[Seth]Please, don't be a teacher...

[tessa]

It was late. Actually, about 1.30am, to be exact. The dungeons would seem scary, of course, but not for Freya. The girl was brave enough not to care about dark paths or anything of the sort. Yet, it was not some reckless walk to try and find some ghost. No, actually, the girl had decided she would go for a swim. Yes, at midnight. The reason was simple - the weather was nice and she did feel the need to toughen herself up. Even if it was just a little. Even if she was a fire student, a swim was rather refreshing... Oh, who am I kidding - it was just a spontaneous whim of hers. The girl wasn't able to sleep. Why? Because she had passed everything. Everything. Sure, it wasn't that hard but she had a feeling that chemistry would be a problem. Obviously, it wasn't that hard, either. So, yay, she was too happy and just needed to get rid of it. Turning and twisting in her bed didn't help either. And that was when this idea was born. No really, she just felt the need to swim or run. And well, she did both. Sneaking out and running to the lake did turn out in quite the rush. And when you were a fire student, you couldn't really complain about a lack in lighting - mostly because you could make your own light source.

But details didn't matter. Now, only wearing a white, oversized t-shirt over her bikini, the girl tried to sneak through the dungeons, as quietly as possible. The blue eyed and blond girl was holding a small flame in her hand. Well, it didn't take too much power and she didn't have to stand still and focus on it, too. A nifty ability. More like a flashlight, only warmer and lighting up more than just a spot on the ground. Her back straight, the girl calmly walked down one of the dungeon halls, listening carefully to the sounds around her. No, no, she wasn't paranoid. Freya just didn't want to run into the leaders or any of the teaching staff. That would, after all, land her in trouble. She couldn't really say she was out there to get a glass of water, now could she? The sleepwalking excuse wasn't something most people believed, anyway.

All was fine, until the girl cut yet another corner and found herself stopping instantly. There it was, that monster, swaying in a net, it's multiple sets of eyes looking right into hers. Those fangs clenching and the multiple pairs of legs moving as if trying to walk on air and get closer to her. Giving out a yelp, the girl covered her mouth with her free hand, falling back and almost falling over. It was a s-s-s-spider!! She wasn't afraid of humans, wild animals, natural disasters, but when it came to these bug-like vampires, she just couldn't help it. The girl found herself walking backwards and backing into a wall. Now, how on earth was she supposed to get past that beast and getting back to her dorms. It seemed as if the net covered the entire hallway. Well, if it didn't, she was sure that thing was about to leap on her as soon as she got closer. And it wasn't one of those little spiders, no. This one reminded a black widow. A similar size and she really didn't want to make sure. She was hoping someone would show up and sort of... get it out of the way, while at the same time hoping none of the teachers found her.

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[seth]

A boy stood in the dungeons, pacing back and forth with something pressed against his face, muttering things as he went. His voice was colored with irritation, but if you listened closely, you would also hear something else. Love.

"Yes mom, I'm fine. No, I don't need a tetanus shot, thank you for asking. Yes, it's warm enough here. No, I don't freeze to death at night. I can make fire at will, in case you've forgotten. No, that wasn't sarcasm. Yes, I'm sure it isn't. No, nobody bullies me. Yes, I'm getting enough to eat. Okay mom, I love you too. Bye."

Seth hit the button on his cellphone that would finally end the call, and the dungeon was plunged into darkness. Even though he'd never say it out loud, he loved his mom to death. He really did. He admired that she had put up with his father and his merciless beatings, just so that they would have a place to stay. He shuddered at the thought of his father, and all the memories that came along with the it. Blood. A lot of blood. His mother lying on the floor. His father standing in front of her, kicking her with all the strength he had. His mother shuddering and coughing up more blood with each kick. Himself, as a little boy, crying, with no idea what to do. Reaching for the closest thing he could find. A butcher's knife. Throwing it with precision that could only be described as lucky, coming from a little boy. Watching as it flew through the air and impaled itself against the man's skull. The images-- they were all so vivid that it felt like the real thing.

He felt something making a track down his face. He touched the part of his face beside the bridge of his nose, and felt that it was wet. He had been crying. Quickly, he wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. It was a good thing that it was dark. Not a single torch was lit in a five mile radius. He would have died if someone saw him crying. Or he would have killed the person who did. It was the same, either way. Well, almost the same. So yes, at the moment, he was standing in complete and total darkness. He wasn't one who feared the dark. Quite the opposite actually. It calmed him, the knowledge that nothing could see him or harm him. He didn't believe in all that nonsense about things lurking in the dark. They were just things made-up to scare off the weak ones. And he wasn't weak. He would never be weak again. Not if he could help it.

He had done this numerous times before, hiding in the darkness of the dungeons and talking to his mother on the phone. She always called after midnight, since her shift at the hospital lasted until then. And he couldn't very well talk to her in the dorms, where everyone could hear him tell her he loved her. No, they would never let him hear the end of it if he did. He wasn't one to show weakness. And, as far as his fellow elementals were concerned, love was a weakness.

He yawned, conscious of the fact that it was already a bit past one o'clock in the morning. Shoving one hand in the pocket of his jeans, he held his other hand out in front of him, palm up, and a small flame appeared on top of it, floating and flickering continuously, giving off not only warmth, but a lot of light. It was a small trick, but he could feel it as it drained a tiny bit of his power. He was always aware of how much power he had, and he never used it willy-nilly. It was one of the things that won him more than his fair share of fights.

