"Xander!" Azura exclaimed, clearly overjoyed to see him, as she moved towards the door to enfold the stranger in a familial embrace. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight. Have you had a nice trip down here?"
"Hello, Azura. Congratulations for the show." he said in a gruff, deep voice. "I see you have company, my apologies for barging in. I stopped by your dressing room, but one of the stagehands told me you were here."
His long arms wrapped around his step-sister as he hugged her back, but his eyes met Corrin's over the top of Azura's head.
He had memorized her features in these last couple of hours, both the ones printed in the program guide and those highlighted by the stage lights, but up close, he noticed the way her pink eyes twinkled as if full of mischief and how her lips tilted up at the corners in a perpetual smile. His curiosity rose watching the emotions flit across her face, one chasing the other.
She nodded as if she had come to a conclusion, and he wondered what it was that she was thinking. He wondered if she would tell him if he ever asks.
"Xander, I'd like to introduce you to Corrin Anankos, our new prima ballerina for the company." Azura said, leading him inside the room to the woman still seated at the dressing table. "Corrin, this is the friend I told you about, Lord Xander von Siegfried. He is our main patron and a great connoisseur of the national theatre circuit."
For some reason, his title amused her. The blonde ballerina grinned as if laughing at a private joke and, with a graceful move from her dresser's chair, she rose from her seat to face him. The folds of her dressing gown fell away as she stands, revealing the toned muscles of her dancer legs.
Corrin holds out her hand for him, her eyes narrowing as she challenges him to take it. For skin to meet skin. He knew that once he touched her, there was no going back. He smirked as if to tell her he is not afraid of it.
His palm covered the back of her hand, letting the warmth seep through before he lifted their joined hands. His lips lightly brushed over her knuckles in a gallant gesture, enjoying the way her breath hitched at contact. He could feel the pulse on her wrist throb and knew it matched his own.
They stood staring at each other, almond eyes meeting pink, until the sound of Azura loudly clearing her throat broke their concentration. He dropped her hand as if burned and she rubbed it against the silk of her gown.
"Corrin, why don't we leave you to get changed?" Said Azura, taking Xander's hand to lead him out of the room. "We'll be waiting for you. Meet us near the back exit."
Corrin nodded, unable to find her voice. She does not release the breath she had been holding until the door closed behind the pair.
Clutching the back of her chair, she eased back down, inhaling deep before exhaling. She did the breathing exercises, closing her eyes to find her centre once again. Feeling the calm spread, her body relaxed as the tension from their connection dissipated.
Outside, Azura gave a sideways glance up at Xander, noting how he tuned out of their conversation and kept staring back at the dressing room door. Frustrating her little entertainment, he sensed her amused observation much too soon and looked away, his emotions once more hidden behind a mask.
Knowing her old friend well, and knowing that he would never admit to anything, the opera singer refrained from making any comments on the situation and followed him down the corridor to the meeting spot. Whatever this is, she would see it play out soon enough.
Ten minutes of stilted conversation later, they both turned around as Corrin approached them. She had changed into a green crop top tied into a bow in front with a black lace tank top playing peekaboo as did the loose sleeves. The denim shorts moulded over her hips, accentuating every curve.
Xander noticed how her long and wavy blond hair fell in layers past her shoulders, complimenting the moist freshness of her face, now that it is meticulously clean and not covered in stage make-up. With it, she no longer looked like a fairy on the stage who would disappear with the fading of the melody. Instead, she was an attractive young woman who was beautiful without even trying and, very much real.
"Something wrong, Lord Siegfried?" Corrin asked, the smirk on her lips telling him she knew exactly the effect she was having on him.
"No, no, excuse me. I was just taking note of how…" He trailed off, searching for the right words. "How different you look out in the real world."
She does not respond to his fumbling commentary, turning instead to Azura for clarification. "Where are we going?"
"Amuzia, if you don't mind." The opera singer responded, an ease in her voice that signalled that the decision had already been made. "It's a bit of a dive, but they serve a great vodka special that hits just the spot. It's very unpretentious, too! Isn't that right, Xander?"
When he only nodded, she continued. "It's near the hotel where Xander stays in Cyrkensia. He's there often, so we're guaranteed a spot and swift service at this time of night."
"You don't have anyone waiting at home for you?" Corrin asked, glancing up at the quiet blond man.
"I would go there even if I do." Xander said. "I need a buffer between the stress of the office and the world. An airlock, of sorts."
"You didn't answer my question." The ballerina pointed out when he was not too clear.
He seemed to hesitate before continuing, "No. I have nobody waiting at home tonight."
The lord walks ahead to the edge of the sidewalk and signals for a cab passing by the street. In the car on their way to the bar, their eyes met in the rear-view mirror and they both acknowledged the connection.
From this moment onward, there would never be anyone else for either of them.