“It is true. You are quite ghastly at this,” Seloria teased warmly. In truth, Rictor was fine. Having grown up in a home full of dancers, he was not allowed to have two left feet. There was an ache of not being so tiny anymore. Everyone had carried her when she was little. There was comfort in their embrace, closeness and laughter. While Rictor had moved in with her briefly, there was still a distance there. There was a need to stay out of each other’s way.
All three led different lives and none of them intersected in a way that merited them coming together like a family. This felt like the closest thing she’d had to an actual hug in ages. Sure, she was hugged by friends and acquaintances, but nothing was like the embrace of family. And so she accepted the rigid stance they locked into for the dance, their hands in all the proper places, a respectful distance maintained.
“Honestly, I am not sure I remember when I started. I can remember dancing for as far back as I can remember, however,” she confessed. “I do remember standing on your feet.”
“Of course you would.” Ric’s acknowledgment came easily, as if there could ever have been any doubt. Cassul women and their dancing was an automatic given (save one glaring exception), Selene’s graceful movements casting an ebb and flow to their childhood. “Just as I can remember playing with fake swords as far back as I can go, I guess. You were practically doing pirouettes before you could speak.”
The old instincts came back to him as the music stirred and they moved through their paces; the dance was sedate and smooth, the tempo not urgent enough to interrupt their conversation.
Seloria made quite the unladylike face at her brother, despite the fact that they were surrounded by dignitaries and other such people of station. It was a good thing they were moving. Unlike the dance with Aspel, she was much more relaxed. She hadn’t stumbled over what to think about. It could also have been because they’d lived together for some time. It felt natural, even if it did take her a moment to adjust to the strong wave of nostalgia that surrounded her at being reunited with her brother on the floor.
The song played on and they turned and turned. No more faces were made, but there was laughter on both their faces as the initial topic brought up more and more memories of their childhood, each more ridiculous than the last. It had become quite a feat to see who wouldn’t burst out into raucous laughter first.
They were in the middle of the next song before they’d realized the change. Seloria made a comment about abandoning him to the wolves, reminding him of their surroundings and he grimaced. She rolled up on the balls of her feet to give him an affectionate press of her lips against his cheeks before telling him not to get in too much trouble.
His mock frown at her back quickly melted into a smile instead, and she disappeared into the crowd. He did the same.