Shall we dance?

Luckily she was able to simply follow along as Nic made his way through the room. Her mind was still pondering her first meeting with Sorin and what if any his intentions were with Fiona. She knew the former madame could hold her own in the political arena, but she worried about her getting hurt on a more personal level. Besides these were not casual players she was dealing with here nor were they the humans that Fiona usually played the games with. She hated to think of someone using her friend for ulterior motives whatever they might be. Okay yeah, so she tended to be a little protective, at least she would admit that.

Her handsome escort did a wonderful job of pulling her mind away from those thoughts and back onto himself however when he pulled her into his arms to dance. She was struck immediately by how confident and easily he moved about the floor. He was a very easy partner to follow and she found herself simply falling into step with him. She smiled up at him winsomely.

"Actually yeah I do. I don't get to very often, but I've always enjoyed it. And you? You're very good yourself."Â?

The rest of the room was lost in a blur as they spun around the floor. She was soon returning his grin and barely registered the fact that she made no attempt to widen the space between them when he pulled her even closer to him. What was much clearer in her mind was how warm his hand felt against her back, but mostly she was simply enjoying the moment and the company she'd discovered.

Her quietness again had him curious. He was now convinced the woman had a lot on her mind besides what he saw. And the vibrations he had felt at the table with her friend Fiona, seemed involved somehow.

But he was smart enough to know that even if Maeve had been inclined to talk to him about what was going on, it wouldn't happen here. Tonight was a time for having fun, and not only was he bound and determined to enjoy himself, but he was just as unfaltering in his desire to see her do the same.

"I love dancing. It's great exercise, fun, and something I can do with someone else. I've had a little training, and was told I'm a good mimic, so with credentials like that, how could I not enjoy it?"

Nic didn't mince words when it came to talking about things he did well. Even more so, when he was talking to someone he wanted to impress. And when that person was someone he was attracted to, he had to be careful he didn't come off conceited. It was a fine line to be walked.

The music segued into a Latin number, and Nic let go of Maeve for a few seconds, as he clapped his hands and stomped his feet, getting himself into the mood of the mambo, or what kids today called the salsa. His hands returned to her hers, with one settling onto her hip. And as he pulsed his hips to the beat, he caught her eyes, and grinned.

The night was becoming even more satisfying that he could have hoped.

"Have you and your friend known each other for a long time?"

He could have asked her more about dancing, but while he loved doing it, he really didn't care much for talking about it. To find out more about her, was much more appealing.

"You don't mind me asking, do you?"

In case she felt uncomfortable talking about that part of her life, he had other subjects he could choose from.

The Mayor twirled by with a rather young looking dancing partner and flashed a bright smile at the handsome couple mamboing.

'Hello hello!' The Mayor greeted as he dipped the young lady low enough to spy some young flesh. With a wry grin, he pulled his dance partner back up and pulled her close.

'15 years of dance school...god bless, Mother!' With a twirl, he smiled again at the couple and followed after his hopeful conquest.

((ooc mayor in and out))

She smiled at his reasoning, struck again by his confidence. She liked that. It was always better than someone who was insecure and down on themselves, though people like that did tend to bring out her protective side. It was nice to spend time with someone she didn't have to constantly bolster and watch over. Of course she was used to be around models, who were a bit of both. They knew they looked good, but some of them could be so high maintenance.

"Well I'd say the training paid off. You're an easy partner to follow too, so that makes it all the better."Â?

She laughed good naturedly as he settled himself into the new style of dance. She wasn't really used to Latin dances, but she was good at following a strong partner and was a fairly quick learner. Now they would see just how true her last statement had been. Luckily it seemed like she was right or this could have been very bad. She smiled up at him as they twirled around the floor. She was only mildly surprised by how much she was enjoying the evening.

Her expression became a bit rueful at his question, and she shook her head slightly. "I don't mind you asking at all. Yeah you could say we've known each other for a while, only about 200 years or so. We don't agree on much and sometimes I'm surprised that we became friends let alone stayed friends this long, but I have to give her credit for keeping me on my toes."Â?

