h1 style="line-height: normal;"a name="_Toc171706259"/aspan lang="EN-GB"#*#7 DANCE/span/h1
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine has been enjoying this ball, thrown by Elayne in Cairhien, more than she thought she could. Part of it was certainly that it was Thom playing most of the songs, even when other musicians played in the background. Elayne called and he came, dragging her along./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She should be angry or at least annoyed. This was the very place she avoided for years and spent very little time at even after the Last Battle. They took Aldieb, spent only several days to adhere to propriety and fled to the road. Thom didn't ask questions then and so she owed him that time with Elayne./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She was too preoccupied scanning the room to ascertain with whom she would need to talk. She might not want to be here exactly, but her family connections demanded she be active. She did notice him standing over her only when his outstretched hand brushed her nose. A silly gesture accompanied by warmth and love flowing through the bond. She raised her face and allowed smile to show./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Did you get a break, dearest?" she asked, taking his hand in both of hers. "It's good to have others to stand in."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She expected him to sit beside her. She always kept a space free by her own to have him rest close if he wanted. That is if she wasn't resting by his feet during a performance Thom, however, didn't sit down even after her third gentle tug. "Thom?" She started getting curious when he became excited./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Can't you hear, what they are playing?" She tuned into sounds from the orchestra dais and her heart rate rose. "I asked if they know those and we are lucky."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""What do you mean?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"He hoisted her up in a move that thoroughly surprised her. Then he pulled her into him and put his face to her ear. "Dance with me? "he said, then looked into her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thom, you know how much I love them." He's seen her enjoy country dances in Baerlon, he could probably feel her tentative hope now. "But your knee..." Ever since that one time she tried dancing and he couldn't contain his regret she decided to forego that specific pleasure in favour of simply listening to him play or leaning into him when he rested. "Thom?" she asked again, when he stepped back, pulling her into the forming line./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Shhhhh…" he said with a wide smile. "It will be over too soon, so just enjoy while it lasts."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"And she did. Dancing has always been one of the few genuine pleasures of her life and she missed it like crazy. Usually there was no way to dance a fast set like that being twisted and led by Thom so she stopped partaking altogether. Not today. Tonight he moved almost like a young man. Like his knee was perfectly fine./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"By the end of the set she was breathless from exertion and happiness and fell into Thom's arms as soon as he pulled her into his chest. He was breathing hard too, not used to such activity./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""But how?" she asked, looking down, trying to see something that might explain it, but the knee has started twitching again and the dull pain seemed to return to its constant and familiar levels. "It refused to be healed-" By her. She was not able to take care of it, but maybe someone else... "Nynaeve?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""The weave is… was not permanent and apparently not something she could apply on a permanent basis. And I feel like I would have a massive hungover tomorrow," he admitted. "But it was worth it just to dance with you like that at least once."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She could feel him tired from the temporary healing and, not for the first time, regretted how little time they would get together. This was no time for that, however. This was time to bask in the happy tiredness after a beautiful weave? She would have to thank the girl later. Or tomorrow.../span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Are you expected to sing more? She asked. "Do you need to go back there?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""What I will do is take my wife to bed. Right now." His whisper brought goosebumps to her skin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Tomorrow. Anything else can just wait for tomorrow./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine has been enjoying this ball, thrown by Elayne in Cairhien, more than she thought she could. Part of it was certainly that it was Thom playing most of the songs, even when other musicians played in the background. Elayne called and he came, dragging her along./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She should be angry or at least annoyed. This was the very place she avoided for years and spent very little time at even after the Last Battle. They took Aldieb, spent only several days to adhere to propriety and fled to the road. Thom didn't ask questions then and so she owed him that time with Elayne./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She was too preoccupied scanning the room to ascertain with whom she would need to talk. She might not want to be here exactly, but her family connections demanded she be active. She did notice him standing over her only when his outstretched hand brushed her nose. A silly gesture accompanied by warmth and love flowing through the bond. She raised her face and allowed smile to show./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Did you get a break, dearest?" she asked, taking his hand in both of hers. "It's good to have others to stand in."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She expected him to sit beside her. She always kept a space free by her own to have him rest close if he wanted. That is if she wasn't resting by his feet during a performance Thom, however, didn't sit down even after her third gentle tug. "Thom?" She started getting curious when he became excited./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Can't you hear, what they are playing?" She tuned into sounds from the orchestra dais and her heart rate rose. "I asked if they know those and we are lucky."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""What do you mean?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"He hoisted her up in a move that thoroughly surprised her. Then he pulled her into him and put his face to her ear. "Dance with me? "he said, then looked into her eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thom, you know how much I love them." He's seen her enjoy country dances in Baerlon, he could probably feel her tentative hope now. "But your knee..." Ever since that one time she tried dancing and he couldn't contain his regret she decided to forego that specific pleasure in favour of simply listening to him play or leaning into him when he rested. "Thom?" she asked again, when he stepped back, pulling her into the forming line./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Shhhhh…" he said with a wide smile. "It will be over too soon, so just enjoy while it lasts."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"And she did. Dancing has always been one of the few genuine pleasures of her life and she missed it like crazy. Usually there was no way to dance a fast set like that being twisted and led by Thom so she stopped partaking altogether. Not today. Tonight he moved almost like a young man. Like his knee was perfectly fine./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"By the end of the set she was breathless from exertion and happiness and fell into Thom's arms as soon as he pulled her into his chest. He was breathing hard too, not used to such activity./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""But how?" she asked, looking down, trying to see something that might explain it, but the knee has started twitching again and the dull pain seemed to return to its constant and familiar levels. "It refused to be healed-" By her. She was not able to take care of it, but maybe someone else... "Nynaeve?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""The weave is… was not permanent and apparently not something she could apply on a permanent basis. And I feel like I would have a massive hungover tomorrow," he admitted. "But it was worth it just to dance with you like that at least once."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She could feel him tired from the temporary healing and, not for the first time, regretted how little time they would get together. This was no time for that, however. This was time to bask in the happy tiredness after a beautiful weave? She would have to thank the girl later. Or tomorrow.../span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Are you expected to sing more? She asked. "Do you need to go back there?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""What I will do is take my wife to bed. Right now." His whisper brought goosebumps to her skin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Tomorrow. Anything else can just wait for tomorrow./span/p