princess sylvie

"they're my favorite part of summer. watching them fly around in spring and summer with the flowers. i feel like a butterfly sometimes." sylvie didn't know if anyone else would have a theme with their outfit. "i'm sure i won't be the only one who takes a theme into consideration." she looked at her friend. "what are you wearing?"

ella's smile softened, thoughtful as she considered the question. "i'd like to believe it does," she admitted. "maybe not as quickly or as neatly as the stories tell us, but i think love has a way of outlasting hate. and even when good doesn't seem to win right away, i think it's worth choosing anyway. otherwise the world would be a much sadder place." she gave sylvie's hand a reassuring squeeze before brightening again.

at the mention of kit, ella's eyes brightened despite herself. "he is rather handsome, isn't he?" she laughed, unable to hide the fondness in her voice. "don't tell him i said that. i already let it go to his head enough. those charmont boys already have enough ego for their good looks." as sylvie took her hand, ella gave it a gentle squeeze and guided them toward the dance floor. "oh, then we're perfectly matched. i don't think i've ever been the most graceful dancer." she grinned. "if either of us steps on the other's toes, we'll simply blame the music."

her eyes gravitated towards a charmont, but it wasn't kit even though he was somewhere in the room. she laughed at ella's words. "they're both handsome. and don't worry, i won't tell kit if you don't tell florian." sylvie still wasn't sure what her feelings were there. she liked hanging out with him, though in the end that didn't mean much. she took ella's hand, knowing that it had been a long time since she danced like this. she giggled again. "that sounds like a plan."

"that... sounds like a good compromise." she hummed. sylvie wasn't sure dancing was the best idea all things considered, but she still wanted to dance regardless. the idea of spinning around was happy to be here surrounded by her best friends. "do you embarrass yourself often?" the princess asked, tilting her head to the side, she felt like she was bouncing more than she normally did. "i'm sylvie, by the way. you might've seen me at the bakery."

eric smiled as he watched her take the flute, clearly amused by the memory. "i think i was a little more graceful when i was standing on someone's toes," he teased lightly before shaking his head. "and don't get me wrong, i like the ball. the food is great, and the people are interesting." he glanced toward the dance floor before making a face. "i just don't think dancing is my thing. i'm not very good at just swaying gracefully.."

ella's cheeks warmed beneath the compliment, a bright smile spreading across her face. "you're so very sweet," she said, giving a small shake of her head. "but i think fairytales have nothing on reality sometimes. at least in stories, you usually know how they're going to end." her gaze drifted around the glittering ballroom, the enchanted lights and elegant gowns making everything feel almost impossibly magical. "though… tonight comes pretty close."

she glanced toward the dance floor before looking back to sylvie with a knowing grin. "i think you're right. the right partner can make even the simplest dance unforgettable. that's how i met my kit." tilting her head, she held out a hand with an inviting smile. "lucky for us, i don't think a dance has to be romantic to be special. what do you say? shall we stop admiring everyone else having fun and join them?"

the princess giggled. she could imagine ella and kit dancing together. "kit sure is handsome." sylvie thought ella was one of the most gorgeous people here tonight too. they made for a stunning couple. "i agree. my dad would have agreed with you as well." sylvie took ella's hand. "i'm a bit out of practice, so you can't be too judgemental."

It had been years since a ball had graced Elias. They had always been fun, some more eventful than others, but exciting nonetheless. Jasper was used to these grandiose productions. If there was one thing his father loved doing, it was flaunting excessive wealth. Those parties were the few times the lifeless and macabre Skellington Manor had a glint of life breathed into it. One could almost forget that the old home was a gilded prison.

He was happy to not be the center of attention. Jasper had become fond of his life in the shadows. There were times when he still had to step into the light, but it never felt like hands were grasping at him at all angles, desperately trying to reach him, take something from him, rip his being piece by piece for their own needs. He still felt intact. Whole in a way he never fully was back home. The ball allowed him to mingle with his fellow citizens. At times, his title felt like it kept him separate from others when not too long ago he was merely Jasper Skellington, a third-grade science teacher. Any significance he had was a well-kept secret. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case.

His brows raised when a voice came from beside him. He smiled, nodding his head politely. "Oh, thank you. You look quite charming yourself. I prefer a drink, really. I'm not the best dancer. My fiancée will vouch that I have two left feet. What about you?"

she felt like she spent so much of her time worrying about getting home and what her next move was with her step mother. when she was home, she spent so much of her time worrying about her people. tonight wasn't about the past, it wasn't about the future, it was about right now. sylvie could be herself, dance with friends, and have a night that was just about herself.

"really? even just swaying?" she understood though. drinking was a lot easier than running around a dance floor. "thank you." sylvie wondered if at the end of the night she was going to feel as happy as she did right now. was it the wine? or the atmosphere? or both? "hm. i'm not sure. normally i'd say dancing, but it's been a long time since i've been able to show off my dance skills."

