"Why am I not surprised that you not only know all the fancy pants dances, but you also have a studio?" Duo said, tossing his braid over his shoulder as the entered the Winner's private dance studio. Light colored hardwood floors echoed each step, creating a dull cacophony as they walked.
"I'm actually shocked you'd be willing to leave Relena's side for any amount of time," Quatre winked at Heero. It was not nearly as endearing as when his girlfriend did it.
"Relena doesn't know," Duo tattled.
"Can we just start so I can learn, so I can get back?" he scowled. "I only have six weekends to figure this out."
"Eager to learn is good, but we have to take everything at the right pace," Quatre began. "If you're going to be in Cuba, the dances they'll be playing are the salsa, the rumba, the samba, the cha-cha, and my personal favorite, the paso doble."
"No tango?" Duo asked, waving his hips mimicking the close dancing style.
"Tangos are South American, not Latin. But, I'm happy to teach you that one too if you'd like."
At this point, Duo was unsure if Quatre was genuinely that unable to catch jokes of if he was that committed to staying on point.
"Alright, let's hammer out some of the basics: posture, footwork and holds." Quatre held his arms out in an appropriate posture. With his black body wrapper and poise, he looked like a professional, a stark contrast to Heero's baggy tank and cargo shorts. "Sorry I'm not as pretty of a partner as Relena, but we're about the same height so when you dance with her, you should fall right into the correct posture. Start out with your right arm under mine and your left hand in mine."
The body guard stiffly obeyed, crooking his arm under Quatre's left as Quatre tightened his grip.
"Like this?" Heero asked.
"Perfect. Now, this is the posture you're always going to want to hold. It's your job as the man in the dance to lead the partner and to support when she's doing any pretty things like lifts, dips or fans. Let's work on steps." He stepped backward and pulled Heero along a short series of steps with several slow and painful corrections. The blond tried to remain encouraging though his partner remained silent during the proceedings.
Once they had mastered the basic steps, they took a quick break.
"Now it's your turn to lead," Quatre said, once they'd rested and hydrated, "We'll start with a paso doble so you can move a little less but you're still the one in charge of the direction the dance goes. It's fast paced, but it's also pretty freeform, so you don't have a lot of rules to follow meaning there's a lot less chance you'll mess it up."
"I'm ready," Heero nodded stiffly. If Quatre hadn't known any better, he'd think Heero was uncomfortable. Perhaps it was just the nervousness of dancing in public, or his aversion to being in public in general.
They started in their beginning posture.
"Maestro?" Quatre said looking over his shoulder at Duo who already had his hand hovering over the CD player.
The music was up-beat but increased in intensity as the songs continued. Heero was coordinated enough, though he forgot to lead frequently and had to be prompted. Most would have agreed he was doing well for his first day, but was far from some kind of dancing savant. After two hours, Quatre insisted they break for lunch."
"You're doing good, your footwork and posture are great," Quatre said sincerely, "It'll take a while longer to capture the tone, but you're definitely off to a great start."
"A start? I've got enough of it down we can move on to the next." Heero countered.
"It's better for you to master one dance and only dance once during the night than dance five dances poorly. You're not ready to move on to the next one yet." Quatre objected.
"But the steps are right," he retorted, with just a tinge of frustration on his voice.
"It's not just the steps, it's your posture, it's your face, your whole demeanor. Your hips and shoulders may say "I'm well grounded" but if your face shows uncertainty, you'll convey weakness. You have to have confidence, a commanding presence, and an attitude of power. People watching should be able to pick up on the attitude, the subtext."
"Subtext?"
"Of course. You're the matador, and your partner is the cape. You're supposed to be grounded and let your partner do all the amazing. You're the lead in the dance, but Relena will be the one everyone is looking at. If you're a good foundation, she'll be able to excel as well."
Heero nodded. "Alright. Attitude. Confidence. Got it."
He clearly wasn't getting it.
"Your movements are stiff and jerky," Quatre critiqued. "They're supposed to be fast, but they also have to be measured, smooth. Your partner is not a console in a cockpit, you can't just yank her around. Take a step back, let's cool down and eat and come back to it."
Duo clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Food, Heero. You'll feel better once you're not hangry. Also, I think Quatre has a surprise for lunch, right?"
"Of course! Rashid has made all the arrangements," Quatre replied cryptically.
Heero turned to Duo scowling, "What is this?"
"Free lunch. That's all that matters," Duo said pushing him forward. "And I'm looking forward to it."
The former pilots made their way through the halls of the Winner compound until the came to a lavish dining room that looked like it belonged in a medieval castle: chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, ornate paintings hung on the walls and rich colors of the wallpaper and carpet gave off an atmosphere of both comfort and wealth. A long, wooden table with high backed chairs occupied most of the room, though there were only three places set, with full dishes and utensils.
"Fancy lunch? That's the surprise?" Heero asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not just any kind of fancy though," Quatre said as they sat, "I had the kitchen staff specifically prepare some traditional Cuban dishes so you can know how to eat them and when to eat them and look classy doing it."
Heero scowled at Duo.
The god of death shrugged. "I was just trying to help."
"I know," Heero grumbled. "Thanks."
Rashid and his ward had a short discussion before disappearing into the kitchen. In just a short moment, servants entered, serving food and pouring drinks.
"I can get used to this," Duo said, nodding in appreciation at the staff.
"First rule," Quatre said as the servants placed a shallow bowl of soup in front of them, "the hosts aren't there to trick you. There won't be any piece of silverware at the setting that you won't use." He picked up the rounded spoon on the outermost edge of the setting. "Second rule, start on the outside and work your way in. If the dish requires a fork, then the fork you want is the one furthest away from the plate. Now, use your spoon to scoop away from yourself and don't slurp."
"I hate soup," Heero said only after two minutes of fail attempts at scooping away from himself.
"Why do the rules have to be whatever is the most uncomfortable and makes the least sense?" Duo raged, struggling with his own bowl.
"It's all about putting others around you at ease," Quatre explained.
Dish after dish was brought in sample sizes for them to experiment on, learning the proper method for holding the fork and knife (why did Americans have to do it backwards) and how to maintain their composure when dealing with a variety of situations: a spilled glass, a boring guest, a dropped utensil, and even finding a foreign object in the food.
"Once you're finished all the way, put your knife on the five-o-clock position on the plate and put your napkin on the table, and you're finished."
Duo leaned back, trying to position his arm on the back of the chair that was clearly too tall for him. Eventually he settled for being uncouth and resting his elbows on the table. "That was both delicious and brutal. Give the chef my compliments."
Heero carefully placed his knife in the correct position. Quatre smiled to himself: despite his rough exterior, the perfect soldier was really trying. He was putting genuine effort into following directions and making a good impression, he just didn't have a good grasp on the human element. The last five years working with Relena had made slight improvements on his sociability, but he was still at heart, a loner, and a soldier, and that was a wall Quatre realized he only had a few weeks to get Heero to drop.
"Next weekend, we'll go over some proper dinner conversation, but, one thing at a time. Shall we head back to the studio?"
Heero nodded. He silently stood, nodding a thank you to Rashid and following his companions back to the dance studio, pondering if it the banquet was going to be worse than the dance floor once they got to Havana.
