The Honorary Ball, Part II

[Stella]

Slowly she raised her eyebrows as Hadrian spoke. This was the first time she had been turned down for a dance in well.. ever. Except for the times she had been really drunk then no guy wanted to dance with her and she couldn't really blamed them.

"I wasn't asking you to be my date. As you might of noticed I'm sort of here with Rayden." The words sounded weird even to her. That was something she was going to have to get used to saying.

"Just wanted a dance but obviously you are very busy watching your rolling footage of the amazing vomit girl" Stella rolled her eyes. It was disgusting. She deliberately shifted her eyes away from the camera.

She looked at Blaze with a much politer tone and smile, "sorry if I interrupted anything"

Stella turned from them and headed back towards the table noticing that Rayden was leading Gemma out on the dance floor leaving Brooke there pretty much alone. For some reason she felt pity well up inside of her at the sight of the poor girl. Maybe it was because it all reminded her of a past she was trying to leave behind. And even though this was the last person she wanted to spend any time with she suddenly felt like she couldn't leave Brooke there all alone.

Looking around she vaguely remembered that guy in the white suit saying he was going to get Brooke some water. Grabbing a napkin from near by she knelt down in front of the girl and gave her a really sad look.

"By Hyne if you throw up on me I won't hesitate to shoot you" she whispered to the unconscious girl as she pulled the strands of vomit soaked hair away from Brooke's face. With a little sigh she started to clean the pink stuff away from Brooke's cheeks glad that she didn't have a delicate stomach.

"Don't know why I'm even bothering" she muttered to herself looking over the ruined dress Brooke was wearing. Really some one needed to get her back to her dorm room and put her to bed. She glanced up looking around for white suit guy, he seemed to know her.

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze was busy scowling at Hadrian for shoving the vomit footage in her face when Stella showed out of nowhere and asked her if it would be okay to dance with him.

Blaze stared at her blankly. Why is she asking ME for permission? She thought, Oh yeah.... Hadrian's supposed to be my *SIGH* date. But Blaze still wondered why the hell Stella was asking for the dance in the first place. Hadrian and Stella? You couldn't find a more drastic difference in personality and looks and class.

Even though they barely knew each other, there was something that irked Blaze about Stella. Maybe it was the fact that she had sauntered up to them completely decked out in a beautiful dress, looking like she just stepped out of a Balamb Vogue magazine, while Blaze was standing around looking like a washed up rag doll in her torn jeans and dirty sneakers. Or maybe it was because she had called Hadrian, "Hady." Or maybe it was just because Stella was easily prettier and sexier than Blaze, hell most of the girls at the Garden, but she also seemed to know so and act accordingly.

She was the type of girl, Blaze judged immediately, that could always get her way as far as guys were concerned. There was nothing at all to hate about Stella, yet Blaze couldn't shake off the feeling of her personal space being invaded by such... prettiness. She could practically whiff the boy seduction scent wafting off of Stella's body.

Blaze stared at Hadrian in concern when he unexpectedly turned Stella down. Who would turn down Stella for a date?? Apparently Stella was thinking the same. She made a quick retort to Hadrian and said, "sorry if I interrupted anything" before she stormed off in a slightly huffy manner, as if Hadrian had insulted her by saying no to the dance.

Blaze had been so taken aback that it took her a while to react. She felt something weird when Hadrian turned Stella down. Something like a mix of victory with a feeling of pride. But she had no idea why. She didn't win anything.

"You're not my date anymore! Why the hell didn't you dance with Stella?? Well, besides the fact that you can't dance. Because it's obvious you can't. Cheater." Blaze shot at Hadrian, making it clear she had not forgotten about the whole slow dancing escapade. "Don't say crap about feeling bad about ditching me! We both know you only asked me to the ball because of a bet or a dare."

[raydensharpola]

Rayden lead Gemma to the dancefloor, placing his hands on her waist and hand with a respectable distance between them. He was pleasantly surprised that she had accepted his invitation.

If it was the Rayden of yore, he might never have gotten to dance with Gemma. For one he always tried to stay away from the 'nice and respectable' girls; they were usually the ones who expected any kind of dalliance to go beyond the face level. Or sometimes they simply do not give him the time of the day, as they were too smart to let themselves be lured into his 'lovetrap'.

