Dancing The Night Away

The main ballroom was breathtaking. The high ceiling was heavily ornamented, and huge crystalline chandeliers hung down from it, covering every surface in the large room with rainbow speckles of fractured light. The wall sconces looked like they were smaller clusters of crystals as well, seemingly growing out of the walls as they aided the chandeliers in illuminating the room and decorating their surroundings with an intricate play of lights and shadows. Hints of previous stones framed by gilded frescoes glittered on the ceiling and the upper ends of the walls, captivating the eye with their filigree patterns.
One of the long sides of the wall was lined with large, uncovered windows, and the glass was decorated with colorful patterns. Surely, as the sun would be rising above the horizon, the windows were going to look like the surfaces of crystals themselves. On the opposite wall, equally large window frames were not holding glass but mirrors, which had a subtle coloration to them, matching the stained-glass patterns from the windows perfectly.
The room was filled with the music from a live band, chatter from countless voices, and the sweet scents of carefully arranged bouquets of flowers, placed strategically throughout the room.

Guests of the gala, dressed in the most elegant attire, were swaying across the dance floor, like a swarm of colorful tropical fish. Jewelry and crystalline body parts were glistening in the kaleidoscopic light as they followed the guidance of the musicians, who were located on a slightly elevated stage near the other end of the room.Other attendees formed a living frame around the dancers, taking breaks on the various seats lining the walls or standing by in conversation while holding two thin glasses filled with exquisite drinks.

From the top of the small staircase where she was standing, Samsara looked around, almost feeling overwhelmed by all the surrounding impressions. Unknowingly, she clung a little tighter to her companion.
"You are not going to faint on me, are you?", Phoebe chuckled as a response, her red eyes shining with amusement.
"Don't be silly", Samsara laughed softly and earned herself an exaggerated pout.
"I'm never silly," Phoebe insisted, and she flipped back one of the hair strands framing her face, which immediately fell back into its original position. It would have been more effective if she wasn't wearing her hair into two long pigtails, each crowned with a neat bun sitting behind her cat ears.
"No, never," Samsara confirmed jokingly.

The pair walked down the staircase to reach the dance floor. Next to the staircase, located in an alcove directly beneath the platform they just descended from, were several tables on which pyramids of glasses had been carefully erected and filled with drinks of all kinds and colors. Several waiters made sure no guest would remain thirsty while also protecting the meticulously arranged glass sculptures.
Samsara took the nearest offer, more concerned with not creating a hindrance than with the content of the glass.

She and Phoebe merged with the crowd surrounding the dancers. Now that she was closer to the mirrors, Samsara could see that they were slightly set back further than the windows. The resulting gap in the sides was just wide enough for concealed doors to connect the main hall to more private abodes. Several of these doors were affixed to stay permanently open, which allowed the crowd to disperse.
"Let's dance," Phoebe said, and to Samsara's surprise, the glass her partner was holding, only contained air and the tiniest hints of the former content.
"How?", she asked. Phoebe shrugged.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a starter?"
"You're impossible!" Samsara rolled her white eyes.
With a swift movement, Phoebe stole her glass before she even realized what was happening. The Lockette emptied it with one swift motion, her head tilted backwards.
"On the contrary," she replied, as soon as she was able to speak again.
"I'm extremely possible. Otherwise, you'd be here on your own."
Samsara laughed at the flawless logic, but decided that Phoebe's boldness needed some retaliation.
"Or I would attend with the most gorgeous Dextroluma on Aerius", she teased.
"Ha!"
The pair earned several glances at Phoebe's loud exclamation. She quickly lowered her voice, and to her satisfaction, Samsara could see a hint of pink appearing on her cheeks.
"I don't think you'd find any other even remotely entertaining, no matter their looks," she whispered back.
"What was that? I can't hear you", Samsara pretended, blending into the crowd and making her way back to the table with the drink before Phoebe could respond.

She didn't know how long they had been dancing. The musicians were skillfully blending one tune into the other, making it hard, if not impossible, to keep track. Somehow, they also managed to replace individual members of the ensemble without any audible disruption throughout the performance. Neither Samsara nor Phoebe had paid attention to the sky on the other side of the windows, which was slowly turning into a pale gradient of blues, pinks, and oranges. As the morning sun bathed everything in gold, the busy ballroom slowed down and eventually stopped. The light from the chandeliers and wall sconces disappeared, and under restrained murmurs, everyone witnessed the spectacle made possible by the immaculate design of the room. The colorful crystal patterns of the windows were brought to life by the sun's light, and as it rose above the horizon, the play of light wandered across the opposite wall until they aligned perfectly with the patterns on the mirrors. Light was reflected and fractured everywhere, and the entire room turned into a crystal itself.
Somewhere, someone started to applaud, and quickly, the entire place erupted into applause and cheering.

