🙇"I apologize for my performance earlier."
That is the first thing Cordelia says when she sees Eldigan again following the disaster (her disaster) at the competition. Her posture is impeccable, as suits a knight and a knight's apology, frustration no longer anywhere to be found on her face; her own negative emotions have no such place in an apology, most especially one so entirely her fault. How foolish she had been to think she might make up for lost practice together by practicing alone; how foolish to attend a ball when she had never had the knack for socializing-- for making friends-- the way others do; how foolish to wear a suit in the colors of a man who had never loved her--
Ah. She unclenches her fist (when had she done that?), silently stretching tense fingers.
"You deserved more from me," she says, her tone still perfectly unweighted; a small small even curves the line of her lips. "I can but hope to make it up to you someday... and that it hasn't colored your opinion of me too dreadfully." A quiet huff, almost a laugh. Almost. "For your part, you were a wonderful partner. I very much enjoyed our time together... debacle aside, of course."
She really was taking the loss so hard. Her mistakes so personally.
The night was still so young when they were awarded defeat. The evening stretched out before them, so much that it was almost more inviting. They were free to spend the rest of their time in other ways. Flitting about the crowd and taking in the sights.
But even in her humility, she was the perfect image of a knight. Poised and even and gallant. There was a reason he asked her to be his partner, and it wasn't out of pity. Even if he knew of the loss, he'd ask her again. Yes, he'd ask her again. Right now.
He could placate each of her many apologies, but he found a much more concise way to do just that.
He offers her his hand, just as he had before. "Ms. Cordelia, would you grace me with another dance?"
