Match of the Millennium

Description: Welcome to the Southtown Winter Athletics Prom! Featuring all manner of wackiness, and amazingly not a single head rolled that night, no matter how many people got their nights made, ruined, or otherwise had their lives changed forever. Join Great Teacher Hatake, our host, as he rates Himeko, our Prom Queen, displaying dance skills comensurate to an inebriated seizure-prone three-legged horse, and that's not all. You can't miss out on a single minute of this marathon dance!

=EVENT DESC=

The Gorin Dome: A highly impressive arena that can be used for any number of sports. The stadium is massive beyond massive, a huge metal-domed stadium whose roof can partially open and shut on demand. In terms of grandeur, it's second only to Howard Arena in Southtown, and is the only place indoors that can comfortably house the collective student body of Southtown's entire school system.

For the occasion, the Gorin Dome has been completely retrofitted with all of the twinkling acoutrements of the Southtown Schools Promenade Dance. Huge wood interlocking parquet tiles have been chucked onto the stadium green, forming a huge dance floor, on which many of the school students have gathered, dressed in all of their silky and shimmering best. Emotions are running high tonight, and many students are electing to enjoy themselves at the refreshments tables, which despite a last minute shortage of punch, is still stocked with quite a few choice snacks and drinks, spanning the range from comforting to downright exotic. (Is that a sushi table D:?)

While the dome has been shut for tonight's event, much of the dancefloor is subject to a huge lighting system, and many of the schools' respective A/V clubs are in on the gig. There are four major areas, separated by the predominant color of lighting in the region. There's the yellow lights, the green lights, the blue lights and the red lights, all quartering off a section of the dancefloor. Interspersed between the two are dancing twinkling lights, care of a disco ball the size of two men hovering overhead, suspended from the mini blimp (!) in the voluminous airspace beneath the stadium dome. The blimp hauls its cargo in slow laps around the stadium, catching the spotlights and sending dancing reflections off the grounds in a full crystalline rainbow of color and light...

One end of the stadium is dominated by a stage, whereupon twin DJs mix up the best beats for the crowd, their megamixes spanning the entire party range from EDM to hip-hop. Mixed between this are custom songs played off by the live band in attendance, the K.I. Riders, who provide much of the slow music for the prom. There are games and events off to the far side of the dancefloor, with areas specifically cordoned off for dance battling, darts, limbo, fish-ladling, and even a small footrace path winds in a circuitous path around one end of the dancefloor, because it wouldn't really be Gorin High unless some sort of major sport was represented.

Have a good time tonight!

Now, the party's starting to really get bumping at the Annual Southtown Athletics Winter Prom! With the event in full swing, most of the students are already here and starting to commingle. Despite there being quite a few people from Gedo High here, there's no evidence of a big block fight about to break out, as most of the students are here to have a good time. All truth told, when nobody's in uniform, it's hard to tell who's going to what school, with the event being so huge.

Of course, there's always a few disagreements going on in an event this big, but most students seem to be perfectly willing to settle it via dance-offs, and the word buzzes about several high profile dance-offs having already settled a few beefs. Even now, a couple students are spinning on the floor off in the red corner, breakdancing furiously at eachother.

Of course, the DJs are covering for the live band currently, and they're playing pretty hardcore dance music to go along with some of those furious moves... I guess it's only a matter of time before they settle things down with something a little slower. Right? There's only so much breakdancing anybody can handle!

Most of the students have already arrived here at the Southtown Schools Promenade Dance. In the face of strife and competition amongst the various schools of Southtown, this is the time where, purportedly, the schools can set aside their respective differences and just, for one night, enjoy themselves in a carefully chaperoned environment.

Refreshments are set up at a table off to the side. And... the sushi table is -thoroughly- picked over already. Unless you like california rolls. Or the spicy tuna, laden with enough wasabi to make a water buffalo choke and cough.

The dance floor... well. It's still early, and there's only really one person out there who's showing any particular dance enthusiasm: a Pacific student named Charlie Goodnight. Rugged, with mutton chops that also could make a water buffalo choke and cough, he's dancing and writhing about like a man possessed by the spirit of Patrick Swayze. he's not... dancing with any ONE girl, though -- flirtatious, and relentless, it seems that he's making overtures to -all- the shy fillies about on the dance floor.

His procedurally-selected date, the tall and normally outspoken Natsu Ayuhara, is grinding her heel into the floor by the refreshment table, her jaw set, her mouth creased into an irritable frown, a mostly-full glass of punch in her hand. It probably won't stay mostly-full for long, though, from how much her hand is shaking.

Towering over the masses, Daigo Kazama stood silently, a glass of punch in his that seems mostly empty, the other in the pocket of his pants. His worn out tuxedo jacket has been placed under his arm, feeling more comfortable that way it would seem. His eye slowly scan aruond the crowd, as if he was lost in his thought or was looking for someone. Hard to know what's on his mind currently.

Lost in his reveries like this, it almost felt like Daigo was part of the scenery : a sort of imposing statue in the middle of nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, he moves. His hand rises up so he can take a sip of his punch and he then realizes it's empty. He glances at the glass and then over to the table with the refreshment. Daigo strides in that direction to get a refill.

He stops by Natsu's side, taking the ladle to get some punch into his glass. His single valid eye can't help but notice the tall girl beside him -- or more specifically the way her hands are shaking. He puts the ladle down and moves his hand on her shoulder, "You okay? You look pretty nervous,"

Natsu would stand out in the crowd, since she's perhaps the only lady present who could look back at Daigo without having to look UP at Daigo. But she's not in the crowd, she's on the periphery -- which is where Gedo's "Boss" encounters her. As she's smoldering with irritation at her supposed date for the evening, she's completely oblivious to the arrival of the man indirectly responsible for her promotion to volleyball team captain.

Oblivious, that is, until she finds a hand on her shoulder. One that doesn't belong to her date, Charlie Goodnight.

Some punch splashes its way out of the cup as Natsu's hand shudders at the sudden surprise. Natsu's eyes close -- there's only -maybe- two, three guys on the Gorin campus who would feel comfortable enough to touch Natsu. And she assumes it's just one of them, forgetting that there are LOTS of schools in attendance.

"I'm =fine=. My date, on the other hand... he's totally fine dancing with everyone he sees! Came back to get a drink and he didn't even want to stop!"

Her hands -did- stop shaking, after the initial shock wore off. Maybe the firm grip on her shoulder calmed her down somewhat...

But then, a placated Natsu turns to look over to the source of the voice. And realizes... it's not one of the three guys she would normally -expect- to be consoling her.

Brow furrors. Eyebrows lower. "... I'm sorry, have we /met?/ I think you need to get your hand off me!" So much for having calmed down...

It was a very particular knack Daigo had : a soothing a calming effect with a single touch of his hand. As if he could diffuse his own serenity into others. It might have startled Natsu, but after a moment, his contact seems to have stopped his shaking. At the very least, that was what Daigo was staring at after he put his hand on her shoulder.

After all, if he can give Edge some moments of clarity with a touch of his hand, it might work removing some of Natsu's anxiety. A smile spreads on his lips. Daigo arches a brow and glances off in the direction of the dance floor. It wasn't hard to see who Natsu was talking about, "He seems to be enjoying himself," Daigo points out, "You should try to do the same, this is this prom is all about, no?" He gives her a pat on her shoulder.

When Natsu finally glances up at him and speaks her surprise, Daigo can't help but laugh a bit. He takes his hand off of Natsu though, "No, I don't think we had that pleasure," His expression seems amused : was touching her shoulder so wrong? He raises his glass of punch up and says, "I'm Daigo Kazama, pleased to meet you,"

It's a big night, and despite all the butterflies in one's stomach that comes with such a dance, along with all the pressure to not make a fool out of one's self, all the pressure of a massive, memorable social gathering of people who you'll have to face near daily after this is all done? All the possibilities of being the talk of the hallways for all the wrong reasons?

Despite all of that...it couldn't be as bad as the week preceding for Brett. THen again, it wasn't really the entire week, so much as that one strange evening. Heck, in fact, despite being in formal wear far out of the realm he's used to wearing in any kind of situation, Brett's only real worry is running into any of the girls from that SNF debacle for his hand at the dance tonight. It's enough to make him worry, but perhaps not as much as if he was freaking out over the usual.

It still comes with the usual fidgeting, the straightening of that blue tie to match his date's and the occasional roll of his shoulders complete with the creaking of that tuxedo jacket. But as he looks back, holding the door and waiting for the one he actually BROUGHT with him (her winning the SNF farce was just a happy coincidence), he does his best to relax. Good impressions, right? Good impressions....

Kazuki Kirigana does not really sure why he is here at all. Aside from the fact that perhaps he is far too polite to refuse an invitation. The young Aikidoka is dressed surprisingly well, in a black suit with a pale green tie. He hasn't been to Gorin High before; it wasn't a school he was at all interested in, given that his interest in athletics was minimal at best.

He sees Daigo fairly quickly; the large man is hard to miss, as would be his date. She is easiest the tallest high school woman Kazuki has ever seen. Which reminds him. Kazuki turns.

"I think this is the place," he says as he extends an open hand to his own date.

Daigo's words to Natsu are not, technically, incorrect: She -should- be trying to enjoy herself. But it's becoming fairly evident that Natsu likes being the one in control, and having some random schmoe come up and rest his hands on her shoulder -- bared only due to the design of her prom dress -- is not exactly a mark of control!

"... Natsu Ayuhara." she responds, bowing lightly at the waist. She's not put off -too- much by the grin he gives -- she has had frequent run-ins with Gorin students who get too familiar, after all. She looks up at Daigo -- =something= seems familiar about him, but in the low light of the Gorin Dome, she figures everyone would look alike somehow or another. Unless she were really good friends with anyone, of course. "You'd do well to keep your hands to yourself here, there's been plenty of... -incidents- here and I'd hate for you to get dragged into anything."

The sense of motion near the entrance catches her eye, though, and she recognizes... Brett. Which brings a more genuine smile to her face. "... I'm... sorry, if you'll excuse me?" And with some degree of subtlety, she slips through the crowd and makes her way over to...

"Brett! Hey, hey, glad you made it! I was wondering if you got -lost- stumbling out from the dorms!" she offers, her earlier anxiety completely gone with the opportunity to torment -- er, talk to -- another Gorin student.

Daigo arches a brow and stares at Natsu as she reprimands him for the way he came up to her. He had no bad intention, but he felt she needed it. He shows no regret and remains unwavering before the reproach. When she excuses herself, Daigo's lips curl into a faint smile and he nods his head, "Have a good prom, Natsu," He simply says as she departs.

At the very least, Natsu had been very direct with him. He glances at her as she leaves and then turns his gaze away back on the dance floor, letting his mind trail off. Note to self : some girls will take being touched the wrong way.

Unlike Kazuki, Daigo didn't notice the smaller boy. From afar, he could see everyone, and everyone could see him but it was hard to find someone in the sea of people.

The dress was something of a rushed request from the Twilight Star seamstress. Honoka had literally spent five minutes on the internet searching up something, pointed, and went off to perform -- two days later, this is what she was presented with. "... Burgundy?" she'd questioned. But it was too late to negotiate.

The off-the-shoulder dress does suit Miko Kobayashi nicely though. The burgundy isn't as obvious, and neither is her pale skin tone. But she didn't do anything fancy about her hair. But it's doubtful anything she'd chosen to wear is as obvious as the young man she's walked in with, a reluctant Kazuki Kirigana.

"Yes, it's... the place." She resists the urge to append 'Captain Obvious' to the end of it as she accepts his open hand. The date was her idea, anyway -- a sort of 'trial by fire' to the young aikidoka who she'd felt could really appreciate an integration to high society.

Squeezing Kazuki's hand lightly, she starts leading him through the crowd. Not as quickly as that tall freak of nature in the black dress that just walked over, but her intent is clear. "We should probably pay our respects to Scarface over there, " she quips with a sardonic tone.

While Natsu may be super interested in seeing Brett, hopefully it's not substantially more interesting than who slips in the door after him. That's right, it's one of Natsu's best friends, Hinata Wakaba! And for once she's not wearing sweatbands and giant oversized shoes! In fact, Hinata has actually put her hair up into two small buns on the back of her head although her bangs remain parted to either side of her face, made-up with a touch of blue eye shadow and pink lip gloss. For her dress? Of course it's Taiyo blue! Sheer lace straps run down from her shoulders and the upper portion of her chest to an outfit marked with a light sprinkling of sequins. Rather than going for a more elegant gown approach, the skirts are pleated and lined on the inside with more blue lace, only going as far as her knees. Footwear? Short, strappy heels.

Of course, with her position now right next to Brett, who has suddenly been approached by Natsu, now she's right next to Natsu. "Natsu! You're already here!"

Looking up as he holds the door open for HInata, Brett spots HInata, smiling softly and waving to his classmate. "Natsu! I'm glad you're here too...." he says, a slight reddness to his cheeks, and the reason is clear when HInata finally makes her way through the door. "No...not lost, just...well...."

