So When the Night Falls (Zander)

[Alexandra Thompson]

It was perfect! The blonde young woman stopped in the middle of her floor, her singing fading away into nothing as she internally celebrated her great idea. The broom she was holding fell to the ground with a loud clatter as she darted over to grab the school-issued phone that she was given upon her arrival. She chose a name that should have been in her favorites by that point, if that damn hunk of junk had such a function. After typing in a quick message, she went back to cleaning her room, singing along to the music in her head. In the back of her mind, she pondered what she would wear and, maybe she could even attempt to put on makeup. Hopefully, she did not accidentally stab herself in the eye, this time.

Alexandra glanced over herself one last time in the mirror. She had to admit, she picked a rather flattering outfit and even managed to not hurt herself while doing her makeup. Yeah, it was just a little bit of eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss, but that was nothing to shake a stick at! She checked her ponytail for any forgotten blonde strands, just in case. After all, she had been the one who asked him to show up, so she had to look her best. The two of them had been talking pretty much since they had met on that seemingly normal November day. It was not as if she was counting, though, she just remembered the details was all. She had to admit, he was a very intriguing young man, though they had not got much into personal stories yet, which was probably a good idea. After all, her baggage was pretty heavy, and she did not want to dump it all on him. In a moment of paranoia, she spun around, skirt fluttering about to make sure that the reminders of her traumatic past were hidden by the dress and, much to her relief, they were. She did not want to talk about them that night; it was about having fun with the golden-eyed boy that was smiling in her mind’s eye. With a small giggle, she grabbed her keys and slipped out of the dorm room, despite the clock reading a time far past curfew.

Alexandra was glad that he was not much of a stickler with the rules. Yeah, they were there for a reason, but an occasional bend was not too bad. Or, at least, that was the opinion they had agreed upon. Still, it was kind of both exhilarating and terrifying to break the rules at the same time. Sure, the blue-eyed young woman was not exactly a goody-two-shoes, but that did not mean she was extremely rebellious, either. She shook the thoughts off as she all but skipped into the auditorium, though she was sure not to be too loud, because the night patrol might still be lurking. Of course, she knew that, if she ran into them, she could just bat her eyelashes and apologize, mainly because he was on the patrol and he had an extreme weak spot for her. Or at least, that is what she gathered from their multiple meet-ups and flirting sessions. She headed up the aisle and jumped onto the stage, careful not to let her skirt fly up too high. After all, she had to leave something to the imagination. She looked around at the rows and rows of empty seats and smiled a little. There had been times when she was little that she dreamed of being a famous singer. Of course, her love for medicine and health ended up far surpassing her love for music, but it was still ingrained in her, and she could not help but twirl around and start singing. Sure, the song was arranged for a guy, and that was the version that played in her head, but it did not really matter, because she was having fun. She could not remember the last time she had a little bit of free time to herself, sans anything: schoolwork, healing people, socializing. Sure, she enjoyed all of those things in varying capacities, but it was lovely to be able to relax and not have to worry about anything but herself and the young man she was waiting for. The thought made her blush a little, but she shook her head and continued dancing around by herself on the stage. She kept her blue eyes out for a familiar head of golden-yellow locks and bright, cheery, golden eyes.

As if on cue, the young man she had been waiting for walked through the double doors. Alexandra smiled to herself, the song trailing off as she jumped off the stage and sauntered over to the young man who had just come through the large, wooden doors. A smirk crossed her slightly red-pigmented lips and she took the end of his tie into her hand, glancing up at him from under fair, blonde lashes with joy and mirth sparkling in her deep, blue eyes.

“Hey there, babe. You’re just in time. I was going to dance for a little. You down?”

Alexandra nodded her head toward a small, black object that was on the side of the stage. Neither of them could see it properly, but the blonde young woman knew that it was a CD player. She had found a CD of songs that she had been given “ages” ago by one of the girls that lived in the group home with her. Oddly enough, most of the songs had the word ‘dance’ somewhere in the title or even in the song. She grinned widely at the young man before her, as if trying to convince him to dance with her. She figured that he would not refuse her, considering that he had even come in the first place.

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[Zander Shale]

        A light huff escaped Zander's mouth as he rested in a chair at the Prefect HQ. The past few months had seen some activity all throught the school, especially with the whirlwind of Prefect office changes. Seemingly new assignees disappearing here and there, old members disappearing for weeks or more, only to pop out of nowhere, and the already high amount of tension between students and Prefects put unneeded stress on everyone. Even Zander could feel it bearing down on him, and while he played off the notion that he cared, he was still keeping his eyes open. Any way he could help, he was doing, and it just so happens that someone took advantage of said offer, getting Zander assigned for night duty in place of the guy.

