The Yule Ball (Part II)

Inside the banquet hall, the students stopped at their school's respective desks, checked themselves in and walked themselves in for elixirs near an open bar and hors d'oeuvres. While Sigmund was instantly surrounded by other students from the neighboring schools, Kyle had the chance to take in the hall around him. Smooth, shiny white marble floors below them with a deep maroon floor runner that cut through the center of the elixir room. On one side of the room, a soft atmosphere was made with a melodious pianist hitting at the keys behind the hum of the chatter of the room. Zombie butlers circled the room offering an array of different finger foods and vials of elixir combinations to drink. A butler approached Kyle suddenly while he was gazing up at the sparkling crystal chandeliers on the ceiling and caught his attention.

"Ugghhhh..." The zombie seemed to offer, lifting his serving platter of elixirs towards the wizard. Kyle gave a sheepish smile and lifted a jar of sparkling blue colored liquid from the tray.

"Thank you!" He nodded, taking a sip of approval. The fragrant elixir tasted like wild berries! Before the zombie could walk off with the remainder of his elixirs, Sigmund swooped over to grab one for himself, then another, which he handed to the green colored witch from the relay, Meghan the Malevolent.

"Kahl!" Sigmund grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Why aren't you mingling?"

"Mingling?" Kyle cringed. It seemed to be what everyone else in the room was doing at the moment, but Kyle wasn't particularly interested. Sigmund, on the other hand, was being insistent. The conjurer didn't have many friends and the sorcerer was determined to help him make some, for his personal sake mainly.

"Ja! There's so many interesting kinfolk here! You remember Meghan, right?" Looking over at the green skinned witch, Kyle gave a weak wave in her direction. She returned Kyle's greeting with a snarl and adjusted the raven feathered fascinator in her hair. "She was just talking to me about the weird book you always walk around with."

"My Necronomicon?"

"Yeah, I actually study necromancy." Meghan nodded. "I'm one of the only witches in our level currently that does. I'm more partial to black magic."

"Oh! So am I!"

"See~?!" Sigmund desperately grinned in Kyle's direction. "Don't be a shut in! Make some friends! PLEASE!" When Sigmund tried to bow out of the conversation, Meghan grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. Taking a sip of her red elixir, she furrowed her brows.

"Who said I wanted to make friends?" Meghan grumbled to the surprise of the boys. "Especially with this kid. No thanks."

"Excuse me?!" Kyle coughed, eyes going wide. Meg shrugged.

"I mean, I've seen the broom you ride. Why would I wanna be friends with you? You probably live in squalor!" Sigmund choked on his own elixir as a laugh escaped him. Kyle's face reddened.

"The broom I ride beat you in the Rune Relay! So how about that? ZING!"

"Who cares about that stupid relay?!"

"Clearly you do with the way you stomped around when we won!"

"She did stomp! Didn't she?" Sigmund laughed. The boys imitated her display from that day, stomping around her and instantly broke out in joint laughter, much to Meghan's distaste. As the witch growled through gritted teeth and seemed to be reaching for a wand from her cloak, the conversation paused when the doors of the main dining hall suddenly opened and a harp chimed.

"DINNER IS SERVED!" An announcement sang out over the conversations in the room. The youth immediately turned their attention to the opened room and a collective silence washed over them.

The décor for this year's Yule was glorious. Round tables dressed with shimmering table cloths, silver dinnerware shined to perfection and stunning crystal glasses. Tall table centerpieces were illuminated with flickering candles that gave the dimmed hall a dreamy feel. Decorative snowflakes cascaded from the high, palace like ceiling around rows of low lit chandeliers. Toward the front of the dance floor area sat a live orchestra playing softly for the time being and a beautiful display of lush, holiday trees. Students were welcomed to leave signed cards and holiday wishes on the trees and it was an event many of them looked forward to taking part in with a friend or someone special. Faintly, it seemed as though it was snowing, but the snow never reached the ground. The beautiful illusion only made the room sparkle that much more.

