Love Potion

The Wandering Question

Despite the rather dense mounds of homework that were beginning to pile on the lot of us, there was nothing but Valentine's and Marvel Ball that was on anyone's mind and tongue.

I spent the burbling breakfast with my friends as usual, though this time sharing a few fleeting grins with Kenzie across the table. He came to me as I first sat down, and wished me a happy Valentine's with a rose that, though lovely, I knew he had clipped from the bushes outside. I laughed, then realised I had prepared nothing for him. He only grinned again and told me my company was a gift enough. Then he awkwardly commented on the decorations in the hall, as if he was addressing the weather.

Indeed, the hall, louder than ever and with Majestio commonly stationed at his chair at the front, was ten shades pinker than usual, and had a feeling of formidable excitement. The decorations for the ball had not yet been put up, but it was Valentine's day still, and great bristling bouquets of flowers adorned every column in pinks and yellows. There were ribbons too, and slow confetti that fell from the ceiling but never seemed to hit the floor, and the breakfast was marvellous, and sweet. We were fed pinkish pastries and fruits and flavoured milk. Majestio seemed to like it greatly, and he dressed in a matching pantsuit in the exact pink of the flowers.

There were letters flowing in like a river, too. Students left and right were passing pink-parchment letters, blushing profusely, or fumbling with a magical flower. Post dragons flew in from the windows at a constant, dropping letters and packages into laps, and even before we came into the hall, anonymous love letters were tucked under plates and forks. The air was unmistakeably lovey.

And Persephone, she gave Gilbert and herself the lockets she had found in Day Vale, the ones which allow them to exchange eleven words a day. I was slightly less bitter than usual. Then Gilbert suddenly whispered to Morgaine, as a hand tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around to find Gray standing there. His lovely mopping of hair was a pale green and pink, and most unusually, tossed back and greased. I thought he looked quite nice, now you could actually see his face.

"Morning," he said to me.

"It sure is!" I said back, feeling more gregarious from my interaction with Kenzie.

"I-" Gray chewed his lip, and glanced at Gilbert. I looked back at him. Gilbert was giving slightly manic-looking smiles. When he noticed me looking, he jumped and stopped. Then I looked back at Gray.

"I-" He sighed, and coughed, then cupped both of his hands together. I watched in wonder as white light suddenly fizzled from the cracks of his palms, and there were spits of vapour, and then, wriggling his fingers as his did, he raised one hand from his palm, and a marvellous corkscrew of ice began to sparkle and form, curling out of his hand. And then, thorns jutted from the line, and shiny ice petals fell from the top, and then a beautiful, crystalline rose of ice stood glimmering in the base of his palm. "This- here, Cosmo," he said, and then he bowed to offer me the rose. "I was- I was wondering if you'd do me the honour of going to the ball with me... Cosmo."

What? I blinked at him. Utterly zonked. "I... really?"

"Yes," he said, a bit disconcerted at my response.

"I..." This awful, awful feeling dawned on me. "Oh, Gray, I... I'm so sorry... I'm so surprised... I'm already going with somebody else..."

His eyes expanded. "W-what? Really? Who?" The rose was melting in his palm.

"Uh..." I looked away from him. "Kenzie... Kane."

"Kenzie Kane?" Now he was the one doing the blinking. "Kenzie Kane? I... did he really... you said yes?"