The Winter Ball

[central_librarymods]

The Winter Ball

As the Library prepares for the turning of the seasons, another of its rooms opens to the patrons. It is different than the others with a wide, sweeping marble floor inlaid with patterns of holly and snowflakes that is uncluttered by books and shelves. Music drifts through the hall, hinting that the patrons should dance. Do not worry about the gently falling snow; none will slip upon the marble unless they wish to do so.

Tables are scattered well away from the dance floor to allow patrons to gather and talk in small, intimate groups. Along one wall is a table stacked high with holiday foods from dozens of different realities. Evergreens decorated with globes of colored lights and frost remind the patrons that not everything fades with winter's cold. Presents can be found beneath the decorated boughs. Everywhere is a reminder of holidays from worlds near and far, some grounded in reality and some that patrons thought only existed in imagination.

The Library welcomes each patron and wishes each to enjoy an evening of music and festivities. Happy Winter Holidays to all who have answered the Head Librarian's invitation!

Prompts

The Dance Floor

1. Filling Your Dance Card. Each patron will find a dance card in his or her possession. Each being is encouraged to fill the card by dancing with five different people. Those who do will find a surprise waiting for them beneath one of the evergreen. (See note below)

2. Dancing on Air. Sometimes it feels like a song will sweep you off your feet. During this musical number, that can be literally true. While in the midst of a dance, patrons might notice that they're feeling lighter than usual and their feet barely touch the floor. That's because they've started to float above the dance floor. It may be unsettling at first but once the song ends the patrons be earthbound again.

3. The SnowBALL. Someone forgot that this is a formal dance, not a playground. When a patron steps on a certain pattern of snowflakes on the floor, snowballs will begin to fly. Patrons shouldn't worry too much if they in the middle of the action. These are magic snowballs and will not ruin gowns and suits. They can even be lobbed at other patrons if someone is feeling mischievous.

Mingling

4. Eat, Drink, and be Merry! The food at the buffet looks tempting and this time there are not magical side effects (except what might happen in the reality that the food is from). Enjoy a few treats from another world. Enjoy a drink or two... just remember that someone most likely has spiked the punch and that could have exciting or disastrous results!

5. Don't be a Wallflower. People who stay too long in one spot will find small winter flowers and leaves growing around their feet. These are harmless, but encouraging patrons to mingle and move and socialize with each other; especially dance.

Winter is the Darkest Time of the Year

6. In the Dark of the Night. If a patron wanders too far away from the main group, he or she will notice that the candles don't seem as bright and the fairy lights seem to fade. The Library is dark, darker than normal. Nothing more illuminating than a candle, except where Patrons gather. Those who wander away might find themselves lost and need someone to rescue them from the shadows that linger beyond the ball.

7. Tick Tock. In one corner of the ballroom, patrons might notice an item that looks strangely out of place. The old grandfather clock is decorated with scenes of different winter holidays that seem to draw the eye... and the unwary patron. Get too close and the clock case will spring open and a boggart will appear. Those familiar with a certain wizarding world might know the right spell that will banish the spirit and find themselves able to cast it with ease. Those who don't may find themselves confronting their greatest fears.

8. The Mirror of Dreams... and Nightmares. Like the Mirror of Erised, the mirror will show a patron the most desperate desire of a person's heart. At first this may seem innocent but some will be unable to look away and later... The forces that inhabit the Library may take an interest in what patrons see and these visions might come back to haunt them later.

((Note: The dance card prompt will allow players to earn extra points for the event. If a patron tags with prompt 1 and has five patrons tag their entry and the player returns those tags, they will earn extra points. The Cat will be available for dances if someone adds an ooc not to their prompt. Special thanks to wanna_bash_heads mun for assisting the mod team with the prompts. This will also be included in the test drive to encourage new players into the Library.)

Comments

Thomas Ward | OTA

[scarredpsyche]

1 - Dance Card

He wasn't exactly big on dancing, and he'd never been to an event this fancy before. It was a little overwhelming, and he wasn't even dressed properly for it. He wouldn't have known how to dress for something like this without some sort of explanation, and he didn't have a whole lot of money to buy anything with. He made an effort at least, put on something nice, and then hung near the sidelines while he tried to figure out who he was going to ask to dance--and how he was going to do it.

4 - Eat, Drink

Strategically, Thomas had placed himself in a seat near the buffet table, though the rest of his own table was empty. There was just him, a plate of food, and his second cup of punch. His dance card was discarded (ha) on the table next to his plate, more or less forgotten about for now.

[ooc: will match format!]

Re: Thomas Ward | OTA

[directorofhydra]

[This hurt.

Watching Thomas all by himself. Seeing the life that he'd denied him because of Chris - and because of himself. Mostly because of himself. He kissed Kara and ambled over to his brother.]

...You know if you keep your feet planted for too long you're gonna have those little flowers growing up inside your shoes bro.

[scarredpsyche]

[He was almost pretty content being over there on his own. Almost. At least he got to be in a room full of people, watching them have a good time. As weird as his life had become, this felt mostly normal.

He looked up when Grant approached, picking a chip apart bit by bit.]

Flowers in my shoes? [Something like that was enough to make him wonder if Grant had been drinking instead of the other way around.]

[directorofhydra]

I've been watching it happen. This place likes to gently nudge people into talking to one another.

[His smile dissolves, just a hair.]

We don't know how long you'll be here. There's no point in spending it alone.

