“We're nukin’ t'e dickheads t'at ‘acked Beanie, duh! ‘ard ta be little assholes when you're a stain on t'e wall!” Danni cut in cheerily, even as he skipped outside, phone in hand. “Aw, Spicy! You look so adorable! T'ough, t'e accent makes you sound like Poisson-Pas and t'ats kinds off puttin’, you know? Could you imagine a mini-him runnin’ around, planting fuckin’ explosives and randomly flooding rooms in t'e same of survival?” Danni shivered at the thought, tempted to check the hallway for apocalyptic traps.

He surveyed the hallway critically, certain death already forgotten, as he thought about how the photo. Percy's refusal to play along really dampened the spirit of the whole thing and he was half tempted to demand just a She'ra photo but he could already hear Dee whining about it, so he supposed they'd just work him in just off the side so he wasn't too obviously against the grain. Though, maybe centering him would be better but Spicy barely tolerated attention; Danni couldn't imagine he'd sit still for more than 7 pictures while they got it just right.

“Yeeees, Mads you're rockin’ t'e look! Do you t'ink you can do like, a spell circle or whatevs it's called for t'e photo? It'd be so cool, you'd be so cool, like 10/10 would Magik again. 10/10 would trust wit’ my life!” Danni begged, as a perfect picture came to mind. He scrambled over to Dee, and waved at all of him. “Relaxed picture second - use him as an arm rest after you pose. Gotta do the Seahawk pose! Spicy, just cross your arms, be generally grumpy like always! No extra effort needed!”

“Course, gotta ‘ave Beanie front and center! Gotta ‘ave our She-ra in t'e middle, sword up ‘cause Beanie's a bad ass who ain't scared of no ‘acker.” Danni grabbed his tripod and camera, setting it up as he spoke. “Princess, you go between Beanie and Dee and Leah, you're on t'e other side of Beanie. And t'en Mads, spell circle next ta Leah and t'en I'll… Danni paused considering where he could go. It was unbalanced if it trailed off on Mads ‘cause they only had one past the center three versus two but he'd wanted to be with Princess and Dee but he'd written himself out of that combo there. Ugh. “We don't ‘ave a Catrs, so I'll skulk my way between Mads and Leah. T'en we can do cute photos! Yes, no, maybe so?”

---

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Zelda hadn't expected to fully run into anyone or anything like that immediately upon getting to the area. This was one of the few instances of her pushing outside of her comfort zone a little bit. Since usually whenever she went to conventions or something in a costume, her face was hidden. The best she did for this one was to choose the costume that had at least a hood that she could pull up. Her attention shifted to glance at both Diana and Vicki when they both spoke to her.

"...This costume was kind of simple, had to try and make something else from what I already had... It would have been too easy to just pull one of my other costumes out of my closet, but I figured I'd do this one... Actually the first time I've done this sort of one anyway..." she said as Diana wandered a bit to talk to the other three that were nearby.

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Zari giggled a bit when she saw Andy down the hallway, and the costume she chose was a bit on the nose. She had to agree with the comment that they both went with the obvious costume choices that made the most sense for them. Truthfully she could have just worn her actual armor, but she figured she'd go for the more cheesy types of costumes and not the real thing. It was more fun that way, hence why she contemplated taking the fake axe that came with the costume and decided against it.

[color=05794C]"Let's go! It'll be so much fun running around and seeing all of the costumes. That sort of thing always interested her so she was wondering what people were going to dress up as and all. "Still wondering what Halloween even is, since no one seems to fully explain it. I just basically have been told that we dress up in costumes and all not sure why still, but oh well it's lots of fun to that anyway." she continued, looping her arm around Andy's.

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In a matter of moments, Sabine's worry surrounding her hack was destroyed as she saw her girlfriends and her besties came to her defense. She saw Aril and Leah first, both dressed in their costumes. April looked adorable and Leah was...wow. When was the last time she saw Leah in a dress? Never, right? "Both of you look amazing! April, you really shine in that costume and Leah. Damn. All I can say is damn. I know you are probably way out of your comfort zone but you should wear dresses more often. You kill in them."

Dorian and Danni both also made their efforts to assuage her fears. "You guys. So sweet! It'll be fine. Let's enjoy the dance and we can worry about the hack after. My real fans know I would never post something like that. But your support means the world!" She gave both of the boys a hug as Maddie and Percy made their way into the room.

Percy and Dorian started being adorable. "You two are so cute! Not te cutest couple at the school though, because we queens took that crown long ago," she said referencing her girls, "but still cute!"

Maddie complimented her too. She hadn't interacted with her before much, but if her new change in relationship with Dorian was an indicator, perhaps it was time to start speaking to more people outside of her circle. "Thanks girl! You look awesome too. These costumes were a wonderful idea. We pulled it off well."

Soon everyone was gathered for a group selfie so she shuffled alongside the others. She was truly happy in this moment.

Once the picture was taken, she checked her phone. She saw more comments big ignored them. "Ok guys we should get going. I am so looking forward to this!"

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@Natsu: Darius raised an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically, as if she had just told him that she was currently dating Iron Man. "There's more to life than studies and duty," he offered, somewhat chidingly. He took a sip of his drink. "How old are you - eight, nine? You should be off playing with the other younglings, not... wasting away on the sidelines." He then glanced around, as if expecting someone else to show up at any moment, before returning his gaze to Mary Sue.

@Nallore: Cassie, Kate, and America glanced back, seeing Diana. "Aww, thanks - you look great, Dianne!" Cassie said. She was dressed as Bubbles, her blonde hair back in two small pigtails and blue shimmer sparkled across her face. America was Blossom, a giant pink bow on and matching red sparkles for her makeup. Kate was then Buttercup - she had either cut her hair or was wearing a wig, as her hair was now short and cropped, and she had green sparkles across her nose.

"We've been really needing this, Vis has been training us so hard lately," Kate commiserated. She was holding America's hand. Were they...?

They then made it to the front of the line, entering the cafeteria. "Did you want to hang with us?" America asked Diana.

---

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Sabine was a better person than April, dismissing the idea of nuking her hackers. Still, April kept the idea on the back burner - if it happened again, then they'd have to do something about it, otherwise it would be showing that they were weak and vulnerable. They couldn't have that, especially with their future careers as superheroes. No one dared to hack Captain America - the same should apply here!

