She chuckled. Gina hated her curls and wished for Agnes’ hair. The runaway had appreciate the irony of this. Apparently it was one of those unwritten girl laws that every girl is supposed to be jealous of some attribute of another girl’s. Agnes was in love with Gina’s culry hair while Gina prayed for Agnes’. The runaway had to smirk at this. What was next? Was Gina going to wish she had her physique? Agnes could have killed for the curves that Gina possessed.

Slowly she began to relax and informed Gina of this…

>> "Good…I hope it does, too. You'll have fun."


“I hope so,” Agnes said with a nod.

Now it was not that she didn’t trust Gina. She obviously did considering the fact that she allowed her to pick out a total stranger for her to go on a date with. But Agnes was not one hundred percent sure she would be that much fun for company. She and Gina had fun, even when she went out with Liz or Sveta she managed t be fun company. But none of those were dates.

This was an entirely different beast…

>> "There, that'll do ya…I don't think that I'll even have to spray it down."[/color]

“That’s…good…right?” she asked.

Agnes rarely ever put products in her hair. Mainly she kept as much stuff out of her hair as she could and didn’t really bother to think much on it. Apparently that was a good thing, judging from Gina’s comment.


>> "Anything else? Or are you ready for the best part of preparation?"[/color]

Agnes arched her brow as she stood up. This apparently was the part that Gina was really waiting for. She smirked as she nodded to the bathroom door. Maybe this is what dolls were supposed to feel like in the hands of a new child?

But runaway only smirked at Gina’s enthusiasm. She had done an absolutely fantastic job on her make-up and her hair. She could only imagine what else the little gargoyle had in mind. And yet she smiled. She trusted Gina totally right now and always would.

“Come on,” she said with an enthusiastic small giggle. “My clothing for the evening is at your discretion.”

>> “That’s…good…right?”

"Yeah," Gina murmured, "Hairspray makes your hair all stiff and immobile. You'd have to wash it all over again before going to bed. Simply gross."

Gina was practically bouncing on her heels when the matter of outfitting arose. Perhaps she was getting too excited, but this was the kind of thing that sisters were supposed to do-- get each other ready for dates, have makeovers... the stuff that memories were made of.

>> “Come on, my clothing for the evening is at your discretion.”

Gina could have twirled with excitement-- keywords, could have. She was trying to contain herself, but with enthusiasm like hers, once it got rolling, it was hard to stop-- and it was oh-so infectious.

Gina flitted back into the bedroom, allowing for Agnes to follow on her own fruition. What kind of clothes did Agnes have, anyways? Should this have been something that Agnes and Gina had gone shopping for beforehand? Possibly. But, they could make due with what they had. The date wasn't too insanely fancy, right?

The gargoyle girl practically floated upon a cloud as she made her way towards Agnes's wardrobe, pulling open the doors to peer within. There had to be something within there worthwhile. Maybe she should give Agnes some wiggle-room in the attire area? After all, just Gina's luck, she'd choose something Agnes hated wearing.

"The date is semiformal," Gina explained, dancing away from the cabinet and hopping onto her bed so as to step away from the wardorbe, "Maybe a cute dress? Or a cute shirt and a skirt? Have at it--" Gina settled onto her bed so that her weight was distributed equally between her two feet, and she was bent over, peering smilingly at her sister. She'd help veto if need-be, but it was Agnes' outfit-- and, truth be told, Gina wasn't wholly confident in navigating Agnes' closet.

Gina looked absolutely on cloud nine when she told her that she could take on her attire for the evening. Stifling a giggle (but not being too successful), Agnes followed Gina out to their bedroom. The little gargoyle was already half inside Agnes’ closest, peering about and looking at everything she owned. To be honest Agnes did not have that much stuff, especially nothing that she could consider to be fancy. Agnes really was more of a jeans and sweat girl because she really needed to hid her scars. But she stood back and decided to let Gina sift through her belongings.

But then the little gargoyle sat back onto her bed and looked at her with a grin.

