Dix should walk up to him and ask him to dance. xD
The day was nearly done, but the energy of the festival never seemed to wind down. There was always an instrument playing, always a luperci laughing, always the smell of food cooked and uncooked wafting through the excited winter air. The energy was much like that of the solstice celebration in the pack, but there were so many more bodies here, all new faces with potential to become allies. Once he could be pulled away from the horses, as he spent much of his time being a killjoy and fretting about them (and fussing over them tenderly when no one else was looking), Wayne had strode through the tents and watched some of the others celebrating or otherwise participating in exchange. He had the urge to trade for some of the interesting and useful objects that were on sell—but he’d brought pitifully little with him. Everything he owned he owned for some sort of purpose, after all, and it was hard to part with such things.
Giving up on the good examples of carpentry he’d been ogling, he decided to venture once more through the different packs’ tents. Some of the activities changed with the time of day, and those who had been out and about in the morning were different than the ones grinning at newcomers in the evening.
Candlelight flickered behind the fabric in one of the tents, and his interest was piqued. As he approached the entrance, the smell of Cour des Miracles hybrids reached him, and his tail waved behind him. This was Annan’s former pack, and it was also the pack that Alder belonged to. Ever since discussing horses with the young man, striking up what could easily be a good friendship with a little more time, Wayne had wondered when he would see the Marshall again. He’d looked for Hawthorn among the other horses and kept an eye open for the dark-masked wolf now as he stepped into the tent.
What awaited him was hardly the place for a stablehand, though; the flickering light illuminated the bodies of couples moving to music, swept up in the thrill of the cooling night. The young man looked around and tilted his head, recognizing a pair of Court members leading the others in the dance steps. It was then that he could see some of the pairs were clumsy, stepping on their partners’ paws or missing a move, but most of them laughed it off and were caught up in the delight of the dancing once again.
Wayne could feel a small smile crossing his face, but he smothered it and wandered over to the side of the tent to take a seat and simply watch. All southern folk knew a few of the essential dances—but this ballroom stuff was a bit above him, he thought, and he hadn’t really danced correctly since he was a green whelp.
This festival was ridiculously entertaining. Dixie could walk through one tent and end up spending hours upon hours there conversing with one or two others about the goods they had brought to trade. There were a few leather workers and weapon makers that caught her attention for a lot of that time, and she’d taken a while to watch and learn some of their techniques as they crafted. As the sun began to fade, she realized that it was time to leave the other pack tents and find her own friends and family. Wayne immediately popped up in her mind, as he had done multiple times during the day. Anytime she saw something fascinating she wondered if he would like it as well.
As she walked away from the Ichika no Ho-en tent, her brain suddenly remembered the horses. She hadn’t even gone to check on Duke and Fern today! What kind of horrible horse mama was she?! Clenching her jaw tightly, she stuck her nose in the air and took a deep breath, searching for Wayne’s scent. If she could find him quickly, perhaps they could go visit their horses together, and she’d see all of her favorite creatures at the same time. No such luck so far in finding his scent, there were too many other smells mixing to find anything very individual. Sighing, the small girl kept walking, getting closer to the Casa tent before sniffing around again.
There, his scent was strongest near the entrance of the tent and headed towards the musical sounds…so he was there listening to that cacophony of sound? Great! Dixie yipped softly and took off towards the tent where the dancing seemed to be taking place. After bursting through the tent flaps, she stood stock still and scanned the large room, searching for her cowboy. There he was…back in the dark corner, watching the dancers with a little smirk on his face. Shrugging the deerskin coat from her shoulders, the small white female strode towards Wayne, grinning happily.
“Well howdy there, cowboy… you seem to have taken a fancy to the dancin’?” The small woman snuggled her body up against his, fitting perfectly as she was about his height perfectly when he was seated. Nuzzling his neck, she flicked her tongue out over his fur and nibbled up the side of his face sweetly. “Have you checked the horses, today? Oh…and I love ya.”
Wayne's da man. Oh feel free to PP him leading her out to dance and what not. ^^
Firelight flickered over the frames of the couples, seeming to glow almost in time with their dance steps as they floated across the floor. Luperci from many different backgrounds mingled here, from unkempt warriors being pulled into the movements to beautiful women with swirling dresses that commanded the floor with their presence. Stifled laughter, hushed apologies after collisions, and murmured words between couples filled the air of the tent, warmed against the cold evening darkening outside.
