[open] PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES

[hall_monitors]

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.

Comments

DANCE FLOOR

[hall_monitors]

Porrim Mayam | OPEN

[jaded]

Porrim is the kind of girl who simply doesn't bother with a dance card. It's too much fuss to worry about who's who, and keeping track of whose turn it is to dance with her. It makes boys feel entitled to her attention, and that isn't something she likes to encourage. Instead, she wheels around the dance floor as she pleases, dressed in a jade green beaded dress that's the height of fashion back in New York, dancing and laughing as her feet carry her across the marble floor.

Occasionally, she'll grab someone by the hand, entreating them to join her from the sidelines and dance with her. "Come on," she calls breathlessly over the music, "life's too short to stand around hemming and hawing!"

[gstringwitch]

It's nowhere close to Christmas time, so red and green are a little too close to clashing, but I-No's not about to let a simple matter of dress color keep her from what she wants to do.

Which right now is having the music move through her, and spinning and dancing. It's perhaps inevitable that her path leads her to Porrim, and then she doesn't really hesitate, instead grabbing the other girl's hand. Time to show people how it's done, right?

[dollphilia]

Three's trying to make her way through the crowd as she tries to leave. Not for nothing, but it's already exhausting for her to be here, and the social scene wasn't for her anyway.

Hence, she has a rare moment of surprise when her hand is grabbed and stumbles over towards Porrim.

"...I'd rather not."

Reborn Mancuso | OPEN

[mafiasun]

As a teacher, the Italian is pretty much regulated to being chaperone to those enjoying themselves. Sharp eyes go from couples to couples to make sure there is an appropriate amount of space kept between them. Honestly, he doesn't care, but he has an image to maintain as a stuffy math teacher. That means he has to be a bit more strict about inappropriate dancing, regardless of how scandalous the dancing he had done in Chicago had been. It's pretty fatiguing.

He would love to go out on the floor and dance, to show these kids how it's done but instead, he continues to circle the floor, his shoes shined and his suit pressed.

He's on his third trip around when he notices something out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps he's caught you dancing too closely or maybe it's some other problem, but whatever it is, the Italian is headed right towards the issue. His voice clear and a bit too bored. "What seems to be the problem here?"

I-No | OPEN

[gstringwitch]

I-No's outfit is on the risqué side of respectable, but it's still there, because the dress is new, unmodified, and she'd been permitted to buy it. It's subtler than I-No's usual taste, a sheer red over the black base, that hints at seeing something without actually revealing it.

Either way, her dancing is enthusiastic, and she doesn't mind at all pulling people in, or pouting at them if they don't seem inclined to join on their own. She'll be more bold if she needs to after that.

Ryoji Mochizuki | OTA

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji doesn't really know the dances that most of the students are out there doing- new to America, and new to... interacting with his age group, and all. But that doesn't stop him. He'll hang around the side of the dance floor to watch for a few dances before stepping out with whatever partner looks willing and able (or... at least one of those) to try them out for himself. He's not bad, for a first-timer.

It's easy enough to drag him into a dance if you're so inclined- or perhaps he's coming up to you with a smile and offering his hand. "Care to dance?"

Nick Sorrentino | OPEN

[suitsme]

Being in the center of the dance floor just doesn't suit Nick, though he wouldn't mind taking a lady or two out for a spin. His manners are awful, but he wouldn't get far in life if he couldn't dance socially. Even so, he spends a lot of time leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He's surveying most of the scene with a frown, though he might spare a smirk or a wink for an aforementioned lady.

Eventually he makes his way to the punch, and it honestly tastes a lot like disappointment. He doesn't have the means to spike it, even if he wanted to, but if he had booze he'd be keeping it to his damn self. Maybe it's not so bad, but he's still pulling a face drinking it.

If you're a guy, he might settle against the wall next to you and raise a brow to initiate conversation. He'll cast an eye of judgement over your outfit before he shrugs. If you're a girl, he'll approach you in a gruff manner and nod unenthusiastically toward the dance floor. "C'mon wallflower, you ain't getting any younger."

