SMVWinter Quest-ish: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Rin fidgeted with her dress as she looked around apprehensively around the room. Everyone looked so beautiful in their winter formal wear, and the staff really outdid themselves this year with the decorations. She had lost sight of Siobhán a little while ago, and at this point didn't know if she would find her. Even though the two had come together, there were so many new people were at SMV that it literally was a sea of people dressed up in their finery. She clutched her arms to her side and bit her lip. She wasn't good at making introductions, and with everyone looking so fancy it was a bit disarming.

She scanned the room to see if she could find anyone she could hide behind and avoid this social mess she was sure to make. She almost disappeared then and there until she saw what looked like a familiar head of hair at the bar. She twirled strands of her hair as she mulled it over, wondering if she should go.

But she stayed put, pressed against the wall, watching as the royal moon family led the first dance.

Maeve sat on one of the stools, her back to the finery as she stared into her drink. Why had Sib thought this was a good idea? This wasn’t like the masquerade the previous year, where everything had still been fine? Before… before she found out about Morrigan? She ran her hand through her bangs, taking another deep swig from the beer. No, she knew why she had come. After all of the hard work Siobhán and Kamiko had put into making her dress, in making sure the grey to black gradient was just right, that the sheer overlay on her hips would flourish with every movement…

She just wished that she could find some way to enjoy herself, instead of worrying that something would set her off and she’d have to flee. Maybe that was another reason she was avoiding eye contact with anyone. She knew full well that Teruko and Alexis were there; the few times they’d managed to see each other, the woman had shown her the progress she was making on her dress, the fine detailing she’d managed with the beading making Maeve utterly envious of her sewing skills. Although admittedly the attempt at a joke she’d made probably hadn’t made things better.

“Heh… Fluttertits.”

Nope, it was still funny.

A small glance over her shoulder showed her exactly what she expected once she spotted them. Teruko dancing with Alexis, both looking utterly radiant in their finery, and above all, carefree.

They look so happy… She thought, risking another glance before sliding off of her stool. She should go. She didn’t want them to worry about her. Didn’t want anyone to worry...

Maeve gave one more look around the room, her eyes scanning those she recognized, finding herself surprised by how many others she didn’t. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad—

Then she spotted Elation as she entered, dressed in white with yellow accents. Almost looking… pure.

Definitely time to go.

Trying to keep her disgust— and Aine— at bay, she nearly ran from the bar, weaving through the crowd. She took a turn a bit too quickly, though, her feet flying out from under her as she tried to catch herself.

Which ended up with her crashing straight into Rin instead.

"Oof!" The green-haired girl barely managed to stay on her feet, though Maeve wasn’t so lucky. "Are you all right?" Rin asked as she helped the girl up, then finally looking into her eyes, the same eyes that had captivated her before.

"Maeve! I didn't expect you here! You..uh.. You look very beautiful." She said softly as a light rose hue began to grow on her face and she turned her head modestly as she began to blush furiously.

“H-hallo Rin, sorry ‘bout tha’, erm…” Maeve looked down, blushing faintly as well. God, how embarrassing… “Yeh look amazin’ too.”

For once, it seemed like Maeve had actually run a brush through her hair, the normally tousled brown locks put into place, with strands pulled back into a small small braid that went down the back of her head. The long hair normally kept in the cloth sheath was out and in a lightly bound braid, draping over the back of her dress to curl at her ankles. Siobhán had even managed to hold her down long enough to put some makeup on her, just some light brown eyeshadow, liner, and mascara that made her eyes pop even more. She picked at the bodice of her dress, shifting awkwardly back and forth.

“Erm… I kinda owed it ta Sib an’ Kiko ta come. I… I think I’m gonna go though.”

"But why leave? I just got here and kinda of wandered off from Sib. There are a lot of new people here and... I... Uh.. Well don't know anyone." Rin’s blush nearly covered her entire face now, standing out starkly against her light powdered blue gown, "Besides what what Sib say if I told her you left me all alone?" She said as she smirked at Maeve and put her hands on her hips, before making motions with her hands like if she was truly crying.

