The Secret Occupation

Me no own, you no sue! Thanks!

Back in his apartment that night, the phone rang again as Roy stepped out of the shower and turned the water off. He picked it up just before it stopped ringing.

"Hello?"

"Roy! I found out what she dances!"

"What is it?"

"It's Cultural dancing. She dances to music from other cultures; the check was from a performance she gave at someone's party."

"Cultural dancing? I was hoping she would be an exotic dancer or something, not someone who dances the tango."

"No, it's much more than that… did you know in Thibrom they have a dance that is done totally on their hands? And in Ungird they have a dance that women do topless?"

"WHAT? REALLY? When is she going to perform next?"

"Tomorrow night at town hall. It's mostly the cleaner dances though; nothing I know you would like. That performance is by invitation only next Friday."

"Shit. How do I get an invitation?"

"No idea. But I suggest you stay away from the studio and 'accidentally' show up at the town hall performance."

"Ok. I can do that. Just help me find a way into the Friday performance."

"Yeah, ok. Bye"

"Bye." Roy looked down and noticed a new problem he had. Damn. Just thinking about that…now I gotta take a cold shower… He thought.

The next evening Roy left the office the same time Riza did; he wasn't going to be late to this 'meeting.' The performance was scheduled to begin at 8:00, so he was in a seat at 7:45, one near the front but far enough away she wouldn't be able to see him. The lights dimmed at exactly 8:00 and an older woman who went by the name of 'The leader' introduced the show and the first dance. It was a 'coming of age' ritual dance that the natives of Cynita did for the females who completed the training to be in the town militia. Roy watched each of the dancers as they twirled and jumped around a blindfolded girl in the middle. It was slightly interesting to Roy, but his mind wandered as the lights went out completely. He heard feet shuffling and the lights came up again, showing 'The leader.' She introduced the next dance as a war dance of the Kimirrie, and left the stage. The lights went out again but a spotlight focused in on a small blonde woman with a whip in her hand. She stood and cracked the whip, the lights responding by turning on and lighting the stage. The dancers wore long flowing skirts and shirts covered in bright colors. Masks of feathers and cloth covered their faces; Roy couldn't see any of their faces. He watched closely as they moved in sync, rapping sticks on the ground and cart wheeling across the stage. At the end, they pulled off their masks and threw them up in the air; Roy's breath caught in his throat. Riza was the dancer who was cracking the whip and commanding the whole group. The lights in the room brightened as the Leader told them there would be a short intermission before the last two dances and that some of the dancers from the second performance would be available outside to answer questions and take pictures.

Roy sat stunned as people all around him stood up and went out to the front of town hall. 'She… her body…she's beautiful… oh my God…' He thought. He let his mind wander back to the performance he just saw; he focused his mind on Riza, the dancer with the whip. He remembered how she did a back bend and flipped over, and how she used the whip as a lasso to bring one of the other dancers to her who had 'fallen' as part of their performance. He could tell it was staged; if the girl had done that for real, he was sure she would pull out her gun and shoot in her direction. Hopefully, they didn't allow guns in town hall. As he sat and thought about what he had just seen, he heard muffled voices coming from the stage.

"Hey Riza! Have you invited anyone to the Friday performance yet? I know you have a ticket to give out." A strange female voice said.

"Angela, I already told you; there is no one I want to give that invitation to. The only person I would think of giving it to has no idea that I do this, and I want to keep it like that. He wouldn't let me live this down; plus, just think about what he would say if he knew who my partner was for the bondage dance." Riza's voice floated over him as he listened to them talk. He saw his lieutenant walk out on to the stage and place a chair in one corner of the stage. The other girl put another chair in the other corner of the stage; Roy continued to listen to them as they set up the next dance.

"Well, why don't you just tell him you found an extracurricular activity that you enjoy and you want him to see what you do? It's just that simple."

"No, it's not. You know the Friday performance is where we're doing the topless bondage dance. I still don't like the idea of me being the lead dancer for that one, especially with Mr. Muscles, but the Leader insisted and I took it. Seriously, would you want your boss to see you gyrate and shake your body while dancing topless with another man he knew? It would embarrass the hell out of me and he would never leave me or my partner alone about it."

"I still think you need to have someone come and support you. That is a very important performance and if everyone has a person to look out in the audience at, you should too. You deserve a whole room full of people to be there specifically for you."

"Thanks; you always know how to make me feel better. I guess I dismissed the thought that he wouldn't come; I wish I knew if he was here tonight." 'That's stupid; he wouldn't be caught dead at a place like this.' Riza scoffed at the idea of Roy showing up for this kind of performance. Little did she know he was sitting out in the auditorium listening to what she was saying at that very moment.

A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this! and I'll let you know when the lemon starts!