The Dancers [Caela, Sophitia]

by **Gad** on January 22nd, 2014, 8:46 pm

1st Winter, 513 AV, The Pig's Foot

You could barely hear the twang of the bard's lute, or make out the words of his ballad. The crowd of drunks, and a few hopped up on something that wasn't alcohol, kept the beat going with clapping, stomping, and mug bashing. Well, "beat" implies there was some kind of rhythm to the noise they were making, but it was more just a cacophony with some slurred curses and cat calls being thrown in. Still, there was some coherence to the ruckus, enough for the rickety walls of the Pig's Foot to shake in and wobble in time with their hips. Gad hadn't been here when this little dance off had started but he sure was glad for the view, and he'd managed to get a good seat near the "dance floor", which was just a clearing where some tables had been moved.

There were six or seven fine young ladies up there, shaking their money makers. And making money they were. Men were sliding dirty coppers and black tarnished silvers down their blouses (and some tried up their skirts and dresses, but received some not-so-playful slaps in return). A few of the women who already had male companions brought their beaus onto the floor to shuffle alongside them, probably for security, while some adventurous (and drunk) men tried to dance with the single girls with out much luck. Despite their beauty though, Gad noticed only two of the girls really knew how to dance. The rest were just gyrating and looking good, but these two really had some moves.

There was a slim, leggy brunette, with short hair. Her physique was almost, but not quite, twiggy, but her slender frame made the way her pale legs slice through the air that much more hypnotic. She, more than anything, looked delicate, like a fancy dessert you're afraid to eat because it looks too nice. There was another girl, a little fuller figured and blonde. Gad wasn't an expert, but she was a more competent dancer than the other girl, from his observation. Her hips were mesmerizing, as they swayed back and forth, and then as she did fluid circles like some kind of dancing cobra. You could see the taught muscles ripple in her abdomen. Gad gulped down his brew and thought; Whoever goes home with either of them will probably be the luckiest bastard in Sunberth. Gad grinned to himself and pulled out his pair of green dice, which he tossed across the table, getting two sixes. He was feeling pretty lucky. Gad tucked his heirlooms away and pulled out some coin instead, jingling five silvers in his palm to catch the attention of the dancing girls.

by **Sophitia Vinder** on January 23rd, 2014, 2:24 pm

Sophie was ready to let go, and it seemed that the patrons of the Pig’s Foot were ready to indulge. At least for the moment violence was replaced with the gyrating of bodies and people (mostly) not worrying about others being in their personal space. It was why she loved to dance. People could just forget about their troubles, whether they were watching her do it or partaking themselves. That, and she couldn’t lie that she liked the attention.

Even though it was often from the most lecherous of men, and it was only for coin in the end, she liked to stand out from time to time, a fact she would deny vehemently if asked about it. The only problem was a simple one: She wasn’t the best dancer out there tonight. Unless whoever was watching had a thing for dark hair and long pale legs, she’d fade in comparison to the pretty blonde dancing a short distance from her. She didn’t have time to be jealous though, because there was a man trying to get way up in her business.

With a sway of her hips Sophie earned some distance between her and the plain looking man. He had the look of someone who’d not only had a little much to drink, but used something a little stronger to really get him going. He seemed to fancy himself quite the dancer, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. He was really quite dangerous with the way his arms flailed about. His legs lashed out wildly as he set about moving back to Sophie.

It was a not too uncommon scene, and one known to spiral out of control in the blink of an eye. For now, however, the man seemed satisfied to simply chase after his prey. Sophie would accept this as long as that’s where it remained.

When Gad offered up the silvers to get some attention, the dark haired dancer didn’t notice. Criminally unaware of her surroundings, Sophie was prone to bouts of tunnel vision, and between sir-grinds-a-lot and the gorgeous blond woman, she wasn’t even looking to earn tips, even though the money was desperately needed.

That didn’t stop her from dancing her heart out, though. She just had to be careful. Long, pale, and exposed legs glided along the floor, peeking out from underneath a white skirt. Slender fingers cut through the air as her arms waved fluidly at her side. Motion started from her shoulders, rippling through her arms and down to her hands and ending up with an appearance similar to snakes crawling along the sand. It was a basic move, but one she enjoyed.

