Falseness of Mask

Alice drew in a deep breath knowing that what Claudia said was the truth around here. Those kinds of cases were dropped quickly with them not seeing the light of day after they got sent to the office. The students who went to the academy were powerful people, so it would make sense as to why the school would want to bury such things.

But from what Alice had guessed, it wasn't just the academy's part, but also that of the families, in the case that they wouldn't want to tarnish their names. There was a common theme around here, and it went along the lines of power, whether that be gaining from others or through other various methods, or that of suppressing it for those that were on the rise.

The guys that brushed past them made a commotion as they went down the stairs, but it was better than them trying to pick a fight that wouldn't end well for either party.

She slid a glance over to Claudia, who immediately shook her head at the words that were at the tip of her tongue since Alice wanted to question further about who those guys were.

Rowan crossed his arms as he let his body relax after the troublemakers left their post. "I think that we should go elsewhere. We don't want to be waiting here when there will be people who come and go from other places that are more populated. It was a good idea to check here though."

Alice smiled knowing that he didn't want her to have any hard feelings. "Ah, it's no problem on my end. Let's head out."

They went over to the setup near the windows that had the soft light cast over which was evidence of Rowan's and Noah's hard work only to start tearing it down to pack up. She was wrapping the wires around her arm to get them smaller to fit into the casing when a shadow fell over her.

Alice placed the bundled-up cords into the silk pouch. "What is it?"

He put out the black bag they brought with them which contained camera equipment and whatnot, and she tossed them into the open bag. She finally looked up at him, and her lips slipped into a frown. Alice didn't know what was up with him and whispered her thoughts. "How are you feeling?"

Noah shrugged. "I'm feeling fine."

She watched him carefully, and he yanked down his tie around his neck once more to loosen it up. "You don't look like it."

"Hm, why's that?"

It was as if he was inviting her to check him out which made her snicker. "Don't even. It wouldn't hurt to smile, will it?"

"You say that as if I don't at all."

"Not the fake one. It looks sleazy."

Noah laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hm, sure. I'll just go with that," Alice sang as she finished wrapping up what was at the corner she was working on. "It's the dead look in your eyes that's the giveaway."

Noah snickered. "I see that you've taken a liking to my dazzling eyes."

She raised her eyebrows since she also didn't want to disagree considering that she did like the light color in contrast with his dark hair. "They are quite interesting."

"Don't waste your time looking from afar," he said as he zipped up the bag making her scoff.

"Please don't even start."

"I can swing by later on," Noah smirked.

"Ah, please don't." 

Her immediate answer made him laugh. "Don't worry. I need to save my energy."

She hummed. "That's true. We are quite busy these days, but you should try to fix your smile while you're at it."

"What can I say," Noah shrugged. "I can't only save my smiles for you."

Alice shook her head while the tips of her corners curved up. "Don't bother flattering me."

She could attest to that sentiment of him saving energy since Noah did remind her a lot of a cat with his mannerisms that went along the lines of being extremely relaxed while not wanting to do anything with their time besides laze around or rather just conserve their energy which Alice could relate to if she didn't have the inkling to find a way to try new experiences.

It truly made her realize that she wasn't one to be with people as well but at the same time, needed the help of others to thrive. It was a balance that she worked hard on since she didn't want to go insane as she did previously with the number of times that Claudia had dragged her out in her earlier teenage years and her own club and activities combined.

"Ready to head out?" Claudia called.

Alice gave her a thumbs up, and it wasn't long before they all rolled out of Carver Hall with their equipment in tow on the lookout for their next shot that needed to be done. In the meantime, Alice would take the downtime to truly take in the moment that she would often miss now that she was surrounded by the people she enjoyed most.