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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 2:50 pm
Just re-posting the old thread! Just a note that this takes place during Smolder's last years at the Academy! Quote: ]
The library was mostly quiet, most of the school having fallen into a quiet lull with winter and the constant roll of classes. Cassie never minded the chatter, but watching the younger Junior before her, she could tell her pupil was looking for any distraction to declare he was done and hop out on their tutoring session. It was almost a game to her to push how long she could get some of these kids to study - she loved to soak up information a first, a second, a tenth time, so it never got boring as she re-affirmed things already stored in her mind. The Litch shifted around again and she smiled softly, ear tufts shifting the slightest. "You're really not obligated to stay if this is torture," she reminded, not wanting to discourage future students despite her mental entertainment. Last thing Cassie needed was being known as the evil tutor who tied you down until you could recite poetry from memory.
Around them a new group settled in but she didn't pay any attention, just tucking her wings closer to her body so they wouldn't get stepped on as she had let them stretch out and droop to the ground. That was probably the only thing she hated about the library, aside from the lack of socialization opportunities - she couldn't sprawl out and occupy three seats without glares of stuffy disapproval. The Litch before her looked sheepish, muttering an apology and a thank you as he began to pack up his studying. "It's okay," the Fallen girl assured her student again. "It's the weekend, go have a little fun," Cassie chuckled warmly.
As he left, she turned to her bag and pulled out one of the dog-eared books she had been carrying around for over a week, the library sticker peeling off the back. Cassie had been too busy to finish it around the rest of her life, but if she was here she might as well finish it anyways so they'd stop hitting her up with late fees. No matter how fast she finished it, she liked some time afterwards to digest and reference it, even if that was two weeks beyond it's due date. Stretching out her stubby legs, her pastel wings fluttered out briefly before settling back in neatly near her shoulders.

A group of about five Nightmares shuffled in to the library, their loud, boisterous voices suddenly turning to whispered hushes as they came through the threshold of the room. A young, tiger-stripped Imp was amongst the Juniors, smiling and laughing with a bubbly demeanor. Behind the group of students was a college-aged Fallen, scanning around the room to see if anything interesting was going on.
Smolder had come to Aten's study group at his request. The group had to do a project on the other schools and Aten had asked Smolder for his help with the research. Smolder had accepted ... but now he wished he hadn't as the proud Fallen was foisted in to the background, made in to nothing more but a shadow.
The children approached a table and sank down in to their chairs and immediately pulled their books and started brainstorming ideas for how to present their Cultural Awareness project, and Smolder could feel himself dozing the minute his rump touched the soft padding of his chair.
Smolder had completely zoned out the voice's around him, quiet as they were, but it wasn't until a pink coloured Fallen stretched her limbs and knocked over Aten's bag under the table that he was suddenly aware of his surroundings quite keenly.
Aten peered down at his toppled over belongings with widened eyes. His expression was half shock, half disbelief. He had been so caught up in his planning he didn't realize he had forgotten to close his bag and had so sloppily left it at his feet.
"U-uhm ... excuse me ... miss?" The Imp leaned himself in, his chest pressed to the table and little claws knitted together in shyness, ears looking extra drooping. "Would you mind ... perhaps giving me a little more leg room? You knocked my things over, and ... well, it's really not that big of a deal. I can just pick them up again. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
Smolder had vaguely heard Aten's words, but the Fallen had been too mesmerized by the pretty pink kin of his sitting adjacent from him to really pay too much attention. His pupils had dilated, his lips soft, smooth and finely curved in smile indicative of his mind wandering, lost in a day dream as he observed her. Smolder had been spending so much time with Aten that he had forgotten how breath taking females could be.