>> “"The date is semiformal…Maybe a cute dress? Or a cute shirt and a skirt? Have at it--"

Agnes paused. Gina…wasn’t going to pick for her? A stone dropped into the teenager’s gut . How was she supposed to pick anything? She didn’t know about thing about what to wear on a date. But she was going to have to trust her sister’s opinion. At least she was not completely throwing her to the wolves without any help of anything.

Gina, apparently, was going to be her fashion consultant. Agnes chuckled as she stepped forward, still wrapped in a towel but at least her make-up and hair were nicely done. Reaching into her closet, she mumbled to herself as she moved things around. She pulled out the first dress with a confused look on her face…

She held up the dress for Gina to scrutinize. She thought for a moment and then laughed and shook her head.

“Sorry, Liz,” one of her other friends in the mansion, “Asked me to hold onto this for her. I forgot to give it back.”

She giggled as the thought of her wearing that on a date flashed across her head and she tossed the dress onto the bed next to Gina. Turning back around she continued to look through her own clothes before she finally pulled out a couple of dresses that did not seem two terrible.

She turned to Gina and held them both up for her. “These don’t seem too bad,” she said as she showed her sister a Red Dress and a Sunny Yellow Dress. It was at times like this that she wished she had a little multi-use black dress. Well…at least one that did not look like it was covered in feathers…

Gina surveyed the poofy black dress as Agnes held it up. It was a gorgeous dress, strapless and fitted up on top, and wispy, black and fluffy all the way down the skirt. Gina smiled as Agnes laughed.

>> “Sorry, Liz,asked me to hold onto this for her. I forgot to give it back.”

"It's a gorgeous dress," Gina agreed. It was gorgeous, her tone said, but she was thinking that it was perhaps a bit too much for the date? Unless they were secretly planning on slipping away to a ball after the date that Gina knew of. Gina didn't have to veto the dress, for Agnes tossed it down on her own fruition. She rummaged through the closet for a while, before pulling forth a couple of different dresses.

>> “These don’t seem too bad.”

Gina tried not to gape-- Agnes had dresses like this? Gina grinned broadly. The patterned yellow dress was sweet-- a cute, whispy little thing that was fitted down to the hips before flaring out into a knee-length skirt. Conservative, especially as compared to its risque counterpart. The red dress was hot, fitted through the top, and semi-fitted in the skirt-- it would look perfect on Agnes. Either would work.

Gina was trying to be unbiased, but subtlety had never been her strong suit.

"Either of those would work," Gina said approvingly, "But, geezus, sister-- where did you get that little red dress? That dress is on fire."

Yeah, obviously Gina's vote was the red dress, but she'd let Agnes choose. Whatever she felt most comfortable in, because Gina was pretty sure that she could pull either of those off. She wasn't too sure that Agnes's date would be able to handle the little, red dress though. Gina gave a humored grin.

"The yellow one's cute, the red one's hot-- whichever you're shooting for."

Gina seemed to like the black dress. Agnes was a little surprised at this. She didn’t know why. It was a pretty dress but she doubted she could pull something like that off at all. Then again she never really went to any kind of fancy parties before that would require clothing like that. Her parents were rather conservative. The only functions they every went to or hosted had to do with their church. Never anything that would require fancy clothes. As a matter of fact her mother made all of Agnes’ own clothes so she was lacking in the knowledge of clothing.

Thank god she had Gina here to help her out with this hard decision because Agnes really had no idea what she was going to wear. Both of the dresses seemed doable: both were pretty, both seemed quasi comfortable…though she was not too sure about that red dress. She would have to make sure to shake her fist at Sveta for getting it for her for her birthday.

She sighed and looked to Gina, imploring her for help…

>> "Either of those would work…But, geezus, sister-- where did you get that little red dress? That dress is on fire."

