A still more unlikely trio at the Fort Hold Gather.
RL Date: 4/26/09
IC Date: 7/28/19
Gather Grounds(#869RJs$)
Down in the intersection of the Hall and Hold roads, the great beaten square of earth that houses most of Fort's gathers stands, free of any encroaching greenery. Meticulously maintained by Fort's groundskeepers, the area is devoid of structures when there isn't a gather on, only the brown of the hold's soil shows where festivities often take place. When the Lord has called a gather though, the wooden stalls are wheeled out from storage and set up in neat rows that make an aisle around the perimeter of the square. Strings of brightly colored lights are hung betwen the stalls and the harper dais is set up at the head of the dancing square along with a scattering of trestle tables and sturdy wooden stools.
To the northwest, the shape of the hold looms in the cliff while nearly due west the craft halls stand watch over the road. More cotholds pepper the fields beyond the gather grounds as far as the eye can see to the south and southeast.
The evening's gone bright and cheerful, the merrymaking gotten loud and energetic with dancing and drinking and eating and shopping. And Jaeyi looks like she's done a fair bit of most of those things, just now all but fallen off the dance floor onto a bench to fan herself with a pretty painted silk fan-- that looks well out of /her/ price range, but very much within the buying power of the gent that's come back with something cold-looking for the girl to drink. Parties rule~
Looking fresh and well-pressed, T'rev ambles on through, doding a tubby couple with a grin, laughs as a random girl catches his hand and asks him to spin her. He does, good-naturedly and she leans in to kiss his cheek. The bronzerider's gaze follows her off into the crowd as she goes and he's chuckling as he draws near where Jaeyi's come to rest, eyes on the moving dancefloor like he's looking for someone or someones.
However long that gent's invested in Jaeyi all unravels, and it shows in the fall of his face when she bats her fingers at him, run-along-dear. T'rev's watching the dancefloor, Jaeyi's watching T'rev, out goes a foot, an ankle meant to foul his steps, and the baker's friend gives him a black look lit with sudden understanding. A smattering of marks and an afternoon wasted, he skulks off and leaves the girl with a bright, "Watch your step, bronzerider."
"Whoa," T'rev says audibly as that foot sneaks around his ankle and he looks over, brows lifted as that fellow gives that warning. Oh hey, pretty legs. Pretty legs he knows! Up come his eyes to Jaeyi's face and T'rev laughs outright. "Hey Jae, was hopin' I'd catch up with you for a dance," he drawls. "Hope your pal ain't too offended. Seen Su or Ella about?" he asks, giving her foot a nudge so he can step closer.
Jaeyi's pal? She spares him a parting glance and answers sunnily, "I don't particularly care if he is. He's outlived his usefulness." Said while she tibbles a drink from the cold-looking glass, offers it up with a help-yourself smile to T'rev. "I was with Su earlier today," she begins, sitting up a little better to look through the press of bright clothing for something striking and green, but no sign of it, alas. "Then Kai showed up, and scowled at me for about an hour, and made it impossible to pick anyone up. So I ditched them, and I haven't seen them since." And doesn't look so sorry about it, seeing as it landed her a lot of dances, a pretty fan, and ample drinks.
Fiorella was around earlier in the day, but then she headed back for a break from all the activity somewhere after midday. It might just be that that break turned into a far longer one than was intended as the girl finally winds her way through people. She pauses for a jump in attempt to catch a better look at who might be near by. People she's looking to find? People she's looking to avoid? While Fiorella isn't dressed as a girl of her age and breeding might be for such an event her cloths today are more dressy than those she wears most days. The outfit does, however, still consist of pants.
T'rev reaches down to take Jaeyi's glass and has a sip, chuckling a little as he passes it back. "Well let's see if I can be useful for longer," the bronzerider says and nods to the floor. "You all danced out, or can I convince you in a bit?" He sits then, on the bench next to Jaeyi. "Scowled huh? He's got some crazy ideas, that guy," T'rev decides with a shake of his head. "Hopefully he n' Su're off havin' a grand old time though." And there's Ella jumping to see over the crowd and the bronzerider holds a finger up then cups his hands around his mouth. "Ella! Over here!"
