His steps are taken with exact precision and carefulness, his torso movements are calculated moments before he makes them. Laslow moves his hips to the left, to the right, and then back to the left again. It's a dance he's practiced since childhood, one that his dear Mother had taught him when he first learned to walk.
It's uncomplicated; a second nature to him.
He does a turn and takes a careful right step, watching himself with hesitance through the mirrors that act as walls around him.
Although it would've never been his idea to watch himself dance, perhaps the incessant complaints of Odin and Selena have finally gotten to him. His dear friends, at least the only ones he'd trust enough to watch him move in such a way, tried to explain to him that he needed to see his own movements himself, the movements that could entice both men and women alike.
Laslow finds it a bit odd, even a bit silly, to watch himself move such as this. His face is bright red, his cheeks feel on fire, as he watches himself more intently.
If he were a woman, would his belly dancing be considered more sexual? More appreciated in the eyes of this strange society? (Perhaps Nestra ended up being a too far a move from his homeland...)
He likely couldn't have danced without his shirt on, for starters, if he were a woman. Neither could he make such bold movements with his hips, with his torso, with his entire body , without worrying for sinister people maliciously staring at him.
Music plays vehemently out of his worn down stereo, already pushed passed it's limits years ago. It's dependable, however, even despite the incessant need for Laslow to buy a new one - though considering he's on a college budget, and renting out (and only maybe, perhaps, living in ) a dusty ballet studio, he likely made the better decision not to replace it yet.
The loud tune, a bit Cyrkensian in nature, likely prevents him from hearing sounds other than just that. He doesn't notice the chime of the door opening as he thrusts his hips and his torso in tune with the music, nor does he hear the quiet pitter patter of quiet footsteps.
It's odd that, despite being ignorant all of this, he still hears a soft coughing sound and a clearly feminine voice following afterward.
"Excuse me?" The voice says, stopping Laslow in his movements completely, "I, um... I was wondering if I could see the, ah-"
The words quickly turn into a squeak as Laslow turns around to see the intruder, a huge red color adorning the intruding girl's cheeks not quite unlike the man in front of her.
Laslow's music stops, right in time for him to realize that his shirt is most definitely off and he's unquestionably sweaty and half-naked in the presence of a beautiful woman.
He notices first that her eyes are the color of crimson, perhaps just a tad bit lighter than the color of blood. They're big and gorgeous despite it, shining with emotion, and they feel as if they take up half of her face. Her hair is long, pale blonde (perhaps even silver?), curling at the ends, and it flows in gentle waves down to her waist. She looks quite a bit shorter than Laslow is, a curvy frame, it's no wonder Laslow finds her quite adorable. She looks so soft, Laslow can't help but wonder what her hands feel like.
She holds a pamphlet in her hands, already crushed, shaking it nervously.
Laslow doesn't know what to say, not sure of anything except for how awkward and embarrassed he feels. Maybe he should run and put on his shirt, sitting right on the edge of the table, or maybe he should-
Interrupting his thoughts, she speaks up again with a small voice.
"I'm so sorry!" Her voice squeals, "I likely imposed at a wrong time; I'm so sorry for my misguidance! If... If you'd like, I can always come in at another time!" She's staring at the ground, refusing to meet Laslow's eyes. Or his, well, anything.
"I," He can barely feel his own voice come out, he's so nervous that he even stutters , "Don't be sorry, my dear. Let me quickly get on my shirt and then we can discuss whatever you have to say, does... Does that sound okay?"
She nods wildly, still staring at the ground anxiously.
Laslow practically runs to grab his black shirt, slipping it over his head almost immediately. He takes a deep breath, both out of nerves and slight embarrassment, and then rushes back to the girl in the studio's doorway.
"How may I help you?" His nervousness is obvious in his tone, in his flushed cheeks, but at least he can actually speak properly this time, "What's a fine lady like yourself doing in my studio?"
