[center][h1][color=732F35]Nahir[/color][color=silver] & [/color][color=5486AE]John[/color][/h1][/center]
[right][i]Second dance[/i][/right][hr]

[indent][color=gray]
Music had already begun when Nahir and John arrived at the dance floor. She took a deep breath and lifted her arms in position to wait for Doctor Williamson. Layla, and John himself, had mentioned that he was not the best at dancing. She didn't mind, not much anyway; back home, dances were more intricate and lively than the Caesoanian waltz. The waltz in this kingdom was slow, precise, and intimate. Alidasht favored the movement of the whole body. Hands, feet, hips, and even the face were part of the dances themselves. Saur was known for their expressive dances, and the skill to perform them was no walk in the park.

Perhaps thankfully for both of them, the waltz this time around was slower, so the doctor’s inexperience with dancing didn’t hinder both of them too much. John led the dance this time around, slower but trying much to adhere to Layla’s advice: letting loose and go with the flow. Nevertheless, he was still less expressive in his own dance move, being more of a pillar to assist the Shehzadi in her dance. Like how a good doctor should.

Nahir wondered if the Sultan would ever consider holding a season in Alidasht. Would their guest be able to withstand the Genasean heat? Despite the city's proximity to the sea, the summers could be unbearable to foreigners, especially those hailing from Varian. Although, it would benefit the kingdom great to host such an event. The season could allow Alidasht to show off its wealth and power- show both Varian and Caesonia that the peace has not weakened them and, in fact, show how much stronger Alidasht and her people have become. 

[color=732F35]"Doctor Williamson,"[/color] She began, [color=732F35]"would you ever be interested in visiting Alidasht?"[/color] 

Visiting Alidasht…a place of mystery that were told mostly in books, historical records and hearsay, but when it comes to actually stepping foot on their soil, or just the thought of it, John didn’t have existing desires for that, perhaps due to how occupied he had been throughout the last few years. 

[color=5486ae]”I wouldn’t say I have plans to before, but Alidasht is a curious place,”[/color] John replied. [color=5486ae]”and I’m a curious man. So yes, I would love to be a visitor.”[/color] Not just to enjoy the beautiful country, but to learn about it too, or rather dispel whatever rumors circulating about the land. He enjoyed direct observations, not hearsay passed between individuals. [color=5486ae]”What would you…say…recommend a new visitor like me, who has never been there before, do in Alidasht?”[/color] 

Nahir had been warned about the doctor's dancing, so she was pleasantly surprised to see that Doctor Williamson was not as terrible as she had imagined. Perhaps with a bit of practice, he could become a decent dancer. Although, the idea of seeing John perform one of the Alidasht dances amused her. 

Pleased with his answer, she nodded and followed his lead. [color=732F35]"Curiosity is always welcomed in Alidasht. The temples of Genasea, as well as the libraries, are always my first recommendation to new visitors."[/color] She continued, [color=732F35]"Kisoma, one of the cities of the north of Genasea, has the largest University and libraries if you are looking to visit s more knowledge-filled place."[/color] Talking about her home made her heart ache; she already missed the noisy, busy streets, the music, and the smells. Nahir especially missed the warm beaches. 

[color=5486ae]”Oh Kisoma? I’ve heard of the place.”[/color] John nodded, his pitch went up a notch upon hearing something familiar. [color=5486ae]”We had some outbound scholarly trip to Kisoma. I heard it’s been like that for a while, not sure how long. The weather is quite temperate there, isn’t it?”[/color] Relative to the rest of Alidasht of course. Would still be significantly hotter than Varians or Caesonians were used to, and probably a lot more so for the pale beavers of the North like John, but eh, he’s been to other places, he’d probably manage. [color=5486ae]”Is that why the big university is at Kisoma?”[/color] 

[color=732F35]"One of the few reasons, yes."[/color] She nodded, [color=732F35]"Kisoma had always been a major city- a gathering hub, its location perfect for hosting foreign convoys from the North and South alike."[/color] Nahir had been enjoying their casual conversation so far. She had always enjoyed the company of academics and scholars, and John was no different. After a spin, Nahir smiled up at the doctor. 

