While briefly distracted by a wave of heat over the idea of the two dancing together, Mei's expression falls as Cadoras walks away. She can't help but look to Malvyn—see?—then at the elf's back as he heads for the dance floor.

Focusing back on Quentillius, she summons a smile. "Oh! W-Well, I'm afraid I don't know the steps, but if you're willing to teach me? And as long as--," she tentatively takes his hand, amethyst eyes focusing on his blue ones, "--your girlfriend won't mind?"

"Yes, you definitely have the musicality to figure this out my dear, and I think I might recognize the type of music from a book I read about dancing styles. Let's give it our best without regrets." Malvyn says and leads Aurora onto the dance floor.

History to have a clue what this style of dancing is expected with this music: 24

He catches Mei's glance and gives her a discreet shrug and an encouraging smile. Perhaps Q needed a chance to show some hither unknown less obnoxious side of himself. Even though the dreamer possibly felt awkward over having to juggle Q and C he didn't doubt she would do so well and later be able to make an informed decision who would best suit her.  

(If anyone else wishes, you may give a skill check that you feel is appropriate to try out your dance moves. i.e. like Malvyn did with history!) 

Rubina hovers with Guardok near the dance floor, modeling some simple dance steps for him.  She then takes his arm and leads him, repeating reminders for the step the first time through.  You notice others stopping to listen to her during her explanation. 

"Girlfriend?" Quentillius responds to Mei, sounding confused at the suggestion. "I admit, I have many zealous admirers, but tonight I am here only for you Mei. The brightest flower of the gala." He leads you directly to the dance area, whispering, "Just follow me."  He sets one hand at your hip and the other on your shoulder, taking the lead in the dance steps. Brief whispers inform you of the moves, but he also helpfully nudges you in just the right direction it seems.  

Malvyn does indeed recognize the style of music and the expected dance moves from his studies. And it does look like his memory of what was in the book is similar at least to those dancing around him.  Aurora smiles as he takes her hand to begin the dance. "We shall see what happens. This... is not my usual preferred style of music. But I'm sure we'll get it."  She does seem to have a real feel for the music and beats, even if her steps are not as precise as many of the others. 

Cadoras can be seen nearby, dancing by himself. He has an uncanny sense of following the beats of the music, while at the same time looking completely out of synch with the other dancers. 

Guardok really doesn't get the strict steps, but does his best regardless.

Performance: 2+5=7

"But perhaps it will be, we won't know until we have tried things someone wise told me once." Malvyn says with a warm smile as he does his best to lead Aurora in the dance, certainly not perfectly but good enough to be moving well with her by now, feeling remarkably calm and relaxed, not caring about what others would think about him and her dancing the way they were, in this moment not even caring how Q did or what he might think. "It feels nice moving with you like this Aurora, I realize I missed dancing with you." He says softly, feeling them flow together over the dance floor.

((Using a Portent for performance and adding a student die (since the last use was technically for a different day with the painting, right?): 19+3+4 26))

A thread is plucked the moment Quentillius puts his hand on her hip. A purple gaze clouds white as presents and futures collide, the ply unraveled into infinite threads. All at once it's Cadoras' hand instead, and a dance full of laughter. Then it's Guardok's and friendly teasing as she steps on his toes. Rubina's as she patiently teaches her the steps.

Than again, in an instant, they've been respun together. Her vision clears and it's Quentillius' hand. She's already heard his voice in her ear, whispering guidance. Already felt the shiver it sends down her spine. These are steps she's danced both a thousand times and never at all.

Nearly effortlessly, now, she follows. He'd called her a flower and, truly, she blossoms across the dance floor, the dark blue skirts of her dress swaying like petals in the wind. 

Guardok doesn't seem to quite get the steps. But Rubina doesn't seem to mind. And he manages a passable enough job to make it through the dance. By the end Rubina is laughing at the situation. "Well, you might not have been my best dance partner ever. But it was a lot of fun Guardok." She takes a deep breath. "I really do think I should go and get my rest now though. A very busy day still tomorrow. But it was lovely to see your painting, Mei." 

Aurora and Malvyn's dance may not be perfect, but between Aurora's musical sense of rhythm and Malvyn's book knowledge, they manage to do very well. "This is nice. Why don't you always hold me close like this Mal? I might just like it." She smiles, leaning her head against him as they move together across the floor. 

Mei almost seems to float about the room as she dances with Quentillius. Every move seems to be done with perfection. For his part, the actor plays his part extremely well also. His steps are deftly accurate, as he simply guides this flower through the dance.  It's almost difficult to know how long you danced.  It must have been more than one song, right? You vaguely note Rubina saying something to you but had been too wrapped up in the music and movement. 

