The Third Annual Winter Formal

No one noticed her. She might as well have been a ghost, even as it started to get crowded around the punch table. Her power was a double-edged sword that way. Sure, she couldn't be noticed even if she wanted to, but at the same time, it was like you got a back row seat to other people's lives and glimpses of all the things they hid from everyone else. Case in point, the Autumn prefect dumping a flask of hard alcohol directly into the punch bowl.

She could've said something. Should've, if she had any morals left. Instead, Evelyn just gave a silent prayer of thanks and poured herself another glass.

She was still too sober for all these puns.

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Jane gave a teasing smile and pulled herself closer. "A drink? Or maybe a dance?" she suggested. The hall was filling out with couples now, and a few were already taking to the dance floor. One in particular caught her eye, an all-too-familiar face with brown hair and green eyes. "We have the whole night ahead of us, but it's hard to make up my mind. Do you have a preference?"

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Kayla gave a small bitter grin. It looked like they were both in the same boat. "So not that different from me, then," she said, absentmindedly grabbing a frosted glass and pouring herself a drink. She took a quick swallow, winced, and pulled away to glare at the punch. What the hell? Was it supposed to have that much... kick to it? Too bitter...

The free drinks was half the reason she came here, and they couldn't even get that right. This really was awful. She brought the glass to her lips again for another sip anyways. "I don't know where you'd expect alcohol though." This was a school-run event. If they could keep a place like this running smoothly, there was no way they'd let something like that pass right under their noses.

Myles raised an eyebrow at her wincing, grabbing a cup and filling it, he took a sip and a small smile began to creep onto his lips, the burn in his throat was a familiar one.  "I'm pretty sure you just found the alcohol in the school event, darlin'..."He would take another sip, much larger than before letting out a heavy "Ahhh", saying "The other punch was not as near strong as this, this is good, I have no idea how it got in there, but I don't care." He finished the cup, putting it on the table and smiling, saying "Now, do you think it would be bad if I got shitfaced?"

"Why don't we dance?" Jake said, taking a step towards the "dance floor" and holding out his hand. Tonight, things will be perfect. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside, glad to have Jane as a friend. shortness ;A; kill me now

Pepper looked around, wondering if she knew anyone. Since the doors were open, she could see outside and spotted... Cayden. Shit! What if he sees me? Would he ask me to dance? No... Her mind started to race and panic.

Maria, not being an early person walked up to the Grand Hall doors. Her short, light blue dress had sequence that made it sparkle. She wore cute white heels, a silver bracelet and necklace coated with legit diamonds. The girl looked around, seeing the snow. Well, it's not very grand if you ask me. But still, classy. She gave a smile and walked over to the punch bowl. Pouring herself a glass, she instantly felt the bitter taste of booze when she drank. Yep. Defiantly spiked. She placed the glass down and gave a cough. Maria looked around, seeing familiar faces. Jake, looked happy as a puppy with his date. Louis and Pepper looked, somewhat alone, but Pepper looked finicky, looking at someone through the door. And Maria was...well...fashionably late, and new.

Why did I come here if I don't have a date? She asked herself. Oh, that's why. She gave snicker to herself. Maria glanced over to Preston, seeing him with Sophia. She couldn't tell if he saw her or not, but gave a wink towards his direction. Not wanting to look like a loser, eating her life away, the charming girl held off on the delicious snacks. I guess I wait till someone asks me to dance. Or someone more decent shows up.

Kayla was in the middle of another sip when he spoke.

She almost choked on her drink. The Autumn pulled away with a sharp jerk of her head and squinted suspiciously at the glass again. No. Really? Really? With a small grimace of distaste, she quietly set the cup aside. Shitfaced? "Do you really wanna know what I think?" It was probably better not to ask, but she gave up a small sigh of resignation. "You know what? More power to you. You've probably got the best idea." If he wanted to get sloshed, that was his business. The last time she drank was over a year ago, and the last thing she wanted was to repeat a night like that.

There was a ripple of electricity down her arm. "There's a vending machine right outside. I'll be back in just a second." She didn't wait to see if he'd follow or not. Kayla went walking across the room and out the doors into the hallway.

Myles furrowed his brow, he didn't need slo-mo vision to see that knee jerk reaction. He set his cup down and began walking across the floor. What the Hell could have gone on? Sure he woke up once to be in his tightie wighties fondling a twelve gauge, but this seemed different. He pushed through the Hallway doors, a look of genuine worry on his face as he searched for Kayla. When he found her he took his hat off, letting his wild blond hair come out holding his hat down by his stomach with one hand. "What in Sam Hill did alcohol do to you? Are you alright?"

