[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191101/b2b31cc33b95e23c4704ba0f95dc1090.png[/img][color=deepskyblue]____________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/center]
Hearing that Salem had been drinking made Lilie frown, wondering if that was a common theme, but she supposed if Cassandra [i]and[/i] Salem did it, then there must not be anything wrong with it. Aaron’s assurance was a little curious, but there was little time to ask any further, his hand extended to her as he asked her for a dance. He was always a little formal, but this really took the cake. Not that she found herself minding that very much, finding little reason to say no. How hard could a waltz be, anyway?

Lilie gladly took Aaron's hand, nodding happily as she mentally prepared herself, following him as he led her out to the floor. There was still a tiny part of her that was nervous, but she had every reason to believe Aaron would take the lead and she would just have to apologize to anyone she bumped into. That being said, she found herself face-to-face with Aaron--or as face-to-face as she could be with someone almost a whole head taller than she was--as he assumed a starting position. His hand on her waist actually gave her a hint of butterflies in her stomach, making her wonder when was the last time she had been so close to a guy, though as he held her hand in his, she was distracted by how much bigger his hand was than hers. It felt nice and secure, and she took a second to breathe.

[color=00BFFF]“Should I apologize now if I happen to step on your toes?”[/color] She asked him as a joke.

Aaron smiled kindly down at Lilie. [color=f0d705]“Nah, I’m tough,”[/color] he assured her with a wink. 

The music began, and gently Aaron led Lilie into the first few steps of a simple waltz. Dancing had never been much more to him than another skill he had to master, and he’d danced like this with just about everyone he knew back home, from his mother and aunts to his etiquette teacher back when he was learning. Somehow, though, his heart still managed to flutter at the chance to waltz with [i]Lilie.[/i] Even as inexperienced as she was, occasionally getting her legs tangled up with his, her movements were still fluid and alluring, and Aaron found it hard not to stare. 

Aaron's confidence was something else tonight, the white-haired girl all but determined not to make a fool of herself. Easier said than done, of course. Lilie should have known better than to agree to something out of her league; she [i]assumed[/i] a waltz was simple, but what little experience she had showed as she found herself having to play keep-up with the blonde. Aaron was well practiced, which should have made it easy to follow, but letting someone else take the lead proved a lot harder than it should have been. He was more graceful than she had anticipated, but seeing as how he came from a place where etiquette and poise were the norm, she shouldn't have been surprised. 

She mentally counted out the tempo, finding it a little easier to map out her steps as she looked down at her feet. Just as she looked up at him to ask how she was doing, she caught him staring, the mask accentuating his eyes and making her feel like he was looking right through her. Lilie ended up looking back down so quickly she was genuinely surprised her neck hadn’t snapped. He probably thought she was hopeless, her gaze fixated down to prevent him from seeing how embarrassed she was.

To Aaron, on the other hand, dancing came as easily as walking, allowing him to focus more on his partner than his own steps. And focus he did; on how she moved, how shy she suddenly became—there was such a sharp contrast between Lilie in the arena and Lilie in the ballroom that Aaron forgot himself, apparently staring a little too insistently as Lilie averted her eyes when she saw him. 

A low chuckle escaped him; he felt a little bad for laughing, but something about a bashful Lilie was just so damn endearing and [i]cute[/i] that he couldn’t help himself. She did seem tense, though, staring down at her feet and apparently very concerned about her footsteps. 

Suddenly, another flash of courage struck him, and Aaron brought his hand up from Lilie’s waist to her chin, gently tilting her face up so their eyes could meet. [color=f0d705]“You should be looking at [i]me,”[/i][/color] he told her gently, flashing a smile. 

His touch alone brought Lilie out of her counting, and the next thing she knew she was looking up at him again. Aaron’s expression was so gentle, so inexplicably warm that she found herself frozen in place, unable to tear her gaze away. She wasn’t sure how she never noticed it before, but his eyes had this gorgeous shade of blue that she hadn’t seen before. Maybe it was her own personal longing to return to a simpler time, but they reminded her a lot of a blue sky on a sunny day. 

Still, she found herself smiling with him, having to remind herself to breathe for a second. [color=00BFFF]“Okay…”[/color] The word came out so quietly she wasn’t even sure he heard it, unsure why she was finding it hard not to get too excited. 

She seemed to catch herself as she realized that now [i]she[/i] was the one staring at [i]him,[/i] clearing her throat as her brain scrambled trying to think of how to get herself out of that awkwardness. [color=00BFFF]“Where—where did you learn how to dance?”[/color] Lilie asked.

Aaron felt none of the awkwardness that Lilie did, him simply thrilled that she seemed to be enjoying his company. He took a deep breath to calm the fluttering in his chest as he placed his hand back on her waist, leaning down a bit so he could hear her when she asked a question. 

[color=f0d705]“The same place I learned everything, Noila Castle,”[/color] he replied, airily maneuvering the pair of them away from another couple to avoid a collision. [color=f0d705]“I think we’re usually supposed to learn around age six, but apparently they started me early because they couldn’t get me to sit still.”[/color] He gave Lilie a cheeky grin. 

