AU: If You Feel It (Kiara)

[Tanner Larson]

The past few days had been a whirlwind.

Since arriving to the Hammel Institute just the previous week, Tanner had been brought almost frantically from place to place. The new arrival on campus, everyone was fascinated by him, and he found everything just as new and exciting. Over the past few days, he'd met his roommate, Michael, who introduced him to several of their classmates, had taken his first classes and met with his trainer, and had explored most of the campus (that is, the areas where students were allowed). It was a beautiful campus, though Tanner had to admit he was still feeling a bit trepidacious about the whole thing: he was used to living at home in New Jersey with his parents, and this sudden change in scenery and lifestyle - while very much needed for the stalled teen - was jarring to say the least.

He missed home. It was difficult to admit aloud, but he really did long to see his mother and father again. When the carriage had taken off from his home, taking him for the first time in his life away from home longterm, the blonde was hopeful that perhaps this was just a temporary change. But now nearly ten days into the experience, he was starting to think he might never see his dear mother and father again. It was heartbreaking, but after that inexplicable fire ravaged their kitchen - thankfully sparing most of the rest of the house - it was clear that he needed help reining in his abilities.

Perhaps this was for the best, though he wasn't quite sure how just yet.

It was a beautiful, uncharacteristically warm March day that Tanner found himself out in the courtyard. Students and faculty alike were bustling about on their way to and from class and training sessions, but Tanner, having left his last class for the day, was in no hurry. He rarely got the chance to spend much time outside - dilly-dallying was frowned upon at the Institute - so it was a nice break from things. The boy wore a dark collared shirt and freshly-pressed pair of khaki pants. His blonde hair was, as it always was, neatly spiked upwards, a brown leather bag slung casually over one shoulder. It was a classic, though fairly dull, look, but it suited him well.

As he made his way down the cobblestone path, the boy grew distracted by his own mind. There were a lot of people around, and just as he had found himself doing upon his first arrival, he started to wonder what their stories were. What powers did they have? How long had they been there? Where were they from? Did they miss their families as well?

It was in the middle of these questions, when his head was tilted away from his direct path to observe a group of students, that Tanner bumped abruptly, and rather harshly, into someone.

"Oh..." he stuttered, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'm..." He paused as soon as his eyes met the other person's. It was a girl - a beautiful girl. There were many females at Hammel, though he rarely saw much of them. But this... this was like a vision from above. She was blonde, from what he could see of the hair spilling out of her bonnet, and her blue eyes looked anxiously into his. She had a long, slender figure, and her skin looked smooth and soft. "Please forgive me. I hadn't seen you there."

[Deleted]

Why it was frowned upon to stroll at a relaxing pace, Kiara had no idea. She was fond of taking her time, of simply gazing up at the sky and to find shapes in the clouds above. Aunty did not encourage this behavior though. Her constant fear of being watched and for punishment to fall upon them made her even more protective of the blonde girl than she was already. That’s what made this day just like any other. Kiara had her head dipped back ever so slightly, a soft smile gracing delicate features, having full faith that Mrs. Jannison would make sure she did not bump into someone or something. She could not have been any more wrong.

Without any warning given, the young woman found herself out of balance, stumbling backwards, only merely able to herself from greeting the ground, and completely caught off guard. The bonnet on top of her blonde curls threatened to slip off, in turn being of the most concern as she corrected it, only to straighten herself again afterwards. It was not until a voice – a male voice for that matter- reached her ears that blue optics drifted ahead to settle on him, awaiting for him to finish the sentence he had started.

And while he did this, eyes momentarily lingered to take in the handsome features of the boy in front of her. Never had she gotten a chance to actually observe from this close, which also caused her to find the current situation quite intriguing. His voice snapped her back to reality though, and guilt struck for he had no fault in this.

”Oh no,” the young woman spoke up, yet with a quiet tone of voice. ”The fault is all mine.” Aunty would agree with that. How many times had she told the girl to not get distracted by something as useless as a cloud.

”My sincere apologies.” Head bend forward slightly to express her regret, and also respect at the same time.

[Tanner Larson]

The young woman's voice rose up delicately, almost like that of an angel. Tanner strained to hear her words - though there were many other students and faculty in the courtyard, it suddenly seemed as though they were the only two beings there - and shook his head firmly when she apologized. "Not at all," he stated, lifting a hand as though to decline her regrets.

After saying this, the boy took a moment to discreetly drink in the woman's appearance. She had a delicate frame, was modestly dressed, and her hair was mostly hidden under a hat of some kind. Yet still, the blue-eyed boy could tell that this girl was quite beautiful. Tanner did not know much about girls: he had been fairly sheltered as a boy, and now just a young man of eighteen years, he had 'discovered' the opposite sex only a few years before being transferred to an institution at which interaction between the genders was rare if ever. The sudden intrusion of this girl into his personal space, then, was most welcome, and he found it difficult to take his eyes off of her.

