Event Private Finished A Dance to Bond All Souls

They were puzzled at first how to respond to Lily being unsure about why things had been going well despite the responsibilities of the council. "It is possible that having assembled the proper team is allowing things to run smoothly. Delegation of tasks is an efficient way to handle things. It is also possible that you are just very capable."

The Paws had considered the idea of someone scanning their soul after she had mentioned it. Could it have revealed something about them they did not know or something they didn't wish to share? Possibly. But it was not any more invasive than the various emotional evaluations and other active or passive scans constantly used by various others as part of their abilities. "Seeing people's souls sounds fascinating. It makes sense that you would want to view them. Even aside from your responsibilities as a psychopomp."

As they continued the dance Left Paw pulled Lily in just a little bit closer without even realizing they were doing it. They were considering much the same thing as she was, though they didn't know what a psychopomp's soul looked like. It was a curious thing to try to picture without any real knowledge on the subject. They could hypothesize that their soul had to be in some way linked or mirrored or spread between their two bodies somehow as they moved in slow circles.

But what a soul actually looked like was beyond them so focusing on what they did see was better. Fortunately they had recently had their vision returned to normal so they could clearly see Lily despite the lack of glasses. "We are very glad you agreed to dance with us tonight Lily. We are enjoying it very much. And if your smile is an indication, it appears you may be as well."



Two Stripes nodded politely back at Miss Elaine. Her formal manners weren't the most well refined but she could do pretty well when she wanted. She smiled and played along, looking up at the ceiling despite the fact that there was nothing really to be seen.

The read haired woman glanced over towards where Miss Elaine was gesturing and nodded again. "Yes I was dancing with them and yes I'm planning to bond with them." She was actually really happy with how the night was turning out. Her partner was in the process of being honest about what they were and also there was plenty of dancing to be had.

"And how about you?" She asked asked with a nod at Lily. "Is she measuring up to your standards?"

Right Paw and Three Stripes were glancing over to see where Two Paws had gone but then seemed to focus back on their dancing. The little girl was of course trying to teach Right Paw a few new moves and it was slow going. Especially she had to lead to teach them but Right paw needed to keep within range of Left Paw.

They had been dancing for quite some time together, swirling together along with the rise and fall of the music. They had lost track of how long but it really didn't matter. The Paws could never be fully relaxed in a public setting like this, with any number of unknown threats possible, but what they were experiencing though Left Paw was about as close as they could get. Lily had been an excellent choice.

At the faint contact between them Left Paw glanced down and they felt a little embarrassed. They hadn't made the conscious choice to bring Lily in closer, it had just seemed to happen. For a moment they realized that could have been a huge lapse in judgement if Lily had found it uncomfortable and they quickly looked back at her face to see. But she didn't react negatively. And it didn't feel uncomfortable to them either. So they continued with the waltz and smiled a little when she squeezed their hand.

"That is excellent to hear. If something we do makes this any less enjoyable, please tell us and we will adjust immediately." They were not interested in doing anything to make her uncomfortable if they could help it. "Dancing with you has been the highlight of our night here so far," they stated earnestly as they attempted to lead Lily in a very minor dip as the slower song wrapped up. They were very much capable of supporting her properly but if she hesitated to do the dip they planned to cancel it.

There was a brief pause between songs as the slower one ended and one with a quicker tempo was beginning. During that pause Right Paw dipped Three Stripes as best they could and the little girl happily looked over at the other two. She was smiling and she really only did that openly when she was dancing. A peculiar thing that the Paws had noticed when they were receiving extra dance lessons from her recently. It seemed like the whole lot of them were enjoying the dancing.


Two Stripes reached up to adjust her wolf mask as it had shifted slightly during the dancing. She looked over at the woman as she took in what was being said. Too unconventional. Personally she thought the woman in pink was wearing her slightly unusual outfit well and she hadn't noticed anything unconventional about her. Unless the woman meant dancing with other women, as she had been before the Right Paw and Left Paw approached. Which, to be perfectly honest was very normal for Two Stripes.

She wasn't there to argue though and it wasn't her place to tell the woman what was or wasn't appropriate as long as she didn't start causing a scene about it. Instead she chuckled a little and replied casually, "I don't know about the gods weighing in on any punishment but they do look like they are enjoying their dance together. The Paws are actually very reliable dance partners so she picked well." Two Stripes wouldn't lie to the woman about the situation but that didn't mean she had to tell her everything.

She wasn't uncomfortable with them. That was a huge relief. They moved into the dip and carefully held her so there was no chance of her falling. For a moment things almost seemed to pause as they stood there looking down at the woman in their arms, and she was happily smiling up at them. She was beautiful. And not just that, she was interesting.