Taking a tentative step forward, he adjusted the way his shoes hit the ground so that they didn't make any noise. It wasn't really against the rules to be up at that time, but if someone caught him there, they would have questions for him, questions that he wasn't willing to answer. He made his way back to the dorms, easily navigating through the twist and turns of the dungeon. Somewhere along the way, he saw a spiderweb, hanging low from the ceiling, and its creator hanging on the web. He could easily get past it without trying, but just for the heck of it, he took his other hand out of his pocket, conjured another flame on his palm, and threw it at the web and its current occupant. It landed on the spider, which instantly caught fire, along with the entire web. It let out a small screech--he never knew spiders could make sounds-- before it fell to the ground, curling up into a little black thing as the flames took away all the moisture in its body and ended its life.

He grinned with satisfaction, and was about to start walking again, when he saw something at the edge of his vision. There, against a nearby wall, was a figure, and when he lifted up the fire on his palm to shed some light on it, he saw who it was.

"Hello there. Nice night for a walk, isn't it?" he winked at her. She knew all about his mother's nightly calls--she had caught him once, a terribly embarrassing moment that he tried not to think of--, and he in turn, knew all about her fear of spiders, something which he constantly rubbed in her face every chance he got. "I killed it for you. But I think it had some friends, and I don't think they'll be happy when they find out someone destroyed their home and set their friend on fire."

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[tessa]

The girl had let go of her flame. That shadow was too much. And being sure that the spider would come after her as soon as she shed light upon it again, she couldn't help but try to back into the wall even more. Perhaps, letting go of her only source of light was a really bad idea. What if that thing had already made its way to her and about to rip her apart? Yes,.. she was that afraid.

The girl hadn't really paid that much attention to the noises around. Well, she tried to hear the spider, hoping it would just happen to make a lot of noise while moving, but that was sort of hard, seeing as her own heart was trying to knock its way out of her body. Her breathing had gotten louder too. The longer she let herself stay there, the more she felt her heart race. Now she knew how a scared mouse felt, looking at the cat in front of it. Then again, the mouse was usually the smaller one, which wasn't the case now. Oh, screw it, she had a phobia, thank you very much. No comments needed.

Light. She could see the golden shine of a flame and soon after that she could see the monster again. But then just a mere second later, it got- well... incinerated. Jumping a little as it fell to the ground, she still kept her blue eyes on it, just in case it would act like those monsters in the movies and come at her while being hugged by flames. Hey, you could never know.

"Seth..." she gave out, slightly surprised to see him. Then again... was it another mom call? Oh, he sounded cute when talking to his mom. She always thought he was more of a teddy-bear those times, than the big brave Seth. And she did like to remind him at times when he pulled the 'spider card'. And as thankful as she was for getting rid of that beast, she just knew that something along the lines of 'look, another spider!' was going to follow. Well, at least it should. As much as she did fear spiders she knew that the guy wouldn't really leave her to struggle with her fear if one of those creatures did land in front of her. Well, she believed that.

Pushing away from the wall, she gave a light pout and sort of dusted herself off. "Pfft, that thing wouldn't have friends..." she gave out, her chest puffed and she did her best to not look around... Of course, she did, in the end take a glance around every corner there was and then let out a sigh. No big spiders there. Good.

Oh, she knew how easy it was to tease her about this. Indeed, she wouldn't let this chance slide too, if the situation were in reverse. Not many people knew of this. Well, two throughout the entire school. Seth being the first and Joshua Dale being the other. That was sort of an accident with the latter one, too. A spider crawled up her leg and of course, panic took over. That time, Freya even ran up a boulder faster than lightning. And she was sort of glad Seth wasn't there to openly laugh about it. It wouldn't go with her usually brave attitude, you know.

Stepping closer and leaning in on the guy, she spoke, tilting her head just a little. "Oh, Seth, you look a little frail. Have you been eating well? And tell me, how are your grades?" Yeah, she wanted to have a little fun too, you know. Reaching her hand out to ruffle his hair, she puffed her cheeks a little and spoke: "Now, who's a cute little boy? Yes, you are~!" she spoke to the guy as if he were only a toddler. Oh, she never meant it in a bad sense or anything. Just good fun and the guy should've known. Besides... that 'baby-talk' voice really was spectacular. Quit amusing, if she could say so herself.

Standing straight again, the girl pushed her blond, still sort of wet hair back. She still got a little creped out by that spider every time she felt a drop slide down her neck, so to the back they went.

"You know, you should really try taking a swim one of these nights. Jumping turns out great. Then again, it's dark and wet... Not just anyone can handle it." she gave out, obviously challenging the guy. Well, she hadn't relly seen him afraid of ... things now, so she never gave up in trying to get the guy to chicken out. Well, he knew about her fear, right?

"So..." she began, taking a few steps ahead and turning back to continue. "Yet another late night conversation?" she said with a light smirk playing across her full lips.

[seth]

"Me.." Seth mimicked her tone of surprise. For a few seconds, his face remained serious, then he burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the dungeons before he realized his mistake, slapping his hand onto his mouth. He waited a few more seconds, looking around and listening. He didn't hear anything except the sound of the flickering flame on his palm. No footsteps signalling that a teacher had heard and come to investigate. He let out his breath with relief, putting up his index finger against his mouth and making a 'shh' sound at Elly, the way he would if it had been her who laughed out loud. His brows were furrowed together, and his mouth was set in a frown. It was just one of the many jokes he had, blaming other people for something he did wrong. It was pretty fun, actually, to see the momentary looks of confusion on their faces before they realized what he was actually doing.