But it was group photo time - and thankfully, Danny was a pro when it came to arrangements. Sabine was in the middle (naturally, she was She-Ra!) and April was right next to her, with Dorian (as Seahawk!) on the other side of her. For another moment, she wondered if maybe she should have done Mermista instead - but she loved Perfuma's aesthetic and matched her personality (and her hair color). Everyone else mostly made sense with their placement, although April wished (just a lil bit) that there was a version without Percy in it. He kinda ruined the entire She-Ra aesthetic... Maybe they could crop him out... Was that too mean?

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" April insisted, after the group photos had been taken and people were getting ready to go. "I need a photo with my brothers - just us star whores - and then I would looove to get one with my girls. Dori, Percy, do you two want a photo together too - before our makeup and everything gets kinda ruined from the sweat of dancing and stuff?" April asked.

She had gotten photos with just Danni and Dorian every Monster Mash so far - and she wasn't about to stop now. "Plus we can be a lil bit late and it's okay, and the photos are honestly part of the most critical bit of the entire dance experience!" April argued. She wanted to do one of those photos where Leah and her were on either side of Sabine, kissing her on the cheek. And for her boys, she wanted an action-y pose one.

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Percy didn't pick up on the hint Dorian was dropping with the happy to see me line. He was, in fact, happy to see his boyfriend. That was the entire point of dating someone, wasn't it? He had gone to being infuriated with Dorian to infatuated with him - of course he was in a good mood when Dorian was around. "The greatest adventurer ever?" Percy instead teased. He was about to follow it up with another question, when he heard others commenting on the two of them, and his face flushed an even deeper red.

Danni in particular had to ruin the moment, comparing Percy's impression of the Tenth Doctor to Ser Nemo. He gagged. [color=ed1c24]"I'd sooner impale myself on an iron fence than be anything like him,"[//color] he snapped, the fury not directed at Danni but rather at Nemo. He had abandoned the accent. It was somewhat horrifying though, playing it back in his mind, to realize he could see where Danni was coming from. It was bad enough he had the same powerset as Nemo - he didn't need more things in common between the two of them, the old man was the most infuriating person he had ever met (and he was dating Dorian Gray).

That was probably why there was some awkwardness to Dorian, as Dorian dragged him on over for the group photo. He didn't really want to be in it. But he figured he had little chance arguing about it. And he knew that his mothers would likely want to see him and his boyfriend together in a photo. Percy hadn't set them any pictures of him and Dorian yet - he actually hadn't even really mentioned much about Dorian at all to them. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it, since it was new and fragile and fun but scary too.

Danni directed him to cross his arms and look grumpy, and Percy scowled at him in response. He did, however, fish his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He might as well use his only prop. The photo session felt like it lasted for years, and he was relieved when it seemed like they were done, only for April to insist that she needed more photos - and then ask him and Dorian if they needed one together.

"If you want one, we can," he said, looking to his boyfriend. He had a feeling the answer would be yes.

---

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Andy grinned at Zari's enthusiasm, wrapping her arm up in her own. Being around Zari always made all the things that were bouncing around in her head settle down. "Well, I know there is some history with the holiday. When you're a kid you can go trick-or-treating, which means you're dressed in costume and then knock on people's doors and they give you candy. Usually, they don't give tricks, though I've heard of a few like someone took onions and made them look like caramel apples. These days that's basically all the holiday is.

There are some pagan roots, but I don't really know what the pagans did with the holiday. And it isn't to be confused with the Mexican holiday of el Día de los Muertos, which is the Day of the Dead. That takes place on November first and second. And that's to honor your ancestors who have died." Andy knew about the Day of the Dead for the same reason she spoke Spanish, she had lived in a mixed foster home.

The two arrived and joined the line of people waiting to get into the cafeteria for the dance. Andy thought for a moment trying to think of what else she knew about the holiday. "The way Halloween is nowadays," Andy really meant in 2022 as she had no idea what the holiday was like in 2038. "Is just an excuse to party." She shrugged.

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”Someone hacked you? The hell?” Normally, Leah didn’t have a clue what in the god damn fuck Danni was saying. But now she sort of did. ”Nice time to find out. But we can worry about that later.” Leah didn’t actually have any sort of social media that these people had. She didn’t know what Disney movie “Filterella” was from or what the fuck a SuperLoop was, because Leah did not have any reason for it. She was raised to not trust people, and that included a man who could find her anywhere she went, so having a presence online didn’t sit right with her. Of course, taking pictures with her friends put her on edge for similar reasons. Was it rational? No. Was it true? Sort of, but she liked feeling like she was actually in the group for once. So she moved around to get into place for their pictures.

When they took the pictures, Leah didn’t smile. There wasn’t any reason behind it, she just didn’t think to. It didn’t occur to her that people usually smiled in these kinds of pictures. And of course, April wanted to take even more. That was fine.

”…Star Whores? Do I even want to know where the hell that came from?” Briefly, Leah wondered if April considered herself a whore. And then she thought to herself that she’d still love April the same if that was the case. ”So… ‘Bine. Who did what to what when hacked you?” She asked Sabine, assuming April would take a hot minute (and she was hot as fuck in that dress) to take her pictures with the “Star Whores.”

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---

“Yeah, Princess is right! You gotta do photos, group photos, and t’en mini-group photos, silly Beanie! I'd try ta convince everyone fir individual photos but time ain't permittin’ t'at one.” Danni sighed as he fiddled with his locket (costume or not, that ain't ever coming off),casting a critical look over the photos. They were def kick ass, the costumes were on fucking point, even if Spicy did ruin the overall vibe but he was a bit of a stick in the mud so it was on brand. What did annoy him was that in not a single God damned photo did Leah smile. How were they not going to have a smiling Scorpia? She was the god damn friendship is magic character in the Horde and is all about hugs and smiles and just good things all around! He knew she was a damn land mine with the emotional range of an avalanche but come on...

“Not even one smile, Leah? I took like ugh, seven of t’ese.” Danni whined at her, stomping his foot. “I'll let it slide t’is time ‘cause you still look hot as fuck but next time we do group photos, we don't stop ‘til we get a smile!”