Cassie blinked slowly at first, accidentally putting on more of an 'excuse me?' face as she pulled herself out of her reading. Sometimes her brain got so latched onto information she never noticed anything around her - perfect for crowded cafes but apparently here not so much. Blinking much more rapidly, she glanced under the table. "Oh!" the pastel Fallen stated with some surprise, instantly clutching her wings to her back and scooting her chair away from the table some. "No, no. It's okay, sometimes I don't feel these big ol' dumb things moving around. They got a mind when they want to."
The Imp looked like he had choked on his pride to even say anything, so she slid down onto her knees, reaching to grab the biggest of items and putting them up on the table top. The last thing she wanted was him to clean up her mess. "Don't worry about it," she assured again to the floor this time, grabbing the rest of the supplies closest to her before scooting back up onto her chair and dusting off her dress. It was sort of gross down there. With all her library fines, you would think they could afford to hire a janitor. "Sorry," she stated again, shuffling her chair over so her and Aten were a bit more staggered. Looking to the side and watching herself, she spread her wings casually with a soft giggle. "All better hon."
She was ready to settle back into her reading and leave Aten and his group alone when she suddenly really felt the eyes of the boy beside her. Before it was sort of that embarrassing glow to her cheeks, but now it was really was the uncomfortable 'I'm being watched' chill. Cassie's blue eyes slid sideways, head tilting the slightest and her chin cocking down. The dark-skinned girl put on her usual polite smile, looking to Smolder's face with a few confused yet curious look. "Do you need some room too or?"

The Imp let out a happy little sound when he realized the girl wasn't going to be angry with him for speaking up, and to his surprise the Fallen was even kind enough to promptly help him pick up his things. Of course, he wasn't going to let her pick up all his stuff by herself, and so the boy dropped to he knees with a small thunk and crawled under the table, giving the Fallen girl a goofy little grin as he picked up some of the smaller, more trinket-y possessions that had fallen out of his bag. It was like a switch had gone off. The shy, worried nature of Aten had receded once he felt he understood the situation he was in. There was no reason to not be confident or to be fearful when the person he was dealing with seemed so nice.
"Thank you very much for you help!" The boy yipped, wiggling his way out from under the table fluffy tail first and plunked his belongings back on to the table top with the rest of the things the girl had placed there for him. "I really appreciate it, miss~!" Aten started to neatly pack things back in to his dark teal napsack, humming cheerfully. He lifted his gaze to smile up at the Fallen as she shifted herself to give the both of them more room, to prove he acknowledged the gesture and it was well received, then went back to organizing his backpack and conversing with his friends.
Smolder, on the other hand, had continued to stare at his fellow while she moved under the table. And while any other Nightmare may have had a lecherous expression in place while watching the thick-skirted girl writhe under the table, but his appreciation was of a much subtler kind. Yet not quite so subtle that it didn't elicit the stares of the girl he had been watching. And when it dawned on Smolder that he had been caught so blatantly staring at the poor girl, the hand under his chin dropped and his body lurched forward as he momentarily lost his balance, having been unaware that he had been so stooped over himself.
"D-uuuh-eeer --- NO!! I, uh .... just. Hi!" Hi? Hi!? Was that really all he could manage to say? All he could muster as a response? How pathetic. Even Smolder thought so. Surely the girl would just glare at him and turn away and leave him to his own devices. Right? ... Wouldn't she ... ? Or maybe she would overlook the fact that he was so. Weird. Around girls. Was he weird? Que an internal monologue.
Smolder sighed heavily, one brow arching dramatically as he gave a 'just got caught', nigh sheepish grin. "Er, can I please start again?" Smolder cleared his throat, straightened himself out and flared his wings out in a proud gesture. "M'names Smolder!" he said in his best announcer voice. "And this little Imp here is my little fledgling. His name his Aten! Pleasure to meet yooooou ... ?" It was more a question than anything else. Maybe this way he could at least learn the girl's name.


