Author, Teri, Kit, Stana
Date 12/19/99
Title The Dance pt. 2
Quotable quote from Teri: it's fantasty, stana. get it? fan-tasty? ahah
ahhahahaaaa!

*******

The room became a furious whirlwind, leaving Teri's senses in a confused
haze. Deep, violet-red, passion red flooded her vision and it merged with a
cadmium lust. Her steps were guided, however, despite her dizzied state as
Audion seemed adept at the effecting the slightest shifts in weight to keep
motion fast, gentle, and frenzied all at once. His eye's gazed into hers with
haughty playfulness, but changed to a mild alarm. Teri noticed the chill of
his touch had been replaced by the heat of the barmaids, the swaggering hips
and body movement, the uncouth desires of the groping bar-trash. As strange
to him as to her, and yet undeniably in the air.

Audion's breath caught in his throat in the middle of a turn--she was using
it again, but it was gathering around her, her magic. But stronger now.
Primitive wants, and passionate intentions coursed along her and through her
touch. "No.."

**
His lips were parted, his breathing slow. The air seemed thicker, pleasant,
demanding... He felt a stirring in his middle that flushed his face red.
Through the haze of spinning walls he made out a form, crouched and inviting.
 There was a soft tune in his head, subtle and urging.

***
Audion's voice was soft, too soft to be audible, but his eye's spoke of a
quickly fleeting fear-replaced by a intent the likes of which Teri could only
have read in sixteenth century sonnets. What was a dance of fun and intrigue
had changed, converted into a romantic embrace, leaving the consciousness of
its participants behind. Audion's persistent air of distance and darkness
broke down in the moment, leaving behind the manner of a chivalric nobleman.

As they neared the table where the dance had started, Audion slowed the dance
and caressed Teri's flushed cheek with his fingers, his rings winking in the
dim light. He lifted her chin, enraptured by her dark eyes and leaned down.

***

Clip tried her door, and finding it locked, panic overwhelmed and he shoved
his mass against in. Reluctantly it yielded, breaking open with minimal
damage.

Stana was kneeling on the floor, arms wrapped protectively around herself,
trying to keep her body together as it threatened to shake apart. In a flash
he was on his knees, arms curling around and half supporting the girl.

"...the voices..." she whispered "make them stop please."

***
As Teri closed her eyes, her body lifted forward, close. Around her was the
garnet glow of the room's desire. Her chin tilted, the length of her neck
exposed...

***
A gentle white light illuminated the pair as Clip cradled the girl, silly,
nonsensical words flowing from his mouth. He wasnt sure what he was saying,
nor would he ever, except that there were promises there not made for his
princess alone, and apologies as well.

He held her and wondered at the legend of the last mortal wearing that cursed
gem. At the madness of the tainted earth that was even know moving like
quicksilver underneath. This close in touch he could almost hear the voices
she was talking about; the maddened whispers, the raging for blood and
madness. The wailing sobs...he heard them, and was afraid.

*****
Leaning forward, Audion's hands closed on Teri's wrist, pulling her from the
fire, his lips opening, his chin tilting-
*****

Clip and Stana descended the stairs, Stana weaving unsteadily against the
Unicorn as he maneuvered her down and to the floor.
From their vantage point Teri and Audion were all too visible, moving
seductively against one another.

The floor tilted dizzily underneath Stana, but her gaze remained locked on
the two forms.
Teri? How could she be moving in on Audion at this time? Didnt she realize
that this man was dangerous-no how could she? Lyr's warning had been for
Stana's ears, and she had not told them about it.
"She's drunk." She heard someone declare in disgust, voice cold and angry.
Aftera moment she realized that the voice was her own, and that she was
moving through the tables and towards the pair in the center of the room.
****

The glow exploded from the room with a crack that stole her breath- blinding
white as her own hand covered what was surely the spreading mark of protest
on her cheek. She turned to Stana with a stunned expression. The woman had
wrenched her around and slapped her.

Teri's head had cleared instantly- the colors gone with the moving room. The
room... stunned patrons were picking themselves from new seats, and,
humiliated, returning to their original tables, leaving each other alone once
more.

Stana's hand closed tight around hers, and, ignoring the girl's yelp of pain,
hauled her off.

Teri looked back over her shoulder at the slender man touching slender
fingers to his pale forehead.

***
In another place warm from the same garnet fire, breath was suddenly not to
be had. The scarlet haze had cleared (with the snap of a spark) the second
Shinji's lips touched Alissa's- the thick red glow of the spinning cavern
suddenly betraying him to the dark, chill walls and her dark, angry eyes...