The woman's dancing finally came to a delicate halt much too soon for Pavak and a great many of the other spectators, her chest rising and falling heavily with exertion as an exultant sort of energy hovered in her eyes and expression. As the crowd began to break up and drift away with the last echoes of the drumbeat her eyes slid over the stragglers, pausing on him before she stirred and drifted in his direction. She was close, but it seemed obvious she was planning to pass him by, and so Pavak stepped slightly to the side, bringing his body into her path and nodding his head in greeting.
"Hail, dancer." He lifted his gaze and was snared by her dark eyes, large and liquid black in the dim firelight. "I came outside the gates this evening, because my friends told me that there was wondrous dancing to be found here. But I am afraid the scoundrels lied to me." Frowning he broke off with a dramatic sigh, before his face melted into a playful smile and his eyes crinkled with teasing humor at her. "For that was more than wondrous. It was truly breathtaking. It is refreshing to see an artist who performs for themselves first, and the audience second."
He shifted slightly, allowing more of the dispersing crowd to slip past him. The thick humid air of a summer evening pressed upon him oppressively, like a large hand, and he pulled in a lungful of air that was heavy with moisture and heat. "But how rude of me. My name is Pavak, and I am a bit of an...acrobat myself. I would be fascinated to hear more about your dancing, if you would be willing to talk with me." He glanced around, trying to see if there were any food or drink vendors still operating at this later hour. "I was about to find some refreshment myself, it is so warm this evening. Could I perhaps treat you to something as well, in exchange for humoring me with a bit of 'shop talk' as they say?"
He smiled brilliantly at her and clasped his hands behind his back, tilting his head to one side as he waited for her reply. Perhaps she would take him up on his offer...perhaps she would turn him down. In which case, he had noticed at least one dandified noble's brat cruising this small market, jewels winking their desire to be parted from their master at him. The night would not be a total bust, either way.