driftfleet | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: IT'S A GAME MINGLE GET IN THE VAN
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: All of it!
When: Second half of the month.

[hey everyone! how's it been going? how's medieval-fun-time-world treating you? anyone pillaged and burned anything yet? got kicked out of the castle? been planning expeditions? registered for jousting? busy angsting for the last two weeks on your ship?

this is a mingle for everybody, whether they're hiding in the volcano, out and about in the city, or up on one of those random random stations where you can get quirky souvenirs.]

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[Mattias spots the booth before he approaches it, lingering in the eaves, so to speak, until the crowd thins. With his height, he can be seen now and again, grin bobbing above the small crowds that gather. When they thin, he ebbs forward, glancing at their retreating backs before sliding a coin to Felix.]

I do hope my future says something about a dance.

[Fingerlings of music waft through the air, snippets of music captured from the center of the festival, encasing them in gentle reminder. Mattias grins.] I hear it's an overdue promise.

[Felix shoves away the jolt of embarrassment he feels at being caught, but it's easy enough to do in the face of Mattias' genuine good cheer]

So it is. And the future is, as they say, in my hands...[He pockets the deck and stands up from his seat]

[Mattias watches him rise with some surprise.] I must say, I wasn't expecting such a hasty acceptance. Had I known you were this eager for escape, I would have rescued you sooner.

[He laughs, rocking back on his heels. Waits until Felix before offering his arm.] I apologize for the wait. First, I had to rework your portion of the dance. Remove all the, uh. [He coughs.] Feminine bits. Then I had to edit my own to match and then find a place secluded enough to practice. [Leading them through the crowd, he flashes a grin at Felix.] Not to worry, though! I found us a wonderful spot! You don't mind rooftops, do you?

I was in need of a diversion, and this will do rather nicely. [He grabs Mattias arm lightly and following, his bearing somewhat stiff, though it's easy to pass off as needing to concentrate to weave through the crowd without knocking anyone over]

Rooftops? No, of course not. Though I hope there are stairs or a ladder to get us there. [He isn't his brother]

Oh, come now, Felix. Where's your sense of adventure! I was hoping we could scale the building. [He chuckles.] Kidding, kidding. There are stairs of course. Here.

[He gestures to a building in front of them with a flat roof and window gardens. It's charmingly idyllic and he leads them inside without a moment's hesitation, nodding to the clerk at the front desk. A prior agreement, probably.

Up they go through three flights of stairs before the rooftop spreads before them in a burst of sunlight. It's fairly empty, with only the remnants of outdoor furniture resting on the lip, creating a makeshift fence to keep them from falling.] I may have gotten overzealous but they weren't using the roof for much and it didn't take much coin. And look! [He points over the edge and across the city where a slim line of green can be seen beyond the city walls.] You can see the countryside from here! Charming, isn't it?

[He left it in the soul-sucking castle, that's where.]

[He's a little surprised Mattias went through so much effort for this lesson when he was certain that a corner of the market square would have done just as well. He wonders if Mattias think he'll be embarrassed or be embarrassed by him. The setup only get odds the more they walk, though he swans past the anonymous clerk with the smile of someone who is absolutely supposed to be wherever he is.

He approaches the would-be railing and looks out to the view, but his gaze is half as much on the other man as is it the countryside as he answers.] Indeed it is.

[He turns back, smiling, hands clasped lightly behind his back] You've outdone yourself.

[Mattias half turns, still smiling. Always smiling. It never seemed to go away.]

As I said, I got a bit overzealous. Besides, it's always worthwhile to have a private place to practice. I'd hate to embarrass you. As I told you before the dance is... [he glances away, rocking back on his heels] ... intimate. And they did tell us not to introduce anything new.

[So earnestly is he trying to justify himself that he even brings up a policy he detests. He's nervous, though he won't admit it, stomach crinkling like tin foil. It's confusing as to why. He's been the star of ballrooms before. Had every eye in Orphlegian high society on him. But a single man on an isolated rooftop?

He's surprised to find he's wringing his hands. Quickly, he tucks them away, straightening slightly and clearing his throat.] Shall we start? I'd show you a demonstration but, well. [He chuckles awkwardly.] It's difficult to show a partnered dance solo.

[Intimate doesn't necessarily bother him, though he considers that his own experience with dancing is limited mostly to rather proper waltzes and things that keep a respectable distance between partners. Mattias probably had a point about veering on the side of caution as far as rocking the boat with the locals.