Still, he shrugged off his irritation at Leah in favor of pictures with his besties. He wanted individual ones of course - Seahawk with fire around him ‘cause he’s always setting ships on fire, Princess in Perfuma’s signature pose, and himself lounging like Double Trouble up against the wall. Then group photos of the three - serious ones in their poses, silly ones where Danni tried to capture Princess or Dee, and a few with them just being themselves. Danni marked one to be printed out later - he still had some frames he could hang on his dorm wall!

Dorian watched as his best friend fiddled with his locket. He wondered what was going on in his head as he stared at the photos they had just taken. He was about to ask, to see if Danni would open up in front of the rest of them when he suddenly called Leah out. While Dorian certainly didn't expect that mountain to move enough for a smile, Danni did have a point that their Scorpia needed to at least have one photo in which she's smiling. He posed for the photos, doing SeaHawk pose as flames kicked behind him as if he'd set his ship on fire. Another of April carrying Dorian bridal style while Danni tried to “capture them”. It's what he'd expected of the group photos, though he guessed this new group was still a little stiff.

”Well if Perce ‘ere isn't opposed to t'e idea t'en I'd love some pics wit’ ‘im!.” Dorian stopped and looked at Danni, eyes rolling as he dared ask him a question. ” ‘ave any in mind?”

“Dee, Polts, ‘auntlin’, darlin’, I always ‘ave ideas. Now, gimme a little space ta work my magic on Spicy ‘ere.” Danni grinned at Percy, circling him as he abandoned all pretense of personal space. A nudge to the foot, push on an elbow, and the adjustment of his shoulders, and Danni waved Dee over to stand in front of him. “T'is'll be a fuckin’ awesome pic, but I gotta ask. You trust me, right?”

”Unequivocally”

“T’en fall.” Danni said cheerily as he tripped Dee straight into Percy's arms. Just as he planned, it looked like Percy had dipped Dee rather than Danni gleefully tripping his best friend. Danni fiddled with his locket again with one hand on his hip, looking over the pair. “Now be gross and stare inta each ot'er's eyes lovingly or whatever you crazy kids do t'ese days while I work on t'e finishin’ touches.”

There was a short yelp as Dorian felt himself lose control and fall backwards. Lucky for him Percy had caught him. He'd had no time to complain, hardly listening to what Danni was saying as he'd instantly been lost in Percy's eyes, a slight breath leaving him like an adoring sigh as he swooned at the motion. He felt weightless, as if time had frozen them in place, and for a moment he'd forgotten about the others in the room. Threatening to close the space between their lips before Dannis voice pierced back in.

The lighting was off, Danni decided as he looked at the picture in front of him. It took everything in him not to scoff at them, wrapped up in their only little world, but he couldn't resist the eye roll. They barely knew each other. At least the royal trio were more than moderately acquainted. Still, it was a good picture so he kept his mouth shut, even if there was something uncomfortable threatening to bubble up from his chest. But, turning his attention back to more pressing matters, Danni opened his plan and fire crackled to life. He blew it towards the pair and shimmering flames the size of candles hovered around them. It softened everything around them, giving it a warmer glow than the dorm lights ever could, and he was snapping picture after picture - two or three from every angle.

The candle light was beautiful, wrapping the pair into a romantic scene that simply whisked Dorian away. He hadn't noticed how many photos Danni had taken, or how long it was taking. But one of his legs slipped slightly on the tiled floor, he felt more of his weight press against Percy's hands and embarrassment weld up inside of him. He closed his eyes, his body reactively phasing him out as he slipped between Percy's fingers only to phase back in just before he hit the ground. ”I'm alright. I'm fine. But maybe t'e ot'ers can ‘ave a go while I sit down.”

Danni giggled as Dee phased through Percy. “Okie dokie artichokie! Just don't lay too long lover bird, or you'll wrinkle your costume. Danni teased Dee, though he did pat Percy's head. “Good job stayin’ still for t'e pics! Didn't t'ink you ‘ad it in you. You are a freshie of mysteries!” Danni waved away the fire in the air and turned to the royal trio.

“Okay, t'is is my vision. At least 3 photos, each wit’ a different person in t'e middle. Beanie, you in t'e middle first, sword tip down in front of you and Princess and Leak kissin’ you on each side. Princess in the middle next, Beanie and Leah kissin’ Beanie's hand like knights ta a princess, and t’en Leah…” Danni tapped his locket, thinking, thinking thinking. Leah didn't usually feature in pictures so maybe they're do a different route. “Maybe Leah standin’ front and center, aggressively, wit’ Beanie and Princess looking over ‘er shoulders, kinda like she's defendin’ t’em? Or back ta back ta back, Beanie and Princess in profile while Leah is in t’e front?”

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Dorian sat at his desk, a pile of crumpled up papers stacked in a lazy pyramid that spilled out from over his wastebin. The sound of crunching paper could be heard as he tossed another wad towards the pile and jostled a few of the others free as they cascaded down the trail and spilled under his bed. His pen clattered against the desk as he scrunched up his hair in frustration and groaned so loud he was sure Percy could hear him from the other side of the wall. He planted his face between his arms as he rested his head against the desk, mumbling to himself. "Why is t'is so 'ard? We're already datin' it should be easy!" He knew he liked all that old fashioned stuff, having written him a letter the day of the Contest even though they were on the same team.

Dorian looked at his phone, and instantly panicked for a moment. He'd almost forgotten to send his dad a message. He quickly sent him a text, giving him warm wishes and telling him about what had happened at school so far. He didn't tell him about Percy, certain both him and Appa would come barging in demanding to talk or something. A part of him wondered if he could just text Percy instead, but knew that wouldn't be received the same way. So, for the umpteenth time, Dorian took pen to paper, using his calligraphy pen to write out a letter asking Percy to the dance. Something that would make even Jane Austen proud. Once he finished he let the ink dry for a moment, texting Percy quickly as he threw himself onto his bed with a wide grin. "Think we can hang at yours in a bit? ;p "

Percy actually wasn’t in his dorm room at all. He was in the library, browsing the stacks as he tried to find the book he needed for a report for one of his classes. So far, he had found about ten different books that interested him, but not yet the correct one. It seemed to have been misplaced. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to double check the information he had jotted down, only to see that he had a text from his boyfriend.

Dear Dorian, certainly we can. I am at the library, I will return shortly. Regards, Percy.

