The moment Florence had snapped back to herself, Jackson's shoulders had fallen in relief; he hadn't even realized how tense he'd gotten. For a brief moment, she looked at him like a deer in headlights, then abruptly poked his nose with a dismissal, taking her leave. After the shock had worn off, he shook his head as though to clear the cobwebs, and returned to his drifting around the room. It was easier to have multiple acquaintances than any close friends, he'd learned, and he had put that knowledge to practice immediately upon his arrival here. There was soon an announcement to prepare for the banquet, however, and he wasted no time in rushing back to his dorm to get ready before his roommate had a chance to slow him down. If nothing else, Jackson felt efficient in how quickly he got ready.

Rather than wear what the school had provided for him - he'd tried to decline receiving a tuxedo, but they'd insisted, saying it was best to be prepared for future events that were less lenient with the dress code - Jackson wore the [url=http://lookbook.nu/look/7625632-Tagliatore-Reiss-Tiepiece-By-Di-Muzio-Milano]suit[/url] he'd worn for prom and homecoming only months before. He thanked his lucky stars he'd thought to pack it, uncomfortable with wearing something new when he already had something that would work just as well. The blue would probably stand out, sure, but it wasn't particularly bright, so he doubted there would be much of an issue. There hadn't been any complaints when he'd asked about it, and he'd stand by that if anyone asked. Waste not, want not, and all that. The tuxedo the school had insisted on providing would just have to wait until another day to be broken in.

Jackson was thankful that the Academy Ballroom was easy to find, taking his sweet time in walking through the halls to his destination. He'd not taken much time to explore the school yet, having focused on making acquaintances, and it struck him as he walked how [i]old[/i] Ashford Manor looked. For a new institute, it was certainly on old grounds, and the experience felt all the richer to Jackson. If not for the questions it would've raised, he would've taken pictures to send to his mother; she was an architect buff, and would've pinpointed when the manor was built in a heartbeat. In fact, some of the fixtures were ones that he knew her to be fond of, having tried to place them in their suburban home. With a small smile to himself, Jackson entered the ballroom and began to check the tables for his name, starting with the emptier ones. Though he was pretty sure the students had been notified earlier of which table they were to sit at, the memory escaped him, leaving him to check the tables quick for his name.

He soon found himself at a table with three men and two women already seated at it; next to the young woman in the red dress, he found his name. The seat to his right was still empty, and he shrugged slightly to himself as he sat. It never hurt to arrive early to events, and he observed the difference in his plate gratefully. Rather than the more carnivorous meal most of the other students had, his question at his initial arrival about the school's vegetarian options had been remembered. Looking around the table briefly, he noted that he wasn't the only one not in a school-issued tuxedo; there was a man with striking white hair in just as striking of a suit.

[color=#778ba5]"Nice to see I'm not the only one who turned down the tux,"[/color] he greeted with an easy grin, nodding to the man across the table.