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And now, darlings, Gotham Blitz, Part II
An hour later, Melissa's eyes were still filled with awe as she glided over the floor, hanging on Jonathan's arm as he led her from one person to the next. Her eyes were high up in the ceiling.
There was an acrobatic show that was happening- it seemed that hardly anyone else beside Melissa was paying attention to them. They'd swing back and forth on the metal bars- flipping and somersaulting in the air, then gripping hands or legs with the others. When hands were again gripped- they swung to the sides. Now the center of the air show was the tightrope walker- A girl with short, tight blonde curls was gracefully, slowly walking across, holding out a small laced umbrella at her side.
"Melissa?" Hearing Jonathan say her name tore her from her thoughts.
"This is Mrs. Lucile." Melissa looked up to see a middle-aged woman. To be polite, Melissa gave a smile. The woman nodded her head, but didn't return the smile. Melissa took a soft breath, and shrank her shoulders down, letting them drop from their previous tenseness.
"Nice to meet you, Melissa." The woman said blankly. She turned her head back to Jonathan and her lips flickered into what seemed to be a sad-excuse for an innocent smile. She raised her hand and rested it on his shoulder "It's always a pleasure, Idoctor/I." The woman looked between Melissa and Jonathan- and leaned closer. Melissa instinctively let go of his arm and stepped away so that she could walk through them. As she passed in between them, she let her hand slowly drag off of Jonathan's shoulder.
Melissa scowled after the woman, watching as she melted away into the crowd of Gotham's aristocrats. She clenched her teeth together beneath her lips, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth with annoyance. Why should she have to step away from Jonathan? Why couldn't the woman just walk on his other side? Why did she have to touch him?
She let the scowl melt off her face before turning back to Jonathan, "Who was that?"
"Mrs. Lucile? Her ex-husband was the son of the university's head administrator. And of course, after the divorce- she got a fine sum of money." Jonathan said as he lifted his eyes to the ceiling. The acrobats were performing again. He drop his eyes to look out to the crowd that were dancing gracefully on the floor. His blue eyes looked to hers. "Care for a dance?"
Melissa stayed silent for a few seconds- then shook her head and said, "I can't. I don't know how to waltz. All I know is how to count the steps…1,2,3- 1,2,3." It had been a lesson in school years ago, in Gym, for a week.
"That's all you need to know."
Melissa shook her head, then looked back to the crowd. She saw Mrs. Lucile as a couple moved. The woman was looking at Jonathan again. Taking a small breath, she looked back to him- "I suppose we need to keep up appearances?"
"Of course." He bowed his head and put a smirk on his lips. Such a smirk that Melissa couldn't look away. She wondered what his lips were like. What they felt like- if they were soft. How they'd feel again her own lips. Melissa swallowed at the thought- trying to swallow back all of those thoughts. Finally- he looked away from her as he lead her to the center of the floor.
He stopped and turned his body to Melissa's. She stood there, seemingly frozen, as her eyes went to the other couples who were slowly and smoothly waltzing on the back-marble floor. Jonathan took a deep breath- to get her eyes back on him as he held one of her hands, placing his other hand on her hip. Melissa looked to their hands as she placed her free hand on his shoulder gently.
She felt his hand press against her hip with more force, so she stepped back. Melissa let him lead as she thought about the steps, trying to concentrate about the counting and the rhythm and trying to ignore the different colored lights that would spin and shine all around the crowd in swift motions.
"Stop thinking." Jonathan said quietly and firmly, as he stared at her with his usual blank expression.
"What? I can't-"
"Stop thinking, Melissa. It'll only make things more difficult." He said, ending this short exchange of words between them. Only after the words left his mouth did he realize how true it was. She should stop thinking to make things easier, not only for the dancing- but for what they bargained for as well. It would be easier all around if she only accepted his words without a second hesitation- just like everyone else did, being so easily convinced by his collective manner.
And so, they continued in silence. Well- at least a few more moments were in silence before they were interrupted.
