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[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.

[There's something so breathtakingly sweet about that moment. Constantin being the one to look away and simply... not taking the lead after all his bluster because he wants to spin. It's adorable and endearing and finally bridges that little gap in his logic between dancing to impress and dancing for his partner's enjoyment.

Lorenz smiles softly, struggles to find a little of that ease again even as he nods and... tightens his arm around Constantin just the slightest bit.]

Very well... I'm assuming from proximity alone this is meant to be a quick step? And... [A thoughtful pause, trying to map out the steps in his head.] Right then left... is that meant to be leading you out to this... spin?

[His voice is a little distant, just focusing on pushing down his own discomfort and making sense of the instructions so he can give Constantin this one small thing. As soon as he's murmured his way through questions he doesn't really need or expect answers to he just goes for it. The sharp rap of the iron reinforced heel of his boot on the floor serves as a quick way to count off. It's fine, actually? Until the spin part. They go right and Lorenz takes the next step left again, attempting to give Constantin a little more space, to... well mimic things he'd seen people like Sylvain do in the past but had always been told was absolutely unacceptable to do to a young woman.

Convenient how he's not dancing with a woman then.]

[That arm around his waist holds him that much tighter and it's an honest surprise, one that makes Constantin look back up at Lorenz without his usual air of finding all of this rather amusing. No, it's a flash of something more open, that eases into a grin as Lorenz tries to work out the steps. Ah, Constantin thinks, so he can be taught— specifically taught how to have a little fun.

It's nice, and humoring him enough that he almost blushes like a fair maiden himself for the very first time, but ah, yes, the spin—]

Yes, that's— oh!

[Oh, and there they go, steps fast and loose enough after the much more reserved waltz that Constantin hardly has time to even laugh before the big spin itself. Pity that he has to pull his hand away from Lorenz's neck to do it, but delightful that he gets to spin at all, an easy pivot out and back on the balls of his feet that really do betray that he's probably insisted on getting to spin most of the time, with other dance partners.

Well, he is a man of simple pleasures, and so when he darts back in to Lorenz he does use the momentum to soft-lead a couple idle steps, just so the dance will continue. He also comes in just a bit closer than before, hand returning to the back of his neck with a delighted curl of fingers against skin.

See, dancing is not actually boring.]

Marvelous! You're getting it!

[Using that momentum to pull the other man back in against him, feeling his fingers immediately curve beneath the high collar of his shirt, a breathless laugh and the absolute delight on Constantin's face... his own breath catches in his chest and he is suddenly keenly aware of why his father discouraged such actions so much.

It all comes with a bit of a thrill and a strange little dip in his belly that has his own cheeks flushing again. And then Constantin has to go and compliment him as though he's done anything more than precisely what he was told to do. A strange, giddy little rush of laughter and Lorenz hardly even notices that his hand settles more comfortable at the small of Constantin's back rather than the more appropriate location higher on his back.]

You're supposed to be teaching me the steps, you recall.

[But even with the tease he lets Constantin lazily guide them into... whatever this mess is.]

Edited 2020-09-19 18:40 (UTC)

[It's a lazy, wandering loop of steps that's pretending to be a proper dance very well, thank you, Lorenz. Constantin scoffs and rolls his eyes, but he's still grinning.]

What do you suppose I'm doing right now? This is your education! Here, follow me—

[And he does properly lead them now into a series of sharp little turns, a few steps in another direction, a turn again— this dance is completely made up, but he's keeping it on rhythm with what Lorenz had tapped out a moment ago.

It's just, you know, mostly more spinning? He has one very obvious preference.]

[Lorenz goes along with it, surprisingly enough. Constantin's excitement is nothing if not infectious and he seems so incredibly pleased with the whole thing even Lorenz' sense of propriety can't push him to put a stop to it. He tries, at first, to keep his expression neutral but by the third turn when he almost trips over himself he laughs and the attempt to remain unaffected falls apart. Because it's not a courtly laugh or a subdued chuckle but a full, breathless laugh, the sort of thing that only his horse has ever heard.

With his arms full of Constantin he can't even try to hide it behind his hand.]

This is not a dance.

[A weak protest the second time Constantin insists on another spin but there's laughter on his lips, a smile wide enough to show teeth for a fleeting moment. Goddess, he hasn't felt light like this since he was a child.]

[Hearing that laugh is rewarding in a way Constantin doesn't expect, past all of his wheedling for Lorenz to relax and quit fussing; something deep and warm that makes him grin even more broadly in turn. Maybe spinning around so much is getting to him, but he's not inclined to stop now.]

You're half right, my particular friend— what else would you call spinning about like this besides dancing?

[And there's another spin, perfectly timed to prove his point. It's a dance! It's certainly not a casual stroll or a training exercise, so dance it is!

But alright, alright, as he presses close to Lorenz again, only now with a flush of color rising in his cheeks,]

I will confess that I did make it all up on a whim, if that makes you feel better.

[Perhaps it is dancing, true, but it is not a dance. In some ways having Constantin confirm that is satisfying but he still looks absolutely scandalized, save for the spark of mischief in his gaze. ]

You!! [But there's a hint of laughter in his indignation that utterly ruins it.] How dare you!

