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There were various ways to ask someone out on a date, according to the movies. You could be romantic, carrying a bouquet of roses or using a song and a poster. Or you could be cool, impressing your date with your demeanor, not what you carry. Rell, after many days of writing ideas and discarding them, decided to go the second route, but without the leather jackets and fancy motorcycles that movies usually featured.
She was a star guardian, someone who used her magical powers to fight monsters and save humanity; she didn't have time to practice playing an instrument to ask someone out on a date. And the idea of the bouquet of flowers was too cheesy for her. Yes, it was decided, she would just act nonchalant and cool, like the typical movie heartthrobs. That suited her better, in her opinion.
And for that reason, she was marching to the table of the person she had a special affection for, Seraphine.
Seraphine was the star of the school, a well-known singer in the city and beyond. She was close to everyone, which made accepting Rell's invitation seem somewhat distant. They were opposites in everything Rell knew, but something united them much more than most others. Seraphine was also a Star Guardian, something she didn't intend to hide, even going so far as to record one of her battles and post it on her channel. They had fought together once and had already met, even if surrounded by several other Guardians. Rell had a crush on her ever since she met her.
The singer was seated, her blonde hair with purple streaks at the ends almost touching the floor. She was wearing the same uniform as Rell: a red skirt, a white dress shirt, and a black blazer. In the details, Seraphine showed her special touch, wearing white tights with cat ears and a pink long-sleeved shirt over the dress shirt.
"Hey, Sera." Rell rests a hand on the table where Seraphine is drinking her strawberry milkshake, drawing her attention. Beside the blonde were her friends Xayah, Senna, and Orianna, all intrigued by what Rell had to say, but preferring to observe rather than speak.
“Hi!” the singer exclaims excitedly, looking at Rell. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, how are you? I bet you’ve jumped on a lot of monsters already.” She naturally takes the lead in the conversation, her bubbly and gregarious demeanor ever so present.
“I’m fine, they’re no match for Sebastien and me.” Rell replies, praising her warhorse companion. “Listen, do you wanna to do something sometime or something?” The cavalier leaves her invitation implied, nonchalant. She had to keep the invitation as casual as possible.
“Yes, I would totally go on a date with you!” The singer exclaims in a tone louder than Rell’s after intertwining her own hands.
If there weren’t already students staring at them, now there would be even more. Everyone was curious to know more about the date between the rebellious girl and the singer, both popular in their own way.
“D-date?” Rell stammers involuntarily, repeating Seraphine’s choice of words which, despite revealing her true intention, disconcerted her calculated posture. She plays with her purple curls, a little nervous.
“Is there a dress code? Do I need to bring anything, like a picnic?” The blonde explored the possibilities, genuinely excited.
“Just…” Rell paused, thoughtful and distracted by the stares and numerous questions from a more excited Seraphine than she had expected. “Just meet me at the amusement park in two days.” Rell handed Seraphine a piece of paper with her number before turning and leaving as if nothing had happened. At the end of the cafeteria, where she crossed the hallway, her friends were waiting for her, Quinn with her arms crossed and Taliyah with a thumbs up.
“Finally.” Quinn said, surprised that her normally cool friend had taken so long to accomplish such a feat.
“Shut up…” Rell said, more embarrassed than upset with her friends, for whom she reserved nothing but affection.
Two days later…
The amusement park was somewhat empty today, but even so, the atmosphere was vibrant. Lights and decorations, including statues of the park's mascot, a deer, were scattered throughout the park for children to take photos. Families, friends, and couples were visiting the park, all for different reasons. For Rell and Seraphine, the reason was clear. It would be their first date.
“So many animals in the world and they choose a deer…” Rell complains, her thick eyebrows furrowed. She is the first to arrive at the agreed-upon spot, a long wooden chair next to a cotton candy machine located just past the entrance to the amusement park.
“True, they should've picked a cat.” Seraphine promptly replied in her melodic voice, startling Rell, who hadn't noticed the blonde's presence.