Jane took his hand all too gratefully. "Then we should dance," she agreed, leading him out to the center of the dance floor. She could see the ardor and excitement in his eyes, and maybe something else, and she couldn't help but feel it too. Not anything ridiculous or cliche, but it was a romantic sort of setting, wasn't it? The lights, the people, the atmosphere of the whole hall. Anybody who knew her would know that she was as far as you could get from a pure and naive romanticist, but when it came down to it, girls were still girls, and this was still a fairy tale ball.

"You know how, I hope." There wasn't much to it. Hold a partner tight, sway to the music, and don't step on her toes. Maybe he would've liked to take the lead, but Jane didn't put much thought into it, clasping his hand in hers and draping her other arm over his shoulder. She guided his free hand, obviously, to her waist. "Just move with me and don't break my foot with your prosthetic."

Their height difference was all too noticeable now. Jake was almost a full foot taller, and she barely came up to his shoulders facing each other like this. That would make things more awkward, but hopefully he could roll with the punches. Hopefully. If he did fall over and crush her to death halfway through a waltz, then it'd at least be a night to remember. It wouldn't be the first time, anyways.

While she couldn't peek over his shoulder, she could drink in a passing glance of Pres and his date as they swayed on by. She gave him a private, knowing smile as they passed, one that Jake hopefully wouldn't catch. No strings attached. A silent reminder. And the girl he was with wasn't too bad to look at herself. Some guys got all the luck, didn't they?

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It didn't take long for her to leave the Grand Hall behind her, and didn't take long for her to find what she'd been looking for. The vending machine was just outside the doors, arrayed with all kinds of drinks, with the lights and dancing couples all still within easy sight. A part of her wished they had decided to set this thing up around a corner or something, to earn her a couple minutes of quiet.

She was standing in front of the machine when he caught up. Of course he came after her. "Alright?" Kayla glanced up at him with a dull, dismissive look before looking back to the machine, digging in her pockets. "What? Are you expecting some tragic backstory? Don't you think that's kinda nosy?" Well, she wouldn't consider it a 'tragic backstory' exactly, but it wasn't something she was eager to share with strangers. And either way, from the concerned and fretted way he was carrying himself, he probably had the wrong idea. "I don't drink and I don't like drunks. Let's leave it at that."

An irritated spark popped off near her head like a firecracker as she turned her pockets inside out and held it up to the light in a cupped hand. Junk, junk, junk. Bobby pins, screws, paper clips, a house key. Something told her the machine didn't take arcade coins. All the metal scrap in her pocket probably looked strange to an outsider, borderline trespassing on the territory of 'collection.' Still, she didn't waste any time explaining herself as she picked through it, frowning.

It wasn't a question of whether she could afford it. There was plenty of spare change within the small pile, but she still groaned like she was short. "I can't use these..." she muttered to herself, and stuffed them back into her jacket pockets. "Stand back for a second."

Kayla held out her hand and pressed her palm to the keyboard. Electricity flit across her fingertips, and then across the machine itself, and then it all started to light up at once. The machine shook, then it shuddered, and then the drinks started falling down the rack one by one. Then they were all tumbling at once, a rumbling cascade of overpriced soda bottles and tall cans of green tea and energy drinks.

"Ah..."

Woops.

She'd only meant to get a couple.

Kayla stepped back as the lights in the machine began to flicker, more sparks crackling around her head. Bottles and cans started to spill out onto the floor. One hit the ground just right and popped open to explode on the tiles, firing across the floor like a rocket. She screwed up her face and leaned back to avoid the spray.

That's...

Deep breaths. No need to lose her cool. This wasn't a big deal. Too many school counselors had given her the same mantra and the same advice. Don't overreact. She closed her eyes, drew in a deep draft of air, and opened her eyes again.

...ANNOYING!!

Her leg went flying into the side of the machine. There was a blast of electricity where the tip of her sneaker connected with the metal, and the machine crumpled under her foot like a tin can. A surge of electricity rocked through the machine, and in an instant, it went shooting down the hall like a bullet to crash into the wall in a shower of sparks and glass. Black streaks were burned into the floor where it had skid across the tiles.

