:The Colleger Club Annual Ball: [Event]

[ωΘĿƒ]

The warmly flickering firelight candles glowed honey-colored along the walls of Colleger's Grand Dining Hall, underneath their dancing light slung satin ribbons of scarlet and gold. Atop the very highest perch, there rested the crystal-rock chandeliers, splashing their spots of light the long and spacious way down to the cherrywood floorboards, warmed up nicely with its deep crimson carpet cover. Upon this carpet lay a single gleaming string of tables, so thin and stretching clear from one end of the grand old room to the other. Silver platters were piled high, hiding untold delights beneath their steely shields, but this was not where the attention was centered.

No, it was not on this magnificent room so beautifully prepared that eyes should rest, but on the heavy-set entrance way, carved in maple with its doors each as thick as a fortress's walls. Here, on this mighty doorway should attention be beckoned, for it is here that the very first of the students of Chimera Academy will enter.

A slow, swinging cadence of sound fills happily the emptied room, coming from a corner so far and wide away. Here, the band plays it's symphony, as it waits for the first of the visitors to arrive...

[areyna]

As they walked along side of each other Nami clapped excitedly. She’s been many dances but this one would be different for the fact she actually had a date to go with. She looked over to Areon who was fidgeting with the purple tie hanging from his neck a frown clear on his face. Nami rolled her eyes slapping Areon’s hand away causing his to jump slightly.

“Would you stop that.” She scolded. “You’re only wearing this suit for a few hours I’m sure you’ll live. Besides you look super cute!”

Areon stuck his hands into his pockets with a sigh full of complaints. Nami again rolled her eyes beckoning him to walk faster.

“Why?” He protested “We have too much time let on our hands. You slow down or you’ll trip in those heels.”

Nami smiled with her hands on her hips. “Aw you care for me that much. And besides I have excellent coordination I won’t lose balance in these silly things! Now come on!”

Nami grabbed Areon’s arm tugging him along he letting her not willing to waste any energy in protesting. What’s the point? She’ll just keep nagging till your seconds from insanity. Does she have the gift of persistence and impatience, they practically ran through the town to get to the location of the annual ball. Areon lost in thought as he was unwillingly being pulled by his date didn’t realize they had stopped till he heard Nami gasp gawking at the sight in front of her.

“So pretty!” she exclaimed referring to the maple carved doors. Without hesitation she sprinted inside twirling around taking in the sights of the massive ball room, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and let’s not forget the band playing its beautiful orcheastral music. She jumped up and down her orange dress swishing all over. Areon stood beside her looked at all the scenery as well but noticed one little detail, where the heck is everyone else? With a slight look of annoyance he turned to Nami to point out his observation.

“Like I said what was the point in rushing?”

[Iƪƪia]

Emerald dress swirling around her, silver jewelry sparkling in the light, Illia slowly and grandly made her way to the ball room. With a smile, she patted the top of her hair which she had skillfully done up, pleased to be having such a good hair day. Really, it was a good day for every aspect of her appearance, but what else was new?

Ah, how she loved dances like this. They always gave her an excuse to show off her beauty and excellent style even more than she normally did, and she took full advantage of it. Perhaps she overdid it, though... After all, most of her fingers were adorned with a rather large ring. Oh, but they were all so pretty, that it was just too difficult to choose between them.

Shrugging this silly thought away, Illia stepped into the grand room, imagining that that was what it must feel like for a princess to make her debut. If that princess was lucky enough to look this good, that is. She entered the room just as gracefully, taking a moment to appreciate how well the room complemented her.

Stopping in front of the entrance, she quickly scanned the room for any of those blood-sucking freaks. She still wasn't willing to call a truce with the monsters, even if it was for a day. Of course, there was probably nothing to worry about here. Even if the monsters were stupid enough to attack them, it'd be easy to slip out of the large crowd unnoticed.

Well, when the crowd got there, that was.

Apparently she was early, as there were only two other students here. She studied them for a moment, casting a warm smile in their direction. They were a good-looking couple. The boy was cute, though he did look rather dark and serious. The girl was quite pretty as well. Not as pretty as Illia, of course, but not bad.[/color]

[areyna]

Leaving Areon in the middle of the room Nami was drawn towards the orchestra watching their fingers moves on the violin, sprinting across the piano. Hey, they are really good. Well of course they would be duh!. She giggled and accompanied her out of place date arms crossed and bored.

“For goodness sake Areon lighten up.” She nudged him playfully on the side. “Honestly, where does your rain cloud come from?”

