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"A whole five hundred?" Alya smiled at Rose, amused, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Don't you think that might be a little... Irresponsible?"
"I can afford it, my parents actually pay me to babysit my siblings," Rose waved off Alya's concern. The taller girl flipped her ombered hair over her shoulder with a scoff.
"My parents pay me, I just don't squirrel it away like you do."
"Well, I don't buy a lot of Ladybug merch. It's free to admire the heroes from a distance, and up close whenever they save me." Rose shrugged, filling up a small plastic cup with sugar free juice. She and Alya were working at one of the refreshment tables in one side of the school's courtyard.
There were people milling about, waiting for a series of auctions that included celebrity items donated for the occasion and, later on, a date auction. Rose and Alya, along with most of their friends, hadn't been allowed to sign up to get pampered by highest bidders, since they had yet to turn eighteen. In fact, only a handful of students had been both old enough and brave enough to take their turn on stage with a number of faculty and parents single or otherwise.
Most of the student volunteers had signed up for refreshment and game booths instead.
"So, you managed to save up so much over the past few years by not buying merch to commemorate people you admire, buuuut-" Alya looked up from an orange she was peeling, waving a small knife in one gloved hand in time to the word she had stretched out. "You will take most of your savings out just to buy a date with your best friend?"
Rose tried to roll her eyes to show how unaffected she was by Alya's teasing, but her blush was giving her away.
"It's the least I can do after we all encouraged Juleka to sign up for the auctions. She's been more sociable over the last two years, but I feel like this might be a little out of her comfort zone. I mean, she's already going to be up on that landing in front of everyone, and I -know- she's going to get some great bids..."
Rose and Alya grinned at each other, in agreement that the tallest girl in their friend group was gorgeous.
"So, you're going to throw out a bid of five hundred and make sure that she doesn't have to deal with a stranger after the auction? That's so nice of you." Alya set the orange in a pile of others that were waiting to be halved and tossed in into little bowls.
"I may have other reasons for bidding." Rose admitted with a wink while she set aside the last full cup. "I won't bid it all right away, I want to see how high it gets before I even start. Just out of curiosity, of course."
"Lets hope you brought enough cash with you, I'm seeing a lot of high rollers around here." Alya said, nodding towards the Mayor, his wife, and an entourage of fashion-mogul-wannabes walking around among other rich looking people. Rose wilted a bit at the sight, glancing at her purse and hoodie sitting on a chair behind herself.
"Hopefully they will spend most of their money on the celebrity stuff and leave the date auction for the regular mortals."
"Don't worry, I'll be cheering you on from here." Alya bumped her elbow against Rose's shoulder, winking at the short blonde. Rose beamed up at her and danced in place, excited that Alya was willing to watch the booth by herself while Rose went off to bid for a night in Juleka's company.
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Juleka took a deep breath, looking around at the thinning crowd in the art classroom. She had been hoping to be put higher off in the roster, but when she had arrived to the event with her friends, she checked the listing.
Her name was in the last ten of a surprisingly long list of dates for auction.
She strummed her fingers against her right thigh, her left hand turned palm up and switching between chords on the neck of her imaginary bass guitar. It helped her to stay calm as she waited for Mlle. Bustier's name to be called, since her teacher was scheduled to walk out to the railing above the courtyard before her. Until then, she let her mind wander while she practiced her scales.
It had been a stupid dare, really. A secret dare between Alix and Kim that she had overheard, and subsequently muscled her way into for a cut of the winnings. Alix was set to win thirty dollars if Juleka did tough it up and sign up for a date, and Juleka was going to take the other twenty. Kim had no idea that he had been hustled, but hey, after this one horrible night Juleka would have enough money to ask Rose out to a cafe the next day.
She could stand talking to some boring guy for a couple hours if it meant she could buy her best friend some coffee and a pastry later on. She was getting a little embarrassed about turning Rose down time and time again for lack of funding.
Rose was a wonderful, adorable, kind and amazing person, but Juleka didn't want to take advantage of Rose's kindness and her bigger wallet.
But she also didn't want to make Rose think that she didn't want to go out with her.
She flinched in her seat as Mlle. Bustier's name was called, and took a deep breath. She had heard the auction through the open doorway, and she had a feeling that her red haired teacher's auction would go on for a while and earn a fair amount for the charity. She had gotten permission from her partner to enter the auction because the money would be going towards a therapy center for past victims of Shadowmoth.
It was a good cause, and another reason why Juleka had signed up to begin with. She had the option to sign up for the booths with her other friends, but the auction itself was what brought in the big money.
She was also quite happy to take along a big box filled with her father's old outfits for the celebrity auction. His old stinky leather jackets and pants had gotten a shocking amount two hours ago.
