Kissing Scenes [Open to one, PG13]

Bridge sat alone in the library, reading over his assignment for his drama class. The class had been put into pairs, and given a scene to prepare. Bridge had looked over his scene, and discovered his worst nightmare: it was a kissing scene. That meant he would have to have intimate physical contact with another person. Another person who could see him. And had to have intimate physical contact with him. He was really hung up on the intimate physical contact. That was definitely not something he was looking forward to, but he knew Miss Montgomery wouldn't have assigned him the scene if she didn't think he could handle it.

Bridge had left his scene partner a note, detailing a time to meet in the library to rehearse. He wanted to do it somewhere where there weren't likely to be a lot of witnesses, because his "big reveal" could end very very badly. Most people weren't accustomed to someone appearing out of nowhere, and the whole burns on eighty percent of his body didn't go over well with a lot of people at first either. The looks of disgust were enough to destroy anyone's self confidence, but Bridge had the option of hiding himself from the world, something he took advantage of frequently.

Bridge knew that he should probably leave the magically appearing out of nowhere part out of the equation, because not all of the students knew that some of Masquerade's students were not human, and he didn't want to go revealing himself to someone 'not in the know.' He had no idea who was and wasn't human, and that wasn't a risk he was willing to take. So Bridge glanced around the stacks of the corner of the library he'd hidden out in, and set his stuff on a nearby table. Satisfied that no one was around, Bridge became visible again.

He took a seat and read over the script again. It was a relatively simple kiss, but it was still a kiss. With someone that was basically a complete stranger. Bridge never interacted with his classmates, on account of the fact that he spent almost all of the class period invisible, and he wasn't sure if most of the students even knew he was there, but his partner was about to find out soon. He could feel butterflies in his stomach, both over how this meeting was going to go, and the fact that he was going to have to kiss someone he knew almost nothing about.

Bridge had looked over the scene several times, looking for a way to work it without having to include the kiss, but the climax of the scene just didn't work without it. Bridge put the script down, trying not to think about his impending intimate physical contact. He began to fidget with his bandages, running through a list of reasons he could possibly be wearing them that didn't involve him taking them off and exposing all the burned, twisted flesh across his body. The kissing thing was going to be hard enough without his partner being revolted at the sight of him.

He glanced down at the watch on his wrist, his leg gently twitching underneath the table. "Dammit, where are you?" he muttered.

For a teenage witch, Ivy was very self aware of her powers.  She knew the differences between good and bad, and all the grey matter in between.  And although the girl didn't know any other witches, she imagined many were not as conscientious as she was...powers or not, most teenage girls were...well, teenage girls.  And if popular culture was even a tiny bit of a reflection of teenage witches, they did stuff like love and beauty spells.  Back home, Ivy had known tons of girls that would abuse witchy powers.  Love potions, ways to be popular and climb the social ladder...petty, shallow things that Ivy scoffed at.  She wasn't that type of girl.  She never had been, and she never would be, no matter what.  Her powers were only to be used for good and productive things.  No slippery ways of getting good grades or making someone like her.  That just wasn't the witch's way.  Most importantly, Ivy would much rather help someone other than herself.  It was like if she saw someone looking upset or crying and she'd pray and burn some herbs to help them feel better and adjust.  And of course, monthly full moon rituals, special nights on the equinoxes and solstice, and Pagan celebrations on the holidays...as best she could do while at Masquerade.  Those were the proper markers of a witch's year, when rituals were most important.  And tonight was a full moon.

Currently, Ivy was tearing apart her dorm room in attempts to find everything she needed for her ritual.  Her athame was missing, which was bad news.  Aside from her carved wand, the athame was the most important tool for a ritual.  And it should have been with her chalice, but it wasn't.  The chalice sat on her desk along with everything else she needed...her wand, various types of crystals and herbs, a candle, and a silver bowl that would hold water when she was ready to actually do the ritual.  There was a nagging feeling, something that Ivy knew she had to do soon, but she was much more concerned about her athame at the moment.  It was a terrifying thing...what if someone had come in and stolen the knife?  Maybe someone had reported it to a teacher, though no teacher had addressed it with Ivy.  "No one ever told me it wasn't allowed..." the girl mumbled grumpily.  With the assortment of people and creatures at Masquerade, the witch figured an athame was the least of anyone's worries.  Of course, the girl dreaded the thought of it being actually lost.  Not with all the money she had spent on a custom made one.  Blackest Night and Sunlight had some pretty decent stuff, but there was a major difference between custom made supplies and ones you could buy in a store, no matter how good the store was.  Getting there before tonight was pretty improbable, though.

