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Lotor adjusted each piece of his suit, making sure that he looked perfect. By this point, however, he was really just stalling. He knew that he needed to go out to the ballroom and greet his guests, but he still took a few extra moments to brace himself.
Truth be told, he didn’t really see the point in this whole event. The girls – Ezor especially – insisted that a dance would do Lotor some good. He hadn’t had a chance to go to a diplomatic event, especially a dance, since his falling-out with his parents and since breaking off his betrothal to his previous dance partner, Allura of Altea. And although he still spoke with Allura and was on good terms with her (and was very happy for her and her new boyfriend and dance partner, Lance of Earth), they certainly weren’t in a position to dance together again. Dancing had meant so much to Lotor, whether as part of diplomacy, competition, or simply fun, so perhaps the girls were right to encourage Lotor to host this event and maybe, just maybe, find a new dance partner.
Maybe that was why Lotor was stalling. This was the first diplomatic event Lotor had hosted since being given control of his own province (which was really just his parents’ way of getting him as far away from them as possible without publicly exiling him). Despite the pressure that this would define how others saw him as his own person apart from his parents, he wasn’t afraid of the guests. Diplomacy and networking had always been his strong suits, and while the importance of both was far from lost on him, he wasn’t nervous for either. No, it was more of that other issue, the one of potentially trying to find a new dance partner, that made him uneasy. Of course, a dance partner could simply be a professional partner, but Lotor had fond memories of his long-term partnership with Allura, and he couldn’t help but wish to have something like that with his next partner, even if only in a platonic sense.
A sharp knock on his door brought Lotor out of his thoughts. “Yes?” he called.
“Are you almost ready?” Acxa’s voice came through the door. “The guests are arriving and will be expecting you to come out and greet them soon.”
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
Acxa’s footsteps retreated from the door, and Lotor allowed himself one more moment to breathe and to center himself before he left his room.
After he had walked down the hall, Lotor paused for a moment in front of a large portrait hanging opposite the entrance to the ballroom. Since this palace, as the capital palace of this planet, used to belong to his parents, there had of course been a few portraits of them scattered around the palace hallways and rooms. The first thing Lotor had done in his lingering anger when sent here was to cross out their faces, and though he could have had the portrait taken down, he still left it there as a reminder of why he needed to work hard to make a new life for himself here. He needed to be free and independent from them, and the frustration that was rekindled every time he saw the portrait again fueled his determination to do just that.
Turning his back on the portrait, Lotor squared his shoulders and headed out into the ballroom, ready to put on a show of happiness and contentedness for the sake of the party and of diplomacy.
~*~*~*~
The party had been going on for over a varga at this point, and Lotor had greeted almost everyone and had participated in the festivities. He had danced with a few guests, though all of the dancing had been the tame, easy stuff common to such events, not the complex and breathtaking dances Lotor was used to and preferred. Still, he could admit that the girls were right; it felt nice to be dancing again.
Making his way to the refreshments table, Lotor picked out a pastry and a glass of nunvil, letting himself enjoy the sugar and alcohol that he normally would not indulge in. As he ate his pastry, he watched the guests on the dancefloor, noting with some pride that pretty much everyone seemed generally happy. After all, a successful event was all that he was really hoping for, and it seemed that he and the girls had accomplished that.
Speaking of the girls, Lotor spotted Zethrid and Ezor dancing together among the guests, looking lively and carefree. Against one wall, Acxa and Narti stood together, probably making snarky comments about the guests if Narti’s occasional signs and the small smirk on Acxa’s face were anything to go off of.
As Lotor’s eyes skimmed the wall, he noticed one person who seemed rather out of place. The young man’s expression was closed-off, though Lotor couldn’t discern whether he was haughty or just uncomfortable, perhaps both. More perplexing still, Lotor couldn’t immediately place the young man’s race. He almost looked Altean, but that definitely wasn’t right. What was the name of that race that looked similar to Alteans? Human? This stranger was most likely human, which confused Lotor, since he didn’t remember inviting any human diplomats to this event. Relations between the Galra and Earth were shaky at best, and Lotor had very much wished to not get involved in that particular political affair at the moment.
Lotor casually walked along the wall of the ballroom, greeting people as he went, in an attempt to get closer to the mysterious stranger without said stranger noticing his approach. In the time it took Lotor to get closer, however, someone else approached the young man and started talking to him. From their interactions, it seemed clear that they already knew each other well. It took Lotor a few ticks to recognize the other person as Kolivan, a political figure with strong anti-imperial views. Lotor had invited him in the hopes of perhaps having a chance to talk with him, and the invite had included room for Kolivan to bring a few friends or family along. And now that Lotor was a little closer, he could see pale purple marks on the stranger’s cheeks that some Galra had, so perhaps he was half-Galra? Perhaps even Kolivan’s son? That would be odd, considering that Lotor had never heard anything about Kolivan having a child.
