Winter Ball

A flyer has been seen around the hallways of Foresta, the paper looking well made and distributed by the teachers and well to do students. It is decorated with snowflakes and the words are typed in bright lettering to catch any passerby's attention.

In the spirit of the season Foresta Academy is hosting a Winter ball!
All students are invited to attend, with teachers and campus police chaperoning the event!
Live music and delicious food!
Formal dress required, let's dive into the holiday spirit together!
The ball will be from 6PM-11PM Dec. 25th

---

Walking into the ballroom, it is hard to believe that the school could manage to host an event so spectacular with everything that has been going on. The floors are lined with fake (and quite fluffy) snow, while the ceiling appears to have a clear night sky. Lining high around the corners of the room are candles at different sizes, adding to the almost silent night effect that the theme of the room seems to be presenting. This effect though is quickly dashed away looking to the back center of the room and seeing a live band, the music ranging depending on the requests given to the band.

Looking to the corners of the ballroom, it is easy to see the bar and the buffet table laid out for the students and teachers alike. The food consists of various meals you would eat during the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, and the two workers standing behind the bar look ready to card any student asking for alcohol. In front of the live band the dance floor stands out among everything else, a large wooden platform being raised with stairs to get into it only in the front. Christmas lights line this platform, making it seem as if any person getting up to dance would definitely be standing out among the crowd.

The student crowd themselves appear to be dressed in whites and blacks, a few blues here and there - most of the kids appearing to be in the theme of winter with a few odd balls sticking out. Most of the teachers chaperoning appear to be standing in the back of the room, attempting to let the students have their fun unless something major happens.

[OOC; Remember everyone to respect post order as well, since this is a special thread though and there have been issues in the past with being able to keep a thread like this going I will be making a guide line pertaining to just this thread. When in post order there is a person before you that has not posted and your character is having zero interaction with them and what their character does has absolutely no regard to your character (in your opinion) and in the case it takes this person longer than a week to respond please first ask if you can skip them and continue the thread. For who ever has been skipped, please feel free to jump in again at any point in time which will remake the post order and continue on with role playing. I'm putting this here in hopes of keeping this thread going for the month of December. Thank you very much, if you have any questions just PM me.]

Sandra could hardly believe how long it had been since the last school dance, it felt like it was nearly a year ago to her. Given how much of a good time she had during the winter masquerade, she felt she could use a stress buster again. Which also meant that she could reuse the dress she wore at the last dance since it was winter themed. Although, the dress wasn’t real it was an illusion. She still wasn’t secure about it working throughout the night, so she wore a backup dress underneath. It was a plain white one that was relatively cheap. She decided to keep her glasses on this time around since her contacts were annoying her so much the last time.

As for the dress itself, the skirt of it was large and puffy looking almost cotton-like and brightly white. The torso half of the dress was sleeveless and a sort of off beige colour. There were snowflake designs sprinkled all over the front half of the torso and they had a glitter-ish glow to them. In the center of the chest was an emerald emblem that broke up the snowflake design slightly. Her silky hazelnut hair was curling at their tips making it seem shorter than her usual.

She entered the ballroom with in a fancy sort of pace considering how expensive her dress looked to be. She didn’t come with anyone since she knew quite a few people around the school and there was bound to be someone she knew. Although, most people she did know weren’t exactly the type of people who would attend a school dance, but maybe she'll be surprised. She avoided too large of crowds since her powers still made her feel uncomfortable around other people, but she was trying to ease that fear into the back of her mind so that she could still have a good time.

The current music coming from the band was the kind of songs to ease people into dancing, though they were probably saving the best numbers for later in the night when more people would be active. Sandra didn’t care to dance just yet, so she wandered near the bar hoping to either recognize someone or have someone recognize her.

    Jason quietly sat at the bar partially irritated while at the same time on edge.  Jason had grown accustom to the fact that when he lived at home he was able to by drinks from bars and pubs at 16, but here the rules were much different.  While sitting there he was slowly sipping on his coke wishing that it had some Jack Daniels or something added to it,while at the same time seeing if the person he was waiting on would actually show or if it would be a bust.