Sigmund quickly walked through the crowd of students to ensure a seat for himself and his friends at a table near the dancefloor. Kyle scurried behind them, hoping to be able to people watch from his seat, since he didn't plan on dancing for the night. With their seats secured, the boys finally took a moment to marvel at the room.

"Isn't this incredible?" A soft voice suddenly spoke beside Kyle, who turned his attention to the witch sitting beside him. Erin the Enchantress. Without her massive brimmed witching hat, which had been replaced with a deep ruby bandeau tiara, she seemed a lot smaller in size. Meghan reluctantly sat beside her, rounding out the table before any of Sigmund's fangirls could take a seat with them. "I don't recall them ever putting in this much effort, ever!"

"Compared to last year, I have to agree with you." Kyle nodded, taking a sip of his elixir. Erin covered her mouth as a giggle escaped.

"What changed? Did they finally get a hold on all those bills or something?" She joked. "Do we finally have money in these establishments? Are our school lunches gonna get an upgrade too? What's up?!" Kyle choked on his drink, which immediately made Erin laugh. He actually giggled with her, which even surprised him.

"Oh, please! Don't count on that!" Kyle chuckled. The laughter caught Sigmund's attention and he was just as surprised as the rest of his friends who tuned in to see Erin at the table. He thought Erin's crushed, red velvet evening gown would look wonderful beside him and his own outfit. And considering she was the most popular witch in the room, he figured it was only right she was at their table since he was the most popular of well...all! His eyes sparkled in her direction and quickly, he tapped Kyle's shoulder. Kyle raised a brow in the sorcerer's direction when he leaned in to whisper.

"Switch seats with me~!" Sigmund grinned, hand hovering over Kyle's ear to secure his request.

"What for?!" He whispered back, rather harshly.

"So I can speak with Erin!"

"Do you not see us having a conversation of our own? Or are you truly not at all self aware?"

"As if she wants to speak with you all night long! Switch NOW!"

Before Kyle could protest again, Sigmund took matters into his own hands. While Erin was preoccupied watching the orchestra play, Sigmund had managed to materialize Kyle into his seat and himself into Kyle's. The wizard gasped in realization as his mid-sentence argument was quickly cut short and his table neighbor had become Sigmund's friend. In the room, students had taken notice of Sigmund's sudden seat arrangement and they were completely tuned in to see where that would go. Completely unaware of it all, Erin leaned into Kyle's old seat to mention something to him.

"Look, they're bringing out the food! It smells so delightful!"

"Ja, I think it's supposed to be a real holiday treat this year!"

"O-oh!" The enchantress squeaked, head snapping in Sigmund's direction. Her hand had settled over her chest to regulate her heartbeat. "I-I'm sorry...I thought I was talking to Freckles..."

"I did you a favor and took his spot. Trust me, he's not very entertaining.."

"Oh?" Erin pouted. "Says who?"

"Considering the amount of fans that tune in to watch me every week, I would think everyone says so."

Kyle's brows furrowed towards the sorcerer's statement. Sigmund conjured up a rose for Erin, which certainly caught the attention of his peers and other students in the room. Though most of the witches in the room seemed jealous, majority of the students found the display romantic, even though they couldn't hear what was being spoken about previously. When Erin turned away from the offer, it was as if a shockwave had pulsed through the entire room and a faint, collective gasp could audibly be heard from every table. Sigmund, himself, looked just as shocked as everyone else. Everyone but Kyle and Meghan at least. Before he could be insistent, the food was set in front of everyone and cut the display short.

At the student's request, different holiday dinners were served based on taste of the individual. No two plates looked the same. Many students requested celebratory dishes from their own homes, realms and netherworlds. Each dish set down created a new conversation from table to table and slowly took the attention away from Sigmund's embarrassing moment. Erin and Meghan lifted their silverware and instantly began swapping items on their plates for one another to try, floating into a conversation of their own as Sigmund seemed to sink into his seat.

