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"Miorine-san, look at this!"
Miorine turned to Suletta. It had been an exhausting evening for her. Not only Miorine had been on the alert all the time against possible threats from the members of the Benerit Group, but she had also had to keep an eye on Suletta so that she wouldn't do something out of line at such an important event. In the latter she had not been very successful, but in the end her quick mental reflexes and ability to formulate plans when all seemed lost had managed to save the situation. She had even secured her father's support for the GUND-ARM, Inc. project, a feat that would have seemed impossible to her if she had been asked before the incubation party began.
Although she wanted to get back to her room as soon as possible, Suletta had wanted to walk around the party hall before they left. Miorine had not put any objection to it. That way, maybe Suletta would see that she wasn't angry with her. Miorine had learned to deal with backstabbing and corporate tactics from a young age. For her part, Suletta came from a world where people collaborated even if they didn't get along. It was purely a matter of survival. That had made her an easy target and allowed the harpies of Peil Technologies to corner her.
Now Suletta was pointing out to her a room attached to the main room, from which there was music playing.
"Look, Miorine-san! They're dancing!" said Suletta with the delight of a small child.
"Ah, yes. The final dance," Miorine said reluctantly. "It's what the party ends with. Not many people actually come, usually just the younger ones or the older ones who are nostalgic for times gone by."
Suletta did not seem to be listening to her. She was completely enraptured watching the couples dance to the music.
"It's just like in those anime about old Europe!"
"Yeah, whatever..." said Miorine. "I think it would be best if..."
"C-c-could we s-s-stay and d-d-dance? Just for a little while. Even if it's just for a dance..." Suletta had slightly crouched down towards Miorine and blushed. She had covered the lower part of her face with her fists and kept staring at Miorine.
"Huh?"
"Please, Miorine-san, I would love so much to dance!" Suletta almost said with you, but she held back at the last moment.
Miorine looked left and right. Luckily, there was hardly anyone in this area. Many guests were finishing sealing their last business deals, saying goodbye to business associates and acquaintances or had already left, so no one had noticed them. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to see the Benerit Group heiress and her groom arguing. Not because she was worried about what people might think of them, but because any rumor could turn into an earthquake without warning and that could hinder her future plans.
"Okay, but we'll be leaving soon," Miorine said.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Suletta hugged her.
"And stand up straight! I don't know how to tell you anymore so that you will listen to me..."
"S-s-sorry! It won't happen again!"
"Hmm! By the way, do you know how to waltz?"
"M-m-more or l-l-less..."
"Define 'more or less'."
"I've watched several anime where the main characters have beautiful dance scenes, often with waltzes. I watched those scenes over and over again, until I learned them by heart. Sometimes, I used a broom or a mop as a dance partner and imitated them."
"You learned to waltz with old anime," Miorine said incredulously.
"Yes." Suletta's voice was barely a whisper. "I wanted... I wanted to b-b-be able to w-w-waltz the d-d-day I got m-m-married..."
The two were silent for a moment, then Miorine extended her left hand toward Suletta.
"Come on, Suletta. Let's show those amateurs how to dance."
"Miorine-san..."Suletta took Miorine's hand gently and the two entered the ballroom.
Despite what Miorine had said, the ballroom was quite crowded. A dozen couples were dancing in the center of it, as people watched the dancers' movements closely. Unlike the rest of the incubation party, the atmosphere was quite relaxed. The people, mostly young executives and shareholders seemed to be having a good time and were smiling, flirting and chilling out after such an important event.
"Isn't that Shaddiq-san?" said Suletta and pointed to one of the dancers who was farthest away from them.
"Ha! By the looks of it, the rascal couldn't resist the temptation to sweet talk a guest. This guy is going to have a big problem one day with a jealous boyfriend or husband."
The waltz ended and the audience applauded the dancers. Suddenly, people's attention turned to Suletta and Miorine.
"Suletta, ignore them. Don't let them get on your nerves."
"Y-y-yes, M-M-Miorine-san. I'm n-n-not getting n-n-nervous."
"Oh! We have the bride and groom present!" said Shaddiq bowing theatrically. "It would be quite an honor to have you open the next dance!"
"I'm going to kill him. I'll chop up his corpse into very small pieces and use it as fertilizer. They'll never find his body," Miorine muttered. "The honor will be ours," she added loudly enough for the whole room to hear.
People applauded at the announcement. Miorine knew there were plenty of hypocrites waiting for them to make fools of themselves, but there was nothing she could do.
"M-m-maybe it's n-n-not such a g-g-good idea," Suletta said increasingly nervously.
"Suletta, look at me..."
