Winter Formal, Neptune High School

[argyle_princess]

Even before they reach the dance, in the dressed up Neptune High School Gym, they can hear it, a jumble of voices and laughter over something that passes for music.

(The band, it must be confessed, is really nothing all that impressive. The lyrics, if they were intelligible, would be quite forgettable. The music is, however, basically danceable.)

This year's theme, whatever it is, seems to have called for a great deal of pale blue and silver streamers and balloons, though only so much can be done to disguise the fact that the room is really intended more for basketball than dancing. But the Winter Formal Committee has tried. And what the room looks like doesn't matter nearly as much as who wore what and who showed up with whom. It's hard to get quality gossip out of crepe paper.

Comments

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Well, it was not that bad of an interrogation (really, teenagers from Neptune have nothing on senior naval officers in that area), but Wellard is hardly going to argue with this exit.

His grin may be a little bit smug, as he offers Hannah his arm, and gives Em and Geoff a nod.

"By your leave."

[argyle_princess]

(Teenagers from Neptune can put senior naval officers to shame in that area, when they make an effort, actually.)

"What did he just say?" Geoff asks, as Hannah and Henry leave.

"He's British or something," Em says, as if that explains it. And maybe it does.

Hannah shakes her head a little and tries not to giggle.

"Dance with me," she says, in the same way she says "walk with me" in Milliways, not a command but also with just barely enough of a rise at the end of the sentence to make it a request.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

British, 200 years out of date... same difference, maybe.

It hardly needs to be a command, or a request either- Wellard just takes it as a subtle suggestion of what Hannah would like to do, and usually he is quite fine with the idea. Now is not an exception.

There are more people on the dance floor by now, and moving to the music in similar ways that Dr Brennan had showed him, so that is reassuring.

And while Wellard is coming to have a great deal of respect for Dr Brennan-

Hannah quite beats out the doctor for a dance partner, by a lot.

[argyle_princess]

"British" is, at least, a rather less remarkable explanation than "Oh, he's from not quite 200 years ago, and possibly a different version of Earth."

Well, perhaps the best term is neither request nor command but statement of intent.

And Dr. Brennan probably would not find that opinion remarkable at all. In fact, she would probably have fifteen or sixteen anthropological principals in actions she would use it to illustrate.

All of which is to say, Henry's a pretty good choice for dance partner, too. It's hard to talk on the dance floor; the music is loud and talking's not really the point.

But her smile ought to make that pretty clear.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Sometimes you do not need to words to communicate. Hannah's smile is a perfect example of such a scenario.

To Wellard right now, her smile says it all.

There are no steps to have memorized, no set structure, so after a while it is rather easy to not have to concentrate on the dancing itself- and just pay attention to having fun, as well as to how Hannah is enjoying herself. However, soon enough the song ends, and the drummed beat softens and slows down quite a lot.

Ahha. Slow Dance.

[argyle_princess]

This, perhaps, might require some concentration.

Then again, it might be rather difficult to concentrate during this.

Hannah gave a lot to thought to a lot of things about this evening. Not the least of these was her dress. Because with a date who is 200 years out of date British, well, you don't want to go too . . . Neptune. So slits in the skirt were out, and her neckline actually qualifies her for a room in a convent, by local standards. But it's almost impossible to think of everything.

The dress is rather backless.

Yes. Slow dance.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Slowdance, and a backless dress, 200 years in the future. This was never covered in any of his etiquette lessons, and certainly never broached as a midshipman.

(If it was, he missed that class.)
Uncharted Territory
This was awkward enough when he was learning. That has not changed, except now it is for entirely new reasons, as Wellard Very Carefully puts his hands around Hannah's waist.

[argyle_princess]

Awkward, yes, but in a rather wonderful way.

Hannah has been rather aware of Henry's hands, where they are and what they're doing, for some time now. These two have long communicated as much with gestures, with when and how they touch each other as they do with what they say. Sometimes, rather a lot more. But she cannot remember ever having been quite this focused on his hands before.

It suddenly seems very quiet.

And it takes her second or two to remember to put her own hands lightly, very lightly, on the back of his neck.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

It seems like only yesterday that it was not right, it was not proper, to be able to reach up and touch the side of Hannah's face. When just a touch to her hand or arm was careful and daring.

