"Nah, they're going to lose points probably for not following the dress code appropriately. See?" He points out as Max is immediately accosted by one of the dance chaperones who clearly doesn't appreciate the scandalous amount of skin she's showing off.
"Let's go and get those pictures taken, then we can go meet up with the rest of the crew - though I kind of want to take a round to talk to people. There's a lot of cool costumes. Stuff I don't really recognize," He admits. "Plus, the more people who see us in costume together, the more likely they'll want to vote for us as Best Couple!"
With that, he leads the way to photo station, wanting to get some cute photos of the two of them in the spooky forest, hoping to be able to use his prop vine to the fullest.
"Heyyy Adora," Connie said, sidling up behind Femms in a slightly distressed suit in precise disarray.
"So, I'm gonna need a picture, but do you wanna dance first? Less sexy than the club. Not not-sexy, (like you could do not-sexy), but... well it's a Y7 show. And they'd spray me with water."
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Percy is fine with the presentation of their entrance, his naturally pale complexion egged on by the addition of some light make-up, the false fangs in his mouth are quite a bit larger than Max's though that can be chalked up to the market of men's outfits to women's. He relishes in the spotlight for just a moment before sweeping his cape to one side and allowing the crowd to feast their attention on Max.
While they were busy ogling and also nagging her, he worked to pin his cape slightly so that it hung more like a capelet and didn't get too dirty from being stepped on, the vibrant red underside contrasting with the ruddy dark reds of the rest of the trimmings on the outfit. His hair was sprayed and slicked back with black temporary dye. He forewent the contacts that came with the costume, and wore a nice dark red accented suit underneath the flowing cape.
After being notably berated by the chaperones, Percy stepped to his partner for the ball, "Well hope they don't have too many complaints about the outfit, we just stepped in.You look great by the way" He laughed lightly and then looked for the others, not immediately seeing them due to the flurry of bystanders and also the costumes. "Shall we drink my dearest?" Percy playfully offers his arm to Max to lead her towards the punchbowl once the chaperone is done 'assessing' her costume.
Max rolls her eyes but complies with the request, adjusting her outfit to be only slightly less revealing. She smiles at Percy's compliment. "Thank you, darling," she replies in an exaggerated accent. She takes his arm and lets him lead her to the punchbowl, ready to eat, drink, and enjoy the party!
“Of corse, Connie,” Femtite says sweetly, ”We’ll picture-perfectly pose, dance up a why-seven storm, and sneak off to the gate to fulfill our obligation to Tyg.”
She magical-girls on an Adora prom dress.
“Do I look ADORAble, tee hee?”
There’s a gleam in Femtite’s eye—
—a literal gleam, like a privacy-shiny—
“‘CAUSE I PLAY TO WIN!”
A (not-literal) glow washes over Connie! In addition to accurately depicting costumes from that episode Connie made Fem watch (which Fem voluntarily watched three more times), there’s an inexplicable beauty about the pair.
Femtite and Connie match. Being crazy about each other (while also actually possessing some Catradorable traits) helps… as does Fem being a gosh-darn incredible dancer.
“Let’s dance. In the interest of keeping things clean, I will not spray you with water.” She hopes Connie will catch her meaning in a way the elicits a Catra-like grin. She then uses her genuine princess training to dance in a way that wows the crowd without concerning the chaperones!
The first hour of the Ball passes by in a flash. Dancing, ogling costumes, raiding the food table, and getting pictures in front of the backdrops while makeup is still fresh is the order of the day.
Connie and Femtite make waves with their Catradora costume, with numerous shouts of approval (especially from Fem's new LGBT+ Club friends!) and pictures. Then they see the bad news -- judging for the costume contest won't be for another hour, and the pair begin feeling the tugging of the faerie geas. The new moon was rising.
ConFem/Catradora, what do you do??
Shin's date is pulled away by a surprise guest -- Ne'veah! She is wearing amazing panther makeup and a sleek catsuit, complete with a tail that moves on its own! The girls of the volleyball team all leave their dates for a reunion with their former teammate that is tough on their eye makeup.
The chaperone gives Max another warning glare, but seems mollified by the reduced amount of cleavage showing.