Areon gave her a look and shrugged while Nami pouted. After a few seconds of silence they heard footsteps approach them a brunette girl with an emerald green dress decked out with jewelry joined the party. Instinctively, Nami approached her with a cheerful greeting the glittering silver rings and necklaces rather distracting.

“Wow! That’s a lot of silver you have there. It’s pretty with your green dress!” Nami took a look at the girl realizing that she has never introduced herself to her before. She’s seen her around but never made an attempt to talk to her. Now's the chance! “I don’t think I’ve ever introduced myself to you before. I’m Nami Kurata! And mister gloomy over there is Areon Kuria! Brother of Skyler if you any idea who that is.”

Areon turned his head a bit to the side to acknowledge the new comer his black eyes moving back the floor.

[ωΘĿƒ]

The glare of one of the little chandelier crystals hit Z's eyes as he was walking through the door. No really, it was aimed right at him. Kind of blinding, those little crystals were. Someone should look into that...

Anywho, he quickly moved out of the sparkling crystal's glare, crossing the span of the massive arch of the doorway and doing it as gracefully as inhumanly possible.

He could be very graceful, if he wanted to. He was a prince, after all! Mommys and daddys didn't like to teach princes how to play Tonka trucks, but they sure as hell did love to dress them up in dorky outfits and watch them walk through all manner of doors for hours on end. Ah, the memories... He had known how to tie his own necktie even before his shoes, and dance lessons had started strictly at the age of three, whether he thought dancing was a girly waste of time or not.

Well, he did look great in a tuxedo anyways. At least there was that. And mommy and daddy were not here right now, so they didn't get to pick on his choice of apparel, or walking style.

And yes, there are different ways of walking...

So like that Z careened in from Colleger Town with his prim black suit, freshly ironed white shirt - and his personal favorite - the candycane striped lime green and black skinny tie. Yes, he did look awesome. He'd even spent three hours and a tub of jell getting his hair just right. It had to be messy, but it had to have some spikey to it too, and don't forget those funny half-bang things that look more like his hair was poking down on the clean hair line of his forehead. He figured if he had to impale anyone, his hair would do the job nicely. It was hard enough to carve rock right now.

Oh, and yes there always was his little secret item, tucked nicely away into his suit... He checked the time quickly on his Rolex as he sauntered in, and headed straight for Illia, not marveling even once at the finely decorated room.

He'd seen better.

"The name's Bond." Z smiled, once he'd inched his way up to her. "James Bond. And you look hot."

Ooh, wait! That wasn't right!

"Um- I mean beautiful! You look beautiful!"

[Iƪƪia]

Illia wasn't able to venture any further into the room, as she was then accosted by the same girl in the orange dress. There was something vaguely familiar about her, though Illia was unsure what it was. Other than that she was... Very friendly,w asn't she? Well, at least she had good taste to be complimenting her on her ensemble.

"Oh, thank you!" Illia replied, looking down at her sparkling rings, "Nice to meet you. And my name's Illia."

With that, she looked past Name to give her silent date a glance of acknowledgment.

Perhaps she would have said more if she hadn't then heard footsteps sidling up to her. She tipped her head in the direction of the noise, though she already knew who it was... And he was late, wasn't he?! True, it was only by several minutes, however, it's rude to keep a lady waiting at all! Illia made sure not to look annoyed as she turned to face him. Easy enough as she was then met with yet another compliment.

"Why thank you," Illia said with a chuckle.

By force of habit, she looked down to once again marvel at her outfit. Beautiful, indeed.

"My! And don't you look handsome, tonight?" Smiling, she ran her fingers over his suit.

Well, he did clean up quite nicely. That must be another advantage to dating royalty. Ah, royalty. That word alone was enough to bring a smile to her lips. And she had this one wrapped around her finger. How lucky could one girl get?[/color]

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z tried not to smile too much like an idiot as Illia complimented his suit. Lots of people had complimented his suits before, and he had not even been happy enough to fake a smile for them; then again, none of them had been Illia. He fidgeted with his Rolex, trying to remember what to do.

Right. Step one, compliment her on something she spent a lot of time on when dressing. Step two, surprise her. He knew how to do this. He could do this!

Clearing his throat, he tried to figure out what she liked best about herself tonight. Her green dress? No. Her hair? No. Oh! Her jewelry! Illia did seem to like jewels a lot. Almost obsessively, actually. There was a ring on every one of her fingers.

