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Marella sits on her bed, staring at the gown on the mannequin in front of her. She doesn't want to get dressed. That would mean going downstairs to the ballroom, where her suitors waited. Her suitors, who would all be men.
Marella has never dated anyone. She's seen others do it and considered plenty, but there wasn't anyone who really caught her eye. Until her. But now Marella was sitting and dreading what's normally a life-changing night. But she knows if she goes to her Winnowing Gala she will fake laugh and dance and sometimes laugh for real but never find the one she'd spend her life with.
She stares at her dress. It looks ethereal. Marella wasn't lying when she told her mother she loved it.
A knock sounds and Marella opens her mouth tell her father she's not dressed yet. Then she realizes it didn't come from the door
Marella turns around and clutches the bedframe. The window scrapes open. A foot comes through the window and a leg follows. Marella recognizes the boot. It's Linh's.
The rest of her comes through the window in one fluid movement and she drops onto the floor in a crouched position, with one hand on the ground to steady herself.
Marella sits up straight, amazed. Linh had seemed like she was joking when she told Marella that she'd steal her away before her Winnowing Gala.
Linh sees her and stops, eyes wide, cheeks slightly pink. Marella suddenly remembers that the only thing she's wearing is a thin nightgown.
Linh quickly masks her suprise and gracefully glides to sit on a spot right next to Marella. The mattress sinks slightly under her weight and their thigh lightly touch. Marella leans against Linh so their shoulders touch too.
Linh’s hand slowly ghosts over the sheets before finding Marella's hand behind them both. She twitches her fingers, heart beating like a drum in her chest.
Marella hesitates, stomach fluttering before committing and squeezing her hand tight.
Linh pulls her close and Marella looks up at her beautiful face and dark blue eyes.
Linh places a hand on her back and slowly moves it down, Marella’s skin warming wherever she touches it.
This is what she is supposed to find in those boys downstairs, in the empty names on her matching list, in people she doesn't know and doesn't care about.
But she has everything she could ever want in a partner right here. Linh's sweet and strong and she's Marella's best friend. They complement each other so well it's like they were made to be. Who could be better than what she's got?
Marella leans forward and kisses her.
Matchmaking be damned.
She tastes sweet, like Marella is lying on a hillside and letting the rain fall in her mouth, all responsibilities cared for, all her time kept for herself. Now she can finally share it with another.
Linhs hands find her hips and they stay locked in embrace for a few more minutes until Linh finally pulls away, panting.
Marella can't remember how much she breathed while she was kissing her but it was probably enough. Her head spins from the force of the kiss.
Linh brushes some of Marella’s hair out of her face and lets ger hands wander through it and eventually reaching the back of Marella’s neck.
Tipping her head towards Linh, Marella feels a sly smile form on her face. “Do you wanna get you of here?”
Linh tilts her forehead and bumps it against Marella’s, while also angling her chest towards her
“It's your party. You make the rules.”
Marella smiles and Linh laughs. Jumping off the bed, she looks around to grap her leaping crystal before feeling her nightgown and realizing that she still has yet to put real clothes on.
Face flushing, she looks around the room for something to put on. At least it isn't see through, though the outline of her body is completely visible.
She casts her gaze around the room and eventually it settles on her Winnowing Gala gown. A smile creeps across Marella’s face. Might as well put it to some good use.
She ducks behind a wall to put it on. The thing has at least five layers of petticoat with a heavy, embroidered layer that people see. The skirt is dark red with orange flowers creeping up the seams and yellow where it overlaps on itself.
The bust is cut low with a silk undershirt that looks like fire when Marella twirls.
Marella is busy contorting herself to lace up the back when Linh asks her something. “Can I borrow some jewelry? I didn't think this was going to be a fancy occasion.”
“Yeah, of course.” Marella answers her absentmindedly.
It takes Marella a few seconds to register what she said then her face goes red at the realization.
She looks over and sees Linh looking through her jewelery box, running her fingers over the various bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.
Marella quickly pulls on her leggings to distract herself.
Once she's done Marella peeks her head out around the wall. Linh is sitting on her bed, looking so beautiful in her simple outfit, wearing a few of Marella’s simple bracelets.
She hides behind the wall and takes a deep breath. There's nothing to worry about. She can't possibly mess it up now.
Stepping out from behind the wall, Marella catches Linh's attention. She walks towards the girl sitting on her bed and Linh’s mouth drops. Her eyes are wide and amazed. A spark of pride flickers in her chest.
Marella sits down on the bed next to her and that seems to reset her brain.
Linh pulls her up and towards the window and Marella grabs the skirt of her dress and holds it off of the ground.
She climbs back out the way she came in and turns back to offer a hand to help Marella escape.
She gladly takes it and nearly falls out the window. Once Marella is on two feet and steady she looks up at Linh, cheeks red but fortunately the beautiful girl was too busy surveying the landscape to see her stumble.
“Where to?” Linh's beautiful smile stuns Marella for a second before she can stammer out–
“You'll see when w–when we get there.”
Marella holds a crystal up to the evening light and it shines through the gem and shines on the ground. Linh steps in first, quickly followed by Marella.
When the swirling feeling fades and the light clears from Marella's eyes she is greeted by a familiar view. Her old house greets her, still standing tall and resplendent.
They had moved shortly after Marella had manifested. The place was deemed “to flammable for a young Pyrokinetic to live in” by her dad. Unbeknownst to him, she'd kept her leaping crystal and still came back to her home.
Marella leads Linh around the mansion to the courtyard towards the back. The fountain there used to flow day and night but it'd been shut off when they left.
With a simple flick of Linh’s wrist it roars back to life.
Marella laughs and reaches out to touch the water. “Thank you Linh. This was my favorite place to sit. I used to spend so much time here.”
Linh sits down on the edge and smiles at Marella, slightly tucking her chin in. “It's simple. I’m just pulling water from the surrounding area and condensing it, then sending it tumbling through the pipes.”
Marella steps forward looks her in the eyes, mouth open. Linh smiles and places a hand oh her hip and Marella can feel her warmth through the fabric.
She leans forward and kisses her. Marella closes her eyes and opens her mouth, letting Linh slip her tongue inside.
Marella mumbles “I love you” into Linh's lips. Linh pulls away and looks at her with starry eyes.
“I’ve loved you since the day we met.”
Her voice is soft and Marella’s heart melts.
It's surprising how warm it feels when you're touching someone. You wouldn't think it would be so much since you're the same temperature. But it is.
“Girlfriends?” Linh asks, with the sweetest smile Marella's ever seen.
“Absolutely!”
Linh gleefully pulls Marella up and twirls her around in the rain. Marella dips her down and holds the back of her head with one hand, and supports her back with the other.
They spin around each other, dresses furling out and swishing in as they spin and spin and spin, laughing in the rain.
This night that they've made is pure and utter bliss.