[He punctuates the accusation with another spin, one that he threatens not to catch Constantin from but at the last moment he reaches out to sling an arm around him. It means there's considerably more momentum when he pulls Constantin against him, breathless as the other man all but crashes into him. It forces him to stagger them both to a stand still, a wide smile on his lips as he looks down on the blonde.

There's an odd kind of high to it, or maybe it's more to do with the subtle satisfaction of finally allowing another to touch him when it's so much of what he's wanted since he arrived here. (No, for far far longer though he'd never admit such a thing.) One moment he's standing over Constantin, the other man pulled so close against him that the blonde has to tilt back ever so slightly. The next he's doing what is absolutely the most reckless, irresponsible, improper thing he's ever done in his life.

Lorenz leans that tiny bit closer... and kisses him.]

[How dare he indeed— but it was worth it, he thinks, and that thought shows all over his face just before Lorenz spins him again. That makes him laugh, practically giddy, and the comparatively clumsy return to Lorenz's arms is somehow the perfect ending to the whole moment; Constantin finds himself all but clutching Lorenz to stay upright, looking up at him with eyes bright and delighted as the rest of him, and then— oh!

Oh, and it makes sense for Lorenz to lean down and kiss him, just as it makes sense for Constantin to rise ever so slightly on his toes and kiss him back. To end this perfectly real dance with a nod and a polite handshake would discredit it somehow, it feels like, although that hardly matters as much as the simple fact of how closely they're pressed together, and how warm Lorenz's lips are against his own.

Dimly he thinks it's kind of amusing— not the kiss, no, but that Lorenz of all people is the first person here on this island to catch him in a kiss in the heat of the moment. Straight of a romance novel, this kiss, and Constantin pauses for breath for just a second before he presses up into another one.

He likes kissing marginally more than he likes spinning, so they can discuss his fictitious dance use later.]

[It really is straight out of a romance novel and, while he expected it to be with a woman he intended to marry this is, in many ways, how he envisioned his first kiss happening. Some similarities, some vast differences, of course. He's so swept up in it, in this moment, that Constantin comes back to him for a second kiss and he meets him half way.

Warm soft lips, the hum of laughter still lingering on the air, a smile threatening to break the kiss again. It is something simple, sweet, an innocent press of lips and nothing more. They're both warm and flushed from the dance, a direct contrast to the cool mountain air when he'd had that brief contact with Claude. Kissing Constantin is somehow something warm and safe and-

Abruptly he pulls back. Not just from the kiss but from the embrace as well, violet eyes gone impossibly wide in surprise.]

Oh, I- [A hand comes up to his mouth, hovering for a moment, fingertips brush against his own lips, thoroughly startled by himself.] I shouldn't have...

[It's a good kiss all around; comfortable and warm, unhurried, without demand or expectation— just a simple expression of pleasant feelings. Different from moments he's shared with others here, though all of his experiences have been a unique shade of pleasant, ah—

Well, it's nice, and so he blinks in surprise when Lorenz does suddenly pull away from him looking a little tragic. It's not hard to read that expression, so Constantin purses his lips and drops his hands to his sides, swinging them idly while he tries to think of what to say in this suddenly much more uncertain atmosphere.

First, hm, he supposes:] If you hadn't, I might very well have.

[Haha... does he get points for honesty? There's little point in denying this little moment was indeed a moment. Still, when someone pulls away so quickly and looks at him like that, well...

It's awkward! Can't deny that, either. He crosses his arms and rocks back on his heels, like, totally casual, definitely not thinking about lips, especially not those of anybody present.]

Perhaps now we ought to take that break.

[He... definitely gets points for honesty because Lorenz really didn't think that would have been the case. Constantin was a flirt in a lot of ways. Maybe it was less that he wouldn't have kissed him but that it would have been some sort of joke, another way to tease him for being so uptight or just... that he wouldn't argue a kiss from anyone, really. But there's something so much more honest than that in the way even he seems a bit awkward about the whole thing and it's that more than anything that makes Lorenz' blush deepen.]

Yes... perhaps...

[Quiet compared to his usual boastfulness but he really has no idea how to handle this whole thing. He'd never have allowed it back in Fodlan but did the constant ache of yearning this place caused really make a person different or was it more that... things that should take months to develop seemed to fit together a little more naturally. And was that entirely the heat of so many things tainted too force a physical response or was it the stress of the unknown, the eagerness to connect with someone, the forced proximity of strangers.

And Constantin didn't have the welcome relief of old friends here.

Lorenz is very clearly caught up in his own head, pacing away from the center of the room toward the windows, back again, heels snapping out a sharp staccato. As he does, though, he works his hands free of his gloves, tucks them into a pocket of his jacket which comes off to drape over the floor from a doorknob.]

Constantin...?

[Abrupt as he turns on his heel to look at the blond, lips pressed into a hard line, easier then to bite at them as he tries to weigh out his feelings. But Constantin doesn't have any expectations for him and there's something fleeting and almost fragile about the little flashes of something deeper than he'd originally given the man credit for. Didn't he at least deserve that same honesty in return?]

