Transcript 1: Day of reckoning
"It's tonight! It's the day todayyyyy!" sang Amazon Flage as she danced around JNGL's dorm room, before crashing into a bookshelf and toppling to the floor along with the books and a ceramic vase, which she caught just before it hit her in the face.
"You know, for someone named after a warrior princess," remarked Gale, "you look neither threatening, nor dignified."
"You can talk, you were doing the same thing five minutes ago."
"Yeah," said Gale with a huge grin. "But I didn't trip over Jasper's stuff and nearly smash my face in."
Amazon rolled her eyes. "Come onnnnn, my aura reserves aren't THAT low. I survived first semester without so much as a scratch."
Gale stuck her chin out and pushed home her advantage with an evil smile. "A little skill I suppose, but mostly luck. You're fortunate Yatsu didn't thrash you too hard in your singles bout."
"Well… true. Why does Jasper have it anyway? I thought he was more into gems than pottery, I'm surprised he didn't break it as soon as he got here."
Gale lifted Amazon up with one hand and plucked the vase out of her grasp with the other.
"Ah, but he did. See these glue lines?"
"I didn't notice before, too busy falling. Why does he keep it around?"
"He accidentally smashed it the beginning of second week while sitting out those couple of combat rounds. Hates wasting things, so he fixed it during that time as a reminder that broken things can be made whole, like Jewel. He's recently got this weird fantasy of trying to reform it exactly to its original state."
"That's literally the opposite of his semblance."
"He's crazy, but it hasn't stopped him trying. Broken heaps more things than usual, of late."
The lankier of the two tall girls grinned. "One thing he hasn't broken is his style, have you seen the suit he picked out? I thought it was his usual outfit from a distance, but it's so much fancier. Jewel's a lucky girl."
"Coco helped him with that," added Gale. "She's been in high demand ever since the dance was announced."
"Yes, I employed her services myself. What about you? Are you ready for tonight?"
"Oh, I've had my gown for over a week now."
"Yes, but have you arranged when to meet up with your partner so you can arrive together?"
Gale went quiet and looked a little crestfallen.
"Well… not exactly. Nobody's asked me, not even members of my own team. Nero and Lina have been getting a lot closer over the past few days and Jasper asked Jewel on Thursday. I… might have to go alone now, I waited too long and nearly everybody's paired up now."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"That's ok, I think… I think I'll go help Lina and Coco with the setup in a bit. It might help take my mind off it."
"You can still ask somebody though."
"I don't know who to ask."
"Well just pick anybody! I'm sure you'll make a great night out of it regardless!"
"Maybe. But there's hardly anyone I even know, and almost none in our year. Maybe it would be better to go alone."
Gale put Jasper's vase back on his bookshelf, and looked sadly at the pile of paper still on the floor. Then, she slowly walked out the door, turning her head towards her shoulder as she left Amazon. "We'll see."
Gale found Lina just after the sun had set, as the finishing touches of the hall were just being laid out. Coco had brought the rest of Team CFVY with her, along with her own partner, Terra, to help with the set up. Velvet was just putting up the last of the huge stage curtains with Yatsuhashi either side of the entrance, and boxes of masks lay scattered around the tables, some masquerade, some plain white, and others with varied expressions and colours.
"Look at all the candles, Gale!" said Fox, gesturing in the vague direction of the tables inside.
She opened her mouth in a big, round "O" shape.
"Wow, how many have you guys put up?"
"More than I can count from here."
"True, it's hard to… oh I see."
"I don't," he grinned.
"I knew that already." said Gale, digging him in the ribs. "Just like most of your jokes."
"Hey!" said Fox, crossing his arms and turning away. "My sense of humour is unmatched!"
"As are your socks, half the time."
A loud snigger came from beside them. Even Lina was amused by that. She dumped down the last box of black masks at the reception table and trotted up to her.
"Hey Gale! We're pretty much done here, so I guess it's home to change now."
"Ah, already? I was hoping to… well…"
"Help out? Don't feel bad about it, we had plenty of hands to assist us."
Gale shook her head. "No it's not that:" she clarified in a low voice. "I needed to… to get away for a while. I still haven't got a partner for tonight and I was feeling a bit left out."