Her mere presence emanated a feeling Rell couldn't describe. It was a simple smile, unassuming and ordinary, but that gentle smile that accompanied her shining eyes was enough to turn the cool demeanor she maintained in class into a mess. Perhaps that was Seraphine's true power.
The singer had her usual hairstyle, a strand of hair tied up with a pink-detailed hair tie. She was wearing a white dress shirt with a ruffled collar and long, puffy sleeves with fitted cuffs. Over the shirt, she wore a brown cropped top with a low neckline. Even though the air was cold, the girl decided to wear a pink mid-length skirt with, unsurprisingly, designs of various different cat heads and white tights with black moccasins.
Rell, for her part, wore a black turtleneck shirt with vertical stripes and black dress pants with brown heeled boots, an outfit she wore in formal situations, when her parents took her to political meetings. It was the first time she had worn these clothes since arriving in the city, as there hadn't been situations that required the most expensive part of her wardrobe, considering her routine consisted of going to school, fighting monsters, and going to the arcade or the mall with her new friends.
“So, where do we start?” Seraphine asks with an excited smile.
Rell, who had already scanned her surroundings, gets up from her chair and flashes a confident smile of someone who already knows what she wants. She gestures for Seraphine to follow her, and the blonde does as requested, curious about the girl's actions. They walk, not too close to each other, and stop right in front of a tall cylindrical structure that bore a name in bold fonts, “High Striker”.
Also known as the "Strongman game," it was the classic game that tested your strength, just as the name suggested. It was simple, a hammer attached to the machine was provided, and the person wishing to test their skills simply had to strike the base of the machine, which contained a target-shaped circle. There were measurements on the cylinder ranging from 10 to 100, representing the measure of force applied, from lowest to highest, respectively.
“I have a good feeling about this.” Rell says, with a confidence that only several battles on the front lines could provide.
Rell holds the hammer, lighter than she expected, and takes her position. She knew she was stronger than the people in her class; she had to train for it, after all. This would certainly help in this challenge, and that's what Rell was counting on.
“Show them the power of a star guardian!” Seraphine cheered, her hands clenched and raised in fists.
The cavalier gripped the hammer handle and summoned all her strength to hammer the machine's target at its base, a loud noise being made.
“Easy,” Rell thought.
But the sounds of victory Rell expected didn't come. She looked at the machine's reading, confused, and realized her score was registered as 80. She was still 20 points short of the total score. Rell's disappointment was expressive, her eyebrows saying more than words. Seraphine placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You can easily take down the chaos monsters.” Seraphine tried to focus on the positive side. “In the end, that's all that matters.” The blonde spoke, with a raw sincerity accompanied by a sweet voice.
Rell had no choice but to accept the comforting words of the singer accompanying her. Their date started off as a failure, but she wasn't going to let that little mistake haunt her for the rest of her life. At least not now. For the moment, she was awkwardly fiddling with her own hair because Seraphine had started praising her even though she hadn't beaten the machine.
Seraphine is distracted from her words when a group of students, still in their uniforms, recognize her and ask for photos; apparently, they were fans. The blonde readily agreed and posed for pictures with them, already getting ready and standing beside them, a peace sign in her hand while sporting a radiant smile.
The sound of the camera clicking is heard, and the students thank her for the moment and the time Seraphine gave them. The blonde feels her emotions shift when they become aware of Rell's presence, who was looking at them neutrally. They stammer their words, trying to greet her, and before Rell can respond, they leave.
"Why were they scared?" Seraphine asks herself in disbelief.
“I already told you, I have a bad reputation.” Rell explains as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Rell was still known at school as a rebellious girl who skipped many classes and was only seen with a few people, even though she had recently changed and become more open after a meaningful conversation with Kai’sa, her group leader. But it was difficult to change her reputation after being seen intimidating the school bullies; however much they deserved it, it scared some students who didn't understand what was happening.
Even though Seraphine knew this, she couldn't understand how anyone could be intimidated by Rell. To the blonde, she was a normal girl with a strong sense of justice and a love for animals and her geeky hobbies that she tried so hard to hide. There was nothing Seraphine would change about Rell, even more so now that the girl was opening up more.
