Merrion/Ari/Drake/Open
"Maybe," Ari mused, "but in that case, he was grievously unfair to us both." She graced Merri with another smile. "Well, it's been rectified now." Kissing terms and now dancing terms - they would, she thought, likely be friends, once she had interrogated Drake about why he had kept them from meeting previously, and whether it had anything to do with his misguided notion that she'd somehow break or otherwise damage the man.
Drake was clearly worried over nothing.
As the song came to an end, she spun out of his arms and swept into a curtsy. "A successful venture, especially if you have not danced previously," she told him. She tucked her arm into his and added, "Shall we?" The next dance was a rather lively polka, and she did not think a novice could handle its complex steps.