Chrona studied her foggy reflection in her pseudo mirror from inside her cell. She timidly held the new dress Maka had bought for her up to her frame, trying to imagine wearing it around a crowd of people. No matter how nice the gesture, it still unsettled her, but she didn't want to let her friends down by rejecting their invitation.
"Wow Chrona, so you're the type of girl who owns two dresses now, congratulations." Ragnarok said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, long bored of watching the girl stare listlessly at herself. "Come on, quit freaking out, the party's not for another day. It'll be fine. If it makes you that uncomfortable, wear what you usually wear, that's what I'm doing." She looked at him with horror, the gears turning in her mind.
"We... we didn't get you anything to wear." She frowned. "I didn't even think to look, I'm so sorry! I can fix this."
"What are you talking about?" Ragnarok pushed down on her head and ruffled her hair. "This is business as usual for you, you airhead. You should be working on getting to go on missions again so I gain back my strength, not playing dress up." She formed a blade along the heal of her palm and cut the bottom trim of the dress in a panic. "What are you doing!?" He tried to grab her hand, but she pulled away.
"You need a bow tie." She fumbled with the loose ribbon of fabric and tried to form some semblance of a bow. "I shouldn't be the only one who gets to wear nice things."
"Chrona, your friends aren't going to care what I wear." Ragnarok shook his head.
"They're our friends!" She insisted. "They care about both of us, they have to. We share everything." She held up the clumsy bow tie with dissatisfaction. "I'm not the best at this; all these new things are scary and confusing. But it's just like training, the more we do it, the less scary it is. This time, I'll be the one to get us through this." He took the tie with a sigh. The girl had a bad habit of getting tied up in tangential thoughts that were hard to let go of. This time, he had a sinking suspicion he knew the route cause.
"I got no one to impress as an iron blob Chrona." He put it on with exaggerated motions. "But I'll gladly tell everyone you made that stinking thing for me from Maka's present."
A knock at the door nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"Chrona, you in there?" Kid asked outside the door. She looked down at the dress and panicked. What would he say if he saw she cut up something so expensive? Maka would definately noticed if she showed up to the party without it.
"Uhh…hold on!" She shed her current attire and kicked it under the bed.
"Chrona, are you alright?" Kid asked.
"Oh she's just peachy." Ragnarok snickered. She gave up trying to fully unzip the back in favor of pulling the new garment on by force. After a few pleading looks, Ragnarok helped her fasten the neckline in a presentable fashion before bolting for the exit.
"Hold on!" She hopped over a stack of books and threw open the door. "Hello." She leaned against the door frame to catch her breath. All the while, Ragnarok was trying not to laugh.
"And hello to you." Kid said, a small list of imperfections growing in his head. However, years of living with Liz had taught him to at least try to hold his tongue when their friends tried to dress up. Still, he was glad she seemed excited about coming to the gala.
"Ready to go?" She asked.
The ballroom of Gallows Manor was lined with sparkling gold lights; elegant candles were lit to illuminate the countless tables. The center of the room had been cleared for couples to dance upon. As soon as they arrived, Kid had to run off and 'fix' a series of things that bled into each other during his ramblings. It left Chrona a sleek black pillar among a sea of pearlized gowns, suits and unrecognizable faces.
Tsubaki was the first to find her and she soon found herself able to relax under the camouflage of being in a group. There was the usual exchange of pleasantries and immediate updates about their lives. She got a hug from Maka and narrowly avoided Black Star's boisterous headlock until the hosts arrived. Unfortunately, only Liz was able to break away from event planning to say hi.
"Glad you guys could make it!" Liz greeted.
"Why are there so many people here?" Maka looked around the crowded room confused. "I thought only a few people were invited." Liz shook her head.
"That's why we've been so busy today. Someone told the whole school that Kid was throwing a party today." The group turned to look at Black Star who had already eaten five plates of food. "Anyway, Kid and I have been scrambling to get everything in order."
"I'd say you've done a fine job." Maka nodded. Off in the distance a particularly rowdy pair were getting the boot from Patty for wrecking an ice sculpture. Though if it was partially out of jealousy, it was unclear.
"Well help yourself to some food while we cue up a soundtrack." She turned to Soul. "You brought the records right?" The boy held up three jazz records.
"I don't know if they'll fit the mood of the party though." She took them eagerly.
"They'll be better than Kid's Lincoln Park record at least." She guided Soul towards the old record player while Maka and Chrona made their way to the buffet table. Soft piano accompanied by a low saxophone soon mingled in with a chorus of clinking plates and background chatter.
"Do you want anything?" Maka asked.
"N-no, I'm not hungry." She shook her head. She didn't know how to deal with such fancy food. "I'll go save us a table so we can all sit together." Maka nodded in agreement and Chrona sat down at an empty table.
"Hey, what gives?" Ragnarok demanded. "That's good food you just passed up!"
"I didn't know what to pick, it's too fancy." Chrona frowned. "I can't tell what's food and what's decoration."
