Nox Incipit

[BROseidon†]

(Virgil Jefferson-Davis –> Prom start)

Virgil pulled his car into the driveway. Well, here it goes.

Virgil was sitting in the car that his parents were letting him use for the night to get to prom and then probably to whatever after-party seemed like it would be the most fun. Virgil looked down at the costume he was wearing, a fairly traditional, black tuxedo that he had rented for the occasion. Virgil reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the clear container that held the corsage for his date.

His date, Cammy Davidson.

Virgil was remarkably nervous as he got out of the car. Virgil never had a girlfriend during his tenure in high school; his first attempt at a relationship had blown up in his face and made him realize that relationships during high school were a relatively worthless endeavor. Virgil had spent most of his time in high school between school, rugby, and partying with friends, and he liked how things had turned out for himself. Virgil could honestly look back on his high school experience and say that, even though he wasn't at the very top of the social ladder, he was high enough that things had been pretty good for him. A girlfriend would have just made everything harder.

That said, Cammy was a nice girl. She and Virgil were friends. Even though they weren't super close, Virgil found her easy to talk to when they would run into each other at parties. When Cammy had mentioned in passing that nobody had asked her to prom, Virgil decided to ask her himself. Virgil wanted to go to prom, and he wanted the traditional prom experience with the corsage and the pictures and all that, but he didn't want to go with a high-maintainance girl who would spend the entire night fussing over the various minute things that inevitably come up. Cammy wouldn't do that. Cammy was chill.

And so Virgil didn't really understand why he was so nervous for prom. He and Cammy got along fine, and she had to know that starting any sort of real relationship this late in high school was pointless. After all, Virgil was going to be in the middle of nowhere on the opposite coast in three months for preseason, and after that he wouldn't see most of his class mates for a long time. That said, he did want to have a good time, so maybe he was nerous about making sure would go well. Or maybe he was just nervous for the sake of being nervous.

After a minute or so, Virgil managed to get himself to leave the car and walk up to the doorstep of Cammy's house and ring the doorbell.

Well, here it goes. Carpe diem, Virgil. Carpe diem.

[jimmydalad]

((Camilla "Cammy" Davidson: Prom Start))

"Smile for the camera Sugar Bear!" Cammy's mother exclaimed, digital camera in her hand as she took photos of the now fully dressed Cammy. Though she found the whole ordeal to be really annoying, she didn't want to displease her parents, especially since they got her most of her outfit. For the night, Cammy decided to wear a elegant red dress that reached to the floor along with a pair of red 3 inch heels. For probably the first time in her life, she decided to finally put some make-up on, a concept that excited her mother to no end. With red lipstick, black eye shadow, foundation and a whole bunch of other things that she had never even seen before in her life, Cammy wondered what Virgil would think of her.

Oh Virgil. Cammy thought he was such a sweet guy, and not only because she was going to prom with him. He was one of her friends and like her, he always enjoyed going to parties. She always enjoyed their chats and found parties with him to be a very fun experience. Then again, Cammy just really liked parties in general and always found a way to have fun. Virgil also played for the rugby team and like her, was a sportsman. This was just the cherry on the icing for her.

"How many photos are you planning to take mum?" Cammy asked in an irritated tone as she watched her mother and father bending over the camera to look at all the photos they have already taken.

"As many as we want to." Her father replied stubbornly, causing Cammy to let out a little sigh as she waited for Virgil to come, hoping to take her away from her family as soon as possible. It wasn't that she didn't love them, they were just very embarrassing, especially in public. She just hoped that they wouldn't make a complete fool out of her in front of Virgil, that would be really embarrassing.

"Come on now Sweet Pea, get ready for some more photos." Cammy's mother said joyfully, brandishing her camera once again so that she could take some more photos. As if on cue, the doorbell rang and her father immediately ran to the door before Cammy even had any time to react. She couldn't help but frown a little as her father opened the door and saw Virgil standing outside.

"You must be Virgil, my lovely daughter's date." Her father said in a stern voice as he scrutinized the boy thoroughly. While this was all occurring, Cammy's mother rushed to her side and took a peek at what Virgil looked like, having never met him before.

"I'm impressed Honey Bunny, you snagged yourself a fine-looking young man." Her mother whispered to her.

"Mum!" Cammy whispered back angrily, a blush forming on her face as she turned her face away from her in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. How could she say something like that to her!

