The Honorary Ball

[Stella]

It was time. She had sat idly here on this bench for long enough. Stella quickly downed the rest of her wine with a grin.

"Liquid Courage" she said to herself gazing through the wine glass for a moment before setting it down on the bench and standing up with confidence. She straightened her dress and glanced in the window at her reflection.

Gazing across the room she spotted him talking to a few of the other cadets. He had that smirk on his face that made her just want to melt away. It was silly her little crush, after all he was with Quistis supposedly, but she just couldn't help it. How could anyone in their right minds resist Seifer Almasy?

She strode across the ballroom her heels clicking on the floor as she wove through the dances with grace. As she approached he looked right at her that grin spreading even further.

"SeeD Artos, famed Adel killer, well done" he said as she came to stand next to him her skirt swirling around her legs.

"It was a group effort" she said with no false modesty at all. He chuckled and shook his head giving her a grin. Hyne, he was hot.

"Instructor Almasy, would you like to dance" she asked as a pretty tune came on filling the room.

"Of course, Stella, and call me Seifer" he said taking her arm and leading her out on the dance floor. By Hyne, she was in heaven.

[raydensharpola]

Rayden stepped into the ballroom, straightening his collar for the umptheenth time. He did not have a bunch of giggly females hanging on his arms this time. After that little visit to Stella's room some sense had finally trickled into him. Being a flirt was fun and all, but having the reputation "heartbreaker" wasn't something to be proud of. He wasn't malicious by nature... so he figured he would just tone it down a tad.

Besides, not as if I'd have trouble finding someone for a dance. He smirked self-confidently. There's loads of admiring fangirls for that.

He strode into the dancefloor, recognising a few familiar faces in the pool of people on it. He grinned when he spotted Stella being lead by Seifer Almasy. Her face just spelt ecstasy.

She sure knows how to pick them.

Weaving his way through the crowd, he found the Trin tables where Lawric, Jun and Zacke were seated.

"So you guys are just here to sit around or what?" He asked them, pulling out a seat beside Zacke.

[Lawric]

"Is it my imagination...? She doesn't look too happy to be stuck with that guy." Lawric looked from Jun to the dance floor. When his eyes settled on Jaime and her date, he frowned. That guy's hand just came off of her ass! "Unless that's how she usually responds when she's happy. Which I really doubt it?"

He started to get up when he saw Van come up to the two of them and kick that guy in the leg. Lawric relaxed a bit and grinned, watching Van yell something at the guy. Jaime said something as well, before taking Van's arm and moving away from him.

He watched the girls talk for a few moments longer, and suddenly his amusement with the situation slowly became a kind of dread. Jaime was definitely telling Van all about what he said... and with those two, with their special-teehee-girl-connection, there was no way he was going to be able to persuade Van over to his side once she'd already decided Jaime was the victim. His only hope was now Deo--who was nowhere to be found. If he didn't do something about it, he was definitely going to be ganged up on.

"Looks like Van took care of it." He looked back at Jun and shrugged. "Still, I guess I better go attempt another apology. If I don't pull it off, those two will probably get each other all worked up about how evil I am and eat me alive." He grinned ruefully, before rising from his chair and making his way over to Jaime and Van.

"Jaime," he approached her. "Dance with me." He said it more as an order than a question, looking at her meaningfully as he did so, as if to say 'we need to talk.'

[Zacke]

"So you guys are just here to sit around or what?"

Zacke looked up at Rayden when he appeared. He moved aside slightly to give Rayden a bit of space when he sat down. "I don't see you sweeping anyone off their feet." he remarked with a laugh.

[jaimelewis]

Jaime glanced at Jax, who interrupted the little conversation between Van and her. He was flaunting off his date, someone who shared Quistis Trepe's last name.

"Uhh...yeah...we were having a conversation..." She left the sentence hanging, hoping he would take the hint.

"I guess we're some kinds of heroes now.." he said aloud, addressing no one in particular.

"...sure if you wanna put it that way." Jaime exchanged a puzzled look with Van. "Err well some of the...heroes are sitting at the Trin tables." She smiled at him. "If you're interested with mingling with them."

