Chapter Eleven: The Duel
". . . now watch her fan. If she closes it, she needs rescuing, and one of her sisters or friends will come to - oh! Closed fan. She hates him! And here comes one of her cousins to intervene."
Nikos blinked in amazement as he watched the encoded drama. "They've got better lines of communication than we did in the field. It's like . . . indoor semaphore."
"Exactly. We can take a lesson from this. And the fact that Cordata hasn't drawn and quartered Kedi after three sets tells me Clawdia is having too much fun to dance with anyone else. She also doesn't want to risk letting anyone else dancing with him. These ladies are ruthless."
"Oh, Starsh!" he exclaimed, unconsciously invoking a local deity from Answaar. "What did Cordell fan about me?"
Avocato smiled. "Her fan hung on her wrist the whole time."
"Is that good?"
"It's excellent. Nothing could be better save her parents wanting to talk to yours."
A squeak escaped Nikos and he stared at Avocato in astonishment. "Wait! What?"
"She wants you to ask her again," whispered Avocato, ignoring his reaction.
Nikos dared a quick glance in Cordell's direction. "How can you tell?"
"She's looking this way and resting her fan on her shoulder. See? Get over there and ask her right now before she starts tapping it."
"What does tapping mean?" Nikos asked, on the verge of panic.
"She still wants to dance, but now you're in trouble."
"Am I? Oh, no!"
"She's not-"
Nikos dashed away to fulfill his assigned mission. Avocato laughed, reminding himself not to let his roommate consume any more alcohol. Or at least get some more food in him before he drank anything else. They were allowed to drink in uniform, but certainly not to excess, and Nikos was so small and skinny it wouldn't take a lot to get him drunk.
Avocato was about to go ask the most darling ginger he had ever seen to dance with him when once again, Cordata descended upon him. Losing sight of the lady's white crest of hair, he grudgingly faced his cousin. Having had what he felt was more than his fair share of her vitriol today, Avocato demanded,
"What do you want now, Cordata?"
"I want you to stop encouraging your little friends."
Meaning she was so focused on the three of them, alert to any excuse to try and corner him again, that she had eyes for nothing less. Actually enjoying herself was completely off the table.
"There's nothing little about Kedi. And I'm not encouraging them nearly as much as the ladies they're dancing with. This is a wedding. The point is to celebrate." He waved as Cordell and Nikos twirled by, her musical laughter reaching their ears. "They're celebrating. And so am I. Perhaps you should try it as well."
She slapped her closed fan against his chest in a sharp strike to stop him from leaving before she had her full say. "Neither of them has the social standing to hold their heads up in this company! Especially that farmer! Everyone is talking about them. You brought them here to be disruptive!"
"Clearly it's working in your case, but not surprisingly, I haven't encountered anyone who shares your opinion. If you're so distraught, why did you tell Kedi to ask Clawdia to dance?"
"Do you think I wanted to? Please! My lady ordered me to."
"Who knew the ladies around you had such excellent taste? I don't have to defend Kedi and Nikos, especially to you and especially not in my own home. If you're so anxious about policing the morals of the ladies in question, why aren't you after them to avoid my oh-so-disruptive friends? You're taking the easy way out by trying to make it my fault and my problem, cousin. It won't work." Avocato glared down at the ornate fan pressed against his chest, and seized her wrist in an iron grip. "It comes as no surprise you have no concept of friendship, Cordata. However, I am the son of a noble house and as such, I keep my word. I said if you hit me again, we would dance."
She tried to pull away. "I'm not dancing with you."
"Then you shouldn't have hit me. Afraid?" he challenged. He gave her a smug smile, deliberately provocative. "I don't blame you. I always was a better dancer than you."
Her eyes filled with fire. "You're not better than I am!"
"Prove it." With his free paw, he gestured to the dance floor.
"Let me go, Avocato."
"After we dance."
"I'll scream!" she hissed through clenched teeth.
Undaunted, he leaned in close, promising, "I'll scream louder."
Cordata hesitated at having her bluff called. "You would, too."
He grinned wickedly, pulling her bodily to the dance floor before the band. "I am a man of my word."
"Man is not the word I'd use!"
"Gentleman, then. Have it your way," he smiled. Still holding her wrist, he jerked her around to face him. "Pick a dance. Say alanka and I'll make you wish you hadn't."
She glowered, not about to suggest anything so scandalous. "The bokke," she snapped, pulling free.
