Dancing with the Enemy

Miko answered this time, "Drider silk, quite rare. It's magically conductive, like most formal dancewear at state events."

Isaac squinted suspiciously. His ward was quite impenetrable, so this would offer the Milonese no advantage against him. "Why does my clothing need to be magically conductive, exactly?"

"We will let our mistress explain that, she awaits you in the ballroom for your first lesson in our protocols, oh and one more thing..."

Isaac saw Miko briefly motion with his hands, and gasped as the toga suddenly contracted around his waist and shoulders, hugging him tightly. Miko simply smirked and added "It's for your comfort and... modesty".

Isaac shrugged, a motion made uneven and awkward by the toga's grip, and entered his personal ballroom.

* * *

The ballroom had changed remarkably. The floor had taken on a tiled appearance, a checkerboard pattern, like an oversized chessboard. Tessa stood at the edge, leaning out of one of the small windows talking to someone outside, Isaac couldn't help but notice her change of costume, a thick luxurious looking dress of patterned furs draped around her back and flowed off her hips like syrup. As the doors clicked shut behind him, she rose and turned to face him, her face suddenly a picture of warmth. "My Darling guest, I have looked forward to this they first told us the accomplished diplomat Isaac was to attend on us. The band is ready outside, I understand you have danced before?"

"It's not what I'm known for, but I can hold my own. I'm guessing from the effort you go to here..." Isaac gestured at the elaborate hall, "that you take it particularly seriously in Milon?"

Tessa smiled broadly, "Very much so Isaac! You are quite observant I see" Her voice seemed to drip with a patronising hostility, "In Milon we place much importance upon one's performance in this... arena. Where once the families were decimated by plots and schemes for power, now the houses express their political power, and their struggles for it, in a less violent way. We have elevated ourselves above the typical squabbles you would have known in Hellite and the other cities."

Isaac laughed abrasively, making sure to match Tessa's tone for now, "Such an enlightened people, it is a shame that civility appears to be reflected in your military's competence."

Tessa scowled, motioning briefly for the band to begin as she walked to the center of the floor, "Our military serves its purpose, it was only three months ago that we sat outside your precious Hellite's walls."

"And yet here we are today" Isaac countered, as he advanced to meet Tessa, "Our armies a day's travel away, your own scattered to the wind."

Tessa looked... surprisingly calm at this provocation. She raised a hand, palm flat, inviting Isaac to meet it. "Military power is not all that matters, culture matters, and, I'm sure you'd agree, Diplomatic power."

Isaac took her open palm, and placed his other hand at her waist, "I accept your compliment on my own talents, gracious host. So if you're here to teach me, show me what is so different about your culture that excuses the defeat you have suffered."

Tessa stepped closer, pressing herself against him, the soft furs tickling Isaac's exposed chest and neck. "Gladly."

The band had begun to play outside, the sound drifting in through the single open window, but reverberating crisply from the mirrored walls. Tessa began to sway and Isaac matched her as she explained, "The basic steps will be familiar to you, the building blocks are always the same... spearmen, archers, mages, cavalry, contact, clothing, rhythm, strength, decisions. What matters is how you use them to take your opponent, where you want them to go"

With that, Tessa stepped forward, Isaac deftly matched her step. "Do the women always lead in Milon?" Isaac teased as the main melody began to play, surging forwards on a strong beat. Tessa retreated laughing softly, "You learn fast. No, the leader is whoever emerges as the leader. It is... a collaboration, a conversation" Isaac realised Tessa had begun stepping around him, not moving him anywhere, just circling as she explained, "Just like a battle, there is a natural rhythm to everything. Your opponent follows it, as you must as well. Interrupt the rhythm, and all that results is chaos. Follow the beat, then move"

Isaac waited, listening to the beat of a bass drum outside, as he watched his host moving in tight circles, still pressing gently against him. When the music swelled for a moment, he struck, stepping forwards forcefully, and striding towards one of the mirrored walls, admiring the impression his hand left in the deep furs at the small of Tessa's back, her heels striking the floor sharply.

He reached the edge of the floor and stopped, returning to the steady sway in time with the beat, "So the strongest person leads, since they can decide where you go?"

Tessa laughed abrasively, "Such a typical man! Do you also think the strongest painter makes the most beautiful works?", swaying on the spot with him, allowing him to answer.