[color=732F35]"It was there where I first laid eyes on a beautiful Caesonian gown."[/color] The fabric and style had been so different from what she was accustomed to, not to mention the amount of material! Since that day, Nahir had begun to pull inspiration from the other kingdom's fashion into her own, creating the unique styled she was now wearing. 

[color=5486ae]”Ooh?”[/color] Her mention of the Caesonian gown was a cool little detail. Indeed, just as he noticed on the balcony earlier, she blended really well with Caesonian dresses. It is an entirely different style on its own, honestly difficult for John to imagine anyone imitating, and his opinion was of that people shouldn’t anyway. Not the people who thought slapping a bunch of jewelries on make you look royal, or putting a hood on make you look mysterious and cool.

[color=5486ae]”I will say that you had great taste, your highness. I don’t mean to flatter, but to integrate well with our-I mean Caesonian fashion is…”[/color] He looked up for a second for a good word. [color=5486ae]”tricky. Believe me, I’m wearing a bit of that.”[/color] And he looked like that long-nosed doll from that play. John slowed down the waltz for a bit just to have a clear look at Nahir. [color=5486ae]”So yeah, you look fantastic tonight.”[/color]

[color=732F35]"You flatter me, nonetheless, Doctor."[/color] Nahir chose to leave John's small slip up for a later day; not wanting to sour their dance with personal questions as to why he did not finish with "our". Although she became intrigued about it, she smiled at his words. [color=732F35]"It is a hassle to dress for such occasion, especially with three different kingdoms meeting in one place. Fashion is a bit all over the place."[/color] Though, she wondered what John would look like in traditional Alidasht garb- and if he would be open to the idea. 

[color=5486ae]”I can’t agree more with that.”[/color] John broke out a laugh as he continued his waltz, swirling around a bit. [color=5486ae]”They say that fashion is personality you can buy, so naturally everyone wants something that shines on themselves best.”[/color] Some most shining examples include the vampire Leo, the ‘literally blinding’ prince Felix, the constellation princess Beatrice, the half-man half-metal Roman. And then there’s John, the ‘I’m not even gonna try, I’m just gonna wear variations of this until I’m dead’. 

[color=732F35]"It is often that I see the clothes wear the individual rather than them wearing the clothes,"[/color] Nahir joined his laugh, as her reflexes took over and held tighter as they began to swirl but had no trouble matching the doctor's lead. [color=732F35]"Although I must say, there is a lot one could learn from only looking at what a person is wearing."[/color] She did not give any examples, deciding to spare those few nobles and royals' attire from her judgment. 

But what about John’s? He wasn’t necessarily insecure about how he looks, but what Nahir said piqued his curiosity for certain. [color=5486ae]”Any examples in your mind? If you’re worried about us Northern decorum…”[/color] He lifted a hand from her shoulder, twisted his wrist once before laying on his chest. [color=5486ae]”Don’t worry, you can let me know about how I look. I’m unceremonious, numb to getting judged, so you can be as honest as you like.”[/color] His laughter continued, perhaps a little too laid back or even unaware about something that might intonate a darker personal topic on his part. 

Nahir's lips parted as if to scold him for saying those words so easily but instead decided to smile at the doctor. She slowed down, much like he had when he'd taken a closer look at her, and began to assess the doctor. Although his clothes were plain and the colors neutral, she could tell they were made by experienced hands, which meant they were supposed to last longer than one use. There was no colored trim, no gold, no fancy buttons or jewels used to adorn himself. [color=732F35]"Very well, doctor,"[/color] Nahir nodded, [color=732F35]"The lack of jewelry and practical clothes tell me you were not born into nobility. Yet, you stand out against the gold and colorful outfits of others here, and you do not seem to care or be concerned about it. The material, it's sturdy and made to last years tells me you are more concerned about the clothes being functional over fashionable."[/color] She smiled again, [color=732F35]"Though, I must admit that I may be cheating- our conversation before told me enough to say you are a passionate man when it comes to your work."[/color] 

John listened to Nahir’s assessment, and he had to say it was fairly…obvious? It wasn’t just his personal taste of simplicity and convenience for the costume, it’s also a practical choice scientifically. It wasn’t obvious yet to everybody, but Varian Royal Physicians were beginning to dress with less jewelry due to a recent publication indicating the existence of certain microorganism that can stick on gemstones and other jewels. Doesn’t stop them from flashing their titles on their clothes if they wanted to, but that was the case. 

