"The reason that art (writing, engaging, and all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can't tell you how to do it. If there were a map, there'd be no art, because art is the act of navigating without a map."
~Seth Godin
Discombobulating misinterpretations of mirthful misery juxtaposing webs of intricate lies with lace veils of truthful wedges. All in wrapped within the folds, a deceit or truth more questionable than the line that separates them. Where do they lead, who is the liar, who is to be followed?
Once, there was black and white, a lovely monochrome lie. It kept order and stability for the brainless, but the course of life is full of indecisiveness and in-betweens, where strict policy is outdated. Gray scale, the third party of in-betweens, was created, as nothing is black nor white.
For everything is a mere dream of make-believe and inevitability.
Ms. Creo walked down the corridor with purpose; hunting for the anomaly that she knew was present and one red-eyed teenager who she needed to speak with. The gray-haired woman had spent the entirety of her morning listening to students' worries about the festival, dates, and some oddball love-triangles that even extended to pentagons at two separate points. This was why Ms. Creo loved newer students; their worries were primarily about not knowing that kimonos would be needed for the festival, which was easily remedied as the fashion department usually had some older ones from previous years.
Still, it was quite the scene to have nearly ten complaining students in her office before eight. She made a mental note to speak with the principle about including this detail in the acceptance letters, then made a left turn and exited the building.
Various students greeted her with smiles or waves, some even called out and asked how her day had been. Ms. Creo felt her mouth twitch almost into a smile when this happened before answering and then continuing on her way to the female dormitory. A few girls already in kimonos passed her by and the woman held back a scoff. She had nothing against the attire, but the festival wasn't Japanese. The town had been experiencing financial difficulties and a young Japanese entrepreneur gave them a second chance decades ago, and to thank him the town adopted kimonos for the festival.
Ms. Creo was still conflicted as to whether reviving the town was a good or bad thing.
She arrived at the dormitory and wasn't too surprised to see Amelia and Ib heading her way. "Jones, Ms. Ib," She called, catching their attention, "A word, outside, please."
The two girls followed her into the forest patiently, though Ms. Creo could tell the silence was making Amelia nervous. The wheat-haired girl started to fidget with her hair and wring her hands together while looking around. Ib didn't try to stop her, also seemingly unsure.
"Do you girls know the legend of Nivis Alba?" Ms. Creo finally asked, but did not pause in her stroll.
"A little bit," Amelia stated once Ib had shook her head. "I remember that it was about some girl and that she became Nivis Alba to save...her father, I think?"
Ms. Creo made a noise of approval before turning around to face them, "It's quite peculiar how what everyone believes to be a legend holds the greatest truth."
"There once was a girl, young and full of life, named Vita. She was the daughter of a painter and of an upper class woman. Her mother died from an illness when she was young, and her father was completely taken with art that could make him eternal. His obsession brought him to death's door with the whole town against him, but Vita still loved him. She made it her mission to bring him peace and eternal life, and ended up becoming his tether. Vita is said to forever be stuck, frozen in time, so that her father may continue to live. However, that is the kid version."
Ms. Creo turned back around and began to walk again, leaving the two girls to follow after her. "The real version is longer and more complex, perhaps exaggerated in some areas, but makes all the difference. Vita is still the child of a painter obsessed with immortality and a mother who dies, but in this version her father erases existences. He, so overcome with the desire to live, had what is both a gift and a curse: if he painted a real person then the original would cease to exist, but their existence had to go somewhere. He did not yet have the power to create worlds, so he instilled each existence into his daughter."
"Vita had no idea that this was going on, and wouldn't for a long period of time. Her father tried to keep his art abstract in order not to harm anyone, but it didn't stop his works from coming to life on their own. They were all benevolent at first, but slowly changed. This put him at odds with the village and when a harsh famine fell upon them, they were slow to spare him any rations. Vita's father had created a friend for her so that she wouldn't be completely isolated, a friend that spent time with her and played games, but it was all rather hollow and boring as the painting never disagreed with her. Vita longed for a human friend, which is where Alice comes in. Their families were not entirely strangers and reached out to help one another. Skipping the boring parts, Vita's father became ill and begged Vita to stop his death. She agreed and asked him to use his ability to create a legend that would become a reality."
