Universes Unite [Rebooted!] discussion

“So this is Prom.” Genevieve said, glancing around as she walked in on the arm of Bolt, her date. Her red hair was perfectly curled, reaching just above where the slit of her emerald green dress ended. She looked beautiful, as every other girl on this occasion surely did. If this had been her official prom, she would have definitely made more of an effort to outdo everyone else. “It’s… like in the movies, I suppose.”

“Except eighty percent of the students aren't human and you'll have to be careful about the snacks you eat,” Bolt replied. He always felt like he needed to defend his home a little when Gen didn't appreciate it for what it was. He was in a particular mood this night because he wasn't…right. His suit fit just fine, but that was about the only thing. After his rash actions going to see Anastasia the other night, he'd thought better of it and decided to collect himself so they could have a better conversation on all of it. He was just too erratic to deal with it well. He hadn't intended to let her think he was closed off to the idea this whole time since, but he hadn't been able to speak to her and just tell her that he needed time. “Just enjoy it. Sometime soon, something completely unplanned will occur. It always does.”

“Should I be worried about that?” She asked, as they stepped deeper into the room. They could dwell or wait too long because already more people were coming in. She did pause next to the ballot box, though, seeing the “posters” of the runner ups for prom King and Queen. She wasn’t surprised to see nearly all of the cheer squad up there- this was a cliche, after all- but she was surprised to see… Bolt. Mostly because she was almost convinced they were using a yearbook photo since there was no way he’d have sent in a new one for this.

“No need. The security couldn't be tighter, so anything that happens should be innocuous,” Bolt said. The corner of his mouth twisted down when he saw his yearbook picture on display. He wanted to tear it down, but he wouldn't be so dramatic. No one was going to vote for him anyway so it wasn't like anyone was going to be staring at his picture either. On top of the salad of his mixed emotions, that hollow twisting that came with too much attention on him was added. He would much like to move on. “Come on, I'm sure my brother is already here.”

Gen stared at it for a moment longer before she nodded, giving him a smile as they kept moving on.

Sure enough, Marcie and Mavis were already sitting down on the table they’d reserved. Marcie was wearing a beautiful blue dress, while Mavis of course wore her signature green with black. Marcie chatted enthusiastically with Blaze, while Mavis typed away on her phone.

Bolt headed straight for that table, wondering while they approached if Anastasia would be with them. She'd said she would go in a group with Blaze if she didn't have a date. At the time it was proposed, the idea was preposterous, but now Bolt was hoping it came to pass. His eyes scanned the table for signs of her, only to be disappointed. While taking a second to recover, he went to pull out a chair for his date that would hopefully save him from her suffocating touch.

Gen thanked him as she sat down, looking around the table to see what sort of thing was being served. She’d RSVP for the steak but she was sure it could be changed if something was more appetizing.

“Are those seats taken?” Raelynn asked as she, Vanessa and Rowan approached. Fire and Francisco were off on their own table with her siblings and their dates, and since they’d sort of done this last minute, they had no choice but to squat somewhere else.

“They were waiting for you,” Blaze said, since they'd pretty much expected Rowan and Raelynn to come sit with them, though the addition of Vanessa was still strange. He didn't really get why Rowan hadn't just asked Raelynn to come, when she was obviously into him.

“Oh… perfect.” Raelynn said, slightly awkward, before she pulled back a chair and sat herself down. Her hair was loose but nicely curled, and she was wearing a pink dress she might or might not have used before. She looked beautiful , but it was kinda obvious- to her, at least- that she hadn’t put much effort in it.

Rowan stepped up too late to pull her chair out, which felt like another nail in the coffin of his inadequacies for the night. He already wanted to go back to his room and go to sleep. The interesting thing was that the feeling was fighting with how much he didn't want to leave Raelynn, even if he was failing her. Instead of all that, he just went to sit beside her, while Vanessa claimed the seat on her other side.

“It's pretty, isn't it? Though I've got to say, I think some things were changed after we finished decorating,” Vanessa said, glancing around. She'd been part of the committee to set it up, but if she could hazard a wild guess, the great hall itself had added a little extra sparkle.

“Anastasia didn’t like some of the things we’d put up. Wrong shade or something.” Mavis said, setting her phone down and reaching for her glass. Everyone had been surprised to see her, since despite the fact that she was the head of the prom committee, she hadn’t been going to class. Not that anyone could argue she didn’t do anything, though, since she’d organized and ordered everything months prior to it. “She was here until people started arriving and she had to go get ready.”

Bolt tensed a little when she was mentioned, glancing around casually as if the mention would summon her. “Sounds like her,” he commented instead of asking if she would be there soon. “It looks nice.”

“It better look nice. We’ve been planning it since last year.” Marcie said, which wasn’t necessarily a lie. If all went well now, they’d no doubt be allowed to work on it for next year too. Their last one.

Gen didn’t say anything, which was a tad uncharacteristic of her, but she couldn’t exactly say she’d been… acting like herself for a few days now. At least not concerning Bolt.

“Have any of you gone to vote for prom king and Queen?” Gen asked, sipping from her glass as a waiter came to place their plates in front of them. Yeah, Anastasia had definitely gone over budget.

“Uh, yeah,” Blaze said, taking careful note of his twin's distaste for the topic. He hadn't voted for Bolt, of course, especially because he was still trying to get on his good side. Or stay on it, he wasn't quite sure where he stood at the moment. “They didn't narrow down the finalists much. Too many options.”

“I doubt there’s too much competition.” Marcie admitted, definitely not bitter as she took a bite of her food. Anastasia had practically won every other year despite not qualifying for it, so she doubted she wouldn’t win now. “Although maybe for the King. I heard Bolt, Harley, Caleb and Cole are neck to neck, even if I’m pretty sure Cole isn’t coming.” He’d had some sort of nervous breakdown earlier, and Aurora hadn’t told anyone about what it had been. She was only sitting off to the side with her siblings, although… she was more or less sure she’d seen Caleb at their table. Briefly.

“Harley can have it,” Bolt more or less mumbled. If he could just remove himself from the running, that would be great. He had a feeling Cole wouldn't want to win either, so maybe not showing up was the best idea. Caleb might have wanted it though. Honestly, he hadn't heard from Harley in a while either, which meant he should probably check on him sometime.

“I think Caleb has a good shot at winning,” Vanessa said, since they were kind of friends. More lab partners than anything, which she knew he just did because she wouldn't be a problem. “He's kind of underrated in the rankings, so like a come from behind win?”

“I could see that. They would look good together in photos, all things considered.” Genevieve admitted, since her cousin was admittedly tall, mysterious and handsome. Anastasia was gorgeous too- like, again, literally everyone in this small town- and would no doubt fit in with vampires. Valentine has said so himself, and surprisingly without his usual disdain.

Bolt frowned, but didn't comment. He didn't think he had to be concerned about Caleb, exactly, but he wouldn't be happy to see Anastasia with anyone.

“Who knows, with the recency effect, Anastasia might not be the front runner,” Blaze was quick to add, though it was a weak argument. Anastasia marketed herself well enough that a month of being out of the public eye wouldn't be enough.