Open - Poi dancing shenanigans

[crowneddragon]

Who: Esteban, Open
Where: Sports Gym Carriage
When: Orchestra Day 10
What: Esteban finally has time (and the proper space) to train his dancing.
Warnings: None so far, potential swearing



The moment, the instant the weather outside calms, that the voices quieten and the carriages aren't as likely to throw him off to another strange place, Esteban bounces with eagerness. He'd tried his best to dance as he could even during the storm, but with the odd shenanigans, he hadn't gotten the space to properly practice.

But now? Now he had the space; the long, flat floor of the sports gym stretched out underneath his bare feet. Something about the combat boots didn't work out at the ankle, and he lost mobility with them, so off they'd been chucked, sprawled close to a wall and out of his way.

He started simple; exercises that he ran through each day after waking, to help him warm up. Then the stretches, each careful application of force to reinstate his flexibility. Then the simple, rote training with his poi, circles, pendulum swings, turns and transfers of weight. A few complicated moves were tossed in to his training, but Esteban got too worked up, and he wanted to dance now, and couldn't find a reason to stop himself.

So he centered himself, took a deep breath. And danced.

[OOC: References below]
Yuta Imamura 1 (steady camera shot) 2 (Same dance, but the camera focuses on him better, and shows the effort/control he has better.) 3
Ivan [Mel] Gorbunov 1

Comments

[flatteries]

There's only one reason Inigo voluntarily goes to the sports carriage by himself - and that's to look for his friends.

But this newcomer isn't exactly the person Inigo expects to spot there. But rather than realising who he's looking for isn't there and turning back, Inigo just.. stops right there, still standing half in the doorway. It's like he's frozen up on the spot, unable to move.. or unable to tear his gaze away from what he's seeing here.

Because it's not just Esteban in the gym carriage. Oh no. It's Esteban, and he's dancing. Sure, it's a different sort of dance than Inigo is used to, but it's not like dancing with props is uncommon in Ylisse either. And with his own knowledge of dancing, he can only realise even more easily just how skilled and pretty this is to look at.

It's why Inigo doesn't move. He's captured by the performance, and the moment it ends and Esteban happens to spot Inigo there, Inigo does what any ratial person would do.

He shrieks, of course.

"O-O-Oh! By Naga-- I.. I'm so sorry, I-- I didn't mean to spy on you..!"

[crowneddragon]

"Inigo!" The call of his name is bright and cheerful as Esteban spots him, broken from the focused trance that had blanketed him during his exercises. He straightens from his steps, a little surprised at the semi-interruption, but he doesn't mind it, and rather, it'sa good time for a short break anyways. A quick transfer leaves one of his hands free.

"Spy on me?" His snicker is breathless, scrunching his nose with his smile as he raises his shirt from the collar to wipe lightly at his neck. "'t's not like the carriage's all mine!" There's a short pause where he considers it, but Inigo already looks so flustered and it is just so easy.

"An' t's not like I would mind it from you anyways~" A cheeky wink accompanies his words, quick and easy as Esteban lets go of his shirt.

[flatteries]

Esteban, please.

Please.

Inigo's heart is infinitely weak, and there's no way that such a remark - while he's already flustered in the first place! - won't just outright bring him down on his knees.

And it does. Literally. Inigo is just collapsing straight onto the floor at this point, letting out a whine as he's still covering his face. What did he do to deserve getting caught in this situation?!

"C-Come on.." He whines. "Don't just joke around like that!"

*Throws oil onto the fire* Can I call this the Gay Panic moment?

[crowneddragon]

"So it's okay 'f it's not a joke?"

.....

Open mouth; insert foot. Esteban nearly swallows his tongue trying to bite it back, but the words are out there, and now he's the one flushing, neck and ears darkening and his eyes dance along anywhere other than Inigo. 'Dians, he's fucked up, his flirting getting the best of him; and he actually worries that he's gonna mess it up worse.