"Nice rocks," He said, trying as hard as he could not to smirk as if he was telling a joke. He always did that when he was nervous. "They compliment your..."

Oh crap, what did girls like guys to talk about when complimenting them?

...eyes. They compliment your radiant eyes." Yes! He got the adjective right!

Before he could mess anything up, he had already fished out a little velvet box from his jacket.

"Sorry I was late, but I brought offerings of apology."

Snapping the lid back, Z revealed a nice, expensive necklace. He'd done some research. Apparently, Illia liked emeralds. That's why he'd searched all over the place to find emeralds that matched the color of her eyes, and had learned a valuable lesson on color coordination along the way. Matching eye color and rock color was a lot harder than it should be. He had to get the stupid things shipped in and everything!

But, in the end it had been worth it. He had the emeralds set in an elegant, gold braided chain design, with exactly three on each end of the chain, then topped the necklace off with the seventh center one, which was a lot larger and better cut than the other six. All of it had been completely custom, and had taken so long that he'd eventually needed to speed-ship it to himself to actually get it in time for the ball. It had arrived about half a day ago.

"I think you look good enough already, but hell, heap more diamonds on a diamond pile and it'll just get more sparkly, am I right?"

Z was grinning madly now, but he hoped Illia didn't notice. He wanted this to be perfect for her, and he didn't want to be the one to mess it up. It always seemed like they were getting into trouble. Well this was the time for all that to be made up. He was determined to let nothing go wrong for her tonight, even if it meant taking a bullet from White again.

Which by the way... He had almost forgot to take his pain meds. He'd sneak out later to do that. I didn't hurt too much, and he would wait until there were more people. He'd be fine for a couple of minutes.
[/size]

[Elle]

Elle slowly and cautiously stepped into the large room, trying her best to seem inconspicuous. Luckily there were only a few people there so far. Unluckily, that could mean that they would immediately notice Elle and turn to stare at her.

Blushing, Elle hurried further into the room, desperate to somewhat blend in before she stood out. Deciding to stand close to a long table near the wall, she decided to actually look at who had made it to the ball yet.

They all seemed familiar. She immediately recognized Illia and Z of course, and she thought that she knew the other two from someplace as well. However, she couldn't remember where that was. Elle had never bee very perceptive.

Self-consciously, she picked at a thread on the strap of her dark blue dress. It perfectly matched her eyes. Or at least she hoped it did. It turned out to be really difficult to match fabric color to eye color. Well, it was close at least. But was it close enough?

Crossing her arms over her mid-section, she turned and instead began picking at a loose thread on the table cloth. She was always nervous whenever she attended a dance or something like this. However, she had another reason to be nervous tonight. She had a date. Maybe some girls would be excited about this, but Elle only felt a choking nervousness. What she would give to just be normal and experience normal emotions.

[amber989]

Maria wore her long dress. It's long, red, and it gives off the 'princess' feel, though, not too grand. She don't want to carry a heavy dress around in her age. She's still young, very young, and she should enjoy and run around lots! She wore a cute little bow on her head, which she likes the most. It looked good on her, even if others told her it doesn't, she would still wear it, because it's cute! Well, that bow really did fit her, so it's okay. After the preparations done, Maria went down, using the elevator and entered the dining hall. Sure enough, there is a lot of people, and they must be wandering why a little kid was here. Maria's a student, so she's allowed. Besides, there's no age limits.

Maria saw lots of unknown faces but at least she saw Areon - someone she saw before. Then, something caught her eye, food. She went up and got an orange juice instead. She don't want to eat now. She'll eat later, or outside, since now all she wanted to do is to look around and see if there's anything amusing. Hopefully, there will be an orchestra later. She likes classical.

She saw Z, and was about to rush to him, but decided not to when she saw Illia. She turned back, but wanted to know what they're talking. She read their minds like invading their privacy, and enjoyed their conversation because Z was quite funny, pretending to be James Bond. She have to agree though, Illia looked hot. A kid can say that, too, y'know. Illia was continually embraced by the word 'royalty' as usual. Illia's one lucky girl. Sipping her orange juice, lots of people are having fun. Maria's used to be the isolated one during balls or social parties. Her grandfather always held this kind of party, after all, except it's filled with famous peoples. Z's one, but its just him and no one else.

Z's troubled. Well, I guess he is, being late and all. Guess sometimes Maria can overlook some things.

[Iƪƪia]

As soon as Z had opened the lid, Illia had immediately snatched the necklace up, sending the cheap, little box falling to the floor. She held it in both hands, nimble fingers trailing over the jewels, keen eyes appraising each gem's worth before deciding on a price for the entire thing.