"Ah?" She lifts her head up cautiously, her eyes filled with confusion, "You own this studio?"
Laslow nods, "Well, it's a renting sort of deal, but nevertheless."
She frowns, "Oh dear, I've likely embarrassed myself a million times over..."
Laslow shakes his head, "No, no, my lovely. It's likely I who's embarrassed himself in such a shameful manner. However, I hope we can move on despite that fact."
Laslow can agree that, yes, this woman in front of him is absolutely gorgeous and he absolutely needs to get her number, at least her name, before she likely walks out of his life forever. But he can't help but feel an odd sort of shame of telling, or in this case showing, a stranger such a personal secret. Only his closest homeland friends know about his dances, have seen it in person. It's likely that his other friends such as Peri or Xander only know he's applied for a dance major at the college, not that he 'owns' a dance studio, but that's beside the point.
Her laughter brings Laslow out of his deep thoughts, a light, and kindhearted sound, "I'm not quite sure how to go about this, but..." She raises her hand to him, an offering of peace, "My name is Kamui. T-The college might've called you, I'm not sure, but I'm supposed to be taking dance lessons from you for the next few months. It's some sort of art credit I need to do."
"Art credit?" At this point, the grey-haired dancer is utterly confused, "I'm not quite sure if I know what you mean, I don't teach-"
He stops, watching Kamui dig through her bookbag rapidly, hurriedly looking for something.
Suddenly, she pulls out a paper and hands it to Laslow - her hands still trembling.
"I," She blurts out, "I was given this by my college counselor. Their name is Izana, I believe? He didn't disclose with me his last name."
Laslow unconsciously grimaces, "Oh, him?"
Perhaps it's the name, or the constant annoyances that come with it, that makes Laslow regret not locking his door this morning. Alas, he did get to meet a beautiful woman, even though she'd likely reject him in his asking for tea. Nonetheless, that was not the problem at his hands this moment.
"Izana said that someone owned the studio here and it was the closest one to my house. If you aren't accepting new students, or maybe I went into the wrong place, I could always find somewhere else if it's a problem. I'm sorry for the bother..." She's shaking her head, a bright red color adoring her cheeks.
Laslow contemplates her words for a moment.
He's not quite sure what Izana was trying to hint at when suggesting this girl to his studio, or even how Izana knows about this studio. Anything that has to do with that facetious dastard is likely filled with negative connotations, considering the numerous amounts of time he's gotten in trouble with him throughout his college years.
But...
A cute girl is on his figurative and literal doorstep, saying that she's signed up for dance classes with him - by him . What is a man supposed to say in this sort of situation? Should he tell her that he doesn't do dance classes, that this is his own dance studio and home? Or does he lie just for the chance to get to talk to her more? She's just... She's just so cute and adorable, Laslow really doesn't want to make her feel any worse than she does.
"You're no bother, my dear," Laslow shines his characteristic smile at her, "Perhaps I've gotten something mixed up. Would you be willing to go for some tea with me whilst we talk about this? It would be lovely to get to know my new dance student and a bit about her, hmm?"
What can Laslow say? He's weak for this girl. His mind was already made from the moment she walked in
The girl blinks.
"Tea?" Her voice is hesitant.
(How old is she? What even was her name again?)
"If you would like to, milady," Laslow uses his fanciful words in hopes for a simple yes, "There's a cafe right around the corner. It'd take us two minutes, tops, for us to walk down there. I'd simply hate for you to miss out on their famous peach tea."
She shifts around nervously, biting her lip, "Al... Alright."
"Ah, gods, what a shame you've said no! I can't-" Laslow pauses, his eyes widening, "Wait. Did you say yes?"
The girl looks hesitant to say anything more, "If-if that's no bother, of course. I suppose it'd be a better place to discuss the dance lessons than standing in this hallway like this." She laughs softly.