The original plan had been to dance with multiple people at the ball, with one or both of their bodies dancing at a time and involving the Stripes in the fun as well. However they were finding that they felt no desire to stop dancing with Lily. They wanted to stay with her for longer, as long as she would permit them actually. "Then we will keep dancing as we have been," they said as they gently and carefully helped Lily back up from the dip. Still comfortably held in their arms. "This next song sounds like it will be of a quicker pace though. Would you like a short break for something to eat or drink? We would be glad to continue dancing either way."


Two Stripes was a little uncomfortable being dishonest. She didn't like concealing the truth but she also knew that it was not her place to reveal some things without a person's consent. "Three Stripes? Oh, we are bonding with the same person. We both really enjoy going dancing so this was a great opportunity for us." She glanced over at the refreshments table and then back at the dancers before turning back to Miss Elaine. "I was going to get myself something to drink. Can I get something for you while I'm over there?"

The Paws had neither eaten anything nor had anything to drink since arriving at the Ball so the idea of a short break was welcome to them as well. They did feel hunger and thirst for two bodies simultaneously after all, and that wasn't even counting the increased amount they required over the amount for a normal human. "We can try the food together then. We have not tried any of the refreshments here yet but they appeared to be quite popular earlier," they replied with again that same small but noticeable smile. Unfortunately they had to release their dancing embrace to head over to the food table but they would be able to resume dancing after the break.

Left Paw's gaze followed Lily's hand as she pointed out where the tables were situated. Indeed it seemed like the area had calmed down enough from the crowd earlier that it shouldn't be too hard to get what they wanted. He followed Lily's lead through the crowd without any hesitation. She had trusted them to lead her safely and comfortably through the dance so letting her lead them through a crowd to food was reasonable.

Once at the refreshments table it was clear that an awful lot of effort had been taken to keep things easy to pick up and eat. Everything was found in small but well-presented servings meant to emphasize a high quality taste. They looked over the table and then glanced back at Lily. "There are quite a few different things to try here. Would you like us to select an assortment for us both to try? We do not know your dietary preferences though."

Right Paw shared the same small, happy smile that Left Paw had on their face as she finished the dance with Three Stripes and moved quietly to follow the others as they left to go to the food tables. After she told the girl they planned to go sit and take a break for a short bit they agreed that Three Striped would go let Two Stripes know she was invited to the table. The little girl had returned to her serious expression beneath the mask but really she was having fun as she slipped over towards Two Stripes and Miss Elaine.


"Very well, if you change your mind just let me know," Two Stripes nodded and then followed Miss Elaine's gaze towards Left Paw and the woman in pink. She recognized that type of look. it was the look of someone trying to evaluate a person. The regalia was testing the young woman to see if she measured up to the standards the regalia sought after.

She was about to say something else when Three Stripes strode up and put her hand in Two Stripes'. "Enjoying your night so far Three Stripes?" She asked the little girl, knowing full well she had been having a good time. Her big smile while dancing had been a dead giveaway.

Left paw nodded as she explained that there weren't any food types that they needed to actively avoid selecting for them to try. That make things fairly simple- they could just pick a random assortment of things that looked tasty or interesting. Though they did know of several alien dishes that would have been good choices for the event.

"That sounds like a reasonable plan. Punch should be fine for us and we will follow you to the table after selecting the food," he smiled at Lily and then began setting about filling a small plate with various puffed pastries and other assorted small delicacies. Among the selections were also a few skewers of olives and a couple more with meats and cheeses. All in all Left Paw was careful to select a wide range of options so they had the highest likelihood of picking something Lily would enjoy. Hopefully she would like most of them though.

As Left Paw was making the plate of food Right Paw also began pouring a drink for herself before setting about making a plate of food too. There was a sense of deliberate intent as she picked the choices that Left Paw had not.

The table Lily had cleared off a little was one of the large banquet style tables that seated somewhere around five or six people when full but it was empty at that moment. Left Paw brought the food over in his hands and placed it on the table, of course choosing to sit right next to Lily. Right Paw followed not far behind and sat on the other side of Left Paw with her own plate. There was just a moment of indecision though as they weighed the benefits of sitting on the other side of Lily instead but ultimately decided that was not the appropriate choice for now.

"We hope you enjoy some of these. We chose a fairly wide selection just in case," said Left Paw as he smiled at Lily. Right Paw was looking around at the rest of the room while Left Paw was focused almost entirely on Lily.



Three Stripes had the most serious face a child could have, though most of it was hidden by her wolf mask. She looked up at Two Stripes and nodded though. "Yes, it's fun even though a lot of people aren't as good at dancing as I thought they would be. The Paws are doing well though, even with us switching in and out." After that she turned to look up at Miss Elaine and gave a small, polite wave and greeting.

Two Stripes smiley warmly at the girl. "Well I was going to get a drink but if they are going to sit for a little bit maybe we should join them at the table?" She was asking both of the other regalia but she wasn't entirely sure whether Miss Elaine would want to join them or just watch.