Dancing

She finished her tea and sighed in contentment leaning back casually in her chair and discreetly using the motion to scan their surroundings and their audience.

"So… how do you judge their reactions?" he asked not sure what to talk about next.

"Shocked and curious which is better than shocked and worried as they were before we sat down. They must be peacing it together that you're the one who helped me last night and has been sending me all the anonymous gifts. How about we confirm that for them then?" she said suddenly standing up.

"What do you mean?" he asked following suit.

She stepped away but held out her hand to him and he stupidly just stared at it unsure what she was suggesting.

"Well, after finally finding out who my kind and gentle savior is, it would be rude not to at least offer you a dance in thanks?"

Smiling so big it hurt his scar under the mask, he took her hand and let her lead him out to the dance floor just as a new song was starting. Gathering all his wits about him he reigned in his thoughts and emotions and focused solely on the dance he needed to perform counting out the steps in his head. It had been years since he'd been given dancing lessons and he hadn't gotten any practice in the last few years so he was sure to be rusty but he didn't want to completely embarrass them both by completely messing up.

"Are you really going to make me stare up into a black hole all night?" she asked

"What?" He asked trying desperately not to lose count when she talked. 

"It's really annoying not to be able to make out your expression, besides, if you really want to change your image and have people think you're less scary you need to lose the grim reaper hood."

"Huh? I'm trying to keep count," he really couldn't hold a conversation and dance he'd missed what she'd said completely, hopefully she'd get the message and hold back until after the dance.

She giggled and his feet missed a step.

"Stop that I'm trying to concentrate," he said regaining his rhythm. She was so distracting. What was so funny? The honor of their families and instructors rested on how well they performed this sadistic social ritual.

"Sorry it was just unexpectedly cute," she said and spun away from him, Cute? Had she just called him cute? Was she purposely trying to turn him into a fumbling fool? She spun back into him her hand landing on his chest and he worried she could feel the racing of his heart. By the end of the song, he was mentally exhausted from the effort it took to concentrate on the steps while she periodically distracted him.

He led her out to the balcony for some fresh air. Once outside she turned and faced him again then reached her hands up to his face, he instinctively began to lean lower, but her hands never touched his face. Instead, they removed his hood.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"As I said, I don't like staring up into nothingness, I want to be able to see your expressions. Also, it will help people be less scared of you and therefore think better of you if you're not always hiding your face like a criminal or a wraith."

"But the scars."

"Are not that bad," she cut off. "they just aren't used to them yet because you never show them, besides, if they see I'm not bothered by them they'll soon realize they were overreacting to way over-exaggerated rumors."

She reached up again, but this time she did touch his face as she pulled off his eye patch with one hand and pulled down his mask with the other.

He grabbed her wrists and stared down at her forgetting what he was going to say, because she looked at him as if there was nothing wrong with his face at all.

She smiled, "I don't know why you're being so shy about it. But if we're going to convince all of high society that we like each other we're going to have to get used to looking at each other. Letting them see you can wait if you want, but I've already seen your face so I'm not sure why this should matter…"

"No, it's not that." he let go of her hands realizing he was causing her to ramble because his lack of proper reaction was making her uncomfortable again. Yet she felt the need to comfort him.

He laughed, "You just take me by surprise a lot, you don't react to much of anything the way I expect… I've gotten so used to people looking at me in fear, disgust, or pity, that I feel like all people see are the scars, but when you look at me… it's like you don't even see them."

She gave him an odd look he couldn't place but it made him feel embarrassed. Then she burst into a fit of barely contained laughter covering her face with her hand and looking away. "I'm sorry" she breathed but the laughter continued making him more uncomfortable, he wasn't used to this at all.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry, but if I tell you, you might get offended, but I didn't mean the thought offensively, and once the image was there well, sorry. If that was a line you were practicing, it might be a bit much. Though I guess it depends on how drastically you want your image to change…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the jump from terrifyingly tough to adorably sweet might just be too much," she said giggling. He had no idea how to respond to that and just stared in shock for a moment.

"Did you… did you just call me adorable?… and sweet?" he asked. Her laughter cut off and she peeked up at him as if afraid he might get mad.

She was the one that looked cute. Trying to hold a stern expression he raised an eyebrow in question and her whole face turned bright pink, this time he laughed. He cracked a smile at her, his scar stretching uncomfortably. "I'll try and remember cute doesn't suit me and leave that job to you. But… I'll also never let you forget you called me that," he said laughing at her stunned expression.

She froze like that so long he began to worry he'd completely overstepped, he stopped laughing and studied her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She snapped out of it blinking her eyes a few times with a small shake of her head. "Nothing, nothing," she said again.

"Lieing to me already?" he asked.

"No!" her whole face turned pink again. He stayed quiet and raised an eyebrow in question having learned that if he was quiet long enough she would start spilling all kinds of verbal vomit. "It's just, I don't know why but I didn't expect you to be so… Fun? Not that I thought you a miserable person or anything, I just wasn't expecting you to smile so much…

"This is why the hood sucks, we can't tell when your joking or happy or anything else." She finished in a rush. Then she crossed her arms to indicate she wouldn't be explaining any more than that.

"That's it? You got that embarrassed over realizing I can smile?" he said laughing and she turned pink again.

"I take it back, maybe I like you better with the hood, you're slightly more reserved and respectful. Without it you make fun of me far too much," she said standing on her tiptoes and pulling his hood up over his face again without looking at him.

"Fine I understand now, my beauty is just too great for you to look at directly for so long, your heart just can't take it," he said unable to keep from laughing as he said it but she flushed bright pink just the same. He was glad for the hood or she might have caught him blushing, she was just too much fun to tease.

Normally he wouldn't feel comfortable talking and being himself with anyone, was it her, or the alcohol that made it easier to talk in a relaxed manner? Maybe both, because this really wasn't like him, at least not since the war.

She took a moment to compose herself then straightened her spine and declared "I think I've had enough fresh air and could use another drink, and the company of others that will keep that cruel humor of yours in check." with that statement she turned and walked toward the ballroom.

He stood there wondering if he'd taken things way too far. He'd have to be careful not to push her too much, it wasn't his intention to be cruel… but then she stopped at the doorway and turned to him. "Are you coming or was that enough of a show for one night?"

He lifted his chin and grinned before pulling up his face mask... the eye patch still in her hand.

Was this all calculated on her part as she'd assumed with him? When exactly had his calculated plan to use her become a plan to woo her? His friend was right, he was wrapped around her finger instead of the other way around.