Letting the door slowly close behind him, he smiles to HInata, politely placing his arm around her from behind. He self-consciously adjusts his tie, blue to match HInata's dress as said. "I just hope the dance itself isn't as crazy as what they did to lead up to it. I'm just glad that...well, I had a chance to do what I should've done a while ago." He turns back to Hinata, smiling to her with a little bit of awkwardness. "You look...great, Hinata," he says, seeing a side of the girl others rarely see, it seems.

Kazuki looks a little flustered by all of this. There are a lot of people in the room, lots of emotions and chi flows running through the room as well. He's not wearing his headphones, not even a pair of earbuds, to help dull things out a little. He had been told, by more than a couple of people, that it would have been rude. He is a fair hand at aikido, pretty decent in gaging reactions and predicting responses.

Large social scenes, interactions with women outside of a dojo setting? These are not things that Kazuki knows much about.

"We probably should," he says with a faint smile.

It's a little late but finally Sakura is -making the scene-. And probably making -a- scene. 'cause when she comes into the prom, she comes in on the arm of none other than her best friend, Kei Chitose. Or... maybe Kei is on her arm? Kei looks distinctly mortified, though done up nicely in a pink satin dress with elbow-length gloves and a decent set of fake pearls. Sakura?

Sakura took a page from her favorite fighter's page. She came in a tux.

... that is, a tux that's had its sleeves artfully ripped out and the cuffs of the pants shredded, and she's wearing her typical Converses and her red padded fighting gloves.

And, of course, her headband. Kei covers her face--with a nice matching clutch purse--as Sakura makes a triumphant pose upon entering the gym, thrusting her right fist into the air and shouting, gleefully (perhaps even moreso for Kei's embarrassment) "YEAH!"

Charlie Goodnight is -tearing up- the dance floor right now. He's managed to get a few of the other students involved -- party, party, party!! He knows all the songs, he knows all the moves, and it's quite likely that he's going to get the phone numbers of -all- the single ladies on the dance floor right now.

Luckily for Charlie, his date has other more pressing things on her mind: saying hi to Brett and Hinata. "Well, it wasn't far to walk, obviously!" Natsu is especially pleased to see Hinata's new look -- and the first thing she can do is to cover her mouth with a hand as she walks around her shorter friend to admire the new look. Completing her circuit around Hinata, she raises her punch glass in approval: "I am so happy for you two! You both look so fabulous!" She'd been nervous when she'd heard about the conditions of -fighting- for the date, but things seem to have worked out.

... And then her -other- childhood friend makes an appearance, as Natsu glances over to the shouting. She is... well, let's go with 'surprised' at the tomboy's apparrel. "S....sak..." Covering her mouth for a light cough, she walks over to admire Kei's outfit instead. "Kei! It's... so good to see you! Who's your -handsome- date here? Oh, it's YOU, Sakura!" The tall volleyball captain flashes a warm smile at the pair. "It's good to see you all, thanks for coming... There's... some punch, and -some- sushi left over there, I think..."

Kei shoots Natsu an aggrieved look. It's a familiar look 'cause, well, this is -exactly- the kind of thing Sakura does. It's the kind of look that all of Sakura's friends have learned to either ignore or just give a sympathetic smile to. After all...

Kei didn't -have- to come here with Sakura. She could've bought the sushi extravaganza from the konbini and watched back episodes of "The Love That Never Dies" from Netflix. It's her -favorite show- after all. But no... no, she's here right now.

Sakura waves cheerfully to Natsu and Hinata, throwing the peace sign with her right hand. "There's been a rumor for years that Ryu-san fought a fight in a tuxedo like this. Always wanted to try it!" She takes a few experimental swings and twists of the arms.

"Pretty roomy! I think I could do a good fight in this." That Sakura, always thinking about the fight in some way. Kei nudges Sakura then gestures with her head towards the refreshments and Sakura nods.

"G'wan, I'm not hungry yet. I'll catch up with you in a sec!" She winks at Kei.

"You look great, Kei, seriously. Thanks for this." Turning back to Natsu she inquires, oh so innocently, "Where's Shoma?"

A pair of doors are kicked open to allow a young woman in a festive red and gold cheongsam through. The reason for her kicking the door soon becomes evident by the two large, flat platters that she is currently carrying. "Coming through!" Jam announces happily as she -click clacks- her way into the area proper on some sizeable heels. The martial artist cannot help but stop and admire all the decorations and all the dressed up (more or less) prom goers. This was going to be a magical evening, she just knew it!

But Jam soon realizes that she will have to navigate a gauntlet of pitfalls and crazily dancing people to make it to the refreshments table without dropping the trays in her hands. And she will have to make this trip all while wearing a long dress and heels. This may just be the biggest challenge of Jam's culinary career yet! But it's one that she's more than willing to take on!

Afterall, what's the -worst- that can happen?

Grinning from ear to ear, Jam sets forth on her most dangerous journey to the table where all the food has been set up. Suddenly, a couple gets a little too close to her and she has to pirouette to avoid certain disaster. Phew! Jam lets out a sigh of relief that she -just- avoided ruining that couple's night. Hopefully, there won't be any more close calls on her way to the food table.

The look on Hinata's face when Sakura makes her appearance quickly goes from excited to see her friend to a rarely seen frown of disappointment. In fact, Hinata actually goes speechless for a brief moment. Not because she's stunned or anything, but moreso because she's attempting to figure out what to say to Sakura without being rude.

"You look like an idiot, Saku-chan." Okay, so maybe that didn't work out so well, but sometimes with one of your best friends you need to cut straight through the crap. "Just because a guy who doesn't own shoes dresses a particular way doesn't mean you should show up to prom like that and mortify Kei."

As the commotion from the door comes, Brett can't help but turn his head from his date to the new arriving...couple? Blinking, the hockey star finds himself rather confused at the girl with the sleeveless tux and...well, looking like she's here to fight more than to dance.

Then he hears the name 'Sakura' come up and he turns to both HInata and Natsu. "Um...this is your friend?" he asks, finally meeting the third of the Three Musketeers that Natsu herself mentioned. He rubs the back of his neck. He could say a few things, but he finds it a lot more...diplomatic if he doesn't say any of them, letting her friends handle that for him. Instead, he extends his free hand toward Sakura and offering a shake. "It's nice to meet you, er....Sakura." He would use her last name to be polite but he realizes he doesn't remember it. Eyes flit back toward Natsu and HInata even as he offers, realizing that this is...hopefully...not common behavior for her.

Where's... Shoma? Natsu's cheeks stain a dense red, visible even in the dim lighting. "He told me he wasn't coming to 'some stupid dance thing' so I got my own date." She doesn't even look back to the dance floor to confirm =where= Charlie Goodnight is, she just figured he was where he'd been the past half hour, and thrusts an open palm in that general direction.

As luck would have it though, the Pacific party boy -did- notice that his date was taking an extra long time with the drinks, and he ducks to avoid getting hit by that palm. Instead he sweeps -under- her arm, deftly placing his arm around the volleyball player's waist. "Hey babe, miss me? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

If there was a way Natsu could turn even -more- red, that's the color she'd be right now. "Hello, Charlie. Are you having a good time?" ICY. That's about as much of an introduction as he's going to get, as Natsu offers a tight smile back to Sakura, Kei, Brett, and Hinata.

Well, it's not -all- she could say. She'd heard a door get kicked open, and looks over to see the looped hair of Miss Kuradoberi. "Hey, if you're hungry, it looks like there's going to be some Chinese food..."

Sakura faces Hinata and puts her hands on her hips. "Do you think you can picture me in one of those floofy prom dresses, Hina-chan?" It's a good-natured demand, but, well, you know. She's probably right. That's like the last thing Sakura would -ever- wear. She only tolerates the school uniform 'cause it's got freedom of movement.

"Besides," Sakura grins, flicking at the lapels of her tuxedo jacket, "I got a discount 'cause this was damaged! So I can afford to buy that retrospective album tomorrow. We -are- going to the record shop tomorrow, right?" she eyes Hinata narrowly.

Then grins. "Or are you mortally embarrassed by all this and will never be seen in public with me again?" Sakura nods to Natsu, then hmms.

"That's a shame--" She cuts off as Charlie slides back in and she just... looks at Natsu for a moment. As if to ask, why isn't this guy in the rafters already? But then she has to turn to Brett.

"Hi! Sakura Kasugano at your service. Ryu's Number One Fan!"

After long moments lost in his thoughts staring and assessing the reactions from the crowd, Daigo finally spots familiar faces in all of there. His lips curl into a smile and he decides to walk in their direction. He holds his glass of punch in one hand, while he has his tuxedo jacket under his other arm.

"Kazuki.." He says with a nod of his head, "Hum, I'm surprised, I didn't expect to see you here, but I'm glad you came," He says with a gentle smile. He then glances over to Miko and nods to her, his eyes taking a moment to stare at her outfit, "Miko," He adds with a bow of his head. It was surprising to see them both together but still, it was obviously pleasant nonethless to see them bonding together.

Miko is more than happy to be dragging Kazuki through the room. She's definitely more at home in a sea of conflicting emotional undercurrents than the young chi-sensitive prodigy, and his discomfort at being practically dragged through the crowd actually brings a smile to her face.

She glances back to the Kazuki she's got in her hand. "Yeah, it's not so bad." And then the Gedo Boss is suddenly right there saying hi! "Daigo! Glad you could make it. Apparently I --just-- missed out on winning the bid. Where's your lucky lady?"

She steps back, taking a moment to appraise his slightly more formal mode of dress. "I take it you've been digging into the refreshment table," she observes, having noted where he was standing before. "Kazuki, are you getting hungry? They have sushi, and ... other things? Let's see." She glances over to see Jam nearly bowling some clumsy kids over and realizes there's going to be more food soon. "... Chinese? Why they would offer pork buns in a place where people are going to be confined and all breathing the same air is beyond me..." She shrugs her shoulders with a grin. "But whatever, it's probably delicious!"

Hinata's frown eases up slightly, unable to truly stay annoyed at her friend for her choice in attire. "I could totally see you in a prom dress, and if you'd bothered to come shopping with me, I would have found something that made you look really cool. Maybe not even a dress... but wearing that I'm pretty sure that you owe Kei like a thousand favors for making her show up with you."

She reaches out and tugs at the ragged area where the sleeves would have been. "This isn't even a good cut job, Sakura." She starts to smile as she shakes her head. "...and I know you didn't want to pay an arm and a leg, but two arms isn't much better." At this point the smirk on her face suggests she's not going to let Sakura get away without a proper friendly ribbing.

Before she has a chance to answer Sakura's question, Natsu's date shows up, and there's a brief glance between him and the volleyball player. Unlike Sakura, Hinata at least puts in the effort to be slightly friendly. "I'm Natsu's friend, Hinata Wakaba." Although there's still a light bit of teasing played into it. "I'm sure you've heard all about me in your many deep, heartfelt conversations with Natsu-chan."

Arm still around Hinata, Brett shakes Sakura's hand when she introduces herself. "Ah...Kasugano-san. So...um..." He is so terribly tempted to bring something up regarding her tuxedo, even as she explains HOW she managed to get it. But again, he politely holds his tongue. "So, you've been friends with Hinata and Ayuhara since you were all kids, ri-"

That's when Natsu's 'date' arrives, and clearly changes the mood around here. As he turns his head toward the rather obnoxious Pacific student, the Gorin kid can't help but scowl a bit. And he can kind of tell Natsu isn't too happy with him either."

"A...friend of yours, Ayuhara?" he asks, his slightly disapproving look all that the American boy can muster at this point.

It's definitely not the dragging Kazuki minds so much as the background "noise." He bows slightly at the waist to Daigo. "Sempai." He looks around, taking in the sights. Then Miko asks about food.

"I could eat," he answers honestly, looking over at the table. Food would be a welcome distraction, to be sure. "Though I have to agree about the meat buns." He makes a note of Jam's presence, though he doesn't recognize her. "Might be dangerous."

...did he just crack a joke?

Daigo's lips curl into a smile at Miko's words and he bows his head gently, "So I heard, I am flattered you bid on me... After the 'abandonned warehouse' incident, I didn't expect you to do such a thing," He says with an hint of playfulness in his voice.

His expression becomes a bit more stern and serious as Daigo replies, "She should be here any moments," He lifts his hands up to pat Kazuki's shoulder, "You're one lucky guy, taking Miko out, eh. Take good care of her," He says. He then glances to Miko and says to both of them, "Take care of yourselves, and have fun, maybe we'll see each other again on the dance floor when my partner shows up,"

The thought of Sakura in a floofy prom dress brings a smile to Natsu's lips -- enough to help her forget about her so-called date.

Charlie Goodnight grins back at Sakura, nodding quietly. He's not much of a talker, really, but... "Ryu's Number One Fan, huh. Sounds like a cool guy!" he says, not believing a word of that. He looks back to Hinata, squinting at the diminutive Sunshine Girl. "... Y-yeah. It's kinda funny how we met, actual--"

Natsu doesn't even wait, just smiles with saccharine sweetness as she turns back to Charlie. "Charlie, -sweetie-, Could you be a dear and fetch us four glasses of punch? Thanks." Her tone brooks no argument.