Ms. Creo arrived at the ash tree and tenderly touched the warped bark, "That legend did become a reality, and Vita was the main character. Her life was forfeited in order to chain her father's existence to the world, her friend Alice died to protect her, and there were eleven others who made it possible. The friend her father had created betrayed them and warped the legend, but Vita still chose to sacrifice herself to fulfill her father's selfish wish. Do you know how this relates?"
Ib and Amelia stayed silent.
"Ida betrayed them, Vita created the Gallery and Exhibits in order to keep her father alive, and revival is the only thing that will put them to rest. Mary told you about vessels, but what she doesn't know is that these vessels are commonly referred to as Alices. You both are Alices, a part of a whole. A real vessel is a candidate to be sacrificed to become Nivis Alba."
"What does that mean, to become Nivis Alba?" Amelia asked nervously, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"Vita gave up her body to become Nivis Alba, but to reawaken her there must be a sacrifice, which will do the same thing as Vita, but the result will be the reawakening. Vita is still active, but limited in what she can do, many years ago she did something drastic so that her plea would be answered, and then she sent me. I am her creation, a sign of her containment and wish to be free."
"Then why did she grant her father's wish in the first place?" Ib asked pointedly.
"The story that was to be written was to be one where her father would recover from his illness, but Ida somehow got a hold of it and changed it without meaning to. The very definition of Nivis Alba was once an ideal fabricated world that would house the soul of Vita's father through his art, but this was altered by Ida who thought that Nivis Alba would mean the death of her. Long story short, Vita allowed herself to become the Gallery in order to not only save her father's fragmented soul, but also the other Alices. Since the very beginning Vita's been reaching out for help to right the wrong that Ida caused." Ms. Creo replied, stepping away from the ash tree and turning to face the two.
"The festival in town is to honour her legend, but they have much of it wrong," Ms. Creo frowned, "They celebrate the thought that Vita saved all of them, when she only meant to save her father and then Alice. She succeeded in saving her father, but Alice is still a mystery. She died within the story, ultimately erasing her existence from this plane, but what became of her soul?"
"That's a rhetorical question, right?" Amelia blurted out, causing Ms. Creo to actually smile and Ib to hide a small laugh.
"It's something to keep in mind, Ms. Jones."
Amelia squirmed in place, "Please, call me Amelia. Ms. Jones it way too formal and weird. Besides, you just told us that the Gallery is linked to this town and that means this plea Vita's been throwing out has been around awhile."
Amelia froze then, the gears turning, "Wait, does this mean we were wrong when we hypothesized that the Gallery was dragging people in to sustain Nivis Alba?"
"Yes, but you need to delve deeper for the answer." Ms. Creo mysteriously concluded.
"Aw man, this sucks!" Amelia exclaimed, kicking the ground with her foot once in irritation. Her frustration, however, slowly evaporated with the reminder that the festival was that night and that more pieces were starting to come together.
"Ms. Creo, you're pretty awesome," Amelia suddenly blurted out whilst bouncing on the balls on her feet. "I know you were making us all forget those other kids who went missing in the Gallery, but you must've had our best interest at heart, right? You're like a secret heroin."
Ms Creo blinked a few times, before giving in and just going with the flow. Ib watched from the sidelines, still mulling the information over. If Acela's soul was still trapped in the Gallery then would her soul still be wandering around, what about her body?
Ib thought back to the Alice's missing soul. Ms. Creo had said that they, those with roses, are Alices, a part of the whole. Does that mean they all come together to create Alice's soul or is it just a metaphor to represent Alice's sacrifice? Perhaps it was different from what Ms. Creo referred to as a real vessel, so the two are separate entities or one completed Alice that forms the vessel for Nivis Alba?
