[Red Diamond] May I have this dance? {Silarial}

by **Ronan Dugal** on April 29th, 2013, 8:09 am

Spring, 13th, Year 513

The Red Diamond. Not a place Ronan had been to before. The sounds that reached Ronan ears as he trudged through the snow were that of laughter and joy and good, quick music it seemed. Sounded like a party. It had been too long since Ronan had been to a party. After having left Syliras, it had taken him quite some time before he reached civilization again. The sounds only got louder as Ronan pushed the door open. People being loud and drinking, people dancing in a third of the room. It seemed like a stage, the tables and chairs in a half circle around it, the patrons egging on the dancers as the musicians played the music for them to dance to. There was much laughing and people slamming beer mugs together and drunken signing and overall: One big party! Seems like Ronan came to the right place.

Wading himself through the sea of people, tables and chairs, Ronan found himself a spot at the bar, squished in between two slightly bigger Avanthalians who were drinking beer. Ronan removed the hood of his outfit, the long Raven black hair falling out over hood as it rested on his shoulders and neck. A quick one-two with his fingers through the mess that was his hair and it was neatly running down his back. "Some hot tea, please?" Ronan spoke loud, in order to be heard above the music and the noise. He slid the required Mizas across the bar towards the bartender. Elbowing himself some space between the two larger Avanthalians, Ronan turned around and leaned with said elbows on the wood of the bar while he looked across the room towards the people dancing. The music was very compelling and Ronan's foot lightly tapped the floor.

Ronan's tea was served and he quickly nipped from it. Too hot. But it was too cold outside so Ronan enjoyed the too hot inside. The music changed and the dancers swapped partners or stepped aside to leave room for others to dance. There was a lack of space on the floor so the occasional 'booh' occurred when a couple decided to remain for longer on the floor. Everyone seemed to want to dance but the space allocated for dancing was too limited. Ronan was happy just tapping his foot and sipping his tea, warming his hands on the cup holding the liquid. His eyes shifted between the dancers as he wondered what exactly they were celebrating. Not that it mattered to him. For all he cared they had some weird custom where they celebrated the death of someone they hated. Any excuse was a good excuse for a party.

Squished between the two others, in combination with the tea, Ronan was already starting to feel hot. As the cold remained nicely outside, Ronan stepped out from the bar and took off the thick cloak that protected him from the cold. The bordeaux-and-gold of his outfit, combined with the white of his sleeves was a stark contrast for the dark brown furs most Avanthalians wore. As there wasn't really a place for him to keep his cloak, he turned to the bar and asked the barkeep. "Excuse me, is there some place I can keep my cloak? It would be quite a sight if I had to go and dance with this over my arm, now wouldn't it?" Ronan grinned at the barkeep as he waited for his answer.

by **Silarial** on May 1st, 2013, 11:56 am

The cheers of the crowd filled her ears as she whirled around under the lead of her partner. The people dancing just earlier had made way for their performance. It was their moment, he had said, and she believed him. Silarial leaned against the taller dancer’s chest, their bodies swaying as one with the music’s easy beat. Dipping her low as she arched her back, feeling the tension on her lower back and abdomen, he whispered softly against her ear, “You’re tense. It shows in your movements.”

She was suddenly pulled up to meet his sensual gaze, and the Snowsong returned it with what she wished was a sultry enough look. Her hand caressed the side of his face as she wrapped a leg against his waist. “Sorry, I’m not really used to this kind of dance yet.” She muttered faintly as she locked the knee of her free leg. Arkis dragged her across the floor and she held on to him in an embrace.

“That’s too tight! You’re a seductress, not a brute. At least act like one.” The man smirked as he pushed her away, never losing the connection between them through their hands. She swiveled just in front of a seated customer and Silarial winked at him playfully, lifting her arms as if she was offering herself to dance with him. Before the patron could have responded though, Arkis pulled Silarial close to him once more in a show of claiming her.

The female Snowsong pursed her lips when she faced him again. “Who are you calling a brute? I’m a graceful, proper lady. Definitely not a brute, nor a flirt like you.” She placed her hand, that which was not resting on his shoulder, on Arkis’ bigger ones. The two of them turned on the spot, Silarial’s dark locks flowing after her as her skirt fluttered like a blooming crimson flower.

