The feeling of ice, of distress, of dread wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t be shaked. The wrongness of it was causing a flare of protectiveness a mile long in Alena, as even when Devi and Hayley were talking she kept glancing up and scanning their surroundings every few moments. Her head tilted to the side hearing the trail end of Hayley’s words and the redhead focused on her once more, seeing how she looked down at the frilly dress. She seemed so unsure. Maybe she could help with that.

“I am Alena, and this is my roommate Devi, it is our pleasure to meet you Hayley. I am sorry – I do not know the answer, my sister might if you need the information quickly? I can call her. She is apparently very popular in this country with the modeling.” Another head tilt, this time the opposite way as she examined Hayley. “Though, I would say you do not need make up. You are very pretty on your own.” Alena flashed the other girl a reassuring smile, almost radiating sincerity. Luckily not literally, considering who she was talking to.

“If you want to go find your friend though, perhaps we can escort you, yes? It is not a night to be alone.” Perhaps she was being a bit silly, considering where she was. There was no doubt due to just being in the dormitories that Hayley was at least supernatural, if not a demigoddess herself. Alena made sure Hayley wasn’t looking before casting a grateful look to Devi. She could only hope it conveyed her apologies for delaying them, and thankfulness for going along with it. Besides, going as a group could be fun. And less worrying.

Devi was entirely unconcerned with the aura emanating from the girl, associating it with the touch of Shiva and knowing it was best not to draw attention to such aspects for those harboring them. It was rather curious though, as she had thought she was the daughter of one of the other greek gods, and wondered why one would go through the trouble of hiding themselves as such. She was getting distracted though, and gave Hayley a pleasant smile in return, hoping it would serve to ease her a little more and make her comfortable around them. "Don't worry, I have never been to one of these things before either. Alena had to explain that the ball was not some kind of strange westerner sport. Not entirely convinced on the matter of all this fancy dress though."

Makeup though, that she knew of and had dabbled in at one point, though clearly to both women she was not prone to the usage of. "Hmmm, yes perhaps your friend may know what looks best on you. Is she already at the dance, or is she your date? Most people do have dates for these things, right?" She sighed internally at the way Alena was glancing around, finding it all-together somewhat endearing as well as disconcerting that she seemed not to realize the aura was coming from Hayley. At the very least she had the right mindset to be comforting to her and offer assistance.

The grateful look she was given was returned with a beaming smile, communicating wordlessly that she was alright with the slight detour even if she was beginning to desire to move onward to their destination. She would never say as much, or even let on to Alena that she felt that way however, content in the moment while she thought on what awaited them in the main hall. "I don't mind the detour, and as Alena said, it is not a night to be alone. Why don't you point the way and we'll go together?"

@Alfhedil@Blazion

Hayley frowned a little as the redhead seemed to be looking around a lot. She said nothing though on it "Nice to meet you both, and no don't worry about asking your sister. I don't actually know where Saranja is, I was just kind of guessing she might be in her room, but she seems big on this whole ball thing, so she's likely gone ahead." She smiled "Thank you as well. I don't want to be a burden if you two are going together though, honest. I'm kind of used to going to things alone, done it my whole life" she shrugged, then chuckled at Devi's comment.

"You know, there is a game about a ball in this country. However, it's also some kind of dance...thing. Confusing, I know." She looked down at her dress, then back at the girls. "I'm going to go change in my room. Um...you can come with, if you're not going to be late. I don't want to be in the way."

_Ebbo

---

"Shit"

This was all Ebbo said as he snoozed his alarm once again. He had to get up at some point today and Cheshire was going to play mom today and get him up. It had been like this for the first week, Ebbo is naturally lazy and the cat got sick and tired of hearing his alarm so she would have to get him up. Other than that he enjoyed his week, not only on campus but also with his two roommates/friends. They got along well enough and even though he lived with two people of the opposite sex, room 417 was his new home and he liked it.

His room no longer had that "model" feel, it felt like he actually lived there. It was not longer super clean and fresh but instead more natural and felt boyish. Cheshire had also left her mark on the room, cat stand and bed sat in opposing corners. She was very social and when she wasn't sitting under Ebbo as he gamed or ate she was wondering around the house with his roommates. Alena and Devi turned out to be great, Ebbo felt that the three of them complemented the other well and that's why they got along, even if there was a disagreement, they just simply talked about it and found a solution.