"Nobody's asked you?"
"No."
"That's terrible!" squeaked Lina, stopping short outside the curtain doors. "Is there anyone you would want to go with?"
"That's the thing, there's nearly no-one left. I really thought Harley or Hunter might, but they left asking their partners until this morning, and now I hardly know any of the others. I was too hopeful, and too optimistic." She forced a smile. "But that's me for you. Knew it would get me in trouble one day."
"I really hope you don't actually mean that" said a familiar voice.
Lina and Gale turned around.
"How did you hear all that?" spluttered an embarrassed Lina. "We were on the other side of the room!"
"Blind, remember?" said Fox, pointing to his stark white eyes. "So all my other senses are extra enhanced?" He tutted as he continued to stride over. "Don't let me ever catch you saying such dreadful stuff about yourself again. I'll accompany you tonight, if you'll let me."
"But Fox!" cried a flabbergasted Gale. "You don't have a partner either?"
"A weird blind guy from Vacuo with a raw sense of humour isn't exactly first on most people's lists, even if they like me well enough as a classmate. But you always give my fun right back to me, like you did not even two minutes ago, and come on, I'm probably the only one who can wrangle the Gale Force when it descends on the tiles tonight. So whaddaya say?"
Gale pondered. He was right. It was terrible that Fox slipped out of everyone's mind when thinking about romantic intentions, but they were so alike in some ways she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of him beforehand. It was meant to be.
"Yes," she said graciously, and began to extend her hand, then gave up on that route and squeezed him with her long arms. "Thank you, Fox."
"I can't dance with you if you crack my ribs before we get there."
"No problem."
Transcript 2: Unwind
Amber coughed.
Qrow snapped his head around towards her bed. That wasn't a normal sound. That was the sound of someone who was dying.
Glynda appeared to have had the same thoughts, as she raced over towards the bed in front of Qrow, and checked her drip, and then pulse in quick succession.
"Nothing's wrong with her equipment, and her heartbeat is weaker, I can barely feel it."
"She's fading," replied Qrow bitterly.
"Well we know that, but…"
"But she's dying now, isn't she? That's it, there's no other way now?"
Glynda looked over at the still unused aura transfer machine, her forehead creased with concern.
"Our hands are tied. We have to save her, help me bring her over to the pod."
They disconnected Amber from the drip line they were using to feed her, and gently rolled her over to her side. Qrow tenderly put his hands under her shoulders and knees and lifted her up from the bed, stepping slowly towards the blue glow in the corner. Amber's arms hung down limply, and her head rolled towards Qrow's chest as he stepped carefully towards the machine. He felt like he was carrying a corpse, a body with nothing left inside. Someone whose life had disappeared seemingly without explanation and who no-one could help.
Just like Summer.
Qrow shuddered as Glynda keyed in the passcode and the pod tilted back, and the door opened with a soft, intimidating hiss. He raised her over the edge, and laid her ever so gently on the cold metal inside.
So cold. Such a cruel, heartless situation. The person inside, the action itself, the machine, all cold, just like the fear that ran through their veins as they calculated the possibilities of what was to come.
"We'll have to tell Ozpin when he comes back," said Qrow as he closed the lid and looked through the glass window. The pod resealed with a second quiet hiss, and Amber's eyelids flickered, and her body briefly took on the orange glow of her aura. She stirred slightly and stretched out her legs, feeling for something, something outside of the prison of her unconscious mind.
Or maybe it was just pain which she was feeling. It was impossible to tell what was happening inside the pod, much less inside her head.
"I know," said Glynda sombrely as she too walked over and looked through the clear window in the front of the pod.
"I was hoping that we wouldn't have to be the ones doing this. It makes us responsible for anything which happens later."
"Ozpin won't do it, Qrow," said Glynda. "And even if he does, he's the one we should be trusting, with his experience. It will be his decision."
"Yeah," said Qrow, closing his eyes and sighing deeply, as if trying to wish away all the problems they were currently facing. Then he opened them, and looked straight at Glynda.
"But we started it."
"Welcome!" greeted the tall girl in brown, tossing her head and gesturing with dramatic flair. "To the best night of your lives!"
