[FIN] Tango the Night Away

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel leaned on the bar counter as he ordered a drink, then stepped away as he received it with a small grin and a word of thanks. It was his first night getting a taste of Camphoreon's night life, and so far he liked it. He'd found a nice apartment at a good price, his first few days of work were going well, and so far he even liked most of his coworkers. Clearly, all of that combined to form a pretty damn good reason to go out and celebrate, and what better place to do that than in clubs?

A quick internet search revealed a few choice places around the city recommended by its inhabitants as well as casual visitors, so he'd picked the one that seemed to suit his tastes best. It hadn't taken long at all to decide on appropriate club attire that looked good and matched well, though it took a little longer to find the place itself, given the fact he was still getting used to the layout of the city. It was a lot different than Castelia, that was for sure.

The club looked exactly as he had expected from its reviews, possibly even better, even if it was early in the evening and obviously was still filling up. They had a pretty good quality sound system, too, he couldn't help but notice, and their choice of music that had played since his arrival had been superb. He'd have to remember this place for sure, he thought as he took a sip of his bourbon and leaned against a table near the wall, his eyes scanning the dance floor as well as the area around the bar and the door.  

[Tori Honoo]

Just as Abel had found ample reason to celebrate, Dove too had new experiences that excited her. Unfortunately for the girl, they were also experiences that left a terribly bitter taste in her mouth.

Not that she'd admit it. Ever.

After accomplishing--at least, so she thought-- her goal of looking as though she had walked right out of the latest issue of Vogue, Dove had made her way into the city's depths, her gaze cutting through her lashes as she searched for a new scene. Her attire was sleek, and strong: stiletto's sharp, a classic, fitted dress of deep red that had the potential to reveal almost too much, and a fashionable sleeve of lace drawn down over her left forearm.

She felt good, and confident, and powerful as she stepped through the doors of the nightclub she had selected, and though she knew it would fade later, she intended to thrive in the feeling as long as she could, and not think twice. This was her life, her choice, and she wouldn't be dominated. Nothing would bring her down until she allowed it.

A quick sweep of the room proved beneficial, and within moments, she spotted a somewhat familiar figure, to which she offered a bright, inviting smile.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He almost didn't recognize her. The clothes, the posture, the demeanor, everything was different from that quiet girl on the beach he'd met a week or two ago. The only thing that was the same was her face, and even then he had to do a double-take. Yeah, that was definitely her; he prided himself in remembering faces well.

After pushing himself away from the table, drink in hand, he moved to meet her with a bright smile of his own. "Hey Dove," he greeted amiably, though his tones were more intrigued, "how was your trip?" Well, he hoped, though his thoughts were more centered around the idea that she initially hadn't seemed the type of girl that dressed to kill and go to night clubs.  

[Tori Honoo]

She let him come to her, her eyes never leaving him as he approached, and when he stopped, she met his gaze easily. The intrigue in his voice didn't go unnoticed.

His question was met with a slow, deep intake of breath, and a sigh before she replied. "Let's just say I should have stayed a little longer on that beach and missed my boat," she said, her smile turning into something like a grimace. It disappeared as she pushed the thought into the back of her mind. "It's a long story, but never mind that. How have you been?" Her eyes travelled over him once, then flicked to his face again. "You're looking nice."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He had intended to meet her halfway, as interested parties usually did, and he was mildly surprised when she didn't move. Regardless, he came to a halt near her and leaned casually against the bar. He didn't miss the once-over she gave him, and took the liberty of treating her to the same before he took a sip of his drink again, looking at her over his glass, "Sounds like you've good reason to be here then," he hazarded a guess with a briefly apologetic smile, dropping the subject. It was quite obvious she didn't want to talk about it, and he wasn't about to press it. "I've been good - found myself a nice apartment downtown and picked up a job near the edge of the city. First week of work went well, so I figured I'd come out tonight to celebrate," he lifted one hand in a shrug.

The compliment widened his smile to a grin, and he chuckled lightly as he inclined his head towards her, "You're looking ravishing yourself." Model indeed, though he couldn't help but think they were usually taller. Could've fooled him, though. "Do you come out to places like this often?"  

[Tori Honoo]

She gave a half laugh, then glanced out at the dance floor, away from his eyes. "Oh, you have no idea," she said simply, pushing her hair back from her face which went sour for a moment. Her smile returned, though, this time more genuine and less catty. "That's great! So you are sticking around then," she speculated, grinning. "You'll have to let me know all about it. If you don't mind my company, of course."

The compliment he returned to her brought back a full blown smile, and her lashes swept her cheeks as she looked to the floor in half-feigned sheepishness. She lifted her gaze again a few seconds later, peering up at him delicately. "Well, thank you. And no, not usually. Every so often, but not nearly enough. Only on occasion." If she were to be honest, she rarely came to clubs like this, on her own. Throughout the entire past year, she had only been clubbing three times, two of which--her first time, and now-- immediately after serious emotional upset.

She refused to let the thought register, though, and kept her gaze on Abel. "I might have to start looking for more occasions, though," she purred, her smile slipping into more playful territory.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The apologetic smile returned briefly at her slight grimace, though it shifted to an amused grin. "Yeah, 'course I'm sticking around," he affirmed with a chuckle as he gently swirled the contents of the glass in his hand. "Neither of them are anything special though, nothing so glamorous as modeling or anything. And that's something I should be asking you - if you don't mind my company, because I certainly don't mind yours," he finished with a small, sly grin.

