Devil's Dance Floor (open)

[Elysia O'Broin]

The opening strains of pipe flute and percussion sticks as they beat against the side of a drum floated through the air in quick, sure time as she bounced on her heels to get a feel for it. For a second she paused, but it was only just long enough for the accordion and guitars to break in before she was off and dancing across the empty floor. Loud TAPS echoed through the dance hall as her feet tapped and rapped, heel to toe, side to side, to the beat at impossible speeds for someone who didn't hail from the green isles.

Sean-nós was by no means as graceful and fluid as modern Irish Step, but Elly could embellish the hell out of it if some of her leaps and arm movements were indication. Modern met traditional as she danced her heart out, laughter bubbling forth as she fell into the music and upped her own tempo to match the song's, and she paused in the middle of the floor to tap a few more quick steps when it grew quiet.

Even before she had been labeled as a lost cause by her parents, she'd been enrolled in step dancing from the time she was a child until her early teens in the hopes that she would use her excess energy up there. It had worked for the most part, but at the cost of her tapping around her room in the middle of the night whenever she was stressed. That same training was also the reason why she was so fleet of foot and hard to catch--there hadn't been a person alive who could outmatch her in the speed and endurance required for her art.

Sweat slid down the side of her face and pooled in ther dip of her collarbone, and suddenly she was spinning, spinning, SPINNING! Arms waved gracefully as if she were attempting ballet instead as her feet moved faster and then she LEAPED--she giggled again, eyes alight with so much mischief Loki would be jealous of her fun. Swinging around so that she could watch herself in the full mirror that took up most of the wall of the dance studio, she studied her movements.

Admittedly dancing by herself wasn't as fun as with a partner, especially in Sean-nós, but she was well aware the no one here could even hope to do what she did. She was lucky if she could find an empty dance hall when these moods struck her; to find a willing and able partner was almost too much to hope for.

Eventually the music had to end, and Elly spun around once more to tap her way across the floor, her forward kicks pulling her forward at a faster pace. The music sped up more and she fought to keep up, nearly stumbling in the process, before it petered out to drum pounding and the tin whistle keening sadly while the singer shouted the chorus and cut off.

The blonde collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathing ragged and sweat drenched while she laughed breathily. There was no greater feeling than knowing that you had used up everything in you and then some, pushing past her normal limits to attain a level of fun she hadn't thought possible. After several minutes of laying there grinning, she sat up to wipe her sweaty face with an equally drenched sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt. The look of disgust on her face upon discovering how very hard she had worked herself could only be described in one word: "Bugger."

[twostrange]

Clapping filled the silence. He had stood at the door, dressed in black pants and a white button up that hung open, watching the blonde work her way around the dance floor. He liked her form and he liked the liveliness in her step. You didn’t find that in dancers anymore. It was clearly an Irish dance, one that he didn’t have the honor of learning. But perhaps she could teach him. “That was…well….that was fantastic,” he said with a genuine smile. It was rare for him to find such a lover of the art, but he knew he had found someone.

Not to mention, she was extremely attractive, blonde hair with silver eyes, a definite turn on for him. He went over to the mat, stripping off the shirt and starting stretching. Aedus wasn’t sure if her eyes were on him, but if they were, he was going to give her quite the show.

When he was living out on the streets, he had found a starving dancer. It was a thin young thing named Lana. He had kept with her for a year and in exchange for his companionship, she taught him a few moves in Ballet. Aedus wasn’t sure how he quite looked doing Ballet, but he knew it was graceful. A lot of fluid movement and being on your very tip toes wasn’t always a good idea, but he did it once in a while just for the practice.

As soon as he was done stretching, he was twirling around the young girl on the floor. He finally stopped in front of her and got on his knees, looking her in the eyes. “Names Aedus. I just got here about two weeks ago and you have a great dance. Unfortunately I never got to learn it. What’s your name?” he said in his thick Irish accent. He held out his hand in offer of friendship.

[Elysia O'Broin]

She'd jumped at first, face burning red with embarassment when she realized that someone had caught her doing what had become one of her secret pleasures growing up. Sean-nós was in no way a forbidden dance, but for someone who had grown up in a well to do family (despite the inherrent douchebaggery) it was an odd hobby to have. Which was why she was glowering at the intruder as he stretched, shirtless, in front of her.

Really, she actually was glowering at him; the sight of all the muscle and sinew wasn't inviting at all.

For some reason it felt warmer in the studio for an all together different reason now...

"Elly," she murmured, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. His little demonstration hadn't been half bad, but it had been clear to her that he hadn't been formally trained in classical ballet; was he self taught? "An' thank ya kindly. Not alotta lads around tha' cahn appreciate a real Sean-nós...even back home."

