watch my drink for me," Pres handed the delicate glass off to her, not leaving much room for an answer before he turned and walked away.

It took little type to make his way to the front. Preston put on his best smile, not looking Pepper's way until the crown was his in his hands. He held it up against the light, admiring the soft glow against the gleaming gold and gave it a few twists and turns between his fingers before finally allowing it to rest atop his head. It felt damn good to wear. "Pepper Ashina," he mused. "I don't think we've met before, Sweetheart." It was his place now to play the perfect gentleman. The Autumn straightened out his cuffs, holding out a gentle hand for her in offering. "I would have remembered a face as pretty as yours." The words tasted dry in his mouth.

---

It was sort of sad in a way how she hardly recognized any of the names of those who were crowding up onto the front floor. Preston, she knew somewhat, their parents knew each-other, and Pepper's name rang familiar from the tournament, but beyond that, it was all new faces to her. Brailynn couldn't hold her attention long on the announcement anyways, only disappointed that the two of them had to pull apart from their close embrace so soon. They hadn't stopped for a moment before she longed to close the short distance between the two of them again, alas she managed to control herself. "You were so smooth, I could hardly keep up." The blonde laughed, hiding her smile away and pressing her head nimbly against his chest for a moment before looking back up at him, beaming. He didn't seem to want to stop there. The young woman clawed lightly away at his tuxedo, taking in a deep breath and chuckling again under her breath, pink dusting her cheeks. "You're just impatient tonight, aren't you? Typical guys."

While she played and teased at him, nothing seemed like a better idea just to be home with him again. To be able to relax on the couch or watch some TV or cuddle away on the bed, just to spend any sort of time with him at all sounded like nothing short of heaven to her. She wasn't completely fooled by his oh-so smooth talk, anyways. It was obvious from his eyes how tired he must have been. She sure it was exhausting enough to dress up in the first place. "Darn, I'm caught. You've convinced me." She sighed melodramatically. There was just one other thing. Lynn let her gaze wander the room, trying to pick one familiar face out from the crowd, looking for Kayla anywhere in the room - and not really succeeding in the excitement of the royal announcements. She never planned on leaving the girl alone to fend for herself, but she'd never exactly expected her boyfriend to show up out of the blue either. The girl would understand, wouldn't she? She'd make it up to her sometime.

"Alright," Brailynn laced her arm around his good limb. "I'm ready for the cold, long walk back."

---

It'd taken some serious skill, quick evasion, and a few stammering apologies - but the dear Ishiko had finally got her hands on one of the precious, adorable little bunnies. Apparently, as she'd soon learned, not only were they to take pictures with, but they were all open for adoption as well. The Summer had been quick then to scoop up the smallest one, a pure white breed with small beady eyes; pure, soft, fragile. She walked around the tables now, her new pet held precariously in her hand and against her chest, all her focus onto not holding it too tight or letting it escape over her shoulder. Her warm eyes were fixed on the prize, a fresh salad bowl near the drinks, crispy lettuce just waiting for her small... well, she hadn't exactly thought of a good name for it yet.

With her attention glued onto her target, she hadn't paid the best of mind of watching where she was going, brushing up against some girl with dark clothes and messy hair. Soon as the deed was done, and she'd realized how close to the punch table she'd been standing, Ishiko quickly realized her mistake. How rude of her! What if they were holding the punch? Their dress could have been ruined because of her. She halted immediately in her tracks, spinning on her heels and dipping her head apologetically. "So sorry!" She said, "I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have rushed!" The bunny squirmed out, just enough to peak out against her cheek.

Placing her coat on the chair, Jake watched as she headed for the buffet table and let out a soft sigh. There was no denying the fact that she was a cutie of sorts but he couldn't quite figure her out. First she'd completely forgotten that he'd even asked her to the dance and now she left him for food. Maybe she was just the shy type? Well, what ever her deal was, he hoped she'd open up at least a little so he didn't have to look so clueless all night, 'cause as much as he hated to admit it, he was so lost. Did she want to be with him or not?