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Percy surveys the punchbowl area for a bit before spotting Shin and Grace, but grace seems to be pulled away by an unexpected Ne'veah. He starts to suggest that they move over there before remembering that Ne'veah's parents pulled her because of Max. So he points over to Caio and Skyler. "Wanna go hang out with the others or should we just mingle and dance a bit?"
Max remembers the way Skyler looked at her the other day, so she shakes her head. "Everybody seems to be having fun with who they came with. Let's leave them be. Join me for a dance?"
She takes Percy out to the dance floor to have some fun (in a totally unromantic, platonic fashion)!
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"Fair enough let everyone have their own fun for the time being, oh look at Connie and Fems. Nice CatDora, bet they're getting lots of pictures." Percy follows her out to the dance floor and lets Max lead a few dances. Though he's not the best at dancing to most of the music that's being played so far, not that it's exactly dance music anyway.
Seeing Skyler dresses as a she-wolf has an effect on Caio that he wasn't expecting. The Wolf looks at her and suddenly wants to push her back into her room, grab her by her waist and lift her up, press her against the wall, rip through her clothes... but Caio is the one on control.
Caio puts his hand on the small of Skyler's back an pulls her towards him, causing her to stand on her tiptoes. He looks at her and gets closer to her mouth, but then he smirks and releases her. "Not yet, right?" He teases, wanting her to know exactly how he wants her, but not making a move she is not ready for yet.
From his picnic basket, Caio retrieves a white wrist-corsage, even if it appears to be stained with blood. The blood looks real. "I don't know if it is the norm for me to give you one of these, or if it is corny, but I wanted you to have it... You are gorgeous Skyler."
“Umm… I think my Love Bug, The is about to turn into a pumpkin!
“Flashlight, please?”
Femtite becomes a spark and enters the flashlight, nanoteching it to do her bidding!
She then says to Connie, “Climb on my back and cling to me like a Catra stuck in a tree! PG13 clinging.”
Femtite will use LEGENDARY SPEED to follow the thread and fly Connie to the gate—REALLY FAST!
So now it was Tarzan, with two guys with long hair and dressed like they just threw on whatever was available. Shin sighs with Jaden and Gavin as he's left on his own. "...I'm going to make some rounds, guys. Catch you on the next vine," He says, 'swinging' away and looking around. He's wondering who to talk to, starting towards the 'Catradora' couple, but they vanished suddenly and he had no time to get to them. Probably on their second obligation of the night.
Max and Percy - probably not alone for now. He'd much prefer it with someone else where he could pretend to be normal and not talk shop all the time. Caio...he wasn't sure where he stood with Caio right now.
So with nothing else to do, he heads up towards the DJ booth, trying to seek out a couple members of the Mad Science Club to compliment them on the decorations. "You guys did a lot of good work today - that Frankenstein's Monster is pretty cool. Oh, weird question, but do you have anything on file for like...I guess 'classic' slow dance songs? I'm talking like, old school. Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday?"
Skyler seems to yield, her yellow eyes wide as she's drawn in. She blushes, and Caio catches a strong scent of arousal, when she's called gorgeous. She takes a reluctant step back and fusses with her hair, checking to make sure her fuzzy ears are still in place. "I'll bet I'd get that from all the werewolves. Let's not-- let's not mess up my makeup. It took nearly an hour. The dance is about to start."
The bloodied flower wrist corsage brings a special delight and smile to Skyler's face. "It's perfect. I love it."
She puts a tube of black lipstick and the costume makeup kit in Caio's basket before they go.
=====================
Shin gets some laughs from the guys dressed in bloody lab coats, and they point to a man in a black turtleneck behind the Frankenstein's monster. "Bruh. Don't even. But that's the deejay. He's hired. I don't know if he's taking requests."
Grace still seems engaged with the other volleyball players surrounding Ne'veah.
=====================
The music is a mix of modern and classic pop hits (some of which have cleaned-up lyrics) with a sprinkling of Halloween classics. The first of which, of course, is Michael Jackson's Thriller. A group of zombie cheerleaders were absolutely expecting this, as they claimed a section of the dance floor and went through the entire routine memorialized in the classic music video.
Then the first slow dance of the evening starts. Couples pair off while those without a date cast around, looking for someone to dance with.
