2022 Advent Challenge

'Sorry, Fred, did I hear you right?'

A part of Fred wished she hadn't. He looked up at the young woman standing in his doorway. She was a werewolf. Scruffy blond hair, hazel eyes, a tough yet caring demeanour that made it easy to understand why she was generally trusted – and the leader of her informal pack.

'Yes, Runa, I believe you did,' he replied, taking care to keep his tone level, almost cold. The last thing he wanted was for her to make false assumptions about his... request.

'So let me get this straight,' she said, brushing some dust off her shorts in a nonchalant manner. 'One: you want to attend this New Year party.'

'Yes.'

'Two: you want to take advantage of the fact that most of the guests will be drinking heavily to get information out of them.'

'Correct.'

'...But it's not just a party, it's a ball, and you're not permitted inside unless you have a dance partner.'

Fred was beginning to wonder if he'd missed some sort of social cue. Surely it wasn't that bizarre to ask someone to attend a ball with him for strictly business purposes? He and Runa had been acquaintances for seven months now. She should know him well enough to understand that his request wasn't born from a seedy ulterior motive.

In the end, he decided to go for what he deemed the most neutral response.

'You may be otherwise occupied that day,' he said, 'in which case, I understand completely and will not ask you to attend.'

Runa folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. 'Are you not the slightest bit worried that people will talk?'

'I want them to talk, Runa. That's exactly what I'm going for.'

'Stop that, you know what I mean. People are going to see us together and make assumptions. Aren't you concerned about that? Don't get me wrong, I have no--'

'Plenty of other people will be bringing partners they are not involved with,' said Fred, interrupting her out of a growing sense of impatience and desire for this conversation to be over. 'It's almost inevitable, given that bringing a dance partner is mandatory for attending. But that wasn't the only thing I wanted to ask you; I have a second, related, inquiry.'

He was pleased to see that Runa appeared to have accepted the situation – or at least was curious enough to continue. 'What is it?' she asked.

He hadn't really been looking forward to saying this next part; then again, had he been eager about any of it? 'I haven't been to an event like this before,' he said, 'and unfortunately, I have never learned even basic dance steps. I understand that you have some experience in this area?'

Runa didn't bother to ask how he knew that. 'So, you want me to teach you to dance in time for this party, which is in... four days. You really know how to give people notice, don't you?'

'Yes or no?' said Fred brusquely.

'To hell with it,' said Runa. 'But you owe me, Alscher.'

'Excellent. Now let's discuss where we'll be meeting up to practise.'

---

'Alright, first, put your hand there... Come on, Alscher, it's not difficult.'

Fred grimly positioned his hands where she indicated. He'd never particularly liked being touched – there was something oddly violating about feeling another living person encroaching on his body – but he supposed he should be glad it wasn't skin-on-skin. Both of them were wearing thick sweaters to ward off the midwinter chill.

Looking around, it was plain to see that Runa was a person who enjoyed festivities. Her entire house was traditionally decorated, and there was a string of cards, presumably from friends and family, along the kitchen wall. The kitchen was where they had decided to practise, for the floor was smoothly tiled and there was enough space for two people to move around.

'We're going to start slow and basic,' said Runa.

'I only need to learn the basics, anyway,' said Frederick.

Runa reached for the old record player on her kitchen counter. A slow, almost mournful melody filled the space, and without further ado she took the lead, gently tugging him around in a circle with her.

'The only thing you really need to know,' she said, 'is to time your steps. If you only want to learn the basics for one dance at a ball, you don't need to know anything fancy. But if you can't move your feet to the music, you're going to throw off everything.'

Fred had never even attempted dancing before; wasn't sure how good a sense of rhythm he possessed. But after a few false starts, he was able to follow Runa's movements well enough. She glided in slow circles around the kitchen floor, sometimes changing direction to keep him on his toes. Watching her like a hawk, Fred soon began to pick up on the physical cues that preceded these sudden changes, and matched them.

The second song was a little more upbeat, something he'd never heard before, in ¾ time. As he carefully followed Runa's lead, he decided that this was... bearable. He had been expecting a gruelling experience that he'd have to force his way through, but it wasn't terrible. Still, the prolonged close proximity was far from enjoyable.

The music was probably his favourite part. Though never a great follower of music, he did enjoy it, and now – dancing – he was able to appreciate the complexities and rhythms more than he'd ever needed to. It felt like he was understanding the music better, and Fred liked understanding things.

If nothing else, learning to dance was knowledge. And more knowledge was always good.

---

'You know, Fred, I don't think we even need to do more sessions. You've picked up the basics well enough.'

So said Runa, after their forty-minute practice session in her kitchen. Fred raised his eyebrows over the cup of tea he'd just made.

'Are you sure? You know more about this than I do. Am I going to be competent enough for the New Year ball?'