    Jason let out a small sigh, "Wonder if it was stupid of me to just leave the note under the door like that." he thought to himself out loud.  There was something about this girl that made Jason want to see her, while at the same time there had never been anything in his life that made him so indecisive and shy.  

    It took Jason alot of courage, as well as a pretty penny to afford the new suit he got.  He was dressed in an onyx black suit jacket with matching pants and shoes.  His button down shirt was a silvery color with long sleeves, and only what could be described as a "festive" Christmas tie with the picture of a couple of small snowmen on it.

    While Jason remain quiet sitting at the bar, hoping not to die from being so far out of his comfort zone, he saw the first familiar face walk through the door.  It had been a long while since he last talked with Sandra, and it would be nice to catch up with the first person he met in Foresta.  Jason breathed a small sigh of relief.  "Well at least there is one person here I know and can talk to if my date doesn't show up." he mumbled to himself.

Avery quietly entered that ballroom, eyebrows raising at the impressive setup that the school had done to the place. She smiled softly and slowly moved to the edge of the room where there weren't many people as of yet. She looked down at herself, judging whether the dress was good enough or not. The dress itself was a strapless, form-fitting dress that ended at her knees. The dress was a bright white color, a black tree-branch design drawn over her torso. There was a black, silk sash drawn around her waist that hung down to the end of the dress on the very edge. Her hair was straightened and hung down to the middle of her back.

Just as she entered the room, a pair of unfriendly eyes lighted on her, followed by two or three more pairs. She didn't see the people they belonged to, but she felt slightly uneasy. Avery quietly moved to the bar, standing at the opposite end of where Jason sat drinking. She looked around the room, searching for the unfriendly eyes, unsuccessfully as it were. She shook her head, discounting it as a simple suspicion.

Avery, however, had come in hopes that certain people would show up, and she had been yet to see any of them up to this point. She quietly wrapped her arms around herself, a slightly disappointed look making its way onto her previously excited-looking face.

Classy. That's what she was going for. Classy and not flashy in any way. This night was for the students. Kestrel wasn't sure how she'd wound up with chaperone duty instead of search duty, but she considered this to be the short end of the stick. Her better-than-average night vision could be put to more efficient use outside on patrol or keeping an eye out for the missing students.

Andy was bored, but he had been quiet since the bar incident. Kestrel's moss-green eyes drifted from student to student, paying particular attention to those at the bar or near drinks. At her last school, students were notorious for slipping alcohol into the communal punch bowl.

At least the students here were living up to the idea that this was a formal event, with manners required. They were dressed in enviably nice clothing. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on the opinion), Caroline had taken her to get appropriate formal clothing when she voluntold Kestrel to be a chaperone. Kestrel now stood in the background, wearing an off-white dress that was borderline peachy in the right light. The color set off her runner's tan, and it was cut in such a way that some of her stranger tan lines weren't as obvious. It also didn't show off too much skin.

It had lacy capped sleeves, and the lace extended down the sides of the dress to just below her hips. A sash accented her narrow waist and the dress's elegant lines swept down the floor. When she did move, it flowed around her gracefully. Her shoes were ballet flats of a similar color (slightly darker, in fact) since Kestrel didn't need to add any more height.

She had combed her hair to the side and, for good measure, placed a simple gold headband in it, matching the simple box-charm on a chain around her neck. Occasionally, Kestrel fidgeted with the box, not sure what to do with her hands otherwise.

Perez hurried down the staircase into the entrance hall. The dark suit he wore snapped well with his glasses, which he was wearing for once, but wasn't overly flattering on his lighter physique. He hadn't gelled his hair up either, so although he looked a lot smarter than usual, he also appeared strangely in the mirror in his room.

He fiddled nervously with one of the sleeves, perfectly aware dancing may not be a wonderful option for him and even if he could it would be difficult. He was still willing to give this a shot. None of his schools had had dances and this was a good opportunity to get to know some more people.


As he turned to head to where the dance would be taking place, he caught sight of someone else. If he weren't wearing his glasses, he wouldn't have noticed the small boy curled in the corner. Part of him didn't want to deal with anything emotional, but the boy looked kind of like he was crying, which swayed his judgment.


