The Honorary Ball, Part II

[Zacke]

"Would you mind leaving this floozy to her own devices and asking her?"

Zacke's eyebrows lifted slightly. Stella's hair brushed his neck a bit, sending a tingling sensation all down his spine. He had never encountered a girl that oozed sex appeal like this. Is she doing it on purpose? he wondered. He passed a discreet glance Gemma's way. Anyway, how was he supposed to ask her now? She would know Stella had prompted him to do it. Or maybe... maybe this was a female-friend thing, and Gemma had put Stella up to the task of getting him to ask her. Suddenly he felt bad. He would have asked Gemma to dance without Stella's prodding and poking!

"What are you grinning about?" Brooke asked dryly, staring at Stella.

Zacke frowned and looked back at her. "None of your business, barbie. Why are you even at our table?"

Brooke scowled at him for a minute, before turning to Gemma and apparently deciding to disregard him entirely. "Ridean. I know you. Your father went boating with mine once, didn't he? Or something?" She sat the champagne bottle down. "Anyway, come with me, we'll find some cute guys at the bar--"

"--Oh no." Zacke interrupted. "Like hell she wants to hang out with you. You're such a bad influence, I don't even know where to begin." He frowned. "Besides, you smell like alcohol. Real classy. Eat a mint or something."

He rose from his chair and moved away from Stella, walking to the end of the table and turning to extend an arm out for Gemma. "Come on, come dance with me. I promise to keep my pants on around you this time," he said, cracking a grin.

[waterlily43]

Jun turned to face Lawric, her attention on nowhere else but him and what he was saying. All this that he was trying so hard to explain now...she couldn't say that she knew exactly how he felt, because hell, she had never died before. Knocked unconscious, yeah, a couple of times before she got revived, and that was already quite an uncomfortable experience. What he had gone through must've been a hundred times, maybe a thousand times worse.

"I sound like I'm out of my mind, don't I?" He finally ended, staring intently at her.

"No you don't!" She blurted out as soon as the words left his mouth, placing a hand on his arm in emphasis. "I don't know what you're going through now, but I know it can't be pleasant at all. I think you're handling all this admirably, and I have the uptmost respect for you for that. And it's an extraordinary experience, having difficulty expressing it is...I dunno, normal perhaps?" She squeezed his arm in what she hoped was a comforting manner. "But I'm sure with time, you'll get better. Just like people need time to get to know each other, maybe your...spirit, perhaps, is trying to get acquainted once more with your body..." She bit her lip. Now she was the one that sounded cuckoo. "Forget I said that...it's an illogical assumption."

Her face suddenly lit up with a slightly mischievous smile.

"I know a way to make you feel better. Or at least get your mind off it." She stood on tiptoes, and planted a quick, soft kiss on his cheek.

Oh man what have I done?? She regretted her impulse immediately, but too late. She could see a lipstick mark imprinted on his cheek, and there was no way to pretend that it didn't happen now.

"S...Sorry...I wasn't thinking." She stammered, her entire face flushed with red.

[Lawric]

"I know a way to make you feel better. Or at least get your mind off it."

Lawric froze when she came onto the front tips of her shoes and leaned toward him. Even his breath paused, suspended in his throat. For a brief moment he felt a rush of her breath against his cheek, before her lips pressed against it, warm and soft. She pulled away quickly though, suddenly sheepish and stammering.

"S...Sorry...I wasn't thinking."

What he did next, he didn't really put any thought into; it was all one fluid motion and he just kind of did it. Closing the little space she had put between them, he took hold of one of her hands gently, leaned downward, and pressed his lips into hers. The rush he felt was indescribable as he lingered there for only a moment. It was an innocent kiss, brushing and sweet and of barely parted lips. But it was still enough to send his entire nervous system out of whack. His heart slammed against his ribcage, and he struggled to reign himself in and pull himself out of this emotional vacuum before he tumbled in and lost control completely.

