Jane found the door to her parents' room locked, most likely to keep out any drunk wonderers. She held her hands to her head, desperate to ease the pounding headache she now had. "Where am I to go now?" She did not feel like going back downstairs, it would only make her throbbing head worse and she didn't feel like having a "why are you crying?" conversation. Looking to her left she was met with the castle's main balcony. A cool breeze drifted into the hall and was refreshing after the crowded heat from downstairs. She found herself drawn to the fresh air, and before she knew it, she was resting on the balcony's banister. She glance around for Dragon, hoping he was nearby because she could really use a friend to talk to. However, she did not see him and didn't bother to call out. She knew her big lizard well enough to know he most likely got distracted by something and wondered out of sheer boredom. It had been more than several hours since they last spoke, and although his offer from last night was sweet, she knew he'd leave long before the night was over. Sighing, she wiped her tears away, which luckily were no longer falling. Before she could think of what to do next, she heard him again, "Jane?"
Turning around, she saw Gunther standing at the entrance to the balcony. It must have taken him ages to walk up the stairs because he was currently attempting to place his sword back in it's scabbard. Miss, miss, almost, okay he got it. She couldn't help a sly smile because she could not wait to rub that in his face once he was sober. She felt conflicted on whether she was happy he followed her or not. Sober Gunther? Absolutely not. However, she never interacted with a drunk Gunther. Maybe he'd be good for a laugh. As he approached she gauged how to respond to him. As he reached the banister, instinct kicked in and she felt the need to be defensive, "What do you want Gunther? Now is not a good time."
"Woah," he held his hand up to her face, "I don't need that right now." The hand then landed abruptly on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. Physical contact and Gunther didn't normally exist in the same sentence. "I don't know what happened, just wanted to make sure... nothing happened," his eyes were glossy but serious.
Jane took his hand from her shoulder and placed it on the banister for him. She quickly removed her own hand, suddenly feeling hot. "I'm fine Gunther, thank you. Nothing happened, I promise," she gave the most reassuring smile she could, "You can return to the party now."
"Nah," he looked away and toward the gardens, "I hate balls."
"Hate balls?" That sent Jane for a loop, causing her to momentarily forget all that had just transpired, "How can you hate balls? They are wonderful! All the people, the food, the dancing!" She stopped herself from rambling beyond that.
"I guess the drink is alright," he mumbled.
Jane rolled her eyes, "No kidding?" She teased but it yielded no response. They stood in silence for longer than she liked, staring out into the night. This was very unlike Gunther. He hadn't even mentioned her dress or "silly armor pieces." As the silence stretched on, she grew fidgety. Maybe she did like the bantering Gunther more. At least then there was something to talk about and it was... fun? Jane was slowly coming to terms with the fact she liked Gunther's teasing. Because that's probably all it ever was, teasing. He obviously cared for her, otherwise his drunken state wouldn't have brought him to her aid, right? She couldn't take it any longer, "why are you really here, Gunther?"
He seemed to come out of a haze before turning to look at her, pure confusion written all over his face, "what?"
"Why did you come up here to be with me?" she pressed, starting to get irritated.
He took a deep breath, "You know what? I don't know. Just- I don't know." He pushed up off the banister backing up to leave.
"Wait!" Jane blurted without thinking. He did stop and just stared at her, obviously waiting for her to continue. She wasn't sure why she wanted him to stay, but she did. So she said what she felt like she should have said a while ago, "I'm sorry, about last week... for yelling at you. I just... want things to be normal again." She looked away, unable to meet his gaze. The quiet night was interrupted by his laughter. Not a mean-spirited laugh, a genuine laugh. The kind she rarely heard from him. This caused her to snap back to attention, Gunther was laughing so hard that he appeared to have tears in his eyes. She had no idea what was so funny about what she said, so she was left to assume the alcohol had distorted his mind beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, she was put on the defensive again, "What is so funny? I apologize and you laugh at me? Gunther Breech, I will never understand you!" She turned back around, facing the night sky instead of his infuriating face.
