hefeydd || she's scared to breathe

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja enjoyed a good party, she always had. The fun, the music, the dancing... the making love to some cute knight in the closet..... But this time, she was a little more uptight and cautious than she would like to be. Her run in with Rad had done almost as much to her spirit as it had her body. The abundance of scars however, were not something she planned to show off, so she glamoured over her skin to 'erase' them for the time being. Of course she had a revealing costume planned out and there was a great deal she had to glamour over, it was taking far too much energy, but she was too proud to let the disguise fall.

She had come here with the kelpie, Keiji, her new friend. But he was off somewhere, and Nicholas was occupied with his lover. And therefore most of the people she knew well were busy, all that was left would be a line of friendly ex-lovers. But she wasn't sure she was in the mood, although she did feel like flirting. But she wasn't sure if she could deliver sexually if it went anywhere, her body being in the state that it was. Healing took a toll on you.

Ronja paused in her walk around the edge of the dance floor as she regarded her reflection in a rather large mirror, tucking a small bit of hair behind her ear. Otherwise, her hairs were all in the correct place in the bun she had fashioned on top of her head. She smoothed out her skirt and proceed on.

Now Ronja wasn't vain, she just held herself to a very high standard, it was her pride not her vanity that prompted such checking of appearance. She checked more than usual tonight, mostly to make sure her scars were still hidden. In this past week she'd felt more vulnerable than she ever had.

ooc- there's a link to her costume in the costume sign ups

[HEFEYDD DURIN WORMWOOD]

Hefeydd looked around. Parties weren't really his style, they were too exciting and exuberant. But he was a knight of Atra and the ball being in the Atra court, he had to be there. The music was putting him in a bad mood and a frown passed his face. Maybe, he could find an excuse to get away. Maybe. His eyes darkened as they wandered to the different fae in the surrounding room. He suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic. He wandered between the bodies of dancing fae and mortals, not knowing where he was going. A headache was coming on and Hefeydd need fresh air. He closed his eyes and pushed further through the crowd.

He found himself nowhere near a door, but a mirror and beautiful Fae stood in front of him. He admired her costume and came up behind her. He knew she probably would not be surprised, she was looking into the mirror. Hefeydd's head was pounding, but since there was no door near him, he decided to talk to her. He really wanted to leave, but he wanted to stay, at least until midnight. Talking to someone would distract him, especially if that person had beauty on their side.

His head over her shoulder he leaned in to her ear. "You should be dancing." She hadn't turned around yet, so the whispered statement may have surprised her. He breathed in and stepped back, only an inch, enough room for her to move if she needed to. He felt his lips twitch up a little, hoping she had been surprised.

Hefeydd wanted to scare someone. He would rather it was a human girl, somewhere in a dark alley, but this fae looking in the mirror would suffice, for now. Maybe after talking to her he could leave. It would be impolite, but he was bored. He needed to have fun. He could warm up talking to this fae, but then he would leave, he decided. He would leave and follow some human girl. She would be much more fun to frighten and, if she was pretty, he may even have a servant...

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja saw his reflection in the mirror as an Atra fae stepped behind her. She made no motion to move, or to turn around, if he had something to say to her, she'd find out soon enough. Her dark eyes surveyed him in the glass, watching him lean towards her and she felt her muscles stiffen. And despite the fact that she saw it coming, when he spoke, her body contracted lightly with surprise.

She turned around so she was facing him, a bit too close for her taste since he was an Atra... good looking however. And Ronja of course refused to step back. "I probably should, was that an invitation?" She said with her eyebrow raised, her voice hard and almost a challenge but her eyes were amused. If he was asking her to dance, he had a funny way of showing it though.

Ronja forced herself to take a tiny step away so she could look at him better. He was probably a knight, based on his build--which he showed off quite plainly in his tight costume. Dark hair, unusually light eyes for an Atra. The effect was a good one, it seemed however that his manner might be one she'd love to fight with thus far--as long as things didn't get out of hand. Ronja would try and be civil, but Radella had inserted real hate for Atra, before the attack Ronja hadn't minded them all that much.

