Chapter 12

A Dance In Space

The Astral Plane

Xellos held out his hand to Lina, and slowly she placed her hand in his. He pulled her up to her feet, then bowed over her hand, kissing it softly. As he straightened, he pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her. Releasing her hand he snapped his fingers, and music started to play. Taking her hand again he began to lead her in a waltz, much like the first one they danced earlier this night. It had taken quite some time to wear down her curiosity, but when they had reached the point that Lina needed some research materials he had managed to talk her into dancing with him.

She had been reluctant to leave the work, insisting that it would be difficult to complete without his assistance. Only when he had promised to return the next day to assist her with the research had she been content to quit for the night. Now she was back in his arms, waltzing to music that suited the mood, and without any interruptions in sight. Lina was smiling up at him, a shy smile accompanied by a slight blush. He wondered at how responsive she was, such an unpredictable person his Lina. The first time he had kissed her she had turned cherry and sunk to the ground. Yet tonight she was responding in ways far more interesting. Who could have guessed she would react to such straightforward overtures when all his subtleties had caused her such embarrassment. Such an enigma my Lina.

The thought gave him pause. She wasn't his yet, while she was reacting favorably so far, one of the things he treasured most about her was the fact that even he could not always predict her. The swordsman and the chimera were going to cause problems...

Realizing that Lina's blush had increased under the intensity of his gaze he decided to save the contemplation. After all, he had Lina in his arms now, he should enjoy it. He would come up with a plan later.

Lina gazed back up at Xellos, transfixed. His open eyes were intoxicating. She had the strong urge to memorize their appearance, knowing they would be hidden again later. The slit pupils that would have frightened many, held mystery for her, not menace. There was something dreamlike about dancing here, among the swirling lights and colors. She half wondered if she was dreaming, the day was certainly nothing like what she had anticipated.

She found herself surprised at how much she was enjoying Xellos' attentions. But she had to admit that it was nice. Nice to be treated like a woman, like she was desirable and interesting. It was different from what she was used to, and it was a bit disconcerting. Yet a small part of her had always wanted to be treated like this. She called herself the beautiful sorcerary genius, and tonight that was exactly the way Xellos had treated her. She blinked as the information solidified, the fact that she had longed to be desired was a bit unnerving, it was very un-Lina Inverse, but it was true.

Every word and gesture by Xellos tonight had spoken both desire and respect. People respected her power, they really didn't have much choice. The respect Xellos was showing was more encompassing, and the desire... Lina didn't have much experience with these things, but she was certain the heat in his gaze was not her imagination. She was surprised to find herself returning these feelings, and yet... somehow it all seemed to fit. The was an ease that she would never have expected, and her slight embarrassment was unable to diminish her contentment.

She blushed brighter as she realized how closely Xellos was looking at her. She relaxed when his gaze lost some the serious tone it had held moments ago. She could be introspective later, right now she was dancing, both person and place had been unexpected, yet both were strangely welcome. She smiled once more at Xellos, as they danced through a dream.

Xellos looked at the woman sleeping on his shoulder. They had danced for hours, but time had held no meaning. While he had initially hoped for another intense tango, somehow the waltz had seemed more appropriate. The whole night still held a surreal quality. Towards the end Lina's steps had slowed as her weariness started to catch up to her. Finally he had suggested they sit and rest, Lina hadn't hesitated to sit on the "floor" heedless of her finery. He supposed that was another thing he liked about Lina, she understood what was truly valuable, as opposed to what was just a nice trinket. He had sat beside her and draped an arm over her shoulder. She had been blinking already when she'd asked him why he'd come to the ball tonight, slowly leaning against him.

The question had caught him by surprise, and she was already drifting towards sleep when he softly said, "I came for you." She'd smiled slightly before her breathing slowed and she succumbed to sleep.

Looking at her now he wondered if she would even remember when she woke up. He smiled slightly, and pulled her a bit closer, taking the opportunity to examine her in greater detail. He was fascinated by the way her eyelashes nearly brushed the skin beneath them, and the way her hair stirred slightly with each breath she took. After some time studying her he sighed, knowing that he would need to return her to the palace. Lina had been remarkably receptive, but waking up in a strange place would not help his cause. Taking care not to wake her, he gathered her up in his arms and vanished.

Reappearing in her room in the palace he noted that the lamps had been lit some time ago, and they were burning low. Crossing the room he shifted Lina slightly so he could pull down the blankets on her bed. He froze, when as he shifted her back, he felt something odd. Gently he laid her on the bed the lightly traced the outside of her leg with a hand. There is was, a slight hard bump that shouldn't have been there, and a second one below it. Feeling her other leg he found the same. There was something familiar about these bumps... slowly he extended his senses towards them, and blinked in surprise. Lina was wearing the Demon's Blood Talismans on her legs. He considered for a moment before lifting her skirt just enough to glimpse one she had tied to her calf. He smoothed the skirt back down and pulled the covers up, carefully tucking them around her to keep in the heat. The dress wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in, but changing her wasn't an option. After a moment's reflection he did pull out her hair comb and pins, smoothing the fiery locks and placing a soft kiss on her lips when he was done.

With Lina as comfortable as he could make her without getting himself into trouble, he started pondering. What did wearing the Talismans mean? She always wore them on the road, but they were powerful and it would be silly not to use them. Did she suspect something would happen at the ball? He supposed the group did find themselves in trouble more often than not... but she had been willing to leave, and she clearly didn't think they were a formal dress accessory. So why wear them? After some time puzzling he put it aside for future contemplation and turned back to the main issue.

Lina's companions would certainly be an obstacle, and he needed a way around them. Lina was fascinating, but her companions were only mildly interesting at best. The swordsman and the chimera had almost certainly been on the way to cause trouble, yet the princess was not reacting quite as he'd expected. It was possible that she might not be quite as big a problem as he'd anticipated. As he thought about it he realized that as much as he had found her useless so far, the one with the most potential to help him was the shrine maiden.

He felt a faint light touch him and looked up. Through the window the first hints of dawn were appearing. He slowly drew the curtains closed to allow Lina to sleep a bit longer. After all he had promised to help her with a spell today, and she would need her rest. Turning back toward the bed he watched as she rolled over a bit, burrowing deeper under the covers. He enjoyed another look, then vanished into the astral plan, he had plans to put in motion.