Lyra at the Party
‘Lyra? Lyra? Fuck, she’s gone again.’
‘She’s standing right there you know.’
‘I know it but I don’t think she does. HEY, LYRA!’ May’s shouting finally caught the younger girls’ attention and her head snapped back around to the conversation. She was certain she was the only one that had seen him leave.
‘What did you say?’ She asked. Leaf giggled, already mildly intoxicated. May rolled her eyes.
‘You were getting all spacey again. It’s Christmas, we’re at a party, and you’re still staring out a window. Oh shit, I should go find Green. HEY GREEN!’ She yelled. By the time Lyra had absorbed even half of May’s words, she found herself suddenly alone with a very tipsy Leaf.
‘Why didn’t you change your hair for tonight?’
‘I didn’t feel like it.’
‘But I told you everyone would be here and everyone’s already seen your hair like that, because that’s how you wear it almost every day.’
‘I like it like this.’ Lyra insisted as Leaf slipped the bands from her hair.
‘There, that’s better. We’ve all seen it down like this before but we don’t see it this way all the time so it looks like you’ve put some extra effort in for the party.’ The older girl smiled as she ran her fingers through the younger ones’ hair, fussing in much the same way an older sister would.
‘I have to go.’
‘Go? Go where?’
‘Just to see someone, I’ll come back soon.’ Lyra had to force Leaf’s hand out of her hair; for all her intentions, Leaf had taken to stroking Lyra’s head as if she were a newborn Eevee rather than a girl.
‘I’ll be alone then.’
‘Why don’t you go and find Green? You can save him from May.’
‘Oh, the poor boy.’
Lyra counted to ten in her head before she moved. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to be followed or that she didn’t want anyone knowing where she was going, she just knew that some people preferred it when you arrived alone. She spun on her heel and took off at a run as soon as she was out of sight. He stopped when he heard her footsteps and tried to hide in the shadows. She slowed down to a walk just outside the entrance hall and looked around carefully. He couldn’t be too far ahead, not if she’d run the entire way back down through the mansion. She took another step forward.
‘Oh. It’s you.’ He grunted.
‘Last time I checked I was me.’ She smiled.
‘Very funny.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘The hell out of here.’
‘Why did you come in the first place if you’re just going to leave?’
‘What?’
‘Well, you’re here now and you must have come voluntarily because I don’t think even Green could drag you here by the hair without you fighting back. But you’re leaving already. It’s only been an hour, have you even seen Lance yet?’
Silver gritted his teeth and jerked open the front door, indicating with the smallest hand gesture that Lyra had even seen that he was willing to give her at least five minutes of his time. She followed him and his Sneasel outside and on to the path.
‘He didn’t try, I’m not leaving and no, I haven’t.’
‘Where are you going then?’
‘Just… out. For a walk.’
‘Were you going to come back inside after your walk or were you going to walk all the way home?’ He glanced over at her but had to look away, she still had that look in her eyes that had always been there; slightly dazed but thoughtful at the same time, he had never understood it.
‘Just for a walk.’
‘Good. It’s Christmas, you know. You’re supposed to be nice at Christmas, that way everyone gets to enjoy the season.’
‘I’m never nice.’
‘I know, but sometimes you can pretend so well that no one knows the difference between you being yourself and you pretending to be a jerk.’
‘Did you just call me a jerk?’
‘Not deliberately.’ Lyra said and took Silver’s arm so she was walking closer to him than she had been before.
‘What are you doing?’ At the shift in his tone of voice, Sneasel moved closer as well, hovering just behind Lyra’s head to wait for the inevitable command to attack.
‘I’m cold.’ She said simply and unfazed by the breath on the back of her neck. ‘Why did you come tonight if you’re just going to leave so soon?’
‘Ethan was coming, chances were high he’d be drinking and I’d finally have an excuse to punch him in the face.’
Lyra giggled.
‘And the real reason?’
‘When did you get half a brain?’
‘I think that’s the nicest compliment you’ve ever given anyone.’
‘Shut up.’ He snapped. ‘So I didn’t look like a jerk that hates Christmas.’
‘I don’t think anyone would have cared if you’d stayed home, it was your choice.’
‘I’m okay with being a jerk.’ Sneasel moved forward then, claws firmly pressing in to his shoulders in a way that would cause severe bleeding if he so much as flinched; yet it was a comforting gesture, one that he didn’t quite understand the origins of. ‘Should at least pretend I’m not one at Christmas though, right?’
‘Right.’ She clutched his arm more tightly than before.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I told you, I’m cold.’
‘You could go back inside.’
‘May’s already so drunk she’s gone to find Green, Leaf isn’t far behind and I don’t even know where Dawn is. I’m kind of bored.’
‘What are you going to do for the rest of the night then?’
‘Explore. Lance lives in a mansion you know. Go to bed, I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll find Dawn and be a little less bored.’
‘Why don’t you go do that instead of annoying me then?’
‘Because I’m not really annoying you.’
‘Yes you are.’
‘Why haven’t you had Sneasel chase me away yet?’
‘He still likes you enough not to listen when I tell him to draw blood.’ Silver rolled his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t think twice about it though.’
‘Okay.’ Lyra said. He’d made his point. She let go of his arm with one hand and moved it up to his face, a gesture he didn’t appreciate in the slightest. He appreciated the kiss to the cheek that followed even less, and had he been a little less mature he would have actively tried to wipe the spot clean.
‘Get off me.’
‘Happy birthday Silver.’ She said and dropped his arm entirely, walking back up the front path and back into the house. Perhaps it was time for some cake, she thought.
