Work Text:
They all had very reason to celebrate, a battle well fought and well won deserved a celebration. A good meal, with a few extra provisions spared on it so their stomachs were a little fuller when they'd sleep that night. A roaring fire and Caprice preforming many of his little songs, singing several times over the ones he had wrote for each of them, taking requests every now and then.
He was playing one such request now. Toa had asked for it, quickly taught Caprice the rather simple melody, and instructed the rest of the party on how to keep the beat and enlisted a somewhat reluctant Felix's help showing them a partnered dance from his tribe they preformed for victories in games or other competitions common on the Makani Islands. Felix had discarded his coat and hat, and Toa his boar pelt. They danced around the fire. Felix surprisingly dexterous and coordinated despite his normally anxious and jumpy nature. Toa was grinning wildly at him, belting out the lyrics of some loud echoing chant, both of them stomping or clapping out a base line as he and Felix dance in mirror to each other around the fire. And after a few minutes of instruction and demonstration, the rest of the party joined in. Singing out in frankly horrible attempts at mimicking Toa's Giant, that echoed through the woods interspersed with uncontrolled laughter at their own mistakes.
Watching Felix and Toa, them spun around one another, leaning in and away, it would seem like the two men couldn't register anyone besides each other. The two of them moving with far more practiced ease and in synchronization with each other and the beat that told the story of many other nights of dancing together around a campfire, maybe more than just this one dance in particular.
To all the world they seemed a pair who's whole world revolved around the other. Like a binary star system mutual destruction seemed almost certain should one meet his end. To any who would know them they felt like more than that. The power that Toa's strength promised was only equal to the intelligence that Felix possessed. Hope and love, passion and duty, kindness and mercy, certainty and caution, all held in equilibrium between the two like a beautiful symphony. One with out the other may seem perfectly fine but like this dance, it was only truly complete with the other.
As the dance came to it's close, Toa beamed brightly, pulling Felix off to the side in a side hug, the pair, breathing heavily, dropping to the ground just outside of the impromptu dance floor. Felix wearing one of the largest smiles the party had seen in a long time on his face, leaned almost completely up against Toa's side, basking in the warmth of the celebration.
The rest of the party was no where near as tired though, and seemingly inspired by Toa's dance, Hyrja put in a request for a Yonan line dance. Pulling Caprice up, demanding he help teach the party the dance the way Toa had pulled in Felix. Caprice agreeing with less hesitation than Felix, continued to play, singing out instructions while playing the song on his violin. The duo swaying side by side laughing as they turned and kept in pace with the music both had grown up with, even separated by thousands of miles across Yona. Their eyes on each other as they kicked up dirt, beaming eyes screaming words not yet spoken but held just under the surface and close to their hearts. The others slowly joining in again, First Iris and Lufti, then, with more trepidation from Felix, the wizard and tribesman joining finally.
They were caught in one another's gravity, not yet ignited by the unspoken affection but near it enough to bask in the light of it. The distance between them close but never close enough to touch. Both comfortable in this familiar song and dance, but unaware if the other wanted the song changed to something slower, or closer. And while bold, neither were so bold as to ask, hoping the other might bridge the gap and dip the other. So they stayed at this comfortable distance. Danced to this same song with the relatively safe distance between each other.
To everyone else they were teenagers truly falling for the first time, a lovely delicate thing that twisted and twirl awkwardly around each other just off key, never quite harmonizing but trying desperately to get it right. Dust kicked up under boots never quite getting the chance to settle as they sang together. The difference in practice blatant as Hyrja stumbled over the words and was less singing and more talking in a sing-song type of way. Though any fool worth a damn could see it was horribly enduring to Caprice as he kept the song going, tail hovering just inches from her as they lead the dance, and dancing more together than with the party as a whole.
Once more, as songs are wont to do, Caprice played the final notes, Hyrja throwing her head back in booming laughter, throwing and arm around Caprice's middle with a firm squeeze as the group settled for a small break. They hovered near one another, passing a flask between themselves, using it as an excuse to hover in the presence of each other. And if Caprice's tail occasionally brushed her leg while keeping tempo of his heart song, that was for him alone to know.
