Her Dance
Disclaimer: Suikoden's not mine. Rats. Well, you all knew that anyway.
Author's Note: This is dedicated to Serah (who has never even played Suikoden) because she dances, and to Amber because she knows how to have fun.
When it was dark and the castle grew quiet she would slip silently down to the stage and dance. It seemed like such a frivolous thing to do with war raging all around, but she could not refuse herself this small vice. A moment of peace while the others slept. The stage was cold beneath her bare feet and her toes tingled at its numbing touch. When she was just a little girl she had danced with her father and had been safe and unafraid. When she danced she was free from all her responsibilities.
To dance in the presence of others would have been too great an embarrassment. After her parents had died no one else had ever seen her dance. The night was comfortable and the crickets were her accompaniment. When she danced she was just a girl again.
Somedays Nei and Toppo lingered late at the stage, practicing their songs, so she hid quietly around the corner waiting for their departure. Somedays she could not stay and dance at all because she feared a drunken comrade, sleeping at the bar, might hear her and awaken. Most days things went as always, however, and the room was empty. And so she danced.
That night was quite like the rest. She crept down to the stage and spun slowly, the soft moonlight shining on her silver hair. She closed her lavender eyes and smiled to herself.
There was an unusual creaking sound.
She looked around nervously to see what had caused the noise and her eyes fell on the small Harmonian in the doorway. She blushed cherry red and turned away. Part of her wanted to demand what the brown-haired man in the nightshirt and slippers had seen, but she knew that getting upset would not hide what she had been doing.
"Lady Chris?" he asked, uncertainly.
"Y-yes...?" she faltered, glancing at the bishop over her shoulder.
"Nice dance," he commented shyly.
They looked at each other, both nervous and unsure of what to say. Eventually both the Zexen and the Harmonian looked away. Sasarai proved the bolder of the pair, walking over to the table nearest the stage and sitting down in a wooden chair, "Don't mind me. You can continue."
She smiled anxiously, "Um, no thanks...I was just about to go to bed anyway..."
"Really? I'm a little disappointed," he remarked, "I didn't think anyone would be down here, but you were a welcome surprise."
"Oh? ...What are you doing here then?" she asked curiously.
"I couldn't sleep so I just thought I'd go for a little walk around the castle," he replied with a shrug, "I didn't mean to disturb you...I just happened through this way and..."
"No, no," she shook her head; "You didn't do it on purpose...I suppose I should've known something like this would happen eventually..."
She hopped down off the stage and approached Sasarai, "Please don't tell anyone about this."
"Why, Lady Chris, of course not," he agreed.
"Thank you. I'd be so embarrassed if anyone else found out..." she explained, brushing a few strands of loose silver hair out of her face.
"I wasn't finished," he interrupted, "Lady Chris, I won't tell a soul...if you'll dance with me before you go."
The knight was taken aback. Sasarai seemed like such a sincere and generous person, not the type to ask something of her in exchange. When she considered it, however, Chris grew slightly less surprised. Leave it to a Harmonian to try and get something out of every situation.
The request put her in a bind. She was not really sure that she wanted to dance with Sasarai, but she was certain that she did not want anyone else to hear about her "hobby."
"Okay," she told him with a certain amount of reluctance; "I'll dance with you."
"I'd be delighted," he chuckled, standing up and stepping out of his slippers. He took her hand gently and they began.
The dance was slow and stately. Chris felt rather like she were at a ball for a moment before she realized the idea of the two of them barefoot and dressed for bed wasn't all that much like any ball she had ever been to.
It was a little embarrassing at first.
His hands were very small and seemed somewhat childlike to her. She wondered what he was thinking as they danced. His clear eyes looked distant and thoughtful.
And then it came to an end.
He stepped away and bowed rather elegantly for someone in their nightshirt. "Thank you, Lady Chris, it was a pleasure."
She shook her head. "Teasing must be an inborn Harmonian trait," she mused dryly. She watched the bishop as he stepped back into his slippers and shuffled toward the door.
He politely covered his mouth with a hand as he yawned, then he smiled brightly and waved at her, "Goodnight, Lady Chris. I hope you sleep well. We'll certainly have to do that again sometime."
Chris vaguely waved a hand at Sasarai and after he had closed the door, sat down at one of the tables. That had been an unusual occurrence.
She stood up slowly, and twirled around. The Zexen woman smiled to herself.
"Maybe I'll dance for them all someday."