Before leaving his lonely spot by the empty tables to follow his date, Jake reached into his pocket and took out a mini bottle of vodka, one of those cute ones in the fronts of liquor stores. Popping off the top, he drank it in practically one gulp and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Just enough to give him an enjoyable buzz for the night. Tossing the empty bottle into a nearby trashcan, the tall student shuffled through the crowd of students, starting to hate the close quarters. How the hell could people stand being this close to each other? Soon enough he reached the food table which just so happened to have all the lonely outcasts standing around it. Great, another crowd to try to get through.

Easily able to look over people that were hovering around the food, he had a tough time deciding what to eat. Part of him wasn't hungry but just having chugged a bottle of alcohol, he knew that he should eat something to at least cover the scent of the vodka. There was always punch but knowing that it was spiked, he steered clear of it. Better stick with his fancy liquor then what ever cheap shit was put into the fruity drink. So, after a few moments he grabbed a couple sandwiches, popped them into his mouth, and looked around for Minami.

Finding her faster than he thought he would, the Autumn made his way over to his date who seemed to be zoned out. He was going to say something to maybe start some conversation but before he was able to get anything out, an announcer stood on the stage, some envelopes in his hands. Guess conversation starting would have to wait for later.

Hoping that he'd make the formal king this year, he was a bit disappointed when Preston's name was called but shrugged it off. Being the king wasn't very fun anyway, so what did he care? Jake reminded himself coolly though his muscles were still tense. The next name announced took him by surprise and his head snapped towards the stage, catching sight of Pepper making her way to get her crown. He never thought the somewhat shy girl would make queen, but even so, he was happy for his friend and had to admit, she looked pretty fine looking tonight in her short pink dress. If he wasn't already with a date, he most definitely would've nabbed her after the dance and took her to his dorm. Maybe there would still be time for some fun later on.

Not really caring who won prince or princess, Jake looked down to the auburn haired girl, he knew that just standing here wasn't putting a good impression on him. Of course the thought occurred to him that maybe she wasn't the type to dance but even so, it wouldn't hurt to at least ask, right? Besides, what was a date without some sort of dancing?