An innocuous drink, icy slushy fruit stuff, not so much as a drop of alcohol to it, but it's making Jaeyi happy and that's really the point. "I'm sure you could convince me to do a lot of things," she answers gamely, a face made at the grand-old-time in the prompt wake of her cheerful allure. "I hope so. If he doesn't get la--" T'rev's now flagging down a little girl, so she bites her tongue and, cup set on the edge of the bench, leans on her hand and fans herself some more. She really ought to get, like, bare-chested men with palm fronds to do this for her.
Fiorella lifts a hand, waving from tip-toes as she first hears and then catches sight of T'rev. She did hear, she is coming. Really. The girl disappears into the crowd for a bit before she actually makes to the pair. "Excuse me!" she says a touch more loudly than might be necessary as she pushes between two groups of chattering gather goers. But then there's finally a clearer path and she smiles as she joins up with Jaeyi and T'rev. That smile however may seem a touch forced, not quite as full of mirth and sparkle as usual, but then again it is rather late...
"I can only do my best," T'rev claims about any convincing and then chuckles at that abortive sentence of Jaeyi's. He nods his agreement, reaches over even, aiming to squeeze her hand lightly. "Want me to do that for you?" he offers about the fan, but gets distracted a moment later by Ella's arrival. "Hey there kiddo," the bronzerider says as Ella pulls up and pats the bench beside him on the far side from Jaeyi. "You been havin' a good time?" and his gaze rests on her for a good moment or two, gauging her expression.
Jaeyi, under her breath, "I want bare-chested men with palm fronds to do it, but failing that..." She relinquishes the fan unto T'rev's keeping, twitters her fingers in a carry-on way, which parlays smoothly into a welcoming curl of her fingers at the little girl. Her attention stays only long enough to question the forced smile with a light crease in her forehead, then she looks back toward the dancing, perhaps a little flagged herself though still attentive to the swirl of skirts and flicker of feet.
Fiorella bobs her head in a nod, though she doesn't actually say anything in reply to that question which is rather unlike her. When the seat is indicated she moves to half fall, and rather ungracefully at that, into it, hands settling on her lap. Her expression hides other subtle signs that 'good' is perhaps not the word she would have chosen for her evening. "How about you two..?" she returns the question after a few seconds longer of quiet.
"If I could, I would," T'rev murmurs back for that under-breath quip of Jaeyi's and dutifully takes the fan to gets started on the job. T'rev promptly curls his arm around Ella's shoulders and gives the girl a squeeze, while the other keeps up its imitation of bare-chested frond-bearer to keep Jaeyi cool. "I just got here," he explains, "but I think Jaeyi's been dancin' her feet off."
Jaeyi, indulgent; "Mmmn, and eating, and shopping, and..." Her fingers twitch idly toward the dance floor, and dancing and dancing and dancing. Her head leaned aside against her shoulder, her weight rested on that one arm, she turns her face toward the breeze T'rev's generating. "They're selling these very pretty perfume bottles over there, all different colors. I got a pink one. And a blue one. And a purple one. Do you want one?" Presumably she means Fiorella, not T'rev.
Fiorella shifts just a bit closer to T'rev when that arm circles her shoulders, leaning over to let her head rest on his shoulder as she looks out towards the dancing. She's only half listening to the answer so when Jaeyi asks about the bottles she's answered first with a "Hmm?" Green eyes turn from the dancers back towards baker and rider, "Oh..." she trails of in thought as the question is realizes. Brows wrinkle just a bit and she shakes her head, "No thanks.. I'm not really into that.."
Dutifully fanning, T'rev has an indulgent grin of his own for talk of perfume bottles. "Sounds like a good day for the lovely baker," the bronzerider claims. His arm tightens just a little around Ella as she drops her head to his shoulder. "Anything that you do want to look for Ella?" he asks next. "Or should we wait on Ruatha and for ... things t'settle a little?"
"If you change your mind," Jaeyi says simply, one foot judging the edge of a bag at her feet, one that crumples like tissue-paper. Helpfully, she adds, "They're selling just about everything." Her forehead dips toward the stalls, all lit up now that evening's settled in, then she lifts her face a little to receive more fanning, eyes chasing a pair of bright red slippers across the dance floor.
Fiorella shakes her head after a moment of though. "Nothing that I need tonight," she replies. "Rather wait till its not so crowded anyway." It wasn't all that much fun getting to the table they're at in the first place. She's not quite ready to leave it for those same crowds just yet. "Thank you though," That said, she shifts slightly so as to turn her gaze up to the bronzerider. "Do you have drills and sweeps tomorrow?" she inquires of him.