Her next words elicited another fit of laughter from him, but this time, his hand was there, fully prepared to spring into action and muffle what could have been a disastrous laugh that would have gotten them both caught. Honestly, she said the funniest things sometimes. He laughed even harder when she look around. Thankfully, his hand was thick enough that only a little sound escaped, and when the moment finally past, he let his hand go back to his side, and his face settled in a grin. A really big grin, mind you. A really big grin that was immediately replaced by a glare the moment she spoke again.

He moved backwards--out of reach from her hair-destroying hands-- , and pretended to lose the fire on his hand for five seconds or so, enough time for his blush to come and go, so that when he made another fire, it was only him and his glare. No unmanly blush. "I'm glad you think I'm so adorable." he said dryly. He gave her a pointed look that said he would drop the spider thing if she stopped teasing him.

The flame on Seth's palm flickered and moved, though there wasn't much of a draft in the dungeons to cause it to do so. It was a natural thing for fire, spontaneous and unpredictable as it was. Just like him. He hated water. Okay, maybe hate was too strong a word. At the very least, he disliked it; and thus, he tended to stay away from it and any activities related to it (except bathing, of course). But her he could hear the challenge in her voice, just as clearly as he could hear the voice itself. "Oho, it just so happens that I'm not just anyone. he said, winking at her. He wouldn't mind taking a dip in the lake at this time, if only to not look scared. "Anytime you're ready."

He was suddenly aware of how small the dungeons really were, and how it was just the two of them there. It should have been an awkward setting, but for some reason, he felt totally at ease with it. "Oh, I can think of a few more things more exciting than conversing if you're bored with it." he smiled seductively at her. He wasn't serious, of course, but there was no harm with some shameless flirting.

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[tessa]

She couldn’t help but feel proud that she got rid of the teasing. Victory playing across her facial features, she only gave a light chuckle and responded to the glare. Seth really should learn on how to look more intimidating when attempting to glare at her. ”Good. As long as we understand each other.” she said, her hand raising up to cover her lip. Sorry, he just looked so funny. The girl couldn’t help it. She took a deeper breath and puffed her chest out, her back straight and her shoulders back, a slight frown knotting her brows. ”I’m glad you think I’m so adorable.” Yeah, she had to mock that. Her hands covering her mouth as the girl even bent over a little. Calming down, she took a couple of deep breaths, still regaining a smirk when she looked at him again. ”Good. Now, we’re even.” she said, perking her lips and winking at the guy. Well, the two of them never did mean that kind of stuff serious and after all, Elly was a flirt as long as the conversation wasn’t too serious. But really, he had even dropped the flame. Oh, he was soooooooooo hiding his face on purpose.

”Anytime, huh? Well then, tomorrow night it is. Just to be cliché, I’ll meet you there at midnight.” she gave out, glancing at the guy, interested what the reaction might be. ”Don’t worry, I’ll understand if you chick- that is… if you don’t want to do it. Most of the fire elementals are scared from water, so…” Yes, she considered him being scared of water. Well, truth be told, most of the fire kids didn’t really like water, too. Perhaps, it’ll be the first time Seth actually chickens out?

That last bit really did make her want to laugh, yet she fought down the smirk. She guessed it really was a secluded area for the time and they were really alone. But really, it was Seth. No way on earth that she and Setht could.. well, he was cute and all, but… wait, wait, strange train of thought. Nope, nope. Bad thoughts out, good thoughts in.
”Oh?...” Oh, this was going to be funny. ”Since we’re all alone, I guess I can finally tell you…” she started, walking closer, a light smile gracing her lips. ”You know, for a time now, I’ve had…” she glanced down and started playing with her fingers, even. ”These feelings for you and I really don’t know how to go about it…” she glanced up, her eyes a little sad. But she couldn’t hold it more than three seconds. The corners of her lips twitched and her hand shot up to cover her mouth as she laughed. Oh, she couldn’t hold it any longer. But really, think about that facial expression.

Feeling her abdomen cramp up a little, she once again took a couple of deep breaths. Had he even believed it at first? Had he known all along… Well, she really couldn’t tell at first. She just knew that it was funny. Standing straight, she only let out a sigh. Man, she hadn’t held in laughter like this for some time now. It felt great, really. But really, he couldn’t have believed it or could he? I mean… the two of them wouldn’t ever… would they? They wouldn’t, right? Well, she couldn’t ask him unless she was actually thinking about it… Crap, she was. *Freya, don’t screw up this friendship because of a little crush. Besides, it’ll wear off soon.* Indeed, she believed it would wear off soon.

[seth]

Seth snorted when Elly mimicked him. "Oh, right, that was real mature." He stuck his tongue out at her. Yes, that wasn't really much better than what she did, but still, he had to do something.

"Are you trying to insult my manly pride? If you are, then it's not working. Tomorrow. Midnight. Lake. I'll be there." he said with as much confidence that he could muster, which was quite a lot, really. He didn't like water. Understandable, because he was a fire student. But if that's what he had to do to prove himself to her, he would do it, and not only that, but he would have fun doing it. That would show her. His thoughts were still running about in this manner when what she said next caught him off guard.

He had to say, she looked pretty convincing, and he felt his heart start to beat faster. He pretended it was real, every single word she was saying. And it felt... good. God, she looked really pretty, even more so under the light from the fire on his hand. It made everything seem so surreal, but he knew that she was only joking. But still, as she looked down, away from him, he felt his guard drop. It was back up the moment she looked at him again, and as far as he knew, all she saw right then was his cocky grin.

"Well," he moved closer, and closer, and closer, ignoring the fact that she was still recovering from her laughter, until he had her backed up against the wall, "I've also been meaning to tell you something too.." he was aware of how close they were right then, close enough that he could feel her breath on his face, close enough to kiss.. "You have..." he reached up with his hand, and put it on her face, and extinguished the fire on his other hand.

He thought vaguely that it was the perfect moment to make a move. He could kiss her, and tell her he had slipped or something if she reacted negatively. Why would he want to kiss her? Honestly, he didn't know. In all the years he'd known her, there was just something about her. He'd only noticed it recently, and since then, he was always thinking about it. Just like now. And it was so different from what he normally felt when he flirted randomly with other people. But then there was their friendship. It was a strong thing, yet at the same time, fragile and precious to him, and he didn't think it would survive if their relationship failed. He pushed those thoughts away, and concentrated on the present. Where there was only him, her, and...

"...something there on your face."

His own face broke into a grin, as he started rubbing her's furiously to get rid of the non-existent piece of dirt that stained it, while his other hand was busy conjuring up another fire, so that she could see the look on his face as he did it. He knew that the joke didn't have as much impact as he would like, since she had practically done the same thing to him already, but what the heck, it was still fun, rubbing her face like that.

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[tessa]

Mature? When had the two of them really been mature? No, but honestly. She didn’t remember a day when the two didn’t laugh. Or maybe it just escaped her? Right, she figured that there was no laughing when the whole ‘orphanage’ thing slipped. Well, she didn’t like talking about it. To be honest, she hadn’t really told him about the Trescots and what happened to her. There was still that question of the scars on her back, but you know kids… Fall all the time, right? Either way, that wasn’t the point. What she meant to say was, obviously, Seth had noticed too. When the two of them were together, they didn’t really act like your serious adults or anything. I mean, just look at them, right? But all that seemed great to the girl. Especially now, she was glad to have Seth. Everyone else was so tense and serious these days. Besides, she wouldn’t call him sticking out his tongue that mature, either. It reminded her of grade school, really. And she couldn’t help but give a light chuckle.

Elly smirked mostly because she couldn’t help but find the words ‘manly pride’ funny. And said with such confidence… Hehe, manly pride... But either way, she would see if he could really do it, then. ”Fine, then. I’ll even get the kiddy pool ready for ya, in case you change your mind… You know, just to make sure.” she answered, light amusement sparking in her tone. Well, he hadn’t backed down yet and she really doubted he would. But hey, it’d turn out fun in the end. She was just using this for a few more laughs before he actually goes and jumps into the lake before her. Look at that, someone who shared a brave and sort of reckless nature. No wonder they were great friends. Others didn’t really get why Freya would even agree to do something of the sort. She couldn’t really blame them, too.

The girl didn’t expect him to actually come at her. Really, she figured they’d laugh a bit and it’d be it. The moment she looked up at him, she just rose a brow. ‘Really?’ her facial expression seemed to suggest. And at first, she just gave a smirk. Really, she had just done the same thing. And then he came close and closer, which resulted In her making small steps backwards. In the end her back met the cold wall and she just couldn’t keep the distance. It was strange, he leaned in and as much as she knew it must have been a joke, the girl felt her heart race. Tell you the truth, she had a feeling, the wall was hitting back in annoyance of her heartbeat. Freya was really thankful that he got rid of the light. She had felt her cheeks burn up and just for a second there, she actually wanted to kiss him. This was bad. This was really bad. However, she forced the blush down right in time, before he made a new flame. That phrase did help a lot, too. Good, she could breathe again. And honestly, she had been in the lake a little while back, the girl doubted there was a stain on her face. Well, at least not one to rub in such a way. ”Fine, fine, you got it! Come on, Seth, I sort of need that part of my face.” Giving a soft laugh, she raised her own hand to free her face from his.

Looking up, her eyes found his and a smile curled the corners of her lips. ”You just can’t keep your hands off me, can you?” she said, the intent to tease shining through her voice. ”I mean, I don’t blame you. After all, I am pretty hot.” she said with a wink. And then, the girl sort of… slid out of their current pose. After all, she had found it a little hard to keep away from the guy when he dropped the flame. Even if this crush was about to disappear, she should just give it time, right? Then again, if she were to kiss him, she might just make it seem like an accident or nothing serious. Right… right?

[seth]

Seth thought about the way he was never really serious when he was with Elly. Or mature, for that matter. It was kind of nice actually. It felt like a break. A break from everything around them-- his past, his future, his present, the war. A break from reality. He would never admit it to her, but he actually enjoyed her company quite a lot. When he was with her, he didn't have to act all tough and manly. He didn't have to avoid looking weak, or get into fights to prove that he wasn't (all he had to do was accept her dares, which were fun, for the most part). Of course, there were some serious things that he wanted to ask her about every now and then, like the scars on her back, or a little information about her past, but he knew she would tell him when she was ready. Just like he would never tell her anything about his past until he was ready either. He wondered what she would think about him if she knew. He was a murderer, and the knowledge of that chilled him to the bone, despite the flame steadily burning on the palm of his hand. He tried not to think of it then, because really, it was spoiling the moment for him.

