A Visit Home [CLOSED]

She found herself letting go of him, pulling away as soon as the conversation took the worst turn. Fuck, I screwed up... so hard. Regardless of whether it was actually her fault or not, that's exactly how Lamia was going to see it. How did she mess up like that? Maybe she was just too weak? Nobody ever paid heed to her words. Because she didn't have an actual presence that people noticed. So all she could do was listen. Hear insult after insult tossed back and forth... Drawing her arms close to her, she found herself mumbling incoherent phrases under her breath. This wasn't what family should be like at all. She was lucky enough to have been able to experience normal life briefly until it went downhill thanks to her.

Taking a step back, Lamia gulped. This was so out of hand. She bit back any words that might have escaped - speaking again would only make things worse. She always made everything worse than it would've been. Maybe she should just stay out of everyone else's business, no matter how much she tried to help. Because everything that went wrong had to be her fault, because she was there. There wasn't anything that she could do decently.

Each word they spoke to each other... they meant every single thing. By the end, Magic, he lost it. As he stormed out of the building, Lamia looked back to the mother that raised him. How the hell could she even be related to him? Her eyes narrowed dangerously before she finally spoke up at the end, "H-how c-c-could you e-even s-say th-that to y-your o-own k-kin...!" She rarely ever got angry - this was one of those exceptions. Her fingers curled in to form fists, knuckles white from how tight she was clenching; rattling and shaking, her entire body was resisting just going up there and punching her. Taking a few deep breaths and mentally counting to ten before she continued, she wasn't going to break right here. Thank god she could somewhat control her anger, for the most part.

"H-he's y-your own s-son. You r-raised him, n-n-no one else. I-it'd t-technically be y-your fault th-that he's the m-monster you call h-him!" Uneven bangs covered her eyes, darkening her features further. Her entire face was practically shadowed over by a blanket of darkness. "N-no one in th-this st-stupid world is worthless." Except me... she added on silently. Without waiting for a reply, she ran after Magic, unwilling to look back.

What kind of sick mother was she? Her mom had always cared about them, no matter how sick she was. Her mom always encouraged them to do their best and to never give up. Her mom was always proud of their accomplishments and what they were able to do, even if they weren't at the top. Her mom... was so much better than Magic's. For once, Lamia found herself thinking she was lucky. She was grateful that her mother really cared for her, even after their family broke apart. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous this time. Just one piece of gold in a pile of scrap metal. It might've been just one, but it was bound to be one of the most important ones.

Outside of the building, she was gasping for breath, her hands on her knees as she bent down briefly. Goddammit, her stupid immune system was weak enough, but that entire room messed with her lungs and she felt clogged up. Why the hell couldn't she freaking breath properly? Lamia looked up at Magic, giving him a feeble, nervous, breathy giggle.

"Hehe... S-s-sorry I-I can't be o-of much h-help. I-I'm r-r-really useless...."

Magic shook his head. "No one can help in that situation. It's pointless to even try. I knew it would end badly when I knocked on that door.."" The 17 yer old let out a sigh. He leaned on the building that the both of them just came out of. He didn't really know what to do. He was so angry, so hurt. it would take him a while to go back to the way he was. Back to what the school saw as normal. Right now he was what Laine considered normal. An angry powerful human being. One that would normally would have jumped into a fight by now.. He had his eyes closed trying to calm himself down. It was one of those angry calms that he held on the outside, but he was boiling with rage on the inside. He just didn't let it show.

Magic flung his eyes open when he started hearing footsteps that were in a rush. He looked over at an alley way the stood across the street from the two winter students. And soon Laine appeared with a panicked look on his face. "Mason! We need you! An enemy gang attacked the playground. Lacy and the others were there."

The dark-haired boy froze in his spot. They attacked the children? If they even hurt one hair on their head he was going to beat them with their own arm. "Are the children safe?" Magic asked, his whole disposition changing. He was turning back into the gang leader he used to be. Even if it was just for today.

