Open Not Thinking Things Through

[Aine Thompson]

Aine hadn't attended the last Yule Ball, having only been a first year she hadn't really seen the point. She didn't see much point in going in second year either, but Valerius had been insistent, and she knew she was supposed to show school spirit and show her face at different events. And the food at these events was usually good - she'd been lured out to last Valentine's and this year's Halloween by the spread they put on. Though now she'd actually dressed up for the occasion, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to eat or drink anything without the fear of making a mess of her dress. She didn't look nearly as glamourous as anyone else, she felt - her dress was a bit old, having worn it to Christmas parties for the last couple of years back at home. That usually didn't bother her too much, but now she couldn't help but notice and feel like she was sticking out in a bad way.

Aine had been lingering under a cloud of irritation for some time now, arguing with Cameron (and the fact that he seemed to take every opportunity to make fun of her) had put her on edge, she'd hated Defense Against the Dark Arts this semester, and she felt like having only had three classes she'd had far too much time to be alone with her thoughts. So tonight, she decided, she wasn't going to think. Far easier said than done, of course, but that wouldn't stop her from just going straight in to the hall without hesitation (stopping to gape at the ceilings in awe and mild confusion) and, as ever, making a beeline for the food table, only getting herself a cup of water and admiring the outfits of everyone she saw. She figured she was probably supposed to wait for Valerius, but he'd likely know where to find her and she didn't want to stop him from dancing with girls in far better humour than she was. Already on a roll for not thinking.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius had considered his outfit carefully. It had taken him a moment longer than intended to get dressed, but that was fine. He knew where Aine would be. He found her easily, siddling up next to her side. "Having fun?" He asked, picking up a drink of his own. "You like lovely, Aine," he told her, smiling happily at his friend. "Do you want to dance?" He asked her, offering out his hand.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine was relieved to see Valerius, having been staring at the ceiling for a few moments taking in the décor of the hall. There really were some wonderful things you could do with magic. It was great for aesthetic purposes - especially since at the end of the day you could just wave a wand and put everything back to normal. She'd had a fairy princess themed birthday party when she was about six and vaguely remembered her parents complaining about glitter being in places up to a month afterwards. It just made a semester of prank jinxes feel all the worse, really. "Oh, um, thank you. You look nice," she returned the compliment, a little stiffly as though she were unsure of giving it. Though she did think he looked good, his outfit suited him well. "Yeah, okay," she replied, downing the rest of her water and then taking his hand, gingerly. "But I've never danced before, so don't laugh. And I'm sorry if I step on your feet or elbow you or something."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius smiled, taking her offered hand and gently pulling her closer. "Hey, it's me. Relax," He tried to reassure her gently. "Just follow my lead. I got you," He promised, stepping towards the dancefloor and trying to pull her along with him.

 

[Aine Thompson]

There was nothing Aine wanted to do more than relax, but with the pressure to try and be graceful she was faltering terribly. Not to mention she found her eyes scanning the room and drifting to see Cameron holding a camera, and winced. Great, she thought. Now if I make a fool of myself he's going to get it on camera and make next semester miserable. Realistically, she told herself he'd be too busy with Margo and the other girl from Gryffindor - Isadora? - to notice, but the ridiculous worries crept in regardless. "Sorry," she mumbled, accidentally bumping her partner's arm while he was leading her. "I'm trying to not overthink. Or think, full stop. It's been a weird semester." She looked at Valerius, at least realizing she should probably try and focus her attention on him.

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

-godmod approved-

Valerius led Aine onto the dance floor. "It's okay. Just focus on me." He smiled. "One hand here, the other in mine," He told her, leading one hand to his shoulder before placing his on her waist. "Just follow me," He smiled gently. "It's simple. Make a little box with your feet. One, two, three, four," He gently led her into a twirl before bringing her back into his arms. "See? Easy."

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine felt weird about the whole thing. Realistically she knew she would have had to learn to dance eventually - although it was a little outdated, her hometown still had debutante balls - but she also hadn't considered that she'd actually ever dance with anyone. But Valerius was her friend, and as much as she grumbled she did enjoy spending time with him. She stumbled a bit on the twirl, her feet not going exactly where she wanted them to, but managed to keep enough balance, thankfully. Aine managed a light laugh at it, but her shoulders remained incredibly tense. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of Potions class. Admittedly she hadn't been the one who'd fallen, there, but it had still been humiliating. "So, um," she started, trying to stop dwelling. "Did you have to learn to dance for your dad's parties, or something?"

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled. "Any true gentleman knows how to dance, Aine," He replied easily, trying to pull her closer. "Here, the music is slowing down, lay your head on my shoulder and relax. For slow dances, you can keep the current hand positions, but its also acceptable to lay your arms on my shoulders. I would put both hands onto your waist. It's fine, I don't mind. Just focus on me, Aine. It's just us." He told her, smiling warmly.

 

[Aine Thompson]

The idea of added closeness made an alarm sound in her head. Each time she tried not to think, or to just go with it, something in her brain popped up to nag at her regardless. Sure, Valerius said it was just them, but it plainly wasn't, they were in a hall full of people and she was painfully aware of Cameron and his stupid camera. She shook her head, still stiffly. "That feels...a little inappropriate. I mean, it'll give the wrong impression." She was in that mid point of not being interested in dating but finding celebrities attractive, after all. "Since, y'know, it's not really just us." She was vaguely aware she'd probably been tactless, and shrank down on the spot, pointedly looking down at the ground. "Sorry. Overthinking again, darnit."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius laughed, shaking his head, and reached a hand up to brush her hair back. "Hey, it's okay. If you aren't comfortable I won't force you." He reassured her. "Besides, I'm used to you overthinking everything. If I couldn't handle it I wouldn't be here," He promised with a soft smile. "While I think you're doing wonderfully, I also know its easy to be overwhelmed. Do you want to go steal some snacks and sit for a bit?" He offered.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile at that. She didn't push his hand away, simply slowly looking up to meet his eyes again. "You don't have to babysit me, you know," she said, softly, the intention more gentle than the actual words. "I don't want to stop you from having a good time dancing with people." She wasn't sure if he was intending to dance with anyone else, but she was feeling self-conscious. She was very grateful that he was there, though, even if she didn't exactly show it well, and even if she was worried about appearance. Her stomach rumbled at his suggestion, and she looked possibly more embarrassed at that, hoping the noise of the Great Hall had drowned it out. "Food sounds good, though. I am pretty hungry."

 

[Valerius Bianchi]

Valerius chuckled. "I'm not babysitting you, Aine. I want to spend time with you. It's no fun if we aren't both having a good time," He tried to reassure her again, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You're the only one I want to dance with anyway. Let's go get some snacks for now and we can see where the night goes after that," He offered with a smile, stepping back and offering out his hand for her to hold.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine blinked a few times, rather confused. Why would he only want to dance with her? Weird. She supposed it would probably be different in a year or two if or when he started going out with people. Or if she did, but she found that far less likely. Valerius was patient enough to put up with her, and he was a good friend to have. She just didn't think - the dreaded 't' word again - that she was exactly the best company for a party. Not until she unlocked the mythical ability to shut her brain off and just enjoy things. Just be, like she'd been trying to work on with Professor Corrins for her spellcasting. "Well, yeah, I mean of course you're not babysitting me, I am older after all," she joked, a little lamely, taking his offered hand. "Um. Let's just go." she agreed, heading over towards the lure of food.