Grabbing Minami's hand, Jake took a few steps towards the dance floor and turned around the face the girl. "May I have this dance?" the deep voiced student asked, perfectly timed with the start of the slow song.

~~~~~~

Hearing her name, Pepper looked up from glaring at her shoes to see the king, Preston Andrews. "That's me," she said softly. He was definitely the kingly type. Good looking, brunette, tallish, every girl's dream guy. Well, she knew nothing about him but given his charming ways he was probably a genuine fuckboy, which made her a bit disappointed. Couldn't any hot guys come with a 'genuine nice guy' mode? Apparently not.

Grabbing his hand, she followed him out to the dance floor and swallowed all of her fear, knowing someone like him wasn't the type to enjoy the company of someone shy. Putting one hand on his shoulder and the other still holding his hand, the Spring looked up to her dance partner, hoping the redness in her cheeks wasn't showing. When his palm lightly fell onto her waist it sent a shiver up her spine and yet, she couldn't help but find enjoyment in his soft yet firm touch.

"So," she started, giving him her usual sweet smile. "I'm not surprised you of all people got chosen to be the king," Pepper pointed out as the two of them slowly started to get more comfortable in dancing with each other. It also didn't surprise her that he was a decent dancer but she decided not to say anything more, not wanting to ruin the moment by blabbering on.

Heat abruptly shot up Peter's neck and spread across his face at Piper's proposition. He was lucky that the spotty lighting would hide the flustered expression on his face, but.. What? It happened that quick? He'd barely said five words to this girl and she was asking him to dance. Instantly, an unnerved chuckle rose in his throat, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ahaha, I'm not really thaaat good," he insisted, waving one of his hands - which was covered by a white silk glove, to hide the obnoxiously reflective metal - dismissively. "I only took a few classes, and I was a bit clumsy, and.. Ah.. Ye-heah.." His stomach was turning, and he wasn't quite sure if it was out of genuine discomfort or excitement.

---

Video games. Right.

The only place Anthony had been able to play video games had been at the burger joint down the street from his favourite record store. There had only been a grand total of four titles available to play, which had consisted of Space Invaders, Galaxian, Asteroids, and Gran Trak 10. They hadn't been very widespread in Anthony's own time, but now, they were everywhere. It was a phenomenon like he'd never expected to see. In the 70s, some people had treated them like they would melt a child's brain out of their ears if they were subjected to them for too long. His mother had thought they were tools to hypnotize and propagandize children. Now, markets and homes overflowed with video games.

"Not a dancer, huh?" Anthony turned his attention back to his new acquaintance, deciding not to delve any further into the bewildering virtual world of the present. "The only thing I've done that could count as dancing was a shitty imitation of Chuck Barry while I was on stage. I don't think I ever danced at actual dances." He'd spent the majority of his time at dances avoiding the school staff and slipping undesirables into the drinks and food. Ever the flippant little fucker.

Anthony took in one last, hearty mouthful of the punch and stood back up, setting his glass down and pushing some of his dark shag away from his face. "This is as nice as I'll probably ever dress, so I guess I'd better do something other than spill rum all over this outfit." He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and held it in Lucy's direction, offering her a half-sober grin. "Can't say I can show you how to dance, but if you've never been to one of these things before, now's as good a time as any to give it a shot."

It was serene, the gravity of the moment slow and fluid as Logan danced with Jane. What began as a reluctance to go all-out eased, and his movements became lighter and lighter, less and less thought-out. He was dancing freely, grinning and laughing and having fun. Was this another side of him? Had he lost his fun when he opened his eyes at that hospital? Wherever it had escaped him, it was back, in the glow of his eyes as he stepped with her, twisting his hips and pulling her close. That was, of course, when the music faded out, and he stood there for a moment, turning to the stage, slowly distaching his hand from hers.

The winners were announced to little reaction from Logan. His emotion only surged when he glanced over to Jane's embittered expression, and still it came in a small, sorry smile, like icy syrup from a half-frozen tap. "I didn't know I was in the running," he said. Had she voted for him? He did vote for her...