It's a bit hard, but Esteban isn't about to give up just because he said something stupid-- that would just waste way too much of his time if he's to be honest.

"I won't do it again if I've made you uncomf'rtable." He manages, breathing deeply and slowly. It might be tough; Esteban likes to flirt after all, and Inigo is fun to be around-- but he doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship just because he likes being cheeky.

as you can see, gay panic is inigo's middle name....

[flatteries]

"What?!"

Mind you, the 'what' is a response to the second part of what the other is saying, not the first part. Inigo was already down for the count, and so there was nothing that could possibly get him to a worse position anymore. (Especially since it's not quite possible to just open up a window and simply hurl yourself out into the void. A shame.)

No, it's instead the statement about being uncomfortable that finally seems to stir Inigo. He raises his face again to look at Esteban, even though that makes it very clear just how red his face is. It's red enough to make the blue hair that lines it almost look outright purple because of it.

"N-No, you.. you haven't made me uncomfortable!" Says the embarrassed, sputtering mess.

Look, he's trying. And more than anything, he doesn't want some sweet guy blaming himself for making Inigo flustered, when everything can fluster Inigo.

"It's fine, I-- I, um, just-- I thought it must be incredibly awkward when someone walks in on your dance practice like this.." Suddenly remembering what the other said about it being fine when it's him, Inigo shakes his head and quickly adds, almost stumbling over his own words in his hurry to speak: "E-Even if it's me, I guess..!"

[crowneddragon]

"Why would I mind?" Genuinely concerned, and relaxing at least a tiny bit that Inigo wasn't drawing away, Esteban approached gently, to sit on the ground next to him, side by side. He was still embarrassed, but not horribly so, more lingering in a sort of awkwardness he just wanted to dispell.

"I have fun when yer 'round, an' dancin' makes me happy! Win-win~" he mentions, turning a bit just so that he can show his grin.

"The only sad part 'bout this is that I can't show it to ya with fire." His sandbag poi were with him, yes, but the dancing wasn't quite the same without the sparks flying around him, a breathing, churning wall of embers that he twisted in time with a foot, guided at the end of his fingertips.

[flatteries]

Inigo's ears definitely feel like they're heating up too when the other says that he has fun when Inigo is around. He figures it's nothing personal, that Esteban just has fun around people in general - because he sure seems like the type, and it's not like he knows Inigo well enough to specifically have fun around him, right?! - but it's still hard to not get kind of flustered at it.

And then there's the topic of dancing, and Inigo knows that he's just going to feel even more flustered if he himself would talk about the fun of dancing..

So he doesn't. He tries his best to calm down at least a little. At least enough to sound coherent as he asks: "People dance with.. fire where you come from?"

(He didn't calm down enough yet to rid his face of the redness though.)

Fair warning: Inigo is doomed if he mentions he dances. Doomed I tell you.

[crowneddragon]

Esteban is lucky; his skin being dark enough that a blush is difficult to spot if it's not wildly out of control. He can still feel it, warm and persistent along his throat and his ears, but the calmer, more adjacent subject allows him to steady his words.

Now if his heart could just stop jumping around he might manage to be coherent for five more minutes, thank you. A hand rises to shuffle the hair at the back of his neck, to feel even marginally cooler as he answers.

"Well, not everyone does it," the half-elf manages with a light snicker, glancing at his companion from the corner of his eyes. "It's not a style or a-- a dance y'do with others. I said I was an ent'rtainer, right? That's what I do-- I dance with fire."

OH NO... someone save him!!

[flatteries]

"It wasn't really the style of entertainment I was envisioning.." Inigo admits, his voice trailing off.

Not that the other doesn't look like a dancer or anything crazy like that - though it's true that most dancers are female where Inigo comes from. But from the first impression of Esteban that Inigo got, he imagined the other was more the kind of funny entertainer. Someone who goes around telling jokes, or does fun acrobatic tricks, perhaps a bit of physical slapstick humor.