Dorian's eyes lit up as he noticed the response from Percy. He wanted to shoot out of bed and go rushing towards the Library, but his ink hadn't fully settled and dried yet. He threw his head back onto his pillow with a groan. "uuuugh. How did people do t'is back t'en? It would take forever just to finish a conversation." He waited a moment longer, scrolling social media and liking images Sabine had posted during the week before finally getting up to check on the paper. Finally. He folded the note in thirds, sealing it with wax and thr AA crest before placing it in-between a book and shoving it in his backpack.

"🥰🥰🥰 Can't wait. Just let me know when. 👻"

Percy didn’t feel any sense of a rush to leave the library. So rather than abandoning his stack of books and then running, Percy walked up to the self-checkout and began scanning them all out, one by one. He then adjusted his bag and put the books away as neatly as he could, the zipper bulging as he struggled to close it. It was rather hefty, definitely enough to qualify as a weapon. Maybe he could consider using books instead of an ax next audition season, but he wouldn’t want to damage the books.

If there was an alternative career path Percy had ever given some deep consideration to, it was probably becoming an archivist.

About twenty minutes or so later, Percy returned to Stark Hall, emerging from the elevator on the sixth floor. He made his way down the hallway, and paused at this doorway, unlocking it. Once inside, he carefully put all of his books away and sat down at his desk, pulling out his phone.

Dorian, I have returned. Please come over at your convenience. Yours, Percy.

Dorian was more literal than usual. When he'd said he couldn't wait, he'd meant he couldn't wait. All the anxious energy had begun to build up inside of him, pacing across the room and back as he frantically worried about how Percy would receive the letter. What's more, what if he said no? What if he didn't want to go with him to the Monster Mash? He was certain he would've burned a hole straight into the carpet if he kept up his pacing any longer. He wanted to open the letter back up, read it and then read it again, to scrutinize what it was he'd said and make sure it was perfect. But it was too late now. It was sealed and he didn't have time to make a new one.

Every minute felt like an hour. Time ticked so slowly he began to wonder if Percy was taking his message literally. Twice he'd checked the clock thinking surely thirty minutes had passed, only to find out it had only been two minutes top. Finally after what felt like an eternity he got a reply from Percy. No sooner did he see the message preview than he'd bolted out his dorm door and slammed it behind him. All that could be heard in the hallway were two loud thuds. One of his door slamming closed and another as Dorian slipped across the waxed floors of Stark Hall and went face first into a wall as in his rush he'd only kept his socks on.

Dorian laid there for a moment before picking himself back up, and limping slightly over to Percy's door slowly before knocking on it. "Trick R Treat." He said with a slight groan to his voice as his leg began to feel sore from the collision.

Percy heard the loud thumps, and his heart sank. He paused for a moment, hoping that he wouldn’t hear Dorian’s voice - that it was some other idiot that had made the sounds, probably running into a wall or something. But then, there was a slow knock at his door, and he could hear his boyfriend’s voice. It was his idiot after all. Percy sighed, getting up from the desk and opening the door, looking at Dorian with a look of somewhat fond exasperation. ”Should I ask?” he prompted, before stepping aside for Dorian to come in. Once Dorian was inside, Percy grabbed the first aid kit his roommate kept. ”Sit,” he then asked, intending to look Dorian over and patch up any scrapes.

Dorian smiled weakly at Percy. Even when exasperated by him, Percy still looked absolutely adorable, kissable, huggable. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he walked in, laughing it all off. "I'm fine, just forgot t'ey were waxin' t'e floors today and went runnin' out in socks. It's no biggie mon cœur." He sat down on Percy's bed, looking him head to toe before finally matching his gaze again and raising an eyebrow. "But if you insist it was my leg t'at got 'urt. So unless you want to take my pants off…"

Percy raised an eyebrow at Dorian. His boyfriend was much more explicit than he was - Percy had been called a prude before and he did not necessarily disagree with the label. ”Perhaps not,” he said, before taking a seat down at his desk and looking at Dorian. ”If you’re well enough to make jokes like that, then you don’t need me to examine your leg anyways,” he reasoned. He then narrowed his eyes slightly, like a chess master examining the board. ”So, what is it you wanted to do?”

Dorian held his hands up to his chest in surrender. His patented smile plastered on his face as he laughed at Percy's scrutinizing eyes. "Not t'at I swear. I uh…I wanted to give you somet'in." He pulled out the note from the book in which it was being pressed in, holding it out towards Percy with both hands. The tea stained paper half limp in his grip. He hadn't stopped his toothy smile the whole time. Hoping his charm would help to butter him up for a simple yes to his question. Though, of course, Dorian wouldn't mind it if Percy showed more enthusiasm for it than a simple yes. After all, Halloween was his favorite holiday.

Percy hadn’t been expecting Dorian to hand him a piece of paper - and especially not one that wasn’t a school essay that Dorian needed help with. ”Huh…” Percy mumbled, turning the paper over curiously and he began to read.

Dorian watched Percy intently as he began to read his letter. He tried not to make it obvious, as he could practically feel Percy wanting to peer over the edge of the paper to tell him that he's staring if he did. But he couldn't help it. In the past days he'd spent his time reading and re-reading the works of Jane Austen. Trying to capture the essence of how it was that she coupled relationships together and how the characters were capable of expressing their feelings in so many words that one had to peer between them to get the true meaning of it. And so that was what he'd set out to do. He and Percy were already dating, but it didn't mean he couldn't express himself to his boyfriend.

Dorian wrote several paragraphs in such a way as to mimic the very essence of the characters of her books. Expressing his feelings for Percy, as well as his love for the holiday and how much it would mean to him if they could go together to such an event. He even went so far as to offer to talk to the committee putting the dance together to see if they could add in a ghostly waltz for them to dance to if that was more his style of dance.

Percy was naturally a quick reader - his eyes tended to sprint across the page. But as soon as the meaning of the letter became clear to him, he slowed down. He wanted to savor these words, as he read them for the first time. Dorian had put a lot of work into it - it was sweet and endearing, and Percy wanted to honor that. He had never particularly been into Jane Austen - he wasn’t much of a romance reader, preferring a good mystery instead - but he was moved by it. He read the letter a second time, before his eyes flickered to Dorian, a blush across his face. ”I’d love to go with you, Mr. Gray,” Percy said softly, taking Dorian’s hand and kissing it.