His voice rumbled in his chest as he chuckled lowly. “I’m a flirt now? I can’t wait for the next description you’re going to attach to my name.” Another pushing motion, and another pull. When her slender frame was almost against him, she lifted the leg closest to him and he effortlessly caught it with one hand. Arkis lifted her by the limb, the other hand supporting her by the waist, and spun her in place. Silarial gathered the momentum from one full revolution and lifted her other leg onto his arm.

They spun around a few more spins until the music gradually died down. He gracefully and -uncharacteristically- gently, lowered her down. The pair stood there, holding each other and foreheads touching. Silarial could feel her mentor’s hot breath on her face and it made her feel awkward. She had never been that close to a man before, and her heart beat uncontrollably fast within her chest. Be it caused by their performance or because of Arkis’ closeness, she did not know.

As if on cue, the audience roared into cheers and applause. Silarial broke away from the male Snowsong and smiled a winning smile at the cheering crowd. The hours of practice with Arkis paid off! Turning her head towards her partner, Silarial saw a strange expression on his face. It only lasted a quick instant, for his arrogant countenance was soon back in plain view. “Remember, curtsy.” He chided as he led her forward.

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t need to remind me.” was her quick retort. She and Arkis bent low into a bow, and stood up to the even louder cheering from the patrons. They were shouting for an encore, and it warmed the female dancer's heart very much.

“I am sorry my dear brothers and sisters, but my beautiful partner here needs a quick break,” Silarial’s head flew to his direction and gave him a questioning look, but he pressed her hand hard to shut her up. “However, feel free to take the floor once again and dance to your hearts’ content!” He did a quick incline of his head and they stepped away from their makeshift stage.

Silarial wanted to ask him what happened, but he brushed her off and pushed his way out the tavern in a hurry. “Arkis…” she whispered to herself as she stared after his retreating figure. She didn’t know what exactly made him that way, but she noticed that he was beginning to act strangely the last few days they were together. Did she do something wrong?

Left on her own as the people rushed to the clearing with the intent of continuing their earlier dance, Silarial made her way to the bar and sat in the furthest vacant stool. She sighed. Her friend was no longer working in the tavern; she had already left Avanthal just a few days ago. Now Arkis went ahead and left her without any explanations. Quite suddenly, Silarial realized she didn’t have anyone to go to anymore.

“I’m all alone now, huh…” she sighed as she leaned her head on her arms over the counter. She wished she knew what was running through that man's mind. It would make things a lot more easier between them.

OOC :

by **Ronan Dugal** on May 1st, 2013, 1:37 pm

There wasn't much that held Ronan's interest for a longer period of time. There was trading, first and foremost, Ronan's hobby, pastime, sport and work combined. Learning new things, especially related to his number one interest was probably second. Dancing was not one of the things Ronan lived for but he did enjoy it every now and then, to take a break from things and to allow his mind to wander off or focus on something that was set in stone, like the steps of a dance. The tea touched upon his lips as he sipped from the cup, his eyes looking over the edge of the cup towards the dancefloor. The song played on, the musicians quite skilled in their craft as they upped the tempo of the music.

His eyes constantly darted over the dancers and he noticed them thinning out, as if preparing for something else, something they knew would come next. The music stepped up just a little more and the remaining dancers made way for one couple. His eyes locked with them as the woman, a child really, barely an adult, spun around, her partners hand above her, keeping her balance. The dance was entirely new for Ronan. It was unlike anything he had ever seen or danced. The room seemed to blur out as Ronan watched the couple dance. The male pulled his partner up towards him, their noses almost touching, their eyes burning with a passion. Her hand moved up to his face. He could see their lips moving, speaking to each other, words meant only for one another. She spun away from him and towards one of the patrons nearest to the dance floor. The man pulled her back.