Remembering his manners after a temporary lapse, he quickly wiped his hand on his khaki pants before extending it towards the stranger. "I'm Tanner," he introduced himself, attempting to make his voice sound as confident as possible despite his unease. A student who had attended Hammel longer would have known to simply walk away at that moment, lest he fall into trouble for trying to talk to a girl. Tanner was somewhat aware of this rule, but it was not on his mind now. This girl - he had to know her. He just had to.

[Deleted]

This young man was definitely a stunning appearance. Kiara felt even more like a retard for not having kept an eye on where she was going, mainly because it had completely blown the first impression. It should not be something that the girl was worried about though. After all, interactions between the opposite sexes was practically forbidden. No further communication should take place after apologies had slipped past their lips. The look on Aunty Helga’s face confirmed and approved of that plan, but she had not considered the possibility of the guy judging it to be appropriate to introduce himself to her charge.

It did catch Kiara off guard as blue eyes fell to the extended hand. The frown made it come across as if she had no idea what that gesture meant, but of course it only appeared on her face because she knew that it would not be right to reach forward. Being one to listen to her heart, however, her hand reluctantly reached towards his. It caused her heart to beat in her throat and for a funny feeling to fill her belly, strengthening it even more as fingertips just barely came in contact with Tanner’s palm. Before a decent enough grip was established, however, Aunty Helga interfered by placing her hand on Kiara’s lower arm, pulling it back from making the contact.

“We must get going, child.” If Tanner did not know better, a little glare might have been shot in his direction. Aunty Helga did not appreciate how he was putting her charge in danger by attempting to socialize with her. Without further ado, not accepting any objection, she kept her hand on Kiara’s lower arm and gave it a little tug before they were walking away from the blonde guy. Ki, however, did manage to cast a quick glance over her shoulder, almost giving him a yearning look.

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner's eyes were fixated on this strange girl's hand as it made its way cautiously out towards his. The young man was perhaps unaware of the significance of this moment, cognizant of the fact that physical contact of any kind between students of the opposite gender were simply unacceptable at this institution, but those thoughts having been pushed to the back of his mind as forcefully as he had pushed into this girl only moments before.

Whether it was a spark or just his own nerves that caused him to stir when their fingers just barely touched, Tanner wasn't sure. But the sensation was quite short-lived, as the girl was suddenly being pulled away from him. He hadn't seen this older woman before, but evidently she had some sort of authority over the girl, as the blonde was obeying her, if perhaps grudgingly). He gulped, hoping he wouldn't be in trouble for what he had done, though it seemed this woman was more concerned with fleeing the situation than reporting it. His eyes followed the two figures as they retreated to the other end of the courtyard.

"What was that?" The voice of Michael, Tanner's roommate, came up behind him; evidently the other man had witnessed this encounter and had approached as the girl in question was departing.

"Who was that, is the question," Tanner corrected, finally turning away from the direction of the girl's departure. "I must know who she is."

"It's best to forget about her," Michael cautioned. "No good can come from anything like that. You know the rules."

"Yeah..." Tanner agreed defeatedly. He wasn't convinced, however, choosing to keep his own intentions to himself for now.

((Perhaps we skip from here to the masquerade scene? Maybe a post or two showing them getting ready and setting up that they've been thinking about each other since then?))

[Deleted]

“Tonight you will have an amazing time!” Aunty Helga’s voice filled the room as her slender fingers raked through her charge’s blonde curls. While they had the natural habit of falling into place, the older woman wanted every single strand to be perfect and therefore opted to help fluff them slightly. Kiara was seated on the middle of her bed. Her head lightly bend down with blue eyes focused on how hands fumbled with the fabric of the pink and green gown being worn. It wasn’t what occupied her mind though. Instead she kept thinking about the blonde young man who she had met on the courtyard around two weeks ago. Would he be at the masquerade ball tonight? Would she recognize him? Would be even want her to?

Being all excited, almost as if it were her own ball, Aunty was oblivious to the feelings of Kiara. She simply figured that the girl was nervous and that this led to the silence haunting the round tower room. It was clear that the woman relived all her memories through the blonde. With a small beautiful tiara in her hands, Aunty moved around to the other side of the bed, perfectly locating it upon Ki’s head as an incredibly proud smile came to grace her lips. “Perfect!”

With a little forced smile, Kiara looked up and took the purple mask that lay next to her in both hands. Of course this was soon followed by Aunty Helga who began to coo about how she had nothing to worry about and that, technically, people would not even know who she was (the blonde curls were usually hidden by a bonnet).

