meme #004 | slow-dancing ( think outside the boxstep )

[the]

slow dancing ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ a meme → COMMENT WITH YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME, FANDOM, AND PREFERENCE. → PICK A CHARACTER YOU WANT TO TAG AND GO FOR IT. → PLAY NICE; NO WANK, FLAMES, OR GENERAL HUMBUGGERY. ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ the deal FORMAL OR INFORMAL, WITH MUSIC OR WITHOUT, YOU COULD BE AT A GLAMOUROUS GALA WHILE A SINGER CROONS SOFTLY OR IN THE SILENCE OF YOUR OWN LIVING ROOM. WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU HAVE THE URGE TO DANCE. DID YOU ASK YOUR PARTNER OR DID THEY ASK YOU? HAVE YOU GOT TWO LEFT FEET OR IS THE VIENNESE WALTZ YOUR JAM? IT COULD BE AWKWARD, IT COULD BE ROMANTIC. EITHER WAY IT'S CUTE AS HELL.

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Shepard | Mass Effect

[femshep]

[spacesamurai]

[ The Justicar is just standing at the sides as she watches the people dance. It had been years since she'd gotten the chance to simply stand and watch people.

It was refreshing.]

[femshep]

[Shepard spots Samara standing on the sidelines, so she slips gratefully away from the dance at hand (some Alliance brass whose name she probably won't have to remember again) with a vague apology and heads the asari's direction.

Once she gets a little closer, Shepard's 'I didn't expect to see you here' is expressed in a simple but intrigued tilt of her her head. Out loud, just a simple greeting:] Samara.

[infiltrait0rn7]

[Of all things to be invited to a Citadel event like this, a geth would be the last thing one would expect. A few years ago the idea probably would have been unthinkable.]

[Yet here they were, watching the event with an innocent curiosity. At the same time, several runtimes were focused on sifting through the extranet for context on everything that was occurring. Legion didn't expect itself to be fully integrated with the other guests, it was a logical guess considering the past relationships between the geth and the rest of the Council races. However, it still considered being able to observe this sort of a event as a valuable experience for the geth consensus.]

[femshep]

Learning anything useful?

{Oh look, it's Shepard, casually leaning against a table beside Legion and glancing from the geth out to the gala at hand. She genuinely doubts that Legion could glean much besides what it looks like when a turian has two left feet, but it's worth asking.]

[infiltrait0rn7]

[Oh hi Shepard, Legion breaks off it's staring to look at you.]

Yes. We are researching several theories has to how organics bond over an activity such as dancing. For humans, we hypothesize it may be directly related to tactile input.

[Legion stop texting on your phone and just enjoy the event.]

[femshep]

'Tactile input' and an excuse to make an emotional connection with another person. Military sorts don't get that too often. [Psychoanalyzing the dancers is better than being the gala's mascot and dancing with just about everyone with any sort of rank, so if he's putting out the 'theories' lure, she'll bite.]

[infiltrait0rn7]

[One of the fins raise up quizzically- Shepard could probably recognize that her input probably just made it question some of it's own speculation.]

Do you not make emotional connections to your crewmates? Even if it is unintentional.

[femshep]

Off the Normandy, though, that's not quite as kosher. What we've got in dangerous and psychotic, we're lacking in good old-fashioned military protocol.

[infiltrait0rn7]

[There's a bit of a pause as the fins flare up slightly and lower. The eye glances slightly away and looks back.]

We assumed that sharing an enclosed space for an extended amount of time in combination with sharing similar, yet unique experiences would result in some form of bonding amongst individual units. Observing conditions outside the Normandy would be desirable to better understand this.

[It probably just fired off a few more extranet search protocols.]

Re: Shepard | Mass Effect

[standsentinel]

[Kaidan's had a lot of time this evening to offer silent thanks to his mother's insistence on dance lessons.

He's still not sure who decided letting Khalisah al-Jilani in to cover the event for the Citadel tabloids was a good idea, but he's managed to distract her from springing guerilla interview questions on the guests through the application of a suitable rumba. He's even managed, temporarily, to get her separated from her holobot through a complicated series of spins and position changes.

Tactical dancing. It's a thing.

By the faintly pained look to his expression as the dance winds down, at least for those versed in the field behaviour of the wild Alenko, he's now looking for a tactical retreat.]

[femshep]

[He catches Shepard's eye from where she's standing with a glass of some sort of wine halfway across the room, and for a second the corners of her lips curl up in amusement. At that point, it seems entirely possible that she's just going to lift her glass in 'cheers' and let him continue his dance of shame, entirely in good humor (not that he'd be quite as amused).

But then she's setting the glass down and heading that direction, and in a lull in the dancing she sets her hand on Khalisah's shoulder in a forcedly civil sort of way.]

I'm going to have to cut in. I need a word with my lieutenant.

[Not, 'mind if I?' Nope. It's mandatory. At least it's not another punch in the face?]

[standsentinel]

[The 'Of course, Commander' that al-Jilani simpers is a sly and duplicitous thing. She looks pointedly from one principal to the other, smiles insincerely, and takes her leave to go stare in bewilderment at where her faithful holobot is... not.

