Chapter 14: Formal Night
Earth: March 7, 2014; 6:00 PM; Visionary School
The group had left the house and decided to walk to the venue at a leisurely pace, taking comfort and solace in each other's company. As they strolled on the sidewalk, the guys and the girls were trying their best not to be too conscious of the situation.
After all, it was a pleasant evening.
The wind that blew through the streets was just right, as it caressed cheeks gently with its cool, refreshing touch. The night was quiet and peaceful, with the relaxing sound of the chill hustle and bustle of people's homes droning on like ambience that soothed the soul. As the group passed a house and rounded the corner, they could hear the faint sound of the television as it played a comedy sitcom. Matt and Raph grimaced as they heard loud laughter rip through the night air, almost shattering the serene and seemingly content atmosphere that had built up around the group.
As they passed by another house, the entire group's restlessness suddenly pent up again when they heard a romantic drama playing loudly out the window. The once satisfied, if slightly tense, air around the four had transformed into one of unease.
They turned the corner and stopped for a moment, marveling at the school building that was Visionary School.
The school building was decorated to look much more fancy and nice than it usually looked. The entrance, covered from the top by something that looked a lot like a balcony, was wreathed in multiple lights. These lights dangled and twinkled beautifully as if they were the stars in the sky. A few cars of varying color were parked a short distance from the double doors. The small plants in front were cute and small, like a miniature garden that most rabbits would devour within seconds.
In front of the doors were two people, one a guy dressed in a suit and one a girl wearing a black one-piece dress. The two were wearing masks, as if it were a masquerade. The boy, a very skinny and lanky boy with shades of both light and dark brown hair that stood up in a type of spikiness, wore a light blue mask that covered the face up to his nose. The girl, short in stature with very wavy and curly light brown hair that flowed down to her shoulders, wore a brown and green full face mask that covered her entire face, leaving nothing but her eyes visible. They remained strangely stiff as they stood with backs straight, clearly unused to good posture.
"Good evening, sir. Good evening, ma'am." They said, bowing in formality. "Please come inside, your seats are ready."
"Thank you." Raph said in reply, bowing back to the pair. They walked together to the doors, and the pair opened the doors for the four.
"Wow, they really seem to have gotten the act up for tonight." Blanc commented, shifting her arm in Matt's.
"…yeah, t-they sure did…" Matt said in reply, stuttering and hesitating as he tried not to shift his arm as to make his date uncomfortable.
As they walked through the door, they were greeted by the sight of the room that led to the main room. The clear part of the doors to the main room were covered in black cloth, blocking the view into the room. To the side, there was a small office table where there was another male in black formal attire standing at attention. He was a stout, slightly pudgy boy who was not as tall as Matt and Raph with slightly spiky dark brown hair. He, too, wore a mask on his face. His mask was a partial dark red mask that covered up to his nose. He nodded silently to the four guests and gestured to the doors that led to the main room, an over-familiar smile on his lips.
"…so do we just…go in?" Nepgear asked, squeezing Raph's arm to grab his attention.
Raph, made very aware of the sudden pinch on his arm, "Um, I guess." Raph replied awkwardly, shrugging nonchalantly before taking a step forward.
The boy standing to the side suddenly began walking towards the group, and he reached for the door and opened it politely. He bowed and gestured for the four to enter, and they nodded in reply before taking a step inside.
The entire room was very large, far larger than any normal room. It was big enough to be an auditorium, both in height and in width. The long, sprawling walls were white in color, though parts were covered in the black cloth that was similar to the ones used outside. The walls were decorated with masks of varying different kinds, like the ones that the others had been wearing on the way in. The lights that shone from the ceiling were white and strangely dull in color, striking the similarly white floor tiles gently. But the combination of white light on white tiles made the white color very stark and painful to look at.
The tables were circular, and covered in a white tablecloth. The chairs surrounding these tables were also covered in white cloth, and were arranged neatly. In the center of the table was a white pot with a black and white mask propped up as the centerpiece, seemingly the motif of the table and the theme for the décor. Surrounding the centerpiece was a collection of chocolate coins wrapped in copper-colored shiny foil.
"This looks pretty quaint. Kind of like fine dining." Blanc commented, peering at the rest of the tables. Nobody seemed to be around just yet, so they walked to the table as the first guests.