"Well the least you could do was nab something for me! I would have gladly dealt with it for you." It wasn't just the food, but the ballroom, the whole manor; they didn't belong here. She scanned the room for the young shinigami only to see Liz weave around the many guests to get to them. If she knew there would be this many strangers from school, she probably would have said no. It was just too much too fast. Still, she had barely talked to everyone and leaving now would seem rude. She just had to endure the bombardment of stimulation for a little bit more and then she could leave.
"I still don't see Shini-kun." Chrona sighed. Her irritated partner pulled at the ends of her mouth.
"Don't you start with that, we had a deal. Now lighten up! It's a party after all." Maka returned to the table with two plates full of food.
"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I got some stuff for Ragnarok; if that's alright." Maka sat down with the plates.
"Alright? This is awesome!" Ragnarok grabbed the plate. "You're not so bad after all." He gobbled down the luxurious food with glee, careful to avoid ruining his humble bowtie. There was a pause from Chrona's partner. "Sixteen pieces of candy, how thoughtful of you." He stuffed the truffles in the handbag Maka had lent to Chrona. Soul joined them at the table along with Black Star and Tsubaki. Every now and again Liz or Patty would stop by to chat before running to put out fires or protect the manor's furniture. While hanging out with her friends was enjoyable, Chrona found herself constantly checking the clock.
"I'm going to go get some fresh air." Chrona mumbled.
"Oh, O.K." Maka said pleasantly.
"Guard that with your life." Ragnarok said in reference to the bag that held his candy. "I will come back for it!" He slipped inside Chrona's body as the girl walked off.
Chrona sunk into the corner of the ballroom; all she wanted to do was say hi to Kid who were tending to the guests, but it she had been waiting almost two hours. In the end she couldn't find him and ended up hopelessly lost among all the people. At least in the corner she knew where she was. As the people swirled around the room Chrona became lost in thought. Just a month ago she had killed over a hundred people, to get stronger like Medusa had said; some plan that had turned out to be. She had done horrible things because she was afraid. Then Maka had come and said she wanted to be friends. But then again, she needed Chrona close by to know what the dangers her black blood would have now that it contaminated Soul's body. Then there was Kid who needed help with his research on Eibon. She was used to being a tool, but she felt bad about wanting to help some people more than others. That she'd rather hang out with some people more than others.
Across the room, Kid noticed the dark wallflower in the corner. He excused himself from the small gaggle of guests. Weaving around the dancing couples, Kid made his way to where Chrona sat in the room. She picked at the hem of her dress; maybe it would be best if she just headed home.
"Why am I not surprised." He chuckled. "Everyone's been worried about you." She looked up at him in surprise.
"Shini-kun." She whispered. "Where have you been, I looked all over."
"Sorry I got so caught up with the party. Every time I thought I could get away, something would come up. I wanted to make the perfect party for you guys, but it doesn't seem like everyone's having fun." He held out his hand and wore an oddly warm smile. "Would you grace me with a dance?" He asked. Dance, her? She didn't know how to dance! She was barely certain she could avoid tripping over his shoes. Still, it would be a great chance to talk to him uninterrupted. It seemed lately neither of them could manage a comfortable conversation with each other for long without stumbling over their words or getting called away.
"Sure." She took his hand and was lead to the center of the room. She might have done horrible things in the past, but she was making her own decisions now, starting with him. The music swelled as Chrona and Kid made their way to the floor. They quickly fell in sync with the others.
"You look nice." Kid commented as the two swayed to the beat. "I wanted to say something earlier but..." His mind kept going into overdrive, over analyzing every detail. Still, her smile was symmetrical; and even if he couldn't find the exact words to describe how much he appreciated her coming.
"Thanks." Chrona blushed at the comment, her eyes drifted to the floor. There it was again, that strange warmth the came from his wavelength. This time, instead of running, she merely basked in it. This is where she wanted to be, endlessly by his side.
Outside of the glittering party, a small green frog hopped onto the window sill. It's frosty breath fogged up the crystallized glass. Soft rain drizzled on the dark streets; the cool shadows emphasized the warmth that trickled out of the window. Golden lights reflected off the frog's slick skin as it made contact with it's master.
"Medusa," it croaked, "I found her." In the iris of the amphibian a small snake coiled. It hissed and was illuminated with an unnatural purple glow. "Should I go get her?" The frog could hear a gentle hum as the snake witch watched from her crystal ball.
"Not yet, Eruka." Medusa said. The frog frowned, for the past few days she had been hopping around like mad and risking her neck to find Chrona. The sudden change in attitude from her forced employer was extremely unsettling.
"But Medusa, the whole reason I came was to find Chrona." Eruka insisted.
"And you have done so; finally." The witch said coldly. Her small hand traced around the crystal ball she stared into. Her daughter's dance with the only son of Lord Death shown back at her, mocking her efforts. A sadistic smile bled across her features for a moment, then vanished as she straightened up. "It seems my daughter has been busy in my absence. I must admit, I am curious as to what she has been doing as of late." She stood from her spot on the stone floor. "Let's watch her, at least for a day. After all, we need to assess the damage done." The joyous pair chuckled at the end of their dance; their amusement irked the snake witch deeply as it tore at an old wound in her pride. She glared at the image of the shinigami reflected in her crystal. "A mere boy will not disrupt my plans." She growled.