The Honorary Ball, Part II

[Lawric]

"You have wonderful hands."

Lawric looked down at their hands--hers resting in each of his. There was such a stark contrast. Not only in size, but in shape and color. Each of her slender fingers tapered down to a pretty little manicured nail. The backs of her hands felt cool and smooth. She had this lovely milky skin tone, unblemished by the sun. And his--while they were clean tonight with the nails trimmed neatly, there were callouses in his palms that would probably never go away. His skin was tanned, and due to working with tools a lot, it was by no means soft and smooth. At least not where his hands were concerned.

He smirked. Wonderful hands, huh? At those words, he had to brush a few dirty 'male' ideas out of his mind and remind himself that she was a lady and he should be a gentleman, even in his thoughts.

"Well, that's one I've never heard before," he remarked. "Swinging Nauthiz around doesn't exactly make for baby-soft hands."

His smirk faded just a bit at the thought of his axe. He cleared his throat and met her gaze. "Come on," he said, slipping his hands away from hers and putting an arm around her shoulders. "I know you say you couldn't care less, but I feel bad. You can't miss this Ball, this is a big night for you," he rambled on as he began ushering her across the balcony, toward the Ballroom doors. He slipped his arm away when he reached out to open the door and step aside, letting her through first.

He followed her into the Ballroom and let the door close behind them. Moving up beside her again, he didn't replace his arm around her shoulders, and instead pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Well," he paused, surveying the ballroom before them. "I have absolutely no clue where my date is--or any of my friends, for that matter." He glanced over at her. "Do you think your date minds that you've been off with me this whole time?"

[Zacke]

Zacke smiled down at her as he listened, flattered and yet a little confused by her words. Did he really give off such a positive vibe? He could admit that he never had a problem making friends. He'd had a lot of them at Galbadia, all from a lot of different cliques and walks of life. Most people just seemed to get along with him and like him well enough. Still, he didn't know it was so obvious that even Gemma--someone he just met--would pick up on it.

"Umm, well... I don't think it's something I make a conscious effort at." He let out a laugh. "I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but I guess it's just the way I am? Friendly?"

He shifted his arms around her and moved his head over hers, his chin lightly brushing against her hair. "Anyway, I don't have family or anything, so I guess maybe that's why I like to make a lot of connections. I don't know." he shrugged. "And you know, I think the SeeD life will kill your spirit if you let it. When I'm not on a mission, I just try to have fun."

He laughed.

"And in case you're wondering; yes, I'm always this corny."

[stardust]

"Oh really?" Stardust's brows lifted curiously. Reese? There was a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. Did he say he thought of the perfect payback? She cocked her head and creased her forehead, smiling lightly. If it was about Zacke, then she just had to see that.

/You...Have you ever heard of 'Don't do unto others what you don't want others do unto you??'/ Diwata scolded her.

Did Zacke even think of that before he decided to mess with me? she indignantly thought. She would even like it if Reese would just hold the guy for her and she would punch. That would be really great.

"What are you planning?" she asked Reese, eyeing him intently. She began to walk back towards the direction of the Ballroom.

[vanesse]

LHAFHAHAHAHA DOUCHEBAG XD Blaze sure knows how to torture Hadrian LMAO
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Vanesse bit her lip when Blaze expressed her glittering annoyance for Hadrian. It was almost scary--seeing her fume. How in the world was she going to ride this date-swapping thing then? She was about to engage in some internal conflict when Blaze spoke again and decided to provide her with some words of assurance.

The fiery brunette said that Hadrian liked people who ask him for a dance. Vanesse stared at her blankly.

Oh, okay, that's...good... But they weren't going to dance during the candle lighting so she felt that was a pointless advice. That's not a good way to think, is it? She turned on her optimism button and reconsidered. But still...Maybe, it was possible to get along with Hadrian if she followed Blaze's advice. Afterall, she already told herself that she wouldn't hold any grudge against Zacke or Hadrian.

Blaze was apologizing to her this time and it made Vanesse smile. She thought Deo's sister was really not that bad, afterall.

"Oh no, don't apologize. I don't mind at all." With that, she had decided. "Okay! I'll deal with Hadrian then if you can't handle him." She stuck her tongue and scratched her head. "Guys should ALWAYS be a gentleman to ladies, y'know? I'll tell him it's not a good practice to act like a douchebag to girls."