"Are you ready to switch back?" Kyle smirked towards the flustered, reddened sorcerer. Sigmund folded his arms, pouted in annoyance and snapped his fingers, which did the switching for them both, their dinners included though the rose was abandoned on the table. He crossed his legs and pushed his dinner aside, too upset to eat at the moment. Kyle ate his dinner happily. So far, he'd really been enjoying himself. Realizing Kyle was back in the seat beside her, Erin gave a warm smile.

"What dish did you ask them to make for you?" She asked Kyle, pointing to his plate. "Looks really yummy!"

"Wellington!" Kyle smiled back. "They gave me mash and peas too. I didn't ask for it, but I'm not complaining. What about you?"

"A good 'ol New York strip steak!" Erin laughed sheepishly. "They gave me potatoes too. I've been dying for a steak for so long, but they don't let us eat much red meat on campus. Not enchantresses, I mean. Strict diets..."

"Diet, schmiet! All of that is a bunch of foolery!"

"Then gimme a piece of your wellington and I'll give you a piece of my steak!" Sigmund looked over his shoulder as the pair beside him took turns swapping items on their plates. He tried once more to butt into the conversation, but from his seat this time.

"Oh, Erin~! You should really try what I'm eating instead!" Sigmund called, lifting his plate over Kyle's head. Kyle ducked down, annoyed with Sigmund leaning on his back. Glancing at his plate in annoyance of her own, Erin raised a brow.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Christmas goose!" Sigmund responded cheerfully. "It's a traditional meal for my family during the holidays!"

"Goose?"

"There's some sausage here too! And kartoffelknödel-erm...potato dumplings? Ja, that! Try it!"

"No, it's okay. I think I have enough on my plate now.."

"I insist!"

"I don't want any. Thank you."

"PLEASE?!"

"No!"

Growing tired of Sigmund leaning over his back, Kyle finally shoved him back into his seat, which gave Sigmund's friends a great laugh when he'd been rejected once again. Sigmund couldn't understand why Erin wasn't fond of him. Every witch in her academy wanted the chance to speak with him! He stuck a fork in his meal, lifted it to his mouth and took an angry bite out of it, ignoring the taunting from his friends beside him.

After a few moments more of dinner, the orchestra finally turned up the volume and fairy lights seemed to rise from the dancefloor a few feet away from their table. Students quickly made their way over, grabbing friends and partners for the first waltz of the evening. Others went over to the holiday tree to leave their well wishes. Sigmund and his friends instantly rose from the table to get to the trees first. Meghan tapped Erin, taking her attention away from the orchestra.

"Let's leave a wish on the tree together!" Meghan actually smiled. Erin nodded happily, pulling the handkerchief from her lap and setting it on her seat as she stood up.

"Oh yes, please~!" Before taking off in the direction of the trees, Erin looked back at Kyle who was sipping away at his elixir, watching the other students dancing. She smiled to herself and leaned over, catching his attention. "Let's dance too, okay?"

"Hm-?!"

"I'll be right back! Don't give my dance away!" Erin covered her mouth, a girly giggle escaping her as she rushed away to catch up with Meghan. Kyle's eyes had gone wide. He wasn't a dancer, he was exceptionally uncoordinated, but on top of everything else, this had never happened at any of the Yule balls he'd attended previously. He'd never been asked to dance, yet alone from the most popular witch in academia. He'd embarrass himself if he stepped on that dancefloor!

"Goodness..." He gasped, quickly setting his drink aside. This was a problem. He had to hide. IMMEDIATLEY! Over by the trees, Erin was more giddy than ever. Reaching up to hang her wish with Meghan, the pair struggled to reach a branch till Sigmund made his way over to help. Erin pouted and puffed her cheeks out when she wasn't able to finish the task herself.

"You don't want to topple over, now do you?" Sigmund flirted. Erin turned away from him whilst Meghan fumed.

"You've been bothering her all night!" The green witch spat. "Why don't you leave her alone?"