Maybe she had put it somewhere else.  A different drawer or her messenger bag?  Just to throw it somewhere for whatever reason.  With a flick of her wrist, her messenger flew across the room to Ivy.  Unfolding it, Ivy looked in, eyebrows furrowing at a stapled packet with a sticky note on it.  Oh, that nagging feeling!  The girl was supposed to meet with her scene partner for drama class to work on their scene.  Somewhat guiltily, the witch realized she hadn't even read over the script.  Looking at the sticky note and then her watch, Ivy's eyes widened.  She was already late!

"Fucking Goddess!" the girl swore.  Ivy would leave for the library shortly...as soon as she found her athame.  "You silly thing," the girl looked around her room, a wind blowing from nowhere and everywhere.  Elemental magic was certainly Ivy's way, and it often got out of control with extreme emotions.  Beltane had resulted in a tree growing in the corner, and her most recent celebration of the winter solstice had caused such a drop of temperature that her rain became snow.  "Come out before I'm forced to replace you!" she finally snapped, throwing her hands up in the air.  That made the athame listen...a desk drawer opened and emptied itself on her floor.  Amongst the pencils and pens and old smudgesticks, the athame fell to the floor.  "Always needing the last word," Ivy rolled her eyes, putting the athame on the table and gathering her stuff.

Making a beeline for the library, Ivy followed the familiar path, keeping quiet as she entered.  The last thing she needed was an angry Mr. Rincewind and fellow students.  Looking around, the girl's eyes fell on her classmate, sitting right where he said he would be.  The witch walked over, hoping she didn't look too flustered.  "Bridge, right?" Ivy sat down beside him.  "I'm Ivy...I'm sorry I'm late, I couldn't find my atha...I couldn't find a thing.  A thing I need," the last thing the girl needed was people knowing she was a witch...and throwing out words like athame would definitely trigger some sort of questioning.

When Bridge saw her coming, he fought the urge to stand up and stick out his hand. This wasn't a formal business meeting, this was just two people getting together to practice a scene for drama class. A scene with kissing. He was going to have to kiss her. The thought made Bridge's heart race, and the butterflies in his stomach doubled. He could almost feel his intestines twisting themselves into knots. He did drama as a way to gain more confidence in himself, but this...this was nerve-wracking, and if anything, was taking his confidence and crushing it into a fine, fine powder and sprinkling it over a jelly filled doughnut.

That's what this kissing scene had reduced the mighty Bridge Scott to. A jelly doughnut. She sat down and introduced herself as Ivy, correctly identifying him as Bridge. She'd explained her lateness with a story about how she couldn't find something she needed. Bridge didn't quite catch what it was, but that wasn't the most pressing matter on his mind right now. He was partially grateful that Ivy had taken so long, because that had stayed what felt like an execution to Bridge, if only for a short time. But now she was here, and it was hard for him not to picture her wearing an executioner's cowl and brandishing a large, glittering axe.

He knew that he was being dramatic, but no level of internal dramatics would make this feel any less like a death sentence. He would've just skipped the assignment, taking the failing grade, but it was a pair scene, and doing so would've meant a failing grade for Ivy, as well, and that just wasn't fair to her. Her academic standing shouldn't have to suffer because of Bridge's short comings and low self-esteem. He cast her a sidelong glance, fidgeting with the bandages around his wrist.

He wanted to speak, but his mouth was suddenly very dry. He licked his lips, trying to wet them, but nothing was helping. His tongue felt like sandpaper against the twisted skin of his lips.

"Uh, I hope you found it, what ever it was you were looking for," he said by way of ice breaker. He wasn't all that used to talking to other people, at least...not ones that could see him, and wasn't entirely sure what to say. If conversations were dancing, Bridge had two left feet. As it was, he was trying to tread lightly, because he knew nothing about Ivy, and wasn't sure what would insult or upset her. The last thing he wanted to do was make her angry with him, because this kiss was going to be hard enough as it was.

He figured floundering around wasn't going to get them anywhere, so he was just going to have to bite the bullet and jump right in. He pulled the script towards him, flipping open to where the scene began.

"So, I was looking over our scene, and I was wondering about the staging..." He let the thought trail off.

They were doing The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Bridge would be playing Jim O'Connor, and Ivy was to be Laura Wingfield. Much of the scene was the two of them flirting, forced together by Ivy's character's brother. There was the small matter of a small glass unicorn, which Bridge had no idea what to do about, and then there were the two words in the scene that he was dreading most.

They kiss.