Cronus Ampora | OPEN

[sensitivweartist]

Option A:

Ever since he got into music, Cronus has been pretty critical of other music. Why? Because in his opinion, he could do it so much better. So of course, he's not impressed with the musical choice the school has decided is appropriate dance music. How's a guy supposed to dance to this stuff?

So he's just sort of standing off to the side, eyeing people now and then with his fingers crossed, grumbling under his breath every now and then about how awful the music is. "What a bore," he says with a heavy sigh.

Option B:

Eventually, Cronus decides that he's had enough grumping about, so he decides to suck it up and start dancing. Of course he makes sure to get as close to the center of the fray as possible, doing a little jig as he tries to get in time to the beat of the music.

"Anyone want to dance?" he calls out confidently, his fake accent all V's and W's, as if anyone believes it at this point. "You know you want to, right?" Of course he's talking to any girl who might notice him, but with the way he's pointing and trying to get someone's attention, it's easy to mistake for trying to dance with anyone. "How about you?"

River Song OTA

[comealongsong]

River was never one to turn down a party. She stepped into the room, looking like she owned the place. It was how she always entered a room, and it seemed to work out for her.

She swayed to the music until she had been watching long enough to join in. What fun!

FOOD TABLE

[hall_monitors]

Violette "Three" Dubois | OTA

[dollphilia]

She's...not sure why she's even here- no, wait, she does. Wanting to observe people, that was it. And maybe try out some of the food to see which ones are salty, but that can wait later.

So far? Nothing and no one else has interested her yet, and she's starting to feel pretty tired, so she has taken to sleeping under the table.

Reborn Mancuso | OPEN

[mafiasun]

Here's the kill-joy again. Keeping an eye on the punch bowl. He's been here two years and he knows that the drinks can be played with. He was in Chicago when the Mickey Finn was invented and he's not about to let anyone here slip anyone a Mickey. Not on his watch. And not because alcohol is prohibited. He honestly doesn't care and might ask where they got the hooch, but because he really doesn't want to deal with drunk teenagers.

He'll flit between that and the dance floor all evening. He'll probably be one of the first ones out because he wants to be there to greet the boys that will be under his watch. They need to at least have one good memory of him before he puts the hammer down.

He sighs and checks his pocket watch making small talk with whoever is nearby. "They go out every year. I've never not impressed."

Violet Scott | OTA

[burgeoned]

Violet wasn't much of a social butterfly, and she was relieved to be here in a supervisory capacity rather than trying to force herself to get into the swing of things. She's taken a seat near the buffet table, one leg crossed over the other, and has taken to people watching.

"It's a little jarring hearing this sort of music in the old place," she'll comment to anyone close by. "How rapidly things change."

Sebastian Moran | OTA

[tigers]

Previous students of the Colonel's will know full well that the man carries a gun with him everywhere he goes. This time it's a well-kempt revolver, strapped somewhere beneath his jacket.

It isn't paranoia or fear. Rather, Moran is obsessed with the thought of finding an opportunity to use his firearms outside of the shooting range again. Deer and rabbits make for a fine enough meal, but there's no thrill in hunting something without claws. On the other hand, should a tiger escape the local zoo and find its way here, he intends to be prepared.

Until that day comes, the food table will serve as a good distraction. Moran downs a swig of punch, only to find himself grimacing when no kick follows.

"Good god, this entire country must be run by Quakers," he mumbles, dumping the rest of his glass right into the bowl. It's a wonder he managed to convince himself to leave London at all. No prohibition in effect over there, no matter how hard the killjoys have tried to make it happen in the past. Lucky he has a few bottles stashed away for later. The summer visit his sisters had coerced him into wasn't entirely unfruitful after all.

Sakutaro Morishige | OTA

[shigenii]

"Social butterfly" definitely isn't how anyone who knows him would describe Sakutaro Morishige. In fact, "wallflower" might not even do him justice. Social gatherings are completely foreign to him, and if not for the fact that he promised his parents to make an effort, he would still be hiding in his room. But instead, here he is, hugging the wall near the food table and watching the other gathered students with a sort of detached fascination. There's a lot going on, after all.

Luvander | OTA

[theveilisin]

The first stop is naturally the punch bowl, to cool himself off after the crowded dance floor and some very enthusiastic dancing. He takes a small measure and sips at it experimentally, and then says something quite inappropriate in Russian - words learned from his parents expressing their views on America and the Prohibition. Not that he imagines they'd serve alcohol at a school regardless, but complaining costs nothing. He fills up his glass even so, and moves on to the food.