"Fine, fine." Sigmund shrugged. "I'll leave her be, if she'll have her first dance with me?" Looking over her shoulder for a moment, Erin crossed her arms and turned away again, nose high in the air.

"I already promised to dance with someone else!" She retorted. "In fact, I should go do that now! Excuse me, Meg."

"Huh?!" Sigmund practically shrieked, following behind the witch as she cut through the dancefloor. "Oh, come on Erin! Who else would you want to waltz with but me? Honestly!" Nearing their table, Erin's smile brightened, but seeing the table empty paused her altogether. Kyle was nowhere to be seen. The only thing left behind at the table was his unfinished elixir. Taking a moment to look around the room, she hadn't spotted the red head anywhere. Erin's eyes went misty as her sparkling smile turned to a saddened frown.

"Ah...he didn't wanna dance with me..."

"Please don't tell me you asked Kahl to waltz!" Sigmund laughed. "Of all people, him? And now look, he's vanished!"

"Stop it, please..."

"I've been trying to get your attention all evening! Now stop being silly and let's dance!"

"I'm leaving..."

"You're wha-?!" Conjuring her hat into her hands, Erin walked herself in the direction of the exit. Meghan had caught up to the table, saw what was happening and instantly turned to Sigmund to shout at him.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER, YOU LITTLE-?!"

As Meghan reentered the elixir room to exit the banquet hall, she paused for a moment. The music from the dining hall echoed faintly into the room. At the bar, Kyle sat alone, back facing the main doors of the dining hall. A zombie butler served him a glass of water and he sipped it, thankful for some air and refreshment. Erin approached the bar and took a set for herself, leaving a gap between them.

"E-Erin!" Kyle gasped. He didn't think she would've actually left the dining hall, so he didn't bother to do any serious hiding out. He figured she would've just taken the dance from Sigmund or occupied herself with something else in the room. He was surprised to see her with her hat on. She didn't look in his direction, but he could clearly see she was sad.

"You could've just said no..." Erin mumbled.

"Huh?"

"The waltz. If you didn't want to dance with me, you could've just said no."

"It's not that, honestly-"

"I'm so sorry for bothering you all evening. I should've realized."

"Y-you weren't bothering me!"

"Ah, you don't have to lie. Ya know, enchantresses are supposed to be perceptive and I'm just the absolute worst when it comes to that."

"You aren't!"

"I'm going back to my dorm for the evening."

"ERIN! I CAN'T DANCE! I'M A TERRIBLE DANCER!"

"Oh my..." Erin blinked in Kyle direction after his rather sudden outburst. Kyle's face was burning red and he rubbed at his cheeks, completely flustered.

"I couldn't possibly find it in me to dance in front of all of academia! Y-you're popular and I'd make a ninny out of myself..."

"I wish I wasn't popular. I never asked to be, it just happened! Now everyone won't stop looking at me and Sigmund won't leave me be!"

"I wish I wasn't a terrible dancer. I'd dance with you, honest, I just can't do it in front of everyone. They'd surely taunt me.."

Looking up at each other, the pair smiled nervously, but laughed in an instant towards one another's expression. They seemed to be going on about completely different issues, but a mutual air of miserable was shared and that was appreciated. As a new waltz had started in the dining hall, Erin's attention turned to the door.

"I love classical music."

"So do I, actually."

"This is one of my favorite pieces."

"I was just going to say the same, truthfully!" Standing from his spot at the bar as Erin was handed a glass of water, Kyle stood beside her. Attention moving from the water to the wizard, Erin's brows raised when she noticed him offering her a rose.

"Is that the rose from the table?" The enchantress choked, holding back a laugh after she'd taken a sip of her drink. Kyle rocked on his heels sheepishly.

"Possibly?"

"Well, that's wonderful. I prefer it much more coming from you. Thank you." Erin accepted it with a light hand, taking the stem carefully into her fingertips and bringing the bulb to her nose to sniff. "Smells...like Wellington."