"Don't waste your time. Or, yeah, you could, in case you decide to chicken out. You know, I heard there are some spiders that can swim underwater." he chuckled at the thought, spiders swimming underwater. But knowing her, as long as it was about spiders, there was a chance that she would believe him. But there was a bigger chance that she wouldn't and that she would push him headfirst into the lake for trying to scare her. When he thought about it, though, it seemed like it could turn out to be fun. They were always like this, daring each other to do things they normally would never do, and it almost always turns out fun. That was one of the many reasons that he enjoyed her company.

He couldn't help but grin some more at her. Really, sometimes she said the cutest things without knowing it. But.. there he was again, thinking about stuff like that. Stuff that would only give him cause to do things that he knew he would regret in the future. A saying popped into his head. It went something like "It's better to have tried and failed, than never to have tried at all." Or maybe it was "It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." He went with the former one, because he still didn't know if what he was feeling, this.. thing, if he could call it love. He would just have to wait and see.

"Oh, you know it. Hotter than any fire I could ever make." he agreed with her, but only in his mind. What he really said was, "Yes, I'm pretty sure I could fry an egg on you right now. In fact, I think I may have one in my pocket right now.." he winked at her, pretending to go through his pockets, looking for an egg that didn't exist. Instead, he came up with a grape. He was confused for a moment, but remembered that he had put it there during lunch time, in case he needed a snack. Remarkably, the grape was intact, though some of the juice had been squeezed out into his pocket. But that was what laundry was for, right?

He held out the grape to her sheepishly. "Want it? I promise, I only sat on it once."

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[tessa]

Right, why on earth would Freya Frost chicken out? That sort of talk only made her more determined to prove them wrong. The girl was reckless, sure. She felt a subconscious need to show people she was brave, she guessed. The blonde just wished for others to know that she wouldn’t have a problem running off to fight some beast, but even more, she wished that her friends would know she’d do it for them any day. Yet, she hadn’t really got a chance to defend Seth. Tell you the truth, she was certain it might end up the other way around. But, her view on this wouldn’t change, even if the girl did manage to mess up their friendship. For some odd reason, she was feeling this crush wouldn’t go away in a matter of days. Now, she had only two options here. Ignore it completely or risk it sooner or later… Knowing Freya, she wouldn’t really be able to ignore it for long. But for a few days, sure. There was still that little chance she was overreacting and this… feeling… would settle down within the next forty-eight hours. I mean, Seth probably saw her as only a good friend. Elly had to make sure before putting their friendship at stake.

Spiders who could swim underwater? ”Yeah, right. You can find one, when you dive in.” Yes, it was decided, she would probably push him in if he hesitated even for a little. Just think about it… spiders swimming around while Freya was trying to get away from them. I mean, honestly. Why do you think she preferred swimming? Because they couldn’t really crawl on her, then. The mere thought of swimming spiders made her shiver. The only thing she had to say about it was ”Ew… those things are not allowed to swim…” How would it even look like? Wait, she really didn’t want to know. So far the lake was the one real ‘spider-free’ zone she could think of… Therefore, she refused to believe this. Well, monsters like that couldn’t exist. At least, not here, in BC.

Then, throwing the thought of swimming spiders out of her head, she couldn’t help but wonder how good of a swimmer Seth was. Pride aside, she didn’t want the guy to jump in, knowing very well that he wasn’t a good swimmer. Of course, Freya would save him but it’d be dark and she didn’t want for anything to happen to the guy.

”Um, Seth… you can swim well, right?... I mean, not that I’m doubting your mad skills or anything…” she said in a calm tone. Heh, perhaps she really would need that kiddy pool. Or just keep the guy in the shallows. Yeah, she had a slight feeling the guy might not like getting treated with caution… just a hunch, you know.

Fry an egg on her? She only snorted at the guy. If he would’ve carried an egg around, it would be even more funny. When he actually pulled out a grape, the girl muffled a laugh. ”You sure know what girls like, hun. I mean, you sat on it. Well, that makes it that much better.” she laughed. ”You know, I’m not that hungry, but hey… perhaps some day I’ll let ya sit on my breakfast.” Yes, she was certainly amused by the grape. Perhaps he usually had food stacked in his pockets? Oh, that might turn out to be an interesting turn of events. She wouldn’t have to worry about lunch, when next to him. Nifty, you know. And funny at that.

And then there was that sound. Footsteps. Crap, had they been to loud? Either way, it was coming closer and she motioned Seth to put out the flame… ”Dude,… what is our story in case we got cought?” She hoped they wouldn’t be, but they needed something to say. If they get spotted and can’t really formulate a logical story on the spot, it might end up with unnecessary questions. And she was pretty sure it was against the rules to go out swimming during the nighttime, especially if it can jeopardize your life.

[seth]

"You know what, I think I will." Seth said, making a mental note to bring a fake spider the next day. Oh, that would be fun. A lot more fun than jumping into a cold, dark lake in the middle of the night. Or eating an egg fried on a fire student's head. He wouldn't know, since he's never tried either of them. But he would, eventually. The latter, he might have to try himself, though. He didn't think Elly would appreciate him cracking an egg on her head. "I think you'll find that spiders enjoy swimming, very much." he had no idea where he was going to buy a fake spider, but he'd take care of that tomorrow. Maybe one of the water kids had one. Those pesky things were always playing pranks. One of them was bound to have one. He'd bully them into giving him one. Now, that was going to be fun.

