Event Private Finished A Dance to Bond All Souls

Three Stripes had given Lily another of her rare, at least rare when she wasn't dancing, smiles and then moved to leave with Two Stripes. The older one would have offered to take her hand but Three Stripes was very clearly using both of her hands to protectively clutch her little box of treats. Two Stripes nodded and said it was very nice to meet Lily as well before nodding at the Paws and guiding the little girl out of the ballroom.

"But we Paws are never alone," Left Paw said with a small smile. Jokes were fairly hard for them to fully understand and make but they had been trying to learn lately. They both stood up though as Lily approached the table again. Now that the Stripes were gone both bodies were mostly focused on Lily, with the occasional glance around to keep an eye on their surroundings.

As Lily began giving them multiple opportunities and excuses to allow them to leave without disappointing her Right Paw took a step forward. "It is ok. We really would like to stay here with you if you'll continue to have us. If you need to go off to accomplish your duties we understand, but we are prepared to stay to the end of the Ball," Right paw answered earnestly as they reached out, attempting to take Lily's hand in theirs. As both a comforting gesture and a way of letting her know they didn't plan to leave yet.

Left Paw also approached but just rested a hand on Right Paw's shoulder. "We would like to dance with you some more, though you may choose which of our bodies you dance with. Two Stripes should return within minutes so the other body can just remain nearby until she returns to dance with them," Left Paw reassured as they fixed part of the shoulder of Right Paw's dress that had rolled up a little bit along the edge and wasn't sitting exactly as it was supposed to. Just a minor little thing, like a person brushing a little bit of hair out of their own face as they talked.

Right Paw didn't let go of Lily's hands as they continued talking and she smiled as Lily gave their hand a squeeze. Honestly, staying late to keep Lily company meant they would be there at the Ball much longer than they had originally planned but that was ok. It would be worth it as far as they could tell.

Right Paw nodded as Lily made her decision and then smiled. "Then this time we will have this body be your dance partner. We do not mind which one you choose. Either way we will still be enjoying a dance with you, the beautiful Lily," she stated with the happy but small smile. Which was also present on Left Paw's face as they two were smiling at Lily. There was still plenty of time left in the night but they had found their dance partner for sure.

Right Paw still had Lily's hands clasped in her own so she released one but kept the other held softly in hers as she began carefully leading Lily back through the crowd to the dance floor. "Do not worry, Left Paw will just remain within the safe range while we dance. It may look unusual to others but it does not bother us," Right Paw explained as they slipped around and through the other groups of people. Not moving at a very quick pace though, as they were not in a hurry and didn't want to pull Lily- just hold her hand and guide her gently. Left Paw remained at a distance of about 10' from Right Paw as the group moved.

While Right Paw was almost entirely focused on Lily and getting the two of them through the crowd, Left Paw was actively scanning the crowd for dangers- of which they found no immediate issues. They did notice a few spots where Right Paw and Lily didn't see a person about to get in their way but with the secondary perspective Right Paw was able to prevent an issue.

If it had been anyone else they probably would have been giggling a bit as Right Paw led Lily into an open area on the dance floor. But alas that wasn't really how the Paws acted- even if they were indeed feeling the same sorts of giddy excitement anyone else would. Both of their bodies were clearly smiling though.

The spot they had found was perfect. The girls could dance easily enough in the open space and Left Paw was able to stand there within range of Right Paw. He did shift here and there to both remain close and stay out of the way of other dancers. In many ways it looked a lot like Left Paw was some sort of bodyguard for the two dancing woman. Actually it wasn't all that far from reality. Without a dance partner the male body was simply remaining vigilant to keep the Paws safe, and now Lily too because they felt like she should be protected as well.

Right Paw quirked her head at the confession from Lily. Had they really been that important in her enjoyment of the dancing so far? They might have tried to argue that they had not done anything that special in the dance but they weren't so sure. It had been feeling so wonderful to dance with, speak to and even just be near Lily. It was entirely possible she was feeling something similar.

"We are very glad as well. We approached you not knowing if you would even agree to dance with us, and look at us now. It was clearly one of the best decisions we made tonight," Right Paw softly replied as they began their dance. Her hands had been placed in the same fashion as Left Paw's had been, proper dancing position, though they did draw Lily in a little closer just like they had when she and Left Paw were dancing.