She didn't pay Aten much mind, letting him go back to his own business without her nosing in. Study materials wasn't something she really wanted to butt into - the last thing she needed was to overwhelm herself by trying to digest twelve things at once, which she had totally tried and failed before even as a Fallen. Her attention was instead drawn on Smolder, her short well-manicured brow rising some as she floundered about.
"No?" Cassie chuckled some, watching the expressions filter across the male's face. "Hello," she parroted back in a slightly confused tone, the look on her own face unreadable as she didn't know how to respond. Was she supposed to be flattered, or was this dude just an air head in his day to day life? As he asked to start again, she gave a small curt nod in approval, ears fluttering the slightest as she listened carefully.
"Okay," the pink-haired Fallen offered with a slight bemused giggle as he announced his name, eyes drifting off to his companion. Was this orange-winged disturbance for real? Boys were always so full of themselves it seemed. "Hello Aten, sorry again," she added in, hoping the Imp had been tuning into their spectacle. Gaze focusing back on the boisterous male, she propped her chin up on a hand, short pink adorned nails resting against the slight dimple there. "My name's Cassie," she stated in as calm as a tone as she could manage, trying not to let on to her confusion or slight discomfort as her heart tried to catch up with the whirlwind. The Fallen pressed the pad of her thumb against her lower lip for a moment. "Let me guess, loud mouth boy too good for stuying right?" Cassie chuckled. "I mean, you're in a library and all without any books."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cassie." The Fallen's wings drooped as he dropped the silly charade, a grin fixed across his lips as he offered her a hand to shake in greeting.
At the mention of his name, Aten turned his head, expression receptively curious as he watched the two with wide, shining eyes, giving a rather feline smile as he nodded towards his new friend Cassie. "It's okay~! I just appreciate your help. It was rather nice of you and you didn't have to. So thank you for being so kind!" The boy's mannerisms were quite juvenile. Not in the 'immature' sort of way, more like someone with a young soul. He wasn't as bad as he used to be, but Aten was nearly brimming over the edge with his excitement at meeting a new person.
Smolder gave a small tut to try and snap Aten out of his manic behavior, and like a well-trained dog, Aten snapped his head away and resumed his work, jotting down the tail end of his classmate's research notes as they were spoken out loud. His peers were starting to grow flustered with Aten's flaky attention span, and one of them--a young Geist girl--even had the gall to glower at Cassie for disrupting their meeting, despite the fact they had been the ones to sit next to her and the Litch student she had originally ben attending to.
Brushing a hand through his fiery bangs, Smolder gave an apologetic grin. "Nah, I came as a sorta chaperon for this lot. They're working on a school project and ... well. Little Aten here doesn't like to go too long without my presence." The Imp heard this and blushed profusely, but didn't turn to look Smolder in the eye. "So I'm stickin' around to offer my assistance to their work when I can. Good assumption tho, at any rate! Not too far off, tho! Less loud-mouth, less too-good, but on the right track!" his sarcasm was intended to be of the friendly sort, the kind used between good friends. It hadn't dawned on him just yet that it might not be well received.


A pleasure. Okay. Cassie chuckled some to herself, surveying the third in their conversation. It was true, Aten did come off as a little young but sometimes she had to remember she was still at the Academy, finishing off the last bits of her schooling before she head to the University like the rest. Plenty of her fellow classmates seemed leagues younger than her these days. She quirked a bright smile as the Imp thanked her again, folding her arms on the table instead as she looked back to the Fallen boy. The Geist's distaste rolled off of her without a second thought, but she did catch the impatient look. Cassie's fault was being social anywhere.
"Poor souls," she quipped in dry humor at the chaperon comment, though didn't doubt some form of attachment between them all - Aten seemed very in tune with Smolder's actions and personality. At his next string of comments, she ducked her head slightly, eyes not quite focusing anywhere as she snorted a bit plainly again. "If that's what you call it," Cassie assured him, not quite sold on the 'not a completely arrogant man' idea the other Fallen was trying to sell her.
Licking her lips, she looked to the five younger Nightmares before them. "It seems your ducklings aren't getting very far," she observed a tad quieter in a bit more private tone. "Maybe you should help get them back on track." While it was flattering to have someone paying her direct attention, Cassie felt slightly awkward. Boy, he had a strong personality didn't he? That and they were in essence complete strangers. While loud and open, she wasn't about to span 19 years of her life right here in the library with this unknown Fallen character.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 3:05 pm
Smolder suckled a tooth, pausing for a brief moment to look at Cassie, then amiably gestured to Aten and his group of fellow Juniors, shrugging a shoulder with a challenging smile in place on his lips. "Well, if you think you can get them back on track, I'm more than willing to step aside and let you whip 'em in to shape." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, as if trying to tease her in to action. Meanwhile, Aten stared at the two side-long, trying to hide behind his open book, vibrant teal-blue eyes staring out from the pages he was flipping through. The book was a history on one of the universities they were studying about and the surrounding areas. It was a fairly dry read, making it hard for Aten to focus. But the two Fallen sitting next to him chattering made it even harder, and as he furrowed his brows together he silently hoped the two would either help or leave. Normally Aten wouldn't want Smolder to leave, but the Imp was feeling rather excluded, but was too timid to speak up about it, and so was trying to at least pretend to be absorbed in his homework.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:47 pm

