Cora never took her eyes from the Magician as he lead her out onto the dance floor, and he maintained her gaze in kind. Of course, she had "danced" before, but she had remained seated and was simply turned about by Akane in the past. This had been fun, but then again, she had never known that anything else was possible. With Geralt's powers, he could do almost anything...maybe that was what he intended to do.

The Magician waited a beat, still holding the mermaid's hand as the music slowly increased in volume. Once he was satisfied with the timing, he pulled Cora toward him rapidly, with some strength, but not so hard as to hurt her. She did not resist, and she was far lighter than he had anticipated. He had prepared for the fact that she had absolutely no strength in her legs, and so was not able to help him as he hoisted her into his arms. She collided with his chest and he wrapped an arm around her waist. The proximity was very close, and he knew that everyone was watching them, but it was not like Geralt to care about something like that. He held her to him tightly, but did use a bit of his ability to take some of the weight off of him. He didn't need to, but it would certainly help him to be more graceful, and he would accept nothing less.

He took a moment to position the girl so that her delicate pale feet were resting on the tops of his wingtips, as if someone would dance with a child. He waited a moment, smiling down into Cora's face as the flush in her cheeks increased in intensity.

She did not fight the Magician at all as he lifted her, and even when he held her. Normally, she would be mortified by this contact, and especially the proximity of their bodies...but something about Geralt set her at ease. She sensed no ill will in him, and even when she looked into his eyes...though there was something eerie about them, no alarm bells rang. She felt her face grow extremely hot as he looked down at her, the alcohol taking it's full effects. She could not help but smile back at him as he held her and positioned her feet on top of his, partially out of embarrassment. When he held her this way, she felt like liquid...and that was a nice thought to have.

Geralt waited for the right moment, then began to dance around with Cora, keeping a perfect time with the music. Despite the fact that his partner was essentially infirm, she had strong arms and was holding tightly to his hand and shoulder. He felt lighter as he danced with the girl, and though memories of a happier time for him threatened to spill over into his consciousness, he kept them at bay enough so that he would fully enjoy the moment. Part of him even forgot for a moment that Lucien and the others were watching, judging his every move, guarding Cora protectively. Even his parasitic companion was silent for the time being.

Illyana immediately tensed as she watched this scene unfold. When Geralt lifted Cora, she let out a small gasp, but quickly covered her mouth. She looked around the space to see if anyone was reacting the same way, but found Lucien to be calm along with everyone else. She thought that someone may step up to intervene, for the urge was very strong in her, but she caught none of that from anyone else. She couldn't be the one, not when Cora was smiling so widely, giggling with delight as the magician swung her about. The longer she looked, the more she noticed the mermaid's aura that was bursting with light and happiness. She was totally relaxed in the man's arms, despite what she had experienced...Illyana could not bring herself to make this a dark moment for the girl who had been through so much. Slowly, she forced herself to relax, but kept a weathered eye on the pair as they twirled around the dance floor.