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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The royal court opens the royal dance, led by the kings and queens. Good luck.

Kaya chose this moment to walk over to Nokosi, crown and cape and all, extending her hands. This had been fun, and she was more than happy to be given this honor, but the night wouldn't be complete without dancing, one of her favorite hobbies.

"Might I have this dance, good sir?" She asked, giving him a polite curtsy.

He returned her curtsy with a bow of his own before grasping her hands and flashing her a cheery grin. "Yes you may, but I might question why it is that that one of this ocean's princesses decided that they would want to dance with one of us of the common sea life."

This would probably end up both great and terrible, and he was going to be happy either way. Of all the dances that he poured over at the media library, one in particular caught his eye. Swing dancing from one of the many, many records of an 'Earth'. He wasn't very good at it yet, but damn it if he didn't have the deftness and energy to pull off some of those moves.

Hopefully Kaya did, too.

Kaya took his hand, and lightly slapped it. "You must have me confused with some sort of stuffy necked lady. This princess prefers to be amongst the people that know and care for her: they bring out the best in her!"

He had mentioned swing, so earlier Kaya had gone to the DJ booth and requested that when she and Nokosi stepped on the dance floor, they'd played something with swing. Apparently it was decided he'd kick it up a notch, and play a swing song with a bit of House.

Kaya, for her part, decided to use the Sensorium to her advantage. She had stripped out of her dress and a moment later now wore that, with the hat (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2335477094_574bd198bf_b.jpg) and all. She walked to the center of the dance floor with Nokosi, and the speakers blared out a really up tempo version of "Minnie the Moocher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EWd-2FL0e8)."

It was a new kind of music but sprightly enough, so she started to move with Nokosi, watching what he would do mext.

Edited 2011-08-06 12:13 (UTC)

"Is that so? Perhaps we will have to test that out, then. No better time than now, yes?"

Nokosi followed Kaya out to the dance floor, pinning his bangs back with the same barret that circled his ponytail. Her change of clothes, he thought, were rather fitting and he told her as much.

The song that Splicer decided to play made him grin, even though it was much different than what he'd been listening to during his practice with Ronnae. He took a moment to count out the faster beat in his head and then extended his right arm and placed his hand on Kaya's back, right below her shoulder. With his other, his fingers curled around her cupped hand and lay at rest waist-height.

Once he was sure he'd gotten down the rhythm, he began to lead her. Two quick steps to the left, two to the right and then the back, momentarily breaking their grip so she could follow along with the movements. The elf pulled her in closer as he lead them in a circle twice, then spun her once in an underarm turn before pulling away again.

His feet never stopped moving and he was sure his bouncing ears were making the most ~~awful~~ amazing racket, but it hardly matter because the volume of the music was drowning that out, too.

Kaya didn't answer him: at this point, she was trying to learn his movement as she saw him. He took the lead and she took the steps to the left, two to the right, then the spin came, and she twirled, moving to the music.,

And at that point, she freestyled a little. Once the music broke into some house, she started to shimmy toward him, hands mimicking the beat to the music, touching the hat, then to her hips, and she joined Nokosi again, letting her hands and feet move to the beat. She didn't realize, of course, that this was a part of swing, body feeling the music, and she twirled in Nokosi'd hold, dipping a moment before joining him again.

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."

DANCE

Re: DANCE

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