Setting Up [Closed]

Holding the dark bed of strands between one hand and the band in another, stretched to the point where it nearly flung off and flew across the room when Magic had taken a seat next to her. She let go for a few moments, letting the scrunchie twist its way down to her wrist, and found herself letting out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Adeline's eyes widened a bit underneath her bangs, softly fluttering at Magic's almost abrupt request. Without even noticing, her fingers reached for the hair tie, pulling it away from herself and holding it out for him, keeping her gaze averted from the general direction. It may have been a bit off or maybe way off, she wasn't sure. She didn't bother looking to check.

"U-uhm... I-I... g-g-go ahead." she mumbled, the words almost incoherent and indiscernible as they slipped out without so much as a warning. There were so many things that Magic could do that she never realized, and some of those included the most mundane activities that people wouldn't pin to him at all. A small pang of envy went through her and left just as suddenly as it came, leaving shame flowing through her. Why couldn't she control her jealousy? Even if it was something as simple as this, she found herself unable to think straight or find an answer, her mind muddled. She couldn't think of anything else, her body had a mind of its own and had agreed for her to his question.

Why did that part matter anyway?

Even if it wasn't her own subconsciousness deciding for her, she wouldn't have been able to say no. Or... she would've refused, right? It was bothering him and messing with his time, but the fact that they were practically done here with all the tasks they were assigned, Adeline found herself trying to comprehend why she didn't try to leave earlier than him. Rudeness, maybe? Trying to be polite? Wanting to talk to him or at least be with him a little closer? ... Wait, what? Agh, that wasn't right at all. Admiration was all it was. He was powerful and she was completely weak and fragile like glass, able to be broken at any given moment. He could stand up for himself, fight for others, and proved himself to be the kind of leader anyone would follow. She was only a bystander meant to be another step on the stairs for someone to walk to reach their goals. A stepping stone.

"I-I'm uhm... s-sorry." She could scarcely hear her own voice, and she wasn't even sure if Magic would've picked it up from under her breath. What was she even apologizing for this time? She didn't know and couldn't think. Stupid, plain, absolutely stupid. It was on reflex, a bad habit. She couldn't stand herself. How did she have friends again?

Magic took the hair band from her, and shifted so he sat behind her. That way he could do his best with her hair. Though it was probably going to look crappy cause he hadn't done it in forever. He started with pulling her hair back, leaving her bangs alone in the front. He ran his fingers through it trying to get every single strand of hair when he was satisfied that he did, he split it up into three strands. He started crossing the strands over one another, tight enough to make a neat braid. Granted there was probably something wrong with it. Though he couldn't see anything wrong with it. He placed the band in her hair to keep it all together then let it fall to her back.

Yeah he wasn't going to do that again anytime soon. "I hope that's decent for you. It has been a while since I had done something like that." He said to her, returning to sit beside her. He liked the braid on her but her typical pony tail was cute. He still needed to decide if he wanted to ask her to the formal or not.. And sitting here thinking about how cute she was wasn't going to help with his decision. He needed to decide and soon.

It was strange, not knowing what someone was doing behind your back because you couldn't feel a single thing. In any regular situation, a ponytail shouldn't take anyone this much time. Having to count each second that passed by wasn't helping her case either. Minutes upon minutes ticked by, her hands resting on her lap, entwined with one another almost restlessly, her shoulders hunched forward as though she were she trying to duck her head in any kind of attempt to hide. Adeline shifted nervously, her thumbs spinning around one another or anything that kept her constantly fidgeting in her seat, her eyes darting back and forth. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea anymore... Did hair count as touching someone for her gift to activate?

God, she didn't factor that as a possibility until now. Maybe she was too paranoid, far too paranoid, and nervous. Just let it flow on its own. Her heart's pace had jumped a few notches, quickening to a pace that she couldn't keep up with, hearing each beat with her own ears. It was too loud. Could he hear it? She couldn't see his expression or meet his face, and if she tried to glance over her own shoulder, it'd mess up whatever he was trying to do. Her lips thinned as she forced herself to relax and keep quiet. He'd tell her whenever he was done. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe. Stop overthinking this, you moron. came to mind just as he finished whatever he was doing, shifting himself to come right next to her again.

Adeline ran her hand carefully down her hair, and her fingers laced around, flicking the braid forward and over her shoulder into her line of vision. Blue eyes rested on the careful, intricate work for awhile, admiring his handiness as she suppressed every urge to feel jealous. She was really an awful failure, unable to braid her own hair and having stuck to many variations of a ponytail for so long. No, not even variations. It was either to the side - which was almost always - or a normal one. She rarely ever changed it around. Her expression in awe, she gave him a fleeting glance.

