five. spam & video. thank you for dancing 'til the end

[indispensible]

spam } throughout lost in translation

[Unlike during some floods, Vin isn't hiding this time - not even close. She's fascinated by the varied languages she's hearing and is scouring the ship to hear as much as possible in the time she has. Admittedly she spends a greater proportion of her time above deck, in the gardens, and in the CES than anywhere else, but the only place she doesn't visit once is Zero. Everywhere else, she's watching and listening and occasionally muttering quietly in the language of Scadriel.]

video } public

[This is the Public Address voice/face, in which Vin is about 10% more social adept than at other times. There's eye contact happening, and that's pretty much all you can ask.]

Mark's gone, you know that, but before he left he . . . mentioned dancing. Dancing lessons, specifically. We talked for a while, and I still want to do them. There's only so much I can teach, because there's only so much I know, but I can start and other people can - teach other things. Later.

I'll be on deck later this afternoon, unless there's a better space.

[And what was the other thing.]

Wear comfortable clothes.

spam } deck

[Vin is, in fact, on deck, starting at around four in the afternoon, and even if nobody shows up she will at least be practicing various calisthenic-type exercises she learned from Ham. Once a small group gathers, she'll demonstrate a few simple steps - brusquely but effectively - of very old-fashioned ballroom-ish dancing. It's pretty clear she's not the best in the world at this teaching crap, but she's an excellent dancer (in part, but not whole, because of Mistborn cheating).]


( ooc; feel free to use the second spam as a somewhat-mingly thing!! i am cool with whatever, threadjack all over the place, do your thing, xoxo )

Comments

[action]

[megamind]

Depends on my mood. Could be anything. Adventure films, dance films, kid's movies. Whatever has interest. I try to make a variety of things so people have lot to watch, you know?

spam;

[silvestris]

A little. I did gymnastics, there were some dance elements, choreography. And I can waltz, just...badly. [She smiles faintly, self-consciously.] Where do I start?

[onlysurvivor]

[He grins.] Just an observation.

[He extends a hand.] Show me how to dance. [Of course, he already knows how but he's never really seen Vin do it outside of watching from the windows at a Ball or two. And of course, practice sessions with Sazed.]

[outofclothes]

Again not seeing it at all.

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

[He notices, of course; in turn he doesn't put as much effort into the small habits he's learned that make other people more comfortable in his presence. He doesn't look away more often, doesn't let his shoulders slouch or his expression tend more towards reserved than neutral. Doesn't do anything about the intent narrowing of his eyes or worry about the fact that he doesn't smile, doesn't frown, doesn't anything even a fraction of the amount other people do.

He cocks his head, too, warming slightly at the mirrored motions, peering intently at her bow without coming much closer.]

I remember when Mark Lilly asked about dancing before. I was interested but I still have never done anything of the sort, ma'am.

[Which is, when you're Ben, the equivalent of a replying bow. Probably.]

[impressively late] [video]

[myironeyes]

I made you something.

[SCREAMS] [video]

[indispensible]

- What?

[Totally caught off guard here.]

[SCREAMS] [video]

[myironeyes]

A dress.

[nooo vin its nice]

[video]

[indispensible]

You made me a dress?

[He made her a dress.]

[omg????? MAYBE A SMILE?]

[video]

[myironeyes]

Yes.

Is now a good time?

[To bring it over.]

[video]

[indispensible]

[Just the tiniest hesitation.]

Yes.

Please.

=> spam

[myironeyes]

[He nods and hangs up. A minute later he's at her room, knocking, the dress wrapped in plain brown paper. It's white, strewn with appliquéd pink hawthorns, a little less structured than dresses on Scadrial, as that seems to be the trend here, and better for flexible movement, but it's still suitable for elegant dancing, still has neatly concealed pockets for weapons and small ones for vials sewn under the larger flowers. He hovers in the doorway, holds the package out.]

[ Spam ]

[indispensible]

[Now she smiles, bright but small, and devastatingly genuine for its rareness.]

I don't know all the different kinds he does. I only know one kind. But it's fun.

[And she thinks Ben probably needs more fun in his life - but then, doesn't everyone, always? As someone who was starved for it all her short life, she thinks the answer is probably yes.]

If you want me to show you, I can go first and you can go after. Or -

[She extends her hand, but not very far. A second option: she can show him while she does it, and he can do it with her. She strongly suspects he's a fast learner.]

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

It is one kind more than I know.

[The smile is startling for its peculiar blinding quality, but Ben doesn't shy away; he is slightly more threatened by her clear intent as she extends her hand, but he's prepared for it. He came here to investigate. He knew the likely outcome.

Ben regards her silent offer curiously for several beats, but the bottom line is that this is his last major hurdle; this is one he can overcome once and for all, if he can only find out how. This is not warily marking Anya's hand on his arm the entire time, or being able to close the gap when he sees Alex holding to himself. This is being something more like normal.