Their fingers entwined again as the music swelled, the music sobering the crowd with a rich, tranquil lull. The sea they represented was clear of the stormclouds, the rocking of the boat brought by swing and trap, and he faced her, a goofy, overt attempt at a charming grin adorning his face. "How about I show you, Ginger?" he told her, in an octave deeper than his normal voice, and he let his hand curl around her waste, leading a two-step sway to the melody of a deep-voiced baritone.

_________________________

"I'm not." She sounded like a child caught napping at her sister's recital.

When his hand drifted, the girl flinched sharply, but she kept with the sway wordlessly, taking the jolting movement she made to distach herself from his chest. And her curious eyes peered up, into his face. His eyes were like magnets, and she lingered in his gaze for a while, and couldn't help but smile, her lips twitching with denial, the failed coup for neutrality. Her face was red, and the room felt like the inside of a volcano. But she kept his gaze, even when it started to sway with their movements.

Finally, she murmured, "I think I need to sit down..." a sentiment interrupted by the floor meeting her, and the girl's consciousness fading as she fell before him.

_________________________

She honestly thought the boyfriend bomb would have driven him back. She didn't know why she dropped it, realizing she had murmured it in a proud add-on long after it left her lips, but he seemed unphased, and even more eager to stand up and dance. He wanted to dance!? She had meant to look it up on eHow before leaving, but didn't think she'd ever get far enough to talk to a boy, let alone dance with him. The Korean girl's mind spitfired 'no, no, no,' the safety of no new things driving her fear, but she learned to never say no. Not after the Starcraft tournament of 2032. Her bold play saved them the game.

"Yeah, sure," the girl said, raising her right hand. She tried to interlock their fingers before realizing it was indeed not a handshake and the wrong hand to offer, and a brief "sorry, sorry, jeez me..." later, she offered her other hand, letting him lead her to the floor.

Strange to him how someone who had seemed so impatient before change their entire demeanor in the blink of an eye. His new Queen's cheeks had blushed red, her touched turned light and the gentlest, nervous smile resting across her face. Preston decided quickly to think little of it then. There was more-than-meets-the-eye, and all that crap. Even his dear, diva sister could flustered if you managed to catch her cornered. Instead, he focused on their time in the spotlight, his hand brushing against the soft frills of her dress and resting on her waist, pulling her in closer to him; his other hand still held hers, light and out from between them, as formal as any regal dance should have been, he supposed.

"Can't say I'm surprised either considering the competition," He smirked. Some nurse from the infirmary he'd hardly known, and Jake... whatever his name or deal was. Some pushy bastard who never learned how to share, as he'd made quite clear to Pres once before. In truth, he was still trying to chalk up in his mind exactly how he won himself, but fuck. He wasn't about to let this chick catch him off the fly. "You don't seem all that surprised to be here either," the Autumn mused, holding her out and giving her room for a small twirl between them. "Usually the Queens are a little more..." Oh, what was the word? He pulled her back in. "Viscous?" Was that it? She didn't look like she could hurt a fly.

---

Every look, every smile, every touch felt like it had to be pried tooth and nail from the girl; maybe that just made it all the sweeter for him when it finally came to pass, no matter how short the moment. It was difficult to stay mindful once she pulled away, turning her gaze up to him. He was caught in an instant, near faltering in his step as he stared down into her cool eyes that seemed almost hazy against her blushed skin. She looked beautiful... and a little drained, pretty, but damn, she was alright ... wasn't she?

Liam had started to notice her hand slip out from between his fingers as she wavered in place. "Blondie?" One second she was in his arms and the next she was dead weight, crumpling down to the ground. The Summer was quick to move, cursing under his bread and wrapping his arm around her, his freed hand clutching messily at her dress - trying to get some sort of decent grip. He kneeled down beside her, glancing around and trying to puzzle together some coherent thought. "Damn it, wake the hell up."

He seriously was going to have to carry her out of there. There was no just leaving her on the floor or taking her back to the tables and setting her in a chair, an open invitation for a crowd to gather. She really did have to make everything difficult, didn't she? Liam gritted his teeth, shrugging her back up and cradling her in his arms. It was a short trip out the doors of the Grand Hall, and took less time to find an old bench for her to rest on.