But her assessment wasn’t wrong either. He stood out amongst the nobles for his bloodline, but amongst the servants as well for his standings. He’s comfortable in his own skin, and proud of it, his work and personal growth. 
[color=5486ae]”Thank you, your highness. It makes my day to hear that.”[/color] He smiled happily. 

[color=732F35]"I-"[/color] Yelling interrupted her as some noble began to scream at one of the servants. Her pace slowed down as she turned her head to look at the source of the commotion. [color=732F35]"Looks like this evening is full of drama, is it not? Almost feels like it will never end."[/color] Her first thought already forgotten.

The distressing yell was not lost on John either. He saw from the corner of his eyes some nobles kneeling, but he was far enough to not make of anything else. [color=5486ae]”Ayy, yeah. It always is.”[/color] He sighed, as he too slowed down and gently separated from Nahir’s grip. [color=5486ae]”Allow me a moment, I’ll see if everyone’s ok.”[/color] 

He bowed hastily before rushing towards the commotion. The more he moved towards the commotion, the less severity it appeared to be, and the more he regretted that decision. He arrived outside the crowd, trying to peer over the other nobles watching, hearing someone blaming someone else, and then complaining about her dress being ruined. Ok then, there goes nine out of ten reason for him to care. Just some halfwitted nobles too high up in the clouds…

“This is why you should never hire commoners! No work ethics! Inherently lazy! You do the bare minimum work and expect to get paid handsomely for it! Even though you can’t even do the simplest task!”

[color=5486ae][i]’Hmm…’[/i][/color]

And the tenth reason should go with him too. But it stayed with him for a bit. John was still listening to the barrage of contamination. His ankle tapped onto the floor in restless repetition and his breathe hung heavy. He wanted to speak up, but something within him prevented him from doing so. Instead, he just stood there, something quietly building within him. Thankfully, prince Callum interjected before anything drastic happened. 

Oh yeah…it’s been a while since…John had to come by and say hi at some point. For now, he just turned and left, forcing his way through the crowd that he now considered a human cesspool, making his way back to Nahir, shaking his head quickly a few times in the process.

[color=5486ae]”Sorry for that. Nothing major happened. Just…idiots I suppose.”[/color] He said once he arrived. [color=5486ae]”If you don’t mind continuing…”[/color] He was about to offer the Shehzadi a hand until he heard the typical ending chorus to the waltz. There wouldn’t be much more to continue. [color=5486ae]”Nevermind, we’re ending. A shame we couldn’t end it more smoothly.”[/color] 

[color=732F35]"No need to apologize, Doctor,"[/color] She smiled, shaking her head a bit just as the ending of the song played. [color=732F35]"A shame, indeed."[/color] Nahir glanced back to the now diffused situation, one eyebrow arched after hearing the shrieking noble. She turned back to face John, an easy smile returning to her lips.

[color=732F35]"It was a pleasure to dance with you, Doctor Williamson. I hope we can get a chance to do so again, but this time without an interruption."[/color] She wanted to glare at the noble that had so rudely stopped their dance but decided against it, at least, until the doctor was gone. 

[color=5486ae]”Doubly so for me, Shehzadi Nahir.”[/color] He replied in kind. [color=5486ae]”I hope so too. You can always ask me, I’m always around. For any business, appointment or just wanna chat, I’ll be more than happy to accommodate.”[/color] Then gave a deep bow, like when he did with Layla. [color=5486ae]”Take care!”[/color] And a friendly goodbye wave. 

[color=732F35]"You as well, doctor."[/color] Nahir smiled, returning the wave before departing from the dance floor.
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