I-... I'm not sorry I did it. I should be. It's entirely- [No, he knows all the myriad reasons nobles aren't meant to go around kissing anyone that offers them a dance.]

but I'm not.

[Oh, and there goes Lorenz, pacing...? Constantin watches him go back and forth, not entirely certain what he's supposed to be doing while this is happening. It has the effect- definitely not intentional, but still there- of easing some of the tension that's cropped up all of a sudden, if only because Lorenz going back and forth in silence leaves Constantin with nothing to do but wait, and the longer he does, the less uncomfortable he starts to feel.

So... there's that? By the time Lorenz finally turns to speak to him, Constantin straightens up with a blink and a little Hmm? as if he might have started to let his thoughts wander. Aha...

He has the strangest feeling that a not-insignificant part of this non-apology is actually for Lorenz's own benefit and not for him, but it still gets a small smile out of him, for the sentiment.]

Well— thank you, I suppose. [He makes a face briefly, brow furrowing at the idea of thanking someone for not... hating kissing him? What a conversation this is all of a sudden-] Neither am I. We are simpatico! Mostly.

[He doesn't agree with what he's sure is a long list of propriety violations, or whatever, but the rest is fine. After a moment he pivots to the wall nearest Lorenz, where he will lean super casually for this break time.]

I've never had someone... not apologize to me like that before. I wouldn't have assumed, you know...

[Wellllll, he might have. But now he doesn't have to! It's worked out neatly.]

[It is more for Lorenz than for Constantin but telling Constantin is an important part of that. Giving himself permission to not be ashamed of something is... a lot, really.

The other man moves to lean against the wall and Lorenz shakes his head a little, flashing Constantin an apologetic little smile. The not apology was rather strange, perhaps but it was important to him. A couple cautious steps and then Lorenz leans into the wall a bit as well. Violet eyes cut to the side, watching Constantin, trying to figure out if he's actually okay with whatever the hell this is or if he's pushing to seem cavalier about it.

It's hard to say for sure but... Lorenz does reach carefully for Constantin's hand, curling his fingers (ungloved fingers) around Constantin's. He may not be brave enough to give himself permission to kiss him again or anything but this at least, he can have.]

[For his part, Constantin— well. Kissing is perfectly fine, he has no qualms at all about kissing whoever he'd like to kiss whenever he'd like to kiss them, so it's very much this bumbling aftermath that throws off his rhythm, as it were. If he's somehow put Lorenz into some kind of crisis, ah... he'll feel bad? He isn't callous, even if he has no patience in his own life for fretting over propriety.

So. He waits, tilting his head to look at Lorenz as he comes to stand beside him, saying nothing, still waiting. The first brush of fingers does surprise him, but hmm— he decides he'll accept this concession, shifting to hold his hand in a loose grip.

Whatever's happened here- whether or not they ever actually kiss again remains to be seen, he supposes, but this will do for now. He's quiet for a moment, just standing there, holding hands...

(Very bold, to take off the gloves to hold his hand. Impressive.)]

Nobody's waiting on me, if you'd like to stay here a while.

Edited (casually adds missing word) 2020-09-20 07:18 (UTC)

[It is bold, thank you very much! He has actively removed his gloves to touch someone else precisely three times. And one of them was... well to hold Constantin's hand at the cafe.

Was this going to become some sort of trend?]

If I haven't made things too awkward for you.

[A little bit of a gentle tease, though whether it's directed at Constantin or himself is hard to say.]

It was- is surprisingly fun. Making up a dance like that... [The pause following is charged, nervous energy obvious, the need to say something more.]

... the kiss was nice, too.

[Did it count as his first since, technically, the first was something forced by Harpy intervention? The jury is still out on that.]

[Oh, he'll have to try harder than that to make things too awkward for Constantin. He swings their hands back and forth a little, not too much, but just sort of... because they're holding hands, a silent acknowledgement and approval of this other thing besides kissing.

...But speaking of kissing.]

It was, [he agrees, giving Lorenz's hand a tiny squeeze for emphasis.] Honestly, you surprised me— in a very delightful way, mind you.

[Suddenly sweeping him into such a dramatic embrace? Well! Surprising indeed for the man who blushes at the merest suggestion of touching another person.]

[See? This is precisely the problem. He gives himself leave to relax a little and then he just does things and it's so far beyond what he'd have wanted to do (except that clearly he did want it). But Constantin swings their hands and it's such a boyish gesture that Lorenz chuckles despite himself.]

I surprised me. [He returns that little squeeze, grateful for the gentle reassurance.] I don't know what came over me. I-

[No. He bites down on that next sentence hard enough that his teeth click. No, he said he wasn't going to apologize.]

[Constantin shrugs, not wanting to turn this conversation into something overly complicated yet again. It's not? It isn't, it's fine, and so instead he will lean into an old standard: quips.]

I daresay it was my innate charm.

[Actually kind of ironic, as many of the fussy nobles he's brushed elbows with at home for years and years consider him, hm, a literal nightmare if not a disappointing embarrassment, but— away from court he's very charming, indeed. So there, mystery solved.]

Edited (I forgot the icon.......) 2020-09-20 18:05 (UTC)

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