The boy had on a suit which seemed slightly off on a boy so small, but he managed it. It was a dark navy blue color and included a waistcoat, but with his face buried in his arms it was hard to see.


Perez walked over and hunched next to the boy. “Are you okay?” He asked.


The boy slowly lifted his head. One half of his face was covered behind a pale mask, so Perez couldn't see anything, even his eye.  The other eye was a little damp like he was withholding tears.

“It’s Christmas time. It’s meant to be fun, with your family and friends but…”


“Come on, you can sort that out. You won’t have fun if you just stay here.”


He helped the smaller boy up off the floor.


“I’m Perez.”


“Elias.”


“Okay, Elias, you might as well try to enjoy this even if you feel down. I’ll try and keep it fun.”


Elias looked unsure, although it was hard to read with just one eye showing. However, he followed Perez as he headed towards the dance, and as they entered the room he stayed close by the older boy’s side.


Perez didn't particularly want to try dancing with his foot issues and so he stayed near the edge of the room, trying to work out how to cheer up the smaller boy next to him.

Olwen stepped into the ballroom and looked over the somewhat fancy decor. She saw a few people already grouping off with friends and a few standing alone off to the edge of the room. Not seeing anyone who she knew well enough to be comfortable talking with, she started towards a corner of the room closest to the music. With her head down, she averted peoples eyes. Not wanting to hear their thoughts or make things any more awkward than it could already be.

As she stood off in the corner with her head down, she glanced over her apparel. She had wanted to blend into the crowd a little so she wore a lacy black dress that was longer in back than it was in front. Out of habit, she would move her hand to her bare shoulders to pull the sleeve up before she remembered that it was supposed to be like that. Her long black hair was pulled up in a curly bun and she had to constantly tuck in loose hairs.

Glancing around again and felt a little bit lonely. Not knowing anyone didn't help either, it just made her feel a little bit smaller.

 The lack of sleep was a common thing to Bach, especially staying up for the last two days of staking out in random places of the academy. There was an increased sign of small spiritual activity around the area, which is mostly because of the nearing of winter that usually drives ghosts to stir up. Bach, being the protective priest he is, took the time to sanctify the ballroom earlier on from the huge crowd of students hanging about. He was able to let a few spirits inside so they can enjoy themselves as well, yet Bach made them promise to not cause any trouble.

Bach made a huge yawn with a hand hovering over his mouth. Sitting on the sidelines, near the wear the punch bowl is, he stared at the crowd despite his drooping eyes. At least the music is keeping him awake from all this. He adjusted his priest uniform with one arm while the other is hold his head to the side.

In the short time she took to scan the bar, she spotted at least one familiar face. Sandra had to use a double take in order to identify Jason since his attire was not the type she was used to seeing him in and of all the people she knew around the school she felt he was the least likely to see. His unique silver hair was a dead giveaway though. It had been a long time since she had seen him and given that they both appeared to be alone at the moment it couldn‘t hurt to at least say hello.

She gave a quick pace over to a seat next to Jason, though trying to mind the length of her strides so that her legs didn’t faze straight through her dress. She turned over to face him as soon as she got to her chair. “This seat isn’t taken is it?” Sandra asked while she proceeded to sit without his invitation.

“Man, it’s been a while hasn’t it? I didn’t think you were into this kind of social get together type of thing” she stated as she made herself comfortable by leaning against the bar top slightly. She had a few predictions of what he may answer with, but she didn’t need to bombard the man with them. Besides, she was already enjoying her thoughts of him being some kind of professional dancer that gets his kicks by outperforming people at school dances. It was an absurd thought, but she was probably going to enjoy it more than his actual reason.

"So, what brings you here?"

Jupiter had been surprised when she had read the note that had been lying under her door, after all her and Jason had only met once - she found it hard to believe that she had made such an impression on him. Frowning as she walked into the ballroom, Jupiter wore a knee-length white sweater dress that clung to her body in quite a complimentary manner. The dress had sleeves that stopped near her elbows, the overall appearance of the dress making it seem as if Jupiter was most likely very warm in her clothing. Around her neck the young woman wore a silver necklace with a miniature version of the planet Jupiter.