"Oi, Ib! Let's go to the fashion department a.s.a.p. or there might not be any more kimonos left!" Ib snapped back to attention, surprised that Ms. Creo was nowhere to be seen.
"She left a few seconds ago, you didn't notice?"
"No, sorry, I was thinking about Alice and the complete vessel."
"Urgh, let's think about that later. Right now we have a festival to get ready for and one Japanese student-council president to safe-guard from a psycho portrait."
Ib nodded her agreement, still unsure how they were going to go about helping Soaru with a problem that he probably didn't realize he had. Amelia was supposed to take secret shots of him, just to keep tabs on how close Cycloptic Smile was getting to him. If he seemed to be in any danger at all from it, then they would intervene...but how? No one else besides from them could see it, and Ib could imagine the question and stares they would receive if they attacked the air.
"Whatever you're worrying about, stop. It's totally going to be fine, and all you should be worried about is getting a kimono and heeled sandals..." Amelia trailed off, thinking about the height difference between Ib and Garry. It wasn't disgustingly large, but heels would always make it cuter and fair! Curse most men for being freakishly taller than her measly five-foot-five and one-fourth inches! Garry and Liam were the worst offenders as they were the tallest of the group (6'2), with Garry in the lead by one-fourth of an inch. The shortest of the bunch were herself and Ib, though Mary would be the shortest if she was actually counted.
Amelia chewed at her bottom lip in thought, unknowingly walking straight into Liam, who had come around the corner of the building. Her nose slammed somewhere around his upper-side. They staggered back from one another, Liam grabbing her arm to steady her.
"Damn it, why do you have to be so tall!" Amelia whined and rubbed her poor nose as it throbbed in pain.
"Ummm, sorry?" Liam retorted, his 'I didn't see you there' comment unspoken.
"its fine," Amelia retorted, to which prompted Ib into blurting out a laugh as Amelia's voice was nasally.
"Hey, this isn't funny!"
By that point, even Liam couldn't hold back his amusement at Amelia's voice change.
"You both suck!"
The two calmed themselves as the afflicted party pouted her outrage.
"Amelia, we still need to get kimonos from my classroom," Ib baited, diminishing Amelia's frustration to that of a small walnut.
"That's right! sorry, Liam, we're in a rush! We'll see you at the festival, right, okay, bye!" The boy couldn't reply as Amelia had already dragged Ib around the corner and a-ways away in five seconds flat.
Instead, he sighed to himself, fixed his glasses, picked up his discarded bag with his own evening attire, and went on his way. He had meant to ask Amelia about what happened with everyone, but Ib was with her. He wasn't rude enough to believe it was her or Garry's fault entirely, but things had exponentially changed since their arrival. He just wanted some straight answers from someone, and Amelia was more of a chatterbox than Luno.
He wordlessly stopped to stare at a patch of petunias, wondering if he should just address Ib and Garry on these mysterious matters. They seemed to know more, or at least just as much as Amelia and Luno, but he wasn't sure how to broach the subject. From a young age, Liam's height had always intimidated people-his scholarly and loyal personality worked to calm them and put them at ease-but Garry was taller than him by a mere inch, and Ib didn't seem to feel threatened or bothered by him at all, even upon their first meeting. She was just quiet and a touch awkward.
Damn it! They were both so endearing! Liam could sympathize with Garry about being miniature giants in comparison to the whole student body and Ib didn't remark of his height like most strangers did. Hell, when he had met Gillian and Soaru, they had shrunk back from him due to his large height, and Dmitri had remarked on it-in his normal casual way of being friendly-but Amelia and Luno and Lumi and Neah had never had issues. Granted that Neah was near six-foot, but the other three barely noticed it.
Amelia's first comment to him was "Listen you potential-perv, this is the girl's room," and Luno had waited some time before even mentioning the height difference. His sister, Lumi, never remarked on it at all, though he didn't spend much time around her anymore thanks to her extensive theatre practices and voice lessons.
