ArchivedLogs:Outside the Dance

Outside the Dance
Dramatis Personae Ivan, Rasa
In Absentia	2013-05-31 There are just too many people in the dance. Ivan can't hear himself think. (Part of Them! TP)
Location <XS> Back Porch
The back patio is a restful place to sit and relax, in most weather. Ample seating comes in the form of umbrella'd deck chairs and a cushioned porch swing, and the neighboring gardens attract butterflies and hummingbirds to make the viewing pleasant. The hot tub is usually open for use, though in snowy weather the transition in and out is a shivery one! Too much crazy. /Too much crazy/. Ivan may not be the panicking in crowds sort of type, but he's definitely not the /staying/ in crowds sort of type either. Not unless he's got something specific to do, which he seemed to be having a hard time pinpointing back in the Great Hall he and Rasa are just leaving. The warm weather welcomes them outside in a /wave/ of hot air past the doors. Though he does not look particularly /panicked/, Ivan does look a hair more at ease out here, his eyes once more searching for Rasa's once he feels sufficiently far removed from the doors back inside. "Is it-- okay if we take a break?" He sounds a little guilty. As if he'd FORCED hir to come here. "Yes, Ivan. We can take a break for as long as you want." Rasa leads him over to the cushioned porch swing and settles down onto it, reaching a hand up to pull Ivan gently down as well. Ze is quiet and watchful, some of hir greenery fading from hir skin as hir attention becomes more and more focused on her person. "Look, it's okay if you don't want to go back in there at all. I just... I do want to dance with you before the night is over though." Ivan is easily led away, eyebrows lifting. "I--" He starts, sitting down next to hir as he watches the green fade. A little disheartened-looking, before-- puffing out his chest, sitting STRAIGHT UP again. "We will go back. When the others are /busy/. Maybe. With dancing." He lifts a hand to rub at one of his temples. Maybe a little tiredly. Perhaps that's what causes him to say, without thinking and with a perfectly straight face save for his /still/ misbehaving eyebrows, "You are the prettiest." Rasa laughs softly and leans against Ivan, resting hir head on his shoulder and entwining hir fingers with his. Ze is careful not to let hir bare forearms touch him unless he chooses it. Ze just smiles and smiles and smiles. "Thank you, Ivan. You are a wonderful escort for the dance. You make me feel amazing." Hir eyes eventually turn toward the sky and the stars showing on the clear night, hir skin turning dark blue in reflection, little pin pricks of white blossoming here and there. "You know, we could dance out here. It's not like we can't hear the music." "... We can do /both/." Ivan replies, after a brief spot of his nose winkling in thought. Someone is ambitious tonight. TWO WHOLE DANCINGS. The first one might be imminent, as he rises once more, gently pulling hir hand with him as he, too, smiles happily. Come come come. Rasa brightens up, getting to hir feet once more and moving into Ivan's arms for dancing. Ze takes his hand and rests her left hand on his shoulder, before leaning closer and wrapping hir arm partially around his back. Ze is very careful with hir high heels, hir tail providing hir with grace and balance - well, just enough to keep hir from falling over. New challenge: do not step on Ivan's toes. Ivan seems all too happy to have a Rasa in his arms, glancing occasionally downwards. It's entirely likely that he's worried about the /very same thing/. He manages to smile through it all the same, eyes on hirs. "... I did not have any spiders this time." He notes in a whisper, as though this is suddenly of great importance. And maybe a grave mistake! Rasa nods slowly, starting to move with the music filtering in from the Great Hall. "And you now know all about my skin and don't have to worry about touching it." Thighs and knees brush lightly as they move, but no feet are trampled during this dance. "I am glad you asked me to dance." With all the grace of a dance-unfamiliar teenager with few properly developed social skills to speak of, Ivan moves along. It's not a /lot/. The fact that he's not focusing on /it/ but instead on Rasa may be helping. "I watched. For a long time." One of his hands leaves hir side to reach for hir cheek, very slowly. No longer smiling - all of this is just /fact/. "You were the only one I wanted to dance with." Rasa leans into the touch, eyes closing, lips still holding a hint of a smile. Hir mind reaches out toward Ivan, buzzing with the affection ze feels for him. << I was feeling lost, strange, and brave. I'm so glad you saw me. >> Their dancing may be little more than shuffling at this point, but it's definitely pleasant. "You are my favorite dance partner." Shuffling appears to suit Ivan just fine, absent smile coming back to his face as the buzz of affection washes over him. Meeting quite a bit of his own, as it turns out. Along with... something else. Somehing quite like the bees Rasa had felt pulsing information out into his mind before, despite there being none around. Something... bigger? Something hungry