"Well." Cammy's father said briskly, turning to his wife and nodding at her. "You came just in time for some more photos with our Sugar Pumpkin." He continued to say as he moved to the other side of the room that they were in, Cammy's mother rushing over to him as she got out her camera once again.

"Dad! I thought I told you not to call me that in public!" Cammy yelled, completely embarrassed by the shenanigans of both of her parents. She looked over to Virgil and gave him an apologetic look. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to him as her mum began telling them how they should stand. Her parents could be so embarrassing sometimes and she hoped that Virgil wouldn't be turned off by this humiliating display.

[BROseidon†]

"You must be Virgil, my lovely daughter's date." The man, who must have been Cammy's dad, had spoken sternly and was looking at him intently. OhmygodI'mbeingjudgeddon'tslouch.

Virgil saw that Cammy was standing right behind her father looking... a bit irritated? An older woman – must have been Cammy's mom – came over and whispered something into Cammy's ear, and Cammy quickly turned away from the woman, looking even more irritated.

Maybe I do have a reason to be nervous.

It was then that Cammy's father offered that he come take pictures with... his Sugar Pumpkin. Suddenly Cammy's irritation made complete sense. Her parents were, to put it in a single word, overbearing. Cammy's sudden and mouthed apology only served as confirmation to Virgil that this sort of behavior was common from her parents, and that he would dealing with a lot of embarrassing parents and embarrassed daughter before they left for prom.

As Cammy's mom directed how they should stand for the pictures, Virgil just couldn't manage to get a word in. Her parents just kept blabbering on about how cute they each looked individually, how cute they were together, how great of a time they would have, et cetera, et cetera. The best that Virgil could do to communicate was respond with variations of "yes sir" and nod. As much as Virgil appreciated parents who were loving and caring – Virgil's parents certainly fit into this category – there were limits as to the level of affection that parents should show their kids. Virgil appreciated how his parents had given him a lot of freedom during his high school time, and how the love between them was rooted heavily in mutual trust and respect instead of terms of endearment.

During this whole ordeal, Virgil could see that Cammy seemed to be getting progressively more frustrated with her parents. It was sort of strange, really, seeing someone who was usually so calm and friendly get upset about people being too friendly. I guess we all have our limits on how affectionate people should be. Virgil decided that maybe he should get them away from the house, where they could enjoy a nice dinner alone.

"Hey, Cammy," Virgil whispered, beginning his first real sentence of the night, "maybe I should get us out of here?"

[jimmydalad]

Cammy could only watch as her mother demanded them to get into nice positions for the photos, commenting on various things such as how adorable they looked together and how amazing their night was going to be. Throughout the night, Cammy tried to hide her irritation at her parents, but her facade slipped a little the longer her parents took to get as many photos as possible. Looking at Virgil, she could only hope that this entire ordeal wasn't going to ruin the night for him. She didn't want to be the cause of a terrible night.

Virgil looked absolutely dashing tonight with his nice tuxedo and everything. Cammy was so glad that he picked her out of all the girls in the year to go to prom with. Though she did mention to it in passing, Cammy never expected him to ask her to prom. To be frank, she would've been fine if she went to prom alone. But then again, going alone to prom sucked heavily. All in all, she was glad that she was picked by Virgil for the prom and not some other person who she probably wouldn't like at all.

She remembered what is was like when Suzanne had to go to prom. It was the same ordeal for her as it was for Cammy now. Her parents were taking a bazillion photos of her and even when her date came to pick her up, her parents insisted that they take even more photos with him. It took Suzanne dragging her date out of the house to escape the wrath of her parents. She hoped something like that didn't happen again.

It was then that Cammy heard her date whisper something to her. As soon as he said it, she quickly turned her head towards him and nodded, a desperate look on her face. She looked at her parents who at the moment were hunched over the camera as they looked at all the photos they have already taken.

"Now would be a great time to go." Cammy whispered back quickly as she thought about how she was going to get out of here. Or maybe he should leave it to Virgil. He seemed to have an idea about what to do. All she could do was trust him.

[BROseidon†]

Cammy also wanted to bounce. That was good, because Virgil wasn't really having that much fun with the pictures, and Cammy clearly wasn't either. He wanted tonight to be as memorable as possible for both of them; he wanted it to be among the best nights of their lives.