Dorian's eyes lit up. His heart raced as Percy lifted his hand and kissed it. He'd no idea how to keep up the pretense of Austen's writings in person, he knew he hadn't had that kind of nerve. So instead he opted to do things his way. As soon as Percy's lips left his hand, Dorian gripped his tight and pulled him closer till he toppled over him. He wrapped his arms around Percy tightly, squeezing him into a big hug as he placed dozens of kisses across his cheek and neck. "T'ank you t'ank you t'ank you t'ank you t'ank you! Aaaaaaahhh I'm so excited! We 'ave to t'ink of costumes like now! Oh we all 'ave t'is idea for a group t'ing each of us as a character from a very queer show! Oh oh you could join in! Or uh do your own t'ing if you're not into group t'ings or want to keep us still a bit hush hush aside from t'ose already in t'e know ya know? And oh am I ramblin'?"

Percy could barely breathe, as Dorian squeezed the life out of him (affectionately). Dating Dorian had gotten him used to more and more physical contact, although the wrinkles put into his clothes were somewhat of a tragedy. It wasn’t too long before he had been thrown to the ground, Dorian on top of him, kissing him everywhere as Percy laughed, closing his eyes reflexively. ”You’re crazy,” Percy whispered. ”...Uh, what’s the show?” he then asked. He wasn’t against costumes necessarily - but he did have standards.

"She-Ra and t'e Princessess of Power!" Dorian answered enthusiastically as he drew an invisible sword. "It's all planned out! We 'ave Beanie as She-Ra duh, cuz she literally 'as a sword like 'ers, Danni will be Double Trouble, I'm t'e lovable Sea'awk, a dashin' pirate who evades danger wit' ease by settin' 'is boats ablaze! Leah I t'ink was doin' Scorpia, and April 'as been torn between two for a bit but I t'ink I know which way she'll lean. Oh! And Sea'awk is sorta datin' a princess wit' your same demeanor and t'ey love mystery novels and are super cool! So you could totes be 'er!"

He considered it. He wasn’t opposed to dressing up as a princess - drag was a common form of expression in the queer community, which Percy was proudly a part of. However, he had not ever seen She-Ra, and he felt odd about dressing up as a character he didn’t know. It felt almost like lying or cheating. ”Would you be hurt if I… didn’t?” Percy then asked seriously.

Dorian's excitement took a pause as he tried to process the words that had just come out. He didn't expect that there was a chance he'd say no. I mean, who didn't dress up for Halloween? It was unheard of. He tried to remain cool, clearing his throat as he smiled for Percy. "No no t'at's cool. Yeah. So…no costume at all? I mean you 'ave to wear somet'in. Its a costume party after all."

”I’ll wear a costume,” Percy said, shaking his head slightly. ”I’ve never seen She-Ra, so I would feel… odd… wearing a costume from it,” he admitted. It wasn’t long until the date of the dance too, and he wasn’t going to binge all of the content beforehand. They had exams and training sessions and whatnot to attend to. ”Maybe I’ll go as the Doctor,” he mused. ”Or Luke Skywalker.”

"Always did find Luke kinda 'ot. T'en again so was Anakin." Dorian didn't give his two cents on the idea of a doctor. I mean, sexy doctor had been done plenty of times so it was a safe bet, then again he doubted Percy would go the sexy route. If anything he'd be fully covered and with a lab coat and stethoscope just to mess with Dorian and tell him how he could hear his heart beating fast. "Eit'er way I'll be 'appy. After all t'ere's no need to feel odd especially if you've never seen t'e show ya know? Besides, you'd make a good doctor."

Percy laughed slightly. ”I’ve always been more into Kylo Ren,” he admitted. There was something about the dark brooding nature of Leia’s and Han’s failson that appealed to him, more than Anakin or Luke or Han or Lando ever had. Obi-Wan wasn’t bad either, in the prequels. ”The Doctor might be a bit on the nose, but I imagine you might appreciate the tie.”

"Oh? I do love a good tie. Just don't go complainin' when I mess it up or wrinkle it a bit." Dorian said with a smirk. He wondered how he could forget that doctors wore ties, maybe this costume could be salvaged after all, a semblance of sexy added to it whether Percy had meant to or not. Though if he were honest he'd say how surprised he was that he didn't just go as Odysseus or Apollo or another Greek tragic. Given how much he loved those stories.

Percy rolled his eyes. ”You’ll have to fix it, then. Actually, no. I’ll have to fix it,” he corrected himself. He didn’t trust Dorian to iron out a tie properly. But he made a mental note to get a mildly lower quality tie for the costume, so that way if Dorian ruined it by wrinkling it to death, he wouldn’t be too upset about it.

Dorian scoffed at the accusation. ”I'll ‘ave you know I'm more t'an capable of fixin’ a tie.” Though in his mind the tie didn't need fixing so long as it was affixed between his fingers. A thought crossed his mind and he looked towards the door. ”So…I kinda ‘aven't told anyone but April and Danni about us…t'is may be a big reveal kinda t'in you ok wit’ t'at?”

”Does big reveal mean… something chaotic? Or just that it might be shocking?” Percy asked. It was hard to tell when it came to Dorian. It could mean that Dorian was planning fireworks and a musical number, or just that he was planning on telling everyone for the first time. Percy was fine with the latter, but the former was somewhat stressful to think about. He didn’t enjoy drawing a huge amount of attention to himself.

Dorian laughed, trying to keep it under control as he answered. ”More like t'e ot'ers in t'e group may ‘ave questions or tease or somet'in. I'm not entirely sure to be ‘onest. T'ey may not even say anyt'in so who knows.”

”I can handle that,” Percy said confidently. ”I withstood your bullying, after all,” he added with a smirk, purposely messing with his boyfriend slightly. Their first meeting had been less than ideal, after all. He was certain he was more than equipped to deal with whatever questions Dorian’s friends had.

Dorian's mouth opened in shock. ”I…wha…bully?...me?” He'd never thought of himself as a bully, and had attempted to apologize about any incidents the two had before. A part of him was certain Percy was teasing yet still he couldn't believe the words he was hearing. ”Well at least if you can ‘andle me you can ‘andle anyt'in. So we got t'at covered no problem.”