Maeve looked over at her, the last statement enough to startle a soft laugh out of her as she absently smoothed her dress.

“I think I’d probably have a bruise from one’a her tap shoes again.” She finally smiled, even if it was only a half-smile. “I jus’…” She looked out at the crowd again, her gaze finding Elation once more before quickly shifting, this time finding Alexis and Teruko. Then she managed to spot Anscom dancing with Katharina, making her cringe again. “I’m not too sure I’m welcome here…”

Rin watched as Maeve's gaze went around the room, immediately looking away when she saw certain individuals.

"Why would you say that?" She asked softly, gently touching her arm.

’Besides you're not feared like me.... You're innocent....’ Rin tried her best not to let the Irish girl see the sadness from the thought. Even though she hadn’t told anyone the full truth no one had approached her during the winter formal or otherwise in SMV, almost as if they knew of the stigma that clung to her. Only Maeve and Siobhán had, they really were the only ones who cared.....

Maeve looked over at her, then her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Cos i want everyone ta have fun, not be worried tha' I'm gonna freak out, or... tha' Aine will get out an' cause shit..."

"Everyone will have fun. Stop your worrying, you need to live a little." Rin grabbed Maeve's hands and smiled up at her. "Besides if Aine shows up I'll be sure to give her one hell of a hello." She said grinning wickedly as she closed her eyes and imagined the foul words that would come out of her mouth in delight.

Maeve finally laughed properly, grinning back at Rin.  She was right, no matter how much Maeve didn't want to think about it. She did need to just carry on and continue to live. Especially if...

"I'm sure yeh would, somethin' that'd probably leave a few scrapes an' bruises on me, too." She squeezed Rin's hands a little, the grin fading to a sweet smile. "Thanks Rin. Tha' really means a lot."

"I'm here for you Maeve, every step of the way. If I recall correctly a certain somebody owes me something to eat, but I'll take a drink instead.” The green-haired girl winked at Maeve and took her hand before leading her to the bar.

"I do, don't I? Heh I'll still make yeh food at some point,  I need a guinea pig for a couple o' recipes." Maeve grinned, but took a spot next to Rin at the bar. "Wot d'yeh want?"

"Hmm… how about blueberry vodka?" She asked as she looked around the room enjoying everyone's beautiful dresses. " It's so nice seeing everyone dressed up and having such a wonderful time. I do have to admit, they really outdid themselves this year." She turned to look back at Maeve, smiling. The younger girl definitely did clean up nicely…

"Heh they really did, didn' they?" Maeve returned the smile, ordering the drink for Rin and a hard cider for herself. She didn't want to overdo it, especially since she hadn't had much to eat. Once they arrived, she took a small sip, sighing softly as she inwardly tried to tell herself to relax. She felt fine, she'd be fine...

"I'm surprised I haven't seen Arisu yet. She always follows yeh around loike a mother hen." Maeve finally teased, grinning at Rin, who took a sip of her drink as she chortled at that last remark.

"True. She's around somewhere, trust me on this one. She heard about this weird Earth custom where people kiss under  twigs?" She said giggling and a bit confused about the whole matter. "She said she would burn them all before she would let that happen."

As if on cue Maeve could have sworn she saw Arisu eyes glint in the dark from across the room. The Irish girl laughed at that, shaking her head. When she spotted the glint, she half-waved over at Arisu before looking back at Rin.

"It's called Mistletoe, but tha's pretty much how it goes. It's a li'le plant wi' kinda spiky leaves an' white berries, so it's easy ta spot. Th' rule is if two people are undah it at the same toime an' someone spots it, they're supposed ta kiss then pluck a berry. Once there's no more berries, yeh don' have ta do it anymore." She laughed, taking another sip of her drink. "No idea who the fock came up wi' tha', but there yeh go."

"It's still a rather strange custom, but it does seem fun." Rin  replied, blushing as she thought of who would try to get her under the mistletoe. And the image that went along with it… She sputtered, the blush deepening as she made a point of looking back at the dance floor instead of at Maeve.

