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EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL.

EVENT: A VERY NICE BALL. | |
![]() Take a look around, and soak in the sights. The ornately carved ceiling of the ballroom has been obscured for the evening with tasteful black draping dotted with the gentle glow of strung lights. It lends a twilight quality to the evening, enhanced by the soft flicker of tea lights placed at the center of each table on the east side of the ballroom and the sconces hung on the wall throughout. Each table, too, features a soft cream tablecloth and a bounty of autumnal florals, perfectly arranged to match the golden chairs surrounding. There's plenty of seating for all, and no assignments — feel free to claim a table for you and yours, and free your hands of anything you may not wish to carry. The slow fade of music from the stage signals attention to a single woman illuminated by spotlight, whose silhouette should look familiar to anyone who's spent time in the city. With a small, tired smile, Mayor Drake welcomes you and yours to the city's annual Samhain Celebration Ball; her speech is short, but touches on the importance of the holiday, from the appreciation of the harvest to the welcoming of the new year, and reminds both natives and visitors alike to take time in the coming months to cherish their blessings — including this most immediate one, the promised Samhain feast. ![]() Once you've settled around a table, the ballroom welcomes you to chat with strangers and friends alike, encouraging conversation with soft instrumental music and the quiet, pleasant generosity of passing waiters carrying flutes of happily bubbling champagne. A little liquid courage never hurt anyone, after all. Dinner is an affair in itself, plated and served by hushed but skilled waiters whose capable hands whisk courses in and out with no more than a smile. No matter your dietary preferences or needs, there's an appetizer, entree, and everything in between available for you — simply raise a hand, and a member of the waitstaff will be at your side to assist in taking your order when you're ready. Linger as long as you like at the table; there's no rush to leave, but when you're ready, let the swells of the music from the stage entice you to the west side of the ballroom, where a dance floor's lit by the warm glow of so many twinkling lights overhead. ![]() The music itself goes on through the wee hours of the evening, so there's plenty of opportunities to fill your dance card with any number of partners. The songs themselves vary from gentle waltzes perfect for cheek-to-cheek swaying to faster rhythms suited for swing dancing's signature dips and twirls, and requests are always welcome if you've something particular in mind. There's even a microphone tucked to the side, just in case you feel the urge to croon with accompaniment to someone special as the night goes on. Of course, if you don't feel like dancing, or just need to rest your feet, there's plenty of entertainment tucked in the hall. In a small room just off the ballroom, you might find a collection of old-fashioned photobooth machines, ordered on accident and set here where they won't clash with the rest of the decor. They're operational, of course, and free of charge; feel free to take a few silly photos, but be sure to wait for them to print. There's the gardens, too, equally decorated with twinkling lights, though the effect is muted by the moonlight that trickles through the canopy overhead; the adjoining hedge maze and walking paths have often been a perfect site for quiet walks and romantic interludes in years past. While a perfect world might allow such a charmed evening to last forever, unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and as the late hour of the evening gives way to the promise of dawn, a familiar tune is played to signal the end of the event. As the lyrics go, you don't have to go home... but you can't stay here. Time to make your way to the exit, and see where else the night takes you. Whew, talk about words. Should you need a recap: be pretty, because this is a fancy event. Bring a friend or come stag, whatever you choose; eat, drink, dance (or don't) and be merry, for this is an event without any dramatic accidental consequences. Well, except the sprinklers... and maybe your own excessive consumption of champange, but that's up to you! |
kimberly hart • ota!
softer
she's never been one for spectacles, but after volunteering to help put the event together, even trini couldn't resist the urge to see all her hard work come to fruition. of course, wanting to see the event doesn't make being around so many people who want to know all sorts of things about her any less stressful. and after one too many well-meaning party goer introductions, trini's about had her fill.
she takes a deep breath and practically smells the cold air that should be coming in the next few months. the thought brings a smile to her face as she meanders the grounds in search of a quiet place to sit. off in the distance she sees a lone figure, dressed in black. who looks like she had the same idea as trini.
perhaps it's the moonlight reflecting in the other girl's hair, or the result of one too many glasses of bubbly champagne, but regardless of the reasons, she's curious enough about the other person to head toward her rather than away.
that's what this place is about, right? she reminds herself. finding people. connecting with others. possibly in more ways than one.
trini hasn't gotten a good look at the girl just yet, but she definitely hears the comment, nods along at first before finding herself responding rather shyly.]
Yeah. It's peaceful. I just needed a moment away from everything.
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without a glass of champagne to distract her, her empty hands are left to smooth out over the fabric of her dress, fingers splaying out atop her lap; the music is quiet, and kimberly hums her agreement as it stills in the distance. the band must be readying the next song. )
It reminds me of home, sometimes. The gardens, I mean — I used to go for hikes at home in the mountains, just to clear my head...
( the night breeze is cool, ruffling the ends of her hair as it sweeps across her skin, and kimberly can't help but think of the last hike she'd taken. running into jason, and everything that had followed. she had to wonder how he was doing. him, and billy, and trini — did they know she was gone? they shouldn't, she knew that, but she wondered. would their ranger connection mean more than what this city usually found to be true, or would her absence truly not have even registered yet? )
You can come sit, if you want. There's room.
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a nagging sense of guilt over leaving them is washed away with the reminder that they won't even know she's left and really she's enduring blisters and formal dancing for them, so they should be grateful.
trini nods along to the words. she does want to sit down. maybe get to know this person a little bit better, so she steps a little more into the soft glow of the light near the bench and carefully sits at the corner not currently occupied on the cold concrete.]