At the end of the song, Cadoras darts over. As always there is a smile on his face. "Mei! Oh, wow! How did I not know what a fabulous dancer you are? All of your moves looked amazing. It was quite a sight."  As he enthusiastically gushes his compliments, Mei notices there is a handful of people that seemed to have their eyes on her and Quentillius.  

"You are right, I should, I just think I were a afraid that you might not like it." The purple-skinned tiefling says a bit awkwardly, but he savours the closeness of the raven-haired beauty in his arms, feeling reassured and more confident in his moves, continuing to dance slowly at the very edge of the dance floor now, leaning his head slightly agains hers, letting go of her hand to just hold her as they keep dancing slowly for as long as she would have him there.

Guardok chuckles at the understatement of Rubina's comment, "See, without the power of my maracas I am quite inept".

When she proclaims she must go, he nods. "Quite so, the play and band all in one day".

"I should probably go and get some sleep myself. Leave the dancing to the professionals", he adds, motioning to Mei and Quentillius along with Melvyn and Aurora and giving both couples a round of applause.

Mei blink-blinks, feeling as though she's come out of a trance. Her gaze flits between sapphire eyes before the staring faces beyond come into focus. With impeccable timing, Cadoras likely saves her from making a fool of herself. "W-Was it? Oh, well... all I did was follow my instructor's lead, really," she gently deflects. "A pupil is only as good as her teacher." She smiles up at Quentillius, then notices Guardok's wave signaling his and Rubina's departure. 

"Ah! It looks like the rest of your cast is leaving. I imagine you need to get some rest before tomorrow too," Mei says. She realizes her hand is still on his shoulder and quickly removes it as they move off the dance floor towards the others. "I’m so grateful you all came--it really means a lot to me. And I’m glad you got to see your first Damellawar too,” she says with a grins at Cadoras.

Aurora shakes her head a bit.  "Mal, I certainly hope I never gave you that impression. Not like it?"  As though to emphasize the point she steps ever so slightly closer. "Do we dare try our luck at another dance, or just quit while we're ahead?" It is about this time that you see that Rubina and Guardok seem to be leaving.  

Rubina laughs again when Guardok mentions the maracas. "Well, bring those next time and we'll give it another go."  She says her goodbyes, pausing for a moment as the genasi applauds the other dancers. She then starts to head towards the exit, glancing to see if Guardok is coming along as well. 

"Well, I really do appreciate the compliment," Quentillius tells Mei.  "But I think I was hardly teaching there. You seemed to know what to do effortlessly. The true queen of this gala." 

Cadoras chuckles as Mei comments about seeing his first Damellawar. "Oh? You liked it?  Well, I could potentially be persuaded to show you the moves," he says, wiggling his brows in an odd manner. He then pauses, getting a grin across his face. "If I can remember what I did exactly."  

Quentillius then gives Mei a small bow. "I too must take my leave. Rest is needed to be prepared for my performance tomorrow. I am terribly honored to have had your hand for that dance. And I am quite glad to have gotten a chance to see your painting. You are as skilled as you are beautiful."  He reaches for her hand, intending to lift it up a bit for a small kiss.  

Cadoras seems to hesitate a bit as the man says his goodbye to Mei.  The elf watches him as he goes to depart, almost seeming on hold until he is out of sight. 

Mei shares profuse thanks with Quentillius, for the flowers, for the wonderful dancing, and for coming, and gives her best wishes for the play tomorrow, the words stuttering as he kisses her hand. At the press of lips to bare skin, she cycles through several shades of red and pink.

Then the dreamer, too, watches as he leaves, eyes drifting downward before snapping up. When she notices Cadoras strangely frozen, she tugs lightly on his sleeve. “Are you okay? Too much dancing?” she asks, brows pinched with concern. “I can get you some water?”

"No, not at all, it's...it's just a matter of confidence on my part I'm afraid." The purple -skinned tiefling says a bit awkwardly. "And while I don't really want to let go of you now, ever, it is probably a good idea for me at least to save this moment for my memories of this night. I think I saw some of the others leave, perhaps we should see if there's anyone left at all?" He says, reluctantly releasing the raven-haired beauty. 

Guardok pops over to see Mei before he follows along after Rubina.

"Well done, Mei. I hope you are enjoying your evening. I certainly enjoyed seeing your wonderful art and the rest of the evening's food and entertainment", he says sincerely. He gives Cadoras a thumbs up too.

