Alvin couldn't tell if she was purposefully running him through the mill or it just felt that way, but they were already on the floor, with the other couples, and there was no going back now. If he remembered correctly, Sisse's charity would only go so far; they would change dance partners at least a couple of times and he was going to have to catch on quick.

He gave her a deep nod as she curtsied and he felt absurd, but knowing how much she enjoyed these things softened the blow. As long as he could somewhat keep up, he hoped nobody else would think too poorly of him. As the music began, he realized he recognized the tune; there was no forgetting being forced to dance in the back garden by the Potts girls in their youth. Perhaps he would not be quite so useless after all.

Feeling more confident, he passed her a charming grin and swung into motion as everyone else did.

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The music began and a grin broke forth on Alvin's face. She was quite certain she had not seen it and if she had that she had not been the one it had been directed at. The grin, the music, the perfect synchrony with which they moved toward each other, it was as if the moment were choreographed from a dream. Her hands met his and for a moment it seemed as if it were just them. "See?" She told him before they whirled away to the next partner.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

The steps came back quickly, if a bit clumsy, but at least he could keep up and knew where to be when. At least he wouldn't make a fool out of himself. He could only pass her a sheepish smile as they came together and broke apart once more, keeping in time with the beat and changing hands often. Keeping an eye on her throughout the set and making sure he didn't step on anyone's toes allotted for most of his concentration and so by the time they came back together to end the dance once more, he was a little breathless and flushed and though he had made it through, he wasn't so sure he had done much more than survive. At least he had proved he wasn't too terrible at it after all.

"It wasn't pretty on my end, but we managed." She had made it look effortless and she likely knew it.

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Exhilaration flooded through her as she danced and whirled across the floor, meeting Alvin's gaze then breaking apart. By the time she'd swept him one last curtsey she was brimming with happiness, a laugh of sheer joy escaping her lips "I quite disagree." She told him affecting a haughty tone, "You do yourself a disservice." Her eyes met his alight with merriment, hoping he could see how happy he had made her. It didn't matter if he'd stumbled, if he'd bumbled (none of which he'd done more than any other man on the floor, she noted), but merely that he was here - and that he'd danced with her.

As they headed off the dance floor she found herself opening her fan and trying to cool herself off. She was parched and could sorely use a pause before the next set. Behind them the players were getting up from their seats in search of a break of their own. She could have hugged each and every one of them for giving her a few moments.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Alvin thought they were going to have to agree to disagree on that one. She was probably just being kind and he was being overly critical and the truth was somewhere in the middle. It was worth it to see her enjoy herself, he realized. It wasn't so bad if she was having a good time. He could make a fool out of himself for that.

"Would you like something to drink?" It had been a lively and quick dance and Alvin was still a little breathless himself and could use some refreshment. It appeared that the band was taking a break and so he wouldn't have to surrender Sisse to another dance with someone else just yet.

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The following 1 user Likes Alvin Bixby's post:1 user Likes Alvin Bixby's post
   Sisse Thompsett

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It was odd to find at balls like this that gentlemen were as considerate as to think of a lady being parched after such a spirited dance. There were times when Sisse would wish she could beg off for just one dance to swallow down the watered down lemonade or punch being served. The fact that he considered as much without having any further machinations about it only made her feel more justified in her estimations of him.

"Desperately." She admitted as she placed her hand in his for him to lead her on to the refreshments.

"It's awfully hot in here." She admitted, the press of crowd surrounding them once again. As much as she enjoyed dancing coming off the dance floor at the assemblies always felt like such a rude awakening. She was always assaulted by the smells and heat and simple press of people everywhere in such a contrast from the whirl and spin of the dancefloor.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Well, he didn't seem to be doing too poorly overall for having such little experience with evenings like this. At least knowing Sisse was taking it easy on him helped. As she tucked her hand in his, he laid it gently on his arm and led the way to the refreshments table. Again he caught Sloane's uncertain expression, but all he did was pass her a smile. It could be a conversation for another time.

"Lemonade? Punch? Champagne?" He would never presume to know what she might like without asking. Alvin never liked to assume much of anything if he could help it. He would have lemonade tonight, or something else non-alcoholic if he could find it, but he wouldn't begrudge her any champagne if she wanted some and he didn't know if the punch was spiked or not. It wasn't always easy, but he knew better and hadn't fallen off the wagon yet.

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"Lemonade, please." While men did not always remember that ladies needed a drink from time to time, when they did they tended to simply bring her one to start a conversation, or pour her something without asking. Sisse found the choice refreshing. She didn't need to drop a hint or politely try to decline, instead she could simply answer what she wished.

When he handed her the glass she took a delicate sip and looked out at the crowd. The faces were familiar, both from the past few weeks, but also from her time in Hogsmeade. These were faces she had grown up with, and while she may not know them all, she did at least know their faces, it was refreshing. And there was Sloane, her gaze caught on Alvin.

Sisse swallowed. She hadn't known how to say anything to Sloane about Alvin, not that she really had believed there was anything to say on the matter. Despite her stomach's knots and the tingles and jolts and bubbling happiness she felt this evening she still wasn't sure there was anything to say on the matter. Yet a sour edge crept in to her stomach. She knew she'd go home and worry over Sloane's notice, worry if there was a reason to talk to Sloane, or if she were being hypocritical about the whole thing. Truly she was beginning to understand why Sloane had never said anything about Cam to start with.

