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Most inconveniences in Delilah Ryder’s life could be traced back to her twin brother, Aland. Sometimes the thread connecting him to her torment was thin, a silken strand in the web of her mortification, but she always felt his pull.
Other times, like when he blurted things out for anyone within ear shot to hear, his connection was a bit more obvious.
“You would dance competitively?” Cora asked. She leaned across the table, eager to hear Ryder’s reply over the grinding beat of the Vortex.
“Uh, yeah. Ballroom.”
Gil let out a whoop, nearly upending himself from his chair as he laughed. He drummed his fists against the table as he laughed, each beat sending a shock of embarrassment down Ryder’s spine.
She glared at her brother, hoping that if there were ever a twin link between the two of them he would feel her glower like hot embers. “Thanks for that,” she whispered, the venom seething beneath her forced smile.
He smiled back, genuine and good natured. It was a smile that some said was charming, though the effects were lost on her.
The teasing was minimal - bearable - once back on the Tempest, but Ryder couldn’t keep the color from her cheeks as she ducked away at last from the crew quarters. The doors closed behind her just as Liam suggested a ship dance.
Oh, how sweet her revenge would be. First, a shower. Then, plotting her revenge.
She washed away the smokey smell that always clung to her after a visit to the Vortex. It had been a long day, filled with meetings, bureaucracy, politics… the least enjoyable aspects of her pathfinder role. Drinks afterwards had been meant as a way to unwind before they jetted back out of orbit.
Clad in ratty PJs, hair bundled on top of her head in a towel, she shuffled back to her quarters.
“SAAAAM,” she whined as soon as the door slid open. “Is there anything you can do to Aland’s implant, like make it explode or something?”
“Sheesh, remind me not to get on your bad side.”
She did a poor job hiding her surprise. Peebee scowled at the open mouthed gapping, her arms already crossed over her chest.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Ryder said casually as she recovered her composure. She slid the towel off her head and blotted the ends of her still damp hair. Peebee never came to her quarters when others were still awake to see.
Peebee flapped her arms by her side and blew a ragged breath between pursed lip. She scuffed a toe against the ground and looked everywhere but at Ryder.
“What’s up?” Ryder prodded.
“Would you teach me to dance?” she blurted, the words coming out as a rush and jumbling together into near incoherency.
For the second time in as many minutes, Ryder couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Like to waltz?” she finally stuttered.
SAM was ready. Soft, then bouncy, a crescendo of violins and cellos. One, two, three, and one two three… Shostakovich, Waltz 2.
The towel dropped to her feet.
“Your favorite,” Peebee said, her defensive scowl melting into a shy smile.
“You asked Aland?” Ryder took a step closer, her cheeks hurting from the smile she couldn’t control, no matter how suave she willed herself to act. “You know, this might almost be considered romantic.”
“Gross.” Peebee stuck her tongue out, nose scrunched in mock disgust. She made a show of recrossing her arms, her weight shifting between hips as she looked out the window, a practiced expression of boredom keeping her features placid.
“Who’s going to be the lead?”
“Me, obviously.” Peebee laughed as she turned back to Ryder and held out her palm. She bowed at the waist with a dramatic flourish. “May I have this dance?” she drawled.
Ryder stepped into the embrace, guiding Peebee’s hand to rest against the small of her back. Peebee was stiff at the elbows and turning a never before seen shade of soft purple coloring her cheeks and nose.
“It’s very simple,” Ryder said, using her knees to knock Peebee’s legs into position. “Loosen your arms, listen - listen - put your elbow down.”
“My elbow is down.”
“No, stop sticking it out like that.”
Peebee sighed but did as she was told, shaking herself out at the shoulders until her arms sagged.
“Well, no, you have to keep your arm strong -“
“That doesn’t make sense!”
“It’s a simple box step, the waltz,” Ryder continued, ignoring Peebee’s complaint. “Just… one, two, three, one two three? Keep to the box. I’ll pull and you follow until you get the hang of it. Got it?”
Peebee kept her eyes directed at their feet. “Sure, yup, got it.”
“SAM, start the music again.”
Ryder listened to the music, bouncing in place to the tempo. One, two three, and one two three. “Ready?” she asked her dance partner, balancing her right foot on her toes as she readied to step back.
One terse nod, Peebee’s lips pressed into a thin line as she looked at the ground with her brow furrowed in concentration.
“Okay, a-and one, two, three.”
Ryder took the first step, tugging on their joined hands to force Peebee to follow. A step to the left, Peebee clumsily mirroring the action with her right foot. Ryder pushed against Peebee’s palm, causing her to step back as Ryder stepped forward.
“Good!” she encouraged. “You go left foot, right, left, right. Keep to the box, one, two, three, and one two three.”
After a few completed rounds, Peebee was able to adapt her footwork, falling into the rhythm more easily. Ryder relaxed her grip, allowing Peebee to take the lead. She pushed and Ryder stepped back, allowing herself to be pulled and guided along as they followed the lines of their imaginary box.
“Yes! You’re doing so good!”
“Let’s spin,” Peebee said, confident enough to take her eyes off their feet.
“Um, okay. When you step back with -“
Already starting to pull Ryder out of her rhythm, Peebee ignored the advice. She stepped outside the box with the wrong foot, blocking Ryder’s step forward as her legs crossed. Ryder took a quick step back to avoid tripping and Peebee followed when she felt a pull on her hand.
Toes were smashed and someone made a decidedly undignified yelp.
“Ah, sorry!” Peebee overcorrected and tripped over her own feet, stumbling backwards.
Ryder pulled against Peebee to help steady her before she could take them both down. “Maybe no spinning just yet?” she suggested with a laugh.
Peebee laughed as well and reached out for Ryder, pulling her closer than the waltz allowed, both hands resting on a hip. “Do you know this dance?” she asked as she swayed from foot to foot, rocking Ryder’s hips as she went.
“Did you learn this from my brother as well? He’s a terrible dancer.” Ryder followed once again, letting herself be pulled along as they swayed. She wrapped her arms around Peebee’s shoulders as they pressed together.
“Your brother is kind of cute.”
“Gross.” It was Ryder’s turn to stick out her tongue and scrunch her nose.
SAM changed the song as they shuffled across the room, the controlled pace of the waltz being replaced by something soft and jazzy. Ryder let herself relax against Peebee, her cheek pressed against her shoulder.
“You’re a terrible dancer,” she whispered.