Open Dancing Alone

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata had very belatedly realized that most people who went to the Yule Ball seemed to go with a partner. Both her dormmates seemed to be, for one. And her father and grandfather would've been mortified at the idea of her asking around for a date (though she was fairly certain her mother would have encouraged it). She didn't know anyone who actually had a boyfriend or girlfriend at this stage but the point wasn't necessarily for a romantic date, but for someone to hang out with and dance with. She'd been so busy studying for exams she'd barely even thought about it. She at least thought she'd done pretty well on the exams, at least well enough so there wouldn't be the lingering threat of being sent home. Which, in actuality, probably only existed in her head.

Not really wanting to stick out but hoping to get a glimpse of people she knew, she stood against the wall with a drink in one hand, shuffling on the spot in beat with the music. She liked dancing, but she hadn't really tried anything complicated with a partner before. Maybe next year. At least the room looked really nice, she thought, looking around in awe at the decorations. Even though it was summer here, the professors had made it look so beautiful and wintery. Now she certainly felt underdressed for the occasion. Shrugging it off, she took a sip of her drink, scanning the room and admiring all the beautiful outfits people had on.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene was always very busy in the lead up to and then during the yuleball, now more so than ever. Coordinating the accio guys to ensure that they got all of the pictures of the event that were necessary. It was just his responsibility and one he took rather seriously because he didn't want anyone to be let down by subpar pictures or for themselves to not be in any of them. The hufflepuff had come to the hall rather early, making sure to get a lot of set up and first arrivals at the hall. It just meant he had been at the hall a while when he spotted Renata.

Eugene wasn't sure if Durmstrang had dances like this, and thought he deserved a bit of a break, so he wandered over to her. Eugene wasn't really dressed for the ball, he was wearing his school shirt and his school trousers, lacking the usual tie and robes. He didn't have money for a nice suit, and since he was working he never felt the pressure to dress nicely. "Hey Renata, having fun?" he asked as he approached her. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata had been counting the beat along with an upbeat song in her head, tapping her heels. Her shoes absolutely did not match the rest of her outfit, but they were all she had on hand. She thought maybe she'd have to try looking for a job for some spending money over the holidays now she was about to turn fourteen, though she knew she was more likely needed to waitress at the restaurant, as she'd likely be doing as soon as she got back home tomorrow.

She couldn't help but give a big smile as Eugene approached her - he wasn't dressed up for the occasion, but she knew he was really busy, as she'd glimpsed him taking photographs and doing important organizational things. Renata only hoped he'd take a bit of time to relax and enjoy himself. "Hey Eugene! Happy holidays," she greeted. "Everything looks amazing! I've just been taking it all in. How's your night been? Apart from busy, I guess," she added, with a small laugh.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene gave a wide smile at her, "Happy Holidays Renata," he returned to her, before nodding in agreement. He knew that as someone had spent a lot of time at the school the great hall wasn't as impressive at the first time, but he could appreciate the awe that someone else found in it when it was their first time. Eugene laughed lightly and nodded, "Unsurprisingly, yeah it's been busy," he told her, but there was no hint in his voice that he was bothered by this fact. He didn't mind that it was busy and in fact was always thankful that no one really looked twice at him or how he was dressed because of the camera.