        Sure, it wasn't like Zander was foreign to traipsing around in the dark, but he much preferred doing so in his spare time, let alone his former, not-so-scrupulous exploits. An entire night of patrols, though, was bound to be depressingly boring. If only he had something to do he thought, and as if on cue, a message from an all-too-familiar name flashed on his phone. With eager eyes and hands, he hurriedly scanned through the message, ending the reading session with a small grin. Turns out, as fate would have it, he would have something other than trudge through the halls in the black of night. All of a sudden, though, he noticed his eager grin was attracting more than one stare from his co-workers and, with a small mutter to them to dismiss their concerns, he wandered off to his room. After all, he needed to be ready for tonight's fun.

        Sadly again, though, he new he couldn't stay in whatever he would wear for the lovely lady he was to meet that evening. This made a small frown tug at his lips, as he was never one to want to disappoint someone, much less disappoint such a charming, cute girl. Begrudgingly, he threw on his traditional duster/shirt combo, avowing to think up something before their "chance encounter."

        And yet, as the hours passed, he could draw up no conclusion that would satisfy him as to his lack of proper wardrobe. Scarcely a few minutes were left before he was to meet her, though, in advance, he decided to stop by the room early, not wanting to be late and hoping the change of scenery would spark an idea to his predicament. It was at that point he heard it: A soft, upbeat tune being voiced by an equally pleasant voice. One he had come to dedicate to his memory. As he quietly stalked over to the door, the voice became more distinct and, through it, the cheerfulness could be heard. She couldn't possibly be that happy to see him, could she? Certainly not as happy as he would be, though that very thought caused a small streak of crimson to shoot through his cheeks. What awaited him beyond, though, was more than he expected. Lying in the room was the figure of the very girl he came to meet, dressed up to a standard well beyond his expectations. She was drop-dead gorgeous, dress and all. And she even put make-up on? Zander couldn't believe his eyes. The combination of her beauty and her singing caused him to stand there dumbfounded, captivated by the display.

        Deep down, that part of him wanting to dress up himself chastised him internally. Great, what am I going to do now? She looks like a goddess, and I look like a street punk gone vigilante. What am I going to do, pull a suit out of thin air?" The last thought hung around in his mind before he almost slapped himself for his stupidity. And it was just perfectly timed, too as the young woman was finishing up the song she was singing. He took a silent breath before straightening himself out, pushing open the doors, and snapping his fingers, bringing together the very thing he uses for his powers to bind together a comfortable, fitting suit and jacket set, complete with the tie and everything. He was damn sure not going to disappoint this girl. He wouldn't even lie to himself that he begun to care a bit more about how she thought of him than he would normally admit.

        Sure enough, though, the girl spun around to him with a pleasant smile, one that pulled the same kind of smile to his face, but as she approached, he could tell she was clearly enjoying herself. Her smirk, the sway of her body, and the delightful, joy-filled look in her eyes all resonated with him, his own smirk playing back as she gripped the tie in her hand. Damn if she didn't fluster him all the way through his body, the tinge of crimson coming back to his cheeks. At this point in their flirtatious friendship, though, he made no effort to hide the blush, instead gazing straight back into her soothing yet sharp blue eyes with his own golden ones, the light catching off them just right to give them a gleam of brightness.

        "Hey there, indeed. And who would I be to pass up an offer to dance with a beauty like you? Of course I'm down~"

        He eagerly spoke back, though he made sure not to be so loud as to alert any other Prefects on patrol. Seeing her grin only made him return the gesture, with the added bonus of one of his fingers trailing teasingly down the arm she used to hold his tie. He wanted to let her know he was going to make sure she had whatever fun she wanted. He even figured he'd save her the trouble of moving to start the music in the CD player she had nodded to, holding his other hand out to let a small Finch form in his palm before leaning in a little, lips pulling back to a smirk as he sends the bird to CD player and whispers to her lightly.

        "Shall I do the honors?"