Now ready to head back to Dresar Hall for some rest, he offers to swing by wherever Rubina lives to make sure she gets back safely along the way. If Quentillius is leaving at the same time, they likely all walk together.

Once Quentillius is gone, Cadoras seems to spring back into motion as though he had not sort of froze in place. "Fine as can be!" he says in response to Mei's question. "So did you want a lesson in the Damellawar? Or have your dancing shoes already been worn to threads?" He hops around a bit in a way reminiscent of the moves he was making on the dance floor a moment ago. Cadoras returns the thumbs up from Guardok after the genasi had said his goodbyes to Mei. 

Aurora nods to Malvyn. "I get it. And yea, we should probably think of heading out and getting some rest. Though we should certainly say goodbye to the two artists before we go."  She takes the tiefling's hand and makes her way over towards Mei and Cadoras. 

Rubina smiles, nodding her head when Guardok offers to escort her back to her room. "That's very kind of you."  Once they head out and are walking back, she adds, "I'm glad you convinced me to come tonight. It was fun." 

Mei curiously considers the elf a beat longer, but breaks into a smile at his antics. "It's a good thing I brought my dancing feet for backup. I think I'll need them for this lesson!" The smile softens as she quietly admits, "To be honest, I was afraid you might not ask."


((After saying goodbye to Malvyn and Aurora (no rush, Oberon!)... Presuming they have to stay til the end of the event to help clean up, Mei will gladly spend as much of the evening dancing with Cadoras as there is music to fill it, once or twice doing a loop past her painting to check on things or see if anyone has questions (or information). Each time, she avoids looking at it directly. When it's finally time to head back to the dorms, she'd walk with Cadoras, insisting she drop him off for once so he doesn't have to walk back alone. When nearly to Dresar, if alone, she'll instead decide to visit the pond from the beginning of the semester to have a quiet--if cold--think about the night.))

The purple-skinned tiefling smiles and gives the raven-haired beauty's hand an affectionate squeeze, then heading by to say good night to Mei and Cadoras, giving Mei a quick hug and thanking them both for a nice evening. He would then walk Aurora back to her dorms, unless of course she prefers to do something else first.

"It was, wasn't it", Guardok replies, also having found the evening fun. "After the last few weeks of preparing for the gymnastics and the play I think I needed it too", he adds.

"Especially because after this weekend, I need to buckle down and catch up on my studies".

He is always aware of the responsibly he has to his family and to the circus to make the most of his opportunity at Strixhaven. It is like a constant weight on his shoulders, knowing how much has ben sacrificed to send him. That burden shows on his face briefly, before he hides it again and smiles.

"We'll have to do this again after the exams are over".

"Not ask?" Cadoras says to Mei, seemingly shocked. "How could I not share my fabulous new dance with you!" He sticks to his somewhat unusual moves, though it does seem a bit different than before. "Unique every time," he says. "Probably the influence of my sensational dance partner," he adds. The elf is more than happy to accompany her to make a round past her painting once they tire of dancing. And then he suggests getting something to drink as the evening winds down.  When the crowds have finally left, the pair are needed to take down a few things and clean up.  Most of the exhibits will remain until tomorrow, so it isn't too long before it's time to go. 

Rubina nods when Guardok mentions buckling down. "Yes, it's been busy with the play, but exams are coming. I will need time to focus on that as well."  She doesn't seem to catch the signs of his burdens.  But she does agree with his last comment. "I would love to have another outing after exams.  That's something to look forward to." Soon Rubina is back to her dormitory as well. 

In the meantime, Malvyn had left with Aurora and the pair made their way back to her dormitory.  She has no other plans for the night but enjoys walking close with the tiefling. "A lovely evening Mal. Thank you." 

Cadoras puts up a bit of protest when Mei unveils her plan to escort him back.  But he relents.  "That was a nice evening, Mei. I'm so glad you had some time for my silly dance. And your painting was great. I hope you'll have more artwork for future club events."  He soon is back to his room, and Mei is left to wander back to the pond.  As she stands there in the cold night, she realizes that she is feeling a bit tired. Probably just all the activities of the day - it has been a long one. 

Mei is surprised by the feeling of tiredness. How long it's been since the familiar weight of weariness drifted over her limbs and mind. She wonders if, perhaps, she'd upset Disyn by sharing her vision.

When she returns to the dorms, the Dreamer carefully Prestidigitates the borrowed dress clean, then heads to bed. A vase of flowers sits on her nightstand.