And Coco had every right to say so. Every part of this night had been meticulously planned, sprinkled with her impeccable taste and styling, with the ball room looking nearly as flawless as her rich brown ball gown, translucent and streaked with patterns of dark orange as it trailed behind her. It was her night, and Team CFVY's, their wardrobe stunning yet elegant having had full access to the master behind the scenes. Although Lina was set for a fantastic time and temporary fame as well, it paled in comparison to the real focus. This was the night that CFVY truly rose to stardom, from popular record-breakers to full-on celebrities who couldn't put a foot wrong, whether inside the arena or out of it.
"I can't believe how it looks, Rosy." said Nero in amazement as they walked up to reception where Coco was waiting for them. He put his arm around her tiny shoulder and surveyed the four corners of the dance hall as he stood there.
"Come on," said Lina as she nudged him. "There's other people waiting for us."
"Oh of course, sorry!" Nero sputtered as he signed for Table 38. Coco's lips turned up and she looked at him with amusement.
"Don't worry," she said after inspecting his attire. "You look great too, Nero." He wasn't sure whether that first statement referred to his absent-mindedness or his clothing.
But Nero had dressed for the occasion, and surprised nearly everybody with his formal garb. Rejecting the Vacuan norm for relaxed clothing, which at most extended to open-front blazers worn by some of the second and third years, Nero had picked out a suit black as coal, with a purple tie tucked into his white undershirt. On his breast pocket he wore a yellow dune lily, one of the few wildflowers that grew in the harsh desert of Vacuo, which grew prolifically over here. A subtle hint to his history, yet just as grounded in Vale.
He escorted Lina towards Table 38, passing over the edge of the large circular dance floor, where a few romantics were already pattering about on the tiles. Lina turned to watch them, her jade earrings moving gently with her head as she followed the flow of the music in the background. She looked back up as they approached the table, where Yatsuhashi, Velvet, Jasper and Jewel were already waiting for them.
"Oh Rosy, what a fabulous ballroom skirt!" complimented Jewel. "And the flowers go so well with it!"
Lina blushed a little, and looked at the purple irises embedded in her orange fur. She swished her tail experimentally, checking for the hundredth time that night that none would fall out.
"Thanks, Jewel. That red really brings out the best in your hair." Lina looked about as she sat down with Nero opposite to the pair in red. The rest of Team MAJE was nearby just a table or two away, but the others were nowhere to be seen. "Where's Terra? Or Gale and Fox?"
"Its fine, Rosy" said Velvet sweetly. "Coco and Terra have a table near the edge of the dance floor so she can help with things if needed."
Jasper jumped in. "And Gale and Fox decided the two of them together might be too much to handle at the same table. They've got their own little spot in the back corner. I'm surprised we haven't heard an outburst from that direction yet."
"It will come," said Lina decisively. "But that's nice. Coco needs to stop taking so much on, she's agreed to do all the welcoming, and she's done so much already."
"So have you," pointed out the giant Yatsuhashi.
"Yes, but I've done my part, I'm enjoying myself now." She gripped Nero's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I really am. But I hope she does too."
More people had filtered in while they were speaking, and the venue was now nearly full. The music increased in volume, and a short woman in a glittering dress - not much older than themselves - began to sing.
"I didn't know it was going to be an ACTUAL opera," said Nero, staring in the direction of the singer.
"In an opera-themed ball, Nero?" said Lina, rolling her eyes. "Of course it would be."
"Well then, let's stay with the theme shall we?" he smiled, extending his hand. "Although something other than ballet, I'll split something for sure."
"But we're not supposed to dance until the interlude!"
"Hasn't stopped them," said Nero, pointing his chin towards the dozen or so on the dancefloor. He spied a food trolley making its way towards their area. "Plus, refreshments are supposed to be for the interlude as well, not during the music."
"Dammit," hissed Lina under her breath, making a mental note and wondering how many other details she had missed. "Well, can't get everything right I suppose."
"It's only a theme," reminded Nero. "And I think you've done a great job of it."
She blushed again and took his hand as they moved towards the other dancers. Nero and Lina made their way to the edge of the circle, and locked eyes, a little more tenderly than either had expected.