‘She’s standing right there you know.’
‘I know it but I don’t think she does. HEY, LYRA!’ May’s shouting finally caught the younger girls’ attention and her head snapped back around to the conversation. She was certain she was the only one that had seen him leave.
‘What did you say?’ She asked. Leaf giggled, already mildly intoxicated. May rolled her eyes.
‘You were getting all spacey again. It’s Christmas, we’re at a party, and you’re still staring out a window. Oh shit, I should go find Green. HEY GREEN!’ She yelled. By the time Lyra had absorbed even half of May’s words, she found herself suddenly alone with a very tipsy Leaf.
‘Why didn’t you change your hair for tonight?’
‘I didn’t feel like it.’
‘But I told you everyone would be here and everyone’s already seen your hair like that, because that’s how you wear it almost every day.’
‘I like it like this.’ Lyra insisted as Leaf slipped the bands from her hair.
‘There, that’s better. We’ve all seen it down like this before but we don’t see it this way all the time so it looks like you’ve put some extra effort in for the party.’ The older girl smiled as she ran her fingers through the younger ones’ hair, fussing in much the same way an older sister would.
‘I have to go.’
‘Go? Go where?’
‘Just to see someone, I’ll come back soon.’ Lyra had to force Leaf’s hand out of her hair; for all her intentions, Leaf had taken to stroking Lyra’s head as if she were a newborn Eevee rather than a girl.
‘I’ll be alone then.’
‘Why don’t you go and find Green? You can save him from May.’
‘Oh, the poor boy.’
Lyra counted to ten in her head before she moved. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to be followed or that she didn’t want anyone knowing where she was going, she just knew that some people preferred it when you arrived alone. She spun on her heel and took off at a run as soon as she was out of sight. He stopped when he heard her footsteps and tried to hide in the shadows. She slowed down to a walk just outside the entrance hall and looked around carefully. He couldn’t be too far ahead, not if she’d run the entire way back down through the mansion. She took another step forward.
‘Oh. It’s you.’ He grunted.
‘Last time I checked I was me.’ She smiled.
‘Very funny.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘The hell out of here.’
‘Why did you come in the first place if you’re just going to leave?’
‘What?’
‘Well, you’re here now and you must have come voluntarily because I don’t think even Green could drag you here by the hair without you fighting back. But you’re leaving already. It’s only been an hour, have you even seen Lance yet?’
Silver gritted his teeth and jerked open the front door, indicating with the smallest hand gesture that Lyra had even seen that he was willing to give her at least five minutes of his time. She followed him and his Sneasel outside and on to the path.
‘He didn’t try, I’m not leaving and no, I haven’t.’
‘Where are you going then?’
‘Just… out. For a walk.’
‘Were you going to come back inside after your walk or were you going to walk all the way home?’ He glanced over at her but had to look away, she still had that look in her eyes that had always been there; slightly dazed but thoughtful at the same time, he had never understood it.
‘Just for a walk.’
‘Good. It’s Christmas, you know. You’re supposed to be nice at Christmas, that way everyone gets to enjoy the season.’
‘I’m never nice.’
‘I know, but sometimes you can pretend so well that no one knows the difference between you being yourself and you pretending to be a jerk.’
‘Did you just call me a jerk?’
‘Not deliberately.’ Lyra said and took Silver’s arm so she was walking closer to him than she had been before.
‘What are you doing?’ At the shift in his tone of voice, Sneasel moved closer as well, hovering just behind Lyra’s head to wait for the inevitable command to attack.
‘I’m cold.’ She said simply and unfazed by the breath on the back of her neck. ‘Why did you come tonight if you’re just going to leave so soon?’
‘Ethan was coming, chances were high he’d be drinking and I’d finally have an excuse to punch him in the face.’
Lyra giggled.
‘And the real reason?’
‘When did you get half a brain?’
‘I think that’s the nicest compliment you’ve ever given anyone.’
‘Shut up.’ He snapped. ‘So I didn’t look like a jerk that hates Christmas.’
‘I don’t think anyone would have cared if you’d stayed home, it was your choice.’
‘I’m okay with being a jerk.’ Sneasel moved forward then, claws firmly pressing in to his shoulders in a way that would cause severe bleeding if he so much as flinched; yet it was a comforting gesture, one that he didn’t quite understand the origins of. ‘Should at least pretend I’m not one at Christmas though, right?’
‘Right.’ She clutched his arm more tightly than before.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I told you, I’m cold.’
‘You could go back inside.’
‘May’s already so drunk she’s gone to find Green, Leaf isn’t far behind and I don’t even know where Dawn is. I’m kind of bored.’
‘What are you going to do for the rest of the night then?’
‘Explore. Lance lives in a mansion you know. Go to bed, I’m not sure yet. Maybe I’ll find Dawn and be a little less bored.’
‘Why don’t you go do that instead of annoying me then?’
‘Because I’m not really annoying you.’
‘Yes you are.’
‘Why haven’t you had Sneasel chase me away yet?’
‘He still likes you enough not to listen when I tell him to draw blood.’ Silver rolled his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t think twice about it though.’
‘Okay.’ Lyra said. He’d made his point. She let go of his arm with one hand and moved it up to his face, a gesture he didn’t appreciate in the slightest. He appreciated the kiss to the cheek that followed even less, and had he been a little less mature he would have actively tried to wipe the spot clean.
‘Get off me.’
‘Happy birthday Silver.’ She said and dropped his arm entirely, walking back up the front path and back into the house. Perhaps it was time for some cake, she thought.