Ronan's elbows lifted from the bar as he continued to watch. They moved so gracefully, such purpose in their movements. The foreign trader was completely captivated by the couple dancing. The tea was held in his hand, forgotten as the smoke slithered up from it, dissipating in the air. Her leg moved all the way up and he caught it, moved her around and spun around and around and around. Ronan noticed, somewhere at the edge of his focus, that the music ended and the spinning stopped. Ronan was among the first in the audience to start clapping. Roaring wasn't really his style, but his hands touched upon each other as hard as the rest of the audience. The couple bowed towards the crowd, smiling, breathing heavily. What a performance.

The man spoke and the couple split up, the man leaving the stage, the girl alone. The other patrons swarmed to the floor, some drunk enough to try and recreate some of the moves they had just witnessed, none skilled enough to get even close. Ronan blinked, the spell of the dance broken. He blinked as he looked around, finding his feet almost touching upon the dance floor. In his amazement he had moved, outside of his own will, towards the floor, drawn in by the spectacle that had unfolded in front of his eyes. His heart was beating. Nothing unusual for a living human, but it hadn't done so for anything, except a good deal. With his fist clenched at his chest, Ronan stepped back, letting the dancing girl pass as she moved to the bar. His entire frame followed her, turning away from the dance floor and towards the bar.

Ronan ordered two glasses of water from the barkeep, an order that got him a raised eyebrow from one of the larger Avanthalians he had been standing in between of earlier. He constantly shifted back and forth, stretching his neck as he tried to look past the patrons towards the spot the girl had chosen. He paid for the drinks and picked the glasses up from the bar. With both glasses raised above his head, Ronan made his way through the people, trying not to spill the drinks nor get elbowed anywhere particularly painful. With his red and white outfit, Ronan stood out like a... well, red and white dressed person in a room full of brown or dark colored dressed people.

"My name is impressed and I'm Ronan by your dance." Ronan placed one glass a little to the side of the dancer, who seemed to be unhappy for some reason. Ronan wondered why. Here he was, excited about something that didn't involve him counting the profits afterwards, and there she was, seemingly depressed and obviously alone. At least for one of the two, Ronan had a cure. "That was really amazing. Where did you learn to...dance...like that? I've never seen something like that before." In his excitement, his brain forgot the vani word for dance and Ronan had to replace it with the common word.

Even without his lacking vocabulary, it was quite clear that Ronan was not from anywhere near Avanthal. His long raven black hair had no highlights, nor did it shimmer with any of the colors of the aurora like that of the Vantha. He was quite tall, taller than most people in the room, except perhaps for the two guys at the bar he had elbowed his way through when he had arrived earlier. His skin was lightly tanned and his eyes remained the constant sharp, cold blue they always had. And there was something about him, something off that betrayed him as an outsider to the rest of the patrons in the Red Diamond. Perhaps it was his smile, ever present on his lips but never present in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

by **Silarial** on May 2nd, 2013, 2:47 am

There were so many things running through her head in that moment. Her mind went to the precious memories of her beloved friend. Come to think of it, the two came to know each other almost just a season ago. She wondered why they were not able to meet each other sooner. It wouldn’t probably change the pang of loneliness deep within her chest, but she could probably have had more happy memories to account for it.

Another sigh escaped from her lips as she got lost in her thoughts.

She missed her fellow Snowsong so bad. If only it wasn’t selfish of her to hold Svasra back, or even just leave with her right then and there, she would’ve. But either of the two prospects would be unfair to so many people, most especially to her friend and to her beloved mother. Silarial shut her eyes tight as she tried to dispel the gloomy feeling welling up from inside her.

Soon, her mind traveled towards thoughts of her dance partner and instructor. Silarial wondered why Arkis seemed to be distancing himself from her lately. He was a very good friend and mentor despite his arrogance and sometimes, he even acts as a trustworthy confidante. It hurt her very much to see the people she cared for disappear from her life one after the other.

Silarial almost jumped from her seat when a voice suddenly came from her side. Eyes swirling orbs of dark colors, she craned her neck to look at the stranger, a man who didn’t seem to come from the wintry city. A quick check revealed that he was not marked by the Queen, but it didn’t take exceptional observation skills to determine that he was not actually a fellow Vantha. He did not have any of the qualities that would identify him as such except for his dark hair, which was not actually a good basis of racial identification for anyone can have dark-colored hair. Except maybe for the red-headed Inarta.

