I'll be there for you

[mansionstaff]

Who: EV ERY ONE
What: Graduation. Prom.
When: The evening of May 31st.
Where: The Stadium.
Warnings: WHO KNOWS

One might find the stadium a little hot and humid for those used to a spring graduation ceremony. This fine evening the Academy is experiencing its first hints of summer, a warm breeze providing relief to those who would sit on the stadium floor, which had been rearranged into a platform overlooking neat rows of chairs meant to seat the gathered crowd of faculty and students. Towards the other end of the complex was the arrangement for the prom that was to follow. Food and drink, chairs and tables, each with a floral centerpiece, and, of course, a dance floor.



Before everyone could get their party on, however, there was the main event of the evening. From his place at the podium, Master Hand watched students and staff alike find their way into the stadium. With the recent robot shenanigans, there seemed to be tensions in need of dispelling. If the Headmaster knew one thing, however, it was that some silly city antics were not going to ruin this esteemed event. Not tonight. Not if he could help it.

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HEY DUDES! Here's how stuff is going to work. We kick off the log with GRADUATION. This part of the log will be divided into separate threads. I'll post them all at once, so feel free to hop around, mingle, post whenever, wherever.

HOWEVER, once the PROM starts, it will be up to you guys to post your own threads. Please check out last year's log if you'd like an idea of how this works. Everything after the thread titled "DISMISSAL" (I will post that in a bit, so don't post prom threads until I have that up!) will be considered prom, though don't let that stop you from continuing to post in the graduation section.

Please label all your threads appropriately! (Examples: "SHENANIGANS AT THE FOOD TABLE", "DANCE-OFF", "THE PUNCH IS SPIKED", "BOTHER X" In general, a location + what is going on in the thread is the way to go. Obviously, more than one thread can take place at the same location. 

Linking back and forth when and if you thread hop is very much appreciated. If things start to look a bit laggy, we'll bump to the next page. Most importantly, HAVE FUN, and let a mod know about any problems or concerns you might have!

Comments

[oceanshaper]

OH. THIS WAS PRECIOUS. LOOK AT THIS.

At some point, Kyogre sidled up to beautiful Eirika, hand placed warmly on her shoulder.

"Oh, gosh! Look at your dress, you're dressed to the nines~"

[heartofarapier]

The contact alone might have surprised her. And in a way it did, because she had expected Connor. But in hindsight when her head turned and she found Kyogre, it wasn't that unexpected in the least. Kyogre seemed to have turned that shoulder greeting into his personal one and she figured that if he'd not done so before, she'd simply anticipate him to say hello in that fashion each time they saw one another.

"Dressed to the nines?" she asked him, oblivious to what the phrase meant. "What a peculiar thing to say. Is it that it's too extravagant, do you think?"

[oceanshaper]

"No, Dolly, it's a good thing. You look dreamy. Like out of a storybook. I miss gowns like this, I used to see them a lot more often."

He blinked.

"I hope you can dance in it."

[heartofarapier]

Dolly?

She didn't know what that meant either, but she figured it was akin to speaking with Gordon who said mostly foreign words to her. Kyogre seemed to be sincere and without ill intent, so there was no need to question him any more than necessary. In the back of her mind, however, she wondered what he meant when he spoke of gowns as if they were older days for him.

Before she could really question, however, his invitation caught her by surprise. "You wish to dance with me?"

[oceanshaper]

Kyogre held out a gloved hand with a quiet titter of delighted laughter, clearly tickled pink at the idea.

"Please. If you'll allow it."

He would get a chance to see how much ballroom dancing he remembered. And besides, she was royalty. She'd probably be good at this kinda stuff.

[heartofarapier]

If she'd allow it. It was almost a little embarrassing for him to put it in such a way. And yet, there was something slightly charming about Kyogre from top to bottom. She never imagined sharing the hot springs with him would have led to the present.

Eirika nodded slowly and she placed her hand upon his. "What a silly thing for you to say. If I'll allow it. How rude I'd be if I turned you down." And she didn't look as if she wanted to anyway.

[oceanshaper]

He took his hand in hers, shit eating grin firmly on his face, and they moved towards the dance floor.

"Hhmnn, am I being silly~? I just wanted to make sure, you understand. Good manners and everything."

The song was slow, but not uncomfortably so, some older, more classic piece. Kyogre hummed along.

[heartofarapier]

She allowed him to lead, thinking him very confident and finding a bit of likeness in it. Something akin to how she imagined Innes to be when one removed all of the arrogance that came with the archer.

His steps were light and Eirika assumed he was familiar with the motions. It was rare - or seemed rare - to find someone at the academy who could do such a thing. Impressive. But there were a lot of things about him that made her incredibly curious. Just what kind of person was he?

Aside from a god.

"Are you trying to impress me?" she asked him directly as she wore a smile. Her eyes never left his, even for as strange as they were in comparison. Despite the dress, she had to admit that she felt minutely plain.

[oceanshaper]

Kyogre's eyes widened, ever present flush still spread across his face.