Agnes blushed a little as she looked over the red dress. Only the tiniest of smirks on her face. “Oh, Sveta, my friend who brought me to the school over a year ago, gave it to me for my birthday a couple of days back.” She shrugged. “She said it would look good on me but I haven’t even tried it on yet…”

She paused as she looked over the dress. It really was gorgeous. There was no questioning that but could she really pull it off? It exposed a lot of skin and Agnes still felt extremely self-conscious about her scars. In many of the places that made the dress absolutely beautiful, she could already see that scarring would be seen.

She sighed…

>> "The yellow one's cute, the red one's hot-- whichever you're shooting for."[/i]

Agnes smirked as she looked over to Gina and nodded. At least Gina was not going to make her choose one over the other. Even though her sister did not really keep her opinion subtle, Agnes knew that she was giving her a choice in order to make her feel better. That meant the world to her. Plus she also knew that no matter what, Gina would not get hurt feelings if she did not pick her vote for a dress for this evening. But she would make sure to wear it for Gina soon just to show it off.

“Well,” Agnes mused as she held up both dresses. She finally opted out for the yellow, sunny one. She would rather look cute for this evening, especially since it was a blind and first date. “I think I’ll go with this one,” she said as she wiggled the sunny dress briefly. “Only because this is a first date and I don’t want this girl to be intimidated by my glorious beauty in that red dress,” she smirked and grinned with her joke. “Sound okay?” she asked for her sister’s opinion…

>> “Oh, Sveta, my friend who brought me to the school over a year ago, gave it to me for my birthday a couple of days back... She said it would look good on me but I haven’t even tried it on yet…”

Agnes's face achieved a tint that was only a few shades darker than the dress as she said this, but she did give a small grin. Gina smiled along with her-- Agnes had a really generous circle of friends, if this Sveta-girl had bought her such a foxy little dress. Gina hadn't expected her sister to have purchased a dress like that on her own, so she was kind of glad that this Sveta-girl had purchased it. Maybe, one day, Agnes would wear it. But, her self-consciousness was something that the gargoyle girl understood.

"Sveta has good taste," Gina agreed simply, bobbing her head. Agnes stared at the dresses indecisively for a few measures, and Gina waited patiently. Agnes was right, she wouldn't be offended, whichever way that Agnes opted-- and, yes, no matter what decision Agnes made, she'd have to show Gina the red one sooner or later.

>> “Well... I think I’ll go with this one. Only because this is a first date and I don’t want this girl to be intimidated by my glorious beauty in that red dress. Sound okay?”

Gina didn't get the joke, because there was a note of truth to what Agnes had said. Her date would probably be so overwhelmed, she'd pass-out if she saw Agnes in the red dress. And, even if Agnes didn't see it, she was a total knockout by anyone's standards, even with her scars.

"So true," she agreed, bobbing her head, "Poor girl would probably be in a tizzy if you wore the red one... the yellow one sounds perfect."

Gina bounced in excitement. It was almost time to see the finished package. Seeing the hair and the make-up and the outfit come together was her favorite part. She couldn't help herself.

Gina seemed to be fine with the dress that Agnes picked out. She was good with it too. It seemed like the safest choice considering the copious amounts of butterflies in her stomach she had been having all day. As much as she wanted to dress to impress, she was still feeling a little iffy about exposing that much of her skin. That was not to say that she was totally opposed to wearing it. No, definitely one day. After all, she would have to wear it to show off for Gina.

But for her, her sensibilities settled on the less ostentatious dress. She wanted to have a nice “I’m cute” look. Not a “take me now!” look. She sighed a bit happily as she looked at her selection. A glance to Gina showed that she too approved of her choice and she beamed.

>> "So true…Poor girl would probably be in a tizzy if you wore the red one... the yellow one sounds perfect."[/color]

Agnes smirked and nodded.

“Thank you, sister Gina,” she said with a nod. But then she paused and took a breath. This was it. This was the end of her getting ready and that meant that before long her blind date, whoever she turned out to be, was going to be arriving soon. Another breath and she smiled at Gina as she picked up a few more essentials of clothing. “I’ll be right out,” she gulped.