“We can explain that they're wrong, together.” The blonde says, her sense of protecting her friends as strong as Rell's.
“I don't care.” Rell says and looks down. “I'm used to being alone.” Seraphine feels a pang of pain in her own body coming from Rell's words.
“You don't have to be alone.” Seraphine takes Rell's hand and intertwines it with hers in quick, natural movements, reinforcing her words with a simple gesture while looking at her affectionately, her eyes shining.
Still with their hands intertwined, Rell fears her hand is sweaty from the nervousness this simple physical act has generated. For Seraphine, physical contact was as natural as singing, but for Rell it was something more personal, more unusual. They walk a short distance, passing popcorn machines, children running while their parents yell for them to stop, rides intended for children, and Rell almost forgets how to walk. To her relief, Seraphine stops walking and points to the large roller coaster with a steep climb and three loops at the back of the park, a few meters away.
“Let’s go!” Seraphine says with such enthusiasm that Rell agrees without thinking.
Getting closer to the roller coaster, the purple-haired girl swallows hard upon seeing the grandeur of the ride, slightly regretting having agreed to it before. She pretends not to care because she couldn't back down now; it would be cowardly of her, and she can't do that to Seraphine, who so desperately wanted to go. The girls join the short queue and watch the people spinning in the loop and screaming with excitement.
“Do you really want to go?” Seraphine asks, her eyes fixed on Rell's behavior.
“O-of course.” Rell stammers, not showing much conviction. “Yes, I do, I love roller coasters.” She tries to convince the other girl that it's okay.
“That's great, me too.” Seraphine smiles, content.
The people who were previously on the ride get off, all thrilled with that post-adrenaline feeling. The technician in charge of the roller coaster releases the short queue of people to enter; Seraphine and Rell were the last to choose their seats. Nothing was left for them except the last two seats at the back of the roller coaster car.
“Great,” Rell thinks sarcastically.
After they sit down, the employee explains the basic safety rules, and everyone follows them meticulously, fastening their seatbelts. The metal safety support on the chair lowers and secures them, surprisingly making Rell feel safer. Seraphine places her hand over Rell's and squeezes it, as a gesture to comfort her. For a moment, Rell thinks everything will be alright, aside from the embarrassment she's experiencing.
The cart begins to move slowly along the metal tracks, the sound of its movement continuous. It starts to pick up speed, and people begin to get excited, anxious about what was to come. Rell was too, but her anxiety came with an inner fear, her hands gripping the support on the chair. The cart was now climbing, a steep path to one of the highest points in the park. Rell looks at Seraphine, who was excited about the ride, and is distracted for a moment, observing the girl's beauty and her happy expression… Until Rell feels the cart descending rapidly.
Seraphine was screaming with euphoria, her arms in the air, as were all the people in the cart… Except for Rell, she realizes when she looks to the side. The singer hums a melody that only she could hear; there was a lot of noise around anyway. Using her magic, she calms Rell, who begins to relax and let her arms hang in the air as they start to enter one of the loops. Seraphine smiles, feeling proud of her work.
On the second loop, Rell could even say she was having fun. Her fear magically disappeared, and now she could enjoy the ride. Almost, if it weren't for the fact that she was feeling dizzy after the third loop. She decides to worry about that later and, for now, have fun.
The ride comes to an end, and all the passengers get off the cart. Rell gets off the roller coaster, her body trembling slightly and with a strong urge to vomit. She does everything in her power to avoid collapsing and going to the bathroom right away, an impressive attitude for someone whose body was screaming to release everything inside.
“That was fun!” Seraphine exclaims. “Want some air?” she asks attentively afterward.
“Yeah…” Rell admits defeat and lets her weakness show, deciding that calming down was better than emptying everything from her stomach.
The singer takes her hand, an action that embarrasses Rell, who was already dizzy from spinning so much, and leads her to a large wooden chair with a metal armrest for them to sit. Families pass by, and some recognize Seraphine, and she says "hi" back, while Rell was in a state where she didn't even notice what was happening around her, much less who the fans the singer greeted were.
