» {Franz?} [Lady] in W.aiting...

[.| Kwyll |.]

» Fantasia let her back slowly slide down the wall, so that she ended up squatting on the floor. She was sat just outside the Terra common room, the large oak door that led into the cosy earthen sanctuary was on her left. She could smell the room from here; the mysterious woodland spices, mixed with the scent of fresh earth, as if a storm had just swept a hillside, haivng awakened the dry ground in a glorious scent of renewal.

» This was part of the reason Fantasia was waiting outside. It was too overwhelming for her. She much preferd the lighter, airier atmosphere in her own common room, where the room was bright and the windows wide. This was yet another one of the teachers' tricks to stop the students mixing in common rooms that didn't belong to their house. That didn't stop most people, however, espcially houses like Traba and Terra, which in Fantasia'a eyes were incredibly simular anyway. It did however ensure that an Ignis student found it very difficult to be in the Aqua common room, and vice versa. Not that they would do that anyway, Fantasia reasoned, recalling with amusement the diversity of the two most opposed houses.

» Fantasia’s private amusement was short lived, however, when the door of the room suddenly opened. Fantasia’s gaze shot up immediately to meet those of the Terra pupil. Not him. She looked away uninterestedly. Usually she hated sitting down, and therefore being looked down upon. But she didn’t have much choice, as she didn’t know how long she would have to wait. Or if he’d even turn up at all. It was the evening before the prom. Where would he be?

» She wondered idly whether the boy had found himself a date or not. Probably. This gave her a sinking feeling. She drew a deep breath. It didn’t matter; she had a date herself, Simon. And even if he wouldn’t have been her first choice, he was more than eligible. But she had to sort things out. She wanted to rid herself of the confusion of the last few days as quickly as possible. In her mind a sequence of events that she seemed to have had little power over, had taken place that seemed not to relate to each other at all.

» She would admit to herself hat she had been trying to get Franz’ attention for as long as she had known him. He had never really returned it, though. No more than he had to any other girl, anyway. This had always kept her bitter. She liked Franz. She really liked him. Not just because he was popular, but for the reason he was popular: his personality. He was witty, smart, friendly. Everything Fantasia tried to be but always fell short of him. So when the opportunity came, she moved on from him. And then what? He confessed his love! Not at all romantically, rather in front of everyone. And yet after this, he blanked her completely. Fantasia couldn’t make sense of it.

» He had changed after that. They had barely spoken. He appeared colder, and seemed to think her shallow. Was this a test? If so, she was sure to fail it. She couldn’t love him any less for being less popular, but if all the warmth in his wit was gone, then that is where she could perceive him as attractive no longer. She liked to think herself able to save him, but he wasn’t predictable anymore. She would have to apologise, or at least find out what she had done to annoy him so much; enough to even dismiss their friendship. And so she would wait, and talk it out. And hope he would be willing to listen.

[yumekui]

Franz was in a rather good mood this evening. His night had been unexpectedly great, if only because of a certain someone. He smiled and whistled a song he forgot long ago, suprised at his own memory. Hmm...what was that again? As Franz made his way up the stairs, he took a whiff of the common room's distinctive smell. The scent of the Traba common room was strong; he could smell it from down here. It was an earthy fragrance, of spicy herbs and fresh soil. Franz wagered that this would turn many away, but for Terras (and Trabas as well), this scent was as relaxing as it could get. Plus, the house was warm, which was certainly refreshing from the cold atmosphere outside. He hated snow afterall, but that night, it could not have looked more beautiful.

His lips felt cold as Franz reached to touch them. It had been a while since he had kissed a girl, Franz hadn't been a relationship in a long time. Though, Franz really couldn't classify Ringa as his girlfried...at least not yet. But he liked her, he knew that much. Don't overthink about it. He tried to think of something else...like homework. How he hate the dreadful busy work of lonely middle-aged drones. But he knew the common room was pretty quiet at night, Franz knew he could do his work there without bother. As Franz came closer to the door, he spotted a familiar face. A more than familiar face. Franz stopped short as he unbuttoned his coat. What would Fantasia be doing in front of his room? He stared at her quizically. She looked rather forlorn, maybe even tired. He knew he couldn't ignore her now, Franz's eyes shifted nervously. "Evening. How are you?" Franz greeted lamely. He wasn't sure of what else to say, he was in too much of a good mood to cold-shoulder her and he wasn't snarky enough to start being sarcastic. Franz stood there silently, waiting for a reply. And the room has suddenly become a lot chillier...

[.| Kwyll |.]

» Fantasia glanced up sharply as she heard footsteps. It was Franz, and she drew a breath but stalled. He seemed quite in a daze. She watched him brush his lips. She knew that sign; he was thinking about someone. Suddenly she felt sick. But he had already reached her. Then she remembered she was still on the floor.