Laslow breathes out a sigh of relief, "Oh dear, I'm so used to people saying no! Yes, Kamui, was it?" He bites his cheek, swearing that if he gets that wrong... "Thank you for being so willing to join me."
"There's one problem I seem to have..." Kamui states, staring at the wall for a moment, then shyly looks towards Laslow. "I don't suppose you've told me your name, have you?"
It's his turn to blink in confusion.
"Did Izana not tell you? That's quite... Odd."
She nods, her face beginning to flush again. Kamui seems more confident with her actions now, likely relieved that the situation worked itself out. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was just nervous talking to him that it completely slipped my mind."
Laslow grabs Kamui's hand hesitantly, as if it were a fragile mirror, and takes a teasing bow. Her face heats up instantly, that beautiful bright red color returning to her cheeks in full.
"My name is Laslow. It's so nice to meet such a beautiful girl such as yourself, Kamui."
The tea shop is relatively empty for being an early Friday morning. Dark clouds and cold air surround the area around them, a sign that rain is sure to follow. He finds them both a seat near a window, but close enough so that the waitress or waiter could find them.
Kamui sits carefully, cautiously, onto her seat. Laslow can tell that this likely isn't her scene, but then he realizes - he likely doesn't know a single thing about this girl he's met just a mere half an hour ago. It's not a surprise, yes, but it's odd. From here on out, it's likely that the two are going to spend a lot of time together.
"It's a bit cloudy out there," Kamui softly says, staring out the window.
Kamui still has a bit of hesitance with her actions. There's a pink tinge to her cheeks, her movements are a bit shaky. Laslow understands the nerves she's going through, not being the most confident person himself, so he decides to try to make a better effort at making her feel more comfortable.
Laslow nods in response, "Do you enjoy the rain?"
Red eyes meet his own. "I don't know. Maybe when I'm not stuck in it. I like the sounds. It's very comforting."
"I think it's a bit too melancholic," he admits, "Or maybe I'm being overdramatic."
"I don't think so." Kamui responds, "I understand what you mean."
Before Laslow can respond, the waitress comes up to greet them.
This girl is quite beautiful too - bright green eyes, strawberry blonde hair stuffed into a ponytail. He's seen her before, considering how often he comes here. She's got two left feet, yes, but doesn't it only adds to her maid-like charms?
It's odd, though, for some reason Laslow doesn't find the appeal in her as much he had before as he finds in Kamui. Sure, those large green eyes are something to die for, but, yet...
He takes a quick look at the girl across from him.
Kamui's quite beautiful herself...
"Hello! My name is Fe-Felicia! I'll be your server for today!" She does a humble courtesy, "Is there anything you two might want? Would you like to know our specials for this morning?"
Laslow smiles brightly at her, "Why hello there, my sweet sunflower. I would like whatever you have to recommend." He even adds a wink to complement his look.
Kamui stares at him before she lets out a sharp laugh and suddenly covers up her mouth with a resounding slap. Felicia raises an eyebrow before she starts chuckling.
"Hey Kamui," Her smile is bright as she looks at the girl across from Laslow. "I didn't know you were friends with L-Laslow here."
Laslow's dumbfounded, "What? Do you two ladies know each other?"
Kamui nods at him before putting her attention back on Felicia. "It's very nice to see you, Felicia. It's been too long."
"It's nice to see you too, Kamui!" Felicia beams, "Would you like your coffee black? Or are you going to try sugar for once?"
Kamui sticks her tongue out jokingly, "Bleh. It ends up being too sweet."
"Alright, girls..." Laslow's never felt more confused at this cafe, even when he had Felicia spill an entire cake on his lap. (He still doesn't quite understand how that event happened. Felicia was at least three tables away!) "Don't leave me out of the conversation?"
"Laslow, would you like your usual peach tea?" Felicia smiles, more confident than he's ever seen her. (Alright, so of course he's known about this cafe for a longer time than he personally wants to admit. Sue him.)