"The Royal family and Senshi look like they're in good spirits. I don't think I've seen them all together before." She said, making a motion with her hand that held the drink. Yes, distraction. Good.

"I don' think I have eithah." Maeve smiled a little as she watched them dance, though her mind began to drift, replacing the royal couple with her parents. She looked away, gripping the bar a little as a sudden wave of homesickness and longing rushed through her. She wanted to see her family again, at least once. But what would they say if they found out about... well, everything? Even though she'd given a brief explanation about the senshi business in the letter she'd sent off with Rosemary, there was so much she left out. Taking a breath, she shoved the thought away and tried to still the faint tremor that went through her hands.

No, tonight she was going to have fun.

She smiled at Rin, stepping over and sweeping into a surprisingly graceful bow.

"May I have th' honor o' this dance, m'lady?" She looked up and winked, holding out her hand. Rin blinked, breaking out of her own memories of home at sound of the brunette’s voice.

"Why of course you may!" She said in delight as her hand slipped into Maeve's warm, calloused one. A slight hue of pink spread to Rin's face as she dipped into a curtsy before Maeve led the way to the dance floor. To her, it felt like the whole room had stopped and it was just them. Her heart sped up a little, as Maeve smiled back at her, her ears twitching slightly as the music started up as another waltz. Gently pulling Rin into hold, she led her across the floor, her steps basic as she tried to gauge the girl's dancing ability. Compared to her normal, vaguely boyish posture and movements, the Irish girl was somehow extremely graceful as she danced, effortlessly guiding Rin through the steps and into a series of twirls, the skirt of her dress flaring out around her to highlight the soft blue undertones Siobhán had managed to work into the almost invisible piping.

Rin felt so light and happy as they danced, she couldn't help but smile the whole time. She knew she wasn't a good dancer and she tried her best to match Maeve's effortless steps, but she did trip up every now and then, only for the Irish girl to catch her with a laugh or a teasing grin and set her right again..

In that moment Rin only had eyes for Maeve. Dimly she thought that maybe it was the drink that was making her think like that, but all she wanted to do was kiss those beautiful pink lips and get lost in her eyes....

Maeve gave Rin one last twirl as the song ended, careful to make sure she didn't trip. Her cheeks were flushed as dipped into the customary curtsey, then looked back at Rin. It had been so... just fun dancing with her. Wonderful, really. Even if she did trip up occasionally, Rin was a good dancer. And she looked so beautiful right then, with those gentle eyes and happy smile.

Unbeknownst to Maeve, they'd stopped dancing just underneath a sprig of mistletoe.

Rin was flushed from dancing and was glad to stop for a moment. That was until she looked up and saw something she knew would drive Arisu mad.

"Maeve...look..." She said breathlessly as she tilted her head up.

There were a million butterflies floating around in her stomach and she was more than aware that so many people were around, but she didn't care. She was here having fun with Maeve and it was high time she showed her feelings. Ever since she’d first met the girl, she knew there had been something… different about her, something alluring. But as she’d gotten to know her, hanging out and having fun with Siobhán in tow, or making trips to the music store in search of sheet music from her home world only to end up commandeering the small recording booth while they were there, she’d felt something else stir deep within her heart. An attachment, for certain, but also…

Yes, definitely a romantic interest.

She only prayed that Maeve felt the same as she tentatively rested a hand on her shoulder, stepping a bit closer.

Maeve looked up as well, her eyes widening when she spotted the mistletoe.

Oh shit…

She looked back at Rin, blushing and about to brush it off, then she noticed how close the girl had gotten. Her face only reddened further as she told herself to pull away, that this was a terrible idea—

Then Rin’s lips were on hers, and she completely forgot where she was, let alone why she wanted to pull away.

She reached up a hand, gently cupping Rin’s cheek as the green-haired girl melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Maeve’s waist as the Irish girl finally pulled back a hair. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright as she tried to make sense of just what had happened, and why her heart was pounding so much.