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Virgil said as Mrs. Davidson was telling them to pose in what must have been the twelfth unique configuration, "but I have actually made dinner reservations, and I don't want to be late." Virgil was lying through his teeth, but they both wanted out and Cammy's parents weren't going to let that happen any time soon.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you both. I can see why Cammy turned out to be such a lovely woman."

[jimmydalad]

Dinner reservations? Cammy wasn't aware he made any dinner reservations for the both of them. After thinking about it for a while, she realized that Virgil was probably lying to her parents, which she didn't mind at all. At least that would get her out of the house. Her parents were being absolutely ridiculous and Cammy had already lost count at how many poses the two of them had to stand in.

"Oh we don't mind at all Virgil." Cammy's mother said happily as she smiled at the two of them. "We don't want you be late to your dinner. I'm surprised you organized one. Suzanne's date didn't do that." She then said, her face taking a pensive look for a moment as she thought back to that day.

"I hope you have a good night Sweet Pea!" Cammy's father said as Cammy had already began the process of dragging Virgil out of the door. As soon as they were both outside, Cammy quickly closed the door behind her, not wanting to get into any more of her parent's embarrassing affection anytime soon. Cammy breathed a sigh of relief as she finally managed to get through that ordeal.

"I am really sorry about my parents." Cammy said apologetically to Virgil, the irritated look disappeared from her face and was replaced with a wide smile. "As you can see, they're a bit... too loving." She commented, reminded of all the other times where her parents embarrassed her in public with their over abundance of love. Cammy would've thought that she had gotten used to it by now, but nope.

"I'm guessing the whole dinner thing was a big lie." Cammy then remarked. She doubted that Virgil will go that far for her, owing to the fact that they weren't really dating or anything like that. Though admittedly, she would of liked to have gone out for dinner. She was actually a little hungry. However, she was not going to let a little hunger get in the way of an amazing night.

"Shall we get going then?" Cammy asked Virgil as she noticed the car that Virgil had parked outside her house. Since when did he have a car?

[BROseidon†]

Cammy's parents bought his lie easily enough. It just seemed that they wanted their daughter to have the best night possible, but they were completely unaware that their antics embarrassed their daughter tremendously.

As soon as they were outside, Cammy got visibly happier. It was then that Virgil noticed what she was wearing. Whereas before, Virgil had been so caught up in her parent's antics that he hadn't taken the time to notice her outfit, now he saw here in a striking red dress that was, well, much more tasteful than what a lot of her peers would probably show up in. Virgil noticed that she was wearing tall heels that helped in reducing the height difference between them, but there was still probably close to a half foot of height difference between them. The makeup seemed out of character for Cammy, since she usually wore none, but it wasn't too much. Cammy looked beautiful.

Cammy then apologized for her parents. Virgil wouldn't have minded that her parents had been so overly affectionate had it not visibly irritated her, and tonight was supposed to be fun for both of them.

"I'm guessing the whole dinner thing was a big lie." So Cammy had seen through the ruse. In actuality, he could think of a few good restaurants that they could go to before heading to prom, and he was a bit hungry. It would be good to go to prom on a full stomach, especially if they ended up at an after party with alcohol.

"Yeah, it was. We do have a bit of time, though, and I know a few pretty good, cheapish restaurants that we could stop at to grab a bite to eat. If you want to, that is."

[jimmydalad]

Cammy had noticed how Virgil looked at her oddly, probably checking out what Cammy looked like now that they weren't distracted by her parents. It made Cammy feel a little uncomfortable as it was quite different from what she was used to wearing. Her mother finally convinced Cammy to put on make up for the first time in ages and she didn't really know how she felt about it. It literally felt like her face was completely covered in icing or something of the like. She personally found it really uncomfortable and wondered how other girls were able to wear stuff like this everyday.

Looking at the corsage on her wrist, Cammy was really impressed with the one that Virgil picked out for it. It was slipped onto her during the whole fiasco with her parents and it was only now that she could truly appreciate the corsage that he picked. It was a beautiful yet simple white rose that never failed to stun her. She liked the fact that it wasn't over the top and yet was beautiful at the same time. She thought it suited her very well.

"Dinner sounds like a very good idea to me." Cammy said cheerfully, the hunger getting to her a little. She didn't like being on an empty stomach especially for prom.

"Where did you get that car by the way? I was under the impression that you didn't have one." Cammy then asked, looking over to the car that she guessed Virgil drove to get here. She did remember him saying at one party that he didn't have a car, but maybe her memory was foggy. Maybe she missed something.