"Yeah, it's a nice big gather," T'rev says, still fanning and his eyes slide over to Jaeyi, linger on her for a moment until Ella speaks again. "Sounds like a plan. I'm coming back down tomorrow," he explains, "a little earlier in the day. I do have drills, but no sweeps," he goes on and gives Ella another litle squeeze. "Want to go someplace, kiddo?"
Jaeyi's just sitting and being fanned. Which is not a bad life, when you really break it down like that, and chances are that she stopped listening to Fiorella and T'rev quite some time ago. She certainly looks to be happily off in her own little world, consistent of red dancing shoes and three colored perfume bottles and who knows what else-- or she's just ignoring them on the grounds that they aren't talking about her, so they're not interesting any more.
"Can you cancel them?" Ella asks almost hopefully. "I mean, its not every day that there's a gather at Fort. And its not like the wing is going to miss out on anything particularly important not having them for ONE day. Right?" she quickly adds in explanation of her request. A glance shifts further down the table to T'rev's other side, eyes settling on Jaeyi for a moment. "If you wanted to dance or something you can. You don't have to just sit here cause of me..."
"I already did for the first day of the gather," T'rev says laughingly. "But if you want to make a day of it ... sure, I don't think anyone's going to complain about another free day. Though some of them will still have sweeps shifts to cover." His brows lift at that forward remark from the girl and he looks back over at Jaeyi. "What do you think Jae, your feet up for another round?"
"Mmn, I'm trying to remember if I saw feet for sale over there." And Jaeyi pitches forward a shade, looks toward all those booths-- none of which sell toes, let's hope. In other words, finish talking. She'll keep at least a little while longer, and it's not like anyone's brassy enough to come up and sweep her away with T'rev on one side. Not as bad as B'kaiv, but handsome-bronzerider is quite a deterrent in its own way.
Fiorella ohs.. "Well-," she starts, but then T'rev is already agreeing to give a second day drill free. A quizzical look is given towards the bronzerider. "Okay." That was far too easy. The comment on feet for sale from the baker doesn't get a laugh out of the girl, but it does quirk a smile. "What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Heh, well, I know what that means for later," T'rev notes somewhat cryptically to Jaeyi. "Nope, can't go overboard," he tells Ella. "But a little break is good every once and a while." His hand shifts and he's giving some of her hair a fond little tug, then he's tendering the fan to Jaeyi. "Ella if you don't mind, I'm going to take Jaeyi for a spin and then your turn if you're up for it?"
Jaeyi takes the fan, puts the little ribbon back around her wrist so it does that pretty dangly thing, and notes with a brow hooked at T'rev, "I've been here all day, what makes you so sure there's a 'later' for you in all this?" But she offers over a hand expectantly anyway, waits to put her party dress back to its intended use-- making other people wish they were the ones dancing with her. "Don't let anyone steal my packages?" is requested of Fiorella, all the bundles tucked against the leg of the bench there.
Fiorella nods, "I know.." she reluctantly agrees. Even she knows there's a point of too much of a good thing as it were. The good thing in this case being the lack of sweeps and drills. "Can I go with you then?" she asks almost hopefully. The question of dancing is given a shake of her head as she scoots over to allow T'rev room to move from the bench. "Go ahead. I'll be alright." Beat. "Sure," she adds for Jaeyi's request of looking after the packages.
"You bet," T'rev tells Ella about the following day, gives her shoulder a pat and gets up, taking Jaeyi's hand to draw her out onto the floor. The music's not too fast, not too slow and he waits until they're mixing in with the other couples before he utters two simple words in answer to that question the baker posed before: "Foot massage."
Jaeyi's eyes chase those red slippers round the perimeter one last time on the way through the mingle of dancers, while she offers a quick, "Thanks," to Ella, right up until she's facing T'rev and actually doing the dancing bit. "You can do better than that," with the dancing, with the foot-massage-promise, hard to say in light of the challenging glint behind her smile. Not a spry thing, not after a busy day on her feet, but she knows her strengths, she knows how to sway prettily, so at least it's not a waste of T'rev's time. "Go and dance with the little girl already," is her suggestion, though.
