Happy Birthday, Snowflake~ [yay]

Jason shifted around, shaking off the small bits of snow off his jacket and admiring the rest of the clearing. The fountain that decorated the entrance was shut off, the water frozen solid, and it was easy to see his breath. It was pretty here, and quiet, and he thought this would be a good place to meet up; but maybe he should've gone somewhere a bit warmer?

It'd been a hard few weeks since he'd gotten the small present im his pocket. He'd carried it with him everyday, set constant reminders on his phone, do whatever he could so he wouldn't forget. He hoped this would all be worth it. The young man pulled out his phone, checking the time.

"H... hello?"

The voice was light and soft, like a whispered word on a breath of wind. Evelyn had always felt a bit like a ghost, and out here in the barren courtyard, she felt the part more than ever. Any glance that crossed over her would pass right through her, as if she wasn't there at all. Thankfully, they seemed to be alone for now. The crunching of snow under her boots announced her presence. Snowflakes had collected in her hair, and her cheeks and nose had turned a rosy red in the cold. Blue eyes flicked from here to there, never resting on Jace for long. Her breath billowed out in frosty puffs, and her gloved hands were balled in her coat pockets in a vain attempt to return some warmth and feeling back into her fingers. It wasn't working.

Hello? Was that the word to use? She'd rehearsed for this, in front of a mirror and in her head the entire walk here, and that was the first thing that had left her lips as she'd drawn closer. So formal, and it sounded almost as lost as she felt, like she was asking a stranger for directions instead of greeting her boyfriend. Boyfriend. How did that happen, anyways? Was she supposed to run out and hug him? Ask him how his day was? Just tell him hi? Evelyn stopped in her tracks and stood, watching the snowflakes swirl and drift around them. Was she just dumb, or was this something everybody had to learn? Was there ever a time even Jace had these same thoughts, when he went out to go talk to a girl some time?

Instead of anything more, Evelyn just offered him a smile. It was a nice smile, she hoped, but it was shy and fleeting, and a moment later she was staring down into the frozen water, meeting her own gaze in the warped, icy reflection. Sixteen, huh? A milestone number, she guessed. Was she already that old?

Evelyn glanced up again and then back down. Her second birthday spent at Beata Academy. That was a strange thought, but at least this time she wouldn't spend it alone.

He stared at the time on his phone for a few moments, the tips of his fingers already starting to freeze after mere seconds. With a small sigh, he answered a text or two before stuffing the phone back into his pocket. The Autumn stared off into the frozen fountain, barely - just barely - being able to catch his reflection in the frosty sheet of ice. He fixed his scarf, pausing when he'd finally realized the sounds of crunching snow behind him. He smiled, not moving otherwise. "Is that the birthday girl?" Jason mused. There was a small part of him that he gave no thought to that was hesitsnt to turn around. It wanted to stay with his back turned, to keep staring down into the frozen pond. An even more vocal urge wanted to leave this place all-together, but he figured that was simply because of the cold.
The feeling of discomfort, the stabs of headaches, the instinct to avert - he was all ised to it by now. They were almost always overran or overcome by something else.

And so he finally turned to face her, his gaze lingering for as long as he could manage, watching as she smiled fleetingly before seeking her reflection in the ice, much like he'd been moments before. "Hey, Snowflake." He greeted back quietly, taking a few steps closer. "Sorry I chose to meet up in such cold locale." His apology was light, almost a joke.

When he finally noticed her, she felt her heart begin to pound, like it was trying to leap out of her chest. That sorta thing happened a lot, lately. Butterflies and blushing, random smiles and daydreams, her stomach all tying itself up in knots... Sometimes she got a little dizzy, like she was gonna faint or throw up. She chalked that down to some kind of winter bug. Everyone else probably felt sick too, right? ;A; Evelyn looked up at him again, smiling a little broader, before turning her eyes down to her hands, which had suddenly left her pockets. "O-oh... It's okay," she murmured. The truth was that she had hardly even heard what he was apologizing for, but that didn't really matter. Evelyn was pretty sure she could forgive him for whatever it was, just this once.

In all honesty, the school took on a new beauty in the snow. The fact that they were alone just added a tranquil serenity to it, and hey, Evelyn didn't mind having no interruptions. This was as good as a place as any to meet up. She fiddled with her fingers, more focused on her hands than him. It was pretty cold, but for some reason, her face felt really hot. That was weird. It would probably be best if she just laid down or something.

His smile softened as he noticed her flutter about, eyes shifting around and hands nimbly fiddling about, looking for a distraction. It was almost as confusing as it was sweet to see, mostly because he hadn't seen her act like this in, well, a really long time. "You look cute today." He near-sang. Even if he was simply speaking his mind, half of him wanted to keep a close eye for her reaction. It was pretty bad of him, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe luckily for her, he couldn't look for too long, instinctively casting his gaze back into the frozen fountain.

Maybe he should have done this in the cafe or something? Or the lounge? But no, those places would've been way too crowded, and too loud. (He could appreciate the beauty as well, just preferably inside. By a fireplace. Totally away from the cold.) He would just have to deal with it for now, that and she obviously didn't seem to mind much. Jason shook the scattered thoughts aside, pulling himself back into the moment.

Before she had the chance to faint on the fountain edge, the young man figured that he'd better just cut to the chase, pulling a small box out of his pocket. "I thought about getting you a cake too, but - I think you know I'm not the best cook by now." He laughed a bit lightly, thinking back to their poor little whitefish in Glacier. "And it seemed kinda weird to try and stick a candle in a cake pop, so this might have to do for now, if that's alright." The small package was a sleek white, covered in a thin, white fabric that made it sturdy and even made it pleasant to hold. A bright yellow ribbon sealed it neatly together with a pretty knotted bow. The smallest rattling could be heard inside if you shook it well enough.

Cute? Ahaha... ostap. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, not lifting her gaze from the snow. Evelyn considered returning the compliment, but when she opened her mouth, it was like her throat had locked up and her tongue had tied itself in knots, so she just closed it again and shuffled her feet. Right. Just accept it. It wasn't like Jace needed to be told how... well, yeah, he was. He knew it as well as anybody, and even if he was so sweet and not arrogant, he did carry himself with a certain confidence bordering on a swagger. Maybe that's what helped him get that image in the first place, though. Beata's King, hot and handsome Jason Wright, so on and so on. A compliment would probably feel pretty quaint coming from her.

Her gaze shot up as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, covered in a soft white fabric and neatly tied up in a little yellow bow. She took it from him, looking a little lost as she ran her gloved hands over it. Jewelry? Evelyn had never really been one for jewelry, but if it was from him... The Winter looked up and gave him a small laugh. She wondered if it was a good time to tell him she didn't eat meat, and that it wasn't his fault she almost threw up... but, well, that could wait. Right now she was anxious to open this thing up.

Evelyn daintily untied the ribbon and flipped the box open. A silver snowflake. She let out the tiniest gasp, her smile widening, and she met his eyes again with a new excitement. Evelyn stepped forward, throwing her arms around him. "T-thank you!"

A snowflake, huh? That'd been the dumb nickname he'd given her, but she guess it fit. Evelyn stepped back and took it out from the box, putting it over her head. It was so pretty... Between this and the train tickets, how much did he spend? Sheesh...