"Y-you d-d-didn't have to..." she replied with a small smile, her voice suddenly more quiet and hushed than normal. Pulling the braid back behind her, her hands placed themselves back on her lap, as she looked at the soon-to-be Formal around them. This place would be filled with people in all kinds of beautiful gowns and the most handsome of suits, interacting with one another, enjoying themselves. They would be having the times of their lives. A part of her wanted to go by herself, but another told her she should stay back in her dorm and call her brother... to prepare to go back home for the first time in a year.

"C-could you teach m-me how t-to do th-this s-s-sometime?" Oh, well, that wasn't exactly what she wanted to voice out at all. "I m-mean, n-n-not now... since uhm... we sh-should h-head back s-soon, but ah--" Her voice trailed off, her cheeks glowing a slight red as another apology escaped.

The winter just shrugged. "It's not big deal. It was rather fun to do. And it refreshed my memory on how to do it. Sorry it took a long time." He said to her. He sat there for a little longer. "Yeah I can try to teach you. I'm not exactly the best at explaining things, but I will certainly try." Finally he stood up. "Don't we have one more thing on the list to do? Or are we done in here?" He asked seeing how she was the one who had the list. He probably could have checked himself but he was lazy.

Feverishly, she shook her head, her face growing redder by the minute. Was he making up some silly excuse to justify his actions? Was he trying to make her feel better again? Or did he actually mean it? And hey, what did he mean by sorry anyway? Too many questions were falling into place and boggling her mind, and the more she kept trying to think about it, the dizzier she assumed she was becoming. It was hypocritical of her to say this. "Y-you d-d-don't have t-to... apologize." She really was a hypocrite in more manners than one, and if Magic wound up calling her out for it, she wouldn't mind. Her eyes fell back to the clipboard, which was on the ground. Bending over to get it, snatching it off the marble white floor, and scanning over it.

The pen was placed in the small slot between the metal piece and wooden board, and she slipped it into her fingers, almost failing to catch it and managing to get a grasp at the last moment before it began a descent. Clicking the pen open, she scanned over the list momentarily, looking at whichever squares didn't have a check filled in only to see one after the other, there wasn't one that was empty. Adeline let out a soft sigh, her heart beginning to calm itself down, falling to a stable level. Shaking her head again, she tilted her head to the side a bit to get a closer look at Magic. "I don't th-think we h-h-have anything e-else..." The room was growing quiet. The outside world was growing into a purple twilight. Perhaps darker, now that it was winter and the days were cut short. 6:37 PM. Most likely much darker.

The sun was probably down by now... "I c-can do a f-f-final check and y-you can g-go back ahead o-of me." Right, he was probably busy and had something else to do. No point in keeping him here with her. Ahaha, of course not. It's not like he actually wanted to be here and only did so because it was part of a prefect's job and he was assigned to it. Yeah, he was definitely forcing himself to stay here for awhile to keep her company or something to make sure she didn't seem lonely or some crap. Of course, of course. I don't know whether to think you're deluding yourself or you're completely oblivious. Thanks subconscious, you can shut up now. QQ

Carefully, she slid onto her feet and was about to walk forward, but she found herself unable to, pinning it down to the fact that someone or something was holding her back. Adeline didn't turn around to look - Magic was the only other person there, unless Barry figured out they were in here and sped through and caught her by accident or Aspen had shadowed her way in or... or... There were too many extravagant gifts out there. It could be anybody.

But it was just him, wasn't it?

Or maybe, it was her imagination.

They didn't have anything left? He felt like there was something else to do.. Well for him there was. He hadn't decided on if he wanted to go to the formal or not.. He needed to decide now because if he didn't then he probably wouldn't have another chance to ask her.. and besides the formal wasn't that far from happening.. He let out a small sigh. Ah screw it, he would ask her anyway. If she said no then he wouldn't go, and if she said yes then he would go.

When she offered to do the finally check he turned back to face her. "No I'm fine with staying a few more minutes. It's just a final check it shouldn't take to long.." He was just delaying him asking. He could have went ahead and asked, and then either left happy, or disappointed.. But no, he didn't have the courage. He was scared of her answer, he didn't want her to say no but he was going to end up disappointed if he didn't ask. Ugh.. Why was this so hard? He clinched on hand into a fist, his fingers digging into his palm. He was about ready to punch himself in the face for being such a wimp.

