insertmeathere | beauty & the beast montage

beauty & the beast montage

One moment, your character was minding their own business, and the next? Perhaps they opened the wrong door, appeared out of nowhere, or maybe, in a decidedly rare occurrence, they were actually escorted. The choice is yours. Either way, they seem to have found themselves at a formal party.

Spread out before them is a large ballroom. The decorations look like something from a fairy tale; high ceilings supported by stone pillars, walls adorned with gold trimmings and white silk curtains, and a high balcony overlooking an ornate marble dance floor. To the far end, a special stage has been set up, where a small orchestra fills the room with classical waltzes. Overhead, a large crystal chandelier illuminates everything with droplets of rainbow light.

To the sides and on the balcony small clusters of people make leisurely conversation and sip champagne. Several busboys carrying silver trays can be seen taking and delivering drink orders, regardless of age. Several couples choose instead to dance; the most graceful tend towards the middle, while the more inexperienced do their best to stay in the places they will be the most unobtrusive.

Should your character choose to go outside, they will be met with clear, starlit skies, a cool breeze, and a lavish rose garden. Several small tables are set up, lit by candles, where waiters take orders for a full-course dinner. Some of course, choose instead to gather near the ever-present Cod Fountain. Several pieces of strange currency can be seen at the bottom of the fountain; it seems that it's a popular place to wish for happiness.

THE RULES:
-Your characters' clothing with be replaced with formal wear, though the degree of formality is entirely up to you.
-Don't go having epic duels and destroying the building and what have you.
-If you please, you can use NPCs, but you will have to write them yourself.
-Standard "DON'T BE DOUCHEBAGS TO OTHER PLAYERS" disclaimers apply.
-????
-PROFIT!
(stolen with so much love from

fountainofcod)

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Billy gives her a sympathetic look---been there, doing that. "Coincidentally, I'm sure, she told me the same thing. If you want some punch, uh, I'd be willing to..."

If she finishes the sentence it should count as both of them asking, right?

"Dance?" It comes out of Laurie's mouth before she can stop it. So she improvises. "Umm, I'm not really sure that I want any punch now, but..."

There are thousands of doubts in Laurie's head mashing with the looking-on-the-bright side. But then there's a voice that sounds remarkably like Sofia going, Dance, dance, dance!

"...alright." She puts her hand out, hoping that it's the correct way to accept a dance.

"Yes, dance. I accept." With a small smile, he takes her offered hand and walks beside her to the dance floor, where a new waltz is starting up.

"Have you waltzed before? I'm not the most experienced person here, but I believe I can handle the basics. The rhythm isn't as complex as I'd feared at first."

"I've danced before," Laurie says. "I'm not really good at it, though." She's not as coordinated and carefree in her movements as Sofia, but she does have knowledge of how to dance at least moderately well.

She puts out her hands, remembering that this is how to start a dance.

"I'm not either, so you're in good company. Or maybe equal company is the better word---it won't be good if we step on our toes, which I shall try my hardest not to do."

He smiles, trying to exude confidence, and takes one of her hands above her shoulder. Another hand gently rests on her waist, and friendly distance is maintained. He doesn't want to scare her again.

"Your other hand can rest on my shoulder. We'll start when we're ready."

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Laurie isn't so sure of herself, but she places her hand on Billy's shoulder, like he said to. She's sure that her face is as red as a Nebraskan tomato, one of his hands at her waist and her shoulder - though the friendly distance between them helps ease her nervousness.

"I'm OK."

"Good. This song's tempo is slow enough to ease into it, don't worry. Just follow me."

He hopes they don't make a mess of themselves. Gently guiding her hand to indicate the direction, he started moving his feet in a simple box pattern. They wouldn't add the turns yet.

"Would you prefer to talk, or do you need to concentrate?

"Talk," she says almost a little loudly. For her, talking will take her mind off the fact that she has practically no idea what she is doing, and how she is simply following along with what he is doing.

"Please." She moves her feet after his, looking down once to make sure she isn't stepping on his toes, and then back at him, smile a little weak, but surely there.

Billy nods, a shy smile on his face too. "All right, then we'll talk. Uh...so should we start with names, or do you prefer a mysterious strangers' dance?"