The laughter slowly died off and she heard him approaching her once again. She braced for whatever he was about to say as she spotted him out of the corner of her eye as he rested his arms back on the banister, "Jane, you are the most stubborn and annoying woman I know." Jane turned her head sharply to glare at him but he continued, "Any man would be lucky to have you." He said this in a whisper, as if he didn't expect her to hear. Jane was quiet as she pondered his words, "is that an insult or a compliment?" She asked, for she genuinely couldn't tell with him sometimes. Now it was Gunther's turn to roll his eyes, "it's a compliment, Jane. Do you know how hard it is to compliment you?" She blushed at this statement before retorting, "Well it's not like you hand those out very often!" He shook his head and looked back out into the garden. Another silence fell over them, this one less tense than the last, at least for Jane. She was thankful Gunther was just quiet and unsteady when drunk and not a hundred times more unbearable than he usually was. However, the fact he was drunk sent her head spinning, for she was unsure if he was aware of anything he was saying. Her mind began to wander as she thought about how he was also the most stubborn and annoying man she had ever met, but she probably wouldn't say any girl would be lucky to have him. It would take a very special girl, someone able to keep up with his wit and put up with his antics. Her thought process was interrupted by the music that flowed from the open doors downstairs. She recognized this tune as one of her favorites for it was a fun and light-hearted song, perfect for dancing to. She swayed slightly to the sound but was too embarrassed to do much more than that. Nevertheless, this seemed to disturb Gunther's daze, "What are you doing?" He slurred these words stronger than the others. His annoyed tone sparked a renewed fire within her, "I'm dancing to the music, Gunther. I know dancing is not in your vocabulary but it is a popular pastime of many."
It took him a few seconds longer than usual to process her words but eventually came up with the brilliant response: "I can dance."
"Ha! Prove it you lead-footed knight!" She didn't expect him to actually take her up on the challenge but he turned to her and extended his hand. Without a bow, of course, but he graced her with a simple nod of his head. Jane stood dumbfounded for a brief second but ended up giggling about the silly situation. She also gave him a small and quick curtsy before taking his hand, "I better be impressed," she teased with a smile. He pulled her closer and placed his hand on her waist, which caused her to instinctively place hers on his shoulder. There was still an appropriate amount of space between them but she was very aware of how close they were. It didn't help that she was now close enough to smell the alcohol on his breath. The music demanded a fast paced dance but they started out slow. They went through the motions of a standard waltz all while he refused to look at her face, instead gazing somewhere behind her. Shaking off whatever tingly feelings she was having, Jane decided to enter familiar territory and push his limits. She begun to pick up the pace which caused him to finally look at her to focus. She smirked, "what? can't keep up?" She loved the expression he made when he got frustrated. However, he got his revenge by surprising her with a twirl, causing her to gasp and her dress to bellow in the wind. He pulled her back, this time in a tighter embrace, their bodies flush against each other. His left hand wandered to her waist which forced her to place both of her hands on his shoulders. They danced in a more relaxed manner to match the music's happy and free spirited vibe. Despite it being a little sloppy, this was probably the best dance she'd had this evening. However, there was a look in his eyes she couldn't place, and she was growing increasingly worried about their proximity. At this point, their dance had devolved into simply spinning around while holding each other, as most casual dances do. In fact, she couldn't stop herself from smiling and even Gunther was giggling like the drunk he was. Jane knew the song was almost over which pained her to think about. She didn't want this to end, she wanted to stay happy, even if just for a moment longer. In a final surprise, Gunther lifted here off her feet and spun fully around. She let out a quick, "ohmygod," when it seemed Gunther was about to lose his balance and drop them both. Luckily that didn't happen and she returned safely to the ground just in time for the song to end. They continued to hold each other as they laughed, her heart racing from what she assumed was the dance. Once their giggling subsided, there was a moment Jane wasn't sure what to do. This fact was heighted by the fact Gunther had gotten that odd look in his eyes again, an emotion she couldn't place. She moved her hands down to his chest, planning to create some distance between them. However, Gunther's eyes became fixated on her mouth and he moved his hands upward to cup her face. Before she was able to process what was happening his lips were already on hers. The kiss was sloppy, hot, and tasted of alcohol. He somehow found a way to bring her even closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Jane was left completely stun-locked and could neither reciprocate nor deter his advancement. She balled her hands into fists on his chest, her whole body becoming stiff and numb. When he finally begun to pull away, it was enough to allow Jane's brain to reactivate and she shoved him back with her full force, causing him to stumble until he hit the banister. He slowly propped himself up on the railing and looked at her with a shocked expression. Panting heavily, fists shaking, she gathered her strength to yell, "how could you?!" She couldn't bring herself to stay a second longer to hear his answer. She turned on her heel and ran like she just committed a horrible sin. This time determined to brave the downstairs in order to return to her tower. She was completely unaware of her mother reaching out to her from the corner of the balcony's entranceway. Having missed her, Adeline decided to let her go.