Her White Wolf

Chapter Four

"Oh?" Shuri laughed, covering her mouth. "That must have been a new look to show off. Did you meet Steve that way too?"

"No, I was just covered in dirt at that point," Cleo replied with a small smirk of her own. "These things happen with animals. If a person can't take it, that's fine. I'll be a quiet old cat lady, and by cats, I mean panthers, leopards, and lions."

Shuri chuckled as she looked in her compact mirror and finished off doing her powder and lips. "Are you ready to go? It's in the east dining hall."

Cleo turned to take herself in one more time, willing to admit that she did clean up well sometimes. "Ready. After you, Princess," she said with a sweep of her arms in the direction of the door before she linked her arm around her friend's.

~~~~~~

James sat with Steve and T'challa at a table while each of them nursed a glass of wine. He sighed as he watched other people around them talking and mingling with other people, it made him want to grumble. After taking a long drink from his glass he was about to tell Steve that he was going to get some air when Shuri and Cleo walked in the room.

Cleo's sparkling floor length gown blew James away, feeling himself swallow thickly, seeing the lights above them make her shimmer like the night sky. "Wow," he murmured.

Cleo could feel the eyes on her as she walked carefully into the room and she smoothed her hands lightly over the jeweled dress, the elegance of it out of tune with what people saw from her most of the time. She was a little self-conscious but as her eyes scanned the room, one face nearly stopped her in her tracks. "Is that..." she mumbled as her dark eyes took in James. A... completely different James. Dressed in a sharp blue suit that highlighted the intensity of the blue in his eyes, the now smooth-faced man was almost hypnotizing. He'd cut his hair, leaving it just long enough to sweep a little of it back.

From where Steve sat, he could see the whole scene and as the two seemed to be in awe of each other. A smile crossed onto his lips and his eyes found Shuri's to give her a wink. I think all of this is going to go the way we're hoping. 

Shuri led Cleo over to Nori, a mutual friend of theirs that they hadn't seen in a little while before she walked over to Steve. "You got him to cut his hair," she smiled. "You look handsome."

James rolled his eyes but nodded, giving Shuri a polite nod. "Thank you."

"He cleans up nice. Just had to find him under all that hair," Steve teased. "You look beautiful, Shuri. And Cleo, geez."

The Princess turned to glance back at her friend who was for now at least somewhat engrossed in conversation with Nori. "She cleans up nice also," she said with a smile. "Have either of you seen-" she began, but her question was answered before she finished it. From the hall they could hear M'Baku drawing attention to his own entrance.

James turned his attention to the overly large man as he walked in the room. He quickly noticed that M'baku liked to make a lot of noise and take up as much space as possible, showing off for others around him. Someone has a big ego.

M'Baku liked attention, there was no denying that. He was a bit uncivilized; he enjoyed big displays of dominance and power. He clapped his hands together loudly and as his eyes scanned the room, they settled on the fair skinned girl with long, dark hair. He headed straight for her while her back was turned and before anyone could stop it, he reached out and grabbed Cleo's hand before he whipped her around to get a better look at her.

Cleo had heard M'Baku enter but she didn't turn to glance in his direction. Maybe if she didn't turn around, he wouldn't realize it was her. Little did she know, though, that he was approaching, and she gasped as suddenly she was turned in his direction, chocolate eyes turned up to see the much larger man's face. "Oh... hi M'Baku."