She waited for the inevitable question she was sure would come. Men were always drawn to Fiona like bees to honey and she was often asked for an private introduction or to put in a good word for someone. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Mayor and a very young dance partner. She managed a polite smile for the man before the couple whirled away. She was definitely less than impressed with that one.

He was slightly enraptured with Maeve, and had he taken the time to figure out why, he probably would have agreed it had a lot to do with when she had come into her vampirism. Their time on earth as humans seemed to have coincided to an extent, and even being in different parts of Europe wouldn't have really made much difference. But to have shared that time in the world after their creation, gave them a lot more in common than almost anyone else in the room, and possibly the town.

But for now, Nic just enjoyed the fact that he was comfortable with her, and she seemed the same with him.

"A partner can only be as good as he's allowed...I'm sure were it not for your giving nature, neither one of us would be doing as well as we are, or enjoying it as much."

And as the 'mayor' took it upon himself to practically dance 'through' Nic and Maeve at that time, Nic took the opportunity to hold her firmly around the waist and spin her off into a less crowded area of the dance floor. The move wasn't really part of the mambo, but at that point in time, he didn't care. He mentally thanked the mayor for giving him the chance to get her into a 'quieter' place.

"That really does sound remarkable, that you could know each other that long, not get along any better, and yet retain the connection. Personally, she's a bit 'stick up the butt' for me..."

Nic surprised himself at that admission. Being one to live and let live, he seldom judged people, and if he were to find someone tiresome to be around, he would just avoid them. The difference now seemed to be Maeve.

While they had been at the table with her friend, Nic had picked up on some negative vibes, and hadn't been able to discern where they were being sent. Not knowing Fiona and Sorin, he assumed they were directed at him. But later he had begun to wonder if some of the overflow had been directed at Maeve, and it bothered him.

As far as he could see, she was nothing if not polite, friendly, and more than accommodating of the people around her. Nothing that should generate displeasure with others, especially her friend.

"Somehow, I think you'd do just find on your toes, without her help...but that, of course, is your call."

As the waiters dispersed, one went weaving in and out of those on the dance floor, enticing them to return to their tables and enjoy the meal to come.

'Come along,' he said to the couple dancing off by themselves. 'Dinner is being served!'

The waiter showed them the platter, giving them a moment to look but not touch and then he proceeded to his assigned table.

She smiled up at him and gave a small chuckle. "Flatterer."Â?

She was glad when he whirled them across the floor from the Mayor. She really hadn't relished the short time he'd been near them. The man seemed pretentious at best. She once again surprised herself however, by not moving away from him when he pulled her closer for that move across the floor. His next statement about made her eyebrows climb into her hair. That was certainly not a phrase she had ever heard used to describe the former courtesan. She laughed lightly picturing the look on Fiona's face if she'd heard that.

"I've never heard her described quite like that before."Â? She finally caught her breath and continued. "It's not really that we don't get along, we just see things differently. There are things about her that I just don't understand and vice versa, but at the same time I don't know somehow we just clicked. Believe me it seems strange to me at times too."Â?

The next words out of his mouth brought her up short and she gave him an odd look. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he sounded protective of her, and that was just...odd. He barely knew her and it was her job to get protective of people, not the other way around. What exactly did he think was going on between her and Fiona? She could certainly handle her own with the Frenchwoman. They were just...different, that's all.

Thankfully she was saved by the waiter shooing them off to dinner. "Um, shall we head to our table?"Â? Except for that one brief moment at the end of their work out, this was the first time she'd felt uncomfortable with him. She just wasn't sure what to make of what he said.

Nic was having a grand time, and thought Maeve was as well, up until the time he made the comment about her friend. He had only called it as he saw it, though in truth, he hadn't really seen much. He guessed what he had seen in five minutes really couldn't be indicative of a couple hundred years of friendship. Thus, in his attempt to be supportive, it looked like he might have stepped in shit, once again.

What was done, was done, so his options were to cut and run, or stick out the evening, and see if there was some way to restore the chemistry he thought he had felt between them.

"Good idea, did you wish to rejoin Fiona, and Alfarinn, or find another table?"

How she answered, he hoped, would give him an indication of where the rest of the evening might go.