Lawric came weaving through the dancefloor crowd then, and demanded to "dance" with Jaime.

She groaned. He was the person that she didn't want to see right at this moment. She was still a little mad at him but after venting to Van, 90% of it had dissipated.

She sighed. There was no use, she would look like a petty girl if she didn't agree right now. And Jaime didn't think she was.

"Alright, Lawric." She creased an eyebrow at him, turning her head to face Van. "Van you wanna sit at the tables with Deo? I'll come back and find you once we're done."

--------


Rayden raised an eyebrow at Zacke. He thought he was funny...well maybe. Rayden wasn't averse to laughing at himself as long as it didn't invade into his base line.

"That's because my arms are sore from sweeping too many girls off their feet. I need a break." He grinned back.

[Stella]

Sadly the music came to a close and Stella carefully took a step back from Seifer looking up into his green eyes. It had been such a wonderful dance. Hardly ever did a girl get to dance with her biggest crush.

"Thanks for the dance, Seifer" she said with a little smile as she spotted Quistis approaching them. She looked very lovely in her dress, her hair actually let down for a change.

"Anytime, Stella" he responded with a smirk glancing up at his girl as she grinned at them both. She practically swooned as he said her name. What a hopeless silly girl she could be.

"See you later" Seifer gave her wink and then moved over to Quistis with a smile. She didn't feel sad as she saw them start to dance together. After all Stella was very level headed about the whole thing.

Well that went amazingly well. She gazed over at the special tables set out for them and spotted that quite a few people had arrived while she was off in la-la land. Grabbing another drink she headed over to them and sat down taking a long sip of wine.

"Hey everyone" she said pleasantly.

[Lawric]

Lawric placed one hand on Jaime's waist and took one of her hands on the other. He took a step backward and then to the side, pulling Jaime further onto the dance floor and leading her in the dance.

"Jaime, I'm very sorry about what I did," he began, calmly and very sincerely. "I can assure you that Jun and Zacke do not really think you're a big flirt." He smiled. "In fact, I think anyone who spends more than a minute around you can tell that you are a genuinely sweet and very self-respecting girl, and if you happen to attract a lot of male attention, it's because you're beautiful..."

Okay, maybe he went too far with that last line. He was really laying it on thick. But this was Jaime, and usually things that weren't obvious just went over her head. Hopefully he was being nonchalant enough about kissing her ass, because...

"Anyway, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I have a favor to ask of you... "

[jaimelewis]

Jaime sighed. She knew it was easy to forgive Lawric, cos he knew how to apologise in exactly the right way.

Even if his flattery was so obvious, even she could see it was flattery. But just because flattery required the certain amount of humility to achieve the right effect it was enough for her.

"Oh fine." She grinned up at him. "I'll forgive you. Like I've been doing so many times." Haha he's probably gonna get annoyed at that.

"So what's this favour you want to ask from me?" She asked curiously.

[Zacke]

"That's because my arms are sore from sweeping too many girls off their feet. I need a break."

Zacke laughed and shook his head. "Whatever, dude."

"Hey everyone,"

He turned his head when Stella approached. "Stellaaa," he greeted her with a friendly grin. "Wow, nice dress. Almost makes me wish I had some ketchup on my face." He added playfully.

[Stella]

Stella gave Zacke a wide grin and them promptly plopped down in his lap crossing her legs sexily. He was nice and warm and it was a rather cozy spot. So what if it was a bit forward? She felt comfortable around him for some reason so might as well flirt and enjoy herself. After all its not like she was making out with him in the middle of the ball.

"You can wear ketchup for me any time, Zacko, except I don't think it would go well with this suit" she said giving him a little wink as she took another drink of her wine.

"You look good enough to eat" she said running her hand down the lapel of his jacket giving his cheek a little kiss right about where the red stuff had been during the ketchup incident.

[raydensharpola]

Rayden simply stared at Stella. She just plopped herself into that guy's lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Before this, Rayden had been rather smug about Stella's kisses. But now, his smugness dwindled to a pitiful little puddle on the bottom of his heart.

