DANCING QUEEN.

Ariela grinned proudly, sitting up a little straighter at her seat on the bar top. “Thank you,” she said. 

She let her instrument drop to her lap, letting her arms hang loosely over the top of it as she studied the other woman for a beat with a tilt of her head.

“Are you not much of a drinker?” she nodded over to the half empty glass. “I can always make you something else. I’m sure there’s got to be something around here to make some good ice tea out of. Or I can dive into my secret tea stash.” Though maybe it wasn’t so secret anymore, considering she’d been living in the place for the past few weeks. The other woman did still have it though- the long face, and Ariela was starting to doubt it was just mere sleepiness. There were far more reasons out there to not finish a drink.  

Esmeray looked at the glass and then back at the other as she chewed on her lower lip.

“you don’t have to be stronger.  just smarter.”

liam gives a small shrug.  the number of times he’d come up against a stronger opponent in the cage were plenty.  fighters who could likely put him down with one or two well aimed hits.  or who could crush or crack a lung easily with their strength and size.  but if esme had the mindset of a victim and was so very determined to accept and hang onto it, then there wasn’t a lot he could do to help.  no amount of training would ever change that.

“that sounds a bit bruce lee to me.  no, your body doesn’t become ‘a weapon’.  just… stay away from the movie cliches and this’ll be a lot easier.”

liam does have the decency to flash a smirk then. fighting - whether attack or defence wasn’t the world of grand posturing and transmitted moves that they liked to portray on the screen.  it wasn’t a ‘karate kid’ sensei-student montage which all of a sudden transformed someone into a world class expert over a couple of weeks with only a handful of sage pointers.  it was work.  hard work.  literal blood, sweat ( and sometimes tears, depending on how badly hurt you got ).  and it took time, dedication and practice.  but he doesn’t think that esme is short on any of those things - given the dedication she put into her dancing.

“and there are plenty of things you can do to prevent that.  also - very, very unlikely to be someones first move so…”

he does pause then.  head tilting to one side. catching a low moan and some sounds of a small struggle from the changing room.

“sounds like our guest is awake.”

awake - regained consciousness… same difference.

“it might make more sense for you to stay here while i have a - word.  he hasn’t seen your face.  so right now, you’re safe from any repercussions.  and - whether he lives in town or not, it’s not like anyone can leave at the moment - there’s a chance you might see him out on the street.”

aka.  on your own.   

“it’s up to you though.”

esmeray understands the concept but she’s still skeptical. while she trusts her body, it’s her mind that she fears would betray her as evident by today. she’d heard the suspicious noise and froze. Any concept of fight of flight had long since left with past trauma. 

In the end, she wanted to stop fearing every corner and start living. Hopefully, he could not only help with her confidence but with shifting her persona from a victim to a fighter. 

“Evidently, I know nothing when it comes to fighting. I’ve thrown a right hook and broke my thumb. It was inside of my fingers and that’s a lesson I heard the hard way.”

If it came down to herself and the predator that threatened to take something from her, Esme would like to think that she wouldn’t be the girl who laid there and begged. She wanted to be the woman who fought and defended herself. A type of person who exuded confidence and enough attitude that would make people think twice before they decided to mess with her. While she knew she had it in her due to her time as a stripper, pulling it out proved to be more difficult.

Just as Esme parted to ask more questions, her mouth snapped shut then. Hues widened until her focus was on the male when he mentioned that he could speak to the individual alone. Every ounce in her being wanted to agree with Liam. More than anything, she wanted to scurry in a corner and hide until the individual was far away. However, she knew that the uncertainty of his return would haunt her. “No,” she spoke softly. “I want to look him in the eye and should he return, I’m going to be ready.”

She’d planted her feet down, certain in her decision to face the fear she’d ran away from as of late. Esme was done hiding and feeling scared. She wanted to be someone who could stand strong and be feared. 

“You go first though,” she half-smiled then. Maybe she wasn’t all that brave right now. Fingers wrapped around his wrist as she stood a few steps behind.