The Bishop woman immediately pointed at herself when Sylvie doubled down. "See, that's the thing." She gestured vaguely to her dress. "This is misdirection." A gentle hand swept dramatically down the length of her dress. "The dress is doing most of the work." Her grin widened before adding, "I just showed up and tried not to trip over my own feet." Which, honestly, was only partially a joke.

At the compliment, though, something softer flickered across her expression. "Thanks." The word came quieter than most things Kate said. Then, thankfully, Sylvie called her killer and ruined any chance of the moment becoming more sincere. The young woman groaned jocularly, "Oh, that's it. I've made one concerning number of comments about murder and suddenly I have a reputation." She dramatically then placed a hand over her heart. "This is character assassination." The hand on her shoulder made her smile anyway, giving the bit even more of a playful vibe. It always seemed easier to breathe around Sylvie. Easier to stop performing for a minute. Something she's only really felt with those closest to her; all of which, she could count on one hand.

"Good. Because if we dance all night, you're carrying me home." That was before she took a second to think about it. "Actually," she began and tilted her head thoughtfully, "I'd somehow end up carrying you home." The image of her 5'0" frame carrying Sylvie made her laugh. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last though. Then the opening notes of another song drifted across the ballroom just then. Kate glanced toward the dance floor, where couples and friends were already filtering toward the center. A familiar look appeared in her eyes; the one that usually meant trouble.

At Sylvie's confirmation, she grabbed her friend's hand before the other woman could back out, and immediately guided her to the dance floor. Kate shot her a grin over her shoulder. "You agreed to dance. There was a verbal contract. I'm pretty sure that's legally binding." By the time they reached the edge of the crowd and claimed their own space, she was already laughing before moving with the beat of the song. "Besides," she added, squeezing Sylvie's hand lightly, "if I'm stuck at a ball, I might as well spend it with one of my favorite people here."

"character assassination, please." she laughed. she was pretty sure that she was not saying anything that kate hadn't said before. "i'm not the one that runs around with a bow shooting at stuff." no, she didn't really do anything like that. sylvie didn't know how to fight. sylvie scrunched her nose.

"you probably have a lot of other people you'd rather be dancing with," the princess shrugged. she knew that she had other friends she wanted to dance with as well, so she knew that she couldn't be the only person kate wanted to dance with. "i should probably go home home tonight. there's a lot of chores left to do in the morning." sylvie had forgotten a lot of her responsibilities in favor of getting ready for the ball today.

sylvie smiled at her friend, watching her watch the dance floor. there were lots of people dancing and lots of people dancing with different levels of skills. no one was looking at her tonight, which was nice. being at these sorts of events where she wasn't the center of attention was nice. "i do want to dance with you," sylvie held her hand out to her friend. "i'm one of your favorite people?"

"they can't help it," sylvie shrugged. "that's all they could find." sometimes she knew best than to argue with a gift that she was given. she'd make sure to wear the earrings and necklace they'd made her another time. surely this wouldn't be the last time a fancy event was held in elias. "you have to have something that works with this," she hummed, spinning around in her dress not for the first time this evening. she had promised that she'd go to the ball with lottie, instead of showing up with her roommates, knowing that it was already difficult enough to get them to get out in the first place. "i didn't have time to order anything."

The music had barely faded before chaos swallowed the ballroom. Billy hadn't hesitated. One moment he was weaving through fleeing guests, urging people toward the exits, and the next his hands were already glowing with familiar blue energy. Magic had always come as naturally as breathing. It was instinct. Muscle memory. A language he'd spoken for years. A shimmering shield sprang to life between a cluster of civilians and a blast of dark magic.

For half a second....then the barrier flickered violently.

The shield fractured into dozens of glowing shards that dissolved into harmless sparks before vanishing entirely. Billy stared at his hands. That... wasn't right. The tree started attacking and he didn't have time to think. He didn't have time to question it. He reached for his magic again, aiming to bind one of the attackers in glowing ribbons of energy.

"...That's embarrassing."

With a quick flick of his wrist he unraveled the spell, only for the magic to sputter again, the blue light twisting into strange violet streaks before fizzling out altogether. His stomach tightened. Another pulse of magic surged through his fingertips without his permission, scattering harmless motes of light across the courtyard. Billy took one slow breath, forcing himself to stay focused despite the growing knot in his chest.

maybe her step mother was right and that her people didn't need a queen like her. there was only so much kindness could do to help. against magic, against an army, sylvie was hopeless. she found herself trying to stay out of the way of people, weaving in and out of the crowd to find a vantage point. a sword slammed down not too far from her and she screamed, dodging another attack before managing to run out of the way of the armor.

the princess spotted that young man she'd seen in the bookstore, the one with magic. billy. she knew he did magic and maybe he'd know what to do, except she watched as his spell fizzled. okay, so maybe not even magic could save them from this situation. sylvie spotted a sword on the ground probably discarded from a suit of armor that had been defeated, something that she did not know how to wield, but it was better than nothing. she couldn't well defeat something with it, however better to have something.