She shouldn't have expected him to listen to her. After all, who would? Silly, silly, absolutely silly. Adeline didn't try to turn around to look at Magic, simply keeping herself from moving further forward or back. With the clipboard hanging limply at her side as she reached for the pen, she softly whispered, "Th-that's fine..." before beginning the inspection. The food was already set on the table, bowls of bunch, chandeliers, and everything else. Everything wasn't necessarily complete, but it was everything that they had been told to do. The other prefects were supposed to do the rest, but... it felt so wrong to make them do it when she could've just done this on her own. Why had the school been so insistent on splitting the job between everyone? There was no way she could overwork herself - she didn't sleep, couldn't feel tired, or anything. Then again, nobody else knew that. Maybe it was better that they had the work split.

Nononono. Ugh... it was better to just have made her do everything and let her secret out. The school was filled with all kinds of eccentric powers anyway. A tiny side-effect like that was nothing. Yeah, haha. There was that one infirmary volunteer who went into a coma for a long time right? That was something major. Losing your sense of touch or taste or anything along those lines wasn't too bad. It wasn't like she was dead. Her lips thinned and while they had split the final check up into two halves, she found herself sitting a little bit off to the side of the dance floor, waiting for Magic once again.

The pen was twirling between her fingers, and she couldn't help but try and wonder why she was getting everything done more quickly than him. She considered herself attentive to detail and making sure everything was working perfectly, but here she was, constantly finishing before him. Was it because he exhausted himself too much when he stopped her from falling and killing herself? Why was she so clumsy again?

It had taken a bit for Magic to go over everything, but he wanted to make sure everything was okay, and in its place. He didn't care about how long it took, he may have never been to anything like this before but he took pride in his work when he actually put time into these things. Once he was satisfied he went back over and joined his friend. "Seems like everything is in order."

Adeline gave a small nod, not a word escaping her. Well, the Formal was in a few days now. Perhaps she could skip out on it this year. She went the first time because Katsuo asked her to, but that certainly ended well. They - no she - nearly killed both of them. And now, everything about that event seemed to pertain to bad things, bad omens, and she wasn't sure if she'd be fine with going. It'd be too crowded anyway... She didn't see Magic going either. Or maybe he would. He was popular enough, thanks to being a prefect and winning the Summer Tourney. She wouldn't be surprised if someone asked him already.

Magic didn't really know how to do this at all.. There was no way he was going to be smooth about it. He really wasn't a smooth guy. Mason stood up from his spot and walked over closer to the sound equipment. He reached a hand up to the back of his head in rubbed it slightly. Yep he was nervous. Very nervous. "Say Adeline... Do you know how to dance?" He asked not making eye contact with her.

Dance? She never really tried except with well, her brother, and that was only because she knew she couldn't hurt him. They were immune to each other in terms of gifts. But that was years ago. Adeline softly shook her head, fidgeting nervously in her place. "I-I h-h-haven't tried... S-since... Uhm..." Her voice trailed off into nothingness, faltering as she continued to look for anything decent to say. A shaky, breathy laugh bubbled up her throat. "B-besides... Th-there's no m-music t-t-to pr-practice with." Hold on. How'd she get to the conclusion that he meant right now? It was a genuine question out of curiosity, right? Right?

"A-ah... I-I m-m-mean... W-well..." She didn't know how to follow up or make the sentence clearer. Adeline didn't make an effort to correct it either. God... What was she saying?

"U-uhm.. well.." He stuttered out slightly.. Ah screw it. Go ahead and get it over with. He reached a hand over turning on the sound system, and started playing a song that was perfect for them to dance to. He walked back over to his friend and held out a hand for her to take. His cheeks were slightly red from blushing, and the nervousness was there on his face, but he was slightly more confident than before. "Dance with me." He said more as an offer, than as a command.

A sudden feeling of dread welled up through her once Magic got up, his last phrase being a stutter. Did something happen? As much as she had been trying to get him to leave before her, now that he was, it struck a blow of fear through her. Was he trying to hide something again? Casting a glance over her shoulder towards where he was going, almost expecting him to be leading himself out to the door, but that wasn't it at all. He was walking towards the stage, towards the sound system. Did he think she messed up on both cases? That wouldn't be a surprise, honestly. Magic knew sound better than anybody else and he would be able to detect any mishaps. Of course. Except that wasn't he was doing.

The music that began to fill the room, 3/4 time, was fluid and softly flowing through the air. It was for a waltz. It was one of the songs planned for the Formal. His footsteps echoed against the walls as he approached her again and held his hand out. His next statement more or less confused her, finding herself lost for words. Dance. He wanted her to dance with him. Adeline bit the bottom of her lip, forcing her hand to stay at her side.

Didn't he know the consequences or risks? Magic was aware of her gift, how dangerous it was, and that she might as well kill him the moment they made contact. She didn't want that. To hurt him or anybody else. Was it because he trusted her enough to control it? Trust her more than she trusted herself? Was that even possible? ... Sure. It'd be selfish of her, to accept his offer and wind up injuring him after. It was selfish, very, very selfish. Yet, she found her hand lifting itself up slowly, lingering in the air.