Chris wasn't really sure what they were supposed to do either. Were they supposed to dance? He hadn't even expected to be nominated for, let alone win Formal Prince. He nervously grabbed her hand with his normal one and carefully led her to the center of the dance floor, where the other students had cleared out. His face was bright red by the time they got out there, and he let go of her hand, only to offer it formally. "I think we're supposed to dance," he told her, glancing at the couple who had one King and Queen. The thought of them dancing together had butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

---

Thomas's face turned even redder at Declan's comment. "W-well yeah, what the fuck did you think I was?" he stammered. It was a touchy subject with him, his sexuality. None of his friends back home knew. His parents knew, but they were still uneasy about it. "And did you have to say it so loud?" he asked. He wasn't sure how people around here reacted to this sort of stuff, plus he would've rather told people on his own time and not when someone just shouted it out.

---

Will chuckled, regaining his "charm." "I suppose. After that I think a drink for me is in order," he said. He offered a hand to Dakota to initiate the dance. He had taken a few classes here and there during his "obedient rich boy" phase, so he remembered the basics. Most of them. He looked at her and smiled. "Come on, let's dance. I can lead," he told her.

---

Piper laughed at the boy. He was obviously just being modest, right? "Oh c'mon, it won't be that bad, I promise I don't bite," she told him jokingly. The girl grabbed Peter's gloved hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor. She hoped that she wasn't making Peter uncomfortable. Since she didn't have many friends here she figured that she could make some tonight and maybe dance with some people. Sure, she had been to dances before, but those were with people she knew and frankly, she didn't like many of them. Not that she would say that out loud, she hated being mean.

The backlash Declan got was completely unexpected. Within seconds, he dropped his arms, eyes growing wide as he stared at Thomas, at first in disbelief then with annoyance. "Dude calm your tits it was a joke..." he muttered for a second. The sudden finding of Thomas being gay didn't surprise him in the least. In fact, sexuality wasn't even something that Declan thought that much about. He had never had a close significant other before (even though it's hard to believe right?) but for the first time, he was kind of forced to consider it. For a moment his eyes shifted to the floor as he was lost deep in thought, but it didn't take long for him figure out what he was going to say. "But, you know what Thomas? That's nothing to be ashamed of! You go out and you do you because you know what? Who goddamn cares who you like?" He paused for a moment, half shocking himself about how passionate he was getting with this little rant. "And if people have a problem with it, then fuck them! Fuck all of them! But don't go getting pissy at me because you can't accept yourself! You got that?" By the time the spring was done, he had stomped over to Thomas, shoving his index finger into the boy's chest to make a point. Declan was not about to sit there and let Thomas walk all over him about this. This wasn't the spring's battle.

---

"Excuse you... Typical guy? I think you have me mixed up with someone else," Richard teased but simply smiled when she gave in and latched onto his arm. "Thank you." Reaching to place his other hand onto hers, he stopped, nearly forgetting that there was still that massive cast on it. So, never mind. Instead, he put it back at his side and led her towards the door. Honestly, he was really looking forward to just getting home and getting comfortable at this point, especially since he hadn't been back at his apartment since he got back. It was going to be an amazing change when both of them were finally relaxed. As they walked, he leaned in towards Lynn. "Really, though. Thank you. I don't want to ruin your time, but I'm starting to hurt again. I just need to get home and take some more drugs. And of course, when we get there, I'll do my best to explain everything that went down." It wasn't quite something that he wanted to do so much, but he felt like she deserved some kind of explanation. He didn't want that to be something he'd have to hide.

AND SO THEY LEFT...?

Nodding at his comment about the competition, she went through who else had been nominated. Jake, of course, him being, well... Jake, and one other guy that she couldn't remember the name of. She thought that she recalled seeing a picture of him somewhere, but now that she thought about him versus the other two, he never stood a chance. Well, at least he tried. Maybe he was just a big dreamer, although dreaming was far too overrated.

