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Julia raised the glass of champagne to her lips just to give her hands something to do. For not the first time in her career, Julia wished she could become invisible. Not just because it would give her an obvious edge in tailing and taking down criminals, but because it would negate the requirement of blending in.
Not that Julia was bad at it, she was a highly trained agent after all, but socialising with strangers wasn’t exactly something she enjoyed. She’d much rather be investigating the upstairs rooms of the mansion with Agent Devineaux, scouting any entry/exit routes and on the lookout for any signs of criminal activity.
Instead of that more exciting work, Julia had been relegated to the main ballroom, dolled up in a dress that was far too long to be practical in taking down one or more VILE operatives, and forced to make polite conversation with dreadfully dull socialites. Of course her main objective was looking out for any suspicious individuals. They had received intel of a potential theft planned to be carried out by VILE.
Julia glanced over to where the hostess Helena Delafontaine, an extremely wealthy CEO, was interacting with a group of her guests. The target, an exorbitantly jewelled antique necklace, was still safely clasped around her neck.
She let out a heavy sigh when she realised she should probably introduce herself (using a cover of course) and blend in rather than awkwardly standing alone on the outer edges of the room.
Still, she allowed herself a few moments more to enjoy her solitude. Her gaze shifted through the crowd and landed in the centre of the room where space has been cleared and a myriad of couples were swirling around in a colourful display of some type of waltz. Julia had to admit that watching the elegant dancers was probably the most interesting part of being stuck undercover at these types of events. She had always been rather awkward and stiff on the dance floor, high school had proved that and there hadn’t been much improvement since.
Still, there was something captivating about watching safely on the sidelines.
Part of her hoped that in-between the flashes of skirts she might spot the elusive Carmen Sandiego on the search for the same target, but she knew better that to hold her breath. Just because they had a shared enemy of VILE, it didn’t ensure the thief made it to every location. Julia had already experienced a handful of false tip offs.
Of course there was always the possibility that Carmen had already been and gone, having neutralised the threat without Julia’s knowledge. After all, Carmen was a master at stealth.
As the dance came to a close Julia conceded that she was finally going to have to move. She drained the rest of her champagne flute in one fluid movement for extra courage and was about to make her way to a small group of finely dressed women who didn’t look too unapproachable, when she was suddenly aware of a presence behind her standing too close for comfort.
Instantly Julia’s training kicked in and her senses sharpened. She discreetly slipped a hand into the folds of her dress and gripped the handle of her gas gun that was hidden there. She only slightly turned her head in an attempt to see the figure in her peripheral vision. The last thing she wanted was the person to realise she had noticed their presence, especially since it was likely to be the VILE agent she had been on alert for. Though how they had recognised her out of uniform, she wasn’t sure.
Instantly, she visualised the escape routes out of the ballroom that she had memorised earlier. There weren’t many people around them, not enough that she’d have to worry too much about people getting hurt before they could get to safety if she had to engage in a fight here. Only as a last resort though. They were under strict orders to be discreet tonight if they could help it.
“Didn’t take you as one to drink on the job Jules.” A voice spoke over Julia’s shoulder in a teasing cadence, the volume of which indicated it was merely a few inches away from her ear.
All of Julia’s tensed muscles relaxed as soon as she recognised that familiar voice, though she didn’t let go of the gun until she heard that particular nickname, a dead giveaway to the identity of the mysterious individual. Julia whipped around. She couldn’t prevent the automatic small grin that presented itself when she caught sight of auburn curls and soft grey eyes. Julia knew that she was staring but she couldn’t help it. It was rare to see the master thief lacking her signature red coat.
Tonight just proved that Carmen didn’t need the coat to be eye-catching. Of course she still donned a bright red. Her dress shone from countless lights reflecting off its silky fabric that stopped just above her ankles. The sleeves were off the shoulder and heavily embroidered with intricate beading that trailed down to the middle of the dress in leaf shaped patterns. Unlike the other formal outfits that Julia had witnessed Carmen in before this skirt was fuller. Any slight movements she made caused the fabric to ripple and sway. Instead of an up-do, Carmen had let her hair cascade over her shoulder and down her back. To put it simply, she looked absolutely stunning.
“Hey,” Carmen greeted with a wink while Julia was too busy staring. Staring too much, Julia’s logical side protested but she couldn’t quite get her eyes to move away. She took a deep breath as her ind scrambled to form an appropriate response.
“Ms Sandiego. I suspected you might be here. I’m guessing that means our intel was accurate.”
