Noticing? Yes. Jealousy? Not quite.

Kyle had caught sight of Maesi and Miles' dancing, of course he had. It didn't exactly inspire any feelings of jealousy - at least, Kyle didn't think that was what he felt - but... he noticed. Maybe. A bit. Enough that he made sure to quickly move on and continue scanning the others on the ballroom floor, until he set eyes on Valerie and Jesús, dancing together. Perhaps he allowed himself a little smirk at that point.

As Irene approached, Kyle made a conscious effort to smile at her, even though it sort of went against all of his instincts. What Ambrosia had hinted at with her literal passing comment was not exactly inaccurate; if Kyle didn't actively try to appear friendly, people tended to get the (occasionally) wrong impression about what he might be thinking or feeling.

The compliment - because that was what it was, really, a compliment - threw Kyle just a little, and he wasn't sure at all how to react to it other than to try and not overthink it. "Thanks Irene. And you too, congratulations, I mean. I'm disappointed I couldn't have seen everyone's challenges for myself."

Next time, perhaps, he would try and get his hands on a pair of Omnioculars, and persuade (and probably pay... 'pay' sounded better than 'bribe') a first or second year to keep them trained on the viewing screens for the entire event, so that he could rewind them back later and watch for himself. He didn't think that would be against the rules, as it wouldn't affect anyone's progression through the challenge at the time, and given the fact that the competitors' friends would update them on happenings later anyway. For someone without such close friends who would be willing to do a play-by-play (though he had done his best to get information out of the professors who had been present), it might be a suitable replacement.

By the time he had re-emerged from his own thoughts, Irene was leaving again, so Kyle turned his attention back to Etta, though by this point had given up trying with the smiling because he was, at least, making conversation. "I know what you mean. I'm glad it's over too." Really, though, perhaps the most unsettling thing about interacting with one was that he had recognised the sense of despair that they brought with them. But Kyle was too busy and too far in denial to spare a moment to think about what that might mean. "I'm having an okay time, I guess. This kind of thing isn't really my scene, but I'm not disliking it." Perhaps that counted for something. "It's cool to have, y'know, a chance to meet people. How about you? Having fun?"

Small talk would never not be weird, and, not for the first time, Kyle wondered if it was normal that everything he said felt and practically sounded completely insincere. Hopefully he wasn't coming across the same way that he felt.

The next person to attract Kyle's attention was one of the smaller Hogwarts students (Derf). He wasn't entirely sure whether or not the 'DuuuuUUUUuuuuUUUUDes!' thing was meant to be a joke or an insult, but the way the kid was performing definitely gave him the impression that he was being entirely serious in his greeting. Best to keep an eye on that one; Kyle hadn't missed the kid's frequent lingering looks in Valerie's direction, and fully intended to use said looks as ammunition when it came to exchanging teasing remarks with his Wampus friend.