Now if only those snakes were venomous, she could do something about that man.

by **Caela Dorin** on January 23rd, 2014, 4:54 pm

x

There was nothing that Caela hated more than this sort of dancing. The young woman had danced in a number of places and when this sort of dancing was expected, usually she quickly sought work elsewhere if her employer wouldn't allow her brand of dancing. She'd stuck with Merv though because he didn't force her into type of dancing too often. She could dance far better alone, with a less raunchy atmosphere and yet still seduce the patrons. That was much better than this rhythmless gyrating by girls who couldn't actually dance. That didn't mean that Caela couldn't still perform, no, but she most certainly didn't like it.

The young woman tried to pull some steady beat from somewhere as she danced and when that failed she played one over in her head so that she could actually move, lose herself in the music that was lost to others. It was only by that rhythm that she could enthral those near her with the planned movement of her hips and the graceful twists of her body. The girl was light on her toes, moving effortlessly but with a hypnotic quality that drew more careful observers to her rather than to her prettier but inept fellows. She dressed differently for this occasion to show off a bit more skin that usual, the lower buttons of her blouse undone and the material tied up to expose her abdomen as she danced. The knot also helped to keep any coins thrown at her to stay trapped in the garment. A knee length skirt hid the tops of her long legs but she'd learned long ago how to twirl it out so as to allow a tantalising glimpse of the flesh beneath for the briefest of moments at a time. She preferred to wear long stockings normally but they'd been lost today to stop her overheating in the dance, a definite possibility given the closeness of bodies.

A hand appeared, moving to push up her skirt but she whirled from his grasp, shooting him a filthy look from a safer distance. He settled beside a brunette instead, someone who could actually dance with some skill but the young woman didn't watch her for long for fear of attracting the man's attention again. His eye wasn't the only one that she'd caught however as a man in the crowd jingled coins in his palm, the silver shining tantalisingly. She moved close to him, dancing around the other moving bodies to reach his side. Head cocked to the side slightly, she leaned closer to him, hair cascading down over one shoulder as she regarded him expectantly. If he tried anything she didn't like, the girl could be gone with speed but she did want those silver mizas.

"Hi! Can I help you with something?" she called over the racket of the tavern, her voice suggestive.

x

by **Gad** on January 23rd, 2014, 11:29 pm

Gad observed the shennigans of the brunette and her dance floor stalker. Gad chuckled at the clear aversion on his face, but his expression soured a little when he noted the guy's persistence. Some guys couldn't take a hint. It didn't matter to Gad though, he wasn't a knight or anything. Still, he registered the urge to yank her away from the cretin. Soon, other urges filled his mind, as his honey trap seemed to have attracted another sort of honey. She leaned down and her luscious golden hair fell over her shoulders, like curtains hurrying to conceal something more beautiful underneath. Gad smiled, and raised his mug to his lips and said "I could think of a few things." before taking a sip. He flipped her one of the coins, and jangled the rest, implying there was more if she kept it up. "But for now, just keep doing what you're doing, I'm enjoying the view." And he was. But that other dancer was still getting harassed.

The blonde, he recognized her, he thought. She worked here, if he was remembering correctly. She was probably used to it by now, and the fact that she worked at Pig's Foot gave her a little more protection. Nobody would mess with her too much for fear of pissing of Merv and losing access to the only real watering hole in town. That petite brunette, on the other hand, didn't seem to have such a safety net. Even the girls who weren't dancing with their boys had other girls around them, friends. Gad reached to take another gulp of ale but the mug was emptied. He sighed and peered into the bottom, which was shadowed in the dark of the tavern so that it looked bottomless. He wished it was. Looking up, he realized that the girl's predicament was distracting him from the dance he should've been enjoying. A voice rung in his head; Use me. With a small smile to himself, he whispered. "Okay."

He focused his djed down into his left foot. Calmly, as there wasn't much of a rush, he let his spiritual energy squeeze out the appendage. First at the ankle, then moving down to the toes until he'd finally lost feeling in his big toe. Not lost, exactly. In an area of space on the floor that looked empty to anyone without Auristics skills, was all of Gad's foot's motive energy and perceptive ability. A ghost foot. He snaked the ethereal plantar over to where the shimmying creeper was, and Gad placed his own ghost foot underneath the man's raised boot. When he went to put his foot down instead of the floor it rested on Gad's invisible Projected foot, which Gad immediately slid with as much acceleration as he could manage. The guy practically did the splits, and let out a yelp. A few in the crowd clapped, thinking he'd done so on purpose.

by **Sophitia Vinder** on February 2nd, 2014, 3:35 pm

The man was relentless, and it was beginning to frustrate the young dancer. For a moment she thought about departing the establishment and making her way home, but the non-existent connection that this man had created would surely lead him to follow her into the darkness, and that was something she wished to avoid. The problem she was facing her was the lack of support she was accustomed to at the Scarlet Sanctum.