Carmen turned her head from one side to the other, eyes quickly darting around at the people near them, obviously worried they might be overheard. She bit her lip in concentration as she surveyed their surroundings. This time Julia forced herself to look away. She wished she could be more in control of herself when Carmen was around. It was embarrassing how easily she was distracted by the thief. She was an agent after all, it didn’t reflect positively on her skills. Julia shuddered to think what Carmen’s perception of her was, she hoped Carmen didn’t think she was too pathetic.
Then again Carmen had purposefully sought her out time and time again so it couldn’t be all that bad.
“Too risky to talk here, it’s better if we keep moving”.
Those anxiety-driven thoughts were halted as Carmen plucked the now empty glass out of Julia’s hand and placed it on a waiter’s servers tray with an ease that seemed to always come so naturally to her. Carmen held her hand out towards Julia who took it without a second thought. She couldn’t help noticing how perfectly they fit together. Carmen gave Julia’s hand a quick, unexpected squeeze as if to reassure the agent, and then they were off.
Carmen moved swiftly but gracefully through the ballroom, nimbly avoiding the other guests while guiding Julia behind her. Julia almost stumbled in her heels at the unexpected movement but was quick to regain her balance and complied without question. She had faith in whatever Carmen had planned. Julia used this time to scan the crowd once again. She noticed Helena had moved to the dance floor, joining the waltz with her husband. That would make it easier for them to keep an eye on her no matter where in the room it was they were heading.
Julia didn’t realise the implications of the direction they had been walking until Carmen abruptly turned around and pulled the agent close to her. Julia could have died when she felt a hand settle on her waist as Carmen simultaneously guided Julia’s hand to settle on Carmen’s bare shoulder. She tried not to focus too much on how soft and smooth Carmen’s skin felt under her fingertips, or how much it made her want to feel more.
“D-dancing! I don’t think I can-” Julia stuttered. She worryingly glanced at the other dancers around them floating effortlessly. She may be able to engage in big chases and take down criminals, but Julia wouldn’t exactly call herself graceful. She couldn’t stop her eyes from drawing around the room at the other dancing couples and plentitude of guests watching, which only served to heighten her nerves.
A soft yet firm touch to Julia’s cheek served to slightly soften her anxiety as Carmen’s hand turned her head so that Julia was looking directly into the thief’s shining grey eyes instead of the crowd.
“Don’t worry about them. Just look at me. I’ll guide you through the steps.” Carmen’s voice was low and comforting.
Julia swallowed and nodded in response. She knew she wouldn’t have been able to tear away from Carmen’s gaze even without the instruction. The lady in red pulled Julia slightly closer. All of her nerves of being watched vanished when she realised she could feel the soft puffs of Carmen’s breath against her skin.
Wordlessly, they commenced the dance. Julia’s first few steps were shaky but just as she promised, Carmen slowly lead her through the steps. They only picked up the pace to match the music’s tempo and the steps of the other couples once Julia had a better idea of what they were doing. If Julia was about to make a misstep, the hand Carmen had sitting on the agent’s hip tightened and she fluidly redirected her.
Following Carmen’s instructions to the word Julia doesn’t even glance at their surroundings. She keeps her gaze locked on Carmen’s face like it’s the only thing that matters at the moment. With the steps memorised, she lets her feet run through them on auto pilot and tasks herself with memorising every inch of Carmen’s features. There’s no guarantee that she’ll ever have another opportunity to get this close to her and admire them in the future. The rest of the world fades into a golden blur.
It appeared that Carmen was having just as difficult a time focusing on anything else, resulting in a near miss that could have sent them colliding with another couple. Thankfully Carmen’s reflexes were as sharp as ever and she averted the potential accident by protectively pulling Julia out of the couple’s path.
This move subsequently resulted in Julia being pressed against Carmen’s chest, trapped there with two strong arms criss-crossed over her back. Julia held her breath, scared that even the slightest movement would break this moment. It didn’t escape her notice that Carmen’s own breathing had increased, the rise and fall of her chest evident against Julia’s.
Carmen was the first to pull away and right their positions, ready to continue the dance. “Sorry,” Carmen breathed out an apology. It might have been the first time that Julia had ever seen Carmen truly flustered. However, she was quick to recover and they were off once again sweeping over the dance floor. With Carmen’s strong grip holding her, Julia’s anxiety had mostly faded and she decided that she did in fact enjoy dancing. Though maybe if it was only with Carmen. She couldn’t imagine being able to do this with someone else.
“So, I’m assuming your presence means our tipoff was accurate.” Julia broke their silence, mostly to stop her mind from replaying the last few minutes over; she didn’t want to waste time nitpicking her actions and over analysing.