So his fist week went well but now he had to get up and get ready for a ball, one his mom was more excited about than he was. She was so happy she made his dad buy him a suit, and somehow forced Odin to drop it off himself. He did not tell his roommates about is dad coming back, but he would not be surprised if they knew about it. He did not share much words with the man, only the simple "How's it going?" and so on, the interaction lasted a total of 15 minuets and then they parted ways.

Now Ebbo lay in bed with Cheshire pawing at his face in an annoyed manner. She would try different tactics every morning and they all succeeded. This time it started with the simple paw and Ebbo brushing her off, then it went to full out suffocation. She sat straight on his face and did not move, this forced Ebbo to move her and get up. The Suit was hanging on his bathroom door and after he fed his cat he moved to take a shower and get ready.

When he finally left his room, dressed and smelling nice, it was quiet out in the main living area. "They must have left already...good they need the alone time." Ebbo thought with a smirk as he left the room.

A smattering of red bloomed across pale skin, freckles vivid against the foreign color. Alena coughed once and glanced up at the ceiling as Devi mentioned dates, though it didn’t appear that Hayley’s friend was hers from the way she spoke. It was true most people did have dates, which spoke to them going as a pack of friends, even if they were somewhat dressed appropriately with Alena in the suit. She’d prefer not to think of it as a date though, her stomach knotting with unease at just the mention. They were friends after all. It was an odd, confusing feeling to say the least, but at least it served as a handy distraction from the dread.

Almost glad to have something else to focus on Alena’s gaze dropped back to Hayley on hearing she did things alone. The edges of her mouth drooped briefly in a slight frown before she forced that eager smile back in place, gesturing Hayley back down the hall where she assumed the smaller girl came from.

“Well, you do not need to go alone to this at least! ... Mostly. I promised Devi I would show her western dancing, though I hope my own is not rusty. I do not want to embarrass us both.” Alena’s hand had never left Devi’s and as such she fell into an easy stride with her the few paces it took to reach the fourth room along the hall trailing after Hayley. The redhead gave a short nod towards the door, shifting her position to lean against the wall as she did so. “Go ahead and change, we will wait here for you. Take your time. There is still many hours.”

All together unconcerned with the dread aura about them, Devi retained that warm and friendly smile as they walked and talked along the way back towards Hayley's room. She seemed a nice enough girl, and she felt bad that it was likely her providence made it rather difficult to make friends, which would explain why she was keen on the one she had. Nevertheless, she was not one to be deterred and had already decided that this one was also a friend much like her two roommates. One of whom appeared to be catching on just slightly to why she personally wanted to go to the dance.

Her attention snapped back away from idle thoughts and to the present as Alena stopped them at a door, entirely uncertain if this was the correct one or not. "Yes, please do take your time and do not rush on our account." Devi leaned beside the taller redhead, hand still firmly in hers as they waited side by side. "When you're ready, then we can see about finding your friend Saranja, and perhaps our roommate Ebbo as well."

"And then comes the dancing." Her unspoken thought finished, along with a subtle glance upwards to see what Alena was doing. It promised to be a long night, and while she had her own intentions as to what to be doing during that time, she hoped that her friend wasn't sacrificing too much of her own night simply to indulge her. More pressing though, it seemed that perhaps she wasn't nearly as keen on the whole 'date' thing as she was, and made faces when it was mentioned. She wondered if Alena had ever been with anyone before, and that was why she seemed to tense up the way she did. Perhaps some idle conversation would help ease her nerves, small-talk always helped for her.

"So, Alena." She began, meaning to catch her attention with her soft tone first before just launching into a conversation. "I don't think I've heard you talk much about your sister other than that you have one, and apparently she is quite popular over here."

"Ok then, I'll come with you two" Hayley said with a warmer smile, that aura now almost entirely gone. She didn't consider the idea of dates at all - she was undateable after all. It was nice that these two were at least trying to be kind as they reached her door. "I'll be as quick as I can still! Be back in a short while" she gave them both a wave before slipping in, closing the door then running to her room and closing the door.