Kolivan moved on, heading off in another direction, and the stranger went back to watching the crowd with the same closed-off expression. Lotor, now more intrigued than ever, decided that now was the time to approach him. He walked directly toward the young man, and he felt caught off-guard when the stranger looked over to him, revealing striking grey-violet eyes.
As Lotor approached, he held out his hand toward the stranger and smiled. “May I have this dance?”
The young man looked surprised, then a bit confused as he looked Lotor up and down, but finally he returned Lotor’s smile and extended his hand to meet Lotor’s. “Sure.”
Lotor moved into a leading dance posture, since dance etiquette in Galra tradition dictated that the asking partner should lead the dance, regardless of gender, and he felt impressed as the stranger immediately mirrored it with a truly professional frame. He stood neither too close to Lotor (which was something Lotor had already been subjected to more than once tonight by rather flirtatious guests) nor too far, and Lotor could instantly tell that this young man had dance experience. Though their height difference was notable, the stranger was unperturbed, as if he was used to dancing with a taller partner.
The song currently playing was rather fast-paced, so Lotor asked, “Do you know kelersalti?”
The stranger looked confused for a moment before his expression brightened in realization. “Oh, you mean quickstep? Yeah. One of my favorites.”
“Perfect. Then, mon, di, tro…” Lotor counted the beats and then began the dance, and he was delighted to find that the stranger moved perfectly on-beat with grace and ease, even as Lotor varied the steps between the usual chasse step and a lockstep.
As they continued to dance, Lotor felt a sense of familiarity again for the first time since he had last danced with Allura. This young man didn’t follow his lead quite as unhesitatingly as she used to, and his movements were more energetic and precise where hers had been smooth and graceful, but Lotor recognized a fellow competitive dancer in this intriguing stranger.
To Lotor’s surprise, the stranger spoke first. “I didn’t know that you were a professional dancer, your highness.” It wasn’t a question.
“I had to take dance lessons when I was young, as anyone planning to be involved in diplomatic affairs should.” Lotor smiled, thinking back on his early dance lessons. “I enjoyed them greatly and showed strong aptitude for dancing, so King Alfor of Altea suggested to my father that I could be the dance partner for his daughter, Princess Allura.”
“I see.”
“However, the princess has found a new dance partner, and I have not yet found someone who can compare.”
The stranger nodded, as though he understood Lotor’s plight to some degree, and Lotor became even more curious about him. As Lotor directed them along the edge the room, gliding with the motion of the dance, he asked, “Tell me about yourself. What is your name?”
“I’m Keith, from Earth.” He gave a nervous little half-smile.
Lotor found Keith’s small smile to be incredibly charming. Was it strange to find someone attractive so soon after meeting them? It was unusual for Lotor, at least. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Keith of Earth. How did you end up at my dance?”
“Oh. Uh, my mom’s Krolia, and, um…” Keith averted his eyes, like he was embarrassed to admit what he was about to say next. He turned in a spin away from Lotor, as if stalling for time while he decided how to answer. “She’s Kolivan’s... lover?” he finally admitted. “It’s a sort of recent development. So she came as his ‘plus one’ and brought me along too.”
Krolia? The name was unfamiliar to Lotor, but it definitely sounded like a Galra name. “So you are half-Galra, half-human?” he asked to clarify.
Keith nodded. “I grew up on Earth. I technically live in Galra territory now, but I still spend more time on Earth than out here.”
“Oh?” Lotor found himself with more questions than answers even as Keith explained. “And why is that, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well, after my dad died when I was a teenager, my mom decided to move back to Galra territory to be closer to her friends and family.” Keith’s expression hardened. “I stayed on Earth to finish school and visited her on the holidays. Now that I’m not going to school on Earth anymore, I’m technically registered as living with her on one of the Galra colonies, but I pretty much live with my friend Shiro on Earth.”
Lotor smiled wryly. “I think I understand better than most the desire to get away from one’s parents. I mean,” he nodded to the space around them, “as you can see, I now live on the outermost reaches of Galra territory in a palace that my parents had practically abandoned. The feeling of wanting space is quite mutual between my parents and me.”
