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

LJ ate the response darn it!

[danceawaypain.livejournal.com]

Blue eyes quickly looked away, gazing at the dance floor, while Penelo debated how to answer that. "I guess..." was her hesitant start to an answer. "I just can't shake the feeling that I don't really belong here. A friend asked me to come, but...I'm not really castle fete quality."

As much as it bothered her to admit it, she saw no point to lie to herself either. She knew who and what she was, and accepted it without problem. It was only at these times when faced with the clash in class differences that she cringed.

Bad LJ!!!

[dragoon-rising.livejournal.com]

Even Kain could notice that she seemed uncomfortable somehow... but wouldn't have known that to be the reason until she brought it up. He eyed the mingling nobility for a moment. They were all the same as those who attended balls back at Castle Baron. He could see Penelo's view, really, not ever being particularly into these events, himself.

"I'm only here to defend against any problems that arise... otherwise I wouldn't have come, either." Not even for Rydia and her plan. "...It's understandable to feel displaced."

[danceawaypain.livejournal.com]

A light hand was placed on the dragoon's arm. "I'm glad you did. I feel better seeing a familiar face." In fact, the more of them she saw, the less uneasy she felt.

[dragoon-rising.livejournal.com]

"You do...?" It was at least a mild surprise that she was that glad to see him, but he didn't mind it. Penelo had always been decent enough company, as far as company went, the times they'd run into one another before. He even felt somewhat more comfortable, at least at the moment. He still found himself unable to drop his guard by too much, though. "Well... I'm glad to hear that. I'll admit I've been expecting this night to end up worse than it has so far."

[danceawaypain.livejournal.com]

The reply to his question came in the form of a single nod that sent her long braids swaying.

"Maybe what we both need is a reason to enjoy ourselves," she told him, head tilted to look up at Kain and smile. It was one thing for her to feel out of place, and something entirely different to see someone else being guarded and uneasy. "I was going to ask you to dance, but if you're guarding the peace, I don't want to interrupt that."

[dragoon-rising.livejournal.com]

Being calm and having fun was never easy for Kain, even when he was in a relatively peaceful setting. He nodded slowly. "That's fine, whatever you decide..." Although, Rydia had in fact managed to pull him away thus far to dance, it had been through a great deal of insistence on her part. Sill...

[danceawaypain.livejournal.com]

"Whatever I decide?" Penelo looked up at Kain, quite curious. It wasn't a flat refusal or an acceptance. It felt terribly awkward for just a moment, and then she held out her hand. "Only if you want to." Just because she might nag Vaan into it didn't mean she'd subject just anyone to her mothering.