Kiara did nod… unable to tell the truth about what made her feel upset. She feared for disappointment to hit. Hope had been high the last couple of days.

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner was looking at his reflection in the mahogany-framed mirror that hung from the wall of his room. By most standards, the young man looked good, but he wasn't happy with it. He felt he needed to look exceedingly perfect if he was going to impress his mysterious maiden that evening at the ball. Unbeknownst to him, the woman in question was thinking the exact same thing at that moment.

The blonde wore a black suit and shirt with a necktie of deep red that stood out brilliantly against the dark material of the button-down. His blonde hair was spiked up with mousse, and he held in his hands a red mask - the same color as his tie, as it turned out - which he would affix to his face once he got to the bill. The young man, who was normally fairly confident, was nearly quaking at the knees. His roommate, Michael, who already had his mask on, approached him.

"Are you excited?" the brunette asked, lips spreading into a toothy grin. "Perhaps we'll find some girls to entertain ourselves with for the evening."

Tanner attempted to return the smile. "Perhaps..." he repeated, giving a small nod. He wasn't interested in finding 'some girl,' though: he had one particularly girl he was after, and he was determined to find her. Even if it took all night, and even if it was frowned upon, he would do everything in his power to find... well, he didn't even know her name, which was what made this so difficult. He had spent the past several days searching for clues - asking his friends if they knew of anyone with a governess, or who wore bonnets, he had even scouted out the courtyard once or twice around the same time of day as their fateful collision - but to no avail.

"Let's depart," Tanner said finally, placing the mask against his eyes and adjusting it so that he could see. He didn't want to be late and miss an opportunity of catching a glimpse of the women he sought after.

[Deleted]

Aunty Helga took a step back and inspected her charge one last time before giving an approving now. “Are you certain you do not wish for me to accompany you? Some boys may act inappropriate and that’s when I could step in.” Her eyes filled with concern now and actual wrinkles appeared on Helga’s forehead. The second Kiara offered an appreciative smile, along with shaking her head, features softened again. Who was she kidding? The blonde student deserved this chance to prove her responsibility and to actually live her life for once. Having a governess around would limit that freedom and for her to explore her own limits. Perhaps it would be a good thing for her to experience the world without someone around to soften the blows.

“I am sure you’re ready for this.” She eventually decided after Kiara had rose from the bed. Hands briefly squeezed her charge’s upper arms before Aunty had to force herself to let go. She was becoming emotional, and the pride did not help. “Be safe.” Was the last thing Kiara heard the older woman muse before she departed her room and down the many staircases to where the masquerade ball took place.

Magnificent gowns and neat suits were dotted all over the place. Faces hidden behind masks while music and chatter filled the room. Kiara felt slightly uncomfortable while descending the staircase that led down to the see of moving bodies. Or perhaps it was merely an anxious feeling? Afraid to not spot Tanner, scared that he might not have shown up. Maybe he had already found another girl who he might have recognized her in.

Hopes shouldn’t be this high. Still, it did not eliminate the feeling of not wanting to be approached by other men.

[Tanner Larson]

There were hundreds of people there at the annual Hammel Institute Co-Educational Masquerade Ball. Many were dancing, but others were standing off to the side, talking or enjoying the refreshments. All of them wore masks, making the sea of strangers almost frightful to anyone not accustomed to such an occasion. On the opposite side of this gigantic room, Tanner Larson stood beside his roommate, a bright red mask shrouding his appearance.

“I know she’s here, Michael,” he stated, eyes darting this way and that behind the mask. “I just have to find her.”

“It’s no use,” the other boy replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He had been listening to Tanner prattle on about this girl for several minutes now (after several days of bringing her up time after time), and it was growing tiresome. “There are half a million girls here, all wearing masks. What are the chances-“

The boy was hushed by Tanner’s hand lifting into the air to silence him. For there, on the stairs, was the girl Tanner had been searching for for over two weeks.

“That’s her, Michael,” Tanner breathed. “I know it. I would recognize her anywhere, masked or not.” A wide grin stretched across his face. “My God, isn’t she beautiful?”

Michael looked up as well, noting the appearance of the young woman wearing a pink and green dress; he couldn’t disagree. “You’re sure that’s her?”

“Positive.”

The brunette smirked, slapping Tanner on the back. “Then what are you waiting for?” He asked jovially. “Go to her!” Frankly, he was most pleased to no longer hear his companion go on about her now that she had been spotted.

Tanner did just as his friend instructed, making his way through the masses towards the girl, who was getting lower and lower on the stairs. Just before he reached her, though, a strong hand came down on his shoulder.

Turning, he came face to face with a different young woman. Though he could not see her face, her long brown hair, slender figure, and smooth, fair skin were most enticing.

