Re: Shall We Dance?
Chapter Two
Lessons on Proper Etiquette
A bead of sweat formed upon his face, his fingers twitching just a little. The bead trickled down, falling off the side of his chin. His pulse thudded in the back of his head, like a drum that wouldn’t stop, shaking his whole body. Suddenly, he struck.
“Wrong!” With a stern smack, Harvey whipped a rolled-up newspaper out and smacked Raziel over the nose.
“Ow!” The lycan yelped, grabbing both hands over his nose. “What the hell did you do that for?” He asked through angry sparkling eyes, rocketing out of his chair.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to see if it hurt.” The man remarked, holding one hand behind his head in embarrassment.
“Yes, it hurts!” Raziel barked, simmering back down into his seat with a whimper.
“Well, good! Because I’m going to keep doing it until you get this right!” He positioned the newspaper threateningly above the man’s head. “Now… which fork is the salad fork?”
“I…I…” Raziel eyed the threat dangling above him, trembling. “This one!” He reached out. Smack. “OW!” He jumped slightly back, whimpering. “This one!” He picked a different utensil. Smack! “Stop it!” Raziel cried out loud. Harvey shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the forming tears in Raziel’s eyes.
Though the man was strong in some points, with the thoughts of going to a ball, he was weakened. “Okay… It must be this one.” Smack. Raziel jolted back, tipping his chair and slipping with a thud to the floor. “But… But…” He shot up, stretching to his full height as he glared at his trainer. “Harvey! That’s the only goddamn fork left! By the process of elimination and reasoning, it has to be that one!” Smack. Smack. Raziel clutched both hands over his sore nose. “What was that for?”
“One, you will not cuss in my house. My wife is upstairs. Two, you have to learn to expect the unexpected. The salad fork was never on the table.” The man moved to a nearby stove, taking off the teapot to let it cool for a few moments.
Raziel groaned from the floor. “I’ll never get this right.”
“Sure you will. You just need a tiny bit more practice. Now get up. I want you to dance.”
“What?” The lycan mumbled as he picked himself off the floor, unfastening his cloak and laying it on the back of a chair nearby. “Dance? Harvey… I don’t dance.”
“Well, you will now.” The man spread his arms and bent down slightly. “There. I’m a woman. And I just curtsied to you. Now what do you do?”
“Harv, no offense, but I really can’t see you as a woman.”
The man picked up the newspaper and casually thudded it in one hand. “What was that?”
“I… I, uh… bow!” Raziel quickly dipped.
“Do it again, but slower. What was that one girl…” Harvey pursed his lips, laying the newspaper aside. “Lorelei, that’s right! Pretend I’m Lorelei.”
Raziel paused for a few moments, staring at Harvey. He exhaled softly, dipping slowly and elegantly, extending a hand. “Would you… do me the honor?” He breathed, looking up.
“Wow. That’s pretty good.” Harvey said, watching as he stepped forward. However, as soon as the music started, Raziel was a different story. “No, no, no! You lead! You’re the man! And unless you want to crush the girl’s feet, you’d better stop stepping on them!” Harvey shook his head, sighing deeply and sitting down, massaging his sore toes. “You’ll never get it like this. What happened to pretending I was Lorelei?”
“You broke the illusion when you spoke.”
Harvey shrugged. At least this excuse made sense. “Look, Raziel. I’ll be blunt. I don’t think this is working out as well as I suspected. I’m not saying you can’t go. I’m just saying you might want to reconsider a few things. We need to face the facts. You just don’t have the grace, the elegance, and the knowledge to pull off fake nobility.”
Raziel seemed in thought for a few moments, back turned to Harvey as he considered what the man had said. “I don’t have the grace…”
“No, you don’t. You can’t tell a soup spoon from a dessert spoon. How do you expect to pass yourself off? Just face the facts. You’re not a prince.” Harvey said, stirring a bit of sugar into the cup of steaming water.
“No…” Raziel felt the rising of an epiphany. “I’m not.”
“I’m glad we see eye to eye.” Harvey murmured.
“No, no, Harv. Hear the emphasis. I’m not a prince.” Raziel glanced down towards his neck for a moment, one of his hands enclosing about his necklace, where the dull white pearl hung. “But I know someone who is.” He laughed out loud. “Damn it all, why didn’t I think of that before?”
Smack.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
“So are you going to tell me more about this dance or what?” She spat, coming out of the dressing room with her dress on. It hung perfectly upon her figure and she actually slightly favored it. She knew Shinu would not be happy about her disappearing, and was pretty sure he could figure out where she was with ease. It had been a few days, and she needed to make sure everything looked good about her. If she was going to fake royalty, she needed to make sure that she at least looked the part.
Her eyes flickered towards the shadows in the corners of the room every few seconds, nervous. She had to do this. She would finally have the chance to find her brother and kill him. She knew he was going to the ball, and she would find him there. No matter what. It was what she always wanted. She knew it.
“What would you like to know?” The girl asked, turning a very pale color.
“First of all, you’re going, aren’t you?” Sakume hissed, planning already.
“Yes. Of course. I always go. In fact, I have… someone I want to meet there.” The girl stammered, blinking back at Sakume, wriggling her body, although it was no use. She felt the coarse ropes dig into her.
“Then what’s your name?” Sakume asked, circling the chair as if she were a vulture eyeing a rotting carcass.
“Loving Sunsets…” The girl whispered, trembling a little under the pressure.
Sakume whirled around and slapped the girl hard across the right cheek. “Not your masquerade name, idiot! Your real name!”
“Serenity Alrista… Cleverwood.” The girl sobbed now, her cheek stinging.
“Good… I can use that. Now then, who are you meeting?” Even though Sakume didn’t want the girl to know she cared at all, she would need someone to talk to at the ball, anyway. They looked somewhat alike. Maybe this guy would mix them up.
“Lunar Prince…” She cowered. “I don’t know his real name!”
“I’ll be sure to send him your apologies for not attending, then, won’t I?” Sakume spat, smiling wryly at the girl’s shocked expression. She began to head out of the small closet she locked the girl in, chuckling to herself. “Someone will come and find you. They usually take out the trash in about… oh, a few days…” She burst into laughter as she slammed the door shut.
“But… But what am I supposed to do until then? I’ll starve! Please, let me out!” The girl’s muffled voice could hardly be heard. “It’s so dark!”
“Then let the darkness take you…” Sakume said, picking up the bottom of her dress and giving a short wave. “It has already taken possession of me.”