Nepgear glanced around, seemingly worried. Her eyes swept the empty chairs, and she looked unsettled. "Hey, are we really the only ones he-"
"Hey!" A loud greeting from the entrance way turned all of their heads, and they saw Kyle walking down the aisle alongside a face new to the girls.
"Yo." Javy greeted with a casual raised hand, walking over to the two guys. They exchanged high fives, and Kyle walked over to the group as well.
"I see you're all here." A voice, familiar to all present, suddenly spoke up nearby. It was a voice they'd grown used to, but it was never like it was now.
It was normally loud and full of cheer and energy. But now it was serious, and toned down low to a voice so serious it was near unrecognizable.
They turned in the direction of the voice, and a young man bowed politely.
He was a boy with a large build, and he was almost as tall as Raph. He was wearing a black suit, just like them. He had a cobalt-blue bow tie attached very neatly to his collar, and his short crew military-style crew cut topped his head. With shiny black leather shoes and black slacks, he wore a shiny silver watch on his right wrist.
On his face, he donned a dark purple mask with black accents. Underneath, they could see the faint shine of black-rimmed square glasses.
"…Grape? Is that you?" Blanc asked in astonishment. She seemed taken aback at the unexpected shift in personality that he displayed.
Grape merely nodded, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Yes, it is me. I will be helping serve the food later on. Ladies and gentlemen, your table is here."
Grape gestured with his arm over to a nearby table, and he took a few steps to the side to allow the group to pass without obstruction.
"Thank you." The stunned replies of the group were scattered and soft, and they passed by him without another word. They each took their respective seats, with the dates sitting beside each other.
Nepgear, taking a seat next to Raph, breathed out a sigh as she sat. "I didn't expect Grape to start being like that."
"Yeah." Blanc agreed, still glancing at the man in question as he walked across the hall and began speaking with some of the other servers. "I don't think I did either."
Raph just shrugged. "He's capable of a lot of things. He just chooses to act like an idiot most of the time since it's fun for him to do so."
And with that, the group had fallen into an awkward silence. With nothing to talk about, the entire circle of people had drifted into the era of shut-mouth.
"…hey, Matt." Javy suddenly started, and Matt turned to him as if Javy had broken an arm.
"Oh." Raph suddenly started as if he had just realized what he should have been doing He turned to Nepgear and held a hand out to Javy. "This is Javy. He's an old friend of Matt, Kyle and I."
"…hi." Javy said a little sheepishly, and his eyes darted around awkwardly for a moment before he nodded in Nepgear's direction.
"Oh…well…I'm-" Nepgear tongue twisted as she fumbled over her words, and Raph cutting her off by pinching her arm gently but sharply did not help either.
Nepgear turned to Raph, and the two briefly locked eyes.
"What?!" Nepgear motioned with her eyes, which were full of bewilderment and confusion.
"…don't use your real name." Raph signed with his hands and arms as subtly as he possibly could while mouthing the words. "It could be a bad idea."
"Why?!" Nepgear replied, only more and more confused.
"If we use your real name all the time, you might be discovered too quickly!" Raph explained, still gesturing while his eyes tried to convey the message as strongly as a human would allow.
"…fine. But what am I supposed to say? And Blanc, too?" Nepgear asked, lowering her hands and asking with her eyes alone.
"…uh, Raph?" Javy asked, and the two jolted as if they had been struck by Zeus. "You okay?"
"Um, yeah. I'm good." Raph replied, waving off his question dismissively.
He turned back to Nepgear, whose eyes were now on full alert. Raph ripped his gaze from her and met Blanc's, who has manage to catch on. Raph relayed the message with subtly mouthed words, and Blanc's eyes widened in sudden realization before nodding in said realization.
"So…how will this work?" Blanc mouthed, her eyes almost intimidating as they leered the message from across the table.
"…" Raph, unsure of how to answer the question, thought back into the recesses of his mind.
…names?
He wasn't sure of a good one.
Especially if it were on the spot.
"…so…what're your names…?" Javy trailed off, glancing awkwardly between Blanc and Nepgear.
"…Y-Yuki!" Raph suddenly shot up and shouted, and the rest of the table stared at him as if he had exploded and then been put back together. He pointed towards Blanc. "H-her name is Yuki!"
He then pointed fervently towards Nepgear. "A-and she's Sakura!"
And for a few solid seconds, the table was silent.
"…and my name's Abraham Lincoln!" Matt shouted, and the rest of the table repressed the urge to stand up and throw their chairs.
"We're…um…living at Raph's for a while." Nepgear continued, unsure of how to proceed as she ignored Matt's outburst.
Javy shot a raised eyebrow in Raph's direction, and Raph immediately cursed Nepgear's choice of words in his mind.
Not what I would have said. He thought.
"They're, uh, some relatives of mine. They came in from Japan." Raph quickly excused, to which Javy just nodded slowly before returning to listening in on the conversation that was beginning to pick up.
As the conversation between strangers and friends began to proceed, Kyle quickly glanced towards Grape, who was walking close to their table. He quickly waved his hand subtly, and Grape managed to catch it with a sweeping gaze. Kyle raised his eyebrows twice, and Grape acknowledged it with a wink before he turned around and headed for the kitchen.
The signal for the plan to go underway.
"Oh, something wrong, Kyle?" Raph asked Kyle, startling the man who had been previously casting his gaze about the room for Grape moments ago. "You haven't really talked."
"I bet he's worried that the ladies are gonna attack him." Javy joked snidely, elbowing the young man next to him.
"Like you can talk." Matt replied, sniggering immaturely.
Earth: March 7, 2014; 7:00 PM; Visionary School
With the guests all in the room, the whole hall was bustling with hushed chit-chat from the various different tables. Nepgear and Blanc had gotten accustomed to Javy pretty quickly, and were content with listening with the amusing conversations taking place between him and the other guys.
"Hey, how long have you guys known each other?" Blanc asked suddenly, interrupting the guys in the midst of the conversation.
"Oh, well, um…" Raph started, glancing at his friends for a bit for turning to Blanc. "Well, Matt and Kyle have known me and each other since grade school. Javy met us since the first year of high school."
"I see." Nepgear said, nodding in appreciation. She averted her gaze, like she had something she didn't want to say and was troubled by it.
"Something wrong?" Matt asked, a little worried as he leaned forward.
"Well…you guys just seem so close. There are no filters when you guys talk. I've never seen anything like it." Nepgear replied, smiling sadly. "I'm a little jealous, actually."
Raph just smiled and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about it. We'll all be close before you know it."
And then Raph caught something out of the corner of his eyes.
Vince, who was sitting at an adjacent table, had glanced at their table restlessly. It was very clear that he wanted to come over and hang out with the group.
…not the best idea. Raph decided in his mind. After all, the girls didn't know him. He caught Javy's and Kyle's attention with his subtle glances, and they managed to catch on. As they monitored the table sneakily, they could see Vince checking out their table every now and then.
Matt, caught up in the conversation as he was, did not notice.
Kyle quickly raised his hand to the nearest server, who happened to be Grape. He nodded and walked over to the group, and he leaned forward to listen to Kyle.
"We're done with the appetizers. Would you mind taking the plates for us?" Kyle motioned for him to come closer for a whisper, and Grape obliged him.
"Something wrong?" Grape asked, his voice still on polite mode.
"Code Vince." Kyle whispered worriedly, making a very subtle motion with his hand that pointed in Vince's direction.
"…I see. I've got it." Grape responded, winking as he stood back up and clapped his hands to attract the attention of the rest of the guests. "I'll be collecting your plates now, seeing as you've all finished with the appetizers."
Earth: March 7, 2014; 8:00 PM; Visionary School
"That was some pretty good food." Nepgear commented, sighing in contentment. She leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach in satisfaction.
"Yeah, actually." Matt agreed, taking a sip from the glass of iced tea on the table.
"Dessert was pretty nice, too." Blanc added, reaching for one of the chocolate coins on the table and twirling it around her fingers. She looked at Raph. "So, what happens now?"
Raph shot a very subtle, quick glance at the DJ booth where Grape was. Grape signaled with a smile, nod and wink for them to walk onto the large, empty space.
Raph nodded and gestured for the girls and Matt to follow him. Confused, they walked over to the zone.
Suddenly, the light exploded with brightness as the white floor tiles reflected the multicolored hues of red, blue, green, yellow and purple. Music was playing in the background for the whole dinner, chill jazz and ambient music.
But now, "Treasure" had begun to play. And it was a very danceable song.
"…looks like people are beginning to dance." Nepgear commented uneasily as she noted the people from other tables beginning to step up to the dance floor. She was clearly becoming very aware of the dancers, and conscious of the fact that she would probably have to dance as well.
Raph was more occupied with something else, however.