[HEFEYDD DURIN WORMWOOD]

Hefeydd surveyed her. She was definitely Argentum, but that didn't make her any less beautiful. Her brown eyes matched her sweet-smelling hair. She had a good figure and she obviously knew it. She was showing quite a bit of skin, but he didn't mind that a bit. He saw the slight contempt in her eyes, but he was sure that it had to do with their different allegiances. After looking her over, he deduced that she was one of the prettiest creatures he had ever seen. His eyes, though, soon found hers and he held them there, trying to throw her off. She seemed proud and he was up to the challenge of out-priding her.

His frowned lessened, but Hefeydd was detirmined not to show any emotion. He didn't move, though he strongly wanted to step closer to her. His voice emotionless, he answered her question. "Only if you wanted it to be." He was just as detirmined to be cryptic as he was to outwit and outpride her. He was going to have fun puzzling her, then leave her hanging.

Then, Hefeydd let his guard down and did something he hadn't in a long time. A faint smile played at his lips, but it didn't touch his eyes, he didn't really feel much. He may have felt a little bit flitacious, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. A challenge in his eyes, which were still held at hers, he gestured to where some other fae and mortals were dancing. " You may lead the way, my lady." His smile turned a little sarcastic at the last two words, but the sarcasm disappeared as he waited to see what her reaction would be. His muscles tensed and his head pounded. He didn't know what he was doing. Hadn't he wanted to leave? He shouldn't have stopped to talk. He tried not to show that he wanted her to reject the invitation. Hefeydd's smile was now desparate as he tried not to frown at himself.

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja didn't drop his gaze, she wasn't too worried about him. No one would fight with her here, not in this crowd, and she was really only scared to meet Radella. She watched him as he answered, she'd never seen anyone so stoic and unresponsive. She wanted to laugh, but she could only smirk lightly at him. "You're a strange fellow." She said, obviously amused. Ronja wasn't used types like him really, well, she'd met ones who might have said the same thing, but the way this Atra spoke, he wasn't flirting with her--many other might have.

Ronja tried to decide if she even felt like dancing, her body was to tired and worn after all, but how could she pass it up? And he almost looked like he'd rather die than get on the crowded dance floor. So Ronja boldly took him by the hand and led him to the outer edge of the dance floor. "One song." She informed him.

Oh this party was helping her spirit, she didn't feel so small and broken anymore. Radella was not going to maim her soul forever, Ronja refused to allow it. Ronja was a very good dancer, considering she'd been learning since she was a small child, even in fae years. And Ronja had about 20 years until she hit 200. She took to the music easily, adjusting her position to dance, waiting for her rather stiff and cold companion to put in a small amount of effort, because one could not dance alone.

[HEFEYDD DURIN WORMWOOD]

Hefeydd was puzzled by her comment. Strange? That was a broad topic. What was that supposed to mean? She was obviously amused by him and her own comment, so he loosened up a little more, allowing the slight smile to lightly touch his eyes. The fact that he didn't have the heart to flirt right now seemed to make her more comfortable. Hell, not having to flirt made him more comfortable. A ball wasn't a good place to flirt anyway, but since he was feeling kind of sick, he decided flirting wasn't a good idea. He didn't have time for a romantic relationship right now, anyway.

Suddenly, she was leading him to the edge of the dance floor. He tried to cooperate, he was too proud to go back on an offer he had already made. He nodded when she told him she only wanted to dance to one song. That was better for his head, anyway. She was ready to dance and he set himself up to complete the frame. He now smiled a real smile, one that touched his eyes and grabbed her hand. Everything, but this moment was pushed to the back of his head. Even though he didn't like to be around people of dance, he had learned just in case a situation like this had come up. Good thing, too. The music started and Hefeydd stepped gracefully to the rhythm.

"Now that we're dancing, I feel I'm entitled to know your name." His eyes where dancing, just as his feet were. He was having a tad bit of fun, even if it wasn't what he had had in mind earlier. Dancing with her was almost as fun as scaring some mortal and more active and sociable. Ugh, sociable. Why was he being like this anyway? He hated dancing and social events, but he pushed these thoughts into the back of his head again. As long as he was dancing, he should pretend to enjoy it, so as not to offend his partner.

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja thought he looked better when he smiled, either he had no emotional awareness, or he was just sort of cold, because it was obvious he didn't smile often. It amde her curious, but not curious enough to ask---not yet anyway. He knew how to dance, that was obviously, but he hadn't practiced as much as Ronja had, but she loved to dance. "I'm Ronja." She informed him when he asked. "And you?" It was only fair really, a name for a name. Harmless. It wasn't hard to find out a first name anyway, and she could have given him a fake one, but she didn't. She never did.