"Have I converted you yet?" She asked, gazing back up at Alvin and trying to put her friend from her mind.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Alvin handed over the preferred drink and then plucked one off the table for himself. He was oddly relieved not to have to explain why he didn't drink alcohol anymore. Not tonight. Tonight was light and fun and that was decidedly not.

Her question brought him back out of those gloomy thoughts easily enough. "I'm not so sure yet," he made a moment of it, scratching his chin lightly as if in thought. "I think it might be more the company than the setting." Alvin was certain he was only enjoying it as much as he was because her enthusiasm was infectious, not because he had suddenly grown to like these sorts of things. In different circumstances, he probably would still be lingering on the outskirts, just keeping an eye on Sloane quietly.

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Warmth bloomed through Sisse, sliding up her spine, coloring her cheeks. His attentions like this, it was unexpected, and yet she felt as if she would be hard pressed to be misunderstanding him. In the early hours of the morning when she arrived home and curled into her bed to sleep she knew that she would wonder and second guess, but in this moment, pressed sweetly in the folds of the present time, she felt as if he at last saw her, understood her to be the lady she was instead of the girl he had known. Her lips tingled with the memory of kiss months ago, that moment when things had shifted. Without realizing it her eyes drifted to his lips, but the moment she realized it she tore them away, met his gaze again.

"The company is precisely why one ought to attend such events." She turned as if surveying the crowds, coyly drawing the attention away from the compliment.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Following her gaze our over the crowd, Alvin merely shrugged. "I have always enjoying getting to know people in smaller, more intimate settings." He had never really enjoyed large crowds or fairs or being jostled about between hoards of people around him. No, Alvin was far better at dinner parties, museum openings, small business meetings, things of that nature. There was less fighting for the attention of those around you in those smaller spaces.

Still, he knew that Sisse enjoyed these sorts of things and did not want her to think there was anything wrong with that. Everybody was different. "But I have never been at home in a crowd. I'm not great at competing for attention." Being the second oldest had its perks; he didn't necessarily want the attention either.

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Sensing the change in the tenor of the conversation, Sisse listened to him, her gaze flitting over his face as he spoke. "I find it easier to blend in in crowds." She found herself admitting before she could think better of it. The unspoken reasons lingering behind the words.

Absently she ran a finger along the bottom of her glass as she considered the truth of her statement. While she knew how to handle attention, felt that she could easily direct a conversation and room, it didn't mean she particularly liked attention. Indeed, she was much happier to be included rather than to be the object of attention. When it was a crowd she could flit about and be charming, but there wasn't the same pressure as there was when it was a smaller group. With a smaller group she felt as if she had to make the conversation flow, make each person feel as if it was them alone. And that was before she even accounted for how much she had to consider what they were thinking of her. Yes, it was much easier for her to be herself in a crowd rather than in a smaller setting.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Considering her answer over his lemonade, Alvin supposed he could see where she was coming from. Their backgrounds were a fundamental difference; she had been raised to be able to handle a crowd, he had been left to his own devices to figure it out for himself. Turns out he just... didn't.

"I think you stand out more than you realize." He mused. She seemed very at home in the setting, she was approachable, knew enough about people to make them feel at ease in her presence, and generally left them in a better state after moving on. He could never, he kept his circle small and that was alright, but he was impressed with her ability to be the life of the party without even realizing it.

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Sisse warmed again and found she couldn't meet his gaze. She looked at a strand of his hair that fell near his ear instead. And yet, despite embarrassment she also felt that she had not done a good job explaining herself. "It's not necessarily blending in exactly." She forced herself to look back at his face as she spoke, refraining from moving her hands as she spoke, there was, after all, no need to douse them both in lemonade. "There's less pressure in a crowd. Less... I don't know how to explain it precisely." Or rather she was beginning to feel that it would only show too much of her own insecurities for her to continue. For that's what these doubts were. She knew when she was valued, but she also knew that she had to work to be valued on a smaller scale and it was an intimidating and stressful endeavor.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Alvin wasn't sure if he had misunderstood, but it seemed like she had meant something else anyway. He shrugged, "I think I get it." Not blending, but more tangentially in focus than the subject of everyone's attention. Like the middle ground of a painting where there was some detail, but it wasn't where everyone's eye was automatically drawn and also not so far in the back that it was mostly for show. He couldn't really imagine the pressure young debutantes were under. Having not yet reached an age where he was expected to marry (though it was quickly approaching) there wasn't quite as many expectations placed up him by anyone other than himself. Alvin had started making the right moves toward that next chapter of his life, but it was mostly still in the planning stages.

"I'm sure the season will provide you with plenty of opportunities to figure out what works best for you." Her enthusiasm alone was credit enough; he was still leery about the whole thing and he knew he had a lot of chaperoning in his future for the rest of the summer.

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Something unspooled in her stomach at his understanding. It felt important that he realized she wasn't just an attention seeking debutante. Sisse might often find herself attracting attention, but she didn't thrive on that attention.

"It already has." She admitted meeting his gaze, hoping he understood her double meaning, that she was.... flirting with him. That's what she was doing. The thought made her feel foolish but it was comfortable with Alvin. She felt as if she had smiled more genuinely in the past quarter of an hour with him than she had the entire evening - and it wasn't that she hadn't been enjoying herself before either. Then, after a pause she added, with a glance back at the dance floor, "Dancing for instance."

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom