Together?- A SOPHITZ fanfiction (UPDATES ON HOLD)

The surprise

Sophie and Lihn met Keefe, Tam, Dex, Marella, Maruca, and Eileen in the middle of the crowd around the grand Vacker staircase. It was packed, everyone wanting to be the first to greet the hosts. The clock chimed 9 and the musicians played  a new song, a more formal tune, and everybody looked up expectantly at the staircase. The first person appeared at the top of the steps and grinned when they saw Sophie. Biana wore a gorgeous ombre ball gown with mounds of tulle. She had chosen the starlight circlet and wore it with pride, her gorgeous locks tumbling down her back. She took a few steps down the stairs and the entourage applauded. Keefe just stood there, his mouth agape. Biana looked truly gorgeous. When she made it down the steps, she gracefully bowed and stepped to the side.

Biana's dress: 

Her hair:

Biana's makeup:

The next person to appear at the top of the steps was Fitz. Sophie wanted to cry. He looked so dashing and strong, his hair combed immaculately and his suit hugging tightly in all the right places. It was a light grey suit embroidered with silver flowers. Paired with a white buttoned down shirt and teal necktie, he looked dashing. As he walked down the steps, he smirked at some girls who were practically swooning. He caught Sophie's eye and his smirking stopped. He looked at her and after staring intently, flashed her a movie star grin. She felt her mind fill with his conscious and he spoke to her for the first time in months. 

Wow. That's all I can really say at the moment.

Sophie was glad minds couldn't portray when people blushed because her face when on fire. 

I could say the same about you

Nah. But you look stunning. I really missed you.

Me too. I'm so sorry we never talked. It's my fault.

Don't say that. I started this mess. I'm trying to move too fast and I got really upset for no reason.

We should talk more about this later. Face to face.

Definitely. 

Fitz's suit:

With that, he slipped out and focused his attention on his parents. Alden and Della looked fabulous as always, wearing color coordinated outfits. Alden cleared his throat and the room grew quiet. "Thank you all for being here for the fabulous Winter Solstice!" he exclaimed. The room erupted into cheers. "We thank you all for coming and supporting us. Now, without further ado, let the party begin!" Della gestured to the pavilion and the tables which had suddenly been covered in a lavish feast. Name cards were scattered at the seats. The crowd oohed and ahhed and started pushing to get out. Sophie tried to go against the tide to find Fitz but was stuck. A hand grabbed her and pulled her through into a side room Sophie had not noticed. It was the kitchen where the gnomes were busy at work. Biana appeared out of thin air. "Did Lihn tell you the plan?" she demanded.

"Hi, Biana, you look wonderful. How's it going?" Sophie replied. "Oh, thank you, you look great too. Now will you answer my question?" Biana replied, exasperated. "Yes," said Sophie, "I'm supposed to meet Marella, Maruca, and Eileen by the buffet at 9:45 and you have everything set up already. What is this about, really?" Biana fidgeted and flickered on and off. "It's for you and Fitz, but don't worry. I have to go say hello to a few people to 'maintain public image' and then I'll finish things up. DON'T worry. DON'T try talking to Fitz beforehand. Even in your heads. Understood?" She checked a clock and stared at the door. Sophie nodded. "Yep," she said. Biana smiled and hugged her. "Just be yourself, ok? You'll do great!" Then she disappeared, leaving Sophie alone with the gnomes. She mumbled an apology and slipped out to find Dex.

Dex was seated at a table talking to Tam, who seemed very interested in whatever Dex was explaining. "So, when you attach the two wires in the imparter, it should create a bright flash and you know you've succeeded, but then a bunch of code will appear so you have to down shift, enter the CPQ algorithm and..." he stopped when Sophie approached. "Hey Sophie! You look really nice!" he exclaimed, dimples showing on his cheeks. "You too," replied Sophie. Really, Dex had a smudge of grease on his pressed yellow shirt and his hair was a lame attempt at geling it down but otherwise his faced showed pure joy. He loved it when people listened to his sometimes boring technopath stuff. "Do you know where Lihn went?" she asked. Tam spoke up. "She ran off, saying she had somebody to go talk to." He shrugged. Sophie nodded. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked. 

"Go for it," said Dex, who had kicked a chair forward to let her sit. "So, I was just telling Tam over here about how I managed to fix a smashed imparter. See, it's rather simple.." Sophie lost track of what he was saying and looked at the countdown timer to the light show. It was 9:20. She had a little while to wait. People had sat down at the many tables on the pavilion and were eating a lavish meal. Sophie was too nervous to eat. Little elves ran in between the tables holding paper lanterns and using telekinesis to raise them in the air and lower them. Adults chattered, visibly happy. Gnomes walked around, delivering more food or stopping to speak to some elves. Sophie smiled. It was the first time she had seen such a large assembly of people since the Neverseen were defeated, so lighthearted and carefree. Sophie still couldn't help but stay on guard at all time- 6 years of fighting had left her with strong instincts to run and hide. Nevertheless, she was here and that was a first step.

It was 9:40 and there was no sign of Maruca, Marella, or Eileen, and Sophie was getting jittery. She had been standing by the buffet for 5 minutes now, pretending to decide what food to grab. It was 9:42 when the girls showed up, clad in their best dresses. Marella twisted one of her small braids and speed walked towards Sophie. "Hey," she said. "Hi, you look nice," Sophie replied. Maruca and Eileen approached. Eileen was a small thing, short and skinny, with light brown hair and powder blue eyes. She smiled and gave a faint "hello!". "Ok," said Marella, "we have to get going. As soon as we step into the forest, I'm gonna have to blindfold you, Sophie. It's for the surprise," she grinned. Sophie felt the first signs of panic. Blindfolded? No, no, no, no, no. She took a step back and Marella must've noticed because she spoke up in a reassuring voice. "Sophie, you're safe. I promise you, this is just so that you can be surprised when you see what we've set up for you. I promise." Sophie took a deep breath. 

"Let's go."