Carefully looking around the room, it took the girl only a few minutes to spot the person she came for as she started to walk over to him - her boots which were beige and stopping midway up her calf making a clicking noise as she walked. Finally stopping near Jason, the young woman waved shyly. "Hi," she said to Jason - glancing over at Sandra and greeting the girl in the same manner.

    It had only been a few minutes since Jason had arrived and he was already starting to feel on edge.  He had the strange sensation bothering him, that he was being watched, or he was just being paranoid.  Despite trying his best to blend into the crowd, nothing could change the fact about how his hair made him stand out.  Jason considered using his powers to hide it, but it would just be a pain trying to maintain it, as well as possibly dancing.  It also crossed his mind that powers were most likely forbidden from being used at the ball.

    Finally Jason was met with a familiar face at the bar.  To his surprise Sandra was here.  It had been a while since he had hung out with her.  "It's not really my sort of thing, but I figured I don't really have anywhere else to be.  I kind of expected this to be smaller than it is since it is Christmas time and all that.  Aren't most of the students going home to visit their families?" Jason responded to her.

    As Jason finished saying what he was saying to Sandra, he noticed Jupiter was dressed beautifully.  Jason couldn't help but smile when she shyly waved hi to him.  "Hey glad to see you could make it to the dance Jupiter." he said with a small smile on his face trying to hide his excitement seeing her again.

|| Enough time has been allowed for the person ahead of me to post- she can jump in at a later point. ||


Felix was not the kind of person to turn down a public event. He delighted in the attention that large gatherings could afford, and he took equal pleasure from watching other people. It was in dances and dinners that the real intrigues could emerge and the juiciest pieces of information could be gleaned. All one had to do was listen.

He had been quite bored with the standard "understood" color scheme of the evening. The last dance he'd attended had been the masquerade and he was determined to top his outfit from that evening. With his particular set of skills (though people might begin to wonder about his priorities if all they ever saw of his power were silly illusion effects), it had been a cinch to throw something together that was both tasteful and eye-catching.

Felix had been torn between several different ideas, with vastly different focuses. At first, he wanted to pull from different accounts of the Erlkonig, or the Erlking, plying his fellows with a fae, otherworldly allure with a touch of darkness and death in his silent movements. He dismissed that almost immediately since he had a feeling that absolutely nobody would get it and he would be completely out of place. He toyed with the idea of just using a different color scheme than the one he knew most of his peers would be going with- his idea for Azcalxochizin Ortiz's costume from the masquerade had been rooted in the same premise.

Again, he dismissed the idea summarily. It was one thing to stand out, it was another to be dismissed as somebody who just wasn't a team player (he really wasn't, but nobody needed to know that) just on the basis of clothing.

Finally, he settled on something simple and classy. The inspiration had come from a clandestine walk under a moonlit sky. As he'd conscientiously avoided the adults of the school, he looked up at the night and marveled at the lack of light pollution. Puffs of steam had fled from his mouth and he tried to ignore the uncomfortable clamminess of shoes filling up with melted snow.

The detention had been worth it (of course he'd gotten caught, standing there staring upwards with his mouth open like a blithering idiot), since it had allowed him to further cement his plans and create rudimentary sketches of the final project.

His suit had all of the cold depth of a Winter night sky, along with the unparalleled starscape he'd witnessed above the school. When he moved, the vantage of the constellations indelibly magicked into his garment moved as well. His shirt held a similar effect, but his tie and cuff-links were a luminous white, like he'd taken the moon and cut it down for material. It was striking without being gaudy. His skin and hair almost glowed, and that was almost certainly due to the enchantment of his clothing. His hair, usually somewhere between henge and battleship gray, seemed more greyish-white this evening, almost metallic under the low lights of the candles and the expanse of night sky that had replaced the ceiling.

The final effects were only noticeable when he moved. He made absolutely no noise- the very nature of Winter was the stillness of it- and his suit seemed to trail snowflakes behind his every movement. These snowflakes disappeared quickly (he was good, but he was not that good), but he considered the result to be charming. Overall, he congratulated himself on his subtlety. This was nothing like showing up to a masquerade as a drowned man.