"May I cut in?" A bold voice asked with a firm tap on Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan turned around to see who it was, stepping back next to Melissa with an arm still around her. Who was this planning on cutting it? Taking her away? Was it Alex Stevenson, who somehow managed to get through the doors? One of his men with a message for him? OR just some man who wanted a dance with Melissa. It only took a brief moment for his mind to clear, his eyes to focus on the man in front of him.
The man's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised his lips in a grin of delight. "Well it's Iyou/I!" The man scoffed, staring at Jonathan, shaking his head in disbelief. He cast his eyes to Melissa, "What's a girl like you doing with the Scarecrow?"
Melissa instantly felt Jonathan's arm tense up as he stared at the man with a loathing calm. "Roger Hagen." Jonathan greeted him in a low, stiff voice. Melissa looked between the two.
He seemed to ignore the fact that Jonathan had just said his name. He kept his eyes steadily on her- or rather, his wandering eyes were kept below her neck. She had the urge to look to Jonathan for assistance, but resisted as she smiled grimly, waiting for his eyes to return to her face. "Roger Hagen." He said crisply, looking back to her eyes as he put out a hand.
"Melissa." She said smoothly, putting her hand in his. Roger bowed his hand to kiss her hand. His lips stayed on her hand- longer than what was needed. Jonathan cleared his throat to get Roger's attention. He lifted his head from her hand, but still held onto it as he stood. He cocked an eyebrow with a smirk of delight, "Yes, Scarecrow?" Jonathan said nothing, but stared into Roger's eyes with a loathing.
"So-" He said as he pulled his eyes away from Jonathan's harsh gaze. "Would you like to dance, Melissa?" He tugged on her hand.
Melissa licked her lips, having another urge to look at Jonathan to check if she could. "Yes." And as soon as the word left her mouth, she was out of Jonathan's reach and pulled to a different area on the floor. Roger had pulled her body close to his and it made Melissa shiver- in a way that made Melissa sick. Roger though, thought that the shiver was in a good way- a way wonderful for him.
He smirked again, looking down to meet her eyes as his hand slipped an inch lower and further back on her hip. 'Whatever's needed' she repeated in her mind. That was what Jonathan said. "So what are you doing with the Scarecrow?"
"Scarecrow?" She questioned as she looked over Roger's shoulder toward Jonathan. He was watching the two of them, his hands folded together behind his back. There was no expression on his face, but there was a heated look in his eyes as he turned away, to regard an old man trying to speak with him. Her eyes went back to Roger's.
"Yes." He nodded. "That's what we called him ever since elementary school. Me and- well everyone else." Then to answer he unasked question- "Well he was just always so skinny and the tall—then again he was scrawny. Always had clothes that had been patched up with a different material and pattern." He laughed out loud at the thought, "You know- Like a scarecrows?"
Melissa nodded and forced a laugh as well, pretending to share the amusement. When she was younger- some of her clothes had needed patching of which Melissa had taught herself how to do. Her mother had done it in earlier days- but then stopped slowly, and seemed careless about everything. The clothes she got were ill fitting as well, always a few sizes too big.
"He was always alone. Scarecrow was a creepy kid- and still is. Always walking and sitting alone. His face buried in a book. He was just too easy. We got a few kicks out of him." Melissa stared at him in silence. "Actually-" Roger laughed again, "More like a few kicks in him." Roger grinned to himself- these seemed to be rather fond memories of the time. "So- why'd you come with him?"
"I saw no other way of coming." She said this quickly, then fell silent as he stared down to her. "And his name's Jonathan… I don't think he seems like a Scarecrow… I think he seems to know quite a bit, he's got money from all he knows."
"Money." Roger said with a grin and a nod, "I see. That's always what it is… A guy like Scarecrow and a girl like you." His fingers traveled up her bare back and Melissa felt her shoulders tense up again, feeling the urge to shove him off of her.
"Would you like a drink?" Melissa blurted.
"Would love one… But let me buy you one, beautiful." Roger said as his hand rested on her hip, pulling her to his side. "I know the best drinks." His eyebrows jumped once, and a smirk made its way to his lips as he lead her to the bar.
"They make for a wonderful evening."
The next chapter: May be a Part III,
or a whole new chapter. I'm not sure.