“I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd get sick,” Seraphine begins, giving her attention to Rell after greeting the last fan. "I think it's cute that you're afraid of roller coasters, but not of risking your life on the front line." She speaks honestly, reminding Rell for a moment that they weren't just girls having fun at an amusement park; they were Star Guardians, and they could die at any moment in a way that the average person doesn't understand.
“It's not fear!” Rell defends herself. “I just... feel dizzy.” The purple-haired girl looks at the ground, her embarrassment returning.
“That’s a pity, I wanted you to take me on the Ferris wheel.” Seraphine looks at Rell with a smile, her eyes shining like the star on her cheek.
And when Seraphine looks at Rell with her beautiful purple eyes and a smile that completely melts her heart, Rell knew that Seraphine could take her anywhere and she would follow. Her dizziness had already passed; now the purple-haired girl's focus was on trying to remain calm and not blush when the other girl said something that affected her.
Where they were sitting, there were several food stalls and some machines with various prizes. For those who hadn't won any prizes at the shooting stalls, perhaps relying on luck was a good option, if it weren't for the fact that the claw machines were programmed to make you spend money, try several times, and give up until someone else did the same, an endless cycle interrupted by someone lucky.
“Look!” Seraphine points to a claw machine and widens her eyes in surprise. “They have a white kitten with a hat!” Her smile was wide; Rell could see the genuineness of her happiness.
Rell remembered that Seraphine had a white kitten, and she always made a point of filming it in her livestreams. She understood that the blonde must be as close to it as she is to Sebastien, and that's something only animal lovers would understand. She decided right then and there that this would be the perfect opportunity to redeem herself from the rollercoaster ride and the missteps on this date.
She was going to get that damn plush kitten. She was going to take it and give it to the beautiful girl with long blonde hair who charmed everyone with her sincere smile and had reserved her entire afternoon especially for Rell, that same girl who saw Rell's inner self and found him charming while Rell saw a disaster. She was going to dedicate herself to defeating the overwhelming odds against her and receive Seraphine's beautiful smile as thanks. She could already feel her cheeks getting warmer.
“I bet I can get it for you,” Rell said, flashing a smile too confident for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
First, a dollar was gone. On the first try, everything seemed under control; Rell was still under the false pretense of winning the kitten on the first try, a confidence only someone who throws themselves into a life-or-death battle would have.
“Got it!” Rell said, more excited than she wanted to be.
But it was a mere illusion. The machine’s claw released the plush kitten a second after Rell declared victory. Her reaction was explicit; her smile faded, and her eyes couldn’t believe what had happened, her eyebrows arched in disbelief, almost sadness. Rell put more money in the machine, swearing superstitiously that now her luck would change and the machine would hold the plush for longer, long enough to guide it to the open square in the corner that would ensure the plush would fall into its opening.
“You can do it!” Seraphine cheered excitedly for Rell, who gained a new wave of motivation from the blonde's vote of confidence.
Second attempt, Rell remains calm. The kitten's position had shifted after the machine took it for a second, its large head exposed, in the perfect position to grab it. Rell directs the machine's claw right above the head of the prize Seraphine longed for, the blonde girl's purple eyes watching the scene Rell had so carefully positioned. The claw descends, the metal gleaming against the light of the various LED lamps inside the machine. The claw gives the impression of getting stuck in the plush toy, but it returns upwards, only outlining the head with its tips.
“Stupid machine.” Rell complains under her breath. This isn't going to be as easy as she thought it would be.
She tries a third time. The kitten had barely shifted position this time, its head still quite exposed, ready to be pulled by whoever was lucky enough to grab it. Rell thought that even though in the end these machines depended more on luck than skill, they were addictive. She also thought it was foolish to spend money on this machine that's programmed to profit from poor couples who want to give someone a gift, but she understands them now. Who wouldn't want to win the smile of the person they love most? So, she positions the claw over the white kitten that smiled at her with its whiskers and lowers it again, like an anchor.
“Come on…” Rell says expectantly, and Seraphine places her hand on Rell's shoulder, as if to transfer positive energy. Rell is so focused on the machine that she doesn't even notice the sudden contact.