Charlie's eyes go wide, and he obediently rushes off for the punch table.

Natsu rubs her forehead, taking a deep breath. "Look." She reduces her volume, leaning in so that the shorter ladies aren't left out of the conversation. "I don't know -what- is up with Shoma, but I'm not just going to sit on my butt and wait for him. He said no, so he can sit in his room and play video games all night for all I care." She takes in another deep breath, sipping at her punch. "It was that... Signatron app. I figured, how bad could it really be?"

Natsu shrugs. "Guess I know, now!"

There won't be just -any- Chinese food being served! It was totally authentic Chinese food from Jam's restaurant! The cautiously advancing Jam finally arrives at the table and drops off the two huge platters before placing a hand on both of the handles of the covered lids. She rips the lids off with now with a flourish and a half twirl. "Ta-da! The food has arrived!" Kuradoberi Jam then poses happily next ot her revealed entrees, gesturing towards them broadly.

A regular cornucopia of different Chinese dishes are available for anyone whom worked up an appetite on the dance floor. Slices of Peking Duck are the centerpiece of each platter with every inch of the plate being covered with food. Tofu, Millennium Eggs, Phoenix Claws, and even some strange beige colored meet are all present! And yes, there are even some Xiao Long Bao (porkbuns) for people to enjoy.

With nothing more to do at the moment, the proud chef stands nearby her creations as she awaits her first test sub....lucky individuals to try out her food!

It actually hasn't been too long since Rina O'Reilly was last seen on the Gorin High campus. At that time, she had come to deliver a message - one that was less than diplomatic. And it's hard to say whether her latest appearance will make more or less of a lasting impression than the last one, but it just might - after all, spraypaint can come off with solvent, but what has been seen cannot be unseen.

Such as the neon rainbow-coloured dress worn by Rocket as she's skating onto the dance floor in the Gorin Dome. Absent are the usual headphones - she's at least got enough faith in the DJ to provide the music in this instance - but she's still on rollerblades (blue ones with hot pink laces) and she's still got a ballcap on (also blue and hot pink). Her cyan hair is tied into its usual braided ponytail, but in this case it's interwoven with a hot pink ribbon. As she skids to a stop on the dance floor, her green eyes sweeping the inside of the dome, her lips form an 'o' - and a large, pink bubble swells out from between them. She's not in awe, she's just blowing bubblegum.

Her eyes come to rest when she finds who she's looking for, and the bubble bursts before retreating into her mouth.

"Yo! Kazama!" she yells across the dancefloor before skating over toward Daigo, right past the gathering of Gorin and Taiyo students. She doesn't seem to notice the ones who would be familiar to her, at least just yet. Another bubble is forming in front of her face as she powerslides to a stop in front of the Gedo gang leader, holding up a hand in greeting. And keeping it there. Presumably... looking for a high five?

Miko looks up at the man, the myth, the scarred legend: Daigo. And she quirks an eyebrow at the notation of the 'abandoned warehouse.' "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mister Kazama." Is... Daigo thinking she was -involved- in that nonsense somehow? But if the big man doesn't dwell on it, she won't either. "Yeah, sure thing. C'mon, Kazuki, let's grab some food." She'd smirked at his joke, sensing that there could have been a hidden meaning to his words, and wondering how much else about the mysterious teen she can find out. But no bother... She peripherally notes the arrival of Rocket, but she figures -- that girl will -probably- make a scene soon enough anyway.

Miko heads over to Jam's display, flicking a healthy smile at the young proprietress. She... considers making a racially-charged joke for a moment, but holds her tongue, instead indicating her desire for a slice of peking duck. "This... smells delicious! I haven't made it down to Chinatown in a while... are you from Genhanten?" So instead Miko opts for -another- way to stoke the fires of the Chinese woman, punctuated with a pleasant smile that might read as "completely naive" to anyone who doesn't know her.

You'd think after what had happened with Brett earlier this past weekend, Yuri wouldn't want to show up at a dance like this. But she gathered her courage to arrive here, even if she hasn't got a date. She's still hoping she'll find someone to dance with and enjoy the night with. And she's wearing the same dress that she wore to the fight as well! Quite interesting, isn't it?

Yuri looks around, trying to find someone she recognizes in the crowd. Unfortunately, it's pretty big, and while she thinks she can see Hinata, she isn't entirely sure all the same. She tries to make her way through the crowd to see if it's really her.

Sakura rolls her eyes in a friendly manner at Natsu. "Why d'you think I asked Kei? Rather go stag with her than risk... well..." She gestures at where Charlie's gone to get punch.

"... -that-," she finally finishes.

"Where's he from, anyways? I know I haven't seen him before, so..." Sakura shakes her head then glances around. Hopefully Charlie isn't trying to mack on Kei. There would be no forgiveness for that--Sakura would have to take direct action.

"'m sorry Shoma's so uh..." She gestures vaguely.

"Hard-headed," she finishes, then sticks her hands in her pockets and her tongue out at Hinata.

"That's the whole -point-, Hina-chan! To look rough and ready, elegant but ready for battle!"

Kazuki gives Daigo the briefest of deer-in-the-headlights looks before the mask of calm slides back on as Miko drags him to Jam's table. He looks over the table and also selects the duck. He throws a quick glance at Miko as she poses her questions.

His eyes narrow briefly at this, but lets it pass. Miko's an instigator, apparently. So far she hasn't set out to get anyone seriously hurt.

Going to prom alone is rough; it doesn't really affect Tiffany's self-esteem, but it's Roy or bust and he's totally failed to pay any attention to the dance. It requires going to one of the non-Pacific schools for reasons other than "to antagonize everyone," so naturally it's something that Roy has totally failed to move on. Tiffany Lords, then, has decided to stay far away from the dance floor; she's /really good/ at exciting public displays of affection, but why bother?

In spite of the setbacks, such as they are, she remains in relatively sunny spirits as she gets some (distinctly non-spiked, this time) punch. Her body still aches from her earlier fight with Natsu, so she's resolved to take it easy and spend one night, at least, just relaxing.

Brett just ends up looking past toward the punch bowl where Charlie left to get drinks. "...I wouldn't be too surprised if he was from Pacific," Brett notes, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you got left with someone that...um...lame, Ayuhara." Again, he tries to find the best, most measured word for it rather than being too sharp about it. But it's clear that he doesn't terribly approve of Natsu's date either.

The name 'Shoma' piques his interest, remembering something HInata had said. But he lets his expression handle his reactions for now, instead . Which is probably a good thing since he sees a face that he's not sure he'd see at this point, stomach falling as he sees YUri coming toward their group. "...oh geez....th-the girl I had to do that dance practice and fight with....." he mutters, covering his face a bit.

From afar, Daigo can see Rina make her way across the dance floor. His smile slowly fades : no, did she really do that? The way the crowd moves around of the rapidly moving girl. Hopefully, Rocket's good enough with her rollerblades not to bump into anyone it sees.

When skids to a controlled halt in front of him, Daigo stares at her sternly : he was still stunned inside about the stunt she had just pulled off. He stares at her from head to toes while she has her hand extended for a high five. Daigo bursts into a genuine laughter after a second or two and he lifts his free hand up to return the greeting.

"You know," Daigo says with a wide grin, "I just realized, deep down, I felt you'd do something that.." He says after a moment. His lips curl into a wide smile, his eyes glancing around at the others who stare at Rocket and her rollerblades, "Awww, please don't change, Rocket," He says, as if replying to the disapproving glances Rocket is getting.

With a slow nod, Daigo says, "I love the dress, Rainbow. It looks really good on you,"

Sada Asai enters.

She is wearing a dress in suitably regal hues. Primarily purple, with fabric interwoven with glittering shimmery threads in silver and gold, and with what would appear to be a genuine, authentic mink stole around her shoulders, to ward off the chill.

She is also wearing an entirely humble pair of black pumps, and a wholly subdued and all natural set of makeup that is more suited for a fashion queen in her twenties than a fresh-faced young prom queen. Finally, a hair ornament - a small hairpin on the left side of her face with a jeweled lily, for the sake and honor of Seijyun.

Actually, she has a third accessory on her arm.

JOHNNY FANTASTIC
SCHOOL: PACIFIC HIGH
AGE: Old enough to know better ;)))) (age: 17, played by actor who is: actually 26)
HAIR: Blonde
Eyes: Blue (both)
BUILD: Pleasantly wiry
CURRENT ACTION: Looking around, nodding

Sada has actually been kind of leading him onwards, which is making her expression increasingly tense. Johnny has eight inches and nearly eighty pounds on her, so this has been something of an expedition.

She hip checks him. "huh? Oh, yeah, baby, sure," Johnny says to Sada. "Pretty good tunes they've got. Want me to take you over to the punch?"

"/Yes/," Sada replies, through clenched teeth.

When her first customers step up, Jam brings her hands together in front of her and offers a small bow. She can't help but smile broadly when Miko first compliments her offered food. But it is her question that causes Jam to tilt her head to the side slightly, brown eyes blinking uncomprehensively. "Genhanten? Nope! I'm from China!" announces the Chinese woman wearing a tradtional Chinese dress whom was serving Chinese food in a complete misunderstanding of what Miko meant she asked her if she was -from- Genhanten.

Jam soon nods her head proudly before gesturing to herself. "I'm Kuradoberi Jamu, owner and head chef of the restaurant that provided the food tonight!" She says in order to introduce herself to both Miko and Kazuki. Aw, they look cute together! If only Jam had been X years younger to attend the prom herself instead of merely working it.

The punch bowl is set up pretty close to where Jam dropped off the food, so it is not long before Jam notices a certain familiar face over there. "Tiffany!" Jam shouts out in greeting before smiling. "Come try some Xiao Long Bao!"

Though Sada's approach gets Tiffany's attention, she's just someone else who happens to be at what is ultimately a /really/ large dance. Accordingly, the restauranteur is the one who gets the meat of Tiffany's attention; she takes a couple of quick steps toward her, giving a wave. Her long, purple dress shimmers just slightly in the dim light as she moves toward Jam, saying, "Jam! I didn't realize you'd be -- oh, you're catering! GREAT!"

Sure enough, Tiffany decides to avail herself of some xiao long bao in short order, making sure to eat the little bun as carefully as possible. It's not like it's a messy food, but this dress is expensive and Tiffany /really/ doesn't want to get anything on it. "Uuuggghhhh Pacific guys are the woooorst," she moans out to Jam, in agony that is at /least/ half-mock. "Have there been a lot of, uh... UNATTACHED guys?" The idea of /staying/ alone at the dance is even worse than /coming/ alone.

Miko, the instigator holding Kazuki's hand, smiles back sweetly at Jam. That's an adorable misdirection, and it's one she can totally appreciate: she knows Jam is quick enough to think on her feet. Xiao Long Bao is one of those entrees that just about every Chinese restaurant cooks differently, and as much as she'd just been dogging on them... she withdraws her hand from Kazuki long enough to place one pork bun on her plate. "Don't mind if I do," she explains, even if that direction was instead offered to Tiffany. ... Who she also recognizes. "Ahh, Miss Lords. Pleasure meeting you here. May I introduce you to my companion for this evening, Mr. Kazuki Kirigana?" She feels it necessary to clarify lest Tiffany attempt to steal her beau-for-the-night away from her.

She hazards a brief glance over to her rollerbladed schoolmate and the Gedo Boss, grinning a fair amount. But, for now, she takes a moment to enjoy the peking duck and xiao long bao.

At first, Yuri doesn't recognize Brett, since she's more focused on greeting Hinata. "Hey you!" Yuri says with a big grin to her buddy, before turning and spotting... Brett? The very same person she had to dance with earlier this weekend? Is this a joke or some kind of irony. Still, Yuri can't help but notice how he's covering his face. This causes her to turn away and giggle a little. "How ironic is this?" She says to herself. "My opponent is here trying to dance for real!"

Kazuki looks up from his plate as Tiffany approaches. Girls like her... make an entrance without even trying. He swallows his food abruptly nodding. "A pleasure," he says, perfectly polite, and perfectly glad that Miko is staking him off from stalking. Metaphorically speaking, anyway.

He bows slightly, not as much as he had to Daigo, for certain, but it's still a bow. He tilts his head to one side, trying to catch the tune being played currently.

Charlie Goodnight is totally rampaging the punch bowl. He fills four glasses. And then he tries to pick up four glasses, and realizes he only has two hands. Frowning at this conundrum, he realizes that he can pinch two glases together from the top rims... but that leaves fingerprints. He spares a moment wiping off the grubby fingerprints with a napkin, and then, shock of all shocks, realizes his huga gaijin hands are large enough to support both glasses from the bottom. Success! And so he marches back to Natsu... when he notices Tiffany there. He stops beside her, flashing a smarmy grin. ... "Oh, hey, I know you. Want a drink?" He raises a glass to her in greeting. Well, four glasses. It's totally convenient even though the punch bowl is like right there and all.

Natsu smiles back as Yuri approaches. She's not met the Taiyo student personally, but there's a first tiem for everything. She nods quietly back to Yuri: "Hi, I'm friends with Sakura and Hinata... nice to meet you! And... sorry to hear about your battle, I'm sure it's tough keeping up with Brett's moves here." She winks back at Brett, giving him a playful grin.

