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Honestly, Alyce is not sure if she is hoping to find the elusive Doctor Devorak once again at the Rowdy Raven. She stood outside the tavern door, nervously fiddling with the strap of her bag, as she stared up at the painted sign outside, still debating whether or not to go inside.
A magician’s apprentice, she had been hired by the Countess to find her husband’s killer. The dastardly, one-eyed Doctor Julian Devorak, accused of murdering the Count in his own bed, on his own birthday! Countess Nadia claimed Julian confessed to the crime before eluding their forces, but Alyce was starting to have her doubts...
Two nights ago, her own magic brought her here, and now, well… Was she really hoping it would just simply do the same thing again? As though her magic was like a trained dog, like she could wave her hand and have it obey her command? No. Alyce was not that disrespectful with her gift. Despite all the claims her master Asra made about her prowess, Alyce still had doubts in her abilities, and she knew she still had much to learn.
She’s stalling. Alyce is aware of this. She was hoping if she stood out here long enough, Fate would intervene as it did the previous night. No Julian was stumbling out of the doors this time. Still, the music and loud chattering that Alyce could hear from outside seemed to suggest the Rowdy Raven was just as lively as ever. There was no point in wasting more time. If nothing else, even if the red-haired doctor was not here, perhaps Alyce could find out more about him from the other patrons. With a deep breath to try and muster up some confidence, Alyce pushed open the doors and stepped in.
In addition to the same three women playing cards, two pirates were comparing scars at the bar, a table in the back corner were splitting up...something, Alyce couldn’t tell what specifically, and she was not sure she did want to know. Although she was not a government lackey, she was technically hired by the Countess and not sure how the general crowd at the Rowdy Raven would react to someone like her “snooping around”. No, it was best to be inconspicuous tonight.
Alyce began making her way towards the bar, dodging between patrons--some drunk, others halfway to that point, when she stopped, hearing a...lute? That surprised the magician’s apprentice. She hadn’t expected someone to start a merry jig in a place like this. Maybe a small jaunty tune in between drinks or songs about adventures on the high seas, but not dancing music. She turned to the sound of the music, hearing people chuckle and cheer, clapping, rhythmically banging their metal steins on the tables, along with...tapping? What was the tapping sound?
Someone was dancing on the tables! Curious, and with a bit of effort, Alyce managed to push her way through the crowd gathering to get closer. She saw a pair of female feet and a pair of leather boots dancing upon the wooden tabletop.
Her eyes trailed up a pair of long legs, clad in leather, and Alyce felt her cheeks flush as the male dancer of the pair moved around on the tabletop to twirl his partner’s lithe form, and she got a full view of his ass. The leather really clung to his toned cheeks; it looked nice--and Alyce realized that the ass looked familiar. Which was absurd. Why would some man’s… She did not allow herself to even finish the thought as she forced her eyes to glance up further to a head full of wavy auburn locks.
Wait. Was that--
Sure enough, it was. With another flourish of his arms (and his hips), the man masterfully spun his partner around on the table and gracefully dipped her. He glanced up to the cheering crowd with a proud smirk, his one eye twinkling with laughter.
“Julian!” Alyce exclaimed before she could stop herself.
Hearing his name called, his eye widened slightly in surprise, searching the crowd until he spotted the magician apprentice. At first, his shocked expression remained, with now just a touch of blush on his pale cheeks. Then he regained his composure, his blush vanishing as his eye narrowed gleefully, and his smirk returned. He helped his partner up and down from the table, still grinning playfully as he struck a pose. “Ah! Alyce! What brings you here? Did I show you that good of a time at the Rowdy Raven?” he teased.
Alyce felt her cheeks blush bright with embarrassment--whether it was over Julian’s teasing, her memories of his flirtatious banter the last time they saw each other, the fact that Alyce apparently remembered what his ass looked like of all things...or the fact it was a nice ass, it was anyone’s guess.
“Doctor Devorak!” Alyce called after clearing her throat, hoping her blush disappeared. “I want to ask you some questions!”
Julian crossed his arms and gave a simple shrug of his shoulders. “Pity. I don’t feel like talking, I feel like dancing… Care to join?”
“S-Surely you must be joking!” Alyce balked.
“Oh, I’m quite serious,” Julian responded. However, she just gaped at the fugitive incredulously. “Hm. How about a deal? Dance with me, and I’ll answer your questions, Alyce. Interested?” he suggested, bending down and extending a long arm to her, his smirk never fading.
She was hesitant, her eyes warily flickering from his gloved hand to his face, but Julian kept his eye on her, ever patient. The patrons around them both cheered and jeered at Alyce, trying to pressure her to join the plague doctor. Timidly, she finally took his hand, Julian’s smirk just grew into a full-on grin as he smoothly pulled her up onto the table with him.
Alyce was nervously fiddling with her hands while Julian picked up a full tankard of ale, thanked the patron with a wink, and drained it. When he turned back, he paused, seeing her panicked expression.
“Alyce, what is it?” he asked, coming closer to her, his earlier bravado gone. His hands gently touched her shoulders. “Look, if you really don’t want to do this--”
“It’s not that,” she interrupted him. “I...I’ve never done this before.”