Fiorella pulls her feet up beneath her as the pair make their way towards the dance floor. It does manage to give her the boost she needs to better see around people as they pass between her place that bench and their place out dancing. Green eyes follow the movement of the pair, though distance and gather noise makes it so she can't overhear conversation - which may be just as well.
"You'll just have to wonder just /how/ much better," T'rev answers as he leadds through more swaying than actual movement. He does however, provide a name for the little girl. "Ella. Fiorella," he notes with a grin and makes to spin Jaeyi slowly. "My foster-daughter and she's just 'lost' another sister with Berit transferring." He looks over Ella's way then bends to kiss Jaeyi's hand. "Ella's turn then," he says agreeably.
Light; "I gathered who she was." Jaeyi looks over his shoulder toward the little girl in question, brushes the flat of her thumb across T'rev's knuckles on the back-side of that hand-kiss, and steps away from him with her hands folding behind her back. Which has the advantage of doing lovely things with her neckline. Which has the advantage that at least she won't be sitting like a wallflower through T'rev dancing with Fiorella. "I will /possibly/ see you later, hmn?" she adds with a flutter of eyelashes that sure seem inviting, but who knows. Her tall-dark-pocketbook is loitering in the periphery again.
Fiorella has watched those packages. Well.. sort of. Not so much really no. Enough to know that they're still there out of the corner of her eye, but most of her attention was focused on keeping an eye on the pair while they were out on the floor least they skip out on her. "You're good at that," she offers towards Jaeyi when they return to the table. That being dancing of course.
"Toes ..." T'rev answers for 'possibly', grinning wickedly and of course he's eyeing Jaeyi's neckline for the pretty things she makes it do. But he returns to the bench and Ella and sweeps her a gentlemanly bow. "They're starting up a good one, Ella, will you dance with me?" he invites, all easygoing charm and light-hearted affection for his ward.
Not a word in response to toes, just a brief rock on to her own before she's busy finding someone else to take over for Fiorella in the guarding department. That's what fourteen-year-old-boys are for, really, and Jaeyi leaves one to watch her things, curls her fingers at the bronzerider and little girl pairing, and has a few traipses round with tall-dark-pocketbook.
IC Date: 7/28/19
Gather Grounds(#869RJs$)
Down in the intersection of the Hall and Hold roads, the great beaten square of earth that houses most of Fort's gathers stands, free of any encroaching greenery. Meticulously maintained by Fort's groundskeepers, the area is devoid of structures when there isn't a gather on, only the brown of the hold's soil shows where festivities often take place. When the Lord has called a gather though, the wooden stalls are wheeled out from storage and set up in neat rows that make an aisle around the perimeter of the square. Strings of brightly colored lights are hung betwen the stalls and the harper dais is set up at the head of the dancing square along with a scattering of trestle tables and sturdy wooden stools.
To the northwest, the shape of the hold looms in the cliff while nearly due west the craft halls stand watch over the road. More cotholds pepper the fields beyond the gather grounds as far as the eye can see to the south and southeast.
The evening's gone bright and cheerful, the merrymaking gotten loud and energetic with dancing and drinking and eating and shopping. And Jaeyi looks like she's done a fair bit of most of those things, just now all but fallen off the dance floor onto a bench to fan herself with a pretty painted silk fan-- that looks well out of /her/ price range, but very much within the buying power of the gent that's come back with something cold-looking for the girl to drink. Parties rule~
Looking fresh and well-pressed, T'rev ambles on through, doding a tubby couple with a grin, laughs as a random girl catches his hand and asks him to spin her. He does, good-naturedly and she leans in to kiss his cheek. The bronzerider's gaze follows her off into the crowd as she goes and he's chuckling as he draws near where Jaeyi's come to rest, eyes on the moving dancefloor like he's looking for someone or someones.
However long that gent's invested in Jaeyi all unravels, and it shows in the fall of his face when she bats her fingers at him, run-along-dear. T'rev's watching the dancefloor, Jaeyi's watching T'rev, out goes a foot, an ankle meant to foul his steps, and the baker's friend gives him a black look lit with sudden understanding. A smattering of marks and an afternoon wasted, he skulks off and leaves the girl with a bright, "Watch your step, bronzerider."