“Maybe not, but I think we should take me actually stopping to hydrate by any means necessary.” Though Johnny was usually seen with coffee at hand, sometimes he did stop and drink some water. He wasn’t exactly looking to pass out or anything like that and drinking only coffee felt like a good way to do just that. As for eating, well scones probably weren’t the best meal to have, but at least he was getting something on his stomach. It was the little progresses in life that mattered to him.

“I don’t know about less rewarding. Your dancing always seemed inspiring to me.” Perhaps he was a little biased, sure, but he had never been in the habit of handing out fake compliments. At times he could be a little overly giving with his complements, but he didn’t pass any out unless they were actually earned for someone’s hard work. “What are you working on with your classes right now?” Johnny wasn’t even sure if she was still holding classes. It seemed a bit silly to do so, considering the mist, but then again, they couldn’t just live life in fear forever. Eventually they had to go about their daily lives once more.

“Hydrating as in water, right?” She teased then as she looked him over while he held onto his cup of coffee. Some people only drank or pop and juice. While it was liquid, it was no where near as hydrating as some water. Food was an important aspect of being healthy but simply drinking enough water could make a world of difference in terms of fatigue and other health issues that arose. Not that she didn’t think he knew that. But she also know remaining awake was an important issue for him.

A small smile framed her features at the mention of how her dancing seemed inspiring. She’d heard far too many compliments that she couldn’t actually starting thinking she was a bad teacher or dancer. She simply hadn’t believed people noticed it much. “That means a lot to me.” The brunette told him truthfully as she looked him over before she contemplated his answer. “A lot of different classes right now. We have about five different classes learning different styles. Some Ballet, some hip hop, a bit of burlesque and pole work — even yoga.” All fun classes for members of the town to join.

“You have my full support, girl.” Edith promised and cracked a genuine smile, averting her gaze as another idea hit her. “Hey, what about self defense classes? I mean– do we even have those in Grimmbrook?” The brunette patted the other’s hand gently, her concern was touching and Edith couldn’t ignore it. “Yeah, yeah. It was only mildly sprained. And I told the little girl to ask herself WWED, What Would Esmeray Do, if she ever decided to practice at home. I hope you don’t mind me mentioning you,” she almost burst out laughing, at Esme’s suggestion. “I fear my seduction technique doesn’t involve dancing,” but she probably would give it a try if Esmeray asked her to, if she didn’t have enough girls. Burlesque definitely was intriguing.

Esmeray shook her head at the mention of self-defense classes. “We don’t give some at the Studio but I am getting lessons.” More or less. “Not necessarily lessons, but I have someone that I teach who knows how to fight so he’s decided to teach me some moves.” Mainly because someone had attempted to break into the studio but she didn’t want to have to go through that whole scenario with Edith. Esmeray’s heart warned as Edith recounted her own story, clutching at her chest. “I don’t mind at all and that’s probably the sweetest story I’ve ever heard.” Truth be told, she needed that. Rising her brow, she looked the other over. “Oh, it doesn’t? What is your seductive technique then?”

open;  location // the midnight pub

“Oh, come on now, why the long face?” 

The interior of The Midnight Pub was quiet, without the usual crowd to fill it. Ariela had been lucky to have been awake during one of the few hours where the fog had lifted. And even luckier, while she was plundering her place in Underland for essentials she’d managed to find her guitar- the most essential of essentials if you asked her. And though her company had now dwindled down to one, the other having fallen asleep in their chair at the back of the room, Ariela was determined to make the most of the handful of hours before the fog lifted once more. 

Seated on the top of the bar, she strummed a note, her hand splaying over the strings to stop it from going on too long. “You know, it could be worse. I could not be taking requests.”

Esmeray had been having difficulty sleeping since the individual had attempted to break into the dance studio. 