“Ah, well…” Keith fumbled for a response. “I mean, things aren’t bad between me and my mom. We were just never very close. Even when we lived on Earth with my dad, she traveled a lot.”
“I’m sorry. It was not my intent to make you uncomfortable by comparing your situation to mine.”
Keith shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
After this, they danced in silence for a moment, allowing both to focus on the dance itself. Lotor found that Keith knew the silent cues for every basic movement, so Lotor didn’t have to hold back in any way as they glided across the ballroom floor.
The song finished up, and the two broke apart, bowing to one another formally. Both were breathing a little more heavily than before, though it was clear that both still had the stamina to keep going. “Would you like to dance again?” Lotor offered as the musicians began a different song.
“Sure. Foxtrot this time?” Keith stepped easily back into position, and Lotor again felt that sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was because Keith was around the same height as Allura.
“Foxtrot?” Lotor asked, unfamiliar with the Earth terminology.
“It’s, uh…” Keith bit his lip, trying to recall the Galra word for it. "Vulpakir?”
“I believe you mean vulpekur,” Lotor gently corrected. “But yes, that sounds like an excellent idea.” He again counted the beats, though he doubted that Keith needed the cue, before starting into the dance.
A few moments passed as the two fell into the pattern of the dance, gliding with the pace of the slower music. A few steps, then steps with a turn, then a few more steps… Keith followed along perfectly without the need for verbal communication. Experimentally, Lotor directed Keith into a promenade step, and Keith took the opportunity to show off a simple turn. Breaking the silence, Lotor said, “You asked earlier about my dance background. Is it alright if I ask now about yours?”
“Oh, sure.” Keith looked vaguely guilty, like he was thinking that he should have volunteered that information. “I learned how to dance as a kid, and I met my best friend Shiro at a dance studio. He was a higher level student, but I advanced quickly, and we ended up as dance partners. He nearly always danced as the lead role, especially in competition.”
Lotor nodded. Competition couples usually focused on perfecting their art with one person always taking the leading role and the other — usually the smaller and more flexible partner, regardless of gender — always taking the following role. Couples who could switch were rare, and switching in the middle of a song was banned in most competitions.
“Since Earth competition rules are a little different from interstellar competitions, we never went beyond the global level,” Keith continued. “But Earth has a long tradition of dancing from even before humans became a spacefaring race, so getting to the global level on Earth is like getting to the galactic level in many regions of the universe.”
“Is that so?” Lotor raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Then I should congratulate you. I know how difficult it is to get up to the galactic level. Princess Allura and I, royalty though we are, received no special treatment in competition. We did not always reach the galactic level, and we only reached the universal level twice.”
“Universal level?” Keith gave a low whistle. “That’s impressive.”
Lotor chuckled as he directed Keith into another turning step. “We never won. The highest we placed in universal competition was tenth place. Perhaps if we had continued on as partners, we would have continued to improve, but she is with someone else now. A boy from Earth, actually.”
“Really?” Keith looked perplexed, though his confusion didn’t bleed over into his dancing as he continued to follow along. “Who? I mean, chances are low that I’d actually know him, but…”
“She said that his name was Lance.”
Keith froze in the middle of the next step, causing Lotor to stumble to a halt. “I knew he was hiding something.”
“You know him?” Lotor laughed disbelievingly.
“Barely. He goes to my dance studio and is extremely annoying. That’s all I know.”
“Still, the odds of that…”
“Yeah, that’s quite the coincidence.” Keith shook his head.
They resumed dancing, and, after another moment, Lotor asked, “So you and your friend, you two still dance together?”
Keith’s expression turned pained, and he missed Lotor’s next cue for a turn. “He had an accident recently and lost his arm. He can still dance, but he doesn’t really have a shot in regular competition anymore, at least not on the global level. He’s been working with a new partner, also disabled, in the hopes of doing well in disabled-specific competition.”
“I see. I’m sorry to hear about that.” Lotor wasn’t entirely sure how to express sympathy, but he hoped that would suffice. “Have you found a new partner yet?”
“No, not yet. Nobody else seems like the right fit for me.”
“I can relate. I haven’t found anyone yet who can take Allura’s place.” Well, that was stretching the truth. In actuality, he hadn’t even tried , but Keith didn’t need to know that.
“I guess we’re in the same boat.”
“I suppose so.”
The song ended, but neither Keith nor Lotor pulled back, even though both were trying to catch their breath. Lotor had no idea why Keith wasn’t stepping away, but for his part, Lotor hoped that he could continue dancing with this attractive stranger. He felt drawn to him in an usual way.