'You're going to be fine. Not everyone is good at dancing and I guarantee that some of the other guests have had as much practice as you have. You'll be fine.'

'You mean, we'll be fine,' Fred reminded her.

'Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten.'

'Anyway,' he said, sliding back to the original subject, 'I do believe I should complete at least one more practice session. Do you want me here at the same time tomorrow evening?'

'Sure. Feel free. But just so you know, I think you'll do fine.'

'We'll see, Runa.'

---

The ball was visually stunning. Set in a large house in the Gold District, it featured high ceilings adorned with decorations and chandeliers. A purpose-built ballroom served as the main gathering area for the party guests, and trestle tables laden with foods of all kinds stood along the eastern wall.

Frederick stepped inside, outwardly cool but internally curious as he surveyed the magnificent room. He was wearing a simple black and white suit without a tie, and had tucked his hair back in a low ponytail. On his arm, Runa had dressed a little more casually yet still fitting for the occasion, in a dark green dress, white stockings and a gold hair bow.

'Hmm. This is more grand than I was expecting,' she said in an undertone. 'Maybe I should have worn something else.'

'You're fine,' he replied absently.

They made their way over to the tables. The party host was a middle-aged crowdragon who was currently assuming the form of a tall, green-bearded man. He, too, was wearing a simple suit. He greeted each person jovially as they entered, but Fred was not drawn in by the man's friendly demeanour. He already knew that Mr Tide was running an illegal business and that several of the guests were in league with him. That's why I'm here – to find out more.

'Good evening, Mr Tide,' he said politely.

'Mr Alscher! Welcome, welcome. I'm afraid you probably know more about me than I know of you.'

'That is possible, Mr Tide. One of your guests, a friend of mine – Miss Geraldine – invited me to come along at the last minute.'

'Ah, yes, Miss Geraldine is a good friend of mine as well,' the man rattled. 'Such a shame she had to cancel her own plans of coming. She would have loved to be here.'

In reality, Miss Geraldine barely knew Fred and certainly hadn't invited him, but Mr Tide didn't need to know that. He also didn't need to know that Miss Geraldine was currently at home, dosed with a heavy sleeping potion.

Once the formalities were over and done with, Fred turned his attention to his partner. 'Runa, shall we?'

'Yes, certainly,' she replied.

He felt his pulse quicken a notch as they walked up to the dance floor, but he gave no outward sign of it. He wondered if two practice sessions had really been enough for him to look at home in the ballroom. Perhaps he should have insisted on a full four days of training?

His fears were unfounded. Once they began dancing, his movements became close to instinctive. It helped that the song currently being played was the same upbeat song he and Runa had practiced to during their first session.

'Good,' Runa whispered as they turned in a series of quick circles to match the pace of the song.

'Good enough?' he asked.

'Absolutely.'

Reassured, Fred stopped worrying about the dance, which unfortunately left him free to experience the discomfort of their close proximity. As with everything else, he did not allow his feelings to show on his face. Runa did not know, and had never known, how much he hated this.

In fairness, she didn't really want to be dancing with him either; she'd agreed by way of them being friends, but he knew he owed her a favour now.

They played their parts, twirling around the dance floor to the rhythm laid down by the band.

Eventually, they peeled away from each other and returned to the tables so Runa could fix a plate of food. Fred took this opportunity to converse with a few of the guests while eavesdropping on the conversations of a few others. Most of them hadn't drunk enough to show signs of inebriation, but he tried to subtly nudge them into drinking more. Over time, their tongues loosened. Some guests started bragging about the less-than-savoury things they had done. Others just blurted out embarrassing secrets. In the span of three hours, Fred collected a great deal of information, of all different types. By the end of the party, Mr Tide was almost openly talking about his side business.

All in all, it had been a very successful venture.

'Did it go well?' said Runa, as they stepped out of the house and into the bitter late-night cold.

'Very well,' he said. 'Thank you, again, for agreeing to do this. Let me know if there's ever a way I can repay you.'

'I'll be holding you to that, Alscher. This was been a nice outing, though. I appreciate that you chose me as your partner over everyone else.'

'I didn't have a lot of choice,' he pointed out, but she waved it off.

'It was still a nice gesture. But yes, I might still call in that favour someday, so be prepared.'

'I will be.'

'And, happy New Year.'

Unaware that he'd long since gone over his quota of physical contact for the day, she briefly squeezed his shoulder. Fred wasn't quite able to suppress a grimace, which Runa noticed, but she didn't say anything. Still, the confused frown on her face almost made him want to explain.

'Happy New Year to you as well,' he replied, inclining his head. He had to admit that in spite of the dancing, and his main reason for even attending the ball not being a celebratory one, he had enjoyed the experience in some way. He didn't hate festivities.

May this coming year be a good one. For all who deserve it.