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The week continues on pleasantly, if uneventfully. The girls from the Laurus are able to have their night on the town without interruption, followed by several more days schoolwork, academy exercises, and their own private past times.

As the days tick past and the Ball grows nearer a muted sense of excitement begins to take hold amidst the students. For most this will be the first time attending a formal event, not to mention getting to rub shoulders with important dignitaries and members of the Duodecim. There will even be several Ars Magi in attendance, both from Palmyra’s own defense force and visitors from foreign cities. 
Uniforms are cleaned and pressed in anticipation, instructions from the faculty are handed out, and then, soon enough, it’s time.

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[b]𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
Grand Hall[/b]
[b] 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟷𝟺𝚝𝚑， 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅 [/b]
[b]𝟾:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼[/b]
[i]Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti, Diana Khay Vanna, Cordelia Whittaker[/i]
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[center][b][color=ed1c24]|[/color] Music: [url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KmRTsZYQ4I]Noble Mind[/url] [color=ed1c24]|[/color]

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The central hall of Nova Lux is a sprawling rectangular chamber, its vaulted ceilings and enormous windows adding to an already impressive sense of scale. From its walls and ceiling hang blue and gold flags bearing the academies emblems, these banners now interspersed with others marked by Imperium and Duodecium iconography. Enormous golden light fixtures shine down on the marbled floors below, illuminating the crowd of cadets, faculty, and honored visitors that have gathered this evening. 

To the disappointment of those expecting gowns and high fashion, the ball is a military affair, and the students of Nova Lux are dressed accordingly. Cadets mingle in their dress uniforms, familiar faces dressed in crisp blues and golds. 

The new faces are from the Officers Academy, the gleaming structure on the opposite side of Nova Lux’s lush gardens. Young men and women dressed in their own uniforms, similar but slightly different than those of the assembled Ars Magi. In contract to the cadets from Nova Lux, most of the officers are probably used to such affairs; many come from noble or important families, having gained entrance via wealth or status rather than largely non-existent magical ability. 

The rest of the guests, excluding faculty, are dressed in civilian formal wear. Most of the Duodecim have at least one family representative in attendance, even those from hailing from the far-away cities to the west. There are several high-up members of the Imperium as well, along with their stern-faced Ars Magi escorts. 

The whole thing exudes an air of pomp and ceremony, from the bombastic opening speeches to the twenty minutes or so devoted to running down the line of important people, shaking hands, and making clipped greetings. It’s almost an hour in before anyone is allowed to leave the long rows of tables that have been assembled on one side of the room, each assigned to a different team of cadets. 
Penny, Dana, Nicole, and Vanna are all seated at the same table, as expected. Astrelle, however, is absent. Instead she’s been replaced by a new girl, a face that the group many have seen around the academy before. There’s not much time for introductions until the speeches begin to wind down and dinner, a light fair accompanied by a mild wine, is served. 

Afterward the guests are finally released from their seats and allowed to begin mingling. The hall begins to fill with bodies and conversation, the noise soon joined by the sound of a stately waltz played from a grand piano near the front of the hall.