takeroot | erku inbox

You aren't canceling on account of the music?

[Hmm. Gracious of him. He chuckles lightly, backing up a few steps further into the center of the room, gesturing for Lorenz to come with him. Sure, he can hum a few bars of a waltz, that's nothing—

But actually, perhaps...]

Why don't you lead, then, and I'll hum? Think carefully— I might not feel like making the offer again.

[So, come here and waltz with him, stretch. It's one less thing to focus on while providing the music himself, anyway, so he holds his hand out expectantly and waits.]

Nonsense.

[Cancelling? Not hardly. So Lorenz follows Constantin out into the middle of the room, surprised by the offer to lead but not about to argue it. Which is made clear enough by the fact that he immediately guides the other man's hand up to his shoulder. Besides. Their heights make it a bit more natural this way, obviously.]

I'm afraid I'll be of little assistance on the music front.

[Don't let him even hum. It's not great. But he smiles, settles into the stance and murmurs a quiet count under his breath and sweeps Constantin up into the familiar and... painfully basic steps of a waltz. Nothing fancy and as fluid as his steps are there's still a measure of rigidity, even in this. It's clear his focus is on executing the steps, simple as they are, perfectly more than on the person he is actually dancing with.

No wonder no one wanted to dance with him back in his school days. Not that there's been room for any such thing since then.]

Fortuitous for us both that I happen to like my music, then.

[His mental library of music has a great deal more drinking songs than formal waltz pieces in it, in fairness, but that doesn't mean it's hard to remember the melody of one. He isn't sure what he's expecting from Lorenz's leading— well, no. This is pretty close, but it's still almost jarring just how precise he is about it.

Constantin makes a face, briefly, eyebrows raised - the look of can you believe this guy? he has no one to share with but a spot on the floor before he looks up again. He bobs his head a few times in time with these world's stiffest steps before he starts to hum the much-oversimplified waltz melody, eyes closed. It's just humming and he's far from the greatest singer, anyway, but credit him this: he likes the music enough to give it flair, for humming.

....And then when the stiff steps finally get to him he hums a little faster, just to see if the need to keep tempo can snap Lorenz out of his rigidity even a little.]

[In his defense he hasn't done this since he was a teenager. Give him a little credit? Maybe?

No, definitely not. Still Constantin shifts the tempo and Lorenz blinks down at him, clearly surprised. But... okay...? He can work with that? The faster beat forces him to loosen the tight control on their movements at least a little, not enough time for that kind of precision.

Which he can do, and does admirably... but it leaves him looking caught between embarrassed and apologetic, that familiar pink blush coming to his cheeks already. Clearly if it's not perfect he... should be apologizing for something, right?]

Do... Do you always use this pace? [Not to interrupt him or anything but this is very much not how a Fodlish waltz goes.]

[Oh, impressive! Points for not fussily demanding they stop at once and resume the Proper Speed; not that Constantin even bothers to open an eye and look at him until he says something, at which point he gives him a one-eyed look for interrupting, then nods, then closes his eye again. Keep up, this is completely legitimate and not at all calculated.

So like, Lorenz is still leading, technically, but at the same time...

Well, he will only speed up the tempo one more time, and only after this second new tempo has been thoroughly established will he interrupt his own humming to quip—]

You are quick on your feet!

[Constantin steps it up a second time and Lorenz gives him a sharp look that is obviously completely ignored. Of course it is. It's a little more difficult but he does manage. Not nearly as elegantly but still.

At least until Constantin goes and sasses him and Lorenz just scoffs and immediately comes to a halt, releasing the other man so he doesn't potentially topple them both.]

And you are intentionally trying to make things difficult aren't you?

[As disapproving as he sounds, though, there's still a faint smile on his lips that he can't quite force away. Damn you, Constantin.]

[Ah, there's the sudden stop. Constantin's eyes pop open and he does not stumble so much as miss a step and falter, then look back at Lorenz with obvious amusement. Sorry, sorry... not really.]

