[moonchill] Care for a dance?

What they had was dangerous. Volatile. 

Two poisons that collided in the bloodstream; one inflicting a fugue state and the other refusing to let blood clot - a perpetual stigmata of streaming blood.

Moonchill was the height of winter and the darkness that Father Winter wore was a heavy velvet cloak, that, as he strode over Capricorn-13, swathed the lands in that same comforting, intimate, darkness. Even the sun was reluctant to push aside that pressing cloak. 

The taste of rich foods still lingered, the buzz of wine and mead undoing any tension in their muscles. Vadi stepped up onto the wooden steps of the gazebo to escape the biting chill of the snow that seemed set on blanketing everything in sight. In the distance, consuming waves roared against the cliffs. Even here, the smell of brine floated up to the small, isolated gazebo. 

Only two symprites had gathered there, away from the shared merriment of Moonchill - a reprieve. 

Vadi looked up at Lesath, noting that the other Symprite was taller than him. The thought chaffed as he let his fang gnaw on his bottom lip. He was used to being one of the taller Symprites in the room but the Oasis before him was practically a freak of nature. 

As though sensing the thought, Lesath turned to face him, his hair as stark white as the snow that tumbled around them like drunken dancers. “Vadi - I would have thought you deep in your cups by now and dancing with anyone that dared take your toxic hand.” 

Lesath smirked down at him, his blue eyes cutting him deeper than flesh, looking into him. But still they sparked with mirth.  

Vadi narrowed his eyes and was tempted to simply walk away from the gazebo, rather than engage in a verbal sparring match. Yet something made his hooves stick to the floor. “I thought this place would have been deserted. Did you piss off too many Symprites at the feast?” 

The dark chuckle that left Lesath was as dry as the desert sands that he hailed from. “Not at all. I am the picture of decorum and societal niceties.” They both knew that Lesath had many masks in his repertoire, pulling out the correct one for each occasion. He was an expert at it. Many Symprites thought that he was all charm and easy laughter. But only those foolish enough not to peel away that first, thin veneer. 

Vadi himself had two masks - one for everyone - a nasty and cutting mask that wanted all to think he didn’t care what they thought and the real one - the one he rarely let anyone see. Even himself. 

Lesath arched a brow and a moment later looked up at the string of lights that hung suspended from the eaves of the gazebo, fallen stars caught here to witness the moment two strange and vicious Symprites met this holy night. 

“Care for a dance?” 

Vadi’s jaw almost dropped open before he steeled himself and instead only let the skin at his jawline feather. 

“What?” 

“A dance? I’ve seen you dance with many a Symprite and yet, you’ve never asked me for my hand. Why, I admit I find it rude after all these years of running into each other at these soirées.”  Always smooth. A snake sliding sinuously through dunes. 

“Or do you only dance with those you think you can master and dominate? Are you afraid of a challenge?” Lesath offered a clawed hand, the plates on his arms catching the glow of the lights. “Well?” 

Vadi snarled as he took Lesath’s hand, his hooves echoing hollowly against the wood. “I love a challenge.” He practically spat, flashing sharp white teeth as his tail swished.

“Good. As do I.” Lesath bowed his head and his warm lips grazed the back of Vadi’s hand, sending a bolt of lightning down Vadi’s spine. 

If Lesath had detected the betrayal of Vadi’s body, he made no comment of it as he slowly raised his head, the atmosphere as quiet as a tomb. So much so that the susurration of his pale hair was audible.

They began to dance.

At first the two symprites battled for dominance of the dance, their only music the brisk night air. Whilst Vadi battled to pull Lesath into a fast, firey tango Lesath lured his prey into a slow, sensuous waltz. As if sensing the direction of this particular fight, Lesath began to smile, exposing sharp teeth - predator.

Vadi relented as heat rose to his cheeks. “Bastard…” He murmured under his breath and the laugh it garnered him made something jostle loose from his encrusted heart. 

“That mouth…practically legend.” Lesath’s voice was a purr, the undercurrent of his words clear. Vadi’s orange and green gaze flicked up to him. “Practically? It is legend.” 

Lesath spun him slow, their tails sliding against one another in a teasing caress. “I don’t believe in legends until I experience them first hand.”

At that moment, Vadi broke away, cutting a deep bow in one elegant motion. “Perhaps one night, you will be made a believer.” 

With the dance only half finished, Vadi strode down the steps of the gazebo and let the night gobble him up. 

Lesath wandered to the edge of the gazebo and leaned his forearms on the wood and chuckled. “I look forward to it.” He spoke into the darkness. 

(897 words)

Submitted By moosesushi for Moonchill Festival ・ View Favorites
Submitted: 10 months ago ・ Last Updated: 10 months ago