She was grinning widely as she stared at the sparkling necklace while crunching the figures in her head. Once she was sure that she had appraised it correctly, she couldn't help but fall into a fit of giddy, almost maniacal giggles.

Still laughing, she fastened it around her neck. So what if she had too many jewels on already? She simply had to make room for this new addition. Who wouldn't want to wear something so expensive? People like expensive things! Or at least they should... Besides, the glistening emeralds perfectly matched her eyes. A difficult task to accomplish. She wondered for a moment what Z had to go through to get this...

Oh, that's right... There were other people here.

As quickly as possible, she composed her features and suppressed the last of her insane laughter. Smiling and with one hand on her necklace, she turned back to Z.

"It's so beautiful... Thank you!" With another giggle, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love it!"

And with that, she withdrew from the embrace, turning back to Nami. Lifting the necklace off of her chest slightly, she dangled it in front of the girl's eyes.

"Look! Isn't it pretty?!"

It didn't matter that she didn't know this girl well. When showing something off familiarity wasn't a factor.

***

Late. Yes, late again. These meetings were really beginning to get on his nerves. Though each was interesting in their own way, so were the creatures that inhabited this place, and he'd much rather be studying them at present. Well, he'd have plenty of time to do that. For now he'd just have to settle on apologizing for these repeated late arrivals.

Reaching the door to the ball room, he stopped to investigate the students who had already entered. There weren't many, which was to be expected. It was still early, after all. Though it wasn't the ball he was angry at being late for. It was the fact that she would be among the early arrivals.

Running his fingers through his perfectly styled hair, he took a moment to further study the other students. There were only two other couples. One consisted of a rather bright-looking girl and a rather depressing young man. Ah, a couple of opposites. How cute. Well, there was a certain attraction one had for their complete opposite, however, whether or not it would evolve into a long-lasting relationship was another story altogether.

The other couple was quite elegant-looking. The boy had the makings of royalty, which was no rare sight at a school like this. Though he also seemed like the troublesome type. Feelings of parental neglect, perhaps? His girl now, was highly entertaining. At present she was fawning over a piece of jewelry as if it were crafted by gods. So she had reasons for being with this boy. Reasons beyond this foreign concept of love. It was already clear to him that she was selfish, but there was more... Yes, he'd rather like to study her a bit longer. Something her clueless date should really try one of these days.

Ah, but now wasn't the time for any of that.

Looking away from the group, he spotted Elle off near the far wall. Well, of course he'd find her there. Once again running a hand through his hair, he walked over to her.

"Good evening," He smiled and took her hand, "Ah, I'm terribly sorry that I'm late. Truly, I am."

He looked her over for a moment before continuing. She was quite pretty. If only she wasn't trying to hide. Standing off in a corner, crossing her arms. She really needed a little self-confidence. Of course, it takes a while to break down a mentality such as hers. Best not to do anything to make her uncomfortable in the meantime.

"You look very beautiful tonight."

[areyna]

A few more people slipped in while minutes passed Nami recognizing Z, Areon with Maria. She watched as Z approached Illia nervously which she thought was rather cute. His attempts to complement were too funny.

“Hey, Areon why don’t you ever woo me like that.” She pointed out joking.

Areon said nothing which was expected from him but his mouth twitched holding back a smirk. Nami put her attention back to the happing couple catching Z taking out a box containing a breathtaking emerald necklace. Illia’s reaction was overly excited as she snatched the necklace proudly placing it around her neck embracing Z with her thanks before unexpectedly coming to Nami for approval.

“Look! Isn’t it pretty!” Illia stated.

“Wow! It suits you perfectly!” Nami agreed. Areon sighed. Doesn’t see have enough blinding gems present. Really how much more does she need? Ridiculous.

“Annoying” He whispered to himself.

<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>

“Come on. Your look amazing, there’s nothing to be ashamed or timid about.” Skyler encourage while Areyna hid behind him when they reached the entrance to the ball. “Purple's really pretty on you, now lets show everyone your beauty.” He pushed with a smile.

Areyna blushed at his complement eyes looking at her violet heels nodding slowly. “O-ok.”

Sklyer nodded back making his way in chuckling softly while Areyna tightly held on to his shoulder, one for balance, two she felt if she hid behind him no one would look at her. Skyler stepped to the side kindly forcing Areyna beside him into sight. She continued blushing.

“You’re not hiding behind me the whole time you know.” Areyna lips turned into a small pout. “O don’t give me that face.”

