Jiana Weasley: Yeah, I've always liked the Sandry/Briar thing.
Storm Mage: Yup, I was the one asking the hundreds of questions. So did we decide on Sandry Moss?
CartersGotBack: I'm glad that you like the interaction; conversation can be hard sometimes.
Da-xia Nariko: Do you really think that I should kill Dallin? I'm not sure if I will, 'cause he's really cute.. (
Crazy Canibalistic Bored Muse: You changed your name!! I love it.
Mistress Sock: Yet another wonderful pen name!!
FlagDiva05: Hello!! You reviewed again! I'm still reading your story; did you see my many crazy "reviews"? I don't know what kind of tips I could give you though!!
Jam Lovers 4 Life: Thank you.
White-wolf: Yes, isn't Briar wonderful? Since you like the Briar/Sandry thing so much, maybe you won't care too much for this chapter!!
A/N: Okay many of you might not have noticed this, but I did, and it was bugging me, so I'm going to fix it right here. You know where I was describing Sandry's dress sleeves, and I said, "The sleeves were a sheer material that fell to her shoulders before flaring out and dropping almost to her knees." Well, what I meant to say was "The sleeves were a sheer material that fell to her elbows before flaring out and dropping almost to her knees." (in case the italics don't work, I changed shoulders to elbows, 'cause it makes more sense.)
* * * *
The music was perfect, the lighting was perfect, and Sandry was perfect; in fact, everything was perfect except for Briar. During the first dance, he managed to step on Sandry's feet three times, bump into two other couples, completely forget the steps at least once, and trip over his own feet twice. It would have been quite embarrassing if Sandry hadn't been so wonderful. She just smiled at him the whole time with that beautiful smile of hers, laughed infectiously at his mistakes (which she termed "cute"), and otherwise made him feel like jello (A/N: I wonder if they eat jello? *shrug* ).
It was a wonderful dance.
But then it ended, of course, and Briar clapped politely for the musicians along with everyone else before leading Sandry off of the dance floor.
"That was fun," Sandry said, as the music started to play again. Briar opened his mouth to respond, but before he got the chance to say that doing anything with her was fun, a tall, overly dressed young man stepped up to Sandry.
"Why, hello Lord Dallin!" Sandry said, smiling up at him. Briar scowled.
Dallin took her hand and bowed over it. "Lady Sandrilene, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" Sandry glanced at Briar, who immediately pasted what he hoped looked like an encouraging smile on his face.
"Lord Dallin," she said, curtseying gracefully. "I would like that very much."
Dallin smiled mischievously, and in one quick movement, took up Sandry's hands and swept her out onto the dance floor. Briar watched with a sinking heart as Sandry laughed in surprise and disappeared into the crowd of dancers.
"I've heard that if you aren't careful, your face can get stuck that way."
Briar looked up in surprise. Was Sandry's uncle always watching him? "It's just a dance," he said. Sandry and Dallin swirled by and Briar looked closely at Sandry's face, hoping that she looked unhappy.
No such luck.
* * * *
"This is quite a party," Lord Dallin said, smiling down at her. "You've done a wonderful job."
"Thank you," she said. Dallin nodded, and Sandry craned her neck a bit more to get a better look at his face. He was taller than Briar, she realized with a start. He was a better dancer as well.
"Lady Sandrilene." Dallin said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh, please, call me Sandry," she begged.
Dallin grinned, "Alright, Lady Sandry, I hope you don't think that this is too presumptuous or forward of me, but I was wondering if perhaps you would like to go riding with me tomorrow." Sandry lifted an eyebrow.
Dallin correctly interpreted her look. "It won't be just us," he said hastily. "My two older sisters will be coming, and their husbands and children as well. We'll have a picnic."
It sounded nice, but Sandry hesitated. Just then, they passed by Briar, and Sandry looked over at him. He was talking with her Uncle, but their eyes locked and Sandry suddenly felt guilty.
"I have a guest this week," she said. "I'm afraid that it would be rude of me to leave him behind."
Darin smiled. "Bring him along. Just come; we'll have a lot of fun," he persuaded in his deep, velvety voice. His large brown eyes stared down into hers, filled with such hope that Sandry couldn't refuse him.
"Alright," she said at last as the music ended. "What time?"
Dallin grinned and led her back to her uncle and Briar. "Ten o'clock."
"We'll be there," Sandry promised, as Briar looked at them suspiciously.
Dallin bowed over her hand. "I'm looking forward to it."
Sandry smiled as he walked away. Strangely, she was looking forward to it as well.
* * * *
Briar looked at Sandry, worried. He knew that he had no right to feel jealous, but he did anyway, and it was making him uncomfortable. That bright, glowing look on Sandry's beautiful face made Briar want to place a heavy fist right in the middle of Dallin's handsome face.
"Come on," he said, offering her his arm. "Lets dance. I promise that I won't step on your toes this time."
Sandry laughed and took his arm. Briar led her back onto the dance floor and they swirled slowly about for a while in comfortable silence.
"What was that all about?" Briar asked suddenly, dying to know what was happening at ten o'clock.
"What was what all about?" Sandry asked, crinkling her nose in confusion.
"Dallin said Ten o'clock, and you said 'we'll be there," so what's happening at ten o'clock and who's going where?"
"We're going on a picnic together tomorrow," Sandry said.
Briar swallowed and tripped over one of those invisible stools that seemed to dot the dance floor. "A picnic?" he echoed.
"Yes, and you're invited too, so don't get that look on your face."