It was really quick but, all of a sudden, Vanesse's eyes caught Jaime's crying figure pass their way. She paused and blinked.

Jaime? She wasn't sure.

"Where's Lawric?!" Vanesse faced Deo. He seemed to have seen the same girl as well. That really was Jaime?

She looked at Blaze, then back to Deo. What happened this time? Don't tell me...Lawric again? She had a feeling it was probably one of those harmless fights again, but she just had to make sure. Jaime looked really hurt.

"How can you ask me that? I was with you the whole time." she replied to Deo, jogging to where he was. "I'm going to look for Lawric then," she proposed, concerned. She figured Jaime suddenly became the number one priority right now so they had better see what was going on. "You go after Jaime!" She nudged Deo towards the direction of where Jaime disappeared. "Let's go!"

"Argh. What did he do this time?" Running past Blaze, Vanesse weaved through the dance floor to look for Lawric.

[Reese]

"Hah," Reese turned, walking alongside her. "You'll see."

And that was all he said as the made their way down the hall, back toward the ballroom. When they reached the big double-doors, Reese opened one and allowed her to go through before stepping inside.

He paused, surveying the area before them for a moment.

"Come on," he took her hand and began leading her through the crowds of people and around the pillars, angling off toward one of the vacant tables. This table wasn't part of their assigned seating adjacent to the stage. It was closer to the dance floor, just beside a large pillar. It was a small table, just meant for four people.

He took a seat and again turned his attention over to the ballroom.

"Do you see him anywhere?" he asked, glancing around.

[Hadrian D'arcell]

So I was right.

Hadrian just wanted to confirm that fact, and he did. A SeeD and an Opps. It was truly a rare coincidence. Though he still couldn't fathom why Deo wanted to hide the fact in the closet, he figured that just knowing was enough for him.

"Don't worry, pal. I'll take your secret to my grave." He tucked the photo back in his pocket. Maybe he would use it as a blackmail in case Deo tried to pull a fast one on him.

Deo warned him about mistreating Vanesse and Hadrian had to roll his eyes. Did he ever mistreat Blaze? Why would he mistreat Vanesse? He even apologized to her and Jaime for what he did this morning.

/Caution. Previous attempt of claimed 'apology' at 13:06 hours did not meet the standard procedures for 'asking an apology'. Implications include incorporation into Corpora Quadrigemina's memory bank of people who are identified as 'liars'./

I tried. That's the whole point. He yawned. Get off my back already, CQ. Hm?

Jaime running past them was hard to miss. She seemed a bit upset, and it surprised Hadrian a little. Jax was following closely behind her. He turned back to Deo only to see Vanesse instruct him like a drill sergeant. They were going to look for Lawric and Jaime.

"Hey...what just..." he trailed off, but they didn't seem to hear him. Vanesse already went towards the dancefloor. "...happened?"

He followed the petite girl with his eyes as she brushed past Blaze. He swallowed. He turned to Deo, expecting that he didn't disappear on him yet. "Hey Deo! You're not really going to look for Jaime, aren't you?"

[Lawric]

Lawric's attention trailed back over to the ballroom as he waited for Jun's reply.

Almost in that same instant, he caught sight of Vanesse. She was moving quickly and glancing all around her, looking sort of distraught or worried. And she was alone.

Lawric frowned slightly.

"Van!" he waved a hand up. With his tall frame and white suit, there was no way she could miss him if she looked in this direction. "Hey Shorty, over here," he grinned. She never liked that nickname. "Looking for someone?"

[stardust]

LOL these two troublemakers XD And wow O.O Isn't that Kamen?? Pol's date?? *gasp* Did I even got that right? XD
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Stardust saw Jaime and Jax continually pass by them and did nothing more than to spare them a second glance. Reese dragged her towards one of the vacant tables where they had a good view of the dancefloor. She was still a little confused of what they were supposed to do, but somehow, she was looking forward to it.

"Do you see him anywhere?" She turned to Reese, swinging back her attention to the bunch of couples swaying in the dancefloor. She leaned on the table.