He released a little snort to hide his own glower. The bokke was a dance of almost wild joy and celebration, with many leaps and spins. It took coordination, trust, and perfect timing. The stamping footwork was complex and loud, and Cordata's long skirts gave her an advantage since her feet would be hidden, as would any mistakes. On the other hand, there was a lot of spinning, the skirts were cumbersome and she had often gotten dizzy where Avocato had not (and often spun her faster than was necessary just to annoy her). It fell to the dance partners to support and steady each other throughout, for it was an exhausting dance that had to be performed with wild abandon. Like all formal dances on Ventrexia, the choreography was very precise, unaltered for centuries. It was also a beautiful dance, and despite their many differences, they could do it justice if they could get along for a few moments.
"As you wish, lady," Avocato said. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck in preparation, then clasped his hands at the small of his back, turning so they stood side-by-side and facing opposite directions. The band leader recognized the stance and quickly called for the appropriate tune. Avocato nodded his thanks, then at the first beat of the music, locked eyes with Cordata. She smirked, he sneered, and together they brought their heels down in a sharp, staccato rhythm, matching one another's movements as they wove the complex moves to the fast and spirited tune. Normally one smiled when performing the bokke, but in this case, both dancers were too busy glaring to bother.
Back-to-back, holding hands, he arched his right hand over his head, turning to face her as they swapped hands and he twirled Cordata out to arm's length, then yanked her back to his hold. Avocato could feel the tension, the fury coursing through Cordata at his touch, and he didn't care. They would finish what they had started, including the bokke. Together they skipped and jumped, moving over the dance floor together. The other dancers quickly moved out of the way, then paused to watch such exceptional dancing.
On the sidelines and well out of the line of fire, Nikos stood with Cordell and Kedi, who was temporarily unshackled from Clawdia's side as she went to fluff her hair and check her makeup. Nikos was delighted and impressed to see Avocato dance. His teal friend was rather remarkably graceful, with a strength born of years and years of martial arts and thimbles practice. That he loved to dance was clear, as was the hostility between the dancers. Though Nikos had never seen or heard of the bokke before, he could tell by the joyful music it was a celebration, even if the pair performing it looked more angry than anything else.
Suddenly Catowba all but barreled into their little group. He had a wide-eyed look of horror as he stared at his brother and cousin. "Who let them dance together?" he demanded, unable to look away.
Nikos glanced at him in surprise, since Catowba seemed the most composed of the three Cato brothers. Only then did he see that by his side, Cordell was equally as concerned as Catowba. She cast the second heir an anxious look, not sure of the details.
"She struck him with her fan earlier," Kedi explained, enjoying the drama and the performance. "He said if she did it again, they'd dance."
"I know my sister," Cordell said with a sigh. "She hit him again."
"And so they dance," concluded Kedi. "Cato dances very well."
"They're not dancing," Catowba insisted. "This is a duel."
And now that he had said it, they could all see exactly what he meant. Each was trying to show the other up, and it came out in every step.
Cordata had frozen in place, her hands and face towards Avocato as he danced a solo for a few measures of music. Avocato's long legs and height made each move more impressive as his shining boots stamped out a rhythm, never missing a beat, and his gestures seemed to invite the world to join him. He very deliberately poured every bit of elegance and sex appeal he possessed into each move, and from his toes to tail to ears he moved as fluidly as water. His performance was flawless, beautiful to see, and the dance floor cleared for them to finish unhindered. Cordata's expression grew darker when the people watching clapped in appreciation for the difficult maneuvers Avocato managed. Cordata had already danced her solo, and it had not been so well noticed.
It was only then that Avocato smiled, reclaiming Crodata's paw and waist in his hands to spin her wildly about.
"First blood to Little Cato," murmured Kedi in appreciation.
"Why are they fighting?" wondered Nikos.
Catowba smirked and shook his head. "They've never gotten along."
"My sister disapproves of Lord Avocato," said Cordell softly, sounding a touch ashamed. She glanced at her sweet and innocent little Nikos. "She envies his status and freedom. And she's mad at Lady Clawdia's and my choices for dance partners."
Nikos blinked, startled. "She's mad I asked you to dance?"
Cordell smiled. "No. She's mad I said yes. Repeatedly."
"I'm so sorr-"
With the lift of one finger, Cordell stopped him before he could continue. Nikos wisely snapped his mouth shut. "No, Nikos. Do not apologize. Cordata is my sister, not my lady mother. She does not dictate my conduct. If my parents disapproved, they would have said so already."