Twirling in a small circle and returning back to her dance partner's daunting embrace, Pepper looked back up to him, not able to keep back a smile. Though she barely knew this guy and they were "assigned" to dance together, he wasn't half bad and she couldn't help but enjoy his company, though she reminded herself to not think too much of it. A guy like him was never without someone special, at least not at a school formal and who ever was with him couldn't have been very happy about him leaving to dance with someone else. Of course there was the possibility that he didn't have a date, but if that was the case, then pigs could fly.

Waltzing gracefully around the dance floor that had been pretty much cleared by spectators wanting to watch, she tried to hardest to stay in sync. Just don't step on his feet, so far so good. Looking up to him, his next comment caught her attention. Raising a brow, she couldn't help but be a little hurt. Viscous? She could be viscous, right? Of course she understood where he was coming from, though thinking about her acting like some of the more seductive girls at the school made her want to laugh. But from some past experiences with guys, she knew that she had the ability to be coquettish, she just had to be in the right mood. But if mood were the case, then she shouldn't have been acting so shy around this guy. This was his and her big moment, now was her time to shine!

"Well," the brunette started, taking a small step towards him so that she'd be closer. "Looks can be deceiving. You of all people should know that," she replied, looking up at his eyes to meet his gaze.

Maisie did not remember passing out. It was more of a blink, a bake in the oven followed by a pinpoint turn into cold. She was on the bench outside the hall, though she did not know it, blinking straight up into the stars, clouds of her own breath wisping up into the air. The dew that encrusted the wood crackled under her bear wrists, the sheen on her forehead dulling with the evaporation of sweat. Her jaw trembled as she turned her head to see Liam nearby. She sat up. "When did we get out here?" she asked, tone completely ignorant, a little dazed from waking up in such a new location. Did she...faint? No way she fainted, she'd never fainted in her life.

The question was followed by a high-pitched sneeze. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and swung her legs back down to the floor, small crystals of ice falling and beading down her arms.

Dakota resisted the urge to roll her eyes then, her smile turned exasperated as he pushed on with his idea of drinking. She wasn't trying to judge, it was his idea of a good time clearly, but she would still have to savor this small dance while she could. Wherever his folks were, she silently thanked them for forcing him through all those cheesy lessons. At least one of them would know what they were doing. "I bet you used to do this with girls all the time," The red-head teased lightly, brushing her hand up him and resting it upon his shoulder, her fingers gently squeezing between his. "When was the last time you did something like this?"

---

She'd looked so offended by his joke. Damn, maybe he was starting to lose his touch, forgetting exactly how much he had to watch his own words; unless he wanted punch splashed in his face before the night was finished. Preston had been fulling preparing for the awkward silence, embracing it's inevitability, when the girl's shy smile had instead turned shy. Ah, clearly she had more to her than she initially let off. It was his turn now to raise his eyebrow as she stepped on up closer to him, catching his eye and shortening the already small distance between them.

The Autumn fought to stay focused then, not wanting to stop their dance, not with a good part of the school watching them. "Pardon, your Highness," He mused, flashing her yet another grin. "You trying to say something?" The music sped every so slightly with the chorus. His hand inched towards the small of her back as he boded his time.

---

As he finally noticed her stirring, Liam cracked a relieved smile. It would have been annoying to try and carry her to the infirmary or back to her dorm, so as long as she was alright and didn't hit her head or anything stupid, he was golden. "You died, Blondie." The Summer was quick to notice her teeth chatter. A dress was hardly the right thing to wear out in the snow, but the cold did nothing to bite him. He was warm as ever, scaring away the cold as he brushed up his fingers against her cheeks. She'd still felt clammy.

His hand flinched back as she sneeze. He held back a laugh under his breath and stood up off the ground, staring down at her. "Don't tell me you're that big of a light-weight." Liam reached out, offering her a hand. "You feel fine rejoining the living?"

Gracefully rocking back and forth as the two of them danced together, Pepper was glad to see that he was having a good time, or at least he was decent at faking it.

Was she trying to prove something? Thinking about the question, she honestly didn't know. "All I'm trying to say is that appearances don't always mold personality," the girl replied with a shrug and a smug grin. It was a simple answer but it would suffice. Besides, she need not go into the gory details that had to do with being a good person and excepting people for who they were, yada yada.