The claw gripped the cat's head and lifted it. The two girls smiled and watched the kitten climb higher and higher, their hearts pounding rapidly. Everything Rell wanted was about to happen… But it didn't, as the treacherous machine detachedly released the coveted plush toy.
But Rell wasn't going to give up so easily…
Her parents, wealthy politicians, had left her alone in the city to study with Quinn. Their calls were rare, almost like a check to see if she was still alive. But one thing was certain about them was their money, which they deposited monthly for Rell to live comfortably, since she herself didn't spend much, except for the manga that her parents so detested. Rell had enough money left over, and her determination, or impulse inspired by the desire to please the girl who had been kind to her, would make her spend it until she managed to impress Seraphine. Therefore, she would buy another try.
But, affectionately, Seraphine placed her hand over Rell's, signaling her to stop.
“Rell, you don't need to spend any more of your money.” The blonde said, always accompanied by her gregarious smile. “Thank you for trying though, you were sweet.” Rell melted at the words coming from Seraphine's mouth, but this only served as more encouragement for the girl with curly purple hair.
“Last time.” Rell said as if asking permission. “I have a good feeling about this.” She stated with a smile while her mind was elsewhere planning her foolproof plan.
Rell wanted more than anything to look cool to Seraphine and impress her positively. An hour had already passed, and nothing had happened. She had experienced mistakes due to lack of strength, fear, and nausea, and Seraphine had had to comfort her more than once. She needed to change that. This time she would win the prize.
The cavalier puts more money into the machine and moves the claw towards the white kitten, just like all the other times. When it comes down, the claw attaches to its head and rises. This time, Rell gives it a little "push" with her magnetic powers to make the kitten return to the beginning of the game and fall into the reward hole. The hardest part was trying to make it all convincing and not accidentally change the shape of the claw, but she manages, or at least Seraphine doesn't mention anything. While the taller girl celebrates as if she had done it by pure luck, Seraphine hugs her from behind, which makes Rell feel even more victorious.
"You did it!" the blonde exclaimed happily, and then picks up the kitten with the hat, hugging it affectionately.
“Yes, I told you.” Rell boasts.
Seraphine doesn't say anything more; she simply grabs her phone and pulls Rell's arm, opening her phone's camera to take a selfie with the girl and her new stuffed animal.
“Smile!” Seraphine says, and Rell obeys.
Seraphine takes not one but three photos, asking Rell to change poses for each one, bringing a different energy to their selfies. One cuter, another funnier, and even one that shows the pride they felt in winning against the damn machine. With a little help from magical powers, but nobody needed to know that.
“I have to post this one!” Seraphine says excitedly, selecting the cutest photo. “Hm, I'll send these others to the group chat…” She explains thoughtfully.
“Send me the photos.” Rell asks, something that was dangerously about to become a habit if she went out with Seraphine more often. The girl loved photos.
They walk aimlessly and chat. They talk about being star guardians playing in their free time like normal girls, how Seraphine's cat would be jealous of the stuffed animal, and they laugh. They laugh as if they've known each other for years and their contact wasn't a result of having to sacrifice themselves for the universe. Seraphine was about to ask something when Rell became extremely excited.
“We need to go to the haunted house!” The girl with purple hair says, and Seraphine looks in the direction Rell is looking.
The “haunted house” imitated the Victorian style, was all wood, and had a tower in its left corner, almost like a fairytale witch's house. The windows were completely locked and covered by curtains that blocked any attempt to look inside. Outside, an employee was dressed as a reaper, probably representing death.
“I don't like scary things…” Seraphine makes a face of disgust.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” Rell speaks bravely, as if they were entering a battlefield and not a cheap, poorly lit house with tired employees in costumes too short for the city’s cold weather.
“Come in, if you dare.” The employee hands Rell a bunch of rusty-looking keys of different sizes and explains nothing more.
The girls enter the house after several attempts to find the right key. Inside, it was all dark except for the lit candles and the fire in a fireplace in the corner of the room opposite a dark sofa. The decorations, those that were visible enough, were old. Vintage, in the opinion of an admirer of another era. A cuckoo clock, a dark wood china cabinet, paintings difficult to discern what they were, a dusty mirror with an intricate frame.
