((Everyone is getting ready for the upcoming Ball! Below is an edited example of how we are all preparing! {edited for length} ))
Coatleque glanced at the guard by the stairs. Zachary had expressed his worry as to if the man would mind that they were performing a basic dance lesson half-way up the stairs to the Palace where the hallway opened into a sort of rotunda. Three thin pillars surrounded them in the middle of the red-carpeted room.
"He is on duty now, so as long as we don't bother him. I doubt he would mind some entertainment anyway."
Zachary went red at her mention of him being entertainment, scrubbing his nose furiously.
"S-so when do we start?!"
"Right now, of coursee! So you want to learn to dance ballroom style? The easiest and most popular by far is the Waltz."
"What's a Waltz?"
"A basic dance that moves in time with a one - two - three pattern. It is meant for two persons. As the man, you will of course be leading."
"O-oh! Okay, sounds simple enough."
"You can walk in a square, yes? Forward, side, back, side?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Then you already know the basics. After that, t'is pure technicality.", she continued with a nod.
"That's all?" He seemed almost disappointed.
"For the basic Waltz? Yes. It sounds easy, but you have yet to execute it. First, you will always begin with your outer foot. Your left, in this case."
"M'left?"
She pointed to his left side.
"That side."
"Just didn't know if you meant my left or your left..."
"... your left. It will be the outer foot when you are paired, as she will be standing like so..."
Coatleque moved close to Zach, offset to his right side and nodded to him. He straightened up suddenly with her so near.
"Yes ma'am. Is there anything else? Umm...", he hesitated as she stepped back away.
"Of course! We've only just begun, Mister Evans."
His voice trailed off as if he was about to ask something before simply shaking his head. "Yes ma'am."
"So, as I said, stepping in a square. You begin with the left foot and take one step forward. Then you bring your right foot forward and to the side, so you are standing with feet apart."
"Like...this?"
She nodded at his example.
"Aye, simple, yes? Finally you bring your left foot in to meet the right so you are standing as you began. This completes one half of your square."
He tried his best to mirror her instructions as she continued.
"For the second half, you repeat the same thing only backwards. Step back with the right foot, then the left apart. Finally, bring your right in to meet the left. This leaves you where you started."
"Seems really simple for high-brow affairs..."
"Of course it does! I did say that was the basic gist of it. Once you have that down you may embellish the dance with rotations, flourishes, and the like. And simply walking out the motions here is one thing, repeating them faster and to the rhythm of music is quite another. You must also lead your Lady partner! This dance is not about you, Sir. You are only directing her."
"Okay... I think I've got it."
She stood back as he repeated the movements a few times. At length she nodded.
"Very good. Now then, as I said, this is a two person dance. So you are going to have to not only lead her, but hold her accordingly. For this I must demonstrate."
Once more the man turned red as a beet.
![[Image: moiBMrL.png]](http://i.imgur.com/moiBMrL.png)
Coatleque moved in reeeeal close to Zach, her head turned away to the side. She reached down and took his right hand and arm.
"Now, your right hand will go around to her back, under the arm."
"Y-y-yes m-ma'am!", he almost started as he jerked completely rigid, straight faced and tense.
She lifted his arm up slightly and placed her own arm across his with her hand on his shoulder.
"Now, you must keep your arm raised almost level. Not too high, but definitely not angled down. And your hand must be firm!"
His hand tightened into an almost inescapable cage. Certainly not bone crushing, but a very solid grip.
"O-o-o-o-kaaaaay..." he stammered.
Coatleque jerked forward slightly before grinning.
"Why Mister Evans... such a grip you have!"
He nodded in a very mechanical fashion.
"Y-y-y-yes ma'am! Thank you ma'am!"
"Now then, your right hand is how you direct her. She will be mirroring your movements to an extent. The left hand is more for show, so you will raise it up as so..."
She took his left hand with hers and raised them both up to about head-level in a slightly bent manner.
"And for this hand, you need not hold tightly. As I said, t'is for show. So once you are in place as we are now, the dance may begin. As you step forward, she will step back. As you step back, she will step forward. Understand?"
"Got it."
"Good. Shall we then?"
"... Y-you mean now? While... holding you?"
"Well of course now! How else are you to practice?"
What followed may have been one of the most awkward and amusing shuffles of two people to ever be seen in the Palace. Once stopped he quickly removed his hands and stepped backwards.
"Okay, alright, how'd I do?"
