why have a ballroom with no balls? [Elsa]

[Elsa]

"Yes, quite fortunate indeed," agreed Elsa. She felt the urge to blush again, realizing just how out of her depth she was. She really shouldn't be: she was a royal, trained in formal dancing and meeting new people. But this, having someone openly flirting with her, and not another boring man but someone interesting, someone fascinating, someone... someone attractive, it kept sending Elsa off-kilter, making even the simple tasks a little more difficult, a little more awkward to handle.

So she had to nod at the mention of technology, again flushing. "I'll adapt fast, I'm sure," she said primly, adjusting it. "This world must be an adjustment for everyone. Magic, technology, it all seems to blend here" she gestured again, before taking up that proper position for dancing.

And there her heart skipped again. Elsa felt another flush, and she found her gaze flicking to her feet. This was so unlike her, really. She had everything together. She was almost tempted to say that, but she wasn't going to let nerves seize further control of her tongue. They were moving, the music providing them just the beat they needed. Elsa gave way to that, let herself get swept up in the motions, the movement. Her own were a little stuttery, but nothing too major. Within a few moments she was flowing almost too naturally with the other woman.

"I should say much the same," agreed Elsa, offering another smile. "Thank you for the experience." Now she was regaining control, a more sly smile twisting her lips instead of her usual embarrassed expression. Yes, she could do this, could do it quite well, in fact.

[Carmilla Karnstein]

Elsa seemed to be, pardon the pun, warming up to the situation, and satisfaction rested in Carmilla's gut as she realized that. She rarely lost a chance when the girl she took an interest in could possibly reciprocate, but she never took that idea for granted. Whether it was just that she never got tired of the thrill of meeting a charming new girl to woo, or because deep down, a part of her always longed for potential loves, or some combination of both, she could never grow tired of these glorious first moments, before she embarked on some sort of relationship.

Still, Elsa glanced down as quickly as she appeared confident...it would certainly take some coaxing, if they were to progress past dancing, but Carmilla could work with that. She had dealt with repressed young girls and housewives alike, and still managed something good out of her patience...and she had gotten some light flirtation, and a dance out of Elsa already, had she not? Even at her most rash and passionate, Carmilla wouldn't have asked for much more...not yet.

"I'm all too happy to provide, Elsa," she answered, before she pondered. Elsa could clearly dance, though she was probably new at it. Should she remain gentle, giving her the slightest warning of her intention, or should she keep that addictive sound of her heart skipping a beat in her ear...

...then again, who said she had to choose? So she leaned in just enough to whisper, "Would it be all right if I twirled you? I'd signal it without asking, but I'd hate to set you off balance..." That last part was essentially a lie, but hey, she was holding back just enough.

[Elsa]

This felt far better than it had any right to. Twirling, moving across the dance floor with a charming, almost sensual woman. It should make Elsa more nervous as they went. Instead she could feel her constant guard lowering, as if Carmilla were literally melting the walls Elsa had spent so long carefully instructing. She felt a strange pull at her face, and realized only belatedly that she was smiling. In point of fact, it might even be a bit delirious and silly, which made Elsa work to control her face as soon as she realized what she was doing.

A whisper nearly sent chills down Elsa's spine, and she tried not to think of the absurdity of that. She let out a slight laugh. "Given our connection," her eyes flicked to the wires extending from their ears, "some warning would be quite necessary." That being said, she already moved, letting herself get twirled quite easily, almost doing the motion herself. Elsa wasn't quite one to let the other completely lead, after all

She even favored Carmilla with a slight smile of her own, this one more purposeful, not quite challenging, but perhaps teasing and, well, maybe a touch flirtatious?

[Carmilla Karnstein]

And then there was that smile...oh Carmilla could get used to that...and yet as soon as it arrived, it had faded. Carmilla narrowed her eyes just a little, although she said nothing about it. After all, she knew from a lifetime of experience just how irritating it was when people urged you to smile. She had broken fingers over that. Still, she had to wonder what would make Elsa feel like she had to hold back on that. Not even Maman had gone that far with her...

