No. It wasn't going to be like before. That one meaningful parting act was the sign.

[Timothy](http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75166/posts/char#post-2323135) could not help but stare dumbly at the angel's back as she left him to stew in his own stupidity in the library with only its indifferent librarian to keep him company. Seconds went by before he could feel his fingers again, and his first act was to bring them up to his cheek where she had kissed him. Those soft, pink lips -- they graced him at _this_ part, where his index and middle fingertips felt. The area felt sweetly hot, but unfortunately for Tim's wandering romantic imagination, it wasn't her lingering warmth; it was simply him flushing brightly not unlike [Poppy](http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75166/posts/char#post-2323885), all the way to his ears.

In his mind, the silence of his frozen thoughts was broken by a repeating smacking sound, quite stark against the deathly quiet. And in the backdrop, a mild snickering could be heard. Cadwal was slowly clapping his ghostly hands, and trying to contain himself.

_"Cadwal..."_ was the only thing Timothy could manage; he was going to tell him to shut up. 

_"Hah! You...,"_ the ghostly knight struggled, _"Didn't expect that, did you?"_

_"... I... I did not."_

_"Oh boy, but, ah,"_ he finished laughing, though annoyingly for Tim he had dragged it out first. _"Don't think of it too seriously."_

_"What... do you mean?"_

_"The gesture might be meaningless. Girl like that, the sincerity is questionable."_

_"You think?"_

_"I think? You **know**. Or have you forgotten that she compared herself to Satan or that she described herself as a manipulator? Don't tell me you were so blinded that you utterly believed everything she said, just because she was nice to you? She's one of the gang leaders in this school, and one who is feared for specifically the thing you're falling a victim of."_

Maybe it was because he couldn't think straight yet, but Tim found himself in agreement. Yet, he was still opposed to the idea that he was being played like a fool. 

_"Well, I-"_

_"Hold that thought,"_ Cadwal interrupted. _"Let's talk of this where we can at least pretend to have more privacy. You look like a mess, boy, and you don't even have to look at a mirror. I think we're done for the day. Let's get back to your room."_

_"Yeah,"_ he finally let go of his cheek, resigning himself to Cadwal's counsel. _"Let's."_