The front door is abruptly slammed shut with a loud bang that startles Seraphine. She tries to open the door in a small act of desperation, but it's useless. They will have to explore the entire house and figure out how to get out.
“Are we seriously going to have to try to escape from here?” Seraphine complains.
“It'll be fun.” Rell says enthusiastically, a natural lover of escape rooms.
For the next few minutes, Rell felt everything she hadn't been able to feel at the beginning. Confidence and victory. Not only had she managed to grab the teddy bear earlier, which now lay in Seraphine's bag, but the girl practically held her every step of the way, maintaining her position behind the purple-haired girl.
Rell couldn't understand how a more experienced Star Guardian could be so affected by cheap amusement park jumpscares triggered after they got a key or riddle wrong, but the girl was genuinely scared, which made Rell feel guilty for practically forcing her inside. But for now, she had to maintain her composure and "protect" her.
“...And that means this is the answer!” Rell selects a playing card and a compartment opens, releasing a final key, the key to the back door of the house.
She'll never tell anyone she learned this from a gambling manga she read, but she'll savor the victory anyway. Seraphine, who had been behind Rell, eagerly opens the door.
“We did it!” Seraphine raises her arms as she manages to get out of the house. “You’re so good at this!” She compliments her.
“It’s easy…” Rell smiles, but she already misses being inside the house with Seraphine holding her.
“Now we need to go to the Ferris wheel.” She looks at Rell, as if waiting for consent.
“Yes.” Rell doesn’t need to think much about it; she’ll go.
The girls hand the key ring to the employee and head straight for the Ferris wheel. It was getting dark, the once blue sky now turning orange as the sun hid behind a dense cloud. Seraphine takes Rell's hand and starts running to get on the Ferris wheel at the best time to watch the sunset.
They enter the oval metal cabin, which is red inside and out, with padded seats facing each other that can accommodate four people. Rell is the first to sit, deciding to sit right next to the window that offers the best view of the sunset. However, she is surprised when Seraphine sits not in front of her but beside her.
"It's better for taking pictures later," Seraphine explains, somehow convincing Rell with her words.
The cabin doors close and slowly they ascend. Rell feels her heart pounding, the sound of her heartbeat deafening. She awkwardly clasps her hands together. Seraphine had that effect on her, and even though she wanted to compose herself, she couldn't. The blonde, always ready, takes her cell phone out of her bag and starts posing for a selfie. She gives Rell instructions, telling her to make half a heart with her hand, while Seraphine makes the other half, completing each other.
“Sera, I…” The taller girl says, getting lost in her words.
“You don't have to if you're uncomfortable,” Seraphine explains affectionately.
“I'll do it,” Rell volunteers, and completed the heart with Seraphine.
The cabin stopped as soon as the selfie click was taken. They were standing at the top now, the sun in all its splendor bidding farewell and giving way to the night's welcome. The beautiful view was not ignored by Rell, who gazed at the sunset through her side of the cabin. Seraphine, on the other hand, admired a view that, for her, shone brighter than the sun dared to shine. She takes a picture of Rell watching the sunset, and the click of the photo is heard by the taller girl. She looks at the blonde, her purple eyes searching for Seraphine's equally purple eyes. The singer notices how Rell's eyes widen.
"Sera?" Rell asks, confused but unable to decide between looking at Seraphine's eyes or her mouth.
Seraphine moves closer, sliding nearer to the rider, their bodies touching. She looks at her full lips while Rell swallows hard and her cheeks flush. Seraphine caresses Rell's flushed cheek and then closes the distance between their lips, enveloping them in a kiss. With their eyes closed, they let the rhythm of the kiss slow and gentle, their mouths fitting together perfectly.