Cassie raised a brow, turning the attitude something close to 50% maximum sass. The Fallen was easy to get going, only because she loved being social, and unless the conversation turned rather crass or heated, she had no issues in keeping going. "I whip young and immature minds into tip-top shape as a job, I think you ought to watch yourself Romeo," she warned with tease, not even really noticing the study group beside them yet. "For Aten's sake," Cassie tacked on, pulling down the ends of her sleeves.
The pink-haired girl kicked her legs out under the table briefly, wings splaying in the open aisle behind her before tucking away comfortably once more. Nose held high, she flipped her book back to open with a single hand, using the other to prop up her face. She didn't get very far though, still giving Smolder a slightly challenging look over the yellow, dog-eared pages of her text. Suddenly she snorted to herself before trying to seriously reinvest in her reading.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:18 am
Smolder pursed his lips a little, watching as the Fallen girl resumed her reading. He didn't want to leave the conversation there. Not on that note. So the Fallen boy sat back in his chair and stretched his arms out with an intentionally loud yawn to try and get her attention, glancing at her mid-yawn to see if she was looking before shutting his mouth and speaking up.
"Yunno," Smolder started. "I'm just Aten and his gang could use a good whipin' if yer up fer the task. Know what I'm sayin'?"
'Know what I'm saying?' well, that was sure to make things hella awkward. Good job, Smolder. Always saying the weirdest things at the most uncalled for times. What if she took that to mean a sexual innuendo. Or, or ... no, he was just trying to be silly.
The panic from what he had just said was apparent in his widened sky blue eyes. It you could hear someone sweating nervously, Smolder would have been heard by the person across the room as his heart throbbed in his throat.
"I mean -- like -- yunno. FOR BOOKS, FOR GRADES. Not like. WHOOPA!" Smolder shouted loudly his poor excuse for a whip cracking, doing the hand motion that went along with it before being shushed by several nightmares around them, causing Smolder to wince. "Oopsa ... ?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:37 am

While she put her nose back to her book, her attention really didn't drift away from Smolder. She watched him flounder, her worn-out book slowly lowering to the table. She really hadn't taken it that way, but it was good to know where the firey-haired Fallen kept his head. Cassie remained quiet in her silent amusement, closing her book completely and letting it drop to the table. She glanced over her shoulder towards some of the sushers, a noticeable smile on her lips as she dimpled at the corners trying to choke back her laughter.
"What is it you want?" she asked in a half whisper, trying to keep her giggles down as she leaned forward onto her elbows. This boy was trying way too hard. "I think your game of charades is getting a little distracting." It was all in good nature, and there wasn't a hint of annoyance in her voice. Well, except for the fact she couldn't afford to get kicked out of the library again with some of her exams so close - no matter how much she begged, they were rather firm about keeping her out while her privileges were revoked.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:09 pm
 Smolder pressed his lips tightly together, or at least that's what it felt like. Instead, a goofy expression spread across his lips, his lower lip looking a bit pudgier and puffed out as he blinked at the other fallen lucidly.
"Weeeelll ... " he began slowly, sinking back in his chair, back sliding down his back rest as he averted his clear blue eyes. "I just. Well. If I'm bein' frank," he swallowed hard. "Yer awful pretty. And I mean. I could sit here and continue to make a complete putz of myself until I get us kicked out, but ... yer. Yah, yer pretty ... and ... WOULD -- would you. Like to maybe get. A drink with me. Sometime. Somewhere. Like. Not an illegal alcoholic beverage or anything. But like. A slurpy-slurp juice or. Tea. I dunno. Whatever you drink?"
Smolder's cheeked flushed a tomato red as he started to look a bit pouty. He could hear how much of a fool of himself he was making, and how ridiculous he sounded. But he couldn't stop the verbal diarrhea from happening.
Aten, having once again gotten distracted from his project by Smolder's floundering, leaned over to whisper as his mentor, "Should we ... leave you two alone, Smolder ... ?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:34 pm