When she feigned bashfulness, he merely chuckled, not about to buy that for a minute. "Yeah? I was gonna say you don't look like the type for this type of scene," he commented, shifting his posture a bit and taking another sip of his drink, not taking his bright eyes off of her. "You seem like you're more comfortable somewhere more.... Elegant? Refined, maybe. Definitely not someplace as casual as this," Abel gestured vaguely with his glass after he lowered it, then turned his smile back on her at her tone. He chuckled a bit, inclining his head toward her slightly, "What kind of occasions were you thinking?"  

[Tori Honoo]

She rolled her eyes a little. "It's not always glamorous, and I'm still curious," she told him knowingly, referring to both his job and his new home. She laughed softly at his comment. "Trust me, if I wasn't enjoying your presence, I wouldn't still be standing here," she winked, delighted to catch a another glance from a man as he passed behind Abel to the bar.

When he called her out on not honestly looking the part, she tilted her head to listen, her brows furrowing a little. Both lifted, however, as he continued, and a very pleased look of surprise rose to her features, accompanied by a brilliant smile. "While I'll certainly take that as a compliment, I find it isn't too terrible to switch things up every once in a while." Besides, her eyes had been opened yet again, and why on earth wouldn't she take the opportunity while it was ripe? So far it was proving to be much more fun than before.

As he drew slightly nearer, she kept a playfully safe distance. "I don't know... Inspire me?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"I can tell you all about it, if you'd like," he said as he straightened up with a gesture, subsequently moving away from her, though he added with a smile, "but topics like those are boring in places like these. They're much more suited for places like park benches or restaurants." He let the statement hang, not bothering to elaborate if it was a hint for future possibilities, or simply an idle observation, instead opting to let her take it as she would. At her statement, though, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit, showing teeth as he smiled and countered, "And trust me when I say it's the same for you and yours."

"Isn't there some saying that goes 'change is the spice of life'?" That sounded right, but he couldn't be sure without looking it up or something. Maybe later. Dismissing the small, idle thought, his lips curved into another smile, though they quickly split into a grin as he chuckled once again. "Inspire you?" He asked in faux-dramatic tones, complete with a playfully overdramatic, one-armed gesture. "But I know so little about you! Alright, let me think a sec," he said, then raised his glass, tilted it back and downed the rest of its contents before he set it back on the counter. Once finished, he smiled back down at her again, "I'm gonna have to take a guess, and I hope you don't think it's stereotypical or anything, but I'm gonna guess you like to dance. Yeah?" She had looked towards the dance floor before, and such small hints of body language sometimes meant nothing, or they meant everything. Possibly this was the latter case, though he wouldn't know until she answered.  

[Tori Honoo]

She laughed. "Another time, then," she countered, though she made no immediate plans in her mind. While it was becoming clear that perhaps Abel might be someone she'd like to see again, she wouldn't admit it right out, and besides, that wasn't what tonight was for.

She grinned at his theatricality and watched as he downed the rest of his drink, listening to the underbeat of the music bouncing from the walls. In response to his statement and reach for affirmation, she frowned deeply, though a twinkle in her eyes said she wasn't displeased in the slightest. "Dancing? In a club? ...Who on earth goes to a club in search of a dance?" she played, taking a step back from him, toward the dance floor with a meaningful look.

Nevermind she might kick herself for such unrefined behavior later. This was fun!  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Dropping the other topics that had come to their natural conclusions, Abel chuckled and offered Dove another shrug, "I have no idea who would come to clubs to dance. Surely not beautiful girls like yourself," he replied smoothly with a smile and another casual, meaningful once-over, and allowed her to lead him to the dance floor. The blonde had a few ideas in mind, but for the time being he would match whatever style of dance she chose, letting her be the lead at first.  

[Tori Honoo]

She smiled wildly at his next compliment, then turned on heel to pull him to the dance floor, choosing to match those around her for now. Though not very recently practiced, the young woman's movements were smooth and held the unspoken confidence of having done it before, and while not too obvious, were a bit too refined for the casual clubber.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With a chuckle he allowed the girl to pull him to the dance floor, and began to match her style and movements with his own, which were fluid and held no hint of any further refinement, though it was probably quite obvious he'd had a lot of practice with general club dancing. After a few minutes of this, once he was feeling loose and warmed up, he moved to dance behind her and raised a hand to run his fingers very lightly down her bare arm to catch her attention, "Looks to me like you're used to dancing pretty differently than this type of scene." Which was, honestly, pretty obvious, especially since she'd told him she didn't come to places like this very often at all.  

[Tori Honoo]

His skill didn't go unnoticed, and she found herself considering the luck she had stumbled upon that night in finding him so quickly. She began to lose herself to the music and synced with him quickly, though his sudden brush of fingers along her arm snapped her back to the present. She continued to move, however, looking up at him as she replied. "To be honest, I prefer ballroom, but I've yet to find it here in town,"she laughed.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Nailed it. "Yeah?" He replied with a mischievous smile, offering her a well-timed shrug as he continued to dance with her. "Dance partners like that are hard to come by, I'm pretty sure, in places like this, but sometimes," he paused as he took her hand to spin her, his other hand moving to her waist to pull her closer and dip into the start of the tango, not once taking his eyes from hers, "you get lucky." With that, he straightened and lead her into the dance with smooth, practiced movements.