IN
IN
IN
The "fight or flight" instincts that people talk about—the reactions to fear, the unknown, or startling situations—she had been so certain she was a "fight" reactor.
As she looked at the tall figure of Leon Oswald with a look on his face that could chill the sun, she wasn't ashamed by her "flight" reaction.
He took half a step towards her and she was jamming her room card into the slot.
The rapid pounding of her heart told her to move it or lose it—she didn't quite care what it was supposed to be at the moment—and so with a great push, her door opened just as Leon was in front of the door.
Her eyes were wide as she intended on slamming the door in his face, having seen his hand coming up; however, a part of his foot had caught some of the door, keeping it partly open and freaking her out.
Quickly, she put the chain on the door.
The chain rattled a little as he attempted to open the door more. "Sora," came his terse voice.
She hugged herself as she stepped away from the door.
She wasn't immune to the talk she heard revolving around him and what happened to his past partners. Whenever she walked into the gym she heard it; she was even asked about how it was like performing on the same stage as Death, seeing as the list stated from which stage or circus the performers came from.
Leon's face and his presence now right weren't doing anything to help with her hesitations and nervousness.
IN
He withheld the urge to kick at the door which was quite difficult considering the mess his mind was at the moment. She's not supposed to be here yet. And of course, she just had to be here competing with Yuri of all people.
"Open the door."
No response. He could feel his temper rising.
"Don't be a child," he bit out, "Come out and let me talk with you."
"You can do it from out there!" she called out on the other side.
He slapped a palm against the door's frame. "This is absurd. I refuse to discuss private matters in this manner. Open the door."
He didn't see it, but she shook her head at him.
"No."
The hand that had fisted on the frame loosened upon hearing the slight trembling of fear in her response. The climbing agitation halted with that sound; he took several calming breaths in, willing his feelings to settle and regain some of his rationality back.
He faintly recalled predicting the possibility of her slamming a door because of him.
The recollection took the rest of the fight out of him.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned his forehead against his hand and closed his eyes.
"Alright," he quietly murmured.
IN
Timidly, she stepped closer to the door after he had spoken in a calmer voice.
But she kept a good three feet away from the door.
After a few more minutes, she heard nothing. Did he leave? Quietly, she went over to peek through the peek hole of the door. She frowned upon seeing silver.
"I'm not opening the door," she told him.
He may have calmed down, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him at the moment.
She thought she heard him sigh again. "I noticed."
Her arms crossed at the wiry tone, but upon seeing the door move again, she uncrossed them in reaction. She was surprised to see that he was closing it all the way like she had wanted to earlier.
She faintly heard his footsteps go away.
His actions unsettled her even more.
IN
The next two mornings, she did not see him in the dining area again.
He didn't even appear at her door like she thought he would. It was curious, for she took him as someone who got to the bottom of things no matter what. Reluctantly, she recalled when he had locked her in the car in order to find out why she had behaved so poorly at their first dinner.
What was she supposed to pay attention to? Was she to dismiss his title and his past? They obviously still have a hold on him based on his more recent behavior.
But then what about their dates from before the festival? What about his withdrawal from her door two days ago when she clearly didn't want to talk?
What about the conditions of his previous partners?
She pushed the rest of her breakfast away, having lost her appetite with her emotions a mess.
IN
Sora looked straight ahead as she stood on the balance beam.
With a breath in, she walked at a normal pace. Distribute the weight properly. Her left foot slightly stepped incorrectly; she wobbled on the beam as she attempted to find her balance.
"Nnn," She started leaning more on the right to compensate.
With a huff, she looked down and righted her feet again.
She tried it again a few more times until she finally just completely missed a step and fell off onto the blue mat. "Shimatta."
She was picking herself up when he spoke.
"For balance improvement," Leon started as he moved away from the wall he was leaning against, "you could try going on your toes with your eyes closed on the ground level." His eyes looked over at her and then drifted over to the weights, "You increase the minutes as your balance improves."
"…You don't have to train me," she quietly said.
Without looking at her, he shrugged and then walked over to the dumbbells. He sat down with his chosen weights and started lifting the right one with controlled motions and then the left.
Right, left, right, left…
His mantra trailed as he noted that she was looking at him. He remained quiet.
