Mear
"D-do you n-need help with t-that, Shupple?"I asked noticing that she was having trouble putting it on. My voice seemed to shake with a mixture of emotions that I was brewing with. Shupple gave a half nod, and I started walking behind her. Taking the clasp between my index and forefingers, I found that I was somewhat shaky in putting it on, but after a few moments, I finally managed to set the clasp on. Shupple half chuckled to herself, and I wondered why but finally let it sift through the air after a moment. Realizing for the first time that I was starting to become tired, I let out my own half laugh. After a moment, I moved in front of Shupple who took the moon piece in her hand and seemed to be examining it.
"T-thank you, Mear," Shupple said dodging my gaze. I felt my own eyes move away for a moment.
Suddenly, I felt Shupple move towards me and stand very close. I felt my face grow red. Looking down at Shupple, I found a reflection of my face in her format. We both had the exact same nervous expression, but neither of us was able to move. I felt my pulse start moving in my neck, but gently, I put my hand up to the necklace Shupple was wearing now. I felt my face grow even redder as I realized that I had known from the start that I was going to give it to her.
“M….M….” Shupple said starting to half take a step back from the close proximity that we were standing, but I found that I had put my hand on her back and had started to move her back.
“I’m glad…. You like … the necklace… Shupple,” I said pulling her closer.
Suddenly, a nerve triggered in me, and I felt myself move forwards all the while feeling suspended of my own actions. I moved forwards and kissed Shupple lightly on the forehead. Feeling myself grow red, I took a step back and was all but forcing myself to retain Shupple’s gaze. However, a smile was staring to move up into my face, and finally I released the gentle half smile. Shupple just seemed to be paralyzed as she stared back at me turning a full red hue. Yet, after another moment, she gave a light smile back.
“It… was… really… nice….” Shupple smiled moving her head to one side.
After that moment, I found that I had already started a full internal debate on which she meant was really nice, and it would continue on for weeks after. I let out a light breath again feeling as though the air had suddenly been sucked straight out of my system. My eyes moved away, and I found that everyone was already leaving the dance, and aside from a few people still standing around, we were the only ones still in the Ballroom.
“I… think we should be heading to bed,” I smiled a bit. “It is starting to get really late.”
As I looked back at Shupple, I found that she was still retaining the red hue, and I found that once again, my own features were starting to turn red. I gave a nervous laugh as I shoved my hands in my pockets.
“…. Ya….” Shupple agreed after a moment starting her own half chuckle. “We… really do need sleep…. I guess….”
We both walked up to the division between the girls’ rooms and the boys’ rooms, and for a moment we turned to each other right before we were about to head up to our own separate rooms. I found myself starting to say something that had just come to mind.
“If… if you ever need anything, Shupple,” I started. “I’ll be here….” I found myself giving a slight smile, and she returned the gesture as we both once again turned and headed up to our own rooms.
As I changed clothes and headed into bed, I found that my heart was starting to beat in my head. It was a strange predicament for it handicapped me from the ability to get comfortable and sleep. Sighing to myself, I took out my sketchbook and started to draw random figures. A few lines this way and then that. After a while of mindless drawing, I found that I had roughly sketched out as many of the Gijinka that I knew as possible onto one page. Looking down at it, I found that they were all in direct proportion to one another, and yet something in the picture was completely off. I couldn’t quite grasp what it was, and yet it persisted there that something was off.
I finally decided that I needed to spend more time drawing the things that I was seeing more often. That had to have been what it was. Why else would the picture look so off? I could fathom no other reasons at that point. Getting up out of the bed, I found myself walking down the stairs and into the living room that conjoined strangely with the kitchen. The sound of a TV playing in the living room hit my ears, and I realized that some Gijinka were indeed still awake even in this late of night. For a moment I wondered whether or not to talk with the person watching TV but found it better not to disturb them if they were indeed asleep.
Instead, I moved off into the kitchen only to find what appeared to me in the darkness to be someone robbing the refrigerator. However, after a moment, logic kicked sharply in my somewhat foggy mind, and I realized that it was probably just a Gijinka getting a midnight snack of some sort. After taking a few steps forwards, I realized that it was Lux. He had turned sharply around at my presence and was now staring at me with one eyebrow raised in inquiry as to why I was up so late. I gave a half nod gesture as we both seemed to express some unsaid understanding.
Moving onto the kitchen table, I placed the sketchbook I had taken with me downstairs and started to draw in the half moonlight that was still glistening through the window almost morosely.
“The Ball was sure fun,” Lux commented in his half daze of sleepiness.
“Indeed,” I answered back sighing a bit to myself.
Suddenly, a scream hit my ears. Both Lux and I exchanged a look of confusion, but the yelling persisted. "STOP MESSING WITH ME!” the voice yelled, and suddenly the sound of fast paced movement was making its way around the mansion. I found myself suddenly very tense, and quickly, I rose with my sketchbook in hand.
“What was that?” I asked more or less leaving it as a question that I knew would not be answered.
“Dunno…” Lux answered back. He seemed suddenly on edge as well. “But I’m about to find out.” Suddenly, he set a milk glass down and was already making his way towards the sound that continued to move up the stairs and into a room where it suddenly stopped. I felt myself rise and quickly follow suit.
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Dun Dun Dun Dun......
Mear
KC