Felix arrived precisely when he wanted to; getting there too early would have been boring. No, he only showed up when he knew others had time to settle in. He pushed the doors to the ballroom open and smiled his most dashing smile. His reddish-brown eyes flitting from face to face, and he noted those present with a rapidity that could only be credited to much practice. His smile widened when he saw a familiar figure in a familiar dress.

He sidled up behind her, noting her companions with a casual nod, and said, "I wasn't sure if I could expect the Snow Maiden this time around." He'd caught the boy's comment about the students going home to visit their families and he offered a shrug and a low chuckle. "If personal experience is any indication, Foresta is going to be the most welcoming place most of the students here could stay for the holidays." That said, he said to the person handing out drinks, "Ice water."


--------


"This is monotonous. At least get something to drink."

Before Kestrel could send him a warning thought, he amended, "I wasn't going to suggest anything alcoholic. Just something else to do with your hands instead of fidget with that damned necklace. You're driving me crazy."

The semantics of who was driving whom crazy were not the sorts of things Kestrel wanted to give much thought to, especially since there was no end in sight for her coexistence with Andy, so she shrugged and muttered, "In a little bit. I'm not thirsty yet and this is a good spot to stand and be the responsible adult."

The last dance had gone really well, somebody had told her. No real problems, despite the fact that everybody had been masked. It had been amazing, Caroline had told her as they'd gone through protocol prior to the dance, nobody had tried to sneak alcohol into the drinks, nobody had copped a feel on the dance floor or started the sorts of dances that seemed to be more than just dancing.

And, so far, it seemed like this dance was going to be equally uneventful. Kestrel marveled at some of the clothing the students showed up in- some of them definitely had more money than she had growing up. Some of the clothes... well, they just didn't hit the eye right. They were most certainly more than just suits and dresses.

TIME IS NOW 6:30PM FOR THIS THREAD.

As she was greeted by Jason, the young woman couldn't help a tiny blush that creeped up on her cheeks. She briefly fiddled with her necklace though before responding to him. "I'm not late, am I?" she asked Jason with a concerned expression. She suspected that it might have taken Jason a bit of courage to ask her to come to the dance with him and she felt just a little bit guilty that she hadn't reached out to him before hand to make plans to meet up and walk in together. Shaking the thoughts out of her mind though, Jupiter briefly noticed another person join them talking to the girl that had been talking too Jason.

---

It had been a few days after his first meeting with Martina and it had taken quite a bit convincing to let him stick around the school during the dance. He truly hadn't meant for things to happen the way they did, but it appeared to him that his cousin was a lot quicker to anger than he had ever been. Having been in the ballroom just an hour or two preparations had been made for the students, it had been interesting to him watching how everyone interacted to make the event so spectacular looking. As per usual, many people didn't notice him despite the surprisingly kind expression he held on his face.

Walking over to the bar, just a few feet away from a group of students that seemed to be enjoying themselves - Nathan requested a glass of Henesey on the rocks. At his request though the bartender seemed to have hesitated for a moment before serving him his drink. Nathan noticed the expression that he had been given, feeling a bit depressed. As much as he had tried, it was hard not to feel bad for himself every now and then with the situation he had placed himself in.

Sandra nodded to Jason’s answer and didn’t really make a comment since they were soon joined by a third party. Sandra returned a wave and a sweet smile to Jupiter, unsure of who she was or what relation she was to Jason. She was quickly beginning to suspect that she was going to become the third wheel. She just detracted her eyes slightly from the couple, searching the room for another familiar face before her fate was destined.

Luckily enough for Sandra, a familiar face came to her. His movements were so silent, so subtle she couldn’t have enough heard him approaching. Then again, with the amount of sound bouncing across the room an elephant could’ve swept up behind her and she wouldn’t have heard a thing. The mere sound of his voice creeping into her ear was enough to make her heart skip a beat or two. She quickly twisted her stool around to meet Felix’s face. “Rudy!” she exclaimed with little restraint. Her arms twitched a bit as she wanted to swing for a hug, but she quickly reminded herself of her powers and the state of her dress.