“What? Dance?” Julian questioned, to which she nodded. “And you’ve chosen me to be your first, Alyce?” he mused then chuckled. “Don’t worry, just follow my lead and everything will be alright… Do you trust me?” He took a step back, holding out his hand to her once more.
Honestly, she was not sure if she did. But beneath his teasing, Alyce could sense something else underneath. It wasn’t like when she felt the Arcana speaking to her through the cards or her magic calling to her. No, it was something deeper, something...warm.
Though it might be a mistake she realized, she trusted this feeling.
“Yes,” Alyce softly answered and gently took his hand for the second time that night.
Julian gave a slight nod to the patron sitting in the corner with the lute. The short man gave a toothy grin and a nod of his own before he began strumming his instrument, playing a smoother, almost sultry melody than before. His eye back on her, Julian effortlessly twirled the young woman towards him. His free hand found its place upon her lower back, almost pushing Alyce right against his lithe body.
“And don’t worry, Alyce,” Julian murmured into her ear. He pulled back just enough for Alyce to see his expression. “I promise, I’ll be...gentle, popping your dancing cherry,” he cheekily purred.
He laughed when he saw her flustered face. Oh, he was so insufferable sometimes! Before Alyce could retort, Julian twirled her away from him, still holding onto her hand so she wouldn’t accidentally tumble off the table. Still grinning, he spun her back to him, this time placing her right hand on his chest, before returning his hand to her lower back.
His body felt warm, and Alyce’s heart was thumping wildly in her chest. Her eyes flickered down to their feet before meeting Julian’s gaze. Instead of his usual smirk, he had a gentle smile this time, and as she gazed into his gray eye, Alyce felt their loud surroundings melting away, focusing only on her partner for this dance.
“Alright, now, we’re going to take three steps back, start with your right foot,” Julian instructed, and though nervous, Alyce listened, with the end of the third step, he dragged her slightly to the left. He let out a pleased, quiet chuckle. “See? Good job,” he praised her quietly and gracefully turned them around. “Now, do it again.” After a couple of tango walks up and down the table, Alyce relaxed more in his arms, her body growing used to the steps. He began adding more flourishes into their dance, his feet gracefully gliding along to the beat of the music, and to her surprise, Alyce was doing a decent job in following him.
“Now...I believe you had some questions for me, Alyce,” he murmured hotly into her ear as he twirled them into a reverse turn.
“Where did you learn to dance like this?” Alyce asked him, gazing up at him. That was not what she originally intended to ask him first, but she was so impressed with his skill, she had to know.
A faint but proud smirk touched his lips. “My grandmother, Lilinka,” Julian answered without hesitation. “She taught all of us.”
‘Us’? That would almost imply he had siblings… Or at the very least cousins. Could that mean him and Portia were--
No. Alyce had to remain focused. She was hired by the Countess to find her husband’s murderer, not indulge her own personal curiosities. She had to remain on her objective.
“You escaped before… Why did you come back to Vesuvia?” she asked before Julian glided them back and forth then sharply turned to change directions.
“Because the Rowdy Raven is simply the best tavern on the continent!” he dramatically declared to the drunken cheers of the patrons.
“Julian…”
He held in a sigh, keeping silent for another beat as he danced Alyce towards the edge of the table. She yelped as her foot slid off the table, but Julian merely twirled her around like a ballerina before safely pulling her tight against his body. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” Julian murmured, his soft voice almost lost in the noise of the tavern as he gracefully dragged them both further onto the tabletop.
Alyce felt her cheeks heat up again, but this time for something other than the doctor’s teasing. He spoke with such conviction, she almost wanted to ask if there was ever a time he dropped her, but that was a silly thought. Even if she couldn’t remember anything more than three years ago… Wouldn’t Julian say something if they had met in the past? She was so lost in thought, she almost didn’t catch the next thing he said.
“I just came to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?”
There was a slight nod in reply, but Julian wouldn’t explain further. Instead, Julian picked up the tempo of their dance to match the increased pace of the song. Surprisingly enough, Alyce is able to keep up with Julian well enough, and by the cheering of the patrons, they must be doing a good job.
It is easy to get lost in the moment with Julian, but sadly, the nagging voice in the back of Alyce’s mind couldn’t go away. Yes, everyone was saying Julian was guilty, but everything inside of the apprentice’s soul was telling her it wasn’t true. There was something… Alyce did not believe Nadia was lying to her, and she knew Asra said to be careful around Julian, but something was telling her he didn’t do it. She didn’t know what it was, and that was aggravating her, but it was there and insistent, like when the Arcana wanted her attention.
“You’re a doctor. You were hired to cure the plague… Your job is to save people, so why would you murder someone?” Alyce finally spoke.
Julian, however, did not answer her. She was fixing to repeat her question when, without warning, he began to twirl her fast on her tiptoe before dipping her low, bending her back over the table’s edge as the song finally came to an end.
“Why?” Julian nearly purred, gazing down at Alyce with a smirk, and she meekly nodded. “Because I’m the bad guy, dear Alyce.” With that said, he brought her back upright and let go, giving a quick bow to the crowd--another small one to Alyce--before he hopped off the table and left, leaving her in a daze over their encounter.
A bad guy? No, she still wasn’t sure of that. Even though he said it here again, his playful tone made her think otherwise… But dear High Priestess, he could dance!