Just as before they were very careful to take things slowly and ease the both of them into the dance. Being sure Lily was comfortable with the steps before doing anything more complicated. "It is very amusing that you mention we are interesting because that is exactly what we think about you too," she admitted as her eyes caught Lily's and held there for a bit as they took their slow and quick steps to follow along with the dance. "We think you are a beautiful, interesting woman who we enjoy being around. While dancing or otherwise" It was probably a little more blunt than it should have been but they were being completely honest.

Of course they were fascinated with Lily's abilities, they were interested in learning about all kinds of abilities. But with Lily they would have been interested in her even without her abilities, just from the way she had been talking with them. From the way she treated people and managed her multiple responsibilities. A personal life, schoolwork, being President of the Student Council, her responsibilities as a psychopomp, and likely other things they were not even aware of were all a part of her life and that was impressive. And of course that little feeling they had when they held her hands or drew close to her.

Right Paw continued leading them through the steps, very glad for their own excellent ability to multitask. It let them pay plenty of attention to Lily while still maintaining the dance. "We are glad to hear that. Not everyone is as comfortable dealing with a person who has two bodies. We are quite used to it but it is nice when it isn't making people uncomfortable," Right Paw sighed as they continued gliding.

As they spoke there was a bit of a change as Two Stripes had apparently returned and joined them on the dance floor. She gladly approached Left Paw and they began to dance too. This meant that Right Paw could lead Lily and herself in more sweeping movements as the other pair kept up and stayed near rather than Left Paw just standing nearby. The best part was, with both the Paws leading, the two pairs had almost no chance of colliding and they could complement the moves of the other pair.

As they began dancing in harmony, and yet still at a small distance between the two pairs, the Paws thought about what Lily was asking. They had made friends, even fairly close friends with some of their regalia in fact. But that didn't seem to be what she was referring to.

"We have a small number of friends but if we understand correctly what you are asking, no we do not have a significant other," Right Paw began to explain. They hadn't really pursued a romantic relationship since they had left where they came from. That was probably around four years ago at that point. The memory of that loss was powerful enough to make them close their eyes for a moment and Right Paw's small smile faltered a bit before it was restored.

"We are fairly flexible when it comes to the gender of our romantic partners so it mostly just comes down to finding a person who we are interested in and enjoy being around," she finished quietly. The description fit pretty well with how they felt about Lily, but they didn't know whether she was interested in them in that way.

"What about you Lily? Do you have a romantic partner?" She hadn't appeared to have been at the Ball with anyone, or they probably would have cut in by now. Though there were plenty of reasons why they might not be present so it was best to confirm it.

The Paws didn't often express their emotions in big ways. A decent number of people had taken that to mean they didn't actually feel emotions like humans did. But they were wrong, and Lily had been absolutely right in thinking that they had remembered something sad. Or rather emotional in general, because it was more than just sadness that was wrapped up in that particular memory. The gentle smile and light squeeze of the hand was far more welcome to them than they were capable of expressing in the moment and they were so glad it was Lily there with them.

"You didn't," Right Paw reassured quietly as they kept their eye contact, "upset us. Not really. We have some unpleasant memories but we have moved past them for the most part. And you were quite comforting when you realized how we were feeling for that moment."

The Paws didn't exactly pick up on Lily's shyness or that she might have been second, and third, guessing whether she had been reading their reactions and intent properly. In their mind they knew how they felt about her. They'd decided to stay at the Ball far longer than they normally would just to be with her more.

And she wasn't seeing anyone. They could almost see the glimmer of a thought pass through Lily's eyes as she caught Right Paw's gaze again, glanced at Left Paw and returned to Right Paw. Like she was considering something. "We would very much enjoy spending time with you again after this night Lily," happily responded Right Paw, almost instantly in fact, as she pulled Lily in just a fraction closer even though they were still in the middle of their dance.

There had been no hesitation at all because they absolutely wanted to go with her to the movies or really anything else. "A movie would be enjoyable. Actually, if you'd like we could take you to the space station for a day as well? The theater there is excellent too. Unless there is something else you would prefer doing." They didn't know what kinds of things Lily liked to do, and they had not ever been on a date. If that's what this was. It might have just been Lily being friendly, though they seriously doubted that line of thinking. She'd asked if they had a partner and then when it was clear they were both without romantic partners she'd asked to spend more time with them.