so this is Christmas [andrea]

[Harold James Greyson]

Super-formal events scared Harold to bits and pieces. But he had gone last year, and his parents wanted to go this year. It was all a game of proving himself, he supposed. It was all about showing just how much he could do, whether he wanted to or not. And this year, he had no date, which made him a bit sad. But Alice was out of mind now. She was far away and he wished her the best, but there was nothing he could further do...so that was that. Life would have to go on for him, and all his kin....there was some carol like that, anyhow.

He tied his tie all nice and neat and brushed back his hair, nervousness in his eyes and every move His shoes were polished, his black suit clean and his white shirt wrinkle-free. He could do this, he was sure - Harold even remembered his student ID.

The brown-haired senior left his dorm and walked down the spiraling staircase that left out of the tower and onto the snowy grounds. It was cold, but not too bad overall. He could see people coming up the walk to the school, it's doors open, flooding yellow light onto the freshly-shovelled pavement. He took a deep breath, steeled himself for what was to come, and walked towards everyone else. It wasn't even just his school, it was the one from town, too. A nerve-racking experience, but he forced himself to keep walking. Harold kept his head down, showed his ID to a teacher, and made a beeline for the gym. He spoke to no one, and no one spoke to him, just as things almost always were. He didn't mind, too much either.

The gym was adorned with trees and lights and a nativity scene. The gym itself, save for the dance floor, was cluttered but not tacky - it pulled off a Christmas-y feel quite well. Herold noted it in the back of his mind, but didn't pay all that much outward attention to it. After all, what could he say...and to who? He couldn't spot Talia in the crowds, and while he caught a glimpse of Oliver, the senior was not about to talk to him. Social events just highlighted just how few people he really knew well enough to talk to. Ball gowns and tuxedos whipped past him, as Harold stood awkwardly by a bench looking and searching for anyone familiar...anyone! Just so- THERE! He grinned a little as he spotted a familiar blonde. Andrea, her name was? That's what he could have sworn it was. Andrea. The one from the ravine, that called doctors but stopped. She was nice.

And with that thought, Harold went out to go talk to her. He navigated the dance floor with surprising skill to get across to where she stood, and he offered her an awkward, but genuine, smile. "H-h-hi." He said. Then he paused for a long time, and grinned again. "R-remember me? I-I'm Harold. You're A-andrea."

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words| 537
tagged| Andrea / Mandee
notes| Did I beat you to threadmaking?! =o

[Andrea Rose Watson]

Attending the Christmas Ball was something that Andrea Watson decided to do at the last minute. She still wasn't sure that she was making the right decision. It wasn't as though school dances were really her thing. Most of her friends were going, which was really the only reason why she'd gone along in the first place. She found herself hoping that Anabelle wasn't there. Then again, Ana hadn't been bothering her as much lately. It seemed as though she'd finally found something else to occupy her time. Andrea wasn't sure what that something was, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Andrea wasn't really too worried. She didn't expect to get too into the ball, but she knew that she'd likely find Cecile and Isa there. If worse came to worse she could hang out around them so that she didn't look like a complete wallflower. She wasn't sure what else to do. Maybe Errol would pull her in to a dance like he did with everyone else. Errol intimidated her a bit (...okay, a lot), but as long as he wasn't a jerk to her while they were dancing, she figured she could take it. Then again, with Errol, it was always a grab bag. Besides, he had certain people he targeted every dance, and Andrea wasn't on that list. Yet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be on it either.

She'd opted to go with a dark red dress in the spirit of Christmas, though she'd opted for flats rather than heels so as to not hurt her feet too much. She enjoyed Christmas in this life far more than she had in her past life, for the simple fact that her birthday happened to fall on Christmas in her past life. Having a birthday in June as opposed to December 25th made Christmas seem a bit more special in itself, rather than having to share it with one's birthday.

Andrea took a seat against the wall, browsing the room to see if she spotted anyone that she recognized. She had no plans to go up to someone that she didn't know and speak to them, but she could do so with friends. So far, though, she had yet to see Isa or Cecile...or anyone she was closer to than acquaintances, really. The sophomore tapped her feet on the ground nervously. If this was how she was going to spend the dance, she might as well have stayed home. It was right around this time that she heard a male voice coming from nearby, and she turned to face her head toward the source of the voice at once. Imagine her surprise when she realized that the guy was, indeed, talking to her. Not only that, but it was the boy she'd helped out by the ravines. He was probably the last person she was expecting to approach her. Not only had he greeted her, but he also looked more at ease than he'd been during their first meeting (which went without saying, considering his ankle had more than likely healed considerably since then). What's more, he was grinning. She liked that a lot better than angry and frustrated. "Of course! It's great to see you again, Harold. Enjoying the dance so far?"[/color] She smiled back, genuinely happy to see him this way. She actually found it easier to strike up a conversation with him than most others, perhaps because he seemed uncomfortable as well.