While her training sessions with Liam had been going well and making her feel better about her skills, it was while she was alone at home that she often felt the worst. Therefore, she found solace at the back of a bar with a drink she hadn’t managed to finish. Her eyelids felt heavy and she almost wished she’d chosen a twenty-four hour dinner to shack up in rather than a bar. Especially since the soft music at the front had begun to pull her back into slumber. 

Edith made a mental note to do something nice for Esme and thank her for doing this for her. After all, she must be tired and eager to get home as well. “I can imagine burlesque gives you certain freedom some other dance types don’t,” a burlesque show in Grimmbrook would be a great distraction from everything going on. “You’re a role model for many of your students and a great one too… Cha cha cha?” A laugh escaped her at her lame pun. One, two, cha cha cha, those were the basic steps, right? Gods, she needed to get some sleep as soon as possible. “There was this little girl in the ER the other day, who sprained her ankle trying to recreate some of your dances. I warned her about the dangers of not warming up properly,”

Esme thought about it and nodded her head. “I think it’s a great idea and i’ll see if I can round up enough people who’re willing to sign up and take some classes.” While she had a few women, she wasn’t sure if they were willing to go on stage. While she’d always felt it empowering, the same couldn’t be said about everyone else and she respected that. At the pun, the brunette couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s good.” She grinned, placing an hand on the others forearm. “Oh no. I hope they were okay. I always mention the importance of warming up.” She smirked, peering at Edith. “Would you take the burlesque dance if I decide to go forth with the idea.”

“mixed signals?”

liam can’t help but snort at the thought.  a scoff, not at esme’s words, but at the times he’d heard the excuse thrown around casually.

“mixed signals is just a fucking excuse people use when they can’t have what they want.  unless it was an outright, dazzlingly clear, green-light ‘go’- then no one has the right to think that they can have anything from you.  and certainly not the ‘permission’ to take it.”

liam purses his lips for a moment - listens to what she has to say while also making sure to keep a casual ear to the other room for any impending signs of consciousness from their current ‘guest’.  he has no problem with esme being their while he has words with the guy - he won’t relish her hearing some of the things he might say, but if it would give her some comfort after this, then it would be worth it.

“it’s not an - act…     …when you’re dancing your body knows how to move to the music because that’s what you’ve trained it to do.  you know set pieces with choreography that you can perform without thinking… and you can apply all of those learned moves and rhythm and skill to a freestyle dance if you want to…”

“…defence is exactly the same.  it’s natural to freeze.  panic and fear mean that no matter how much you might want to do something about your situation, you just… can’t… and no matter what kind of shit you’ve seen on tv or movies - that applies to pretty much everyone.”

he’s started to walk backwards across the studio - taking one of her hands as he does so - he positions his other hand on her waist, exactly the way she’d shown him how.

“you hear the beat, you know when and how to move.  because you have learned.  and practiced.  i move - you anticipate or react accordingly.”

the words he’s using now are almost a reflection of their first dance together.  when he’d stood on her toes more than once.  nothing fluid or relaxed or controlled.  all wrong moves and misplaced footing.  but now - significantly less so.

“it’s the same with… fighting.”

the first time he’s actually said it out loud.  skirting around the edges previously, there didn’t seem much point in being coy about one of his occupations now.

“when the moment comes - you don’t freeze.  you anticipate.  and react.  that’s where i come in.  i’m your bad guy.  and you learn from me.  how about it?”

Esmeray chewed on the inside of her cheek as the male recounted his definition of consent. While she shared the same views, she wished it was universal. 

“Not everyone thinks like that, Liam.” She whispered then. “Some people take what they can get and then tear away what they can’t. People who’re cruel and stronger.” As an exotic dancer, she’d watched countless individuals push their luck and get away with it. 

The man in her hope had a sense of entitlement big enough to believe he had a right at her. 

Wide hues searched his as he spoke. He described the emotions and sensations she’d felt, the movement she’d been unable to describe. While some of it was innate, she’d worked tirelessly to ensure her form remained in tune with her head. Every part of her being had been fine tuned as to depend on her form when she moved, trusting each muscle to arch as needed and catch her on a fall. 