He took the chance to take the lead once more, stepping across her front, turning her to face their reflection, "Not at all, though it seems strength has served Hellite well of late."

Tessa ducked beneath his hold, grabbing his waist from behind, gently persuading him to step with her as they started to cross the room, "Strength eventually fades, but charm..." she ducked around him, appearing once more looking down to meet his eyes, her pristine face curving effortlessly into a knowing smile, "...a charming lover can stay with you forever"

Isaac tilted his head, not quite following the metaphor, as Tessa took advantage of his confusion to lead him once more onto the back foot, sweeping him towards the far wall again. The beat wasn't quite regular, occasionally seeming to skip or double up, making it hard to find a good place to interrupt the movement. He settled for interrupting Tessa's argument, "And you believe Hellite and Milon might be... lovers?"

She laughed, "Oh, don't be so literal darling! No, lovers implies an equity... an equinamity that simply can't exist between us."

Feeling a pause in Tessa's step, he swung his frame, their rigid embrace throwing Tessa out to his side, though she turned effortlessly to follow. He nodded, impressed, "I'm surprised to hear you make such a concession so early, do you think your King would admit it so readily?"

She laughed, allowing him to lead, though subtly redirecting them in a wide circle, "The king does as he's told. What matters to you here is what the head of each house thinks of your... requests"

He gave a demure nod, not wanting to be openly hostile, not yet anyway, "And, what do the head of the houses think of our terms?"

She spun him around, still holding one hand at his waist as he spiralled into her surprisingly strong frame, finding his face buried in the crook of her neck as she whispered, "They think you a fool"

Isaac cursed under his breath, making a show of stepping back outside of the rhythm, only for Tessa to throw him outwards, still holding his hand as he found himself spinning outwards like an uncoiling spring until he reached the extend of his reach, and broke free, catching himself a few paces away. "Lady Tessa, you may call me a knave if you wish, but your precious houses are filled to the rafters with fools if they think they can reject our offer outright."

He paused, resolutely holding his position in the centre of the room, as Tessa calmly pirhouetted around him. "Oh I agree." she laughed, "That's why I fought so hard for the right to train you."

Isaac relaxed his shoulders, "So you see sense?"

Tessa delicately closed the distance, one hand outstretched, palm opened towards him, "Always, my dear. Allow me to teach you, and we will have these vain nobles eating from your palm."

Isaac nodded, and took her offered hand.

***

"Enough, I need to rest a moment" Isaac said, as he headed for the door back to his room, "We've danced until sunset and yet you've told me nothing that would assure the success of the negotiations."

Isaac didn't want to sound ungrateful, but it was frustrating jumping, and dancing, through so many intricate hoops without knowing exactly what the strategy was to be. The intensity of the dancing, and the mental focus required, had been draining alone, even without the endless spinning Tessa seemed to enjoy putting him through.

He shook his head in disbelief as he saw his reflection in the mirror again, the strange outfit clinging to his form still, making him look like he wore some foreign night-wear. Hardly the attire of a Hellite noble.

Tessa swept into the room behind him, clicking her fingers, "Miko, Yuna, refreshments please!" as the pair of servants appeared seemingly from nowhere, bearing a large jug and a plate of fruit between them.

He sat, or more accurately, collapsed on the cushioned chair nearest the open window, hearing the bustle of the band taking the chance to rest as well, as Tessa came to stand beside him. "But you were doing so well! Why, you could almost pass for a resident Milonese!"

"Really?" he asked, sounding pointedly unconvinced.

Tessa set a firm hand on his shoulder, "Ok, perhaps not a Milonese man of noble birth, but you would make a competent entertainer, and for our purposes, that is enough."

Yuna offered him a glass filled to the brim with water and ice, which Tessa took from her and set in Isaac's tired hand. "Please, do take a moment to drink. You will need your strength again soon."

"When does the formal reception start?" he asked, taking a sip of the refreshing drink.

"Oh, it has already started."

Isaac made to stand up, only to find Yuna and Miko both easing him back down as Tessa laughed. "Relax! There's no rush, these things go on for hours, and as the conquering hero, it's only proper that you keep them waiting."

"Hmph, and this won't be seen as disrespectful?" he asked, shrugging off Yuna and Miko's hands at his shoulders.