"You'll have to remind me how this works again, Rosy" said Nero. "I'm a little out of practise."
"Right." She adjusted her hair clip and looked up at the tall, blonde-haired frame in front of her. All those posh Vale News Network company dinners with her sister and family were finally coming in useful for once. "We'll start by adjusting your stance, put your left foot forward a bit and lean in a little closer. Place your right around up… no, no, here, like this, see?"
Slowly, but surely, the crawl around the dance floor turned into a shuffle, and from a shuffle into a smooth, slow drift around the far edge of the circle.
"Wow, I didn't take Nero for much of a dancer!" expressed Jewel.
"Neither did I" said Jasper.
"He's a little stiff…" commented Velvet, her brown ears up and alert like the bunny girl herself. "But he looks like he's familiar with it… yes, he even remembered to tuck his heel there, without Rosy telling him."
"How do you remember th… well, I shouldn't question you Velvet, you've probably memorized everything already," Jasper said with a wry smile. "Your mimicry would make you the perfect dancer."
"It's not all good, Jasper."
Yatsuhashi let loose a big laugh. "Certainly not for me. You should see how she gets when we practise. She's scary, Jasper, she gets so frustrated when I don't pick up something straight away."
"I'm not scary!" protested Velvet squeakily. "Look at me!"
"Oh, you don't look scary, Velvet" said Maizy Storm from the next table. "But we all know you can be terrifying, in more ways than one!"
"Guys, I'm not… I'm just a… you know me…"
"Oh we still love you, Velvet" said Jewel, leaning over and enveloping the smaller rabbit Faunus in a big hug. "Scary or otherwise."
Peals of laughter from their table reached Lina and Nero's ears on the dancefloor, and Lina relaxed a little. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves so far, everything was running smoothly. Just like this dance with Nero. She looked up at him as they continued to glide around the tiles.
"You're doing amazingly well, Nero."
"Out of practise, not out of nowhere, remember? I haven't done this in a few years but it's coming back to me now."
"A few years?" enquired Lina. "When did you last dance before this?"
"About three weeks before I left, I think. I had a theatre performance of The Hunter's Children, in which the school made me play the younger brother. I still don't know why they turned that fairy tale into a musical. I didn't mind the dancing parts, just didn't like being seen by so many people." He smiled. "Still, I do prefer being around others a little more after spending three years in the desert."
"I remember that play. It was one of the last things we did before pre-combat school options opened and I took that up instead. I was the younger sister in mine – because I was SHORT."
"Ouch. I remember something like that happened at Palmerston Midwest."
Lina's eyes widened and she stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet. "Wait, what!?"
"What?"
"Palmerston?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"That's where I went to school!"
"Huh? I don't remember you being there? And the girl playing the sister had black hair, not purple."
"I dyed my hair black just for that part, I made sure my parents knew so they couldn't get mad at me for purposely hiding who I was. I even wore my tail under that dreadful skirt just so people would forget I was a Lavender. The life under my big newsreader sister was hard even back then." She looked up at Nero. "And you! You were that bony blond who never talked to anyone. After that play, you disappeared off the face of Remnant it seemed, and it wasn't even talked about because nobody knew you that well back then…"
"Can we really have forgotten that much?" whispered Nero, slightly aghast at having such a thing nearly completely wiped clean from his memory.
"Palmerston was a big school, we probably didn't run into each other that much" said Lina. "And we both didn't have the most… enjoyable childhoods either. I suppose we didn't really dwell on it."
A phrase slid back into Nero's mind, something he had said a few months ago, last semester just before exams rolled around.
"It's important to realise where you come from…but it doesn't define who you are…"
"In our case," said Lina. "Maybe we've tried a little too hard to aim for that second part. We shouldn't let go of everything… because then we're not really us anymore, are we?"
"You're probably right. We can't pretend to be someone we're not."
He pulled Lina in a little closer.
"I know what I am, though."
"What?"
"I am happy to be here with you tonight. And I am certain that you've done a fabulous job preparing it. So let's leave digging up the past for later, and enjoy what's ahead for now, ok?"
"Ohh," Lina giggled. "Ok." She looked up and met his eyes as her lips widened and broke into a smile. "Thank you, Nero."