He didn't want to lose them, any of them. The others may have shrunk from him at first, but they soon came to regard him kindly and with open jeers and crud topics. However, they had been split with Amelia and Luno on one side, Lumi in-between with Liam, and the others on the other. Liam knew, from a trusty source, what Dmitri had said and what had occurred, but he didn't have to like it! The involved parties had been friends for too long; such a fight should be remedied with civil conversation. Yet, Amelia, Luno, Ib, and Garry didn't seem likely to spill what they've been doing anytime soon.
To make matters worse, Liam was one of the only ones who knew about Dmitri's real feelings, along with Gillian's. Damn, that girl. Why did she have to be so blind?
Liam felt his heart ache, and quickened his pace. Today was a festival, and he damn well deserved a few hours of peace!
Now, if only he could ask out the girl he so desperately wanted.
Amelia and Ib were finally up next after nearly an hour of being the last in line. The room was divided into makeshift changing rooms with curtains on either side, but came together at a large three panel mirror. The two girls stepped closer to the mirror, and soon enough a girl can out to help them.
"Hey, Ib!" Raina greeted happily, and Ib greeted her back. The brunette was-more often than not-the fashionista's model and human pincushion, and became familiar with each other.
"Okay, so I'm really sorry to say, but we ran out of traditional kimonos," Raina started, her voice solemn, but then picked up, "However, I do have some gothic lolita ones for you both to try on, if you still want them!"
"Sure," Amelia replied, but was a bit worried about what 'gothic lolita' kimonos would look.
Raina took Amelia behind a curtain first, where she had her try the outfit on, before returning back to Ib after a few minutes.
"Okay, so I'm having Riley tidy up any additional stitching your friend, and then do her hair. As you are my model, so I know your measurements best, you are now under my care." Raina informed the brunette, smiling happily as she began to sift through a few racks.
Ib listened to Raina mumble excitedly over the clothes, throwing looks back at her now and again. After nearly three minutes, Raina found something she deemed lovely and all but dragged the girl behind a curtain to change.
"Okay, so this is a two-piece flower lace kimono dress. The tomoeri, the opening of the sleeves are, the middle of the obi, and both bows in the front and back are lined with raschel lace, and the whole kimono is about knee length so you'll need stockings. The best part about being unorthodox is that you can wear non-traditional shoes!" Raina informed while also searching for some shoes and stocking to go with the outfit.
Ib stared down at the clothing, liking the colours. The background colour was black, but the flowers were pink-purple and red-ish, which tinted the background. The obi was red, the bow tying in the back was red on top, but gold on bottom. The tiny bow in the front matched the pattern of the kimono and was on her left side.
Raina slid some geta reeno with black straps and thigh high white stockings under the curtain for her to put on. She smiled when Ib walked out, fully dressed.
"I knew it would look great! The colours really suit you; they make your eyes look lighter, sorta purple-reddish. Now, on to hair and make-up!"
Before the girl could protest, Raina pulled her over to another blocked off section of the room where vanities, chairs, and a multitude of hair-styling instruments, like straighteners and blow dryers.
Ib sat down in one of the plush seats, looking around at the other eleven girls who were getting their hair done.
"Okay, so how about lightly curling your hair, and parting it on either side of your shoulders?" Raina rambled, already setting up to do what she wanted. She parted Ib's hair evenly on either side of her head before taking out a large curling iron, and proceeded to curl the ends of each side. Raina rambled as she worked, teasing her charge about a certain someonethat she always met after class ended.
After nearly thirty minutes of rambling, Raina stuck in a clip with two flowers, one big and the other smaller, that matched the kimono's design into Ib's hair.
Ib was led out to the three-panel mirror to see herself, and was amazed that Raina was right: the kimono lightened her eyes. Ib held back from touching her reflection in amazement, mainly due to the squeal behind her and the image of Amelia hurrying towards her.