"Whoa," T'rev says audibly as that foot sneaks around his ankle and he looks over, brows lifted as that fellow gives that warning. Oh hey, pretty legs. Pretty legs he knows! Up come his eyes to Jaeyi's face and T'rev laughs outright. "Hey Jae, was hopin' I'd catch up with you for a dance," he drawls. "Hope your pal ain't too offended. Seen Su or Ella about?" he asks, giving her foot a nudge so he can step closer.
Jaeyi's pal? She spares him a parting glance and answers sunnily, "I don't particularly care if he is. He's outlived his usefulness." Said while she tibbles a drink from the cold-looking glass, offers it up with a help-yourself smile to T'rev. "I was with Su earlier today," she begins, sitting up a little better to look through the press of bright clothing for something striking and green, but no sign of it, alas. "Then Kai showed up, and scowled at me for about an hour, and made it impossible to pick anyone up. So I ditched them, and I haven't seen them since." And doesn't look so sorry about it, seeing as it landed her a lot of dances, a pretty fan, and ample drinks.
Fiorella was around earlier in the day, but then she headed back for a break from all the activity somewhere after midday. It might just be that that break turned into a far longer one than was intended as the girl finally winds her way through people. She pauses for a jump in attempt to catch a better look at who might be near by. People she's looking to find? People she's looking to avoid? While Fiorella isn't dressed as a girl of her age and breeding might be for such an event her cloths today are more dressy than those she wears most days. The outfit does, however, still consist of pants.
T'rev reaches down to take Jaeyi's glass and has a sip, chuckling a little as he passes it back. "Well let's see if I can be useful for longer," the bronzerider says and nods to the floor. "You all danced out, or can I convince you in a bit?" He sits then, on the bench next to Jaeyi. "Scowled huh? He's got some crazy ideas, that guy," T'rev decides with a shake of his head. "Hopefully he n' Su're off havin' a grand old time though." And there's Ella jumping to see over the crowd and the bronzerider holds a finger up then cups his hands around his mouth. "Ella! Over here!"
An innocuous drink, icy slushy fruit stuff, not so much as a drop of alcohol to it, but it's making Jaeyi happy and that's really the point. "I'm sure you could convince me to do a lot of things," she answers gamely, a face made at the grand-old-time in the prompt wake of her cheerful allure. "I hope so. If he doesn't get la--" T'rev's now flagging down a little girl, so she bites her tongue and, cup set on the edge of the bench, leans on her hand and fans herself some more. She really ought to get, like, bare-chested men with palm fronds to do this for her.
Fiorella lifts a hand, waving from tip-toes as she first hears and then catches sight of T'rev. She did hear, she is coming. Really. The girl disappears into the crowd for a bit before she actually makes to the pair. "Excuse me!" she says a touch more loudly than might be necessary as she pushes between two groups of chattering gather goers. But then there's finally a clearer path and she smiles as she joins up with Jaeyi and T'rev. That smile however may seem a touch forced, not quite as full of mirth and sparkle as usual, but then again it is rather late...
"I can only do my best," T'rev claims about any convincing and then chuckles at that abortive sentence of Jaeyi's. He nods his agreement, reaches over even, aiming to squeeze her hand lightly. "Want me to do that for you?" he offers about the fan, but gets distracted a moment later by Ella's arrival. "Hey there kiddo," the bronzerider says as Ella pulls up and pats the bench beside him on the far side from Jaeyi. "You been havin' a good time?" and his gaze rests on her for a good moment or two, gauging her expression.
Jaeyi, under her breath, "I want bare-chested men with palm fronds to do it, but failing that..." She relinquishes the fan unto T'rev's keeping, twitters her fingers in a carry-on way, which parlays smoothly into a welcoming curl of her fingers at the little girl. Her attention stays only long enough to question the forced smile with a light crease in her forehead, then she looks back toward the dancing, perhaps a little flagged herself though still attentive to the swirl of skirts and flicker of feet.
Fiorella bobs her head in a nod, though she doesn't actually say anything in reply to that question which is rather unlike her. When the seat is indicated she moves to half fall, and rather ungracefully at that, into it, hands settling on her lap. Her expression hides other subtle signs that 'good' is perhaps not the word she would have chosen for her evening. "How about you two..?" she returns the question after a few seconds longer of quiet.