Slowly, but steadily, the two continued their way around the dance floor.
Transcript 3: Something in the air
The night was fresh and crisp, with a few wisps of cloud brushing the stars like thin tendrils of smoke stretching through the heavens. The moon looked particularly beautiful tonight, if something so broken and torn could be considered such a thing.
Gale certainly thought so, and wondered, like many thousands throughout history, what had happened to break the moon apart in such a fashion. She had heard the tale of "The Gift of the Moon" like so many others in her youth, and pondered if the moon really was an old, broken sun which had once fallen to earth, now pulling its brighter, yellower replacement around Remnant. Of course, it was a silly and fanciful notion, but Gale was all for such ideas, especially on a night as clear – and romantic – as tonight.
"For all the jokes both you and I make about it," remarked Gale, staring up into the moonlight. "I really do wish you could see this. There's something very special about the sky tonight."
"Sometimes I do too, Gale. I look up and it's always night-time, even when I feel the sun shining on my skin. But I see more than you think, more than even my own teammates realise. The better I know someone, the more familiar I am with their aura and how that looks, especially with someone like Coco, who has so much of it."
He turned to Gale, and made as if to look up and down her curious face. "And if I concentrate hard enough… I can just about see your smile. Which means you are someone close to me indeed."
Her happy laughter could be heard all the way inside the dance hall, just as the music was just finishing and meals were about to be served.
"I do hope those two aren't bothering the professors up there," said Lina, her eyes drifting towards the direction of the stairs. "I put all of their tables out on the balcony so it wouldn't be so… awkward… with them around. I mean you can't exclude them, they can come down and dance with us when they want, and Gale and Fox can go up on the balcony with them outside, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to be so formal and behave ourselves in front of them all the time."
"Behave yourself, Ms Lavender?" came an amused voice from behind, an all too familiar one at that. Lina nearly jumped out of her seat in shock.
"Ohh, Professor Ozpin!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean…"
"That's quite alright, I understand what you mean. People come to expect things of you when you are in a certain position, whether student, teacher… or headmaster." He was joined by Professor Peach who stood by as he looked down at Lina-, a twinkle in his eye visible above his glasses. "Enjoy your night, Ms Lavender, it's good to unwind from those responsibilities from time to time." Ozpin looked up. "I think the main course is on its way now, I'll leave you in Professor Peach's capable hands."
"Indeed it is ready, students. I can see you've enjoyed the refreshments already served." She gathered up the glasses and stacked them on the lower shelf of a silver trolley, before distributing bowls of steaming hot cream-of-mushroom soup.
"I didn't know you were a chef as well as a science teacher, professor" Jasper commented.
Professor Peach smiled. "The two aren't directly related, but there are certain changes and transformations which do cross over. It certainly doesn't hurt to know a little chemistry when cooking."
"Thanks, professor," he offered as she moved on to the next table.
"Careful, Jasper" warned Jewel as he dropped the spoon into the bowl and nearly spilt soup over the table.
"Yeah, look out Jasper," seconded Gale, appearing with Fox from the direction of the stairs. "You don't want to transform that new outfit of yours with food. I knew you were still a klutz."
"I'll have you know I'm a very graceful person," returned Jasper with a false air of pretentiousness. "I do like my jacket though. Much warmer than my usual one. Nearly froze to death during the Winter festival in those short sleeves, I might have to start wearing this more often."
Jasper's usual green and red sleeves were now replaced with a bright velvet-red suit jacket, with red sleeves all the way down to his wrists, although the silver swirls on the top of his shoulders were still present. The tails were also a fraction squarer and longer, reaching nearly to his knees with a split at the waist. Much to Coco's dismay, he had found this item not at Briggs and Celeste, but in a smaller boutique store on the south-east side of Vale. He vaguely recollected getting his first outfit in a similar store when he first went to combat school, and rationalised this must be a more recent update in the same line, although in the winter version.
Fox snapped him out of his contemplation
"If you keep admiring yourself all night, your soup will go cold," said the orange-haired boy. "Come on Gale, we'd better get back or they'll miss our table."
Lina rose again as the pair left. "I'm going to switch on the fog machine before I start" she said. "It should be warmed up and ready to go by the time we finish eating."
"You know, for someone that said they were done and ready to relax tonight, you're doing an awful lot of running around" said Maizy Storm from the next table over."
Lina rolled her eyes at the grinning leader of Team MAJE, and trotted off.
"How do you turn this thing on?"
"I don't know, Lina" said Coco, peering around the back of the box. "I knew we should have tested it beforehand, but we didn't really have the time with the curtains falling down on us twice."
She fiddled with the switches at the back for a few moments, before looking up after a couple of seconds of silence.
"Sorry. Rosy. Please tell me you brought the glycerine mixture to put in?"
"Yeah, it's just here." Lina pried off the top off a large black bottle and narrowed her eyes as she stared at the side. "For the StageHaze ZL, use two cupfuls of liquid and half a litre of water for every hour the machine will operate." She looked over at the machine suspiciously. "Two cupfuls? With the water we need on top of that, that'll last only a few hours even if we fill it right up!"
"It's no use at all if we don't at least try" returned the other girl. "Pour it in, and we'll see if we can get it working."
Lina measured out three hours' worth of glycerine mixture as Coco fetched the water. Once both were added into the machine, a blue light flicked on in the panel.
"Phew, we just had to fill it up" said Coco. "I thought as much."
"You did not. Just a lucky guess."
"It worked though."
They pressed the "on" button and the machine whirred to life with a soft hum, filling the back room with a plume of translucent grey tendrils, and a gentle hiss emanating from the nozzle.
"Pretty thick fog," remarked Lina, eyeing the creeping cloud of misty smoke.
"Typical," scoffed Coco. "Companies giving us these recipes when we don't know any better. Helps them sell more product when we run out faster." She unplugged it and reached over towards an empty food trolley. "Help me get this out to the ballroom."
The plates were cleared, the lights were dimmed, and the huge curtains were drawn together around the edges of the room. Coco flicked a switch and the domed section of the ceiling split in half and rolled back to let soft moonlight illuminate the dancefloor from above, the flickering candles in the background providing an added sense of warmth in the otherwise cool atmosphere. One more switch, and a soft hiss blew coils of smoky fog towards the centre of the building, the mist dancing towards the centre of the building like a playful low-lying cloud.
Lina smiled. It really felt like they were dancing in the sky. A few more minutes and she would again join Nero on the floor. Such a magnificent dancer – and a gentleman too. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect night.
She wasn't the only one recognising it as such a wonderful evening. Lina's eyes caught the moment Fox looked straight over at an enraptured Gale who was taking in the beauty of the pillowy white ballroom floor.
"Dance?" he asked simply, and Gale practically sprung towards the floor, dragging a startled Fox behind her, Gale's billowing blue gown fluttering in her bouncy wake. There was no suppressing that girl, thought Lina.
Even the professors were beginning to share in the spectacle. A very stylish-looking Dr Oobleck, albeit still sporting his usual explosion of green hair, had asked the hand of Professor Peach, who rivalled Coco as the best dressed of the night in her burningly bright apricot ensemble.
But even she looked second-best compared to the combined might of Team CFVY as they arrived at the edge of the dancefloor. Once again, with a little help from Coco, they had put everyone else to shame, Velvet and Coco's differing shades of brown complimenting each other rather than competing, and Fox and Yatsuhashi's amber and forest green tones providing a striking contrast alongside the girls. As each whisked their partners away, or each other in the case of Velvet and Yatsuhashi, Lina marvelled at how one team was able to hold it all together like Team CFVY did.
Which unfortunately couldn't be said about the previously unblemished night.
It started with a stumble, Oliver Crumb bracing himself against a surprised Nina Froth with the pair nearly toppling over before recovering. Only a few minutes later, the dancers all looked a little stiffer and less fluid with their moves, and their faces became just a fraction more serious and more concentrated.
"Any idea of what's going on out there?" queried Lina nervously as she joined Nero at the edge of the circle.
"I'm not sure, let's go ask Coco and find ouAAAGH!"
