By Amber Michelle K.
myaru@etherealvoid.net


- Suikoden III is the property of Konami. This story is for entertainment only. -


"They're having a dance."

Sarah's voice was puzzled. Her expression reflected this when she opened her eyes and set her staff to rest on the ground with a dull thunk. A dance, in the middle of a war - it was ludicrous. As if it wasn't strange enough that such a motely group of allies had gathered together in the first place.

"Escapism," Albert murmured behind her. "We humans are exceptionally good at it."

She turned on her heel to look at him, the only other occupant in the stone chamber she and Luc had set up camp in. It hummed, as everything in the ruins did, like a tuning fork just struck. "But it's impractical. They could be attacked at any moment. Are they that stupid?"

The strategist raised an eyebrow, a slight curl to his lips. "Should I answer that?" Seated on a wide ridge of stone along the wall, he still managed to look as if he was reclining, with all the spoiled air of a nobleman. If she were the type to hate that, it would be too easy. But Albert was Albert, and it was doubtful he'd change his ways just because they annoyed her sometimes.

"We should be attacking. That would be the sensible thing to do." Sarah shook her head and looked away, propping her staff up against the wall with her pack. The saddlebags piled next to it were nearly empty, their food almost gone. It would be easy enough for one of them to teleport to a town and buy more, but in a few days, none of them would need food anymore.

It was odd to think of it that way. Their routine felt so normal that the inevitable end of the ceremony just didn't seem real, unlike her very real worry over her near inability to do more than light a candle with her magic. Sarah ran herself into the ground summoning all of those creatures during their collection of the runes. It must be frustrating Luc to have to wait for her recovery. Yuber was getting restless, Albert kept disappearing... if things ended up falling apart, she wouldn't ever be able to fix them.

It would be her fault for not rationing her energy. If the runes were taken back, they would loose the element of surprise, and Harmonia would be right there waiting, probably at Albert's behest. But if they escaped, Luc would be alive-

"Indulge me." Albert's voice cut into her contemplation. It was the tone of someone who expected to be obeyed. And she did turn, with a raised eyebrow, to earn a faint, almost lazy smile. "Are you criticizing them?"

"I don't understand." Uttering those words was distasteful, but the question seemed rather silly compared to her own thoughts. "Why does it matter?"

The strategist pushed away from the wall, ran a hand through his hair. It flopped back over his eyes as soon as it escaped his fingers. "I'm curious." He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. "The dance, their celebrations - do you not understand the appeal?"

She averted her eyes for a second, reluctant to answer, then met his gaze again. There wasn't much else for them to do except talk. "I find it odd. Why do they bother? This war won't go away just because they throw a party. I do not see how it furthers their cause in any way."

Albert was still, watching her, and the attention was rather discomfiting. "They want to raise morale. By celebrating their new Flame Champion, they inspire confidence in their allies."

Sarah shook her head slightly. Keeping herself from fidgeting under that gaze was more difficult than it should have been. There wasn't be anything to be afraid of. Even if he had garnered outside aid, he couldn't do anything by himself. "And how is that supposed to work? We haven't done any such thing. Harmonia has no such practice."

"Harmonia is different." He approached her fluidly, an illusion of the jacket, and then he was by her side, and she had to look up to meet his eyes. "Have you ever danced, Sarah?"

Sarah took a step back, lifting her chin. Standing that close was a little too bold for her taste. "No." His questions shouldn't have been graced with replies, but it would have been childish not to answer, at the same time. The information was harmless, as far as she could tell.

His hands pulled out of his pockets, bare, and he held one out to her. "Would you like to try?"

No gloves? was her first thought as she stared at the offered hand. Then she looked up again to examine his expression. There was something about his gaze that reminded her of late night planning sessions, the only times she had ever seen him truly animated about anything.

Her eyes moved back to his hand, still patiently waiting. What did that mean?

"Why?" She found herself placing her hand in his grip, watching his long fingers curl over and trap it. She couldn't tell if she was asking him, or just herself.

"Why not?" was the cryptic reply, and Albert took her other hand and placed it on his shoulder. Then his arm curved around her waist and she could feel his hand pressed against the small of her back. Her head whipped around, watching these changes, and when she looked up at him again with her brow furrowed in annoyance, he finally laughed, very softly. "It's a common enough dance, Sarah. Nothing indecent."

He said that while holding her closer than Luc would ever dare, and wondered why she didn't trust him. Or maybe he knew exactly why, and just wanted to derive as much amusement from it as possible - that would be like him.

