[Day 8 - LA] Getting a Breath

[Elaranu]

"What, like a classical dancer or some such? I am not aware of many other professions where you get paid to dance."

[Daunt]

He laughed at that. "Do you reay think a village boy would consider matters of income or convention? I was just fascinated by a body in motion responding to rhythm and melody, attuning to it, being a medium of wordless communication with another. Guess why I have come to like sex too as an adult... If your question was about a dream job, I never had such dreams. I can make things gainful by violence or threat of it, but money or domination have never been the goal."

[Elaranu]

"I more meant as a profession, but I suppose what you want to spend your time on is just as pertinent. And I do understand somewhat; I too love dancing after all, though I am unsure as to degrees or reasons comparatively. It is the main way I like to escape from the rules of reality, alongside reading and writing."

[Daunt]

"Shall we dance then?" He rose on his elbows into a half-seat, looking at her.

[Elaranu]

Steak finished and all, she gave a look of surprise, "I will not say no... but I do so prefer having music to dance to, if you can wait a moment or three?"

[Daunt]

"Of course not. Dancing to the sea hum might be too monotonous." He chuckled and panthered out of the hammock to wait for her return.

[Elaranu]

Stalking over to her tools and such after hopping off the stump, Ela grabbed her datapad and put on some Cerulean style jizz. Sure it didn't sound the loudest or best out of her pad's tiny speaker, but it would do. Then she unzipped her mechanic's jumper, sliding it off to reveal what looked like workout clothing before folding the overalls up neatly and placing her datapad on top of them.

[Daunt]

Daunt was already quite topless and had just semi-loose pants on himself that had managed to dry up just enough to not drip but still stuck more than fluttered so he didn't join her in shedding clothes. The music got into him immediately, his body was ready for it. He invited her to join him not by words or gestures, but by dance motion alone. One-two-three-left, one-two-three right, full turn, there he emerged right before her, two metres of toned flesh so hard-wired for dynamic movement that it seemed a wonder how he had stayed still for so long. His gaze lit up with dedicated intensity, the chartreuse plasma of his gaze boiling with purposefully channelled energy that reached toward the lustre of her crimson eyes. His frame opened and his hand snaked up to the back of her neck, providing an early lever for their motion to become joined, having swept a bang of her hair off her face on the way.

[Elaranu]

Ela was a natural dancer; Flexible, toned, graceful, and coordinated. And shs had a good sense of rhythm, so she started to naturally move to the beat. She loved music, loved moving, and was stressed, so it all poured out. That didn't change as she was swept into him.

[Daunt]

He noticed that and was really glad for it; still he started with two chasse's and then led her into two in-place turns since what they had was sand rather than a dance floor. He liked their bodies introducing to each other so he didn't rush in with high velocity or. complexity. There needed to be trust built - her in his ability - for her to enjoy bolder, spectacular moves. "You weren't lying about your love of dance."

[Elaranu]

As good as a dancer as she was, Ela was not good at following.... or reading others. Nonverbal cues and leadins he gave were always followed a step behind at the minimum, when she even caught them at first. SHE didn't seem too concerned about it, apart from one incident of stepping on one of his feet and a brief expression of annoyance.

"You as well sir. I can tell you are into it and not just doing it for other reasons."

[Daunt]

There was no annoyance on his part. He wasn't a perfectionist, the experience was communicative less than performative for him even though the motion felt good in itself. Reading her in this regard as one used to dancing alone, he took a bit more leading onto himself to nurture enjoyment in expanding commonality. He lent his strength for her moves to be more smoother over the pause she needed to adjust. "Even if things are similar they don't have to be practised as one. I like distinct, odd and maladjusted, when bridging the difference is not given and takes an effort." He whispered during a double turn, followed by a lift by her waist and another turn to settle her feet back on the sand a pace away.

[Elaranu]

It took some doing giving up any impetus herself; Not only was she used to dancing alone, Ela was the sort who did not give up her way easily. It felt too much like admitting a flaw or defeat. Still there was only so much she could do, and she did not want to ruin the mood by fighting things. So, instead, she tried her best to hold back her instincts and sought a balance instead, easy enough with his own efforts towards a similar dynamic. Even the lift and turn felt more like momentum than anything else with the way that went.

[Daunt]

As they were dancing, Elaranu would find that her partner was learning to accommodate more and more of her dancing impulse, adjusting figures and tempo to her dancing temperament, except for those infrequent instances where she would meet and feel his own primal impetus showing, rendering her seamlessly powerless and subjected to the confident strength of his body before she would be powerful and decisive again. Not having any answer before, he restrained vocal interdiction, but sought her eyes whenever feasible.

[Elaranu]

A Chiss' red eyes were difficult to read, but it was clear she was enjoying herself nevertheless. The strange flow of dancing with a partner was unusual, but not new, and Daunt certainly seemed to know what he was doing. So she fell into a rhythm, letting things ebb and swell with both the beat and her partner's movements.

[Daunt]

As they continued to attune to each other and rely on each other's nimbleness, Daunt tried several more challenging and rewarding lifts, holds and passes. His smile grew by a few notches as he enjoyed both the movement and the contact. He respected the line between sensual and sexual though. "I like dancing with you."

[Elaranu]

Ela was flexible and graceful enough to accommodate even more adventurous moves, though she was no more than slightly athletic when it came to the strength and stamina to hold taut or anything spectacular like that.

"I think you make a fine dancing partner, that is for certain. You cover my weaknesses while complimenting my strengths."

[Daunt]

"That sounded like a compliment even if it wasn't intended as one." He smiled at that and raised bald browlines slightly. "Let me reciprocate: I find both your strengths and weaknesses appealing." Words were uttered in passing, without break to the movement.

[Elaranu]

"It was intended as one, actually. So I am glad it came across as such. I am not the best with such things."

She tilted her head even as they danced, "But you might have to fill out a survey after we are done here to rate my performance. For my records of course."

[Daunt]

"I'm not sure how to quantify the experience. Don't you know how you feel about it? Don't you sense how I do? I guess you can always check the vitals, hormone levels and such." A tilt and a bend into semi-horizontal alignment before springing back together.

[Elaranu]

"I have... hunches. Like you already know though, I like testing things. Making sure of them. Even if I go off our earlier talk about going into things that are new and unknown for me, that does not mean I will not want to make sure of things. You know; With rigorous testing."

[Daunt]

"Things?" A mutual turn with their foreheads as axis. He was careful not to prick her with one of his vestigial horns. "Sounds rather imprecise. Besides, how can you be rigorous without making a claim or posing a question before getting the raw data?"

[Elaranu]

"Oh I have a hypothesis; It is that this dancing is thrilling. But it could be an isolated incident, a first time thrill..."

[Daunt]

"Looks like all you need from me is to know that I am thrilled. I am. If you need a stronger confirmation, I'd have to go beyond the current, self-contained mode of expression."

[Elaranu]

"Or perhaps we could repeat the experiment some time? Give me more info, and I could expand my knowledge and ways to express myself."

The song was wrapping up anyways... then it was done.