Laine nodded. Magic spoke again. "We need to gain more land from them. We need to protect that play ground more.. Laine, gather two other elites, we are going to pay a visit to our neighbors. Also have an elite guard the children.. wait.. Lamia, would you like to watch the children, while we go take care of some business or would you rather come with me?" Magic asked his friend.

Laine gave him a kind of crazy look, "Are you serious M-" Magic cut him off.

"Lamia isn't a child. She can make her own choices. She is free to come along if she wants too. It will be dangerous though." Magic said with a complete seriousness. He was asking his friend if she wanted to go into the danger, but she dealt with him before, so she could deal with a couple badies couldn't she?

"N-no... I-I tr-tried... b-but I m-made it w-worse..." Her voice trailed off and Lamia took a few steps forward, reaching out her hand to comfort him but pulled it back at the last second to her chest. Numbly, she stood right beside him, edging towards the building's wall. She was so absolutely useless; she couldn't even try to find any words to comfort her friend after that encounter. The silence was drawing, straining on and on until it became awkward and uncomfortable. Her hand came up to her hood, inching it lower as she played with it a bit. I don't know what to do now...

Everything drew onward, like a bottomless pit towards a person's doom, until someone interrupted it. And she was somewhat glad that something was happening. If it kept Magic's mind off that... She was horrible for being satisfied with an attack. Especially on the children.

She listened. That's the most she could do, or rather, the only thing she could do. Listen and absorb everyone else's problems, but unable to help them get rid of it. I'm so freaking worthless...

Shifting uncomfortably when she was asked, Lamia found herself caught in an internal war. Normally, in any circumstance, she would try and avoid any conflict that was unnecessary, mostly because she would make it worse just by appearing. She was a pacifist at heart. But here? She wasn't alone - she was with Magic and after what happened, she wanted to try and help, honestly. But wouldn't she just hinder their efforts because she was just like glass, delicate and fragile? Would her support even be needed? Bad luck was her shadow and always followed her. They don't need her around. As much as she knew self-defense, she never wanted to actually use it to hurt anyone... Just one touch, and she could kill by accident, especially while she was panicking.

Lamia opened her mouth to speak, her lips quivering as though she were hesitating with her choice. Turning her head, she had to think. They didn't have a lot of time, but... she couldn't decide. Make a decision and stop second-guessing, the voice in her mind advised. Easier said than done. Did he want her to come? "I-isn't a child..." she repeated, her voice shaking. Why was she so worried? The statement wanted to make her laugh. Her behavior was childish. She wasn't growing up. And she didn't know how to change it when she was such a pushover.

She didn't even wind up deciding: "I-I c-can... i-if you w-want..." She pushed the decision onto him. Who could trust her stupid judgment? No one should. She didn't make the right choices, ever. Wringing her hands, her throat suddenly felt dry and her voice came out quieter than usual. "S-s-sorry... I-I don't trust m-myself w-with this..."

Magic let out a sigh. He didn't really want to make the choice for her. He didn't want to leave her alone with the children, but he also didn't want to drag her into the danger of the fight. What was he to decided. He didn't want her to end up hurt, or uncomfortable. God this was a hard choice. Maybe it would be best for her to come with them.. He didn't want to leave her alone, in case the enemy gang sent someone to attack where they were guarding the children. It would be better if she stuck with him. Yeah.. Hopefully he was making the right choice. "You're coming, but try to stay out of the fight." He didn't want to see her hurt.

Flames of anger hid in Mason's eyes. The boy looked up at his second in command. "Laine meet us at the border, checkpoint charlie, with the two other elites. This shouldn't take too long." Magic commanded. Laine nodded then disappeared down the alleyway again, running kind of fast. Magic was relieved he still had his leader abilities in him.

Magic looked back to Laima. "We have to move fast if we want to catch the group that attacked them.. It shouldn't take us to long to get there. Come on." Magic said, then started fast walking towards the north where as Laine disappeared to the east. Hopefully Lamia could keep up with him. He didn't want to move to fast, and lose Lamia.