His lips came away from hers, and, inhaling shallowly, he moved his head backward slightly and rested his gaze on hers. His hand still lightly gripped her fingers down at their sides. He found that he didn't really have words at the moment. He hadn't been thinking, either.

[waterlily43]

Jun thought he might run away. She thought he might scold her or even start distancing himself away from her, which was why she regretted being impulsive.

But she didn't expect...this...this...she didn't have any words for it!

When he brought his lips upon hers, gentle and lightly brushing across hers, she thought time had stopped, her entire body froze for one milisecond but her insides melted into a puddle of gooey sweet warm mess the next, her heart pounding excitedly all this while trying to jump out of her chest. She couldn't react, couldn't think, could only let him lead her and just lost herself to whatever he was doing to her.

The world could turn upside down and she wouldn't have cared, but a sudden thought intruded upon her mind.

MY FIRST ONE!! She opened her eyes in shock, only to gaze straight into his. She was breathing heavily, and he was too. Why was she so fascinated by the way their breaths seemed to mingle into each other? Were they subconsciously trying to synchronise breathing patterns? Her mind was racing, yet blank at the same time. Confusion running all over. She couldn't even trace a single thread of thought without letting it slip away. She could only stare and stare at him.

She held out a hand to her cheek, which felt flushed and hot.

"I...." She began, but lowered her head, her hand lowering at the same time, finding it awkward to look at him. The taste of his lips still lingered on hers and unknowingly she traced her tongue over her lower lip.

What the hell am I doing??

"Lawric..." She finally said in a soft, bashful tone, and couldn't continue anymore.

[Hadrian D'arcell]

AHAHHAAH BROOKE XD
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Hadrian smiled when he recognized Vanesse and Deo coming towards them for a greeting. He almost forgot the whole purpose why he asked Blaze on a date tonight.

He looked down on Blaze, then back to Vanesse. Zacke was quick to greet them and was also quick to disappear. Hadrian blinked. He thought that it was weird that he would just leave his friend/crush/whatever with him.

"Really Blaze?" Vanesse spoke again once the blonde left. "When you were caught in that mess, me and Deo were so worried about you. It's a good thing you're all right now." She smiled.

"Well, what do you expect? Blaze here told me she couldn't bear being away from here so she had to go back," said Hadrian, plastering a caring smile on his face to match Vanesse's.

"Isn't that cute, Deo? Blaze is thinking about the people now. She's matured overnight." He nodded, trying not to laugh at his own words. "I'm proud of her, you are too, aren'tcha?"

[raydensharpola]

Rayden went to the the bar to get two glasses of red wines after Stella had half-escorted and half-pulled Gemma towards the Trin table. He figured that one more glass of red probably would not make much of difference to Stella's blood alcohol level. She appeared to be sober anyway, and he wasn't going to be a spoilsport more than necessary.

He was just emerging from the pool of dancing couples, and saw it immediately. She was leaning close and whispering to Zacke, too close for comfort in fact. And her silky hair brushed against the guy's neck, and he responded by raising his eyebrows a tad too high for Rayden's liking. Rayden didn't know what he was thinking about, but he was willing to bet his entire fortune it wasn't about Stella's brand of shampoo.

Zacke stood up and offered a hand to Gemma.

"Come on, come dance with me. I promise to keep my pants on around you this time," he said, cracking a grin.

Rayden kept any sarcastic comments that bordered on his lips and shooed them to the back of his mind. He slid past Stella and took the seat that Zacke had just vacated, thumping the two glasses of red wine on the table with barely-held back roughness, some of the red liquid splasing on the tablecloth.

He crossed his arms and looked unseeingly into the dancing crowd, scowling a bit.

[stardust]

Ran from me?

What did he mean by that? Stardust clenched her jaw. Reese was ready to face his consequences. It was the best thing that he could ever do. However, she just...didn't sit well on it. There was no other way after all. She needed to clear his name fair and square. Couching him to escape would only bring more harm than good. Afterall, just because her sole purpose of becoming a good SeeD was gone, it didn't mean that she had to go overdo things.