"Oh-!" Kyle laughed, prompting Erin to laugh with him once more. Seemed the flower had spent a little too much time on the table. When they'd finally stopped laughing, Kyle offered his hand. "I'll dance with you, but here. Not inside."

"Oh?!" Erin's eyes sparkled in excitement. She quickly pulled her hat from her head and tossed it eagerly. The hat poofed away in a twinkling cloud behind her. "Y-yes please! I don't mind at all!"

Erin took his hand and quickly stood up, straightening herself out as they joined in a closed position for the waltz. She wasn't at all sure what Kyle had been on about, because he happened to be a wonderful dancer and he guided her well. A little slow on the count, but he hadn't stepped over her feet once. Unbeknownst to her, Kyle was doing his very best not to. He was definitely hot under the collar and he prayed to the universe that he wouldn't start sweating. It was actually nice being out of the crowded room and alone. Erin especially enjoyed not being watched or followed around the hall, something an enchantress would typically prefer. Being able to freely move around the open elixir room was heartwarming to her, especially while dancing with someone she admired.

Having given Sigmund a piece of her mind, Meghan the Malevolent went off in search of her best friend. She was stopped in her tracks when she came to the door of the elixir room. Sigmund had been trailing behind her in an effort to find Erin and apologize, but before he could walk into the room himself, Meg snatched him. She pulled him back swiftly, something that startled the sorcerer. As he set up to speak down on her, his eyes had trailed into the room and spotted why he'd been stopped. Erin was dancing, but not with him. The enchantress leaned into Kyle's ear as they danced, smirking lightly to herself.

"You're my favorite wizard at Milkweed Academy." Okay, that was something Kyle had NEVER heard anyone speak towards him. Ever. He nearly tripped up on his headcount when that comment came from her. His eyes, which had been away from her for the most part, darted in her direction. Erin looked back, holding in a laugh towards his expression. His face was always so expressive and readable. It always seemed to give away what he was thinking.

"Me?!"

"Mhmm~!"

"You don't have to flatter me. No one's a fan of me."

"I'm not and I am! I'll be you're #1 fan then. I like you, Kyle."

"O-oh...you're not trying to enchant me or something, are you? Unless you're already enchanting me?"

"What do you think? Is there a reason for me to enchant you? Do you want me to enchant you?"

"I-I...I don't know..."

"I think I can get you to like me without me enchanting you. And actually, I've never used my magic on you. Not once."

"Never?"

"Nope! Never!"

"Not even now?"

"Haha! No, Kyle! I swear! Why? Are you enchanted?"

"I, erm-..."

The piece had finished and Erin, for what seemed like the hundredth time for the night, had a great laugh at Kyle's expense. Sigmund was stunned by the entire display. Between the dance and the flirtatious banter, he couldn't believe all those compliments and gestures hadn't been for him. Kyle, of all people? Preposterous! He wanted, so badly, to interrupt what was going on, but after the tongue lashing he'd received from Meghan, he was, well, afraid to say the least.

"Thank you for dancing with me." Erin spoke. Kyle was too preoccupied with trying to regulate his heartbeat at the moment. He wasn't totally convinced with what Erin had said about using her magic against him. "You know what I was thinking? We should send each other Christmas cards over break! Do you want to?"

"I-Is that allowed?"

"As long as it's sent home and not to the dorms, it's allowed! Oh, please say yes..."

"I'd like that, Erin."

"Okay! It's settled then! I'll send a messenger owl to you at Milkweed with my information, okay? Then you can send it back to me at Halfmoon! Just make sure you stay awake after the ball, because that's actually against the rules. Hehe~!"

"Messenger owl?"

"How do you think kinfolk here coordinated their outfits? It's a secret, but everyone uses owls! We just got lucky." Erin gave him a wink and turned away to walk back into the banquet hall. Meghan and Sigmund fumbled over one another to back away from the door in an effort not to be seen, but failed miserably, falling over one another.

"YOU DOOF!" Meghan gasped, readjusting her facinator. Sigmund gasped himself.