The six of them took their time, catching their breath, letting Caprice recuperate as the resident bard. Felix leaned back up against Toa. Iris leaned atop and across Lufti's back, a content smile on her face. Casually chatting about the dances. Learning histories, stories about times their party members had seen them or about events that the dances were typically had at. Toa had stories about games, competitions, and rarely the battles won that had been the cause of his celebratory dance. Caprice and Hyrja both had stories about weddings and parties with drunken family or community members attempting the line dance.
Which lead to Lufti pitching in with stories about a drinking dance they did in Kierschtien and the steadily more drunken state. of the dancers as their celebrations went on until no one could stand. Prompting Felix to offer his own story of a festival dance he knew from Kesslefeld that sounded similar. Lufti begged and jabbed at him to dance with her to see if it was the same dance. He refused until Toa asked to see it and learn if it was the same dance. Felix relented on the condition that they waited another handful of minutes. The added bit of time gave Iris plenty of time to take the floor to tell her own stories of a ritual dance that she was taught in her priesthood as a way to honor the dead, one apparently Lufti also knew.
Her eyes lighting up, Lufti dragged Iris up to her feet, demanding they show it off. Bouncing from foot to foot, clearly excited to keep dancing. Iris rolled her eyes, giving in immediately, guiding Lufti off to the side. Shooting her partner a look until Lufti composed herself enough to take this serious. The pair started slowly dancing together, moving in circles, hands loosely held together, pulling each other in close, but never close enough to fully touch, before swinging wide way from each other though never letting go. It looked very similar to a tango or a waltz of sorts. Iris explained what the movements representing the push and pull of life and death, the purpose of them being paired to show the balance being kept between the two forces. And in the finial moments of the dance they let go of one another's hands, dancing separately, but mirroring each other. Iris stopping the dance to explain that the separation was meant to represent the death and that typically you would switch partners with another person as a symbol of the passing of a soul to dance with a the gods so to speak.
The rest of the party nodded along, Caprice asking them to go again, as he started playing a somber tune, he and the other three watching as Iris and Lufti began to dance again, delectate and graceful with each other, Caprice's playing and quite whistling, less guiding them and more being guided by their movements across their make shift dance floor. It took less time for the others to join them this time. First Hyrja and Caprice, Hyrja taking Caprice's tail in leu of his hands being full, then Felix and Toa taking up their place carefully out of everyone's way as they, in juxtaposition to the start of the dancing, awkwardly figured out the steps and how they fit together in this slower pace.
Lufti and Iris had nos such problems. And with no eyes on them, they drew in closer. Iris holding onto Lufti tighter, her tail curling around the smaller woman whenever she could get away with it. For all her normal excitement, Lufti was certainly smiling, but much gentler. A real smile, one that didn't hide anxieties or exaggerate anything for the sake of seeming to be better than she was. Hidden perfectly in the mix of dancers around them, everyone so focused on their own partner that no one could see the private moment they allowed in this crowded place.
Carefully, and subtle displays of affection slipped into their dance. Gentle brushes of hands on waist or more firm holds than would be appropriate for an actual ritual dance. Private intimacy that was allowed because it wasn't a ritual. There was no performance here. Just three pairs of people dancing together, happy to be alive, thankful to be with people they loved, and simply enjoying the trust and love that came with sharing their cultures with each other. All pretenses of who they were left behind. Iris was no daughter of the Pharaoh, Lufti was not a monk of Lapuard. They were Iris and Lufti, and they were dancing together like they hadn't gotten to in a long while. Wordless affections and no one to tell them they couldn't have it. And as they neared the end, they split, swinging wide to catch another party member and dance continue their dance once more. Like all their little moments didn't happen. As far as any of their party needed to know they never existed. It was a ritual between the two, the privacy of their outwardly odd forms of affection.