[Alexandra Thompson]

Alexandra was so involved in what was going on in her own head that she barely noticed the sound of the doors opening and closing the first time. Then again, it was so soft that she barely heard it. She was having fun, though, and that was what mattered to her. Ashford was such a miserable place, with hulking, grey stone walls and some students who believed they were destined for eternal damnation simply because they possessed unnatural abilities that, for the most part, did more harm than good. Granted, the blonde had never experienced this feeling because her power was based around medicine and healing. She found that very few students could heal others and that, when they could it was a taxing demand on their body. Of course, she had come to find that out herself, once or twice, but those cases had been extreme. She never again wanted to experience the terror of her heart rate climbing to well above the normal 60 to 100 beats per minute that she always assessed for. Thankfully, a professional had been there to ease her fear, and she was able to calm down enough to help the other patients with minor wounds that were staring at her with wide eyes. Internally, she winced; that was certainly not one of her proudest moments, but she never let it show. She knew that having a breakdown was dangerous; other people looked up to her, in a way, so she had to set a good example. Well, she certainly was not setting a good example by sneaking out after curfew, but her relationship with Zander, whatever it was, was no one else’s business but their own.

Alexandra decided that occupying herself while waiting for Zander to show up was a very good idea. During her dancing and singing piece, though, she was thinking about the actions that had brought her to this point and what her feelings actually were toward him. The very thought of it brought a blush to her cheeks; she had never really felt the way she did before. Sure, she was a girl, but she had only been surrounded by girls up to a certain point, and, even when guys were entered into the equation, she was too busy stressing over whether people would live or die to develop feelings for someone. Sure, there were times that she was brought a stressing case in the Nurses’ Office, but, most of the time, it was power accidents or a small brawl between two students. She very rarely saw things like deep, open wounds or severely charred flesh. At this school, there seemed to be a little more down time than before, so she could get to know people better. Well, when she made the effort, that was. The twist of fate was not the blonde prefect showing up in the office, but the fact that the two of them just happened to be in the same class. Once they realized they had that in common, at least, everything just kind of grew from there. They started talking and texting more frequently, and even had lunch together a few times, when he was not chattering with his teammates or his commander. Something set this friendship apart from any others that Alexandra had in the past, though. What really made their relationship different was that he gave her this confidence that she normally did not have. Just being in his presence gave her the courage to make flirty remarks and smile at him just so. He brought out a side of her that she did not even realize she had and maybe, just maybe, that was why she was starting to blush a little more when he smiled at her or why her heart rate went up a little bit at the very thought of him. She shook her head slightly, finishing off the song with a soft laugh. There was no way she was falling for him… Right?

Alexandra had to admit one thing; Zander cleaned up very nice. Of course, it was not as if the uniform the school gave him did not make him look attractive to begin with. It was just the fact that she had never quite seen him in a suit and tie before and, frankly, it was extremely flattering on him. In a moment of surprise, she bit her lower lip lightly, but she retracted her teeth quickly as she sauntered toward him, casually, yet purposefully. She did not really move her body a certain way consciously, but the dress she wore might give the impression that she was swaying her hips teasingly. The white fabric was form-fitting, but was not tight by any means, and, as a matter of fact, it was one of her favorite dresses. Yes, she might have been a klutz, but she always avoided wearing the dress to functions where there would be any kind of food that might get slopped on it. In what seemed like a moment, she found herself, grabbing onto his tie, gently, but still a little firmly. The smirk on his lips, the brightness of his golden eyes, and the hint of pink on his cheeks caused her smirk to soften into a gentle smile and she giggled softly, a rose color dusting across her own cheeks. He always seemed to know just what to say to make her smile (and maybe blush a little bit too).

“Aww. You’re sweet. C’mon, let’s go then!”

Alexandra shivered slightly as one of Zander’s fingers teased a path up her arm and she giggled softly once more. She was ticklish, but she did not want to make it too obvious. She tried to make it seem like she was excited about dancing with him. She grabbed his hand gently and led him up to the stage, grinning brightly. She watched the small finch with curiosity and nodded to his words, the grin never leaving her lips.

“Of course~”

Once the button was hit, a song started to play. The tempo was a little more upbeat, so she opted for a faster dancing rhythm. She seemed less focused on her movements, and more on incorporating him into it. The entire time, there was a wide smile across her face and her blue eyes reflected the elation and playfulness in her heart. She decided that this had been a fantastic idea and, as much as her ration brain did not want to admit it, she would not do rather be doing this with anyone other than the young man in front of her.

[Zander Shale]

        It wasn't very often that Zander found himself captivated by someone or something. It was mostly due to the fact that he wasn't extremely easy to impress. That's not to say he would appreciate or like all kinds of things in general, but it took a certain level of amazing to impress him. And, yet, this girl could make his head turn without her batting an eye to him. She was incredible in so many ways that people couldn't understand unless they got to know her like he had. And, with every day they talked, he wanted to keep learning more about her. He wanted to make her laugh so he could hear the sweet melody of her voice. Maybe he was falling for her, maybe he wasn't. He didn't know and, if he was, he didn't care as much as he thought he would.

