Author's note – with any luck, this'll be finished by July 15th, which is when my life officially ends. If I don't finish by then expect sporadic updates. REALLY sporadic.
TzuiAssassin – Yep that's him all right. And thanks for forgiving me for the long update period
Daughter of ether – Bread sculpture… oO. haha, that's awesome. And I'm glad I could inspire warm fuzziness.
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This thing itches
Lee tugged at his collar, trying desperately to get some air into his lungs. At least the suit coat kept out a lot of the cold, as well as being semi-wind proof.
Still though, whose idea was it to require ties!
Lee tugged at the end of it, to straighten it out. He also fiddled with the knot a little, trying to get it right.
Stupid tie, why did they make it so complicated to tie?
Sighing, Lee let his hands drop back down to his sides. He inhaled deeply, letting the clean winter air fill his lungs. The big day had finally come. To tell the truth though, he wished it hadn't. He was getting more nervous by the second. Impatiently he glanced at his watch.
6 o'clock…Dance begins at 7:30, and we're having dinner at 6:15… where is she?
As if summoned by his thoughts she rounded the corner just then.
And Lee's jaw dropped.
Zazie's POV
"Hurry up, Mana!"
"Ok, ok, hold your horses. I'm almost done. Surely your precious Lee can wait a few minutes."
Zazie blushed and looked down. Mana finished fastening an elegant silver chain with a small diamond on the end around her neck.
"Ok, finished!"
Zazie stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror by the closet. She wore a simple white dress with thin straps that went down to her feet. She also had on a pair of white low heels, and Mana had insisted she borrow the necklace. She also had on small diamond earrings, and a silver crystal bracelet on each wrist.
Everyone in the dorm had pitched in on lending her the jewelry, because she had none of her own, and they all wanted her to look her best for her date. Secretly they were glad that someone had finally gotten Zazie out of her shell.
Zazie studied her reflection closely. "Are you sure it isn't to much?"
Mana smiled, "Zazie, if anything you need more. However, simple works very well on you. You look fabulous."
Leaning in, she whispered, "I'm sure Lee would agree." Which set Zazie to blushing again. Kaede poked her head in the door. "Mana, Zazie, time."
"Ok, be there in a sec." Mana said. "Come on, Zazie." However, she saw a stricken expression on the shorter girl's face. "What's wrong?"
Zazie was trembling by then. "…I-I've never done something like this before…what if he doesn't show up? What if he doesn't like my dress? What if-"
Mana cut her off. "If he makes this evening anything less than perfect for you, I'll simply have to rip his head off." That made Zazie giggle. She gave her kitten a pat on the head, and squared her shoulders.
"All right, lets go."
They met up with the other girls in the group, and together they all went off to the world tree to meet the dates. As they rounded the corner, Zazie's heart leapt to her throat Out of all the guys there. She could only see Lee, looking quite dashing in a white Suit with a black tie…and an expression of surprise plastered on his face.
They got to where the dates had grouped and Zazie suddenly found herself standing right in front of him. Lee's jaw worked a couple of times, and then he managed to gasp out,
"-wow, Zazie… You look absolutely beautiful." And then he smiled an embarrassed, crooked smile.
And all of sudden everything was all right.
Lee's POV
He couldn't speak. Or think. Forming a coherent thought was definitely a challenge at this moment. The only thing he could say was, "W-wow, Zazie… You look absolutely beautiful " And then he let an embarrassed smile come on, while inwardly he cringed.
Crap! That was way to forward, I should know better!
Inexplicably, though, (to him at least) Zazie was smiling.
"Thanks. You look good too." Still embarrassed, Lee scratched his head, mumbling a small thanks.
"Alright, everyone, time to get going. We need to hurry if we're going to make our reservations." Mana called out. Drawing upon deep reserves of calm, Lee offered his arm to Zazie, who smiled as wide as she ever had and took it.
Dinner was nice. Lee still hadn't gotten control of his mind yet, but whatever gaps he left in the conversation were cheerfully filled by Zazie, who, as has been already been mentioned, was already in complete control and was more than a little amused by Lee's continuing lapses in coherent-ness.
Lee snapped to it long enough to look at his watch and announce, "Hey, it's kind of time to go…5 minutes ago."