Laslow cautiously and slowly nods as Felicia hurries and walks off.
"You seem confused." Kamui points out, looking a bit more awkward than before, "Felicia and I have known each other for a little while. High school friends."
The grey-haired student laughs, "Perhaps I might be a little confused, but not necessarily in a bad way. It's a rare, yet good, day when you get to talk to two beautiful women at once."
He suspects a blush to rise on her cheeks but is surprised when nothing occurs.
"Hm, no blushing?" Laslow feels awkward. He wonders if he messed up. "Did my charms wear off this quickly?"
Kamui pauses, " Charms ?"
They share a glance and start laughing together. Laslow really likes her sweet, sing-song laughter. It fits her.
It takes another minute before either of them talk again.
"So dance classes?" Kamui finally says, looking hesitant. "I don't want to push the subject too much. It seemed as if you were just as confused as I was."
"Hmm," Laslow debates it for a moment, "Well, I really only know one sort of dance type, my apologies."
"Ballet?" Kamui asks, "I glanced at your studio when I first walked in."
He shakes his head before his face starts flushing. "It's a bit embarrassing... I don't know if you'll still want to learn from me if I tell you..."
She nods, "I didn't get to see very much but, well, you danced extremely well."
Laslow doesn't admit it to himself, but he feels as if his face is on fire. He did not wake up expecting for this conversation to occur. "Then I suppose you already know what sort of dancing it is..."
"Well, I..." Kamui starts, "I really couldn't tell, don't worry! I'm any sort of dance expert."
"I was taught to," Laslow brings his voice quiet, so she can only hear, "Well, belly dance... From my Mother."
Kamui's bright smile is almost contagious and Laslow notices she has dimples. Dimples ! Most definitely adds to her charm, he notes.
"You learned it from your mom?" Kamui asks and Laslow smiles and nods in response. "That's really sweet. I don't know a lot about dancing, especially belly dancing. I'm really clumsy too... My older Brother says I don't know how to separate my right foot from my left."
Ah, so the maiden has a Brother? An elder one? Laslow tries to keep that in memory... Just in case. (Older, protective brothers can leave quite the imprint on you... Quite literally.)
"Wait." Laslow pauses, "You're willing to do that? With a complete stranger?"
Kamui takes a second to ponder, "I was forced to learn some self-defense moves as a child. I still remember a few moves, Laslow." His name bounces off the top of her tongue deliberately. He wants her to say his name again.
"My lovely," Laslow tries to make his voice flirty, "It'll just be the two of us - hot and sweaty, dancing rhythmically together in such a way that could be considered scandalous. "
"Don't' forget!" Kamui hums, the edges of her mouth turned upwards.
"Of course, of course. I'm only teasing with you." He's embarrassed again, he's likely messed up his chances already. That would be awful, he'd already had started to take a liking to Kamui.
She laughs, looking back towards the window again, "I, um..."
"So we should probably work out a schedule, right? I don't want to sound pushy but, well, I do need to find a way to get my art credits. There were no available classes this later into the semester and I didn't fill up my class requirements in order to pay with my scholarship." Kamui bites her lip.
"...Sorry, that sounds a bit rude," She's flushed again, turning her gaze back to a crack in the wooden table. "I don't want to make you feel pressured to take me on as your student, of course, but I'm kind of in a bind. It's my own fault, really."
Laslow doesn't understand the pain that a scholarship can be, but he understands that this situation is stressing out Kamui quite a bit. "Of course, I'm sure you want to figure this out as soon as possible."
She sighs, but at least a smile is growing on her face. "Thank you so much, Laslow. I really appreciate your willingness to help me... I, um. How much would you need?"
"Need?" He furrows his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
She seems confused to his response. "Payment, I suppose? I know that it's a big nuisance to teach someone out of the blue like this."
