trans_9 | Enchanted Aquatica---the Prom [WIDE OPEN Y'ALL]

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Enchanted Aquatica---the Prom [WIDE OPEN Y'ALL]

The day had finally arrived for her big event, and Starfire couldn't be happier---or more nervous, actually. She was certainly not an expert on the inner workings of a prom, but it couldn't be too terribly complicated, right? As long as the people could eat, dance, and talk, it should be a reasonable success.

With that in mind, her decorations sprung from her mind into the large dome all around her, transforming a grey Sensorium into a beautiful underwater world, one with clear waters and free from the possibility of a shark attack.

The first change was the scent of the air, shifting into the comforting salty scent of the seas. Then the ground beneath her feet became a hardened sandstone, maintaining the gritty texture while remaining easy to walk upon---except for the smooth dance floor, of course. The grey dome transformed into a flowing bluish-green, rippling all around with fish of all colors passing in the background. Some of the 'sky' faded into a violet tone over the dance floor, lit by glowing circular lights in every color. Suspended in midair, they almost looked like motionless fireflies, though they sometimes swayed in tune with songs.

Tables arose from coral in all colors, rising from the ground and twisting to provide a flattened surface on the very top---rounded ones for guests, and long tables off to the side containing shell-bowls of food. Chairs were large floating clam shells with well cushioned interiors, some large enough to hold two people. More comfortable spongy places to sit were also littered across the area, notably by the large shell-shaped enclosure that was the promised swimming pool. It too was lit by the floating lights, providing what she hoped was a romantic atmosphere.

Finally, the glowing stage above the dance floor couldn't help but attract attention with its chairs. Six royal thrones and one plush chair of all colors directly in the middle rested in the back of the stage, leaving the front open for announcements. Just off to the side of the stage stood the DJ's table, with even that machine painted to match the soft underwater glow of the scenery.

Everything finally seemed pleasing to Starfire. With one last change, dressing herself in the formal attire of the prom, she sent out the signal to everyone and waited. She hoped they would have a wonderful time.

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He laughed at her little freestyle bit and snatched her hand to pull her back in. "You are very adept at this. It is a favorite hobby of yours?" He asked, raising his voice to speak over the music that filled the room.

Nokosi placed a hand on her back again and sidestepped to the left then ducked underneath her arm. His arm went right back up around her waist while the other clasped her hand, high to the side. Back and forth they swayed, until he used the momentum to swing her out until their arms were fully extended. He followed up by spinning her right back into place beside him.

"You better believe it!" Kaya said, and then proceeded to skip step again to the music, swaying her hips but keeping her motions jerky rather than fluid like usual. She kicked up her feet a little, and then joined Nokosi again.

And dancing with him, she could see how th succession of the dance came from improvisation and keeping with the beat of the music. The hand at her back, him sliding under her arm: she saw that it was a kind of way to almost play fight with each other, even though they were both a part of the same beat. She swayed with him again, and then he swung her and she squealed, then he spun her back up. She replied with a double somersault, and then dance back toward him, taking his hands again, pulling him toward him, then back, and then taking his hand and letting him side her under him and then over his back.

He wasn't very strong by Azerothian standards, but climbing trees and archery every day of his life had given him strength beyond your average commoner. As such, lifting the girl dancing alongside him seemed effortless. If they danced the entire night away, he was sure to feel it in the 'morning'.

Still, that was plenty of time away and right now he was keeping his gaze focused to catch all the moves Kaya seemed to be pulling from her bag of tricks. No doubt that she was definitely better at the whole thing than he was.

By the time the song began dying down, he could feel his heart thumping against his ribcage and the adrenaline shooting through his body. It was an exerting form of dance, but so very worth it.

She didn't mind being lifted and moving to the music, especially when Nokosi was more than willing to move her about. She grinned, pulling herself backward and then coming forward again.

It was a kind of complicated dance, one that required her to be extra attentive and to sway her hips more. She grinned, moving with Nokosi, getting onto his groove.

When they stopped, she was atop him, laughing and out of breath. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Exceedingly so," he breathed, wiping a long sleeve over his brow. He slid an arm around her midsection to support her as he walked them over to the lengthy row of chairs that lined the 'wall' of the event. His face was flushed with exertion, but cheeriness danced in his eyes.

"I would like to do that again before this is all over, I think! And I must say that I am also impressed at your skills of dance, Kaya. Were I not involved in such things as well, I would have been content to watch you move."

She was deft and held a certain grace with it as well. It was much like watching a ribbon swaying about in the air and the simplicity of such was something he could be entranced by.

Kaya was out of breath by the time he head them over to the chairs, but she was flushed and smiling, looking beside herself with happiness. It wasn't often that Kaya was able to enjoy herself like this, especially so freely, but it had been worth every minute of it.