He didn't quite imagine something like.. well, like what he saw just now.

He's still thinking of it. Of course Inigo is. He loves dance, there's no way he can let the thought of it go so easily.

So even though his throat is dry, because talking out loud about dance is terrifying, he slowly sputters: "Y-You are real good at this though."

Look at him stuttering, as if giving someone a compliment on their dancing is something to get all shy about.

I can hear the jaws theme XD

[crowneddragon]

"Thanks!~" It does make him happy to be complimented, particularly because he's hit it off so well with Inigo. He knows he's good-- he does do this for most of his living-- but having someone else recognize his skill and directly tell him is a lot rarer. Though he can just as easily understand why his companion had been misled.

"Guess I seem too boist'rous fer it though, yeah?" Props for self-awareness. He's snickering at this, not minding at all that people don't see his profession when they see him; he takes too much space, too much energy. The calculated movement of a dance seems too restrained for him.

"But that's exactly why I started," he mentions, pushing himself off the floor and wall and standing back up. "I can't ever sit still, an' am always movin'. So, someone taught me a couple o' spins--" the poi are transferred back in his hand, and he spins them, slowly at first. Then he spins within them, and their circle is never even broken as he talks, rote, constant training for years supplying him with the exact instinct for their momentum.

"An' I've been dancin' ever since." They circle-- stall just behind his head, then turn the opposite direction without him even glancing at them. He puts a bit more effort into it now, twisting the circles into patterns that blossom in the mind. When he stops, the poi swerve to be caught in his hands, smoothly interrupting their momentum.

"Besides," he adds as he straightens. Mischief returns to his gaze, and his nose scrunches a bit with it again. "I'm already goin' nuts in here."

Yes, he's fully aware of what he said on day one.

[flatteries]

Talk about the quickest turnaround indeed. Inigo very much remembers Esteban's first-day attitude, and while it's not really different from this one in energy levels, what he's saying is very much different from what he was saying back then.

Not that Inigo is too surprised. After all, it's what he told the other - that it's easy to fall into doing the same things over and over here on the train, because they're all stuck in such a limited space. It just seems that Esteban kind of overestimated it, huh.

He doesn't choose to focus on it, finding it not the other's fault at all.

Instead Inigo smiles a little as he says: "Well, if you like performing your dances so much, you should put on a show for people here sometime." You know, an intentional one, rather than someone accidentally walking in on his practice the way Inigo did just now. "You don't seem shy about it at all."

Unlike Inigo. Please, what's having this much open confidence in dancing? He can't even imagine it.

[crowneddragon]

"Why would I--" It is very obvious, very fast that Esteban has an idea following the swordman's suggestion. His grin widens, and he tangles the poi together, tossing them over a shoulder. Two steps bring him level with Inigo, dipping down to reach for his hands; and only then does he stop, calming himself for half a heartbeat.

"Can you get up?" He's excited, he's eager, and he's probably about to drag his friend off to who knows where but hey-- he managed to think for five seconds at least? His hands are outstretched and offered, a simple gesture to help, even if there is not necessarily a need for it.

[flatteries]

...

The look Inigo gives Esteban in this moment can best be described as totally baffled, really. He looks like has no clue where the other wants to go with this, and for a moment he feels a little unsure - and therefore insecure - about the idea of listening to him when it might involve dancing..

But on the other hand, Inigo doesn't want to let his new friend down so hard. He can at least see what the other has in mind, right?

"Uh.. Sure," he slowly says, reaching back for those hands and allowing Esteban to help pull him up as Inigo rises up to his feet. "What are you thinking of?"

[crowneddragon]

There's a quick glance as Esteban makes sure there's noone else to overhear, before he pulls them both back on their feet, making sure Inigo is steady before he goes on.

"There's a performance stage 'bove the music carriage, right? Let's go check it out together!" He quickly mentions, already about to trudge along. Inigo doesn't need to come along, really, but he is already here, and Esteban loves sharing his excitement with others.