To Sakura, Natsu notes, "He's from Pacific, yeah. He's... he's alright, but..." She shrugs noncommittally, looking back towards the punch bowl. Ah, he's macking on Tiffany now? Egh. She does notice another newcomer though -- and one of Charlie's friends, Johnny. "... yeah." She gestures towards Johnny Fantastic and Sada. "Both of those came as like a matched set. They both would've come -with- me till I told him Seijyun was the -other- way..."

"Hello, I'm Yuri!" Yuri says turning to face Natsu and grinning. "And don't worry about the battle, I'm sure we're both just fine now." She laughs at that. "Actually, I dunno about Brett, but I'm just fine. This dress even came in handy for tonight!" She turns around to show off her shimmering purple gown, with a pair of matching high heeled shoes. Yuri seems to have learned how to walk in them with great skill now, a contrast to the fight she had.

Sakura simply nods sympathetically. Kei, ever playing the dutiful friend, comes back with two glasses of punch and two plates of sushi--decent stuff, not the best but it doesn't look grody yet. Somehow, Kei managed to miss Charlie's attentions, and Sakura takes the food and drink from her with a smile. "Thanks, Kei," she says, "I was just getting a little hungry."

Sakura pops a piece of sushi in her mouth and chews slowly, chew chew chew chew, swallow.

"So uh, why aren't any of us out on the dance floor?" she asks, glancing out there. The music isn't really to her tastes, too much--she's more of a J-Pop girl herself--but...

Kei shakes her head adamantly. "You're -not- getting me out there with you in that getup, Sakura," she says, flatly.

Sakura laughs, then pats Kei. "Don't worry, I won't make you do it..."

Sada looks impassively at Tiffany.

So does Johnny.

Johnny's instep gets stepped on.

"Ha ha! Hey, sorry; you know you're the most beautiful one here, Asai," Johnny tells Sada. As they reach the refreshments, he becomes intensely interested in an aspect of the decoration on one of the bowls. He pours Sada a cup... but then he crouches down, inspecting it closely.

This leads Sada to silently agree with the assessment of Tiffany, even as she looks up at Jam. "You are the... caterer? What is all of this, laid out before us?" she asks, as she tosses her hair back with one hand, gratuitously. (She DOES have nice hair.)

She then sees something.

She glares towards the cluster near Sakura. Mostly over Yuri's dress, which has a remarkable resemblance to her own. "Who is that," she hisses to Tiffany, gesturing discreetly.

Well, looks like his attempt to hide from Yuri didn't help much...then again, hiding as he is was always going to be rather impossible, considering how much Brett stands out. He internally groans as he looks up again toward YUri as she approaches. "Um...yeah. I'm going to try at least. Sorry about the end of that, but...it was still supposed to be a fight, and....yeah...." He rubs the back of his neck again, looking over to Natsu, ducking his head embarrasedly at her teasing.

He then looks over to the punch bowl and....scowls. "...are you sure you want to let him keep doing that?" he asks his classmate, his own voice taking on a rather sterner tone, stark departure from his usua meek tone.

Mind, that meek tone comes back when Sakura brings up the idea of going onto the dance floor. "ER....well...I guess that's kind of the point to coming here, right? Maybe we should...."

Jam smiles happily when Tiffany accepts her invitation and comes on over. The girl in the red cheongsam places a lone finger on the side of her chin as she considers this most serious question. She then glances around the room in an attempt to quickly take stock on the cute guy to girl ratio here. Nope,it looks like most of the guys came here here with dates. Jam turns back to Tiffany with a shrug of her shoulders before leaning in slightly in conspiratory fashion. "There doesn't seem to be! But we could always cut out and go try our luck somewhere else! How could any guys resist when we both looks like this?" supposes Jam confidently.

The young Chinese martial artist does think quick on her feet. She would be a lousy fighter and bounty hunter if she didn't! "Enjoy!" She adds simply to Miko when she tries a porkbun. Brown eyes to shift inbetween Miko and Kazuki when she introduces him. She grins, but her smile does get a little bigger when she looks inbetween Tiffany and Charlie when he comes over. The master chef even winks towards Tiffany before slyly looking elsewhere.

Kuradoberi Jam bows when Sada and her date come up and ask her about the spread that she prepared for tonight. "Only the best from my restaurant! Peking Duck, Millennium Eggs and Tofu, Xiao..porkbuns, and even my specialty! Jellyfish!" It seems that the identity of the beige colored mystery dish has been revealed!

"Hey, Yuri!" Hinata lets out in the enthusiastic tone she's well known for around Taiyo. Practically the entire student body at Taiyo could consider the Sunshine Girl a the very least a friendly aquaintance, especially after she's been pulled in to assist nearly every athletic club on campus (and some of the other ones as well).

"That dress looks great on you. Personally, I'm more comfortable with a shorter one; long dresses just drag you down." Okay, so her dress decision does have some of the same merits as Sakura's, but at least her dress looks more appropriate than Sakura's muscleman tuxedo.

When the topic of dancing comes up, Hinata seems more than willing to perk up to it. "That's right, we're supposed to be here to dance. I guess I let myself got sidetracked when you showed up looking like a pro wrestler at a televised wedding." She grabs Brett's hand and starts to drag him off. "Let's go!"

"Oh, HI MIKO," Tiffany says, with that same easygoing smile on her face; she gives both the young woman and her date a small wave, saying, "Tiffany Lords! I didn't expect there to be so many Gedo students here..." That much, at least, is true -- she'd imagined that there would be a few, but for the most part, Gedo just doesn't strike her as the dance-attending kind of school. Or really the anything kind of school, other than, like, knives.

When Sada yanks her attention away before she can comment too much to Kazuki, she looks in the direction her fellow teenager gestures. Eventually, she lamely offers, "I dunno... some other student?" That /is/ really the definition of who could be attending.

Fortunately, Jam is ready with something to make her feel a little less lame; she brightens significantly at the compliments, noting, "... If I don't get any bites in an HOUR I'll take you up on that," bursting into some good-natured laughter.

... On the one hand, Tiffany finally gets a bite flirtation-wise; on the other, she is pretty sure she knows this particular Pacific student, and isn't much a fan of his particular flirtation tactic. No one has that many drinks unless they're already on a date -- possibly a /double/ date -- and while there are a lot of things Tiffany can be pretty mercenary about, /true love/ isn't one of them.

"No thanks," she says, letting him past her with a neat sidestep toward the punch bowl. After a second, she turns around and claps him on the back, saying, "Good luck tonight, though!" in perfect English. It's a friendly gesture -- but one that might make carrying four cups from the bottom difficult!!

Perhaps not so friendly.

Sada glares in Yuri's direction again when Tiffany fails to give Sada a full dossier on Yuri's name, age, location, secret weakness, and ULTRA moves.

Jam provides her with an offering of menu options. Sada looks nauseated at the jellyfish, yet still says, "A millenium egg, please... and a cup of punch, if you would be so kind." The latter with a glare at Johnny, who is now probably chatting with some other NPC about something totally irrelevant.

Sada is annoyed further yet.

"What are you waiting for, your date?" she asks Tiffany, mostly since there are no Seijyunites around to go harass and socially strut at just now.

It's a good thing Brett has endurance, as he realizes when he ends up getting tugged along by Hinata toward the dance floor. Sure, he was the one to go with the idea of heading to dance as well, but as he's pulled along, he has the thought if he's going to actually be able to keep up with Hinata. AMongst other concerns, of course. "I'm r-right behind you!" he insists. Any sort of idea of trying to help straighten out Natsu's date for her sake is forgotten, for now.

"... Hmmmm? You didn't -expect- Gedo students here? Why... I thought -all- students in Southtown would be welcome at such a large affair..." is Miko's reply to Tiffany's woeful statement. To think that Gedo wouldn't attend when they were -invited!- But she doesn't let it linger... and instead, silently applauds at her complete disavowal of Charlie Goodnight's ill-timed advances.

Miko spends a moment glancing over the rest of the room, lost in thought for a moment. So many teenagers, thinking about so many different things. Miko -- Honoka, really -- can sense the undercurrents of conflicting emotions, can feel the tension, can sense so much potential for chaos... it's enough to bring that smile back to her face, as she thoughtfully works on her peking duck.

"Hm," she considers. "This is extraordinary. Don't you think so, Kazuki?" She looks around on the table, finds a flier for the restaurant, and curls it under her plate as she continues to eat.

"Still. It looks like Scarface is spacing out again. Perhaps we should tend to Miss Rocket, hmm?" She taps Kazuki on the shoulder, quietly leading him over towards Rina.

Listen, Kazuki. Follow the sensation of Miko's -mind-.

It's a relatively minor feat to avoid a dance floor collision on her rollerblades, as far as Rocket is concerned. She may have had to lightly tap a person or two on her way over to Daigo, but it's hardly parting the Red Sea. Navigating crowds on her blades is second nature to her, at least at reasonable speeds like the one she's been rolling at.

After completing the high-five with Daigo, her hand actually rather tiny in his, she pops her gum again and tucks it into her cheek to speak.

"Sorry I'm late. I didn't even know I was supposed to be going with you, but apparently someone, like, raised my bid online or something? It's kinda weird how people keep messing with me like that. Anyways, I'm just gonna - oh, hey! Is that sushi? Be right back! Gonna see if they have any spicy salmon."

And suddenly she's off again, sliding over to the sushi table and perusing the goods in her rainbow finery. Probably one of the worst dates ever?

"The food /is/ pretty good," he agrees. He is just finishing up his duck when... He blinks carefully. There's... something... he doesn't even know how to /begin/ to describe it. But he's curious about it, at the very least. "Something tells me we shouldn't leave her alone," Kazuki says carefully. He stands up, not entirely sure what is about to follow. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little curious.

Kazuki follows Miko over.

Charlie Goodnight is... summarily dissed! This brings his record for the night up to 0-24 or so -- and he had figured it would at -least- end with a 1, considering Natsu was -supposed- be a guarantee. Stupid Signatron. Still, he considers, as he walks back to Natsu and the others... there's at least -one- lovely lady he hasn't struck out with yet. He offers a drink to Natsu, and then realizes -- minus his own, he has two more left. Why did she tell him four? Must be one for Yuri and one for the next gal. "Miss... Sakazaki, is it? I recognized you from television... nice to finally meet the legend!" What legend is he talking about? He hasn't a clue, having only seen Yuri's fight on when he was waiting at the bus stop earlier.

"D-dancing?" stammers Natsu, glancing over towards Sakura and Kei. And then sees Hinata and Brett are moving off to the dance floor. She then hands her completely full glass to Charlie.

But... dancing is all Charlie wanted to do in the first place! ARGH. Awkwardly, he holds all four glasses while flashing his pearly white teeth back at Yuri.

Kei's been eating some more of that sushi... and unfortunately, it's not exactly the best sushi around. Suddenly, Kei turns a little green and tugs at Sakura's sleeve. Looking rather unwell, she rushes out of the dome before Sakura can say anything. What with Hinata and Brett going on the dance floor, an d Natsu apparently going off too, Sakura moues then waves to Natsu. "Ne, Natsu-chan. I'm gonna go make sure Kei is okay--if we don't come back, then Kei probably got really sick and I took her home, 'kay? Let Hina-chan know." Spinning around quickly she takes stock of the situation, waving to Tiffany, a girl she recognizes certainly from having fought alongside her, then dashes off after Kei.

Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but Sakura really does care about her friends quite a lot and if Kei's having a bad time of it, Sakura will be by her side as long as she needs.

Welp, it's happened.. They're late. The limo driver got the directions wrong and it took forever to pick up the passengers, said passengers consisting of Himeko Kashiwagi, several members of the Journalist Club and the members of the Creative Fiction Club (and possibly Rock Howard), all who have chipped into to arrive at the prom in style. Should Rock has come with he'd come to find that there are three topics that continue to be talked about within the car: Who's shipping with who, some youtube show called 'Los Jugadores Latinos Furiosos' and constant -constant- quoting from the show, then how lame Pacific High's Creative Fiction Club is.

It's a very long ride.

Eventually, though, the group arrives in a hurry; a good number shuffles with tripods and lighting, others with cameras, "This is bad, this is so bad!" Himeko whimpers, adorn in perhaps one of the most conservative prom dresses ever created that is predictably pink and has lots of neat, glittery lace. And rather than wear shoes she has boots on because really screw that.

Before they split up, the small group forms a circle with one hand on top of another as the leader (who is not Ran) psyches everyone up. "Ok, final review of the plan. We need to get a picture and a quick word from everyone in here for the video yearbook. Everyone who's in, say the secret word on the count of three. One.. Two.. Three.." %"-SWAG-!"

Kuradoberi Jam nods her head happily towards Tiffany. Afterall, Jam didn't intend to work all night! She wanted to have some fun too! And something about Tiffany made her think that the other girl knew just how to find it. Backup plans made, Jam returns to posing cheerfully next to the food table.