Bridge was avoiding the elephant in the room by not mentioning that little moment of intimacy to Ivy. She'd no doubt read the scene, and already knew about the lip-lock, but Bridge felt that if he didn't say anything about it, it wasn't real. He knew he couldn't hide from the truth for much longer, but he could claim blissful ignorance for as long as possible. And Bridge planned to do just that.

He should be looking at it like a band-aid, just rip it off and get it over with, but Bridge didn't want to. He wanted to put off the kiss for as long as possible. If he could distract Ivy from it, all the better. If anything, he wanted to put it off until the last possible moment, but he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Their performance shouldn't be the first time they do the kiss. It was probably the thing they should be spending the most time on, to make it look realistic.

There was nothing worse than a kissing scene that was awkward and unrehearsed. Bridge took a deep breath and turned to Ivy, facing her head on.

"I--I think we should talk about this kiss,"

It was rarely easy being a witch.  In fact, it was never easy being a witch.  Maybe Ivy was a bit temperamental at the moment, but for the first time in ages, she was hating her powers.  It was a thing that happened from time to time, even though the girl was usually quite content with the cards she'd been dealt.  She liked her powers, and who she was.  And even if most people didn't know what she was, Ivy felt like it set her apart.  In a good way.  Being a witch meant a whole different perspective on life...and a more enlightened one in the girl's opinion.  There were always those times, though.  The damn athame.  There was always the possibility that the thing hid itself on purpose...just to mess with the witch.  Magical objects did that sometimes...something Ivy had learned was that a lot of magical objects and instruments ended up developing a mind of their own.  With all the power that their owners put into them, it made a lot of sense that way.  As long as it was good power rather than bad, Ivy didn't think it was anything too dangerous.  And the witch would never do anything bad, so she figured the likelihood of her objects turning on her in a bad way was pretty slim.  Maybe a bit tricky from time to time, like the athame that evening, but nothing seriously bad.  Either way, Ivy was feeling a bit frazzled...which she definitely had to get over so she could do this whole scene thing.

"Oh yeah, I found it," Ivy said with a smile, running her fingers through her hair.  Hopefully she didn't look as hassled as she felt.  "Or rather...it found me," she mumbled under her breath.  Again, no point in singling herself out.  Despite the fact that witch hunts were a thing of the past (in America, at the very least), Ivy had no idea how Bridge would take something like that.  Especially since she didn't even have an idea if he was a regular mortal or not.  Sometimes it was just best to keep these things to herself.  It was a headache, although the witch was a lot more free at Masquerade, where different types of beings tended to run free.  And honestly, Ivy felt like she was safer here, too.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Ivy sighed softly.  She wasn't entirely in the mood for all this, though she knew she had to push herself to be anyway.  Part of not revealing herself was acting like everything was normal.  Like she was normal.  Bridge, as quiet and nice as he seemed, wasn't someone that Ivy knew was safe when it came to this stuff.  Even dealing with Lucien was alright in some ways...they knew what the other was...the witch didn't have to hide her powers from him.  Especially if they manifested out of an emotion that the girl couldn't necessarily control.  Hopefully Bridge wasn't an asshole like Lucien was.  He didn't seem like he was...hopefully it stayed that way.

But something was going on that Ivy was missing.  Bridge seemed visibly upset about something in the scene...she should have read the thing before showing up here.  It was really quite stupid of her not to.  She had grabbed the packet with her name on it as she headed out the door...in all honesty, Ivy wasn't even sure what the scene was from.  Digging the now bent script from her bad, the girl gave an internal sigh.  The Glass Menagerie...of course it was The Glass Menagerie.  It suddenly made sense why the quiet boy beside her was a bit nervous.  It didn't take any witchy powers to narrow down what scene they were doing...and the fact that it was a kissing scene.  Opening to the first photocopied page, Ivy nodded thoughtfully.  This was going to be a challenge no matter what.  The first thing that really ran through the witch's mind was that both of them would need some sort of relaxation potion or something.  As outspoken and fiery as Ivy could get, she wasn't sure what this one would take.  And Bridge looked a complete mess.

But just one thing at a time.  Flipping through the pages in the scene, Ivy attempted to remind herself of what it all entailed.  It had been awhile since she had read the script, though it was a classic to anyone who knew theatre.  And the girl was definitely one of those.  The story was universally known, as far as she knew.  She just had to remember it all now.  Bridge said something, but Ivy barely processed it as she took in the scene they had been assigned.  This was definitely going to be outside of her comfort zone.  Probably outside of the boy's as well.  Just by the situation presenting itself.  Running her hand through her hair and tugging on the ends of it, Ivy tried not to appear too aggravated.  That would only make things worse, and probably trigger some sort of elemental defense.