Her gaze found the duffle bag she'd dumped by the boombox upon entering, wondering if it would be appropriate to pull out her toe shoes now that he had shown her what he could do. Technically she could; she was warmed up, that was usually what she did when she came to the dance studio, and they were always, ALWAYS in there is case she decided she wanted to get in touch with her inner Nouveau Rich Princess. Maybe? It'd been a while since she'd even done a coda...

Careful not to scuff the wooden dance floor, Elly toed her tap shoes off and padded over to her duffle. The toe shoes came out as a mass of satin and ribbon, the latter unraveling in a silky waterfall and spilling over her fingers when she held them up.

"Also nae alotta lads who dance ballet," she said with a shy smile. "Ya do a good pas de duex?"

[twostrange]

Aedus was silently laughing at her glare. He had watched her pull out ballet shoes. "I'm afraid not, I was taught from a starving dancer when I lived out on the streets," he commented shaking the hair from his blue eyes. "I dance better with ballroom. I was forced to take classes when I was a kid and I had turned out to like them." He gave her a smile and remained sitting on the floor.

She was certainly interesting to look at. She had to be Irish, from the way she talked. "Where were you born?" he asked narrowing his brows at her. He couldn't help but stare at her. She had an excellent body and it had been a while since he had found someone who was in love with dancing and had the body to do it. He had met his fair share of women who loved dancing, but was just too fat for it.

"Could you show me a few steps? Maybe I'll pick it up. And in exchange, if you'd like, I could teach you a few ballroom dances." Aedus had never offered to give someone lessons, but there was a first for everything wasn't there?

[Elysia O'Broin]

"Ah was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland...but Ah grew up in Connacht county," she explained, making short work of her shoes. It felt a bit strange to be in them again after so long; normally she did everything in her power to avoid things that made her think of her family, but even if ballet had been the dance her parents had preferred she learn...she couldn't say she hated it. Quite the contrary, actually. "Am a Northie by birth, but me hearts' always been in the moors 'o th' homeland," she added with a brighter smile.

She hitched a long leng onto to the balance bar and stretched the muscles in her thighs before doing the same with the other. "A pas de duex is a dance between partners," she explained and suddenly her voice flowed alot more lyrically as opposed to the rougher tones she usually used. "It's a, well, usually is a dance between lovers in a ballet, but not always. I asked because I'm the only lass here who's been classically trained an' I havenae had a partner in well nigh four years."

One that could actually dance, anyway, she failed to add. Because there were plenty of people who THOUGHT they could, but not many who were fast on the uptake. Usually she danced circles around those types.

Elly held a hand out to him, her smile now a crooked grin.. "So yer mate musta taught ye tha' much; cannae travel wit' a street performer wit'out bein' dragged in."

[twostrange]

Aedus couldn't help but like her crooked grin. It seemed to light her face up, it was better than the usual dark look she had in her eyes. She was quite the natural for ballet. He could see that. She was Irish too, which made it even more fun for him seeing as he hadn't met another full-blooded Irish man/woman yet. He played with the white ball on his neck, and took her hand, allowing her to help him onto his feet.

"You have quite the legs," he flirted smiling. He almost added, 'Can they be around my neck?' But he knew that it was pushing it a bit too far for that. It was insane for him to even flirt with someone, he hadn't found someone who caught his eyes. But she certainly did.

"So, does that mean your going to let me teach you as well?" he asked twirling her.

[Elysia O'Broin]

Her grin only widened at the implications of his compliment; Elly knew a heartbreaker when she saw one. "Aye, gotta have th' right legs ta dance," she said instead of the quip in her head. "Flexible too," she couldn't help but add as she hopped en pointe and allowed him to lead her across the floor.

"Yer not bad," she said after a few moments and broke free from him to fuette a few feet from him. "But I think I may be the one teachin' ya, mate."

As if moving to music only she could hear, Elly twirled once en pointe into the starting position for Odile's solo before she started moving. Adagio, she heard in her mind while she danced around him; it had been years since she'd heard the demanding voice of her instructor while she danced, but she did as it instructed none the less. Her movements were slow, graceful, extended and high. Even after the years of absent practice she could still dance without a hint of strain on her marring the dreamy look on her face.

It just went to show what a gifted dancer she might have become if she hadn't been locked up here for four years.

"Odile was the black swan and von Rothbart's daughter in Swan Lake," she explained. "He disguised her as Odette to seduce and trick the prince into breaking his oath to her and to keep her in his power," a slightly bitter smile, "I always thought that maybe Odile really loved the prince and felt terrible for tricking him. But maybe that's because I think the two of us are so similar."

The dance was finished soon after that and she stood before him in the position she had started in. "It's a sad story, aye?"