He could see Vince glancing at his own date, who had started a conversation with other at the table, and then glancing back at Raph's group. He stood up subtly and began to walk over to them.
And just in time, Grape suddenly came in from behind Vince and patted him on the shoulder.
"Vince, I need you to do something for me for a second, if you wouldn't mind." Grape said in a pleading voice, something Vince wasn't accustomed to hearing. Vince nodded in agreement, and the two walked away.
Nice. Raph thanked Grape heavily in his mind before turning back to his friends.
Suddenly, the music switched to slow dance music. Raph felt his heart skip a beat in nervousness, and his sweat pores suddenly became as active as never before.
"…would you like to dance, then?" He offered Nepgear his hand, trying to hide his nervousness.
If anyone could shoot fireworks from some undisclosed location on their body, Nepgear would have been placed in the Ripley's Believe It or Not exhibits for life.
"Um…sure." Nepgear muttered shyly, and the two slowly drew closer to each other onto the colorfully illuminated dance floor. They reached out to each other, and the two joined hands. Raph placed his hand onto her waist, which Nepgear was clearly not used to. She leaned her hand onto Raph's shoulder, clearly something he was not used to.
With the slow piano playing as the two held hands and shuffled a little awkwardly around the dance floor lit with lights of different colors laying curtains of their colorful rays onto the whole area, the mood felt more than a little romantic.
It only served to make the two more uneasy as they tried their best not to look directly at each other. As Raph held Nepgear's waist, and Nepgear leaned onto his shoulder, they felt the heat rising to their heads as quickly as hot sauce makes a cartoon character spew fire.
"…hey, Matt." Blanc turned around and held her hand out to Matt. "Shall we?" She smiled invitingly, trying to fight off the slight embarrassment that came with the invitation.
"Uh…um…" Matt, taken completely off guard, had no idea what to say. His face had brightened so much that he was practically glowing. His legs were shaking slightly, and his entire being shivered as well.
WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?! Matt's mind practically imploded and resurrected itself in the span of a single second as the question struck at his very core. I'M SUPPOSED TO DANCE WITH HER, RIGHT?!
Number 1: Matt had no experience dancing.
Number 2: Matt had no experience dancing with someone.
Number 3: Matt had no experience dancing.
Number 4: Matt had no idea what to do.
Number 5: Matt had no experience dancing.
Number 6: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG was the only thing on his mind.
He began to feel spikes of coldness that pierced him from what seemed like every direction, and he felt the blood in his veins begin to pulse faster and faster. The lights began to shine brighter and brighter, almost as if they were all miniature suns to Matt's eyes.
His heart felt like it had a life of its own, and it was trying to tear its way out of his chest like a rabid dog. He felt his arms beginning to shake uncontrollably, and his legs weakened as if they were going to give out underneath him.
"I-I'm sorry!" Matt said, his voice clearly torn as he turned away and dashed towards the men's bathroom.
Leaving Blanc alone on the dance floor.
Blanc, stunned, just stared after him with no idea what to do. She slowly lowered her hand and lowered her eyes to the floor, trying to brave the hushed whispers that she could hear in the corners of her mind.
She felt the hot flush of embarrassment slowly spread through her being, from her chest and into her cheeks. She had to tense in order to make sure that the embarrassment didn't start falling from her eyes. She felt her shoulders beginning to shiver and shake, though she didn't really understand why.
…is it something I did? Blanc's mind, now on an all-time low, couldn't help but rewind and reexamine everything she'd ever done since meeting Matt, wondering if she'd done anything wrong. Was it something I said?
…I know I'm not the prettiest girl, but…for this to happen…
"…would you mind if I obliged you?" Blanc felt her heart skip a beat in surprise, and her train of thought immediately braked as she turned her eyes to meet the source of the voice.
Grape was standing there on the dance floor next to her, and his face was twisted into a complicated expression made only more difficult to understand with the mask. He walked a bit closer to Blanc, his hands holding each other in front of his body.
Grape's hands removed the mask from his face slowly, revealing the rest of his face. And he had a complicated smile on his face that said so many things without speaking a word that Blanc felt really, really confused just by looking at him.
One of the mixed messages she got was the willingness to comfort her.
He inclined his head, waiting for Blanc's reply.
"…it's okay. I don't really feel like dancing." Blanc replied curtly and politely, trying not to let the hurt and pain show through the cracks of her voice, and she just silently walked back to the table and sat back down while trying to ignore the glances and stares that were coming from the other guests.