Sada's choice draws a sustained grin out of Jam. "Excellent choice! An ancient Chinese favorite!" She takes two Millennium eggs and places them on a plate for Sada and her date. They mostly look like normal eggs....if eggs were green, smelled a little like ammonia, and were drizzled in soy sauce!

Jam stands by her food for a little while longer before raising her arms over her head in an idle stretch. She deals with a few more hungry patrons, but the majority of those coming to investigate the food have seeming already passed through. But then the sudden arrival of some fashionably late guests causes Jam to renew her vigilance. "Come try some amazing and totally authentic Chinese food! And make sure to come to my restaurant too!" She calls out cheerfully.

Aaaaand Rocket seems to be blading right back to the refreshment table, so Miko and Kazuki's trip is cut short. "Hey, Rocket. Missed you earlier. Scarface seems to be spacing out somethin' fierce. Do check out the Chinese food though, the Peking Duck is great!" And she spends a moment to check out Rocket's dress in more detail: "That is one -bright- dress. Where did you find it, anyway?"

Miko's basically finished off her plate at this point, and deposits it into the nearest garbage can. Miko does spare a glance out to the dance floor -- with the growing excitement, and the subtle changes in music, it seems the dance floor is getting more and more populated. Tapping her cheek for one moment, she thinks long and hard.

And then she glances over to Kazuki, gauging his expression. With a smile, she asks the young man who just the other day she'd seen as terribly quiet and passive: "... Have you had enough to eat?"

WHile he's hardly going to ever be the most graceful person on the dance floor, Brett isn't that bad, even if he looks odd standing a head or so above most of those also dancing. But as he feared, for all the endurance he has, he can't really keep up with HInata very well. As such, he ends up suggesting they duck out for a bit. At least long enough to get some refreshments. Of course, that ends up bringing Brett at the very least to Jam's table.

"...are those eggs ok?" he finds himself asking worriedly, pointing at the millenium eggs. Sure, he doesn't know a single thing about chinese cuisine that doesn't come in the tapered fold-up boxes, but even then, something smelling like ammonia usually tells him something's wrong with the food.

Cracking a smile at Jam, Tiffany asks, "Can I try one of those, too? The uh... the eggs, I mean." She has no idea what they are, but it can't hurt to give them a shot, right? They are -- at the bare minimum -- food, and if Tiffany's not going to have a /date/ at the dance she's at least going to eat a bunch on Gorin's dime.

With a turn to Sada, Tiffany says, "I... would you believe I don't have a DATE at all?" she asks, trying to deflect the need to actually say those exact words for just a little tiny bit longer. Given the circumstances, though, she doesn't seem /too/ miserable about it -- though perhaps a hair frustrated.

Charlie Goodnight has four drinks in his hands. Natsu Ayuhara... is moving to the dance floor. Sighing irritably, he tries again with Yuri: "Excuse me, miss? It's rather loud here, I was wondering if you wanted to hit up the dance floor?" He has, like, four glasses of punch to offer her too!

Natsu nods quietly in response to Sakura's statement, giving her a light one-armed hug. "It's okay, we understand totally. Take care of her, Saku-chan. I'm glad you two came out!" She offers a light wave, before walking out to the dance floor... only to basically get mobbed by Himeko Kashiwagi and the Taiyo Creative Fiction Club. And inadvertently photobombs the whole thing like a big goof.

Asking a teenage boy if he's hungry is not much of a question. The answer is invariably "yes." But the food Kazuki just ate was pretty good, and decently filling. The dance floor, to Kazuki's ears, is a roiling chaotic swirl of... action... energy. It's not at all a situation Kazuki would willingly put himself into. But at the same time... Kazuki generally tries to avoid chaotic situations; he tries to seek balance in all things. Most importantly himself. He's only sometime successful. He's quiet, certainly, but his seeming passiveness is a pretty active thing. But there's something...

His eyes narrow, a thought crossing his mind. He turns to Miko, and extends an open hand to her. "Would you like to dance, sempai?"

Charlie Goodnight goes over to Yuri!! Sada hates him too now.

Sada gets given eggs. She doesn't do more than glare over at Johnny, gives Jam a curt nod, and does not offer her date one. She delicately plucks one up even as Brett comes nearby, raising the ammonia-tinged thing to her mouth and sucking it in with only miniscule disruption of her lipstick.

She is silenced as she crushes it in her mouth with her tongue. Brett is glanced at. After a moment, she swallows, and tells Tiffany. "You're right. I don't believe it. Are you too terrifying to the modern Japanese man?"

Uh oh.

Sada continues, bitterly. "This is becoming a nation of herbivores. Faced with mild economic challenge and the mere prospect of women being even the tiniest bit independent of them in a day to day reality, Japanese men have decided they prefer not to compete. They stimulate themselves with light novels and those weird shows that come on late at night." You know, like 12 Ounce Mouse.

She picks up her other egg.

At first, Yuri's just mingling as best as she can, but then she notices Charlie coming over to her. "Um, hi," She says, trying to present a friendly smile to him. "Is everything OK?" She did notice bits about what happened with Sada, but there's little else.

"Of course!" Jam replies to Tiffany before making up a plate and then offering it to her. The young chef was surprised with how daring everyone was being! Even the more unique looking dishes were seemingly popular! This all was really going according to plan for young Kuradoberi Jam. If this kept up, she'll actually start doing decent business at her restaurant! Just along as no more vampires come crashing through her roof....or her entire place catches on fire again....or gets trashed by thugs like it has been the past few weeks.

Sada's explanation about the current state of men in Japan gets an interested look from nearby Jam. "I sure hope not! My porkbuns are pretty much my number one seller!" Jam declares about them turning into herbivores. "But then again, I could always just start charging more for my delicious tofu!" There's is either a slight language barrier going on here or Jam just so happens to completely misunderstand things again.

Overhearing the conversation about 'herbivore men', Brett finds himself confused, until he gets a better sense of what Sada is complaining about. It's...not something he wants to get too involved in, actually, so he immediately turns to Jam. He doesn't want to be milling about too long before he has to return to dance with Hinata, after all. This is his big date! "Um...two meatbuns, I guess?" he says, going with the safe choice, as well as avoiding any kind of comment about being an 'herbivore' himself.

He looks back to the dance floor, seeing Natsu's inadvertant photobomb and winces sympatheticlaly. He's definitely been there before...

Charlie Goodnight grins brooooadly at Yuri. "Everything's -awesome-, hot stuff. Don't tell me a fine thing like you came here alone! Not with -that- dress." He makes a point about looking Yuri up and down, flashing her a thumbs-up. Rather, he'd =love= to flash her a thumbs-up, but his hands are full of drinks. "You feel like hittin' the dance floor, or... uh... want a drink? Either one. It's cool." He flashes a winning smile.

Meanwhile, Charlie's supposed date, Natsu is dancing with the relative cool and charm of a certain SPECTRE / Commander of the Alliance Military. Which is to say, when she was growing up, she learned to dance by copying Sakura. ... Yeah.

Hey, hey, it's a party in here tonight!

Well, it's supposed to be, so that's not terribly unusual. What /is/ unusual are some of the people who have come to attend this party, the most recent of which glides through the wide entryway and onto the open field that serves as the venue for this year's prom.

Momoko doesn't draw a particularly large amount of interest as she joins the milling throngs of students despite her rather unique attire. Maybe she's too short to notice or just doesn't have the curves to fill out her clothes in a pleasing fashion that turns the boy's heads. That's fine! It doesn't bother her! Much!

The small girl looks like something out of a children's fairy tale tonight. Her slender form is wrapped in a shoulderless pink dress that manages to be both form-fitting and somehow drape in loose folds of bunched up cloth. The upper edge of the dress, which circles around underneath her arms and dips modestly into a soft V towards her sternum, is laden with thick layers of frilly lace that shift between black and white in an elegant flowery pattern. Her entire midsection is wrapped in a dark black cloth whose ends meet at the small of her back, blossoming into a massive bow. The skirt of the dress is a double layered cone of pink silk trimmed with a simple black hem. The fabric is somewhat sheer, in a rather daring way, but the multiple sheets layered atop each other give it an enchanting ethereal quality rather than a suggestive one.

She is also wearing no shoes. In a giant stadium completely filled with people wearing high-heels and hard soles. Either she's supremely confident about being able to keep out of the way or she didn't think that one through completely. Despite the oddity, it only plays further into the charm of her outfit, giving the already spritely girl a fae-like quality as she meanders aimlessly about with no apparent goal in mind. It wouldn't be terribly surprising if she started to sparkle.

Momoko wanders through the crowds for a time until she inevitably works her way towards whatever food services have been catered for the evening. Dancing and parties are fine and dandy but when there is food to be had, particularly of the free variety, no force on Earth can get in her way.

It's roughly about the strike of 8PM that a true gentleman appears.

Playing him off nice and grand, the live band kicks in. As the DJs turn down the beat, the K.I. Riders start into a rousing rendition of a rogue 80's pop song that literally nobody but the most Christmas Cake of faculty will remember. There's even a couple guys whipping out horns in the back, trumpeting a little sexy tune.

o/` I'll drive a million miles, to be with you tonight o/`
o/` So if you're feeling low, turn on the radio o/`

He has a brisk snap in his step, like his shoes were filled with gunpowder. He moves like a man on a mission. Like a man with a plan. Great Teacher Hatake, one of the Taiyo coordinators of the event, shows up on the stage in shades like it's too bright to see from all of the awesome out on the dancefloor tonight. He's dressed to impress, with a crow black vest over a purple dress shirt pressed, he's clearly has the taste to put it to rest.

And nothing touches his body tonight but pure silk.

Doing a double Rockwell Knife Heel on the way up to the stage with the live band, the teacher in the black suit shows his cool side to the cameras as he waves, the music reaching a fever pitch as the dance lighting shines off of his prominent belt buckle and shades.

o/` Rip it up, don't hang me on the borderline! o/`
o/` Everybody have fun tonight! (Everybody have fun tonight u.u) o/`
o/` Everybody Wang Chung tonight!! (Everybody have fun tonight!) o/`

Hatake taps the feedback out of the microphone as he adjusts the height to his face. "Hey Southtown!! How's it going!?" He calls out, grinning a little bit. "Are you ready for your number one in fun!?" So wait. What did he even say? Well.. Hatake is one of those guys who you don't know what he's saying... but you pretty much get what he means.

So.. Himeko didn't really plan ahead on this one; she agreed to do the video recording. But let no one say she has no passion for her work because she's going to stick with it! Anywho she and the group huddle around the digital camera to look over their photo when they notice... Something amiss in the photo. It isn't immedietly clear it's Natsu because the motion made her blurry. ".. Um.. What is that? Is that Slenderman?" "Maybe it's a Kaonashi?" "Or .. It could just be Daigo."

Rocket's already managed to pile up a small plate of questionable sushi by the time that Miko manages to catch up with her. She's just looking for a place to stick her gum so she can get started - maybe under the table with the Chinese food? - when she's accosted.

"Hmm?"

She turns to face Miko, canting her head a little to one side. Then she straightens it again and flashes a smile.

"Oh, hi, cousin!"

Wait, is this canon? Are Miko and Rocket actually cousins? ...No, it's definitely not. It's pretty much just coincidence that the surname she gives, Kobayashi, also happens to be Rina's mother's maiden name. However, Rina hasn't had all that much contact with that side of the family until coming here to enroll at Gedo. She may also be operating under the assumption that there's only one Kobayashi family in all of Japan. In any case, while it is certainly not true that the two are related, the important thing is that Rocket thinks it is.

For what it's worth, she likes Miko more than her other cousin at Gedo.

"I got it on sale online," Rocket informs Miko in regards to the neon rainbow-coloured dress that she's wearing. "Peking Duck, huh? Don't they like... bury Peking Duck underground for a day or something before they cook it?"

She tilts her head again.

"Ehh, I prefer the barrel-aged method they use back home, but I guess I could try it. Thanks for the advice!"

She turns her head to Kazuki, giving a wave. "Hey! Are you Miko-chan's boyfriend?"

"I'm not sure, just yet," Yuri says politely to Charlie. "Let me think about it, OK?" She looks over the buffet table, trying to see if there's anything that seems appetizing to her. Unfortunately, nothing seems to get her attention there. So she simply turns and looks around again. Then she spots Momoko, and almost immediately she does a double-take. She's wearing a cute dress with no shoes. It reminds her of that girl from that anime about those bounty hunters. Whatever it's called!

Hoping to get her attention, Yuri puts on a big grin and a smile, waving to Momoko, even though she doesn't know her by name at the time. She does seem familiar though. Hopefully that should make things easier.

"They'd be too afraid to order food from you," Sada tells Jam. "They'd find you intimidating. They'd want to send their imaginary little sisters to collect it, and then eat it off their backsides!"

She gestures at Brett as if to say: See??

Sada also eats her other egg as she looks towards the stage, and

She has no reply to the Wang Chunging on display. Despite her artful makeup, she does not seem to be having fun /or/ Wang Chunning tonight... thus far.