She let out a sigh. "I can't believe I asked you to escape..." She shook her head. "Sorry." Glancing at him, she added. "I guess Reese has finally stopped being the poster guy for evil." She was teasing. This silence was starting to become unbearable. "And I, his secret follower, was still trying to live up his legacy."

[jaimelewis]

"You know...she really looks like our dead friend, Signe." Jaime scrunched up her face. "How can two people look so alike? If she was less haughty, wore less make up, changed her clothes and her loud voice, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. THANK GOODNESS SHE'S SO...UMMM...SO SHINY, JAX!" She grinned. "Or Deo would piss his pants thinking Signe's come back from the dead. Or do you think Signe's spirit possessed her?" Her mouth opened with a scandalous gasp. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

[Stella]

Stella was still standing behind the chair when Zacke vacated it heading over to Gemma. She was just about to put some distance between her and Brooke when Rayden appeared.

He slammed down into the chair in front of her and thudded the two glasses on the table. A little bit of the red liquid marring the lovely white table cloth. Had something happened between now and when she had left him before? His mood had totally changed.

"Hey.." Stella said lowering herself down and placing a kiss on the top of his head, breathing in the sent of his hair. It was simply brilliant how boys could smell so amazing all of the time.

"Thanks for the rescue back there..." she whispered softly against his hair before moving her lips away and slipping, a bit reluctantly, into the chair next to him. Cocking her head just a little to the left she looked at him with concern as she leaned back in the chair.

She desperately wanted to ask him what was wrong but decided it would be best just to keep her mouth closed, as long as Brooke was around, to avoid any further embarrassment. However she couldn't help but notice that he distinctly not looking at her.

Slowly she crossed her legs smoothing out her dress keeping her gaze trailed on the green fabric. Awkward...

[raydensharpola]

Rayden was still scowling like a little boy when Stella came to him and thanked him for his little act of heroism--which he was still a little smug about--with a little kiss on his head. Half his "anger" melted away. Well, it wasn't really anger, persay, but a rush of something unpleasant. Like when he saw her dancing with that stupid SeeD that abandoned her on the dancefloor.

It has a name you know. Jealousy...little Raydie is jeaaaalous. Ariadnialla started gloating in his head. He wanted to unjunction her right now, but she would never let him have the end of it if he did.

Rayden snorted softly, glancing back towards Stella who seemed rather interested in the skirt of her gown. And she wasn't the one Zacke was asking for a dance...so what was he stewing about?

He realised that his little petulant performance would seem nothing but unreasonable and petty to Stella, if she ever found out what was going through in his mind.

"Hey Babe. I got you a glass of red." He smirked at her. "But I let the tablecloth have a sip...to test that it isn't poisoned or anything."

[Stella]

Babe?... Stella's head snapped up as soon as he spoke. He's not talking to Brooke is he?..

No, no.. he was absolutely looking her direction, smirking in fact. He's calling me Babe now?... An amused little smile played over her lips for a moment as he gazed her way. Then her eyebrow quirked up a little as she smirked sexily back at him. His voice seemed neutral but she couldn't let go of the way he had been acting only moments ago.

With a delicate hand she reached out and plucked the wine glass up from the table bringing it to her lips as she watched him over the glass. She took a long drink letting the rush of wine make her tingle all over reminding her just how much she'd had to drink that night. Sighing she set the glass back down on the table.

Reaching out she rested her hand on his strong shoulder able to feel his muscles through the sexy suit he was wearing. She leaned over her head close to his, her lips right next to his ear. His smell was haunting her senses again and it was driving her crazy to be so close to his warm body. Roaring inside her was the need to have more. Hyne, sometimes physical attraction sucked.

"I'm not going to ask you here in front of her" she pumped as much scorn into the word as she could, "but there is obviously something wrong and as soon as I see that Zacke and Gemma are safely on the dance floor you are going to tell me what it is"

Her hand trailed off his shoulder tracing down along his arm to brush her fingers against his softly before pulling away to lean back in her chair. Once more she crossed her legs this time looking across the space between them into his eyes.

