Goin' to the Chapel! (open: partygoers)

Vaughn sighed as the song ended. He found himself unwilling to let Therese go and knew that he was standing there holding her in the silence between the songs. His thoughts flashed back to the look in her eyes; the passion that matched his own.

He hadn't felt like this in decades. His hands were shaky and his heart was beating so fast he was sure a change was about to happen. That would be...awkward. At least Therese would understand though it would be embarrassing to explain the reason behind it and the mad rush for the door.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid back so that he could smile at her. Vaughn said.

"You do Mrs. Kelly proud. Shall we dance another?"

He listened to the song as it began and arched his eyebrows in surprise. The kid singing seemed a little young to be a fan of Annie Lennox but Vaughn personally loved this particular song. He twisted his hips suggestively and gave Therese a very uncharacteristically naughty grin.

"Care to rumba with me, Mlle. DuBois?"

That was highly disappointing. She hadn't expected to song to end quite so soon. She was trying to tell herself that it was just the dance that she had enjoyed. She hadn't had a chance to tango for, goodness, months? Years? She didn't remember. Thérèse also knew it wasn't just the dance she'd enjoyed.

No, it was the company of a married man and her Alpha. Some evil little voice reminded her Thérèse violently squashed that little voice. It could haunt her tomorrow but she was going to pretend those two complications didn't exist right now.

"Ah but you put Mr. Grant to shame."Â?

A slow smile spread across her face when another song started and he didn't leave the floor. She might just like this band. A lot.

In a shamelessly flirtatious manner Thérèse looked up from under her lashes.

"I thought you would never ask."Â?

A slower dance, no less passionate, just a quieter passion. Her hips swiveled to to match his and the both easily stepped into the dance.

Well, he had figured that her response would be one that he didn't expect. And, he certainly wasn't expecting that one. He wasn't complaining either. This one left the door open for possibilities, and that could be a good thing. The cats may be dancing on another part of the floor, but he was the one grinning like a Cheshire.

"I am a scientist. It is my job to plan ahead."

Granted, his planning ahead generally required safety goggle, Hazmat suit, or a blast shield. His smile and good mood remained as they continued to dance. Only once or twice was it a little more plastered than normal. He tried his best not to visibly wince and she stepped on his feet. She was dancing with him, and that was all that mattered.

"Don't worry too much about my feet. Maybe we will get lucky and the next dance will be the Jive. That one is all hopping on one foot or the other. No one will ever notice."

Artemis gave Pak a light kiss on the cheek and stepped back as the song came to an end. He was pleased, and a little relieved that the next song was a slow one. This type of song allowed for a slow dance with a bit of slink to it. However, Artemis was willing to keep things simple if Pak was still in the mood to dance. He held out his hands to her.

"One more dance?"

She giggled at his grin. Some one looked far too pleased with themselves. Maybe he was still interested after all. That could be a very good thing.

"Oh hush, they'll grow back and you know it. Besides, you might look dashing with a peg leg."Â?

It was as close to an apology as Pak ever managed. She did feel bad about the whole foot thing and was rather relieved he was letting her off the hook. She'd make it up to him later. Wait... no... that could possibly sound... oh too late. At least she hadn't said it out loud.

Finally, a song with a tempo and a beat she could probably manage and he was still offering. Pak beamed and nodded before settling back into his arms.

"You're either brave or a masochist, possibly both. But either way I don't think I get to make fun of your dancing any more."Â?

She could live with that too. A random neural firing caused Pak to wonder how Artemis felt about opera.

But after that she spent her time concentrating on the dancing. His feet were in less danger this time. Although, part of her was tempted fall so he could catch her. But she might save that for another night too.

Jin smiled at Mara. She had not exactly said, yes, to going anywhere or doing anything more at some later date but she hadn't said, no , either.

It was tempting to dance for another round, especially when the slow blues melody began. He could see new couples moving to the floor, encouraged by the slow beat of the song. If nothing else it would be easy to sway to for those less athletically inclined.