Word count: 586
To: Dante/Harold
Notes: Beep?

[Harold James Greyson]

Typically of Harold, he didn't understand what the purpose of a dance was. Sure, some people found it fun, but why then did he have to go? Or, for that matter, anyone who didn't want to dance, because plenty of people didn't. But yet they all came, and why? What did a dance do, what function did it serve? He wasn't quite sure, but he supposed this was the way things were, and the way they'd be, and that was that. Even he knew the Christmas Ball was a deep tradition! And so, somehow, he'd have to make the best of it. He'd have to talk to someone, or count something, but he'd already counted the number of trees and wreaths shortly after walking in, without even really thinking on it. He just knew, from an initial scan. Unless, of course, some were hidden from view, so he supposed he already knew what he could see from the doors.

Oddly enough, then, Harold was thankful to have something other than counting to do. Even if it was make a conversation. At least it was with a girl he knew, and, if he dared think it, she was pretty. She wasn't Alice, but you didn't have to be Alice to be pretty. In fact, he liked less freckles. And...well, walking was a good thing. He never minded carrying Alice around, but someone able to run with him - whoa. Harold shook his head, and tuned back into the conversation at hand. However, he only caught "the dance so far". Puzzled as to what she could mean for a moment, he spoke, looking down at his shoes. "I-I don't know what dance i-it is? W-what music? So f-far it has four beats." He informed her. He had no idea why she'd ask what dance was going on on the dance floor so far, but he gave her what he knew.

Another moment of silence, and Harold spoke again. "H-how do you find the dance?" He was curious what Andrea thought of it. She probably found it less confusing than he did, so maybe she could shed some light on it for him. He knew what Christmas was, and he knew what a ball was, but he never quite got the combination, if he thought on it hard. What did a ball have to do with finding a baby Jesus in a barn? Wouldn't it make much more sense to hold a dance in a barn, at least? But babies didn't dance, and after she just gave birth, he highly doubted Mary would be doing any dancing. So...that left a bunch of sheep. Sheep didn't dance either. And Santa didn't dance very much....so where was dancing in any Christmas story? It might of been tradition, but it didn't make complete sense.

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words| 524
tagged| Andrea / Mandee
notes| ='D

[Andrea Rose Watson]

At least Andrea knew what the purpose of a dance was. Of course, there were multiple purposes to dances. Dances were primarily known as social events, which Andrea herself had difficulty with at times. Still, she appreciated what the dance was for, and did intend to socialize. She was no social butterfly by any means, but she would find her friends, and she would socialize with them. She just wasn't the type who could go from person to person the entire night and never feel uncomfortable (the way that a certain synaesthetic normal that everyone knew could).

She certainly hadn't expected to come across Harold tonight. She'd seen him with Alice at prom, but it was known that Alice and Harold kind of had a thing for each other. Hence, they'd likely gone to prom together. As far as she knew, Harold wasn't dating anyone, and she didn't expect him to be the type to show up at a dance. It didn't really look like his scene, and sure enough, he looked rather confused.

Though he wasn't the only one when Andrea heard his response to her question. An unmistakably puzzled look came across Andrea's face when she heard him describing the actual dancing that was taking place on the dance floor. Eventually, she came to realize what he meant, and the look of confusion was replaced by one of comprehension as she proceeded to go along with it. "I'm not entirely sure what it is either. Looks like fun, though."[/color] The way Andrea looked toward the dance floor could almost be described as longing. Andrea enjoyed having fun. In fact, she could be quite a tomboy when the situation called for it. Thing was, she wasn't a fan of the whole "dancing in a crowded gym" concept. Well...let's rephrase that. She loved the idea, but she was utterly terrified of joining in herself. Not exactly the best situation to be in.

She smiled when Harold asked her how she found the dance. "It's decent. I was just looking for a couple of friends of mine, though they don't seem to have shown up yet..."[/color] Andrea spoke, looking at Harold but not quite making eye contact. Not because she knew that would bother Harold, but because, in fact, she found it hard to make eye contact because of her own shyness. Trying to think of something to say or do, since she wasn't much a fan of awkward silences, Andrea happened to catch a glimpse of the confessions. "Food and drinks! You want any?"[/color] Andrea wanted to kick herself for how the question had come out, but other than that, so far so good.

Word count: 462
To: Dante/Harold
Notes: Nope