“Correct,” Carmen affirmed. Julia could swear she noticed her smile twitch slightly wider. “I’m not surprised they sent their best agent.”
Julia almost made the wrong step as she realised that Carmen was talking about her, but she managed to recover. She really didn’t want to cause another accident. However, she didn’t quite manage to prevent her irritated huff. Carmen raised an eyebrow questioningly and begrudgingly Julia felt obliged to explain.
“The other agents are doing the real investigative work while I’m stuck here, socialising. Besides, I don’t think I’d be much use to anyone dressed in this.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re here to intercept any operative who manages to get too close. And anyway, I didn’t think you’d be one to let a little fabric get in your way.”
Carmen’s comments does raise Julia’s spirits. Even just having the chance to talk to the thief by being here is a sign she’ll take that waiting undercover isn’t so bad.
“You really should thank whoever is in charge of outfit selection at ACME. Despite its impracticality, they do really know your style. You look beautiful Jules.”
“I- uh, thank you. Not as beautiful as you though. I can see why you’d chose- I mean, red really suits you.”
Carmen chuckles, “I had to stay a little on brand.”
The song they had started dancing to ended and was replaced with something more uptempo. Carmen effortlessly altered their positions to match everyone else’s. It took Julia a little longer to catch onto the steps this time due to the increased pace. Carmen spun her a couple times which did not help Julia think clearly. Even after she had gotten a hang of it, she couldn’t help glancing down at her feet to make sure she wasn’t making any mistakes. Each time she did so, Carmen immediately noticed and easily readjusted Julia’s gaze back up to her face.
“You’re doing so well. I had a feeling you’d be a good dancer,” Carmen murmured loud enough for only Julia to hear. The agent donned a small smile and blushed at the praise. She didn’t know what Carmen had seen in her to make that assumption but she wasn’t going to question it.
“Only because I have a wonderfully talented partner. I must be lucky,” Julia smoothly countered. It wasn’t until the last syllable left her lips that she realised the unintended implication it made. Her eyes widened at the realisation and she stammered to explain herself, fumbling over her words in an attempt to get them out faster. She was all too aware that Carmen was staring at her with more intensity than any other moment that night which wasn’t helping.
“I didn- I mean, d-dance partner. Not that…you.” Julia stopped herself, hoping that Carmen would understand what she was attempting to say. This was the first time words had failed her.
Julia lightly chewed on her bottom lip to stop herself from talking and digging an even deeper hole. Surprisingly she didn’t stumble her feet as the pair continued on dancing, although Julia was ready to attribute that more because of Carmen than herself. It was a nice feeling know that Carmen was there to catch her if she happened to slip.
For her part, Carmen didn’t appear phased by Julia’s behaviour. She smirked, clearly pleased with herself for getting such a flustered reaction. She quickly spun them around perfectly in time with the other dancers, though the move only served to further disorientate the agent who was desperately attempting to get a grip on herself and berating her less than composed presentation.
Carmen leaned in ever so slightly closer, any further and their faces would be practically touching. There was a playful glint in her eyes as she absentmindedly stroked the small of Julia’s back. Julia wondered if she had any idea of the shivers the thief was sending up her spine.
Carmen’s gaze unabashedly travelled up and down Julia’s figure, racking across her features at a methodical pace. Julia had the distinct feeling she was being assessed and suddenly experienced a wave of self-consciousness, although not quite as severely as it had been earlier.
To her relief, Carmen hummed a short sound of satisfaction. Despite the lack of any real consequences, Julia couldn’t help feeling anxious at the prospect of failing any type of evaluation. She didn’t cope well with failure in any degree.
“No no, I’m positive that I’m the lucky one,” Carmen proclaimed as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. Julia certainly didn’t agree but she could tell that this was a battle that she would not be winning.
“Has anyone told you how stubborn you can be?”
“I think Shadowsan reminds me on a daily basis,” chuckled Carmen.
There was a faint shift in Carmen’s expression, so small that Julia is sure she wouldn’t have noticed it if she didn’t know the thief so well. She was about to question it when Carmen subtle reached a hand up to touch her earring intercom. Her brow furrowed as she listened intently to the information she was receiving.
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.” Carmen removed her hand from her ear and drew her attention back to Julia who was watching her expectantly.
“Tigress and Le Chevre have just been spotting entering the venue.” Carmen spins Julia one move time before letting go and taking a step back. Julia was about to protest when Carmen delicately takes Julia’s right hand, bows and gently places a kiss on the top of it. She maintains eyes contact the entire time. Julia fully believes she could die happy.
“Thank you for the dance, dear,” Carmen straightens, an excited glint dancing in her eye. “I believe we have a criminal to catch”.