Miko blinks. Cousin? Eh, whatever. Honoka had picked the name 'Miko Kobayashi' out of an action movie from the early 2000s, not exactly picking the cream of the crop when it comes to names here. It doesn't take long for her to realize the name Kobayashi is -bound- to be picked up by someone she knows. Ah well. "Y-yeah, I guess we -could- be cousins, huh!" She smiles placidly, hoping that's enough to appease her. It's not like it can be -proven- that they're unrelated, after all. Wouldn't ever Japanese person be related distantly?

"Oh... that's a pretty good deal! I... can't say much about the duck though. If I thought about where all my food came from I'd never actually eat."

Miko smiles back at Kazuki, once his name is indicated. She can sense the unease in his mind -- holding his hand at the beginning of the night has left a remarkably indelible "tag" upon him, making his emotions, his motivations, stand out like a shining beacon amongst the rest of the students assembled here. She's glad he's full, or at least sated for the time being, and nods quietly to the suggestion that they begin a dance, as the music shifts over to... something else. And as she glances back to Kazuki.

"Well, we're gonna hit the dance floor, so for -tonight- at least." She winks back to Kazuki, letting him answer the question on his own. Without her helpful psychic suggestions, this time. Testing, phase three: Retention.

Tiffany is /also/ totally lost about the idea of herbivorous Japanese men; she blinks a few times as Sada starts on her tirade, and by the end of it, she finds herself more confused than she was at the start of the comment. She takes the egg, and pops it into her mouth; her face scrunches up a little at first, but she doesn't move to spit it back out or anything.

Once she swallows it, she says, "Uhhh... OKAY!" to Sada, with the look of a deer in the headlights... or perhaps, possibly, the look of someone hearing their grandparents starting to talk about politics on Christmas. Either way, it's a vague, helpless stare -- one she eventually directs back at Jam, instead.

He thinks... it's his first time wearing a tux, at least in recent memory. Rock Howard feels like an idiot. He's uncomfortable, the collar sits too high on his neck, the silver vest is stretched and constricting. The teen crooks a finger into the strap of the bow tie (which is not cool), cringing and adjusting and... stuck with several members of the Journalist Club, the Creative Fiction Club and his date, Himeko Kashiwagi, in the back of a limo.

Awkward clothes, awkward company.

Surely this is Hell, right? It must be.

The chiquitas and nerds natter on about things he knows nothing about, nothing he finds he can contribute to in any real capacity. When eyes turn to him on the occasion that he is asked a question, the Howard scion scrubs a hand at the back of his head, glances to the door while pondering if he should just tuck and roll, then replies mostly with one word answers. Stuff like, 'Sure', 'Uh huh', 'Er' and 'Oh'. One of the girls has decided that he's nice to look at, but Rock must be brain-dead. The lights are on upstairs, yet no one's home.

At one point, he overhears her whispering this to a friend; Rock slides the heel of his hand over his eyes and the cheeks that look a little red, concealing the part of his face that burns with embarrassment.

They arrive not with splendor, but as a disorganized mess that includes cameras and tripods. He doesn't know how to console Himeko who bemoans the situation, so Rock just hovers by the group and shifts a little on his feet. It could be a sign that the handsome heartthrob is preparing to bolt for the door. Thankfully, Geese Howard's only heir is excluded from the team cheer. "Seriously..." He mutters softly, blonde head shaking before his crimson-eyed gaze casts around for... help.

Please save me, his expression screams. They're talking about Slenderman and what and, "Daigo Kazama?" Drawing attention to himself with those two words as the name causes him to recall his fight with the mountain, an obnoxious blare of music and noise hopefully drowns him out, allowing Rock to remain as unnoticed as he has been thus far and for the rest of the night. Not likely. He is not ready for fun, Hatake!

"Ooooh, foooood."

Momoko makes moon eyes at the tables laden with various local and exotic delicacies, drifting towards them in a trance-like state. Her earlier match against the young man called Yun had been short but it had been a very high energy event. Almost immediately after she had to rush home to change and get ready for the prom itself so she hasn't had time to refill her tanks.

In the span of a few moments a plate heaped almost to the point of absurdity with just about everything that was in easy reach rests in the flat of her hands. Displaying a lack of manners that is either completely appalling or insufferably cute, Momoko chows down on her 'snacks' without using her hand, simply inhaling random bits off the surface of the food mountain as she moves somewhere less likely to get her stepped on by other hungry visitors.

It isn't until a few moments later that she finally turns around and notices someone waving in her direction. Momoko blinks and looks around. No one else appears to be paying any attention. Shrugging, she shuffles over towards Yuri and gives her a big smile, still chewing on something that tastes like it is probably some sort of sushi.

Hatake's entrances and grand declaration catches her attention half-way across the room, however, and she turns to cheer with everyone else, hopping up and down on the tips of her toes instead of of thrusting a fist into the air. The motion causes her already precarious tower of snack-foods to rumble around like a half-finished Jenga puzzle but somehow it remains upright.

"Wooooh!" she manages, around her mouthful of... is this potatoes?

Kazuki glances back and forth between Miko and Rina, listening to the conversation. Then... Hatake. He frowns a bit at this, unsure what to make of it when Rina asks... that question. He is silent for a moment, then he grins as Miko winks at him.

"At the very least," he says with that quiet smile. "But who knows? The night hasn't ended." He takes Miko's hand, and leads her onto the dance floor.

Joining Momoko in cheering, Yuri stands beside her, grinning all the same. "I'm Yuri, what's your name?" She asks politely, hoping that she'll hear Yuri's introduction in between her cheers. Of course even if it doesn't work now, there's always later, right?

Charlie Goodnight has, by this point, been shot down by just about everyone in the room. He arrived with Natsu -- and his love of the dance had left him blind to the simple statement from Natsu that maybe three dances to the slow jams was enough for that moment. Amidst macking on most of the -rest- of the dancing ladies in the place, he's found even less success with them. Even the honeys with no dates showed no interest in the young man -- even with scads of drinks in his hands. He slumps back to the refreshment table, leaving the four completely-full and tepid glasses of punch there for the next schmo.

With a resigned look, he turns back to Yuri -- the one who he'd thought he might have the best chance with. And she's talking with... some middle schooler? Might he have a chance with Momoko?

He makes a face. No way.

Natsu Ayuhara returns to the refreshment area, glancing over to Tiffany. And then glances over to see a frowny-faced Charlie. "They changed the music on me, and I don't get this song one bit. Why are a bunch of Americans singing about kung fu? Is... is that a thing?"

Charlie caught Natsu's eye, and jogs up like a hound dog. "Look, Natsu, I'm-- I'm sorry..."

Natsu glances over to Charlie, raising an eyebrow. "You're sweet. But I don't think you've really been paying attention to me much, but... eh. It's fine."

"But... eh." Ayuhara rubs the nape of her neck, grinning. "I think I'm ready to dance again, I just... don't know how to dance to this." She thumbs back at Hatake. "Is there some special technique you Pacific folks have for it?" she asks with a faint smile.

Jam looks first at Sada and then at Brett. Was this one of the guys that she was talking about? The young cook is unsure, so she just smiles and gets Brett some porkbuns on a plate before handing it over to him. "Prepare yourself for the best porkbuns you ever ate!" declares the confident young woman to the maybe herbivore-to-be. Sada just gets an earnest smile from Jam. "I'll just have to get them hooked on my cooking first! Then they will still order from me whether they are a herbivore or a carnivore! Or just plain hungry!"



The cook then overhears something about burying Peking Duck to prepare it. This causes Jam to look mightily confused. Just what were they doing to prepare Chinese food in this country?!

Tiffany's helpless stare causes Jam to blink and refocus a bit. Oh, she ate the egg that she gave her! "It's something of an acquired taste! But don't worry, the rumors that millennium eggs are prepared by soaking them in horse urine are totally not the truth! That's absolutely not why they smell the way they do! I would know, I cooked them!" Jam says perhaps not so reassuringly.

The music starts up and Jam finds herself grooving back and forth as she serves people whom come up to her side of the refreshment table. Looking back at Tiffany, Jam offers a bright grin. "Now that more people are dancing, they will get hungry and wander over here! And then we can see if there are any cute guys without any dates!" Still not lacking in confidence, Jam seems to believe her plan atleast.

Momoko's brief appearance to the refreshment stand results in Jam offering a small bow before giggling happily that someone else doesn't discriminate much when it comes to tasty food. There were both delicious Japanese and Chinese foods to try!

Himeko is perfectly fine with the fact that Rock didn't have much to contribute, but she had to admit she was a little disappointed he doesn't watch 'Los Jugadores Latinos Furiosos'. They're utterly hilarious. She also doesn't mind that he's a bit of a ditz, and when he says Daigo's name in obvious recognition, the girls look to one another as if saying 'Of course'.
"Yes! He was the last guy you fought," Himeko happily explains as if he had completely forgotten about it. The obnoxiois blare of music follows, which forces the news team to split up and get to work, leaving the saikyo student and Howard's son alone with one another. This is a little awkward, but seeing Momoko rush by to head to the food table makes Hime suddenly squeal, "Oh my gosh look at her she's so cute! I bet she's protesting the sneaker strike going on in Kyoto right now, have you heard about that? Apparently it got out that the spokesman of Rike's shoes is racist! So everyone who used to wear Rike's shoes is going around barefoot; isn't that so -swag-?"

Brett just...shrugs when Sada tries to use him as an example. Of what, he really isn't sure, having lost the thread of the conversation completely. He looks grateful for the buns as they're handed toward him. "THank you!" he says politely before taking a bite as he walks off, the other clearly saved for Hinata. Jam would probably be glad to hear the little sound of someone savoring good food as the hockey kid walks off, if she could hear it over the rest of the dance.

Either way, it won't be long until Brett returns to the dance floor, hoping he can keep up with Hinata again...

Oh, of course you are ready to have fun Rock.
There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. It's fun time.

Cool, calm and collected, Great Teacher Hatake does some more dance moves aggressively at some of the wallflower students who don't seem to understand about a stone cold groove. Composed of a double pop lock and a jumping split, the pure force and strength of his dance style is enough to cause at least one of the rebels to be knocked out by his power, and the other one to be subjugated entirely, leaving several other students to recover that guy. Get him outta here, there's no room for people who don't know about funk.

"And I said. You like it loud!? I SAID.. DO YOU LIKE IT LOUD!!" Hatake booms, his voice carrying across the whole Gorin Dome with the power of the A/V Club's public announce system. Right at this point, the live band is getting to the tail end of Wang Chung, and slipping in a little Get Jiggy With It as a healthy backdrop to Hatake's jam, making sure the students stay pumped up. "Let's keep those feet BURNING!!"

"Anyway, we've got a pretty big docket for you tonight. I know you want to take it to the floor with your ladies, so get ready for something soft and smooth right after we announce your Prom King and your Prom Queen! But to whet your appetite and really get that blood pumping, we're bringing you a little show with the Billionaire Beat Boys, performing to K.I. Rider's 'Let's Fighting Love!' Don't be shy to join in, everyone loves a good show! Boys, hit it!"

Suddenly, the lighting shifts to the roof. Just as the volume starts to get pumped up, a set of students wearing all black rapell down from the roof from dark nylon climbing ropes. Hitting the sparse parts of the dance floor, these guys are ready to go like the military Special Forces of Dance. You may have seen some of the other students get into dance offs earlier, and those were pretty tight. You might have even thought you kind of had a handle on this thing.

No... right now is exactly when the breakdancing officially begins.

Flipping through the air high enough to vault over other students, the Billionaire Beat Boys are spinning tops, and if they weren't explicitly billed as entertainers, there might be a legit concern about them knocking people out. No, as it stands, thei flying pirouettes and backflips are just the acrobatic language of dance. It doesn't mean it isn't still concerning though--there are 12 of those guys in total out there, and they kind of need a lot of room to dance. They don't seem to have a big problem getting it, but their travel range is such that it's probable that at least one dancer is going to be doing an ice cold jig dangerously near you.

It is almost sure that one of them is going to axle-flip over Momoko's head if she doesn't move out of the way quick enough.

The music's a little down-tempo for Rocket's tastes, but she starts to bob her head nevertheless, bouncing a little on her skates. Her eyes are drawn to the stage as Hatake takes to it, even as Miko and Kazuki reply to her. After a moment, she looks back between the two and smiles.

"Yeah, I never question where food comes from. The less you know, right??"

It explains what she's doing at the sushi table, anyway.

"You two have fun!" she calls to Kazuki and Miko as they head toward the dance floor, before glancing around, pretending to cough, and surreptitiously sticking her gum on the bottom of the sushi table. Right next to a garbage can.

And then it's over to the Chinese food section, manned by Jam! Rina skates up to the table, already two rolls in on her sushi plate, and gives the hostess a bright smile.

"Hi! I heard that you had good Peking Duck over here?" she questions Jam, her eyes sweeping over the table. "Just out of curiousity, is it one day or three days that it's buried for? I can't remember."

And then her eyes are caught by the breakdancers and she just... stares. A small grin appears on her lips. It may be a bit unsettling.

Oh right, that girl that was trying to get her attention. Momoko swallows a mouthful of food, /most/ of which managed to actually get into her mouth and not on her face, and turns her sparkling smile up at the other girl.