[color=f0d705]“How about you?”[/color] he asked, stepping back and guiding Lilie’s arm up over her head for a spin in tandem with the rest of the dancers, [color=f0d705]“Have you ever done anything like this before?”[/color] 

The spin definitely made Lilie dizzy, though she was starting to think it had more to do with her partner than anything. Managing to keep herself rooted, she found herself surprised at his admission that he couldn’t sit still as a child. Aaron was so well-behaved that the idea of him being unruly even as a kid sounded so unlikely to her. 

[color=00BFFF]“The only dance experience I have is from my ballet lessons when I was little, unless you count poor Salem pulling me around as I stepped on him,”[/color] Lilie shook her head. [color=00BFFF]“Even then I preferred dancing solo, but our group dances were nothing like this.”[/color]

Aaron wrinkled his nose. [color=f0d705]“Oh, I used to [i]hate[/i] dancing alone,”[/color] he replied, [color=f0d705]“Cello solos, fine, but anything else always made me too self-conscious.”[/color] He laughed a bit, shaking his head before returning the conversation to Lilie. [color=f0d705]“Ballet though, that’s impressive. Although, considering the fencing, I suppose I should have expected it. Do you still dance?”[/color]

Aaron’s humility was admirable, and Lilie had to admit the idea of him being self-conscious made her feel a little closer to him; they had more in common than she thought, even if it was in different ways. At his question, she immediately shook her head. [color=00BFFF]“Oh, no, I went into gymnastics after we couldn’t afford—”[/color] She cut herself off as she caught herself again. It was a little too easy to talk to Aaron, but in their current setting and knowing who he was, she felt like it wasn’t the time or place to get into too much detail. [color=00BFFF]“I mean, no. Sorry. I went into gymnastics once I went into high school.”[/color]

Despite wanting to get the conversation off of her, Aaron had said something that got her attention. [color=00BFFF]“What do you mean when you say you expected it?”[/color] She asked him curiously. 

Lilie’s little self-correction made Aaron’s face fall a little, but he wouldn’t press the issue as she moved the conversation along. [color=f0d705]“Well in my mind, fencing and ballet are similar,”[/color] he explained, chuckling. [color=f0d705]“Probably why I was never good at either.”[/color]

He pulled Lilie’s waist a little closer to him as another couple swept close behind her, but continued, unconcerned with a few trajectory adjustments. [color=f0d705]“Anyway, fencing and ballet both involve a lot of beauty and grace and fluid motion, not to mention complicated footwork.”[/color] He could hear Lucan’s voice in his head now, lecturing him about that very thing. [color=f0d705]“I guess I think it suits you,”[/color] he concluded with a smile. 

The sudden movement nearly made Lilie lose her footing, clinging onto Aaron. Now that she had let him fully take the lead, the dance was [i]so[/i] much easier. For the moment she put that aside as he continued, surprised by his response. Beauty and grace--was that how he thought of her? It was actually very flattering, her smile widening. If she didn’t know any better, she would probably have thought he was flirting with her.

[color=00BFFF]“That’s so sweet of you to think that,”[/color] she told him. [color=00BFFF]“I feel more like I’m clunky and constantly stumbling, but if you think I’m graceful, I’ll take the compliment.”[/color]

[color=f0d705]“Good,”[/color] Aaron grinned, sweeping Lilie into another spin in tandem with the ballroom. He’d been raised to the standard that refusing a compliment was rude, even if you didn’t believe it; in his opinion, though, her insecurities were wholly unfounded. 

The dance picked up a little in pace and complexity as it neared its end, and conversation fell to the wayside as Aaron led Lilie (more or less) through the steps. She spared the occasional glance down at her feet, but otherwise kept her eyes up as Aaron had instructed; Aaron himself was finding it very hard not to lose tempo completely as the threat loomed of getting lost in her eyes. Something about sapphire eyes framed by the gilded edges of a gold mask sucked him in, Lilie’s every move - even her mistakes - captivating him, and soon, all he saw was her. That was, of course, until a flash of red in his periphery told him they were about to knock into another couple spinning by. 

Jerked out of his reverie by the realization, Aaron did the only thing he could think of in an instant, grabbing Lilie by the waist and hoisting her up and out of the way. Lilie yelped in surprise and Aaron turned to put her back down on the other side of him, just as the song ended and the other dancers swirled to a stop. The rest of the crowd bowed to each other and clapped for the musicians, but Aaron, a little shocked, could only cover his mouth as he struggled to contain laughter.

[color=f0d705]“I’m sorry,”[/color] he laughed, reaching out apologetically and looking to Lilie with legitimate concern, despite his grin. [color=f0d705]“Are you alright?”[/color] 

Lilie had bit down on her lip to prevent her own burst of giggles, nodding. [color=00BFFF]"Yeah! I was just surprised!"[/color] She said, fanning herself to cool down her flushed face. After a few seconds she reached under her mask to rub her eye, only to realize her mistake when she saw the side of her finger glittering. Oh shoot, she completely forgot about her makeup, having rubbed her eye out of a slight sleepiness she usually had at this time.

[color=00BFFF]"Um, I just need to fix myself up,"[/color] she excused herself. [color=00BFFF]"I'll be right back, so wait for me, okay?"[/color]

Aaron collected himself enough to nod, still smiling. [color=f0d705]“Alright, I'll stay here.”[/color]