They danced in a brief spell of silence, Rayden shifting his arms slightly to give her a more comfortable position.

"You know.." He began, before the silence had the chance to become awkward. "I found it hard to believe that nobody asked you to be a partner to this ball. But now that I think about it, they're all probably intimidated by your intelligence." He grinned. "Not everyone has the confidence to ask one of the most brilliant brains on the team out."

/Ohhh right, that wasn't awkward, sureeeee...you disappoint me Raydie./

"So how come we don't see your brother around anywhere? I don't think he even came to the table yet." He smirked a little mischievously. "He's probably gonna be the highest recipient of my ex-fangirls."

[Lex]

^{*sneaks online from work... XD*}

---

Brooke groaned pitifully at Stella's touch. She was obviously too sick to function, she didn't even try to brush Stella's hand away or regain her composure in any way. She just lay there with her arm sprawled across the table and her head down against it, eyes-half closed, and allowed Stella to clean up after her as if she were a child.

"Daddy," she whined the word in an almost incoherent way. "Daddy... " She tried to push herself up, only to gag, weaken, and slump back down. "I need... " Her eyes were shut tight against the light of the ballroom, her formerly pretty features now twisted into an ugly frown, her makeup smeared by her own vomit. "Get me a phone." she demanded, not even looking at Stella.

[Gemma Ridean]

"You know.." Rayden said, breaking the silence that was about to fall between them, "I found it hard to believe that nobody asked you to be a partner to this ball. But now that I think about it, they're all probably intimidated by your intelligence. Not everyone has the confidence to ask one of the most brilliant brains on the team out."

Wow...what a line...he spites this stuff out like water doesn't he?

Despite all the bravado and clicheness of his Rayden complex, Gemma was actually enjoying herself. He was a pretty good dancer, much to her surprise, and had yet to step on her feet. And the conversation was, at least, rather amusing.

"So how come we don't see your brother around anywhere? I don't think he even came to the table yet."

Looking over at the Trinity tables, she too saw the Jax was no where to be found.

Probably making out with some floozy he picked up tonight...

"He's probably gonna be the highest recipient of my ex-fangirls."

She stuck out her tongue, rolling her eyes. "Wonderful. I'm so glad to hear that my brother is priviledged enough to follow in the footsteps of the great Rayden Sharpola."

Her smile grew even wider as he suddenly twirled her out beneath his arm. Expertly spinning back towards him, she smirked, "If anything, Mr. Wendigo, I'm glad to hear that your womanizing days are now officially over Who knows? Maybe we can even be friends now."

[Jax Ridean]

Standing in the background, he watched her from a far as she bounced around, making cheery comments and giving false smiles at everyone at the table.

How is she pulling this off? Jax wondered. Even with the general buzz of chatter coming from the many conversations occurring within the ballroom, he could still make out her tinkling voice.

"Nothing a Jaime feast wouldn't fix!"

Then there was something else about Deo...and stinky poo?

He stretched his arms out to the side, or at least tried to. His suit felt too small. Maybe it was the fact that he was feeling pretty unsettled at that moment. Keeping his eye on Jaime, he frowned slightly when he noticed that she was whispering closely to Lawric..

Wonder what they're saying...?

To his surprise, Lawric turned around and was now staring over at him with a small smirk on his face. And for some reason, Jax suddenly had the urge to go over there and lay a good punch into the guy.

"Jax!"

The touch of someone's hand on his shoulder made him flinch.

"Huh!? Oh...hey there."

It was only Vanesse. Smiling sheepishly, he nodded back at her, not exactly sure what to say. Instead, she patted him on the shoulder, she chided, "You take care of Jaime, okay? Keep her...preoccupied. Show her you're a better date than Lawric." He wasn't sure what she meant by that little wink. But before he could say anything, the girl was gone. Something about looking for a guy with breads..?

No matter, he chuckled to himself. Most of his conversations with girls were usually like that, ending with one of them suddenly bounding off somewhere else. Which brings him back to....