With a small gracious smile and an unintelligible phrase that sounded something like "sorry", Lamia followed after him, her gaze drifting past him and around the city. Was Chicago normally like this? If she visited long before she met him, somehow, it seemed like it would be a lot different. He was the leader of the gang that had the most control in the ghetto areas of the place; but, she was glad he was here. She wouldn't know what to do at all... or rather, she wouldn't have had a reason to come to Illinois at all. It was a good thing he wanted to visit his mother first... They still had a lot of time to waste.

You idiot, you should've just stayed behind. You can't do anything in a fight. They'd obviously aim for you first, It had been her idea to allow him to choose for her. Well, it couldn't be that bad. She wanted to tell herself that she wasn't that useless, but the thought died immediately. She kept her feeble smile, but there was a look between nervous and determined in her eyes, bordering a bit on fear. What if she screwed up somehow? What if she somehow got caught and he had to take the blow for her? Good gods, I should've chosen to stay with the kids... Somehow, that idea made her feel more vulnerable, and she refused to let her guard drop. For now.

Lamia tried to keep up with his pace, but she was shorter for one and had shorter legs, and she was far weaker. Mindlessly, her feet quickened their steps and while it started to hurt and burn as though she was overexerting herself, she didn't try to stop. She pushed her hands back into her pockets, golden eyes locked onto the floor in front of her. She was still hiding behind that hood. Was she scared of being seen? Not really. Well... kind of. Admittedly, she didn't want Magic to see how weak she was.

Taking a few deep breaths to try and re-energize her body temporarily, and instantly began to feel lost. Her eye sight wasn't the greatest and he could probably hear them coming before she spotted them. Goddammit. A mask, one that could hide what she truly felt. That's enough for her, and the hood provided it with its blanket of darkness... for now. I hope this was alright for me to come... I just mess everything up.

Anxiety bubbled in her. And it felt like things were going to take a nasty turn. Lamia only hoped that she was wrong, but that seemed unlikely. Especially with her dumb luck.

It didn't take them to reach checkpoint charlie as Magic called it. Turns out it was just a gas station, but they needed names for these things. It also confused people if enemy gangs got in and looked for them. The names tended to change from time to time, but Magic and Laine had set up a code that only the two of them knew, and calling this place checkpoint charlie was part of that private code.

Soon enough Laine arrived with two other people one was taller than Laine, and the other was just as tall as Laine. The taller one had a bigger build, and the other one was the same build as Laine. Magic gave them a wave. "Nice to see you again Sam, and JJ." He said to the two. "You know what happened, but here is how we are gonna go about it. The group that attack will most likely still be together. Most likely celebrating that they were able to get a hit in. As I can hear it now, they aren't to far from here. I can't tell exactly what they are doing, but now is our chance before they return to their head quarters." Magic said. The three others nodded in response to what he said.

Magic looked at Lamia, and gave her a reassuring smile. "Let's go guys." The winter student was still filled with rage, but it wasn't showing. He couldn't wait to connect a fist with one of their enemies faces. The group started walking towards the four unsuspecting guys on the other side. It didn't take to long to catch up with them. Magic figured that, in Lamia's mind, that these guys looked pretty scary or criminal like. Magic used his gift to tell Lamia something. Don't look scared. They will want to deal with us before they go after you." Magic said to her.

It was time for the fight to start. "Hey, you big fuckers!" Magic shouted at them catching their attention. They all turned around surprised for a moment, then got angry. "Yeah I'm talking to you! You left your beating behind, when you attacked our kids!" Magic shouted at them again. The other group started approaching. Magic's gang members all got into their fighting stances. Once they got close enough Magic raced forward, using his gift to aid in speed, and punched one of them right in the face sending him flying back. The other members of his group not to far behind. Chaos soon brook out, and each person had a person they were fighting.