He looked up and around the room for signs of his daughter. Jin's brow furrowed when he noticed that she was not where he had last seen her. Hmm, he supposed that she and Amir were off doing what they had all come here to do.

"Perhaps we should mingle some more. Artemis and Pak are lovely but I think we should see who else is about."

Jin nodded toward the food table. It was a good place to start and it gave them something to do while watching the other people in the room.

"Shall we get a bite to eat?"

Mara nodded at Jin, sorry to leave the dance floor and hopeful that if the night proved uneventful they might return to it at a later point.

"My thoughts exactly," she said when Jin's words did, indeed, echo her own reluctant sentiment that they were here to do just that.

Her green eyes traveled over to the banquet tables and she nodded again. "That sounds like a plan."

It seemed considerably easier for she and Jin to navigate the pressing crowd than it had been for Artemis, but then again sometimes small stature and an unnatural ability not to get stepped on were a great advantage. There was a way of moving in a large crowd that anyone who spent time in them would know, where your body seemed to move in a rhythm around the people in your way yet not at odds with the pack of humanity. She performed it well, and Jin did too.

They found themselves eyeballing an impressive array of food in short order. Mara was, as cats are wont to be, a very finicky eater. She didn't eat much on a regular basis, but she did enjoy certain things. She wandered along the tables, taking judiciously small pieces of fruit that appealed to her; a strawberry, a slice of pineapple. Then she reached the meat and her eyes grew slightly wider as she found a slice of steak tar-tare and her favorite, ahi tuna lightly seared and raw inside.

Helping herself to those as well, Mara disdained the vegetables and breads and waited for Jin to make a selection. Glancing around and hoping it wouldn't be too unmannerly in this crowd (they seemed fairly laid-back), she lifted her plate and forked a tiny bit of steak into her mouth like a guilty child stealing a cookie.

"Dying is easy it's living that scares me to death"

Vaughn watched Therese as they moved through slow sultry dance. The twisting hip movements and slow turns accentuated his partner's long beautiful legs. The silver fabric of her dress hiding and revealing curves with each step and sway.

He smiled softly at her and continued to serenade her with the song that the young singer had so artfully chosen.

"I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath."

Perhaps he should feel self conscious singing; he almost never did so in public. Vaughn tended to hide behind the guitar but he sang for himself from time to time and enjoyed it. He had already done more than he should, shown more of himself than was wise...so why stop now?

"Cold is the color of crystal the snow light
that falls from the heavenly skies.
Catch me and and let me dive under
for I want to swim in the pools of your eyes."

His voice was something of a surprise. Thérèse would have liked to have closed her eyes to enjoy the smooth baritone. But she didn't dare break her focus. Her own voice wasn't nearly so good, but it was hard to sing while playing the violin. She'd very much like him to play if he would sing. Even though her voice was a bit week, if she had known the words she could have sung with him

As she slowly moved through the sultry moves of the dance she smiled slowly and softly. Not caring that they were in public and just existing in the moment. So much of her instinct right now was to peruse him or at least make it very clear she would welcome the pursuit.

Some days it was harder than others to suppress instincts. She concentrated very hard on each movement, executing them naturally, smoothly but very precisely. It was a seductive dance and she knew it, but at least with a dance they could both pretend, or even tell themselves it was nothing.

Jin picked up a plate and watched Mara pick and choose everything so very carefully. Definitely a finicky cat. He smiled and also took some of the delicious looking steak and then found a few pieces of sushi

"Mmm sushi. Since I am Japanese then its a good thing I like this stuff."

He winked at Mara and then pointed to one of the benches nearby where they could watch the dancing while eating and talking. They might be able to slide into some of the conversations that were going on around them and if not then at least they could entertain each other.

"Actually sushi originated in China like most good..."

His train of thought was interrupted by Sorcha's mental confession.

[You what?] He sighed [Amir is there,yes? Do you need me? What happened?]

Jin had half risen off the bench and then turned to Mara.

"It would seem my daughter has caused something of a stir."