» She hurriedly scrambled to her feet. “Oh, Franz!” she said quickly. Even on her feet, and with her impressive height, she still couldn’t look into his eyes without tilting her head up slightly. She suddenly felt incredibly foolish under his stare, and lowered her gaze to his feet instead. “Umm, I was wondering...” she began hurriedly, “If we could, well... talk, I suppose.” She was, for a moment, afraid he might refuse, but found herself continuing, “Well, the main thing being what you said the other evening, about you liking me.” She had never felt so vulnerable in her life, so used was she to having boys under her control. Despite this, her tone was surprisingly level. “I just wanted to know if you... actually meant it.”

» Fantasia tugged at one earring, her other hand smoothing her skirt in a sub-conscious effort to control her agitation. In truth, she didn’t think he had meant it. How could he, from the way he had treated her these past few days? But she didn’t want to hear that. She awaited his answer in trepidation, but, not wanting to hear anything negative, she cut across again before he could reply: “Because... you seemed to be annoyed about something.” About me and Simon going to the ball? a little voice enquired. But she ignored it. He had never minded a little rivalry before, so why now? She needed it spelled out for her, from him. Only then would she believe it, and start to think what she could do about it. She hated the thought of losing Franz. In her shallow nature she liked the attention he paid her, but she also liked his nature, and the entertainment he brought to the group. Was she about to lose that?

» She had rarely seen him since a few days ago, when he had stormed off. But the person he seemed to have become... it wasn’t him, she told herself. He was the cheerful, witty, flirty, friendly guy she’d known in past years, right? She stood, a light flush rising in her pale cheeks, only now having the confidence to glance up and meet his gaze.

[yumekui]

Franz was suprised at Fantasia's quiet nervousness. She was never a vulnerable person; Fantasia had always been almost dangerously confident. He kind of liked that about her. Looking into Fantasia's eyes as she babbled on, she seemed a little bit embarrased; it was evident by the slight blush on her cheeks. Franz noticed that even though the girl was tall, he was still a good inch or two taller. He had never noticed it before, it had seemed like the two had always been on the same level. Franz couldn't say the same thing anymore. I just wanted to know if you...actually meant it., She had said. Franz began to feel dizzy again. NOW, you bring it up? His eyes flickered to the floor nervously and then back to her again. "Ohh..." Franz replied lamely, slightly pink. How could he say yes after he had just kissed and fallen for another girl? He itched his cheek nervously, I mean...I was telling the truth afterall but... It didn't feel right. But that's what he was known for, wasn't it, flirty, cheating Franz. He felt his blood boil, unconciously grimacing. "Oh I meant it...then. You thought I didn't? I can understand that." Franz tugged at his collar, embarrased. "But I...like someone else now. And you have Simon...I'm um, happy for you. I'm not annoyed. Why would you think that? Ha..ha."

Franz tried to sound genuine while saying the last sentence. Honestly, he was still annoyed, and being reminded about it made him feel sick. But why do I care? I don't...I shouldn't. "And anyway..." Franz sighed, continuing, "You have...Simon now. You don't need me anymore. You should be happy with what you have afterall." He put a hand on her shoulder, her body pale and cold. Franz tried to be more distant, however. If it had been a month ago...Franz felt his cheeks getting hot. Oh christ...I really need to stop blushing. But he could't help himself. He had wanted to touch her...to kiss her...But I...don't anymore. Franz tried to reassure himself. "Let's just move on. It'd be...the best for both us, you know." Franz smiled slightly, though his pale blue eyes were clearly sad. "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

[.| Kwyll |.]

[ooc. I might have overdone the cheese a bit in this one. Sorry about that >.<]


Fantasia felt choked. At his first hesitation, she had let the hint of a smile flow onto her face. He was going to tell her it was a joke. She waited for the grin to break out on his face. Then she could lean up and kiss him, and everything would be just perfect. And they could hold hands under the lunch table and steal glances at each other in their shared lessons again. And he could make it obvious this time, so she would be special. And she’d feel that way too. Fantasia was still playing the scene in her mind when he continued, and she was jolted back to the present. I meant it...then. A frown creased Fantasia’s brow, and her stomach plummeted as the words tumbled out of his mouth. She glanced across to one side, not wanting him to see the way her eyes were watering. But, clenching her fists, she tensed her shoulders and lifted up her head again. Stupid high school. Why did it have to be so complicated?