"All thanks have to really go to you, Nokosi! I've never actully danced to this kind of music, but it has an energy all of its own making. I just danced to the way it sounded. It's a little bit like trying to get into the groove of someone's fighting style, really."

Believe, Kaya would like nothing better than to get back on the dance floor once they had some time for refreshments and cooling off.

"No thanks are necessary," he replied as he took a seat one of the chairs. "I am rather glad I chanced upon such a thing, though. The sound alone was a delectable experience!" Oh and how he loved music, sound, noise. He and the Media Library were going to be spending plenty of time together for that reason, alone.

"Besides that, I have to thank you for inviting me to an event I would have otherwise known little of," he said, pulling his friend into a hug. He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek before releasing her. "It has been very enjoyable so far!"

Nokosi turned his sights back to the dance floor and the different people who were shuffling there as the next song blared to life. This was very different than most of the 'social' events he had attended, but in a completely good way. And on the plus side, he hadn't managed to cause some sort of strange scene or strike Kaya with a case of terminal embarrassment! There was still plenty of time for him to mess that up, though.

When his breathing returned to a relaxed state, he glanced back at Kaya to see how she was doing. "Would you like me to procure a drink for you?"

"Oh, but you'll get them anyway! This prom just wouldn't have been the same if you hadn't shown up. I would have never learned about swing! We'll definitely have to do that again later!"

The kiss was sweet, and Kaya flushed slightly, but looked rather pleased nonetheless. "I wonder what else the prom will have in store! If this is what most proms are like, I can see why this one took so long to plan!"

At the suggestion of a drink, Kaya nodded. "Some water would be great actually, I worked up quite asweat."

"Indeed. I do not think something that ran this well would have been able to be done on the fly. I shall have to thank Starfire personally on the vast amount of work she put into it all."

Nokosi hopped up, still as full of energy as ever. There was still plenty left to do and plenty more he had to see before it was all over and done with. With that in mind, he quickly made his way to the refreshment table.

There was at least a full minute in time where he quickly tried all the snacks he could, before swiping two bottles of water and heading back to where Kaya sat.

He brushed his sleeve over his mouth to remove any crumbs that might have been left there, then passed Kaya the water with his other hand. "In the meantime, Kaya, would you care to go for a walk?"

"I agree," Kaya said, noting all of the care and planning that Starfire had made to this prom. There was no way that something like this would have happened on a whim. She had to have been planning to do this for awhile.

While Nokosi was gone, she was a little nervous, but did her best to seem composed. After all, this was nothing but an innocent outing to him, right? It didn't have to mean anything, whether she wanted that to be the case or not (she did).

When he returned, she took the water gratefully and took a long drink, wiping her mouth and exhaling. At the question, her mind shut down quietly, and she looked up, smiling.

"Sure, ok!"

Nokosi extended a hand out to Kaya, an excited grin spread on his lips.

"Let us go, then! The saltiness of the 'ocean' surrounding us smells fantastic, and I think I would very much like to hear about you before you set off on your journey with the Avatar."

Kaya took his hand gladly, grinning.

"Well, where I'm from its much colder, but I like it: the whole city is made of carved ice, so there'd be all of these colors. The Northern water tribe: it was a sight to behold, believe me. Most everything was made of snow, ice, animal furs and teeth, but you'd be surprised at how great things would still look. I had the best times there, I'll admit: playing with the other girls, swimming when my parents weren't looking, and sometimes taking the time to rest in the spirit oasis, where Tui and La live."

He curled his fingers around her hand and held it firmly instead of releasing it when she was on her feet.

As they walked around the edge of the dance floor and into the hallway, he rose his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the brilliantly colored schools of fish that flicked back and forth in the still water, before shooting off into the darkness of the ocean.

Despite this, he was still listening to Kaya recount her time living in the village in which she was raised. What she spoke of immediately conjured up memories of anytime in Winterspring, though the Goblins were far more resourceful.

"If every living quarter was made of ice, it was freezing year round, then? I am not sure I would have had the constitution for such a thing with the weather I am used to. Still, it sounds like an adventurous place in which to grow up."

He used his free hand to tuck back wayward strands of hair, then placed it along the aqueous wall that made of the hall. "I am most used to the look of animal furs, skins and other such thing, so I can imagine that it all looked...warm. If your home was carved from ice, where was it you slept?"

"Freezing?I wouldn't say it was freezing. It was cold, but we're used to that. And no, we don't sleep on ice, we sleep on firs like anyone else would if they lived in a mostly frigid place. It might sound adventurous to you, I get that, but for me, there were some things that made me want to leave it. What I could do, what I would be: the way that went would only go in one direction if I stayed there. I'd be engaged early and marry young, have children, use my water only to heal, stay with my tribe."

