[center]Clara was not the type to dance, nor socialize... Or even entertain a gentleman who had dared approach her despite the fact that she had looked so terribly alone, and yet there she was, wasn't she? She should have given him the usual cold shoulder, told him to fuck off and leave her be much like she typically did with anyone who thought they were worth the time of day. She had been alone for a reason -- one that she didn't feel like sharing with anyone let alone a stranger who could only hope for a dance that could potentially lead into a night of quick relief before they moved on to the next. She was there at that party, without the need to be present, willing herself to be invisible to the rest of the room so she could have a few drinks until she could either leave on her own or Christian would deem it the right time to end the evening. But this one -- this one had seen her entirely and no matter how eager she could have been to dismiss herself, her curiosity had become increasingly more important.

He had not been put off by the way she spoke, the hint of sarcasm and potential irritation in the cold chill of her voice had still been quite intentional. Rather, he had not missed a beat in introducing himself after his little charming comment. Where Clara could have hoped that a name to a face hidden behind a mask could have even mildly sated her wonder, his name still had not been entirely familiar, at least, not as much as she had been hoping it would. Her painted lips had pursed in the slightest over that disappointment, almost too focused on analyzing just what had felt so.., different about this one, to realize he had extended his hand to offer the wine he had promised. 

"...Pleasure's all mine," Clara had mumured softly even then. Niceties perhaps. Old habits and etiquette still lingered despite herself; despite the fact that her personality had become soured with a few centuries long bitterness. There had been a a delayed moment, a mere second as her gaze focused solely upon what could lie beyond that mask as if that would be the missing piece to the puzzle. Clara had seemed to catch herself, however, as she realized the glass had still been lingering in the air, and she had reached out to gingerly accept it.

She lifted it immediately to her lips as Maximillian spoke again and she had to contain the urge to breathe the sigh that was welling within her chest. Such lovely words for someone wishing so eagerly for a dance-- empty words that Clara had learned not to believe in time. It was words like those that had gotten her into this mess so long ago. Words that had began it all. 

As he had extended his hand towards her, Clara had eyed it for a second, cautious in her decision that hadn't quite been made just yet. She had accepted his wine and therefore she should at least agree to one dance, but part of her was hesitant on that brief moment of contact. She was alone for a reason. Should she close to take a leap of faith in order to fulfill her curiosity, which held the very real possibility of remaining unsatisfied, then who knew where she could end up? It was easier to avoid them altogether than it was to appease them. 

She had swallowed a bit of the wine that still lingered in her mouth before she set the glass aside next to her empty one. Something within her knew full well that she shouldn't while another part of her craved the thrill, wanting to know why in the hell the man before her seemed to be the ghost of something she couldn't quite explain? So Clara had jumped the ledge, her thin hand slipping carefully into his own as she would allow herself to be pulled along towards the dance floor if he so wished.

For curiosity's sake, of course. 

"You'd be surprised," Clara began as she still looked at him as if he were uncharted territory, something forbidden that she wanted to dissect. "The lonely tend to be that way for their own reasons -- and you'll find that the same tend to have a plethora of stories in their isolation. Something had to be the cause of their despair, no?" She tilted her head, almost amused at her own words - as if she knew a secret that he would never come to know. "But, prey tell. What makes you think that is be willing to share such tales with a stranger?"[/center]
[@Dylan]