A Most Excellent Adventure (Attn: Bella/Natlya)

[Locke]

Terric

Terric tapped his finger along to the song. It was called “Three Fools at the Market” if he remembered correctly. A gleeman expertly played his flute while a pair of local girls who looked like sisters accompanied him. One sang while the other played a cittern. The inn’s patrons burst into loud applause as the song came to an end, and people began to shout suggestions for the next song. Natlya Cade wore a warm, open smile. He’d never seen her smile like that. He’d seen her laugh at jokes before, but this was different. It suited her. A lot.

As their pitcher grew close to empty, Terric stood and squeezed through the growing crowd. There was no reason to make a barmaid fight her way through this the press of bodies. He returned sometime later, looking slightly disheveled and carrying a bottle and two small cups.

“I’ve returned from my quest,” Terric said with a laugh, as he poured them each a few fingers of brandy. By now, the inn was packed. People danced in couples and groups in the only clear patch of floor. A fiddler had joined the other musicians at some point and they played a fast paced reel called “Ma Rainey’s Kettle.”

Terric nodded along, taking occasional sips of his brandy, feeling the liquid settle warmly in his stomach. He hummed a few bars, but otherwise, was content to sit back and listen. His companion however, watched the dancers with a hint of longing. “Don’t worry about me, Natlya Cade,” Terric said, clinking his glass against her’s before draining it. “Go dance, have fun. That man over there has been eyeing you,” he gestured with the bottle before topping them off, “He isn’t bad looking, you could do worse.”

[Bella]

Natlya did enjoy the music, and she liked watching the people dance. Her memories were mixed between the enjoyment of dancing itself and also of using the dance as a cover to pick pockets. She'd gotten very good at it over the years, but aside from the memory of it, the act was the furthest thing from her mind.

She felt...lighter than she had in a long time. Time heals all wounds, as they said, and it seemed true. The wound in her heart would never be completely healed, but the interceding years had done much to bring her back to herself. Not her old self, but a lightness of spirit from her old self that could not be planted and grown in the new woman she'd become.

The brandy was good, too. And she enjoyed the company. Neither felt the need to fill the time with talking any more here in this common room than they had on the road, but it was companionable and she was content with that.

But...the dancing did look fun.

Terric surprised her when he spoke, and she turned her head to look at him with curiosity in her hazel eyes. She turned where he had nodded towards and saw the man. He was indeed looking at her, and he was indeed...decent looking. She was surprised she hadn't noticed, but apparently she was more tuned to dangers now than men looking for a dance.

Oh, how times had changed.

However, as much as she was flattered at the interest, she found she had none in him. He was a stranger. If she wasn't going to pick his pocket, why bother dancing with someone she didn't know?

Natlya turned back to Terric with a flash of a bright smile. "Why would I want to dance with him when I have you here? Why don't you dance with me?" she asked airily. The height difference would certainly be a thing, but she'd danced with such tall men before and now could even spar with them. It would be fine.

[Locke]

Terric

Terric choked on his drink, but managed not to snort any brandy up his nose. Mostly. Her offer had caught him off guard. She wanted to dance with him? Even now, when he heard dance, he had to translate it from it’s Aiel meaning. Natlya Cade, his fellow Gaidin and long time training partner wanted to dance with him, as Wetlanders danced.

It wasn’t going to happen of course. What Aielman spent his evenings twirling around to music? He would look like a right fool if he tried.

“I do not dance,” he said, wiping at his nose. The inside burned something fierce, but he kept his expression neutral. “Besides,” he added in a low voice, “even if I did, I don’t know how to.” The dancing couples stepped and promenaded complex patterns. A man lifted his partner and twirled her in a flash of bright wool. That wasn’t his dance. He took another sip of his brandy. She was still looking at him, body poised towards the dance floor. He knocked back the rest of his drink before refilling both of theirs.

The glint in his eye was about as close to a grin as an Aiel would show in public. “Go dance, have fun,” he said, voice just a little too loud, “I’m sure we’ll find something else we can do together.” Light, his nose still burned.

[Bella]

Once determined upon a path, Natlya was not put off it quite that easily. Her hazel eyes took in his face, trying to read his expression but he--like all well trained of the Yards--was pretty good at keep those cards close to their chest. Her own eyes narrowed slightly as she didn't bother trying to hide her expression. She was...

She was feeling good, for the first time in a while. It wasn't the drink, for she hadn't really had that much. And she didn't let it overwhelm the hypervigilance of her training, but...she felt good.

Then she caught the light in his eye. She might have gone off and not pressed the issue, might have, but that sealed it. She wasn't going to let it go after only one shot. If he said no to her again then she would, but she decided to try at least one more time. As it had been said, she could be quite the determined girl when she wanted to be.