“You see it in your head?” she asked with a tilt of her own. Curiosity was picked now. While she could see the similarities, there were still many differences; the dance one made while fighting was on pure instinct and fast paced. It was deadlier. “Your body becomes to weapon.” Wasn’t that what she’d helped him with? While he had the skill to kill and defend, she’d only showed him fluidity and flexibility. 

Perhaps he could teach her to fight. Not to kill, but to protect herself.

Wrapping lithe fingers around his palm, she followed him to the middle of the dance floor. Her free hand whipped at the dried tears as a ripple of confidence rolled through her. Her back arched, shoulders squared, chin jutted out. Fear had never belonged on the dance floor. 

His words found her ear as she nodded, despite a small smile cracking her confident facade. “The student becomes the teacher,” she chimes softly, “it’s good that I’m not twice your weight, I don’t think your toes and body would survive.” Thankfully her feet had gone through much more than his mistaken steps but it was worth noting.

Pushing a strand from her face, she bit her lower lip as she looked him over. “All you’d have to is throw me over your shoulder.” Still, she remained skeptical. Her thoughts returning to the gun she’d almost bought a month ago and now she now regretted having changed her mind.

send “ツ” for an excited text.

***

He wasn’t a stranger to compliments, as vain as it was to admit, but he never handled them well either. For some reason, attention focused on him made him squirm a bit and in severe cases, seize up entirely. It was just how he had always been, but he had gotten better. No longer did he entirely shut down when someone started complimenting him. Now he could at least offer a smile and a quick nod then brush past it as quickly as possible. “Thank you. I’ve been okay. Busy, really busy.” Busy was why they had never worked. He had wanted it to, sure, why wouldn’t he have? She was gorgeous, funny, and they got along well enough. Just time didn’t work. They didn’t have enough time for one another to even try and build anything functional. It was just something that had to be accepted, or at least tolerated.

“The hospital isn’t packed exactly, but people are coming in. They’re out not long after, except for those really bad cases, but people are freaking out a little more than even they normally would, I think. This whole mist thing has them pretty fucked up.” It was a dangerous situation, he knew that. But focusing on it and lamenting over how dangerous it was wasn’t going to make it any better. He was pretty sure she knew exactly how dangerous it was and would act appropriately. She didn’t need him to tell her that.

“What about you? What have you been up to? Hopefully something more fun than dealing with patients.”

Esmeray peered back at the male and nodded her head when he admitted that he was busy. It came as no surprised given how it was the majority of the issue behind why their date had died where it had begun. Not that she blamed him as he was doing a job that helped others. Plus, they’d remained in contact as much as they could. Apart for those last few months when the midst began to creep into the city. It felt that everything was slightly off and she could only imagine how busy it must have made the hospital. “Well, I’m glad to see that you’ve found time for some breaks to hydrate and eat. I wouldn’t say coffee is a method to hydrate, but you know what I mean.” The brunette teased then. 

“Yeah. I can imagine the people who must have come in when it first started in order to get check when we had little information on it.” Sure, they didn’t have much more then they had then but no one had died so people were beginning to get used to it. At least, that’s what it seemed from the dance studio. Perhaps the place had simply helped be a sort of distraction from the outside and the looming cloth that covered them all. “I’m hoping it’ll just vanish as quickly as it started.”

“Dancing, mainly. So a little bit more fun but maybe a little less rewarding also.”

“I could see that happening,” he said with a laugh. “Next time, I’ll be asking you questions, and you’ll be giving me tips.” He knew there was always room to learn and grow in any aspect of one’s life. Daniel was sure there was a more efficient way he could learn to change a tire. He was always open to gaining new knowledge, keeping his eyes open for a better way to do things. He watched as she worked, his brow furrowed in concentration. “You’re doing a great job. You are seriously a natural at this. You didn’t even need me here.” 