"If I could, I would," T'rev murmurs back for that under-breath quip of Jaeyi's and dutifully takes the fan to gets started on the job. T'rev promptly curls his arm around Ella's shoulders and gives the girl a squeeze, while the other keeps up its imitation of bare-chested frond-bearer to keep Jaeyi cool. "I just got here," he explains, "but I think Jaeyi's been dancin' her feet off."
Jaeyi, indulgent; "Mmmn, and eating, and shopping, and..." Her fingers twitch idly toward the dance floor, and dancing and dancing and dancing. Her head leaned aside against her shoulder, her weight rested on that one arm, she turns her face toward the breeze T'rev's generating. "They're selling these very pretty perfume bottles over there, all different colors. I got a pink one. And a blue one. And a purple one. Do you want one?" Presumably she means Fiorella, not T'rev.
Fiorella shifts just a bit closer to T'rev when that arm circles her shoulders, leaning over to let her head rest on his shoulder as she looks out towards the dancing. She's only half listening to the answer so when Jaeyi asks about the bottles she's answered first with a "Hmm?" Green eyes turn from the dancers back towards baker and rider, "Oh..." she trails of in thought as the question is realizes. Brows wrinkle just a bit and she shakes her head, "No thanks.. I'm not really into that.."
Dutifully fanning, T'rev has an indulgent grin of his own for talk of perfume bottles. "Sounds like a good day for the lovely baker," the bronzerider claims. His arm tightens just a little around Ella as she drops her head to his shoulder. "Anything that you do want to look for Ella?" he asks next. "Or should we wait on Ruatha and for ... things t'settle a little?"
"If you change your mind," Jaeyi says simply, one foot judging the edge of a bag at her feet, one that crumples like tissue-paper. Helpfully, she adds, "They're selling just about everything." Her forehead dips toward the stalls, all lit up now that evening's settled in, then she lifts her face a little to receive more fanning, eyes chasing a pair of bright red slippers across the dance floor.
Fiorella shakes her head after a moment of though. "Nothing that I need tonight," she replies. "Rather wait till its not so crowded anyway." It wasn't all that much fun getting to the table they're at in the first place. She's not quite ready to leave it for those same crowds just yet. "Thank you though," That said, she shifts slightly so as to turn her gaze up to the bronzerider. "Do you have drills and sweeps tomorrow?" she inquires of him.
"Yeah, it's a nice big gather," T'rev says, still fanning and his eyes slide over to Jaeyi, linger on her for a moment until Ella speaks again. "Sounds like a plan. I'm coming back down tomorrow," he explains, "a little earlier in the day. I do have drills, but no sweeps," he goes on and gives Ella another litle squeeze. "Want to go someplace, kiddo?"
Jaeyi's just sitting and being fanned. Which is not a bad life, when you really break it down like that, and chances are that she stopped listening to Fiorella and T'rev quite some time ago. She certainly looks to be happily off in her own little world, consistent of red dancing shoes and three colored perfume bottles and who knows what else-- or she's just ignoring them on the grounds that they aren't talking about her, so they're not interesting any more.
"Can you cancel them?" Ella asks almost hopefully. "I mean, its not every day that there's a gather at Fort. And its not like the wing is going to miss out on anything particularly important not having them for ONE day. Right?" she quickly adds in explanation of her request. A glance shifts further down the table to T'rev's other side, eyes settling on Jaeyi for a moment. "If you wanted to dance or something you can. You don't have to just sit here cause of me..."
"I already did for the first day of the gather," T'rev says laughingly. "But if you want to make a day of it ... sure, I don't think anyone's going to complain about another free day. Though some of them will still have sweeps shifts to cover." His brows lift at that forward remark from the girl and he looks back over at Jaeyi. "What do you think Jae, your feet up for another round?"
"Mmn, I'm trying to remember if I saw feet for sale over there." And Jaeyi pitches forward a shade, looks toward all those booths-- none of which sell toes, let's hope. In other words, finish talking. She'll keep at least a little while longer, and it's not like anyone's brassy enough to come up and sweep her away with T'rev on one side. Not as bad as B'kaiv, but handsome-bronzerider is quite a deterrent in its own way.
