Vin didn't push, though she wanted to. They weren't there yet; that was all right. Vin never had many problems to speak of; not things that felt unmanageable enough to cry on someone's shoulder, but she was young by Fae standards.
She placed her hands on her hips and moved her legs and feet without much movement to her upper body. Similar to a tap dance but more compact more energized. She struck her heel to the floor, the sound ringing out and, still step dancing, Vin turned to face Milo.
"Did you see? Want me to slow it down?"
Even before he could answer Vin repeated the steps, slower this time so he could have a chance to process them. Toe, heel, toe, heel. Cross the feet, keep balance on the right toe, strike the left heel to the ground and uncross the legs.
Oh. This was bouncy. Milo bit his lip as he watched. He'd probably look ridiculous doing this, calm and collected as he usually was. He swallowed and for a moment, it seemed as though he might've been about to back out. Instead, he raised his own hands to his hips, kept the movements in his mind more by instinct and body than coherent thought, and closed his eyes. He repeated them, not quite as quickly at first, but without missing any.
He opened his eyes. Looked at Vin. Broke out into a grin, and did it again, faster, very light on his feet. Taking well to it with a certain odd giddiness that was attached to discovering something that felt close to home. The dance was absolutely absurd, and for some bizarre reason, he loved it. The music definitely helped, and he tried to time the steps a bit to the beat, getting more ambitious as he went.
He opened his eyes. Looked at Vin. Broke out into a grin, and did it again, faster, very light on his feet. Taking well to it with a certain odd giddiness that was attached to discovering something that felt close to home. The dance was absolutely absurd, and for some bizarre reason, he loved it. The music definitely helped, and he tried to time the steps a bit to the beat, getting more ambitious as he went.
Vinanye nearly squealed in delight at how quickly Milo had picked up the dance. When he grinned at her, she couldn't imagine doing anything other than returning the expression full force. She nodded enthusiastically to show that yes, he had it. He was doing so well.
As Milo got more courageous in his dancing, Vinnie felt too light and happy for him to stop him and teach him the next part of the dance. Instead, she freestyled with him, dancing around and making up random moves. It was fun. Ridiculous, but fun.
Vin found herself laughing. It made it hard to keep her upper body straight, but she didn't care. It was just them, and there was no competition. Milo was right that the dancing was absurd, but that was why it was fun. There was a freeness and beauty to the step dancing.
Milo laughed and danced with Vin, even snagging and twirling her like a ballerina at one point. He was too in the zone to think about further learning the more structured parts of the dance, and went for a while, eventually tiring himself out and flopping down in a boneless, short of breath heap on the ballroom floor. He draped an arm over his eyes, just getting air back into his lungs for a bit, still giggling at times.
He didn't get up after that, but he crossed his arms behind his head to rest on, looking at the pretty ceiling and balconies above. "Sorry, got a little, uh, overexcited." He gave an amused huff. "Thank you, that was... fun. I didn't expect it to feel like this. I need a minute, or ten, but I'll let you teach me the rest eventually."
He licked his lips, wanting something to fill the time until then, and went back to his original intention for bringing Vin here.
"What's the etiquette like where you come from? ...As in, what would you say is polite, or rude, or needs to be done very specifically? Do you think there's certain behavior that'll get Fae students here to respect me and support my campaign more? I'm not sure how I'm doing. I want to meet and speak with them, I just don't want to look like an absolute idiot, or some sort of… useless, impostor Fae. I don't know."
He didn't get up after that, but he crossed his arms behind his head to rest on, looking at the pretty ceiling and balconies above. "Sorry, got a little, uh, overexcited." He gave an amused huff. "Thank you, that was... fun. I didn't expect it to feel like this. I need a minute, or ten, but I'll let you teach me the rest eventually."
He licked his lips, wanting something to fill the time until then, and went back to his original intention for bringing Vin here.
"What's the etiquette like where you come from? ...As in, what would you say is polite, or rude, or needs to be done very specifically? Do you think there's certain behavior that'll get Fae students here to respect me and support my campaign more? I'm not sure how I'm doing. I want to meet and speak with them, I just don't want to look like an absolute idiot, or some sort of… useless, impostor Fae. I don't know."