It was lovely, far different from what the brawny cowboy was used to, but with the canines of so many different factions gathered here in peace, he felt happy. This was what Casa di Cavalieri wanted to accomplish: protection for everyone in these lands, the freedom to hold festivals and events like this without tension. He was proud that it was taking place just outside their territory, even if that had no bearing on the festival itself. He was glad for the merchants and their generosity, no matter that they wanted to gain something for themselves. It was a thing of beauty, and he hoped he would see many more festivals like this in the years to pass.
But then a shape of white approached him, and the music and dancing might as well have not existed when he rested eyes on her. Her cloak fell from her small shoulders as she walked toward him with a content grin on her face, and he had to resist the urge to reach out to sweep her close to him. Instead he sat, his tail thumping a rhythm of its own against the packed dirt, and let out a happy rumble when she squeezed up next to him.
Her teeth and tongue played against the side of his face, and Wayne chuckled before wrapping a muscular arm around her petite body. “Love ya more.” He nuzzled her back in silence before answering her questions in a naturally quiet tone. “I checked ’em earlier today; they seemed fine, happy t’ make some new friends, behaving well, not that I expected them not to. I reckon there won’t be any trouble.”
His fingers toying absently with her hair, the Labrador mix let his brown gaze sweep back toward the dancers. A grin lit his face suddenly, and he pushed himself to his feet, towering over his friend and beloved though the height difference didn’t appear to bother him. He reached out for one of her small hands.
“Would a pretty lil’ thing like you wanna waltz with an ol’ cowboy like me?”
Dixie was happy to find that Wayne had been with the horses before arriving at the dance tent and that they were doing alright. Hopefully they wouldn’t feel neglected by her forgetfulness and ease of distraction. Speaking of distractions, the flash of colors coming from the dancing canines caught her eye and she quickly became mesmerized in the movements happening. Sure the music was good, and had her swaying slightly against the male…but the moving and the colors were just insanely beautiful in her eyes. When Wayne stood and hovered over her, taking one of her little hands and extending the invitation to dance, a wide smile pulled her lips back.
Practically shaking with enthusiasm, she jumped after him and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist. For the moment she didn’t really care about the proper steps or doing the right dance to match everyone else. The small woman had just spent nearly the entire day away from the man she loved and was feeling the need to be close to him. Anyone who looked down upon that…and made it known would be put in their place by the stubborn little midget. Her arms tightened around him with strength that ought to not fit in such a small frame. All of the time spent around horses and working constantly had built her body up in a very good way. Now she’d be able to fight better, if there was ever a need to do so.
“Thank you for comin’ out here…I really like this a lot.” Smiling up at him happily, she rested her head against his chest and sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing. This was the best ever, just being with Wayne and knowing that no one would try to hurt them at the moment. There was nothing keeping them from just loving each other in peace.
Surprisingly strong arms clamped around him, and Wayne chuckled before shuffling out onto the dance floor with a gentle hold on the young woman. He glanced sheepishly at one of the nearest couples who only grinned at him before sweeping elegantly off to the side so that the pair of cowpokes could have their space to dance. He had a feeling there wouldn’t be a lot of grand elegant movements that would require much of the dance floor, but it was nice—more like they were in their own little world, the rest of the luperci bodies in the tent only an extravagant background to the candlelit evening.
Dixie-May spoke, smiling and resting her head against him. A love struck grin upturned his lips as he bent his head to kiss one of her ears. He said nothing, however, only absorbing the moment in silence, the sweet scent of her and the softness of her plush white fur. He didn’t properly dance so much as sway back and forth, arms wrapped around her, as if they were a human couple at their senior prom.
It occurred to him that this wasn’t very different from how things had been, this closeness and unconditional warmth. Wayne would hold her tight when she was anxious or just for the sake of general comfort and affection, and they would cuddle together on the cold nights of their journey. He would speak with warmth reserved only for her, and she would tease him adoringly but understand that he would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat for her safety. They had always been close, maybe closer than two platonic friends had any right to be, and even if they had taken a large step in their relationship, it wasn’t much different.
Yet, at the same time, looking down at the girl he loved in his arms and knowing that she loved him too, that someday there could be mateship and children and an entire future ahead of them, everything was different.