"Am I?" Gosh, what a novel idea, indeed. "Please be sure to let me know if I manage it."

He eyed the other occupants of the dance floor before turning his gaze back to her.

"Would you be more or less impressed if I dipped you at some point during the song? I don't see a lot of dipping going on around us, but I think I might be able to pull it off."

[heartofarapier]

Was he teasing her? She wasn't sure. But she was beginning to think he was serious. Her gaze tried to follow his and his invitation, or whatever it might have been, caught her attention almost immediately.

"Less if you dropped me," she admitted without shame. "You are being very bold, Kyogre. Dipping young ladies you hardly know. You'll make others envious." A pause and she tipped her head, "I trust you, however."

No surprise kisses.

[oceanshaper]

"Bold? No, no, that's not in my nature." Literally. Not his nature.

"I wouldn't drop you though, dear. I won't betray your trust, trust in it. But the time has to be right..."

He trailed off for a moment, but soon spoke again.

"Have you been having a good time with your date, Eirika?"

[heartofarapier]

The time had to be right... She wondered what he meant by that. Would he warn her, or would he simply do so? How could she be prepared? If she remained so tense, it wouldn't look right. It'd make it more difficult to dance with her at that, too.

She flushed a little when she thought of Connor. "Y... es," she answered him, almost uncertain of why he'd be asking. "Yet he is my escort. Is that the same thing as a date?"

[oceanshaper]

Kyogre nodded with a smile. "Yes. Well... only if you want it to be. I suppose if you think of it as platonic, it's not the same thing..."

A laugh. "I'm sorry. You don't need to answer that, I'm just trying to make conversation. Of course."

[heartofarapier]

"Platonic..."

Eirika wasn't too sure what to make of that. Not that she jumped on anything to deny platonic or not-platonic. If anything, she was a little shocked to hear Kyogre say anything of the sort.

"Sir Connor's... a good man, if that's what you mean. Very kind to me. I value him as an ally and a confidant. He is irreplaceable." But what did that really mean? Perhaps it was best just to answer his question simply. "I am enjoying my time with him, and I think he enjoys his time with me."

[oceanshaper]

"Ah~ I guess that's really what's most important..."

He studied her features, gaze unflinching.

"You have a bright heart, Eirika. A bright, warm, golden hue. I can see it, reflected in your face." Probably why he found himself so drawn to her. Another one, just as vibrant as Ho- oh's own flames. Everything he was not.

[heartofarapier]

"A bright heart?" the princess echoed him gently. "I... have heard many things about myself, but never anything quite like that."

Eirika quieted herself, as if trying to better understand what Kyogre meant by that. She couldn't picture it, really. "I suppose I'm rather easy to read. It isn't in my nature to be misleading and at times, I may feel too much."

And it was true that on more than one occasion, Eirika's bright heart and compassion had been the very same thing to endanger her and her men.

[oceanshaper]

The smile on Kyogre's face slipped, ever so slightly. His voice lost just a little bit of its usually permanent singsong.

"You believe you feel too much?" He asked, "You were given the opportunity to feel an entire rainbow, a full spectrum of emotions. I don't think that's 'too much', it's exactly the right amount."

A ROYGBIV of emotional range, rather than just CMY. If Kyogre could really, truly feel indignant, he would have in that moment.

[heartofarapier]

"Well, I mean to say-"

She had to stop and think about how to express what she was thinking. "I say that to mean that sometimes my compassion can put me in harm's way. As a ruler I think there is no such thing as being too sensitive to the needs of my people, but I have been reprimanded lightly a few times at least of my demeanour when approaching Court politics."

Then Eirika shook her head, "I'm unsure if that makes sense."

[oceanshaper]

"I understand," replied Kyogre, and he did. To a point.

"I may have even heard the same words from the Prince of my own seas."

[heartofarapier]

"The prince of your own seas..." she echoed softly as she eyed him with an undeniable wonder. "You're a very peculiar person, Kyogre."

But Eirika was smiling. Still. At least a little. "Who is this prince of yours?"

[oceanshaper]

He simply grinned in response, though his voice held a note of resistance to it.

"His name is Manaphy."

[heartofarapier]

"Manaphy."

She blinked. "The name sounds cute." 'Kyogre,' on the other hand, had a bit of a rough edge to it. And she wondered if it was a good representation of both. Perhaps the prince was a little more cutesy, and she certainly would have thought of Kyogre as 'edgy.'

"If he is your prince, does that make you akin to his retainer?"

[oceanshaper]

"He is cute," He agreed, furrowing his brow. Cutesy was definitely a word to describe the other water- type.

"I suppose you could say that. I'm at his mercy, but I don't see him very often. The ocean has an upside down triangle hierarchy, I guess you could say. The prince and the protector on the top, the creator on the bottom."

He lowered his voice, as a footnote.

"I'm the creator."

[mohawk_tomahawk]

And then Connor punched him in the face and broke his nose.

[oceanshaper]

POW