Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jesus Rodriguez 
Ever the gentleman (and caring friend, honestly) Jesús would never let her know that he'd caught her slight change in expression. His own confidence (arrogance, really) picked up quickly at that; and he tired hard (read: did not try at all) to keep the smug expression off his face. Very hard. "That's why I have you," he replied honestly; he realized, as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, that he needed to clarify just a bit. "To keep me in check, and all that." A smooth recovery for a smooth-talker; he was very proud of himself (he was averting crises left and right.) "I feel like no matter what answer I give you, you won't be satisfied." And, besides, Jesús didn't feel like humility was the answer there. He'd done nothing wrong.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his thoughts focused; he was used to Valerie's presence, was used to her whims, and was even used to her invading his personal space whenever she felt like it. But for some inexplainable reason, Jesús Gualtiero Rodríguez Dávila could felt like he was trudging into unknown territory. He should be at ease but at the present moment he was very, very aware of her presence. Because of that, Jesús didn't did fight the spin that Valerie had initiated, or the second one that came right after. "I don't doubt that," he said under his breath, and then, after scrambling to string together a coherent response, he looked back at the cause of his current distress: Valerie. "Not think," he started, a sly smile inching its way onto his lips, "I know that I can pull it off."
Pretending not to notice anything about her laugh (what was there to notice? Certainly not that it was entirely different from how she laughed normally,) he quirked an eyebrow upward and positioned his hands back where they were originally. "Translation: you are excited," he teased, finding this to be incredibly interesting (only because this was a rare moment and it would be a long time before he'd have the opportunity to do so freely.) "I'm excited too." What he was specifically excited for, he didn't really know.
There it was. That look would be his downfall as much as her own. She was fairly confident he knew that considering the lack of effort being displayed at hiding just how pleased he was with himself. She loathed how often she found it endearing. Like right now. She needed to figure a means of knocking it off his face but the majority of thought processes ceased with his words. Pupils dilating and lips parting slightly on a silent inhale, her composure was momentarily lost
again in his presence and she was not a fan in the least. "
A babysitter. How quaint." The sarcasm was undeniable. "
You are putting far too much weight into the simple inquiry of pie filling," she mused, feeling as though
perhaps she had just tipped the scales back in her favor again. Although her next move, the subtle tug on one of his curls, would likely tip them right back.
She had the mind for it, but never the patience for chess. Every interaction with Jesus reminded her of this.
Settling them back into a stead rhythm with the music it was she who missed a beat. It was purely instinctual (the swift lifting of the knee) and if it were not for her dress (the very one eliciting the reaction to begin with) getting tangled up in her legs she would have successfully executed her retaliation. But as it were, she merely stumbled into him and had no other choice but to hold on to him for balance. "
Someone must have spilled something on the floor," she muttered quickly as she looked elsewhere to ignore the rising heat in her face. Not that there was much else that held her attention elsewhere. A few
loud students and some other fleeting looks in her and Jesus' direction, but nothing captivating enough to prevent her from pulling her eyes back to him.
"
Fine. I am," she admitted reluctantly with an indifferent crane of the neck. "
I'd likely never get to experience something as lavish as this where it not for this tournament," she added defensively. He would understand. It was why she would do whatever it took for that scholarship money. Despite the inner turmoil she felt with her moral compass every time she thought about the first task and the implications therein.