Lamia only held her feeble smile as though it were plastered on her face throughout the entire way. Her head hung low, and when they finally reached the place, it was just a gas station. Maybe it was just their secret way of calling areas? They were a gang, after all. Might make sense that they had to codename everything so plans of attack weren't intercepted. It was like any other gas station: the store that sold snacks and drinks for passer-bys, giant signs that advertised the price of the gas, the booths, but not a car in sight. Was it normally this empty?

She chewed on the inside of her mouth, turning her head towards the street that they came from. It was a really bad time, but she was kind of resentful that Magic's gift was so useful, versatile. It didn't even rely on others' powers. Her on the other hand? Lamia hated having to kill helpless creatures just to keep herself alive briefly. There were way too many times she had thought about letting the clock tick away until the very last second, but that was selfish. Kearn wouldn't want that at all. She wasn't allowed to think about what she wanted because it wasn't ever the right thing to keep in mind.

Was it bad that she could tell Magic was angry? He seemed tense and he needed to let off some air after that encounter with his mother. His body seemed rigged, his attitude was slightly different; Magic gave off an authoritative air, one of that of a powerful leader. Eyes that practically glared. Lamia was a quiet person - one of her better traits was her ability to observe and notice something different, no matter how small it was. And this was one of those times she knew was necessary to find those sort of feelings. But to be fair, any normal person would be enraged about this too, after having to talk to their crappy mother for the first time in awhile. She wasn't going to judge.

Her smile became a rather queasy one when he spoke before she held an encouraging look. Hopefully they don't come after me... I'm an easy target. The last thing on her mind was how much they looked like; she was just hoping he wouldn't get himself hurt too much. He's the strongest person in this group, right? Magic's the leader, he won't get hurt that much... And she cared... why? There wasn't anyway that she liked him much more than admiration. That's all... Sort of.

Lamia kept her eyes low. She really was a pacifist at heart - she couldn't stand watching a fight in front of her and didn't want to hear it. Shutting her eyes closed, her hands shot up to her ears as she did her best to block out the noise, staying hidden as best as she could.

Be careful...

Magic was dodging hits left and right. He would occasionally glance back to Lamia, to make sure she was alright. She had covered her ears, and kept her eyes to the ground. Mason was kind of relieved that she did that. Then she wouldn't have to hear any sounds from the fight. Magic knew that they would win, but Magic had a signature thing he had to do that involved a lot of screaming.. He punched the guy in the stomach once his opponent got close enough. Then the other fist came flying around hit the guy in the head. The other guy fell to the ground, and didn't stand back up again. Sam and JJ had their guys in a hold waiting for Magic to do his thing, and Laine's opponent already took of running. Magic gave them a devious smile to his gang members Laine walked over to the guy on the ground and lifted one of his legs off the ground. Magic walked over and placed a foot on his knew and slowly started pushing down.

"Wh-what are you doing?" The guy asked who was laying on the ground. Magic didn't answer him just pressed harder on the guy's knee, with his foot. Sounds of pain started escaping the guy, and the other two just looked on with horrified faces. The leg was at it's breaking point. It couldn't bend anymore. Now here came the most painful part. Mason put most of his weight on the guys leg, hearing that satisfying pop, and snap, as the guy's knee broke, and a scream of pain soon followed.

Magic got off the dudes knee, and Laine released the guys leg, letting it fall limply to the ground. The winter student looked at the other two that JJ and Sam held. "Get him out of here. This is what you guys get for coming into our territory and attacking our people. You can also explain to you gang leader why this guy's knee is broke. I'm pretty sure he will be really happy about it. Now get out of my sight." Magic said. JJ and Sam released the guys, and they quickly picked up the dude, and scrammed out of the area.

Magic nodded to Laine and the others, and walked back to Lamia. "Well they won't bother us for a while. Lets head back, we still have that park to go too." Mason seemed a whole lot more relaxed now. His voice sounded calmer, and the authoritative air he had about him disappeared. "Or we could head back to the hotel, or we could try to find some place to eat." Magic suggested. The other three already disappeared from the area. Those three were heading back to headquarters, while Lamia and Magic would probably end up going somewhere else.

