Love Under The Lights (Ulani)

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Mat felt he looked silly in his dress robes. They looked nowhere as bad as the ones Ron Weasley once wore to the Yule Ball, but Mat still didn't feel comfortable in them. But he would endure it. Tonight was not about his attire. Tonight was about being with a girl he had come to care about a great deal. Up until being around Ulani, Mat had no clue what it felt like to fall in love. He never read the magical romance novels on how it worked, and had not really paid attention to other couples. But what he did know was that he felt different every time he was with Ulani. He felt like there was no where else he wanted to be, and no one else he wanted to be around. The world shrank when he was with Ulani. The population was just him and her, and the world was wherever they happened to be. Mat had a good idea that feeling might be love.

So now came the night when he would take her on a first date of sorts. He wasn't sure how Ulani felt, and he wasn't going to force anything on her. Asking her to the dance was a big enough step. She said yes, and he needed to take it slow from there.

@ulaniparis

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It would be an understatement to say that Ulani was nervous. It was the night of the ball and she was actually going. There had been one or two dances in her time at Hogwarts, but she had never gone. It wasn't her scene and she never had anyone to go with, whether it be a date or friends. But that night was different. She had been asked by her best friend Mathieu and even though she was unsure about it at first, she said yes. She loved spending time with him, and she had just been learning a bit about dancing, so why not put it to good use? Plus, it would be nice to get out for once, instead of staying in the common room cooped up regretting not going.

It was also quite odd for her to not be completely covered. She was quite modest in what she wore, not that her dress wasn't, but it wasn't what she was used to. Still, Lani was happy with the way she looked. She felt pretty for once, because she put actually effort into looking the way she did. She had a reason to and that was Mat. She didn't know exactly how she felt, other than the fact he was her best friend and she trusted him wholeheartedly. But, she wanted this night to go well for him and she would do what she could to make that so.

Arriving at the dance, she stood on the inside of the opening for a moment, looking around nervously. Her hand rested on her opposite upper arm, feeling the exposed skin that she wasn't used to. It was so odd for her to be showing so much skin, even though it wasn't even that much. When her blue eyes landed on her date, a genuine smile took hold of her lips as she made her way to him. Tapping him gently on the shoulder, she waited for him to turn around.

@mathieu

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Mat was pouring himself some punch when Ulani tapped him on the shoulder. It startled him just a tad, not enough to make him spill his punch or anything. Sitting the drink down on the table, he turned and stood in awe for a moment. And when he finally spoke, he forgot how to speak English for a moment.

"Bonsoir, Ulani," he said. "Vous regardez très belle." He then took her hand and kissed it. When he realized that he should have said that in English, he decided not there was no point to now. He was sure she knew how he felt about how magnificent she looked. "Some punch, perhaps before we go to the dance floor?"

The thing was if Ulani decided she didn't want punch, he would have left his own cup sitting there to take her to the dance floor. Punch, no matter how delicious it might be, tasted poor in comparison to the beauty he was now drinking in.

"I hope I do not look too silly in these dress robes," he chuckled. "I am not used to them."

@ulaniparis

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A warm smile appeared on her lips when Mat turned around and acknowledged her. Ulani couldn’t quite make out the look on his face, or the words she spoke at first, but she was quite sure it wasn’t bad. He didn’t look upset, and his tone told her the same. Plus, if he was, why would he have been kissing her hand? Oh, there it was again. That familiar rush of warmth on her cheeks that came every time he gave her words of kindness, or did something she wasn’t used to. And a kiss on the hand was definitely new to her. “Hello.” She spoke softly, still nervous despite the fact she was with him. All she could feel were eyes on her, even if there was no one but him looking in her direction. “No, thank you. I’m not thirsty. But please, if you are, take your time.” She told him with a small smile, her hands clutching lightly to her dress, playing with the fabric as she tried to work out her nerves.

Shaking her head at him, she reassured him that he didn’t look silly. “You look very handsome Mathieu.” Lani told him, forcing herself to let go of her dress. “I’m not used to being so dressed up either. I feel so awkward.” She told him honestly, looking around for a moment before meeting his eyes once again. “And exposed. Oh, I do hope I don’t look stupid.”


@mathieu

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Mat couldn't help but smile when Ulani seemed confused by his French.

"You look very beautiful," he said, repeating his words in English.

If Ulani wished to go ahead and dance, Mat was all for that. The punch could wait. Tonight was about this girl he had come to care about a great deal... perhaps even more than that.

"To the dance floor we go," he said, offering his arm to her.

He smiled when she said he looked handsome, but frowned when she said she felt awkward and also felt she looked stupid.

"You look nothing of the sort, Ulani," he said. "I think you look absolutely wonderful tonight. I feel as if I will be dancing with a princess." His words were genuine too. He thought Ulani looked as if she had stepped right out of one of those fairy tales that his siblings used to love so much.

On the dance floor, Mat gave Ulani and bow before taking her into his arms for the dance.

"Your dancing skills have improved so much," he said. "As your instructor, I am very proud of you."

@ulaniparis