"W-wait!" came a faint whimpering from somewhere in between as the crowd flocked to the door, drowned out with all the other voices, cheers and the shuffling of feet in expensive shoes and whatever else the Swedes happened to be indulging in as they made their way to the door "S-stop! Please!"
To no avail, however. Maybe they just didn't understand English cries for help? Swedish was obviously out of the question. It wasn't like Erika was one of the first to be able to enter the ballroom and quickly find a quiet spot, or the last to sneak in half an hour after the commotion had died down. No, she'd had the bad luck of being caught in the crowd, and tight spaces packed with so many people made her nervous. Made her dizzy, lightheaded almost. But wait...was that really just the crowd?
Surviving the stampede and gathering up the back of her dress in her hands so not as to have anyone step on it, she could only catch a breather and let it flow once the doors had flown open and everyone was ushered inside, and she had the courage to open her eyes. Blindly led by a massive crowd, she'd failed to see the true beauty of the room she found herself in before. She could now.
It was huge, and it was glorious. The tables and chairs and their arrangements, the band playing their scrumptious jazz at the very end of the hall, illuminated by the stage-lights that gave their faces and their instruments an unearthly hue, the tables of food covered in silver domes whose contents could only be left to the imagination, and the bar to which the more eager Swedes flocked to to enjoy a drink.
She was still panting, trying to take in all her surroundings at once, and trying to gauge how many people the dance-floor that started at her feet could fit before she found a waitress confront her, and before she could so much as say anything, she was being guided through a crowd with a hand at her back and her head spinning and struggling to take in all the surroundings.
She was helpless to being pushed around like that, though if she was in more of a stable mental state, she'd ask how, or why, and where.
However, for the moment, the oddity of everything being so...funny...
She found herself glancing at the passing Swedes as she neared the stage, smirking a little under her breath at just how ridiculous everyone seemed to look, and by the time she reached the crowd waiting at the side of the stage, she was already giggling at everyone's attire, and giddily nodded vigorously to all David's 'yeahs' and 'ehs'.
"Y-yup!"
She even gave the others gathered around there a little wave as David climbed onto the stage with his sister. And before she could hold her tongue...
"Look! It's the doc! Hiya, doc! And...and it's James! Ja-ames! Boy, do you look dapper! And...and oh my god, those earrings are so rad." she pointed with a shaky hand to the man who had the earrings, continuing in the same amused, hushed whisper as David spoke, barely paying attention to what he said. "I still dunno who you are...heh. And...and oh my god, it's youuu!" wilder hand gestures at Rikki. "From the limo, with the aaaale! I totally love your outfit, by the way!"
She broke away into a fit of giggles, and more unrestrained laughter at David's little quips. It was difficult even getting her on stage with how much her knees were shaking in those dainty heels and she was giggling like a schoolgirl. She'd almost have missed Ingrid's little check on her, and she gave her a confused expression, like she barely understood the language she was speaking, "Huuuuuh? Whaaa-"
And before she could finish, she was pushed up onto stage, and stood in position, next to Rikki as her name had been called after. She fiddled restlessly with the frills of her dress, biting her lip though evidently still trying to stifle a lot of giggles that just needed to escape.
Which did. The very second David called her name to introduce her.
"Ho, Sweden!" she chanted, a fist thrown into the air and laughter following much after, "Tha...hahaha! Thanks for the party! You guys rock!"
More lightheadedness. More giddy dizziness. More weak knees and involuntary bodily twitching. It was a struggle to even climb down the stairs, though she wasn't laughing in the time those very actions were made.
Her goal? To find somewhere she could get some water. Nice and cold, to down and try and get a hold of things better. The bar seemed like the best option right now, and that meant pushing one's way past the growingly-crowded dance-floor.
Normally, she would have tried not to bother anyone. Now? She found herself doing that...in the most flouncy way possible, completely defeating the earlier intention. She spun to and away from a handful of dance-partners before finding carpet again, and marching herself over to the bar as best as she could. She almost collapsed into a free stool and giggled at the bartender, as if to get his attention.