"Of course I can. Why do you think I would accept your challenge if I couldn't" he bristled, indignant that she would ask something like that. He did know how to swim, just barely, since he like he said, he tended to stay away from water, but she didn't need to know that.

He looked at the grape in his outstretched hand. It didn't look half bad. It was only slightly shriveled up, and there was still a bit of juice left. "Suit yourself." he shrugged, turning it over thoughtfully in his hand, before popping it into his mouth. He was right. When he bit it, grape juice filled his mouth. It tasted... different, but it didn't kill him. "It'll be the best breakfast you'll ever have." he said, as he chewed the skin, trying to draw out what little juice remained. When he was sure there was nothing left, he spit it out onto the ground beside him. He always did that when he ate grapes, spitting out the skin. It was bitter and he disliked swallowing it. The only reason he put it in his mouth was to get the grape juice.

Then the footsteps came. The dungeons suddenly grew cold. Or maybe it was just him. In any case, he was completely at a loss as to what to do next. Elly might get in trouble if it was a teacher and he saw her hair wet and deduced that she had gone out for a midnight swim. An idea suddenly occurred to him. It was crazy, stupid, and reckless, but he didn't see what else they could do. Closing his palm, the flame went out, and almost immediately, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against where he had last seen hers before the dungeon had plunged into darkness. Like he said, it was stupid, but at least there would be no questions. At worst, they would get a strict reprimanding and be sent back to their dorms. Her reaction, though, was an entirely different story. But was really hard to think straight at the moment, when he could feel her lips against his, warm and wet with the lake water, making him slightly dizzy and lightheaded. So he didn't think. He just kissed and hoped and waited for something to happen.

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[tessa]

But… but, there really were no swimming spiders, you know. That is right, Freya voided that possibility. Their existence was not allowed. Period. But really, there were no swimming spiders… right? I mean, right. So it was useless for Seth to try and scare her. She knew very well that there couldn’t be swimming spiders in the lake. The only ones she had heard of were the spider-like bugs that tend to sort of… crawl on water, but she hadn’t really seen those here. And then there were the terrible, tarantula-like spiders down south who actually crawled underwater… but she was sure to bet they weren’t in the lake, too. And yes, she had gone on a wiki-walk about spiders. Hey, she figured she should at least know what she’s dealing with. Therefore, she didn’t believe this whole ‘swimming spider’ thing… sort of.

*Because of pride?...* the girl said to herself after his answer. Well, perhaps she was overreacting and he might be a great swimmer? Not like he was going to do it only to prove he can… yeah… She’d put a raft near by. Just in case. Climbing stuff was fine. Going through dungeons was fine. Jumping in the lake during the night for someone who might not be a decent swimmer – not that fine. If she could make fire under water then it still might be ok, but seeing as that was sort of… impossible. Or rather, she might just defy laws of nature and make a flame for a millisecond, it might just drain her power too much. Now, she couldn’t swim too quickly while exhausted. So yes… just in case, she’d have a raft and a flashlight… just in case.

She already figured he’d actually eat the grape, but what she had not expected were the footsteps, yet all that was nothing compared to the actions Seth took. For a moment there, she had no idea how that happened. There she was, trying to figure out a story for the two in case they got caught and after a second – found herself kissing Seth… Quite honestly, at first, she didn’t know where to place it.

Sure, there were some questions running through her head, but right then, she was more focused on the warmth, the taste of grapes, the really weird, yet pleasant feeling indulging her body. It was odd, how she seemed to believe she could defy the laws of gravity. Feeling her heart race, the girl kissed back, her hands subconsciously tugging on his shirt and pulling the guy closer. Even if it was dark, the girl couldn’t help but feel her lids sliding shut. It was strange. For a moment there, she could’ve sworn her knees might give up on here any second.

As much as she didn’t want to, the girl did listen to the footsteps. They came closer, closer and when Elly was sure they would stop and some teacher would shed some sort of lighting on the two, they only got more silent by the second… *No way… we didn’t even get noticed?... Then, this is…* Erm, right, she should pull away… after a few more seconds – no, no, she should pull away.

Pulling away, the girl couldn’t help but go through the events of this evening. So, she went for a swim, met Seth, laughed and kissed in fear that a teacher might come… right, that was about it. She was still reluctant to make a flame, mainly because she could still hear those footsteps. As far as they were, she wouldn’t give it more than twenty meters. Also, she could still feel her heart flutter and she was pretty sure her face was flushed. What had given Seth this idea, even? Well, she didn’t think it was a really bad idea. I mean, might be bad for their friendship, but a rather good idea from many other points of view, mind you. That is- a bad idea. A completely bad idea.

”Well… I think, that was rather convincing…” she said, her hand touching her lips, as if to make sure it really happened and wasn’t just a dream or something. Not being able to hear any footsteps anymore and feeling that her cheeks were not strawberry-colored anymore, the girl lifted her hand to make a flame. For some reason, she didn’t look at Seth at first. Probably because she figured she’d turn beet red when she did look him in the eyes.