Like many a father he worried over what he should do. He could rush out there to protect her and find that she didn't need him. Sorcha would be furious with him for overreacting but to not go when she called to him and have something happen to her...well, Jin couldn't bare that thought either.

"Should we go? Stay? They have...company."

Mara's eyebrows twitched up in amusement. "I thought you only ate button mushrooms and chicken," she teased Jin lightly.

Whatever he was about to say about sushi was cut off as he seemed to unfocus momentarily. He sighed. Mara tilted her head, waiting. When Jin rose partway and stopped, she rested a hand on his forearm and looked at him questioningly. He seemed concerned.

"Did she seem all right?" Jin wasn't dropping everything and running, so she assumed no one was injured or in grave danger.

His indecision made her curious. But, then, she too had a creator who would have quite possibly reacted the same way... if he weren't out the door already by this point. Jin's restraint was admirable, his obvious confliction endearing.

"Amir is with her," Mara said, as if that spoke volumes. "He won't leave her."

She smiled; Amir had a job to do tonight. He was going to do it or die trying. That was just Amir. She put herself in Jin's shoes, however, and rose to her feet. They were on the far side of the room.

"I imagine we could people watch quite easily from that table by the door," she suggested softly, indicating the table she meant with her chin as she nodded.

It would place them close enough to the door to get out in a hurry if need be. If there was trouble outside, Mara would be hot on Jin's heels but she had faith in Amir, and therefore Sorcha.

Artemis smiled as she commented on his bravery. Really, she wasn't that bad of a dancer. She had only stepped on his feet a few times. That was to be expected with an unfamiliar dance. The most important this is that she didn't kick anything....vital. If he could survive the tango, anything else would be a breeze.

"Probably a bit of both. Though I don't think they give out medals of honor for dancing.

As they settled into the slow dance, he was content with the silence. Just listening to the music and moving together. He didn't always have to be the clown or the prankster. Those times when he could just be were a good thing. He kept their movements simple. No flash. It was very eighth grade dance, but that was fine with him. Artemis lowered his head so that his cheek rested on the top of hers. Closing his eyes, he savored the moment.

Glancing up, he noticed that the Jin and Mara had left the dance floor. The dance was not quite done, and he was in no rush to end it. Deciding t a be gentleman, he would ask Pak what she wanted to do.

"The cats have left the floor, does that mean we win by default?" After winking t her he said, "Would you like to join them, or did you have something else in mind?"

"We can talk about your masochistic tendencies later."Â?

Although if he did have them, that would probably help things. Pak had very few illusions and knew she was a challenge, to put it mildly. She willed away more serious thoughts and since the dance had taken on a more regular pattern, and wasn't as scary as the tango (stupid tango) she was able to relax and just follow along. This was much more her speed. You'd think in nearly three hundred years she would have learned more about dancing. Oh well.

She'd totally lost track of Mara. Which, Pak decided was fairly rude of her. She didn't get to see her friend very often as it was and to just forget about her seemed wrong. She'd have to apologize later.

"I think that maybe we should call it a tie."Â?

Not wanting to clutter the dance floor much longer, some of the folks were -much- better, Pak looked about the room. She wasn't much of an eater. Some times, but not often.

"How cold do you think it is outside?"Â?

Fall could be a problematic season. Some nights would be warm and some would be down right cold, or at least cold by Pak's standards, but she wouldn't mind some fresh air.

"You can tell me how you know Jin."Â?

The dance was over far sooner than he would have liked. Vaughn gave Therese a shy smile feeling far more self conscious about the singing, and the dancing for that matter, now that the music had ended.

He looked up at the young man on stage to see what might be in store for them next but there seemed to be a momentary pause. With far better than average hearing, Vaughn was able to listen to the singer engaged in a quiet but fierce conversation with one of the band members about her over consumption of alcohol this evening.

Turning back to Therese, he shrugged.

"It would appear that we might have to wait for the next song. Shall we find another glass of that wonderful wine?"

He suddenly had a hard time deciding what to do with his hands. It wouldn't do to presume but at the same time he didn't want to seem in a hurry to put distance between them either. Finally he settled on a compromise and offered her his hand. It wasn't what he wanted to do but he had no right to do what he -wanted- to do.