"…hey, Raph?" Nepgear asked uneasily, oblivious to what had happened near them, as their dance continued as slowly and uncomfortably as it had been when they had started. In fact, the prolonged contact had only served to make both people even more conscious of their partner.
"Yeah?" He replied, trying not to let his voice betray his emotions. His grip on her was very uncertain, swaying between wanting to grip it tight and wanting to let go and retreat at once. His heartbeat was as fast as heaven and hell would allow a human being, probably powerful enough to beat a professional boxer to the ground in a single pound.
"…I need to tell you something…" Nepgear began, her mind beginning to reel. She felt the heat around her intensifying, and the heat inside her only flaring up as if a bonfire had been lit and then been struck with a bucket of gasoline.
…shit. What?! Raph had entered full panic mode, with his imagination going bat-shit crazy. What does she plan to say to me right now?! With this mood?! This moment?! Is she-?!
Earth: March 7, 2014; 9:20 AM; Raph's House
"I'm asking if you like Raph."
Noire's question sent Nepgear's heart into a frenzy. The wind suddenly became not nearly enough to be considered cold, and she felt her footing becoming unsteady.
"…as a man…and you, as a woman…" Noire continued, and she looked at Nepgear. "How do you feel about Raph?"
Nepgear herself was surprised as she absorbed what she saw in front of her.
Noire was standing in front of Nepgear as if her life had depended on it. Her cheeks were tinted with a thin blush, and her eyes seemed to be sparkled as if she were teetering between an inner war she was fighting within herself. Her hands were clenched as if she were bracing herself to do something she didn't want to do, but at the same time, it was as if she was putting her best foot forward and placing her being on the line.
After a moment of silence, Nepgear faced down Noire and looked her straight in the eye.
…what are these feelings?
It was a feeling that felt as if there were a cold weight pressing against her chest from the inside. It was heavy, and it filled Nepgear with emotions she didn't know.
One was an emotion that chained her mind with painful, guilty thoughts that kept forcing her to return to them again and again.
And one was an emotion that filled her chest what felt like heavy sleet that seemed to hurt her and try to force tears out of her eyes.
"…I don't know."
"…really?" Noire replied, her own voice seemingly filled with a load of emotions that Nepgear couldn't really make out either.
"…I don't know." Nepgear said again.
The only sound between them was the quiet whistle of the wind.
Earth: March 7, 2014; 8:30 PM; Visionary School
"I'm really glad to be your friend, Raph. I hope that we continue to stay friends."
Raph, completely taken aback by the words that Nepgear had said, stopped dancing completely. Nepgear, too, stopped as he did. The two stared at each other for a moment, almost seemingly entranced by each other in their mutual typhoons in confusion and emotion.
Unexpected words in an unexpected situation.
Raph wasn't sure how to react and feel to the words.
…is that what's supposed to happen in this situation? Raph's mind had been struck by the lightning of God and then speared by the pitchfork of Satan before having been drilled in half and being stitched back together.
It felt that way to him. His mind was all over the place.
Fuck, why did I do that?!
Matt punched the wall as hard as he could, leaving a bruise on his knuckles and a beating heart faster than a racecar on a circular track. Sweat was pouring from his scalp as much as Niagara Falls on Mach 9, and he had to force his eyes to hold back what felt like tears.
Though what kind of emotion those tears were for was something he didn't know.
I'm such an idiot! Matt cursed to himself, berating his being over and over again as he pounded the wall with his other hand again. He kicked the toilet, and then cursed at the pain that ran up his leg.
He sat back down onto the closed toilet seat and hung his head in his hands.
…what the hell is wrong with me?! I left her out there! I embarrassed her! Matt screamed internally, clenching his hands into fists and trying not to yell in self-contempt.
After all, the rest of the guys would hear him if he did.
What am I gonna do?! Matt's mind raced back and forth, running on the engine of panic and fear like he was going to die otherwise.
What the hell am I gonna do?!
"…excuse me for a while." Nepgear said, her voice unsteady, and she released Raph's hands before quickly walking towards the bathroom.
Leaving Raph alone on the dance floor.
…damn. That thought ran through his head, and he scratched the back of his head. Did I go wrong somewhere?
Nepgear closed the door behind her as she entered the girl's bathroom, and she closed her eyes and sighed.