She stood and stretched out her arms, ready to do her part for the charity.
How bad could it be, anyways? Most of the dates were just dinner and drinks, with a few dates simply being paid for and not followed through by the donors. Juleka hoped for the latter, but the former did meant free food and awkward small talk and that wouldn't be too bad.
She walked to the doorway to peek out, watching the auctioneer close out the bidding. Just as Juleka suspected, her admittedly good-looking teacher had brought in well over two hundred, and was waving to the crowd in the courtyard as she walked towards the stairs to find her date for the evening.
Juleka looked up at the open area above the courtyard, seeing that the sun was getting lower in the sky.
"And now, we have another student volunteer and daughter of the celebrity Jackson, er-" M Damocles blinked at the papers in his hands, his massive eyebrows rustling as he tried again. "My apologies, daughter of -Jagged- Stone- Ehem."
Juleka had begun walking out towards the principle, her joints feeling locked and probably making her walk stiff and awkward. Finally, her feet hit the tape marking the spot to stand, and she turned to the crowd mechanically.
She breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that the crowd was much thinner than it had been earlier. She reached up to tuck her hair back, then covered the motion by waving at the people instead since her hair was already clipped back. She saw a few hands waving back up at her with varying levels of energy.
"Ehem, I will remind all in attendance again that any violations of the guidelines to be signed before the date can result in criminal persecution, regardless if your date is eighteen or eighty seven." Damocles fixed the crowd with an imperious crowd, looking closely at the eldest woman who had been auctioned off who was currently giggling with the young man that had paid one hundred and fifty to take her out. Juleka had heard whispers that the young man had been her late husband's grandson from a previous marriage, and she thought it was a sweet gesture on both the woman's side for helping with the charity, and her step-grandson for his donations.
"Can we start the bidding at fifty?" Damocles asked, the same he had started with for everyone. Several hands went up, and the principal began raising the bid in the usual increments.
Juleka wasn't sure what to do, if she should wave or stand like a statue, so she instead focused on the crowd and the booths all around the courtyard. Some of her classmates were in the booths scrolling through their phones, since no one was visiting them anyways, but the rest were watching. Juleka saw Alya holding up her phone towards the 'stage' and waving at Juleka as she filmed, and she was tempted to flip her friend off.
Instead she made a series of silly faces, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd. Alya made a rude gesture and turned her phone to the DJ booth instead to film her boyfriend. Juleka tuned her hearing back to the voice coming through the speakers.
Honestly, she was a little surprised that her mother had let so many of their precious speakers off the ship, even if it was for a few hours tops.
"Three hundred. Do I hear three fifty?"
Juleka raised her eyebrows in surprise, her cheeks darkening. It was among some of the highest numbers she had heard all night after the celebrity clothes, and it honestly surprised her that there were still five hands up.
"Three sixty!" A voice called up. One hand went down.
"Three sixty." Damocles breathed in deeply, calming himself. He must have had a splitting headache after so many hours. "Do I hear three-"
"Four!" Another voice called. Two hands went down, leaving two up.
"Four twenty five!" The first person insisted.
Juleka squinted, trying the see who had called out. From what she could tell, the first who called was a shorter person with a feminine voice, but the wide brimmed hat obscured the person's face. The second was taller and also wearing a hat, though it was darker and had a bill instead of a full brim. The second person waved their hand.
"Four fifty!" The second person yelled. It sounded like a young man with a familiar accent she couldn't quite place.
"Four seventy five!" The first person called, hopping a little so their- her?- hand could be seen more easily. Juleka couldn't tell much about the person's silhouette because of their large, plain white hoodie. The other person was also wearing a hoodie, though his was a dark gray. She suddenly felt an edge of anxiety.
Why would they be concealing their identity while they bid on her? Were they some sort of crazed fans of her father? Were they just creepy?
They had to show ID before they took her on a date, right?
But then, the second person pushed his way closer to the front of the crowd, pulling off his hat. Underneath it, his dark, thick, somewhat wavy hair was slicked back except for one short lock that hung over his forehead. He turned his face up to Juleka, drawing a gasp from those around him and starting up a round of murmurs as his identity was revealed.
"Five thousand." Prince Ali called out in a loud, calm voice. Juleka's eyes widened as she looked down at the foreign prince, her heart sinking a little despite the large sum he had just offered for their charity.
How was she supposed to go on a date with a man that her best friend had been infatuated with for years?
"Five thousand, and the title to a building not far from here, which I believe can serve this organisation's needs well." Prince Ali continued. He turned towards the other person who had been bidding, along with the rest of the crowd, but the person had slipped away during the excitement of the last minute.
All eyes then turned to Damocles, who was staring at the prince in shock. He shook himself out, waking up from his daze.