Kayla gave a small huff of irritation and stooped down to snatch up a Dr. Pepper, glancing back at her shoddily-dressed-comrade-in-arms. "Do you want one? I'm heading back in." It was probably better not to linger at the scene of the crime anyways, and the Formal was as good of a place to lose yourself as any.

A smile lit up onto Brant's face the moment that Destiny walked in, his breath almost taken away at how beautiful she looked. As she came over to greet him, he leaned over to give her a quick kiss before drawing away just slightly to get a better look at her face. "And there is my adorable necromancer - no matter what you say on that matter," he said in a soft, but playful tone before he glanced out at all the other couples that were on the dance floor already. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked as he held out an arm for her to take. "Want to dance? I make no promises of being any good."

Devin's gaze was locked on his hands as he twittered his thumbs when Aleta spoke up, causing him to jump slightly as he lifted his gaze to look at her. He was quickly taken a back by how wonderful she looked, almost wordless before he gave her a smile. "You look great as well," he said before pausing as he spotted Leo looking rather worried at his date. He wondered if he himself should be worried about that but...He decided to brush it off as he returned his gaze to her. "I must admit...This is my first dance ever so...What should we do?"

Myles had raised his hand to his face as the electricity had crumpled the machine. Out if danger instinct, his pupils dilated and he watched the machine crumple in slow motion, the enhanced hearing letting him hear every single circuit getting crushed and bottles rattling around. He took a step back as pupils got larger again, flushing his eyes with light before adjusting. A dull headache creeping across his head and his eyes shifting from the usual light blue to an almost deep gray. He nodded his head, grabbing a second Dr Pepper and a water. He moved both bottles into one hand, opening the water bottle with his teeth, grabbing a migraine relief packet from his back pocket, he thought it would be a good time to explain what in the Hell kinda ritual dance he was doing "Every time I use my power, dependin' on how long I do it, I get migraines straight from Hell, always better to be prepared." He carefully poured it into the bottle, just tossing the packet into the mess saying "Let's get goin' then."

Sophia lifted a gloved hand to her face to cover a soft giggle she let out. Her gloves were soft silky gloves that just cover her hands nothing to fancy. "I'm ready to be shown off to the world. And a dance would be lovely thank you." She said, looping her arm into his ready to be whisked away and onto the dance floor.

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Keira gladly took his hand, happy she met someone she could trust. Griffin was a really nice guy. "Yes please. I don't think I could keep myself warm for much longer." She stated. She had a hand on the bottom of her dress, and made sure to lift it up slightly so it wouldn't drag on the ground. She refused to wear heels. They were too painful to deal with.

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Destiny accepted the kiss with a smile but as soon as he mentioned her being adorable, it turned into a frown. "I'm not adorable." She said with a firm huff, but her slight annoyance soon melted away. What did she want to do? She wasn't exactly thirsty or hungry at the moment so dancing sounded fine. "Dancing sounds lovely. And I can't guarantee that I will be any good either." She said, taking his arm he offered to her.

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Magic stood outside, kind of nervous for this whole evening. Dealing with the loud noise was one thing, but there was also the fact that his date was the girl he had a crush on. He wanted to make sure she had a good time. The winter prefect just decided to wear some black dress pants, a blue dress shirt, a black vest, and a blue striped tie. Occasionally he would pull at the color of his outfit. He wasn't used to wearing anything fancy like this. Anytime he wore a button up shirt it was never buttoned up, it always sat over a t-shirt.

From what he could hear going on the inside, apparently there was something strange tasting about the punch. So he made a mental note to avoid it. But it also seemed that people liked the decorations on the inside. He was glad that everything looked good. He would see it all again in a moment but for now he was waiting on Adeline.

He thought the gloves complimented her gown perfectly well. It looked a lot nicer when worn with actual formal attire rather than in her pajamas or in her school uniform. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure if he'd seen her bare hands before, but that was something to think about another time.

The Autumn took his date inside, guiding her to the middle of the dance floor, seeing a few mildly interesting sights along the way. The girl from the cafe, Maria, shooting a smile his way - and his roommate, dressed like a ragged hobo, storming out into the hallways. For a moment, he wondered what she were even doing there before the song changed and his attention was pulled back to the Spring on his arm.

"I'll try not to step on your toes," He joked, taking her gloved hand in his grasp, his other hand resting on her waist, beginning to move slowly along with her to the music. Step, step, back. Step, step, back. The simplest of waltzes, but they weren't in the spotlight yet as far as he knew.