…I don't want us to be like that! I don't want us to be…together like that! Nepgear told herself as she began to pace around the cramped space.
As her eyes swept around the comfort room, her eyes locked onto the mirror, where she could see herself.
Instantaneously, memories of her conversation with Noire burst from the dam of her mind and flooded her brain and dropped into her heart.
…I don't like him… Nepgear said to herself, almost pleading as she leaned onto the counter next to the sink and tried to take a deep breath.
…I don't like him…like that…I don't…really…want… Her head was on a mental rollercoaster misplaced on the ferris wheel tracks, beginning to spiral out of her own control.
Mental images of Raph as they walked around the mall, and mental images of them dancing together, only added fuel to her inner fire.
Her heart, remembering the images, was under siege from all directions. And she had no idea how to defend herself, only that she was taking the heat.
…I don't…
"…do I?" Nepgear muttered to herself, and her voice sounded ripped in half.
Torn.
Earth: March 7, 2014; 8:45 PM; Visionary School
"…did your date do the bathroom, too?"
Blanc shifted in her chair at the voice, and her eyes met with Raph's. He pulled up the chair next to her, and sat down with a forlorn, defeated smile on his face.
"…yeah." Blanc replied, her voice hollowed out and driven to the brink of depression to Raph's ears. "Why? Did Nepgear shy out of the dance?"
Traces of bitterness and self-deprecating humor were left in her tone.
"Well…she ended up leaving after a little bit of dance." Raph replied, unable to hide his own bitterness.
"…I was never cut out for dancing, anyway. I probably would have tripped over his shoes a bunch of times." Blanc spat in spite, averting her gaze to the floor.
"…how about I teach you?" Raph asked, and Blanc looked at him with a faint hint of surprise in her eyes. But then she laughed, and then she stood up from the chair and sighed.
She held out her hand for him. "…well, sure. Why not?"
Raph just smiled a small smile and took her hand, leading her onto the dance floor. As they began to dance, Kyle felt surprise run through his system when he spotted the two slowly shuffling to the slow dance music.
Kyle scanned the entirety of the room, looking for the two important key points.
Grape couldn't keep Vince occupied forever, since it would only make him suspicious. So, Javy had managed to take the second half of the magazine of bullets and distracted Vince for a good long while by speaking to him and his date at his table.
Kyle spotted the person he was looking for on the other side of the room, and he subtly sped through the room towards the DJ booth.
"Grape!" Kyle cried softly, and Grape met his eyes with his own worried expression. "The plan's gone completely wrong!"
"…we've got a bigger problem on our hands." Grape replied, concern in his voice. He had his arms crossed.
"…what do you mean?" Kyle asked, shifting closer to Grape.
Grape, a grim expression on his face, just gestured with a nod towards the direction of Raph and Blanc. Kyle peered at them as well, but he didn't understand what he meant.
"What are you-"Kyle stopped talking as he saw Grape slowly raise his right hand upwards. It slowly began to count down the fingers, from the five on his pinky finger.
Four, on the ring finger.
Three, on the middle finger.
Two, on the pointer.
And just on cue, the chorus of the music played. At the same time, the world suddenly transformed.
The lights shifted from the slowly shifting multicolored rays to a single, unified color of shimmering, mystical silver light that bathed the dance floor in a romantic, beautified aura. Other lights of the same color shone their rays in movements that bathed the entire room in graceful movements that bedazzled the eyes.
As Raph and Blanc looked around each other in wonder, they suddenly heard a very quiet yet very unnatural sound emitted above them.
Small bits of silver confetti, cut out in the shape of snowflakes, began to rain down from the ceiling in slow, swooping movements. At the same time, the lights were suddenly transformed into the shapes of silver snowflake spotlights that clothed the entire dance floor in beautiful silver crystals.
Raph and Blanc, amazement tinting their eyes, were suddenly made extremely conscious of each other. And when they turned to each other, they realized just how close they were to each other.
With nothing to say, their heartbeats were once again rushing like a professional sprinter.
"…thanks for…teaching me how to dance…" Blanc said, gently pushing Raph away from her. Raph took that as the cue, and he let her go and distanced himself a bit.
"…sure thing." He said in embarrassed reply, unable to look at her directly.
"This isn't good." Kyle muttered, freaking out as he ran his hands through his hair while staring at the newly wrecked situation.
"…this is our worst case scenario." Grape sighed, pressing his hand to his temples. "…Code Black, Kyle."