Her hands weren't the best for covering her ears, and even though the soft cloth of her hood helped to muffle out the sounds, she could still hear it. The sound of an anguished scream, ripped apart by pain and cries for help. Lamia was glad she couldn't hear it properly, all of it distorted from being closed up. It didn't make her feel any better about the whole thing. It was worse to be kept in the dark, forced to imagine what happened yourself. It was terrible to be ignorant like that. But her own mind wouldn't even be able to deal with what actually took place. At least she could imagine a less painful event for it because she freaking sucks at coming up with traumatic scenes.

She heard his voice, opening up her eyes to look up at him. He seemed a little worse for wear, but the difference was that he wasn't as... angry anymore. Magic seemed a bit looser and less tense, and it was back to the Winter she knew from school. Lamia turned her head as he asked, her cheeks slightly red. Goddammit, I need to stop staring... Her hands immediately shoved themselves back into her pockets. At least she thought she was staring... Eye contact wasn't her thing. The dark-haired girl feverishly shook her head as soon as he finished speaking. What did she want to do, now? Everything that would be considered troublesome and rather anguishing was over. But now... she wasn't sure. Why was he making her pick? There were acres upon acres of land they could cover and every day could be something new. Golden, doe-like eyes drifted behind him, as though searching for an answer.

"U-uhm... I-I'm n-n-not really sure..." Lamia finally said, her signature breathy, nervous giggle escaping her lips. Well, she wasn't hungry yet, and personally, she didn't think her stomach would agree with eating right after hearing that fight. She wasn't likely to get decent rest anyway. The park seemed nice, and she would honestly enjoy the verdant tree-covered roads, flourishing with bright and colorful flowers with only buildings in the distance; fresh air would be perfect under the sun right now.. sort of. I don't go outside very often... Would it be considered selfish if she told him she wanted to go to that place instead of back to a stuffy hotel? It didn't feel right that she would be the one deciding what they were doing next.

Her voice was quavering more than usual, and she was going to pin the blame on the fact that she didn't like making decisions. And she was still not sure if this was alright. "M-maybe the p-park...?" Yes, that's what she was going to ask for. The words felt rather unusual and she voiced an awkward uncertainty. And that's what happened. She wound up changing her answer right after. "U-u-uhmm... I-I m-mean... w-we should g-get something t-to eat or g-go back to the h-hotel... i-if uhm... y-you're tired." Her face was flustered, and she found herself lowering her head in embarrassment. "A-ah, I-I'm sorry. I-I'm not v-very good at this..."

A smile appeared on Magic's face. "I'm fine. It was an easy fight. Everyone else went back to HQ, probably to set up more defenses. And the park it is!" He said sounding happier than normal. In truth he was glad that Lamia didn't see what he did to that person, well that she didn't bring it up. He didn't know if she saw it or not. "Washington park is a nice park. Its got lots of trees, and even a small lake too. Though we have to go through the crowds to get there." The winter said to Lamia.

Magic held out his hand to Lamia. "I know of a quick way to get out of here. It just a little walk through the ghetto then we should be back to the normal cities with the crowds and everything." He used to take this path a lot when he lived here, it was a quick and easy way for him to get away from his mother. He wanted to go ahead and take her hand so that way he already had it when they hit the crowds, but if she didn't want to do that, that was fine with him. He kind of ignored the fact that they were standing in enemy territory at the moment. They wouldn't come back here anytime soon, and if they did they would be met with a pissed off Magic.

Maybe she shouldn't doubt her own choices so much. It was her suggestion, right? What's wrong is that it was my suggestion. Her judgment was terrible. And somehow, she felt like Magic was just saying that just to satisfy her or something. Lamia didn't exactly notice that he looked tired or anything, and the fight did end really quickly. Or maybe she was deluding herself into that just so that she could get what she wants. Ah, I'm so selfish... Smiling weakly, she took his hand, grasping it tightly. It was past time that she started making her own decisions. Maybe it was a rite of passage? No, that sounded really stupid.