Elsa may have agreed to it for practical reasons, but Carmilla could tell the idea thrilled her. Beaming, she twirled her, grateful that Elsa was probably a better dance partner than she thought she was (she could tell how nervous she had been, after all). Even better, she got another smile out of her, one of those smiles that could've probably lured some young girls to their deaths if Maman had wanted to harness it...but she wouldn't dare think of something like that. She had lost far too many girlfriends and one love because of her. Here she was free, here she didn't have to think of what the woman who "created" her would think of anyone she interacted with. Here she could dance with whomever she wanted, flirt with whomever she wanted...and perhaps, if she were lucky, kiss whomever she wanted, with no fear of consequences...

This very moment, with Elsa's smile and her realizing this, might very well be as close to paradise as she was going to get...but that hardly meant she wasn't going to try a little closer. As they resumed more typical steps, she noted, "It's funny, we're still dancing, yet I find myself looking forward to doing this again sometime, if you'll have me, of course." The wording was quite deliberate. She hadn't quite explored the night life in this town yet, but she hoped there was at least a theater or two, or perhaps a nice museum, or restaurant (the latter being of much less use to her, of course)...somewhere that fit her interests, and hopefully Elsa's as well. Somewhere she could wine and dine with her, put the girl even more at ease so she could see where this could go.

[Elsa]

Already thinking ahead? Elsa felt herself smiling, and the smile actually deepened as she realized what Carmilla was suggesting. They called that dating here, yes? Elsa had picked up on that already. Would she be willing to date another female? Well, she was dancing with one, wasn't she? And part of her stomach was already fluttering despite herself. Just touching Carmilla felt quite nice. And, to be honest, Elsa was intrigued on an more intellectual level. Something in that whole, reserved nature, the desire to let loose, it all resonated with Elsa, made her feel like she'd found a kindred spirit.

"Yes, I think I'd like that quite a lot," she finally admitted. "I must confess that you'll have to keep taking the lead. I don't have a lot of experience,' she let herself twirl again for the moment, seemed to realize what she'd said, then decided to let it go anyway. "Particularly with dating."

Though they did seem to be in step, didn't they? Shame that the song wouldn't last longer. Then again, it wasn't as if anyone was calling time, and if the machine could produce one song, couldn't it produce more?

[Carmilla Karnstein]

"Excellent," Carmilla remarked when Elsa responded so well to her suggestion. She had been tempted to say it the moment she saw the look on her face, honestly. Unlike certain fictional vampires (or at least they had better remain fictional), she couldn't read her mind, so she managed to hold back, but the confirmation of her instincts never ceased to please her. Including when Elsa mentioned she was, indeed, as new to this sort of thing as she had suspected. "And I almost find the prospect thrilling..."

And...well...unlike twirling, dipping her wouldn't sever their connection, now would it? And it was clear that Elsa was open to surprises, in spite of her meek tendencies. So, keeping a tight grip on her to help her see she wouldn't fall, she did just that, beaming down at her as she did. "I'll have to make sure your first experience is worthy of such a charming girl, if only to make up for the fact that no one else was smart enough to beat me to it..." The song was fading, and the dip had paused the typical steps of the waltz, so for the moment, she gazed down at her, before she started to lift her back up. If her heart could beat, it'd likely be pounding at the idea of simply standing so close to her without the pretense of dance...she almost hoped that would be the case.

[Elsa]

"I have been known to inspire chills,' replied Elsa airily. Yes, she was definitely growing more comfortable. Each step in their dance sunk her more and more into comfort, into something very much approaching warmth, if not outright warming. The spinning kept her head light, spun doubts and fears away just as it had when Elsa had done it by herself on a mountaintop not so very long ago.

A dip, and Elsa felt her heart skip with the moment. The promise had her momentary breathless as well, but she found herself smiling. "Seems I waited for the right person then," she said. "I'll try to temper my expectations appropriately." God, they were close, weren't they? Closer as Carmilla lifted her back up. Part of Elsa was tempted to just try leaning in, to steal a kiss, just a fleeting touch. It would be her first though, well, beyond the few she'd exchanged with her sister or with various family members, dignitaries and the like.

"I think the song's ending," she said instead, keeping her voice low, suggesting that they did need to do something soon, right?