"Good, except you stepped the wrong way."
"Damnnit!"
"You step forward then to your right, Mister Evans", she chuckled.
"Sorry, this is well... just alot different from the feastday dances back home."
"Of course it is! Come on, try it again then."
"Okay..."
This time she moved closer to him once more but with her hands raised waiting for him to assume the correct position. He took a deep breath before taking her again, and looking down to his feet.
"Okay, step one..."
They practiced the movements once again, this time in the correct direction.
"Nicely done! Was that so hard then?"
"Yes."
The pair went over the moves a few more times before stopping once more.
"Now, all you need is practice. As much as you can spare. I also hope your Lady friend can dance, or else said practice will be for naught. Even if she cannot, at least you will know how. That alone should be impressive enough."
He only blushed again and turned away.
"Crofte? Can you... teach me to spin her around on the ballroom floor? I... I wantto make that night a fairy tale come to life. I'm not fancy, or refined like any of you. But... teach me enough to deceive her, just for one night? Yeesh... sounds horrible saying it out loud like that."
She gave him a gentle smile at his shyness.
"That is where you lead her, as I have said. Remember how your hands were placed?"
"Yes ma'am."
"So, we stand as before..."
They both re-assumed the starting position with him holding her hand and waist.
"Now, to have her spin you must tell her to do so, raising your hand up slightly and gently pushing from the side as if you were going to actually pull her around. But do not let go entirely of her hand. Once she has done so, you will gently pull her back to your position."
"Alright, I've got it."
They began the moves once more, but this time as they returned to start, he added in what he had just learnt. She slowly spun to her right, under their arms, and then back to his shoulder once more.
"Very good, Mister Evans!"
As they stepped back from the lesson again she curtsied to him. He bowed in a surprisingly formal manner to her.
"Thank you. I hope I'll get it right at the ball. I really do owe you for this."
"It is no trouble. Remember, practice when you can!"
With that he turned to leave slowly, hands in his pockets and head slumped as he walked away.
Coatleque glanced at the guard by the stairs. Zachary had expressed his worry as to if the man would mind that they were performing a basic dance lesson half-way up the stairs to the Palace where the hallway opened into a sort of rotunda. Three thin pillars surrounded them in the middle of the red-carpeted room.
"He is on duty now, so as long as we don't bother him. I doubt he would mind some entertainment anyway."
Zachary went red at her mention of him being entertainment, scrubbing his nose furiously.
"S-so when do we start?!"
"Right now, of coursee! So you want to learn to dance ballroom style? The easiest and most popular by far is the Waltz."
"What's a Waltz?"
"A basic dance that moves in time with a one - two - three pattern. It is meant for two persons. As the man, you will of course be leading."
"O-oh! Okay, sounds simple enough."
"You can walk in a square, yes? Forward, side, back, side?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Then you already know the basics. After that, t'is pure technicality.", she continued with a nod.
"That's all?" He seemed almost disappointed.
"For the basic Waltz? Yes. It sounds easy, but you have yet to execute it. First, you will always begin with your outer foot. Your left, in this case."
"M'left?"
She pointed to his left side.
"That side."
"Just didn't know if you meant my left or your left..."
"... your left. It will be the outer foot when you are paired, as she will be standing like so..."
Coatleque moved close to Zach, offset to his right side and nodded to him. He straightened up suddenly with her so near.
"Yes ma'am. Is there anything else? Umm...", he hesitated as she stepped back away.
"Of course! We've only just begun, Mister Evans."
His voice trailed off as if he was about to ask something before simply shaking his head. "Yes ma'am."
"So, as I said, stepping in a square. You begin with the left foot and take one step forward. Then you bring your right foot forward and to the side, so you are standing with feet apart."
"Like...this?"
She nodded at his example.
"Aye, simple, yes? Finally you bring your left foot in to meet the right so you are standing as you began. This completes one half of your square."
He tried his best to mirror her instructions as she continued.
"For the second half, you repeat the same thing only backwards. Step back with the right foot, then the left apart. Finally, bring your right in to meet the left. This leaves you where you started."
"Seems really simple for high-brow affairs..."
"Of course it does! I did say that was the basic gist of it. Once you have that down you may embellish the dance with rotations, flourishes, and the like. And simply walking out the motions here is one thing, repeating them faster and to the rhythm of music is quite another. You must also lead your Lady partner! This dance is not about you, Sir. You are only directing her."
