Snippet #2600333

It didn't take long for Kyle to realize that Tallyho wasn't really hearing him, and he sighed. As soon as she saw the plate, she attacked it like a starving animal, even though it was perfectly clear none of these supposed to be month warriors were starving. Tallyho may be the only one who actually knew what it felt like to be starving. Maybe Gwen too. He paused remembering the Asian girl's sickly coloring when he first saw her. She filled out somewhat in the last three years, but whatever situation she had before stunted her growth.

Tallyho ran back to the ballroom and collapsed in Dorian’s arms, tears streaked her face, while Kyle lingered in the hallway, only watching the party scene. He still wasn’t ready to be part of it. Besides, he couldn’t clean up his mess out there anyway. Those people didn’t recognize them as human beings, and any sign of human weakness would most likely send them back to the dungeons.

Kyle’s stomach clenched and he pressed his back against the wall, to still his own shaking. No, he can’t go in there. He can’t! Why are these clothes so damn tight!? He pulled off his cravat tie completely and started unbuttoning the vest. Maybe there was something to Harper’s random tearing off his clothes. Harper, stupid Harper! Not Harper. Kyle was the stupid one this time.

He pulled himself down to the floor in his shame. When he caught a glimpse of two people leaving the room, he returned to his feet. Dorian and Tallyho! Well, he actually could do something without the rich snobs noticing, and he followed them to an empty room. Tallyho was still crying, and Dorian led her to a seat to calm down. The situation made him feel guilty again. Tallyho was crying and from what Haru said about her, she probably didn’t like people to see her cry. She trusted Dorian but not him. Maybe he should turn back. Are you running away again, Kyle Keaton?

He froze where he was, and broke the silence. "I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and balled up the tie in his other hand. "I'm sorry you got hurt." He stared at the bandage on Dorian's free hand. "I'm sorry for starting a stupid fight and not listening to cooler heads than mine, and..." He swallowed the rest of his sentence, fearing the place his thoughts took him. Eventually, he finished with, "Thank you for everything."

Even though he wasn't sure if Tallyho would notice, he turned his head and spoke to her."I'm sorry if I said anything to upset you." He didn't think anything he said after Haru ripped the bandages off old wounds -Kyle flinched at the thought- could be interpreted as mean, but it would definitely be inconsiderate to ignore her presence. These tears could very well be a delayed reaction to opening her old wounds.

~~~
Ryou wasn’t the only one who noticed the emotional turmoil on stage and ticked off Haru. At least two people involved never came back to the party. Even though these parties also started feeling like nuisances to her, this one was the one they were waiting for, official recognition of the month warriors. The last time they did this, it was a lot simpler though.

This room was too stuffy with all the bodies inside, and she could probably guess where Kyle went. He always went to the garden when upset, but he may still be with Haru who also never came back. The party atmosphere probably didn’t suit the cat-guardian in his present mood, and she couldn’t blame him either. Sometimes it surprised her that one boy could get into as much trouble, by himself, as three of the boys from her ship. Her ship. Nikita swallowed. The longer she was shoreside, the more she longed for her ship again. Freedom on the Airian seas had become her haven, since… She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time for that! She had to find Kyle and Haru!

The two backstage rooms were empty, and both showed signs of some manner of disaster. What trouble had he gotten into? Was the blood on that knife his, or someone else’s? Would he actually…?! No! He wouldn’t! This was Kyle she was thinking about. He fought with his fists and his bow, not knives. Calm, Calm, Calm. Deep breaths. Most likely just an accident. Someone cut themselves by accident while cutting the food. That’s all it is.

Forcibly convincing herself that the situation wasn't as bad as it appeared, she left the backrooms, and headed towards the gardens. The small sailor woman took a deep breath of cool evening air. Yes, this is where he'd be if anywhere. A single breath out in the open already refreshed her. Apparently Kyle wasn't the only one who wanted to take advantage of open space. Lillian was also out here, and two dark-haired boys hid in a corner, but she could only clearly see one of them from where she stood. The identity of that one was enough for her to identify who the second must be. Those two. You'd think they were attached at the hip. Good friendships are fine, but if it's at the expense of all other relationships it's a serious problem. Nikita was tempted to go tell them so, but Lillian was closer, and she caught sight of something unpleasant. Ryou also seemed to be hiding from something, and that was definitely not him. She approached the March Guardian and asked, "What's the matter?"