hugtopia | Like thunder screaming out for a flash of lightning

[Cor's not great at this whole party thing, especially as this time it's not just a family gathering but intended for the friends they'd made here as well. The video starts with Cor sitting in a cushy white and grey striped armchair, a stone fireplace beside him glowing warmly. It's a classy set up and far above the townhouses they've been in.]

It's New Years, celebrations are in order. His Majesty, Ignis, and I have obtained a larger space and we'd like to offer our home for the festivities. Feel free to stop in, have some snacks, and await midnight with us.

[Locked from Regis]
[He looks a little paranoid at first, double, then triple checking that he's done this right.]

It's also his Majesty's birthday. He's always eager to sweep it under the New Years celebrations but he has no reason to shy away from any such celebrations here. Don't let him.

[Action - Party Start~]
[The new house is really very nice. It's nothing compared to the Citadel but it is very nice. Clean and homey with the accents of warm wood that, if Cor didn't know better, he'd have thought was reclaimed.

There's a fire in the hearth, hor d'ouerve trays laid out on the kitchen counters. The replicator is of course available to anyone who wants something specific, though you might be surprised to find she responds to voice commands and is distressingly cheerful to talk to. The house is open for examination! Go on, explore folks, mingle away.]

[Action - Midnight]
[As chill as the night is Cor makes a point of slipping through the crowd throughout the evening. There's a number of Lucis Caelums and other magic users as well. So when the time comes near he does his best to usher everyone into the backyard, or at least onto the back porch.

He's certainly not the one to lead the countdown, no someone more energetic can do that, but at the final count a series of spells get fired into the night sky. They may not be traditional fireworks but a few Flares, Thundaras, and spells he has no names for will work well enough, don't you think?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She pointedly wiggles the fingers of her proffered hand. ]

Surely you've been asked to dance before.

I am familiar with the concept, but that does not mean that I know how.

Everyone knows how to dance, just as everyone knows how to breathe. [ She offers a sly, lopsided smile all the more apparent for how brightly her lips are painted. ]

Not everyone knows how to dance well, but that is less important.

[ She shifts her arm, silently reminding him once again that her hand is there for the taking. ]

One of the many rules of noble propriety — most of which I've forgotten — is that one must never turn down a Lady's offer to dance.

Well...strictly speaking, I'm not exactly a noble--

[he's trying]

You're of royal blood — I would imagine that's close enough. [ Having given him more than enough time to accept her hand, Era finally just reaches out to take his in hers instead. ] I am not of noble birth, but am ward to one of the high houses.

[ She gives his hand a gentle tug toward her. ]

...Most importantly, I would like a dance with my brother before the heavens turn.

...Don't say I didn't warn you, at least.

[sure just pull him wherever]

Consider me forewarned.

[ Era tugs him along to a place where they can dance properly, then takes the time to arrange his hands on her in a way that will minimize any strain upon his neck or spine.

From there she will guide his steps, making it as easy for him as possible. ]

I'm not sure if you've encountered him yet, but I've brought your brother along.

H-however did you manage that?

[oh sweet shiva's mercy what does he DO where do his feet go what is happening]

I told him I would be picking him up. He said he was not going, and I corrected him of his belief that he had any choice in the matter.

[ Era surreptitiously nudges his feet back into position whenever they stray, doing her best to avoid him stepping on her feet and leaving dust on her shoes. ]

Focus on the music, not your body. You are a conduit for the melody. Let it flow like you do your magic.

And my legendarily stubborn brother didn't require being bodily carried out?

[He was being cautious not to step on her, but also had all the grace of a newborn anak calf suffering from a concussion at the moment.]

He is not one to fight against the inevitable.

[ Which is what led their lives down the path they went, unfortunately. At least in this instance it was used to provide joy, not pain. ]

Ardyn, I've seen you fight — dancing is hardly any different.

It is entirely different. For one thing, I know how to fight.

[ardyn.]

[ Era shifts her style of dance on the next beat, twirling and moving her leg between his in a way where she can easily throw off his balance. Her arms flow with the music, elegant and graceful as the rest of her movements, and as she hooks her leg and lunges, she brings her elbow just a hair's breadth shy of hitting his lower back in a way that would severely damage a kidney. ]

I can kill both man and monster using dance.

[WHY ARE YOU BULLYING HIM]

I know how to fight with a sword, is that better?

[ Because it's fun and you're dumb Ardyn ]

Surely you learned hand-to-hand combat prior to picking up a sword?

...Era, I was born with the ability to literally possess a sword on my person at any given moment. I never needed to learn hand to hand combat.

[ Baffled, she resumes control of the dance and spins them around, shifting back to an easier (boring) shuffling dance for his benefit. ]

It is not a matter of weaponry or lack-thereof, but of familiarizing yourself with your body and the movements of others. You've positioning of your limbs to consider as well when wielding any weapon.

If your were trained in combat it would have included key elements of hand-to-hand methods, even if you did not fight with fist and foot.

Either I wasn't or I don't remember, but that's quite beside the point. As far as I know, dancing isn't quite a combat art where we're from.

I had always considered combat akin to dance, even before Mistress Nashmeira took me on as her pupil.

[ She adds a bit more complexity to their dance in the form of dance steps that flow like the foot movements of a close-quarters sword fight. ]

Even with the magical disciplines I know, it has always felt like a dance.

Like thunder screaming out for a flash of lightning

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