At least he brought up the kiss as Ivy was frantically catching herself up.  "Yes," she said thoughtfully, running her finger over the italicized stage direction.  The girl looked up, giving the boy a reassuring smile.  "It's nothing to worry about...we just need to stay relaxed about it.  I have some ways to help, if you want.  I promise I'm friendly, though," Ivy said kindly.  She didn't want to freak Bridge out too much, though she wasn't totally sure how to make any of that work, really.

Stay relaxed. That was a hoot. Bridge wasn't sure he'd ever been relaxed a day in his life. He always had this small, tight knot somewhere near his stomach, that only tightened when he got highly stressed. It had gotten a little easier when Bridge made the decision to be invisible most of the time, because that meant that he didn't have to deal with people, to make others reliant on him, and Bridge was grateful for that. It was definitely easier looking out for just himself, but it also created a sort of strain on his already depleted self confidence, because when something went wrong, he didn't have anyone but himself to blame.

Ivy seemed nice enough, and sounded like she wanted to belay a lot of Bridge's fears, but he was at the point where he'd gotten all up inside his own head, and no matter what, he wouldn't be able to talk himself out of his worst fears. The more logical side of Bridge, which was more often than not the larger part of his brain, knew that things probably wouldn't be so bad once he got into it and got it over with, but the emotional side, the side in control was creating all sorts of worst case scenarios for him.

It was always this way when something was looming over Bridge. He would psyche himself out to the point of a mental breakdown but then when he actually did the thing that was stressing him out, it wasn't near as bad as he'd built it up to be. Bridge was more afraid of the possibilities of the unknown than the actual unknown thing itself. If his accident had done anything to Bridge, it taught him to expect the worst, and to fear what could happen. He'd been burned once, literally, and he wasn't sure it was something he wanted to repeat.

But something about Ivy told him that maybe she really could help him relax. Bridge briefly wondered if it were by magical means, but if she were more attuned to the more mysterious parts of the universe than the humans, she would probably be wary of revealing it to him, because she had no idea if he was supernatural either. But Bridge couldn't reveal himself to her for the exact same reason. Thus, an endless loop was created that neither would be willing to break for fear of the other not being in the know. Bridge's brain hurt just from thinking about it, and he honestly had bigger things to worry about.

Either way, Ivy was offering a little pick-me-up, and that was something Bridge could definitely use. But he was hesitant to ask, because Bridge was a self sufficient person, or he strived to be. He didn't like relying on other people for anything, and asking for help was definitely not something he was used to doing. He tugged on the bandages around his wrists again, the edges beginning to fray. He'd have to replace his dressings soon, but he had to wait until he had an empty dorm room, because his scars would cause too much fuss. He would do it while invisible, but Bridge couldn't extend the field of invisibility past what was on his body, so carrying things would cause them to float. And that would lead to questions he wasn't really in any mood to answer.

"I could use something to relax, yeah. What did you have in mind?"

As much as she was trying to battle the awkward, Ivy was really starting to feel it.  Bridge gave off warm, inviting energies, but it was obvious he was too shy and probably socially starved to let himself be...free.  The witch wished it was something she could help him with, but short of casting a spell or two, she would have to do it the more...nonmagical way.  Which was probably a lot more fair than casting a secret spell anyway.  But this was the sort of situation where Ivy wished she could do more...there were times where she was equally as awkward as Bridge seemed.  Though in all fairness, it was for different reasons.  It was one of those things that came along with being a witch in a time that dictated witches, and other supernatural beings, as little more than fairytales.  If a normal human found out what she could do, it would probably be catastrophic.  Sure, sometimes they saw things here, but the higher ups had means of wiping memories.  Sometimes that was all any of them could rely on.  Looking at Bridge, lips pulled into a tight line, Ivy thought of something she might be able to do to help her figure the whole thing out.  And it wouldn't use magic to effect the outcome of anything...just to help the witch figure out the best way to tackle all this with Bridge.

Something documented about witches was their ability to open up a "Third Eye".  Although it didn't come up much in more modern magical texts, it came up quiet often in the older ones.  Ivy had read about it in some of the falling apart Grimoires at Blackest Night and Sunlight, even some of the more obscure books she owned herself.  Third Eyes could see a lot of things hidden by the general human façade, and could clue witches into the true nature of a being.  Open it on a regular human and there wouldn't be too much to see.  Open it on a seemingly normal human and who knew the range of what one could see.  Opening her Third Eye was something Ivy had been working on for some time...it was far from easy.  Maybe this was a good moment, though.  The more the witch sat there with her classmate, the more she felt like he was something more than he appeared...just as she was.  Maybe she could attempt to open her Third Eye...just to see what was going on.  There was the possibility that it would help her help Bridge better.  Because right now, Ivy felt bad at how uncomfortable the boy definitely was.