"I really can't believe you're doing this," she mumbled, lightly chuckling. "Let's see....Zacko." She scanned the crowd. "...Where are you?" She focused her gaze on people's head, aiming to catch his blonde hair. Naturally, it would be a little hard to find him since 60% of the SeeDs in the area were blonde. However, there was something about Zacke that Stardust couldn't miss. In approximately 10 seconds, Stardust was able to recognize Zacke from a distance, in the middle of all these people.

"Found him." He was dancing with...Gemma? She noticed that Zacke was a little popular tonight. She didn't want to know why. She couldn't wait to see what Reese had in store for him. Stardust pointed them to Reese.

"Wait, Reese." She turned to him. "It's still not too late to turn back." She matched his expression as if to challenge the guy. "I mean, I will understand and all."

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edit x.x typo skdha; blood=blonde LOL XD

[Lil]

WOAH YOU GUYS POSTED SO MUCH IN A SHORT TIME

Crappy rushed post -_-
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Jun shook her head glancing around the ballroom.

'Zacke is a studmiffin. He wouldn't have problems finding a girl to dance with." She smirked. "I'm just some kind of sister figure to him." She caught sight of the popular blonde dancing with Gemma. "There he is. He's dancing with Gemma."

Right about that time Vanesse hurried towards their direction looking a little worried. As usual nosy parker reared its head in her mind and she looked concernedly at the petite girl, laughing a little inside when Lawric called her Shorty. It was rude but endearing.

"Are you alright, Vanesse?"

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Jaime lifted her head from her arms when she felt someone drape a jacket over her. It was Jax. Why had he come after her? Had he seen her when she was watching Lawric and Jun in the balcony? And her face streaking with tears when she ran from the ballroom?

Why was it that he had to be here? She just wanted to be alone right now, she didn't want anyone to see her in this state. But he didn't say anything, just staring at her with what was concern. It actually gave her the resolve to pick herself up.

"I"m fine." She managed to eke out a smile, swallowing her tears back like a hard lump of rock into her stomach. She helped herself up off the ground, tottering unsteadily on her heels.

"May I ask a favour from you, Jax?" She asked softly, drying her eyes with the back of her hand. "Take me to the candle lighting ceremony..." She left her sentence trailing, knowing that she wouldn't be able to face Lawric normally without replaying that balcony scene over and over again. She didn't have the confidence not to break down again. "I know it's rude to ask you to play along with me, but I...I just can't...think of any other way." She mumbled, looking down at her feet. "It's okay if you want to take another girl...though."

[Reese]

"Found him."

Reese followed her index finger, looking for any sign of the blonde. It wasn't long before he spotted him. Oh, he's dancing with some pretty little thing... Perfect. Reese smirked.

"Wait, Reese." Stardust spoke out. "It's still not too late to turn back." He looked over at her. "I mean, I will understand and all." She was looking back at him with a challenging stare that completely opposed her words, daring him to do it with her eyes.

He looked back toward Zacke. Turn back... hah.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

/IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU JUNCTION MEEEEEE!!/ Perish's voice filled his mind immediately, horridly screeching and childlike.

Peri--

/REESIE!! REESIE!!/

She was practically having a heart attack. He could feel her bouncing around inside his head, a tiny ball of pure energy. Perish-- He was already starting to get annoyed. He glanced over at Stardust.

/YOU CAME TO THE DANCE WITH STARDUST EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!/

Her shrill voice barreled into every crack and corner of his mind. She could induce a headache within a few sentences. PERISH.

/SHE'S NOT EVEN WEARING A DRESS EWWWW SHE LOOKS LIKE A BOY!!/

Of course, she went on shrieking, regardless of his thoughts. He looked back at the floor again, swallowing his frustration and burning urge to growl or scream or something. PERISH!!

/WHAT?/

He sighed deeply. He probably looked crazy right now, frowning at the floor and clenching his jaw. He glanced over at Stardust.

"Just a minute," he said. He turned his gaze back toward the floor, his expression relaxing.

I need you to do me a favo--

/THERE ARE SOME BRIGHT COLORS IN HERE!!/

PERISH. Mercutio. Dance floor. He lifted his gaze and looked straight at Zacke.

/AHAHAHA!!/

Reese closed his eyes. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

/LET ME OUUUT, LET ME OUT!!/

I'm going to. But you have to promise me that you'll only go after Zacke.