"I – oh." Nikos shut up again, trying to wrap his brain around the implications of her parents' approval.
The music swelled to a grand crescendo and the most challenging part of the dance, a series of short leaps and twirls around the edge of the floor, twisting so on the first they faced each other, then back-to-back, then facing each other again. All in time, all together. Unsurprisingly, Cordata was growing winded. More so than Avocato, at least, but she hadn't worked out and gone running every day for months as he had.
Leap, twirl, twist. Leap, twirl, twist. Avocato was so focused on the steps of the dance, steps that seemed second nature at this point, that he had no time for his ire. Leap, twirl, twist. He caught a flash of Cordata's expression. Always angry. He could not remember a single occasion when she had seemed happy. Leap, twirl, twist. He saw the reason for her sour expression: Nikos and Cordell standing close together, smiling and talking as they watched. Catowba was with them, looking resigned, and Kedi, smug and amused. Leap, twirl, twist. Why did Cordata care so deeply, so long as they were good men? Was a dishonest lord somehow a better match than an honest workman? Leap, twirl, twist. He didn't understand her, and he didn't want to. Leap, twirl, twi-
Cordata slipped. With just a few seconds of music left, exhaustion or a misstep or distraction sent her sliding from Avocato's arms. Instinctively, he lunged to catch her before she could fall and be injured. Against all convention, they ended the bokke in a low dip, Cordata all but reclined against Avocato's left arm. She stared, astonished he'd managed to recover so easily, and on the last beat of the music, Avocato raised his right hand with a flourish, as if this dramatic end had been planned.
"Let me up," she hissed as the people watching clapped in appreciation for a beautiful performance.
"You're welcome," Avocato replied, not moving.
"I wouldn't be in this ridiculous position but for you!"
"Correction, cousin - you wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't hit me," he reminded with a smile. He opened the hand supporting her back and let her slide a tiny bit, a reminder that she was at his mercy at present. "But I did warn you."
She glared fiercely, but he did not have it in him to cause her that degree of humiliation should he drop her. Annoying as she was, she was still his cousin. Besides, he had won this round. With a final smirk, he set her upright, then bowed to the audience before exiting the dueling grounds in triumph, leaving Cordata to stalk away.
"You are playing with fire," Catowba warned, handing him a cold drink.
Avocato made a face, finally allowing himself to pant a little. "And what is our good cousin doing, brother? As it so happens, she got burned."
"This time."
"Cordata has no say in whom I associate with or whom they associate within this household, Catowba. Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're not. She's sure to complain to Mother."
Avocato shrugged. As if Cordata could tell MewMew anything she didn't already know. "Let her, for all the good it will do."
Nikos, Cordell still on his arm, approached. He was grinning broadly. "I have no idea of what I just watched, but it was masterfully done, Cato. Wait until word of this hits the academy."
"Ventrex help me then," he laughed, finishing the drink. As he lowered the glass, he spotted his winning little ginger across the dance floor, and his ears perked up sharply. "Cordell, who is that little ginger with the white crest? In the green dress?"
Cordell thought for a moment, wracking her memory. "Lady . . . Purrsis, I think. Definitely of House Purri, they're all ginger and most have a crest. I think she's the second or third heir. She's a cousin of Lady Vana."
"Purrsis," Avocato echoed, riveted. His tone and expression betrayed him utterly: he had joined the ranks of the smitten. Hastily, he looked for somewhere to set the glass he held, then shoved it into Catowba's hands. "Excuse me. Please."
He dashed off, leaving a surprised friend, a wide-eyed lady, and a highly amused brother behind.
"Very subtle," observed Catowba with a laugh, but he smiled in satisfaction a few moments later as he watched his Little Cato escort the lady to the dance floor.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
The wedding celebration was as good as over. Many of the guests had left, and most of those lingering on the garden terrace were staying at the estate. The dancing and entertainment was done, so now they could finally lounge about, talk, and polish off the last of the pastries. Avocato leaned back in his chair, watching a slightly drunk Nikos trying to persuade a drunker Kedi to take a bite out of a pale green ghost pepper.
". . . it won't make you a ghost," ran Nikos' argument and assurances. "It can't hurt . It's cooked. They only call it that because of the color."
"Why not call it white, then?" Kedi asked suspiciously.
"Because it's not and because there already are white peppers."
"Don't argue peppers with this man," warned Avocato, being of no help to anyone. Motion caught his eye and he looked up, then did a double-take and stood as a liveried attendant approached their table and leaned close to whisper,
"Your cousin wishes to see you, Lord Avocato."