[Carmilla Karnstein]

Normally puns would cue eyerolls and groans out of Carmilla, but out of Elsa's mouth it sounded like the wittiest thing she could have said, and the laugh that left her indicated that. "I can certainly see that." Even if where Elsa was from, such encounters with women weren't as accepted as they were where she was from (it was hardly ever an issue for her after becoming a vampire beyond persuading some of the shier girls that it was nothing to be ashamed of), she could hardly imagine why anyone would be stupid enough to let that stop them. Elsa was such lovely company that she dared even call it delightful, a word that was barely in Carmilla's vocabulary. Perhaps it was just how formally Elsa conducted herself, it was bringing out the girl who was raised to be proper by a noble family, even if that girl had long since been buried under blood, leather, and rock and roll.

The dip had the effect she had been hoping for, and she couldn't keep that knowing smile off of her face. And look at that, Elsa was comfortable enough to return it...and then they were as close as she had hoped, and Carmilla locked her firewood eyes with her icy blues, unable to resist reaching out a hand to touch her cheek, just with the fingertips for now.

"It is...so we have a decision to make...I can either start a new song, or we can continue this lovely encounter elsewhere. I've yet to get a feel for the area, so we might very well get lost together...to be frank, either prospect appeals to me. And if I'm to lead the way if we're to make a habit out of this, the least I can do is offer you some choice where possible, right?"

[Elsa]

How interesting. Elsa had almost wondered, all but imagined, that their little meeting would end as soon as the song finished. The last notes were trailing off in their ears while their feet kept moving. Though Elsa may have stumbled slightly as fingers touched her own. A shiver she couldn't quite stop had taken hold over her, likely looking rather visible. But Elsa didn't let her slight embarrassment over it show for more than an instant, a flick of regret in those blues, that little tremor.

"Quite a conundrum," allowed Elsa, smiling slightly. "As I'm quite certain there's quite a lot around here we could show one another. I haven't done much exploring myself either," she looked around for a moment, before locking in. "But you'll have to forgive me if I confess that I'd much rather dance at least one more time. I'm enjoying myself rather too much to let the moment quite pass just yet."

Elsa's eyes sparkled with mirth and her eyes followed the plastic strands of the music player back to Carmilla's pocket. 'That is, assuming your device is capable of keeping up with us," Elsa looked back to Carmilla, quirking a brow in near challenge.

[Carmilla Karnstein]

Carmilla could be patient, despite how she was sometimes perceived. A certain level of patience came with immortality, and any rash behaviors just came from her natural, passionate personality. So she waited for Elsa's response, allowing herself the chance to truly admire her beauty, a beauty that seemed to increase when she was surprised. She always found that giving someone treatment they weren't used to and loved always brought the best in them. She longed to let her fingers explore more of her skin, to brush that no doubt silky hair out of its braid, to bring out more of those gasps...but not yet.

At her response, Carmilla assured her, "My forgiveness isn't needed. We have all the time in the world to explore, and who knows when we'll stumble upon this ballroom while it's empty again...and the battery's at 85%. We could dance for hours if you wanted." It was times like these Carmilla wished her heart could still beat. She knew that it would be skipping with pure joy at the mere prospect, and that was a pleasure that she sometimes did miss, when she allowed herself to mourn anything from her life before she thirsted for blood.

"In fact..." She pulled out her phone, remembering she had started a playlist for a modern waltz, and added that previous song to it before she put the playlist itself on shuffle. Once the phone was pocketed again, she looked back at Elsa. "Shall we see how long we last?"

[Elsa]

"Yes, we do seem to have a surplus of time," agreed Elsa. She barely understood the mention of a battery, but there was little misreading the idea of dancing for hours. She felt a slight pink crawl onto her skin, one that she banished easily enough; when you'd spent most of your life controlling your emotions, it became very much second nature. Elsa watched as Carmilla adjusted the device, apparently telling it to play for the rest of the evening.

"Are we trying to see if we can outlast that," she asked, pointing to it and smiling, "because that's the sort of challenge I could certainly see myself enjoying." She readjusted her arms around Carmilla for a moment, again enjoying the soft curves, the hint of hardness laying just beneath the skin. Her heart was all but racing now, banishing any doubts about certain feelings she may have had.

"You may outlast me, but I'm a quick enough learner,' she said, adjusting the ear piece again. Music started up, and Elsa moved easily enough. In fact, she was feeling almost confident enough to try and take the lead, at least for a few steps. But who knows how much longer that would last.