Giving a soft nod Edith let Esmeray know she hoped so too, she figured this town could use some good news. “Oh, you could, if you’d like. I don’t know where you live but I’m…” she smirked. “Well, halfway between The Rabbit Hole and The Midnight– a lively neighborhood, yes.” At least she could blame the nighttime activity for her messed-up sleeping schedule and avoid reflecting on her bad habits. “Burlesque, that’s interesting. Is it… Hard? Have you ever thought about contacting one of the clubs and putting on a show with your group? It’d be a nice change in my neighborhood from what usually blasts through speakers in my neighborhood,” she said lightly, glancing over at Esme.

“It’s not so far from where I live so no worries.” Esmeray said with a small smile since she’d prefer to walk the other home even if it was going out of her way a little bit. Nodding her head in agreement with the sarcastic comment she made, the other couldn’t help but nod her head. It wasn’t a place people wanted to be around in the middle of the night. “It’s kind of hard but it’s all in the visual. It’s fun. You can’t really go wrong with it.” She said with a shrug, plus it was seductive which was something that Esmeray appreciated about it. “I haven’t, I think it would take a lot of effort and I’m kind of maxed out with my classes. We just do small dances apart from some of my advances groups.”

“we aren’t going to do anything.  when he finishes his nap, i’m going to go and have a little conversation with him.  just words, that’s all.  and i’ll make sure that he understands never to come back here - ever again.”

cops wouldn’t do anything.  the guy might get a breaking and entering charge - and because he hadn’t actually managed to steal anything, that would be it.  likely he’d get a slap on the wrist and sent on his way.  or maybe spend a few days in the relative comfort of a county jail before being sent on his way.  not a particularly effective deterrent.  liam considered himself a far more effective deterrent than the cops…

“it’s okay - i’m not going anywhere.”

he’s used to fear.  something liam actually takes great pleasure in inflicting on his opponents - before the sudden outbreak of violence.  but fear in the soft words of people he cares about is another matter entirely.  it doesn’t bring with it any pleasure - rather more of a red mist.  a knot of anger.  the same need for violence perhaps, but rather specifically targeted… and completely unrestrained.

but as she tells of her past experience - liam can’t help but pull his lips into a thin line… 

“people aren’t always what they seem to be - i’m sorry you had to find out that your friend truly wasn’t.”

but… walls and doors might give the feeling of safety and security, but there is always someone who can pick the lock.  who can navigate past security, who can take apart all of those constructed barriers… because that’s all they did - give a feeling of safety.  not actual safety.

“why small?”

it’s an honest question.

“think about it - when you’re performing, when you’re dancing, when you’re teaching… you’re the biggest person in the room.  you’re imposing.  brilliant… the expert.  people look at you and look up to you.  that person isn’t ‘small’.”

he eases back a little - not moving away, but enough that he can look down - talking to the top of her head more than her face.

“you just need to have the confidence to carry that ‘big’ presence to other places.”

“maybe i can help with that.”

Esmeray trusted liam, but she wasn’t convinced that words could be enough. truthfully, there wasn’t anything that would make her find the comfort she’d once felt in the studio. “I want to be there when you do it,” she decided. For once, she wanted to see the fear in another person’s eyes and feel convinced he wouldn’t return.

There was no false illusion as to what the male was or did. She’d watched his form move enough to know the violence it could exude. It was why he’d reached out. What had been deadly was only refined with her help. While it was meant to frighten her, she’d also felt the softness of his touch as they danced. Watched features illuminate when his form reached limits he hadn’t expected. Beneath the killer was, seemingly, something soft and tender. 

“Okay,” she breathed out, knowing he wouldn’t lie to her.

Fingers uncurled slowly from the fabric of his shirt, though she couldn’t quite find strength enough to step back from him. “He wasn’t really a friend,” she whispers in turn. “He was a client.” A shaky exhale comes as she peers up at him, though her eyes only settle on an imperfection in his skin. “I used to be a dancer... an exotic dancer and he was a regular of mine.” 