He recognized the man now, one of the higher-ranking servants in the royal household and a nobleman himself. Avocato hadn't thought about it, but it made perfect sense for someone representing the throne to attend Catomar's wedding. His cousin? Which one?
"Of course, sir."
"And your academy companions."
Avocato glanced at his friends enjoying their pointless debate and begged, "Could I, perhaps, have two minutes with them for a quick etiquette lesson?"
The messenger smiled, understanding. "It's not necessary, but if you wish, I'll wait right here."
"Thank you, my lord. Kedi, Nikos, with me now."
Confused but curious and programmed to obey orders, they got up and followed him. Avocato spoke as he practically dragged them along. "I know I told you on the way here that you'll see me bowing to just about everyone older than me and that you're not to follow suit, but this time, you need to stand with me and bow right along with me."
"What? Why?" asked Nikos, but Avocato didn't answer as he found a quiet corner behind a hedge.
"Watch me. Stand at attention. Raise both paws at the same time, palm-to-palm. Slide the right slightly higher. Like this. Keep your back and neck straight and as you bow, turn your hands so your fingers point down. Tails low. You're going to wait in this position until you're told to move. Try it."
They humored him and tried.
"Don't make faces, Kedi. Nikos, ears up. Tuck in your thumbs. Try again."
Bemused, they obeyed.
"You'll do. Thankfully this isn't a state affair. Come on!"
Once again, they hurriedly followed him back to the waiting nobleman. He smiled and lead them inside, up some stairs, through glass doors, and out to the balcony overlooking the patio. It afforded the best, most comfortable view of the gardens, a little island of calm amidst the celebrating. Here, several tables had been set amidst gorgeous flowering plants for all the highest-ranking guests. Like the younger crowd on the patio below, they stood or sat about, talking and relaxing. As he passed, Avocato inclined his head towards his parents sitting at a table with his grandparents and Lady Vana's mother and father. MewMew smiled and Catomar looked extremely proud of his son.
In the back corner, a tall, slim man in uniform broke off his conversation as the attendant led them forward. Avocato fought the urge to smile as he recognized his cousin.
"Highness," said the attendant, "I give you your cousin, Cadet Lord Avocato of House Cato, with Cadet Lord Kedi of House Kotik, and Cadet Nikos from Vel Pitten in the Answaar. Gentlemen, His Gracious Highness, Crown Prince Leonid."
Avocato bowed, praying his friends followed suit, only to have Leonid clap him on the shoulder in hearty greeting. "Look at you, Little Cato! It's been far too long! When did you get so tall? And in uniform! Your mother told me you'd entered the academy. I'm immensely glad, Blue Imperial aside. I know you'll do our family credit, and we need good officers. Speaking of which, who are your friends?"
Despite having just been presented, Avocato introduced his friends anew. Leonid was clearly pleased they were cadets - the crown prince or princess of Ventrexia was traditionally the head of their military forces, so his interest was genuine. He smiled at the nervousness displayed by Kedi and Nikos, putting them at their ease a little by asking about academy life. He knew Colonel Cataloupe personally, and laughed to Avocato's reaction to his dorm, and was all sympathy when Nikos told the story of Avocato's broken tail.
"But if I may, Your Highness," said Nikos, his words slower and accent thicker than usual, "I would like to thank you and your wife for allowing me the opportunity to attend the academy at all. I'm there only because of the scholarship you founded."
"You don't say! Which one?"
"The Equatorial Province Returns Scholarship. It funds all five years at the Royal Academy."
Leonid blinked, astonished, then said, "My wife needs to hear this! She'll be thrilled." He waved off to the side. "Darling! A moment!"
A small and graceful woman joined them. Like her husband, Princess Apricot was a ginger, with long blue hair and green eyes. While not a great beauty, she had a sweet serenity about her that nicely balanced her husband's energy.
"Darling, this is Cadet Nikos. He's attending the academy on our Province Returns Scholarship."
Her eyes grew wide and she was as thrilled as he'd predicted. "Are you indeed? I am overjoyed!" She cast a quick look back at their hostess, then softly asked, "Nikos, would you be offended if I broke etiquette and talked business for a little while at a social event? I've never had a chance to meet one of our students and I have a thousand questions I'd like to ask."
And Nikos, overwhelmed and drunk on more than wine, managed to say, "Of course, Your Highness."