[scarredpsyche]

I've talked to people.

[Totally. Tons of people. He was convincing, right?]

Maybe I want to spend it alone.

[No, he didn't, and he wasn't convincing about that, either.]

[directorofhydra]

[Ward stares at him and stares at his feet. Then shakes his head at him.]

...Not gonna fly.

[scarredpsyche]

[He sighed. Yeah, he hadn't thought he would be able to get away with that, but it'd been worth a try.]

Okay. So what's your plan?

[directorofhydra]

we're gonna find you a nice person to dance with. Just like you did at Prom.

[There's a pause] Did you go to Prom?

[scarredpsyche]

[So Grant's plan was to set him up with someone. Alright. Thomas could give this a try.]

Yes, I went to prom. It was awkward.

[directorofhydra]

[Oh.

Ward frowns, then nods] C'mon man. Let's go and get you some punch at least.

[scarredpsyche]

[To be fair, a lot of people had awkward proms. Didn't they? Thomas was pretty sure they did.]

Way ahead of you there. Also I'm pretty sure it's spiked.

[directorofhydra]

That's part of the fun man.

[Unless you don't drink. He blinks and stares at him] You don't drink do you.

...I'll find you something that's not alcoholic.

[scarredpsyche]

No, it's fine, I've had like-three of these.

[Two? He wasn't exactly sure. But he didn't mind it too much.]

[enlightenedfeline]

It was tempting to jump onto the table but it wouldn't be hygienic. Which meant that the Cat wasn't quite tall enough to be seen when he hopped onto the chair across from Thomas. Only his ears, the top of his head, and his eyes could be seen easily. Watching Thomas for a moment, the Cat purred thoughtfully. "Be careful of the punch. It has become extremely alcoholic."

[scarredpsyche]

It took Thomas a minute to realize who or what was talking to him. He thought maybe, at first, that he'd had way too much punch already, or the flowers he'd heard about were talking to him. Then he finally looked over and saw the Cat. Somehow, a talking animal was far more logical than flowers or hallucinations. At least he wasn't losing his mind.

Humming thoughtfully, he peered into his cup of punch for a moment. "That explains a lot," he said.

[enlightenedfeline]

Stretching more, he managed to peek over the table so that now his nose upward showed. It wasn't exactly comfortable but it was effective. "Which part of it does the punch explain? My talking or the strange things that have been occurring at the party?"

[scarredpsyche]

"Mmm." Neither of those things, really. "Why I'm feeling-" there was a word for this. Not-stressed. Not-anxious. "-relaxed." For the first time since coming here, he felt chill. Apparently all it took was getting a little tipsy. "If I hadn't heard you talk before, I would've thought that was the alcohol too." But he knew better.

[enlightenedfeline]

"The punch could be one reason. The other could be that this place is relatively safe." Even a Librarian couldn't guarantee perfect safety but the Cat knew that, for now, the patrons would not be in danger.

The Cat let out an amused purr. "I almost regret that you didn't know that I could speak. I enjoy seeing people react to my presence."

[scarredpsyche]

"Maybe. I haven't had a whole lot of 'safe' in my life." Not that he'd been directly in danger, but he'd been looking over his shoulder a lot. Now he didn't have to do that as much because his reason for all the looking? Knew he was there. There was no point in hiding any more.

"If I was a talking cat, I'd probably enjoy that, too."

[enlightenedfeline]

"This is a different chapter of your life." Yes, he had to make book references. It was one of the more amusing part of his duties. "No one from your past life can enter the Library if they mean any of the patrons harm." Risking a paw on the table, the Cat stretched up so that his chest rested against the edge. "No patron may intentionally harm another patron physically without. Those who attempt it will be punished. That is one of the key rules of the Library."

The Cat flipped his tail, pleased that Thomas understood his reasoning. "After being alone so long it's amusing hobby."

[scarredpsyche]

Well...he didn't know if he'd ever had to worry about Grant hurting him, but his brother had made it a point to hurt the people around them. "Punished how?" he asked. That was better than diving into his personal life, even if the people who'd brought them all here seemed to know a lot about them.

"How long have you been alone?"

Re: Thomas Ward | OTA

[dulcet_cellist]

Sebastian had gathered a plate of food for himself and was considering where to sit when he saw someone sitting alone near the buffet. It was a good place to sit fi you were more interested int he food than the people he thought moving over to the table.

"Excuse me. May I join you?"

He had promised himself he would try to be more social and less a wallflower. Especially when the flowers wouldn't let him stand still for more than a few moments at a time.

[scarredpsyche]

Being more social would help Thomas not sprout some literal flowers, too. As much as he just wanted to take advantage of the food and drinks right now. But, hey, this guy looked friendly, and so long as his brother hadn't sent him over, Thomas didn't mind some company.

Taking a sip of his punch, he shook his head-or was he supposed to nod right now? "Go ahead; I don't mind."

[dulcet_cellist]

"Thank you." Sebastian smiled a little shyly and strategically took a seat across from the gentlemen. Not directly across. This position gave the man the opportunity to ignore him if he decided he didn't want the company after all. It was something he learned sitting at a large dinner table with his fathers dinner guests.

"I'm Sebastian." He offered, arranging his napkin and silverware.

[scarredpsyche]

"It's no problem." Thomas wasn't actually anti-social or anything. Things were still just hard sometimes, after so much moving around and not having a lot of time to form connections with people.

"Thomas. Have you ever been to a party like this before?"