Sneaking Around Afterhours.

Cerelia poked her tongue out at Jude, communicating how unimpressed she was, and focused on the pup instead. Though, it wasn’t long before the air changed. Cerelia looked at Jude and stopped stroking the dog in her arms. The face of the man had changed considerably and she opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he dropped the dog. Cerelia gave a cry of dismay and made to pick it up again but lost her own as Jude grabbed for her.

She fell against his chest, her hand coming up to grip the lapel of his blazer, and she looked at him curiously. She turned a little in his arms then and her whole body froze at the sight of the dog, far less adorable than it had been moments before. Cerelia’s shoulders began to shake and she backed away, pushing Jude back in the process, but was thrust forward at the sound of the dog’s bark.

Cerelia clattered over the tiled floors and ran as fast as her long, gangly legs could carry her towards the exit. The sound of the dogs was all around them and it felt as if they were being closed in upon. As they reached the doors, Cerelia waited to grab for Jude’s hand before thundering through the double doors and out into the icy hallway that muffled all sound of the dogs. Cerelia pushed the door shut and turned, pressing her back up against the wood. She exhaled heavily and brought a hand to her forehead before laughing, despite herself – despite everything.

“It’s a shame,” She murmured with a smile. “They were so adorable.”

If it had been in another circumstance, Jude might have been able to stop and enjoy the closeness between himself and the attractive pureblood girl. She was literally clinging to him and, though he might stop and appreciate the moment later, the closeness was wasted in the chaos of the situation they had found themselves in - well, the situation she had found themselves in. Jude refused to take the blame if there were cuddly attack puppies involved.

She took his hand and he was able to pull her along the correct path, though she seemed very sure in herself too, and kept along at a good rate. Most pureblood women would have been a terrible hindrance in such a dangerous situation, but she really kept her own.

And finally, they were allowed a breath. He stopped, carefully controlling his breath - in the nose, out the mouth - and stared at the door they had just escaped through. He turned back to Cerelia. "Adorable isn't always harmless," he said, almost sternly. But as he thought of the way she had handled the situation, he could not help but smile, and soften his scorn. "Look at you, for example." He smiled, pleased with himself for being clever.