[b]Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015[/b]

Standing still a little way off from where the actual dance was being held, Kotori couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. There were all sorts of people lining up; some taking their first steps and others seemingly moving in step with the drum effortlessly. There she saw an elderly couple who seemed to have made a tradition of the dance for years, over there was a parent that was mostly helping along their rather excited child. But wherever she looked, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves - it was a sight that had her so absorbed that it took her a moment to realise that Rui, still standing beside her, was speaking. And furthermore, that he was speaking to hear.

[color=green]"Hm?"[/color] she went, turning her head slightly to look at Rui rather than the ongoing dance - and most decidedly not down at their hands, the feeling of which she had most definitely come to get used to. At least, that's what she told herself every time until she felt even the gentlest of tugs and her attempted self deception came crumbling down once more. However, it took her another moment before she actually realised just what he had said.

Kotori's immediate response was simply to blink at him, so odd seemed Rui's question. Of course she wasn't against dancing - but surely he didn't mean it like that. She'd never actually participated in any dances herself, so there was no way she could do so now - and in front of a whole plethora of strangers no less! And besides, that would look almost like - wait, why were the dancers suddenly getting closer? And why did her hand - and, by proxy, her cheeks - suddenly feel a slight bit warmer?

[color=green]"Sh-Shinichi-san!"[/color] Kotori's voice was a mix between a whisper, trying not to draw too much attention, and a surprised, albeit muted, cry, when she realised that he had nonchalantly grasped her hand and was now moving toward where the dance itself was being held. Kotori desperately racked her brain for something to say before it all undoubtedly ended up in a huge embarrassement - not only for herself but, even worse, for him too. But before she could come up with anything, they had already reached the other dancers and within moments, they had somehow slipped in with them.

Kotori's mind was racing between a way to make Rui realise that there was no way she'd be able to be a fitting dance partner - there wasn't a moment's doubt that he either knew all the moves or would just effortlessly pick them up as he always did - and trying not to make a mess of the dance that had begun then and then. In her best attempt at not making things even more embarrassing than they already were, Kotori quickly glanced over at the lady before her and tried to copy what she was doing - albeit with movements that were a lot more stiff and belated, what with all that was on her mind at that moment.

Kotori barely dared move her gaze elsewhere - for one, she didn't want to confirm her fears that the entirety of the crowd that surrounded the dancers were staring at her stumbling her way through this dance when everyone else was making a grand performance of it. For another, she dared even less to glance up at Rui - who, Kotori was convinced, was probably regretting his choice in dance partners already.

At least, that's what she thought until she heard his voice as he discretely warned her of an upcoming twist and that she should just follow his lead. Kotori had little time to process this before the drum beat briefly changed rhythms and she found herself suddenly standing face to face with Rui - which, in turn, meant that she had little in the way of dancers to try and copy the moves from. Furthermore, she had little choice but to look up at him at that point - but as she hesitantly did so, surprise came over her face.

Rather than any sign of annoyance or disappointment, Rui was instead smiling - a sight which briefly put a halt to Kotori's otherwise incessant worries. And with her self-inflicted awkwardness momentarily lifted, the admittedly simple steps of the dance came with little hesitation and only the slightest hint from Rui via gentle tugs of her hand that were resting in his all throughout. Though she clearly wasn't at ease with herself, Kotori nonetheless found herself actually enjoying the simple act of following the beat of the drum with each step that she took - even if her gaze couldn't rest on Rui for too long at a time before she felt the need to avert her bespectacled eyes.

And as they moved, Rui would occasionally call out the next move ahead of time before gently leading her through the motions - still a little stiff for fear of messing things up, Kotori still did her best to follow his lead. Toward the end, they actually seemed to find a semblance of a rhythm that she could follow along even in her state - a feeling which slowly managed to bring a hint of a smile to her face.

But alas, they could hardly spend the whole evening dancing and so they eventually stepped out from the dancing folk - though with how focused she'd been on both the movement and trying to calm her racing mind, Kotori couldn't have hazarded even the faintest guess as to how much time they'd just spent. Somewhere in the meantime, she'd managed to push back her fear that all the onlookers were fixed on her and every little mistake she'd made - a fear which turned out to be unsubstantiated when they rejoined the crowd with not a single word or gaze their way.

From all the excitement, Kotori's breathing was still a bit elevated and her face still felt rather warm - and probably wouldn't quite return to her usual shade until the similar warmth surrounding her hand was lifted. At the same time though, she felt no small measure of relief at no longer being the center of attention - even if only in her own mind. But at the same time, a small part of her also felt almost disappointed - but before could dwell on that, Rui's voice once more broke through her reverie to ask if she'd had fun.

[color=green]"Eh? O-oh, y-, uhm, I, I think so, y-yes, yes,"[/color] Kotori said whilst nodding - truthfully and, rarely enough, with a small smile. Because even through all her fears and doubts and embarrassement, she couldn't deny that she did indeed have fun. As they headed back toward the food stands - leaving Kotori to realise yet again that no, she had not even slightly gotten used to the feeling of their hands touching in order to not get lost in the crowd.

Distraced as such, it took her a moment to realise that for all the things he seemed to be doing to put her at ease, she hadn't even stopped to ask if any of this was actually enjoyable for him, too. An attempt or two later, Kotori finally spoke up again. [color=green]"Uhm... was... was it fun for y-you, too?"[/color] she asked as they were already headed for the food stalls; her eyes once again finding all sorts of most fascinating things to focus on - and thereby avoiding all but the most occasional of glances at Rui.