Quite clumsily, the Vantha quickly smoothed her hair and her blouse, finally conscious of how she must have looked while sulking. “Hello impressed. I mean, Ronan! Umm… Sorry.” clearing her throat, she let the man continue speaking. It surprised her that the man, whose name was Ronan and not impressed, knew how to converse in Vani. He soon gushed about her dance so excitedly, like a little boy tasting flavored snow for the first time, that Silarial found herself laughing softly despite herself.

“I’m glad you liked our performance. My name’s Silarial, by the way. Here.” She patted the empty stool beside her as she motioned for him to sit. She smiled, amused. “If you’re asking how I learned to dance in general, that’s because I was born a Snowsong, Avanthal’s masters of the performing arts. But if you were talking about that particular style of dance, I trained under the man I was dancing with earlier, Avanthal’s dance prodigy, Arkis Snowsong.”

She took the glass of water the man had offered her earlier and gulped all the liquid down, realizing for the first time how parched she actually was. She replaced the container on top of the counter with a slight clink of the glass. With a soft sigh, she continued, this time in Common, “I think he should get most of the credit for the dance. Why don’t you compliment him instead of me when he returns? I am sure he would love the praises coming from a visitor.” the Vantha’s voice was almost delicate, her words were tinged with a soft and rhythmic accent, one that was almost song-like in quality. Silarial figured it was only fair to try and talk to him in what she supposed was his mother tongue.

by **Ronan Dugal** on May 2nd, 2013, 4:25 am

Ronan saw the girl looking at him, her eyes ever so slightly darting over his face, checking for something. He smiled at her. She fixed her hair and blouse. He nodded at her as she greeted him. Why did she call him impressed? He was glad she didn't seem to focus on the one word common in all of his Vani. Sometimes people did that. To tease him, to lecture him. He knew the word now, after having used the common word the Vani version popped back into his head. So typical. Good thing it didn't do that when it came to trading. That would be annoying, really. Avanthalians sure had exotic names. No Louise or Marie in Avanthal. No, Silarial. Reminded him of home. Syliras, Silarial, Syliras. "Silarial, nice to meet you. I'm sure you're thirsty." Ronan pushed the second glass of water closer to the girl as he sat himself down on the offered barstool.

She sure was modest. Masters of performing arts, trained under a prodigy. The man did not look like a prodigy to Ronan. But then again, few men ever did look like they could amount to anything in Ronan's eyes. "What's it called? This dance? I've never seen it performed before. Although I have been out of the loop for a few seasons now when it comes to dancing. Ronan sipped from his glass as Silarial finished hers, somehow glad for the cool feeling spreading down from his throat, even though he could have just stepped outside for a second if he wanted to cool down quickly. He held onto the glass, his little finger tapping it lightly in the rhythm of the music.

Ronan often said things to women that were potentially dangerous to his own health, usually in the form of an angry husband, angry boyfriend or angry family member. Every now and then the woman he had spoken to turned into the danger. In most cases, he didn't realize the mistake until he was in actual danger. A combination of his sharp mind and sharp weapons had helped him out of these situations more often than not. Sometimes it didn't and then the result showed somewhere on his body, in the form of yet another scar. This was one of those potential moments.

"If I complimented him, I wouldn't be sharing a drink with a beautiful woman right now." He replied in Vani as he tipped his glass ever so slightly in her direction, talking a little slower to make sure his pronunciation was correct. Nothing like a compliment gone misunderstood due to the language barrier. "And please, don't speak common on my account. I'll never learn Vani if people always talk in common to me." He smiled at her, nodding his head towards her, the slightest form of a bow. "How long have you been dancing then? Since you were born as a master of the performing arts, I'm..." Every time. It happened every time. What was the Vani word for assuming again? The struggle he still had with a language he had been practicing for so long was visible on his face, as it turned quite pensive, trying to remember the word. He didn't remember. The thinking stopped and the smile returned as he continued his sentence, substituting the word in common. "Assuming...you've have had quite a few years of training, yes?"

by **Silarial** on May 3rd, 2013, 2:46 am

The man had asked what the dance was called. “It’s called the Veldsayi.” she paused for a moment, thinking of a proper translation of the word in Common. “I don’t know how it is called in your language, but I think you can say it’s a dance of courtship. We added our own little twist to the original dance though. But I feel it’s a little too provocative than we first intended it to be.” The dancer shrugged, lazily peeking inside the glass as if staring at it will miraculously fill it with cool water once more. Coolwater. Without thinking about being rude, she giggled. She didn’t understand, but the mental image of a Coolwater inside a drinking glass seemed very funny to her.