"My name is Momoko! It's nice to meet you, Yuri!" She pauses and tilts her head to one side. "So... how come you were waving at me? Are you maybe," she asks, sounding excited and hopeful, "one of my fans?"

Whatever Yuri might have been planning to say in response to that is drowned out by the sudden blast of Hatake's funk-tastic voice. Well ofcourse she likes it loud! Who doesn't? Crazy people, that's who!!

Momoko's playful spirit surges to life in tune with the new beat and she begins to sway back and forth, humming along. Then there's ninja breakdancers! Her eyes slowly go wide as the Billionare Beat Boys launch their acrobatic dance assault on the party floor, practically shimmering with a mixture of profound joy and admiration.

Unlike most people, Momoko does not flee from the sudden appearance of the wild break-dancers. Nay, she moves /closer/! Who wouldn't want to have front row seats to such a performance? People who don't want to be used as part of the act, probably. Those people are PANSIES.

When one of the B3's comes flying at her out of the crowd, Momoko freezes in place, unsure what to do with her hands full and her ankle still twisted from the earlier activities of the evening. If she was in top shape she'd have jumped right up there with him and given the guy a high-five while hanging upside-down in mid-air with her foot or something. As it is, she just lets him use her head for a hand-stool.

The small girl stares vacantly ahead for a few seconds then throws her hands up into the air, completely disregarding the food still contained within them which gets redistributed to the nearby surroundings.

"That. was. AWESOME!"

Why are people judging me for my views on other people? Sada thinks without irony as she chews her other millenium egg.

Her eyes follow the dramatic incoming of Rock Howard.

Other than that, breakdancing occurs. Ugh, she thinks: I should FEEL like a Queen, if I'm going to win...

The next fifteen minutes include four failed attempts to get Johnny Fantastic to dance.

Miko twiddles her fingers to Rocket. She seems... pleasantly surprised at his particular response to Rocket's query. For some reason. There's a hint of danger in the way he hints that the 'boyfriend' status might change -- that could be good, or it could be bad.

But nothing worth having is easy, Miko concludes, grasping Kazuki by the hand and jogging out to the dance floor. Miko's used to music -- and while it might not be -this music- in specific, it's definitely something she can move around to. Dancing? Definitely one of the mysterious Gedo student's many skills. Breakdancing in particular... less so, but upon watching the Billionaire Beat Boys, she... follows suit, mostly -- less of the super-crazy backspinning, but the acrobatic and flying pirouettes -- definitely her style.

Of course, she's not alone on the dance floor, and after a few flips and turns just to prove she -can- keep pace, she glances over to Kazuki... wondering how close he can keep up.

... But not without glancing suddenly over to Rocket. What was -that- she'd just felt?!

"I've seen you a bit and I've heard of you, Momoko. Maybe that's why you seem so familiar?" She pauses as the funk-tastic (as Momoko puts it) voice is heard. She moves alongside Momoko, then does a double-take as someone uses her head as a handstool. "Whoa, that had to... hurt?" Momoko doesn't seem to be fazed, but when she throws her hands up, Yuri steps back a little, then looks to Momoko, looking like she wants to sweatdrop but grinning all the same. "Well, if you say so, I guess it was awesome!"

The Aikido prodigy smiles widely, gladly, as Honoka follows him out on the floor; he's not sure he'd want to be out here solo. Kazuki manages to keep up, somewhat. Kazuki listens to a lot of music. He might be able to honestly claim that he's heard something from just about every genre of music there may be at the moment, and he actively seeks out new one. Flips and flying pirouettes may not be in his wheel house, some of the breakdance moves resemble breakfalls and other such exercises close enough that he can fake it until he picks it up for true.

Kazuki /also/ throws a glance Rocket's way, at almost the exact same moment Miko does. He's not sure what /exactly/ just whispered across his ears but he's sure he doesn't like it. He looks back at Miko, concerned. He suspects that she noticed something too.

Natsu glances over at the bouncing, pirouetting, and backspinning going on. Glances back to Tiffany, then to Charlie Goodnight. "I... what is this. Are we..."

She goes back over to the refreshment table and sips at some punch.

Woo! Those Billionaire Beat Boys know how to be assassins on the dance floor. If there were a rug, they would have not only cut it, but made it give them their lunch money. They are a veritable Gedo High of cutting on stuff out there, man. Flipping all over the place, they are wreaking havoc out there, with anybody who doesn't seem like they're dancing getting danced at, on, over or out by the mambo maypole marauders. They're doing it all to the electric beats of the K.I. Riders.

You'd think that they'd leave people alone, but no. One of them got ahold of some snacks from the refreshments table, and is causing no end of mischief, flipping around distributing snacks by balancing them on people's extremities. Damn feet magic is what it is.

Meanwhile, Hayate's got a nice little groove going on. It's nothing serious, nothing like earlier, but he's got a good one man conga line going up on stage. At least until a mask-wearing toadie gets up on stage to hand him a sealed envelope. With the mic on one hand, Hayate goes 'oh man' quietly, "Looks like the judges have come back with their decision... looks like the people have spoken! Oh man."

With music pounding in the background, he opens the envelope conspiratorially.
"And the winner is..."

Gasp! It isn't true, he's not a ditz.

NOT AT ALL.

Give him a chance, he'll prove his intellectual worth-- Huh? HUUUUUUUUUUUH?! Himeko means no harm, he's sure. She speaks as though Rock has forgotten who he had just fought days prior. This causes the blonde teen to bristle, entirely by reflex. His shoulders begin a slow hike up towards his ears, body language reminiscent of a cornered wolf. Is that worry or fear in his eyes that he is about to be humiliated?

Of course he /might/ be trying to /cover/ his ears without ACTUALLY covering them, to block out everything his date has to say.

...

Nah. Rock Howard is far too decent of a person.

Her words are dropped in a tumbling rush when a lost child streaks past barefoot, speaking so quickly that it leaves him reeling in his head, but Rock manages to nudge in a response during her barrage, "No, I haven't heard." Doubtless the young scion will be able to recite facts and figures at the end of the conversation, learning far more about the Rike corporation than he ever cared to know! H..how spectacular.

"Listen, Miss Kashiwagi. Would you like to get a drink?" And stop using the word, 'swag'? Rock doesn't think it means what she thinks it means. "Maybe you can ask her about the protest?" Meaning tiny girl, isn't Momoko in primary school? Already he's sorta... edging away in that direction, to the refreshments table. What will he do if he's asked to dance? The handsome young man starts tugging at his bow tie again, establishing it as his nervous gesture for the evening.

Suddenly, breakdancing. That isn't fun to watch!! Uh, it's coming this way... It's cutting him off from the beverages. AHHHHHHHH! Grudgingly, Rock moves in the other direction, AWFULLY FORWARD as he reaches to close his hand over Himeko's and NOT abandon the pink-clad reporter, guiding her off the dancefloor that they somehow wound up standing on. Don't faint, this is VERY CHASTE. So chaste that it makes an Amish couple with separate beds look like hedonists. Sada watches him, and she's the one they end up near. The son of Geese can't handle much more... And now there's an announcement of the Prom King and Queen, to boot!

".. Wow really?" Himeko replies to Rock because, sure enough, she has -plenty- of trivia for the niche shoe company. However his clever derailing to offer a drink catches her by surprise, and the girl's cheeks pinken, "O- Oh.. Um.. I.. Sure! I'd like a drink.."
Really.. The other girl can wait. She's never been asked for a drink by a boy before so that's very awesome. In fact it is such a mind blowing moment that she seems completely and utterly oblvious to the dance-acrobat chaos, because while Rock is leading her through the dance floor, she's picturing him as Tuxedo Kamen and herself as Sailor Moon running through the battlefield during the war on the Moon and oh my god it's the most romantic thing! Oh my GOD. So, yes, by the time they stop, the Saikyo Student is staring up at him and laughing like an idiot and looking like she's about to faint. "Er-hrh *snort* er-hrh *snort* er-hrh hrh!"

Sada finds a handsome man near her.

Downside: She's also near Himeko.

Life isn't always fair. "Ah... hello," she says, wishing now she hadn't just eaten millenium eggs. She gives him a faint smile, because if Johnny wants to talk about crystal glass methods with some teacher at the prom that's on him!

"Did you come here alone?" Sada asks Rock, because, you know, obviously Himeko is his cousin or something. She doesn't break her gaze on her face. There may be the subtle implication of sparkles, but that might just be the breakdance lights.

Miko notices that the Billionaire Beat Boys are leaping around, flipping on people's heads and whatnot. There's one cure for this -- to stay -unpredictable-. Yes, there's a certain level of repetitiveness to the music -- that's what makes it something a person can dance to, naturally. But just because you zigged on the up beat and zagged on the downbeat doesn't mean you -always- do the same move. She may not know the song by heart, but improvisation is something Miko's always been rather proficient at.

She tries to make eye contact with a few of the friendly B3s here and there -- the chaotic energy they're bringing is spreading like wildfire throughout the crowd. Miko's circus alter-ego gets a rush like this every night she performs, and it's a... welcome change to be merely experiencing the rush, rather than taking an active role in guiding it.

She also feels that Kazuki, too, is taking part in the excitement -- his moves are quite different than hers, of course, due to his different life experiences, but she seems altogether very pleased at her social experiment for the evening. She's smiling, he's having fun... that's a good thing, really!

She's peripherally aware of other people she's spoken with this evening -- but for right now, the music is taking over. This -could- be the perfect opportunity to learn more about them, but right now, letting someone else drive the entertainment isn't such a bad thing, she rationalizes.

Kazuki Kirigana's life has generally been one of structure, or balance. He's never really cut loose, or done anything one might call crazy. Except for that one time where control seemed... less than important, and that landed him in Gedo. He's kept himself on a tight leash, emotionally and behaviorally, since then.

If you had asked Kazuki what his plans were for the weekend, never in a million years would he have said he'd be at a dance party with a beautiful woman who was at all interested in him.

Tonight, though, he's on the floor with Honoka. She's smiling. He's having fun. She's actually having fun, and having fun with him.

It's a good night.

The grin on Rocket's face only seems to grow as the Billionaire Beat Boys continue their show. If Jam is addressing her query regarding the Peking Duck, it's completely lost on the girl.

See, Rocket is a fan of hip hop. She's an amateur breakdancer herself - she even incorporates it into the way that she fights. This display reminds her a bit of home in Metro City, in a way, but at the same time, it's way more awesome than anything she and her neighbourhood friends ever got up to.

Of course, in this lighting, her grin kind of looks less like she's in awe and envy of the BBB and more like she might want to eat one of them, apparently.

Whatever her intent, as the announcement of prom king and queen is on the verge of being made, she skates takes off toward the dance floor. Perhaps she's going to do some body popping herself. Perhaps she's going to try and grab one of the Beat Boys and drag them away.

Or perhaps her wheels are going to slip in a puddle of sauce from whatever Momoko had on her plate and she's just going to fall flat on the dance floor face-first.

It turns out it's the latter.

"Son of a -!!"

"And it looks like the winners are..."

Hatake is reading the little index cards. The entire prom comes to a tense hush.

"....HIMEKO KASHIWAGI FOR PROM QUEEN!"
The blue lights flood on the two winners in the background, and 3Bs converge on Himeko at least, like freaking ninja. She's pretty much equipped with a tiara against her will, and flower petals are being thrown about like mad, and possibly shot out of cannons at errant bystanders, errant bystanders like Rock. Luckily Miko isn't making too much of an easy target of herself, or she'd rapidly find herself the subject of pounds of flower petals as well. They're really indiscriminate. Oh god. Did Rocket just faceplant? The 3Bs fly overhead across her, at this point being more birds than students, really. Some flower petals float down in mourning of her lost innocence.

"And for PROM KING.... .. SAKURA KASUGANO?! What?!" Hatake chokes on his gum. Just as he does. A whistling victory beat jumps out of the speakers, letting loose a powerful tune onto the dance/battlefield as both the Prom King and Queen are announced.

o/' Ooh I'm burning through the sky yeah! o/'
o/` Two hundred degrees, that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit!! o/`
o/` I'm traveling at the speed of light! o/`
o/` I wanna make a supersonic woman of you!! o/`
o/` Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time! o/`
o/` I'm having a ball, don't stop me now! o/`
o/` If you wanna have a good time!! o/`

"Whoa!! What an upset, man!! Who would have believed it!" Great Teacher Hatake's losing his mind on the stage now, throwing the index cards into the crowd, along with handfuls of coupons for the local chicken joint, Pot Box Punch. He's really making it rain out there. "Everybody give it up for SAKURA and HIMEKO guys!! It's time for a victory dance from our Royals!! Come on and show us your hottest moves!! THIS IS A GREAT SONG!"

Yeah... once Miko gets wind of the idea of confetti cannons, or flower petal cannons, or whatever... she's on it. The closest a shot gets is skimming right past the back of her head as she twists into a pirouette -- so close that the trained professional is able to redirect the flow of the petals into a miniature cyclone, just by keeping her arms extended in the proper fashion for just the right duration before retracting them close to her body. From the smile on her face, she's pretty happy about how -that- turned out.

