Open Nerves

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn was very much not sure about this. She was shy, painfully so, and she didn't have any support, but she didn't want to just hide away from these sort of events forever. She thought that, but trying to follow through with it, well... that was another thing entirely. She was leaning against the doorway to the Ball itself, half hidden, just peeking into the room. She would build up the courage to go in. She was sure of it.

Probably.

Eventually.

Brynn bit her lip, gripping the wall so tightly her knuckles were white. How did everyone else make this look so easy?

 

[Ruth Thorne]

Ruth was keen to get ice skating at the ball, having decided to wear something a little easier to move in. She didn't have a date, nor was she necessarily on the hunt for one. Maybe if her roommates had dates, then it would be different, but only Winnie really did and that was kind of a weird thing she didn't really ask questions about. She just wanted to get out there and have fun, date or no. She was about to make a beeline for the rink when she paused at the entrance, seeing a girl clinging to the wall for dear life and peering in with a look on her face like someone had been cursed in front of her. Normally, Ruth wouldn't be too bothered by this, but she was curious in case it was a source of gossip. Maybe she'd seen the boy or girl she liked kissing someone else, or maybe her enemy was wearing the same dress as her. Something like that. Ruth didn't even know this girl, but the thought that this might be a chance for gossip meant she couldn't pass it up. "What's up? There's no acromantulas or anything in there, least not that I could see. Something bothering you?" she asked, putting on a very sweet smile.

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn nearly jumped out of her skin, actually squeaking. She stepped back and looked up at a pretty older girl, swallowing hard as she twisted her hands in front of herself. "Oh, I- no, it's not-" She swallowed again, blushing fiercely and looking down at her toes, feeling a bit ashamed. "There's just... a lot of people," She admitted, peeking up at the older girl through her hair. "It's- it's silly, I just-" She bit her lip, forcing herself to take a deep breath. Even if it did nothing to still her furiously beating heart. "It's harder than I imagined tonight."

 

[Ruth Thorne]

Ruth blinked in mild disbelief. Honestly, that was a little bit disappointing. She could sort of understand, maybe, but at the same time it had never really bothered her. She usually just followed behind Cyrus at big family events and if she wasn't tagging along with him she had something to do. Like in this case, ice skating. "Oh," she said, barely hiding her disinterest now it wasn't exciting gossip. Still, she figured she ought to be at least a little kind about it. "It's not like anyone's going to pay a whole lot of attention, you know? Like, people might look and go 'oh, she looks nice', but they're going to mostly be busy eating, or snogging, or just thinking about themselves, so like, it's not even a big deal?" Ruth shrugged, peering in and looking around at the dance floor, seeing pretty much exactly those three things playing out amongst various people. Fascinating. "You could always change your hairstyle just a bit and pretend to be someone else for the night? Or, like, grab a mask from the arts room or something and be a mystery?"

 

[Brynn Brightsong]

Brynn deflated a little at the girls obvious disinterest, taking a tiny step back. Brynn wasn't good with people- she'd grown up alone, mostly, and before coming here she'd not had a whole lot of interaction with other people, much less big crowds like this. She glanced into the room, unsure if being invisible was good or bad in this interest. She took a deep breath, looking back to the older girl. "Those are good ideas," She offered, scuffing her toe against the ground and wishing logic would kick in, the girl made it sound so easy. "What are you doing here tonight?" She asked. "Are you meeting someone?"

 

[Ruth Thorne]

Ruth twirled a curl of hair around her finger, peering at the dancefloor again. She wondered if Cyrus was on a date there that she could snoop on, but didn't really see him. She did see Felix and Nia making out. Spicy, she thought, amused. She turned back to the younger girl with a shrug. "Like, everyone's here, why wouldn't I wanna come to the party?" Sitting in her dorm instead sounded so boring, all she'd be doing would be packing to go home for Christmas. Yawn. "They've got iceskating, and that looks like a lot of fun." She paused, wondering if that might help the girl worry less about everyone else if she was focusing on skating instead. "Do you wanna skate?"