        The soft giggle from Alexandra brought forth a small giggle of his own, the blonde Prefect finding himself being led up the steps to the stage. Alex's grin and approval was all it took for Zander to get things started, giving his fingers a snap as a sort of theatrical display while the finch shade tapped its beak against the play button of the CD Player. The song that came on caught him by surprise. He hadn't heard this one in a long time, and he was sure glad to hear it again. What he appreciated more, though, was the excitement Alexandra put out as she danced. He heartily worked up his own motions and danced his best, happily accepting her motions and dancing alongside her own actions. It was tough getting into a routine that felt natural at first, but it didn't take long before the two were dancing their worries away together. All the while Zander could do nothing but smile and beam to the cheerful girl in his presence.

        A somewhat relieving fact of the night was Alexandra's approval of his outfit. Zander couldn't help but relax a bit knowing that. After all, she went through all the trouble and effort to set everything up. He would be appalled at his own ineptitude if he didn't dress up in response. Thankfully, his powers were really good at visuals, so he had a leg-up on that front. At least, as long as he could remember that. Alas, the song came to a close and the two made their final motions to their dancing, ending by twirling Alex over to him and catching her in his arms. He was so caught up in the heat of the moment that, when he finally registered she was so close to him, his cheeks burned slightly red, though he smiled lightly to her.

        "Well, that was a hell of a dance... What else do you have in store for us?"

[Alexandra Thompson]

Alexandra was not expecting Zander to laugh along with her, and it honestly made her smile. Sure, she usually tended to see a softer side of him, but she had also occasionally observed him in his duties as a prefect and as a student without actually getting involved. He worked very hard and usually had a laser-like focus, though he never seemed tense or stressed by any means. The theatrical snap only caused her to grin wider and laugh quietly to herself more. He was the picture of confidence and cheer, and that made her all the more happy. She wondered to herself if maybe she was going crazy. She would not lie; she was an empathetic person, but there was something slightly different about this feeling than the others. A rosy color dusted her cheeks at the very idea, and something in her mind rebelled against the idea her heart was trying to drag up. It was ridiculous, really. Then again, there was something just so right about the whole thing that it just made her whole body feel light. How girly, she chided mentally, still unable to keep herself from smiling brightly and giving the dance her all.

As the song neared its end, Alexandra was left wondering if she and Zander would finish the dance with a flourish or clumsily. At first, it seemed to be the latter, but he was able to correct himself by spinning her close to him in a fluid motion. She seemed slightly surprised when he caught her, even though she was almost sure he would have regardless. She noticed the red blush on his face and she blushed a little herself, though she grinned at him. She reached up to poke his cheek. “Was is something I said?” she teased with a wink. She carefully spun herself out from him, giggling as the pure, white skirt fluttered around her legs. “I’m always entertained by skirts,” she joked, “They’re just so… flowy!” She knew she probably sounded really stupid and flaky, but honestly, for those few moments, she did not care. She was happier than she had been for a while and she was more than happy to beam at him and let her sapphire eyes glitter with cheer and excitement. She giggled a little to herself and spun toward him on her toes, extending her arms to hug him.

In that brief moment of connection, she felt her heart race again. What is the matter with me? she thought to herself, closing her eyes and focusing on the pulse throbbing near her throat, I’m not a gym nut or anything, but I’m not that out of shape either... Deep down, she knew the answer, but her conscious mind refused to acknowledge the answer. She could always deal with her feelings later. She pulled away from the hug after a minute or two and grinned widely at him. “Why, thank you,” she replied with a mock curtsey, “I like to think I’m a pretty good dancer. I can be clumsy, though, so I apologize in advance if I step on your toes during the obligatory slow dance.” She brushed a few strands of light blonde hair from her face, smiling sweetly at him. She tapped her chin playfully, humming softly as she did so. Honestly, she had just been expecting them to dance a little and that was it. Of course, she wanted them to spend more than just a few minutes together, but she really did not have any kind of particular plans. “Well,” she cooed in mock thought, “We have two options. We can dance some more, or we can talk for a bit, then dance some more. I’ll leave it up to you, since I basically dragged you here.” She giggled a little, her sapphire blue eyes glittering with happiness and warmth.