Within her place of business, Sophie had Ruby to protect her, or rather the bouncers that kept the riff-raff at bay. In the midst of their grindfest, however, that luxury was sorely missed.

The concern that the stranger was causing slowly ate at the young whore’s nerves, and it was most certainly affecting her dancing. She spun away from his attempt to grab her hand by twisting her body in rhythm to the music. The only issue was the close proximity in which they were to the other ‘dancers’. Sophie spun away from the one man, feet gliding effortlessly across the floor, right into one of the female dancers.

”Watch where you’re going!” The inebriated woman hissed at Sophie, causing the young woman to recoil and stumble back towards the lecherous man, and his wandering hands. He reached for her, and Sophie braced for the unwelcome touch, but before he could put his disgusting fingers on her skin, he pull an admittedly impressive move out of nowhere. Dropping into the splits, the pain was obvious in his eyes to anyone around, and the young dancer wasn’t quite sure how he’d actually managed such a feat.

She wasn’t going to waste any time waiting around to ask him, either. He wasn’t moving from that spot without help, and Sophie wasn’t going to be his hero.

The dark haired woman withdrew from the group of dancers, this time cautiously stepping around people, a litany of apologies flying forth from her lips as she bumped into person after person. Once free of the mass, Sophie sighed took a seat over where the dark haired man and blonde woman were, offering a weary smile if either glanced her way. All she could do was hope that the other man was too preoccupied with his injury to bother her as she built up her confidence once more to go back into the fray.

by **Caela Dorin** on February 15th, 2014, 9:42 pm

x

OOCSorry for the delay, I’ve been a bit busy.
Naturally displaying her body in a certain way could be demeaning but Caela did enjoy her work when she got into it. With this sort of thing, this more informal manner of dancing, she imagined that it wouldn’t be too different, better perhaps because she wouldn’t be the sole focus of attention. But this man, the one who was jingling coins at her was making her feel... cheap. He just seemed to expect that she would continue to dance for his amusement. He didn’t even seem particularly interested in actually watching her, just tossing her a coin and assuming that she would continue dancing for him while he also got to watch the other girls as well. The dancer took the coin though, despite her disgust at where it had come from. Money was money and if it was that easy to get at then maybe it wasn’t that bad an idea.

His eyes were on that brunette in the gyrating group, the only other person aside from herself who had some skill in dancing. The girl was being harassed and that was what this man seemed to be watching. Caela decided to comply with the man’s wish all the same, hoping to regain his attention, if only briefly so that she might acquire the coin quickly before rejoining the crowd. She flipped her hair back as she straightened quickly. She turned her back on him, swinging her hips as she spun. She shimmied, glancing coyly over her shoulder as she moved.

Her position gave her a good view of the dancing group and so she was able to see when the man harassing the brunette dropped into a crude version of the splits, a move that seemed so sudden and out of place that she was impressed by it. He looked just as shocked by his movement but he also looked deeply pained. The man clearly wasn’t moving and the woman he’d been harassing took the chance to make her escape, weaving her way through the other dancers. She made her way over to where Caela danced, the dancer herself only shooting her a cursory glance and receiving a smile in return. Caela’s gaze became cool towards the woman, worried that her presence would lose her those last few silver mizas. The man did seem to have a greater interest in the darker haired woman and so he might lose interest entirely in the blonde if she could provide him with personal entertainment.

Spinning herself back around to face the man, the Sunberthian woman danced in a way designed to gain his attention and hold it. Her breasts were jiggled and bounced, her hips moved in a provocative manner and her smile was alluringly mischievous. Once, she had the money from him she could return to the crowd, could blend in once more but until then she’d just have to degrade and humiliate herself.

x

by **Gad** on February 16th, 2014, 4:37 am

Gad yawned. This kind of thing was only good entertainment for so long. Besides all of that, baiting women with coin went against all of his hustling ethics. If anything, he thought, he should've been taking money from them. As quickly as he could, he snaked the Projected foot back to it's home. With attachment came the return of sensation, or at least sensation of the more typical variety. He wriggled his toes, feeling them back to life. He looked at the blonde who'd come over to him, spinning around. He could see in her eyes she wasn't really into it, and neither was he. For the most part, he'd forgotten about the brunette as well. It all seemed distant now, not important, the whole scene felt false and orchestrated. He couldn't place it, but he knew he didn't really want to hang around this place anymore. He flipped the coins end over end in his fingers, and gave one to the server, paying for his brew.

