Let The Spectacle Astound You

[tidesnpcs.livejournal.com]

Characters: OPEN
Progress: Continuous
Summary: The party you've all been waiting for: the Grand Ball of Alexandria!
Location: Palace Alexandria
Date: June 21st, 1803
Warnings: TBA. Eventually, Violence.

For weeks, the palace had been abuzz with activity; even more so than usual. On top of the usual hustle and bustle of daily life, there were the extensive preparations to be done for the festival, and this, the grand finale. The palace's largest ballroom had been decorated from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Long elaborate draperies of silk and chiffon in white and cream, the stairs lined in a rich, crimson carpeting. Gold and silver everywhere, framing the large windows and the door opening out to the courtyard. A warm summer evening, with the roses in full bloom. Flowers adorned every table, column, and doorway. It wasn't just the ballroom that had been decorated, however; the entire palace was decked in regalia, the staff having obviously anticipated the crowd to be much larger than usual.

All around the palace, inside and out, the guard was on high alert. Every guest was greeted, checked, and in the case of the higher-ranked, announced to the company at large. The sun had not quite set, and already the ballroom was half full; nobles and low-born alike, natives and foreigners, all dressed in their best. The guest of honor had yet to make her appearance, but no one seemed to be fussed by the fact.

But the night was young, and there was bound to plenty of seeing and being seen before the night was over.

[[ooc: Here we go, everyone! Party style still applies. Tag in, tag each other, mingle, HAVE FUN!... while you can. Thread jumping and ninja tagging is encouraged. ^.^]]

Update: A fist fight broke out on page two. Feel free to ninja in to spectate, generally comment or gasp, or just read it and have a laugh. Appropriate authority figures... Squall, Steiner, etc may need to step in.

Comments

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

Locke reached up to adjust his bandanna before remembering that he had removed it for the party. He had been surprised many times this evening by his friends and Rydia was no exception. He just didn't realize she could look quite like that. He had to swallow hard before he could even begin to answer her.

"I didn't know that...I do? Thank you, But..." Locke didn't seem to be able to put together more than two coherent words at a time. Finally, he rubbed his hands together more in an attempt to get his bearing than for any real reason.

He summoned all his determination into giving her a real response, "You look enchanting tonight, Rydia."

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

She smiled a the compliment, ignoring a waiter who was wandering around and offering glasses of wine to those not currently dancing. "Thank you. It's always nice to hear. I hope your dancing goes well tonight. Hopefully, my rushed teaching is adequate enough."

She thought it was sweet that Locke had put in so much effort toward being suitable for his date. There was a slight wistfulness, thinking that it was unlikely anyone would make such an effort for her. Celes was a lucky woman.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

He still looked uneasy over the thought of dancing. "I couldn't have learned how to dance without you. How can I thank you."

The more he thought about dancing, the more nervous he became. "I should have practiced more last night. I'm not good enough yet."

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

"You'll be fine! As long as you follow what I told you, you'll at least be able to muddle through the basic dances. No one's expecting professional-level skill, here." Rydia glanced around to see if Locke's date was nearby, then shrugged. "I suppose we could try it one more time, if that would calm your nerves some."

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

Locke still wasn't sure that he could actually dance, but he couldn't very well tell Rydia no, seeing as how she had helped him late into the night. He could only hope that he had learned as much as she thought he had.

As they made their way to the dance floor, the music suddenly turned slow. He closed his eyes in an effort to remember where to place his hands. He put his arms out as best as he remembered before daring to open his eyes, looking to her for affirmation that he had begun correctly.

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

Rydia nodded encouragingly, only modifying her position a touch. She did her best to guide them without actually taking the lead, hoping Locke's steps would fall into place with hers. Any faltering was met with a smile. "You're doing fine. Don't think about it too much, just move." It was fortunate the beat was slow, and she hoped managing such simple moves would bolster his confidence.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

It was all he could do to keep from looking at his feet and counting, but he was determined to heed her instructions and keep his eyes on the woman. He was still worried about stomping on her feet, until her smile melted his tension away.

Finally, he allowed himself to enjoy dancing with this woman. His cheeks flamed when realization struck that he had been touching bare skin all along, causing him to miss yet another step.

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

That step nearly landed on Rydia's foot, but she assumed that Locke was still getting the hang of it. The only response given was a reassuring smile, not about to let him think that slip up had to end the dance. For her part, she just tried to convey that calm assurance that would hopefully allow him to forget about focusing on the steps themselves so much. Once he could do that, she thought he'd manage just fine.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

Expecting her to give up on him, he struggled to remember everything she had taught: from the actual steps of the dance to the placement of the hands. He had lost count of the number of times she had conveyed that a lady's hand was not to be held as though it was a weapon. Tonight however, he caressed it as though he was picking a lock.

As a final resort, he looked into her eyes. He was surprised to find her still a willing partner. Even after all the mistakes he had made, she was still dancing with him. It was slow in coming, but he finally understood her final lesson. He was now ready to dance.

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

Rydia's smile widened a touch as the music wound towards an end. "Much better. I knew you had it in you." She nodded approvingly, glad to see that the lessons learned were sinking in--he had just needed some time to let that happen.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

As the song concluded, he stood there in disbelief. He had actually completed a dance, and his partner was still in one piece. Forgotten for the moment, were the missed steps and stomped toes.

A huge weight lifted from his being, "Rydia, I just danced… You and me, we just danced.”

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

Rydia laughed, though not unkindly. "That we did! And once you learn how, it doesn't really go away. You'll see, when you dance again tonight." She noddded encouragingly, certain he could manage on his own now.

[notathiefcole.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure I can dance without your help?"

While he had gained experience in this new artform, it would take more success before he exhibited true confidence. He would put Rydia's lessons to good use tonight.

The only question that remained was how effective they would be without the instructor present.

He realized he owed a debt of gratitude to the Mist Summoner. One day, he would find an appropriate gift, but tonight the simple would have to suffice.

"Thank you."

[eidolon-soul.livejournal.com]

Rydia nodded.

"You're welcome. And yes, I'm sure you can do it. Go show your date!" She smiled, not wanting him to think she was running him off, but she didn't want to monopolize his time when his date might be waiting.