Lee didn't back down in the face of their protests. She had to draw her lines somewhere, and she'd made her decision. She was gratified to have Axel's support again, though she hated herself for letting him talk them down when it was clear it made him uncomfortable. He was awkward for the entirety of the walk to the bus, but perhaps he had been hurt too by her refusal, more than he cared to show. When she heard the sound of the bus's engine coming down the street she turned to face him. "I can't say I enjoyed this, but it was good to see you, Axel. Take care." And then she was gone. -- Lee's hours varied by the day -- and she wasn't anywhere to be found on Saturdays, after closing up early Friday afternoons. She never failed to greet Axel with a smile, though towards the end of the second week she started to wonder what exactly she was dealing with, and how to tell him politely to stop lurking. When he finally came inside and actually approached her, it was a relief, though his request opened up a whole new kettle of worms. "Axel! ...Yes you may, although I'm going to need a few minutes to change. And I have one last session today, so I'm afraid I won't be done for another twenty minutes, all told." A young man stepped out of one of the rooms, wearing a dancer's leotard. He was about Axel's age, with impressively pink hair that contrasted dramatically with his dark skin. He'd been at the studio several days over the past two weeks, working as Lee's assistant. "Yo Lee, thanks again for this. Let me just cue up the music." Lee smiled over her shoulder. "Go ahead. I'll be right over." She turned her attention back to Axel. "I've agreed to help Dan with his upcoming performance--" "[i]Our[/i] upcoming performance! Not that I need to worry about you. You seen Lee dance, dude? Moves like a goddess. Iunno how she do what she do, but she do it well." The young man dropped into an exaggerated drawl briefly, moving back to proper English with a grin. "It's worth the extra month here just to be sure my partner will hold up her part. You wouldn't believe how many of the girls at school get all fussy." "Dan's a choreographer as well as a dancer," Lee explained. "Twenty minutes, Axel, and then I'm free." "Ooh, practice audience. Pressure's on, Lee!" Dan joked, holding out a hand. "Don't even. You're the one that's nervous about this." "Don't remind me." And then there was no more time for talking, for the speakers clicked off a beat and the music began. It was immediately apparent that Dan had skill -- and that swing was not Lee's strongest suit. She'd picked it up because it was common and popular and a good way to make money, and while she did enjoy the style it was nowhere near the top of her list. Interpretive elements let her be more expressive and, and with a faster-paced middle section the pair broke out a bit of dazzling footwork that most ballroom dancers wouldn't touch for mere social events. Dan lifted her like she weighed nothing, though it was hardly the case -- his biceps alone indicated the training needed to perform those feats of apparent effortless grace. They ran through it twice, the second time pausing to go over parts. In the end it was closer to ten minutes than fifteen before Dan bid Axel and Lee farewell. "Monday, Lee -- nine am, right? For one last run before we do it for real." "Nine am. I'll be there, Dan. And try to relax this weekend." Lee closed the cabinet holding her sound system and locked the door. "Give me time to change out of this, Axel -- I'm drenched. Thursdays are intense." She didn't wait for a reply but vanished at once to peel out of her sweaty outfit and wash up a little before returning to the main room, now in street clothes. "Right. Dinner. And it [i]is[/i] good that you decided to drop by." Lee didn't say why, couldn't quite bring herself to so soon. She'd no intention of letting him take her somewhere expensive, certainly not if he meant to pay for hers, as it sounded like he did. "How have your friends been?" she asked as she fished her key out of her purse. "The swing group asked after you and Cal, actually. Wanted to know if either of you would be coming back." [i]And several of them wondered why you were outside and didn't come in....[/i]