"Of course I'll take your hands, Cú. I was simply warming up." She steps closer to him, once more extending her hands, ready to begin the dancing proper.
He takes her hands and within moments pulls her in close to his chest as he sways across the floor in time with the music being played by his fiddler.
Varinia smiles; a broader smile than Cú has yet seen upon her face. She is happy to follow his lead in the dance, staring deep into his eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the moment and the music.
Time seems to melt away as she is swept up in the rhythm of the dance, the warmth of his chest, and his face as he gazes into her eyes...
She tries not to let her wits slip away entirely—she doesn't want to lose a chunk of time like she had back at the Tribunal—but she did have to admit that this was nice.
As they dance he leans in to kiss her.
Accepting a kiss... This could be a lot like accepting food; a point of no return in this story. And she still didn't know exactly where this story was going, or at least if there was any way it could go that didn't leave her trapped in this castle for the rest of her life. Now thoroughly thrown out of the moment, Varinia's mind races, trying to equate what she'd seen of this story so far to what she knew of the fae. Wondering, in the most immediate sense, whether this kiss would spell her doom.
OOC
Intelligence + Faerie Lore roll in the Discord channel. 0/10 + 6; not sure if it's a simple or stress roll, or how many botch dice if the latter.She simply isn't sure, faeries who abduct women might do any number of things, from bluebeard who would murder them to some who might insist on a life of marriage, or take a love them and leave them approach. She certainly hasn't heard enough of the local lore to make an informed decision. She does know that generally those who would kill a woman would only do so after she broke some rule, usually an apparently arbitrary rule, that he gave them.
Brain-wracking proving useless, Varinia gives in. She needs to see more of where this story is going, and maybe she can grill the healer woman later. For now, she—after a fairly long delay—leans into Cú's kiss.
Without getting too graphic here, he is going to gently move this along as far as she is willing to let it proceed- how much fading to black are we at here?
Varinia stops him as soon as he tries to take it further than the kiss. "I think that's far enough for now, Cú. I can't say how long this spell"—she pats her wounded flank—"will hold. And that may be bit vigorous for it." She gives him a grin and a wink. "But thank you for the dance. It was nice."
"Very well, I hope you will join me for breakfast in the morning." He kisses her hand and backs out of the room bowing to her.
Come morning her wound is completely healed and her door unlocked. The gown which has been laid out for her is gorgeous if just a bit revealing.
Well, that was better. She was looking forward to the opportunity to get out of this room. But first, she wanted to get a bit of a better idea of where this story was going. If the old woman who'd been tending to her was in the room at any point, either before she went to sleep or before she left in the morning, she'd try to talk to her. To ask her "So, what happened to Sétante's last lover?"
The woman shrugs "She left." Then snorts "Mind you she was walking funny."
"She walked funny too!? Are you saying he just likes me for my legs!?" Varinia puts on an obviously feigned horror, and lifts the hem of her nightgown slightly to make sure the woman can see her goat legs.
"No miss, a bit higher up. Her legs before she met my lord were the same as any other lass. I expect she recovered from his affection, at least physically. Not so sure about her husband."
"My my, he is very vigorous, ehh?" So, sounded like the love 'em and leave 'em approach. With a painful twist... If she'd been on the fence about the matter before, this definitely put a weight on one side of the balance.
"So when he talks about wanting my hand, he's no intention of holding onto it, hmm?"
"Oh aye, he'll hold it, and kiss it, and make his way up yer arm to your neck. I don't think you need me to draw you a map."
Varinia waves a hand at the woman dismissively and chuckles. "Och, I meant over the long term!"
She begins to disrobe and don the gown that's been left out for her, still listening to the woman, but not sure how much more use she'll be.
"He has been known to last the night, if that is what you mean by the long term?"