Continuing to waltz, Pepper got a quick glimpse of the girl name Kayla, the one who she remembered being with Preston. Sitting alone at a table, looking a somewhat drunk, she wondered how the girl felt about all of this. She didn't seem to be too happy about her date's absence but maybe she always looked like that? Or maybe she was too drunk to have any other emotions...

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Pepper just had to ask, "So, that drunk girl, she's your date, right?" the Queen started, looking back to the boy. "She doesn't seem like the cheery type," she added, wondering why a guy like him was with a gloomy chick like her. Then again... appearances don't always mold personality.

OOC: Credit to Dimmeh for the quote "appearances didn't mold personality, now, did they?" idea.

Alright, so she was a little awkward. Her brief delay on using the proper hand to grab his with was telling enough. Awkward was fine, as long as that, combined with Anthony's horrendous dancing, wouldn't result in repeated tripping and falling.

"Sorry in advance if I step on your feet. Not exactly a ballerina." Anthony cast Lucy a sideways glance as he led her over to where the other students were gathered. He didn't venture too far into the crowd, but rather stopped where it was less condensed.

He had taken in the decor of the room, as well as the general attire, but hadn't noticed that the whole 'winter' scene had been taken a step further. Tiny white specs that at least looked like snowflakes were floating gently down towards the ground from the ceiling, but they quickly whisked away into thin air before making contact with anyone's heads. It was bewildering, but not worth contemplating. Anthony wasn't even going to begin trying to wrap his head around it. Video games, computers, supernatural gifts.. Too many things to understand. He didn't need to understand the mechanics of magical indoor snow. He had dancing to focus on, anyhow.

Gently, he placed one hand on Lucy's hip, and held her's up with his free one. He'd caught enough bits and pieces of his mother's romance flicks to know how it was supposed to look. Swaying back, forth, and in circles seemed simple enough, too. The biggest idiot in the world couldn't possibly fuck something that simple up to an embarrassing degree - Unless, of course, he stepped on someone's dress. "I think I was too into my punch to even ask what your name was. Alcohol first, then names, right?" Clearly, his priorities were straight.

How modest. For a moment, she had to stare at him trying to decipher if he was joking or not. He had to have known, hadn't he? She turned the thought over in her head for a held breath and then let it go with a flutter of her eyes, slipping back into the dance, the simple rhythm. It left her in a wisp, disappearing in a light laugh under her breath. Jane dropped her gaze to their feet and then back up again to meet his eyes. So Logan could dance, but she had to do everything he did, backwards and in high heels. "Lead the way."

---

Oh. There he went. Kayla watched him go, eyes locked on him until he disappeared into the sea of people, just catching glimpses of him and his queen through the occasional breaks and gaps in the crowd. Even then, there wasn't any chance of losing him, not with that stupid ass tiara on his head. The music slowed and cooled, almost hushed compared to the upbeat swing from before, and without him here the whole room seemed dead quiet. She was deaf to all the chatter around her, the ambiance, just left alone with her and the punch bowl.

With no one to talk to, there wasn't anything left except to drink, she guessed.

Ha. Shit. When did she sign up to chaperone his drinks? Kayla brought his punch to her mouth and knocked it back, draining whatever was left. Her own glass was next, and then she was filling them both back up again. Maybe the boredom was getting to her, but she had to catch herself from bobbing her shoulders to the music or humming to herself, stop herself from laughing at no one in particular. Damn, what the hell was wrong with her? She sipped away at the punch, her head spinning just from trying to drink in all the movement from the couples on the dance floor.

What were they saying? Kayla hid her mouth behind the glass, trying to fill in the conversation in her head, watching them dance. Why did she fucking care anyways? Probably the same old kind of shit he always said with that same old smug smirk. Her, who knew? Pink, glittery, girly things. She'd already downed the first glass before she could even notice, her face flushing, electricity crackling in her hair, and then she was setting it down to attack the second one. Whatever. Whatever. Every time she tried shifting her eyes away to focus on someone else, she felt her gaze get drawn back to the two of them again.