The Ferris wheel starts spinning again, and that was the cue to snap them out of their trance. Seraphine pulls her face back, while Rell remains in her position, still not believing what happened. The girl with purple curls looks at Seraphine, who was applying pink lip gloss again, her casual attitude and contented expression. Rell blushes even more at this, realizing that her own lips must be glistening from the kiss they shared. Rell doesn't say anything more for the rest of the ride on the machine, contemplating having just given her first kiss ever to the girl she had a crush on, while Seraphine busies herself with her makeup.
They get off the Ferris wheel, the night finding them with a cooler air and bright lighting, slightly bothering the two girls' vision. Without a defined destination in mind, they walk without much hurry to somewhere, or rather, nowhere.
“I had so much fun today…” Seraphine is the first to speak, her warm breath creating a vapor from the low temperature.
“Me too.” Rell smiles like someone who just won the lottery. She thinks that maybe using her powers on the claw machine was worth it after all.
“I would have kissed you even if you hadn’t given me the teddy bear using your powers,” Seraphine says casually, breaking the victorious pose Rell was sporting.
“You knew!?” Rell speaks louder than she should, shocked by the information.
“I have my secrets too,” Seraphine says enigmatically. “If it’s any comfort to you, I won’t mention that part to my friends.” She smiles devilishly.
Rell’s body feels chills down her spine. Not from the cold, but from the image of Seraphine telling her friends about the blunders she made at the disastrous start of the date. “Hey, don’t worry.” Seraphine glances to the side and gently holds Rell’s chin, making the taller girl look her in the eyes. “They’ll hear lots of positive things about you, for sure for more than an hour if they don’t interrupt me.” She speaks quickly in a single breath.
The question in Rell’s mind was “Why?”. Why would the girl, loved by her entire school, choose her? She rarely fought alongside Seraphine, and they weren’t even in the same class at school. Rell was learning to share her feelings with others and relate better to her classmates, but her encounters with Seraphine make her deal with something entirely new. A new feeling.
Seraphine telepathically replied, “Because you deserve it. No matter how much you’ve convinced yourself that you don’t need anyone, you’ll never have to be alone again.” The blonde explained, making her motivations clear. “…And because I like you, if it wasn’t already obvious from the kiss I gave you. I like the cool Rell who romantically rides her horse onto the battlefield and defends students from bullies, and I also like the Rell who gets shy when I talk to her and smiles when she talks about her favorite manga.” Seraphine spoke in her mind while smiling gently at her. Rell didn’t have time to be shocked by the empath’s power, as she already knew what she was going to do next.
This time, Rell took the initiative. She took Seraphine’s hand from her chin and caressed it with her thumb. Then, in an act of pure spontaneity and romanticism that she may have copied from one of her manga, she kisses Seraphine's hand, which makes the blonde, who usually knows what to say, blush.
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” Rell asks, without a shadow of a doubt in her words. “This time, without reading my thoughts and speaking telepathically.” She clarifies with a smile, showing her desire to hear Seraphine's voice loud and clear.
“Oh my God, yes!” Seraphine almost shouts, drawing the attention of passersby. “I would love to, Rell!” She throws herself at Rell, who catches her in her arms and spins her around a few times in the air while Seraphine bends her knees, trusting completely that Rell wouldn't let her fall. After a moment, Rell slowly sets her back down, enjoying the close contact as much as possible. She kisses Seraphine on the forehead, their height difference making the action easier.
“I liked that romantic side of yours, it suits you.” The singer says candidly, a smile on her face. “My very own guardian in shining armor.” She says proudly, having changed the saying.
“Don’t tell anyone.” Rell wraps her in a hug that would almost disguise how embarrassed she was if it weren’t for the fact that her first and new girlfriend could read minds and feelings.
“No promises.” Seraphine melts into the hug and lets herself feel comfortable in Rell’s arms, feeling so safe that no monster could hurt her and ruin this moment.
Hours later, on the other side of town, a chat group composed of Seraphine, Senna, Xayah, and Orianna would be bombarded with messages from a singer overflowing with joy who definitely couldn’t wait until the day of the Star Guardian's very important, as Seraphine said, sleepover to share most of the details of her encounter with the cavalier star guardian, who now held the title of “cutest girlfriend in the universe” according to Seraphine.