"Okay then, Bea. It's a pleasure to meet you. Where are you from?" Henry looked at her, and his face showed that he was actually interested in her answer. He was always that way. He never asked any questions just cause he had to, but because he was genuinely interested in getting to know people.
"Er, near Prossten," Beatriz said quietly. "It's a really small town. What about you?"
"Let's see. I was born in Eldor, a city up north by the water. Then, when I joined the army, I joined the forces in Pederstad. After that… well, I have been to a bunch of bases in different cities. My last one was in Kobbmark. So… I've been pretty much all over the country for the past four years. Right, Jay?"
"Correct." Jade smiled as she watched them talk. Or, at least attempt to talk.
"Oh, wow, that's really cool," Beatriz commented. "I had a brother in the army. He sent me postcards from all over."
"What's his name? Maybe I know him." Henry smiled, not noticing the change of tempus in her comment.
"Oh, um, his name was Jack, but um, he went missing a couple years ago, so you probably wouldn't," Beatriz looked down for a moment before regaining her pleasant demeanor.
"Oh." Henry went quiet, his smile gone. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
Beatriz waved off his apology. "It was a few years ago, it's fine. Do you have any siblings?"
Henry laughed. "Yes, too many of them, actually. I have three sisters, two older and one younger. Then I have one older brother, and then there's Mika, who's genderfluid. So… yeah. Five siblings plus me. We're a bit of a messy family, you know."
Talin sighed and scanned the room, still not finding any of the ladies that were available to dance with. He didn’t want to dance with the ambassador, not quite yet. Carefully, he straightened his suit and half shrugged, walking to the snacks and picking up a brownie to eat.
Cassie noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and nearly jumped when she saw it was Talin. "Jeez! Talin, don't scare me like that." She laughed. "Stupid reflexes. This is what having four younger siblings does to you."
Talin jumped slightly as well, a huge chuck of brownie in his mouth. He smiled and laughed slightly, finishing his bite before talking, “Sorry about that, Miss Cassie, I didn’t see you there.”
"I literally don't know how, I am the brightest object in this room." She laughed. "But it's alright, I just jump a lot easier than I should."
“Sometimes it’s a good thing, to be jumpy,” He replied, finishing his brownie in one last bite before offering her a hand. With a small smile, he motioned to the middle of the room and the dance floor, obviously asking to dance.
She was a little surprised. He was the first person to ever offer her a dance. She was fairly confident in her skills but she definitely wasn't the best. But she just smiled and took his hand.
Henry laughed. "Yes, too many of them, actually. I have three sisters, two older and one younger. Then I have one older brother, and then there's Mika, who's genderfluid. So… yeah. Five siblings plus me. We're a bit of a messy family, you know."
Beatriz nodded, smiling slightly. "I live in a family of artists, so we've always been literally messy," she said thoughtfully.
His smile grew slightly and he led her to the center of the floor, half bowing to her before placing one hand on her waist and the other taking her hand. This song was a little faster tempo, his feet starting with the music, “So, Miss Cassie, tell me about yourself.”
"Well, I live or I guess lived, with my four siblings and my drunk mother. My dad died when I was four and I haven't seen my mom sober since the funeral which was 15 years ago." She shrugged. "I'm a writer and get a lot of requests to do poems and love songs for people although I have no idea why. The only person that calls me Cassandra is my friend Kelly. I have two thousand nicknames although the most popular around my friends is firefly which I guess makes sense, I am rather firey." She laughed.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father,” He said gently, after a few moments smiling about her nickname, “That’s quite a interesting nickname, I may have to start calling you that if we get close.” Talin went silent for a moment, remembering the one nickname he had gotten from a kid he knew in the city, “Does writing poems and love songs pay well?”
Henry laughed. "Yes, too many of them, actually. I have three sisters, two older and one younger. Then I have one older brother, and then there's Mika, who's genderfluid. So… yeah. Five siblings plus me. We're a bit of a messy family, you know."
Beatriz nodded, smiling slightly. "I live in a family of artists, so we've always been literally messy," she said thoughtfully.
"That's really interesting. Do you do any art yourself?" He asked her.
Meanwhile, Jade was leaving the conversation. It didn't seem like they needed her anymore.
"That depends on your definition of 'well'. Half of everything I get is stolen by my mom to buy whiskey but with my siblings and I combined, we get by. Barely, but we're better than most people in our neighborhood."
Beatriz hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm more of a musician. I sketch, but nothing like my sisters."
"I bet that you're better at it than you say." A warm smile grew on Henry's face, and he put his hands in the pockets of his uniform. "I used to paint, before I joined the military. And, um…" He pulled a small, silver harmonica out of his right pocket. "I play this one."
Beatriz smiled. "Oh, that's cool! I cannot play any wind instruments," she explained.
Talin frowned slightly, “Have you tried hiding your earnings from your mother? Or just buying what you need right as you get the money so she can’t take any?” It pained him to think that most people didn’t live like he did, and like Cassie, had to support all their siblings and even their parents.