[flatteries]

"O-Oh, yeah!" Inigo says. And since Esteban is already moving, Inigo is following right along as he's talking.

.. by the way, was that a stutter in his tone? Nah, clearly that wasn't it. You're just imagining things.

"I've heard of the stage."

Smooth as butter. Said as if he truly has never danced on there before. He's so smooth, which is why-- oh no, he totally sounded nervous while saying that, didn't he. Just talk on, Inigo! Correct yourself! Sound cool!

Except he just starts to sound even more nervous as he continues with: "Y-You were thinking of d-dancing there?"

Ah yes. Esteban's Sense Of Observation. It is on par with a brick's.

[crowneddragon]

Esteban's reckless, foolish pace suddenly screeches to a halt as he turns, tilting his head to the side.

"'m I goin' too fast?" There is nothing but genuine concern in his eyes, and his hands reach out to help steady his companion almost without a thought. He halts before they make contact, hovering a little before drawing back and rubbing a palm through the short bangs at the back of his head.

[flatteries]

Look at the sheer speed with which Inigo shakes his head in response to the question. It's as if his head might almost fall off if he keeps this up for any longer. He can't help it though - the last thing Inigo wants to do is make anyone else feel awkward about their dancing.

He knows better than anyone how sensitive of a subject it can be, and he refuses to be the person here who dims Esteban's little ray of sunshine light, so he just keeps shaking his head for a moment before he instead starts walking ahead of the other, grabbing a hold of Esteban's hand so he can drag the other along.

No time for delays!!

"Of course not! I was just.." By Naga, there was so many things he was and is, but he doesn't want to talk about any of them. Even though his heart is still absolutely racing in his chest at this very moment. So after another momentary pause, he adds: ".. caught by surprise! But I want to see you dance on that stage, so c-come on..!"

[crowneddragon]

He is really glad Inigo is facing away, because the rushed words warm him down to the tip of his ears again.

The red-head startles a bit, eyes wide. He's not used to be dragged around, since his energy levels usually have him at the front and eagerly leading anyone unfortunate enough to get caught up in his range, so that his companion is the one pulling him along is a strange-- but very nice!-- change of pace. The carriages slip by, and he follows without question, figuring that he's less likely to get lost this way anyways.

He briefly remembers wanting to ask Inigo about his plants while they cross the greenhouse, but he doesn't really have the time. Next time! Next time for sure!

The performance room is a bit of a mystery to Esteban. He'd roamed across almost the entire train on his first day-- happy and eager and bright eyed... which isn't much of a change to be fair-- but Kitty had gotten him distracted when he'd reached the music carriage, so he hadn't given it more than a quick glance. (He still needs to figure out a way to make his poi into scarves poi. Much safer for everyone involved.)

The dark seats and the bright stage actually make him a bit self-conscious. The cavernous room being empty and silent, without any other distraction, feels so strange compared to the wide plazas underneath the Naming Trees, missing the glow of the moons through their branches and the rustle of the leaves in the night sky. It's a surprising pang of longing, but he brushes it off, snickering lightly next to his companion.

"Well... that's kinda embarrassin'." A large hand slips through his hair as he mentions that, but he doesn't mean it too much, and steps forwards all the same, down the sloped walkways and towards the raised stage.

"Pick a seat!~" he invites, bouncing lightly through his dances mentally.

[flatteries]

Thankfully this clears up the entire mystery. Just something as simple as Esteban telling him to pick a seat - which Inigo promptly does, for the record, picking one of the seats closest to the stage.

Though rather than just sitting in it and looking at the stage, he instead leans over the arm rest to stare at Esteban. It's clear the other wanted to give him a little show here, so Inigo understands that much. (Though where the other finds the bravery for such an act is entirely beyond Inigo, really.)

He doesn't question it though. No, what he asks instead as he peers out at Esteban from where he's leaning over at the arm rest is just: "What's kind of embarrassing?"