”At first I was thinking we could sneak away or think up some silly story, but that would’ve worked too, I guess. Erm… even better, I think… yeah.” She didn’t really know how to approach this matter, really. Well, great. She could bet that crush wouldn’t just up and disappear in a few days now. So really, she could blame Seth for having feelings for the guy. Yes, all his fault. Look what he did to her. It was even hard to focus for the girl. Well, not that she would admit it, but still.

”So… we should, probably go… I don’t know about you, but I have to get up in less than five hours, so” Yeah, as much as that was true, she feared of doing or saying something stupid if they stayed there, in that seemingly safe, secluded area… with not much lighting. Yeah, who figured someone might actually think about such stuff in a creepy dungeon.. well… that was Seth’s fault, too. Indeed, she blamed this all on the guy for being well… whatever he had done. And yes, she still didn’t feel safe about looking straight at him. Just had to keep the possibly-friendship-wrecking thoughts out for now and the good thoughts in… or at least hope to.

[seth]

Seth could feel his pulse beating wildly, like a hummingbird struggling to get out of its cage. A moan flowed out from his throat when she pulled him closer, cutting through the silence and the darkness like a knife through butter. Unconsciously, his hands drifted to her head to clutch tufts of her hair, gently, of course, pulling her even closer to him, if that was possible, crushing his lips against hers. Some part of his mind was telling him that he was probably doing something he would regret later, but that part of his mind had disappeared a long time ago, right beside the flame on his hand. Besides, it just felt so damn good. He didn't have to pretend to enjoy it, because he really was enjoying it. Enough of his mind still remained, and it told him that even though he had kissed a lot of girls before, as far as he knew, this was the best kiss yet, even though he was only pretending to pretend. There were no other thoughts. It was hard to think, anyways, with her lips on his.

He didn't know how much time passed before he became aware of the footsteps again. It could have been seconds. It felt like years. He felt himself tense, expecting at any moment to the light, hear the reprimanding. And as the footsteps drew nearer, he braced himself. But then.. nothing. No light. No voices. Nothing. Eventually, the footsteps started to fade away, and he started to relax. Then the logical part of his mind reasserted itself. What had he been thinking? What had he hoped to accomplish? He didn't know. He really didn't. His mind, frustrated with his lack of answer, started mentally kicking him and slapping him. But apparently, it forgot to remind him to stop what he was doing, since whoever had made the footsteps earlier was already gone. So he was surprised when Elly pulled away.

His lips tingled where hers had been just moments ago. When she spoke, he was absolutely speechless. Convincing? It couldn't have been more convincing if they had done it on purpose. Which they had. Well, he had. He wasn't sure if she had meant it. But she had kissed him back, right? That had to mean something. Or maybe she was just playing along. It was so hard to tell.

He could have slapped himself right then and there. Kicked himself even, if it were physically possible. But it wasn't, so he settled with another mental facepalm. It was true, there were so many other things that they could have done, like sneak off and hide in one of the many paths in the dungeon that led to dead ends, the paths that hardly anyone ever went to, or they could have just thought up an excuse. It wouldn't have been so hard. In fact, it would have been so much easier, and so much less awkward than what he had just done.

Great. He'd freaked her out. He couldn't blame her if she was completely and totally weirded out by what he had just done. Well, he could. Why did she have to be so attractive? But of course, he would never say that out loud. He swallowed, and found that his mouth was dry. But he also found that he could still get it to function. "Uh.. Yeah. We should probably.." he murmured, only managing to copy most of what she said. Once again, he lit a flame on the palm of his hand, and his eyes squinted to adjust to the sudden brightness, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. So instead, he looked at his shoes, pretending to find the patterns on the floor fascinating, when in reality, the only thing fascinating within a five mile radius was her. But he would never say that out loud either. "So.. Tomorrow? Midnight?" he said, a little too quickly. He held his breath. She probably never wanted to talk to him again. But there was still a part of him, a very small part, that hoped that the kiss had been real. Not something they had done because they had to. The part of him that enjoyed her company, and didn't want to lose it any time soon.

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[tessa]

Freya really couldn’t tell if what happened had been real or not. For some reason, it seemed as if she just dreamt it. Yes, it was hard to believe that Seth had actually… well, you know. If this was a crush, it was a really, really heavy one. Well, light in other ways. For example, she felt like her feet were only touching the ground for show. There was an uplifting feeling in her stomach and she felt her limbs go a little numb yet light at the same time. Indeed, in short – she was walking on air. Also, the girl could’ve sworn she had goose bumps but at the same time it felt like it was about +30 degrees in the dungeon.

Finding it impossible not to smile, she somehow tried to cover it up with her hand now and then. But that only resulted in her touching her lips again and feeling the urge to smile even more. Gosh, she even felt like laughing. Not the ‘oh look, that’s so funny’ laugh but more of a ‘I’M SO HAPPY~!’ laugh, you know. And also, she felt like jumping, singing, spinning, prancing… oh, she could skip back to the dorms if no one else would be around. Yet, at the moment, Seth might find that a tad bit too weird and too obvious. Like really. Why would she go ahead and skip if she had to make an impression she played along? I mean, Seth was a great kisser actor, obviously. Elly couldn’t help but regret pulling away. Yep, she was hooked. Oh gosh, this might turn out really awkward. But, then again, maybe, just maybe he happened to have feelings for her. And, like, it could end up just like it did in those movies. When everyone turned out happy and lived forever? Righ… she didn’t think it was the case, too.