With that, Agnes stepped into the restroom and closed the door behind her. Now by herself, a multitude of thoughts began to run through her mind. The reality that this night was going to be starting any time now was beginning to set in. She was terrified again. But she knew that it was far too late to cancel. She needed to deal with the butterflies in her stomach and she would face this evening. Whoever this girl was, she didn’t have to be Miss Right. This was simply a date, nothing more, nothing less. She was going to go have a good time.

With a resolute nod, she began to change and made sure not to mess up her hair or make-up that Gina painstakingly did.

A few minutes rolled by. Then, before her sister could blink, Agnes opened the door to the bathroom and casually stepped out. She was wearing the sunny, yellow dress with a small, soft and white button-up sweater. Wearing a pair of casual, yellow shoes (not heels), she walked into the living room and did a tiny twirl for Gina to judge and smirked.

“How do I look?”

Gina giggled at the "sister Gina". It made her feel like a nun, which she was probably the farthest thing from. Agnes picked up the dress, as well as a few other essentials to the ensemble, and with the disclaimer of, "I'll be right out," slipped into the bathroom.

"I'll be right here," Gina echoed back, flopping onto the bed as the bathroom door was shut securely behind Agnes. Now came the moment of truth, now came the waiting game. While Agnes was battling with the world's worst butterflies of anxiousness, Gina hopped off of the bed, scampered towards her desk, and withdrew a small, unobtrusive white box from the top drawer. It was tied with a decorative little gold ribbon.

Gina hopped back into position on the bed, tucking the little box under the blankets, and returned to playing the waiting game.

After a while, Gina began to wonder if perhaps Agnes had squeezed out of the bathroom through the ventilation, and was currently booking it off of campus because of nerves. How long did it take to put one dress on? Gina tried to be patient, but she couldn't help herself-- she was just about to ask Agnes if she was still alive in there when the door popped open once more.

Agnes emerged in all of her luminous glory, garbed in the dress, a soft white sweater, and pair of cute, yellow slip-ons. Agnes twirled, and gave the compulsory, “How do I look?”

Gina beamed, bouncing off of the bed excitedly.

"How do I look, she says?" Gina practically squealed, "Aggs, you look amazing! Zow, sister!" She paused, inclining her head, and she began to trail, "I've got just the thing to top it off."

She rummaged under the blankets, and withdrew the little box, with the explanation of, "It's a belated birthday gift."

Agnes stepped out, she grinned at Gina. After her little twirl she began to feel silly, like she was doing something that was completely out of her character. Agnes never really displayed her appearance for anyone. Even at home her parents never allowed her to wear anything beyond what was made for her and those things were exceptionally conservative. But showing herself off, even if only for the briefest of moments, to her adopted sister just made her grin. She felt so light and airy on her feet that she could not help the little dance that was in her step.

She smirked as she watched and waited for her sister’s reaction. Thankfully she did not have to wait long at all…

>> "How do I look, she says? Aggs, you look amazing! Zow, sister! I've got just the thing to top it off."[/color]

Agnes grinned and laughed at her reaction. She really seemed to have enjoyed. But then there was a hint of mystery about her as she suddenly produced for her a box with a beautiful gold bow.

“Aww, Gina! What is that for?” she asked innocently.

To be honest she rarely celebrated her birthday. Even when she was at home it was nothing that her parents ever made a bit deal of. It was just another day to them only with extra prayer.

>> "It's a belated birthday gift."

Agnes was sincerely touched. She smiled wide as she looked over the gift that Gina handed out to her. A small tear in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away before she leaned forward, planted a kiss on Gina’s forehead and hugged her tight.

“Aw, sweetie, thank you! But you didn’t have to give me anything,” she said with a nod of appreciation. Gently she took the gift from Gina and smirked. “What is it?” she asked as she very carefully took the ribbon off…

>> "Aw, sweetie, thank you! But you didn’t have to give me anything."

Gina smiled as Agnes hugged her tightly and kissed her on the head. Of course, Gina didn't have to give her anything. But, she wanted to. Plus, it was fun giving Agnes gifts, because her reaction was so priceless.