His stomach does it's own tiny leap, though for him it's conscious anticipation. He reminds himself Mattias' intentions are innocent for what will not be the last time today, he's certain]

I imagine it would be. [He turns from the view and steps closer to the other man, his expression pleasantly neutral] Where would you like to start? I am at your mercy.

At the beginning, of course.

[He smiles thinly, stepping forward. Taking Felix's hand in his own, he positions it carefully, Felix's fingers resting on the skin between his fingers and thumb. Joined together, he lifts them to eye level, straightening his back and pulling Felix close with an arm around his waist. It's quick to move away.] Straighten your back.

[His voice is commanding, but gentle. His hand moves in place, cupping Felix's shoulder blade.] Keep your hand on my shoulder.

[As stubborn as he tends to be most of the time, Felix follows directions surprisingly well, though it certainly helps that he holds no ill will towards his instructor. He takes the starting position with rigid grace and his hand flutters gently into place with zero reservation] Easy enough, and not all that salacious so far.

[Okay, maybe he can give Mattias a little bit of a hard time.]

You sound eager for it! [He laughs at what is clearly a joke, then guides Felix a step back, already gliding across the stone.] It's easier to see the steps when we're farther apart.

[Two more steps back. There's a bit of a curve to their path.] We'll move closer soon, don't worry. [Another laugh, light and free as he guides Felix into a sidestep.]

Now, there's a rhythm to the movements. A pattern. [Guiding Felix back to the first position, he goes through the moves again at the speed he narrates.] Slow, slow, [two steps forward] fast, fast [the last step and the side-step, still curving on an invisible track. He ends it there, beaming at his companion.] Clear enough?

[Felix's bravado doesn't hold up well as the lesson progresses. He follows along easily enough, but his posture his stiff with obvious concentration and his gaze his half as much on his feet as it is on Mattias' face.]

Academically, yes. Let's see if that knowledge translates to my feet.

[He smiles, hiding his slight anxiety. Despite the joking, he isn't sure what he'll do if the hold becomes more intimate, but he doesn't have much time to contemplate that]

We'll go slow. [Everything about him is gentle. His voice, the way he wraps an arm around Felix's waist and pulls him close. Their chests meet, their hips a mere breath apart and their faces...

The dance calls for close proximity, cheeks a thread's length apart. Mattias doesn't seem to mind it, smiling broad enough for Felix to feel the rise of his cheeks.]

Follow my lead. If you get lost, just ride my feet. Alright?

[He waits for an answer before starting, wanting Felix to be comfortable above anything else.]

[It's kind of impossible to be entirely comfortable, when half of his mind is occupied with hoping his body doesn't do something unfortunate.

He licks his lips and takes in all the small details at once - the brush of clothes, the touch of their hands, the warmth of skin so close he could turn his head and put his lips against it.

The part of his subconscious that speaks in Malkar's voice doesn't rear it's head often, but he hears it now like an echo. 'Concentrate' comes the derisive hiss and then he goes at first tense then slowly wills himself to relax.]

I'll try to save that for a last resort.

[Mattias can't see him smile, but he does, even if it's a bit forced]

Go ahead.

[He might not be able to see it but he can feel it. The press of muscles lifting and working against his cheek. It makes him smile in turn, chuckling as he takes the first step forward.]

As you wish.

[He keeps it slow and yet moves like a river, feet flowing like water across the roof. The steps are simple but with him, they become an elaborate pattern. A beautiful tapestry of woven footwork. He goes through it once, twice, three times before stopping, pulling away so he can look at Felix expectantly.]

Well?

[He counts the steps in his mind, even muttering a few times as they cross into another iteration of the pattern, each time becoming a little bit easier. The near embrace makes his hand twitch with the impulse to close the gap the rest of the way. Felix measure his breaths almost as much as the movement of his feet.]

Not as difficult as I feared. Is there more to it?

Of course. Those are merely the opening steps. The next follow the same curve and the same rhythm, but with the addition of pivots and a bit of marching. Here, let me demonstrate.

[Slowly, he guides Felix through another curving arch, whispering reminders to watch their feet, when to march, when to pivot. With each action, he acts in opposite, turning when Felix straightens, hips snapping into an expert march. Heels click on the rooftop, drumming a short beat before falling into line again. It's a pattern, albeit a complicated one. Something that relies more on timing than on repetition. Due to the complexity, he doubles the amount of times they run through it, stopping after the sixth. Pulling away slightly, he smiles nervously at Felix.]

Do you understand?

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