Wonderful, Briar thought, and crashed into an elderly, gray-haired couple.
Storm Mage: Yup, I was the one asking the hundreds of questions. So did we decide on Sandry Moss?
CartersGotBack: I'm glad that you like the interaction; conversation can be hard sometimes.
Da-xia Nariko: Do you really think that I should kill Dallin? I'm not sure if I will, 'cause he's really cute.. (
Crazy Canibalistic Bored Muse: You changed your name!! I love it.
Mistress Sock: Yet another wonderful pen name!!
FlagDiva05: Hello!! You reviewed again! I'm still reading your story; did you see my many crazy "reviews"? I don't know what kind of tips I could give you though!!
Jam Lovers 4 Life: Thank you.
White-wolf: Yes, isn't Briar wonderful? Since you like the Briar/Sandry thing so much, maybe you won't care too much for this chapter!!
A/N: Okay many of you might not have noticed this, but I did, and it was bugging me, so I'm going to fix it right here. You know where I was describing Sandry's dress sleeves, and I said, "The sleeves were a sheer material that fell to her shoulders before flaring out and dropping almost to her knees." Well, what I meant to say was "The sleeves were a sheer material that fell to her elbows before flaring out and dropping almost to her knees." (in case the italics don't work, I changed shoulders to elbows, 'cause it makes more sense.)
* * * *
The music was perfect, the lighting was perfect, and Sandry was perfect; in fact, everything was perfect except for Briar. During the first dance, he managed to step on Sandry's feet three times, bump into two other couples, completely forget the steps at least once, and trip over his own feet twice. It would have been quite embarrassing if Sandry hadn't been so wonderful. She just smiled at him the whole time with that beautiful smile of hers, laughed infectiously at his mistakes (which she termed "cute"), and otherwise made him feel like jello (A/N: I wonder if they eat jello? *shrug* ).
It was a wonderful dance.
But then it ended, of course, and Briar clapped politely for the musicians along with everyone else before leading Sandry off of the dance floor.
"That was fun," Sandry said, as the music started to play again. Briar opened his mouth to respond, but before he got the chance to say that doing anything with her was fun, a tall, overly dressed young man stepped up to Sandry.
"Why, hello Lord Dallin!" Sandry said, smiling up at him. Briar scowled.
Dallin took her hand and bowed over it. "Lady Sandrilene, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" Sandry glanced at Briar, who immediately pasted what he hoped looked like an encouraging smile on his face.
"Lord Dallin," she said, curtseying gracefully. "I would like that very much."
Dallin smiled mischievously, and in one quick movement, took up Sandry's hands and swept her out onto the dance floor. Briar watched with a sinking heart as Sandry laughed in surprise and disappeared into the crowd of dancers.
"I've heard that if you aren't careful, your face can get stuck that way."
Briar looked up in surprise. Was Sandry's uncle always watching him? "It's just a dance," he said. Sandry and Dallin swirled by and Briar looked closely at Sandry's face, hoping that she looked unhappy.
No such luck.
* * * *
"This is quite a party," Lord Dallin said, smiling down at her. "You've done a wonderful job."
"Thank you," she said. Dallin nodded, and Sandry craned her neck a bit more to get a better look at his face. He was taller than Briar, she realized with a start. He was a better dancer as well.
"Lady Sandrilene." Dallin said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh, please, call me Sandry," she begged.
Dallin grinned, "Alright, Lady Sandry, I hope you don't think that this is too presumptuous or forward of me, but I was wondering if perhaps you would like to go riding with me tomorrow." Sandry lifted an eyebrow.
Dallin correctly interpreted her look. "It won't be just us," he said hastily. "My two older sisters will be coming, and their husbands and children as well. We'll have a picnic."
It sounded nice, but Sandry hesitated. Just then, they passed by Briar, and Sandry looked over at him. He was talking with her Uncle, but their eyes locked and Sandry suddenly felt guilty.
"I have a guest this week," she said. "I'm afraid that it would be rude of me to leave him behind."
Darin smiled. "Bring him along. Just come; we'll have a lot of fun," he persuaded in his deep, velvety voice. His large brown eyes stared down into hers, filled with such hope that Sandry couldn't refuse him.
"Alright," she said at last as the music ended. "What time?"
Dallin grinned and led her back to her uncle and Briar. "Ten o'clock."
"We'll be there," Sandry promised, as Briar looked at them suspiciously.
Dallin bowed over her hand. "I'm looking forward to it."
Sandry smiled as he walked away. Strangely, she was looking forward to it as well.
* * * *
Briar looked at Sandry, worried. He knew that he had no right to feel jealous, but he did anyway, and it was making him uncomfortable. That bright, glowing look on Sandry's beautiful face made Briar want to place a heavy fist right in the middle of Dallin's handsome face.
"Come on," he said, offering her his arm. "Lets dance. I promise that I won't step on your toes this time."
Sandry laughed and took his arm. Briar led her back onto the dance floor and they swirled slowly about for a while in comfortable silence.
"What was that all about?" Briar asked suddenly, dying to know what was happening at ten o'clock.
"What was what all about?" Sandry asked, crinkling her nose in confusion.
"Dallin said Ten o'clock, and you said 'we'll be there," so what's happening at ten o'clock and who's going where?"
"We're going on a picnic together tomorrow," Sandry said.
Briar swallowed and tripped over one of those invisible stools that seemed to dot the dance floor. "A picnic?" he echoed.
"Yes, and you're invited too, so don't get that look on your face."
Wonderful, Briar thought, and crashed into an elderly, gray-haired couple.