Before he stood, Gad tapped his foot against the floor a few times to measure it's response and once he was sure it was working fine he stood up. He took a look at the blonde, glancing up and down and her body, then resting on her eyes. Before he stepped passed her he cracked his knuckles, single-handedly, and gave a soft "Excuse me." Gad moved over to the bar, now with his back to the dance floor. Something about the atmosphere made him tired. The dancers, and these people, did little to nourish him. Gad rested his chin on his fist, and let out a sigh. Sitting on the bar was a mug that he picked up and looked into. Empty. He considered it for a moment. Just like everything. With Winter just stepping in the door, he didn't doubt this season would have a whole lot of that nothing in store for him. Merv came by to sell him a drink, but Gad declined. Behind him, the commotion continued. Supposed I could always join in and dance. At the idea he started to laugh out loud. Nothing would please him less right now.

by **Sophitia Vinder** on April 20th, 2014, 4:36 pm

oocI'm so sorry guys. I got caught up with life. If you don't want to continue, I understand.

The life of the place almost seemed to be sapped after her encounter with the lecherous man. Everyone was focused with themselves, with what they could get from someone else. Even if that something was a quick squeeze or grind. Some might find it disgusting, reprehensible, and vile. In Sunberth, however, it was nothing more than a way of life. Sophie didn't begrudge the man who got a little too touchy-feely. She just wasn't in the mood. It seemed the fellow off to her side wasn't either.

She watched with some interest as the blonde woman did everything she could with her chest short of actually showing him the goods, and the man couldn't have reacted less. As suddenly as it began, it was over, and the man retreated from the blonde dancer. It was almost sad, something that Sophie could relate to in her own way. To offer yourself up so freely and be so completely rejected was something that hurt more than she'd be happy to admit aloud.

Time and time again she'd made her moves on patrons at Ruby's, and time and time again they rejected her, ridiculed her, demeaned her. But she wouldn't give up, and she hoped that the dancer wouldn't either. Quickly, and with somewhat of a mischievous grin, Sophie quickly moved to snag the seat which was vacated moments earlier. "I think you're a wonderful dancer," she said softly, brown eyes avoiding contacting those of the stranger. She didn't have the coin for what she was about to do, but neither could she stand to see someone suffer in a way she understood. Fishing into her coin purse, Sophie procured a single gold Miza. "I'd like to see you dance some more," she admitted shyly. "Y-you don't have to dance like you did for him if you don't want to. I just don't think he realizes what he's missing out on."

Sophie glanced over to the dark haired man who had moved to the bar a chime before, then to the dance floor where her would be assaulter had recovered back to his feet. She didn't, however, notice the glare that was directed at her. Finally, big brown eyes were back on the blonde, waiting to see if she was going to accept what was a bit of a ridiculous offer.

by **Caela Dorin** on April 22nd, 2014, 9:55 pm

x

Caela was giving everything she had, was utterly humiliating herself and yet he hardly even looked! And then he just walked away! She was disgusted. She stopped moving, glaring after him as he walked to the bar, hating him for what he'd made her do for nothing. Now that there seemed to be no hope of getting any more coin from the arsehole, she had no idea what she was supposed to do with herself. The wound to her pride made her shy away from the idea of finding another man to dance for. She didn't want to have to go through another humiliation for the brevity of a single man's interest. It wasn't worth it for a meager bit of coin. Totally pointless. There wasn't even a guarantee of money for such humiliation as the man at the bar had proven. She was at a loss.

She found the brunette watching her and she resented her attention, particularly the pity in her eyes. There was also understanding there that made the dancer look away. Somehow the empathy of the other woman deepened her shame and the young woman just wanted to get away from the brunette. But the woman had other ideas, taking the man's seat with a grin on her face. Was she enjoying Caela's embarrassment? It certainly seemed like it. The dancer watched her warily. The compliment made her relax a bit but the coin the brunette offered made her jaw drop. She leaned forward for it automatically before she stopped, suspicious.

Why would anyone give her that sort of coin? It was a shocking amount for a tip but Caela wondered if there was some sort of trap was attached to it. The girl's manner, her shyness at her request made the dancer wonder if there was more to this. Was this brunette one of those women who... Yes, it certainly seemed that way, considering that she was asking a woman to dance. She could be wrong but she knew that there were women who liked their own sex. The dancer could understand it on some level but not entirely. It might be the case here or the girl might just appreciate her dancing. She wasn't really sure.

