The Last Dance
By BertaS
Word Count 372
Not mine, completely Torina safe. Our favorite potions master attends a formal ball, something good, if a little random coming from the codeine after all.
The Last Dance
The evening had not been as horrible as he expected it to be, although it could potentially have been much worse. Everyone was handed a dance card as they entered the ball room. The card had a large number on the outside and was pre-filled with a series of random numbers until each guest was announced and the steward tapped the card with his wand.
All the cards updated at several points during the evening. He had been surprised when all the cards were in the same basket instead of separated into male and female. The result was interesting to say the least, as some men were disinclined to dance with other men.
Surprisingly the ladies seemed to enjoy dancing with each other almost as much as they did with the men. He had noticed several of them simply hanging on each other and giggling or exaggerating the dance moves to complete absurdity, drawing chuckles and outright guffaws from those watching.
He had to dance with a couple of people he would have avoided like the plague if he had been able. But in his opinion, accepting the card was like accepting a contract. Honor dictated that he dance with those listed. That didn't mean he was entirely polite about it nor would he allow anyone to step on his toes without a blistering reprimand and he certainly did not allow anyone else to lead.
He had also danced with a few he quite possibly would have anyway and there were still a few openings where the numbers never changed, those cards having never been plucked from the basket. But none of that mattered now. As the last dance started and he was unsure if he pulled his partner closer than was strictly necessary or if he was the one pulled close.
As they swayed in perfect harmony with each other and the music a hand crawled over his shoulder, warm breath ghosted in his ear and the whispered words 'I love you' danced across his skin.