.. The stage? The idea of dancing here? Inigo isn't too sure, especially when he's not sure what the other guy is used to in the first place.

"You.. don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know."

Please, forcing someone to dance is the last thing Inigo would ever do to anyone, given that he knows very well how absolutely mortifying it is.

Warning, long description ahead.

[crowneddragon]

But the half-elf shrugs an easy shoulder before bracing his hands on the stage and hoping over onto it.

"It's fine~ I'll get over it~" He paces the length of it first, narrowed by the piano which takes up a good portion of the space, and he's not entirely sure if he has adequate room, actually. But well. He's been asked for a dance, and he's not about to refuse, even if he has to be a little more careful than usual. His poi dangle from his fingers again, and he takes a few minutes to direct their swing, pacing back and forth along the stage length that he can allow himself to have.

He really wishes he had his sparkle poi. He'd want to see Inigo's wonder and amazement at it, if only because he's been so supportive. Fire spinning has always been his best skill, and to be only partially able to show it off bothers him a bit more than he'd like. But well. Enclosed train, tiny carriages, fabric everywhere-- it's best to let the idea go.

"Okay! I'm ready!"

His steps lead him back to the side of the stage, bare feet padding softly along the smooth wood. There's a soft, slow breath as he centers himself, eyes glancing up at the blinding light that centers on him, pretending, just for a moment, that the moon is peering through the darkness, Eriat's full glow descending over the stage.

He starts with a leap.

The dance is far more active than the one he had been practicing in the sports carriage, his poi coming down to thud dully onto the stage. He flings them upwards, imagining the sparks that would follow, red-hot and raining down across his clothes, and the pretense, just for a moment, helps him forget the world around him. He spins them with ease, his breath soon coming into pants as he twists them about his body, matching pattern after pattern.

There are flowers and circles of fire in his mind's eye, smashes of embers that dart light and heat in a curtain around him cloaking him in fire and darkness. His heartbeat overtakes the sound of drums-- doesn't it always?-- and takes flight with the movements, swinging the flames so they skitter just a breath from the cobblestones, only to circle back right around as he twist in their warm mist. One overtakes the other-- strikes again, but this is not the dull rattle that he expected. It helps him focus once more.

One of the poi twists behind his head, and the other circles at his feet, spinning on a heel in a crouch before he rises. They spin at his waist, before he stalls them, one on each side and the next spins has them pressing a pattern of circles twisting into points. They smack again overhead as he twists on his foot, spinning them both down to scrape at the floor and rise, even though there is no fire to follow. A twist around his head has them split apart again, and he raises one, circles of times spinning in his hands.

He releases his breath slowly, feeling the heat and beat of heart thundering down his veins, settling, for the last steps to take.

Another leap has him spinning dangerously close to the piano, but when he smacks both poi together, they barely feather against the polished edge. Spin, and they twist to repeat the movement on the other side. He twirls within the whorls of colors he still creates, another flower that lingers between three breaths, before the petals scatter, and the poi smack behind his back once more. At the front now, they bump onto the stage, and Esteban raises them, balanced perfectly to brush at every circle until they crest over his head, and with a final strike.

They fall along his arms, still upraised, until he takes a gasping breath, and drops his stance, slowly losing the focus that had once again wrapped him into the scent of fire and coal burning under his fingertips. The poi are passed to his left hand, held at a distance-- as he would if they were on fire-- and Esteban bows to his spectator, breathing hard enough to be heard in the empty carriage.

[flatteries]

Inigo watches the entire thing in silence, attentive. He's pretty sure that just about anyone would watch this dance that way, considering how captivating it is just to watch the movements, but for Inigo it goes even a little beyond that.

