New Years Ball

[Professor Carlyle]

David's smile grew at Norah's words and he enthused, "Oh yes!" with a wink. "I for one love your plan, almost as much as I love jelly beans so, you know, I mean it," he assured her jokingly with a sure nod of his head. Shrugging then at her accusation he pointed out, "Ghostly Douglas Adams would probably be more fun to hang out with but hey, beggars can't be choosers and I'm afraid you're stuck with me," his tone suggesting he was a disappointing replacement. At her mimed security shield motion he chuckled- see that is why he found her just so damn amazing- and nodded in understanding, "Aye... I can't believe Geoff is extremely stubborn about the Star Wars prequels. Between you and me, I feel like we should disown him for saying they were quite good, I mean yes... Natalie Portman... great but, you know-" he trailed off, realising he was rambling on again, and gave her a carefree smile as a sort of apology that he was like this all the time.

"Really?" he asked, starting forward and then he let out a sigh of relief, "You know it's good you're here..." he said seriously as he poured himself a cup of punch, "I mean... to be the Watchwoman of the Almighty and Deadly Punch Bowls," he quickly added, "Would you like one?" he asked, holding up his cup of punch with a smile. Taking a sip then he leaned against the wall comfortably, "So... what made you want to come down here tonight? The possibility of inflicting pain on students' retinas? Lack of choice because Gayfor pretty much said 'you will chaperone'? Desire to split up teenage couples dancing a little too closely? I gotta say, the last one is the most fun for me," he joked lightly.

[Professor Paigi]

((ooc: Isabella's wearing this but add a few months of pregnancy onto the image. She's a little rubbish but, oh well! hehe))

Smiling in amusement Isabella had sent David off to change into his tux much like a patient parent would do with an annoying child. 'Oh honey, why don't you go put your shoes on hmmm? Let's see how fast you can do it, won't that be fun!' It was that kind of suggestion but he'd bounded off fairly happily and she'd been able to finish levitating up the last of the icicle decorations. Performing the complicated charm so that the flakes of snow falling from the Great Hall's ceiling didn't melt on people's clothing and instead simply disappeared on impact was always the hardest but it had went, for once, without a hitch. Having returned to her office Isabella had washed, dressed, put on her make up and done her hair quickly to avoid the 'oh god I feel fat!' feeing that often arrived when she spent too long dressing in the morning.

Now she wandered among the crowds of students, wishing them a Happy New Year as she passed and smiling at those who waved at her from across the room. Passing Norah and David stood at the punch bowl she greeted them and smiled, "Norah you look wonderful and... David... you'll do," she joked with the man before glancing to the refreshment table which they stood beside. "I assume you two have taken responsibility for Punch Bowl Duty tonight? Wonderful, thank you very much, have a good night," she joked with a grin before moving away quickly so they couldn't protest.

[professorgreen]

"How about I throw a jelly bean at your eye?" Norah threatened while faking the motion of throwing a jelly bean. "I should have a thing, you know, like Joe has jaffa cakes, you have jelly beans... reckon my thing could be vengeance?" she mused with a hand on her hip.

Norah nodded emphatically -- defending the Star Wars prequels was an unforgivable offense, in her eyes. "Well, I believe Joe's response to the matter has dissuaded Geoff from expressing that, or really any other opinion, ever again. Anyway, Natalie Portman can suck it, thinking she's better than us with her perfect face and her vegan shoes." Waving her hands around sarcastically, Norah gazed around the Great Hall to see if the food would be arriving soon... she was promised food, which was the only thing that could make standing in an uncomfortable dress more appealing than lounging about in her robe with a cup of tea and a book on string theory.

"Well, mostly I get off on the power..." Norah joked in a deadly serious tone before a small smile started to form at the edge of her mouth. Ladling out some punch for herself, she nodded awkwardly at Isabella when she greeted them, and was about to object to the other professor's proposition before she sprinted off. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "Damn pregnant ladies... first they make you give up your seat on the tube, then they leave you on Punch Bowl Duty! At any rate," Norah grumbled, raising her glass and clinking it against David's, "Happy New Year. Here's to another revolution 'round the old Sun, eh?"

[Professor Carlyle]

Shaking his head he replied in mock thought, "Well if you aim it for my eye, aye, and then I'll catch it in my mouth and both of us can be happy," he joked before shrugging. "Interesting proposal, Ms Green but you know vengeance isn't very edible, jaffa cakes and jelly beans are," David grinned.