Nero's right foot slid straight out from under him and he toppled forwards, landing with a resounding crash on the tiles. Many other dancers, drawn by the sudden cry, and turned their heads towards the sound, only for them too to lose their footing in their unconscious halt, with first years and seniors alike tumbling left and right.
"It's slippery!" someone cried, and in the instant chaos unfolding, Lina had no idea where it came from or who it belonged to.
"The floor's wet!" exclaimed another.
"No! It's… slimy?" said a third, examining their fingers on one hand and holding their bruised knee with the other.
"Stop the machine!" called Coco, who was struggling towards them at the edge of the turmoil. Shocked and in disbelief at the unthinkably swift disaster which had befallen the attendees, Lina rushed over and pulled the plug on the StageHaze machine, and with a low whine the mist slowed to a trickle, then ceased.
"What happened?" she whispered to herself, tears threatening to form in her eyes as she the bubble burst on this perfect night. Her perfect night.
Phthalo Steele, a tall and gangly third year, tripped and stumbled his way over to the fog machine.
"How much glycerine formula did you put in?" he questioned, taking a quick glance back at the dancefloor, which had a noticeable sheen now that the clouds of fog had dissipated.
"I don't know… what the instructions said I think… a few cupfuls for every half a litre or something?"
"That can't be right," said Phthalo to himself as he searched the cart the fog machine was sitting on for the black bottle. "Here it is. For every half litre you need… two CAPFULS of glycerine formula…"
"Ohhh" gasped Lina in despair, as people gingerly began to make their way off the soapy tiles. "I've…"
"Everybody move off, and head over to the drinks tables near the door," called Coco, seizing control of the situation. "We'll have this cleaned up and will be ready to go again in half an hour. Enjoy yourselves, the night's not over yet!"
As the thoroughly flustered throng made their way over towards the door, whispers of conversation began to be heard amongst the group, and by the time they reached their destination the chatter was back in full. Fox and the rest of Team JNGL joined Lina, Coco and Phthalo over the other side of the room and studied the scene of the disaster.
"It's my fault, I read it wrong and I should have known," quavered a devastated Lina. "I've ruined it all."
"Don't be so hard on yourself Rosy," consoled Coco. "It's as much my fault as yours, I should have checked it this afternoon, and I think I even read the bottle myself." She put an arm around Lina, and for once, the fox girl didn't resist. "And it's not that bad. The dance area isn't very big, we can clean it up in no time. Only next round… no fog machine. I think we've all would be fine with that tonight and will know for next time not to use it."
And she was right. Less than twenty minutes later, the group had finished mopping up the soapy residue left on the floor, and ten minutes after that with a little help from Lily Smith's fire-breathing semblance, the surface was dry and ready to go again.
Lina and Nero made a lone pair of silhouettes away from the action, Lina too exhausted to carry on with the formalities of the night's proceedings. And in all truth, she thought, it was better that way, both for her and the attendees.
"How's your knee?" asked Lina, swinging her legs off the edge of the upstairs balcony while looking at the makeshift icepack Nero held to his leg.
"It's fine, mostly," he replied, lifting the pad. "I've been too tired and not getting enough sleep the last few days with Port's classwork. I've taken a bit of a hit to my aura reserves, but it still mostly protected me just now."
"Just a bruise?"
"Yeah."
Lina shifted her gaze up to the sky once more, and looked at the ever-present moon of Remnant shining brightly above her.
"Coco did an amazing job fixing everything tonight," said Lina. "I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been there."
"You did a lot," said Nero. "Went straight to the source of the problem and stopped it from getting worse, held your cool during the whole ordeal, and kept everybody happy and a lot less stressed about the situation when it was fixed so fast."
"Oh, but that was everybody. They helped too, not just me."
"Lina, you really need to give yourself credit for these sorts of things." Nero stopped talking as he saw the look in her eyes and realised his mistake. "Sorry. Lina, Rosy, Lavender, I don't mind what flower you're named after, you can stay Rosy for all I care, the person behind each is still just as lovely to me."
As the pair sat together, Lina's head on Nero's chest and her tiny hand wrapped around his shoulder, an eavesdropping Gale was watching something other than the beauty of the broken moon. A friendship that was blossoming towards something more deeply rooted, between two people that shared so much in common.
And that was more beautiful still.