"Th-Thank you for your generosity, your Highness!" Damocles bowed awkwardly, bumping his forehead against the railing and standing up with a wince. He rubbed his forehead and spoke again, trying to speak over the cheers from the courtyard below.
No one, Juleka included, could hear him repeating the prince's bid. Juleka, personally, was too busy blue screening to process anything else.
She was pulled out of her own shock by her science teacher coming up behind her to guide her to the stairs and, thankfully, help her down them with a hand on Juleka's elbow.
She could vaguely hear Damocles call out the next name and begin the bidding while she stared down at Prince Ali. Even though they were standing on level ground in the courtyard, she was still a couple inches taller than him.
"Hello again, Juleka! How have you been?" He greeted warmly, holding out his hand. Juleka blushed, not wanting to be rude, but not wanting him to kiss her knuckles the way she had seen him kiss Rose's knuckles. She was grateful that he only shook hands, his grip warm and solid in hers.
"I- uh- I've been well. Uh, why...?" She tried to change her expressions the way she did around Rose when she wanted her best friend to read her mind. The prince just tilted his head in confusion.
She steadied herself with a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Why- Why did yo- Why me? Why did you uh-"
"Bid on you?" He finished with a smile. She nodded, taking in the warmth in his eyes and the trained stiffness in his posture. "It is simple. You are Miss Rose's best friend, are you not?"
"Uh, yea- Yes. But, uh, Your Highness, you know Rose was too young to-"
"Yes, she does not turn eighteen for three more weeks." The prince offered his elbow, and Juleka wrapped a hand around his bicep the way Rose often held her arm. He steered her around to the edge of the courtyard and the booths lining the walls.
"It is true, I have spent a lot of time with your best friend, but there is a problem." He continued, stopping at a booth with CD's and old vinyl records that was surprisingly pretty empty thanks to the other patrons. He picked up a plastic case and flipped it over, reading the list of tracks. "Every time we see each other, we are either working or she is speaking of her friends. She speaks very highly of you and all the rest of the, ah, 'gang.' But she doesn't speak of herself much. That is where you come in."
"Where I come in- Oh." Juleka could almost feel the pieces clicking into place. "You want to know more about her for a birthday present?" She guessed.
It felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Her best friend's crush wasn't trying to date Juleka, he just wanted to pick her brain to know what to get Rose for her birthday. Juleka smiled at the shorter man as he set the case down and kept walking, moving closer to the back wall and the area where Juleka had seen Rose and Alya's booth.
She suddenly realized that she had not seen Rose standing by Alya during her auction. She was a little disappointed that Rose had missed all the excitement, though she was sure Alya had gotten it on video and would show it to Rose anyways.
"Oh, but I did purchase a gift for my dear friend." Prince Ali smiled up at Juleka as they kept walking. Juleka blinked at him.
"You see, I do not know as much as I would like about Miss Rose, but I have learned one thing. She does not care for material things, at least not for herself. So I decided her birthday gift should not be some material thing she will never use." Prince Ali continued. Juleka gave him her full attention, the sounds of the crowd and the last auctions melting away in the background.
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"Is it really that bad, though?" Alya was rubbing Rose's back, but Rose still sulked. She was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms, staring at the ground in defeat.
"It- That was fine, I guess. I mean, I know Prince Ali was here, but why did he have to steal MY date? There were other girls our age that he could have bid on!" Rose grumbled and covered her eyes. Alya patted her shoulder in sympathy.
"Maybe he bid on Juleka because she was already kind of well known, and he thought the attention wouldn't bother her? Or, maybe he heard her name from you, and that's why he picked her?"
Rose slumped further in her seat and someone cleared their throat in front of the booth. Alya gave her friend one last pat and stood up to help out.
Rose needed time to herself, and Alya didn't want to burden her with booth responsibilities when she was already so dejected.
"Good evening, we have a selection of juice an-" Alya looked up and stopped her greeting midway when she locked eyes with the very person they had been discussing. She immediately ducked her head. "Good evening, your Highness."
"Good evening, Alya, was it?" He greeted in return. Alya straightened up and nodded, noticing that he was standing there, at the booth, alone, instead of heading out for his date with Juleka at the moment. "Is my good friend Rose available at the moment, Miss Alya?"
Alya swallowed and turned to Rose, who was still slumped and obviously had not heard them. She turned back to the prince and gave him a polite, if strained, smile.
"Ah, your Highness, she is here but, um..." Alya tilted her head towards her friend, hoping the man would understand. He nodded and rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"Is she having a headache again?" He frowned, his voice edged with worry. Alya shook her head quickly and leaned forward over the table. The prince leaned in to hear her whisper.
"No, no, her head is fine. She just, well, she had something planned for tonight that didn't go the way she thought it would. She's just a little upset."