"Only the proper amount." Tessa laughed, "besides, we still need a few more minutes to prepare.

"I feel like I understand the etiquette of your dances well enough, even if they seem devoid of purpose." Isaac grunted, dismissively, as he finished his drink.

"The purpose is simple, to see who comes out on top... a display of skill, though you do come to us with an obvious advantage. An army at your back."

"Is that not enough of an advantage to skip the dancing?" He asked, taking a bite of a strange green fruit.

"Perhaps," Tessa mused, "but to come here alone and engage in our customs shows respect for your adversary. It also gives us... certain opportunities." she purred, stroking his chin as he hungrily devoured the delicious fruit.

"Such as?" he mumbled, wiping his mouth with a napkin Miko offered him.

"Such as, bringing the heads of all the houses together for the first time in many years, all of whom will wish to dance with you, all of whom will wish to discuss their role as Hellite's ally."

"We have no interest in your internal politics."

"I had assumed as much, given you made no effort to request an audience with any of us in private, a rather naïve oversight if I say so myself."

Isaac pre-emptively swatted Miko and Yuna's hands away as he stood up, trying to look imposing. Even standing, he had to crane his neck to meet Tessa's gaze, and the slim outfit picked out for him left him looking considerably smaller than his counterpart. He tried to sound stern, "You mistake my deliberate indifference as ignorance. If you're hoping to curry favour for your house by teaching me these customs, it will not work."

He softened his tone, "I am grateful for your... warm welcome, and hospitality, but I will not be swayed to show favour."

Tessa's face hardened for a moment, before resuming the same calm smile. Isaac was pretty sure he had hit a nerve, or at least guessed her intentions correctly. At least Tessa was not easily offended as she laughed, "Well, perhaps I should sway you in another way." She let the innuendo hang in the air for just a moment longer, before withdrawing it, "We should finish your lesson, you don't sway your hips nearly enough! Please, come, just a few more minutes."

She clicked her fingers at Yuna and Miko, who rushed to the grand double doors, holding them open for the pair, now arm in arm, Tessa leading Isaac briskly through to the dance floor again.

Another click of her fingers, and the band outside started up, a slower, more sonorous melody that took a while to pick up.

One hand on his waist, and one hand on his shoulder, Tessa began to move again, a gentle sway at first, side to side. "Much as before, wait for your moment, then make a move... except now, convince me."

Isaac was getting the hang of this, stepping off confidently, one hand in the small of Tessa's back, one arm at her shoulder, "Convince you of what?"

As they reached the far wall, and its vast mirror, she once more slipped around him and set their direction, walking parallel to the wall length mirror, giving Isaac and chance to properly appreciate how good they looked, lock in step like this. "Convince me, as you will do for others tonight, that Milon should join Hellite."

"Ah, of course", Isaac was caught off guard, he had expected to be given a platform, or a seat, from which to deliver the terms for Milonese surrender. As he tried to recall his planned phrase, Tessa swept in close, pulling him tight against her chest as she took the lead once more, taking advantage of his distraction to spin him to face the wall length mirror as she danced him around a small square pattern.

"War is nothing new to our two cities. Even before the war of the Rift, our cities lost many good soldiers to petty squabbles. I stand before you..."

Tessa cut him off, dipping him down towards the floor, her strong grip around his waist saving him from falling, though not saving him from the distraction. He shot her an angry look, "Do you want to hear our terms or not?"

Tessa, pulled him back up sharply, throwing him once more against her chest as she continued to lead them in the small pattern, "I'm only doing what my rivals will do to you, if you give them the chance. In fact, I'm going easy on you, why I've been positively demure by comparison!" she chuckled, still leading their movements, a strong step and guiding hand with each strong, slow beat of the music.

"So, if I'm understanding right, you're saying that, even whilst their City stands at risk of an invasion, they would tempt fate by..."

"By tempting you, yes" Tessa said, one hand slipping to his own lower back

"That's not what I was going to say!" Isaac protested, even as Tessa led him back towards the main doors.

"And yet, that is what they will do."

Isaac was getting fed up, digging his heels in and stopping Tessa's advance in it's tracks, now simply shifting his weight, foot to foot, with the music. "If I weren't here on such important business, I would have some unkind words to say about your noble class"

Tessa smiled, "If we had time for that, I might even agree. However!" Tessa snapped her fingers, and Yuna and Miko stepped in, "Your clothes were chosen with your inexperience in mind."