Ronan spoke again, this time complimenting her physical qualities by implicitly calling her beautiful. Silarial blinked. She turned her head to face him and, after a moment, smiled politely. Being called beautiful was not new to her ears anymore. She had received a wide variety of compliments many times already from suitors and marriage candidates. Patrons, most especially the drunk ones, were not exempt from doing this too at times, so it did not hold very much meaning to her anymore. But every time, she thanked them for being so kind in giving her such a praise, even when she wasn’t in the best of moods.

“Thank you Ronan. That’s sweet of you.” She nodded. “Then I'll speak only in Vani, if that’s what you prefer. I’m curious though. Where did you learn to speak the language? I imagine you’re not from the city, and it’s not often one meets a Vantha outside Avanthal.”

Silarial’s gaze searched his face absentmindedly as he spoke until it eventually fell upon his eyes. He was smiling at her, but the smile never quite reached them. It bothered the Vantha how insincere his expression appeared to be, but she reminded herself it was not her business to point it out to a customer. He wanted to talk with her, and talk she will do. At least until someone requests for her to take to the stage and dance again.

“Assuming.” Silarial offered the word in Vani in case he might find use for it in the future. As she mulled over his question, she unconsciously tilted her head a bit to the side, fingers running over her lips as she thought. It was a habit she had yet to fully realize and overcome. “Actually, I only started dancing when I was about nine years old so I have a lot more studying and training to do ahead of me. I do my best to catch up with everyone else though, and that includes taking lessons and practicing my craft. That’s why I work here at the Diamond in the first place!”

She grinned, hands absentmindedly playing with the glass in her hands as she continued, “Why do you seem so interested in my dancing capabilities, Ronan? Do you like dancing too? You don't look like someone who dances, but I might be wrong. Do you?”

by **Ronan Dugal** on May 3rd, 2013, 8:02 am

Veldsayi. Ronan had never heard of it. Not that he had kept tabs on all the new dances as they came out, really. But he hadn't heard of it. He liked it though. Especially the courtship part. Sounded like it was made for Ronan. "Too provocative? I think it is just provocative enough." Ronan winked, lazily, one eye closing as he sipped from his water. It was a little too cold for his taste. He would get some tea afterwards. The girl giggled, for no aparent reason. Ronan shrugged it off as Avanthalian behavior, not understandable by outsiders, so Ronan didn't. Or a woman thing, in which case Ronan knew just as much as the next guy. Nothing.

Ronan had been flirting with women for more than ten years now and he had picked up a hint or two that told him when a woman was and wasn't impressed by his compliments. When you said 'beautiful' and she answered with 'sweet' you knew it hadn't had the intended effect that you had been hoping for. That's sweet of you. Ronan nodded to her. "You pick up a thing or two in a busy trading city, you know. There's a guy who spoke to a guy who happened to be half Avanthalian. You know how it goes." Best not to mention that this 'guy who happened to be half Avanthalian' had been a certain lady who had taken up a certain task of keeping certain sailors happy in a certain district of Syliras where a certain red color was rather prominent. Nope, better not to mention it. There was a moment of silence as Silarial looked into Ronan's eyes and he felt his heart beat pick up the pace. His face turned a little 'idiot' before he could control it and smiled at her.

"Assuming? Am I saying that correct?" He let the word roll of his tongue a few times, seemingly tasting it, trying to get a feel for the right pronunciation. As he did, his mind wondered over the fact that the girl had been studying dance since she was nine. She was now what? 17, 18? Who did that? Dedicating their life to something so... Ronan couldn't understand. Sure dancing was fun and usually led to even more interesting things afterwards, if he used the right words during the dance, but who did that? Who could place their entire life in the purpose of learning to dance? Or hammer metal all day? Or, fate forbid, sit in a chair all day and scribble word after word in some book. No, Ronan was quite happy with his traveling and his trading. At least you got to see the world, get out of the house, all that.

