Open: it's time now to sing out though the story never ends

[vineleaves]

[This is being posted early, but it is meant to be occurring on the one year anniversary of Dionysus arriving at the mansion.]

There's a room in the mansion Dionysus discovered somewhat recently that is, for lack of anything better to call it, a dance studio. Shiny hardwood floors, one long wall of mirror, the opposite wall featuring a mounted barre. If anyone happens to be walking by it today, the open door might catch their attention, as Dionysus has his cd player set up playing music, which he is dancing to at the moment. He's wearing a pair of gauzy, loose pants that sit low on his hips, complete with a gold belt with dangling chains that serve to help emphasize his movements. His hair is pulled up into a messy bun, finally long enough that he can get all of it up with only a minimum of strands sticking out oddly.

He has been here for a whole year. To be fair, he's only slightly certain he's got the date correct, but even if it hasn't been a full year to the exact minute or whatever, it's close enough. A whole year. A year trapped, held prisoner for some unknown reason, unable to break out, kept away from all of his friends and family. A year in which he has been given the wonderful opportunity to meet people he couldn't possibly imagine living without now, in a place where anything, even stopping death, is possible.

Dionysus is fairly zoned out as he dances, so if anyone decides to duck in and say hello, it might take him a while before he notices.

Comments

[temnota]

Aleksander shot Dionysus a flirtatious glance but his voice was calm and well-behaved as he answered, "By all means. I would welcome the help."

[vineleaves]

"Alright," he says as he sets his hands on Aleksander's hips, and starts gently directing the flow. "You don't need to completely lift and lower one side before moving to the next. So, let this one start rising as this one's lowering back down."

[temnota]

Dionysus's hands on his hips felt good and it took Aleksander a great deal of effort to stay focused on the lesson and not lean backwards. He could indulge himself later after the lesson was finished. "I see now. The movements should flow together."

[vineleaves]

"Exactly! Like a -- wait, d'you know what a see-saw is?"

[temnota]

"I do! There is a playground as the Little Palace though it can be a challenge getting the younger Squallers to refrain from "helping" people by calling gusts of air," Aleksander answered. "That helps, thank you."

[vineleaves]

He laughs. "I can see why that would be a problem, yes."

[temnota]

"It is good that they feel comfortable enough with their power but most of them do not have the control yet," Aleksander said fondly, thinking of the many spirited Grisha he'd known as children and watched them grow to be strong and confident. "We have Healers but no one wants to see someone fall off the seesaw and get hurt because they weren't being careful."

[vineleaves]

"It hurts to fall off of a seesaw under the best circumstances, not to mention if someone with wind powers is making it worse."

[temnota]

Aleksander could only nod. He had seen seesaws in his youth but only at a distance. He had never been allowed to play with other children on the rare times he and Baghra were stopping at a village. It hadn't been safe.

"Children will be children, whether they have powers or not," he said. "You can tell them a dozen times and yet someone will try it anyway."

[vineleaves]

Dionysus exhales a little huff of laughter. "Ain't that the truth..."

[temnota]

"Do you have children?" Aleksander asked curiously.

[vineleaves]

"I've had -- well, the number's up to 133, now that Mercutio said he wants to be my kid," he replies, sounding very proud in a dad-like-way.

[temnota]

"My mother had that many, I think," Aleksander said thoughtfully. "Though I don't really know. I remember some of her pregnancies and she even let me hold a few of my siblings but that was as far as it went. She wouldn't tell me anything about them or their fathers. She would never even tell me about my own."

[vineleaves]

"Oh, sweetheart," he says, frowning. "I'm sorry, that had to be hard." He politely is not going to mention how many siblings he has. Mostly because nobody, not even Zeus himself, knows the actual answer to that.