"No! Don't make me do it! Please, Jacin!" Cress was begging him now. Jacin laughed, clutching his stomach.
"A deal's a deal Cress, now here. Try this on," Jacin held up the most ridiculous dress ever. It was a hot, neon pink, with the most frills Cress had ever seen in her lifetime. Jacin had took Cress to Sector AR-4, where the most fashion shops were.
Jacin and Cress had hit off right away, finding out that they had the same birthday, April 7 to be exact. On the way to AR-4, Jacin learned a lot about Cress. Her backstory, and about her and Thorne. From the way Cress said it, Thorne didn't seem like such a bad guy.
It was a long time Jacin had felt like this. Carefree, happy. He enjoyed talking with Cress, period. She was loveable in a sisterly way. Jacin couldn't shake off this weird feeling that Cress was a missing part of him. It felt weird, and he shook it off. Cress was great, he could see why Thorne loved her so much.
Jacin figured Cress would want to do some shopping since she needed some clothes other than Thorne's shirts. At first, both Cress and Jacin had been serious about getting clothes, but after an hour, Cress had gotten an idea for a 'fun game' as she put it. The game was, Cress would pick out an outfit for Jacin to wear, and Jacin would do the same for Cress, and each would take a picture of each other.
Now, both Lunars were trying to find the funniest and silliest outfits for each other. Jacin felt a lightness he only felt with Winter. It was pretty weird. He and Cress had hit of right away, finding many similarities. They matched each other so well, and Jacin was actually, truly having fun with Cress. Now, he turned to Cress.
"You have to wear it! This is revenge from you making me wear that suit!" Jacin mock shuddered at the memory. The suit was ridiculous, it was a baby blue with puffed out capulets, and in top of that, it was too big. It made Jacin look like a puffy, blue snowman.
Cress sighed, and took the dress, and absently glanced at the clock.
"Jacin! We better go. Remember, Cinder is hosting a banquet in the Rampion crew's honor. Since we're part of that, we can't be late." Jacin sighed, and relented.
"Okay, you're off the hook. But next time, you won't be so lucky!" Jacin mock glared at Cress, who in turn pretended to cower under his glare.
"Come on then! We have 15 minutes to get to the palace!" Cress grabbed Jacin's hand and wove her way through the crowd. Jacin followed, and gradually became aware of Cress gripping his hand. Jacin felt a warmth spread through his hand, but it was different from when he held Winter's. This was, well, Jacin didn't know how to describe it. The feeling made him want to protect Cress. Like in a brotherly way.
"Come on! I can see the palace we're almost there!" Cress breathed out the last two sentences strung together in one. True enough, Jacin could see the palace doors. Just in time, Cress and Jacin stumbled to the gates, where the rest of the crew, including Winter and Thorne were there.
Winter's eyes lit up when she saw Cress and Jacin.
"Cress-friend! Did you have fun? You probably did! I can feel it! Being a girl of ice and snow comes with supernatural abilities." Winter gushed and twirled. Behind her, Thorne coughed.
"Cress, where were you? I was worried about you," Thorne muttered, eyeing Jacin warily. Cress suddenly blushed and ducked her head.
"It's not like that Captain. Winter wanted Jacin to get more friendly, and he decided to get to know me more. He took me to AR-4, he said it was Winter's favourite place to shop. Come on Captain, you know I only have eyes for you." Cress sidled up to Thorne, and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Thorne relaxed and smiled. "Alright. I'm just glad you had fun. I'm glad that you're making more friends." He gave Jacin a smile. Jacin, surprised, gave a smile back, which in turn surprised Thorne.
"Well well well, looks like the statue learned to smile," Thorne remarked cokily. In spite of himself, Jacin smirked.
"Don't' get used to it," Stars, what was happening to him. He was joking with the infamous Carswell Thorne. Thorne, who he hated with all his heart. He was wondering what made him so relaxed today, until Cinder's voice cut through the silence.
"Come on, don't just stand there, let's go eat dinner," Cinder ordered, her voice sounding as queenly as possible. Cress's stomach grumbled, as if cued. Everyone, including Jacin, laughed. Cress turned a bright red, and buried her face in Thorne's shirt.
"Um, let's just get to dinner," Cress squeaked.