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Robin couldn't breathe. The bass from the music was pounding too hard in her head and the lights are shining way too bright to her eyes, blinding her vision. From the corner of her eye, a blurry-faced stranger blows a cloud of smoke in her direction and clogs her senses even more.
A part of her wants to cry but she reminds herself that if she cried, the makeup which a makeup artist had so painstakingly spent hours on would begin to smudge and she couldn't have that. The reminders from her older brother that she had a reputation to uphold nagged at the back of her mind.
There was also the fact that if she cried, her throat would clog up even more and she thinks that's when she thinks she might actually die. Robin is overwhelmed to say the least and she did not know how she had allowed it to get so bad.
Things were fine when her brother had first brought her to this afterparty. "It's to celebrate you, my star." He said, patting her head in the backseat of their limousine. The older Halovian also promised that there would always be someone with her if he ever had to leave her. He was not wrong, exactly, but drunken middle-aged men grabbing her waist from behind and getting uncomfortably close was not what she had envisioned.
Sunday had disappeared after an hour or two, off to talk to some of his business partners, no doubt. The girl could not see over the heads of the people surrounding her and it might have just been her imagination but the bodies seemed to be getting closer and closer by the second, trapping her in the masses.
She should be used to this, being a celebrity in Penacony as well as a member of The Family and all, parties should be her strong suit. She's attended countless formal gatherings of The Family with Sunday before but they have never gotten out of hand in this way. Hard liquor was not usually an option in the functions she attended, only champagne which the attendees swished in their glasses mostly for show.
The girl suddenly feels a hand grabbing her wrist through her fuzzy state and it takes her everything in her power not to scream. The hand grips her wrist tighter and pulls her through the sea of bodies, giving her no choice but to follow. Weaving in and out between people, she thinks she catches a glimpse of red and the scent of cherry blossoms from the person whos tugging her along.
The pair soon break out of the suffocating crowd. As the girl was about to question her "captor" but she doesn't give the celebrity a chance to even take a breather as she continues to drag her along. They weave in between smaller crowds and Robin takes note of how the mass of people thin which each group she passes.
She knows that she should be concerned. A masked girl is dragging her away from her party, but she can't help but feel relieved. She had wanted to get out of there for awhile now.
And so, foolishly as she thinks back on it, she grips the other's hand as she follows her through The Reverie Hotel. They finally come to a stop at a secluded zone of the building. The other turns around to take her mask off and grins at the star.
"Glad we're finally out of that hellhole."
"Why did you bring me here?"
"To kidnap you of course!" The other winked playfully. She quickly added when she saw the singer widen her own eyes, a genuine panicked look crossing her face. "Hey, hey I'm just kidding! You looked like you were gonna faint in there and I was on an assignment and spotted you, I thought I'd help you out! That's all."
The Halovian felt her shoulders relax. She turned away, looking out of one of the windows that lined the corridor they were standing in. "Honestly, I thought I was going to die. I was supposed to be accompanying my brother. But god knows where he disappeared off to." She sighed and looked back at the other, a lighthearted smile forming on her lips. "Say, I never got your name Miss.."
"Sparkle." The other finished. "Just call me Sparkle." The girl extended a hand out to the singer, waiting for her to shake it.
"Robin." She took her hand with such grace that the other felt her heart skip a beat.
"Ah, you are that singer aren't you?" Sparkle leaned in, trying to get a better look of the girl. The Halovian's wings covered her face instinctively, to hide her blush from the other girl getting so close.
"I don't know how I didn't recognise that face and those wings instantly. You're practically royalty around here after all." The masked girl brought a hand to her chin, as if she was pondering on the thought. The singer stifled a giggle, Sparkle looked quite cute when she was making that face.
"I guess you could say I am."
"It must've been the lighting." She grinned and the other hummed in response.
A bang could be heard overhead and the two looked up instinctively. The dimly-lit hallway seemed to have exploded with light. They moved towards the window and watched as firework after firework was launched into the sky.
"This must be in celebration to you, Miss Shooting Star."
"What's with the sudden nickname?" Robin looks over at the other, raising an eyebrow playfully. It is now the brunette's turn to hum.
"No reason, I just thought it was fitting. They are bright and beautiful and they travel far and wide for everyone to see. Much like you, no?"
And the Halovian feels one of her wings covering her face as she once again attempts to hide her blush. She misses the other girl's gentle smile at the sight.
The two fell into a silence after, both opting to stare out of the window, shoulders touching as they watched the spectacle take place. It was a comforting silence, interrupted with the occasional distant boom of the fireworks.
Robin steals a glance at the other and is surprised to see her already looking at her. They caught each other's eyes and Robin couldn't help but notice how beautiful the brunette's eyes were. Her irises were the shape of butterflies, suiting her dress, which was littered with little flower petal designs. She noted how the fireworks seemed to light up the girl's eyes even more, butterflies turned to flowers. The Halovian subconsciously reached up to cup the other's face, wanting to get a better look.
"Your eyes, they are beautiful." She breathed.
It might have been a trick of the light but Robin swears she sees the other's cheeks be dusted with pink. Sparkle waves her hand dismissively but she does not pull away from the Halovian's touch.
"Ah, yes yes. They're quite peculiar shaped aren't they. They match my dress, look!" The girl gestures downward, as if to draw the attention away from her. Robin lets out another one of her graceful laughs that have Sparkle's heart pounding in her ears.
"So I've noticed."
"Ah.. you noticed that as well." Robin knew for sure that Sparkle's face was red now. Her previously playful and teasing manner was gone as she stared back into Robin's eyes.
The two held eye contact for a moment longer before the final boom of the fireworks display echoed through the building and silence fell upon the pair once more.
"I have to go back now." Robin removed her hand from Sparkle's cheek, her voice barely louder than a whisper as she opted to grab one of the brunette's hands with two of her own. Sparkle's face now felt cold where the Halovian's warm hand had previously been. But she did not have time to process the lost when Robin spoke again. "They are probably looking for me, by now. Surely my brother would have noticed my absence for so long. We had promised to watch the fireworks together, after all."
"Yes, you should. After all, the star of the show can't be missing for too long." She failed to hide the disappointment in her tone. She wished she could stay in this moment, with Robin, forever. She felt the said girl squeeze her hand tight in between her own. "We will meet again, I will make sure of it." Robin smiled and let go of the brunette's hands slowly. This time the loss of heat lingered long enough for Sparkle to notice. The shorter bowed and carefully placed her mask back on.
"I should return back to my supervisors as well, in that case. They, too, are probably wondering of my absence.."
"Well, until we meet again, Miss Sparkle." Robin had begun stepping away, albeit with reluctance and waved to the girl who smelled of cherry blossoms as she turned her back and jogged back to the main hall. Even while seemingly in a hurry, she was as graceful as ever. Sparkle noted. She watched as Robin rounded the corner before she murmured under her breath.
"Until then, Miss Shooting Star."