veilbreak | (no subject)

❤

After hours-- nay, days!-- of waiting, at last it's salsa night. La noche del ritmo (that’s “night of rhythm” for those who tragically refuse to brush up on their Spanish). Down on solid ground, it’s marked with wobbly turns, missed cues, and bold declarations of “I totally meant to do that.” But up in our little corner of the community hall on the Mnemosyne, it’s all warm lights, borrowed partners, and a playlist that refuses to let you stand still.

The humble chaos has been carefully unleashed by our fearless instructor EVA because she was clearly feeling optimistic! Come try a step (or three), spin someone new, and maybe leave with smoother moves than you came in with. Or at least a good story.

Salsa!

At its core, salsa is a conversation disguised as a dance: a gentle lead, a daring spin, a dramatic pause that says, “Yes, I absolutely meant to do that.” It’s rhythm with personality, flair with a wink, and just enough drama to keep things interesting.

How to Play: Grab a partner and get ready to roll some dice to see how well you take to the floor! For the sake of ease, we're going to say that there's four 'rounds' making up a song, but if you want to keep it going, go right ahead. Each dancer will roll 6d6 and match pairs with their partner.

🕺0 matches: This is a disaster. Someone got an elbow to a body part. Tears might be shed.
💃1 - 2 matches: A little stumble, a wee fumble. Maybe a little embarrassing, but you can brush it off.
🕺3-4 matches: You're finding the groove and looking good. Having a great time on the dance floor!
💃5-6 matches: Flawless chemistry. It's unbelievable. Your coworkers might think you're gettin nasty behind closed doors.

Bachata!

For those brave enough to learn two dances in one night, or who just want something slower, Eva's going to do a Bachata crash course. Slower than its flashier cousins, but no less dramatic, it trades whirlwind spins for close steps and a hip movement that politely insists on being noticed.

There’s a step-together-step, a tap with just a hint of flair, and a rhythm that feels suspiciously like a love song written at 2 a.m. Bachata isn’t about showing off—it’s about leaning in, finding the groove, and letting the music do most of the talking while you pretend you’re not completely swept up in it.

How to Play:Each dancer will roll 3d6, and count the amount of 3's and 6's rolled between the pair. 3 and 6 are the only ones that matter. Again, four ‘rounds’ make up a song.

💃 0 matches: Catastrophic! This is not going well. Maybe you need a new partner
🕺1-2 matches: Not too shabby! Not the smoothest it could be, but you're both feeling confident.
💃3-4 matches: Stunning. You have the room feeling flushed.
🕺5-6 matches: Is it hot in here? It's hot in here. We're all sweating just watching that spark catch.

For the Wallflowers!

Not everyone is meant to take to the floor, but that doesn't mean they have to be bored! Eva's brought a frankly alarming amount of playing cards for people to play the card game of their choice. She has instructions for Blackjack, War, and Trash on various tables. Bets are welcome, but please no strip anything, thank you.

And for those who prefer their thrills less competitive and more snack-shaped, there’s a spread of treats and drinks to keep spirits high. Something fizzy, something sweet, something questionably healthy but undeniably delicious—it’s all fair game. Refuel, refresh, and return to the action (or the spectating) as you see fit.

How to Play Blackjack (or 21):

The goal is to get the closest to 21 without going over.
- Roll 2d12 to simulate real cards (a 12 functions as an ace, so it can be a 1 or an 11 depending on the best outcome for your hand.
- Either 'stay' by ceasing rolling, or continue rolling 1d12 as many times as you like until you're at 21 or as close as possible.
- If you 'bust' or go over 21, you loose.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sloane is here, but wearing a sling underneath her big leather jacket so she has a really great excuse to not dance tonight. She does hang out in the corner with The Man in the Iron Mask for the five hundredth time. She also has acquired a small dry-erase board and pen, and when the mood strikes, she writes scores and comments on people's dancing and holds it up with her good arm. See. It's participating.

Bobby plops down next to her when he's taking a break from dancing. "I should've bought a book."

Though this is not what he'd asked of her, Sloane makes a mental note of her page number and offers the book over. "Share?"

He takes the book, but doesn't open it yet. "Gonna dance while I read?"

"Good odds of looking extremely stupid right now." She flaps her arm in its sling once against herself to demonstrate. "Can't risk that."

Edited 2026-02-21 03:11 (UTC)

"Odds are someone will still look more stupid than you," Bobby replies, looking out at the dance floor. "You okay though?"

"I'm great." tumbles out almost before the question can be asked, which is probably even more reassuring. "It just popped out a little. And I'm not sure that's true. You're all weirdly good at dancing."

'Popped out a little' isn't that reassuring as a phrase, but he's seen worse injuries on the job so he schools his face back to less concerned despite the worry.

"We," he gestures at Apollo, then some of the other Utah outlanders to indicate who the 'we' is, "Used to have dances sometimes. But I still wouldn't say most of us are good."

"You had dances? In the desert?"

Of all the things she'd imagined in these last few weeks about their lives outside the Veil, dancing hadn't entered the equation. "What were those like?"

"Oh, you know," Bobby shrugs, even though Sloane doesn't know. He's about to play it down and joke about it, but changes his mind last second. "Better than any school dance I went to, really. Nice to have a fun night with the people you love most, you know?" That feels a little too earnest though, so he quickly adds: "Everyone whose feet I stepped on might disagree."

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Nishad's a worrier, sorry if she notices him paying too much attention. It's not like... super obvious, but he's usually not so aware of his pilots in social situations.

Sloane pointedly does not make eye contact with the one person who knows what is Up with her tonight, but she seems to be kind of okay to the naked eye, at least.

"In what world does that," Iyla gestures towards a couple on the dance floor before her gaze settles on the scoreboard, "justify a seven, Sloane?"

"They've got heart." Sloane hesitates, considers, and then to be difficult adds a .01 to the 7.

"They also have two left feet each," Iyla points out, hand in a see gesture as one of them begins to move in the wrong direction. "If you cross out the seven instead... .01 is enough."

That's an undeniable blunder, and Sloane begrudgingly knocks a half point off. 6.4. "What would you rate your dances?"

"I'm a natural," she announces with a shrug, "but not everyone I've danced with can match me. We'll say the scale is... varied."

"So solid five average." She decides.

"I deserve a minimum of a seven average."

"I'll make an independent determination, I think." She does erase the board again.

"You could dance with me. You'll have a better view for judging."

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iyla - 2026-02-21 15:42 (UTC) - Expand

"What happened to your arm?" Sefi asks as she settles down next to Sloane after stepping off the dancefloor for a quick break. She sounds kind of reverent, which makes sense given her own low pain tolerance. In fact, even as she's making herself comfortable, she prods at her own nose ring and winces visibly.

"Would you believe it was a bear?" Sloane asks, voice low and secretive like perhaps this is the truth. Something tells her Sefi will enjoy this more than the boring truth. "...That's going to be cute." She taps her own nose to indicate.

"No I wouldn't," Sefi says (80% sure), and then fidgets with her nose ring some more. "I need to find a different bit of jewelry for it."

"Good instincts. I was trying to save someone from an old staircase and I fell on it weird." Sloane confesses, grimacing because it's kind of embarrassing spoken aloud. "I would've raided old jewelry boxes in Russia if I'd known the need. Did you do that yourself?"