to take information /back/ - but this presence is-- far more passively demanding, giving none and attempting only to take. Ignored or unnoticed, it seems, by Ivan himself, whose thoughts emerge in Russian first, before being layered over with a translation, << You are always brave. It is the best thing about you. >> Rasa stays with Ivan's mind, skin washing peach, acquiring Ivan's skin tone but none of his features. Ze stays close, considering his words in Russian and English, then dwelling on what ze likes about Ivan. His loyalty, his interest in atypical beauty, his strong feelings. All of this ze knew before ze touched his mind, but now is more familiar with it. << You are strong and loyal and full of good. You have amazing qualities. >> Oh infectious curiosity. Why can't people just let things go? When ze notices the distraction in the back of Ivan's mind, ze leans in on it, getting closer, trying to figure out exactly what is pulling at the back of Ivan's mind. It's /thick/ on his mind - if Ivan hadn't had so much practise with observing near the beehives, lately, it's entirely possible he would have succumbed to the pull already. But it's not... here. The source unknown, a sneaky, low rumbling echo carried across too great a distance to be identified. Creeping into his dreams as well as surface thoughts as though it belongs there. His smile flickering ever so slightly brighter, Ivan leeaans forward to land a /kiss/ on Rasa's forehead. His hand stays on hir cheek, fingers trailing cheekbone. Again, Russian and English overlap, but share the same meaning. << ... I'm going to miss you. >> << I'm going to miss you too. >> Who is Rasa going to cuddle and talk about hir problems to? Who is going to be here when ze wants to eat everything and keep hir friends safe by sticking them in sacks in hir closet? Who is going to simply tell hir, ze should not do that, in a simple and straightforward way? Well, probably everyone else at that point, but ze LISTENS to Ivan. Hir eyelids flutter closed as ze is kissed, fingers gripping his hand and back a little closer. And like a nagging thought ze can't let go of, ze starts poking at that part of his mind, looking peering, poking, pushing it further away, perhaps. << Vanya. What this this thing? >> Poke. Poke. Poke. Hm? << What do you >> The thought surfaces in Ivan's mind only to be snuffed out again. He leans his head back again, while his hand flattens against Rasa's face first, then drops slowly to hir neck as he, too, focuses on... 'this thing'. It remains right where it is, and /strengthens/ as it begins to be noticed, now. Ivan blinks, once. Then again, somewhat slower, smile ebbing away in tiny increments as his attention settles entirely on /it/. A little glassy-eyed, a little... absent. His answer comes after a spot of silence, through thinly veiled distraction. << {... I don't know.} >> Rasa releases Ivan's hand, only to start pulling off hir gloves, eyes open and staring at Ivan with concern, especially when his gaze goes glassy. << If it is bad, maybe we can make it go away. >> Ze offers, moving hir hands to gently cradle his face. << Ivan. Vanya, stay with me. Is it an insect? Is it something else? >> It takes Ivan several blinks to manage to get his eyes to settle on Rasa again, and another blink to make it /stay/ that way. His head leans somewhat weakly into hir touch. "It is not bad." He mumbles, the worlds overlapping in his mind. << It is... insect? Insect. I... Maybe. I should have had more sleep. I was a little bit nervous for the dance. >> He forces himself to focus on something /away/ from the pull on his thoughts, and... manages, for the most part. Suddenly quite tired-looking where he stands, offering a meek, apologetic little smile. "I am sorry." "Ivan, that is strong... and a little scary. Can I help at all?" Rasa reaches down and takes his hand, tugging him back to the porch swing and pulling Ivan down to sit on it. Ze sits close to him and wraps hir arms around him tightly, squeezing and pressing hir cheek against his. << Should I take you to bed? You can sleep and feel better and I can maybe stay with you until it goes away, maybe. >> Ze chews at hir lip quietly. "... But we still have to dance." Ivan says this with eyebrows lifting in confusion, as if he simply does not understand why he would do such a thing as sleep, right /now/. He blinks a few more times, then-- shakes his head a couple of times and grabs for Rasa's hands, his smile inching wider. More confident, as that thing- whatever it is, promptly gets the brain-equivalent of a Snooze button forced upon it. He moves, then, back toward the door. << Come come come >> "We will show more people how pretty you are. It will be good practise for me. Not to be /jealous/." There is still worry on Rasa's face as Ivan starts coaxing hir back inside to the dance. Ze does smile, but it starts out as a weak little thing, accompanying a soft laugh of growing amusement. << Okay, okay... >> Ze stoops to grab hir gloves as ze passes by them, stuffing them under the strap at hir shoulder and hoping they stay there. Ze squeezes Ivan's hand tight as ze follows. "Well, if you put it that way..." Ze smiles. "Shall we dance?"