Victor glanced at her.. "It is no wonder if you rarely go out if you are so easily affected." He gestured to the center of the room where the dancers moved. "I believe you said you wished to give me the honor of a dance?"
Etzli looked up at him and smiled at him from behind the fabric. Her stomach growled at the smell of the blood, but she tugged Victor towards the dance floor. And upbeat, smooth song started playing. She started to dance smoothly and well, indicating that her comments of badly dancing were just comments to put herself down. She smiled as she tapped her feet and spun.
Cambria's sharp eye caught Victor and Etzli entering from a side door. She frowned ever so slightly at the odd behavior. Strange nobles indeed. Dismissing the pair she responded to the Lady beside her, true sorrow coloring her voice, an odd emotion for the female. "She would have hated this." Cambria gestured around them. "This is no way to mourn, yet here we all are under the King's mercy." She wondered what he would do now that they were all accounted for within the ball room. Was this truly a trap for the assassin? Would they really be so bold to try and kill him out in the open?
He held out her arm and pulled her back gently at the end of the turn. "You are far better that you give yourself credit for." His own feet were barely keeping up with the music and he stumbled every once in a while. "The old habits have not yet quite deserted me, but I feel the absence most keenly." He put on a fake mournful look as they continued, but as he stumbled once more he was forced to give it up in favor of laughing at himself cheerfully.
Etzli giggled then pulled Victor towards her as the music changed to a gentle, quiet song. She positioned him into a waltzing position. "Don't worry!" she chirped, "I'll help you get your beat back!" She started to lead him in the dance.
He nodded, a rueful grin on his face. He stared into her face counting under his breath to stay with the beat.
Etzli smiled up at him. "See? You've got this!" She pressed close as a pair waltzed behind her. Her skirts swirled beautifully. Her make-up was smokey and subtle, but if you looked closely, it glittered under the light.
“Well as I am sure you know, these dances were designed to let couples speak. So tell me, who are you?”
Etzli tilted her head. "What do you mean? I told you. I'm Etzli of the Glenwood house."
He smiled. "Of course. But tell me of your history, your opinions, what you think about when no one is asking."
Etzli looked confused but smiled, "Am afraid I'm a little sensitive with my past, so pardon my evading that. As for opinions, they vary from thing to thing. What I think about when no-one is asking…? Most of the time, recovery and whether or not I'll be okay. Oh, and sewing.
He grinned pleasantly at her answer. "I shall not pry in that case. I understand the feelings myself. In fact I rarely speak of it." He looked at her. "Though I rarely am around others to be fair."
Etzli shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not around people much either. I mostly spend time with my books or my cat."
"Luck that you have books. I was separated from my library after I turned."
Etzli's eyes locked onto his. "Then you'll have to make use of mine."
He smiled. "I would be most grateful."
(Someone else jump in we're on the one liners!)
(ahem. Verrian)
(ahem. Verrian)
(Sorry, I've had a very busy day, you know, having a life.)
Verrian slipped up the large set of stairs, going to sit at a balcony as he watched everyone dance and drank his blood. His eyes flicked through the nobles, pulling up all the information he had on each of them before turning to the next. Up at the balcony was a good spot to see if anyone was plotting, as he could see the entire ballroom.
As Dominik swirled around the room with a very talkative lady in his arms, he caught a glance of Verrian on the balcony. It seemed the prince was keeping his distance, and a wise idea too. Should the murderer attempt to strike the king again, Verrian would be the first to know. It was somewhat amusing to see such a determined expression written in the man's eyes. Dominik rose one hand in the air and snapped his fingers - everything, and everyone, came to a standstill. Everyone apart from himself and the prince. He let go of his dance partner, and stared up at Verrian with a small smile. "What do you plan to do when the murderer's identity is revealed?"
If Verrian was surprised at the time stopping, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply raised his eyebrows at the nobles question. "The real question is why would I feel the need to awnser your question?" He returned, not blinking an eye. He felt as if it was a wiser path to keep his motives hidden, just in case this man was the killer.
In an instant, Dominik was stood behind Verrian. He leaned into the prince's ear with a smile. "When it comes to me, the more of my questions you answer, the less suspicious you seem. Right now, yourself and Klaus Amerdamn seem pretty fishy with your silence and watchful eyes. It's too obvious that you're both working together on something. In my head I picture Klaus being your eyes and ears down on the floor, eavesdropping on every guest, trying to catch someone out, trying to catch one of us out. While you stay up here, watching, waiting for the murderer to try and strike your father again. No one is foolish enough to dare do so in a public setting such as this, you're wasting your time."
"Just like no one is foolish enough to threaten a prince. Now how about you slide back down to the dance floor and I'll forget this even happened." Verrian replied with a unerring stare, he could be threatening, a bit. "And if it seems like we're fishy, then you are a rotten seafood market."
He smiled. "I would be most grateful."
(I SURVIVED MY EXAM EVERYONE!!!)
Etzli smiled and continued their circuit around the floor. "It'll be nice to see you more often." Suddenly, someone tripped her up from behind and she fell into Victor's chest. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Her heart was thumping as she pulled away from him, face flushed.