Her kimono was also knee-length, the background colour blue or mint like. The design was various flowers in shades of purple, red, pink, yellow, and green in myriads of sizes. Lace outlined the tomoeri and sleeves, along with the ends of the ribbon attached to the obi. The obi itself stood out as it was black and white-beige, which had small vintage flowers on the light strips. with the obi was a pannier and the top right portion of the obi had a large corsage flower that was pink, green, and white. Her shoes were brown boots and her knee length stockings white. Amelia's hair was let down in its normal waves, but was decorated with a single green rose.
"You look...amazing!" She cheered, grabbing Ib's hands while nearly bouncing up and down.
Ib smiled bashfully, "Thank you and you look gorgeous. The rose is an...ironic touch."
Amelia reached up to touch the accessory sheepishly, "Wasn't really my idea, but it's...fitting."
The two smiled, which is when Raina reappeared with two bags. She handed Amelia the square one with an extensive pattern and Ib a small black and purple drawstring bag with a cherry blossom pattern.
"Okay, so the outfits and accessories are due back by Wednesday. If you acquire any stains, rips, tears, or other complications, please notify us upon return. If what you're wearing becomes damaged beyond repair, you will be required to reimburse the Fashion Department of St. Rose Academy or risk expulsion." Raina rattled off before wishing them luck and an "awesome night."
Amelia and Ib left, not surprised to find the sun dipping closer to the horizon. Ib checked one of the clocks, not surprised that waiting in line for hours and getting ready had taken up most of the day. it was nearly six O'clock, the time when they were supposed to meet up with Garry and Luno at the gates.
They took one look at each other and hurried off, Ib slower as she was unused to wearing the geta reeno.
Garry and Luno were already at the gate when they arrived, both in yukata. Luno's was green, the sash brown, traditional geta, and a brown-green scarf. The fair blond had also opted to wear his glasses. Garry's outfit was dark lavender, the underlining a shade lighter, and checkered as was his sash, but it was gray-purple. Garry also donned a violet haori, white socks, and normal ukon geta with a purple strap.
Amelia tripped once she saw them, nearly dragging Ib with her. They managed to steady themselves before reaching the two males. Amelia and Ib stole looks at the two males, and Ib swore that Amelia was blushing at one point.
"You both look lovely," Luno finally remarked, almost shyly, while making eye-contact with Amelia.
Ib smiled, moving to stand beside Garry, who smiled down at her.
"Hello," Ib started awkwardly, to which Garry responded back just as awkwardly. He was surprised that the two weren't wearing the longer kimono's, but couldn't complain. He liked Ib's legs. He blushed at the thought, unsure if it was normal to find such things attractive.
The tall lavenderette looked back down at the brunette, taking in how the pattern lightened her eyes, and that when she moved her arms just high enough the kimono rose up so that he could see part of her thighs
He blushed heavier, trying to shake the thoughts from his head.
"Hey, let's get going." Amelia suggested, vaguely indicating towards the world beyond the gate.
They started off down the cobblestone path, their shoes clacking with each step. They passed by several groups of people also heading towards the festival, some in couples and others in groups. Lucy, Rose, and one of their other friends joined them briefly to order Ib to fill them in during art class, and Lucy sent Ib a worried glance before she had to hurry away to catch up with Rose.
Ib wasn't sure why Lucy would look so worried, but became distracted when Amelia started taking pictures of their group and others.
"You both may not know this, but Amelia helps out the newspaper and yearbook by submitting the photos she takes during events." Luno informed them after Amelia ran off to take another photo of some students.
"That's great, her photos must be amazing." Garry remarked, quite amazed that Amelia could be so dedicated to her photography.
"They really are," Luno started. "I'll show you one of her covers tomorrow."
Ib nodded, also wanting to see Amelia's work.
The cobblestone turned into dirt road, just as Ib and Garry remembered. They reminisced over the taxi ride to St. Rose, a single life-altering ride that had been nearly a week ago, but felt like a lifetime ago.