[BROseidon†]

Cammy also wanted to get some food. That was good, but there was now the matter of where they should go. Virgil could thing of a variety of places they could go to, each with a different type of cuisine. The question now was if there was any type of food that Cammy didn't like. Virgil was a pretty indiscriminate eater himself, but he didn't know if the same was true for his date.

Then there was the question about the car. Virgil recalled having mentioned to her that he didn't have a car. He had never asked his parents for one, and he was pretty sure that his parents wouldn't have given him one even if he had asked. As much as his parents had given him agency to go to parties and act in ways that most parents wouldn't condone, his parents preferred that he be safe in his transportation. As embarrassing as it was, he would always have his parents pick him up from parties when spending the night wasn't an option.

"Um, my parents are letting my borrow their car. Anyways, have any preferences for type of food? I probably know a place for just about anything you could name."

[jimmydalad]

"Ah parents, of course." Cammy should of realized that his parents would've lent him a car to pick her up. Did his parents know that he had a date to prom? Thinking about, Cammy reckoned that the only reason why they allowed him to borrow their car was so that he could pick her up. Or that's what she hoped. She had her own driving license, but she barely drove.

"If we're going to any after-parties, I'll the the designated driver." She joked as she realized that they would probably go to an after-party once the prom was over with. While her parents were ok with her going out and having fun at parties, they made sure she never had any alcohol or drugs. She didn't mind this too much, though she did feel left out occasionally as she watched all of her friends get drunk out of their minds. She secretly wondered to herself what it would be like to be drunk, but she never put this curiosity to the test.

"Preferences? I don't really have any. I'm fine with anything. Surprise me." Cammy replied in a cheery voice. She honestly didn't mind at all. She hated being a pain for other people and she didn't want him to feel as if he needed to do anything special for her. That wouldn't do at all. She flashed another smile at her and giggled a little as the anticipation of the fact that they were going to prom was starting to get to her.

"I'm feeling a little giddy right now." Cammy admitted to Virgil. "I've been so excited for Prom and I've got such an awesome date! I can only imagine this night going well. This will be the night of our lives." Cammy continued to say to him, completely overtaken by glee to even realize what she was saying at that moment. This night will go well, for both of them.

[BROseidon†]

Cammy was quick to volunteer to be the designated driver. This gave Virgil the freedom to have a few drinks when they ended up at some after-party. Virgil enjoyed having a drink or two, but he tried to limit his drinking because of how serious he was about rugby. Drinking would make it harder for him to stay in shape, so it was better to just limit the drinking. Virgil had also lost his virginity while blacked out, which further contributed to his limited consumption of alcohol. That said, Virgil knew that Cammy didn't drink at all, and having a drink or two tonight would make him less than fit to drive.

"Preferences? I don't really have any. I'm fine with anything. Surprise me." Cammy's deference to Virgil was fine by him. He knew a lot of good restaurants, and picking one was only as difficult as he wanted to make it for himself.

"I'm feeling a little giddy right now." Virgil hadn't had time to interject before Cammy had continued. She was excited, and Virgil was happy for her. Nevertheless, how excited she seemed about prom, and more specifically, about going to prom with him, made Virgil a little bit nervous. High school was almost over, and Virgil had no interest in pursuing a long-distance relationship right before heading off to college. Dartmouth was going to be busy for Virgil, between academics and rugby and trying to work his way into what he perceived to be an ever-so-important Greek system, and a serious relationship just didn't fit into that picture.

But there was no reason to be nervous about that now. Cammy was right, tonight was going to be the night of their lives, even if they were just friends. There was no reason to ruin it because he was a bit nervous about how strongly she felt towards him.

"All right, let's go." During the conversation, the two of them had migrated into his car. "Hopefully you'll be surprised by where I take us."

[jimmydalad]

Cammy couldn't help but notice how Virgil seemed to be nervous about something. This was something she wasn't used to seeing, as he normally seemed to be a reasonably confident guy. Was it the fact that tonight was Prom night that was getting to him? Or maybe it was something else. She might need to ask him later as he didn't want him to feel distressed. It was going to be a fun night and a time to relax, not worry about things.

What she didn't realize that while they were talking, they had unintentionally made their way to his car. Well that was oddly convenient. When in conversation, they seemed to just instinctively move closer and closer to the car while Cammy was lost in conversation with him. It was one of the reason why she was glad she was with Virgil. The both of them could talk for ages without realizing that the time had passed. She enjoyed his presence at parties, even when he did decide to have a little drink. He was one of the few who drank in moderation.

