cressida/merri | mid-evening
Merri should have been less surprised, he would later realize in retrospect, that he would spend more time at a function like this chatting instead of dancing, and every so often his eyes would sweep across the dance floor longingly, only to be shaken out of his reverie when someone would directly ask him a question. The tone of the conversation he had found himself engaged in was far more serious than he thought an event like this dictated; it was all well and good in meetings, but for a party?
When Merri lifted his head towards the dance floor again, he caught sight of Cressida on the other side of it, drinking champagne and waving at him. With a wide grin, he waved back and excused himself from the group, happy to see a friend who would not want to discuss politics with him. He tried to keep to the edge of the dance floor to keep from running into people as they twirled about, but that didn't keep his foot from finding fabric of a golden dress touching the slick floor. With luck, he fell the direction opposite from the crowds, but his landing lacked grace.
He quickly picked himself from the ground, face pink, and finally met Cressida. "Hi!" he said, breathless. "Uh... sorry that I-- well, that is... er..." He cleared his throat. "How are you?"