“Rin—“

Unfortunately, Arisu noticed what was going on at just the wrong time. She tried to make her way over without making too much of a scene, a cry of  "Princess!!” escaping her loud enough to make Maeve jump a mile.

“Oh shit…”

“Come on,” Rin giggled mischievously she slipped her hand into Maeve's and tugged gently, “there’s a balcony over here we can ‘escape’ to. She won’t find us there.”

Maeve finally got over her shock and laughed, picking up the front of her dress to so she wouldn't trip over it as she ran along with Rin. There was nothing wrong with a harmless, Christmastide kiss, especially since if she really allowed herself to think about it, she knew herself well enough to know that there was definitely an interest there. Maybe if she hadn’t met Teruko, or had met Rin first, she could have fallen for the green-haired girl. But if it weren’t for—

She shoved the thoughts away, letting herself have fun instead. This was the way things were supposed to go, to enjoy the time she had with those she cared about. Enjoy her time with Rin.

"Yeh think we can lose her?" She giggled, giving Rin's hand another squeeze.

"This wouldn't be the first time I've given her the slip." She replied, winking playfully at her as they continued to run weaving in and out of the crowd, before finally slipping behind the heavy curtain to the balcony and into the cold night air.

"Wow...look at that Maeve... You can almost see my own world from here.." She said in awe at the starry night sky, although she shivered a bit.

She still wasn't use to being out at night because of her powers and black outs. It took everything to keep her from bolting back to her room, but this time, she was determined to be normal and actually have fun tonight. Maeve smiled, wrapping an arm Rin's waist in a side-hug as she looked up at the night sky as well. Warmth radiated from her as she breathed in the chilly air along with Rin's floral scent.

"Which one?"

Rin leaned into Maeve, enjoying her touch and warmth. She felt calm and safe as she gazed up at her fat off home, pointing upwards at a pale clustering of stars that gave off a slight purple hue.

"That's where home is... I haven't gone back in nearly seven years...." She said, unable to keep the longing from her face and voice. Had it really been that long…? Sometimes, it felt like so much longer.

"Ah, I see." Maeve looked at the cluster for a long time, then shifted a little to hug Rin from behind and rest her chin on her shoulder, pressing her cheek against the girl's to comfort her. "Then when yeh leave here… would yeh go back home?"

Rin thought long and hard about what Maeve asked, leaning back against her and resting her arms over the Irish girl’s. She didn't know if she could go back, not with the way she left things. They were all so angry with me… Everyone, even my siblings… She didn't know if over the years it had softened and they would welcome her back with open arms, or they would try and send her away once more.

"I don't know Maeve... I don't know if I can..." She sighed, her fingers curling around the pale arms, thankful for the comfort she was giving.

"I know th' feelin'." Maeve sighed, closing her eyes. The only reason she went back home after everything was because she was kicked out of Spain and she had nowhere else to go. Everyone had been happy to see her at first, glad that she was okay, but then…

Her brows furrowed as the darkness stirred within her again, biting her lip to keep back the pained yelp. With a soft sigh when the flare passed, she turned Rin in her arms, cupping her face in her hands.

"If yeh need ta get out o' here… When I'm jus' me again, do yeh want me ta go wi' yeh?" She blushed a little. "Just fer a bit, if tha' wot yeh want. Or… um…"

Her blush deepened as she smiled a bit shyly at Rin. "O-or somethin'."

"You would really go with me? I don't mean I don't want you to go with me...I...” Rin faltered, a pounding headache coming out of nowhere. “S-sorry, just...ugh my head is killing me." She pressed a hand against her forehead, hanging onto Maeve’s arm for support. "Sorry, it seems I had a bit much to drink, I was drinking earlier before you came." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's alroit, I understand." Maeve smiled, pulling her into a hug. A strange impulse gripped her, and she found herself leaning in and kissing Rin gently.


But when she pulled away, it was Aine smirking back at Rin as the fiery waves replaced Maeve's brown locks.



"Getting cozy, are we?"