She reached for the coin, her movements uncertain as her lips formulated a question. "Can I ask... why the interest?"

x

by **Gad** on May 12th, 2014, 11:56 am

The night was young but Gad didn't feel like hanging around to see what might happen. Maybe it was the change of the seasons but he was feeling heavy, sluggish, and ahead of him all he could see was monotony. Something about coming here just drove home the sensation of loneliness that Gad wasn't even aware he was feeling. Whether he'd known it or not, he thought coming here might liven things up, and give him a chance to get away from the thought of spending another season going nowhere fast in this city. But, as soon as he was in the tavern with it's drunken dancers and bar-stool vocalists, he was forced to look his solitude in the face. He spared a moment to consider his nature. Was it being a mage that isolated him? The fear of being discovered, the paranoia associated with letting someone know him, and his abilities, of course it was present. But, no, that wasn't it. The keeping of that secret actually provided him something more of a sense of security, thought it may seem ironic. Whenever he felt alienated and alone he could always reliably point to his magic tendencies as an excuse. And yet, Gad couldn't help consider that if this were one of those places where magic and mages weren't frowned on, and even considered part of society, what then? His mind always returned to one answer; things wouldn't be any different.

These things, these "people" as they liked to call one another, but less often themselves, offered little for him. Entertainment, sure, utility, of course, occasionally insight, but at the end of it all, Gad couldn't help feeling like he didn't connect. He hit on a different idea. Maybe he was thinking about this wrong. He'd been looking for one thing, one cause to point to all these various effects, but perhaps there were more layers. He was a mixed breed, and a mage, and a semi-pro swindler, and mostly, this was Sunberth, where no one could really claim to "belong." So, he figured, maybe he should just get over it. Gad looked over his shoulder to see the blonde, looking sour-faced and slightly constipated, scowling at his back. Gad couldn't help but crack a wide grin when he saw how his dismissal had wounded her. She was soon the recipient of some consolation from the brunette, though. Interesting. He didn't expect that. Though, it wasn't some alien concept to him. Of course, two people with similar interests- in this case dancing- and a shared experience might become friends but the brunette offering up coin, that was strange to him. Of course, Gad's own philosophy on coin and currency were very different from most peoples'. To him, it was like water. You drank when you were thirsty, and then you pissed it out, and then you drank some more. No big deal, life went on. Even if he'd struggled his way to a great fortune, and saved and added to it for several seasons, he still might just as well blow it all in a night at the dice table, if the whim struck him. But, he knew he was the exception. Most people around here with any sense pinched coppers like the tits on a dried out old heifer. So, seeing the girl offer up the coin to the other one, well, it was interesting was all.

Gad watched them surreptitiously, steeling short glances when he could, trying not to make a big scene of it. Maybe he had it wrong, did they already know each other? Were they already friends? No, the blond bimbo was now looking awfully confused at the whole thing. Strange. Gad considered there might still be some form of fun to be had at the young ladies' expense, and was then soon mulling over his varied options for entertainment. Well, he had the gold, he could do something extravagant, like have them wrestle for it. Nah, that was a little too much. Though, having a dance off between them- there might've been something to that. Gad was tickled at the thought. Yes, two beautiful women, dancing for his amusement, both getting more and more risque as the vied for his attention in the form of little discs of metal and stone. He was just the kind of pervert to make such a thing happen, and he might've done too. But, when he stood up it was on the brisk and abrupt side and the man sitting next to him didn't have time to react when his fresh mug of ale was elbowed over, toppling into his lap. A span of time as thick as an eyelash passed, as Gad considered how he should respond. Should he a; apologize respectfully, and offer to buy the man another drink, or b; continue walking, act like he didn't notice, and hope the guy doesn't think it's worth a fight? Gad chose option c; be belligerent as possible. "Hey! What!? You looking at me? Don't look at me, look at you, looks like you pissed all over yourself. Yeah- yeah buddy watch where you set your stuff and this wouldn't happen, I've got an acceptable elbow range, everything inside that zone is forfeit, it's called personal space pal, gimme fifty feet wouldja?" It didn't take long before the pants-wetted victim of Gads antagonism decided to stop the lip at the source and put four rough knuckles right under Gad's nose.

Gad went reeling back several paces, more than you'd expect actually, from Gad's size and the force of punch. He ended up tumbling right in the middle of where the two dancer girls were. As he started to topple backwards he reached out on either side with both hands groping and grasping for something to hang onto, and the only thing in range was the dancers.