THE ABSOLUTE CUTIE OK,, đđ
It was ecstasy. There was little else to describe the elegance and wonder of the ballroom, with seemingly countless sophisticated figures dancing to and fro, twisting and turning to the rhythm of the music. The room itself could only be described as a dazzling mix of gold, marble, and glamour. Life at its very finest felt an understatement, and to Caelestis, it was.
"A heavy burden to carry at such an age, but you seem to handle it well," he commented breathlessly amidst the lively, rhythmic movements of the waltz. The celestial had merely taken a break from the dancing to instead to mingle for a bit, as no matter how much he may wish so, even he hadn't the stamina to dance ceaselessly the entire while. Once encountering the gold merchant however, there was an introduction, and he soon only found himself circling through the ballroom once more nonetheless. To decline an invitation to dance was nearly unheard of for him after all, but even no matter, there was a delight in the floor itself that simply could not be resisted.
Even just from the scarce interaction the two had had as of yet, Jan-Paul's ego was difficult to ignore, but somehow, rather in a manner that Caelestis found himself feeding it in spite of everything. The confidence with which he spoke and carried himself, with then the bits of awkwardness mixed in, was all oddly endearing in a way. Although even while not taking the man quite seriously, there was still a respect Caelestis couldn't help but hold as well, for despite his amusing demeanor, his feats were all still fact.
After a twirl that spun Caelestis away, and a brief chassé back, he continued the dialogue. "Although I have only heard so much, unfortunately, and I would be enjoyed to hear more if possible. Firsthand, nonetheless!" He habitually chuckled, although it was a bit more difficult than usual amidst the pace of the dancing. A step away and one towards once more, a slower twirl, and his palm settled on Jan-Paul's shoulder as the movements calmed to the more typical repetition. "In fact, you're the host of this very gathering, are you not? An honor even it is to be dancing as we are at this moment. And truly, I can't help but appreciate your skill as well, although I would surely expect no less from someone as fine as you." And so, perhaps unsurprisingly, subtle flirtations were soon mixed in with the already excessively ceaseless praise.
Eventually, the music slowed, and it felt a good time if any to end the dance. In parting, Caelestis finished with a cheerful smile, "Do let me know whenever you may plan another of these. It always has been one of my greatest pleasures in life, but admittedly, I would also welcome such a fine opportunity to run into you again even regardless."
and the follow-upppp
To see Wraith of all people walk on stage and begin performing a dance was rather unsurprisingly, not the highest on Caelestis' mental list of expectations that night. Considering the circumstances behind their first meeting, he could only assume that the shifter was here for a similar reason to what had brought him there back then. The host of the event was a curious one, after all, and Caelestis himself had largely come here for a chance to find out more. There needn't be more incentive than that for him, but the nature of the event in addition had drawn him in all the more. In addition, there was also simply a sense of tension and suspenseâsomething that told him he wanted to be here.
Caelestis watched the performance with intrigue, noticing how the shifter made use of his combat skills in a way that truly did appear like a merely particularly action-inspired routine. It suited Wraith, he thought, and couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed when the song eventually died down and the dance was over. After Wraith left the stage, Caelestis quickly began maneuvering through the crowd to approach him. Conveniently, it seemed the next activity was a partner dance, and he got to the shifter just in time for the idea to pass through his head. "Wraith!" He greeted enthusiastically after a tap on the other's arm. "What a coincidence." After exchanging greetings, he wasted no time to grab Wraith's hand and drag him off to the dance floor. A waltz was an opportunity like no other, and Caelestis would never let it past himself to miss out on this nearly unheard of chance to dance such a thing with Wraith of all people, specifically.
Once the two stopped walking, Wraith, unsurprisingly, expressed his lack of experience in the subject matter. Turning towards him, the celestial replied with a chuckle, "I'm not surprised. But no worries, I can guide you through it, although as I do prefer following, it may be a bit more indirectly than most ideal. It needn't be a complex thing, however, and even so, you may step on my feet all you like if must be." And so, Caelestis placed Wraith's hand at his back, his own on the other's shoulder, the remaining two hands in one another, and began carefully stepping and swaying to the music. The shifter's clumsiness with the movements was evident, but Caelestis was merely grateful for how much far worse it could have been, as even despite the comment about feet-stepping, it did always interrupt the moment a bit, naturally.
Eventually, Wraith spoke up questioning what had brought him here. "Curiosity. But also intuition I suppose, that something eventful may happen, and I would rather not be absent to miss it. Although merely the opportunity for dancing as well, admittedly." After a few moments, he added, "And you?"Â
Without an immediate answer, and instead a spin and a dip that Caelestis enjoyed all too much, he understood what the other was likely waiting to say. Beyond the dancing itself, there was a thrill to be found in quietly muttering one's ulterior motivations to one another all the while. He soon received his whispered reply nonetheless, the dancing continued, and as Wraith seemed to be growing a bit more accustomed to the movements, Caelestis was finding himself more satisfyingly lost in the moment until⊠only a few seconds later, the music merely stopped.
Caelestis' gaze drifted towards the obvious cause while raising an eyebrow in clearly expressed irritation. That target, huh? At this point, he was mostly disappointed at the dance having so suddenly ended, and found himself suddenly caring a whole lot less about who exactly this man was, why he was a target, and whether Wraith would be able to succeed at eliminating him. At the shifter's attempted comforting words, he could only smile however, and inwardly cheer him on. Our dance, though, he mentally corrected. There was then a moment where he wondered the extent of hole had been digging himself into all this while, as he began to acknowledge that perhaps Wraith's cluelessness truly was merely a lack of interest in addition. In which case, he may have already dug too deep, and his expression fell once more to a frown as Wraith looked away to focus on the announcement. This was going to be a problem for him, wasn't it...?