Right, left, right…
"I didn't do it in spite of you," she murmured.
The left paused, but he kept his eyes on the ground.
"I needed Yuri's tickets," she clarified, daring to step closer but still stayed on the balance beam mat, "I need to compete."
"You don't," he said as the left dumbbell moved again.
Left, right, left…
Her brows furrowed at the certainty of his words. "You still don't understand why I do need to."
"I don't," he agreed, a bit of frustration leaked out. "As far as I can tell, it's only because of Layla Hamilton." His eyes narrowed a little at that, making him glare at the ground. "She no longer has a say in the future of the Kaleido Stage."
When she made an indignant sound, he added, with a quick look at her, "Or in your future."
"She's just trying to help."
He harrumphed at that. "She's acting out the part of the diva, even now."
"What do you know," Sora snapped back in irritation, "you're just upset that Layla and Yuri won last time."
The dumbbells loudly clanked onto the floor. Leon stood up and strode over to her in long strides. Instead of running this time, she stood her ground in a moment of courage for her ex-partner and for Yuri, who was kind enough to be her partner for the festival.
"Your loyalty's misplaced," he bit out, "You can't even see how confining your role model is," he withheld spitting 'role model' out in favor of getting his point across. "You weren't even aware of the festival until she brought it up."
Sora frowned at that. "Layla's not confining me; she told me about the festival to help me grow."
"She told you," he lowly started, "so you can be her carbon copy replacement." While still narrowed, something like sympathy and sorrow entered into his eyes as he looked over her face. "She won't even let you be your own dream."
His words made her stock still.
She stared at him, anger flashing in her eyes as well as the begrudging understanding that he might be right.
Does Layla care about my own growth as a performer? While she was in New York, she might have been inclined to agree with him, but as of now with her mixed feelings in regards to Leon…Is the festival really about becoming a copy of Layla Hamilton? She fisted her hands, not sure how to deal with the insight, especially after Layla had spoken to her in her dorm room about the festival.
"You're angry with me," she said in a weak excuse.
"A part of me is," he finally murmured, "but that's not why I said that."
His hand came up to lightly touch her cheek. It had been the faintest of touches, yet she still shivered hard; goosebumps formed on her skin and until he had stepped away from her, she had not realized that she had been holding her breath.
His actions and words shook her from the inside.
IN
They had finished practicing around the same time.
Sora didn't even notice the looks they were getting as she willingly entered the elevator with him. He pushed the fourth button for her floor and then the sixth one for his floor. They did not look at each other; they did not speak.
She was still trembling from earlier.
The doors opened on the second floor; the person waiting spotted Leon inside and then said something in French, waving his hand in dismissal. Sora numbly looked over at Leon, not understanding what was said. With a blank facial expression, Leon hit a button and the elevator doors closed.
They were back in silence.
Her lips parted to say something, but then decided against it.
The elevator stopped on the third floor; this time a small group had been waiting. There was a variety of reactions, but they mainly dealt with fear and slight terror upon seeing long silver hair. They backed away from the metal doors, not even bothering to speak to Death.
Leon merely hit the 'close doors' button with that same blank expression.
The doors closed again.
Her brows furrowed, but she remained silent.
The fourth floor came; the doors opened with no one wanting to get on. Before Leon could do it, she leaned over and hit the button he had been pushing.
The doors closed.
Leon turned to her in a silent question.
"…were you telling the truth?" she murmured as she stared at the metal doors in front of them.
"Yes."
Her head tilted to face him. "I didn't say about what."
"I do not spout lies," he slowly said.
She blinked at him, staring and thinking about things he could only imagine.
"…Would you like me to stay tonight?" she said a few notches above a whisper.
His eyes flickered; the blank mask that annoyed her was toned down a bit, but still present. He became accustomed to it since the whole start of the festival trials in Cape Mary and it stayed up during his stay in France.
He recalled telling her to not give him questions that would allow him to refuse.
As he looked at her upturned face, the brown eyes, her pouty lips and small nose, he felt a revival of an old, dormant emotion that both squeezed his insides and set his blood on fire, despite all that they have gone through thus far.
"Yes."
IN
IN
IN
AN: The emotions in this one was tricky for me.