/I WANT TO KILL HIM./

No magic. No killing.

/I WANT TO KILL STARDUST./

NO KILLING.

/I WANT TOOOOO./

PERISH. You incorrigibly annoying little furball LISTEN TO ME. No killing, and no magic. You have to pretend to be a real kitten. Understood?

/CAN I GET STARDUST INSTEAD?/

If you so much as hiss at her, I will step on your head.

/... YOU'RE PSYCHO./

Are you going to do it or not?

/HAHA HE WILL PROLLY TASTE FUNNY!!/

Reese smirked. Probably.

At that, Reese gave a furtive glance around. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. He stared intently at the marble floor right in front of him and began to concentrate on his summon.

A small, fluffy black kitten materialized between his boots. As she came into focus she was sitting primly and staring back up at him serenely, blue eyes shining. However, as soon as she was present in full physical form, she sprang into movement.

She pushed her front paws up from the ground and jumped a bit, standing upright on her back ones for about half a second, before flipping her body around and landing sprawled out on the marble. She scrambling to her feet quickly. Reese smirked and nudged her roughly with the toe of his boot as she tried to turn herself in the right direction. The nudge threw her off completely and she rolled around kicking for another second or two, before scrambling up again and readying to pounce his foot.

"Hsst!" he hissed down at her.

She glanced at him for a brief moment, and then decided to turn her attention away from his boot and seemingly do what she was actually supposed to. However, at some point during this sudden change in priorities, she must have remembered Stardust. She glanced over at the pink-haired girl. Quickly she dropped low, pushing her butt into the air and preparing to launch herself into Stardust's lap. In that brief moment Reese reached down and grabbed her up by the scruff of her neck.

"Stop." he muttered coldly, giving her a menacing look. He carelessly tossed her back down onto the marble, his annoyance with her evident in the rough way he handled her. She landed on her feet and paused, shaking her head maniacally for a second or two. And then without any warning, she shot off like a rocket toward the dance floor, toward Zacke and Gemma. She slipped and slided a bit over the glossy marble, dodging and passing through the legs of couples, her back legs kicking out behind her rapidly.

Reese glanced over at Stardust, arching an eyebrow. He looked back out at the dance floor, a contented smile playing on his lips.

[waterlily43]

Jun saw a small black furball scurrying in the dancefloor heading towards the middle. She winced thinking it was dangerous for a kitten to be weaving around those legs, what if they stepped on her? But it seemed perfectly adequate in dodging the feet. Jun smiled fondly.

She looks like Perish She raised an eyebrow. She could recognise that perky kitten anywhere, but she doubted herself at the same time. Afterall there was no reason why she would appear here.

With another look at the kitten she turned back to look at Vanesse waiting for her answer.

[Gemma Ridean]

Gemma's body tensed up when she felt Zacke's arms tighten around her waist. He was holding her so close...she could feel the weight of his chin resting on the top her head..

Listening to his voice helped her relax a bit. He had a very rich, soothing voice...it was wonderful.

"And in case you're wondering; yes, I'm always this corny."

She felt so calm and relaxed that she didn't get the chance to feel nervous. Glancing upwards at him she grinned wryly. "Better take a chance on being corny than die a smart-ass, right?"

She tried to play it cool, but inside she was beaming. For the first time around him, she got to say exactly what she wanted to say!

And here she was, dancing in Zacke's arms......she knew it was only for tonight..but either way...this moment was perfect.

Except...except for that strange hissing sound....

She listened carefully. It sounded if it was coming from the floor.

There was another noise...like talons clawing on wood...

And it was getting louder.

"Zacke." she whispered anxiously.

"Zacke. Do you hear that?"

[Jax Ridean]

"May I ask a favour from you, Jax" He nodded, still holding on to her elbow in case she should stumble again.

"Take me to the candle lighting ceremony..."

She said it so softly, her voice sounded almost muffled, that he wasn't sure if he had heard right.

He looked at her with a bit uncertainty. "Sorry..?

"I know it's rude to ask you to play along with me," she mumbled, as if sensing his discomfort. "but I...I just can't...think of any other way." He tried to face her but she quickly looked away towards the floor. "It's okay if you want to take another girl...though."

To be honest, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of helping her get back at Lawric...but then again...if it means so much to her...