I'm trying to improve your technique. You dance like you've never heard the word before!

[Like he's too busy counting to listen to music! Or, in this case, humming. Truly, this is a tragedy.]

I beg your pardon! [How dare!!] It has been some years since I've had excuse to dance but I do know the steps!

[He's not sure if he should be genuinely offended or if Constantin is just trying to rile him up again. One hand does go to his hip, the smile fading now. Surely he's not serious.]

You do the steps like it's a hassle. I was here the whole time, remember? I thought, maybe he'll start to liven up, and then— you stopped!

[Sad! Tragique! It is an earnest criticism, to be fair - no one is grading them on perfect technique in here, that doesn't matter in this scenario - but at the same time... how can he have fun like this. Honestly.

He holds both his hands out this time, gesturing for Lorenz to quit fussing and come back.]

Maybe it was nerves. Let's try again.

[Of course it matters. If he cannot properly execute a dance how would anyone expect him to hold his own on the field of battle? Just because this isn't Fodlan hardly means mistakes do not still reflect poorly on him (and his House, his Father, his Country, etc etc etc).

But then... it is just the two of them, isn't it? His voice is a little softer, less indignant and more apologetic as he moves closer once more.]

I do not mean it to seem a hassle. Maintaining the proper form... [A sigh.] What do you mean by liven up?

[That's a great question, one he has to think about as he reaches out to tug Lorenz's hands back into position again. How does one explain the, he thinks, very basic concept of livening up?]

Well, you could start by remembering I'm not going to give you a score at the end of all this. You did say this is your little refuge, so...

[He shrugs; and okay, so he was the one who said that, but Lorenz did agree! Therefore: relax, as usual.]

I've just seen you dance— it follows that now I know you can, so stop trying to impress someone who isn't here.

[Two thoughts happen simultaneously. One far more helpful than the other.

What if you're the one I want to impress? has absolutely no business in his head and he drops his gaze from Constantin once again, cheeks stubbornly refusing to lose their color but in the guilty side-eyed way that means he's gone and thought something inappropriate.

The other more constructive thought, the one he's going to focus on thank you very much, is the simple fact that if he's not... counting beats and hyper focusing on precision then what is he supposed to do?]

I can't help it if I'm impressive by my very nature.

[Is what comes out of his stupid mouth though. Expression and ears and blush all saying very much the opposite but it's hardly as though he can simply admit to not knowing what to do or caring about Constantin's opinion of him. Not at all. So... that's just... where they're at.]

[Ah. So close- for a moment there Constantin was so sure he might say something unrelated to propriety or his very important skills or whatever- but evidently not. Still: somehow it makes him laugh, abrupt and inelegant as anything, and he shakes his head hastily to get past it. Ahhh— okay.

It's almost funny- generally speaking— prissy, upright-all-the-time types are usually open season for being taken down a few pegs, but right now Constantin finds himself much more willing to quietly let Lorenz keep his pride. They're supposed to be enjoying themselves, so he's not going to... heckle.

Not any more than he has, anyway. Not maliciously.]

Of course you can't! Like telling a fish to live on land— I understand, I do.

[Like this, see, this is fun heckling. He shifts his feet to stand properly for Waltz 2: Waltzening.]

How about without the music, this time? I won't be tempted to spoil your footwork a second time.

[The look he gives Constantin for the heckling is half annoyed, half grateful. There's no denying that the other man is clearly appeasing his pride. Which means Lorenz will just have to try to be less insufferable. Of course.]

It is surprisingly difficult without the music, isn't it? But I think... the slightly faster tempo has... some merit, I suppose?

[Which is the tempo that Lorenz tries to lead them off after a moment. Consciously trying to not be so precise is... even harder, somehow? And he finds he can hardly meet the other man's gaze for how embarrassing that is. Though without Constantin humming Lorenz finds himself mentally shuffling through some of the music he remembers from his youth, little snippets that come to mind bringing a note or three to his lips as well before he catches himself and apologizes.

