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Day 1 [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Time:[/color] Dusk/Evening [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Weather:[/color] Light Rain [color=734e66]◈[/color][color=7ea7d8] Location:[/color] Harold's Academy, Ivar Commons/Main Ballroom [color=734e66]◈[/color] [color=7ea7d8]Participants:[/color] Raffaella Struna, Kaspaan Mustaven, [@Deja] Sylvia Copeland, [@LuckyBlackCat] Taegan Granlock [@Crimson Flame][/center]
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	[color=palevioletred][i]Nooo~! I don't wanna gooo~![/i][/color] Raffaella had pleaded—somewhat fussily and with mist in her eyes—to her lifeline, Tessa. Raffaella had scarcely begun to settle into her new life and get her feet wet at the academy yet. She knew pretty much nobody, yet was already being tasked with dressing up and going to a social event; it was sure to be hard on her. Tessa knew how to keep her shy little wall flower motivated, though. With the promise of a "sweet reward," she'd been gently persuaded to go. Of course, she loved her sugary treats, but she loved a mystery even more—a little fact that Tessa had subtly picked up on in the few short months they'd spent writing back and forth leading up to Raffaella's orientation, and in the days since. Still, there had been some haggling involved. She didn't need to talk to anyone if she didn't want to; Tessa just wanted her to [i]be there[/i]. With that settled, Ra'fel agreed to give the preparations her all.

	The dress was, as suited her, predominantly pink, with white accent, and very frilly. White and wine-colored rose patterns decorated it. It came with a matching shawl that covered her arms and upper body like a blanket. A medium-sized red ribbon in front, and a large one in the back completed the set. Stepping into her rose-colored heels, she gazed into the mirror, blinking. She was [i]almost[/i] standing at a somewhat normal five feet tall, now—what a weird feeling! Finally, she put on her mask—a gift from her father—a blush pink colored one to match her look, with little diamonds carefully placed to accent the corners of her eyes. She also wore, on her head, a small, wine-colored thing that her mother called a "cocktail hat." It was covered in feathers and reminded her of a dreamcatcher. She was wearing a dreamcatcher on her head. [color=palevioletred]"I look silly,"[/color] she remarked quietly to herself, pouting in the mirror in disbelief. Still, she'd promised Tessa she would go, and that was that. [color=palevioletred]"Time to go, Pooka,"[/color] she whispered sullenly, gathering up the ball of white mossy fur in her arms.

	Despite her eye-catching appearance, her walk down to the ballroom was uneventful. Nobody looked at her, yet they cleanly avoided her without thinking, like one with cortical blindness avoids obstacles while walking without being able to actually see them. For Ra'fel, this was normal life. Unless she did something crazy, she wouldn't be noticed—but, that was fine with her. She was shy and didn't want to be noticed, especially not in this ostentatious getup. So she walked, her rare albino gupoo with pink daisies as her sole traveling companion. As she did, the ephemeral threads she called "heartstrings" tickled her body uncomfortably as they phased through her, giving a sensation not unlike walking through cobwebs. This was yet another reason why she disliked crowded places. Inevitably, people who were connected on a spiritual level but physically apart would create heartstrings in her path that she'd just have to walk through. As long as she didn't touch them with her hands, they'd remain mostly incorporeal, thankfully. It's for this reason that she kept her hands to herself at all times.

	At last, she made it to the ball, or at least, the ballroom. It seemed as if nothing had actually started yet, except for the food on offer. The smell made her hungry, but she didn't want to get in trouble for eating before everyone else. Thankfully, she hoarded sweets on her person for just such occasions. Holding Pooka under one arm, she retrieved a little paper bag from inside her shawl and opened it up. She stuffed the strawberry shortcake swiss roll into her mouth, her cheeks tingling with delight. [color=palevioletred]"Mm~!"[/color] As she enjoyed her little snack, she looked around the room at the unfamiliar faces. There was one absolutely, terrifyingly tall man—lady—person? —that she was glad she wouldn't have to talk to. There was also the energetic cait girl that Ra'fel was tempted to talk to, but couldn't get past her shyness. Then, there was...

	[color=palevioletred]"...Boss Kass?! Is that you?! No way!"[/color] she blurted out in shock.

	With a sound like a prolonged, forlorn sigh, the spot in which she stood became hazy, shimmering like the illusion of an oasis in the desert. Gradually, Raffaella became visible, standing there in her ballroom dress and cocktail hat, wide-eyed with shock as she stared at Kaspaan, remnants of the icing from her pastry gracing her pale cheeks. Suddenly, everyone remembered that there was a new addition to the House of Ivar, a petite and cute but desperately shy girl named Raffaella. She stood there, frozen, her face pale as death, bordering on translucent. A younger student body could have been convinced that they'd seen a ghost. However, as the reality of her outburst gradually seemed to sink in, the life inside of her became apparent as her cheeks flushed pink. Terrified by the new sets of eyes on her, she suddenly squeezed her pet gupoo, causing the poor creature's eyes to bulge slightly, and its body to shiver, creating a small cloud of pollen.

	[color=palevioletred]"Hwa... ababa..."[/color] she stammered, trying not to sneeze. [color=palevioletred][sub]"Het—chieuw!"[/sub][/color] she squeaked into her hapless pet.

	[color=palevioletred]"...S-Sorry,"[/color] she apologized to no one in particular. Trembling with fright, she hid her face behind the fuzzy puff ball in her arms.

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[hider=Extra: Dress Example][img]https://cdn.donmai.us/original/23/03/__remilia_scarlet_touhou_drawn_by_nikorashi_ka__2303d346364c65df0df15a9693a98bcd.jpg[/img][/hider]