For a moment as they swayed, he got a glimpse of another dancing not far off, smiling his way. He couldn't help it, shooting a small grin and a quick wink back. "Looks like our competition is already here," he finally spoke again, gesturing towards Jake and Jane dancing, and the other couple out by the punch bowl. "I never asked. You're not afraid of being the star, are you?"

It had been super cool when Connor had asked him to go to the Winter Formal with him. Laden hadn't really been to any special school dances back home so going to one once he reached Beata was pretty cool. And it was called a formal, rather than just any ordinary school dance. So Lady had to pick carefully what he was going to wear so he didn't look bad. Was it weird that two guys wear suits and go together? Laden had no idea since he had never been asked out to something this formal before. So he chose a nice suit, though it felt a little uncomfortable on him, and prepared for the dance. Maybe the next year he would wear a dress. Or try one out.

Whatever the case he had to fight the winter winds a bit to make it to the dance so that he could have some fun with Connor! He was super excited to see his friend all dressed up and formal! Lady bet he was super cute in his suit. Arriving at the doors he spotted Connor almost immediately. "You look fantastic!" He complimented, giving Connor a friendly and sincere smile. "Shall we go in?" Laden lifted his arm to see if they could link arms as they headed in.

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Malcolm hadn't originally intended to go to the Winter Formal. He had a few friends but he wasn't sure who all would be there. Most people had dates but no one had come to mind when he considered asking someone to go with him. He figured he would stay back in his dorm and have fun by himself. But then he realized how boring and sad that sounded and decided, instead, to go to the Formal and see if there was anyone there that he knew and could talk to. Better than being super anti social and sitting alone in his room all night.

The night was young and the autumn had spent more time then she wanted too doing her makeup in front of her mirror. Aspen had woken up pretty late in the day and had too quickly start on her makeup, she honestly didn't expect to get nominated as a princess of the formal! Hopefully it'd be fun! Of corse the autumn didn't care if she wins or not it still was pretty cool that she got nominated out of thousands of girls that attend Beata. Aspen wore a rather simple dress. It was a sleek black dress with long sleeves, it covered up most of her neck but it looked great on the young autumn. You were able too say that Aspen Reyes looked stunning in black. Aspen had been the last one too leave her dorm, Barry and Devin had already left too the formal which was slightly disappointing Aspen didn't know what to do almost all of her friends had someone ask her to the formal. Lamia was with Magic, Barry was with Cassandra and Vincent didn't even want to go, oh well guess she would need to deal with it.

Once she had left her dorm and went down the stairs the autumn had arrived at the Grand Hallway, and it had took her breath away. The floor was polished the hallway was beautifully decorated and everything seemed too be like a palace. All it needed was a King, Queen, Prince and a Princess.. Aspen had slipped past people as she glanced around hoping too spot familar faces, although she did give everybody a bright happy smile. Aspen had completely stopped when she had heard her favorite song, not able too resist the temptation too jam out and after a few short moments the autumn was out of breath. Aspen had glanced around for something to drink there she had noticed the punch bowl a few feet away from her. There were some people that she knew that were just chilling around the punch and laughing together so the autumn figured that she would join in on their conversation. Slipping over Aspen had smiled brightly "Hey! Sweet party right?" Aspen said her smile turning wider as she grabbed a cup and poured some punch into it. She then had turned too the person next to her, raised her glass into the air and said. "Cheers to a great night!!!" Without hesitating the autumn had chugged the entire cup of spiked punch and wiped her mouth after. Her eyes had sparkled with bursting energy. "Wow!!! I feel great after drinking this! I need this every single day!" After saying that Aspen had grabbed a few more cups and chugged them down at a rather alarming pace.

"Whew! I think I need too sit down for a little.." The autumn had said feeling slightly dizzy although she didn't really question it. She had figured it was from dancing and laughing, she had only been here for a few moments and the night was already off to a great start! Aspen had walked wobbly over towards a nearby chair and pointed at a person nearby the punch bowl. "Hey! mind getting me another cup? Im quenched!" The autumn had said with a smile as she leaned back onto the chair.. Was it just her or was the room getting brighter?