Vinanye was all too happy to shift away from learning and instead have fun with the dancing. She hadn't expected him to twirl her, but she was graceful enough not to let it show in her movement when she spun. Vinnie didn't bother hiding her giggling when she flopped on the floor and arms length from him. She breathed hard from the mix of laughter and exertion.
Vin's eyes shifted to Milo briefly when he asked her about the etiquette of the Fae. It felt strange for Vinnie that he took her word with such high esteem; she had never had someone do that. His question was a hard one; the Fae were diverse and from what Vinnie had witnessed here thus far, the Fae of Underhill and the Fae of this land were different. Not completely, but enough to change things.
"Where I am from is more brutal. You are very direct for where I come from." She paused, then added, "I like it that you mean what you say. The biggest thing was honor. Never bring the Faes honor into question or you have made a lifetime enemy, and always repay the debts you have; that also means the debts where you have sworn to hurt someone for something."
She looked at him then, smile slight. "You are a changeling, Milo, born with humans. You will not seem like an imposter. You will seem like a changeling. I think you are doing fine and I like your way of doing things more than the Fae way."
Milo took in what she told him, hanging on every word like they were pieces of gold. He looked as though if he had a notebook with him, he'd be writing things down. Then, at what should've been a compliment, his previously enthusiastic expression fell completely. He knew Vin had positive intentions, and he could feel that comforting aura at the edges of his own, but he still couldn't help the wave of sorrow that washed over him.
So much for not bringing down the mood with squishy and vulnerable. Milo scrubbed at his face, slight irritability trying to distract from the distress, though not working quite as well as it usually did. "Changeling… being a changeling leaves you with nothing. No culture, no true family, no species. It's the last thing I'd like to be, but it isn't like I can do much about that, it seems. I was born with humans, but just that, it wasn't as though I was one of them, nor some kind of celebrated mix of heritages. They knew I wasn't supposed to be there. Now Fae will know I'm not supposed to be with them, either."
He pressed a hand to his temple, eyes a bit bleary. "What do I do? It's lonely. I don't want to be different and special. I want to be Fae. I don't want to be an extra novelty, the outsider with unique views that get pity praise, any of that. I just want to… try to be a real person. Fuck. Sorry…"
So much for not bringing down the mood with squishy and vulnerable. Milo scrubbed at his face, slight irritability trying to distract from the distress, though not working quite as well as it usually did. "Changeling… being a changeling leaves you with nothing. No culture, no true family, no species. It's the last thing I'd like to be, but it isn't like I can do much about that, it seems. I was born with humans, but just that, it wasn't as though I was one of them, nor some kind of celebrated mix of heritages. They knew I wasn't supposed to be there. Now Fae will know I'm not supposed to be with them, either."
He pressed a hand to his temple, eyes a bit bleary. "What do I do? It's lonely. I don't want to be different and special. I want to be Fae. I don't want to be an extra novelty, the outsider with unique views that get pity praise, any of that. I just want to… try to be a real person. Fuck. Sorry…"
Vinnie frowned as she watched him. She'd made a blunder; she'd hurt his feelings. Vin wanted to tell him that none of that was true, that his culture was whatever he'd been born to, but she wouldn't diminish his feelings that way. How unfair this all was.
"Do not be sorry," she told him, voice quiet with thought. Vinanye could have given him one hundred and one assurances, but she didn't think any of them would have been reassuring in the least. Instead, she said, "most of the Fae do not like giving secrets away because secrets are power. They favor beauty; it is what kept me safe, says my Mother."
"Truth is, Milo, the Fae are ambitious, but that comes with a ruthlessness. Many of the older Fae follow whims and take what they want. In Underhill, power is everything because it is safety."
Vin's voice had softened, and her eyes were a little distant. When she came back to the present, her smile was thinner, sadder. "You are Fae, Milo, and I will teach you my culture. Just do not believe you have to act like all of them. I was not just being kind when I said I like your way of doing things more. Less people are hurt."