with @msumabel· at the haunted house | msumausoleum
despite being well-versed with potions, xander truly has no idea on what the vial he’s chosen from the dungeon earlier contains. if anything, he’s sure that the worst he could get is a truth telling potion. even then, if he figures out that’s what he’s drank, it’ll be easy to hide away from everywhere until the potion wears off. professor jung had said the potion’s effects would last for only an hour at most and an hour of hiding wasn’t much to sacrifice over xander’s privacy.
without as much as a second thought, xander uncorks the small vial and tosses the liquid content into the back of his throat. there’s barely a taste at all and he simply wonders if he might grow a third eye. the probability of it seems incredibly unlikely though considering that professor jung doesn’t tolerate pranks or jokes so he’s sure he doesn’t have to worry about it much.
nothing seems to be happening and xander begins to wonder if the side-effects are meant to kick in later. he’s sure he’ll most likely forget about it until it hits him so he simply turns to head towards the dungeons where some partygoers are already hanging out when he spots mabel walking in his direction.
aside from the fact that xander frequently tutors her, considering that the young suseong freshman has a knack for making things explode, she’s one individual that xander goes out of his way to not hurt. seeing as she’s dear to cass, xander makes a conscious effort to make sure that the girl can be comfortable studying in his presence - at the least - during their meetings for the sake of maintaining his relationship with cass.
although a cheerful and bright witch, xander has never done much to really initiate extending their relationship past tutor and tutee. however, for some reason when he sees her in that moment, something blooms in him and he’s nothing but ecstatic as he suddenly realizes that she is his best friend. upon this realization, he immediately breaks out into one of the biggest smiles ever. an extremely rare sight that even his close friends now and family haven’t witnessed before.
“mabel! i feel like i haven’t seen you in years.” xander calls out cheerfully as he jogs up to her. she looks absolutely adorable in her tinkerbell costume and he can’t resist pulling her into a tight hug. the girl is petite and fits snugly against his toned frame, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other cradling her head against his chest while he rests his chin on top.
it’s only for a brief second though before he pulls back and realizes how exposing the innocent girl’s costume really is. immediately, he slips off his black-rose suit jacket and wraps it around her shoulders to protect her from any potential unwanted attention. as her best friend, it was really the least he could do without making her feel self-conscious even though she looked great.
“it’s a little chilly out.” xander simply states with a delicate smile before returning his gaze on her after scanning the area. “so, where were you headed tink?”
mabel had lost her friends. they were all together at the beginning of the night, but somehow, after mabel’s pumpkin carving disaster at the start of the night with kangdae, she’d come to find herself alone and wandering through the grounds, watching people in costumes have fun with their friends while desperately looking out for a familiar face for her to latch onto. they can’t have gone that far, she thinks, she’d bee at the pumpkin carving station for ages, but they wouldn’t just leave her... right? she frowns. they most likely did leave her, and she really shouldn’t be all that surprised.
she’s just about to try and message one of them when a voice calling her name catches her attention and she looks up, peering around herself for the source of the excited calling. the last person she’s expecting to see, xander, strides up, and before she can even greet him back, she’s being pulled into a hug. a shiver, followed by a blanket of tingles courses through her. a warmth spreads in her chest and before she knows it she’s beaming up at him, the hug too short for her slow brain to catch up and respond to, before it’s over.
never before in her entire life has a boy given her his jacket. something about the chivalry of it all makes her heart pound and her cheeks flush as pink as her hair usually is when not charmed into it’s current long blonde state. she’s stunned, really, wondering if perhaps xanders drunk. he’s never before been even close to nice to her, let alone treat her like this, as if they’re actual friends. maybe she’s made a breakthrough, and he’s finally decided to like her instead of simply tolerate her. she knows he was only doing it for cass’s benefit.
“i- uh... well, the haunted house is just over there, i thought i might take a peek.” she says, gesturing in the direction of a little signpost pointing people towards the haunted house set up in the gym.