The song was a good tempo, neither too fast nor too slow and they moved easily, but somehow, Ronja felt uneasy. Maybe it was because she could feel her scars and stitches straining at so much movement in one night. She just hoped nothing burst open again that day when she had helped James. She did not let concern fall to her face, she was too good at pretending to let it show. She simply danced with this unknown Atra whom she couldn't make up her mind about.

His arms were strong, it was even more obvious now, the dance skill suggested he had money for lessons on something so frivolous. Ronja didn't even notice she was filing these facts away silently, she'd always been a decent observer.

[HEFEYDD DURIN WORMWOOD]

She moved gracefully in Hefeydd's arms and he started to relax a little bit more. She had obviously been dancing for a while, most likely she had taken lessons. Her name was as pretty as she was, but he never skipped a beat, not even to comment on her name. "Hefeydd." Smiling became easier as he became more comfortable around Ronja. This was a new side of him, Atra didn't usually have a good side, but being there brought something good out of him. It felt wierd, but it wasn't hard. He actually smiled, danced, talked. It was a little bit different for him, but it was also kind of... fun.

He wasn't just leading Ronja anymore, he was moving in unison with her. He had never danced like this, but, then again, he didn't dance very often. "How's life in the Argentum Court, assuming you're Argentum?" He added in the last part so that she wouldn't think he was paying too much special attention to her. His movements were becoming more fluid as the music continued. He enjoyed this song. It wasn't so lively that a lot of activity was required, but it was fast enough to actually dance to. His head was no longer pounding and his face was well lit up by a smile that signaled that he enjoyed her company.

The song seemed to be nearing the middle. Half his time with Ronja was gone. His earlier thoughts pushed back into his mind now. He was almost done wasting his time. Soon, he could leave. His mind had turned into a battlefield, his thoughts each trying to cut the other down. He wanted to stay, to talk to Ronja, to feel this new side of him. Then, he wanted to cut the dance short, he wasn't really like this, he needed to leave. He could feel his smile fading as his later thoughts started to win over his mind. He fought to keep the smile plastered on his face, but it wasn't reaching his eyes anymore. He tried, but the Atra in him had won over.

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

He seemed to be really enjoying himself all of a sudden which caught her off guard and she almost asked if he wanted to dance more than one song. She'd only demanded one because she could tell he was apprehensive. But he asked her a question. "Things are fine." Really, Ronja wasn't sure, she'd been in bed for a week, Ellylon had stepped down from the throne for some reason and a war was about to start. What did you tell your enemy about your court? Hard to say.

Her body moved without her needing to think about it. She focused her brain power on his changing mood, the smile was gone and he looked as agitated as before. He really was strange. Ronja furrowed her eyebrows lightly. "Hefeydd... are you really so emotionally confused?" those were the words that came out, not the ones she had been planning on, but oh well. "Do you think just because your Atra you aren't allowed to have fun that doesn't involve pain?" She asked him rather bluntly. Now maybe he did feel that way, but obviously some part of him liked dancing with her. It was obvious. No amount of his faint grimacing would change that.

"Because I don't really think that's how it works."

[HEFEYDD DURIN WORMWOOD]

Hefeydd could tell that Ronja didn't know how to answer his question, so he left it at that and didn't ask her more. He could understand, as a war could be starting soon, but it irritated him even more, her short answer. He was moving effortlessly now, and he saw that she had noticed his mood change. Then, she spoke. He only heard half of what he said because suddenly, he became angry. He wanted to hurt her in that instant, but he knew he shouldn't. The ball was supposed to be peaceful and happy, no matter his mood. He calmed himself only enough to answer her through clenched teeth.

"You make me confused. Do you do it on purpose? Change personalities, even if just for one dance? This isn't something I normally do, dancing, talking. Having fun means nothing to me like it does to you. You don't understand and you probably never will, because you can't open your mind enough to get the big picture." Anger was taking over Hefeydd's mind. He stopped mid-dance and glared at Ronja.The song was nearing its end anyway. His grip on Ronja's hand tightened to the point that it was painful to him.