"Jax."

He whipped his head around. Jaime was standing there just a few feet away. Immediately, he prayed that she hadn't overheard his conversation with Van. Not that it would matter. But he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for ever intruding on this issue.

She probably wanted to be left alone anyways…you just have to make everything your business huh?

"I'm going to get some invisible-looking drink...you wanna come along?"

She was grinning, but he could tell how hard she was trying to keep up that happy mask. Suddenly, as if she realized that it was pointless, the smile vanished and the small light in her eyes died out.

She sighed. "I'm sorry...I'm not exactly great company now."

Jax frowned. He was supposed to be cheering her up, and instead she just looked miserable.

Placing both hands on her shoulders, he shook his head in mock disapproval. "Hey....stop talking crazy now. I'm really happy to be here with you. Honest to Hyne.” He grinned, patting her on the head.

“Now then miss,” he said, lifting his head up. “I couldn’t call myself a gentleman if I didn’t offer my date a twirl around the dance floor. Who knows,” He widened his eyes as big as possible. “We might even spot some more ghosts.”

[Stella]

"A phone?" Stella frowned glancing around. For some reason she didn't think many people at the ball would be hauling around their cell phones. She looked back at the rich girl sprawled on the table. But then again Brooke probably was. Somehow through all the vomiting and falling Brooke had managed to hang on to her tiny gold clutch.

Disentangling it from Brooke's arms Stella eyed it carefully. It was one of those hand bags that was super tiny but cost a fortune. Normally she would never go into another person's purse but... well this was a weird circumstance. She tugged it open and peaked inside spotting the shape of a sparkly gold phone almost immediately. Even her phone matches her dress... sickening...

"Here Brooke, here's a phone" she pressed it into the drunk girl's hand and then set the purse down. Stella wasn't really sure if this was a good idea. Would the girl even be able to dial the thing and if so how would she call?

[raydensharpola]

"So now I'm not a foolish Wendigo, just a plain old Wendigo eh?" Rayden smirked down at Gemma, easily maneuvring out of a potential 'accident' with a couple who was either too clumsy or too enthusiastic and veered dangerously close to Gemma. "I guess I've levelled up then?" He grinned.

"And I'm frankly honoured to be considered friend material, but don't expect any quotes from famous author from this mouth. The most profound person I can manage to quote would probably be Quistis Trepe." He rolled his eyes, hoping that she'd be suitably amused by self-deprecating wit. "But, if you need someone to guide you to the best restaurants around town, you can always come to me, I promise."

[Hadrian D'arcell]

*SCREAMS* RP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Slouching in his seat, Hadrian kind of felt Blaze was going to spat something again, and she did. Fortunately, he was more immune to her comebacks now.

"Hey, hey, calm down," he replied, his eyes glued to his camcorder. "You really think I asked you out because of a dare?" It wasn't a dare. It was Deo--stirring his curiosity.

"Besides, isn't it the same for you?" He browsed the files to watch a new clip.

Found it. He found the clip of Zacke getting pwned by Perish and smiled.

"You'll never go out with me unless I bribe you." Hadrian turned to her. He tried not to notice it anymore, but her change of outfit really was bothering him. He had no idea he hated dancing this much. He would rather stay here with a violent girl than dance with a voluptous woman in his arms.

"Who cares anyway?" He shrugged and hit play. "That's what happens when you're bored." He pulled a chair and scooted it beside her using his foot. "Don't you get tired just standing there? Me and your legs will be much happier if you sit." He rested his elbows on his knees and showed the screen to her. A cat's squirm resounded from the camcorder.

"Check it." He laughed mischievously. "Know who this is?"

[stardust]

This scenery. The starry sky, the cool breeze, this atmosphere. Somehow, they reminded her of Fisherman's Horizon. The feeling was very familiar, yet at the same time, it was different. Stardust remained behind Reese as she watched him lean on the balcony.

"I remember the last night I saw you." She broke the silence, placing her hands behind her. "You were with your bestfriend---the vodka." They'd been teasing each other tonight, so one more wouldn't make a difference. "I never knew vodka tasted that good. I liked it a lot."