Connie and Femtite feel the pull of the geas just as the music slows down. Femtite applies the tech to see the silvery thread, pulling Connie away, outside the Ball, and toward the school's entrance gates.
Skyler drapes her hands around Caio's shoulders when the slow music begins. She doesn't say anything, just stares at him, eyes wide. But he can sense her heart beat speeding up.
Caio, what do you do??
Grace finds Shin after the slow song has begun. She seems distracted about something, but puts her arms around him to begin to dance.
As the couples pair up, Max and Percy, what do you do?
"...Just, you know, give it a thought, it's a great song," Shin tells the man in the turtleneck as he requests some Cole Porter. You'd think that people would still enjoy something like that you could shimmy to with your dance partner, but maybe it just wasn't in theme for the dance?
At any rate, once the slow song started (Which he had to admit was pretty nice), he puts his hand on Grace's waist and shoulder and dances slow with her. "Surprised Ne'veah was able to come. You were talking up a storm with her - is she coming back to the school?" He asks Grace as they sway together.
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While Max may have lead the other dances, likely having a bit more experience when it came to the slow dance he smiled and took her by the hand. "Ever slow done a proper slow dance before? I can lead this one if you'd like." Despite appearances ballroom dancing was actually something he had picked up at Trismegistus Academy and this was likely one of the few times he'd get to show that off in his highschool career.
"Okay, just follow my feet, nice and easy, your left hand on my shoulder like this." Taking her right hand in his left he lifted it just above the shoulder, slid his hand into the crook of her back and started a slow waltz. It would be simple enough for her to follow, and he slowly turned her as they went about the basic boxy steps, with an exaggerated sway to show her the motion, until she got the hang of it.
Grace shakes her head. "No. She snuck out for the dance,” she replies before leaning her forehead on his shoulder.
=======================
Several other power couples of H-P pair off and sway to the dulcet tones of Ed Sheeran. Jade continues to rock the Whippoorwill costume, though she swapped out the leggings she wore with red thigh-high, heeled boots and a painted-on domino mask and matching red lipstick. Her boyfriend, star football running back Brockton Jones, uses his well-muscled frame to fill out a Captain Stalwart costume. The pair are easily in the running for Cutest Couple or Best Superhero costume.
Other standouts are a cute pair of playing cards by A-Rob and his date from Franklin High, and Amber as Lara Croft Tomb Raider paired up with Joshua as Nathan Drake Uncharted.
Max can't help but blush a bit when Percy takes her hand. "I've never really danced like this before," she admits, letting the young wizard take the lead.
She stumbles a bit at first, but soon she finds her rhythm, stepping and swaying with Percy around the dance floor. She can feel the strength of his grip on her, his hand warm on the small of her back. But despite feeling nervous, she feels safe in his grasp. She knows that out of all of the people here tonight, Percy might be the only one with no interest in trying to get something from Max, be that something physical or otherwise. She trusts Percy, and knows that he would never do anything to hurt her. So she smiles at him as he leads her through the motions.
Shin nods and holds her close during the song. It's definitely something different. He just lets himself enjoy the moment with Grace and tries not to let himself worry about a lot of things he legitimately worries about on a day-to-day basis.
"...As a kid, my parents would sometimes dance together in the kitchen the radio whenever a good song came on," He tells her, swaying slowly with Grace through the song. He notices them coming a bit close to Caio and Skyler, but tries to ignore them for the most part. "...I'll admit you're right about the stiff competition for couples' costume though. But...does she really think Whippoorwill would ever date Captain Stalwart?" He asks her, amused by the image.
Max dances close to Percy for the next few songs, then the DJ puts on some faster-paced dance hits to liven things up again. The demoness seems unburdened on the dance floor, shimmying, turning, and shaking her tail!
Seeing Grace and Shin nearby, Max smiles and waves them over. "Come on! Let's dance together!" she calls.
"Femms? Do we really have to go this faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssst?!!!"
Putting his hands on her waist as she reaches for his shoulders, picking up the slow rhythm. He knows he is a mediocre dancer at best, and he was sure as hell that the his latest dancing experience wouldn't help him this night. However, instead of being worried about the dance, he focused exclusively at Skyler... the smell of her perfume, her eyes on his own, her heart rate increasing. This moment was all about them, so everything around seemed to fade away.