He scanned the ballroom finding his brother and Nami about instantly. She semed to be with a girl in a green dress cover in silver jewelry but the emerald necklace stood out the most.

“Come on, I’ll get you into a comfortable crowd.”

Nami was the first to greet them adding how cute she thought Skyler looked in a tux also recognizing Areyna as well. Areon addressed them with a nod Skyler again scanning the room for his date yet this time was unlucky. She’ll show up soon, so while he wanted he did what he knew best, let his mind and eyes wander.

[arrow]

Shishi hesitated before entering the room. She wasn't acquainted with anyone and going to a social event such as this one was awkward for her. Shishi could hear the band playing and the voices of those who had already made their appearance floating from the room. She sighed heavily, hoping to get rid of the nervousness she felt, and slipped in quietly.

Shishi wore the strapless blue dress that extended all the way down to her feet and resembled a princess type dress though less 'poofy' and with a black bow tied around the waist. With it, she wore black high heels that had a ribbon which wrapped around her leg and a black choker. Her hair was loosely curled and left down. At first, Shishi thought she was too dressed up until she saw others wearing just as much as she was.

She slowly made her way to a far corner of the room where, hopefully, nobody would see her. Of course, she knew that someone was bound to notice her. Not a lot of people had shown up which meant that a new face would surely stand out. Shishi nervously began to fiddle with the curls in her hair. "I just need to relax," she thought to herself. She knew that if she worried to much her skin would fail and her true form would be exposed but that just made her worry even more.

[rei]

Hmm, it was certainly interesting here tonight,
Naide thought with a smirk, enjoying the fact
that heads were turning as she walked into
the room. Hmm, they wanted to be around
her now didn't they ! Idiots. Her dress was a
deep crimson, matching perfectly the color
of blood. It had one slit at her hip, and was a
unique halter that made her look taller. As if
she needed to look taller with her strappy black
heels.

Her hair was in an stylish updo, the natural
pink color of it standing out while she wore
blck eyeliner that held green shimmer in it,
and green eyeshadow. She was standing off
to the side, her eyes browsing the crowd,
looking for someone in particular.
------------------------------------------------
Nai stepped briskly down the stairs, cursing
the administration for making this ball
mandatory. He looked sharp in his black
turtleneck and blazer, along with black dress
pants not being all that fancy like some
were.

His hair was spiked as usual, and his ever-
piercing violet eyes skimmed through the
crowd. Damn he hated parties, or anything
that made him socialize with others actually.
He scoffed as he stood there, wondering
what he was supposed to 'do' exactly.
-----------------------------------------------
Rei arrived after her brother, her long,strapless
dress making quite the statement. It, of course,
was white. Some petty girls in the corner made
snide remarks about how it looked like a wedding
dress, but she ignored them. Her hair was up,
and she had silver dangling earrings and a
silver necklace that glittered in the light.

She had a good feeling about tonight
surprisingly.
--------------------------------------------
Jesse sighed, running his hands through
his black spikes, his tux making him almost
blend in with everyone else. Even though
he didn't totally agree with this ball, it
seemed okay. He stood with his posture
casual, as he looked through the crowd,
noting that everyone wasn't here yet.

This was indeed a large school.

A curious smirk crossed his face as he
looked for his shy date. She was rather
adorable, after all. She wasn't clingy either.
Which was a nice plus.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z stood there, grinning madly as Illia hugged him. He tried not to, he really did, but he was just so happy. All that work, and it more than paid off! All he heard after that was Illia's thanks. He didn't even notice as she turned to Nami.

Maybe he'd done it after all. Illia had been so mad at him for what happened with White... He had been so worried that she still was. It was his fault, he knew it, but he'd done it for her! He had! Still, he couldn't blame her for thinking what had happened was all his fault. White had more than a little part of what happened too, and Illia hadn't done anything wrong, just been there when Z decided to start yet another fight. Now though, she would forgive him. He knew she'd forgive him.

He fiddled nervously, grinning like an idiot as he straightened and smoothed out his tie. Maybe he had done the right thing, and now this night would be perfect for the both of them.

That is exactly what he thought as he felt a stab of pain shoot up his back.

"Argh!"

He clapped his hands over his mouth, trying to see if anyone had noticed. Crap. That's right. He might have made up for what happened with White, but that didn't mean he wasn't shot by him.

Z grabbed a nearby table so he could lean on it, gritting his teeth as he felt the little trill of pain. Oh crap. Oh crap... That hurt! He looked back at Illia quickly, trying to keep the pain out of his face.