Ok, so no makeup...guess I'll have to just stay as I am she thought to herself as she undressed slowly, thinking through what she should wear with the dress - she had trainers, which wouldn't suit the dress, so she had to wear the heels that Saranja bought for her. Even if they weren't very comfortable, it was all set up.

Then there was her hair - her long hair was a mess and needed to be brushed through. Wear it straight, or in braids? How should she do it? She took a few moments to think as she slipped the dress on, which hugged her body while still having a nice look to it when it twirled and rose up slightly. She took her brush with her, and while brushing her hair opened the door to peek out at the two girls.

"Hey um...should I just leave my hair straight? Or try to do something with it?" she asked them

@Alfhedil@Blazion

Everything seemed to be going according to plan. The knot in the pit of Alena’s stomach was much more relaxed now, and she couldn’t help but mentally pat herself on the back. Obviously this was the right thing to do; Hayley was a nice girl but small, lost. It reminded Alena a bit of a kitten, which was no doubt what kicked up the worrying instincts in her. It was no trouble to add another to their little group though, at least Devi didn’t seem to mind. Speaking of the other demigoddess, Alena tilted her head as Devi addressed her to show she was listening, only to blink.

“Ah, Kenzie? She is my half sister – from the same mother,” Alena paused here meaningfully, tilting her head back to rest against the wall. “She ... takes after her far more. I mean, she is a model here in America, that should be obvious. But she sought out me and my father a few years ago on hearing there was another daughter of Aphrodite.” A small laugh escaped Alena’s throat and she glanced down at Devi once more, one corner of her lips twitching up in a smile.

“I think she came to see the competition, but you can imagine I was not what she was expecting. She went from aggression to ... mother hen is the phrase? She was even more excited than me that I had to come to Riverswell, as she had, and helped me with my English. Mostly since she doesn’t know Russian.” Another laugh, this time warmer with affection tinting the noise. “V gostyakh khorosho, a doma luchshe – I do not mind the learning, but I miss my home. Ah, sorry, I am getting off track!” Alena’s fingers around the other woman’s twitched, tightening briefly before her free hand rose to muss up the red hair resting at the back of her neck as she rubbed her fingerpads against it. So much for keeping it neat, that lasted for all of twenty minutes. She should’ve done it up rather than leaving it free flowing.

“Enough of my family, what about you, Devi-” The demigoddess was cut off from her admittedly quickly rambling thoughts as Hayley once more emerged, this time seeking advice of her own hair. Alena immediately brightened, and finally her fingers slipped from Devi’s as she pushed from the wall and turned to Hayley more fully.

“You are looking very cute, Hayley! Hair? You should do a bun, it will look good with the short dress! Oh, but not too tight – I have been informed that leaving it to look slightly messy is what is ‘in’. Maybe bangs too, to frame the face yes?”

"Must be nice to have siblings, even if they are quite different from you. I don't know of any other daughters of Jagannath, and father only had sons once a long time ago." A thought of speaking more on that was briefly entertained, but the slight hint of a frown formed on the corners of her lips and she wiped it away before giving it a chance to fester. It would not do to dwell on such things, especially when tonight was a night of welcoming and celebrating new friendships. She would answer the question at the very least though. "Father is father, of course, and my mother left when I was young to be with him in the stars. The people of my village raised me and taught me much of what I know, so they are pretty much my family."

Devi also thought of home, out in the few remaining wilds of her quickly developing home country, and even of the city life within nearby Calcutta. "Yes, I miss my home as well. It's not quite as warm here and there's so much built up. Still have the gentle sounds of nature to listen to every now and then, but it's not the same." At least Hayley returned to them to allow her a distraction from such thoughts, the homesickness starting to get to her though she tried her best not to show it.

A good long look over the girl was all she needed to give her own approval, admiring the way the dress sat on her figure and how she elected not to use any makeup. "Cute is the word, for sure." She said in agreement, giving Hayley a bright and warm smile to encourage her. "Natural beauty is the best kind, and with just a little smile yours will shine on the dance floor."

@Blazion@Alfhedil

Hayley blushed at the compliments, looking down at her feet shyly and quietly replying "Um...thank you...I'm not that cute though." It took her a while to look at the two girls again, thinking on the suggestion. "I've never done anything really with my hair before. A bun with bangs..." she trailed off, and started to smile a little, nodding "ok! Thank you both. Give me a moment, I'll do that and come back!"