Albert sighed, but a hint of that amusement remained in a slight turn to his mouth. "Just one dance before you die. It's not a horrible idea, is it? Think of it as another experience to take with you."

If experiencing things were her only concern, she would ask Luc. "Fine." Her voice was resigned, and she tried to relax and accustom herself to the idea of standing so close to someone. The sensation was strange, and it felt a tad inappropriate. "But... I don't know any dances. I don't see how we can achieve anything this way."

Albert didn't appear to be put off by her distance at all. His voice was almost patient, the arrogant edge softened, as if to encourage her to listen for once. "I can teach you. It's easy - do as I say, and you'll be able to pick it up after a few rounds."

Sarah couldn't find anything unreasonable about that, so she gave in with a slight nod. She refused to pout like a child.

"Right then. I'll help you keep your balance, so concentrate on the steps." He nudged her foot back, and the arm around her waist tightened a little. "I'll step forward with this foot, so you need to step back. Then this way, and this way--" After the first round he counted out the steps in three, moving slowly enough that she didn't have much trouble following.

The only word she could put to it was 'odd.' It was a lot of moving around, but without really going anywhere. When she lost her balance he caught her, just as he promised, but it was still too close, and too much touching. And he said this was normal! Doing this on a regular basis sounded rather degenerate, and with so many different partners, as she saw when she watched the festival, well, that would be even worse. It seemed very personal, the way Albert presented it.

Still, reluctant or not, Sarah couldn't hold out very long. It was still difficult to tolerate such close proximity with him, but he was right. The steps were easy, and he never failed to turn her in the right direction precisely when necessary. She didn't know much about dancing, but Albert had always seemed a very precise person. It showed in their dance as much as in his strategy.

"You're doing well." He was still watching. It was the same way he always looked at her, but it seemed different up close. "Are you ready to try it a little faster?"

"Faster?" She drew back a bit, faltering, but he wouldn't allow her to stop. After a few seconds she regained her footing, and looked back up at him. He was still staring, and she averted her eyes. "This is supposed to be faster?"

Albert quickened his step a little, and she was forced to follow, more frantically than she would like. "Like this."

Sarah didn't stumble once, which she felt a touch of pride in, but she had to devote most her concentration to keeing her footing. He must have intended to do this, but she didn't know why. To make her uncomfortable, maybe, or just find something else to show her ignorance in. It could have been anything.

It really was too fast, when she wasn't sure of the steps. She found herself clinging to him just to keep her footing, even a little out of breath, but at least she hadn't made another misstep yet. If he would just stop for a moment-

And he did just that, suddenly and gracefully, while she stumbled to a halt a step later, still clutching handfulls of his coat. When she looked up he stepped back, disengaging her grip gently. With his hands in his pockets, he tilted his head. "Enough for you, Miss Sarah?"

She stared for a moment, remembering belatedly to straighten her dress. He was looking at her that way again, like he saw something interesting he wanted to examine. He just wanted a reaction, then. Maybe it was an experiment.

"Always thinking the worst of me," he said softly, a strange smile on his lips. "What did I do to deserve that?"

He didn't do anything. Nothing but a dance. Sarah looked away again, to the corner of the room. Her face felt warm. An apology seemed in order. He was right, she was thinking badly of him without justification. Her thoughts must have been obvious.

"It's alright, Sarah." Albert didn't sound amused anymore. It was the voice of strategy, which she was more familiar with. It made her wonder if she hurt his feelings, because it felt insincere.

"Why did you come to see me today?" It was hard to look at him, but she should give him the courtesy, if she intended to speak to him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"

"It isn't that, I just-" She looked down, eye catching on the shimmer of his scarf. He never gave straight answers. Maybe that was just the way of strategists. They were never any clearer in the war room. They had reason to suspect this one was a traitor to boot, so of course she wouldn't trust anything he said! If Luc had not told her to leave him-

Albert's voice interrupted her thoughts as it did earlier, a smooth cut as he turned. "We should find Luc and Yuber while the torches are still burning."

"Wait." She started to approach him, but halted when he did. It was hard to piece together what she wanted to say, and when he glanced over through his messy fringe of red hair, it all seemed to fall apart. 'Sorry' felt suddenly inappropriate. But just when it seemed he might turn around and start off again, she managed, "The torches will burn as long as I want them to."

His eyebrow lifted again lazily. "I thought you said you had exhausted your reserves."

Sarah shook her head, relieved that he hadn't just walked off and ignored her. "These ruins have their own magic."

"Interesting." He looked off again, gazing down the hall. "We have time, then."

"Time?" she asked hesitantly, trying to decipher his tone. "For what?"

"Another dance."