She shook her head. "Stacy has always been confusing to me, but never have I wished to be back to living the life I had without the Avatar. I wanted to make a difference."

"I see. Perhaps I can appreciate the simplicity of such things because 'a peaceful life without strife' can only last for so long." Granted, it lasted him a good century, plus before things begun getting out of hand.

"That life that you described; it is the life that I hear most Humans are relegated to. An arranged marriage that leads to children to carry on one's name. I suppose arranged marriages are very common in a lot of cultures, and from what I was told, sometimes appointed even before one is born."

He regarded her with a side-long glance and shrugged his shoulders. Their footsteps echoed in the small space, filling in the momentary gaps where they fell into silence.

"I do not think I would mind the life that you described so much as I have a particular fondness for children. Well, perhaps without the marriage bit as Night Elves are not known to marry. But again, I have lived many times your current life, so I am less concerned about trying to change the world."

"I couldn't, not with everything that was going on," Kaya told him. "I could pretend things were all right maybe, but they weren't, and that was a fact. What was real was that the war would come to us, eventually, and acting like it wouldn't was just a bad plan."

She shook her head. "Arranged marriages are a part of my culture, one that, like my teacher, I don't really give much stock in. One day I'll have children, but I want it to be with someone I choose, someone who is right to be with me, who understands me. I am not typical of my tribe Nokosi: they want a girl who would do what is expected, and that hasn't been me for a long time."

Kaya chuckled. "Changing the world means making it a safer place for children, whether they are mine or someone else's. It doesn't matter there: I want to do my part in making this world, this universe, a better place. I'm not much, but I can at least try, can't I?"

"Not typical? Somehow I am not too surprised. But I am glad that you are not; a product of my people, I suppose, but I prefer the more outspoken, dominate women." Subservience...well. That would be left for him one day, maybe.

"Changing the world, though. You can try and with hope, succeed as well. While it does make places safer for everyone, including the children that are not yet born, I find it to be a daunting task, even for those with unwavering patience. Perhaps one might call it negativity on my part, but I prefer to change the people of the world, rather than the world itself."

He slowed his steps to marvel at the winding, bright coral that grew from the ground in all manner of angels. Small fish flittered in and out of the coral, finding little hidey-holes to disappear in. A gigantic grey and white spotted shark lazily swam by, preceded by a school of fish.

"I say this because I do not think Azeroth can change. There are things that it is apparent that we mortals have no control over and yet...we mortals are the oil that grease the cogs of war. If I can change the way they think or feel about something, they may be able to do the same for another and so forth."

"In the end, I believe that working myself to ruin to stop a series of wars or world-ending catastrophes can only accomplish so much. When the dust clears around us, we are still left with many of the people who brought us to such a ruinous place in the beginning. Changing the people behind the problem changes the people, themselves."

"Speaking my mind, being one that can appreciate doing things on my own, is a gift I had to earn for myself. I've even learned that some of the things I say result is some pretty dire consequences. Earlier today, I inadvertently said something cruel to a friend of mine. That is the consequence that comes with speaking and not thinking: you can say the wrong thing."

She nodded. "I agree with you, on a certain level. It is true that people need to change, not just the world itself. In actuality, in my world much conflict came after saving the world from its destruction. But I can also tell you that people who believed in us, cared about what we were doing, did so because we got involved in trying to prevent the destruction of their world, their livelihood. It may be a selfish reason at first, but out of that they can see that progress happens because we work together."

But she understood and respected what he was saying too: in fact, she believed they both was right.

He laughed, despite her comment seemingly containing nothing of a humorous value. Partly, it was because what she described sometimes ended up as an everyday occurrence for him at one point, though it wasn't from lack of thinking.

"As far as consequences, I realize that there are many actions that might have bad or severe consequences that come with them. Those do not bother me, either as I embrace them." Really, it was the reason that he knew something negative might come out of some action he did and decided to still follow through with the action, anyways. "I suppose it is seen as 'disregarding' them to some, but that is not entirely true. I realize the consequences of my actions and accept responsibility accordingly."

The elf shrugged off the previous words and went back to their conversation on world-saving; quite the odd topic to be having during what was usually considered the most important night for teenagers.

"This is true as well. The people are often inspired by those things that heroes accomplish and rise up to make something of themselves or further the goals and actions of said heroes. That is fine and good; it is why those heroes are showered with praise and fame after everything is said and done."