With that, she went back in again but leaving the door slightly open in case they wanted to follow. she stood in the middle of the common room, looking into the mirror in her room from where she was. The whole room itself was dark, no lights on at all - it was how Hayley liked it. It would however make it difficult for anyone else to see what she was doing, as her hair really did blend in well into the darkness. Her skin was pale though, and stood out well with the little bit of light peeking in through the doorway.

A few minutes later, and she would be heading back to the doorway.

_Ebbo

---

When Ebbo arrived at the ballroom it was not what expected. The sky was something out of a fantasy game he might play. The decorations must have been blessed by some god or another, it just seems so unreal. The fist thing Ebbo did was go get a drink with a smile on his face, then he asked some guy to take his picture so he could send it to his mom (mamas boy) then started to look around from some one to talk too.

It was in his quest from companionship, that he found her, the glow in the room. She was literally the slight glow in the room and Ebbo just thought it was some kind of magic or another but no, it was this yellow haired beauty. Ebbo put his drink down and fixed his hair, he was going to wait for his two wingwomen before he started the prowl but in his mind there is no time like the present, so with no courage at all he walked over to her, and as he got closer she got brighter.

"H-hello, how are you doing tonight?"He said with a slight stutter that he mentally kicked himself in the ass for.

"Uh, should I...” Alena trailed off as she looked after Hayley, squinting into the darkness of her dorm room and seeing her movements but having difficulty picking out much. The only light came from the hallway she was in, filtering passed her large frame. It didn’t seem to matter to Hayley though as she quickly did up her hair, so finally the redhead shrugged and turned back to Devi. “That is very neat though, being raised by your village. I disagree on it not being very warm though. Maybe we can go on a hike together one day, get away from the large buildings and listen to nature. Ebbo might come as well, if we can pry him away from his video gaming.” A toothy grin quickly emerged to show she was only playing regarding their male roommate, though he was of course welcome should they go. At that moment Hayley reemerged and Alena was quick to give her the thumbs up.

“Looking good, Hayley! Ready to go? Need me to carry anything?”

Peering into the dark room, Devi wondered how it was that she had managed to see well enough to fix up her hair and put on the dress without accident, but nodded her approval as well when she had come out to greet them. "Quite lovely, Hayley. Sometimes I wish my hair was just a bit longer so I could fix it up a bit more, but I always forget." She gave a soft smile to the other girl and found her place at Alena's side once more as it seemed they were about to set off for the ball.

"Don't think Ebbo will be quite so easy to pry away from his games, even if the both of us asked him to come along on a hike with us. Then again, suppose he might when it comes down to taking a long walk alone in the woods."

"Oh your hair would look really nice long" Hayley said to Devi with a smile and a nod, before realising and with a bit if a fluster adding quickly "n-not that your hair doesn't look nice now! It is nice!" Her slight panic raised the dread aura a little so it could be felt again, if only slightly. She looked down at her hands, playing with the bottom of her dress muttering "sorry...I'm really bad at this social thing."

She peeked up after a few moments, looking at Alena. "Um..I don't think anything needs to be carried, i'm only bringing myself." She took a few more moments to calm herself before she said "ok, let's ok. Do you know the way?"

A slight grin twitched at Alena's lips at Hayley's fluster, only for her eyebrows to furrow in worry as the redhead once more glanced around the hallway as an itch of dread rubbed against the back of her mind. Seeing nothing important she dropped her gaze once more to the two shorter women, the feeling wasn't very alarming this time and could be ignored.

"You both look very nice," Alena finally commented cheerfully, but nodded at Hayley's comment. "I do know the way, I explored the school earlier in the week - very vast. Grounds especially." Hooking her thumbs into the pockets of her pants rather than capturing Devi's hand again Alena led them back to the stairwell where they had initially ran into each other, beginning the descent downward. Of course the closer they got to the ballroom the more people they ran into - luckily not literally, this time. Alena tried to be discreete as they approached the ballroom doors and she glanced around taking in some of the more ... otherworldly members of the school. Not to mention checking on Devi and Hayley.