But at least he's not... thinking so hard about the steps? It does make the steps flow a bit more easily though the tempo still throws him off a little.]

[See, it's working, Constantin is a genius. He grins and falls into step with the quicker tempo, and yes, it's not as precise as the first waltz, but he's definitely enjoying it more— no offense, Mr. Precision, it was impressive! But this is more fun!]

I'll accept merit. You're impressing me more now, and that's a compliment, before you ask.

[Keep it up!! The quick tempo is fun, and Lorenz is trying his level best to indulge him, maybe- or prove a point, either way- and so if Constantin leans closer to him, it's obviously just the dancing. When his hand slides from Lorenz's shoulder to the back of his neck, it's for the dance!

A waltz, even a quick one, isn't racy or anything, so it's fine. And hmm, what's this he hears...]

You could hum.

[Ah but keeping his hand where it belongs on Lorenz' shoulder is fine. There's no less than three layers of fabric between them that way. Constantin moves closer though, slides his hand up and the moment his fingers touch bare skin Lorenz sucks in a sharp breath. Violet eyes go wide and his steps falter for a moment, the hand at Constantin's waist even curls into his jacket a little in his surprise.

Oh. He's so unused to actual contact like that it's enough to throw him off completely.

What? Hmm? Him? Humming? Nonsense.]

A-as I've said. You don't want that.

[That— is near impossible to miss, so first: wow. Constantin raises his eyebrows mildly, questioning without actually saying something; Lorenz can stop again at any time, but if he doesn't, Constantin must only assume it's fine...

And alright, he isn't nearly as easily startled by contact, but there is a significant difference between sedately resting a hand on a many-layered shoulder and sliding fingers over bare skin. If he really thinks about it, well, warm skin and getting steadily closer to each other, bit by bit, hmm— Maybe he ought to focus.

So. Focusing. Yes.]

Try me. It's only fair.

[Even in the time since he's been in the city he's only actually touched another person, skin to skin, twice. Hilda touched his arm once in that foolish "toga" and ... well he's not thinking about what happened in the mountains, nope. Not at all. Nonsense.

He's trying to take it in stride but the touch certainly distracts him more than he'd care to admit. Still he rolls his eyes at Constantin's encouragement but doesn't actively argue. It takes a moment, caught between embarrassment and the distraction of proximity. Another spin, two, but he gradually finds the melody of a song he knew some basic version of, one he knew he'd heard used as a waltz once or twice. The tempo is actually just a touch faster than what they were moving at.

So he corrects their speed, shortens steps to accommodate it regardless of what propriety says, finds himself drawing Constantin closer to guide him a little more fully through the steps. The same basic turns but with some small adjustments required. For a moment, possibly even a full few minutes, it's smooth and unstructured and elegant, movements to match the song and not some calculation in his head.

As is so often the case with him the art contrasted against the logic.

At least until he realizes he doesn't remember the last third perhaps of the song, the humming falls apart and he slows their steps to gradually stop, chuckling under his breath at himself. But hey. He's smiling.]

Apologies... I have not looked at the music for that in at least a decade.

[Now, this is what he was talking about before. Livening up- or loosening up, or both- and actually enjoying the dance part without worrying about the steps. It's nice; Constantin lets himself get pulled closer easily, enough that it finally feels like dancing instead of pantomiming the whole thing.

And— and Lorenz's humming is okay most of the way through. Serviceable! Doing it in the first place wins him a few points no matter the quality, and Constantin is almost, almost disappointed when he loses the thread of the music and lets it fade. The dance coming to an end is a genuine disappointment, such that he doesn't immediately spring away from Lorenz once they've stopped, looking at him from up close in a thoughtful kind of way.

Then he smiles, so whatever it was was probably good. Don't ask questions.]

Well, that wasn't bad at all, so you may rest assured that your memory for old music is quite keen.