When the dance actually begins, Caio pulls Skyler closer to himself, one hand picking hers and the other going up, from her waist to her back. He tries to maintain eye contact with her, only averting his eyes occasionally to avoid bumping on anyone else, or to closely study her eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth...
Caio slowly pulls her closer to him, lowering his mouth towards hers, but letting her move the final inch when she is ready. He looks into her eyes. He is smiling, and happy, and despite everything in his life, this moment, only Skyler mattered, and he was doing his best for her to see it, hoping that his aura would show this, or more, as well.
When Caio leans in closer and pulls her in, Skyler closes her eyes made yellow through the contact lenses in them. Their lips remain poised an inch apart, close enough that they can feel each others' breath upon them. Finally, after several protracted seconds where they stay like that, Skyler cranes her neck up and rises on her tiptoes until their lips touch.
The costumed wolf-girl's mouth is slightly parted, and her black-tipped nose lightly brushes against Caio's cheek. Though she closed the final distance between their first kiss, Skyler is passive and yielding though her tongue stays close to the front of her mouth to tease Caio's own initiative and draw him into a deeper kiss.
=====================
After a trio of slower dances, the deejay picks up the pace with some more vigorous dance tunes. Many couples reluctantly separate as the energetic beats call for a completely different style of dance.
When Max comes over and insinuates herself into faster pace dance, Grace gives the two of them a confused look. But then she starts dancing with Max, her back to the vampire girl and facing Shin.
"Dance Floor, Slow Dance"
All that Caio really wanted was for Skyler to give him permission to kiss her. Caio starts by teasing Skyler's lips with the tip of his tongue, alternating between the lower and upper lips, as if inviting her tongue to come out and play.
Caio focuses all of his senses towards Skyler as if the rest of the world wasn't there anymore, extending them to perceive how her body responds to each of his moves, each touch, each provocation... listening to her breath and her heartbeat, scenting her perfume and her arousal.
His hands lower along her back until it is once again on the small of her back, supporting her as she is on her tiptoes. His tongue keeps exploring her lips, each time going a little bit further, finally touching her tongue before retreating. He then gives her lower lip a small bite and then stops for a couple seconds, provoking her.
Losing the notion of time, Caio isn't hearing the songs anymore...
"Okay, this is...kind of a weird set of drums to this song," Shin notes as he dances with her, only to find Max and Percy approaching on their own. "Oh! Uh, hi! Grace, that's Percy from my history class, he's tutoring me...and I guess we all know of Max," He says about the demoness. "Sure let's dance!"
Though he's obviously expecting more steps involved. He was no Fred Astaire, but he could do a little tap and kick routine. The music really didn't match the timing of that too much though.
Max steps up behind Grace, dancing close to the volleyball player. Her tail wiggles behind her as she lifts her hands over her head and shakes to the music.
Seeing Shin struggling, the demoness gives him a smile. "You're thinking about it too much! Just feel the beat and do what feels natural! And what could be more natural than grooving with two beautiful girls?" she calls.
"Well, I don't know..." Shin says, looking over to his date for the evening.
Grace blushes as Max steps up close behind her and pats her a compliment. Grace locks eyes on Shin and bites her lower hip as she also starts dancing more “earnestly.” She crooks a finger at Shin and gives him a “come here,” gesture.
That was enough for Shin as he shimmies over with all of them, glad to have the opportunity to dance with a couple of the cutest girls in school!
Max dares to step even closer to Grace as Shin moves to join them. She puts her hands on the other girl's hips and moves in tandem with her. After a minute or so, she spins away from Grace and closer to Shin. She turns around and shakes her hips towards him, just inches away from actually grinding up on him...
Caio feels pressure on the back of his neck as Skyler pulls herself closer. Her fingers are hooked together behind him and she pushes her body up against his.
Skyler's tongue darts out and retreats as he teases her lips. Her eyes close as she kisses him fully, locking their lips together while their tongues dance. The music is too loud for him to hear, but Caio can feel the vibration of a soft moan rising from her throat.
Caio holds Skyler against himself, pressuring her as much as she was pressuring him. Girls aren't delicate flowers, unable to be properly touched and caressed. Much like a king given divine mandate from a Goddess, his touch was telling Skyler that her body was his to rule for as long as she allowed.