It wasn't long before they were walking through the park, the crowd a long way from them, the sun only a red half-disc on the horizon. Once they had passed the entrance, she had let go of Magic immediately, taking a deep breath of the cool air, the wind nipping at her skin. It feels so nice... she thought, the breeze freeing her hood for the first time since she left the hotel. Dark hair flowed gently like soft waves overlapping the shore. That was when she finally realized that she was just sort of standing out of the open. Bringing her hands to her head, stopping the strands from blowing back, she looked back with a small smile, "Hehe... I-I'm s-s-sorry." She felt free out here, unlike the other places. It was clean and open. It was like being in the sky, flying on the currents.

Her jacket flared out, and for that moment, it was like she had wings. It felt really nice. A park full of green, flowers everywhere, and honestly, she was completely content with just taking a stroll around. Lamia bent down, touching the petals, their delicate texture smooth through her fingers. Snapping the flowers off their stems until she had a rather large batch in her hands, she opened her bag. Some of them went inside - it was rather empty in there anyway - and others stayed in her hand, as she slowly started to weave them together. It was something she used to do as a child whenever she visited parks with Kearn and her mother. Flower crowns. What a childish idea, but she always made a few every time she went to them.

This time was no different. The flap to her bag stayed open, and she found herself sitting down comfortably on the grass. It was almost like a pillow.

"Y-you d-don't m-mind if w-we stop h-here for a bit...?"

Magic felt a bit sad when they reached the park, and Lamia let go of his hand. He rather liked holding her hand for some reason. He didn't quite know why, but it felt rather nice. It made his hand rather warm when they did that. The park was nice and not to crowded. Seeing how the sun was setting people would start leaving the park.

Magic just watch Lamia for a second. A soft smile covered his face. It seemed that she really liked being here. She looked happy. Her hair looked rather nice too following in the wind. His hair flowed in the wind to but not as gracefully as Lamia's. It just kind of got into his eyes a lot, and he kept having to fix it or something. It kind of crossed his mind that she looked kind of cute at the moment. Red covered his face, but quickly vanished as he looked away from the other winter student. He heard her apologize about something, but didn't bother replying. He just shook his head.

Magic just followed the dark haired girl around for a little bit, letting her do what ever she wanted at the moment. It was a nice cool evening. The breeze made everything nice. For once it seemed peaceful in the busy city of Chicago, but he knew somewhere in the city something bad was happening wither it be in the ghetto with the gangs or the many fancy apartment buildings with husband and wife, and lovers and stuff. Magic was brought out of his thoughts when Lamia asked him to stop for a bit. Seeing how she had already sat down, he didn't really have a choice did he? His normal soft smile appeared on his face, "Sure." He said.

The winter student sat down in front of Lamia, and watched her work with the flowers for a bit, then he decided to ask. "Can you make me one of those too?" He was kind of fascinated by the flower crown, and wanted one of his own. It seemed pretty cool the way she made them. He really wanted one if you couldn't tell.

It was one of the few times where she didn't have her hair bundled into a ponytail. Lamia had been planning to keep her hood on the entire time they were outside, but since the wind blew it off so gently, she didn't bother to put it back on. Besides, her hands were too busy working with flowers.

Looking up for a bit, she hadn't realized Magic had sat in front of her and was well, watching her intently. Turning her eyes back down to the craft in front of her, her cheeks red from embarrassment, and when he asked him to make him one, she felt like she died a bit inside. Just a bit. Her hands slipped and to take her mind off what he said, Lamia quickened her pace, responding with a small nod. The one currently within her grasp consisted of a lavender color and smaller white flowers. Weaving them together and finishing, she put it aside before grabbing a handful of light green-ish ones along with the same, tiny daisies from before.

