Care To Join Me knight

"Your outfit looks—" Marquis stammered, his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "...really good."

Anna let out a soft laugh, though it was short and polite.

Elara giggled beside her and hooked her arm through Anna's. "Let's go," she said cheerily, leading Anna away. The two pushed through the large double doors, their laughter echoing faintly in the hall.

Marquis stayed rooted in place, watching her leave. His eyes followed the slight sway of her movements, the way her hair caught the light, and the way she tucked it behind her ear—a small, habitual motion. 

At first, his chest swelled with pride, imagining her walking away with a smile meant just for him.

But as the seconds ticked by, the image cracked. It wasn't the joy he'd expected.

It wasn't the connection he'd convinced himself they had. She's not sure about me, he realized, the thought hitting him like a sudden drop. 

There was something worth pursuing, and that thought alone made him smile again.

"There she goes again," Marquis whispered under his breath. The most beautiful woman in any district, even when she wasn't looking back.

Kai leaned closer, punching Marquis's arm with a grin. "We ate that," he said, his voice low and gleeful.

Marquis forced a smile and nodded, but the words felt hollow. For Kai, it was a win. For Marquis, it was an uphill climb he wasn't sure he could summit.

Still, as if on cue, their faces lit up with matching grins, if only for show.

"Yes.." Marquis cheered still pumping a fist in the air.

"She definitely likes me!" Kai exclaimed, stamping his feet in excitement.

Without hesitation, he shoved the doors open, eager to follow.

"Wait, they don't know the way," Marquis said, grabbing Kai by the arm. His grin lingered, masking the churn of doubt beneath. 

Together, they broke into a run, chasing after the thrill of the moment, even as uncertainty hung in the air like a shadow.

"You know, bro, I think she really likes you," Kai says, a knowing grin stretching across his face.

"You think so?" Marquis replies, his hand instinctively reaching forward before clasping his own.

Kai chuckles, the sound light but genuine. "How long have we been friends? Thirteen years?"

Marquis smirks, his eyes glinting with a teasing spark. "You sure about that 'friends' part? I thought we were brothers."

Kai gives a playful nudge, his grin widening. "If there was a word for a bond that transcends everything—relationships, friendship, even blood—we'd have it."

They turn a corner together, their laughter echoing down the hallway.

"This way," Marquis said, his voice soft but steady as he guided them into an almost pitch-black room. 

The air was quiet, save for the faint hum of machines. Then a burst of color pierced through the darkness—a neon glow washing over the space.

"Dance Dance Revolution?!" Elara shrieked, her voice cutting through the stillness as she dashed toward the glowing machine, her green dress trailing lightly behind her. 

Her excitement was infectious, like a flame igniting the room.

"Can I go first?!" she squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Sure!" Kai responded, matching her energy, though his voice cracked slightly at the end.

Elara stepped onto the machine, her hands clasped in excitement. But then she froze, her expression falling as she glanced at the screen. 

"Oh…" She tilted her head. "It's two players." Slowly, her gaze shifted to Kai, her eyes gleaming with playful intent.

She turned, beaming. "Care to join me, Knight?" she asked, her voice light and teasing.

Kai stiffened like a soldier ordered to battle. 

His hand gripped the nearby support beam as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. 

He hesitated, his other hand trembling as he adjusted his already-too-tight suit. "Uh, yeah, sure," he muttered, his feet shuffling onto the dance pad.

The screen lit up. "Ready… Set…"

The game began. Kai stumbled immediately, his feet clumsy against the arrows on the screen.

His suit resisted his every movement, but his eyes remained locked on Elara. 

She laughed, the sound bubbling up from her chest as her steps perfectly hit the beats. 

Her joy was magnetic, her energy lighting up the room more than the machine ever could.

Kai started moving faster, his focus sharpening, his steps syncing to the beat despite the awkwardness. Elara glanced over, her eyes wide with surprise. 

"Kai!" she exclaimed, her voice half-shocked, half-laughing.

His movements became more confident, more fluid—though his suit was not built for such enthusiasm.

The seams under his arms tore first, then his thighs, small ripping sounds barely audible over the pounding music.

The neon lights from the machine danced across them, mixing with the vibrant colors of their outfits, casting them in a kaleidoscope of hues.

Elara giggled uncontrollably, doubling over between steps, but her rhythm never faltered. 

