Chapter 40- Say It

                                    

                                          
Chapter 40
Say It
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's and Ideas
.: :.
"So, uh... how does it look?"
Rogue blinked, glancing around quickly to the sound of Hora's voice behind him and breaking his attention off fiddling with the clothes he had on- which were nothing like what he was used to or normal, but dressing up was kind of required for this event at the Castle (even if he might have rather not).
"Hmm?" He mumbled reflexively in question as he turned, only to break off and go absolutely still once he was all the way around. His eyes went wide as they landed on Hora standing (perhaps a tad nervously) a few steps away in the doorway, and in an outfit that was clearly the subject of 'how it looked'.
She was in a dress, one that fit her figure nicely around the top with a cool blue color, before the bottom fanned out slightly and fell loosely with pure white folds of fabric for the skirt- a white that matched the ruffled collar tied about her neck with a dark blue ribbon. On both her arms she had white sleeves tied at the top with more blue ribbon, and that left her shoulders and lower arms exposed, while two long strands of ribbon attached to the back and front of her dress on both sides and tied into knots near her knees. Underneath she wore knee-high stockings of the same blue as the top of the dress, trimmed in white, and simple white flats to go with it... It, well- it was a dress. 
A dress and a whole outfit that was surprising, and foreign on her, especially so the color as it was more blue, as opposed to the red she usually sported. But she did have a clash of scarlet breaking against the cool blue, from where her hair had been coiled into a braided bun and tied off with that red ribbon given to her by Ira. Which helped a little with it being foreign and unusual, but not much.
Rogue blinked once, stunned into stillness after his eyes quickly darted about her person, and then things fell quiet for a few seconds too long- but he couldn't help himself. Not even when Hora shifted a little uncomfortably in the bit of silence, her arms hooked behind her back a little unconsciously and eyes darting from him and to the side, her cheeks flushed faintly in embarrassment.
"The other girls picked it out for me." Hora murmured quietly, filling the silence herself rather than sitting in it too long. "I don't really do dresses... or dressing up at all really... Uh, but it's not like I had much choice in the matter, and I didn't think it was the worst thing they could have chosen... I mean it can't be awful right...? Not when they all agreed on it... And they kinda seemed pleased with it while Lucy and Cancer were doing my hair at any rate, so... Uhm..." She continued on, drawing dangerously close to being about to ramble- but thankfully Rogue seemed to start shaking himself out of his sudden stupor, and saved her from it by suddenly finding his voice;
"You look amazing." He murmured, and sounding almost breathless as he did. Hora stiffened, her face quickly turning red while Rogue's cheeks earned the pink dusting she had had just a heartbeat beforehand. She looked away from him hastily after her head snapped back toward him for the words, eyes dancing over the floor as she held her breath a moment for the sudden lurching of her heart and stomach, before nodding once or twice sheepishly.
"Ah... T-Thank you." She stammered softly, her eyes darting back over to him and smiling a little, if still a bit flusteredly. She shifted, taking a few steps forward in his direction, dark blue eyes glinting as she stopped just a pace or two short of where he stood, hands still linked behind her back. "You look great too, by the way." She told him lightly and he blinked, flushing a little more despite himself, but dipping his head a bit in thanks nonetheless. Hora smiled a little more for the rather shy reply- not that she'd been much better in her own (stammering) reply, mind you.