[Reese]

Secret follower?

Mental images of her mimicking him and flipping people off came to mind. It was even funnier when he pictured her in his bowler and coat. The mental visual made him want to snicker. She had a way of saying things so humorously. It lifted him out of the dark places he often found himself in--her offbeat way of looking at things.

"Now wait just a minute," Reese's gaze slid over to her. "If you think just because I don't want to run, that I've gone soft or something, then apparently you don't know me as well as you thought you did." He smirked in that wicked way he always had with her, passing her a furtive glance. "You're so naive, Inifinity." He looked away. "I'm on my best behavior because I have to be. I know when to choose my battles." He scoffed. "But I guess you wouldn't know anything about actually choosing battles, since you just take every one that comes... "

It wasn't customary for him to partake in playful banter, but with Stardust, things were always different. They operated on a kindred wavelength, or something--the two of them. He just felt comfortable; like he could say things to her without damaging her pride, or something. Probably because she was just as likely to say something snide right back.

"Anyway," he sighed, his smirk fading a bit but his tone still light. "You don't have to apologize for your suggestion. It's sweet." He paused, staring at the wall across from him again. "But to answer your question... If by some miracle they do pardon me, I'm going after DotNA. Every single one of them."

[Lex]

"Oh, for the great mercy in Hyne," Brooke gave an exaggerrated roll of the eyes and stood from her chair. Her gaze settled on Rayden. "Every stone on this dress is a real champagne diamond. It could have been on the floor of your dorm tonight." She was obviously tipsy, swaying slightly as she ranted. "You're an idiot." She huffily moved around her chair, scotting it aside noisily and sauntering away from the table.

She let out a yelp and almost twisted her ankle when she stepped down at the wrong angle and one foot went unstable beneath her. She recovered as much composure as she had left after all that wine and champagne, and pushed through the crowd, out into the dance floor.

[Lawric]

"Lawric..." She shrank from him a little when she whispered his name, averting her eyes and blushing deeply. He watched her with interest, his expression impassive and his eyes focused. It was ironic--his heart was beating rapidly, but he felt so calm. The adrenalin and endorphins pumping through his system washed away any and all of the discomfort he had complained of only minutes earlier, and it was all but forgotten to him now. He kept his gaze trained on her deep blue eyes, though she seemed too uncomfortable or shy to return the gaze. Her delicate lips were still parted slightly. A certain heat lingered between them that was intoxicating. But her shyness was not discouraging--in fact, if anything...

What an alluring woman...

He pulled himself out of his daze a bit and took a small step backward, allowing her fingers to slip from his grasp, giving her back the measure of personal space that he had taken without warning only moments ago. He tried to read her expression for any sign of how she felt.

"My apologies. I honestly mean to respect you, Jun... " he said quietly, trailing off. He paused, and then smirked a bit. "You are just such a comforting presence." he looked down, his smirk growing rueful. "And the look of you doesn't help--it obviously stifles my better judgment."

[Jun]

Jun finally took enough control of emotions, and she tried stealing a peep at Lawric's face, and found it to be calm. Her blush, which had started to subsided a little roared its fiery head again, and she wished she could bury her face into the ground or something.

How could he be so calm when I'm all in a jumble inside? He's obviously rather practiced in kissing? Well not everyone is abnormal like me I guess.

When he withdrew away from her, she suddenly had an impulse to grab onto his hand to stop him, but she knew that impulses usually got her into a sticky embarrassing situation where she didn't know what to do with herself. She forcefully pressed her hand to the side to prevent it from misbehaving.

Her entire body was misbehaving today.

"You don't have to apologise." She said meekly, peeking up at his face. "If I thought you were disrespectful I would've given you a slap and ran away." She smiled shyly, fumbling wiith her hands as she didn't know what to do with them. "I just...don't really know how to react...it's the first time I've ever been kissed by a guy." She rambled, then gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. She had just unwittingly revealed that she was a relationship retard to the guy who gave her the first kiss.

Now she really wished that she had a hole to climb into.