The next song began, and Keith asked a little breathlessly, “Back to quickstep?”
It took Lotor to remember that ‘quickstep’ was the term Keith had used earlier for kelersalti, but once he did, he nodded. “Yes. I like that dance style.”
“Same here.”
As they danced this time, Lotor decided to experiment a little more instead of starting conversation. He led Keith into a hover cross step, and he found that Keith responded easily, gliding with Lotor’s movements and pausing in near-perfect synchronization with him. He tried an even more complicated step, and Keith again followed his lead almost effortlessly, recognizing the common cues for what they were. As Lotor continued to experiment, he found that he had to state his intent for some steps, but once he did, Keith performed each with ease. It was clear that Keith was a skilled dancer.
They began to make their way closer to the middle of the room, where they had more space. Even as the song ended, they stayed in hold, catching their breath and waiting for the next song to begin so that they could resume dancing, keeping the same style. Although dancing with Keith did not feel as natural as dancing with Allura, Lotor could tell that Keith was indeed highly skilled, and he was honestly a pleasure to dance with.
Focused on the dance, neither noticed that they had made their way to the center of the ballroom floor, where an empty space had been left by guests trying to avoid the spotlight. There, the two of them danced with an ease and grace that seemed flawless and rehearsed to all but the most discerning gazes of the other guests. Yet, though the guests began to watch, neither Lotor nor Keith noticed, focused on the dance itself and on exploring the chemistry of this impromptu partnership. They glided and turned, testing each others’ limits and finding out just how capable they both truly were. As the song wrapped up, Keith spun out away from Lotor, and they ended as they began, smiling at each other with their hands outstretched toward one another.
Now that the song had ended, the two looked around and noticed the stares from some of the other guests. Though far fewer than half of them were watching, Keith tensed up under the scrutiny. Lotor, on the other hand, was used to the attention, and he smoothly stepped forward and bowed formally, taking Keith’s hand kissing the back of it. “It was a pleasure to dance with you,” he said. “Would you like to join me for refreshments?”
Keith glanced nervously at the crowd. A performer with stage fright? Or perhaps Keith simply wasn’t used to impromptu performances. In either case, he seemed grateful for the way out that Lotor was offering. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
As Lotor led Keith to the snack table, he stayed calm and collected, but his mind was replaying the events of the past few minutes. Only one thing was certain in his mind. He needed to get Keith’s contact information before the night was over.
~*~*~*~
Lotor checked the clock, as he had been doing frequently all day. There were still a few doboshes to go before Keith was supposed to arrive, but Lotor was tired of waiting around, so he decided to at least go to the palace’s docking bay to wait for him there.
As Lotor walked down the main hallway, he knew that he was about to pass his parents’ portrait, the one he had crossed out. He forced himself not to look at it, but he was still acutely aware of itspresence, like he was every single time he passed it. Still, he could at least try not to dwell on it, and in this case, he was far more concerned about this meeting with Keith than about vague fears of inadequacy and of falling into the same traps that his parents did.
Once he reached the docking bay, Lotor tried to sit, but he found himself too full of nervous energy, so he settled for pacing instead while he waited for Keith to arrive. He hadn’t seen Keith in person since the ballroom dance, but they had shared many long-distance communications as they built up a friendship and discussed a potential partnership — strictly professional and for dancing, of course.
(And if Lotor caught himself smiling like a lovesick teenager after every call, well, no one needed to know about that little detail.)
Finally, almost exactly on time, a small ship arrived, which Lotor presumed was Keith’s. Lotor noted that it was a spacecraft, so Keith must have come directly from the relatively-nearby planet he was staying on with his mother. Lotor made a mental note to have the girls fuel up Keith’s ship for him before he left to go back home.
As Keith stepped out of the ship, Lotor was acutely reminded of how handsome he was. Lotor had to concentrate to keep his composure as he approached. “I’m glad you made it. Did you have a safe trip?”
“Yeah.” Keith didn’t quite smile, but he nodded. “So, where’s your practice room?”
Lotor couldn’t help but smile a little, amused by Keith’s direct nature. It was refreshing to talk to someone who didn’t care about pointless pleasantries. “It’s right this way. Follow me.”
They walked to the practice room, talking as they went about what dance styles they wanted to try together when they got there. It was a topic they had discussed over long-distance communication, but Lotor liked talking with Keith in person, and the light conversation passed the time until they reached the practice room.
It was only later that Lotor realized that, for the first time, he hadn’t thought about his parents’ painting at all when walking past it. He’d only been thinking about Keith.