Now, she is close enough to study the depth of her eyes, even if a good portion of his attention is distracted by the feel of both her skin under his hands, and her hands gently brushing his neck.

Thankfully, slowdancing is hardly any more complicated than slowly moving in time to the music.

[argyle_princess]

Not complicated at all. It's actually incredibly simple. Hands on skin, and dancing and music. And while dancing and music may have evolved, hands and skin really haven't changed in the slightest in 200 years.

Of course, it's also possible that things are changing a good deal in the here and now.

Here and now being relative terms, of course. And the specifics of either really couldn't matter less.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Though, the elements of here and now are factors for figuring out opportune moments. And even being in the middle of a dance floor in the middle of Neptune-

Because of, or in spite of-

This rather strikes Wellard as an opportune moment, and he is quite learning how to not let such things pass him by without taking advantage of them.

He leans forwards and softly kisses Hannah.

[argyle_princess]

Her hands are already on his neck; it's easy enough to slide them up into his hair, to pull him closer to her.

They could be in the middle of a dance floor in Neptune or a yak farm in Mongolia or a bar at the End of the Universe in this here and now and it would make very little difference. Hannah would still be aware of exactly three things.

His hand, slightly cool and slightly rough, on the small of her back.

His mouth on hers, and the soft, deliberate way he kisses her.

And the faint, sweet smell of the roses he put on her wrist and in her hair in a different here and now.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Even with his eyes closed- She is still beautiful.

Opportune moments, each with an exact detail to remember-

The soft warmth of her skin under his finger tips.

The still-surprising newness in the feeling of his lips upon hers.

The scent of roses mingling with the sweeter smell of jasmine that Hannah often uses.



The dim, colorful lights and the slow music of the dance just nicely serve as a background to everything else-

They are not that much of a component to this here and now, afterall.

[argyle_princess]

And then, suddenly, they are. The band quickens pace, the music becomes all drums and guitar riffs, the singer switches from a smokey croon to a rough wail.

Hannah steps back slightly, her hands slide from his hair along his cheeks, and then drop to his shoulders.

She spends a long moment trying to think of something to say, before settling for "Hi," and then looks away, laughing.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard laughs quietly, his hands dropping from Hannah's waist, and his cheeks flush faintly red.

"Ah. ... Opportune moment." He reaches up to rub the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"I'm quite glad you asked me to accompany you to the dance here, Hannah. Thank you."

[argyle_princess]

Just impossibly cute when he blushes.

"You're welcome. I'm very glad you came," she says.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Then it seems to have worked rather well all around, hasn't it?" Wellard grins a bit, then offers Hannah his arm.

"Would you care to see what they have to drink?"

[argyle_princess]

"You know, I think it might actually be early enough that there are even odds no one has spiked the punch yet," she says, taking his arm.

"And if they have, we'll find something else."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Doctor Brennan mentioned that." Wellard makes a slight face, as he and Hannah make their way through the other dancers to some of the tables on the edge of the room.

"As well as the reasons for it." He shakes his head, amused, then looks over the various bowls of punch.

[argyle_princess]

Hannah approaches open drinks at social gatherings - even school sponsored ones - the way a girl from 21st century Neptune would, which is to say cautiously.

"There's an anthropological reason for spiking punch?" she asks, first smelling and then carefully tasting the punch.

"Yeah, we'll need something else."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"Rebellion against the legal drinking age." His lips twitch in both amusement at the idea, and also an exasperated frown at the bowls of punch.

"... I can make do, if there's nothing else, really."

[argyle_princess]

"Well, I can't," she says, "because I'm driving, and I'm not stupid. And you shouldn't have to. This is why I always bring quarters to a dance. For the soda machine.

"Will you be okay for a minute? I'll be right back."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard blinks, and then nods.

"I should be fine, of course."

[argyle_princess]

She leans up and kisses his cheek. "Be right back," she promises, and goes.

[argyle_princess]

Speaking of opportune moments, Amber has been waiting for Hannah to step away from her date.

Not that Amber doesn't have one of her own, but that's never stopped her from looking.

The girl who walks up to Henry is wearing rather a lot of mascara and a black dress that's really a marvel of structural engineering (in that it's a bit difficult to tell what's keeping it on).

"Hi there," she says.