"How about yours?" Eugene returned the question to her, "Do other schools do this sort of thing?" he didn't know anything about her last school, so had no idea if this was a common thing for schools or if in fact it was something exclusively for Hogwarts. he knew there was another transfer, from the year before and he hadn't asked her, but he didn't know her like he knew Renata. He hoped other schools had things similar because it was really good fun whenever it happened. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata understood from having spoken to Eugene and seeing him go about his work that he just liked to be kept busy, which was fair enough. Some people weren't very good at sitting still. Her mother was a little bit like that, always had to be doing something. Renata was typically a little bit lazier but she didn't complain about having things to do. She liked feeling helpful. "I think it was only for the upper years?" Not that she would have gone, usually getting home as soon as she possibly could. "I've never been to a dance like this before. I," she blushed slightly at the admission, "didn't know we were meant to have partners for it." But she shrugged it off, not too bothered. It didn't seem like everyone did have partners, just most of the people she spent the most time with did. "I'll just remember for next time!"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene thought it was interesting that her last school had only had celebrations for upper years, he wondered then if they had a yearbook too, if the person attending had to be older too, or if they could be the younger age. He frowned a little and shook his head at her statement. "You don't have to...lots of people come alone, or just arrange to meet up with friends. Also, there's a valentines day dance in semester two, which like this, lots of people will have dates to but it's not a requirement" Eugene was quick to assure her, he knew that Renata probably wouldn't have trouble finding someone to go with her to the ball, she seemed fun but it was not a requirement to have a date to the ball and he felt that was important to stress. He'd never really had a date to any of these events, but then again he was usually busy, "Hows quidditch going?" he asked her, knowing that she'd gotten on the team as she said she would try to do.​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata looked a little embarrassed at that. "Oh, I mean, I kind of thought that was the case? Then most people I knew seemed to be going with partners. I got kind of caught up studying so I didn't ask anyone. But, thank you for reassuring me." It was kind of a relief to hear it, at least. She suspected it was more of an expectation to have a partner for a Valentines dance, though that could almost certainly be a little bit more awkward. Renata wasn't really interested in anything romantic at this stage, though. Probably people around her age were going to want to start going out but she wasn't in any rush to. "Quidditch is pretty good! I got picked as an alternate beater so of course I played something completely different when we played Ravenclaw." It was kind of silly how the whole thing had worked out. "Who knows what I'll be doing next time?" She'd missed her shot on goal, but it hadn't mattered because Lucas had caught the snitch almost instantly. "Everything going alright with the yearbook?"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene was glad that she had thought it was the case, but could get why suddenly everyone started pairing up for it. "I'm glad I could help," he told her, feeling glad he had reassured her, wondering if it was useful to have more of a talking to about the things in the school perhaps some just figured it out easier, or would've gone out of their way to get a date and Renata hadn't because she'd been studying. He smiled brightly as she told him about quidditch, he was glad she'd managed to get on the team. "Sounds good, I went to that game, it was good!" he said with a smile, from what he could rember it had been a pretty short game, but that just meant she'd get more time to play in her position. "Playing multiple position has got to be good for overall skill right?" he wasn't sure, if it helped or hindered but at least renata was playing. He nodded, "Yeah! It's busy but going good, we have different work in the second semester, with more of it focused on actually putting together the yearbook, where as this semester is mostly just us taking pictures," ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata wasn't sure if playing multiple positions was good or not, but at least she could try and slot in and help on both chaser and beater if needed. "It makes me feel useful," she agreed, though she had felt bad about missing her goal. The Ravenclaw keeper was probably a lot more experienced though, so it made sense that he'd do his job well, especially against someone who was more new to it. They'd won, at least, so they just had to try and beat Slytherin next semester. She hoped they would but as long as they got out there and did their best that was the main thing. She nodded thoughtfully as Eugene explained the yearbook work. "Sounds like it'll keep you busy, but I bet it's going to look amazing when it's finished!" she said, encouragingly. She'd looked at the previous ones in the library and they were so well done, she knew Eugene and his team would do a great job. "Hey, while you have a moment, do you want to dance with me?" she asked, before quickly reddening. "You don't have to if you don't want to, of course, no pressure!"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene could sympathise with the feeling of being useful and gave a nod of agreement, he wasn't on the team but he did a lot of work for accio and generally about the place so he knew what it was like. The teen gave a warm nod of agreement, he was also sure that it would be good. "I bet it will too," and then he glanced back to Renata, "Oh for sure," he said, he took off his camera, and placed it on a nearby table. He felt confident that no one would take it and then held out his hand to Renata. "I'd be happy to," Eugene assured her, since he was deserving of a break, and he'd happily dance with her. He wasn't the best dancer but he would do his best and make sure that Renata also had a good time. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was extremely relieved that he'd said yes, as she wouldn't know exactly what to say if he'd said no. Though she knew he'd probably have to get back to work soon, if anyone deserved a moment to just enjoy themselves it was Eugene. And she was just glad to have the opportunity to dance with someone who was genuinely nice to her and she liked hanging around with. She took his hand with a grin, stepping a little more on to the dancefloor. "I haven't really danced with anyone but my parents before," she confessed, but not looking too worried about it. Looking out across the floor, there was a whole lot of variation in skill in dancing but nobody seemed to be having a bad time. "At least it's not a competition, right?" She wasn't the most graceful, but she was good with a rhythm and being in a relaxed environment helped.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene glanced at his hand as she took it, leading her out on to the dancefloor. "Oh really?" he asked, thinking it curious that someone would dance with their parents, he had never done so but he'd never gotten the opportunity too. "My old school used to have dances, but they were nothing like this," Eugene told her, "So I've had a few opportunities to dance," Eugene moved to start dancing with her and gave a little chuckle,"We could make it a competition if you'd like?" he said lightly, mostly joking with her. If she wanted a competition he'd give it to her, but he just wanted her to have a good time. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