And then there's Felicia, returning back with a big smile on her face. She doesn't say anything this time around, but instead places Kamui's coffee and Laslow's tea on their respective places and walks away promptly. Laslow's a bit proud, her hand was a bit shaky but her service was multitude times better than he's ever seen it before. He wonders if it's Kamui's presence that's changed her, or if she's just simply gotten better at it. It has been a week or two since he's returned here, his schedule is too busy to sit down and have a cup of tea.
"Black coffee?" Laslow scrunches his nose feigning disgust. "How can you drink that bitter liquid?"
She holds it and places it to her mouth, taking a sip. "I like it. How can you drink that sweet tea?"
Laslow rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Ah, because it is delicious. But it will never be as sweet as you are, my dearest Kamui."
He can tell she isn't sure how to respond, as she takes another sip as her answer.
"Yes... What do you mean by payment, however?" Laslow pushes the subject again. "You can't expect a man such as myself to make such a cute girl pay. Or a cute anyone, for that manner."
She sighs, puts down her coffee, and whips out her wallet. It has an orange kitty on it.
Laslow's mind starts racing with thoughts a million miles per second.
"Laslow," She says cautiously, testing the waters, "I can offer around forty a session... And dancing sessions are usually an hour, no?" He can tell she's nervous, but he admits she's holding herself pretty good despite that fact. "So twenty an hour, and I guess we'll need to find a day of the week and a time to do them at..."
"But, milady-"
She shakes her head, effectively cutting off his words. "I couldn't live with myself if I took advantage of your kindness, Laslow."
He shakes his head and sighs. "What days are you free at, Kamui? When would you like to meet? I can likely rearrange my schedule for whatever days we need to meet at. And for college credits, well, I'll talk to Izana about that soon. Does that sound okay, my lovely?"
Is he making it too obvious that he's flirting with her?
"I, um," Kamui bites her lip, "Do Thursdays sound okay? Perhaps around seven or so?"
Laslow smiles brightly, "That sounds absolutely wonderful. I'm already starting to look forward to our time together already. Would next week work or would that be too soon?"
Kamui's phone starts ringing, and she takes a deep breath - effectively ignoring it. She only lifts it up a tad too, which Laslow assumes, to see the caller.
"That sounds wonderful." Kamui smiles, "Thank you for working this out with me so soon. I'm so sorry for the suddenness of my request. My Sister is coming to pick me up soon, so I'll have to go,"
"I'll see you next week?" She gets up off of her chair, puts a few dollars on the table, and starts walking towards the door.
"Wait!" Laslow says suddenly, standing up. The chair screeches as he moves and he slightly cringes at the annoying sound. "I might need your number... Just in case I need to get in contact with my new student?"
Kamui stares at him for a moment before bursting into cute giggles and faint red blushes, her dimples showing clearly on her small face, "I, oh dear, I'm sorry! Ah, gods, I'm so sorry!" She hands him her phone, and he gives his in response, "Message me if you ever need me, okay?"
Laslow feels his face burning as he types in his number quickly, his palms feel sweaty. He hopes she won't notice when he hands her phone back.
"Here you go, dearest Kamui," They trade back. He realizes his phone is sweaty too. It seems that they're both shyer than they seem.
"And there you go, Laslow," She smiles, "It was very nice meeting you."
"It was an absolute joy to meet you as well," Laslow bows, "I will see you next Thursday?"
She nods and, soon, she's out the door.
He exhales deeply and falls back into his chair. Somewhat excited and simultaneously exhausted just for a simple morning tea date, he'll admit that he honestly does feel excited about these lessons. Perhaps he's just lonely though, and the idea of talking to someone annually and somewhat guaranteed makes his heart jump for joy.
There is a bit of a problem here...
He's not a certified dance teacher.
And he certainly can't guarantee her those college credits - the only damn reason she's even started communicating with him.
Laslow takes a deep breath.
Perhaps he should try to trade in a few favors. Gods only know how much he wants to talk to Izana after what happened last time.
Kamui is counting on him.