Percy pressed a kiss to Dorian’s open mouth. ”I agree,” he murmured.

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Aaaand cue the cricket sound. For having several orders of magnitude more brain capacity than a human, Victoria could never come up with small talk topics if her life depended on it. Her brain already wanted to rationalize why Zelda's costume looked like the real thing despite her seemingly not putting all that much effort into it, ranging from her own physical similarity to the target to 'You got talent, I guess'. None of them seemed like thoughts that should be said out loud in this case.

Maybe a change of scenery then? Vicky was wondering what would have been done to decorate the place. It probably wouldn't beat the main hall in Hogwarts, but hopefully this wouldn't be a total bust. "So... shall we go in? Before all the good snacks are gone." she asked the company. If nothing else, she intended to sample the food today. Out of everything though, the results of the qualifiers interested her the least. Well, no. that space was firmly reserved for any dancing. Hopefully the costume would deter anyone who might think to ask her for one.

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Diana looked at Victoria and smiled at her. "Thank you Vicky." Diana said as she complimented on her costume, admittedly the costume was pretty quick and easy to put together. As her attention then turned towards Cassie seeing her dressed up as Bubbles, and America was dressed up as Blossom and Kate was Buttercup she smiled when Cassie mentioned her costume. "Thanks! I love your guys as well to."[/color] She went and got into line with the others. "Sounds like Vis is pretty hard on you guys with the training, Usagi is pretty tough on us as well to and she has us constantly fighting against each other for some reason." Diana said with a slight shrug.

Diana thought for a moment when America offered her to join them, as she noticed that America was holding Kate's hand and smiled at the two of them. "If you don't mind me tagging along with you guys for a bit." Diana said, as she looked over at Zelda and Vicky as well to. "Would you guys mind of Vicky and Zelda joined you all if they wanted to?" Diana asked, she wanted to make sure it was okay and everything.

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Madalyne looked at Sabine and Danni when they complimented on her costume. "Thanks you guys." Madalyne said as she went to join them for the group photo, she wasn't sure what Danni meant by the spell circle thing. Her magic really wasn't like that unless she was doing some kind of ritual and that usually required some ingredients and that was all drawn out on the ground. She just simply got into a stance something that Casta did in the show as Danni took the group photo.

When the photo was done Madalyne took a step to the side she looked at April, she knew that April Danni and Dorian usually did their yearly photo together. She usually always left to do her own thing when that happened and enjoyed the dance and met up with April and them later in the evening. Though she did feel slightly left out when April said her girls as she stared between April, Sabine and Leah wondering if she meant just her girlfriends she did feel slightly jealous but didn't say anything.

Mary Sue's brow furrowed at the comment about her age. It was obviously something meant to get under her skin. Children of that age wouldn't be at this school in the first instance. Not that she had to point that out, she realized, given that she was just being made fun of. She did grit her teeth in frustration though; it was like he didn't get it. "We're... Here to save people, right? That's what we wanna learn to do." She was trying to phrase things carefully, because she had complicated feelings. She wanted to be a hero, and she wanted to do well, but for once, this was a thing she wasn't just doing for her. This was a thing she was doing for other people, and that just fueled her more.

"If we mess up, or we aren't strong enough, people will get hurt. I... Can't imagine sending myself out to try and stop that from happening, and not being the best version of myself. I'm not there yet, how can anything else come first?" She knew that sounded preachy, but that was how she felt. For all she wanted to be, she still didn't think that she was enough, and until she was, she had to keep pushing forward. She didn't know how people could see this situation differently, it just didn't fit in her brain.

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Zelda just looked over when Diana immediately started talking to the others who were in the immediate area. She very much felt out of place at the moment considering the people that she was currently around at the moment were all older then she was. Then again, she didn't exactly make friends super easily, so that wasn't super surprising, but it still was a little weird. She knew who it was that Diana was talking to, but that was about it.

Victoria mentioned maybe heading inside, and Zelda nodded her head a bit at that, though hearing Diana's comment about inviting her and Victoria along with them to go hang out or whatever. "I wouldn't want to intrude or anything with that, you go have fun or something... I'm going to head in though too, instead of just hanging around out here..." she said directly towards Diana when she had asked that of the trio that they were by. Not waiting to see if anyone followed after her, she walked inside of the cafeteria itself, not really wanting to sit around doing nothing for much longer.

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"Ooooooh getting candy sounds like fun!" she said happily as they walked along, "But depending on the trick that might be a whole lot of fun at times too, though getting onions just sounds weird to me." Zari wasn't too sure what else to expect with Halloween, odd considering that her birthday was near the holiday, but it also never seemingly popped up or was mentioned where she lived, so of course she knew next to nothing about it.

Day of the Dead sounded like an interesting one, turns out there were definitely a lot of holidays and celebrations out there that she knew nothing about. Asgardians had a few holidays of sorts, but Earth (at least this one) seemed to have a ton of them. "You don't need an excuse to party though. From what I know about how Asgard was before Ragnarok they basically found any excuse to throw a party, no matter how small. But parties are always fun."

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Sabine felt a warmth in her as her friends all rushed their support. "I don't know who did it and we will find them in due time, but let's not let them ruin this night and have our looks wasted." She posed for picture after picture, with her girlfriends, with Danni and Dorian, with everyone. A simple matter of moments and it filled her with joy.

Her mind wandered to Leah though. She knew Leah fairly well now and could tell the girl wanted to be anywhere else doing anything else. Still, she looked hot. Sabine was happy to have two beautiful girlfriends in her life. Whoever the hater was that decided to hack her wouldn't get her down as she added the photos to her story.

Once satisfied all the pictures were done, Sabine checked the time. "Ok seriously, we are burning proverbial daylight. Let's get going to the dance already." Sabine had a surprise for her girls and she was chomping at the bit to get them there.

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@Natsu: Darius nodded, considering her argument. "Are you learning right now?" he asked her simply. It was one thing to be dedicated to one's studies and purpose - it was another to forsaken everything else entirely because of it. He came from a land of stories, and no heroes were made in complete isolation - no heroes were untouched by trial and hardship. "I'd wager that things are best in moderation. If you let yourself enjoy simple pleasures, you'll be closer to that best self, youngling."

