title: two dances.
characters: apprentice, asra, julian.
pairings: apprentice / asra, apprentice / julian.
rating: it’s just some sweet fluff ur good.
notes: this is for @larknnightingale for @thearcanasecretsanta! sorry it’s a little late! i tried to make up for it by doing the same sorta scenario for both of your preferred pairs for samaria, though taking place in separate routes. i hope you enjoy it and that your holidays were full of good cheer!
the day is light and airy, the morning sun filtering through the half-open curtains of the shop that hid on an off-the-path road in vesuvia, marked only by the decorated sign and the lantern hanging next to it. this early, the lantern remains unlit, swinging gently in the breeze as laughter fills the room inside.
inside, there is laughter -- bright and sharp and sweet, purer than a mountain spring, as asra spins his apprentice on her toes, his fingertips holding onto her own like a lifeline. her face hurts from grinning, drawn into a smile so easily by the man dancing with her. asra looks almost ethereal, like something only half-there, in the morning light -- particularly in the way it slants into the pale of his hair, the curls that frame his face as he draws her close to him again.
he laughs as well, as singsong as anything she might have heard, and sways with her to music only the two of them can hear, that only the two of them can even begin to imagine.
“ it’s going to be warm today. we should go to the market, get something nice to eat, maybe buy some new cloth -- ” she giggles, allowing her fingers to sprawl over the curve of asra’s cheek as he pauses, her thumb pressed almost idly against the corner of his mouth.
“ you’re in such a good mood. what’s the big deal? ”
“ i can’t just be happy to be home with you? ” asra smiles, softer than his normal grin, and the sly light that holds his features normally returns in the curve of his brows and the set of his smile. “ i’ll not be leaving again for a while. we should celebrate. ”
she eyes him with some disbelief, some measure of scrutiny that made asra laugh and spin her once more. he never schemed in malicious intent, only ever meaning to be mischievous at worse and charming at best. he had perfected the art of walking the line between them like a tightrope, balanced upon his toes like nothing in the world could topple him.
it was one of his best features, she had to agree.
“ come on, i’ll treat you. i’ll buy you anything you want. ”
“ well, almost anything. ”
his smile sets her to laughing again, helpless giggles breaking between her lips until both she and asra are leaning on one another in laughter, barely standing without the support of the other.
another night, another abandoned garden. in the dark, julian seems to flit between fading into the black and standing amongst the shadows, all dark clothes and pale skin and sharp, grinning features. it’s been a long night, another romp through the city with the guards on their heels and the feeling of adrenaline running through them to keep them moving.
there is music filtering from a window high up above them, some mournal waltz that makes samaria wonder if the resident of the home is mourning, but she can’t keep her mind on the idea long enough to truly wonder before julian’s hands have fitted to her waist and are swaying her to the tune. one-two-three, one-two-three, again and again and again.
she contemplates asking him where he learned to dance, and the words are escaping her before she can really stop them.
“ where did you learn how to dance? ”
“ in a far away land, with the help of a princess. ” he says it so matter-of-factly that she almost believes him, until his nose crinkles with the start of a laugh. “ i’m kidding! i’m self-taught. ”
she pinches his side for a moment, interrupting their swaying as he instinctively darts away from her. he’s laughing as he does, his steps only faltering a moment before he turns, his back now facing the gate that hers was.
“ i had you convinced, didn’t you? my steps aren’t really that graceful. it takes a lot of concentration not to step on your feet. ” she isn’t sure what’s better -- his exaggerations or his honesty, pure and to the heart.
“ i think you’re doing just fine. better than a lot of self-taught people i know. ”
“ i’ve been known to be tenacious as the devil in all walks of life. ” he grins, sharp as a knife. “ especially when i want something. ”
his tone sets her cheeks aflame, a low warmth spreading through her as she avoids his gaze for a moment. he spins her once more, turning in a half circle before his arm comes around her waist to drop her into a dip like those ridiculous dancers she saw sometimes. she hangs there for only a moment, though the grin on julian’s face seems to make the feeling last forever, before he is standing her back on her feet and. . .dusting her off to make sure he hasn’t ruined the state of her dress.
in her disarray, she notices the music has stopped. the windows above them have been closed.
“ it’s getting late. we should. . .retire, don’t you think? ”
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