Chapter 4: Dance Lessons and Dark Grins
Celeste stared up from the floor, her lips pressing together into a tight, trembling line.
A mechanical chime echoed through the air as the massive arena began to rapidly shrink, folding seamlessly back into the pristine Syndicate lobby. The ghostly galaxy fabric of Celeste's magical dress slowly dissolved, leaving her back in her civilian clothing.
She looked up at the terrifyingly cheerful crimson girl, her voice shaking. "You... you're a damn freak!!"
Her hand trembled as she reluctantly reached up. Red took her hand to help her up, and the moment their skin met, tears of pure, overwhelming emotion pricked the corners of Celeste's eyes. A fierce blush exploded across her face. She violently pulled her hand away, recoiling backward. "Damnit!! Whatever that... that passive aura you have is, it's affecting me! Get away from me!!"
She tried to sound commanding, but her trembling voice wasn't convincing at all.
Red just blinked her heart-shaped eyes, letting out a chaotic, melodic giggle. "That's just pure love in all its glorious forms being forced straight into your soul, baby! Let it happen, you'll absolutely love it!"
Celeste's eyes widened. She blushed a deep crimson and took a panicked step back, but her legs were shaking so badly they gave out completely. Before she could hit the floor a second time, Red swooped in, catching her effortlessly by the waist and dipping her like a professional ballroom dance partner.
"Oops," Red murmured, a incredibly smug look taking over her face. "You almost... fell!"
Before Celeste could protest, Red smoothly spun her into a graceful twirl. Utterly intoxicated by the raw aura of emotional magic, Celeste was completely unable to resist, moving in perfect sync and actually dancing with her half-heartedly across the linoleum.
Meanwhile, the surrounding crowds of high-ranking magical girls were staring with wide, completely horrified eyes at the bizarre spectacle unfolding in front of the reception desk.
Up in the stands, Alice was staring down at the dancing duo with a deeply unsettling, unreadable expression. Maya caught sight of her face and instantly stiffened, whispering, "Oh... shit..."
Suki looked over, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before her face returned to its usual deadpan mask. "It appears... Alice is very, very jealous."
Alice immediately whipped her head toward Suki, a bright, cheerful smile plastering onto her face. "I am absolutely not."
However, her smile didn't stop growing. It stretched wider and wider, stretching unnaturally toward her ears, perfectly mirroring the terrifying, manic expression she used to wear back when she was the corrupted 'Smiling Girl'.
Miss Marcy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Alice!! Your... your smile...!"
Feeling the shift, Alice instantly panicked. Her beautiful golden magical dress began to violently flicker and glitch, warping right back into the cartoony yellow cloth of her old, broken form.
"No!! Hahaha!!" Alice cried out, her voice cracking into a jagged, manic laugh. "Damnit!! Hehehe!!!"
She clawed at her own face, whimpering as she desperately tried to force the terrifying Cheshire grin off her lips.
Down on the floor, Red saw the commotion and immediately stopped dancing. She flashed a brilliant smile at a completely woozy, dazed Celeste. "Looks like our dance must wait, sweetie! You see, my true love clearly needs me!"
Celeste just collapsed heavily onto a nearby waiting-room chair, holding her head in her hands, her eyes wide with total psychological confusion. "What... what literally just happened to me...?"
Red casually jogged back over to the group and looked up at Alice, her head tilting. "What's going on up there? Oh no!! Alice, my absolute heart!!!"
Suki, Maya, and Miss Marcy all immediately crossed their arms, glaring down at Red with universal exasperation.
Red simply shrugged, her wobbly, heart-eyed smile perfectly intact as she held her hands up defensively. "What? I love everything!"