Shutting her eyes, Ivy took a deep breath, trying to picture the Third Eye she imagined hers would look like.  An open eye, heavily framed by purple for spirit and elements rushing around the iris.  Elemental magic was definitely the witch's strong suit, so it seemed only natural she made that a part of her Third Eye.  Zooming in on Bridge, Ivy could tell he wasn't a normal human...but the only other thing she could tell was that he wasn't a wizard.  Her Third Eye shut closed like a snapping rubber band, causing the girl to let out a soft squeak.  It had been a bit unpleasant, but better than the last time Ivy had tried to use it.  And Bridge wasn't a normal human, which meant Ivy could be a bit more open about witchy stuff.  How open, she wasn't entirely sure, but open enough.

Bridge did ask about something to help relax, though.  And Ivy felt a bit better with the offer now that she wouldn't have a human staring at her like she was nuts.  She might still sound nuts, but hopefully less so.  And she had tried to pass potions off as energy drinks before, which really never worked too well.  Glancing around the library, the witch tried to think of the best way to help Bridge out.  He wasn't human, though Ivy still didn't know what he was.  And who knew what he was?  This was a make or break...hopefully it was something easy enough.  Goddess knew the last thing the girl needed was another immortal like Lucien.

Leaning in a bit closer, Ivy smiled warmly.  "I can do potions...and spells...general witchy stuff," she said nicely.  Hopefully it wasn't too strong.  "And I promise I can do them safely," the girl assured.  Hopefully it wasn't too much overkill.

For a moment, Bridge felt weird. Like there was something touching him. It wasn't a physical sort of touch, more like something he felt in the very core of his being. If Bridge thought he had a soul, he would say that that's where he felt it. It was a sort of tingly feeling, something that almost tickled, but not in a good way. Bridge began to squirm and fidget a bit, trying to make the feeling go away. He briefly wondered if there was something under his bandages, irritating his burned and blistered skin, but he'd had to deal with that before, and this felt completely different.

Bridge also felt very exposed. Like he was completely naked and on display for everyone to see, to inspect, to scrutinize. That was definitely not something Bridge was comfortable with. It was as if there were a thousand eyes gazing down at him, the weight of their gazes forcing him down to his knees, making him fold in on himself. The fidgeting and squirming became worse, and he wanted desperately to turn invisible, but he didn't want to reveal himself to Ivy. Subconsciously, Bridge began to fight back against the feeling, his fae powers pushing against whatever was intruding on him.

And then it was gone, just as quickly as it came. Bridge's breathing had begun to quicken, and now he had to work on slowing it, trying to make it seem like nothing was wrong. He noticed that his fingers were curled around the seat of his chair, his knuckles turning bone white with the force of his grip. The tips of his fingers had begun to feel hot, a sure sign that if he didn't calm down and soon, he would start shooting off rainbow sparks in every direction. Thinking about it made Bridge flash back to the day he'd caused the accident, and he had to fight even harder to steady his breath.

Taking several deep breaths in and out, Bridge finally regained his composure. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but whatever it was, he didn't want it to ever happen again. He didn't like feeling so exposed, especially not when he was already freaking out over a stupid kissing scene. Bridge allowed himself a quick full body shake, trying to rid himself of the lingering feeling of whatever had just attacked him. He wasn't sure whatever it was was truly malicious, but it had felt like an attack to bridge. He'd been violated, even if only temporarily.

As if sensing that he wasn't fully readjusted to the situation, Ivy decided to drop a bombshell. It was a small bombshell, maybe more of a cherry bomb, but it still surprised him none-the-less. She revealed to him that she could do "general witchy stuff" as she put it. Bridge had heard of witches before, but Ivy didn't really look like the witches he'd been told about. She didn't have green or warty skin, nor was she wearing a black conical hat. He was more than willing to venture a guess that she didn't fly around on a broomstick either.

Not that Bridge had much room to talk. He was a fae, but he didn't much look the part either. All of the pictures of the Fair Folk that he'd ever seen in books were only about a foot tall, and had large insect wings sprouting from their backs. The most abnormal thing about Bridge, other than the fact that he could turn invisible, and that he was covered in burn scars, was his pointed ears. They weren't obvious at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that the blond boy's ears came to a rounded point, instead of arching around like most ears.

