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The knife strapped to Gil’s leg was a cold comfort amid the warm mingling of bodies and excessive candlelight, magnified by mirrors of bronze for just the right glow. He scowled out at the crowd, mapping out a path towards the terrace in hopes of fresh air, but as he looked his eyes were drawn to Lizel again. The way that Lizel had looked at him earlier… If only they had been somewhere private instead of this damned event.
As if sensing him looking, Lizel turned and their eyes met. Lizel smiled. Gil frowned to keep from… not smiling, maybe, but he had felt tempted to stop scowling and that wouldn’t do. It didn’t do much, but at least it kept the less confident hangers-on from approaching. Unfortunately, it only seemed to tempt others, like this woman sidling up next to him.
“So, are you here with someone tonight?” the woman asked.
“Yes.”
“A shame.”
Gil would have scowled again, except he could see Lizel coming towards them. Gil resolutely remained leaning against the wall. The flirt also saw Lizel making his way towards them. Briefly, Lizel’s eyes fell upon her, and she made a quick exit after picking her jaw up off the floor. Gil contained a smirk.
“Having fun?” he asked flatly when Lizel finally stopped in front of him.
“Dance with me.”
“What?”
With the same coy smile he had shown earlier, Lizel bowed slightly and said more formally, “May I have the pleasure of a dance with you, Gil?” He extended his hand.
“Ah, sure.”
Lizel’s hand was facing up, so Gil placed his on top and let Lizel lead him to the dance floor. Lizel put them into position, tilted his ear to the music, and began dancing. He had taken the position of the woman, but there was no question that he was leading Gil through the dance. It was one of the ones they had practiced, and Gil matched Lizel’s movements perfectly.
“You dance very well,” Lizel complimented.
“‘Much easier with a good partner,’” Gil quoted back.
Lizel changed the position of his hands, switching to the dance position of the man. The steps became something more complicated than they had practiced, but Gil kept up, following Lizel’s lead, old memories hinting towards where to place his feet and Lizel’s hands telling him where to shift his weight. Had Lizel read about this dance out of a book or was it something from his world?
The music rose towards its climax, faster and louder, and Lizel danced to match, whirling across the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Gil could see they were gaining attention, but that was a distant matter right now. Lizel’s eyes flicked up to Gil’s, bright with mischief, and Gil knew he had some flashy finish prepared. It would happen soon, the violin soared with the cello accompanying, the piano weaving it together…
"Trust me?"
"Hmph." Gil grinned. "Do what you want."
Lizel pulled at the same time he kicked Gil’s leg out from under him. Gil’s body dropped at the same time the music crashed into crescendo. He didn’t fall. Lizel smiled down at him, arm wrapped securely around Gil’s back and if it were just a bit higher he would have been able to feel Gil’s heart beating double.
Pulling him back upright was a slightly less smooth move, but who would notice other than Lizel who could feel the ache in his arms from the effort of holding Gil up even just for a few seconds. He was lucky dipping didn’t require holding someone’s entire body weight, but if he could get Gil to make that face again he might consider doing more muscle training.