Cassie raised a brow, lips firmly together in thought. This was a new situation before. She wasn't sure she had ever been approached, let alone in this goofy manner. Many people gave her a wide berth because, as she was aware, she was slightly obnoxious when she wanted to be. Her mouth fell open slightly, and she too slid her eyes elsewhere, wings fidgeting in place before she snapped them tight against her back.
"I really like tea," she decided on a bit slowly, looking back to Smolder. Cassie was trying to remain composed, something she was usually good at, but this was all a bit sudden. But not unwanted. "But I drink other things too," the pink-haired Nightmare teased, a small nervous smile on her lips. Leaning over in her chair, Cassie dug around in the book bag she brought for an index card. With tight, girlish handwriting, she wrote her room number on top but kept it in her hands, folding it slightly towards herself.
Her eyes slid to Aten, looking apologetic. Setting the notecard in her lap for the moment, she began to gather her things up. Awkwardly, Cassie realized that again she was in the library, and of all things, being propositioned. "Hallway," she stated simply, indicating over her shoulder towards the entrance of the library. Cassie quashed the card in her hand, smiling brightly at Smolder before heading for the doors, wings still rustling against her back as she tried to contain what was bubbling around in her stomach.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:52 pm
 Aten's slouched forward, shoulders sinking and ears looking extra droopish as he hung his head low, peering up at his seniors as they exchanged their words. Aten ... didn't want to believe what he was hearing, but kept quiet and just ... observed as Cassie got to her feet and started to head out of the room.
The Imp slowly moved back to his study group and slowly, gently rested his book back on the table instead of hiding behind it, keeping his sidelong glance on his friend as one of the other students he was with continued on with their rabble.
Smolder's heart was slamming excitedly in his chest. He had watched Cassie get to her feet and had twisted about in his chair, hands gripping the top of his seat lie iron welded to the wood. His eyes were wide, as if in shock that she seemed receptive after his completely amateur display, and after Cassie was half way out of the room, Smolder whipped around and scrambled to gather up his school bag and hopped to his feet. It was too soon to give her a feather, right? No, save that for later! For now, he just needed to hallway! Oh, glorious hallway!
"I'll catch up with you later!" Smolder had leaned in to whisper in one of Aten's long ears before darting off after Cassie in a hop-fun. Aten's mouth twisted in to a small, begrudging frown as he watched Smolder run off, but he said nothing as his friend disappeared from view.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:21 pm