Caio slides the hand on the small of her back a couple inches down... Not far down to break any rules of the ball or of Skyler's boundaries, but enough to convey the message that she was his girl now. His other hand goes for her nape, fingers spread open as they slide through her hair.
He keeps kissing her for a couple more minutes, keeping up with her intensity and desire, until Caio finally notices the change from the slow music to the fast one. He smiles, and gives her a stronger kiss before pulling his head away from her. "So? How was it?"
Skyler's legs are unsteady so she clings to him when he finally breaks the kiss. "I'm glad I didn't wait until the end of the dance," she says breathlessly. Her eyes open slowly, blinking several times. The yellow contacts covering her irises seem golden under the strobing colored lights of the gymnasium.
She smiles, baring her small fangs, and looks around her in wonder. "I'm-- I'm in your aura!" She holds a hand out like she was catching snowflakes and watching them melt on her palm.
Caio keeps holding Skyler close to him, his hands resting on her waist. "I really tried to wait, but couldn't resist you." He says, smiling like a fool.
He is delighted to her wonder as she speaks about his aura, curious to what it means and jealous that he could not see for himself. "How does it look like? From your face it looks like this is not something normal, or that you've seen before... Is it like my aura got larger, or changed, or... I don't know, perhaps your aura has joined mine?" He can only guess...
Shin is maintaining a respectful distance from Max as she tries to get closer, shifting around to grab onto Grace's hand and spin her around before dipping her briefly before pulling her back up, then turning to Percy and doing a spin move on him without the dip. Trying not to think too hard about the implications while enjoying the moment.
Max laughs as Shin gives Percy a spin. She turns back to Grace, daring to move even closer to the other girl as they shake and sway. Her hands rest on Grace's shoulders as she whispers something to her.
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Percy whirls around in the group glad to have a moment of fun excitement with the gang, something that wasn't quite as exciting as punching or shielding someone with magic. But something that was just plane human and also reasonable for their age. He shimmers and jams with the other not caring about the beat or how they look for once just sort of embracing the moment.
Towards the end of the song he looks to the others, "Hey gonna go get a drink anyone coming with?"
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Shin says to try and cool things off. "I'm with Percy, let's get some refreshments. Kind of want to check out what's playing for a monster movie too," he says, placing an arm on Grace's shoulder. "We definitely don't want the chaperones kicking us out this early!"
Max smiles as she steps away. "Of course. Let's grab some popcorn and go!" She takes Percy's arm as they move to follow Grace and Shin.
Skyler, still looking at whatever it is she can perceive, shakes her head. "I don't know! I can't see my own very easily." She looks back into Caio's eyes. "It's hard to explain. During the kiss... I felt like I was giving myself to you. And you were, well..." She blushes even more.
The strong smell of arousal hits Caio, but it's not (well, not all) coming from Skyler. She glances in the direction where Max, Shin, and Grace and several other students dancing nearby are swaying and nearly grinding into each other. "Can you smell that?" she asks him.
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Grace replies to Shin as she follows alongside him to the snack and punch table "”I dunno… the sooner we leave here… the more time we have for the after party…”
Shin smiles and kisses Grace on her forehead. "Plenty of time for that after we get first place-"
He stops talking, eyes locking onto another student in dark, flowing fabrics that is apparently trying to evoke the look of Psyche. It's like a bucket of cold water over him. He locks down his expression, letting Grace go.
"I'll catch up a little later. Need to go use the bathroom," He tells her, leaving her with Max and Percy as he heads towards the bathrooms. He's not sure why he needs to go until he's already in there, stepping into a stall and closing it before pressing his back up against the door.
"...you don't have anything to feel guilty about," He whispers to himself. "Put on a smile, don't think about all the friends that are gone. Enjoy the moment." It was easy to say. Harder to do. He'd need a couple minutes of meditation to clear his head...
Once again, Caio gets the feeling that either Skyler is being vague about her powers, or she indeed does not understand it completely. Perhaps in the future they can talk about it and perhaps look for a mentor for her, but know he has much more interesting things to worry about. "Don't worry... I fell we'll discover what this means. We can experiment... I'd like that very much." He says once more provoking her.