“Yeah, I got a little lazy this year. I don’t usually have occasions that call for dresses and dresses that look this good are expensive. Not sure if that breaks some unwritten prom rule, but whatever” she spoke nonchalantly. She took a quick moment to analyze his attire which was definitely not the same wear he had last year. It was astonishing work nonetheless. “Man, you either have a lot of money to blow on your outfits or you have one damn good tailor” she complimented abruptly.

New arrival at five-o-clock, Andy commented in a bored tone as Kestrel scanned the ballroom. He's getting something to drink.

Kestrel almost missed him, but there he was. It wasn't like the guy was short or anything- he had to be just slightly taller than she was and she was relatively tall for a girl. He just... didn't stand out. If there was anybody cut out to be a private detective, it was him.

She didn't hesitate for a moment since she'd wanted to get something to drink for a while now and this was just a further excuse to go check up on this new development.

Getting across the ballroom was an exercise in graceful maneuvering around moving obstacles. Students pretty much saw through all adults here in their haze of social activity, so she was jostled and bumped into several times. She almost got splashed with punch as well, which had caused a couple seconds of panic as she checked herself for red juice.

When she finally got over to the other side of the ballroom (though her voyage hadn't taken more than a couple minutes, it felt like longer), the man had already received his drink. Her sharp eyes noted the lack of a VISITOR badge, which led her to the next most logical conclusion.

"They generally don't like chaperons to drink on the job. Or... are you off the clock?" Kestrel said this without judgment, her mouth holding an easy smile. She leaned against the bar backwards so she could keep an eye on the students on the dance floor. "We had a pretty good turnout tonight- it's nice to see all of the students put such pride into their appearances without opting for blatant physicality." In this case, she meant "sex appeal" when she said physicality, but she didn't really want to sully the atmosphere by putting that term out there when students could overhear them.

She let out a sigh of contentment. "What a cool place. I never thought I'd teach at a school like this. Did you?"

---

Felix grinned at Sandra and her wholehearted response to his arrival. It felt gratifying, though not in the standard way. He leaned his cheek in his hand as he listened to her work through the reasons she'd reused her dress from last year. He wasn't sure why her perusal of his form suddenly made him uneasy, but that unease vanished when he was complimented.

Felix beamed at her and replied, "I often make my own clothing, but this is an exception. I have a part-time job and that helps me pay for some of my extravagances." He didn't specify what his job was, nor did he care to. Despite the fact that Sandra was the one person he'd been most straightforward with at school, he wasn't willing to give up all of his own business just yet. "If you ever have an issue with getting all fancied-up for an event, just come find me," he offered. "I helped several people at the last dance."

He was on the verge of adding something else when he was interrupted by a tapping at his shoulder. When Felix turned around, he found that it was another boy about his age, with brooding features and hair an ash-brown color. The boy was about four or five inches taller than Felix and significantly more muscular, as could be seen despite his tuxedo. Felix's enthusiasm waned abruptly, but the only outward sign of it was in his eyes.

The boy swallowed and said, "Good evening, Felix. Can I talk to you? Privately?"

Felix's answer was blunt. "No. I'm busy." He turned back to Sandra. "Where were we?"

The boy's disturbance could be felt through the back of Felix's suit and he dutifully ignored the other student until-

"You can't treat me like this!" The shout was startling, but Felix didn't flinch.

Felix replied, his tone dismissive and cool. "Oh? And why is that? You're going to prevent everybody else from having a nice time because you feel slighted?" His position at the counter had not changed since the beginning of the encounter. If anything, he seemed to relax even more.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you-" The boy gripped Felix's shoulder and wheeled him around, and Felix didn't bother fighting the other boy's strength.

Once he was completely turned around, he slapped the boy's hand away in irritation. "Leave my clothing out of this." He looked disdainfully at the other student, "You're behaving like such a child. Did you really think that a display like this is making you more attractive?" Felix waved a hand at the boy, who was getting more and more flustered with every passing moment. Especially since they were attracting a good deal of attention.

A chaperon nearby leaned away from the bar, but didn't have to intervene because the other student stormed off as quickly as he'd showed up. Felix smirked at the boy's retreating back, but then shrugged to himself and returned his attention to Sandra. "You won't even have to pay my standard fee if you ask early enough," he said, continuing where he'd left off, as if nothing had happened. And as though he were granting Sandra some great favor by this one offer.