"Okay... I think I've got it."
She stood back as he repeated the movements a few times. At length she nodded.
"Very good. Now then, as I said, this is a two person dance. So you are going to have to not only lead her, but hold her accordingly. For this I must demonstrate."
Once more the man turned red as a beet.
Coatleque moved in reeeeal close to Zach, her head turned away to the side. She reached down and took his right hand and arm.
"Now, your right hand will go around to her back, under the arm."
"Y-y-yes m-ma'am!", he almost started as he jerked completely rigid, straight faced and tense.
She lifted his arm up slightly and placed her own arm across his with her hand on his shoulder.
"Now, you must keep your arm raised almost level. Not too high, but definitely not angled down. And your hand must be firm!"
His hand tightened into an almost inescapable cage. Certainly not bone crushing, but a very solid grip.
"O-o-o-o-kaaaaay..." he stammered.
Coatleque jerked forward slightly before grinning.
"Why Mister Evans... such a grip you have!"
He nodded in a very mechanical fashion.
"Y-y-y-yes ma'am! Thank you ma'am!"
"Now then, your right hand is how you direct her. She will be mirroring your movements to an extent. The left hand is more for show, so you will raise it up as so..."
She took his left hand with hers and raised them both up to about head-level in a slightly bent manner.
"And for this hand, you need not hold tightly. As I said, t'is for show. So once you are in place as we are now, the dance may begin. As you step forward, she will step back. As you step back, she will step forward. Understand?"
"Got it."
"Good. Shall we then?"
"... Y-you mean now? While... holding you?"
"Well of course now! How else are you to practice?"
What followed may have been one of the most awkward and amusing shuffles of two people to ever be seen in the Palace. Once stopped he quickly removed his hands and stepped backwards.
"Okay, alright, how'd I do?"
"Good, except you stepped the wrong way."
"Damnnit!"
"You step forward then to your right, Mister Evans", she chuckled.
"Sorry, this is well... just alot different from the feastday dances back home."
"Of course it is! Come on, try it again then."
"Okay..."
This time she moved closer to him once more but with her hands raised waiting for him to assume the correct position. He took a deep breath before taking her again, and looking down to his feet.
"Okay, step one..."
They practiced the movements once again, this time in the correct direction.
"Nicely done! Was that so hard then?"
"Yes."
The pair went over the moves a few more times before stopping once more.
"Now, all you need is practice. As much as you can spare. I also hope your Lady friend can dance, or else said practice will be for naught. Even if she cannot, at least you will know how. That alone should be impressive enough."
He only blushed again and turned away.
"Crofte? Can you... teach me to spin her around on the ballroom floor? I... I wantto make that night a fairy tale come to life. I'm not fancy, or refined like any of you. But... teach me enough to deceive her, just for one night? Yeesh... sounds horrible saying it out loud like that."
She gave him a gentle smile at his shyness.
"That is where you lead her, as I have said. Remember how your hands were placed?"
"Yes ma'am."
"So, we stand as before..."
They both re-assumed the starting position with him holding her hand and waist.
"Now, to have her spin you must tell her to do so, raising your hand up slightly and gently pushing from the side as if you were going to actually pull her around. But do not let go entirely of her hand. Once she has done so, you will gently pull her back to your position."
"Alright, I've got it."
They began the moves once more, but this time as they returned to start, he added in what he had just learnt. She slowly spun to her right, under their arms, and then back to his shoulder once more.
"Very good, Mister Evans!"
As they stepped back from the lesson again she curtsied to him. He bowed in a surprisingly formal manner to her.
"Thank you. I hope I'll get it right at the ball. I really do owe you for this."
"It is no trouble. Remember, practice when you can!"
With that he turned to leave slowly, hands in his pockets and head slumped as he walked away.
 ![[Image: hpThOka.png]](http://i.imgur.com/hpThOka.png)
![[Image: tumblr_n92fndN0EH1rujdn8o1_500.gif]](https://33.media.tumblr.com/449e130ac31106ec8aeda3d0f121d76b/tumblr_n92fndN0EH1rujdn8o1_500.gif)
![[Image: Emblem%252520by%252520Rhea%252520Zaheela%252520x50.png]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5YSh8yMniHU/VlLStr_7SSI/AAAAAAAAIQ4/qLoOmtz-Jdg/s100-Ic42/Emblem%252520by%252520Rhea%252520Zaheela%252520x50.png)