Unimpressed by the event below, the sun continued its journey, and the perfect alignment slipped away. The ballroom remained brightly illuminated, but the magical moment passed. It was now even a little bit too bright for some of the guests, and they left for the darker abodes.The musicians continued to play, but not all the pairs on the dance floor started to followed their guiding tune immediately.

"That was... incredible," Samsara whispered, still in awe. For once, Phoebe remained silent and simply nodded, her eyes still fixed on the mirrors.
The unexpected and sudden collision with another woman, who bumped into them, finally broke their trance and both of them withdrew to the seating below the window.
It was only then that Samsara noticed just how much her feet were hurting, and a wave of exhaustion overcame her. With a sigh, she let herself fall onto the soft cushioning of a wide armchair.
"I think... I think I'll get us something to drink."
Phoebe had found her voice again. As she wanted to head towards the alcove beneath the entrance's staircase, Samsara's hand gently held her back, and the Lockette instead wiggled herself onto the seating. Whoever had made this piece of furniture clearly anticipated a need for togetherness.
Samsara rested her head against her partner's shoulder, carefully ensuring her crown of crystalline horns would not cause her any discomfort. She could feel Phoebe's hand gently on her back, and for a brief second, she regretted wearing a barrier of semi-transparent fabric underneath the low-cut dress that was now defamiliarizing the soft touch. Her white eyes followed the play of lights and colors before her without fully registering.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Phoebe whispered, and she moved her shoulder ever so slightly. Samsara woke with a start, slowly realizing that she had been dozing off, although she could recall having actually been sleeping.
The room was now fuller than before, and several uniformed members of the palace staff were offering pairs of black glasses.
The musicians were still playing, but their music had shifted to gentle background melodies.

Phoebe helped Samsara get up, who was slightly embarrassed of having fallen asleep.
"I hope nobody noticed," she whispered.
"I don't think so", Phoebe assured her.
Samsara could tell by the twitching of the corners of her mouth that her partner was trying to hold back a remark.
She smiled.
"But-?"
"No but! After all, you didn't snore", Phoebe joked, a grin of relief on her face.
"It was cute."
"How come you aren't tired though?", Samsara wondered while taking a pair of the offered eclipse glasses.
"What can I say? I'm a party animal", Phoebe declared, but it was obvious that her partner did not believe her at all. Their banter was cut short when an announcer kindly but firmly asked for everyone's attention.

The eclipse was expected to soon take place, and so the guests were asked to protect their eyes with the provided utensils. Several rooms, balconies, and garden areas were listed as ideal viewing areas. Samsara had no idea in which of the ballrooms she was, but since she could see the sun from here and more and more people approached the windows, it was clearly was among the recommendations.

The glasses made everything dark. The sun, which had just hung brightly in an empty sky, was now reduced to a speck of dim glow surrounded by blackness.
It began almost unnoticeably. There was a tiny dent in the otherwise perfectly circular shape of the sun. It grew slowly, but steadily. More and more of the sun seemingly vanished, and the sun began to look more like a crescent moon. The thinner this shape became, the more it curled itself until it formed a glowing halo around the black sphere that was the moon.

As beautiful as this sight was, Samsara could understand why so many Dextroluma were feeling uneasy about the eclipse. After all, it meant the seeming disappearance of the sun, however brief it was.

As both the sun and moon slowly departed again, there were some sighs of relief around her. Some spectators began to leave, causing a slight stir among the crowd, but the real commotion only began after the eclipse was fully over.
Samsara had no idea what time it was, there was not a single clock in this ballroom. But judging by her own tiredness and the position of the sun, it surely was close to noon.

She and Phoebe were among the last guests remaining, slowly following the stream of people heading for the exits.
As soon as they stepped outside the palace, Phoebe let out a heartfelt yawn.
"I thought you were a party animal?", Samsara teased sleepily.
"Party's over, this animal is ready for bed."