All was silent outside the grand cathedral. Snow slowly drifted down in the moonlit sky, dancing on the winds in imperceptible patterns. Not a sound could be heard in the icy calm, not a soul in sight. Then from nowhere, a man appeared. He simply walked out of the night, as if from nowhere, dressed impeccably for a party. He brushed snow off of his fine clothes as he confidently strode to the entrance. He nodded to each of the guards in turn, and entered the ball.

Music filled his ears, and Arannis gently moved his left hand, counting the rhythm. He smiled and made his way out onto the dance floor. He moved gently to the rhythm of the music, thinking back to the countless parties of the type he had been to in the past, and the dancing lessons of his childhood. The steps came naturally to him as he sought out a dance partner.

Vinsue was never one for a party but knew it was quite rude to not show up when the gods themselves. So she had dressed her best and came. luckily a friend had opened a portal or she would not have made it so far in the cold. She entered with less terrible than she had had in a really long time. Someone was quick to take her coat and walked off leaving her to find the party. 

The coins hanging on her skirt clicked as she walked to find a drink and an empty place to sit. The music was lovely and called to her but she was not one to dance in public.  

Making his way around the hall, Arannis did not yet see anyone he was acquainted with. The music that filled the hall was not any song he was familiar with, but its structure was of similar timing to countless songs he had enjoyed at balls of the past. He contentedly immersed himself in the music as he continued to wander the hall.

As his mind wandered and his eyes scanned the jubilant crowds, the odd sound of jingling metal reached his ears. Turning to the source of the noise, he saw a pale woman with a thin figure and white hair. She wore a skirt adorned with coins. Her odd sense of dress was not the most prevalent feature Arannis noticed, however. Instead his attention was drawn to her intense magical aura. It was of an odd sort, one that Arannis could not at first place. However, before he became too lost in analytics and the arcane, Arannis shook his head gently. Tonight was a night for relaxation and socialization, not for research and magics.

Arannis made his way across the floor to the woman. He extended a hand with a warm smile on his face, and just as the next song was to start, he confidently asked, “Would you care to dance?”

She was surprised when a nicely dressed man had asked her to dance.  She looked at the dance floor than at him. Again it would be rude to decline. "I would love to. But i must warn am not very good  at it." It was in her blood to dance just it was to the music not the dance. She was tought the dance when she was little years ago but did not remimber most of it. 

She would allow him to take her to the dance floor if he chose to. She could detect his aura as he could hers. The coin on her dress would show there purpose as they danced. They would join the song as they clicked and simmered with her movement.

Arannis lead his partner out onto the dance floor as the song began. He bowed to his partner and took her hand and shoulder, leading her in a traditional style of waltz from his homeland. The style was different from most of the other dancers on the floor, but it matched the beat of the music and had a smooth appearance that fit the ballroom perfectly.

“My name is Arannis,” Arannis opened, keeping the count of the song in his head as he began conversation. He led her through a set of passes, adding matching turns to the end before pulling back to closed position just as the verse ended.

“I’m a researcher,” Arannis explained. He lead her into a series of outside turns culminating in a dip and continued, “I mostly specialize in portals, rituals, that sort of thing. I quite enjoy my work, there is something new to be found every day.” As the chorus of the song began, Arannis pulled her into a close whip leading into a series of rotations. “What about yourself? Outside of fine balls such as this, what do you occupy yourself with?” He punctuated the last statement with a smile.

She actually had fun with the dance. And surprisingly she was quick to understand the dance and kept in step flawlessly. "Arannis is a nice name. They call me Vinsue" She was having fun but at his statements she had to be careful on how she replied. "Bet that is a fun job. Especially when you first try things like the portals." 

"That's a rather hard question. I like to explore when I can. But I mostly deal with law and order. It can be dangerous but I quite like it." She said leaving it true yet not giving away a lot of it. As a vigilante she knew not to let any one know much about her but she did not like lying. She smiled back. 

She thought it was funny how much the dance and her fighting stile were alike. Letting the other lead as she spun and kept step. "So what is the most interesting thing you discovered." 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Vinsue.” Arannis continued to lead the pair in a series of closed whips, keeping to the beat as the song started to come to a close.

“I quite enjoy my work, though most of it is rather dry. I usually focus on optimizations to portal formulae to utilize significantly less magical energies, or to cause less disruptions at the origin and destination point,” Arannis’ voice resonated with increasing passion as he described more of his work, he was clearly highly invested in his field.

“One of my more well regarded works is a general purpose portal formula capable of transporting people, creatures, or energies such as flame or wind, across planes. It is flexible enough to bring a creature from a distant plane to ours, or to tap into one of the primal planes of raw elements to burst with pure flame, or wind. The formula uses relatively little power to accomplish the simplest effects, leaving the caster far less drained than a typical summoning.”

Arannis laughed and slowed the pair down, leading one final turn as the song ended, “As I said, most of it is rather dry, and I’ll cease boring you with the details.”

"I must say it is more interesting than some things I have done. Spint a night shorting plants for some rather odd reasearch just to get off the streets once. But at least your research can help" she said a little sad the song was over. "You do not know were they are hiding the drinks do you?"

Vinsue was enjoying the dance and the man's company. "Perhaps you could teach me some later." She smiled than looked around. The dance had brought back a lot of memories from her mate and how they met to her childhood. 

Arannis quickly scanned the hall, “I’m sure we can find where the refreshments are hidden,” he smiled as the pair walked.

“I would be happy to show you more of that style of dance. It is a favorite of mine.” Indeed, Arannis had many fond memories of balls of the past. He was never one to host them himself, he preferred privacy in his home, but had been invited to many as his name became more well known. He had a few favored dance partners over the years, and Vinsue had a natural grace that lent itself very well to dance. He had quite enjoyed the night and would look forward to another.

Vinsue gladly walked beside the man on there way to find the food and drinks. She smiled as they had found the food. She was surprised at how much there was. 

She grabbed a plate and started stacking food on it. Crackers, cheese, and verying dishes were there. She put some of the more recognized foods on her plate and took a small bite of a cinnamon bun.

"You said you studded portals right? Does that mean that you can create them?" She asked. Looking around to see were the whine was. Unusually she goes for ale but at balls and other parties she had noticed the lack thereof and the white that seemed to be a favorite was always present.