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The air was buzzy around you, though these sort of occasions were seldom filled with an empty air. It was difficult to pin even one conversation taking place with how lively those in the room were, which admittedly made you feel a little uneasy: if there was something important being discussed, it would be very easy to miss it. You weren't sure whether it was best to be on high alert or just relaxed, yet as you brought your attention from the center of the room to your company, you found you started to lean slightly towards the latter.
You couldn't hide the fond smile on your face when Beatrice asked Bertrand for a dance, a flustered laugh leaving him as he accepted. "Lemony?" he spoke, and even though your attention had already been on them, his voice both startled and calmed you. "Will you be joining us?"
"I.." a small bout of fear came to you for a moment: you would never call yourself a good dancer, and the words of those who both agreed with and refuted the thought didn't really ease the matter. "Aren't you worried I'll trip you up?" you asked a little sheepishly.
"Has that ever stopped us from dancing with you in the past?" Beatrice affectionately teased, and you couldn't help the laugh that escaped you at that. You supposed that was a fair point. With that, you let them lead you to the center of the room.
The song that played, while considered traditional for certain special occasions, was a song that seemed to be heard so rarely that every note would hit the listener the same way it had the first time they heard it. It was a quick song, but not necessarily a fast one; it was the sort of song that those who played strings in an orchestra either loved or dreaded playing.
Being a fast song, that meant it was accompanied by quick dances. As the song played on, you found that you were so caught up in the rhythm the three of you maintained in the dance that everyone else in the room seemed to blur. The light in Beatrice's eyes and the sound of Bertrand's laughter filled you with a giddy sort of warmth, and for a moment it was enough to ease the fear that you weren't keeping up with their steps.
Then, however, the song ended sooner than you expected it to. Sooner than it was supposed to, it seemed. The three of you stilled for a moment, and a small feeling of relief came to you at the realization that you weren't the only one puzzled by this. The relief was brief, however, as a small pang filled you when a slower song began to play in the other one's place. You couldn't pin the song as a familiar one, yet despite that it seemed to ring a faint bell in your memory.
The three of you continued to dance, but the air was different this time around; there was almost a still in the air, and it seemed as if those who had been in the room prior had suddenly vanished. Something about the melody made you focus on your company more: there was a sort of melancholy in their eyes, and an almost translucent look to them in the light. A cold chill ran through you at the realization of the latter.
"Is everything alright?" you asked, fear more prevalent in your voice than you expected it to be. A small shock came to Beatrice and Bertrand for a moment, but the melancholy look soon returned to them.
"We'll have to go soon, Lemony," Beatrice admitted after a moment, her breath wavering for a moment as her gaze went downcast.
"We…" Bertrand paused for a moment, a weary sigh leaving him before he continued, "We're sorry, Lemony."
"Please," you started, your voice breaking as you tried to continue, yet all you could manage to say was, "Please."
The two of them shared the same sad smile as Beatrice gingerly took one of your hands and Bertrand comfortingly brought a hand to your cheek. For a moment, you almost felt the warmth of their hands. For a moment, it seemed as if it wasn't just you who was there.
"We love you," Beatrice spoke after a moment, her voice breaking as she did so.
"We'll always love you," Bertrand added, tears streaming down his cheeks as he continued, "You know that, don't you?"
What was left of your composure was gone, and a sob left you as you said, "And I love you. I'll always love you."
You couldn't stop your tears when the song had ended. You couldn't stop crying when you realized no one at all was with you in the room then. You couldn't stop sobbing when you woke up, completely and utterly alone.