"And here I was assuming you just liked your men in tight tunics" Isaac quipped

Tessa let her hand roam a little lower to squeeze his rear, speaking over his objection, "Oh, I surely do, but no, allow me to show you!" and with that Tessa swept him forwards, towards her, as they circled outwards towards the wide mirrors, "Yuna and Miko are accomplished magicians, and with their help, we shall give you the upper hand, with these difficult negotiations."

"How are you-"

Tessa cut him off "Now, please!" Tessa called out to the two stood by the door, and in an instant the room lit up in colour. Isaac winced and screwed his eyes shut in shock at the dazzling display, as a hundred different colours filled the room. Through his closed eyelids, he saw the light dimming, even as the colours continued to shift.

Tessa allowed him to step away from her a little more, holding him once more at arm's length, "You can open your eyes now, I think they were a little excited to show off, and may have overdone it a little."

Isaac opened his eyes hesitantly, to see a gentle swirling pattern of colour radiating across the room. He looked around as Tessa gently turned them on the spot, when his eyes settled on their reflection.

The light was coming from his clothes.

The surface shone, as if coloured flames were burning through it, deep reds giving way to softer oranges, shifting again to yellows, then greens, and continuing to shift as he stared in amazement.

"Do you like it?" Tessa asked in hushed tones.

Isaac simply nodded, staring.

He followed the flash of some new colour, from his ankle, rolling up the leg, spiralling around his hips, disappearing for a moment behind Tessa's arm, appearing again at his back as Tessa continued to spin him so he could see. The rolling pattern circled around to the front of his chest, finally collapsing around his neck with a brief flare of intensity. Dimly, he noticed that the same pattern had already started with a new colour, already swirling around his calf.

"It's quite special, made for just such an occasion. Pay attention to the sensations for a moment, would you?" she whispered, pulling him close against her once more.

Isaac was too taken aback, or too focused, by the strange lights, to try and fight the uninvited intimacy this time, as he felt the fabric constrict ever so slightly around his ankle as a deep purple coloured wisp of colour began to emerge. He felt his taut muscles relax as the deep rippling sensation rolled up his thighs, around his hips, tightening for a moment at his lower back, and continuing upwards. He followed the light in his reflection, as Tessa held him side-on to the nearby mirrored wall, and gasped as it reached his neck. As the light flared in intensity, the fabric hugged his neck tightly for a second before releasing him.

The sensation was wonderful, and entirely distracting, he noted, somewhere in the back of his mind.

He stood there, being held, as Yuna and Miko circled the room, tweaking the pattern as they observed their work, and as Tessa slowly turned Isaac around in front of her. He found himself being held from behind, Tessa's reflection just about visible behind the colourful display, only her hands on his waist silhouetted against the vivid light.

Isaac tried to speak, but it came out as a half-hearted mumble, "How mmm I go- to... Oh god" he gasped, interrupted by a particularly powerful ripple that rose a little too high up his inner thigh.

Tessa simply laughed, muttering something to the two circling mages, that Isaac couldn't quite focus on.

"You look absolutely beautiful, don't you?"

Isaac nodded.

"You see, everyone will be watching you tonight. Yuna and Miko worked very hard on getting the patterns just right."

"Whyy?" he managed to ask, his vision fixed on another ripple of deep red that was slowly snaking its way up his stomach.

"I only want to help you!" she moaned in his ear, her hands wrapping around to hold his waist more firmly, fingertips digging in to the front of his hips, "You're so unfamiliar with our ways. Any one of the nobles could have their way with you here. But, with my help, the diplomats and generals of Hellite will be... so well looked after."

"No I meant-" he gasped as he saw Yuna contract her grip, feeling the same movement wrap around his neck for a second as the next colour reached it. Catching his breath, Isaac continued, "I meant, why lights? How... why this?"

"Isn't it obvious my Darling?" Tessa whispered in his ear, suddenly grabbing his waist firmly and walking him forwards towards his reflection, still in time to the beat. If he hadn't been fixated on the colours, he would have noticed the small eyeglasses Tessa now wore, reflecting the lights back once more. "Watch the colours as they move, can't you feel them?"