”Well… now I want grapes.” she let out, amused by her own reaction which resulted in a light laugh. She would probably not be able to forget that taste… ever, for that matter. But really, she seriously considered making grapes a part of her every day meals now. And yes, that was Seth’s fault too.

The girl didn’t think that she should really look at the guy. She knew that she’d blush but she also knew she might just start staring and daydreaming about something impossible. So, the girl just watched her bare feet make contact with the ground, pretending as if she saw them for the first time in a long time. Indeed. You never know, what if there was something new, right? Well, yes, that made no sense whatsoever, but finding the ceiling fascinating would just look odd. Well, she could always look ahead and act as if she could really see the dorms and they would disappear the moment she looked away? Yeah… not that good, either.

When he asked to make sure about the following day, she was sure she answered too quickly and sounded too cheerful. ”Yes.” Yeah, that sounded too cheerful and quick… Erm, she’d tone it down a bit. ”Um… yeah. Tomorrow. Midnight. Lake.” Yes, those were the main words. She actually began to hum silently. Of course, she realized in a matter of seconds and just sort of… shut her mouth with her hand. Weird. No humming. At least, she should wait till the girl dormitories… or till her room, since she might just wake up someone. Yeah, she was too happy to go head to head with a grumpy fire student. She couldn’t do anything besides glow and magically create flowers in her background, anyway. There it came, that urge to giggle or something… Well, either way, she just pushed it down and that took quite the amount of energy, really.

But, she should really wait till the dorms. For now, she had to portray a reaction she would have if she didn’t have this… crush thing. Or not such a serious case.

”Well, you were good, I have to admit.” she began, a smirk gracing her facial features. ”Of course, I was obviously better, but yeah – you were good.”

[seth]

Seth chuckled when she mentioned grapes. "Remind me to sneak another one in my pocket tomorrow. I promise to sit on it extra well, just for you." he winked. Knowing him, he'd really do it, the grape thing. But he had a hunch that he would be eating some more squashed grapes the next day.

He looked up and met her gaze. Or, at least he tried to. He blushed again, unsure what to say, but this time, it was clearly visible in the limited light, and it was too late to try hiding it. The fact that he was blushing made him blush even more, and he was sure that his ears were blood red already, if that were possible. Fortunately, it was hard to tell, since the light from the fire on his hand was probably the same color as his face at the moment. The thought was both disturbing and comforting at the same time. "Yeah, we should be actors. Insta-fame. Well, insta-fame for me, not so sure about you." he grinned, wishing his blush would go away before Elly noticed. For the first time, he was actually thankful that the dungeons had no artificial lighting, even though he had to make his own light source, and he could start to feel its drain on his stamina. He needed some rest to recharge his energy soon.

"So... see you tomorrow, I guess?" he murmured a quick goodbye, then turned and headed back to the boys' dorms, leaving her behind in the darkness. Before he was out of hearing range, he turned around. "Watch out for that spider over there." he smiled wickedly, holding the flame below his face while laughing the old cliche evil character laugh. Then the turned back and started walking again, his mind too numb to think of anything at all except the kiss and how good it had felt, until he finally reached the dorms.

He surveyed the room for a while. His roommates were already asleep-- one of them was snoring and mumbling something about unicorns. He'd remember to tease him about that tomorrow. But right then, he was bone tired, even more so with the constant drain on his stamina by the fire on his hand, which he finally extinguished for good. Not bothering to change his clothes, he just took off his shoes, fell on the bed, and was asleep within minutes, dreaming about lakes and swimming.

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[tessa]

The girl did muster up courage and glanced at the guy. And of course, just as she did, he just had to return the glance. Oh dear god, she was probably blushing enough to make him seem red. Well, she composed herself and looked back to the ground. Well, she rather not have herself look beet red. Besides… red and blue rarely go together.

”Oh, yeah, you would be the famous one.” she gave out with a chuckle. Oh please, she was probably better at acting. Then again, now… she didn’t even know. The girl was too happy to think about who had acted and how this would probably disappear as soon as she hit the pillow. Oh well, she’d enjoy it while it lasted, at least. Of course, a part of her (a big part of her) hoped this wouldn’t go away. Yet, that was probably the stupid part. Indeed, she was just overreacting, right? It was just a kiss. A really… and I mean Really good one, but it probably meant nothing on the other end.

When it was time for them to split paths, she still wasn’t able to get that smile off her face. She had tried and failed multiple times. To be honest, she was still sort of dazed. The girl didn’t answer that much too. At first she just raised her hand to make a lazy wave and gave out a ‘mhmm’ in agreement. And yes, she still couldn’t get the smile off her lips. It only seemed to grow wider when he turned to leave. She even stood there for a while, only to be shot to reality when he spoke to her one more time. ”Yeah…” she heard the voice, just… was probably too sleepy to actually focus on the words. Lifting her palm up ad creating a flame, she headed back to her dorms. Surprisingly, she didn’t skip…

When she reached her room, it was a different story. The girl shut the door and felt herself lean against it, only to let herself slide down to a sitting position. She felt the need to laugh or dance or do cartwheels, even. Of course, the girl stopped any sort of movement when her roommate moved. She even groaned. Well, Freya knew that she should probably avoid any sounds for the time… or even breathe too loudly. She had once seen her roommate when she got woken up by the nock on the door. She learned a lot of new words that night. She didn’t want to listen to trash talk at the time so she settled for a very, very silent change of clothing and then dived into bed.

– fin –

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