When she met his gaze again, his sad, wistful, irritating gaze, her eyes were full of a strange defiance. “Move on?” she spoke through clenched teeth. “You make it sound easy. Franz, don’t joke with me. You want me to just move on after all these years?” She breathed out slowly, trying to cool down the rise of rage. She didn’t want to ruin their already-precarious relationship by yelling at him. “And Simon?” she gazed at Franz imploringly. “You know what he’s like. How could you think...? , no, of course not. He can’t stay with a girl for more than a week. Anyway, he was only trying to out-do you.” although she was serious, and still a little angry, she tried to smile at the half-humour. “But this... isn’t this real? Was this ever real?” she shook her head slightly. How could he love her for a day, and then decide again that it wasn’t for him?

“I do need you Franz,” she then said, and her words were a little more forceful than she would have expected. Still, maybe this was better than melting into a blubbering wreck? That was, in part, what she wanted to do. If she lost this, she’d lost the one thing she had actually genuinely wanted for longer than anything else. But now she couldn’t tell if he cared. He’d already moved on? She let her arms slip around his waist, and pressed the side of her face into his chest, squeezed her eyes shut tight. Make or break time, it seemed. In that moment she wished more than anything that he would hold her close.

The future was unclear, but this moment wasn’t. It was tangible. Why were guys so difficult? Simon had ruined everything. But he was just jealous of Franz. And now both boys were under the impression that she liked the other; that the other liked her. And now neither did. She was going to lose both. She couldn’t believe how desperate she sounded, or felt. Of course, she could have nearly any other guy in the school, and yet she had to feel like the one missing out. Was this love? Or was it her being stupid? Glancing up at Franz again, she said, simply, “I’m sorry if I’m not as innocent as you’d like.”

[yumekui]

Franz stared straight at the wall, dumbfounded. He was usually so good at picking up on things, so how did this fly past him? She really didn’t like Simon? It was nice that Fantasia had some humor about it, but Franz was so convinced that the two loved each other. They had certainly made a convincing façade of it. But she had a point; Franz did know what he was like. Simon was the sort of fellow who couldn’t keep such a commitment. Now that she had brought it up, he felt like an idiot. Maybe he was an idiot. Probably.

”You make it sound easy. Franz, don’t joke with me. You want me to move on after all these years?” He wanted to smile, maybe laugh it off. Fantasia was 100% right, Franz did make the situation seem easier than it was. And at this moment, he didn’t want her to move on at all. And her honesty about the whole thing, it was almost strange to him. Usually she was more reserved about this type of thing; did this mean she really wanted to be with him? Her words were forceful; adamant…it was as if she was trying to force Franz to be with her and only her. He wouldn’t have had any qualms with it if she had done this earlier, but it was different now. It dawned on Franz that he had to be more careful now. He had just shared an intimate moment with Ringa anyway…his conscious told him that it wasn’t right.

But as Fantasia laid her head on his chest, he began to tremble slightly. Franz had wanted it this way, hadn’t he? He had wanted her this way. Franz tried to contemplate if her feelings were genuine. I’m fine if they’re not. Was he just her toy? I’m fine being a toy. Fantasia then glanced up at him, saying, ”I’m sorry if I’m not as innocent as you like. Franz couldn’t avoid her now, what would happen next was now concrete. ”Maybe not…” Franz thought about Ringa one last time before dropping his backpack. ”But that’s what I like about you…” He pulled her closer into his embrace and began to kiss her, starting to lose his composure. As she brushed against him, Franz shivered. But he had wanted this, right? He wanted this to happen; not even his guilty conscience could break that. Maybe he was an idiot. But he was a happy one, at least. I know I am.


[ooc: This was big on the cheese factor too; so don't worry about it. XD]

[.| Kwyll |.]

“Maybe not.” The two words came like gun shots, and Fantasia clung on to Franz in case she slipped to the floor. It seemed as though it was finished before it had started, when Franz had said those words, which now seemed so far away: “I think we both know who I like.” At that point hope left Fantasia, and as she watched Franz’ backpack slide down his arm, almost in slow motion, she forced herself to pull away from him slightly. She kept her eyes on the floor.

But then Franz spoke again. At his words everything within Fantasia rushed upwards at such a terrific speed she thought she might be sick. Her head spun and her face flushed, she let Franz pull her close into an embrace. At that point everything melted away apart from Franz, his warmth surrounding her; she suddenly felt like they were invincible. She was incredibly relieved; so relieved that she felt a tear slip down her cheek. She hadn’t lost him, not yet. He was here, with her, only with her. Nothing else mattered. The ball didn't matter

But then it did. Finally as Fantasia gently pulled away, she remembered the ball. Surely now Franz had a date, as she did. But it didn’t carry the same weight of importance anymore. Dates were nothing but companionship for an evening, right? That’s all Simon is, Fantasia painfully reminded herself. But she could not speak for Franz. For now she felt the creeping doubt enter her mind. He had talked about moving on, saying he had found someone. But surely it can’t be that serious…

