DiddlKid
Saint Dharumis II
DiddlKid
Saint Dharumis II
DiddlKid
"The D? Now now you'll have to earn that one, a girl deserves a little mystery no?" D raised a brow at the blush that had bloomed across his face but chose not to comment upon it. She was relatively a reasonable dancer but had not wanted to make Dharumis feel intimidated. Dancing wasn't too difficult as long as they kept it slow and simple. Lucky for them a slow song was just starting. They got into position and she guided his right hand down to rest upon her waist.
"And what about yourself hm? You said that you took your name Dharumis in your youth? Why was this?"
The opaque lenses of his glasses hid the direction of Dharumis' eyes: toward his feet, lest he bruised one of her feet. He took care to make sure that didn't happen; her shoes looked painful left alone.
"It's a long story," he weaseled, reacting to D's comment pertaining to mystery. "But it boils down to my job. I was a Barton knight before I quit the force." Realizing that this information was not at all relevant to his name, however, he continued.
"It was hard to earn respect as a paige with a name like mine; so when I was knighted I chose a more 'appropriate' name for the title. So, how about you? Are you finished playing hard-to-get with a guy you met minutes ago?"
The music had started now and they were swaying slowly between the other couples. D looked up at Dharumis. He was very handsome and charming and despite the initial apprehension, was lighter on his feet than she had anticipated. She let out a small laugh and raised herself upon her toes to place her lips next to his ear.
"The D... stands for D." She pulled back and smiled.
"Honestly. Go figure at the imagination of my parents"
Dharumis agreed; the name was very lazy on behalf of the parents. But he dared not say such a thing; besides, it
was a very intriguing name: no apparent meaning, no history, just a single, beautiful syllable: Dee. It was mysterious without her efforts. It left him wanting more.
When D pulled back from him, Dharumis' hands flinched; he had assumed that his grip was too tight, or too low, and that was her subtle way of telling him to be careful. But when she smiled at him, that doubt was removed. He smiled back out of courtesy, but found that no effort was required to bend his mouth into its asymmetrical grin.
When D was a child, her name had been the bane of her existence. Yet as the years passed she had learnt how to use it effectively. Her name was a canvas on which she could create herself. Dill. Delilah. Danni. All names she used in the past. Davina. The name had been poised upon the tip of her tong, yet she’d faltered and spoken the truth. As to why, she was unsure. But when he smiled at her D’s stomach clenched. He had such a boyish charm about himself that kept her intrigued. She had spoken of mystery and yet she hadn’t even seen Dharumis’ eyes.
The song had gained a little speed by now and D could feel that they were starting to twirl a little faster, the hem of her dress twisting its way around their legs.
“Do you attend these events often?”
"I've never been to a
Gaian ball before," Dharumis answered, "but I'm glad I chose tonight as my first." Had he wanted to try, he would not have been able to remove the smile from his face.
It was during the ensuing silence that Dharumis noticed the tempo change in the music, having happened without his awareness. He, usually a butterfly with clipped wings in social situations, was having such a grand time that he needed not give it any thought. If she was not in front of him, smiling, if he did not feel her soft hands upon his shoulders, he would not believe what he saw.
The song ended in a tremolo; a thick, hearty chord pounded out of the ebony piano on the stage. When the hands ceased, the notes decrescendoed into silence, and as dictated by the rest of the crowd, he and D turned to the performers to applaud. It was when he was not gliding across the dance floor that Dharumis noticed how fiery their chemistry had left his body. He could be sure he was blushing again. Turning to D, he asked:
"I'm going to get a drink. Can I get you one?"
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