[h3][color=#40C4FF]Belle[/color] & [color=#800080]Kuroi[/color][/h3]
[hr]
[color=silver]After Belle finished dancing with the mysterious Light-Elf, Belle found herself buzzing with the newfound information. The rebels were here. She couldn't be sure if it was a trap or not, seeing as some demon had been speaking to her in her head. Belle sighed heavily and shook her head. She took a few deep breaths and followed her paper towards her next partner. Not sure what the hell she’d be in for next, she braced herself. As she moved through the crowd, she swatted away a few butterfly papers that had obstructed her vision and glowered at the owners. Nobody said anything, thankfully. She thought she saw Baraian through the crowd but hadn’t been certain. She was going to need to find him after this…

Belle inhaled as she began approaching her partner. It looked like… [color=#40C4FF]”Kuroi,”[/color] Belle whispered as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She stared at him and swallowed hard. She had to remain in control, because God only knew if that demon would be listening to her thoughts or something. Belle pictured Gaia in her mind’s eyes, and her emotions quickly dissolved. 

[color=#40C4FF]”Evening,”[/color] she greeted and curtsied quickly. She straightened up and bit her lip. Belle wanted to apologize and make it up to him, but how? She needed to ask him, because only he would know. Whatever it took though; she hadn’t meant any ill-harm to her comrades. 

As Belle approached him, Kuroi had merely been standing there in the midst of all the scurrying to find everyone’s second partner. He hadn’t expected such a heartwarming gesture, and although it was appreciated, he was dumbfounded at the kindness that had just been shown to him. He felt bad for snapping at the girl, even though he wasn’t irked at her in specific, he was disillusioned with how rapidly his life had gone downhill in the matter of seconds. The vulpine hadn’t noticed his second piece of paper turn into a butterfly and fly off, only for it to land on his head. He slowly turned around at the sound of his name and gazed upon a familiar looking face greeting him. 

Kuroi’s expression grew stone cold as he returned the bow without saying anything. He offered her both of his hands, waiting for her to accept his invitation to dance as he stared into her eyes with the most tense expression one could possibly deliver. As one could imagine, this young fox was not happy. Hearing the governor’s yelling from not too far away also made his blood boil - he was constantly fighting back his urges to give Roshmi a proper reason to send him to jail. Regardless, he pushed his negative emotions aside and waited for the young woman to take his hands.

Belle didn’t need the power of empathy to feel the tension and anger radiating from the vulpine.  She had faced this kind of anger before, but this time it hurt deeper. She was ignoring the governor’s yelling, though she wanted to throttle him. As she took his hands, she moved an inch closer so she could keep her voice low enough for only him to hear. [color=#40C4FF]”Kuroi, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”[/color] She continued as she stared at him. Her eyes were shining with regret and sorrow. [color=#40C4FF]”There are many things about this world I do not know, but one thing I can tell is the deep shame and mess you’ve been brought into. I want you to know I'll do everything I can to clear your name. I’m on your side and I’m sorry, which is something I usually am not. Seeing the innocent fawn being bullied, made my anger boil, and I wasn’t thinking. I can understand if you don’t want to speak to me again, but I want you to know I will do what I can for you to bring you peace from here on out.”[/color] 

Belle’s voice was hardly above a whisper and the worry was lighting up her dark, icy blue eyes. She glanced around quickly, then back into the vulpine’s stony gaze. Was this demon listening to her? Did he know what was happening? Had it heard her reply? God, Belle didn’t know, and she needed to talk to Torvi and Bowyn, then the Elves and dip after these stupid dances.

[color=#40C4FF]”And I need you to keep things on the down low, okay? Is Baraian here and is he okay?”[/color] Belle didn’t want to worry or trouble the vulpine further, so she kept what was happening to herself. She managed to catch Elleta’s gaze and stared at her piercingly to alert the woman that something was wrong. She glanced at her with concern as her expression changed, then turned back to her partner. Belle turned away and went back to Kuroi and awaited his reply. Her stomach was churning, but she was in control of her emotions. Belle took a deep breath and waited. 

The vulpine stayed silent as he began to dance around with her, listening to her words as he looked down at her with a rather cold expression. Once he had finished and a few minutes had passed, Kuroi spoke, [color=#800080]“I am aware your intentions were noble...yet your intentions did more harm than good, to me at least. There is little to nothing you can do for me, all I can do now is clear my name by being open about my presence here. If the governor or any of his lackeys attempt to take me, then I’ll give them a proper reason to put me in jail.”[/color] He snarled, gritting his teeth angrily.[color=#800080]“Regardless, I am here merely to enjoy myself as best as possible...until the guards get called, that is.”[/color]

He spent the rest of his time in silence, dancing with Belle until she spoke up, or until he was called upon by the guards. Whichever came first, Kuroi was already ready to fight if needed to. He already had an assortment of weapons hiding under his garbs ready to be used at any moment. Something told him that tonight would be a hard night to swallow, be it if he was suddenly spotted by the governor or just by this encounter alone. 

Belle listened to Kuroi and withheld a sigh. She understood his anger and needed a name cleared. It was something she had fought for after the Hunter’s gang had nearly murdered her. So, part of her could sympathize with the vulpine. However, she could not handle pointless conversations. This would go nowhere and it was proven when he became silent. With a sigh, Belle broke away from Kuroi after a few moments.

[color=#40C4FF]”Then I wish you the best of luck. Should you need any assistance, you know where to find us. I have faith you will achieve your goal.”[/color] She strode away and began trying to find Torvi and Bowyn. She needed to tell them about the demon speaking to her in her mind. As she joined Torvi, she eyed the crowd for anyone who might be suspicious.

Once Belle broke apart from her, Kuroi offered a deep bow before turning his back on her and moving elsewhere to give himself some time alone. He grabbed a drink from one of the servants and took a seat at the edge of the room, crossing his legs as his eyes watched the various races dance with one another. Taking a sip from his alcoholic refreshment, he couldn’t help but ponder about what the two women had said to him. How peculiar that both of them happened to be humans. Were the gods mocking Kuroi? Or were they trying to communicate something to him. 

Despite his mildly feminine aesthetic, the vulpine definitely needed a woman’s touch to ponder over the events that had just happened in his life. It helped to view these issues from someone arguably in worse of a position than he was. Regardless, Kuroi drank his alcohol as he pondered on what to do. Eventually, his eyes fell upon the governor who was barely within his gaze. 

Everyone knew how dangerous an angry fox could be.[/color]