A tongue darts across her lower lip as she tucks a strand of hair back nervously. “I think I must have given him some kind of mixed signals. I paid more attention because he paid well. He asked me out and I thought that my comments about being too much to handle, or him being too gentle were enough to keep him at arms length.” A laugh escaped then, realizing how wrong she’d been. 

At his question, her shoulder fell as hues fell to a button upon his shirt that she mindlessly played with. A mere object for her to toy with whilst her mind plunged back to that night. “He was in my home. Somewhere I thought was safe. He was saying things that.... —bad things he was going to do and how i’d been asking for it. —— I couldn’t even beg. Somehow, I screamed and someone came in. But it felt like an eternity. I didn’t have control over my own body to fight. How do you trust anyone or anything when you can’t even trust that you’ll be able to save yourself?” As a dancer, she’d always been in a role of control and to feel it being ripped so easily had made her distrust her own person. 

He speaks and she can’t help but listen, feeling his words empower her as much as they can now. “What if it’s an act, Liam?” She steps back then to look at him. “What if I just gave you and everyone else that illusion.” Fingers brush through her hair in frustration, “I don’t know why this keeps happening to me.” Dark hues dart to the unconscious man before it returns to him. 

Blind dates weren’t exactly something he enjoyed, yet Johnny had allowed himself to get talked into one when he first met Esmeray. With assurance that she would be exactly his type and he would have a great time; he had agreed to go out on a blind date with the woman. To the friend who had set it ups credit, they had been right. She was exactly what he would look for in a woman and the date had been delightful. It was just unfortunate that the date was where the delight had ended. Scheduling anything more after that proved itself to be far too difficult, with work scheduled and obligations that just never seemed to match up.  With such a contradictory schedule, actually dating just didn’t seem to be in the cards for them. None the less, Johnny had found himself appreciative of the woman’s friendship.

“They have a couple of different types, yeah. I don’t know how big their selection is right now, considering.” Considering they were a bit later in the day and people had always swarmed the baked goods counter for goodies to start their day with. He had felt lucky enough to get a blueberry scone of his own. “Blueberry. Not my super favorite, but they are good.” He supposed, if she wanted one and they were out, he wouldn’t be opposed to sharing – even if it meant giving up some of his own delicious baked treat.

“You have a moment to sit down or were you heading somewhere after this?” He himself had things he should be getting to, but Johnny didn’t care. He could just take a minute and enjoy his coffee and scone in piece. Things wouldn’t completely fall apart just because he was taking a moment to himself. At least, he was pretty sure they wouldn’t. “If you have a moment, we can grab a table and catch up.”

Esmeray had no ill-will against the male when time had been a factor in the demise of whatever small spark had been found between the two. Things didn’t work out and it was a part of life. Plus, she’d prefer to have him in her life in any way she could than to remain angry at the notion that perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. If she’d taken away anything from their blind date, it was the notion that he was a great man and even better friend to be around. It was why she’d found herself so happy to see him at the Bakery after a few weeks of not having heard from him. Evidently, they were still busy with their own schedules. Plus, the constant fog never made it appealing to go out and be social. 

“I think this one looks like raspberry.” Her nose scrunched as she peered over the array before pointing at the Blueberry. “I’m just going to go with the same thing because I have no idea what the others are and I don’t want to be that person who makes everyone wait while I ask what each kind is.” She said with a shrug at the male, only twisting to thank the barista when he handed her the scone that she wanted. After she plucked a piece off and popped it in her mouth, the brunette nodded in agreement. “That’s amazing.”

“I have time,” she nodded. Not a lot but she had been hoping that they’d have a few moments to catch up. “I have class if thirty minutes so I’m not rushing anywhere.” The brunette flashed a smile before she brushed past him towards a table to ensure she wasn’t in anyone’s way. “Come on, let’s sit.” The brunette told him over her shoulder, pointing to a nearby table. When she folded herself into a chair, she let her eyes wander over the other to take him in. “You look good, Johnny. How have you been? I’ve kinda missed your face.”