The prince pulled back, understanding and relief brightening his expression. Then he leaned forward again, his voice low.
"I am sorry to hear that she is upset, but I do believe I have something that will cheer her up?" When Alya smiled at his words, he gestured to the other side of the table, to where Rose was sitting. "May I come and speak with her?"
Alya stepped back and bowed deep, swiping her hand back in such an exaggerated way that the prince laughed. "By all means, your majesty."
The prince made his way towards Rose, sitting in the vacant chair next to her. He leaned around to try to see past the blonde girl's hands to her face.
"Hello, Miss Rose."
Rose yelped and flew up from the chair, flailing in a very Marinette-like fashion. Prince Ali was laughing heartily as she turned to face him, crossing her arms and stomping her foot as her royal friend was so clearly amused by her reactions. Her half-hearted glare made him laugh harder.
"You know you shouldn't sneak up on a lady like that, you bully!" Had they been out in a more visible area of the courtyard, other people would have been shocked to hear the girl reprimanding the prince so. Instead, their only audience was watching them with a fond smile.
Prince Ali stood and pulled Rose into a light hug. The shorter of the two relented and hugged back, smiling into his shoulder.
"My apologies, Miss Rose. I just wished to see you while I was in the city."
Rose pulled away, her smile wide and genuine as she looked at her friend.
"I guess I have to forgive you. You did just drop some serious cash and a building into a charity." Rose feigned an arrogant expression. The prince nodded at her eagerly.
"Yes, yes, Miss Rose! I will no longer be in Paris during your birthday, so your present had to be special!" He was grinning like an eager puppy when Rose's jaw dropped and her cheeks warmed.
She stepped back and put her hands over her heart, a single tear escaping her starstruck eyes.
"You- Ali, you donated all that for my birthday?! You really are a prince!" She sounded so proud of him that he shuffled his feet in a bashful, very non-princely way, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yes, that was part of your gift, but there is more to it."
Rose and Alya watched him gestured off to the side. They both started in surprise as Juleka shuffled into view, her bangs hanging over one eye again since she had pulled out her hair clip. Her cheeks were bright red, and she was smiling at Rose and the prince in her usual shy way.
"Hey Rose." Juleka stopped a couple feet away, and Prince Ali pulled her closer.
"Miss Rose, I have heard how you speak of Miss Juleka, so for your other gift, I have bid on her on your behalf."
Rose covered her mouth in surprise, her blush spreading to her ears and neck as Juleka looked away from her intense gaze. The prince pulled a paper from his jacket, unfolding it while he spoke.
"Your reservations are made, your car is waiting in front of the school, and your dinner is paid for in advance. I must attend to a few more duties tonight, but please, my dear friend, enjoy your night."
He gave Rose and Juleka a quick squeeze of their shoulders, subtly pulling them closer to each other, before walking away. He winked at Alya before making his way back towards the crowd and the payment table set up in the cafeteria.
Alya was torn between recording what happened next and slipping away, but she ultimately ended up giving her friends some privacy by way of watching without recording.
It was a while before Rose or Juleka spoke. Juleka was too busy getting the life squeezed out of her body by Rose's tight hug.
"Rose, hey," Juleka tried to pry her best friend off, but only because she needed to breathe. Anyone who was close to her could tell she would rather suffocate, except maybe Rose herself. "We're going to be late..."
"Just give me a minute, Jule, I don't want to wake up yet." Rose muttered against her chest. Juleka laughed breathlessly, smiling down at Rose's blonde hair.
"Wake up? Rose, you never fall asleep before nine." Juleka looked at Alya pointedly, but the other girl held her hands up. She wasn't about to pry the girls apart, no matter how hard Juleka glared at her.
"No, no, this is a dream. It's the best dream ever!" Rose looked up at Juleka, wiggling against her body happily. Juleka was blushing heavily at the feeling of her best friend moving against her.
"This isn't a dream, Rose, it's uh.... It's your early present? Th- Prince Ali said you wouldn't want some 'material gift' for your birthday or something, so he gave to charity and bought dinner instead..." Juleka tried to shrug. "I don't know why he didn't go to dinner with you, but it was still a nice thing that he did."
Rose finally let Juleka go, standing on her tiptoes briefly to give Juleka a kiss on the cheek, making the tall girl blush again.
"And to think I was mad that he outbid me for you! Come on, we're going to be late!" Rose grabbed her purse, her white oversized hoodie and hat, and the dinner schedule Alya held out for her and pulled a dazed Juleka out of the booth to the entrance to the school.
On one hand Alya regretted not filming the interaction between Rose, Prince Ali and Juleka, but on the other...
She was just looking forward to her love sick friends finally going on their romantic date.