She looked up at him with a searching look. She found his question intriguing. Either he was just trying to pacify her or he was genuinely willing to revaluate his opinion of her friend. For a few minutes she simply stood on the dance floor with him looking up into his face. While she would have loved to talk some more with Alfarin and Fiona, she was not especially thrilled with the idea of putting herself in close proximity of Sorin. That one still rubbed her the wrong way for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. Besides, the conversation between her and Fiona would probably be better without an audience.

"Why don't we find another table? We still have a lot to learn about each other."

She had been enjoying her evening way too much to let one stray comment ruin it. She also suddenly realized that this was the longest she'd stood in a man's arms in God only knew how long.

Patience. Patience and thinking before speaking. Nic really had to get a better grasp of this kind of thing soon. He had been alone too long and would remain so if he didn't get his act together.

Had he gone on this many years, using his suggestive skills so often, that he was no longer able to relate to others without it? It was an intimidating thought, and one he knew he couldn't resolve tonight.

So, apparently having been given another chance, he was taking it, and running.

"Sounds good to me."

Looking around he saw a table that as of yet looked unoccupied, and with a light hand on her back, he guided Maeve in that direction. Of course, once they reached the table, he pulled out and held the chair for her, then assisting her into position. He took the chair directly on the end of the table, putting him at her right hand corner.

As a waiter walked by with a tray of champagne, Nic snapped his fingers and took two glasses when the man lowered the tray to him. He handed one glass to Maeve, and held onto the other.

"To friendship. May this be one of promise, and future."

And he clinked the rim of his glass against her's as he took a good sized gulp.

"Did you get a chance to check out the menu...make a choice?"

Nic enjoyed a good cut of meat, but tonight decided to live dangerously and try the chicken. But thoughts of food aside, as he waited to be served, he allowed himself another glance around the room to see if he recognized anyone.

"Have you met many of the Evenhet clan yet? I see a few have joined us."

He didn't want to go spouting off names, on the off chance she knew more of the clan than he did.

She let him guide her to a table and was glad to see that for now they had it to themselves. She was sure that would change, but for now it was nice. She smiled up at him over her shoulder in thanks when he pulled out her chair. What could she say? She loved that kind of thing. After she was settled she watched him quietly for a few minutes. His way with the waiter once again showed her that confidence that she'd noticed in him before. She took the glass of champagne and raised an eyebrow slightly at his toast. Smiling she tapped her glass to his.

"To friendship."Â? After taking a sip she thought for a minute. "No not really. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what they're serving, unless you happen to know the whole menu by heart of course."Â?

She followed his gaze around the room. She saw a few people that she thought she recognized from her previous stays in Nachton, but no one that she was especially friendly with. Her visits had been too infrequent and too short to really get to know many of her clan. Most of the ones she knew well were from when she'd first come with Colin. That was probably the longest she'd ever stayed in town and even that was just a few months.

"I met many of them years ago and a few here and there, but there are very few that I know well. Most of the ones that I do know well are from my first visit to Nachton which was a few years after I was turned. I'm sure there are many newer clanmates that I don't know at all. How about you? Do you know many from the clan?"Â?

Nic grinned.

"Yes, well, having spent so much time in and around the towers lately, one thing I've done productively is meet several of the inhabitants. I am a little surprised not to see many of them here tonight though."

As he looked near the entrance to the ballroom, his grin grew into a smile.

"But I see I spoke a little soon. Joining the crowd now are a few I've met. The younger girl...don't be fooled, she's much older than either of us...is the delightful Theo. The first time I met her, she made me apologize to my shoe, as she levitated it."

Nic laughed and gave Maeve a small shrug. It was the truth, no matter how odd it sounded.

"I've been hanging around her a little more than the others, as she also works in the archives with me...for now. The 'me' in the archives is what I meant by, for now. I'm going to be looking outside of Meridian for something else better suited to my nature. But I digress...

The lady with Theo is Dani...she's Alfarinn's personal assistant. But you may know that? The gentleman escorting the ladies in is Christian Bern, head of security. I've only recently met him, and it was more just a passing along of information, so I really can't give you any more information on him. He seemed polite enough, and I would have to assume he's the best at his job for him to be working for Evenhet in such a capacity."