But as gorgeous as she may have been, she was not the one Tanner was looking for, and that disqualified her immediately.

“May I help you?” He asked, trying to be polite without inviting further conversation: he felt he had no time to lose.

“A dance,” purred this strange woman, pulling the young man into her grasp. Her voice was deep, sultry, seductive. Tanner could not rightly say no, and so he merely consented, determining he would give her one dance, keep his eyes on Kiara, and slip away as soon as he was able.

[Deleted]

Kiara did not feel overly comfortable while descending the staircase. It was why her gaze stared straight ahead, avoiding the eyes that probably lingered like they would usually do when a new person entered the room. The fact that hardly anyone knew her in the first place sadly enough didn’t limit those feelings. Luckily it did not take her too long to reach the bottom of the stairs and she felt more relieved at the prospect of moving through the sea of people without drawing as many attention anymore.

What the blonde had not expected was to be approached from the bat. And it was not by Tanner. This person had short hair as well, but it was dark and his features came nowhere near the blonde’s. That did not necessarily mean that he wasn’t handsome though, because he was… except that this man was not the one she had been looking for.

When he asked for a dance, Kiara could not object. How incredibly rude would that have been? And it was so unlady-like as well. It was why slender fingers settled in Jackson’s palm before he guided her to an available spot on the dance floor. While his hands settled on Ki’s waist, hers rested upon his shoulders. At the same time she used the moment to scan the room in search for Tanner, absentmindedly nodding and providing brief replies whenever Jackson spoke up.

[Tanner Larson]

Tanner was determined to give this strange woman - who was likely very attractive but certainly not the one he wanted - one dance, and one alone. As soon as the song that had been playing was finished, he gave the girl a polite bow before essentially leaving her in the dust. It was nothing personal, nor intentionally malicious, but the simple fact was that she was not his elusive blonde, and that immediately disqualified her.

Weaving his way through the crowd, he found it more difficult to locate his prize than he'd hoped: he had just seen her on the staircase, but suddenly she was gone. Or perhaps right there, hidden in plain sight amidst hundreds of moving bodies all disguised for the evening.

But then he saw her. That pink and green dress he'd memorized on one glance alone, the blonde hair done up just perfectly... yes, this was her. But she was with another man, and that simply would not do. Gathering all of his courage, he inserted himself into their space just as the next song was starting to play, giving the man a brief look before turning towards the girl.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, trying not to sound as earnest as he felt. It was entirely possible that he would end up making a fool of himself, should this girl be more interested in her current suitor than in the random boy she'd knocked into in the courtyard two weeks ago - should she even remember who he was or recognize him with a mask on. But he had to take that chance. If he didn't at least try, he would never be able to live with himself.

[Deleted]

The song during which Jackson praised the Lord for this opportunity might only last a couple of minutes, but to Kiara it felt like an eternity. That by itself was never a good sign nor feeling, yet she could not get herself to express this too obviously to the dark-haired male. How impolite would that be? The blonde even managed to keep a soft smile gracing her lips, even when Jackson began to prod the conversation in a more personal direction. Apparently he had spotted her on the courtyard before, along with Aunty Helga. Kiara wasn’t one to lie, so she confirmed this and participated with reactions. At least until Jackson took it too far.

His reasoning was that he had seen the blonde already, and therefore there was no point in keeping the mask on. The girl declined, but Jackson opted to reach up anyway. In turn Kiara’s hand shot up from his shoulder, blocking him from reaching for that which hid her identity. He did not appear to be too pleased, but at least the hint was taken. The minute after that just made the situation even more unpleasant for the man began to judge her. He wanted to gain information on whether or not she would be in his company for the rest of the evening. Her vague answer about being with someone already highly displeased him and an accusation of interacting with the opposite gender was thrown at her in the end. At that point she also grew aware of how his grip on her waist had sunk down to her hips, and the fact that he hold on tighter than before.

And then, almost as if it was all meant to be, Tanner made his appearance.

Kiara’s first reaction was to mentally heave a deep sigh. How was she ever going to have a chance at locating the blonde man if others were constantly approaching her?! Either way, anything would be better than sharing another dance with Jackson. It’s why her mouth opened before blue eyes had even settled on Tanner. “I-“ was all she managed to get out though.

Words were stuck in her throat and instead a genuine smile settled on the girl’s lips. Hands more than eagerly slipped off of Jackson’s shoulder and she tried to turn to Tanner as calm as possibly. In reality her heart was racing, but at least she managed to keep up her lady-like behavior. “It would be my honor.” Kiara mused with a little dip of the head before slender fingers reached out to rest in his palm. If possible, the sparks running through her veins were even stronger than back when they had come across each other at the courtyard.