Fantasia raised her eyes to meet his. She let a small smile slip onto her face, before asking, “I’ll… see you at the Ball, right? Or after…”

[/color]Unfortunately Fantasia didn’t quite feel clear of the boy’s unpredictable nature. At least, not until she knew who his date was. The casual question slipped from her lips before she could stop it. “Who are you going with?”[/color] It couldn’t be someone Fantasia knew, but then it would be unusual for Franz to pick someone on the impulse, for more than flirting that is. But then, everyone was changing it seemed, as she could put nothing past him.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/color][/size]

[yumekui]

Their embrace was suprisingly soft and intimate. Franz felt light, like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulder. The boy felt infinite. But as their kiss ended, Franz felt his stomach turning over. Not that he had disliked kissing Fantasia; Franz had wanted to for a long time. But Ringa lingered in his mind...Franz tried to shake the thought away. She's only my date, right? It's not like I'm making some big commitment or whatever... He stared at the wall for a minute, blinking. He thought of her eyes, their color a brilliant green. But as he saw Fantasia looking at him, Franz pulled her closer into his embrace. No. I wanted this. Finally, she was his. And only his.

“I’ll… see you at the Ball, right? Or after…” Franz returned the smile, with a hint of his old mischeviousness. "Yes, yes. If not at the ball, definitely after..." Franz knew a lot of the students fooled around after the ball; he knew that from personal experience. But as Fantasia asked who his date was, his smile dropped. "Umm...it's a girl from your house." Ringa had mentioned she was an aeris, which made the situation even worse. "Her name's Ringa. Ringa Valentine...but why do you ask?" He rubbed the back of his neck modestly, though Franz knew exactly what was happening. Fantasia wouldn't let Ringa get away from this. He knew it, and he felt awful. Franz had dragged the poor girl into this mess. He was so indecisive. As the warmth of Fantasia closened, Franz knew one thing was certain. No matter who he might like, it would all inevitably come back to her.

[.| Kwyll |.]

Franz's grin was contagious. And it was warmingly familiar too. She felt like she hadn’t seen it in so long, and it gave her a slight peace of mind; a hint that things might be going back to normal. She wouldn’t count on that though. Things were changing; people were changing. She didn’t mind that, she couldn’t stop it. But somehow she wanted to keep moving forward, together. The group was in dangerous shape this year, having lost over half its members to those who had left school or moved away. But she didn’t want it to split. That would be too much for her to bear.

“Ringa… Ringa Valentine.” Fantasia’s expression clouded thoughtfully. She kept her eyes from betraying any thoughts passing through her mind. And there were lots. She could picture vaguely the girl’s face; blonde with a cute appearance if she remembered rightly. And wasn’t she related to Claire? Ahhh yes, that was it…” Something like a smooth satisfaction slowly spread over Fantasia’s insides. Did that mean she was safe? She was bound to be sweet, and caring, and probably always had the right thing to say, but if she was anything like Claire, then surely she couldn’t hold Franz’s attention for long. Franz liked excitement, didn’t he?

Fantasia nodded slowly. “I think I know her.”

She still wasn’t sure what approach to take on the girl. But she knew she had to be careful. Serious bullying was out of the question, because she couldn’t upset Franz. She would let it sit for a bit. Cold glances across the room would suffice, since she was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be a problem. Still, she couldn’t stop a burning frustration that some little blonde unpopular girl could think it was reasonable to try her chances with Franz. That did mean she carried a little more confidence than Fantasia liked. Maybe she’s not so much like Claire after all…

Letting a half smile reach up into her mischievous blue eyes, Fantasia lifted her eyebrows slightly and shrugged to show it didn’t really matter. They were still very close, and Fantasia suddenly felt awkward. With her arms still around Franz’s waist, she couldn’t fiddle with her skirt, and so found herself tugging slightly at Franz’s shirt instead. “Well… thanks for talking to me, anyway.” She said quietly. She couldn’t stop smiling though, resting her forehead on his chest and staring at his shoes.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[yumekui]

Franz eyes Fantasia cautiously. She looked like she didn't care, which for him was a good thing. But was that really the case? We'll see... He tried not to think about it. Franz smiled at Fantasia again, hugging her tightly. She looked angelic in his embrace. Franz couldn't possibly deny that she was truly a beauty to behold. No guy could possibly deny that. And lucky him, Franz was Franz. One of the most popular guys in school...he stared aimlessly at the wall, his thoughts cloudy. But...is that really what counts in the end. One voice said yes, while the other said no. There was so much confusion in his life, now. I'm so screwed up... Franz backed up from Fantasia, letting go of her slowly. He picked up his bag, and gave her a parting wave. "I should go back to my room now...it's getting late, y'know."