The soft clack of her hooves on the floor never felt more at home. It was similar to the clack of heels. She was covered up in her red dress, ruffles abound in that skirt with soft padded shoulders to make her look just that little bit more womanly. Her horns were painted up in a similar red paint to the lines on her face, and a ring or two wrapped around the curve of them. She, all in all, was in a very good mood. She heard the familiar chattering of a friend and decided to walk up, and gazing at Hayley, slowly recited a poem. "I cannot dance upon my hooves / without the sound beneath / the shiver of excitement / the chattering of teeth. Likewise someone guide me / to hold my colder hand / for each step at the waist / to flit beside the band. I've had a-many hour / for words to dwell and bide / would you give me your first dance / and would you be my guide?" Saranja held a hand out for Hayley to take, waiting for a response before doing anything more.

@Blazion@Alfhedil@CMDR Melander

Any hope of replies from Hayley soon vanished. She heard the sound of hooves, and knew instantly who was arriving, turning quickly with a smile before her eyes widened. Saranja looked amazing! Hayley felt so plain and boring compared to the majestic woman, and she was certain everyone would agree. Then Saranja spoke...and Hayleys face turned a deep shade of red. Her aura of dread fluctuating between stronger than ever and nothing at all as the poem went on, with Saranja finishing in front of her with her hand out. She was speechless - a poem for her? She didn't deserve anything like this!

Wordlessly, she took Saranja's hand, her own hand quite hot to the touch, and held it. Looking shyly down at the ground for a few moments before she quietly said "I don't know how to dance...but um...I can try..." she peeked up at Devi and Alena, having no idea what to say to them now.

@CMDR Melander

Hayley murmured a quiet bye to her friends, allowing herself to be guided by the blind Satyr. Which, she noted in her mind, was kind of the opposite of the poem...but Saranja had so much confidence compared to her. She admired the woman for that, although there was another blush as they stopped and she felt a hand on her side. She took a moment to study how Saranja stood, her hand position, and copied it. Resting her hand on the womans side a little higher than Saranja's was on hers, but she wasn't sure if that was right or not.

"I trust you" Hayley said quietly, adding "you've seen this future, so you must know the dance moves, right?" with a small laugh. She followed the directions that Saranja was leading, and it seemed she was actually quite agile on her feet. She moved in step well, and it didn't take long for her to be able to get into the rhythm. Hayley was a natural, and as she got the hang of it the aura of dread drifted away and her confidence started to shine through.

As quickly as they had found a new friend, she was stolen away by her date much to the amusement of Devi who observed the exchange with her usual comforting smile. She bid them both farewell as they melded into the crowd and were lost to them, leaving it once more to just her and Alena. For that she was relieved in a sense, glad to be back on track to what the two of them had planned in their room, but still just a little dismayed at the parting of friends. "Looks like Hayley has found her date, and what a rather lovely couple they make. Just look at that brilliant smile she has just for being around her." Devi glanced up at the taller woman, wondering if she would take the lead and follow suit, or if they would observe for a moment longer before joining the dance.

She took the chance to observe the other students, seeing many who chose to openly flaunt who their parents were, but more than a few who were a bit more subtle. Of course, she couldn't miss the shining star in the room, a woman who positively glowed from mere presence. Nor did she miss their roommate who was doing his best to introduce himself to her. Devi gently prodded Alena in the side and pointed him out to her, a smirk on her lips as she watched. "Found Ebbo. Didn't think he would be here trying to hit on the sun though." Her tone was obviously light in tone, but she was glad he was out and making friends at the least. She waited until he looked their way and simply gave a slight wave to encourage him. "So, should we wander out and attempt a dance with the rest of them, or find the drink table first?"

@Queentze

As soon as somebody approached her, Jackie turned to him, face lit up with a dazzling smile. He was a pretty nice-looking guy, if a little bit pallid and monochrome, maybe a year younger than her; for some reason, she found herself inordinately distracted with his hair, and had to actively suppress the urge to reach out and ruffle it out of its perfectly-coiffed order. She bounced on her feet slightly, filled with socially-activated energy.