I know what you mean though. I'd go work out just outside of town. There were these great views of the city below. This garden's not quite like my favorite spot but it's definitely making me a little homesick.
[a soft sigh and trini wrings her hands together. would she get to see home any time soon? and how funny was it that it took an alien invasion and meeting four other perfect strangers for her to finally feel like she'd found home.]
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a quiet sigh, and kimberly lets her shoulders drop down, willing relaxation through her body. ) Yeah, I know the feeling. ( she couldn't imagine anyone in their metaphorical shoes wouldn't feel a little homesick, even with how nice the city had proven to be. )
I have a friend back home who does things like that. Yoga on the mountains, very zen goddess-y. You'd probably like her.
( if trini let somebody like her, that is. running away unless coerced otherwise seemed to be her modus operandi. hashtag bye, et cetera. )
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it's why trini finally glances sideways at the girl occupying the other half of the bench. even in the dim light she can recognize that profile — each feature carefully catalogued over the course of an entire year spent in the same biology class and then countless hours training side by side — there's no mistaking that she's managed to bump into one of the few people from home who actually know who she is.
which presents an interesting situation that she'll have to address shortly: does she pretend like she doesn't know and wait for kim to figure it out or does she just rip the bandaid off.
she opts for the latter.]
It's tai chi, dummy. And you're right. I do like me.
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Trini?
( who else calls her 'dummy' in a voice that's both dismissive and filled with fondness? who else does yoga — or tai chi, apparently, even though kimberly still doesn't really know what the difference is — on mountaintops and needs to get away from parties? who else but trini?
the reaction is two-fold: simultaneous lightness in her heart from sheer relief at finding a friend in the darkness, and a confusing tightness in her chest that feels oddly like disappointment. at what, kimberly's not sure, and she's not ready to dive into it yet. not when trini's right here, and she's missed her so much already.
right now, all she can manage is to blink, body turning towards the other girl in a hesitant attempt to get that much closer. )
I didn't know you were even here...
( how did she not know? shouldn't she have known right away? shouldn't their connection have alerted her, somehow? the power coins' proximity or... something, right? )
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if only she could take a picture to make the moment last. it almost makes up for being pulled off a cliff into a pool of water below.]
Kim. [trini tilts her head and looks at kim once more.]
I didn't know you were here either. How long?
[who knows why trini didn't know. maybe something the city did. maybe their bond wasn't as strong outside of angel grove.]
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( she's tempted to pull the other girl into a hug, but something stops her. maybe it's the fact that she's never had opportunity to see trini dressed up like this, all sleek and beautiful, in an actual dress. )
I'm really glad to see you, Trini.
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[they'd only just defeated rita and saved the city. it doesn't make sense that she's been here for months.
the unspoken how hangs between the two of them as trini looks kim up and down. in sleek dress and heels, kim looks a hell of a lot like what she imagines kim would've looked like at a dance during the height of her popularity. trini would like to reach over and tuck a few of those flyaways back behind kim's ears, but before her hands can betray her, she folds them primly over her lap.]
I'm glad to see you too. Not sure how this whole time thing works, but glad that of all the people I could've run into it was you.
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( if she closes her eyes, she can still smell the salty air that permeated through all of angel grove, feel the weight of the armor hanging over her skin, the slick copper taste of blood pooling in her mouth from their battle with rita and all her putties. it's been months, but she knows that coming home again will be like she never left. finding trini here feels a little like it, too.
she's been here for three months now, 90 days and change of getting close to people she never expected to meet in the first place. she's found friends — and more than friends, even — something she never would have thought possible. something that had seemed impossible in angel grove without the benefit of the cheerleading squad. or the rangers.
are we friends, or are we power rangers?
that had been the question, once upon a time around a flickering campfire, but kimberly couldn't help but feel that trini's presence here was an answer to that question. yes, to both. trini was both an integral part of the rangers and her friend. somebody whose presence felt right, in a way that kimberly couldn't quite explain. )
So... intimacy, huh? I didn't take you for much of a cuddler.
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[though kim doesn't specifically mention it, she kind of figures that she and kim are thinking of the same thing, of home and their battle weary bodies. of the wrecked buildings and streets of angel grove.
trini's definitely also thinking of kim here without the rangers. she's sure that kim managed just fine, and is grateful that she's not the one who had to do this alone.
of course, kim has to ruin it by bringing up a reminder of girlfriend problems that she's had.]
Shut up. I'm going to rescue kittens until I can go home.
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Don't worry, I'll cuddle with you. If you promise not to steal my blankets.
( and yes, she does mean cuddling. but if trini wants to assume she means something else... well, what she keeps to herself doesn't hurt anyone, right? )
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I'm not the blanket thief, princess.
[she chimes back. if she doesn't comment on the cuddling part of the equation it didn't really happen, right?]
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( to be fair, while kimberly is in fact very fond of burrowing under the blankets, she does prefer good old fashioned body heat to the allure of a blanket cocoon. )
We'll see if I let you use my good blankets now, grumpy cat.
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[she's two steps away from an eyeroll, kim. don't test her.]
You'll have to at least buy me dinner before I'll even consider cuddling. What kind of girl do you think I am?
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I'm just saying, if you can't find anybody to meet your impossible standards, I can clear my schedule for you every now and then. A little Chinese food takeout, some Netflix, the good blankets — I mean, it's a pretty decent offer.