He'll try a little bit of everything, admittedly not having had even half of all this kind of high-class American food, balancing it neatly side-by-side on a plate. If anything looks interesting and he can't quite reach it, he'll gesture at anyone standing nearer with a big smile, calling on their attention with a My fair flower/My dear fellow for girls and boys respectively. "Would you be so kind as to hand me... well, that." He points. "Whatever it is - I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea."

LADIES' POWDER ROOM

[hall_monitors]

Porrim Mayam | OPEN

[jaded]

After a few hours of dancing, Porrim finds it necessary to visit the ladies' lavatory to freshen up her makeup and maybe see if she can't take in some interesting gossip. Stepping neatly over a crying first-year near the door, the seventeen-year old tosses her curls, a little longer than is strictly fashionable but still trussed up in finger waves and pinned back with a jeweled hair comb, and makes her way to the long mirror above the counter. From the neat little beaded handbag trussed over her shoulder, black and sparkling and shaped like a seashell, she pulls a gold compact and begins to powder her face, flushed and a little dewy from dancing and mingling in the throng of students, and then sets that aside in favor of her lipstick.

Should anyone enter behind her, she'll glance up in the mirror between careful strokes of red. "Nice night, hmm? Did you see Jim in that awful lime-green bowtie? Horrid."

Abigail Hobbs | OTA

[souille]

Abigail feels as though she's spent more time in the bathrooms than actually out at the party. She knew as soon as she saw the brochure for Clarion that she'd have difficulty fitting in here, and the party only proves her worries. So many of the students her own age were returning rather than new like her, joyfully reuniting after the summer and swapping stories, glitzed up in their best dresses and make up. Her own clothes, practical and study, are an instant give away that she's not from a wealthy background like the majority of Clarion's student body. She'd tried to tag along with one group, but she didn't relate to the excited chatter about polo tournaments and second homes in Martha's Vineyard, and had quickly excused herself. She stares at her reflection in the mirror now, pale and exhausted and feeling as though she's an imposter here, doing a very bad job of blending in.

MENS' POWDER ROOM

[hall_monitors]

Nick Sorrentino | OPEN

[suitsme]

Nick finds his way here more often than not. Both because he's never really been the sort to party and because he's constantly fixing himself. There are lots of hot, unattached dolls out there and it's almost overwhelming, he wants to look good. He just doesn't want to, y'know, legitimately enjoy himself or anything.

"Could they get that music any damn louder?" He mutters, peering into the mirror as he runs his hands through his hair to make sure it's in place. Once that's done, he turns to lean against the wall aside it just to take a breather. Loitering in there probably makes him look suspicious, but he'll take the space while he can.

Elsewhere | Raf | Open

[negativecapability]

Raf is wearing his school uniform, still, because he doesn't really have any other clothes, but it's fine. He's not going to the dance, instead taking advantage of the fact that the library should be pretty close to deserted with everyone else in the great hall.

It's a little creepy at this hour, but he's working his way through a book on the creation of the Ottoman Empire, and he's focusing on that unless there are any noises that can't be ignored.

[youngengineer]

Tony being Tony, and what's worse, a teenaged Tony. He's wandered into the library to see how well it works for some private time during the dance. After all, if you're going to be a cat among the pigeons you have to know where you can... Eat.

What he doesn't expect to find is Ashraf. He stands back for a moment with an eyebrow raised before calling out to him as he slips his hands into his finely tailored pinstripe three-piece.

"You know. Classes don't start until tomorrow. You'll make a name for yourself being too eager, you know."

[shigenii]

Wanting to get away from all the hubbub of the welcoming dance, Morishige has literally fled the premises, choosing instead to familiarize himself with a place where he's sure he'll be spending a lot of time. Just getting away from the music and throngs of people makes him breathe a little easier, and as soon as the doors have closed behind him, he leans against them with an audible sigh.

Of course, he startles as soon as he realizes he's not alone.

"Ah, sorry," he says, straightening his posture self-consciously. "I didn't think there would be anyone else in here."