smallestopener | The Princess Birthday Ball

The huge, white tent sprawls on the lawn beside the lake. It has been transfigured there for a very special occasion. A stone walkway leads from the bar to the tent - the pavements are wide enough that ladies' dresses won't trail on the ground as they make their way to the entrance. Over the draped curtains of the entrance way is a large banner which reads "Happy 7th Birthday, Ingress".

Once inside, the honored guests will be in the midst of an enchanted ballroom. There are balloons drifting in bunches from the circular tables lining the sides of the large dance floor. Floating candlabras glow with gentle light from above. There are trees in large ornamental pots interspersed throughout sparkling with fairy lights from real fairies.

One long banquet table is positioned on along the side of the ballroom - there are treats of all description. Little finger sandwiches, chopped up fruit, cookies, cheese and crackers, and other child-friendly h'ors douerves are presented to make sure the dancers are sustained throughout the the party. There are large bowls of ice cream (kept cold with magic)and sundae fixings. Punch bowls of sherbet-flavored drinks await ladling into crystal goblets. But most impressive is the large birthday cake with blue, purple, and pink icing roses festooning it.

Ingress is busy greeting her guests in her gown - a birthday gift from Amy and Susan - but soon she'll be dancing to the music provided by the overlarge Gramophone in the corner, which is playing a wide array of dancing music from waltz standards to court music to pop hits of the 20th century.

Tom, who's pretty tired from the magical effort required to pull this off, is in the background making sure his little girl is having a perfect party, and Princess Amy is helping Ingress in her hostess duties.

Come in and enjoy the party!

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"Oh my," she says, her eyes widening. "A real queen?" she asks the Snow Queen. She turns to Jadis. "And are you a real queen, too?"

Jadis pauses, not quite sure. She decides on the truth. "An empress, little one. However, and this is the important part, we brought you a present. From both of our magics. You might find it pretty."

She passes Ingress the enticing parcel. Under it's wrapping, it is vaguely oviod, flatt-bottomed, and intriguing.

Indeed, the queen of Winter.

*She finds unexpectedly that she might like this small, well-mannered child*

"Wow," she says, grinning. She carefully takes the parcel, and instead of ripping the paper off, she Opens it - the paper parts and falls away, leaving the snow globe revealed. "Ooooh, it is pretty."

She stares a moment into the wintry scene, laughing in delight when a rabbit hops across the snow. "You're magical queens, too! My Tom is a wizard. I like magic. And snow! There's a place in London Below where it's always snowy. Time got stuck there, Door says."

Well, *Meg says, seriously,* the more your tummy hurts, the less you'll probably be able to dance. So that might be a reason to hold back. A little.

Mary's eyes grow rather round.

A little awkwardly: "I do not know how to dance."

"I shall just have a few," she says, nodding. She is wise for her years, oh so wise.

"It's not hard at all. You just move your feet to the right places. And sometimes when the music is fast, like with Weird Sisters songs, you just jump up and down and spin. I can show you."

"But I do not know," Mary says, patiently, "where the right places would be."

*Meg agrees!

So much so that she in fact nods sagely, and says,* Very wise of you.

'course, that doesn't mean you should let too much candy and cake and so forth just sit around going to waste either.

Amy is around, busy in auxiliary hostess mode -- making sure everyone is comfortable and happy, checking in with Tom and Ingress, changing records on a giant Gramophone so that there's always something playing for the dancers. (Tom showed her how to work the Gramophone this afternoon and she finds it one of the most delightful things she's ever encountered.)

Feel free to catch her at any of her tasks, or between them. She'd no doubt love to say hello.

There are many people sitting at tables, lining up for tasty treats, and chatting. Do come join in!

The large dance floor is filled with swirling couples, laughter, and, above all, music.

The music is a blend of waltzes, courtly airs, popular standards of the 30's and 40's, and Pre-1998 pop.

OOC: Decide the type of music, the kind of dance, and you and your character can enjoy your own special dance with Ingress.

"And ice cream! Tom says it won't melt, but we'd best eat it up."

"Here, watch."

She does a very simple box step. "You go in a square, kind of. It's called a waltz."

The first dance is for Tom and Ingress. They waltz to "The Blue Danube" and even though she's not nearly tired yet, Ingress stands on Tom's feet midway through.

She does it because she loves him, and she can. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Ingress finds her big sister, and "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is their song to dance to. They hold hands, dance and laugh. Door spins Ingress quite round and round, and at the end of their dance, they hug.

Door doesn't let go until the music for the next dance begins.

Mary watches her feet closely, before moving her own feet hesitantly in the same motion.

It's very awkward. But she doesn't trip.

"I did it with Jason," she mutters. "But it is different with a partner."

- he cast a spell to make it not melt, you mean? *Meg guesses.*

He's a convenient kind of person to have at parties, it seems -

*Meg is possibly taking mental notes for the next time one of the Milliways Teen Girl Squad decides to host a bash.*

Cora is wearing her finest dress— long and simple, in dark green — though it is not as fine as some of the other guests’. She is carrying a small, envelope-sized package.

The extravagance of the tent daunts her slightly before she spots Ingress and beams, curtseying deeply. “Your Highness, my name is Cora--thank you for the most gracious invitation to your birthday ball.”

"I think you're fine! If you dance with Amy, she can teach you even better. She's very good. You can also dance with Tom, because he lets you stand on his feet, so he does all the steps. Or we can dance to a fast song, and you won't have to worry about a partner." She gives a little shimmy of the hips and snaps her fingers.

"Yes, he makes parties lots of fun."

That's Tom - the life of the party.

"You don't have to say 'Your Highness', Cora," she says. "I'm Ingress and I'm glad to meet you." Ingress then curtseys.

Logan certainly does look nice. He's got on a snazzy suit and a crown that would scream arrogance if it had a voice. It's large, red and very shiny.

"Happy Birthday, Ingress," he says. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but I looked like a monster the last time we met. I had a squirrel's tail."

He refuses to mention its pinkness.

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The Princess Birthday Ball

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Greet Amy

The Guests Mingle Here

Head out to the Dance Floor

Dancing with Ingress

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