"You don't have a poker face," Ib remarked. "That's why you kept losing at Old Maid."
Garry looked at her, appalled, "W-what, that's not true, right?"
Luno gave him an amused smile while Amelia laughed.
The town in front of them grew bigger and bigger the nearer they drew, but it was the glow that truly enchanted them. The soft glow from afar was like a beacon, the true symbol that there was a festival going on. The sun continued to slip lower into the horizon, making the scenery that much more beautiful and the air more thrilling.
The town rose in front of them in a show of grandeur, with strung lights in various colours and stalls of games, food, and miscellaneous objects. People flooded the streets, making the town seem both small and large, smiling and greeting friends.
They took in the scenery, Amelia snapping a few pictures to preserve the moment, before she hooked arms with Luno and Ib, "Let's go eat!"
The girl's three companions smiled, following after her. They casually glanced around, making note of stalls that they wanted to visit, while searching for a food stall that would satisfy all of them.
"Do you want to try that later?" Garry asked Ib, indicating to a game stall where the object of the game was to shoot a stack of cups down.
Ib nodded, happy that Garry had asked her.
They finally found a food stall that catered to their wants, and Garry volunteered to grab drinks from a few neighboring stalls while Amelia and Ib went to look for a spot to eat, leaving Luno alone to buy all the food.
Ib and Amelia looked around, trying to find a bench or table to sit at. They eventually split up, with Amelia taking the left side of the street and Ib the right, to cover more ground faster. Ib moved in and out of the crowd, searching thoroughly, but when she reached the end of the street without a break, she decided to cross over to see how Amelia was fairing.
The brunette bumped shoulders with various people, apologizing hurriedly each time, as she searched the clustered street for her friend. She had just spotted a bit of green and possibly heard Amelia's voice, causing her to look to her left. Around a throng of people she could easily make out Amelia's kimono and boots, but she also made out two others, Gillian and Dmitri.
Ib stopped cold, his biting words coming back to her. He found her eyes creepy and disconcerting, and didn't want to be around her. However, Amelia-from the back-looked tense and he appeared to be bothering her. Ib could tough it out, she had before, and she could again.
The brunette tried to get through the crowd, but the flow kept sweeping her away from her destination. She moved more towards the side, where more people straggled, and finally could walk without facing an onslaught of civilians.
Ib hurried forward, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at Luno, whose eyes were watching Amelia and Dmitri. Ib wordlessly took the boxes of food from his hands, and watched the scene play out in front of her silently.
"Listen," Dmitri started, grabbing Amelia's arm roughly-though this was in Ib's own opinion-but Amelia kept trying to move away, telling him to leave her alone.
"Amelia, you need to tell me what's going on. I-" he was cut off by Amelia twisting his arm so that he let go of her.
"Leave me alone, Dmitri. I don't need nor want to listen to you, not after what you said to me!" Amelia yelled back angrily, taking a step back.
Dmitri paused and almost seemed repentant, "I'm sorry for what I said, I don't know why I reacted like that, but I don't want to leave things where they are, da?"
Amelia crossed her arms and looked away, "No, but...I can't forgive you so easily, especially after what you said to Ib! She's my best-friend, Dmitri, and she thought of you as her friend, just like I did, and you stomped all over it!"
"Can you at least tell me why?!" He yelled in frustration, "You knew her for only a few days, Amelia, you and Luno only knew them for a few days, just like the rest of us! How is it that just one day caused all of you to become so attached to one another?"
"I don't owe you an explanation, not either one of you." Amelia stated, looking at Dmitri and then Gillian, who had remained a silent spectator. "If you don't mind, I'm rather busy."
"Amelia, please, at least tell me-" Dmitri started, moving to grab Amelia's arm, but was stopped by Luno.