An elderly man - one of the judges from the auditions, Ser Nemo - approached. He was dressed like the Knives Out detective, and he snuck an arm around Darius' waist. "Are you bothering this poor girl, dear?" Ser Nemo asked, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Not at all, love," Darius insisted.

@Nallore@Forsythe@BlueSky44: "Of course!" Cassie gushed. "The more the merrier," she said, before trying to catch Vicky's eye. She hadn't seen her sister very much over the past few weeks - she'd been so slammed with training, and if she was to be honest with herself, she had felt something shift between them. There was a gulf that hadn't been there before, a distance growing. Did Vicky need her anymore? Cassie didn't know.

"You're not intruding at all, c'mon," America insisted, heading into the cafeteria after Zelda, as they had finally made it to the front of the line.

Inside, the place had been transformed into a spooky wonderland - there was music, drinks, dancing, and even a little haunted house/maze experience off to the side. Kate slung her arm around America's shoulder. "What's your name?" she then asked Zelda.

"It's kinda funny you mention Usagi, actually - I had thought she wasn't going to come back this year," Cassie mentioned to Diana.

@BlueSky44@Kirah: The two of you will make it to the dance entrance, and the line has thankfully thinned out by now. Just about everyone is inside, with only ten or so people waiting to be let in. The chaperones at the door are mostly just making sure everyone is actually a student, and no rogue supervillains are showing up to crash the dance. Or possessed dolls.

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"Oh, it's just a name we came up with, there's no real big story behind it," April admitted, blushing slightly. It was one thing to explain Star Whores to a friend - but it felt different, explaining that to a girlfriend. Especially since she hadn't been intimate with either Sabine or Leah yet. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was more of... she didn't feel ready for it. Maybe she was a little old fashioned. Or maybe she was just scared. But she wanted to take things somewhat slow. They had jumped into this new thing and April was having so much fun, but adding more to it - it was scary. What if it ruined it - what if the magic faded? And what if April didn't like it?

They got through all of the pictures - click, click, click - with Danni working his magic when it came to lighting and poses. April flashed him a thousand hearts or so with her hands throughout the process, incredibly grateful for his insights. Without him, the pictures might've been bad - and if anything would've been a terrible omen for their night, that would be it. Even Dorian's stiff boyfriend didn't look half bad with Danni's posing, and April grinned.

"These photos are killer!!" she squealed. Not that she was done, of course. They had to take photos at the dance itself too. And after the dance. Click click click.

She glanced at her phone, her eyes widening at the time. They were half an hour late! "Sabine's right, we gotta go!!! It's already 7:30!!!" she agreed, ready to drag everyone there. They needed time to do all of the activities and look fashionably cool for the announcements, where hopefully they'd all have qualified for the Contest of Champions - or at least one of their teams had. April secretly hoped that it would be her own team, but if asked she'd claim she wanted it for anyone, but she wanted it so so so bad. And she couldn't bear the idea of her friends going without her, to live that dream without her - not that she wanted to live it without them!

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Percy's arms were trembling by the time they were done with the photo session, and he had almost dropped Dorian - and probably would have, had Dorian not slipped and phased, ended up on the ground. He felt like he was made out of noodles, but he offered Dorian a hand to get up anyways, as he was a gentleman. "Thank you for not setting us on fire," Percy then said, mostly sincerely, to Danni. Danni had done a nice job with the photo session, and Percy was impressed that Danni's control over the flames seemed to have improved.

That or he had gotten lucky.

At any rate though, it seemed they had gotten all of the extra photos that they required. Percy noted that Mads hadn't been put in any of the additional sessions, and he made a private note to check in on her later. That had to sting somewhat. Or perhaps she was fine - he didn't know her well enough to make the call. Once Dorian was back up on his feet, Percy gave him a polite peck on the cheek. "May I escort you?" he then asked, offering Dorian his arm.

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Andy smiles at Zari's comment. She wonders if she realizes she said that Asguardians look for excuses to party, after saying there was no reason to look for an excuse. Entering the dance hall Andy is a tad overwhelmed. There are a bunch of students. She doesn't think she had seen this many students in one place since the first day fair.

"What do you want to do first? Food, drinks, or dancing?" She looks around the room, trying to spot friends. She spots Mary Sue, who seems to be talking to a couple of teachers. She liked Nemo. He was kind and didn't mark her too harshly for her terrible spelling.

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Diana looked at Zelda for a moment she wished that her roommate would open up a bit more she had known Zelda for a really long time now through their parents. Then the line started to move forward finally allowing them all to enter the cafeteria itself, she was always surprised how quickly it all was set up. Her attention turned to Kate and America and smiled they did look pretty cute together she was tempted to ask when they started dating but decided not to.

"Yeah I thought for quit as well to, but I guess they either upped her pay or they couldn't find a replacement or something." Diana said with a slight shrug as she looked around. "So where do you all want to go into first?" The haunted maze seemed to be pretty fun and wanted to do that first.

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Madalyne took a step to the side as she let April have her personal photos with her girlfriends and Danni and Dorian she decided to take out her phone for a little bit and browsed through SuperLink while occasionally watching them. When Sabine said that they were late for the dance she was more than ready to head out and enjoy the rest of the evening and dance. "I'm ready whenever you all are ready to go." Madalyne said as she quickly started to head out of Danni and Dorian's room and headed straight for the cafeteria seeing the line was pretty short now was pretty good actually.

She entered the cafeteria and started to look around, she was tempted to just wonder off and do her own thing as she looked over to her friends. "So what do you all want to do first?" She asked as she watched the rest of the students in the room were all enjoying themself now.

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"That sounds like something that has a lot of story behind it," Leah joked, clearly amused by it. She watched everyone continue to take pictures, on and on...and on. Dear lord, how many pictures could someone possibly take? Holy shit. Danni's creativity with the number of ways people just stood still was baffling, as were many things about him. But finally- finally, they got their pictures dealt with, and got moving along. Wow. The dance started half an hour ago, and the results for who would be going off to face the Baby Avengers would be announced once they got there. Hopefully they were saving that for the end when everyone didn't have a dance to take their minds off of it, otherwise the whole night would be ruined for some people. They got through the doors and... Yep. That was a lot of people. There were people dancing, and Leah didn't dance. Besides, that would be awkward with three people probably. And there was a table for drinks, but Leah wasn't going to even entertain that idea. She fully expected some jackass to sneak past everyone and spike it with something, someone could go invisible or just cast a Fuck You Here's Spiked Dance Drinks spell from somewhere else.