What was the queen's name again? Paprika? Fuck, she didn't even know. She'd already forgotten the prince and princess. The walls felt like they were spinning around her like a disco ball. Kayla caught Pepper's eyes as she cast a glance over, just for a second, and dropped her gaze back to her drink, her face burning. There was a steel pang in her stomach, a knife twisting in her gut, her stomach churning with a sudden nausea. Ughhh... Had she drank too much of this shit? She put a hand over her belly but kept drinking down the rest of the punch anyways.

Fuck it. Fuck him. Electricity snapped down her arm. She'd just wait for him to finish up, and... Well, if he did. Or he even wanted to. Or he even came back to their dorm at all. That'd be typical. Normal. Fuck, she'd be surprised if he did anything else. Her skin crawled at the idea. Kayla kept drinking.

---

"That's... sketch."

There was something totally funky about this punch. Now, she wasn't some kind of connoisseur, but she consumed Kool-Aid more than she consumed oxygen, and she knew enough that punch wasn't supposed to have a kick to it. Her first sip, she almost tossed the thing across the room, but then she would've nailed the school's prince in the head with a projectile shooting the speed of a fastball, and that would've put a damper on her night. The prince's night too, probably. None of the names announced clocked in her head as anybody at all, just like the names on her ballot. She'd just closed her eyes and filled in the circles next to the names that stood out most. Her second sip was a bit easier to swallow. Jesus, you drank wine, just let this one slide if you don't mind...

She'd thought she'd make it through the rest of Formal night unmolested, for better or worst, when someone bumped past. Nothing too hard, not that she would've cared either way, because it would've livened up the night, but the other girl started totally flipping like she'd just shoved her to the floor. Not that she would've cared about that either. "Hey, chill, I like your dress so it's all g—..." A gasp cut the words off in her throat. "Bunny!" Poppy leaned in toward the little cotton ball tucked in her arms, a smile splitting her face. "Dude!"

Maisie said nothing. How embarrassing, fainting in a situation like that. Her fingers curled white on her lap, her blood beating against the cold. But she didn't want to go back. She didn't want to get into that situation, in the heat of the moment and the room, the clutter of eyes that all felt like they were looking at her. The gaslamp shown bright and yellow upon the ice-encrusted pathway, on which she stood, and under the faint filter of music emanating from the Grand Hall just meters away, she grabbed Liam's shoulder, his hand. "No," she whispered.

She began to lead a dance, under the beam of the lamplight, a gentle sprinkle of powdery snow falling over her shoulders, unfelt, pale as her skin. She looked into his gaze, but her own was unwavering, a gleam in her eye reflecting that of the moonlight. Each step she took in dancing to the music crunched against the cement beneath her feet, but it was graceful, delicate. Nobody watched them, not even the birds, who fluttered overhead to the backdrop of the starless, cloudy sky, from which the moon peeked through.

_________________

Logan's grip on the girl slackened for a moment, but quickly seized as her eyes fluttered, gazing to their movements. He gave her a peculiar blink of the eyes, dancing in a rotary rock, his palm hot against hers. Breathless for a moment under their shared gaze once more, his smile was wooden. "You sure you're okay to dance?" he asked. Yes, of course, she'd woken up from a debilitating coma just a week prior. She was a pegleg from being a pirate, for fuck's sake... His movement gained a sort of circular rigidity to it, like a rollercoaster without drops, careful as he kept her close to him. Perhaps it wasn't best to swing her around a moment prior; he couldn't seem to slacken his instincts without abandoning them entirely, a vegan gone carnivore, a stupid, apathetic carnivore.

_________________

Lucy's hand glided towards Anthony's hip as well, which immediately felt wrong, and she traced is upwards along his arm for a brief moment before finally finding his shoulder. Yeah, girls grabbed shoulders. She wasn't used to touching people. "My name is Lucy. Like in the sky with diamonds, like my dad always says..." she spoke a little breathlessly, choked up in an anxious excitement, dancing with a boy for the first time ever. She'd roleplayed it before in SECOND LIFE, but it was only once, when she and her boyfriend tried it out on a dare from their friends. Her boyfriend... she was dancing with another guy... Her hand seemed swallowed up by his, and he smelled like old leather, and he was handsome... but no, no, she still had a boyfriend, why did she agree to dance with this boy?

There was no getting out of it then. She gave him a guilty smile. "And your name is...?" She was thinking through flight plans more so than perking her ears for an identifier. She would never speak to this boy again, whether his name was Jon or Taric, The Shield of Valoran.