As she blushes, embarrassed of finishing her sentence, Caio smiles to her in a reassuring way. "I know it can be a scary thought, but... please don't feel afraid or embarrassed with this idea of we giving ourselves to each other." He says, touching her neck and face, caressing her cheek. "I won't hurt you..."
His turns towards the horny students at the same time as Skyler's. He could not sense Max's overpowering pheromones and since the students apparently were not drooling after her, he figured she had nothing to do with it, and it was a relief. The smell was pretty strong though. "Yes, I can, thought it is not a thing I'd like to brag about to you, you know..." He confesses, a bit embarrassed. "... to me, it is an unmistakable smell, specially the girls." Caio almost said that Skyler's was specially sweet, but decided against it. "Can you see something different on them?"
Max smiles at Percy. "Of course. This is the most fun I've had in a long time. The night is young, and so are we, so let's enjoy ourselves!"
She fetches snacks and drinks for the group as she waits for Shin to return.
She sniffs the air in the direction of the dancers, then turns to Caio and breathes him in deep. "No, I don't see anything but you right now." Skyler lays her head against his chest.
"The music's getting loud. Can we go somewhere else?"
Shin spends more than a couple minutes in the bathroom, Thinking about Psyche. Remembering her. Reaching out to her even though the connection was closed off.
Was she even alive? That fear dripped down his spine as he realized he had no idea. If her shard was still with him it was buried deep in his subconscious, unable to awaken. He missed her. He feared for her. He was afraid of her.
If only the team stayed together, I would be here with her instead of Grace...
No. That wasn't true. The truth was he'd been drifting from her ever since they had rescued her mortal shell in another universe, whe she was letting herself waste away and when he met Grace, kindling anew relationship there. He didn't even remember if he spoke to Psyche about Grace. If she had been fine with him pursuing a new romance the way she had been with Mattie.
He stepped out of the stall, washing his face with water and trying to calm down some more. Did he deserve happiness? When his only achievement was surviving the breakup of the team and going on to lead another? Every pleasant memory of his former paramour bubbled up. He wished she was here right now. If only to see how she would have liked Grace.
He laughs, looking up at his reflection for a moment, before leaving the bathroom to go back to the party. Going to enjoy the festivities and try to not let himself stay mired in melancholy.
Max offers Shin the drink she is holding as he returns from the bathroom. ”You were gone a while. Everything okay?” she asks with a good-natured smile, though her yellow eyes gleam as she tries to look past the surface.
Caio hugs Skyler again and gives her another kiss, even if this one is far shorter than their first, just to acknowledge how cute she was. "Lets get a snack, then perhaps we can take some post first kiss photos?"
He takes her hand and meets with the others by the snack table. He picks up a couple finger sandwiches, chips, and a cup of soda. "So, you guys having fun?"
"I'm fine, just needed a minute," He assures Max. "We ready for movies now? What's playing? Something I probably never heard of before..."
Max turns to Caio and Skyler. ”I won’t speak for the others, but I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying myself. And you two seem to have hit it off. First kisses are always something to remember.”
Her tail wiggles behind her. ”I’m happy for you. Caio’s a great guy, Skyler. He will treat you right.”
Caio is really happy with Max's comment, seeing a flash of his old friend again. She squeezes Skyler's hand, hoping she is not feeling threatened by Max.
"Thanks Max, I'm really glad you are happy for us."
Skyler returns the kiss hungrily, and keeps clinging to him. She nods in agreement while staying silent.
At the food table, she's busy devouring a couple chicken tenders when Max, Shin, and Grace come up to them. Her yellow eyes framed by the werewolf makeup are rather intense as she looks Max up and down. She takes a step closer to the Bull. Though when Caio squeezes her hand with the assurance she's still his, she gives the demoness a fanged smile.
As Max talks with Shin and Caio, Grace stands there in the mix, awkwardly silent. Looking from one hero to the next before asking "So…like…it’s pretty obvious you all know each other. Is it safe to assume Shin is one of you guys?” she whispers.
"It's never safe to assume anything, Grace," Max chides the volleyball player. "Just because we hang out a lot and are good friends, that doesn't necessarily mean Shin has superpowers. But he is super cool! And so are you! I had a lot of fun dancing with you two." She smiles.