This induced a veritable storm of calling for bills and gathering coats. When the bill for Zazie's meal was put in front of her, Lee made a grab for it. "I should get that-"
"No, let me-" and she grabbed for it to. For an instant their hands touched. But then Lee snatched the bill up, paid it, and left a generous tip. He turned to her and smiled.
"Ha." Zazie crossed her arms and frowned petulantly. The look was so funny, that somehow, nervous as he was, he burst out laughing. Once he had recovered, he was surprised to find himself perfectly at ease.
"Well, shall we go?" He asked.
Smiling, Zazie uncrossed her arms and nodded. "Of course."
At the dance…
Once they had taken of their jackets, and the girls their shoes, and were actually ON the dance floor, however, all the old unease came back. It seemed the same for Zazie, however, as she had his arm in a death group and looked very apprehensive of the swarming mass of people on the gym floor.
Kaede and Ku fei were already out dancing. Mana lingered a while longer.
"It's not that bad, Zazie. After all, you see these people everyday! The only difference is now they're all in one place, and cramped together." The music wasn't helping either. The loud, thudding rock was not what any of them would have preferred.
Suddenly, though, the ambiance of the room changed. The bright, flashing disco ball dulled, and soon only glowed a little. A slow song came on. Everywhere, dates and couples were all of a sudden close together, swaying slightly in time to the music.
Mana and her date got up, moving towards the press of people. When she passed Lee's chair, she kicked it violently.
"Dance with the girl!" She hissed. Lee snapped up straight into his chair. He looked over at Zazie, who was look slightly sad at watching all those couples holding each other.
His heart softened at the sight. He got up and went over to her. Offering her his hand, he asked,
"May I have the honor of having this dance with you?"
Slightly surprised, Zazie shyly accepted.
Lee led her out onto the dance floor until they found a mildly clear space. Then, placing his hands on Zazie's waist, (blushing violently as she did so), he began to dance.
Zazie placed her hands on his shoulders and shyly looked up into his eyes. Lee smiled down at her, although his face was as red as a tomato. Giggling, she felt her worries wash away. She just let herself enjoy the moment, rocking gently with Lee holding her.
As the music went on, the drifted closer together until Zazie was resting her head on his chest, and Lee's head was laying on Zazie's, and his arms were wrapped around her, holding her like he would never let go.
"Zazie?" Lee asked. Zazie took her head of his chest and looked up. "Yes?"
"I was wondering… you know… if maybe… you wanted to go out with me sometime?"
Smiling softly, Zazie nodded. "Of course, Lee." Gently, Lee pulled her close again, and together they stayed until the song ended. Wandering back over to the table, they were soon joined by the other couples in their group.
Mana looked around and saw people leaving. "You guys want to go?" All around the table, heads nodded in agreement.
As they were walking out of the building, somehow, inexplicably, by the sheerest of coincidences, Lee's hand found its way into Zazie's, and intertwined his fingers with hers. Smiling, Zazie sighed contentedly.
"Oh, look, its snowing." Sure enough, fat white flakes were coming down. Removing his hand from Zazie's, Lee took of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.
Zazie looked up, "No, Lee, it's alright, I don't want you to be cold." Lee smiled.
"I have twice as many layers on than you. I'll be fine." Sighing, Zazie just grabbed his hand again and the two continued on.
At the dorm, they turned to each other as the other couples went inside. Zazie was the first to broach the silence.
"Thanks, Lee. I had an amazing time tonight." Lee grinned.
"Me too."
Suddenly, Lee was leaning towards her before he had really thought about what he was doing. Surprisingly enough, Zazie found herself doing the same.
Time seemed to slow. Lee could just sense everything that made the moment right; the full moon shining on them, the soft snow around them, the swooshing noise from above-
Huh?
CRASH!!!
And all of sudden Lee found himself on his rear with the remains of a flowerpot strewn around him.
Zazie couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Lee peeking out at her from under layers of dirt. After helping him up, she said a soft goodbye and ran inside. Lee watched her go, and then brushed dirt off of his clothes.
Dang.
From the window above, Mana grinned evilly. She was glad Zazie had gotten a boyfriend, but…she didn't want the boy to go that far. At least not that fast, anyway.
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It is now officially 1:30 AM. I better get some good reviews glare
ja ne