Was it that fascinating to watch this? It wasn't anything special, and all she was really doing was tying a bunch of flowers together into a wreath. While his gray-green yes watched her fingers work, Lamia suddenly felt nervous and more self-conscious about her work, speeding up her pace and trying to pay attention to the precise positions she should be connecting them. I look so stupid, probably... I should've done this while he wasn't looking or when we accidentally separated or... The more she thought about it, the less appealing the idea of not making this with him there became. Wait... what made it so special that he was here instead of his family?

Finishing the second crown, she played with her fingers for a bit, keeping her eyes away from him. Letting a bit of courage grow inside of her, Lamia picked it up, her arms shaking a bit, before she placed it on his head, allowing it to sit before snatching her hands away once the deed was done. She gently took her own and put it on, with a breathy, nervous giggle, "Hehe... D-do I l-look a-a-alright?"

Lamia blinked.

Realizing what she said, her face suddenly grew red, and she was waving her hands in front of her frantically before drawing them to her chest. "E-eh... I-I m-mean... u-uhm..." she spluttered, her cheeks growing a shade brighter before she let out a small, defeated sigh. "O-oh, I-I'm... I-I'm sorry...." Way to go. Best way to embarrass yourself right now. He probably thinks you're dumb or something. What was she even thinking there? Actually, no. She didn't think at all. Dammit.

Magic was amazed by how fast she worked with the crowns. It was really kind of awesome how good she was at making the crowns. The first one was finished soon enough, and he was just as entraced by the second one. He never really had time for all of this cutesy stuff, it was a nice change of pace for once. To just sit and make flower crowns. Yeah it was nice to him.

He hadn't really been in the park for extended amounts of time. So this was a bit different for him. He usually would take cuts through the park to get to some places faster, but now that he was here with Lamia it was actually kind of nice to stop and look at the scenery and mess around with the flowers like they were.

A small frown appeared on Magic's face when she stopped making the crowns, but it soon lit up with happiness, when he watched Lamia place on of the two crowns on his head. He honestly didn't expect something like that to make him so happy. Then Lamia asked how she looked, and then apologized for it. It honestly confused him sometimes. He gave her a soft kind smile, and then answered. "I think you look pretty cute, Flower Queen." Magic added the nickname, he hoped she didn't mind. He was just giving her the nickname in response to the type of crown she wore. Honestly he was trying to be a bit adorable himself.

Cute? Ahaha... Her? Of course not. A hand shot up, tucking a strand behind her ear, and a warm feeling enveloped inside her. Butterflies? Check. Dizziness? Check. Maybe he was just saying that to make her feel better. Lamia hoped to God that she wasn't blushing even harder, and when she opened her mouth to return the compliment, her throat suddenly felt clogged and her tongue started twisting itself in ways that she didn't deem were possible. So she just shut her mouth. It wasn't like he needed anyone to tell him that he looked nice... He was really sweet and kind, and genuinely cared for people around him, even if he showed it rather aggressively. She was just one of those people and not anyone special. Right... Nobody would ever feel that way about me. Because I'm not really unique or useful. That was something she had accepted a long time ago.

Turning her head away, a queasy smile on her, she closed her eyes for a few moments, taking in the fresh air. It was getting late. The sun had fallen below the horizon and the moon was dangling on threads, asking to be lifted higher. Stars started to fill the night sky. Oh, right! Nervously, she shifted through her bag, searching for her phone. It should be in the same pocket she always placed it in... there it was. With the electronic device in her hand, she suddenly felt smaller than before.

"U-uhm... I-I was w-w-wondering..." Lamia started slowly, her voice shaking a bit. It was a simple favor. That's all. Why was she so worried about asking it? "I-I a-always wanted to start a... u-uhm... ph-photo diary, so... I-I th-thought n-now w-would... e-eh... C-could I-I... U-uh... She trailed off, suddenly finding herself unable to finish. He probably got the general message... Maybe. Or was he just oblivious? She fiddled with her phone in her hands, constantly moving it to try and take her mind off of it. Who was she kidding? She was being selfish and he'd probably say no...

Stupidstupidstupidstupid...