...

After a moment of hesitation, Adeline wrapped her fingers around his hand and took his offer.

When she didn't make an motion to move or accept his offer, he casted his eyes to the ground , but he didn't move his hand. She hadn't said no yet.. though he had a feeling she was just waiting on him to take his hand away. This was dumb of him to ask.. He shouldn't have even thought about it.. He was about to let out a small huff, and retract his hand when he felt her hand around his. He looked up at her with a slightly surprised look on his face, but it turned into a soft smile with slight redness on his face.

Carefully he pulled her to her feet, and pulled her fully onto the dance floor. He may have never gone to any formal event but he did know how to slow dance. It was just something the girls of the gang made him learn to do. Apparently it was entertaining to teach him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in to calm himself. Carefully he placed his hands in the proper position for the dance, and started the dance between the two of them. He made sure to go through the steps in his head so he didn't screw it up as they went along. During the dance he made sure to stay focus on her, and not worry about the blush that was apparent on his face.

Within moments, Magic somehow managed to sweep her off her feet, guiding her to the very center of the massive hall. It seemed almost traditional, like those old waltzes she would watch on television that people rarely practiced nowadays, or perhaps the same movements her parents had gone through during their wedding; something she used to watch and click the repeat button all the time is a child and fantasize wearing that white gown and veil and be partnered up with someone who'd value and cherish her for all eternity. That was what most little girls would have dreamed about, and as she grew older, Adeline stopped thinking about that. Too many bad things happened around her, too many that would jeopardize lives and anyone that grew close. A dream that faded away. It was pointless and silly.

Friends were enough, but honestly, she had acknowledged this herself long ago: as grateful as she'd be to have someone thinking about her, it was impossible that anyone would like her in that way. You're such a mess. Perhaps it was partially her fault for keeping anyone to get close to her, to remain a bystander that nobody would care about, and yet... here she was, living out that ancient scene from her imagination with someone who had become a close friend, the kind of person she admired and wished to be. Agh, what was she thinking right now? Magic had taken her other hand, snapping her out of her stupor, and gotten them both into proper position. The dance was about to start, this wasn't the time to be contemplating about stuff like that.

As his feet tapped the rhythm before they started, Adeline mumbled under her breath. "I g-guess th-th-this is a b-bad time t-to tell y-you I-I'm n-n-not v-very good at d-dancing." Looks like he hadn't been focusing on what she was saying because the waltz began without much warning. Everything started off simple - thank the Lord -, and they stayed in the beginning position, rotating clockwise and counterclockwise across the entire floor. It was a futile effort to try and keep her eyes on the ground or head low. In a dance like this, that didn't seem plausible, but she tried it anyway, watching her feet so she wouldn't step on him by accident. Managing to keep the tempo and pulse of the song in her mind, Adeline immediately switched positions, letting go of his hands and catching them once again after her back was turned.

Perhaps she was speeding it too quickly or managed to capture the flow because as soon as she swapped her position, she changed it again, pivoting, opening out like a fan before reverting back to her second stance. Adeline allowed themselves to stay there for awhile, swaying back and forth, relying on her eyes to make sure her fingers didn't fall out of his while they continued along. Once she felt the song deemed it fit, she escaped his grasp, spinning on her heel in one direction, paused, and went in the opposite course. At some points, she felt she was taking too much liberty but at the same time, it was because she had gotten a feel for the music and figured out what was best... or best in her opinion.

Open facing, fan, open facing.

Adeline's mind was racing to remember the steps, to make sure that she was doing this correctly. It really wasn't helping that she couldn't feel any of it and had to rely solely on her vision. As the waltz began to draw to a close, she found both of her hands grasped onto one of his as she back-stepped, keeping her eyes low. She couldn't meet him face to face now. If she did, her heart would pound too quickly and burst and she'd probably die. It was bad enough that she was such an embarrassing mess. Dying would make it all the worse. Her face was beet red and without realizing it, she had managed to relax herself the entire way through. She wasn't tense or stiff, somehow.

Having to dance after so long... she was so afraid that she'd messed up. At the very end, as customary with the waltz she had been taught, her arms were wrapped around his neck and a slight lean back was enough and the melody ceased. She would've released herself immediately if it weren't for the fact that she found herself completely frozen, petrified, and unable to move.

Stupid... stupidstupidstupid. Let go already. It'd be a lie to say that she wanted to let this draw to a close. But it was bad enough that her time was running short and any longer could result in a bad mishap. Why was she being so selfish?