"Um... Sorry. I sneezed. I'm um, going to go get a drink."

Without seeing whether she'd heard him or not, he limped away, out the door and around the corner, his hands holding onto anything they could for support. Once he'd cleared the growing crowd of the ball, he fumbled a little orange bottle out of his jacket pocket. Yanking the lid off he shook out two of the little white pills and swallowed them.

"Ah.... I hate vampires." He sighed, placing the bottle back in his pocket. "I really hope I can dance like this..."
[/size]

* * *

Le Cyll poked his head through the huge wooden doorway, his eyes flitting over every last candle and dish that could be seen.

He was not used to this. This whole... gathering business. People tended to be insufferable all on their lonesomes. He could only imagine what they'd be like when gathered together for a social event such as this. And yet it was mandatory. He did not want to disobey the strangely authoritative creature known as Crane. He seemed like the kind of individual to be oddly unable to understand. Sad, this. If he knew what the man was thinking, then he could see just how much Le Cyll could get away from before there would have to be a problem, and Le Cyll did not want problems. He had quite enough to think of as it is.

Besides, he was supposed to be normal here - sociable. Supposedly, he had needed a date. He did not want a date. Dates implied the need to speak to and care for your date, and he lacked both the skill and the saintly patience to do these things. He would much rather sit in this strange, confusing room and quietly watch until he was allowed to leave. That sounded much more endurable. He could do that.

Scanning the room, he make a catalog of the people there. Surprisingly, he knew most of them. Well, well. Wasn't he fitting in nicely here. And only a few of these people cared to despise him. That also was good. He did not want a confrontation. Especially not around all these.... witnesses.

Almost as if he was in enemy territory, he slunk past the doors, head down, but eyes ever vigilant. He wore all black - not his first choice, but he thought black was what these people wore to such occasions. He was not aware that the necktie and the undershirt was usually a different color. Oh well, such is life. Hopefully, it would make him easier to dissolve into the shaded corners of the room like this. Then he need not deal with anyone.
[/size]

* * *

Coyle sauntered in, happily, lazily. He hadn't been doing much all day. He didn't plan on it now, either. This was going to be fun. He already knew. These mortals, all crammed into a room together. And he knew there were a few crazies among them. A few loose cannons he'd like to see go off.

Maybe that's what he'd do today? That would be great. All the little mortal children running around as a few of their own foamed at the mouth and threatened them with the cutlery. Now that was a show! Much better than this pheromone coated snooze-fest.

Checking his watch, Coyle grinned as he noticed the time. It was four now, and the party would go 'till twelve. Well... it should go 'till twelve. If it went any longer, then it wouldn't just be the maniacs that craved a little skin off someone's bones. Man, he did love vampires! Such a tenacious people, and so willing to start something. He looked across to the band, watching as the white faces remained impassive, the white hands played with the skill of machines. They were waiting alright. Waiting for twelve.

The beast smiled, taking another look over the crowd. Oh looky! Sunshine was here!

He made his way over to her without another thought, draping is arm around her shoulder as if they were dates.

"Hello, sweety! Ya miss me? I know you did! I can see it in that smile of yours."

He didn't care if Sunshine was smiling or not. She probably wasn't, come to think of it.
[/size]

[amber989]

Maria looked around, trying to see if there's anyone she knew but sadly, due to her being a kid, she knows no one. She then directed her gaze toward Z, which seems to be... worser than earlier. Maria panicked a little, she started blaming herself, maybe it's because she sewed his voodoo dolls? She tried to read his mind but she can't but she just can't concentrate. She decided to follow him, ask him what happen.

Her legs and arms are trembling, since she's thinking a lot for a kid. First, is the voodoo doll the cause? Second, did someone stole the doll and tried to pin it down? Those thoughts are clouding her mind, so she quickly followed Z, he looked... pitiful. Maria was scared, really scared.

"...Z? ...Are you okay...? What happened...?" She didn't dare to ask him if it's the voodoo doll's fault, no, it's her fault to begin with. She sewed it, so it's her fault. If Illia were to come, Illia will be scolding her for hurting Z! She quickly looked around to see if there's anything that could help, but sadly, she couldn't find any, and being a kid is not an excuse.

"...I-Is is because of the voodoo doll I made...?" Maria asked, her voice a bit shaky because she's frightened. First, she's afraid that Z was hurt because of the voodoo dolls, second, if Illia finds her near him, she'd be in hot water.