[center][h2][color=orangered]~ Carmen ~[/color][/h2][/center]

[color=orangered][i]Oh?[/i][/color]

Carmen was intrigued.

[color=orangered][i]The [u]ballroom[/u] you say?[/i][/color]

The ballroom she had helped design and decorate (along with much of the campus' adornments)? The ballroom she had a gown waiting in her office to use in?

[i][u][b]Yes[/b][/u][/i].

And so, the skylark flipped her hair and made her way back to her office rather than immediately downstairs like everyone else. Throwing open the doors of a certain hutch sitting on one of the walls, Carmen smiled as she beheld a beautiful ballgown that she hand-picked from her collection for such an occasion. Of course, once she wore it she'd have to switch it out with another one...

Naturally, the extravagant strawberry blonde woman didn't realize that probably exactly zero other people on the campus expected an actual [i]ball[/i] in the ballroom, with tails and ball gowns and waltzes by Johann Strauss. But she wouldn't have cared even if she [i]did[/i] realize it. And so, with the ball gown put on, a matching pair of heels selected, and her sun hat and trumpet donned, Carmen left her office.

Soon she reached the ballroom itself, opening its grand entry doors and walking in. The room seemed like it was setup for exactly the sort of ball Carmen was envisioning, but with several key differences. For one, while the reception tables set against the walls included many high-class treats that Carmen approved of, there were also more...normal...foods for the less ritzy students to enjoy. Things like (ironically enough) Ritz crackers, Cool Ranch Doritos, Oreos, and curious blue candies called Sanics. Second, although there was a stage for performances of waltzes, there was currently a soundsystem set up, with what was presumably a DJ booth front and center. It was currently silent. [color=orangered]"Well, that just won't do,"[/color] Carmen mused to no one in particular as she walked up to the stage. No DJ was in sight, and Carmen wasn't about to let modern party music ruin the setting. So she took our her phone from her purse and plugged it in, and a scant 30 seconds later the sounds of an album of Strauss waltzes lazily drifted across the ballroom. Of course, she wanted to and could have just started playing it herself, but then she wouldn't be able to walk around and sip wine.

Speaking of wine, the skylark soon noticed the beverage table at the opposite end of the room and nonchalantly walked over, where she spotted her favorite red wine. [color=orangered]"Ah!"[/color] she exclaimed, pouring herself a glass. Although the champagne and cocktails were tempting, wine was a weakness of hers. That said, there was liquor of all types and most of it was not appealing to her (but would be very appealing to the teenagers who just wanted to get drunk). She wondered how Maria had known what Carmen's favorite wine was, and then assumed Lily told her. So she set about sipping it as she admired the glistening chandeliers and waited for more guests to arrive.