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After meeting with Kalos, Sora quickly made her way over to the stage.
They had to discuss the fee for the plane ticket, which the Kaleido State was paying for much to Sora's relief, as well as the duration of her absence. Kalos looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just dismissed her from his office.
I'll probably hear about it later.
She opened the stage door. She looked down at the ice and frowned when she didn't see Leon there. With a shrug to herself, she plopped down onto a chair and put her skates on.
Whether he was there or not, it was still her practice time.
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She did not run into him in the hallway.
He was already backstage with Kalos. She watched as whatever was said to Leon made him stiffen ever so slightly. The stage owner continued as if he hadn't seen the reaction. Then, he left to go watch the show from the tech box.
Her interest was piqued.
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After the Dracula show, Leon stayed in his dressing room for a bit.
He had his palms against the table in front of the mirror as his head was slightly bowed down. Silver hair hung in the air as he thought over what Kalos told him.
Of all things for me to have encountered here, I had not expected the festival.
He let out a long sigh. Maybe if he was still in Europe, he would have remembered the upcoming competition, but he had forgotten it during his stay here.
…During his time with her.
He did not forget who he was or what he had become. He was Leon Oswald, poor orphan turned into a top performer from France, and in the wake of his sister's passing, he became the God of Death.
He could never forget these facts.
Ever.
And yet sometimes, he did. He was able to live beyond the title for a little bit, recall fleeting moments in which he actually enjoyed performing and ice skating and just moving about.
He should have known better.
Last night, when she asked him about having a chance, he should have taken it as an omen of things to come, the restart of his promise being put into motion again.
His desire for her clouded his mind.
He straightened up and ran a hand through his hair. This may prove to be difficult. The easy thing to do would be to stop chasing her and keep it neutral again; back when she didn't like him and his longing wasn't so intense.
He chuckled a humorless sound.
"Neutral?" he questioned himself in slight astonishment. He looked into the mirror and shook his head at his thoughts.
"It's much too late for that."
IN
At the end of the Kids' Stage performance, Sora dragged her feet a little as she walked back to her dressing room.
He hadn't been there.
She felt more down about it than she thought she would be. Her throat stung a little as the emotion threatened to come out. She sighed a little despondently as she turned her doorknob. Her other hand automatically went along the wall to hit the switch when she realized that there was already some light in the room.
Her head lifted up towards the lights bordering the mirror.
Upon seeing Leon sitting on the chair before the mirror, she closed the door, dropped her bag and fast walked over to him, stopping a few feet away from him.
"You weren't there."
He inclined his head. "I had something to take care of."
The stinging in her throat eased. She came over to sit on his lap as she hugged him.
"I thought that maybe you were upset with me," she murmured against his neck, "I had a meeting with the Boss earlier so I was late for practice."
He tensed a little at that. "What about?"
"I'm going to New York soon to be a temporary partner," she said as she kissed his jaw, "it shouldn't be for long though." She lifted her head from his neck and smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about our dinner date tomorrow. I'll leave after that."
His form relaxed.
"Good," he stated as his hands ran along her legs.
Her eyes lidded a little.
"Leon, I know dinner will be at 5 o'clock, but could we meet a little earlier before it?" His hands paused. When his head tilted to the side, she elaborated with a tint of pink on her cheeks, "I just wanted some more time with you."
He leaned his head forward to her ear. "Will an hour before suffice?"
She nodded her head. "Thank you."
He hmmed, placing a kiss along her temple. His eyes looked over at the clock above the mirror. With satisfaction, he moved his mouth back to her ear.
"Would you like a lesson?"
"Does it have to be a new one?"
"No," he amusedly said.
She shuddered when her earlobe was between his teeth. "I think," she paused for a few moments as her decision cemented in her mind, "I want the new lesson for when I get back."
He released her ear as he took in her tone.
"Are you sure?" he murmured, wanting to make sure that he did not misunderstand her.
He nearly moaned when her tongue ran along the side of his neck. "I'm sure," she whispered in his ear. "I would think that the lesson will need some time to learn."
He grabbed the back of her head and made her head tilt back, exposing her lovely neck. "An exponential amount of time," he heatedly drawled before he returned her gesture.
Her hands tightly gripped his shoulders as his tongue took a long time to travel her throat. She lowly mewled at the wet heat of his mouth.
He knew then, as he released her hair and she met him in a devastating kiss, that he could not possibly stop his pursuit of her.
No, he hazily mused as her hands slipped under his collar to lightly touch his back, That would be impossible.
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