Open From the Sidelines

[Emmanuel Okoye]

Emmanuel had attended a few balls and dances in his time, the celebrations his old school had, or the few that his extended family had had. But none of them were like this. The great hall was stunningly beautiful, decorated in a way for the yuletide that he didn't particularly know. It was warm outside but not here, where the wintery theme seemed to make him feel like it was colder. The Ravenclaw was pleased he'd gotten a proper suit for the event and felt appropriately dressed at an event like this. He wasn't immediately getting to the dancing but hadn't gone to the drinks or food. He was mostly just standing a little to the side watching as others mingled and danced. Emmanuel would join the dancing soon enough but he was happy to just watch for a moment from the sidelines. ​

 

[Kyon Lockwood]

Kyon wasn't sure why his mother was insistent he go to the dances, or why he had to dress up, but he wouldn't argue with her- too much. She had said he needed to go, not that he needed to stay. His plan was to grab some snacks and leave, but as he tried to slip through the crowd he saw a familiar face. He crept up behind Emmanuel and leant out behind him. "Hey," He stage whispered, loud enough to be heard. "Wanna ditch this party?" He asked, an impish grin on his face.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan had been confused when he had been told to pack something nice to wear. When he heard the word ball he assumed he needed some kind of powdered wig and not just a button down shirt. But when he arrived to the great hall he was a little sad that his initial impression was way off. At least he wasn't too underdressed. He was still thrown off by how hot it was outside considering Christmas was around the corner and it didn't help that the hall was decorated with the usual Christmas embellishments. With a cup of juice in hand he walked around trying to find anyone familiar. He eventually spotted one of his roommates and another kid from his year and was curious when he heard their conversation. "Where are you going?" he asked curiously. If there was something more interesting than dancing going on, he wanted to know.

 

[Emmanuel Okoye]

Emmanuel was a little startled by Kyon suddenly appearing beside him and then frowned a little at what he said. Emmanuel wasn't sure why he would want to go anywhere else, this was the event of the semester, and it was surely going to be the type of thing that could be fun. But before Emmanuel could say as much and try to prevent him from doing anything they were joined by one of Emmanuel's dormmates. He looked at the boy...Ethan or something and gave a little wave. "Not anywhere yet," he told him, keeping his eyes on Kyon, looking to figure out if the other boy had any kind of a plan, or was just hoping to do anything other than this. He knew that with someone else there, he would probably at least hear him out, if alone he would've been more likely to say no, but with someone there, he felt more pressure to go along with it, which could change depending on what the suggestion was. ​

 

[Joshua Lynch]

Josh was super hyped for the yule ball. He knew is was some fancy event, but he never really enjoyed much of the fancy stuff, nor did he have any fancy or formal wear for the yule ball. But he didn't care, he just wanted to be there to have some fun and dance away the whole night. Josh came running into the great hall with a ball of energy, looking around to find any sort of familiar face around. He smiled brightly when he saw a few familiar faces and excitedly made his way toward them. "What's up, guys! We gonna party or what?" Joshua says with a chuckle as he looked at Emmanuel, his roommate, Kyon and then a face of a classmate he had seen in classes, but didn't really know all that well.

 

[Kyon Lockwood]

Kyon pouted as Emmanuel disagreed, though he smiled at the other boys that showed up. "Hey guys! I was thinking, grab lots of snacks, then find somewhere away from the crowd and settle down?" He offered. "I was thinking the courtyard, but if you guys reaaally don't wanna go, we could set up at one of the tables?" He offered, looking around at everyone.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan returned Emmanuel's wave and was somewhat reassured when he said they weren't going anywhere yet. He hadn't been that impressed by the ball yet but it seemed cool so far and he didn't really want to miss out on anything if he didn't have to. Besides there was a chance he would be his only Yule Ball at this school and he wanted to make the most of it. He nearly jumped as another boy from their class joined them and he was impressed by his energy. "I guess?" Ethan said unsure. He listened to Kyon's suggestion and glanced around to see what the other's reactions were. "I table sounds good." he suggested tentatively.

 

[Emmanuel Okoye]

Emmanuel smiled at Josh as he also joined them. "Hey Josh," he greeted warmly to the boy, pretty happy to see him. He was mostly surrounded by people he considered to be good friends, and that was nice. He liked being able to spend time with his friends. He wasn't sure what Kyon was going to suggest but it seemed rather tame than what Emmanuel was thinking it could be. "I think Josh is right, I think we should party," he didn't think that leaving for the courtyard was more interesting than partying. "We don't need to dance, but we could, or we could sit and play a game of something," perhaps dancing wouldn't be for everyone which was entirely fair. ​