"Of course, I didn't have to," Gina grinned, passing the gift off to Agnes, "I wanted to."

>> "What is it?"

Gina shrugged and said nothing, in that infuriating, keeping-her-lips-sealed, even-when-someone-wants-details sort of way.

"Open it," Gina replied simply. And, as Agnes did, a necklace was uncovered. It was a beaded pendant that resembled a flower, at the end of a long, beaded chain. The color palette consisted of greens, golds, bronzes and even a touch of lavender. It was a simple, bohemian thing, by no means extravagant.

"It was made by a lady from my hometown, she does a lot of beadwork," Gina explained, "It made me think of you."

>> "Open it,"[/color]

Carefully the runaway pulled the gold ribbon off. It really was gorgeous. She was going to have to make sure to save it in a scrap book or something. Carefully she set the ribbon down on her bed and proceeded with opening the tiny box that her sister had handed her. Agnes was never the type to suddenly just rip open a gift, especially one that was given in such a heartfelt manner. Instead she calmly opened the box.

She was blinded by the momentary sparkle that greeted her eyes. Peeking inside, her breath caught in her throat as she very gently pulled out a necklace that looked absolutely far too beautiful for someone like her to own.

Startled she glanced to Gina as her sister began to explain…

>> "It was made by a lady from my hometown, she does a lot of beadwork…It made me think of you."[/color]

Agnes smiled. She gently held the necklace in her hand as she turned it over and over in the light of their room. It sparkled so beautifully that the runaway had to choke back a very tiny sniffle. A look to her sister and she smiled so appreciatively as she leaned over and gave her another hug. This one far more bigger and far more stronger than any she had ever really given before.

She was at such a loss for words that she could only give her another great big kiss on her forehead.

“God, Gina,” she muttered as she shook her head. “It’s…It’s just absolutely beautiful. No one…has ever given me anything like this. Thank you, my sister. Thank you very much!” she squealed a little girlishly as she hugged her sister again in appreciation and giggled. “Come on! Help me put it on before my date gets here…”

Agnes then sighed contentedly. She couldn’t believe the life she had now. She hoped it would only get better…

>> “God, Gina. It’s…It’s just absolutely beautiful. No one…has ever given me anything like this. Thank you, my sister. Thank you very much! Come on! Help me put it on before my date gets here…”[/i]

Agnes's reaction was priceless. Gina could only beam as her sister surveyed the jewelry, hugged and kissed her forehead. She squealed and giggled and fawned over the thing as if it were crafted of semi-precious jewels, to which Gina only smiled.

"You're welcome, Agnes," Gina sighed, "You're very welcome."

The gargoyle girl did as instructed, moving behind Agnes as she took the two separate ends of the necklace and delicately pinched the clasps between two claws per side. Clasps were a pain when it came to claws, but Gina managed to successfully hook it. The necklace only partially matched the dress, but it was the gesture that was the most important.

"Maybe it will be a good luck charm? And bring you good karma?" Gina murmured smilingly. Her date would be there any moment now, and even Gina was getting excited.

>> "You're welcome, Agnes…You're very welcome."[/i]

Agnes was still not fully sure what to say other than mutter another thank you before she turned around to have Gina help her to attach the necklace around her neck. She lifted her hair briefly and waited for Gina to finish clasping the necklace to itself. Once it was finally done, she sighed a little and let her hair once again fall back down.

The necklace, though only beads, really was one of the greatest treasures she had received thus far. She would cherish it always, especially because it was given to her by someone who she felt close enough to call her sister.

>> "Maybe it will be a good luck charm? And bring you good karma?"

“Aww, Gina,” she grinned as she hugged her again. “I think its already working. How else do you explain walking into my life?”

Agnes meant every word of it. She loved her sister dearly and knew that she must have already had had at least some sort of tremendous luck otherwise the young gargoyle would have never found a way to cross her path. She sighed happily as she looked over to Gina and modeled briefly.