She's... got no particular connection to the Prom Queen winner as she's announced, but she still claps like a vapid idiot, i.e. any of the hundreds of high school students present. She's rather pleased that Himeko won -- sure! Go lone wolf from the back of the pack, right?!

Sakura... well. Okay. That just made her laugh.

"- motherfucker!!"

Rocket's words as she hits the dance floor - in the least funky of senses - are about as colourful as her rainbow dress. There's sushi just everywhere, too - not on Rocket herself, but rolling around on the floor after her plate went flying in that spill. Speaking of spills, what's that on her dress now? Probably soy sauce. She pushes herself up to her feet, flower petals tumbling off of her, and starts patting herself down, scowling. There's a burst of laughter from around her as at least a few of the students consider the Rainbow Rocket Wipeout a source of entertainment, but at least one of them falls silent as her glare falls on them. Even in a neon ballerina dress - hell, maybe /especially/ in a neon ballerina dress - she can still manage to be a little intimidating.

"Proms suck," she decides aloud as she smooths her skirt, then heads over toward the refreshment table to get some punch.

Wouldn't he be Motoki, from the Crown Video Arcade? I have seen Sailor Moon once and Tuxedo Mask wasn't blonde! Fool!

--I can't remember what I was going to do.

Oh right, so. He has lead the secret heroine in lurid pink away from the cacophony of the dancefloor, his hand covering her own warm but callused from years of playing bass. They reach the spot deemed safe in due time, next to Sada, then Rock turns to face his date, ears a red to match his crimson eyes. Himeko... cracks up. At him? At the impromptu 'rescue'? Could the bow tie be crooked from all of his nervous tugging?! The laughter confounds him, the Howard scion's expression grows bewildered. It's like a hammer drops directly onto the top of his head and knocks all of his thoughts askew. "Is... there something wrong?" Or funny? She starts snorting!! "Are you all right?!"

God is punishing him.

Himeko could be dying, or he's overreacting, blonde eyebrows rocketing upwards on his forehead, disappearing into the messy fringe of fair flaxen hair. The handsome teen... searches for a chair, but there are none nearby. Only the girl who extends her greetings. "Er, hi." It's so awkward, his smile something unpracticed and, well, mired in concern. He doesn't want to see the sparkles, so Rock pretends that he's not trapped between two girls who make oogie eyes at him. "I, no. Miss Kashiwagi..." Purchased Geese Howard's son in an auction. "is my date." That's some manning up, right there. Take notes, pansies!

Rock may be picking up on some faint animosity here, but he hopes to circumvent a poor reaction with a swift compliment, "You look very pretty." It falls flat, owing to how unspecific it happens to be. Blessed with good looks, obviously he wasn't handed any clue how to deal with women.

'HIMEKO KASHIWAGI FOR PROM QUEEN!'

They're illuminated by a spotlight while Rock was STILL HOLDING HIMEKO'S HAND. He draws back and sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiides casually out of frame-- er, to the side, even closer to Sada. His date gets mauled by strange breakdancers wielding a tiara, but their purpose isn't threatening; the young wolf tries to decide if applauding would be appropriate for the situation or just saying 'congratulations', but then the broody teen is shot in the face with flower petals from a flower cannon. Are they... sakura petals, for fluffy shoujo moments? DO NOT WANT. "Augh! What the!!" The American teenager exclaims in full surprise. Remember that he's still next to the other girl, which means she'll probably get hit due to her proximity. Oops. Sorry.

Natsu applauds like crazy for all involved! Well, all but Rocket. She can't be too angry at the rollerblader, though, having already settled her grievance via volleyball.

She gives Hinata a light hug, but... she hasn't really met Himeko in person yet. So she just gives a hearty round of applause!

Sakura, however... she knew who was going to win that vote as soon as the poll ballots went into circulation. The teasing from this point on is going to be pretty legendarily fierce, all things considered.

She considers, though... there -was- something familiar about that other Prom King candidate. What -was- it that made her so uneasy every time she saw his face?

Sada hears something. Himeko Kashiwagi. Must be some kind of consolation prize.
But then the light goes -
No, she thinks.

Even as Rock slides closer to her. "No," she says in a soft voice, raising her hands up to her face. "That... what? But I beat - What?? How..."

Her eyes glisten... tears running down her cheeks, along her makeup. It is a small thing, but it seems vivid somehow, almost as if the tears themselves had an inner energy.

A sakura petal is blown towards her by the wind and/or rebounding off Rock. It lands in the tracks of her tears, and just like that... it turns to ash, blowing away in the breeze of the beat.

"No...!"

And with that, Sada turns to flee to the nearest exit, running in her heels, the mink stole trailing behind her as she sobs in dismay and defeat! THANKS, HIMEKO.

Of course, if you could see inside her mind, the feeling might not be quite so bad. 'Himeko Kashiwagi,' Sada resolves, 'I'll see you beg for your life in agony!! You'll plead to become my slave to spare your wretched existence!! Whatever it is you love -- I'll destroy!!'

No, he would be Tuxedo Kamen dammit learn to ship right!

Himeko is, for a moment, locked in a state of perpetual panic and laughter and she tries desperately to stop even as Sada speaks to them, and now she's starting to look embarassed herself as she raises a hand to cover her mouth. Eventually she swallows hard enough to stop and she sputters, "I am -so- sorry! I- I'm so sorry it's just I've never touched a boy before! I mean.. I have but not on the -hand-. So I paniced, and.. I am -so- sorry."
So.. Wait, was he complimenting her or Sada? She wasn't really paying attention and it doesn't really help that out of nowhere the spotlight is on her which cause the student's eyes to go wide. It goes without saying she wasn't expecting to become a Queen for multitudes of reasons. ".. Uh.."

And so she's helpfully dolled up, spun over to the dance floor. The music's pumping, only to find that her King is pretty much nowhere to be seen, leaving her .. Well... There. She's not surprised, really, but Himeko can't help but be annoyed. Of -course- Sakura Kasugano would flee. She's the same jerk that was 'too good' for the Hibiki Dojo and fled from there. Now she's fleeing from -her-. Annoyed she may be, but she has a duty to dance and so that's what she does. The only move she really knows how to do well is spazz so she proceeds to do just that on the dance floor, arms flailing about and legs kicking to no particular rhythm!
http://youtu.be/YvbQKSaYQD8?t=16s

With the music bumping, Himeko gets to work. It's really unfortunate, but the A/V Club seems to be really good at their job, and Rock is the subject of a spotlight made /just for him/. There are a few girls up there, and they're currently focused on Rock's budding ship with Himeko. They have a little laser light as well, that traces out a heart shape in a laser line as well, which they are focused on being as thuroughly obnoxious with as possible when it comes to shipping Rock with Himeko. There's going to be fanfic written by the end of the night. That's just the way it is.

Sada runs out in short order, leaving Rock nowhere to hide. "Tension's running high! But everybody has bad days, don't worry! For the rest of you lovely ladies and manly men, next year's not so far away! I know you can do it!" Great Teacher Hatake howls into the mic. Of course, while he's doing that, Himeko busts a truly elite groove, and her epilepsy-like movements seem to impress even him, otherwise known as the God of Flashdance.

"I don't know where our Prom King went, but you got great moves! You are the most INCREDIBLE dancer; you're BEAUTIFUL! I HAVE NEVER SEEN A COOLER DANCE!"

He even does a little bit of it, spasming across the stage. He can't make it half as authentic as Himeko, so he ends up breaking into an electric slide, mixing a little bit of that in with his own ambulance-worthy pop-and-locking.

After a moment, the music cools. "Congratulations to everybody, and here's to another great year! But right now, I'm gonna call the Boys back, because it's time for that moment you've all been waiting for... it's time to get ahold of the lady you like, and give her a little bit of tender care! Play em off nice and slow, K.I. I want to see some hands being held."

The Billionaire Beat Boys all drop what they're doing, some of them handing out refreshments, and others accosting random mebmers of the crowd with their elite moves. They snap their fingers in unison, and then more lines drop, giving them cords to latch onto and vacate the dance floor in just a dramatic a fashion as they entered. Their exeunt comes just in time for a slow song, perfect for dancing with the boy of your dreams!

o/` Play another slow jam, this time make it sweet. o/`
o/` On a slow jam, for my baby and for me.. o/`

"So, hey, listen," Hatake interjects in a low tone, as the song starts. He's actually a little out of breath. "Me and the Boys are gonna get outta here. But don't get too crazy, there's stll plenty of chaperones tonight. I hope you all have fun. Hey, come find us at the afterparty! Until then... keep it slow and silky, babies. <3"

At this point, Hatake kisses two fingers, and tosses a victory V into the crowd, before dropping the mic.

...Of course, shortly thereafter, Rocket runs into the self-described legendary student Naozane Morinaga. He's been brooding ever since they announced Prom King as someone other than him. And to boot, it was some ... some GIRL! At least, he thinks it was... It was a completely unacceptable situation. But when he notices the somewhat rough looking neon pixie American sulking it up over at the refreshments table, he ... pauses.

It's really like love at first sight.

"The gaudiness of your dress is awe inspiring," he says, looming off somewhere behind Rocket's six o'clock. "It is my intentions to launder the stains from it. Before that, you will come with me, it's my will to put my hands on your hips and move around the dance floor slowly to this suggestive music. And by God, at the end of the night, I will have an accurate count of all of your piercings." o_o

If Rocket doesn't come with him, he's liable to just pick her up bodily and carry her out to the dance floor.

Yes, there's no stopping Himeko now! The more steps she takes, the more she gets into it and when she notices a light shift toward Rock, she takes that as a sign to boogie on over to his direction and this time and hook her arm about his, "Don't leave me hanging, Rock, let's get our -swag- on!!" she pipes far too cheerfully. And so, assuming he doesn't make a great escape he's dragged on over right in time for a good twenty seconds or so of Triangle Dancing with her and Hatake (who really aids in fueling the fire of dancing.) Dancing intensifies! Go! Go! Go!
Sadly, though, that rocking music doesn't last much longer..

"Less than two... what?" This question is brewing in Rocket's mind as she stares into her half-full cup of punch. Then, rather abruptly, there's that voice behind her. She doesn't even realise she's the one being addressed at first - she's not in a gaudy dress, after all! She does turn around to see who's talking, though, and when it becomes clear that she's the one that Morinaga's speaking to, she does a bit of a double-take.

"Wait, what?"

And suddenly she's being tossed over the would-be warlord's shoulder and carried back to the dance floor. And before she clues in to what exactly is going on, she's slow dancing with what may or may not be the future leader of a military state. Which is awkward because:

1) She doesn't know the guy from Adam,

2) He seems a little too comfortable with where his hands should go, and

3) She's slow dancing on rollerblades.

In the end, though, she just goes with it. It'd be a shame not to dance to at least one song at the prom, and neither of her pre-arranged dates seem to be around. Besides, she can always kick the guy's ass later if it's called for.

Flower petals are the new sand. The devil given physical form. One blast to the mug and they're everywhere, in his mouth, and he can feel them working their way under his collar. Spluttering while wiping at his face, Rock misses any further proclamations, outrage, witty quips and even Sada storming off in a...

RAGING STORM!

*rim-shot*

At last, the Howard scion dares to believe that he has banished them all, yet another batch cascades down into his vision from his hair. "!!!" He repeats the process, with added indignation!! Rock plucks petals from his ears, but he's honestly happy for the spectacled girl despite his flowery predicament. This is certainly his limit, however. Time to make like a tree and get some punch, or something. Sit down and watch Himeko's spastic war dance. Ditching his date at the height of her triumph is not something he is wont to do.

That light is upon him again, but different. "Nope," he says, "nope, nope, nope." Don't think connecting Rock via hearts to the epileptic slamdancer is going to encourage him to join her, or marry her. Whatever it is that the AV team is hoping for. The handsome heartthrob edges out of the beam... only to have it track his movements. It must be what a prison inmate feels like. Thin brows knit together, attractive features twisting to scowl. "Dammit."

He elects to simply ignore the outside parties that will him to be with this girl he had just met hours before arrival, who claims she's never touched a boy, not on the hand. (h_h) There's no real basis for the pairing, at least not presently, th-- ? A wild Himeko approaches in her pink gown. She loops her arm around his and Rock is thusly dragged to the dancefloor, unable to protest. Swag still doesn't mean what she thinks it does. D..don't leave her hanging?

"..."

The dilemma is which of the two equally undesirable options should he choose: He can disappoint her by declining or fleeing, or he can subject himself to real fun that doesn't involve EEEEK physical contact. Cutting loose and dancing like the idiot he feels he's dressed as, talk about mortifying. Precious seconds go to waste until... The serious boy doesn't flail around as if he were a scarecrow trapped in a hurricane -- this is a rented tux that fits him a little too snug -- but Rock moves clumsily and attempts to emulate a modicum of the exuberance. Himeko Kashiwagi has a partner out on the floor, moving from one foot to the other, what may be a grin daring to creep across his lips. Shoulders and arms get into it, for as long as the song lasts and the world goes dark, all happiness drained away. It is replaced with accursed slow music.

Log created on 09:07:22 12/07/2014 by Jackal, and last modified on 05:05:54 12/08/2014.