The red-haired girl stared into her fiancée's eyes, two oceans of gray that rivaled the most beautiful stars in the Universe. There was determination in them, but also something more.
"I trust you, Suletta," Miorine said softly. "Then, now, and always."
"I will not let you down, Miorine." Suletta stepped forward slightly and stood in position.
Miorine stood in front of her.
When the music played, Suletta and Miorine began to dance as if they had been dancing together all their lives. Each seemed to anticipate her partner's movement, accompanying her, performing the turns with precision, anticipating every slight variation they introduced, as if they were one body. When their faces came close, there was hardly any separation between them. The orchestra, the other dancers, the audience, everything had disappeared. For them, only the two of them existed. Only the two of them mattered.
Every time their gazes met, they could hear each other's voice saying "I will always trust you."
When the waltz ended, the room was in utmost silence. No other couple had joined the dance. After a few seconds, the audience erupted in a roar, cheering and applauding them. Their faces showed the excitement of having witnessed an exceptional moment.
Shaddiq advanced towards the couple, bowed and kissed Suletta's hand and Miorine's. He then turned to those in the room.
"Dear friends and colleagues, please, give a loud round of applause for the bride and the groom! The future of the Benerit Group!" said Shaddiq. Unlike other occasions, there was no mockery in his voice, but admiration.
The crowd gave them a warm ovation.
Suletta and Miorine danced for a while longer, until their strength began to fail them. When they finally left the ballroom, the people sent them off with a round of applause.
"Shit! There's that prick Vim Jeturk!" said Miorine as they walked down the hallway. "He doesn't seem to have seen us. I don't want him to sour us on the end of the evening. I know myself: if I run into him, I won't control myself. Not today. And I'll make a big scene."
The CEO of Jeturk Heavy Machinery was about ten meters away from Suletta and Miorine. He was with his son and half a dozen subordinates. He must not have been in a good mood, because he had a grim look on his face and was yelling at them. That seemed to be his natural state of existence lately.
Miorine saw that next to them were several private rooms, which had been used during the incubation party for meetings requiring confidentiality. She tried the first door and luckily it opened.
"Come on, Suletta! Hurry!"
Miorine took Suletta by the hand and the two hurried into the room. She closed the door and locked it so that no one could open it from the outside.
"Phew! That was close!" said Miorine.
On one side of the room was a sofa. Miorine and Suletta sat down and took off their shoes.
They were still holding hands.
Miorine laid her head on Suletta's shoulder. The warmth of Suletta's skin on her cheek was comforting and soothing.
"Thank you, Miorine," Suletta said after a moment of silence.
"For?"
"For agreeing to come to the party so I could look for Elan. For making sure I didn't do anything foolish. For protecting Aerial and me after I fell into the Peil Technologies trap, when I should have been more careful. For granting me such a silly whim as waltzing with me. For all that you have done and for all that you do."
"I had a really good time today, Suletta, even if there was a moment of chaos when it looked like everything was going to go downhill." Miorine moved her head back from Suletta's shoulder and stared at her.
Suletta saw again in Miorine's eyes the gleam she had seen in them before.
"I'm very glad to hear that. I..."
Suletta couldn't finish the sentence. Miorine's left hand stroked her red hair as their lips met in a delicate, soft caress. Suletta's right hand lost itself in Miorine's bare back, running over every millimeter of soft skin. As in the waltz they had shared, the two moved as if they were one body. Their lips explored each other, without any hurry, without fear, without hesitation, savoring every second they were together.
"I... I love you, Miorine. I've been a coward and haven't told you before. I didn't want to add any more burdens to yours, or cause you pain. But what I was most afraid of was that you would reject me and never want to see me again, not even as a friend. Please, forgive me."
"I love you, Suletta. I've been a coward and selfish. I've never before put the well-being of another person ahead of myself, felt what it is to be a part of something more important than oneself, nor I've ever feared for another person. And yet I'm glad this is now the case and that person is you. So it's you who has to forgive me." A tear slipped down Miorine's cheek. "Finding you, falling in love with you, loving you, is the best thing that has happened to me in my life. It has shown me that there is hope, that there are good people, that to fall into despair and cynicism is to admit defeat and concede victory to vermin like Vim Jeturk and my father."
Suletta and Miorine kissed again. All around them, the powerful were planning, plotting, backstabbing and sealing alliances, but they didn't care.
They had each other and they loved each other. When the time came, they would face whoever it took.
Now only they mattered, united in body and soul by their love. They still had some time left until they had to return, and they planned to spend it alone, in silence.
Their lips were enough for what they had to say.