Her sunny dress, yellow slip-ons, and white sweater (along with her newly acquired necklace), made her look like a much happier individual than she normally presented herself as. She actually looked…bubbly and perky; normally an appearance which was extremely difficult for the young runaway.

“Do I look okay?” she asked sincerely. How many times was it now that she asked?

Knock…knock…

The sudden sound actually jarred Agnes out of her train of thought as she snapped her attention back to Gina. The sudden wave of nerves came back and smashed against her like a wave. Those butterflies never fluttered so fiercely as they did the second that respectful and quiet knocking sounded on her door…

The necklace really brought it all together. Gina surveyed her sister with smiling eyes, absolutely glowing with anticipation. She couldn't wait to see her date's face. Would she be absolutely breathless in delight, or grinning like an idiot? Or wordlessly flushed?

God, when was that girl going to get there, anyways?!

>> “Aww, Gina... I think its already working. How else do you explain walking into my life?”

Gina d'aww'ed and squealed, squeezing Agnes tightly in their hug. This is why Gina loved giving Agnes gifts. Because everything she was given, however small, seemed to mean the world to her. She wished that more people were like that when it came to recieving gifts. It made giving them so much more worthwhile.

Agnes tilted and turned, mimicking a model. Gina smiled and casually folded her arms.

>> “Do I look okay?”

"You look stellar," Gina assured her, beaming like a proud mother. Her baby was all dressed up and going out on a date! The thought only made Gina's grin widen. Two, timid knocks at the door interrupted them, both, and both of the girls froze and looked up.

"Ah, the lady of the hour's finally here," Gina breathed a sigh of relief. It took every fibre of her being to resist jumping up and down and clapping excitedly. She was finally here. Passing Agnes a look that was a lot more subdued that Gina was inwardly, Gina inquired, "Shall I get the door? Or, would you like to?"

Agnes looked like she was going to melt into a puddle, right on the spot. Thus, Gina was kind enough to make the offer to answer the door, but the person standing at the door wasn't there to see her. However, the mystery girl was there for Agnes anyways, not Gina, so it didn't make sense for Gina to answer.

>> "You look stellar,"[/i]

The praise fell on deaf ears. Agnes was still terrified and in a slight shock as she looked across the room and at the door that had just been knocked on. Maybe it was a mistake? Did she really hear it knock? She doubted she had hallucinated it because when she turned she found Gina there, grinning like a crocodile. Nope, she was definitely not imagining that knocking on her door. Those butterflies in her stomach suddenly began to descend into an all-out mosh pit party.

She sighed, shivering a little at the anticipation as she turned to look at Gina. Sadly she just felt completely lost. Though the mechanics were simple, just walk over to the door and open it with a smiling face, she was completely blanking on this whole endeavor. Her feet felt frozen to the floor and whatever confidence she once had that she could do this was quickly flying out the window.

She shivered again, hugging her arms in her sweater as she looked over at Gina.

>> "Ah, the lady of the hour's finally here…Shall I get the door? Or, would you like to?"

Agnes sighed. It wouldn’t be proper if Gina got the door. After all she was not the one that her date was here to pick up. Though her face was still slightly frozen in mute terror, the runaway slowly began to thaw herself out as she took once breath, then two, and then gently nodded her head to Gina’s last question. She was not going to back out of this now; and she was especially not going to be rude.

“N-N-No…I got it,” she said with a small smile. She had to swallow to keep from stomach from completely doing the flip.

Taking a shaky step forward, Agnes’ breath caught in her throat. Each movement made her want to sway but she just had to keep reminding herself that this was something teenagers did all the time. It was not like whoever this girl was she was going to have to devote the rest of her life to. It was a single date, that was it. Nothing more needed to be said then that.

Upon arriving at the door, Agnes took a second to smooth down her dress, taking another encouraging breath, smile and open the door.

“Hiii—“ eyes wide, she stopped in mid-greeting and paused, holding the door open. On the other side stood— “J-Jasmine? What’re you…?”