High & Dry ~Bryce

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Maddie was at the ball by herself, which was a little sad. She would have definitely wanted to go with Lyn, but she had found out that he was already going with Katrina Bayne, to her disappointment. She didn't know what that meant, whether it meant they were together, or just going as friends, or something else entirely, but it bothered her as she had wanted him to ask her to the ball instead.

So far tonight she had already gone out on the boat ride to try to get away from the dance floor for a while, because the dance floor was pretty much couples central. She had had a nice chat to a Hufflepuff girl on the boat ride, which had improved her night a bit, and now she was feeling a bit more positive about things. She had chatted to a lot of friends since then and danced with a few of her girl friends, and had also had a few glasses of punch, which had happened to be spiked. It was at this point when she spotted Lyn on his own - where was Katrina? She didn't know, but she wanted to go up and chat to him, and maybe convince him to dance with her. She smiled as she approached him. "Hey, Lyn. Where's your lady friend?" she asked him, hoping to get a read on what their 'relationship' looked like by his response.

@bryce

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Maddie was a bit surprised by his look of surprise - surely he remembered who he was going to the ball with? It seemed like it was only a last minute thought when he remembered her. "Yes, of course her, silly. Who else? She was your date, right?" she asked expectantly. She was surprised that they seemed to have not spent much time together so far at the ball, apart from dancing earlier. Maybe they weren't so close after all? "Anyway, are you having fun? You didn't like you were doing much, hiding off to one corner like that. Are you trying not to be noticed?" she asked perceptively. Maddie was particularly sharp at reading other people's emotions and feelings. "This is a ball, you're supposed to be having... well, a ball," she said, giggling a little at her joke. "Come on, dance with me," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the dance floor before he could reply.

@bryce

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Maddie smiled a little at his comment about punch and pretzels, and then at his comment about not seeing a need to stand out. Maddie liked to stand out, she liked to be noticed and to be around lots of people. It was clear her and Lyn were quite different people but that didn't deter her from him at all. She just laughed about it as she pulled him out towards the dance floor.

It wasn't the alcohol getting to her, although she was on a bit of a buzz - this was quite like the way she would act at any time, really. She liked to be spontaneous and do things on the fly, but she also was raised knowing what was proper and ladylike. As such, none of the things she did were totally outrageous or would be frowned upon, but she did have a fun spirit about her. "Oh yes, the quadrille," she said as she saw three other couples come out to join them. "I do know it, yes," she commented as they took up their position. She enjoyed dancing... pretty much anything involving music, really. They were soon moving in the well-practiced steps, and she admired his knowledge and precision of the dance.

@bryce

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The dance was very enjoyable - Maddie always enjoyed dancing, particularly the structured ones that she had learnt when she was young. There was something particularly beautiful about them. When the dance ended, they stayed out on the dance floor and moved into a slow dance, and she smiled as he complimented her. "You do, too. You're very precise with your movements, it's impressive," she admitted warmly. She looked at him with a curious expression when he moved his hands from her waist, and she beamed when he placed a crown of flowers on her head. They were beautiful. "Thankyou, Lyn. I love them," she said softly. She was definitely starting to feel more attached to him.

She smiled again at his words about her not being the type to adore crowns and regalia. He was right about that, although there was a part of her that liked to be treated as a princess. Still, a crown of flowers kind of did that, and made her feel special. "Well, diamonds are nice too... but I do love the flowers," she commented, laughing a little and looking up at him with eyes sparkling.

@bryce

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Maddie laughed lightly at his joke about diamonds being heavy. "Right, I suppose that settles it, then - flowers it is," she agreed. "Plus, flowers have more colours, so I like them," she decided happily. As he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up at him again - an act like that seemed quite forward, actively trying to touch her - and she took that to mean that he might have an interest in her as well, which made her smile quite excitedly. She was surprised by how attached she was becoming to him, and part of her tried to hold herself back so that she wouldn't get hurt, but she could feel herself liking him more and more so far.

His compliment only furthered that feeling and she gave a bright-eyed smile. "Thankyou! And my night has been quite good. Not having a date has given me a bit more freedom, in some ways, I suppose, so it's not all bad. I got to chat with some of my girl friends more, and got to come and dance with you, too, which is a bonus," she said happily. "How are you finding the night?" When he patted her on the head, she looked at him curiously, wondering what that action meant. It was a little strange, but she didn't fret too much over it.

@bryce