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Aoife spun in and out of the crowd, each time her team had spied her, she’d be with a new partner. Both left feet in full swing as her moves were significantly jauntier than need be. Still, with this unceasing damage to her charisma unfolding for everyone to see, what a prize she was. A symbol, of an unwavering, unabashed, joy. Everyone wanted to dance with the clumsy Ars Magi, not because of her talent, but because of what her dance said, albeit with stutters and run on sentences aplenty. Even this girl, who had seen the yawning void beyond their walls, who had begun to carry the weight of a humanity who would persevere, even she, could enjoy a night of dancing, still.

Eventually, a shock of blonde hair found her arms and swept her away from the drooling masses. Her hair spinning wide around her, curtailing Noel’s move to dip her into a lower stance. “Hey babe,” says her former partner. 

Aoife laughs a throaty chuckle, flicking either eyebrow up and down and puckering her lips. [color=0892d0]“Oh, hey baby,”[/color] that last note hanging in the air. [color=0892d0]“It’s good to see you again!”[/color] Time apart from other Ars Magi was always nebulous. Even a week-long goodbye was heavy for these girls. If you knew you’d not be there for their next mission, not there to potentially make the difference that could save someone’s life. 

Noel lightning blitzed through a few key details of her week’s past and upcoming. Aoife got caught on her general static energy. Just the nature of a girl conducive to being absolutely charged at all times. Aoife nodded in great excitement at the prospect of getting to work together once again. [color=0892d0]“Water and lightning, is there a better combination?”[/color] She giggled. 

The music’s pace quickened, and so too did Noel’s movements. [color=0892d0]“You’d think for the Ars Magi of water I’d have a better flow than this.”[/color] Aoife chuckled under breath and, for a moment, she considered perhaps trying a bit harder. Perhaps, if she thought about dancing like her movements in battle, it would be easier. All of the sudden, she was fighting this strange longing. This urge to perfect the dance she so clearly was stumbling through.

Aoife reached up to her hair, pulling on a small ribbon that kept the ensemble up and eloquent. It fell gracefully upon her shoulders as she tied a small knot around her and Noel’s hand with the ribbon. [color=0892d0]“If you lead, I’ll follow.”[/color] She gave herself over to her partner, closing her eyes completely. Darkness enveloped her, the music faded and people turned towards them, but Aoife saw none of it. She braced herself, breathed deep, and then Noel began to move. Aoife felt the step through Noel’s hand and into her own body, as if it was simply an extension of herself. She moved in time, stepping as well. The two began a fairly simple, yet completely elegant dance. They spun around one another, Aoife a whole new girl. Her eyes closed, hair down, still somehow moving in time with her partner. She looked like an oracle.  

For such an unprofessional girl, it was sometimes surprising how much she was capable of changing. Like the tides. She wondered if her team could see her, or who they had ended up dancing with. She felt her lips crack into a big, toothy grin, as the music seemed to follow Aoife and Noel on their journey around the ballroom, stepping in and around everybody with a care and ease like a river flowing around a rocky shoreline.