Cassie held the door open behind her, turning the lightest to watch Smolder gallop through the lobby. She shook her head the slightest, barely a swivel as she moved out of the way to let him through. As the door firmly closed, sealing their conversation from the quiet of the lobby, the Fallen girl immediately lifted a finger. "You're a dork," she stated firmly but it wasn't with malice, looking down to her notecard before holding it out to Smolder. "And I don't think randomly propositioning girls you don't know is very conventional as I know little about you," the pink haired girl continued on a long breath. "But take this. It's my room number, it's easiest to find me there." A small smile appeared on her lips. If he was here in the Academy's library, he had to go here, right?
"If you can promise me it won't be too scandalous, I'll toss my common sense and catch a drink with you," the bibliophile informed, voice still soft and sort of neutral. Wow, she was holding it together. Good. Cassie pushed back her short hair, smiling a little. "And by not scandalous, I mean just getting coffee and having a chat. Not whatever else is in your head," she teased, wings relaxing behind her. Her light blue eyes trailed down the empty path, lips pursing for a moment. "Though I've always wanted to sneak out and do something after hours."
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:31 pm
'You're a dork,' was the first thing Smolder heard as the door of the library closed behind him and he stood facing Cassie. His wings flared a little, having not expected to be called any sort of name, though he was sure it wasn't undeserved. It just caught him a little bit off-guard. But her tone of voice wasn't mean, so he didn't take offense.
Smolder hadn't realize how close he had been standing next to Cassie and shifted his body weight away to give her some more personal space to be in, only to have a card handed to him. His wings relaxed as he scanned the card, and a small, for once normal looking smile spread across his lips. His mood shifted, a little more serious now as he lifted his gaze to look up at her.
"Thank you," he said quietly, tucking the card away some place safe. "I shall keep it safe ... and I promise you, I won't do anything 'scandalous' unless I have your say-so otherwise. A simple coffee would actually be quite nice. I know I must have come off strong, and ... a bit weird, but ... I couldn't help myself."
Smolder noticed her eyes drift, and he followed her gaze with his own to watch down the empty hall. At her words, his lips curved in to a diabolic smirk, and he leaned in once more to whisper, "How about tonight, then?" he asked in a low,interested voice. "Could be fun.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:41 pm

She snorted, a little air out her nose. Yes, he did come on a little strong but Cassie was taking it as a compliment until she had a reason to believe otherwise. She hadn't ever really had someone so interested in her. The Fallen nodded a little, accepting his apologies. She was happy he took the card without complaint and silently she wished she had a better way to communicate with others.
The pink-haired Senior hummed in consideration, fingers wrapping around the strap of her book bag. "I am supposed to be studying," she informed, always conscious of her grades, so she took a moment to ponder further. Her blue eyes traveled over Smolder. "Okay, tonight," she agreed in the same low tone. "Do you have a place I could meet you? I don't think you'd be able to wander into my dorm unnoticed." Her expression was bright, pink fingernails sliding over the texture of her canvas strap. Ooh, she was the one who suggested this. Why was she suddenly nervous about the rules? Live a little Cassie. She was so close to graduation, she almost deserved having a little rule-breaking fun. The worst that could happen was it went in her permanent notes next to her library fines.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 6:29 pm
 Smolder glanced over his shoulder one way, then the other before dropping his voice to a whisper. "I can meet you at the back of the Academy?" he spoke softly. "We can get out through the back without being seen ... just go out your window and glide down to the ground level. It's safe, it's quiet. It'll be fun!"
Smolder stepped backwards a few steps, a small smirk in place. "I shall see you tonight, then, fair maiden!" Blowing a kiss, Smolder turned around re-entered the library without another word to re-join the group of Juniors he was supposed to be attending, closing the door gently behind him. (( What do you say we end this RP on your next post, turn it in for points, and then RP their sneaking out in a new thread? c: ))
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 6:37 pm

Cassie raised a perfectly plucked brow, considering this. Her roommates were decently solid sleepers, but she wasn't sure she could truly slip without being noticed. She wasn't close enough to them to really boy gossip either, so telling them of her plans with Smolder was sort of silly. "Back of the Academy," Cassie echoed, making up her mind on the spot. She wanted to do this, she wasn't going to let her reservations hold her back. Her wings spread to half-span, a smile gracing her plump limps before they closed. "Your lucky you picked someone with wings," she teased, pushing her hair back again.
Cassie let Smolder step back, rolling her eyes high into her head as he blew a kiss. Okay, maybe this would fizzle out to be just a funny story to tell someday, but she was excited. She gripped her strap even tighter before patting herself down, sucking in a breath before turning and heading back to her dorm. What did you even wear to sneaking out dates? Was sneaking out even considered a date? Fixing her hair again, Cassie set off to rile through the entirety of her wardrobe.
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