Ooc- short as frick

Why she even came, who in hell knew. But Amelia was determined to go to the formal, albeit being a bachelorette wasn't her original idea. She'd stolen a dress her older sisters had never worn, which now fit her after sitting in a closet for a year or so, and had only needed to be thrown in the wash to freshen it up. Being used to Washington weather, the tiny Autumn was unimpressed with the chilly breeze on her legs as she jogged to the hall. Although the vending machine screeching behind her just as she walked in startled her just a wee bit.

As usual, the Grand Hall was as beautiful as ever, along with a bustle of people surrounding the bowl of punch. After last year, she didn't want to fall for the punch's fruity color. So she settled on people-watching, and soon afterwards she was lost in thought, eyes staring at the middleground between here and there.

Louis sat by the punch bowl, watching Aspen drink the punch. When she sat down, he looked at her, though he doubt she noticed him. But when the girl soon talked in Louis's direction, he assumed she was asking him. "Uh, sure." he said, getting up. Well, it is a party after all. He gave a small smiled and poured a glass. He brought it back over to her, sitting down at the same table.

Jake was soon swept to the dance floor by Jane. The tall boy listened to her as she explained dancing and gave a small laugh. Might as well let her show me. Don't want to hurt any feelings or look like a no-it-all. "Oh come on. I'm not that bad." He chuckled, at the same moment his leg made its' annual mechanic noise. For a few moments they danced in silence, he soon saw Preston and Sophia waltz by. Jake gave a smile, though it was merely fake. No. Enjoy tonight. He suddenly felt a rush of joy and sadness as he placed his arm around Jane's waist and held her hand. This is so wonderful. But...does she feel the same way as I do? He wondered.

(Pepper awaits her unknown love (Cough, Cayden.)
(Maria is waiting for...idrk)

It was a really bad idea to have accepted a cafe shift on the day of the Formal, but Patty had requested for her help since everyone seemed to be trying to skip that day to prepare and dress themselves up early. While business was relatively quiet, save for some couples who came in here and there to begin talking about the school-wide event and what they were planning, she couldn't leave until time was up. As much as she didn't want to keep him waiting for her, she couldn't have said 'no' to her manager. Granted, she didn't have the courage to refuse anyone about practically anything either. Time kept passing by and the night grew dark, with only a sliver of moonlight left glimmering in the purple twilight, the first points of stars beginning to emerge from the shadows. The dance was starting in an hour... She wouldn't have enough time to prepare at this rate. No, no, she had to focus on her job. With a quiet sigh, Adeline dismissed those thoughts with a shake of her head, cleaning the last few plates left in the kitchen, her eyes wandering past Rosebury's exit back to the academy.

She anticipated as much, and while her formal clothes were tucked neatly away in a bag, she never found the opportunity to put them on. Wash the utensils, take orders, bake desserts, it was an endless plethora of tasks that didn't give her a break. That was, until Patty had closed the cafe early, and ushered to the back to change, much to her chagrin. Her hands were fumbling over the uniform's buttons, working its way down one at a time until the very end. Slipping it off, she subconsciously reached towards her neck. No necklace. It was still gone, after all of this time, she couldn't find it. At least the lights were dim and well, this was a secluded storage room... nobody should be looking. Adeline glanced around for a few moments, eyes flickering restlessly beneath her bangs and she took a deep breath, clutching the dress in her fingers.

After what felt like an eternity, she managed to muster enough confidence to put the dress on. The glowing, embedded clock was visible. What was she thinking with this? Awkwardly, her uncoordinated hands readjusted the sleeves, and it managed to tighten around the clock, concealing it from anyone's vision. After a moment of deliberation, the idea of shrinking the antique-like screen came to her head. It doesn't work like that. Yes, yes, things were never that easy. At least it was those kinds that sort of stuck where you placed it, only moving if you tried to fidget around too much with the seal. Even still, Adeline didn't think this kind of outfit was for her. Too pretty to be used on someone so unattractive and boring.

Her hands tucked themselves into silken white gloves, stopping themselves a little ways at her elbow. On her left wrist, a golden-linked chain bracelet sat there, the centerpiece of the accessory being a delicate, artificial blue flower. The dress itself was layered with little roses, a gradient of light blue bordering on white to a deep, dark navy, sprinkled with white bead-like shines that mimicked the night sky; the skirt part split itself in half, breaking its symmetry with a large bow on one side, revealing an intricate floral design of ivory white underneath. She reached around her neck, attaching the little link that brought her substitute onyx black necklace in place, the rose charm complimenting the rest of the outfit perfectly. Blue sapphire teardrop earrings hung delicately from her ear lobes and to top it all off, an elaborate clip-like object that held half of her raven black hair in a bun, the rest falling gently to her waist. Flipping on the lights, she carefully put on the heels, awkwardly managing to balance on them and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

This wasn't her. It didn't suit her. She was so plain, so boring... she was ruining how pretty the dress was supposed to be on someone who was supposed to be attractive. Her cheeks were naturally a rosy pink and she didn't like make-up. What was the point with messing with something that you couldn't improve? Dressed to dance maybe, but she didn't want to. Nothing beat that day... even if she didn't mean to get carried away.