Looking around again, he was still dismayed to find no other familiar Evenhets.

"Of course we have our Alfarinn, and your Fiona...she is Evenhet, correct?"

He had thought he'd heard Maeve or someone mention that, though had he not known otherwise, he could have taken her for Anantya. If Alfarinn and Thaddeus were any kind of example, Anantya and Evenhets seemed to co-mingle well. Nic had yet to see such associations with the Tacharans.

"I'm afraid the other's I've met are either in hiding, or have yet to arrive, but if I notice later, I'll be sure to let you know."

Nic shook his head a bit, as it occurred to him that he must have been spending waaaay too much time inside the Evenhet walls, if he had been reduced to pointing out other tenants. And he had to remember, even though Maeve was new to him, and had come into the Towers since he'd been there, her connection to the clan was much stronger than his had ever been.

"It's an odd thing for me...to be living among our clan. Hell, it's odd for me to have anything to do with the clan at all. I've never been one to be concerned with family. I think in my old age I'm starting to alter my priorities, for I'm finding the association with my clan to be very enjoyable."

He gave her a wink, tilted his glass at her as he took another gulp, and wondered how it came to be that she was living the single life. From what little he had learned of her, she didn't appear to be one of those bra burning feminists, and seeing where his eyes had landed at that thought, he smiled, but shifted his gaze elsewhere.

She followed his glance toward the door and her expression softened into a fond smile. She laughed almost childlike at the image his first meeting with Theo brought to mind. That seemed so like her that she just couldn't help but laugh. She had been completely charmed by her from the start. She had to remember to have Theo come by her suite sometime to get the newest gift she'd brought for her.

"Theo's a sweetheart. Although I'm not at all surprised to hear what happened the first time you met. Seems she did something similar to me when we first met, though that was a very long time ago. We hit it off from the start though. I think partly because she doesn't mind when I mother her, and she definitely brings that out in me."Â?

She studied the woman he indicated next. Alfarin could certainly use an assistant that was for sure. Then there was Christian. Again it had been a long time. "I don't know Dani, but I'm sure that Alfarin could use an assistant."Â? She chuckled slightly. She had no doubts that the elder probably worked way too hard. "I've met Christian before. I don't know him very well, but he always seemed like a decent man."Â?

She looked around again as well. "Yes, Fiona is Evenhet."Â? She simply left it at that for the time being. She was still trying to figure out what was going on with her friend. "It is rather surprising that there aren't more of us here. Hopefully more will show up. It would be nice to see more of the clan out and about."Â?

She gave him another odd look. Having been born among the clans of the Scottish highlands clan was everything to her. It was more than just family. It was part of her life and who she was. Though she still kept some tabs on her mortal clan, she had placed much of that loyalty and care into Evenhet since finding herself part of them.

"It's hard for me to imagine family and clan not being a large part of my life. It always has been, and I'm sure it always will be. It's good though that you're connecting with the clan and getting to know more of them. One's clan is a very important part of who that person is."Â? She shook her head and gave him a rueful smile. "I'm sorry if I sound like I'm preaching. I guess I just have very strong opinions on the subject."Â?

Having only recently begun to see the value of clan, Nic found it somewhat reassuring to hear Maeve was so well fixed within Evenhet, even if she hadn't been a permanent member, previously. He still hoped she would ultimately decided to make Nachton her prime base of operations. He knew he could learn a lot from her, and enjoy it at the same time.

"From the contact I've had with Theo, I'd have to say you're very lucky she's allowed you to treat her that way. I still have a hard time seeing her as anything beyond a child, though I know from her history, and her actions she is much more. But I constantly find myself wanting to be a big brother, and hoping she doesn't find me condescending. It's a fine line for me to walk there.

Dani, well, I don't know her very well either. She's a busy lady, and doesn't seem to have a lot of free time to hang around the Towers."

Which was too bad in Nic's eyes. She was one he would have liked getting to know better. But after seeing how devoted she was to Alfarinn, Nic had given up on pursuing her. Besides that, he was pretty sure she was human, and probably not inclined towards vampires for more than professional reasons. Or, there was always the possibility that she just didn't see Nic in an interesting light. Though the latter he didn't like to dwell on much.