/Mango juice is better for you./

[Reese]

Reese smirked a bit, glancing over his shoulder and lifting one eyebrow just slightly.

"You liked it?" His tone was dry and skeptical. "The face you made when you swallowed it didn't reflect that." He let out an amused 'hmph' and turned away again, leaning against the railing. He couldn't tell if she really did like it, or if she was just joking. She was one interesting girl, this pinkhead. Never able to figure her out.

He sighed softly.

"Stardust," he started tentatively, quietly, not turning to look at her as he spoke. "Do you understand why I left that night?" He stared down at the water dozens of feet below, mutely awaiting her response.

[Jaime]

Jaime started a little when Jax patted her on the head. It reminded her of how Lawric used to do it as a patronising gesture, but somehow it was different coming from Jax. Confusing. Jaime didn't want anymore confusing stuff now she was already in chaos inside.

But she couldn't help the slow grin spreading across her mouth at Jax's suggestion. Looks like sticking with him would be a good idea afterall.

"Okay, show me where the ghosts are! You better or I won't let you have the end of it." She grinned cheekily, extending her hand towards Jax.

[Gemma Ridean]

"But, if you need someone to guide you to the best restaurants around town, you can always come to me, I promise."

"Har, har." Gemma replied dryly, rolling her eyes. "Although I guess I shouldn't be so surprised--"

Her last word hung in mid-air as the realization dawned upon her. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it until now.

"Oh... my...goodness...Rayden.." She had to speak slowly in fear that she would suddenly burst out into hysterics. "Please don't tell me that's why your weapon is cutlery..." She stared at him with astonishment. And then she burst out into laughter.

"Hahaha!!!" she chortled, clapping her hands together. "Were you planning on feasting on fiends afterwards?" The image of Rayden wearing a giant bib and tucking into a giant Malboro with his giant fork and knife quickly came to mind.

"Wait..." she paused, her face twisting in a slight grimace..." you didn't...actually eat any of them...right?"

[stardust]

Stardust's amused laughter slowly faded at Reese's question. Somehow, she had a feeling he would bring that up. As for 'understand', she sort of did. Whether it was out of pity or not, she didn't know. The only thing she wanted to understand now was the fact that they owed him their lives. That was what mattered the most.

She stared at him for a while. What kind of answer was she supposed to say now? If there was anything she could say, what would that be?

"I'm sorry." Stardust said, out of the blue. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that." She found her gaze meeting the ground. "Sorry....and thank you." She would pay him back. Definitely.

[Diego Stanton]

Van was nowhere to be seen and Jaime had been whisked away. The drunk girl was gone too, thank Hyne, but everyone had just left Deo standing all alone on the dancefloor with a puke-covered shoe.

Deo gave a sort of defeated sigh and wriggled his foot out of the remaining shoe, leaving it in the middle of the floor for somebody to trip over. Everywhere he turned he saw couples: Gemma & Rayden, Jaime & ... Jax?, Lawric &... Jun?, Van and that puke shirt guy, Stardust and some bowler hat guy, even Blaze & Hadrian.

He didn't want to interrupt anyone and be the third wheel. He thought about walking up to Stella but recoiled when he saw that she was tending to puke girl. Besides he wouldn't know what to say to a girl as pretty as Stella. He'd probably do that weird thing Vanesse said where he'd dart his eyes frantically around the room in attempts not to rudely stare at a girl.

Deo had never been successful in the girls category. He didn't relate to them very well, and most of them didn't understand him. Literally, they couldn't understand. Most of them could not even comprehend things that Deo loved to debate about, like the complexity of pi and triple triad techniques. One time he had held a decent conversation with a pretty girl until he joked that Theoretical Physics is a science locally isomorphic to Mathematics and she didn't laugh. It made Deo sad, for it was his favorite one-liner.

Deo walked over to the bar and sat down. The bartender rolled his eyes at him and said, "not one of you Trinity members again."

Deo shrugged. He wasn't going to be part of this much longer. He, Vanesse and Lawric would all be parting this group of SeeDs soon. He still didn't know Jaime's take on the offer, but he'd bet anything that she'd go along with them instead of desert them for a new group of friends.