Adeline softly pushed the door open, shutting off the lights that turned the entire room to a bleak abyss, and winced a bit when a loud creeeeeeeeeaak! in a more amplified volume than she would've liked.

Exiting the cafe, she made her way back to the school, silently thanking her inability to feel the cold or how bad she was in heels to aid her in a faster trip back. Maybe it was a bad idea to have not brought some kind of jacket. Magic wouldn't get too suspicious, right? He didn't know she was walking all the way from the quaint town outside of the school's perimeter anyway. A small trip from the Winter dorms to the Grand Hall didn't account for a jacket. Nope, nope, not at all. She'd be fine. And hopefully not questioned... hopefully. Magic would at least save until another day to ask her anything if something was up. The Formal was supposed to be the day they had the time of their lives in a true Winter Wonderland. A fantasy that she - they - everyone - would get to live.

As she slowly approached the towering metal gates, Adeline couldn't help but wonder if she looked alright. God, was she okay? Even if she admitted herself that she wasn't pretty, she'd never be, she could at least show up to the event looking decent. Her hand reflexively reached for the phone in her bag, almost tempted to call her brother and ask him. That's not an impartial opinion, you moron. Right, right. Kearn always said she had looks going for her at least, just needed to smile more.

Too bad Callum always joked around that her smile was unattractive.

Maybe she took it too much for granted.

The courtyard was beautiful at night, just as always. White flowers shining like the moon, water flowing out of the fountain like it was spring, winter didn't eliminate all plant life with its heavily coated hoarfrost. Ballroom music could be heard from there, only faintly, as quiet as an echo. Memories from the dance she shared with Magic before flooded her mind, making her face grow red. Agh, this wasn't the time to be thinking about any of this. The dance... reaching formal... she was already late. She shouldn't be stopping in the middle of the road to think about something from the past. No time for reminiscing.

How tense and rigid was she? Was she even nervous? She didn't know. All she could tell was the feeling of dread welling up inside her from the flood of people that she saw coming in, like a wave washing itself onto the sandy shores of a beach.

...

God, even with heels, she was too short to see over other people. Where was Magic...? Or at least a familiar face? Too many students... Adeline drew her arms close to her sides, suddenly feeling a rush of anxiety shoot right through her, her eyes refusing to meet anyone's faces. Nobody noticed her as she slipped to the shadows of the entrance. Backing away, she found someone else right outside where she was. Maybe she'd ignore him for a bit... Damn, curiosity made her look and she was glad that luck was somewhat on her side.

It was Magic himself.

He was naturally handsome, dashing, and even if he seemed just the bit tense and stiff inside formal attire, everything about him blew her out of the water. His confident posture and everything made her wonder why he had chosen to bring her to the Formal with him. She felt happy, lucky, and ashamed of herself for taking his time away for all of this; maybe a teensy bit envious that he was so good-looking compared to her.

What would her brother say in this situation?

Bringing a hand up to calm a strand of hair sticking out, Adeline's eyes fell on his tie, which was only a bit out of place. Looked like he had been playing with his collar too much. Without even a proper greeting, she lifted her face up a bit and went up on her toes, readjusting the striped cloth. "Y-you c-c-could tr-try to k-keep it a l-little n-n-neat." Her cheeks went immediately red and she snatched her hands away, folding them in front of her. It had meant to be a joke, but now that it had left her mouth, it sounded so rude. "I m-m-mean... u-uhm... sorry." Agh, she really was bad at this.

Really didn't help that she recalled knocking a certain someone over during her first formal when she wasn't watching where she was going. She was such an idiot and so embarrassing.

Stupid...stupidstupidstupid. A breathy, nervous giggle escaped her, keeping her eyes glued to the ground. Nope, nope, not meeting his eyes or face. How fast was her heart beating again...?