Nat reached across the small corner of table that half-separated him and found his hand. "Come on," she said, flashing another nearly-carefree smile. "Dance with me. The steps aren't hard. They're easier to learn than anything the Warder Yards teaches you and you don't really have to be that skilled at them. Just feel the music and move with the girl in your arms. I can help show you the steps."

[Locke]

Terric

His heart leapt slightly at her smile. A smile wasn’t as much about upturned lips but about the eyes and her hazel eyes lit up her entire face. After another long sip of brandy, Terric grumbled, “I really can’t say no to that smile, or a pair of pretty eyes.” An amused twinkle in his eye gave lie to his grouchy demeanor as he allowed himself to be lead onto the dance floor.

He’d watched dancers before and took her in his arms the way he’d seen it done. As the next song began, Terric did his best to imitate the other dancers. He tried to count their steps. He tried to count his steps. It goes step step twirl, not step twirl step, he chastised himself after the third time he stepped on her toes.

Finally, he was getting the hang of this, the men promenaded --at least he thought that was the correct word-- their partners to the far end of the dance floor then spun to their right-- No, the left, he realized as they collided with the another couple with a grunt. Terric sighed, this wasn’t working, and he looked stupid doing this. He didn’t even see how Natlya Cade could be enjoying herself being stepped on and awkwardly jerked around. She was the only reason he was doing this. He glanced around, certain these Wetlanders thought him a buffoon. Jaw set, he stubbornly continued trying to dance.

[Bella]

How could someone so good in a spar struggle so much with a dance, Nat wondered. If you weren't familiar with the steps, though, it wasn't the easiest thing to get the hang of. She reminded herself that she had spent many years dancing, and sparring had been trouble at first; despite the similarities.

"Hold up," she said, stopping him for a moment with another one of those smiles. (His comment about pretty eyes had not gone unnoticed by her, and now they flashed as she grinned.) "Let me lead for a moment."

It wasn't the usual for a woman to lead in a dance, but they were not full-fledged Gaidin of the Grey Tower. Sometimes men led, and sometimes women led. It was perfectly natural that she do so because she knew the dance, rather than force him to try to learn what he was doing from watching the others.

His first attempts had afforded them a small patch of free space. She kept herself close to him--maybe a little closer than others to accommodate their heights--and moved slowly through the first few steps. Slow by steady enough to be just in time with the music, holding her eyes on his. It felt a little more like a spar when they were focused on one another and not on the crowd.

And he did start to pick it up. She smiled again and they slowly sped their steps to be a little better in time.

Towards the end of the song, she spun herself out so they were only connected by the hand with arms at length, then twirled herself back into him. This ended with her back to his chest and his arm half around her. She looked back at him with a grin. "See? It's not so bad once you get the hang of it," she said before spinning back out and into face-to-face hold.

[Locke]

Terric

With Natlya Cade leading his steps, Terric allowed himself to relax. The next song started, a much livelier reel this time, and she lead away. He tried not to think about things to much. If he looked like an idiot, why should he care? These Wetlanders danced for fun so would he. What had her words been? Just feel the music and move with the girl in your arms. He tried just that. Well he stopped trying, stopped thinking and just felt.

Holding her hazel eyes with his grey, he let himself be lead across the dancefloor. He wouldn’t consider himself a good dancer, but he didn’t feel as awkward. He lost himself in her eyes and the melody. The rest of the common room blurred around them as they danced. The musicians played faster and faster and the stepped and twirled in a dizzy making attempt to keep up.

Terric no longer concerned himself with the other dancers. Instead he let himself flow with the movements of his partner. With their eyes locked, and bodies held so close, they managed to stay in sync even as other dancers dropped out of the dance. He thought he understood why his people called fighting dancing. It wasn’t about grace as he’d always assumed. There really wasn’t much graceful about fighting. It was about rhythm and flow. A warrior had to be able to fight in tandem with his shield mate, just like a dancer and his partner. So much was passed nonverbally to create order out of chaos. This dance was rapidly headed towards chaos. Only a few couples remained as the music grew even wilder. One more couple dropped out to sit along the edge and breathing heavily and laughing.

After a while, it was just the two of them left on the dance floor. For Terric, it had only been the two of them for the entire reel. People clapped along and shouted encouragements as they continued to dance. Dancing was exhausting, dancing was dizzying, and dancing was exhilarating. With Natlya Cade still grinning up at him, he wasn’t quite ready to stop. The musicians made the decision for them however, and brought the wild reel to an end with three elongated notes.

With that Terric and Natlya Cade collapsed into each other's arms laughing and trying to catch their breath. Somehow this was as exhausting as training in the Yards. The common room still insisted on spinning around him as if it refused to accept that they were no longer dancing. The shorter woman clung to him, chin resting on his chest and an infectious smile on her lips. He could feel her chest rise and fall and her heartbeat pounding alongside his. The corner of his lip quirked slightly and he looked for some appropriate quip. He never found a quip, but his lips did find hers. Close enough, Terric thought.