The game escalated—three, four steps per second—but neither of them slowed. What had started as a silly game was no longer just that. It was connection, a rhythm only they could hear.

Marquis leaned against the locked door, arms crossed as he watched the scene unfold. His brows shot up as Kai's suit practically disintegrated mid-dance. 

"They're really going at it, huh," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Mmm. Elara always dives headfirst into these things," Anna said, her voice smooth but carrying a faintly dismissive edge. 

Anna watched her sister's unrestrained laughter, the way Elara threw herself into each step without a care. A familiar pang – sharp, hot – tightened in Anna's chest. 

Why is it so easy for her? She smothered the thought, smoothing her expression as she turned to Marquis. A faint, wry twist touched her lips. "Predictably unrestrained. Subtlety was never her chosen weapon." She gestured subtly towards Kai's tattered sleeves, laughing a bit.

"Though I suspect Kai underestimated the required commitment level. Some of us prefer to avoid... structural compromises." Her tone was light, almost observational.

Her own posture remained perfectly composed, a silent contrast to the chaos on the dance pad. Let him see the difference.

Marquis turned to her, his gaze searching her face in the flickering light. She met his eyes, her expression unreadable now, the brief flash of snark replaced by her usual calm mask. 

Did she know he was watching her? If she did, would she be embarrassed? Annoyed? Curious? What emotion would she show me, Anna? he thought, her name echoing in his mind.

"Yes," Anna said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper as she turned fully toward him, catching his intense gaze. 

For a moment, the light hit her just right, illuminating her completely. Marquis's breath hitched as his thoughts scattered.

"No—nothing. Can't wait for our turn!" he blurted out, awkwardly patting his blue hair and forcing a smile, flustered by her directness and the intensity of his own thoughts.

Anna's lips curved again, but this time it wasn't the soft smile from before. It was smaller, tighter, almost knowing. "Our turn?" she echoed, her voice cool.

"You aren't worried your suit might suffer the same fate, Marquis? Or perhaps you're just confident your coordination surpasses... that?" She nodded slightly towards the dancing pair, the faintest hint of a challenge in her eyes, it was envy of their freedom, or simply disdain for the messiness of it all.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, her voice quieter now.

Marquis blinked, caught off guard. "What? What for?"

"For my sister," Anna replied, her smile small but genuine. "She is naturally shy around new people... but she has this gift. When she does connect, when she senses someone's genuine, she can just... let go completely. Like she did tonight. With school starting soon, the weight of it all has been crushing her. Seeing her find that release, even just for a moment? She needed this more than she'd ever say."

"No worries," Marquis said, his voice gentle. He hesitated before adding, "She seems like a good girl… like you." The last words came out quieter than he intended, almost muffled.

They lapsed into silence, the faint rhythm of the DDR game filling the space.

They remain in silence, watching as Kai and Elara exist in a world of their own. In that moment, they are the only two that matter. 

Their hands find each other, just as they had at the ball, fingers interlocking naturally, as though it were always meant to be this way.

The lights from the machine bathe them in a radiant glow, colors swirling and shifting, casting them in an almost ethereal brilliance.

Kai slumps to the ground, utterly exhausted, as Elara barely manages to stay on her feet.

Marquis watched them, the effortless way they moved together even as Kai's suit tore.

A pang of sudden awareness of how staged his own attempt might feel—hit him. He turned to Anna, who was already stretching, a determined glint in her eye. "Actually," he said, his voice calm but firm, "I think I'll pass."

"Wait, what? Why?" Anna asks, already steeling herself for another round.

"Just a change of heart," Marquis replies, his tone light yet purposeful. 

"School starts in a week, I hope to see you there." With a graceful bow, he strides over to Kai and effortlessly drapes the boy's arm over his shoulder.

Anna watches him walk away and, with a soft smile, calls after him, "I hope to see you too." As he passes by, the air shifts, carrying with it the faintest scent of his presence, and their hair flickers in the breeze.

"Can you get up?" Anna asks, turning to Elara.

"With these legs?" Elara laughs, her mischievous personality clearly rubbing off on Anna. "I'd rather float."

Anna sighs, the weight of the coming days settling in as she mutters, "Yeah, jump on my back…"

As Anna shifted to hoist Elara onto her back, a single pink ribbon slipped unnoticed from her braid. It fluttered down like a stray petal. 

Marquis saw it fall. He scooped it up without breaking stride, the silk cool against his palm, and tucked it into his pocket before turning back to Kai.