After all, since he's so used to dancing as well, he can tell even more about this dance. He can analyse the movements, he can see decisions the other is making as he's dancing. Inigo doesn't even worry about the other bumping into the piano, since he can tell that Esteban is going to be able to avoid it, even during the times where the other gets really close. He can see the control in some of the movements - Inigo can even tell that the poi are usually meant to be on fire, despite never having seen this kind of fire dance before.

It's just.. the movements Esteban is making. They transmit the sort of dance this is supposed to be without a single word being necessary. Perhaps it's just the linking up of two dance-oriented minds that mean that no words are necessary, that movements tell it all.

It leaves Inigo's mouth hanging open, and when the other stops and bows like that, there's only one polite thing to do here, right?

Inigo quickly stands up, nearly tripping in his haste, and starts applauding the other. His cheeks are still faintly pink, if not just because there's something weirdly intimate about seeing someone else dance like that just for him.

For a few moments he just lets his clapping do the talking, but then he finally speaks up, his voice tickled with a faint shyness.

"You're.. so skilled. It's really amazing. Even when those things aren't on fire, you still make it look so impressive all the same. That's a huge talent.."

[crowneddragon]

Okay, now he's blushing.

His cheeks, neck and ear feel particularly warm as he gathers a few more breaths, face splitting in the largest smile he's shown yet. A few steps and he reaches the end of the stage, dropping down to sit on the ledge and let his feet dangle, to make for an easier conversation. The point of his ears is red enough to fade a bit into his hair.

"Thanks!" It falls a bit short, and he doesn't know how to express it well now that he's... done with his dance. It doesn't even feel like a real dance since he didn't have his usual tools, but he really is flattered that Inigo has enjoyed it as much as he did. Oh! There! Words that he can use!

"Am glad y'liked it!~ Never been personally asked fer a dance before."

Don't tease! ... Too much anyways! The half-elf has to trample down on the wink that almost escapes him, trying to keep things light. Inigo's been going along with him for so long, after all, he really should give back to him if he can. He's not sure how, but he does want to.

[flatteries]

"Wha-- I didn't-- Did I ask?!"

Look at Inigo, just sputtering words over here. He looks like he's going through at least five different emotions all at once as he's sitting there in the seat. Like wondering if he did ask, and then getting shocked about potentially having asked, and then still being in awe and flustered about the dance, and..

.. look, it's just a lot. Any situation that involves dancing in the slightest way is going to get Inigo to act in this sort of way.

He shakes his head, his cheeks so pink at this point.

"I mean.. I-I appreciate it! I just.. uh.. I.. wouldn't want you to think that I have any special i-interest in dancing or something like that.." (The lady doth protest too much.)

No, seriously, the lady doth protest too much. Just look at Inigo. He looks like he's close to sweating. He's tugging on the collar of his shirt and all. He is so incredibly subtle.

Listen. He dug his own grave. HE DID.

[crowneddragon]

There must be a window broken somewhere for how fast Esteban's "don't tease" policy went straight out of it. Bright blue eyes narrow and he has to force himself not to snicker too early because really, this is far too easy, and he can't not.

"Okay, yeah, you didn't," he confirms, smiling as innocently as he can under the circumstances.

Run, Inigo, run.

"You said you wanted t'see me dance on this stage." His heel taps against the ledge with the thunder of a judge's gravel. He couldn't hide the cheekiness from his grin if someone punched it off his face at this point.

b-be gentle, esteban!

[flatteries]

That foot tap definitely has the effect of a judge's gavel, alright. Because Inigo's face is starting to look just about as pale at the sound of it as a defendant may while being declared guilty.

And Inigo is being declared guilty here. Guilty of dance sins.

"I.. uh.. t-that's..!"

He's sputtering once more, though this time even more incomprehensibly than the last time. Mostly because he's descending further down and down the embarrassment slide, and there's no way back up.. No way to sound like a normal, reasonable human being again.

Instead he can only quickly shake his head, his cheeks still pink.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that!" He points at Esteban. "With that face!"

(Of course he means that grin, but his fluster is making him not word things in the most handy way right now, as is evident.)