A Weaving of Heartstrings (Kerridon&Silren)

[Mami Tien]

She stood in front of her wardrobe, a growing pile of clothes on the floor behind her, hindering the movement of all the girls left in the dorm room. She hadn't been worried about what to wear an hour ago, she'd had the perfect lolita dress, light pink with matching ribbons for her hair and white leggings with matching platforms oxfords, but when she'd gone to put it on, and it just looked wrong. Now she was searching frantically for something that didn't look horribly incorrect for tonight. Why does tonight suddenly seem so important? So vital? It's not a date... it's just... two friends meeting to enjoy a non-academic time together... But what if he meant it as a date?! I don't have anything to wear! She continued to plow through her entire collection of outfits, unable to find a single one that seemed right for tonight. She was about to give up when she saw a wrapped parcel at the bottom of her trunk, looking like it had been there since she'd left home and begging to be opened. She frowned as she pulled it from it's resting place and carefully opened it. She didn't remember seeing it when she'd packed for England, so it must have been put there when her guardians were packing her belongings for Hogwarts.

Out of the brown paper parcel came a beautiful black dress with see-through sleeves and a squared-neck. She pulled it out completely and held it against herself, the dress fell to her knees in a cascade of soft, loose velvet. She slipped it on, still skeptical that the dress she's found so randomly would be the one she had been searching for all night. As soon as she looked in the mirror however, she just stared at herself, the gown fit perfectly and it was not a style she normally wore, but it work. How did they know? This is perfect! I hope he likes it... not that he should care one way or the other... but I really hope he likes it...

She sighed and let herself collapse back on her bed for a few moments, glad to finally have something to wear so close to the time she needed to be leaving for the ball. She let herself relax for a moment before she made herself sit up and clean up her mess. She picked her clothes up in large piles and stuffed them back where she'd gotten them, her trunk and wardrobe. She quickly ran a brush through her exceedingly long hair, leaving it down to curtain around her, like the first day she'd met Kerridon, she checked the time and gasped. Iie! I'm going to be late! She then clasped her necklace around her neck and slipped on her favorite shoes before rushing out the door.

As Mami entered the Great Hall and looked around she was surprised to see so many people already mingling about. She was also nearly blinded by the amount of red and pink surrounding the room and was suddenly glad she hadn't ended up adding to the overused color combination. Is he here yet? She searched the room for any sign of him and she made her way further in. She decided to make a stop to get a drink before returning to a space close to the entrance and the dance floor, so she could spot him more easily.

While she was looking for any sign of Kerridon, her mind started to wander, distracted by the sweet smell that seemed to accompany the red and pink decorations, as she sipped her beverage. Her mind wandered freely and openly, contemplating Kerridon and the pull she felt towards him. It wasn't normal for her to want to know someone like she wanted to know him, nor had she ever been more compelled to actually ask him the questions she had. She had always been taught not to pry, not even to be curious about someone's personal life. Whenever he was near she felt that her eyes had truly opened, for she could see the smallest things he tried so hard to hide. She felt this alien need to make him smile and remind him that there was always something better just around the corner, though she had no reason to believe he didn't already know said fact.

She blushed and shook her head at herself, she was being silly. Kerridon was a very nice person who had been kind to her when many people had not. That was not a good reason to start feeling these awkward emotions, neither was the fact that she knew he was hiding something that was tearing him apart. I can't like him like that! He can't be interested in me, I'm nothing special. Just because he is nice, and sweet, and handsome (not relevant!), and enjoyed listening to me play, and lets me sit with him in class, doesn't mean he likes me! Stop kidding yourself Mami, you'll only get hurt...

[Kerridon Paradox]

Entering the ballroom with slow steps, Kerridon ran his eyes over the crowds already in there. His attention was immediately drawn to Keaira disappearing through a door, soon followed by Alessandro and then Zane. It reminded him of the masquerade, when he’d had that mental clash with those first two. He hoped he’d managed to scrape his way out of that by telling Zee during his stay in the Room of Requirement that he’d thought the pair were working for the Shadow Mage and was trying to help D’rorah. Still, Mordred had really messed up what the lightfighters thought of him. He was tempted to follow them now but several things stopped him. Firstly, he wasn’t sure where that door led to, and it was entirely feasible that he would be noticed as soon as he entered. Also, he wanted to avoid any confrontations with Keaira for fear that he might lose his temper. That would certainly destroy any hopes of earning back some degree of trust. But finally, because he had inadvertently managed to invite Mami to the ball, and didn’t want to disappoint the younger Ravenclaw.

Making himself forget about the lightfighters at least for now, he set about searching for his musical friend. He tried to avoid all thoughts that this ball was essentially meant for couples. It was dangerous enough just talking to her on a regular basis – she could so easily be used against him if someone became aware of that. Anything... more than friendship, would put Mami at far too much risk. It would all just end up with everyone getting hurt. Redirecting his thoughts again, he mused on how strange and ironic it was that the two people at Hogwarts whom he could really call friends – Mami and Silren – both brought back memories that he would rather suppress. At the moment, he could see neither of them.

As usual, Kerridon was wearing no bright or cheerful colours for the evening. He wore a long black coat reaching halfway down his thighs, with gold brocade on the hems. Underneath was a black shirt with the same gold trimmings, with both shirt and coat buttoned up minimally. On his feet were black, well-polished knee-high boots with gold buckles fastening up one side. He was certainly not dressed down in any way, but money was no longer any issue at all. Having turned seventeen only yesterday, he was now of age in the wizarding world – which meant he had access to the funds left to him as the sole heir to both the Paradox and Taylor fortunes. And, as he well knew, they were big fortunes.

It wasn’t massively surprising that he couldn’t see Mami with the amount of people in the room, even as observant as he normally was. Rather than venture further in on the off chance that she hadn’t arrived yet, he lingered near the entrance, continuing to comb the crowds.