The grace of both women never faltered as their partners changed. Iris's sure footed-ness guiding Felix into a more confident pace and movements, the older man was surprisingly capable of flowing gracefully matching Iris. Lufti's confidence bolstered Caprice. Guiding him with a gentle hold on his tail. His somber melody became more lively. Her joy infecting him, and in turn effecting all three of the others, their tempo increasing slightly. As everyone's confidence grew, they switched off once more. Iris sending Felix off to Caprice and taking Toa as Lufti took Hyrja. The women sharing a soft look before fully focusing on their new partner. Toa's natural dexterity let him keep pace with Iris with no issue, though he lacked the grace the dance asked of him. She quietly schooled him to the proper movements, showing him over the repetitive movements. He caught on quickly, though he was still a bit stiff, his size and stature probably being his biggest challenge, but he'd get a hold of it with practice. With Hyrja, Lufti was having better prospects, the pair dancing gracefully, broad smiles, adding their own little flourishes, that weren't necessarily part of the dance, but were very much them. Felix and Caprice seemed the most confident, though Felix had refused Caprice's tail they danced without touching, still beautiful and flowing in their ability to match and adapt with the difference in their positions from the rest of the party.
One more time the melody, once somber and mourning now almost lively, drew to an end, as the pairs ended up back with their original partners. For the first time not out of breath. Caprice had barely started to lower his violin before Lufti gave Felix a wicked smile, holding up a hand, clearly ready to continue the dancing. With a sigh, slight smile, and a gentle nudge from Toa, they started a dance again. Caprice back peddling out of their way, watching Lufti laughing out a count as she swung Felix around, their arms interlinked, her clearly leading though Felix knew the steps. It didn't take long for Caprice to start playing a jovial tune, slightly bouncing as Felix called out the instructions for the dance and how and who to pass off to after you finished a round. Lufti cackling out that in Kierschtien during the festival of Lapuard you were supposed to dance until you threw up from getting dizzy.
With as little time as it took to learn Caprice and Hyrja's line dance, the rest of the Wings were joining in. Toa stealing Felix back on the first pass of partners. The golaith damn near sweeping Felix off his feet as he did. Lufti laughed at them, pulling Iris into the dance, swinging around each other before switching directions and spining the other way and sending each other off to Felix and Toa. Caprice joining in spirit with a lively folk song, dancing his own little jig on the outer ring as Felix tapped out, sending Hyrja into the rotation aiming her at Iris as Toa took on Lufti as a partner. The height difference was comical, but the furosity that Lufti danced with, kicking her feet and throwing her free arm up in the air, made up for the difference of height with her enthusiasm. Hyrja and Iris spun each other around with less enthusiasm than Lufti tried to sling Toa around with, but they were very clearly enjoying. themselves, laughing at Lufti's attempts to pull Toa face first into the dirt as they switched partners again, Lufti and Hyrja, Iris and Toa. The shorter women attempting with all their might to drag each other down. Toa and Iris dancing more restraint both, whether it was visible or not, amused by their antics. As they switched off again, Lufti tapping out with Felix, who took Iris, and Toa got Hyrja.
They danced like this for what felt like only a short while, maybe ten minutes, but by the time they all lay breathless and grinning, sweating from the exertion of it, the moon was well over the trees. The cool night air bringing their temperatures down, and the heavy breathing of them all leaving their throats raw and making the night chill feel sharp entering their lungs. Toa lay sprawled out taking up a huge amount of the ground. An arm around Felix's waist, keeping him pressed against Toa's side. The other on Iris's knee, respectful, but still in contact. Iris leaned up against Caprice who had Hyrja sprawled across his lap half laughing as she caught her breath. Lufti half laid on Hyrja, an arm around Iris, grinning widely, face flushed with exertion, alcohol, and the joy of being surrounded by those who loved her.
They were sweaty, exhausted, and still harboring bruises from their battle. But they were alive, they were together, and they had danced, sharing their cultures, their joy, stories of their lives, and perhaps most importantly, though it was never spoken, the love they shared with each other. And for once, even Felix didn't try to enforce any sleeping arrangements and the six of them fell asleep there, huddled in a pile on the hard earth, thinking they were lucky to be together, alive, happy, and whole. Even if their bodies would ache in the morning.