This was nice, Renata thought. It was a new experience, but a pleasant one. This year so far had been full of pleasant experiences. Some less so - bludger hits and making a mess of her Ancient Runes presentation came to mind, not to mention the grand ordeal of them being cut out of her father's family before moving - but overall things were looking good. "My mother sang at a lot of bars and clubs when I was growing up," she explained. "My father and I would dance along sometimes. Especially at New Years." After they'd gone back to Russia and she'd been made to go to Durmstrang, the parties had stopped. She shook her head with a light laugh at the suggestion of making it a competition. "I could break out moves I've been workshopping in the Arts room," she joked back. "But this is good. I hope?" She stepped carefully in time with the music, letting her worries drift away with the melody. All things considered, she was certainly ending the year better than she started it, she thought, as she looked at Eugene with a smile.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene listened as she talked of her mother and her then her father, "Wow that must've been fun, was it all traditional romanian folk that you danced to?" he asked her, with a little smile, remembering that Renata had spoken about what her mother sang. He thought it was nice that she had these memories. But they were dancing, and he laughed lightly at what Renata said, happy that they could dance and joke about. "I'd love to see some of those moves," he told her, "But this is good," he assured Renata smiling back at her. He was just happy to dance with her the the music. He didn't often dance at these things but this was actually fun. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata shook her head with a light giggle. "Only when we visited Romania. If we went to England it was emotional renditions of Wonderwall. We never stayed in one place for long." It had been a very nomadic childhood, and her education had been a bit all over the place, but it had been a happy and carefree time. She spoke with a fond nostalgia, although she had no problems with her home life now they'd settled here. The couple of years in between had sucked but she wasn't going to ruin a good night with that. "I'll practice them more so I can impress you next Yule," she joked back, beaming. She knew Eugene would likely be busy again but part of her hoped he'd still be able to take a moment for a dance, as selfish as that may have been. She did genuinely want him to take time to enjoy himself, regardless of who he danced with. "What are your plans for the break?"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene gave a little laugh and nodded, "Fair," he retorted, but it was cool, he was pretty sure she wasn't lying about the travelling. Which was pretty cool. He liked learning about his friends and the sort of adventures they had experienced before they got to Hogwarts. He hadn't been able to do much of interest before Hogwarts. Eugene laughed lightly. "Careful now, I might hold you to that," he joked back at her, before shaking his head at what she said. "I'll be staying at school, hopefully working too, got a job at the inner eye," he said, "You?" he asked, not sure what sort of stuff Renata would get up to. He knew what most of his friends did, but he didn't know everything about Renata and her lige outside of school.[/B]​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata realized it probably sounded a lot more glamourous than it was, though it was a lot of very cheap hotel rooms and late nights. It had certainly given her a great love of music, though, and even if she wasn't very good at performing it, she could enjoy listening and appreciate others performances. She wasn't too bad a dancer, at the very least. In saying that, she gave a slightly embarrassed laugh at the suggestion that she'd have to show off her dance moves next year. "Alright," she replied, looking back at Eugene with a broad smile. "Now I feel a bit more motivated." She was surprised he'd be staying at school, but maybe it was just easier since it was only a short break. She didn't want to be rude and pry too much. "Oh, congratulations on the job!" The song was coming to an end, much to her mild dismay, but she could certainly just enjoy the moment. "I hope it goes really well for you," she added, earnestly. "I'll have to pop in before I start Divination next semester. My, er, grandparents opened a restaurant when we moved here. I'll be working as a waitress for the break." She probably wouldn't get paid for it, because it was more expectation than an actual job, but Renata wasn't really upset by that. She supposed she was a lot of the reason they'd moved, so it was the right thing to do to help out where she could.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene laughed lightly, "I'll even make a note to myself so I remember to ask come next year," Eugene told her, though he likely wouldn't, it was just the thing to say, to keep up their back and forth. He was almost a little disappointed when the song began to wind down, he had enjoyed dancing with Renata, but knew that if the song was winding down, he should probably get back to it. "Thanks! I'm looking forward to being able to help my cousin out by bringing in money," He told Renata honestly and it was clear in Eugene's tone that he was very excited for this. He thought that Renata didn't seem too enthused by her work. But he could understand that not everyone wanted to work. "I'm sure that'll be fun, you'll meet plenty of different types of people," he wouldn't promise to go because he wasn't sure he'd be able to afford a restaurant. "I should probably get back to work...," he said, with a reluctant tone.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata knew that Eugene was just being nice, but it was so much better than the alternative. She'd had enough of people teasing and being mean to her at Durmstrang. So even if he was just saying he'd ask her to be nice to her - she knew he was too busy with photographing anyway - it felt good to hear. She smiled and nodded at that, and at the mention of helping his cousin. Maybe that was why he was staying at school, but she wasn't going to ask on a night of celebration, if it wasn't a happy story. "That'll be great for you," she agreed. "Well, let's both do our best with work over the break, then," she added, enthusiastically. Eugene's motivation did make Renata want to try a little harder. She was tempted to invite him to come visit, knowing her nonna would give him full Italian hospitality (and likely tease her about it), but maybe another time, she thought. Tonight had been great as it was. She let go of his hand with a little reluctance, but put on a bright smile anyway. "I guess those photographs won't take themselves, huh? What is that phrase, 'no rest for the wicked'?" It probably wasn't the right turn of phrase, but sometimes idioms got a bit jumbled in her head. "Um, thank you, for dancing with me."

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene nodded in agreement, "Yes! And then we can compare customer horror stories!" Eugene was sure that working in the inner eye would be quite nice, that he wouldn't necessarily experience customers who weren't very nice, but Eugene also knew from the days of watching his mum work that this could be very very wrong. Eugene glanced at his hand as she let it go, and then looked back up at Renata, "Yeah...," the tone was more unsure than anything he had said before, since in his mind it would've been nice to spend more time with her but he did have work to be getting too, and Eugene didn't want to let down the team when he was running the yearbook. But her thanks brought a smile full force back and he gave a little nod, "Anytime Renata! Dancing with you will be the highlight of my evening," he took a little step away and glanced towards his camera. He took one last glance at Renata gave a little wave, which felt a little awkward for some reason and then walked away. ​