Fiorella ohs.. "Well-," she starts, but then T'rev is already agreeing to give a second day drill free. A quizzical look is given towards the bronzerider. "Okay." That was far too easy. The comment on feet for sale from the baker doesn't get a laugh out of the girl, but it does quirk a smile. "What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Heh, well, I know what that means for later," T'rev notes somewhat cryptically to Jaeyi. "Nope, can't go overboard," he tells Ella. "But a little break is good every once and a while." His hand shifts and he's giving some of her hair a fond little tug, then he's tendering the fan to Jaeyi. "Ella if you don't mind, I'm going to take Jaeyi for a spin and then your turn if you're up for it?"
Jaeyi takes the fan, puts the little ribbon back around her wrist so it does that pretty dangly thing, and notes with a brow hooked at T'rev, "I've been here all day, what makes you so sure there's a 'later' for you in all this?" But she offers over a hand expectantly anyway, waits to put her party dress back to its intended use-- making other people wish they were the ones dancing with her. "Don't let anyone steal my packages?" is requested of Fiorella, all the bundles tucked against the leg of the bench there.
Fiorella nods, "I know.." she reluctantly agrees. Even she knows there's a point of too much of a good thing as it were. The good thing in this case being the lack of sweeps and drills. "Can I go with you then?" she asks almost hopefully. The question of dancing is given a shake of her head as she scoots over to allow T'rev room to move from the bench. "Go ahead. I'll be alright." Beat. "Sure," she adds for Jaeyi's request of looking after the packages.
"You bet," T'rev tells Ella about the following day, gives her shoulder a pat and gets up, taking Jaeyi's hand to draw her out onto the floor. The music's not too fast, not too slow and he waits until they're mixing in with the other couples before he utters two simple words in answer to that question the baker posed before: "Foot massage."
Jaeyi's eyes chase those red slippers round the perimeter one last time on the way through the mingle of dancers, while she offers a quick, "Thanks," to Ella, right up until she's facing T'rev and actually doing the dancing bit. "You can do better than that," with the dancing, with the foot-massage-promise, hard to say in light of the challenging glint behind her smile. Not a spry thing, not after a busy day on her feet, but she knows her strengths, she knows how to sway prettily, so at least it's not a waste of T'rev's time. "Go and dance with the little girl already," is her suggestion, though.
Fiorella pulls her feet up beneath her as the pair make their way towards the dance floor. It does manage to give her the boost she needs to better see around people as they pass between her place that bench and their place out dancing. Green eyes follow the movement of the pair, though distance and gather noise makes it so she can't overhear conversation - which may be just as well.
"You'll just have to wonder just /how/ much better," T'rev answers as he leadds through more swaying than actual movement. He does however, provide a name for the little girl. "Ella. Fiorella," he notes with a grin and makes to spin Jaeyi slowly. "My foster-daughter and she's just 'lost' another sister with Berit transferring." He looks over Ella's way then bends to kiss Jaeyi's hand. "Ella's turn then," he says agreeably.
Light; "I gathered who she was." Jaeyi looks over his shoulder toward the little girl in question, brushes the flat of her thumb across T'rev's knuckles on the back-side of that hand-kiss, and steps away from him with her hands folding behind her back. Which has the advantage of doing lovely things with her neckline. Which has the advantage that at least she won't be sitting like a wallflower through T'rev dancing with Fiorella. "I will /possibly/ see you later, hmn?" she adds with a flutter of eyelashes that sure seem inviting, but who knows. Her tall-dark-pocketbook is loitering in the periphery again.
Fiorella has watched those packages. Well.. sort of. Not so much really no. Enough to know that they're still there out of the corner of her eye, but most of her attention was focused on keeping an eye on the pair while they were out on the floor least they skip out on her. "You're good at that," she offers towards Jaeyi when they return to the table. That being dancing of course.
"Toes ..." T'rev answers for 'possibly', grinning wickedly and of course he's eyeing Jaeyi's neckline for the pretty things she makes it do. But he returns to the bench and Ella and sweeps her a gentlemanly bow. "They're starting up a good one, Ella, will you dance with me?" he invites, all easygoing charm and light-hearted affection for his ward.
Not a word in response to toes, just a brief rock on to her own before she's busy finding someone else to take over for Fiorella in the guarding department. That's what fourteen-year-old-boys are for, really, and Jaeyi leaves one to watch her things, curls her fingers at the bronzerider and little girl pairing, and has a few traipses round with tall-dark-pocketbook.