/Psssssssssssssssssshew! You hear that sound, Raydie? That's the sound of your tiny little heart plopping down to the floor. I'll try to step around it carefully HAHAHHAHAHHA/


Shut up.

"Wow." He shook his head at her, his smile becoming so forced it hurt. "You guys like putting up a show huh?"

/That was laaaaaaame./

"I'm going to get a drink. You guys have fun." He threw a challenging glance at Zacke, before leaving the table and heading towards the bar.

Jun stared after him.

"He sounds really prickly." She commented in an amused tone. Then turned to look at Zacke, catching his eye. Studmuffin. She mouthed with a little giggle.

[Lawric]

Lawric smiled. She forgave him. Wow.

"Jaime, you're amazing." He remarked. "Anyway, the favor... yeah." He laughed. "Actually, it's a little embarrassing. Well, not that embarrassing... well... "

His smile faded a bit. "Ever since... you know." He shook his head. "I... died." He cleared his throat. Every time he thought about it, it gave him an uncomfortable feeling. Talking about it was even worse. "I'm really lost." He smiled ruefully. "I don't know most of the people around me, and hell, I don't even know what you guys... how any of this involves us."

He sighed, finding it hard to keep with the steps of the dance while trying to carry this message across. "I've been too uncomfortable to ask, but I need some help. I keep pretending, but... "

They bumped into a couple. He pulled Jaime into a protective one-armed embrace and mumbled an apology at the couple they'd hit. He looked back at her. "Maybe not tonight, but sometime... can you help me understand what happened?"

[raydensharpola]

Jaime glanced into Lawric's eyes, almost feeling herself lost in them. There was something...quite not right with her tonight. Like a budding flower was opening at some obscure corner of a Jaime that was hidden under several layers of bubbly Jaime. She thought that it had some linkage to why she always tried to push Lawric's buttons. It was the 'special' thing and she always gloated to herself about it.

Well, stop it if you don't wanna make a fool of yourself. Snip off that bud right now She chatised herself.

She listened seriously to Lawric's request, her face turning serious.

"Of course Lawric." She nodded, her eyes flooded with warmth. "Any time that you need that talk, just tell me." She smiled at him. "And I dunno if I ever told you, but I was glad that you really came back to us."

Really...glad...

[Zacke]

Zacke's eyebrows shot up. Okay, if 'dumbfounded' was the word for the ketchup maneuver... was there even a word for this?

She shifted slightly. She was right on--oh--this wasn't good. It wasn't a good position at all--not for him. Not for any straight male, probably.

"You look good enough to eat," She leaned closer and planted a kiss right on his cheek. His eyes involuntarily passed over her cleavage--which, in his own defense, was quite close to his face at this point. It had to have been a totally animal instinct reaction, however, because the split second he realized he had looked, he looked away. His face was very, very hot at this point.

"Hahah," He tried to laugh off some of his nerves, but the laugh came out embarrassingly nervous.

"Wow." He looked over at Rayden. "You guys like putting up a show huh?"

Huh?

"I'm going to get a drink. You guys have fun."

Zacke frowned in confusion as Rayden stood and walked away.

"He sounds really prickly." He looked at Jun. He halfheartedly smiled at what she mouthed at him, but his mind was really in other places. Rayden had seemed friendly enough before, so for him to be this upset... he must have strong feelings for Stella? Slowly a sense of dread crept it's way into his system. He didn't want to make enemies with anyone, especially unintentionally and over a girl...

"Err," he looked at Stella. "Is he okay?"

[Stella]

Stella watched Rayden go with a sigh. She looked down at Zacke giving him a sad little smile. With a ruffle of his hair he slid out of her lap and into the chair beside him. That would probably be a little less uncomfortable for him, he was so cute when he was flustered.

"No, I imagine he's not okay... " she said sadly watching as Rayden sitting down at the bar.

"It's not your fault. He asked me to be his date tonight and I said no... guess I should have been a bit more sensitive.." Stella said trailing her fingers over her skirt.

"Not that he is ever sensitive to any girl he ever flirts with, gah" She sighed and rolled her eyes.