"I believe she told you she was busy," Luno coolly stated, his arm moving to ghost the other side of Amelia's waist. The girl noticed and nearly blushed, finding Luno's gesture to be comforting. Dmitri watched the exchange and he faltered, unsure of himself, but didn't want to let Luno have the last word.
"What are you, her boyfriend?"
Luno paused to think about it, while Amelia blushed and opened her mouth to yell at Dmitri, when the words died on her lips when she heard Luno say, "Well, that certainly is my goal, but I don't believe that it is any of your business, Dmitri."
Ib nearly dropped the food when she processed the meaning behind Luno's words, and then realized why Amelia sometimes squealed over things, it was adorable and-now that Ib really thought about it-perfectly cute!
However, Amelia had had a crush on Dmitri for awhile, though the girl told Ib that it had been squashed the very same evening that Dmitri had turned on them. What if Luno just put his intentions out there, only for Amelia to fall for Dmitri again?
Dmitri and Amelia, hell, maybe even Gillian, were flabbergasted, but Luno just smiled and casually mentioned to Amelia that they should get going before the food got cold. They started walking towards Ib, and the girl decided to let them have some space. She went back down the street and caught sight of Garry sitting at an empty table in front of a restaurant. He waved at her, but paused upon seeing her brows furrowed and lips pursed.
"Ib, what's wrong, did something happen?" Garry worriedly asked.
Ib sat down and glanced behind her, making sure that Amelia and Luno weren't insight, before turning back to him and explaining just about everything that happened, but left out the part about Luno basically telling Amelia he liked her. Garry seemed to notice that something was missing, but Ib promised to tell him later.
"I think we should give them some alone time," Ib said, uncharacteristically chewing her food faster.
Garry caught on and increased his pace as well, "We can try out that game stall, and meet back here in an hour?"
Ib nodded, thankful that Garry was going along with her plan, even if he didn't know why she really wanted to give them space.
By the time Amelia and Luno arrived at the table ten minutes later, Ib and Garry were finishing up. The two seemed rather shocked when Ib and Garry excused themselves and made plans to meet back up with them in an hour.
Amelia looked at Luno, "Weren't we the ones who planned to somehow ditch them so that they could be alone...did they just do a reverse ditch?"
"Yes, I believe they did." Luno stated in bewilderment, but sat down and pushed Amelia's share closer to her, "However, you got what you wanted either way."
"I guess..." Amelia drifted off, taking her seat as well. "Luno, did you mean that back there?"
The fair blonde paused mid-chew, embarrassment and nerves kicking back in, but he couldn't dodge the subject, "If you don't reciprocate my feelings at this present moment, then I can hold off until you do."
"Um...d-does it have anything to do with your promise when we were...dying?" Amelia asked, a shiver coursing through her at the memory.
Luno reached over the table and held her hand, "No, I liked you before then, but I had thought you liked Dmitri, so I stayed away."
Amelia felt guilty, "I did, like him, I mean, but it began to wane after a while. That's why it hurt so much when h-he called me a whore and stupid, because any lingering feelings I had were crushed. And, for a moment, it was like my father was yelling at me..."
Luno said nothing, but continued to hold her hand quietly. He knew Amelia wasn't just going to fall for him at the drop of a hat, but knowing that she didn't have romantic feelings for Dmitri anymore gave him hope that he could still come out on top.
"Luno, we still have to find Soaru and make sure he's okay, but how about ditching afterwards to see the fireworks?" Amelia asked as they were finishing their meal.
The blonde blinked for a moment, and then smiled, "Sure."
N: And chapter 19 is complete! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I sorta don't regret it, but only because I'm positive that this chapter wouldn't have ended up like it is now.
For any of you who want to see visuals on Ib's, Amelia's, and Garry's kimonos then I do have links, but we all know fanfiction policy. However, I have an account on Ao3 and this story is there as well under the same name (my username is also the same), which allows me to have links! I'll be posting the links there and-if this is too much of a hassle-I can PM you them.
Also, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY !
Thank you for reading!
Edited: 2.08.2015.