#elsewhere

The band has been ordered to go with what the heroines like

Left alone for a minute between dances, Dagmar indulges in a little spin when she thinks no-one is watching. The gown flares out in a very satisfying way.

it does!

Piper snatches up Siv's hand, and tugs her across the floor to where Dagmar pointed out the Selkie and Troll 'couple'.

"Excuse me?" She says, with a smile.

"This is one of my favorite songs... but it requires two couples." A mock pout. "No one else has the same height ratio as myself and my lady Cap'n, but the two of you, beggin' pardon, would just about match up, give or take a few inches?"

She looks hopeful, and after all, the Baroness DID say to indulge the heroines...

Other sets of four are surely forming already.

Celia looksconfused, then catches on "Oh sure, anything for the singer of the shore"

"oh I don't dance that well... " the thane starts to say

A POUT. A MIGHTY POUT.

Certain her indulgence wasn't caught, Dagmar goes to get herself some punch and a plate of tiny meatballs.

"If you don't wish to partner with miss Celia, I guess I can ask Squire Valter to take her hand..."

"ok okay.. sorry I.." Stanly looks at Celia "Well uhm let's dance"

"How romantic," Celia mutters, but then smiles "Sure"

And an eshu woman taps Dagmar on the shoulder, "Dame?"

She turns, startled. "Ah - hi?"

"I know you're enjoying some punch, but, I was hoping you might honor me with a dance?" She offers her hand "I can lead if you like? My name is Uva" Like most Eshu she is tall, not as tall as Dagmar mind

"This one seems to be for fours...but... maybe the next?"

"I'm not a very good dancer, so. Um. Fair warning."

She pulls the two over, and then beams at Siv.

"That's fine, i just trust my feet" Uva smiles

Siv grins and moves to Piper "May I have this dance?'

"Eshu have a talent. I stick to eshu and satyrs, maybe no toes will be smashed tonight."

"Of course, my Captain." They bow to each other, and then bow to their opposite partners, and the dance begins!

Uva grins "But trolls are so strong they could lift their dance partners up and at least one set of feet would never touch the floor"

That gets a little smile, too. "That would solve it, yeah."

Siv beams as they dance "you picked this song for me, didn't you?"

She flips her skirt a little as she spins. "Why, am I your 'Mariner's Delight'?"

Siv laughs and pulls her in for nose touch, "Always . Can't believe you got me a cannon. Balista not enough?" A grin

"Oh, Ballista is FINE if you have Amazon arms..." A soft huff, "Even with the crank, I can't load the dang thing. What if we come up against a serpent or pirate ship at sea? Are you going to let me wear the Cap'n's toque so you can load and fire?" Teasing.

A glance over at their partners as they spin past to see how Celia is doing.

Uva smiles "I hear you like pets? That's wonderful.. I've got one myself"

Celia looks warm and happy, Stanly isn't a very good dancer, and she doesn't give a damn.

"Yeah? What kind? I have quite a few, plus there's animals at the Lodge..." Oh, it takes little prompting ot hear about ALL of Dagmar's four-legged friends.

"Follow my lead..." She whispers to Siv, and then passes back to Stanly - she winks to Celia on the way.

As they twirl, she says to the bashful Troll, "Mind, we're doing this dance with the Pacifica variation..." And she leans in to kiss the air in front of Stanley's cheeks, left, then right. That's NOT normally a part of the dance! But...

Soon they are twirling back, and Celia has Stanley in hand...

"A Dalmation mix" Uva beams "Oh I love her... and I don't have a cat like Odin but my sister has two cats..." She rattles on in return.

"Does she travel with you?"

Stanly is baffled but .... it seems to work

When Siv leans in to 'kiss' her cheeks, Piper pulls her close and tilts, so she gets a full on SMACK on the lips!

Siv savors it

Uva talks "Oh yes, Speckles has fantastic stamina. They wouldn't let her in for the ceremony" A sigh

Meanwhile, Celia gets the hint, Stantl 'kisses' near her cheeks and she starts to stand up when he says "Seems more itallian than pacifica huh? weird isn't it?"

And she loses her nerve and what might have been a kiss has her going "Ah, weird yeah"

Siv whispers "Oh lord, she has to step up on this. Some guys need a cluebyfour up the head"

A wince as she watches the quartet from the snack table. "Oh, that didn't go well..."

"I'm sorry Speckles couldn't come in. I'm sure she'd have been well-behaved."

Uva turns "oh my, Poor Celia" A frown

Piper winces. Then, as she spins past again, she says, a touch wickedly, "I am fond of trolls.... if you won't make a move, I will!" To poor Celia. Who, being at an Ailil court, may well believe it...

Fear , real fear, then, ire, and on the next spin, when he blows to the sides of her cheeks she zigs into the zag and and their mouths collide, he is surprised and for a moment viewers may worry Stanly will pull back or apologize or make this all wrong!

But while he starts to pull back, his eyes light up and he seems to see Celia not as his friend who is smart, and pretty, and out of his league, but as a woman who is brilliant, and beautiful, and who likes him too!