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Clarion Mods ([personal profile] hall_monitors) wrote in [community profile] clarionprep2016-01-16 03:07 pm

[open] PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES

who | Everyone, students and staff alike!
what | An opening mixer to celebrate the beginning of the school year.
when | Friday, September 16th, 1921
where | The Great Hall.
summary / warnings | Everyone is invited to put on their glad rags and strap on their mary-janes for a night of music, dancing, light refreshments and polite socialization. Please warn for language, etc in individual threads.








It's a beautiful, crisp September evening, and outside the wind blows gently, rustling crisp leaves and sending piles of them scattering across the stone courtyard. It might be chilly outdoors, but inside, the Great Hall is warm and inviting.

The crystal chandeliers overhead have been lit with hundreds of candles, sending warm light dazzling over the walls and the marble floor, and up on the dais at the far end, a jazz band is playing lively music, the trumpet and saxophone underscored by steady drums and the thrum of the upright bass.

Students and staff alike have turned out in their best fall fashions; hair has been pin-curled all afternoon in preparation, the ladies' dorms abuzz with hot irons and hairpins and pressed powder--the gentlemen's, with spit-shined shoes and starched bow-ties and the scent of hair grease.

The cooks have been hard at work in the kitchen; along one wall are lined table filled with fancy canapés, bowls of sweet punch (non-alcoholic, of course!), sweets, and various other fancy foods. Students stand near these tables making chitchat while taking a break from dancing, mingling with their classmates and maybe making new friends while they're at it.

The center of the room is filled with lively dancers, rich and poor kids alike showing off the newest dance craze--mainly the Charleston, though it's yet to earn that name as the song won't be released for another two years--as well as the foxtrot and the waltz, when the music allows for it. Shoes click smartly against the marble floor, beads and tassels fly, and curls bounce as students let off the last bit of steam before the semester begins on Monday.

As the night goes on, the punch and canapés are gradually replaced by hot chocolate and cider and slices of pie for dessert, as a last treat before the evening inevitably draws to a close and students are shuffled off to bed--though some may choose to linger, or sneak around the empty school after-hours, if they're daring and not quite ready to sleep.
shigenii: (pic#9916123)

[personal profile] shigenii 2016-01-19 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
It's no surprise that one of the first people Morishige speaks to at this little get-together is an adult; he's often too chilly to get along with students his age, although he doesn't yet consider himself to have the maturity or life experience to really connect with adults either.

"Is it not to your tastes?" he asks, from where he's hugging the wall near the buffet. "Although I must admit, the clash between the music and the decor is quite a large one."
burgeoned: (❧ 13)

[personal profile] burgeoned 2016-01-21 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's a little loud for me," Violet admits, straightening up and trying to look more like a responsible teacher rather than simply slouching in the corner of the party. "But it looks like most of the pupils are enjoying it, which is important." Saying that makes her realise that she hasn't seen Morishige cutting a rug with the rest of them on the dancefloor. "I'm guessing it's not your cup of tea either?"
shigenii: (pic#9916158)

[personal profile] shigenii 2016-01-22 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"When my doctor told me to avoid vigorous activity, I believe that this would have made the list," Morishige answers, a small smile on his face as he indicates a particularly vivacious group of students dancing their hearts out. "Besides, I'm hardly coordinated enough for this sort of thing. The last thing I want to do is humiliate myself in front of everyone before classes have even started. I'll have plenty of time to do that later."
burgeoned: (❧ 09)

[personal profile] burgeoned 2016-01-26 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Her smile dims a little as she regards him a little more kindly. She couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid making a fool of himself; she'd gone to great efforts to do the same when she was here, even if she regretted not jumping into the midst of things in hindsight. "I'm sure there'll be something more suited to you as the term progresses. If not, let me know and we'll make sure to organise something."
shigenii: (pic#9916121)

[personal profile] shigenii 2016-02-03 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Her kindness surprises him, and Morishige looks taken aback for a moment before he smiles again, this one a bit wider and a bit less sardonic. "Thank you very much," he says, and it's obvious that he means it. "I'm assuming that you're a teacher here. What subject?"