"She's always been very friendly to me though...and she's got this funny beagle...Fatty...who's quite amusing.

I've yet to meet an Evenhet that I thought was less than decent. Have you met Kem? If not, I'll have to introduce you two. He's quite a man, though he, like Dani, works to hard...in my opinion. I've made it sort of a goal of mine, to take him out partying...to try and loosen him up a little. It's not surprising he's not here tonight. I don't believe he looks too fondly on anything involving a lot of people and hoopla. But he's sure a good guy."

And why in the hell was he sitting here with this gorgeous woman, talking about some guy she didn't even know? 'Nic, old boy...you're really loosing your way. We've got to get you back into the game here!' he thought somewhat ruefully.

"Please don't apologize for ever stating your opinion. Even if someone disagrees with it, you should be free to voice it. Besides, how else will we ever learn anything about each other?"

The waiter finally arrived with appetizers, and was followed quickly behind by the arrival of the soups.

"It seems because we were a little late sitting down, that our waiters must have become slightly behind in their duties, and are now making up for it."

He shrugged as he put a few things onto his plate. The first item he put into his mouth tasted of crab, and wasn't bad. He smiled at Maeve, as he chewed.

She smiled and nodded as he talked about the other clan members he'd met. She was glad that he didn't mind her rambling about how much the clan meant to her. She was enjoying their conversation immensely, and she was glad to hear that he was meeting members of the clan and starting to feel some connection to them. In her eyes that could only be a good thing.

"Hmmm...Kem, trying to remem....."

Her voice trailed off as the waiter brushed against her shoulder. She gasped softly and looked up at the man. Something was seriously wrong here. She looked around the room and saw Alfarinn moving to speak to another man she didn't know. Tensions in the room were suddenly running more than a little high. She did her best to keep the waiter that had set her empathy off in sight, but with all the moving around it was not exactly an easy task. She thought she might crawl out of her skin right there on the spot.

"Maeve? Are you alright?"

Nic watched as she appeared to start to comment, and then it looked like her mind had trailed off. But more than that, her reaction to the waiter was a little strange, in Nic's opinion. She may have been startled, but he thought there might be more there. He watched as her eyes followed the waiter, and couldn't imagine what the interest was. He wasn't even that good looking.

Putting an arm on her upper arm, Nic gave her a slight squeeze, trying to regain her attention.

"Maeve...what is it?"

She barely heard Nic speak to her. She was way too busy scanning the room with her empathy trying to pick up anything else. Problem was she wasn't getting much else. Just more fear and wariness, but something was definitely wrong. That was the one thing she did know. She was so focused on what she was doing she just about came up swinging when Nic squeezed her arm.

She turned back to him and blinked, trying to refocus on him. "Something's wrong, Nic. I have no idea what, but something is definitely wrong. When that waiter brushed me, I got the sense that he's afraid of something, and hiding something. Now it just seems like the room is full of tension."

She had no idea if she was making a bit of sense, but she was beyond flustered by this point. If she could, she would will Nic to understand what she was trying to tell him right now. More than anything she had the feeling they needed to get moving.

"Oh my god...Fiona. Can you see her? Is she okay?" She stood up looking back to where they had met up with her friend earlier. Yeah, she was freaked.

As he waited for Maeve to answer, growing more concerned as each second passed, he looked around.

The mass of party goers seemed to be in a state similar to Maeve's...distressed. A mild commotion seemed to be setting in along various tables and groups of people.

When she stood, he did as well, and put a supportive hand on her's.

"Maeve, I'm sure Fiona is fine, but maybe we should get back over to their table, and see if Alfarinn knows anything...though I don't see him there any longer either."

Truth was he didn't see Fiona either, but he thought he saw Thaddeus. Certainly Thaddeus would know where Alfarinn was...maybe he could explain something.

Holding out his hand, he kept her hand firmly in his, as he began making his way, keeping her close. If people started panicking, he didn't want them separated...and things seemed to be fraying all the more quickly now.

(Nic and Maeve out)