"Unfortunately, (though I do not think so) I am no hero. My thoughts rarely revolve around what it is that I can do to thwart our destructive, giant enemy, it is usually focused on the daily lives of the people I meet in that city that is shadowed by said evil. A story, a shared drink, an errand or favor. We do such things."

He paused and dropped his hand to his side before sliding it into his pocket, a thoughtful look flashing across his features. "I think I will explain it best by saying this: The common man will always know who the heroes are. The heroes will never know who the common man is."

"I'd prefer not to make mistakes like that where I misjudge someone so badly," Kaya said, looking a little ashamed of herself. "If I'm stupid enough to not notice when someone is hurt by something I said, its the fault of mine. I am willing to take responsibility for it though: I have had to, in the past."

Now they were getting to a more interesting part of their conversation, at least on the subjects of heroes. Kaya couldn't help but directly relate this to the conversation she and Howard had earlier. She could see more clearly now how in the wrong she had been: she made a snap judgment about someone whose actual record and dealings she knew little to nothing about. In the case of what Nokosi was saying, she considered herself, not directly but by her actions, to fall in that her category, but excluded Howard because of determining where he fit. That was not her call to make, at least, not with all he had been through.

And so she couldn't argue with Nokosi there. "You may be right," Kaya said softly. "The hero will try to know the common man, but each one is different, everyone having their own story. If a hero only allows themselves to understand one part of that story, they just deafen themselves to knowledge about someone and what they've seen. That's no way to understand anyone."

She sighed. "Sorry to sound like such a downer: I may have done something dumb earlier."

"There is nothing wrong with either side. The hero is far too busy to know the stories of the people that he or she is off saving. It is their life's calling to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is a noble thing. The alternative, a life with the people but rarely putting your own at risk for them does sound selfish, but I think they are both valid ways to 'change the world'. Ah, it is why I enjoy bards so very much!"

He looked fairly cheery about what he was speaking of, tilted his head slightly to the side when Kaya sighed. Was she upset about something but hiding it this entire time? How silly; he didn't think he would ever fully grasp why people hid their feelings so often. Didn't it just make things far more complicated?

Nokosi paused is mid-stride and released her hand, coiling it around her shoulders instead and pulling her closer to shorten the distance between the two. "I see," he said, looking down at her. "Do you care to talk about it?"

"I'm beginning to see that now," Kaya said softly, "but maybe its because I believe in trying to make this world, this existence, whatever you want to call it, better. But I think you might be right in having to broaden my scope on what a hero and what a regular person does to try and change the world. See, its times like these when I consider you the wise one, even if you don't think that about yourself."

The touch to her shoulders was welcome: she sagged slightly into his hold. "I called someone cowardly today, thinking they were able to see that about themselves. AS it turns out, there are simply some things that aren't meant to be told to someone, whether they believe it to be true or not. In this case, I spoke out of turn: now I feel like I hurt someone I care about."

"Hah, you are right about that. I do not consider myself wise; only observant."

The explanation about hurting the feelings of her friend placed him in an odd position of what would be appropriate to respond to her with. On one hand, he was honest to a fault, which was a way of being that had unintentionally insulted people from time to time. On another, he'd noticed that people rarely liked hearing the truth, even if it were plain as day. That didn't necessarily make it wrong to say...only lacking 'tact', as far as social situations were concerned.

He hummed once as he contemplated what to tell Kaya, thinking for a moment what he would have done in that situation.

"I believe that the appropriate thing would be to discuss things over with this friend of yours. If you are feeling hurt about it, then he surely is as well. I do not think either of you would want the other to suffer. By speaking, perhaps you will come to an understanding behind you thinking that he is cowardly, and he, himself believing it as well. You might gain some insight and become closer, as things are rarely as they appear on the surface."

"Yes, but there's wisdom that comes from observing people, Nokosi. The more you do that, the more you understand them."

And Kaya had understood that too: a long time ago, she had been able to be around people all the time. But one thing she had understood, especially when it came to Nokosi, was that he would tell her the truth whether she liked it or not. She had thought Howard had been that way too, and that mistake might have cost her a friend. It hurt her to think that they might not be able to talk and laugh like they had before.

"I was trying, but I don't think now would be the best time to do it. He's' been through a lot in the past few days, and I managed to say the worst thing to him at the worst time. He's a strong guy, and I don't want to lose him as a friend."

"It is as you said; he has been through a lot in the last few days. In time his mood might improve and he will see that your words were misplaced. No one, mortal or not, is above making a mistake, Kaya."

He hugged her closer to him in an effort to both show compassion for her plight and offer her the warmth of a comforting embrace.

"If he values your friendship, which I would assume he does, given that he was upset by your words, you will not lose the friend you cherish so much. Perhaps it might take time for him to forgive you, but that is to be expected."

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