She took his hand, a soft smile on her lips. "My thanks." She said. "I'm Celeste Marin, by the way, though I'm afraid that I cannot quite remember your name?" She didn't say it as an insult, just as something she had forgotten and needed to be reminded.
Dacian had only taken a few steps closer towards the dance floor before stopping. Turning his head to look into Lady Marin's eyes, he smiled, "Well, it is a pleasure to meet and to dance with you, Lady Marin." For a second, he chuckled but gave an understanding nod. "No worries, my lady, you are not the first to say this. I am Dacian Alexandrescu of Sceivania, obviously."
"Obviously." She echoed with a laugh, following him out onto the dance floor. "It's nice to meet you, Ambassador Alexandrescu." Her smile was soft and easy as they began to dance.
Dacian laughed alongside Lady Marin. With a gentle beam, he bowed his head before they began to dance. "I must thank you for asking to dance with me," He said. "Personally I thought I would not be dancing tonight." It was not long till his eyes did wander down to their feet. The only thing he hated about dancing was the worry of stepping on his dance partner's toes. Though, he gazed back up at Lady Marin, smiling.
She let out a quiet laugh. "Ah, well, I'm pleased you accepted. Most men would consider me far too forward, to approach them like that." She herself was a fair dancer; at least, she had yet to trip on her dress or step on Dacian's toes, so she had least had that advantage.
"Too forward…," He whispered to himself. His brows shot up in curiosity. Suppose that he cannot fully understand why, but he blank. Dacian shook his head. "Never mind them. It is best to be forward and direct, that way you can stand your ground, my lady," He stated. After offering a beam, he went back to focusing on his steps. "Besides, there is nothing wrong with asking them. You are a beautiful and kind lady after all."
She smiled again. "Many thanks for the compliment, ambassador." She replied, inclining her head to him. She continued to dance with him, calm and quiet for a while.
He gave a slight head bow in response. Dacian glanced up, briefly looking around at the others on the dance floor. In the mist of a crowd, he saw the king for a second. Pulling his gaze away, he glanced back down at his feet. As the new moments passed by, he danced along with her and enjoying the music that played along. And though he kept making sure that he wouldn't step on her, he smiled, enjoying himself.
Evander eventually got out onto the dance floor, dancing with one of the ladies of the court. He was quiet while he danced, not making much conversation with his dance partner. He didn't need to, nor did he very much want to.
Every now and then, Dacian would glimpse over at the king. He was not sure why, but he felt as if he had to. It most likely was just the worried that has been in him since he first arrived. Shaking his head, he went back to focusing on dancing. Focusing in hopes of calming his worries down. On the other hand, he couldn't help but pray internally for King Evander. Maybe that is all he can do for him.
As the song drew to a close, Lady Marin manuevered back towards the edges of the crowd. "I should not take up all of your time, ambassador. Be assured, though, that many of the lords or ladies here would be perfectly accepting of dancing with you, should you ask." she curtseyed as the song ended.
Dacian bowed after giving a quick grin. "Indeed, I shall remember that. Again, thank you very much, Lady Marin," He said. A few strands of hair fell in front of his field of vision as he stood back up. Letting out a gentle sigh, he did his best to tuck them away before walking away before the next song began.
Evander finished his dance as well, and left the dance floor to stand at the side, quiet and contemplative as he watcehd those who were still dancing. Even if he didn't find these balls as enjoyable as many others did, he liked to watch those who were. It was a good reminder of why he had done what he had done.
Standing off to the side again, he kept on watching just like before. He did watch the others that were still on the dance floor, but his focus tend to wander around at the ones who were on the sides like him. With his arms crossed, Dacian was gazing around, looking at some of the other ambassadors. Lady Marin's words replayed in his head, though he was still unsure of who he could ask to dance with him.
Evander eventually spotted Dacian again, but was unsure if he should approach the ambassador or not. It would be rude to not speak with him again, but right now, most people were dancing, and he wasn't sure if Dacian would be interested in that.
While he let his eyes wander around and about, they laid back on King Evander once again. He had to squint a little to see him, but he found him. In a way, he found it odd that the king was alone, especially now at a ball like this. Dacian bit his bottom lip, unsure of what to do, and yet found himself ambling over. "Not much of a dancer, Your Majesty?" He asked as he stood beside.
Evander looked up. "Hm? Ah, no, not really." He replied, flashing a faint smile towards Dacian. "I'm not as great at it as many of my court are."
"Really?" Dacian turned slightly to look at the king, but his gaze lowered to the floor. A small trail of laughter escaped from his lips while his right index finger tapped against his leg. "I am surprised, usually great fighters are able to be great dancers. Maybe it just is myth I heard," He shrugged, chuckling again. "Do you enjoy dancing though, Your Majesty?"
Evander laughed a little bit. "Ah, well, I'm not one of them." it was a lie. He was a good dancer, he just didn't generally enjoy it, because, well, his enjoyment of it was based generally on who he was dancing with. "I enjoy dancing with the right partner." he said after a moment, not seeming to realize that the statement could be taken as flirting.
All Dacian was able to do was smile as the king laughed. For some reason, it made him happy seeing King Evander in such a state. "Ah, I see." He gazed out onto the dance floor, going back from observing the dancers to the king. His eyes widened as his cheeks lightly flushed. And though his mouth was open, he wasn't sure what to say. He shook his head. "Well, would you like to dance with me then, Your Majesty?" He asked. "I suppose I dance well, though due to my position as an official, it is up to you."
Evander paused for a moment, then dipped his head in a nod. "Of course, that sounds good." He replied, smiling a little as he extended a hand, taking Dacian out to the dance floor. Despite his words, he wasn't a bad dancer, though that was likely due to years of court training, rather than anything else. He did have a natural elegance and smoothness to his movements, which translated well into dancing, but his hands were rough and callused, his posture, even in dance, that of a swordsman.
"Oh?" Dacian noticed how the king had moved his hand and how his had laid on top. Slowing down his steps, he made sure to match with king's as they walked over. Did he really just ask the king to dance with him? Well, he did just dance with Lady Marin awhile ago and that wasn't bad, and yet, he was beginning to question his dancing abilities now. Sure, dancing is fun and he absolutely loves it, though all he can do at the moment was wonder if he is the right dancing partner and if the king will have fun too.
Evander, to be frank, was having a pretty good time dancing with Dacian. At least, Dacian hadn't stepped on his toes so far, and that was always a plus, right? He gave the ambassador a little smile. "I hope your stay in Aven has been pleasant so far?" he asked, still smiling over at Dacian.
So far so good. Well, that is what Dacian was thinking at least. He found the king to be quite the dancer compared to what he said previously. Although, as habit, he kept staring down at his feet from time to time. Glimpsing back at His Majesty, he gave a soft smile. "Of course," He nodded. "Everything has been just wonderful. So far, it has been a great pleasure working here."
"Good." Evander replied. "I always hope that guests are being treated well." He paused for a moment. "I hope it isn't rude of me to ask why you wanted to be an ambassador? Or at least what led you here. You speak Avenian quite well, so it does not seem like a language you have only just learned, though I may be mistaken."