Faction Capital Letters [DCN + Friends]

[Aselia Verd]

Wearing: [X]

Aselia listened while Adelle spoke about her father and the old master who had tried to correct her footwork through dance instead of drills. The comparison earned a faint smile that lingered quietly at the corner of her mouth. It was an odd thing to hear her father placed in the same sentence as a Jedi, but somehow it fit well enough.

Her attention stayed on Adelle as she spoke about her past, about the difficulty of finding anyone among Mandalorians who could manage simple footwork without turning it into a sparring match. The more Adelle spoke, the clearer it became that dancing had never been just a social skill for her.

She finished a few bites of her own meal while Adelle spoke, listening rather than rushing to answer. The challenge finally came with that returned smile and the question about counting under her breath. Aselia paused with her glass halfway to the table before setting it down.

“No,” she said simply. “I don’t.”

“My brothers used to,” she added after a moment, the faintest hint of mischief slipping into her expression. “Usually right before they stepped on someone’s foot.”

Her gaze lingered on Adelle for another moment, recognizing the playful challenge behind the question. The music in the reception hall shifted to something slower as couples began returning to the floor, but Aselia made no move to stand yet. Instead she picked up her fork again, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

She gestured lightly to the plates in front of them.

“Seems like a waste to abandon perfectly good food.”

There was no urgency in her posture, no push toward the dance floor. If anything, she seemed content to let the moment stretch a little longer.

“And getting to know you better first isn’t exactly a bad use of the evening. But I suppose I can be persuaded.”

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
​

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes

Aurelian watched her set the glass down, one brow lifting slowly. For a moment he said nothing. He simply finished the last of his drink in one long swallow and placed the empty glass beside hers. The music had shifted. The first couples were already rising from their tables as the dance floor opened.

Perfect timing. He stood and extended his hand toward her.

"Careful what you ask for," he said lightly. His smile carried just enough confidence to sell the lie. Inside, he was already reconsidering every life decision that had led him here.

Sibylla's hand slipped into his and he led her out onto the floor. The crowd parted easily. Chandeliers shimmered above them as the slower rhythm of a classical dance filled the hall. Aurelian had always hated these dances. Too structured. Too formal. Too many expectations and not nearly enough improvisation. In settings like this he usually remained near the bar, charming ambassadors and avoiding choreography. But tonight he had made promises. And if he was going to survive the Abrantes family someday, he suspected he would need practice.

He stopped at an open space and gave her a short, courteous bow, his grin returning for just a second. She absolutely knew. Straightening, he took her hand and placed the other carefully at her hip. The position was natural enough, though the warmth of her beneath his palm made it harder to focus than he expected.

"Shall we?" he murmured. Then he started guiding her through the steps. His expression remained calm. His eyes, however, betrayed him immediately. They flicked downward toward his feet.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two…

He quickly looked back up at her as if nothing had happened.

​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Aurelian Veruna

Sibylla felt the faintest twitch threaten the corner of her mouth when Aurelian's eyes betrayed him, dipping down and then returning up again with studied innocence. She allowed the music to carry them through another measure before leaning in just enough that her words would belong to him alone.

"Mmm… do not worry," she murmured sweetly. "I will keep the truth to myself."

Another turn, another careful count passing silently between them, and Sibylla's smile deepened ever so slightly.

"Well… between myself and Adelle." Her hazel eyes glinted with wicked amusement as they swept through the next rotation.

"But it is rather comforting to discover you are not perfect at everything," she added lightly. "I was beginning to suspect it might be terribly unfair."

They turned again, Sibylla moving with practiced ease as she followed his lead. Her gaze drifted down for the briefest, most scandalous glance toward his feet before returning to his face as if nothing at all had happened.

"And perhaps," she continued, the corner of her mouth lifting, "if you ask nicely, I may be magnanimous enough to offer a few lessons." one delicate brown brow arched in quiet humorous warning. It was nice to have the tables turned for once.

"Though I should caution you… my standards are quite rigorous."

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes

Aurelian stared at her for a moment as they continued the slow pattern across the floor. "I am perfect," he muttered under his breath. "I simply need to concentrate."

That was a lie.

The harder he focused, the worse it became. His feet felt heavier, the timing slightly off, the structure of the dance pressing in on him from every direction. He guided her through another turn, jaw tightening as he tried to remember the proper sequence.

One, two, three.

One, two...

His foot nearly caught his own. Shiraya.

The only time he could remember not fumbling through one of these ridiculous formal dances had been the masquerade. And that had been with her. Somehow that night had flowed naturally. He had not stumbled, had not counted like a schoolboy learning his first steps. But that had been different. That night he had been too busy flirting with her to care about the steps. Too focused on the thrill of it. On the moment he finally pulled her close and kissed her.

Now he was trying to prove something. Mostly to Adelle. Possibly to Sibylla. And it was ruining everything.

He recovered just as she mentioned giving him lessons. Magnanimous, she had said. Aurelian blinked at her. That word sounded familiar.

Ah.

She had used it once. Now she was using it again to describe herself, handing it back to him with that quiet, dangerous smile.

"Rigorous standards?" he repeated under his breath.

He looked down at her again and the irritation faded instantly. Her hazel eyes were bright with amusement. Her nose scrunched slightly as she teased him, and the sight of it broke his concentration completely.

He huffed a quiet laugh. "Careful Nez," he murmured.

Then, without warning, he spun her. The motion was smooth, sweeping her out and back again as her skirt flared around them. The movement felt familiar. Natural. For a moment the careful structure of the dance disappeared. Just like the masquerade. When she came back into his arms he forgot entirely about the steps, about counting, about the room watching them. He was just looking at her.

We were together. I forget the rest.

​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Aurelian Veruna

Sibylla let out a soft laugh as the unexpected spin swept her skirt into motion, the sound warm and bright as she settled back into his arms. For a moment she simply looked up at him, amusement dancing openly in her gold-flecked hazel eyes.

"Well," she said lightly, "that looked considerably less like a man counting under his breath."

A delicate brown brow arched in equal amusement and challenge.

"Marcus."

The name slipped out with easy familiarity, the same way it had that night on Parrlay. It felt almost strange now, after everything that had passed between then and this moment. Yet the memory lingered warmly between them.

How long ago that seems, Sibylla thought to herself, the corner of her mouth curving.

That night had been one of many firsts for her. Enjoying the nightlife in town, eating a meal without worrying who was there or watching, walking with Aurelian to the pier...

Admitting their love for each other.

There had been darker elements there at the end, certainly, but there was no denying how special that night had been for her. For them both.

They moved through the next turn and Sibylla's laugh returned, softer this time as she noticed the tension finally leaving his shoulders.

"There you are," she teased. "Much better. I was beginning to worry the Prince of Parrlay had been replaced by a very determined accounting droid."

Sibylla let her eyes drift over Aurelian's face and then lower still, over the breadth of his shoulders, the obnoxiously brazen open shirt that revealed the bronze definition of his bare chest, only to bring her attention back up with a faint blushy smirk, her hand shifting lightly against his shoulder as they continued the dance.

"You see?" she added with quiet, well-pleased satisfaction. "When you stop worrying about the steps… you actually dance!"

That was when she flashed him the rarest of sights -- a flirty, encouraging wink from Sibylla Abrantes herself!