"I'm doing great! It's always cool to meet new students!" She rammed her hand out for a handshake, still smiling. "I'm Jacqueline Brake, but you can just call me Jackie! All of my friends do!" She gave him a cheeky wink, and her eye flashed. Literally: it ignited slightly with a luminescent golden light, just bright enough to be noticeable, but not enough to be unsettling. Hopefully. If truth be told, she'd found his stutter absolutely adorable, in a shy kind of way. He just had the kind of voice that lent itself really well to a cute stutter. She suddenly found herself altogether unable to resist the pull of his hair, and moved her other hand around quickly, giving him a hair-ruffling ambush of the highest caliber.

"So," she said suddenly, inclining her head at the abandoned cup on a nearby table that she assumed was his, smiling cooling down from the excited gunpowder smile to a fairly ordinary version, "two questions: what's in that cup, and where can I find it?"

That was ... a little odd, to say the least.

Alena would be the first to admit she wasn’t as used to the otherworldly nature of some things in this University, so it was no surprise she was caught off guard by the approaching figure talking to them. Although she tried not to stare at the furry legs coming from the bottom of the dress, or the horns, she didn’t quite succeed – though to be fair the poem reciting didn’t help. At least she appeared to be blind so couldn’t see Alena’s faux pas, though the redhead still schooled her features after she finished reciting to be polite. Just because she couldn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t rude!

Though, Alena did narrow her eyes slightly at the new addition to their little group. A feeling of unease plummeted a cold chill into her, her shoulders rolling nervously before the reaction went away, only to return and leave throughout her poem. Odd, indeed. Yet once it was over Hayley seemed to brighten, casting them a glance. Alena buried the remnants of the cold to flash their new friend a grin, and seeing as the goat woman – was that rude? - was blind even lifted her hands to give Hayley a double thumbs up of encouragement.

“Have fun you two, nice meeting you, uh, Saranja of ... Pelasgia,” Alena fumbled awkwardly over the name, even as her brows furrowed in confusion that she seemed to know her parentage. She watched after the pair, easily following the distinctive horns with her own tall height, only to finally tear her gaze away to nod along to Devi’s voice beside her. “Yes, looks like they had the same idea to go together as us.” She commented lightly, before glancing down at being prodded. Her gaze followed where Devi pointed, easily seeing the shining star of a woman. It took her a moment to drag her gaze away to who Devi was pointing out more accurately, and immediately her grin popped back into place.

“Hey, he seems to be doing well! She has not upended his drink on his head. If it continues going well we can introduce ourselves, let us not interrupt for now,” Despite the words Alena still raised a hand to wave towards Ebbo in greeting before dropping her gaze back to her companion. A slight twitch of her brow echoed by the nervous tick of her fingers was the first sign of her nerves, but the true show was when the redhead swallowed heavily and finally began to speak, words tainted with growing sweetness that poisoned the mind and drew glances from those closest to them.

“Well... I did promise you a dance,” Alena remarked, attempting to sound casual. Despite how easily she had offered it in the privacy of their dorms it was a little more nerve wracking now. Here. Dancing beneath the enchanted sky with another woman. A quick glance toward where Hayley and Saranja had left soothed some of her nerves however. It wasn’t like they were the only two dancing with friends. The word caused a slight heat to coil in her chest, confusion and something else, but she attempted to shake it off to offer Devi a gentler smile and offer her hand once more.

“Shall we? I don’t think it much different from the dances I learned at home.”

Yep, definitely an odd night.

@CMDR Melander

Hayley was enjoying the dance, and Saranja's words had filled her with even more confidence - maybe she finally found something she was good at! So as the dance slowed to a stop even with the music still going, there was a slight feeling of disappointment. Still, this song clearly was important to Saranja, so she was ok with it. She turned her head up to her friend, starting to say "oh, this is one of your fav-" she got no further as Saranja had moved in and stolen her last words with her lips.

A kiss. Hayleys first kiss. Her first reaction was panic, entirely surprised, as the whole room seemed to darken from the sheer strength and speed of the sudden flare of dread that surrounded the area around the child of Hades. As Saranja pulled back, Hayleys eyes were like saucers. "You...you kissed me..." she managed to say. Not upset, or angry, although the aura wasn't going away. The girls face was red, and she was stunned speechless. No idea how to react to this moment.

And for Saranja, she could feel eyes on her. Not from those at the dance, but from further afield and far underground. Burning eyes, watching them not with anger but with genuine curiosity to see what would unfold.