"You must really... like dancing, huh. I wouldn't say that I dance. I might say that I dabble in trying to use all those fa-...pretty? Nice is what I'm looking for. Moves other people make, though. But, as a rule, never alone. If I'm going on the floor and make a fool of myself, I'll be damned if I do it alone." Ronan grinned back, at least now there was the ever so slight hint of pleasure in his eyes, for a moment. He blinked and the hint was gone, the eyes back to their calculating blue. "How about... If you're up for it, I ask you for a dance?" Ronan smiled and put his glass down, empty. He got up from his seat and held his right hand out towards Silarial, fingers spread slightly, palm facing up. His head inclined slightly towards her as he waited to guide her to the dancefloor. Never makes a fool of himself alone.

by **Silarial** on May 4th, 2013, 4:47 am

“Really? Hmn.” was the only thing she was able to say when he made that remark about the dance and his explanation of how he came to know Vani. Based on his intentionally vague answer, she gathered he must be keeping the whole truth behind it. But again, that matter was none of her business. Huzak will scold her if she starts nagging patrons about their lives again.

Silarial listened closely as he pronounced the word a few times before he was able to get the closest articulation a foreigner to the tongue can achieve in such a short span of time. “Spoken like you were born and bred within the city.” She smirked, nodding her head sagaciously as she praised him.

She discreetly flicked her gaze between the door and the empty glass she was holding in her hands. The dancer wondered about what happened to Arkis, and as to what was taking him so long. A slight frown formed on her lips and her eyes ebbed into a dark blue color. He always complained about her being too much to handle, but so far she had been trying to be on her best behavior. His attitude is very much uncalled-for even if he have had enough of her. ‘He should have just told me in the first place so I wouldn’t sit here worrying about him!’

Her mood immediately picked up, however, when Ronan asked her to dance. Finally, he asked! The Snowsong believed dancing her worries away was the best course of action to get her mind off of things. She made a show of thinking her response over, eyes closed and a finger tapping the side of her temple. And then she looked at him and laughed. “Of course I’m up for a dance. What kind of dancer refuses such an offer?” she made an effort to sound casual, but her reply was betrayed by the hint of an almost childlike eagerness in her voice. It was a pleasure to take to the floor once more.

She lightly placed her hands on his, loosely cupped and not squeezing as her mentor had painstakingly taught her, and got up to her feet. Letting the man lead her, she felt it was just appropriate to respond to an earlier comment he made moments ago. Silarial raised her voice above the noise of the crowd and the music playing in the background.

“You know Ronan, I don’t just like dancing,” Silarial began as she and Ronan waded through the people. “It has been my part of my life ever since I came to know both its joys and hardships. For me, it’s the only path I’ve ever known and the only craft I will probably ever truly care for. I may deviate to other forms of art, but I can only see myself as a performer.” She looked pensive for a moment, then shrugged. “Well, maybe an explorer or an adventurer by the side. I’m always up for a great adventure and the equally great tale that follows!”

When her new partner had chosen their own spot among the crowd, she asked, “So mister Ronan, exactly what kind of dances have you dabbled in the past? I’m assuming you know at least some. Care to show me some moves?” she teased playfully, grinning. “Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself though. Remember, you’re not alone.” A tinkling giggle resounded from her lips and her eyes flushed into a vibrant green hue, one that is reminiscent of the lovely verdant color of the aurora.

by **Ronan Dugal** on May 4th, 2013, 12:45 pm

Ronan didn't really have nack for languages so he really liked to hear that he was doing well with the language. He would probably have to write it down at some point, if he still remembered it later in the evening. The way thing were going now, he might have trouble remembering exactly what the word had been. He chuckled slightly as Silarial laughed at his question. "Of course but maybe strangers are off limits or something." Ronan offered, not an unreasonable way of thinking. You never knew who was who. Although a simple dance couldn't hurt.