Looking around, there wasn't a whole lot that made this whole... Thing feel like Leah's scene. She saw Vicky off in the distance dressed up like Frankenstein's monster, which she found fucking hilarious but wasn't going to say why for obvious reasons.

And then she looked back at her group. "Okay, we're here. So... now what?"

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“Duh. Only the best for the besties!” Danni sang to April as he quickly put back his stuff in the dorm. “Now, y'all need ta calm down. We're still well wit'in t'e fashionably late zone. I wish t'ey'd ‘ave announced t'e exact time ‘cause t'en we could kick down t'e door just as t'ey announce t'e winners, a.k.a us. Anyways, ‘ere's t'e photos,” Danni shared the unedited versions amongst the group chat. “I'll do a little editin’ tomorrow and post t'em on socials tomorrow. Now I just wanna dance!”

Dorian took Percy's arm, giving him a peck back as Danni explained the rules to the others who weren't as accustomed to the rules of parties. You never arrived on time, and only ever arrived early if you wanted to help set up, otherwise you arrived within 45 minutes of the initial start time so that you were considered fashionably late. Enough to show you aren't too eager but also not so late that it's considered rude. ”Of Course you may.” He replied back to his boyfriend. Dorian took a couple steps before linking his arm with Danni’s as well. ”Everybody link up, we arrive toget'er and lose no one.”

Danni gagged exaggeratedly at the PDA, but eagerly linked arms anyway. “Friendship tangle, friendship tangle! Danni linked his free arm with April's, beaming at his best friends. “So, so, so, who wants ta dance first, who wants ta ‘it t'e ‘aunted ‘ouse never cause Nimue is a Sinister clone and I ain't puttin’ myself in t'at position, and who wants ta just vibe? Beanie, are we dancin’ first? Actually, anyone know t'e Playlist or we walkin’ in blind? I didn't even t'ink ta bot'er t'em about it, I was so focused on our fits!” Danni chatted animatedly as the future Saviors of Avengers Academy headed to the dance.

Dorian dropped his jaw in disbelief. Danni? Not wanting to do a haunted house with him? Sure it was in character but he should know better than to think they'd go one evening without having done so. ”Woah woah woah. Ralentis mon ami, we are fully goin’ to be ‘ittin’ a ‘aunted ‘ouse. It's one of t'e best t'in's about t'e dance! Especially when a mystical witch from anot'er world runs it! But before all t'at.” Dorian had stopped in his tracks, looking now at the entrance of the dance and spotting the others alongside a few of the Young Avengers. ”Oh! We should ask t'em if t'ey announced t'e teams yet! I'm sure t'ey got ‘ere early enough to ‘ear!”

“Sinister. Clone. ‘ow many times do I ‘ave ta tell you t'at we can't trust ‘er and t'at means not puttin’ ourselves in a dark, enclosed, spooky place wit’ no ‘elp!” Danni objected vehemently, pausing only to look around the room. He glanced at his phone, the suggestion that they wouldn't be there to actually hear the announcements scaring him. But his phone was relatively quiet and he rolled his eyes at Dee. “Dee, darlin’, damsel of mine, listen - if t'e teams were announced, my phone would be blowin’ up and I ain't got shit yet so chill, do t'e ‘ouse while I drag someone ta t'e dance floor. Who wants ta dance for a while? I gotta get movin’ and groovin’ ‘fore anyone gettin’ me in ‘eart attack ‘ouse!”

Dorian pouted but reluctantly gave in and chose not to press the matter. Only raising his eyebrow in a devilish manner as he looked at Percy. ”Mon amour, let's go ahead and do t'e ‘ouse while t'e ot'ers dance.”

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With memories snapshotted in the moment, forever embalmed on the internet, Sabine linked up with her friends as they made their way to the dance. Each speaking about what they were going to do, Sabine's mind wandered, especially when Dorian mentioned the announcement of the teams. Sabine, truth be told, had been mulling over that ever since the fight where they won. A victory didn't necessarily mean that were on the fast track, especially if the other team proved they had the powers, the teamwork, and the know-how to be able to manage. She was sure they did a great job, but it still bothered her.

She shook herself out of it. Now was not the time to panic. It was a dance, she was with her friends and her smoking hot girlfriends, she would damn well enjoy herself to the point she forgot about it the next day (and that's saying something given her powers).

"Oh I am definitely down for a haunted house. Also gorging myself on candy until I enter a state of shock. As for dancing, course we are dancing first Danni my love. Everyone can get a turn." Sabine eyed Leah, wondering how uncomfortable she was. Sabine gripped Leah's hand and squeezed. "I know you want to run out of here screaming, but it means a lot you are here with us. We'll have fun and make the most of it! Is there something you really want to do?"

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She wasn't entirely sure still about being around so many people right now, and she was kind of getting dragged along places at the moment, so she just sort of went along with it. Zelda didn't care to pay too much attention to who everyone was or gossip or anything like that with different people, so she had almost no real idea as to who they were wandering around with all too much right now. She kind of had been planning while at this whole dance thing to very much be a wallflower and not do anything aside from just sort of show up.

Hearing Kate (at least that's who she was pretty sure it was, she wasn't entirely certain) ask her name, and it took a moment for her brain to register what she had been asked. "Oh... Um... I'm Zelda..." she commented kind of quietly, not overly caring if anyone actually seemingly heard her. Currently she had no idea what she was going to do or wanted to do, aside from maybe try to avoid the really really big potential crowds or something like that.

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Zari had to think for a moment on what to really potentially do. Sure there was a lot going on, but she honestly had no idea what to do first once they got through the entrance. There were so many things that they could do right now and they could run around to various areas. Who knew what sort of things that could happen. Of course she was just super excited to get started and find something to do no matter how chaotic it was going to be in this sort of area.

"I don't know what we should do. Soooooooo many people here. Oooh is that a haunted house thing? That looks cool! But also literally every other potential thing that we can do here is insane and I loooooove it! I don't care what we do," she said happily, giggling a bit. As long as they were doing something fun, Zari didn't care what sort of thing they did. This was definitely going to be a fun night!