citylogs | [open mingle]

WHO: Anyone helping with prom renovations!
WHAT: An open mingle log!
WHERE: District 4, Science Discovery Center Planetarium
WHEN: Anytime until December 2!
WARNINGS: Please warn for content in individual headers!

An open mingle for threads relating to prom setup and the planetarium renovations!

★★★
Possible renovation activities include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Ripping out and disposing of a couple of rows of chairs in the planetarium to make room for a dance floor
• Laying down flooring for the aforementioned dance floor
• Clearing room for and rigging four stations where food can be prepared
• Kitschy photography station design
• Installing light fixtures, darkness shutters, and other aesthetic additions provided by Kaveh
• Playing toolbox dodgeball (IF YOU CAN DODGE A WRENCH...)
• Impromptu caber-tossing match feat. lumber somebody probably intended to use for something important
• Assorted various OSHA violations

Anyone is welcome to drop in a top-level, just please warn for content as needed on individual thread headers!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Perhaps a demonstration is in order with someone who is familiar, Rosella of Daventry.

[Alucard's done a decent amount of ripping out chairs like they're made of paper and tossing them aside, so: time for dance lessons. To his credit, he looks much more put together than the past 30 days or so. He almost seems like a person again. Impressive.

Anyway here he comes.]

That way this fellow can observe, then put it into practice?

[definitely like not an excuse to dance with rosella no way man]

[To Alhaitham's credit, he's attentive and a quick learner. He picks up on the pace and distance of each movement, memorizes it's application a little more with each repetition, but each movement has a stiffness of someone who's approaching this all in more of an order of operations than an artistic endeavor. Absolutely as if he's memorizing and playing back a piece of music.

He looks up as Alucard's voice carries his approach. He remembers him as the other dance instructor, so he nods once.] I don't mind.

Oh! I suppose that might be helpful, yes — it is much easier when one can see it, first. So, shall we go for a bit, and then you can cut in when you feel ready to try it yourself?

[See also: good practice at cutting in. Another extremely valuable skill.]

Now, then, shall we go about it from the very beginning? With the bow and the curtsey and all that?

[A polite nod is given to Alhaitham, then he turns to Rosella.]

Gladly.

At your ready, my lady.

[To him, these sorts of things are bit second nature, though that's likely true for any born out of some manner of nobility. And vampires rarely ever did anything close to halfway, even if Dracula rarely ever cared for gatherings and balls and the like.

Still, his son had to learn. And learn he did.]

Sounds good. [With a nod, he steps back so they have room. He hadn't considered it, but Kaveh probably will be popular on the dance floor. If cutting in is more than just demanding, he should learn that aspect of the dance as well.

From a reasonable distance, Alhaitham will be carefully observing their movements. The kind of intense studying of a specimen.]

Good! Very well. Now then, you see, here I am, the la— er, your intended, minding my own business at the edge of the dance floor, and the first strains of music begin to play...

[She shifts her weight from side to side, making her skirt swish in a classic imitation of "idling around minding her own business", even as she continues to narrate.]

And there you are, where Alucard is, and you see me and think well! I should like to go have a dance with that...person...and now, watch, he'll come over, and get my attention like so, and then after you've done your courtesies you'll guide your intended to a place on the floor and take up your positions...

[She pauses, then looks a little flustered.]

Well — I oughn't get too far ahead of myself! Er, whenever you're ready, Alucard.

You're doing well, Rosella.

[It's endearing, really, to hear her narrate along to describe the ideal situation. Alucard approaches, then gives a smooth bow before her, old lessons coming back swiftly despite how it appeared when they first met. He does know etiquette, despite that.]

May I have this dance?

[And he holds out his hand.]

Why, yes, I would be delighted!

[So she says, punctuated with a perfect and almost habitual curtsy, before taking his offered hand and letting herself be led to a clear space on the dance floor.]

Now, just as we spoke of, see how my arm goes right here, like this? And as we were saying before, the bit about knowing the steps but also the proper ways to respond — you'll see in just a moment, Alucard's steps will start out very simply, and easily predicted. So there's rather not much point in watching our feet at all, when the variations will come from up here, at his arms.

[OR ELSE.]

As I thought, you are quite the natural at teaching someone this particular skill.

[It was good to invite her, he thinks as he places his other hand to her side, just above the waist. The other keeps to her right hand, holding it up just so. As she describes, his step is simple to start with, stepping forward with the intent of a simple box step, but keeps it slow enough to begin with.]

Oh, well, if you truly think so, but I've got rather the easy part, haven't I? After all, I'm not the one who has to learn to lead — just how to properly follow.

[Properly is a good word for it, too; her steps are prim and precise, making her skirt swish artfully in a way that might otherwise have been precarious for getting tangled, except she seems surprisingly good at managing it so that it never quite gets in her way.]

Now then, watch. We've begun a bit, and now Alucard will start having me do other things, like a turn or a twirl, as he sees fit. And it's my job to go along!

You mean to tell me you've never learned to lead? A shame.

[A wry smile forms on his face. Alucard doesn't need to look down to determine that Rosella bears grace on the dancefloor; her steps are well learned, as any noblewoman ought to know. Upon her verbal guidance for Alhaitham, Alucard elegantly goes to bend and arch his arm to encourage Rosella to twirl out.]

Whyever should I need to? I'm a lady. Besides, I've already made enough of a mess of enough other things, I've no interest in mucking up something as simple as dancing, on top of it.

[And when she reacts, to her credit, it's without even thinking; even her idle conversation doesn't hitch even a beat as she moves in response to the implication, spinning easily out with light footsteps.]

There — I do hope you saw that, by the by! That was very tidy of Alucard, I must say.

Ladies are capable of many a thing, including leading, but very well. Let us adhere to traditions.

[It's as he expects, Rosella following his lead expertly. He does smile in satisfaction, pleased to know he'd been right about her. Flexing his arm, he readies to take her back in from the outward twirl.]

And just as elegant of you, Rosella.

I saw. [He's been very diligent about watching, especially on the flourishes. Those are something he's yet to practice, but Kaveh would like that sort of spontaneity wouldn't he?

He watches Alucard lead Rosella back in from the twirl, then starts forward.] And if I were to cut in...

[He looks between them for the right way to do that. Is he going to use the right and polite way in practice? Well, probably not. But he'll at least know it and it will be a deliberate decision.]

[open mingle]

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