Sophia huffed a disapproving laugh at his first comment. While it was true that this was not her typical sort of event, she did not appreciate the implication that she didn’t belong here (that conclusion being one that she frequently came to herself, given the frequency with which proper English society made her want to crawl out of her own skin). Though it would seem that Ozymandias wished to take the situation in stride, for reasons she could probably guess. For her part, the ballerina was nothing if not committed to follow through on a performance.

“I do frequent these sorts of events on occasion. Tonight I’m here for my sister,” she explained offhandedly, catching perhaps the same curious look from another couple that he did. Noticing, also, how tense the arm she clung to was. A surreptitious squeeze encouraged him to relax a bit. They were on the dance floor now, time was up for him to feel conflicted over what he’d done.

“It always surprises people, but truthfully I do not mind a ballroom dance,” she added coyly. He didn’t need to say it, clearly they were not meant to know each other. Though it was an easy transition in Sophia’s mind - she cannot say she knew him in this sort of context. “It’s really only boring if you’re in poor company.” Her eye caught a socialite’s in that moment, the woman inclining her head to Sophia in recognition with a snobbish sniff. Soph afforded a sidelong glance at Oz then, with a quirk of the brow as if to say, this is what I mean.

“I suppose you consider yourself a fairly good dancer, then, to boldly take the hand of a ballerina?” As she spoke, she guided them gracefully through the melee. Though to be fair, their presence seemed to yield the same affect as the parting of the Red Sea, so she did not have to try very hard. Should she have listened more closely to the gossip about the Dempseys? Should she have declined his offer?

Because yes, the tremendous fuss he caused appears to have attracted the attention of what felt like everyone in the room. Yes, she was quite certain he gave not a single thought to how judgment from the ton may disproportionately impact her. Yes, she was still quite irritable at the idea of being used and was disinclined to let him forget it.

And yes, she was still terribly attracted to him. Their magnetism felt undeniable with this proximity, actually. It might be very difficult to not visualize how he looked under his handsome suit for the evening. Harder still to ensure an exceedingly appropriate amount of distance was kept between them. Combined with their caustic setting, Ozymandias led them straight into the most treacherous territory.

Turning to face her dance partner for the start of the song, Sophia’s gaze flicked only briefly to the crowd around them to remind her of the risk. The reminder was important, because when her gaze turned to assess her occasional lover, she simply could not resist a smile. Well, she always liked a challenge. Let the curtains rise.

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