* SEVENTH / SENSE !

   “Thank you! I appreciate that because I was having second doubts before I came out tonight.” She ran her fingers over her ears with a grin, Roxie then finished her drink and set down her glass. “We just have to make sure they don’t catch us..” She went along with their joke as she crossed her arms over her chest, “It’ll be our little secret.” She winked.

Cricket slipped them over his ears and clicked on the first song he found. A second later he jolted, knocking them off of his ears. “Too loud,” he whispered. While it had blocked out all the rest of the noise, the volume had been too much for him.

Xan surprisingly flinched, almost mirroring the other’s emotions before he glanced back down at his phone and began to scroll through a few songs. He tapped one that he actually downloaded that was dubbed to be one of the most relaxing songs in a study related to music and stress. He lowered the volume before handing the earbuds back, “Try this.”

For a split second, actually more than that, she thanked Merlin that she had decided to have her mask on when initially approaching him since it helped hide her blush. After taking the time to control her breathing she moved her mask down under her chin, allowing the pungent smell of alcohol to reach her nostrils, proving that he was in fact drunk. Which only made her uneasy. Only because this allowed his more sensitive side to break through his normal facade easily, or at least it she’d like to think so. After experiencing him in this state she truly wished to believe in the saying of drunks having the tendency of being honest.  “I’m slightly offended you didn’t know I’ve been trained in martial arts, so I’m always ready. But. I’m giving this plan a chance remember, so I’m letting my guard down…for now.” She looked over at his drink curiously, “Whats your choice of drink?”

Xan was well aware of the fact that Ruby could probably kick his ass if she really wanted, but hopefully, he would never do anything that would offend her to the point of taking such action. In fact, he naively hoped that one day she would be able to let her guard down around him completely. Being vulnerable with one another was like a dream. The fact he was getting a chance in the first place gave him more hope than she probably knew. “Thank you for trusting me, really.” He purposefully looked into her eyes as he said this, hoping she saw the sincerity inside of him. Though it melted away as he glanced down at his drink, “It’s this delightful blackberry rum punch, would you like some?” He offered the half-empty glass out to her with a smile. “Or if you would prefer something else, I’d be happy to get one from the bar for you.”

Jamie smiled wide. Snacks then homework help? Sounded like fun and then something that would actually be good for Jamie. He bit his lip and nodded, a bit too enthusiastically before keeping his head slightly down. “That sounds amazing.”

Xan smiled brightly as he patted Jamie’s back to encourage him to follow him, “We’re already off to a great start.” He started in the direction of the kitchen to sneak a few snacks out for them. “So, what have you been up to lately? Anything fun? Besides forgetting about the essay topics.” He teased.

“What? Who said anything about arrogance?” Leonard asked, his voice at a normal volume, playing dumb. He had mumbled into his drink; he had plausible deniability that he had said anything. He then squinted, shaking his head. “No one rejected me tonight,” he defended, though he didn’t really know why. He usually tried to ignore people like this, but then again, the other had started the conversation. “Weren’t you the one just complaining about no one randomly approaching you to snog? Now who’s bitter?”

    “I don’t think many people would participate. You got to give them a reason to want to pick up those assignments. A lot of people are lazy, me including. You just caught me on a good day.” They chuckled. Alyx then took a seat next to him, a smile lingering on their face. “I enjoy rock the most. Any kind of rock, heavy, pop, punk. I’m not too picky but I’m not too fond of country either. I find a good song now and then but.. it’s rare. Although, I think I need more pumped up and positive music? I listen to a lot of.. not so happy stuff.”

“O-okay,” Jamie said with a tentative smile, still nervous about what Xan was offering, but mostly feeling nice about how Xan just called himself Jamie’s friend. The smile then got wider at the offer. “That would actually help a lot! Thank you! Are you free now? Or is another time better?”

Luckily, Xan actually didn’t have anything to do with the remainder of his time today so this was perfect really. He nodded his head, “Now is perfect. We could go get some snacks and then tackle the assignment together. It’s never good to do anything on an empty stomach.” That was a rule he always lived by.

           Her hand gently stroked the top of James’ head and she listened to the familiar sounds of John Williams through one of her earbuds. She was looking a head but her nose quickly wrinkled, “you’ve burned your potion.”

          Xan was so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed what was happening to his potion before the scent hit his nose. He let out a groan of frustration, shaking his head. A sneer appeared on his face as he heard the other’s statement, shooting the girl a look. “Wow, what an excellent observation. Nothing gets past you, does it?” He clenched his jaw.

a chuckle escaped jeremy as he looked out over the moving crowd, glass of fire whiskey in hand. it’d been obvious he’d been indulging in the drink by the ever-present smile and soft pink in his cheeks. but, he was having a great time. “hey, hey,” he said, hand lightly hitting the other’s arm. “look. i bet you i can win a bigger prize than you from that,” he playfully challenged, pointing to the balloon popping stand. though, sharp darts and a slightly inebriated boy probably wasn’t the best mix. “if i get the better prize, then i’ll give it to you so you don’t feel so bad. oh, but it someone think we’re on a date, i’ll totally say we aren’t. that’s what people do, right? they give their dates stuffed animals at carnivals? i wouldn’t know. the closest thing to a date i’ve had is sharing half a sandwich with someone back in primary school,” he rambled with a laugh.

Cricket jumped. His mind was buzzing and his ear were so focused on every single noise all at once, that he didn’t notice something so simple as someone approaching. He didn’t really recognize the other, and was confused as to his intent. “Wh-What?”

“Put them in and play some music, block everything out for a little,” Xan instructed, offering up a small shrug of his shoulders. “It works when I’m overwhelmed and want to forget about everything going on around me.” Which was more frequently than he would ever be willing to admit.

    “Well, I’m not going to lie, you do look pretty hot but maybe you just need to talk to people? I don’t think there’s too much blood. Maybe you aren’t pale enough or something.” She shrugged, unsure how to comfort the other, “Are you just expecting someone to waltz up and kiss you or?”

She hadn’t heard much of what he was saying over the loud music. In fact, she didn’t know he was talking to her at all until she turned to face him, only to find him looking right back at her. She couldn’t help but let out a tiny shriek in surprise, hands outstretched and nearly pushing him away before she recognized him. When she did, she immediately took her hands back as laughter spilled out of her. “Xan, I thought it was real! Are you one of those haunted house people?”

It was almost ironic, the small shriek that escaped the girl was enough to make him jump a bit. A vampire getting startled by someone as innocent looking as Aura was an amusing concept, to say the least. He quickly regained his composure, rubbing the back of his neck in a flustered manner. “That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was expecting, but I’ll take it.” He chuckled softly. “Do I really look scary enough to work in the haunted house? That might explain some things…” Namely the fact he hadn’t gained the attention of much anyone tonight.

    She saw the look on his face and it was more amusing than hurtful this time and maybe because she was actually in control. Her famous grin spread as she winked at him, “Thank you, I do take pride in how it turned out. Especially my ears. I didn’t think all those sewing lessons from my grandmothers would pay off.” She giggled at that as she took another sip of her drink, “Oh but don’t you know? We’re mortal enemies.”