"i don't know what to do. we need to run."

“i manage, though i'll admit i'm out of practice...” he answered with a shrug, looking over at sylvie again.

“i bet we could climb it,” he murmured, with a childhood full of ill-advised tree climbing experience behind him. he'd certainly tried to climb flimsier branches. consequence of having brothers to egg you on and dare you, back when they still did those sorts of things.

he admirably held back a comment about the view from down here. instead he took a moment to contemplate sylvie and the sculpture. well. it's not like he had to be a prince tonight. “my lady, i have a proposition.” he finished off his champagne in one swallow and set the glass aside, before offering his hand in a light-hearted facsimile of formality. “do me the honor of seeing if my dancing is any good? and if i don't step on your toes too much, i'll help you get up there to see if the view really is gorgeous, and gladly take all the blame if someone gets upset.”

"me too," she admitted. "but i don't really mind being out of practice." sometimes having fun was more important than the proper etiquette. she knew her parents would have agreed with that. if the people were having fun, then that was better than everything feeling so stuffy all the time.

"not in these shoes," sylvie laughed, pulling her skirt up far enough for him to see the shoes she was wearing. "i'll have to take them off, i guess." she found herself wanting to climb the tree now so she could spend some time with florian. her eyes watched him for a moment, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

maybe he read her mind because he wanted to spend time with her it seemed. a blush spread over her face and she couldn't help the smile. "i have a counter offer," she proposed, staring at the ballroom floor for a moment longer before turning her attention back to him. "how about we dance, climb the tree for a bit, then you steal a bottle of champagne and we find some place quieter in the gardens." she could use a bit of a break from the loudness. "unless you don't want to be stuck with me all night."

"i don't know magic, but i'm sure someone can fix your outfit." she stood still in place, hoping that she'd be able to prevent spilling anymore champagne. "oh, gosh, that's what song it is. i couldn't tell." sylvie just knew that she'd heard it before and she liked it. she turned to watch the people dancing. "neither have i, but i haven't been to this kind of event in a long time." or not one this happy. "hm? sit. yeah maybe." she looked at the seats. "i do want to keep dancing though."

closed event starter feat. @slyviexue

eric found sylvie near the edge of the ballroom, looking far more interested in the room than the dance floor itself. with two champagne flutes in hand, he offered one over with an easy smile. "tell me you're at least pretending to enjoy yourself," he teased. "otherwise i'm going to have to drag you out there for one dance, and even though my mother made me take ballroom classes i don't think you need to see all of that.. no one does.."

ella's smile grew as she looked sylvie over, taking in the beautiful details of her dress and the delicate butterfly that adorned it. "sylvie, you look absolutely lovely," she said warmly. "the dress suits you perfectly. it feels like something that belongs in a fairytale, but in the best possible way." she gave a small laugh, adjusting the fabric of her own gown.

her eyes flickered toward the dance floor at sylvie's question, a familiar excitement lighting up her expression. "oh, definitely dance," ella answered without hesitation. "a good dance can make even the most ordinary night feel special." she offered her a playful smile. "and what about you, dear, what's your poison?"

taking a small sip of champagne. she'd lost count of how many she'd had now. she could imagine ella dancing all night with her king. sylvie nodded, eyeing the ballroom floor herself. "i think dance too, but i think having the right partner is an important part of it too." she had lots of friends that she could dance with and she wanted the chance to spend the night dancing with all of them.

Kate was already over the ball. It was one thing when she was forced to go to them, growing up. It was another thing when she wanted nothing to do with them, and found herself stuck at one. The fake formalities made her numb, in truth. The raven-haired woman's mind already mapping out an escape plan when her friend's familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Me?" She practically blinked. "Have you seen you?" As the words fell from her mouth, a smile found its way into the corners. She was being genuine. Her friend's butterfly-themed outfit really suited Sylvie all whilst staying true to the 'Summer Solstice' thing. There was a playful scoff, "You know if I mix both, it gets deadly..." Her mind wandered. Would it really be so bad? But, the young woman found herself choosing the latter. "You ready to dance the night away?"

sylvie blushed at the compliment. "thank you. i thought i would stay on theme. and yes, you," she countered, pointing to her friend. the dress was dramatic and it screamed kate. she was glad that she'd run into her friend. sylvie wasn't sure if she'd get a chance to steal a dance from her. "you pull that look off really well." sylvie smiled and then laughed at kate's statement. "well, there's nothing that needs killing tonight, killer," she rested her hand on kate's shoulder. "maybe not the night. i don't want my feet to fall off, but let's dance."