Kaidan, safe within the established social protocols of a formal dance, sweeps Shepard into a dance hold and manoeuvres them away in quick-quick-slow time. His grin is non-regulation, but crookedly thankful.]

Flawless timing as always, Commander. I was getting real close to foisting her off on Councillor Tevos if she tried one more fishing attempt after the sex lives of the Normandy crew.

[It also remains strongly possible that the maligned reporter was trying to ask him out on a date and he missed the catch. Kaidan appears to have dropped most of his points in attentiveness into keeping the beat and navigating around the floor tonight.]

[femshep]

[Yeah, okay, his grin's a little contagious, so she's cracking a reluctant one of her own. Smiling's almost permissible, after all, with a comrade she's known as long as she has Kaidan.

And despite her utter lack of any sort of club dancing coherency, ballroom is something she's quite versed in, though not something she ever intends to brag about. So he's sweeping her off across the room and she's sweeping right along with him.

At his comment, she suppresses her grin and feigns a little bit of authoritative surprise.]

We have sex lives? Why wasn't I informed?

[standsentinel]

[Kaidan's eyes glint one he determines that Shepard knows what she's doing, and a hint of the occasional playful challenges of the battlefield crops up. The sweeping turns into signals for under-arm turns and more esoteric bits of mutual showing off as he huffs a laugh.]

It was in the fine print, ma'am. And I think Joker's taken the pertinent reports and locked himself in the head with 'em.

[femshep]

[At the taste of a challenge, her head tilts just slightly, and she takes the turns in stride. He's going to win this poor excuse for a dance-off--she may know what she's doing, but she's by far no expert--but in the meantime, she'll give him a good run for it.

In a 'don't worry' sort of tone:]

He shouldn't be in there too long.

[Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen, you've witnessed Shepard's first crack at a crewmate's sexual performance.]

[standsentinel]

[Congratulations, Shepard, the choked burst of laughter that escapes Kaidan at that nearly causes him to fall out of step.

At least he recovers in time to avoid crashing them into Ambassador Udina, although it's a near thing by that worthy's sour expression.

(Or maybe it's just Monday.)]

Always did wonder why he was so defensive about the ship being speedy for her size.

[rosecallingcard]

[Kasumi steps into existence with a crackle of energy. She's smiling from under her hood, watching the Commander with an air of amusement.]

Not to put too fine a point on it, Shep, but you look a little out of place.

[She tilts her head and takes far too much pleasure out of the double take some poor official made when she had popped out of nowhere.]

Bored?

[femshep]

[Shepard, on the other hand, isn't one bit surprised. She's been people-watching and nursing a glass of whatever it is they're serving to drink at this shindig ball, but she glances to Kasumi now.]

I guess I've never really been a 'party' sort of person. [Not unless there's terrible strong alcohol and rave music, but that's a different story entirely.]

[easilyamused]

[Garrus has always found something just a little bit absurd about cross-species formal functions, and it's more than just the difference in idea of formal attire between the various species. Perhaps it's the sight of round volus diplomats dancing with willowy asari, or the care the caterers take not to mix up dextro and levo food.

Regardless, the slight flare and downward tilt of his mandibles suggests amusement as he peels away from a pair of fellow turians to lope towards Shepard.]

Is it just me, or have half the people here already worked out fifteen ways to kill each other using nothing but serving trays and a champagne flute?

[femshep]

[He gets a dry sort of almost-smile in greeting, then she's taking a sip of whatever sort of specialty wine is in her glass (she hasn't bothered to keep track, as long as it isn't poisoned) and casually scanning the crowd again.]

Personally, I think that's part of the fun.

[easilyamused]

And here I thought it only started being fun if someone actually tried.

[The speculative look he casts back over the crowd is not quite hopeful, although it does leave the distinct impression that no, he really wouldn't mind all that terribly much if a brawl of some stripe did break out.

Mostly because seeing politicians and diplomants mussed is always entertaining.]

[femshep]

[Her voice drops low to ensure that only he can hear, because:] That could be arranged.

[Is she serious? That's for Garrus to decide.]

[thecricketer]

[This isn't the Doctor's first ballroom, and he's more comfortable than he might be, but it's not exactly his natural element. He'd much rather be doing reconnaissance, or fiddling in vain with his TARDIS, or playing obscure strategy games with Rhade.

He's here to observe, more than anything, but he doesn't want to be obvious about it. So he's been wandering about, making polite conversation, acting like he belongs. He's been invited to dance several times, but he's invoked various excuses. It's not that he can't, it just seems...deceitful, somehow.

Besides, he's a bit rusty.

He tugs absently at his bowtie - beige, like the rest of his rather stiff suit - as he strides into a more quiet corner.

Quiet, but not entirely isolated. He all but beams at Shepard when he sees her.]

I can't say I took you for the ballroom sort, Commander.

[femshep]

[She's been doing her best to avoid dancing, too, although the occasion does find her out of her usual armor. No dress in sight, but it's a start.

She spots the Doctor, and with an amused sort of eyebrow-quirk, she heads his way.

At his comment, she lets out a low chuckle.] Trust me, neither did I.