He's not exactly up and up on the fantasy dance tropes.

(http://photobucket.com)

"My name's Laurie," Laurie says, her smile a little wider, becoming a little more confident.

"Billy, pleased to meet you," he smiles back. "So...you never did tell me why you looked so worried earlier. Are you sure nothing was wrong?"

If he could do anything to help her worry less, he would. That was just the sort of person he was.

"Umm..." Laurie murmurs. "I'm not really what you'd consider normal." The dancing becomes a tad easier to follow. "Some people consider me kinda wierd."

Billy looks at her curiously, taking care to avoid stumbling. Hey, they're doing well!

"Weird in what way? Depending on the definition of 'normal' in play, we're all weird. And many of my friends tend to deviate from the human norm."

"Well..." She tries to not stumble in her steps as she works the words out of her mouth. "I'm a mutant."

He nods. "I think I've heard of other mutants living on the ship. Were your powers causing problems for you?"

There's no judgment in his voice, just concern. Goodness knows he's tripped over his own feet so many times while learning to be a hero.

"Yes," Laurie says, a little surprised - but in a good way - by his deameanor to what she has said. "My pheromones can change the moods of people around me, and it's...unhelpful."

Right there, she decides that Billy's really nice.

"I can see why that would be a problem," he notes, idly wondering if she'd affected him at all. If she had, apparently it wasn't too bad.

"I have another friend with powers that aren't quite the same, but similar. Whatever he feels affects me, and that influence can be used on others in a limited way. I've seen the volatile situation it creates, but if you build up a rapport with people it isn't so bad."

He's not running away. There's still a dance to finish, and he's finding that he enjoys her company. With a gentle tug and a smile as a warning, he spins them around.

Laurie feels briefly light-headed when Billy spins her, but then, right back to dancing, she has a brighter look to her smile. "I've been able to moderately control my pheromones thanks to being taught at Xaiver's. Ah, my old school."

"That's wonderful," Billy grins right back at her. Truthfully, he's beginning to feel fairly light as well. "I can't imagine navigating all of that without a guide. My friends and I had a mentor we visited instead of a school, but teaching myself would've been difficult. Powers are a tricky subject to write a book about."

Tonight, those worries are far from his mind. He's sure that the punch bowl woman would be delighted to know that he's having fun. Real, honest to goodness fun.

(http://photobucket.com)

"It is a big mansion," Laurie says. "I kinda did need a guide the first time I arrived." She thinks back to her first day. It hadn't been the best of days, and she'd still been incredibly shy - more shy than she is now.

"It was the instructors who helped show me around. I wasn't really part of the tour group."

Laurie is having a very good time. Her smile is what gives it away. There are many degrees to Laurie's smile, and though the smile now is not at one-hundred percent, it is a close ninety-one.

"We had an elaborate series of underground tunnels," he added. "Luckily, the teleportation system I helped build made things easier. I just wish I could duplicate it."

Billy twisted them again, starting to slow along with the music. "Were you happy there?"

"Very," Laurie says. "I met my best friend, Sofia, at Xaiver's. I also met some really good people, like my teammates." She enjoys being spun. She wants to laugh, but she's still a little shy. Instead, her smile goes up to a degree of ninety-four. "We were all kinda like a family." With some dysfunction here and there, but still, a family.

There's no laughter from this side either, but his smile is fairly big.

"I'm reminded of my best friends. We were together before we became heroes, but it brought us closer. Overall, we were happy. It's different here, but allies can be found anywhere if you look."

There's a meaningful smile at her. Feet move in a few last circles...ah, this dance was indeed fun.

Laurie nods her head, smiling at ninety-five-point-five. "Yes. Especially with poeple who are very kind."

The song ending, and the dancing coming to a stop, she feels a little dismayed. But she's pleased that she's met someone really nice. "Thanks for dancing with me," she says, a little blush on her cheeks.

"It's been an honor," he says with his own wide smile, bowing to her. "I'll still be around all night if you want to seek me out again, all right? I'd be happy to keep talking."

Perhaps a braver man would have made a boulder move. As it is, he can only smile and turn toward the balcony stairs.

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beauty & the beast montage

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