"Hey, tall glass of water, can I get a tall glass of water?"
To no avail, however. Maybe they just didn't understand English cries for help? Swedish was obviously out of the question. It wasn't like Erika was one of the first to be able to enter the ballroom and quickly find a quiet spot, or the last to sneak in half an hour after the commotion had died down. No, she'd had the bad luck of being caught in the crowd, and tight spaces packed with so many people made her nervous. Made her dizzy, lightheaded almost. But wait...was that really just the crowd?
Surviving the stampede and gathering up the back of her dress in her hands so not as to have anyone step on it, she could only catch a breather and let it flow once the doors had flown open and everyone was ushered inside, and she had the courage to open her eyes. Blindly led by a massive crowd, she'd failed to see the true beauty of the room she found herself in before. She could now.
It was huge, and it was glorious. The tables and chairs and their arrangements, the band playing their scrumptious jazz at the very end of the hall, illuminated by the stage-lights that gave their faces and their instruments an unearthly hue, the tables of food covered in silver domes whose contents could only be left to the imagination, and the bar to which the more eager Swedes flocked to to enjoy a drink.
She was still panting, trying to take in all her surroundings at once, and trying to gauge how many people the dance-floor that started at her feet could fit before she found a waitress confront her, and before she could so much as say anything, she was being guided through a crowd with a hand at her back and her head spinning and struggling to take in all the surroundings.
She was helpless to being pushed around like that, though if she was in more of a stable mental state, she'd ask how, or why, and where.
However, for the moment, the oddity of everything being so...funny...
She found herself glancing at the passing Swedes as she neared the stage, smirking a little under her breath at just how ridiculous everyone seemed to look, and by the time she reached the crowd waiting at the side of the stage, she was already giggling at everyone's attire, and giddily nodded vigorously to all David's 'yeahs' and 'ehs'.
"Y-yup!"
She even gave the others gathered around there a little wave as David climbed onto the stage with his sister. And before she could hold her tongue...
"Look! It's the doc! Hiya, doc! And...and it's James! Ja-ames! Boy, do you look dapper! And...and oh my god, those earrings are so rad." she pointed with a shaky hand to the man who had the earrings, continuing in the same amused, hushed whisper as David spoke, barely paying attention to what he said. "I still dunno who you are...heh. And...and oh my god, it's youuu!" wilder hand gestures at Rikki. "From the limo, with the aaaale! I totally love your outfit, by the way!"
She broke away into a fit of giggles, and more unrestrained laughter at David's little quips. It was difficult even getting her on stage with how much her knees were shaking in those dainty heels and she was giggling like a schoolgirl. She'd almost have missed Ingrid's little check on her, and she gave her a confused expression, like she barely understood the language she was speaking, "Huuuuuh? Whaaa-"
And before she could finish, she was pushed up onto stage, and stood in position, next to Rikki as her name had been called after. She fiddled restlessly with the frills of her dress, biting her lip though evidently still trying to stifle a lot of giggles that just needed to escape.
Which did. The very second David called her name to introduce her.
"Ho, Sweden!" she chanted, a fist thrown into the air and laughter following much after, "Tha...hahaha! Thanks for the party! You guys rock!"
More lightheadedness. More giddy dizziness. More weak knees and involuntary bodily twitching. It was a struggle to even climb down the stairs, though she wasn't laughing in the time those very actions were made.
Her goal? To find somewhere she could get some water. Nice and cold, to down and try and get a hold of things better. The bar seemed like the best option right now, and that meant pushing one's way past the growingly-crowded dance-floor.
Normally, she would have tried not to bother anyone. Now? She found herself doing that...in the most flouncy way possible, completely defeating the earlier intention. She spun to and away from a handful of dance-partners before finding carpet again, and marching herself over to the bar as best as she could. She almost collapsed into a free stool and giggled at the bartender, as if to get his attention.
"Hey, tall glass of water, can I get a tall glass of water?"