[Lorenz is actually caught up in the moment enough that he doesn't force space between them again. And if some of that is perhaps him being loathe to pull the other man's fingers from his neck, well. It is such a small point to surrender in the grand scheme of things, isn't it? And it's nice. Warm.

Perhaps he runs cooler than he thought if everyone he touches seems so very warm by comparison?]

You're far kinder than my old choir instructor, I promise you.

[It is nice to spend a quiet moment like this - and this whole thing is kind of a quiet moment, being they are alone in here and there isn't any music, but details, it's the ambiance. Constantin chuckles and shakes his head, absently looping a fingertip over his skin. He is genuinely not paying attention to his own hands, don't mind him.]

Just wait until I get going. I can be quite the challenge.

[Not that he's particularly gifted at, like, instructing anything at all, anyway— which means it's sure enough time to try and teach Lorenz a dance that isn't a waltz, as soon as he flips through his mental library of dances to pick one. Something that isn't too wild, surely...]

Shall we take a break, or charge boldly ahead into the next one?

[It would be too much to hope that Constantin not notice the way Lorenz shudders at the absent sweep of fingertips on his skin. Violet eyes flutter closed for a moment before he checks himself blinks down at Constantin, brow lifting at that little suggestion of a challenge. But he doesn't push it, not just yet.

Not when he's certain that challenge is meant more to be about keeping his composure under all these delicate little touches than anything legitimately connected to their teaching or dancing. Or perhaps he's simply hyper aware of the contact and making something more of it than it's intended to be.]

I see no reason not to carry on.

[Partially because he's not going to step down from this after hardly 10 minutes and partially because he knows if he gives himself that distance back again he'll never be able to get back to this point.]

[Oh, he notices. Of course he does, belatedly realizing his own errant touch might not have been, ah, welcome? But Lorenz still doesn't tsk at him and turn him away, which must be a miracle.

But here's the thing, even as he flashes him a grin for this particular challenge: there are court dances, with steps and outlines and a lot of prancing around six feet apart with maybe a shoulder brush if they're very lucky, and then there are, hmm... dances one might do in, say, the tavern. Informally. Without teachable steps, but far less space in between, and Constantin can see absolutely no reason to shuffle away and hop around like a court puppet for the sake of a real, proper dance.

Which means he's going to make it up, but he's going to pretend he's not. They're from completely different worlds, it will work, it's the perfect crime. He nods and shifts his feet, reaching around to tug Lorenz's arm further around his waist, for the proper position for this dance he is inventing right the hell now.]

This one has spins. I suspected you might like it more than the ones that involve a little stomping.

[Precision is now Over, buddy, it's time to wing it.]

First you'll make three steps back, then one to your right, then one to your left— and then I get to spin! Alright?

[There are so many things he could offer and even if they had stayed... rather close it would have been somewhat acceptable. But to suddenly have Constantin pressing in even closer has Lorenz' eyes going wide.]

W-What- Surely...

[Stammered protests that he bites back, swallows down and presses his lips into a thin line before Constantin can argue with him. The pleasant ease the music and familiar steps had finally gotten from him fades back into the same old stiffness. He doesn't mean to try to take back a little of that space when he takes the first experimental step back but he does regardless.

Nope everything is awkward again.]

What happened to you leading?

[How big are these steps supposed to be? Which foot does he lead with? Why a step to one side just to undo it again? He's... never actually spun someone before!?]

[Alright, so, baby steps to keep Lorenz from mentally withering at the mere suggestion of an imperfect dance, he's learned that already in the past three seconds. He hums and considers, looking down at their feet for no reason other than it will probably sit easier than so much up close eye contact right this second. He's being generous.]

Well, I wanted to spin, I suppose.

[Why muddle through anything more complicated than that! He wants to spin. He can probably spin with more comfort and ease than Lorenz, right at this exact second, so.

Well, so. Let him spin, sir.]

I'm telling you the steps, so isn't it sort of leading by instruction? Humor me.

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