[Bella]

It had been so long since Natlya could remember having such a good time. The world had faded, and there was nothing but the music and the dance and Terric. It all whirled around and together, and she lost her breath and she lost all her cares and simply let herself be for the length of the song.

When the music ended and they stopped spinning, she still clung to him to just keep from tumbling over. They held each other up as they stood alone on the dance floor, laughing and gasping.

As she looked up at him, she felt...drawn, or connected somehow. She was grateful for this respite from all the weights she had burdened herself with over the years, and saw him as the one to thank for it. Her smile flashed like a dozen lanterns as she looked up into his eyes, their hearts in time as well as their feet had been just moments ago.

If she had been going to say anything, it was swiftly forgotten when she realized his head was nearing hers. Before she knew it, he was kissing her...

...and she was kissing him right back.

There was more applause for the bystanders, but she hardly cared. She rose on her toes and slipped both hands around her neck as she returned the kiss fully, and enthusiastically. Her blood was still pumping and she felt exhilarated. She kissed him for long moments before tearing herself away to draw in a gasping breath.

Her eyes danced as she held his gaze. "Should we...get off the dance floor now?" she asked with a breathless laugh, though she didn't yet seem to have removed herself from her close hold on him.

[Locke]

Terric

A shot of, “Get it!” brought his thoughts back to the present. Here he was kissing a woman in the middle of a crowd, like some kind of Wetlander. He was having fun, but some things are best done in private.

“I think you may be right,” Terric said, leaning in for another quick kiss before guiding them both away from the dance floor. Their pulses continued to pound and the world was just a heady blur of sound and color as they tried to stagger free. The crowd parted and people slapped his shoulders and crass but generally good natured comments.

As they broke free of the crowd, Natlya Cade took his hands headed towards the stairs. Pulling him after her, she darted up the first couple of steps and looked down at him with a grin Terric could only describe as hungry. Before he could climb the stair, the Gaidin had taken a to fistfulls of his hair and pulled him into another kiss.

He managed to pull free. “Our room,” he managed to gasp out before her lips met his again. He had to practically carry her to get her off the stairs. By the time they reached the hallway outside of their third floor room, Terric’s sand colored coat hung open and Natlya Cade’s shirt hung loose. Her vest was nowhere to be found.

[Bella]

Nat didn't even remember taking off the vest, or Terric taking it off, but she didn't care. It might well be never found again, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to find it in herself to be bothered. In that moment, there just existed the moment. She felt so...light, as thought washed away in a current of pleasant reality.

Considering she'd mostly been washed away in unpleasant realities for the past few years, she was bloody well going to enjoy this one.

She was dimly aware of his speaking and them lifting her off the ground to finish the trip up the steps. Would she have actually just stayed in the hall for all of it without his insistence? Nat couldn't be sure. Or she wouldn't have been able to be, if she'd been able to actually think at all during that instant.

Instead, it was just hands pulling at shirt and fistfuls of hair and mouths. It had been a long time since she'd...been with anyone, years in fact, since she'd lost... No. That was not a path to go down. It was different now. She was better now. And now...well, she was downright desperate. And the music and the dancing and the freedom and the breathing.

Well. There you were.

She pulled her shirt off almost the instant they were in the room and his jacket was similar tossed away. Then she kicked out and the door slammed shut, and they were not seen again that night.
* * * Light came pouring into the room and directly over her face. Nat peeled open her eyes with a soft grunt. That was the best she'd slept in, well, probably years.

She looked around her and realized she was on the floor. Lying on her back, there was a blanket half-off the bed that was draped across her lower half while her upper half was dominated by masculine arm. That arm, of course, belonged to the equally naked Gaidin lying on the floor beside her. Had they ever made it onto the bed? She didn't think so.

Just as she was settling back into the floor--she didn't care they were lying on hard wood, she was happy--a sobering thought dawned on her and she grimaced. Blood and bloody ashes, she cursed inwardly as she began to delicately extricate herself from under his arm. She didn't want to wake him but he was Gaidin, so she knew it was unlikely she wouldn't. But she tried...

However, she guessed right. He woke and grunted softly at her as she sat up.

Nat flashed him a smile. "Sorry," she said, although the glint in her eye suggested she wasn't really sorry for anything. "I just remembered something. I didn't exactly plan for this." She wasn't sure if he'd follow, so she added. "I need to find an apothecary or herbalist in this town if I don't want any little Nats or Terrics."

With another smile that turned into outright grin, she got up and walked around to find her clothing. She felt his eyes on her and her hips--not so full as they once were but still feminine enough--swayed a little more at the audience.

Back in breeches and shirt and boots, she returned to kneel beside him for a kiss. "Be back shortly."

When she opened the door, she found that someone had found her vest and left it folded on the ground. She laughed and picked it up. They had made it pretty clear what they'd be doing. She slipped into it and headed into town, shutting the door behind her with an easy grin...