Ben steps forward and, not without hesitation, reaches to accept her hand.]

I am familiar with training drills, ma'am. I would like to learn whatever you are willing to teach me.

[ Spam ]

[indispensible]

[Her smile softens just a little when he takes her hand. She nods, wordlessly accepting of his decision and maybe a little pleased, before pulling him slightly closer by the hand and resting her other hand lightly on his hip.]

I'll lead first. Show you how to follow. You should know both sides if you're going to be able to lead someone else later.

It's four beats, over and over. And it's not very fast, but - precise.

[She doesn't know the words for music the way it's written out on Earth, but she knows what it feels like, and that's good enough for her. What it feels like is two people shadowing each other's steps, each other's breaths, and that's how she leads Ben: closely and precisely but very, very slowly.]

[She wishes she had music to play for him, but nothing she's found so far fits, and she feels a momentary pang of loss for the full-body experience of her dance.]

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

[If he approaches it that way - if he reminds himself of the yielding sturdiness of the mats underfoot, the echo of voices on the cement walls, the wave of motion caused by his peers executing the exact same movement he is in perfect unison - he is better able to focus. Ironically, he muses, it is the selfsame combative closeness at the root of his aversion in the first place, but this he can do. If he keeps himself loose and ready for the touch on his hip to turn into his back slamming to the floor, it bothers him less.

He is familiar with music, of course, but dancing is completely alien; he does not notice the absence of it, doesn't think to think it odd. She pulls him along at first and he counts to four over and over in his head, and it isn't long at all before she's no longer pulling him.

Ben glances up from watching their combined movements.] You can go faster.

spam

[indispensible]

[If it were the promise of almost anything else, she'd wait and open it later, too confused at the prospect of a gift from Marsh after all that's happened to be able to face opening it in front of him. But this is such a specifically relevant present and one with such universally positive memories that she takes the package and tears the paper open in one swift movement. The fabric falls across her hands as the wrapping drifts to the floor.]

[Hawthorns. She can't look away.]

[indispensible]

[Still not smiling, definitely not a little forlornly. Just watching him judgmentally.]

[. . . Okay, she can't keep this up. She takes his hand.]

I expect you to be good at this, you know. You stared in enough noble's windows.

[And then she's off, whisking them both into the hardest part of the dance at approximately double the normal speed. Deal with it.]

[indispensible]

Well, you wouldn't, would you? What with not being the smart one.

spam;

[indispensible]

[Vin tips her head, frowning at 'badly'. Obviously that won't do.]

I think it's not so different from gymnastics in that . . . you have to know your body. Make it feel natural. It's not a waltz, but I saw the steps for a waltz, and it's not that different from that, either.

Here. [She demonstrates the basic steps, slowly, one by one.]

[ Spam ]

[indispensible]

[She remembers, as she moves with him in a way that's not quite automatic and not quite conscious, the first time Kelsier held his hand out to her, once he'd sent Camon away. She'd flinched away, because that had been the only option available to her at the time. It simply wouldn't have made sense to go towards him. Hands hurt.]

[It's unfortunate when she comes across someone who is used to hands hurting, too.]

[She's already thinking about speeding up when he offers that she can. With a quick look up to confirm, she doesn't just go faster, she pulls them both up to full speed, already impatient with the slow tempo. Besides, she's sure he can keep up; it's more a matter of being comfortable keeping up.]

[Always, she watches to see if he's going to panic. There's only so far you can push at once. Vin doesn't want to push him too far.]

[action]

[indispensible]

Of course. Most people have more context for it than I do.

[At least, she's assuming, since she has literally no idea why there would be a whole subgenre just for children. That's weird.]

spam

[myironeyes]

Kelsier said you seemed to like those best.

[ Spam ]

[warisart]

[Ben is not impatient, far from it, but he speeds up with her. Their eyes meet and rebound and then he's counting to four faster, and thinking there must be more to it than this. X5s learn quickly, Ben easily an efficient example of this trait, but there must be more to it than this.

His own hands mirror hers, but it is an imperfect mimic until their momentum necessitates he actually hold on rather than merely leave his fingers where hers are on him. Both of them, he knows, can hurt with their hands; both of them will. Neither of them do.]

What is this called? {If he can label it, the next time he panics, maybe he will not lose it as easily.]

[ Spam ]

[indispensible]

It's how I learned to speak.

[She doesn't know why she says it. It's not even true, not really, she's been able to speak since she was little. Reen taught her how, because she was a good beggar before she was a good thief.]

[It's not true, but it's also the truest thing. Her brow furrows.]

I don't . . . it's the first one I learned.

[With a shake of her head, she abruptly starts humming the music that was playing when she met Elend, the first night she infiltrated the nobility. She's not a particularly musical person, but she remembers it by heart, for all that it was years ago. It's a quiet, not intrusive noise; just a way of keeping time.]