"WHAT?! You tripped me with those ugly, outdated yellow brick road boots!" He retorted.

"How long were you two watching?" Erin asked, standing over them both. She held a hand out to Meghan, who took it to help herself up. Sigmund seemed to be on his own till Kyle walked over and did the same for him.

"Long enough!" Sigmund pouted, pulling his hand away quickly from Kyle once he was up. "I could've danced better than that! I've been so kind to you all evening long and you couldn't even be bothered with me! A-and I heard your little plan about the owls, so unfair! You've made a laughing stock out of me, aren't you even a little bit remorseful?"

"Oh, you heard the owl plan?" Erin giggled. Sigmund wasn't impressed. "If I dance with you, will you leave me alone?"

"Ja...I'll leave you alone..."

"So let's go." Erin sighed. Sigmund practically skipped back into the dining hall, an action that annoyed everyone behind him. Meghan gave Erin a concerned look.

"You know you don't have to dance with him if you don't want to, right?"

"It's okay Meg, holiday break is thankfully after this, so it'll be the last time I see him for a while anyways. Right, Kyle?" Hearing his name, Kyle perked up. Meghan's brow raised.

"I thought his name was Freckles?"

"No, my name is Kyle..."

"You look more like a Freckles to me."

"You must be joking..."

The dancefloor was surprised to see Erin and Sigmund together all of a sudden for the waltz that followed. Sigmund danced with great pageantry and effervescence, but by the expression on Erin's face, she looked as though she wanted it to be over with. Quickly. The reception in the room went from being impressed to something more comical. Giggles, commentary and laughter escaped the adolescents. Sigmund thought of it all to be good press, even though he couldn't really hear what was truly being said. Although many of the students thought to pair Sigmund and Erin together as somewhat of a power couple, it was becoming exceptionally clear that the dynamic of their dreams wasn't something the enchantress was interested in. At all. Even with the popularity and idol-like status of them both. And the peers were thankful, especially Sigmund's fangirls. It meant they had a chance at either one of them for themselves. Or so they believed.

Kyle was enjoying the display and when it was all over, Sigmund was tuned in to the news of the room from his friends, something that ruined his night completely. With his night ruined, Kyle's night was officially made. The ball had ended after a couple more pieces were played and students walked out with neighboring friends held tightly in tow before sadly parting ways for the season. Erin and Meghan pulled on their witching hats and academy capelets, preparing themselves to hit the runway for flight back to Halfmoon. Spotting her conjuring her broom, Kyle made his way over to Erin quickly.

"Erin!"

"Oh, hello~!"

"The owl, we won't get into trouble, will we?"

"Don't be such a fuddy duddy! It'll be fine! My dormmates do it all the time with their partners!"

"Partners?!"

"Yeah, partners. Guys, gals, ghouls. You know, kinfolk you date."

"Date?!"

"Haha! I love messing with you. You're a funny little wizard!"

"Ugh! Hurry up with your stupid little boyfriend, Erin!" Meghan groaned, already hovering on her broom. "I haven't finished my packing yet and we've gotta get up early tomorrow.."

"BOYFRIEND?!" Both Kyle and Sigmund gasped when he'd joined them on the runway and momentarily tuned in. The outburst caught the attention of other students on the runway. Hopping sideways on her broom, Erin hovered for a moment herself and leaned into the conjurer.

"Don't forget to stay awake, okay~?" She whispered chillingly. And to the shock of everyone outside the banquet hall, Erin set a kiss to the wizard's cheek before finally taking off in a fit of witching laughter with the rest of her peers. Sigmund's jaw dropped. After a pause from them both, the sorcerer pulled forcefully at Kyle's suit jacket. He figured the only explanation to the entire night was the fact that Kyle had borrowed his clothing.

"GIVE ME MY SUIT BACK!"

"GET OFF ME YOU PSYCHOPATHIC, MAD MAN!"

"I SAID GIVE IT BACK!"

The chaotic scene was a wonderful end to the night for everyone else and made for a great story to tell over their own holiday dinners.