Work Text:
Shenhe stands before the venue, asking herself again What in the world is she doing here?
Well, a better question would be What in the world is her target doing here?
She doesn’t know why Vyse is here. She doesn’t know why a murderer spends their spare time going to balls or parties or anything of the sort. What she knows is that he should be here, so, without much thinking, she herself lands here too. Without a plan.
She has to start somewhere, and figures that somewhere should probably be inside.
The venue itself is small, but the ballroom is large, taking up a majority of the building’s center. Dancers from all regions twirl and tango in the center, with jewelry and attire of importance glittering under the chandelier.
Shenhe stands against one of the outside walls to the ballroom. She gives her Zori a tug—she can’t help but feel underdressed in her everyday clothes.
She’s here to get revenge, she reminds herself, not dance. She shakes the thought away and clears her head.
She looms around the corner of the wall, watching patiently as the dancers go about their festivities. There are many guests of many families, but she can’t pick out even one whose attire resembles that of the Zoroark clan. Luckily, patience is a virtue of hers.
“Oh, excuse me?”
She startles at the dancer—An Oricorio woman dressed in Bailé attire—who has appeared in front of her.
“Sorry to bother,” The woman gives a shy smile. “I couldn’t help but notice you watching all alone. I was wondering if…” She adverts her gaze as her cheeks flush pink and she offers out her hand. “If I could share a dance with you?”
Unfortunately, remaining focused in the presence of pretty women has never been Shenhe’s strong suit.
“I- of course,” the heat rushing to her own cheeks makes her thoughts scatter. “But, I don’t really know how to-“
Before she can finish, the woman has taken her hesitant hand and pulled her along to the dancefloor with a smile that makes Shenhe’s heart flip.
The two take an empty space near the opposite end of the room. “I’ll teach you how to tango, it’s simple!” The Oricorio beams brightly. “Just mirror me, and spin when I spin you.”
Shenhe gives a shy glance at the crowd around them, but the only eyes on her are from the woman across from her.
She allows herself an excited smile as she nods in confirmation.
Her dance partner keeps one of her hands, and stretches her other out in a pose. Once Shenhe mirrors it, she’s gently guided into the next pose as the two step in time to the music. The tango goes on like this for a few measures as Shenhe watches her steps carefully, constantly aware of the proximity her partner shares with her.
“...Might I ask your name?” Shenhe whispers delicately into the space between them.
“My name?” Her partner repeats, then lifts the hand holding hers to guide her into a spin.
But when she makes a full turn and her eyes land upon her dance partner again, she pulls her hand away as if she’s just touched hot coals.
“Thought you’d know it after spending so long searching for me,” Vyse grins. It makes her skin crawl.
“Y-you!” Shenhe’s hand flies to her blade as she catches her footing.
Vyse’s grin falls as he clicks his tongue at the movement. “Awh,” he whines, “we were having such a sweet dance. What happened?”
“‘What happened?’!?” She barely contains herself from shrieking. “You-! You murdered my-!”
A nearby dancer casts a glance over their shoulder at her. She keeps the blade concealed in her cloak.
“...You know what you did,” Shenhe hisses.
Vyse rolls his eyes. “All I did was ask you to dance. You really gonna leave me dry like that?”
Shenhe can only glare at him with bared teeth. Like hell she’ll dance with him.
“Ohhh, I get it!” Vyse snaps his fingers. “You don’t like my new appearance. Well, why didn’t you just say so?”
“Wh-?”
Before the word can fully leave her mouth, its cut short. She watches, frozen in shock as Vyse shapeshifts right in front of her eyes.
“Better?”
They’re only very, very slight differences, objectively. But they leave Shenhe stunned into gaping and staring as Vyse ties… her… robe a little tighter around her waist.
She smirks. “Seems like it.”
Her voice is going to drive Shenhe insane.
Vyse steps forward and pulls Shenhe out of her shell-shocked state and back into the dance. Shenhe does her best to resist.
“What’re you waiting for? Come on, you had it just fine a minute ago!”
“I’m not-!”
And then Vyse is pulling her along by her waist and hand, just as they’d danced before.
All she can do is continue to bear her teeth as she tries to follow in step and look anywhere but her dance part-... Vyse.
Vyse lifts her hand to send Shenhe into another twirl. “So…” She croons, “I changed my appearance for you. Do I get to pick something of yours to change?”
Shenhe reluctantly follows through with the spin. “Absolutely not.”
“Here—” Vyse continues to pull her along in the dance. “I’ll do it for you.”
Shenhe takes this as a final sign to pull away and run out of here. Forget not making a scene, her damn dance partner seems intent on it!
But Vyse’s gentle hold on her hand suddenly turns into a fierce grip on her wrist, pulling Shenhe back into her arms just as she makes a move for it. She’s appalled to find herself in a dip with Vyse leaning down over her, looking more and more pleased with herself.
Shenhe reaches for her blade as Vyse reaches for her head.
“There we are,” She sings sweetly as tufts of Shenhe’s hair fall against her face. When her hand pulls back, she’s holding Shenhe’s hairpick and tie. “Aren’t you pretty?”
Shenhe’s hand trembles as her heart nearly stops in her chest.
What the hell has happened to her!?