He smiled, and the flicker in his eyes reappeared, the interest. He was glad that she was looking forward to the dance, although Ronan had close to no experience with it. Especially not with the way she had been dancing earlier. And luck wasn't on his side. The musicians playing picked up the tempo a little, not as quick as what Silarial had been dancing to before but too quick for Ronan's comfort. His hand held hers softly as he guided her to the floor, making a way through the people in the Red Diamond, trying to find a spot on the floor before it flooded with other couples. Or drunk people dancing with their glass of beer. Ronan blinked for a moment as he looked at the bearded, single man with both arms wrapped around his beer. He shook his head as he turned around, walking a little more backwards, casually pulling Silarial with him into the crowd of dancers. There was little space but, if careful, enough space to dance.

"Traveling is quite interesting, trust me. But the adventures you hear about in great tales are only a small percentage in a large group of attempted adventures. Very bad for your health." Ronan pulled Silarial closer to him, his right hand, with which he held hers, stretched out to the side. His free hand slipped around her and was supposed to rest on the small of her back but the difference in height had Ronan's hand resting somewhere in the middle of her back. "I apologize in advance for any toe-stepping or rusty moves. It has been a while." He smiled at her. Ronan waited for a moment, listening in silence, head tilted somewhat. Ta. Ta. Tatata. Ta. Ta. Tatata. There it was. "Oh you know, a little of this and a little of that." The truth was that he didn't know any of the names of the dances. They were just dances. Certain dances had certain effects but he wasn't going to tell her that he dabbled in the 'get-some-action-tonight' dance. Or the 'guaranteed-to-get-you-kissed' dance. "Allow me to show you then."

The rhythm moved through Ronan, listening to the music, as he started to move, slowly, experimenting, trying to match the right moves he remembered to the music he heard. He had never danced to Avanthalian music before and he hadn't really listened to any either. He turned his head, looking in the distance pointed out by their outstretched arms. Picking up the lead, Ronan started to walk, pacing himself to the tempo. One, Two, Threefourfive. Step, Step, Stepandwait. And backwards. Step, Step, Stepandwait. He was still feeling out the music, placing them in it, trying to find the correct way to move to it. The more he listened, the more shards of memories popped up of dance moves learned in years forgotten, with girls forgotten and the more he got into the rhythm, ever so slightly matching his pace to the music. Not very original but he moved the same steps again. One, Two, Threeandwait. The whole time they moved, Ronan's lips moved as well, counting the steps, counting the beats in the music. Every now and then, if Silarial listened carefully, she could heard Ronan's whispered counts, or the name of step they were going to take next.

His left hand slipped from her back as he stepped away from her. His right hand lifted over her head, the, as far as Ronan knew, universal motion for spin-your-dance-partner-around. Once and twice he spun her around, sort of to the rhythm of the music. Then he stepped in again just as she finished her second spin, left hand sliding around her to the same spot again, holding her close to him. He pushed her backwards. Step, Step, StepStepStep. And reversed their steps. Step, Step, StepStepStep. And bumped into another dancing couple. "Apologies" Ronan nodded at the other couple as he switched places with Silarial, stepping a half circle around her, turning her around in her spot. Step, Step, StepStepStep. They ended up once more on the other end of their little dance space on the floor. Holding her so close to him, Ronan could see all the little details of her face, the highlights in her hair, the smallest of alterations in her eye color, could smell her hair every time he breathed in, could feel her body move against his. He smiled the whole time, his eyes flickering ever so slightly with honest pleasure, unlike to cold, calculating orbs they had been earlier.

"Seems to be going better than expected." Ronan said as he stepped on her toes. "Really? Sorry." He had a hurt look on his face but smiled through it. He had called it, right as he had made the mistake. At least he managed to pick up the rhythm again after a moment. Step, Step, StepStepStep. The music continued and the couples around them continued to dance, each one in their own little bubble of private dance space on the already small dance floor of the Red Diamond. Perhaps the Red Diamond was not so bad of an establishment as Ronan had initially thought. At least as long as they stuck to this kind of music. None of that boogie stuff the young people listened to nowadays.

by **Ablation** on February 22nd, 2014, 9:08 pm

Ronan :

Silarial :

Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to remove your grading request from the list to keep My office spick and span.

Open [Red Diamond] May I have this dance? {Silarial}