Stealing the Spotlight

The tea party started out awkward and dull but eventually ended with a light and cheery mood, thanks to a hot cup of poison and a fit of carefree chortles.

Eli felt accomplished after successfully carrying out her promise to Zeke. She even managed to know the Student Council Vice President a little more, though it had a strange twist to it. Overall, she's just immensely relieved that everything turned out fine today.

Zeke and the Champions also needed that time to recuperate after their draining escapade in Amethyst Falls. During the party, Hal appeared to be less fatigued either, or at the very least, not just as enervated as he looked when they're having a strategy meeting.

"Tea and sweets could actually change the world..." Eli mused, a wide grin splattered on her face.

An uplifting view greeted them as soon as they stepped a foot out of the clubroom. Scintillating glows of fluorescence seep through the windows, sunlight streaking the hallway and cloaking their bodies with mellow warmth. It's already halfway through the afternoon. Now that the party had come to an end, they're about to bid each other goodbyes and part ways.

Swerving around, Eli faced Noah again with a soft and grateful expression, much to his surprise.

"Thank you for coming, Vice President," she beamed, dove grey eyes gleaming.

"I supposed... I did enjoy the treats," he replied hesitantly.

At that moment, Eli hoped to say that they should get along from now on, but after seeing how he still couldn't look at her directly, she just zipped her mouth and decided to save it for later. It seemed like he's still disinclined to abandon his old ways of dealing with her. The time they spent together may not be enough to make him see her in a different light, but at the very least, he was finally able to be himself while she's around.

"See you tomorrow, everyone."

Dropping her last words, Eli then turned around and waved goodbye at them before taking her leave. Hal and the others said their farewells to her and remained outside the clubroom. Momentary quietude filled the place as they just continued watching her saunter away. For a split second, Zeke glanced at Noah's direction, only to find him still staring at where their upperclassman went off to. He then pouted as a realization dawned on him.

"Hmph... This is supposed to be my party. Why'd he have to go and take the spotlight away like that?"

Zeke's hushed grumbling didn't go unnoticed by Hal, though. He peered at the young heir's sulking face with a scrutinizing gaze. For some reason, he seemed upset about something and was acting a bit out of character. Moving his eyeballs from Zeke to Noah, he tried to piece the puzzle together for a while longer. But then, as soon as he caught the young heir glancing at the blond again, expression inscrutable, Hal eventually appeared enlightened.

"Hey, Ezekiel..." he trailed off, catching his attention.

"What?" he answered before facing him with a questioning look.

Hal took a few seconds of hesitation before deciding to just shake his head and shrug it off. Then, one by one, Allen and the two seventh graders said goodbyes and went their own ways. He stayed at the empty hallway, pondering in silence. Minutes ticked by and he's starting to feel annoyed.

"This is ridiculous... It's just a crush or something..."

Then, with that, he just proceeded to take his leave and tread the path to the library.

As night fell in the academy, the students were ready to retire for the day. The Student Council Vice President went straight to bed after finishing some paperwork. He had to get up early to prepare for the open house exhibition tomorrow. Though he still didn't know what to make of the cascading chain of events this afternoon, which he certainly didn't expect nor plan, Noah decided to just put his thoughts to rest.

The situation was just out of his control that time. Angelica Claes and Ezekiel Canaan were simply two forces of nature he couldn't quite reckon.

"Ugh... More work..."

Yet, his mulling didn't go on any further as he eventually found himself drifting into sleep. Without him knowing, as soon as he gave in to slumber, the bouquet of sunflowers that was sitting idly on his study table suddenly started glowing portentously. Ominous particles in bloody crimson color materialized and accumulated from the petals. Fragments of dark magic took form before hovering over the unconscious blonde.

Noah wasn't able to sleep well that night.

Then came the much-awaited flower exhibition on the next day.

Canaan Private Academy didn't only open its doors upon the Gardening Club's request, but also for a fresh, new impression. A school open house is generally a structured function conducted to showcase the students' abilities, progress, and achievements throughout a semester while providing an opportunity for teachers to establish a personal connection and continued communication with the guardians. This time, however, the exhibition is an exclusive occasion that was primarily prepared to celebrate the bountiful harvest of this particular organization.

In behalf of the academy's Chairman, the Student Council members would serve as overseers of the gathering. On that note, every officer was obliged to come to school earlier than usual and set the necessary preparations. This type of responsibility wasn't easy to carry out since they still had to attend classes before managing the event. Such draining and arduous duties only proved that not everyone could be part of the Student Council.

"What? The President's already here?"

"Yeah, since four in the morning."

"Huh? Even though we're meeting at five?"

"How about Mr. Palladine?"

"He arrived right after the President."

"Those two really are something."

"What's infuriating is that they don't look haggard at all."

Currently happening inside the Student Council clubroom is a recurring spectacle amongst the members. All the other officers were taken aback upon finding their work halfway done. It turned out that their President and Public Information Officer had already began even before the break of dawn. It's already a common scenario, though. They'd always exceed everyone's expectations like this. Those two weren't known for being the school's heavenly kings for nothing, after all.

"Hey, we're missing something."

"What?"

"Have anyone seen the Vice President?"

It's already past six in the morning, but Noah hadn't shown up yet.