Friends In High Places

"Oh - Good evening, Ebari," Varya said with a relieved smile.

Ebari stood before them with a black suit on. It had platinum details and was decorated with medals as well. His long red hair was braided down his back. His golden eyes sparkled as they met her ocean blue ones. Varya considered him the type of being you could call beautiful more than handsome.

"I couldn't help but notice you hadn't gone out for a dance yet. Do me the pleasure of giving me your first dance," he said confidently, offering his hand as he finished speaking.

Prince Basileus felt his heart beat faster as the anger started to build inside of him. It was an unreasonable reaction, he felt, and kept it to himself, clenching his fist under the table in an effort to calm down. Varya could do whatever she wanted.

Varya gives the prince a strange look before dabbing off her face with a napkin and smiling up at the tall alien.

"I would love to dance," she said with a dazzling smile.

Basileus regretted not acting first as he watched her take Ebari's hand and move to the dance floor. He found relief hearing it was a faster song and there should be no reason Ebari had to keep his hands on Varya.

The relief is short lived as Ebari never lets go of Varya's hand. The two of them even start to share words while they dance, causing her to have to step even closer to him. Basileus hated that he couldn't hear their conversation over the music.

"You and the prince seem to have gotten close," Ebari said to Varya, loud enough that she can hear him over the music. His left hand held her right one as he began moving to the music.

"Do I have another choice?" She asked in response, following his lead with her movements.

"I'm relieved you seem to be well. He doesn't have the reputation for being gentle with anyone."

Varya's eyebrows raised at this, thinking of how gently Basileus took care of her after she was attacked.

"You don't have to worry. He protects me," she said with a smile. "You look handsome this evening."

"And you look beautiful," he muttered. For whatever reason, his compliment didn't make her feel suspicious of his intentions. "Though I'm not the only one who has taken notice."

Ebari was referring to the prince who was watching them like a hawk, but now that he was dancing with Varya, he noticed jealous eyes from all over the room. As Lord Kruos's right hand man, no one would dare approach her with him.

She stepped closer to Ebari, but turned her head to glance around the room, seeing eyes drop when she met various gazes. She laughed, the buzz she felt from the alcohol making her feel carefree. It was fun that they could look but not touch her.

The two continued to dance, Ebari occasionally spinning her as the music continued. She was actually having fun and he managed to make her laugh.

Varya felt another set of eyes on her that made it so she couldn't completely immerse herself in the experience. She glanced to where she had been sitting with the prince - his gaze was smoldering. She had to look away quickly, feeling her face heat up more. She wondered why he was looking at her so intensely.

Basileus never took his eyes off of Varya as she left his side. It occurred to him that maybe he was taking the job of keeping her safe too seriously. Yet, there was something more that was filling him with dread as he tried to reason with unreasonable feelings. The hand that rested in his lap clenched into a fist again and he finally looked down.

There was no doubt in the prince's mind that Varya regretted ever meeting him. He was everything she hated, a killer and one of the ones keeping her prisoner. Basileus's entire life was under tight security. He couldn't help her or he would lose his chance to kill the tyrant. His complacency made him no better than Emperor Kruos - he was certain this is how she viewed him.

As the music quieted down, signaling it was going to end and switch to another song, Varya looked up at Ebari who was quietly enjoying her company.

"Thank you for the dance."

"I needed to see for myself that you were okay," Ebari responded in a quiet voice.

His concern was genuine and she smiled in response. Maybe there were more people out there who cared for her well-being than she realized.

Ever since Varya clung to Ebari that first day, filled with such fear and helplessness, it bothered him that he could do nothing for her. She was so innocent. He felt he was throwing her into a pit of lions when he left her with Prince Basileus.

Ebari guided her back to the prince and left wordlessly, feeling there had been enough words between them. When he returned to Emperor Kruos's side, the tyrant raised his eyebrows expectantly. He would be getting more information out of Ebari later.

Varya sat down next to the prince and fanned herself with her hand. The temperature seemed to have risen since she started dancing. She turned her head to look at the prince, and offered him a smile. He returned it, having already covered the dread he felt with an invisible mask. He wasn't going to ruin her evening because of his own thoughts.

"That was fun, but I could use another drink. I'm burning up," she said with a sigh, her chest heaving as she did.

Basileus made eye contact with a servant carrying more drinks and he lifted his hand. The servant was immediately at the table, having been summoned by the prince.

As they both quietly finished their drinks, the prince made an effort to push away his gloomy thoughts completely. Suddenly, he stood up and smirked down at the woman before him. She looked up with a questioning expression and he offered her his hand. If she liked to dance, they were going to dance.

"It's my turn," he declared. "I am your date, after all."

As he helped her to her feet, the music changed. Basileus expected it to be another fast song. However, the music slowed and a love song started playing.

It reminded Varya of "Moonlight Serenade" by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, a song her parents used to slow dance to after a couple of drinks in their formal dining room. It always seemed so romantic to her. She used to sit on the stairs of her former home, watching her parents slow dance and hoping she would find a love that made her feel as safe as that one day. Despite what she had with Rosh, he never looked at her the way her dad looked at her mom. Until she could find that, there would always be something missing.

The dread started welling back up inside of the prince. With a simple song, his resolve to get rid of these ridiculous feelings had completely shattered. The thought of a slower dance with Varya made him feel weak in the knees. Internally he was a wreck, but externally he confidently walked forward to the middle of the room, Varya's hand still in his.