Hey-o! Sorry for...not updating. But I have this bad habit called "starts on 5 other projects before finishing the main one'.
Before I go on, Zallow had recently asked me whether the Lucina I'm writing about is the Lucina from the future or the little one, and I'm using "little Lucina" from the...good timeline? Is that what it's called? Either way, she's from the timeline where Grima was put to rest by Robin and friends.
But anywhoo, here's the Inigo scene. Kinda short, not that short though. I'm debating on whether the next one should be Gerome or Laurent. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
The ballroom- or as Cynthia described it, the party room. Many lords and ladies of the court from far and wide often came to participate in one of the halidom's many festivities. With the proper decorations and the right music, even the most prestigious nobleman could let loose and have a wonderful time. Lucina looked around the ballroom in awe, imagining the types of celebrations she could throw. The thought of her coronation party excited her, but a tinge of doubt quickly took over her joy.
"Lucina!" The sound of clapping startled her, but ultimately caught her attention. She looked over at her 'teacher' and sighed.
"Inigo, really. Is this really necessary?"
"Absolutely! Now as the exalt, you'll have to host at least one ball in your lifetime- and when you do, invite me." Inigo winked and held his hand out.
"Al...right? But I don't have to dance at my own event if I don't want to." She took hold of his hand, a bit concerned.
"It's common courtesy to dance at a function, Lucina. And we're going to get right into it!" He pulled her in closer towards him. Lucina yelped and immediately stiffened up. Inigo repositioned his hands, placing one on her shoulder and another on the small of her back. "There's not much explanation to be done. It's fairly simple. Just step forward when I step back, step back when I step forward. Alright?"
"Hold on a second! You're going too fast! What's the hurry?"
"I may or may not have a special outing within the next hour…."
"...I should have known." She sighed indifferently. "Very well. Forward back, forward back, forward back, right?"
"Precisely. This shouldn't be too difficult." Inigo looked over his shoulder. "Music!" On cue, a harp began playing softly, followed by several other instruments.
"Did you smuggle an entire orchestra in here?!" Lucina briefly jerked away and squinted in the direction of the music. She saw Owain and Cynthia sitting in the corner, pushing a book closer towards her.
"Good news! We figured out how this radio tome thingy works!" Cynthia gave a thumbs up.
"Bad news! It was expensive, and we're still not sure how to adjust the volume!" Owain picked up the tome and held it up. "Sorry!"
Lucina resumed her former position. She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, signaling Inigo that she was ready.
He slowly took a step backwards.
Lucina hesitantly took a step forward.
He stepped forward.
She moved backwards.
"Beautiful. You're doing better than I thought you would." He pulled away and grabbed one of her hands.
"What are you doing? You didn't teach me this!" Her eyes widened as he raised her arm above her.
"I learn by experience. You will too. Just a simple...twirl~" He began spinning her around. Lucina suppressed a shout and spun around.
"Inigo, this is not simple at all!" She squeezed her eyes shut. She came to a sudden stop, and the faint sound of whimpering could be heard. Lucina slowly opened her eyes and stared right at Inigo, whose face was twisted into a half-smile. She glanced down at her feet and immediately shuffled away from him. "Inigo, I'm-"
"...Thank goodness you're not Kjelle. My entire foot might've been broken." He chuckled a bit and slowly began tapping his foot on the ground. "Everything is working fine! Don't worry about it. Let's try again."
Lucina took his hands again, and began dancing once more. Inigo proceeded to twirl her again. She held her breath and followed through the motions halfway before suddenly dipping backward. She quickly clenched onto his shoulder with one hand and snaked one of her legs around his ankle, or as Cynthia once described it, 'The Koala Defense Maneuver'.
"What are you doing!? Don't just drop me!"
"Lucina, it's called a dip. Relax! You're in good hands. Let go of my shoulder."
Lucina stood back up and resumed dancing, occasionally going the wrong direction or just barely stepping on his feet. The pace picked up speed, until every movement was a blur and Lucina couldn't tell whether her feet were still on the ground. She felt as if she was floating on air, and it felt great. Inigo smiled at her, pulling her close for a moment.
"You're ready."
"After one session? Need I remind you that I don't dance as a hobby?" Lucina pursed her lips.
"You're fine! Unless…" He chuckled. "You want to spend more time with me? How thoughtful."
"That's not it. I just want to have a firm understanding of this dance."
"The only thing you need to consider is- Warning!"
"Huh-?!" Lucina shrieked as she was dipped again, immediately going into 'The Koala Defense Maneuver'.
"Okay, maybe I do need to come back."