[VIDEO; UN: LittleGreenLiar]

[demonicbeauty]

[There are a number of indications that this is a misfire, even before it becomes clear what's going on. First, there's the fact of the username. Ariadne has never once set a username. Everyone who keeps promising to show her how to do it keeps disappearing or dying on her. So she's been "username not set" for years, at this point.

Then, there's the angle. It's tilted. And the feed isn't vibrating and shaking as Ariadne tries to hold it steady. Clearly, her Omni is sitting off to one side, forgotten, at the moment.

Ariadne is standing in her bedroom, sunlight filtering in through the gauzy curtains. She's in her underwear. Of course, it's pretty medieval underwear: a ribbed corset, tied in front, and knee-length bloomers. Bare feet. Green feet. She's in her natural form, her candy-floss blue hair loose and streaming down her back, practically to her knees. She wags her hand in front of her face, as if she's holding a fan. Daintily, she touches her fingertips to her collarbone.]

Me? You want to dance with me?

[There's non one else in the room. It appear, she's been caught in a game of make-believe. Adorable? Creepy? Hard to say.]

Why, sir, I would be delighted!

[She dips into a neat, perfect curtsy. And then rises, eyelashes fluttering.

At which point, she starts to dance a waltz, her arms around an invisible, imaginary partner. She moves smoothly, gliding across the room, looking very much like she's ready to fall in love in a ballroom.

One, two, three. One, two, three...]

Comments

[VIDEO]; UN: [Airy]

[demonicbeauty]

[By this point, Ariadne's unexpected broadcast has snowballed. At least Chizuru isn't giving her a hard time about it.

She's grateful for that.

With a sigh, the feed comes on, Ariadne back in her Human appearance.]

I don't know what happened...it just started recording without telling me.

video | un: rosestorm

[thunderingcourage]

[This was kind of a familiar scene, Makoto had spent a lot of time dancing around alone in her own apartment.]

You look like you're an excellent dancer.

[VIDEO]; UN: [Airy]

[demonicbeauty]

[By the time Ariadne replies, she's gone back to her Human form; pink skin, brown hair, raspberry lips.

But she's blushing a little. And it's definitely a purple blush.]

Th-thank you, my lady.

I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to be public.

video | un: rosestorm

[thunderingcourage]

I figured. I'd have been mortified if it was me, so I wanted to say something.

[Makoto offered a reassuring smile.]

You really seem like a wonderful dancer, do you have a chance to do it often?

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne laughs softly, turning her face so that her hair hides the worst of the blushing.]

Not as often as I would like.

And never with a partner, really.

[opress]

[She seemed at least curious of Ruin, which wasn't a normal reaction now that the rathtar was getting bigger compared to when they had crawled out of the sea some months ago.

Still, he followed her inside and left Ruin to scavenge in the streets of rodents.]

Brute has never done that so far. [Maybe too obedient. Or too enslaved.] Odd that it was your username that changed. I expect you took some offense to the name.

[demonicbeauty]

It was hard not to take personally...

[She frowns thoughtfully.]

Of course, it would be more personal if I knew who did it.

[opress]

Why? You don't like such commentary on who you are, I expect.

[He was looking around the shop, sniffing with little bobs of his chin.]

Are you going to investigate who did it? Though, wasn't it the ghost you were dancing with?

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne laughs.]

I wasn't dancing with a ghost, Savage. Just imagining a partner, that's all.

[tealeafs]

.. that seems strange..

[ Granted, Chizuru is well aware that she doesn't know a whole thing about these devices, nor about the exact way they function.. But she's pretty sure that her own has never started recording without her permission, which makes what Ariadne is saying stand out to her. ]

Wasn't there anyone else who could have accidentally activated it? [ It does feel somewhat important to figure out what exactly happened here - if not just so the other won't have to worry about this happening again, especially if it might be embarrassing to her. ]

[opress]

Why do you need to imagine one? Just ask someone and probably show them to steps.

[Dancing always seemed like one of those universal things that every culture had and could be prompted to do.]

[demonicbeauty]

Well, there wasn't anyone to ask.

[Which is true enough, as her bedroom was quite empty at the time.

She takes out her Omni, giving it a little glare, before she passes it to Savage.]

Anyway, where I come from, it's expected that a male asks his female to dance. Not the other way around.

...I don't know why.

[demonicbeauty]

I was alone in my bedroom.

[She smiles in amusement, remembering how puzzled Savage was that she didn't just ask someone to dance with her.

You can't ask if there's no one there.]

And I certainly wouldn't entertain company in my underwear.

[thunderingcourage]

I get it. I could never really find any guys that wanted to ask for a dance either. At least until Deerington.

[demonicbeauty]

I'll never understand why social protocol requires the male to ask the female.

It's a bit baffling, isn't it?

[thunderingcourage]

Yeah, but guys don't really like it when the girl tries to ask. And usually they don't want to dance with a girl who's taller than them.

[demonicbeauty]

I don't understand.

[She shakes her head.]

And what happens if a male wants to dance with another male? Do they both have to ask each other?

Or if a female wants to dance with a female...but neither of them are permitted to ask?

[opress]

So no male here has asked you to dance then? Humans have odd customs, but I come from a different kind of society.

[For someone of a matriarchal society, the idea that it was a male's expectation for such things was odd to him. Then again, humans in generally did things rather backwards, which he was slowly getting used to.

He took her Omni and eased into a crouch so that she could see what he was doing as he brought up the settings then profile.]

Here is settings then profile. Scroll down a bit and your network identifier is here.

[thunderingcourage]

Well, it's alright for a girl to ask a girl I guess. Ami-chan was really nice and asked me to dance when none of the guys would. And Usagi did at the wedding. [The mentions bring a bit of blush to Makoto's cheeks.]

But I haven't seen two guys ask each other, I should probably ask Reaper.

[demonicbeauty]

Oh! Well, Usagi is always very kind.

[She smiles fondly.]

I'm not sure I know who Reaper is, though.

[thunderingcourage]

She is, I'm lucky that we've been really close and still have each other.

[And how much closer they've become between Deeington and now Trench.]

He's a friend, I could ask how he and his husband decided on who would ask.

[demonicbeauty]

...is it wrong that I'm genuinely curious?

Because I am. I really don't know how social norms work around that.

[demonicbeauty]

[It isn't entirely true. She'd been asked to dance a few times. But all of those males seem to have vanished on her, by this point.

Eagerly, she peers over at the screen, watching Savage work.]

How did you learn to do that?

[subject_013]

[He does something like a double-take, looking into the device, and trying to look innocent, though there's a hint of the cat that got into the cream about his face.]

Hm? Oh. [He reaches in and taps the device, turning the music down.] It's a song from youth. And apparently, since our devices seem to have developed wills of their own this month, it decided your dancing required accompaniment.

[As he says this, Cypher rises up in frame, eyeing their Sleeper as if to say, 'Really, Boss?'.]

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne looks at Cypher, then back at Albert.

Her eyebrows pucker inward a little. She shares his sentiment completely.]

Really, Boss?