Bridge took a deep breath in. "General witchy stuff, huh?" He suspected that she expected him to yell, scream, possibly run for the hills, but he had no designs to do any of those things. In fact, it came as a relief that Ivy wasn't all human, because that meant that Bridge didn't have to hide all of himself from her, in a metaphorical sense. What he was about to do actually meant hiding all of himself from her in a literal sense. "I wouldn't call this witchy stuff, but you're not the only one..." Bridge said, letting the thought fade away as he did.

It used to be that Bridge just sort of popped in and out of visibility, but he'd been practicing, allowing himself to fade in and out. It was less surprising to people that way, or so he'd assumed. This was the first time he'd really demonstrated the full ability in front of someone, instead of just pulling the field back around something he wanted others to see. And even then, he didn't do that all that often, because things randomly appearing out of nowhere was sure to not go unnoticed, and that was more attention than Bridge wanted.

"As long as you can promise you can do it safely. I've already had one too many accidents with...things like this," Bridge said, seemingly a disembodied voice. He could see himself perfectly, but whether or not Ivy could see him was a different matter. He neglected to say magic, because he was already pushing it by turning invisible in front of her. For all Bridge knew, Ivy was just a human practitioner of something like Wicca, which had its basis in magic, but wasn't the sort of magic he dealt with.

Despite all the things that Ivy was learning to do with her powers, she had no idea what it would be like on the opposite side.  She realized that, with her Third Eye open, there was a possibility that it wasn't so pleasant for Bridge.  If he noticed anything...it could also possibly be that it didn't mean anything and the only weird part was however the witch looked with her Third Eye open.  Maybe just like she was zoning out or something.  Goddess, but what if it was something scary like her eyes rolled back or something?  Although Ivy had been working on using her Third Eye, she had never looked in the mirror or anything.  What if her third eye actually showed up where it was centered?  Okay, the girl felt like this was actually a really bad idea.  As if Bridge wasn't anxious enough.  The witch suddenly felt really awful.  If she wanted to be on good terms with her scene partner, Ivy had to behave.

A good witch's powers were monumental.  Ivy worked hard to keep them under control, but as a young witch just coming into her abilities, there were lots of accidents.  Especially when emotions were intense.  But right now, she could feel Bridge's nervousness...it was like his aura was rolling off his body.  And there was no way the witch could let that get to her.  Zapping Lucien was lightning was one thing...he regularly pissed her off and he couldn't die from the things that would kill most other creatures or supernaturally inclined humans.  But the anxiety could quite possibly trigger something for Ivy.  Maybe not something bad necessarily, but something.  Besides, the girl would want to do something helpful with what she had to work with.  Something to help Bridge's nerves...not make them worse.

So it was okay to keep going, with what Ivy had seen when she opened her Third Eye.  "General witchy stuff...I mean...witchy stuff," the girl finally started feeling a bit awkward as well.  "I mean, I'm a witch...and I can do witchy stuff," there was a general bombardment of feelings that hit Ivy.  Bridge was a good guy...magical creature or not.  He had some inner disquiet, but he would never take advantage of things.  And, the witch noticed after the time that had passed, he was quite cute.  If she had to do a kissing scene with anyone, at least it was a cute guy.  Pushing her normal teenager girl feelings to the side, Ivy tried to figure out how to make herself sound more certain.  Witchy stuff didn't exactly sound strong and reassuring, especially with the idiotic way she had said it.  Or rather, the tone of voice it had come out in.

Ivy's eyebrows furrowed at Bridge's next comment, but then opened widely as he started to fade away.  What a fascinating ability...what could the boy be to have that sort of power?  "Great Goddess..." the girl breathed.  Without her allowing it, Ivy's Third Eye snapped open.  It was probably some quick reaction, but it sort of felt like a snapping rubber band.  Not entirely too pleasant.  But it was open, and the witch was having a hard time getting control of it as she looked over Bridge...or the spot that Bridge had been just a moment before.  Blinking, the witch finally forced her Third Eye shut and quickly reached up to rub the spot of it's invisible placement.  Invisible...Bridge was invisible!

"Not my type of witchy stuff, anyway," Ivy finally said in good humor.  She didn't mind talking to an empty space beside her...it definitely wasn't the weirdest thing she had ever dealt with.  "I could sort of see you with my Third Eye open...but more in the way that I knew you were there and there was a sort of...energy." the witch reported thoughtfully.  It was words put to what she had seen with her Third Eye.  Leaning in a bit, hoping she was somewhere in Bridge's general head area, Ivy knew she had to whisper.  Who knew when a regular human would be walking by.  "I'm a witch...what are you?"

Bridge didn't have to share if he didn't want to, but Ivy was really curious.  There were all types at Masquerade...the longer the witch was there, the longer she started seeing all walks of life.  It wasn't like her life outside of Masquerade, filled with humans...and mostly terrible ones.  There were still humans here, but also humans that were supernaturally inclined, such as her, and many different types of creatures.  Vampires and Fae and just...all of it.  And Ivy really liked it that way.  She didn't feel so alone in this life.  Because finally...she wasn't the only one.

Could Bridge see Ivy?  It seemed like a legitimate question.  Either way, the girl smiled.  "Completely safe," she assured him.  "I'm really good with the elements, and there are lots of safe spells and potions drawing from that...especially using earth," spells and potions for nerves weren't foreign to Ivy...she had made plenty for herself...there were definitely times the witch needed them.  It had left her with a good knowledge of the art, and confidence that she really might be able to help Bridge out.  After all it was the least she could do.  "But, um...can you make yourself visible again?  I don't mind it, but seeing you is a tiny bit easier."

Bridge let out a small breath. He should've known the question was coming. What are you? It was an innocent enough question, but at a place like Masquerade, it held too many implications. He could answer it with something innocent, like the fact that he was a boy, or that he was a Catholic, but he knew that wasn't what Ivy meant, and he did owe her an explanation. She'd taken a huge leap of faith in revealing to him that she was a witch, but that was a comparatively broad term to changeling, which was a rather specific kind of Fae from what Bridge had been able to discern from the like twenty minutes he spent doing research on himself.

"I'm a....a Changeling," he said slowly. It was the first time he'd ever actually had to say it out loud, and it felt weird on his tongue, like it didn't really belong there. There were times when Bridge still thought of himself as a human, even though he'd known for a long time that that wasn't true. Humans didn't turn invisible, humans didn't create magic sparks that set their rooms on fire. Humans didn't kill plants, at least not the way he did. The loss of his "green thumb" had been a hard blow to Bridge. The accident hadn't just taken his skin and face from him, it had taken his magic.

When Ivy explained that she was good with the elements, Bridge could feel himself wanting to draw away from her. Fire was one of the four classical elements, and he'd had more than enough fire to last him several life times. But Ivy didn't mention fire. She mentioned earth, which Bridge felt a strong connection to. He thought that maybe it had something to do with his Fae heritage, the Fae being beings largely thought to be nature spirits. Bridge's "green thumb" ability helped him further solidify the connection in his mind, but he wondered if the accident had severed his connection to the natural world.

Ivy asked him to turn visible again. He'd rather stay invisible, but there was still the matter of the kissing scene looming over his head, and to act, one generally had to be seen. Bridge took a deep breath and slowly faded into invisibility, his body becoming slowly and slowly more opaque. Finally he was fully visible, bandages, mask and all. "It's strange, being seen," he mused, "I'm so used to being invisible. People don't ask about....this" he gestured to his bandages and mask, "if they can't see it."

He shook his head, knowing that he was revealing too much to this girl. He'd just met her, and only just found out that she was magically inclined like he was. But there was something about Ivy, something calming. He was still pretty apprehensive about the kissing part, but he didn't feel as nervous around her as he thought he would. Scenes were always easier if you were comfortable with your partner. Bridge had seen some really awkward scenes where the off stage drama bled into the stuff onstage.

"So what sort of general witchy stuff did you have in mind?"

Maybe it was a little rude to ask Bridge what he was...Ivy should have known to keep her curiosity at bay, but it sort of just slipped out.  It was nice to meet others that weren't regular humans.  Kind of that feeling of not feeling so alone.  Although she was technically a human, the girl was a witch...it was a different type of human.  With her powers and all...and from what everything the girl had ready, witches tend to live quite a few more centuries than regular humans.  The witch that owned Blackest Night and Sunlight said she was around 200 years old...that she had lost count after the first hundred fifty years or so.  Ivy wasn't sure how she felt about living that long, but with the creatures she had met at Masquerade, the witch was grateful knowing she wouldn't be alone.  Vampires and Fae and all...even Lucien, as an immortal.  Maybe all that time would make him less frustrating...he could very well be her only company.

When Bridge said he was a Changeling, Ivy let out a soft gasp.  "You're a Fae," she breathed.  The Fae were wonderful creatures...at least all the ones that the witch had met.  She had great respect for them, as the starters of a lot of her roots...the original earth dwellers and magic makers.  Staring at Bridge with a deep respect, Ivy quickly realized that she shouldn't be staring at all.  Instead, she gave him a big smile before looking back down.  "I have great respect for the Fae," she said, hoping it made up for the fact that she had been staring.  "The Fae started everything...no one would be anywhere without you guys."

Hopefully, at this point, Ivy wasn't making a massive fool of herself.  The more time she spent with Bridge, the more she liked the quiet boy.  More than that, she felt some sort of...kinship.  They were definitely differed types of creatures, but they shared plenty at the same time.  At least, that was the way Ivy saw it.  And she felt like she could talk to the Changeling for ages...if only he wasn't so shy.  That was something that could get in the way, though if he allowed her to help him relax some, the witch was pretty sure she could help that.  At the very least, he seemed to appreciate the idea of earth magic...at least, as much as she could feel with his invisibility.

And Ivy definitely appreciated the boy turning visible again.  "You can't be invisible all the time," the girl said softly.  Though she quickly realized it could have been the wrong thing to say.  "People always question strange things.  It's normal to want to...understand.  You just have to own the things that seem strange...they won't last forever," it was times like this that Ivy felt she was channeling the "Mother" and "Crone" phases of the Goddess and witch.  She was still the "Maiden", but the bursts of wisdom, or wisdom that Ivy perceived felt like much more than her Maiden "status".

"General witchy stuff..." Ivy smiled.  "Right now, a basic calming spell.  Just to take the edge off...but..." the witch trailed off thoughtfully.  "But I think I know a potion for nerves.  Something a bit more potent than the spell that could help with the actual kissing scene in class...since I know that's very scary for you."

Bridge could feel himself blush when Ivy said that she had great respect for the Fae. He didn't really consider himself Fae, but the compliment still stood. Bridge had never really been a part of the Fae culture, his place instead taken by the baby that truly belonged to his parents. Despite assurances otherwise, Bridge was sure that his parents always wanted that child more than they had wanted him. That baby was theirs by blood, Bridge was only theirs by trickery. He'd been forced on them. Even when he tried to spin it in his mind that they'd essentially adopted him, he couldn't convince himself that they'd wanted him.

He sometimes wondered if his birth parents, the Fae he was born to, had wanted him the way he was sure the Scotts had wanted the real baby Bridge. But he knew that wasn't the case. If they had really wanted him, they wouldn't have traded him with the human baby. Bridge hated being the person no one wanted, but that's who he was. Between worlds: not quite Fae, not really human.

"Uh...thanks, I guess," Bridge let out an awkward laugh. He'd never been very good at small talk, and idle chit chat was an absolute mystery to him. "But I don't really consider myself a Fae. I'm just as human as you are."

Not that either of them were what most would consider human. Both had magical abilities, and as much as he may deny it, Bridge had Fae blood coursing through his veins, which is what gave him the power to spend most of his life invisible.

"Somethings might not last forever, but things like this do," Bridge said, pulling off the porcelain mask affixed to his face. He was breaking all kinds of personal boundaries, but it was bound to happen sometime, so why not now, with someone like Ivy. Someone he could trust. His scarred and blistered skin was exposed to her, his deepest darkest secret on display for her to scrutinize and ridicule. "Just because some things disappear doesn't mean all do. Pain might be fleeting but its scars are eternal,"

Bridge fixed the mask back onto his face. He figured he'd scared Ivy enough for one day. There were more pressing matters to focus on, like the impending kiss. She'd seen his face, and it would be a miracle if she could get through the scene without throwing up or fainting all over him.

It seemed like he wasn't going to be the only one that needed something to take the edge off. What Ivy was currently offering was only a temporary solution, with something a little stronger when it came time for the actual performance. "Thanks. I'm a little less nervous, though. It helps when my scene partner is a lady as beautiful as you."

The moment the words left Bridge's mouth, he almost let out an audible squeak. First his face, now confessing that he thought she was beautiful. It was as if he was trying to get himself branded as a creeper.

"That...came out wrong. I didn't mean that--not that I don't think you're--I mean--ugh."

If Bridge shoved his foot any farther down his throat, he was going to choke on it. He put his head in his hands, his entire face turning bright red with embarrassment. This. This was why he didn't talk to people. He had almost no social skills whatsoever, and tact wasn't even a concept to Bridge. If he hadn't spent most of his life secluded from everyone else, scared of his Fae powers, he would probably be a lot better at talking to people.

But that wasn't the case, and now Bridge had just created a giant awkward elephant in the room, and it had nothing to do with the kiss. That was only icing on the uncomfortable cake. He could tell that it had just become a very, very long day.