Nodding enthusiastically as they talked of the disgrace of the prequels David enthused,"Exactly! Well done to Joe on that really. Aye, I think it's the perfect face that makes her 'win' in Geoff's eyes, and most men's eyes to be fair," he commented casually, "But that doesn't make up for the epic fail that was the rest of those films," he groaned, he almost felt a physical pain in his heart when he had to watch them during his Star Wars film marathons.

Smiling as she started to after her very serious comment about getting off on power, David soon chuckled to himself with a shake of his head. "Wonderful, well I'm glad... no not glad, that sounded wrong and a wee bit pervy I mean it's good that... oh tell you what, I'm just going to shut up and sip this punch and not talk lest I embarrass myself again," he rolled his eyes at himself with a sheepish smile at Norah. Seeing Isabella approach he muttered, "Temperamental pregnant lady at 12 o'clock," he joked good humouredly with a smile as said lady greeted them both. "Oh? Well great, I'm glad I passed the test then, since I at least made the effort, look I even tied my bow tie right and everything," he protested teasingly before opening his mouth to protest along with Norah. Tutting slightly he turned back to the other woman and nodded, "Absolutely, disgraceful isn't it?" he said in despair before grinning broadly as she clinked her glass against his. "Yep, and here's to hoping that there'll be many more revolutions around the good ol' Sun in the future," he agreed as he clinked his glass against hers and downed the glass of punch with a wince. It tasted a bit funny. But 'funny' didn't necessarily connect with 'alcoholic' in his head right then so he just brushed it off.

[professorgreen]

(ooc: this took me forever to write, and I don't know why because it's terrible, haha!)

"Whatever, I'll make people eat my vengeance," Norah faux-threatened. "Oh! I've been meaning to tell you, my fourth years were having the best conversation the other day. They were trying to figure out who out of us professors would win in a Battle Royale-style death match. They agreed that Beth would have us all beat within the hour, but they called you the wild card because you might have a gun hidden in your hair."

Norah could sense that David was digging himself into a hole, and being Norah Green, she only wanted to make it worse and cause him even more embarrassment. "You're glad that what? I can still get off even though I'm old and alooone?" she asked while swaying slightly on her feet; she was already a few cups deep into the punch. "Because I do, and it's awesome, and I'm just going to keep saying 'get off' for as long as you have that look on your face," she teased before raising her camera and snapping a picture, just to capture that face for all eternity.

Downing the punch, Norah winced. "What is that, pineapple?" She shrugged and said with a laugh, "We and the Sun are in good business, trust me. I mean, if you plan on being alive ten billion years from now you might want to think about getting a timeshare in another solar system, but otherwise we're cool."

[Professor Carlyle]

((ooc: Terrible here meaning absolutely amazing? Lol I love Norah, she's brilliant for making David squirm. ))

"Ah touché," David relented, amused by her threat which he assumed was merely a joking one but he could never be quite sure when it came to Norah. Eyes widening as she informed him the fourth years had called him the wild card he looked positively smug for a minute. Then he said hurriedly, "They know about me using my hair to hide weapons?! Bugger," he commented seriously with a shifty look around them before he laughed and sobered, well as much as David could anyway, adding, "Aye Beth would definitely finish us all off. I have a feeling Geoff would go out with a bang, I don't know why but I just see him milking his death scene for all it was worth."

"Oh I don't even know what I'm glad of any more," he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he tried in vain to stop 'the look' on his face, a look which she clearly found picture worthy as she snapped a photo then. When she claimed she was going to keep saying 'get off' he interjected, "Please, don't," he asked with a hopeful expression that she would take pity on him and his uneasy, sheepish-looking smile.

Finishing his drink he disposed of his glass on the used tray and turned back to Norah. Shrugging then, he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and commented, "Not sure, I was getting grapefruit flavour too... it's weird though, right?" he asked for reassurance that it wasn't just his taste buds rebelling after many years his abuse in the form of far-too-sugary snacks. "See now, I always knew there was something between you and the ol' Sun. I plan on living for quite a while longer yes, should I make care arrangements in a neighbouring galaxy then?" he asked in faux-sincerity, before leaning back against the wall and assuming a wistful expression. "You know it's at times like this that I really do wish I was The Doctor. I'd have billions of years floating around in a little blue box, I could see the end of this galaxy as many times as I wanted to, it'd be cool."