((OOC: Vaughn and Therese out to trip the waiter... ))

Jin nodded to Mara and stood. He led the way to the bench by the door that she had indicated. This was close enough to be there in the event of serious trouble; at least he certainly hoped it was.

He listened to the description of what happened and sighed inwardly. Sorcha had been trying to help someone and that made it difficult to be angry with her over the whole situation.

[Please be careful. We will watch for him. Continue speaking to him if you can. I don't know what more we can do until we know what the whole situation is.]

Turning towards his companion, Jin spoke in Arabic, a language he felt it likely Mara understood. He hoped that very few others in the room would also possess such knowledge.

"It would seem that they met a couple at the door. A dark haired woman and a blonde young man. Sorcha says there is something going on between them. She believes he is in trouble."

He shrugged and continued.

"My daughter is soft hearted. It would appear that she was trying to comfort the young man and found out quite by accident that more was going on than she had at first expected."

((OOC: Jin and Mara out to a new less cluttered thread ))

As the song came to an end, Artemis was a little disappointed. He had hoped it would last a bit longer. It had been nice to dance that dance without any real pressures to perform. The corners of his mouth twitched in what might have been the beginnings of a smile. Great. Performance anxiety, just what he needed. He quickly squashed those thoughts and turned his attention to his date.

"I suppose we can be generous and concede a tie. It will make them feel better."

He seriously doubted that Jin and Mara were all that concerned about the impromptu dance competition. But, it would serve as excellent fodder later. Not only with Jin, but with Alfarinn too who would no doubt be sorry he missed it. Especially after Artemis embellished the story a bit. Stepping back, he considered the weather as she looked around the room.

"You can always borrow my coat if you get too cold." Artemis let loose with his most wicked of grins and said, "Of course I might then get the impression that you only come with me to these parties so that you can strip me of my clothing."

Wrapping an arm around Pak's shoulders, he winked at her. He knew payback for that comment was coming. He just had to wait for it. A quick glance toward the stage told him that the band was busy at the moment. Artemis had wanted to speak with them and get some contact information, perhaps even leave one of his cards. A holographic business card of course.

"Lead the way. Though I would like to talk to the band later. I was thinking about a Tim Burton themed Christmas party at Meridian this year."

That said, Artemis couldn't wait to hear Pak's thoughts as she led them off the dance floor.

((OOC: Artemis and Pak out. I don't know where to, because Pak is driving again))

Jan pointed forcefully off the stage to his inebriated band member. He wasn't entirely sure what had gotten into Ash but he would find out later. Normally she was much more professional than this.

Sighing philosophically, he figured that every artist had their off days.

Once Ash, with a dramatic pout and flounce, left the stage. He turned back to the rest of the band members. They would just have to do without her.

((OOC: Jan out of really freakin long thread ))

"Sheesh, it feels like we've been making out for like a month." Viv tried to fix her lipstick but realized there was none left. Digging into her small purse, she pulled out her frosty mocha lipstick and reapplied it as Brig watched with a small smile.

"I'm just going to take it off again. Should just stick to lip gloss."

Viv rolled her eyes and reentered the party. "Looks like this sock-hop is slowin' down. Let's find LT and Carol..."

"Here we are!!" Carol sang from behind as she held LT's hand. "What's LT?"

"Lothias Timothy - quicker to say," Brig replied kissing Carol's free hand.

"How many Lothias' do you know, though?" LT made pulled a face, "I like my name."

Carol tugged at LT's arm, "I do, too, pookie."

"Pookie works, too," LT smiled.

"All right, let's blow this popsicle joint?" Viv asked as she tucked her lipstick back in her purse and turned toward the door. Brig came up beside her and hooked his arm out. With the appropriate roll of her eyes, she roughly took Brig's arm and flicked a look at Carol who was cheesin' it so hard Viv was sure her face would crack.

((OOC Viv, Brig, LT, and Carol out))