"Yeah, I can't wait!" Cammy exclaimed happily as she got in the front passenger seat. She wondered where he was going to take her. Though a really formal place would be amazing, she also wouldn't mind going to a very simple place. Heck, she was even fine with Mcdonalds! She just looked forward to spending a bit more time with her prom date. She felt that he was a nice guy and much nicer than other people in the school like Adonis Alba. She didn't know much about him though, so this was a perfect time for them to get to know each other.

Cammy leaned back on her chair as she waited for the car to get going. She could see it in her mind. The night ahead. She could feel it in every single bone in her body. She knew tonight was going to be awesome. It had to be, right? After all, it is Prom Night.

[BROseidon†]

Cammy's response was succinct. Virgil took a few seconds to start the car and back out safely. This lapse in the conversation gave Virgil a chance to collect his thoughts.

They were friends. They had had plenty of conversations before, so something should have flowed naturally. However, it wasn't quite that easy. Maybe it was the nerves about prom, maybe it was nerves stemming from the fact that Cammy looked so beautiful when she normally had a much more down-to-earth look, but Virgil was having a hard time formulating a thought.

Okay, start with something simple. Track! It was track season, and that was one of the things Cammy was most passionate about. It would make a good point to start the conversation.

From there Virgil would only have to be able to maintain the conversation for the ten minutes until they reached the restaurant. Then he could use the food as a starting point to sustain the conversation for the forty-five minutes or so that dinner would take, and then he could continue that conversation for the additional ten or so minutes it would take to get to prom. That was a lot of time to fill with conversation, but once things got started they should get easier, right?

"So, uh, how's track season going?"

[jimmydalad]

Virgil's silence made her feel a little uncomfortable, but she decided to shrug it off and try to enjoy the night. She secretly wondered what made Virgil seem so tense, but maybe she shouldn't sweat the small stuff. She never really thought about how to approach the night at hand. Should she try to make everything perfect or should she just let whatever happen happen? Cammy stayed quiet as she let her mind wander about how the night should happen and whether she should work make it the best night of their lives.

Who was she kidding though? Of course the night would turn out well. Why wouldn't it? Cammy felt that though it may start off a bit awkward, it could only get better from here. Right now, they needed to get something in their stomachs and just start talking. Conversation normally made people feel more comfortable and Virgil should be no different.

"Track? The track season is going well!" Cammy quickly replied enthusiastically, glad that Virgil asked about her passion. The season was already underway and she could only wait for the time when she could compete against other schools. She had been religiously training after school every day in preparation for the season and she felt she had a good chance in winning.

"I've really been putting in the hours recently and I'm pretty sure I can put in a very good time when the time comes. You play rugby right? How is that coming along?" Cammy asked Virgil, looking at him to indicate that he had her full attention. It was also polite and she didn't want to be rude towards her date.

She was genuinely interested in Virgil's exploits in sports and his life in general. She enjoyed making friends and she especially enjoyed getting to know people. While she had set out a goal to meet everyone in the year, she also wanted to make closer friends with people. Though she wasn't considering being in a relationship with anyone anytime soon, she did want to make closer friendships. She knew Virgil was a nice guy. Might as well start with him.

[BROseidon†]

Cammy lit up when he asked her about track. Virgil could feel himself relax a bit at Cammy's enthusiasm. Yeah, everything is going to turn out fine.

Cammy mentioned how hard she was training, and Virgil could relate. He'd always put a lot of work into rugby out of a passion for the sport. He always wanted to improve, whether it be making his passes more controlled or his tackles a little lower, Virgil was always the first guy to the pitch and the last one to leave. Virgil wasn't good at rugby out of some natural talent, but because he loved the sport and worked harder than most of his peers.

So when Cammy asked about rugby, Virgil lit up just as Cammy had with track. "It's going great. The team is doing really well, and we could legitimately win the state title this year. I've been having a blast, but it's been a lot of work. I've been working a lot on coming off the scrum faster to support the back line – um," Virgil paused momentarily for two reason. First, he realized he was rambling a bit. Rambling wasn't the worst, it just meant that he should maybe control his speaking a little bit more. The second reason, however, was a lot more substantial. Virgil knew plenty about track, since it was a pretty straightforward sport. However...

"How much do you know about rugby?"