He made his decision.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he grinned widely. "Sure thing kid. I'll take you to the ceremony. Besides," he chuckled, "I'd much rather be with you than crazy drunk girl for the rest of the night." Feigning a stern look, he tapped the tip of her nose. "So no worries, ok?"

[Zacke]

The tiny kitten skidded through and around the legs and heels, her little arms and legs propelling her forward at a rapid pace.

ZACKE. ZACKE. ZACKE.

---

"Zacke. Do you hear that?"

Zacke frowned slightly in confusion, listening.

---

She spread all four limbs apart widely, her tiny nails scratching across the ballroom floor as she slide to a halt. She stayed low to the ground, looking up at the back of his head with the most menacing look in her eyes that a cute little kitten can possess.

ZACKE.

Her attention turned quickly to his right leg, and without a moment's hesitation she launched herself at it, extracting her claws and attaching herself instantly--like Velcro.

HAHAHA!!

---

"Ouch!!" Zacke pulled away from Gemma, twisting his head around to look at the back of his leg. "What the--!?"

---

PERISH THE FIERCE!!

She began frantically scrambling up his leg, sharp claws intentionally cutting through his pants and scratching at his leg with every advancing motion. He began shaking his leg violently, but she held fast, determined, her ears flat against her head and her canine teeth bared.

Before he even had time to reach down and pull her off his leg with a hand, she'd already made it over his hip and onto his back where he couldn't reach her. The pant leg of his nice suit had been thoroughly snagged up and ruined during her climb, but that was the least of his worries as she crawled up his back and sank her teeth into the back side of his neck.

"HOLY FUCK!!" He hunched over, his expression twisted into a mixture of shock and pain. "GET IT OFF!! GET IT OFF!!" he shouted at nobody in particular.

Again, before he even had time to grab her away from his neck, she had pulled away and began climbing up the back of it and onto his head. She hissed and spat wildly, digging her nails into his scalp for grip as she repeatedly beat the top of his head with one small arm. He cowered even lower, wincing in pain. "OWW!! OWW!!" The hair that was so neatly styled only moments ago was now thoroughly disheveled, the wild little thing sitting amidst it and growling in a feral way.

He finally reached up and grabbed her around her torso with one hand. At his touch, she went insane. Her growling and hissing became twice as loud, and she wrapped herself around his hand and bit deeply into it.

Zacke held her out and looked at her, horrified. "What the fuck?!" He began shaking his hand wildly to get her off. Not one limb swung loose. She had his poor hand in a death grip, her hair puffed out and her eyes wild. He clenched his jaw and swung his arm down hard. The lower half of her body came away from his hand, soon followed by the rest. She dropped onto the ground silently and pressed herself low, a fur ball of fury. A guttural growl and hiss escaped her throat just before she wheeled around and tore off through the sea of legs, toward the ballroom doors.

Zacke looked at Gemma's shocked face and felt his own growing very hot. The eyes of everyone around were on them. He looked down at his hand, which now hosted, oh--about a thousand little scratch and bite marks.

What?!

[waterlily43]

Jaime caught the little moment of what looked like uncertainty on Jax's face. And for some unknown reason she felt the urge to explain herself.

"Look Jax. If it makes you feel better I'm not doing this to take revenge or show him up or anything." She sighed, trying to wrap her tongue around her words, a trying task as her throat was all hitched up from all that crying. She sounded whiny to her own ears. "It's just that...Lawric doesn't know about my..." Her what? She felt reluctant to say that word. She didn't want to acknowledge it, it was nothing but a nuisance and pain to her. "He doesn't know anything, alright? And I don't want him to know...you saw what happened. I cannot possibly attend that candle lighting ceremony right now acting as if everything is fine and dandy...it's not..." She blinked rapidly preempting and holding another wave of tears before it happened her lip trembling with the effort. "I'm just trying to avoid a disaster in the making." Her voice shook. She swallowed hard, willing herself to continue. "And come out of it looking like nothing ever happened."

She cracked a wavering smile when he agreed to her request.

"Thank you Jax. I owe you three thousand and seventy one favours now. I'll be sure to pay you back." She forced a grin. She was a pro at forcing happiness she didn't feel. "Maybe I could cook you a feast some day."