A Dance with a Devil [Sarah and Vic V-Day]

Wearing a simple black dress that covered everything and matching black dress shoes, Victoria wearing an actual dress was not the only thing that was unusual about today. Even though she did not know them personally, she had been asked to attend the wedding of a couple of locals as a guest. Presumably they had heard about her and wanted someone who could double as security in a pinch. However, she was not the only hard-hitter in Sabertooth who would be attending the wedding... Sarah Stone would also be in attendance. That news was pleasing to the brunette.

Despite the redhead's short tenure in Sabertooth the pair had been through a lot together. First was that kerfluffle at Capital Crocus Mall with the panty wizard who stole women's underwear with their magic. Victoria had encountered one during her first visit to the mall with Gaia Sabin, but this occasion was different because on the second visit the bandit was a female. After that incident the pair then traveled to Toylagen and were transformed into action figures by a pair of creepy twin boys Victoria had dubbed Creepy Dee and Creepy Dum. After fighting their way past toy pirates with toy flintlock pistols the pair faced off against the twins in a plastic mecha that towered over the mages, but Sarah saved the day by talking the twins down instead of beating them into submission. At the end of the day the twins were not intentionally malicious, but instead just lonely, which was something that Victoria understood all too well.

Victoria hurried into the area where the wedding would be held and spied Sarah... wearing a suit? The brunette knew that Sarah was not one to wear dresses after the mall incident. Sarah would wear one only under duress, the kind of duress that one usually experienced when one's life was in mortal danger. Victoria could see where Sarah was coming from. Dresses were not the best thing to wear into the kind of combat the two usually found themselves in.

Victoria quickly and quietly made her way over to Sarah and greeted the well-dressed redhead.

"Hey Sarah! Nice suit you're wearing!" Victoria said to her fellow Sabertooth mage. This was a strange day that was not likely going to repeat itself any time soon. Victoria was wearing a dress and Sarah was wearing a suit.

[Post Word Count: 395]
[Victoria's Word Count: 395/4,000]

[Insert monster dice for Outfitting]

The member 'Sarah Stone' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

Victoria had gone into the ceremony wearing a modest black dress that covered everything, but when she looked over what the other guests were wearing her outfit came up a little... wanting. For one thing, its dark color looked better suited to a funeral than to a wedding. Another problem was that it was almost too long; the bottom of the dress nearly scraped the floor and could cause her to trip if she had to do something strenuous like run for her life or fight someone. She needed a better dress, but she was already at the wedding and was thus committed to staying because leaving early without a legitimate reason would be bad manners. Still, Victoria was glad that Sarah was here because while the brunette could manage on her own, it always helped to have at least one familiar face around.

Victoria was surprised and amused when Sarah complimented the former on her dress. Even thought it looked more like funeral wear, the redhead still paid Victoria a compliment.

"Thanks, Sarah. It was the best I could do at such short notice." Victoria replied. The brunette had never expected to attend a wedding or wear a dress, so when she got the invitation the Sabertooth mage scrambled to find a good dress that did not cost enough to buy a Main Battle Tank and ammunition for its main gun. It was tough going, but Victoria had managed to find a serviceable dress that did not break the bank.

Victoria watched Sarah sample a small bit of the alcohol that had landed on her chest. The brunette was halfway tempted to reach for a sample herself when she realized what she was doing and stopped. They were in public and that would be both incredibly awkward and nigh-impossible to explain away.

Karma soon paid a visit in the form of a clumsy waitress who tripped over the carpet and reached out with her left hand for anything to break her fall. Victoria heard a loud RIP and felt her bottom half suddenly get cooler. She looked down and barely stifled a shriek. The waitress had torn off the bottom half of Victoria's dress!

Victoria was pretty sure that Sarah had seen her black underwear, but Victoria threw her hands in front of her underwear and desperately looked for a way out of this mess. The same well-dressed tailor who had rescued Sarah now came to Victoria's aid.

"Oh dear. It seems that you've met with a terrible accident. But don't worry. I can fix that in only a few minutes. Follow me." The tailor bade her. Victoria wordlessly nodded and followed them to the fitting room before anyone else saw her like this.

-A few minutes later-

"Thanks for the save." Victoria thanked the tailor for their timely intervention and ability to whip up a new outfit in such a short period of time. Victoria's new outfit was still black, but it had been adjusted to fit her better and the length of the dress had been reduced to slightly below knee-length so that it no longer dragged on the floor. It still managed to cover everything important, which made the brunette happy.

"No problem. Should you need my services again, you know where to find me." The tailor said. Victoria waved goodbye and rejoined Sarah, who had been right where Victoria had left her. The brunette was glad that the awkward incident was over.

"Sorry about that, Sarah." Victoria apologized to the redhead for the unexpected dash to restore her outfit.

[Post Word Count: 594]
[Victoria's Word Count: 989/4,000]

Did Vic reach for my...questions for later. Sarah thought to herself before the unthinkable happened yet again. While she enjoyed the view, she was also concerned for the waitress. She helped her up before awaiting Victoria's return. "Well, this is certainly a lively event, to say the least." Sarah said, sing humor to both temper her nerves, as well as lighten things up a bit. "You actually look better in this new dress..." And there she went stumbling over herself.

"I mean, you always look great, of course. You look great in anything..." She stopped speaking for a bit as her face flushed beet red with the realization of what she had just said. Normally she would have continued after a few moments, but she was actually starting to like Vic, and seeing her as more than just a friend. Once she composed herself, she spoke up again. "If I'm being honest, the main reason I invited you here was...or is....because we've been growing closer lately, a lot closer, and I was kinda scared to show up. Not because I thought I'd be showing up alone, but because I thought I'd be leaving alone. Much as I value the friendship we've built so far, and much as I wish to avoid ruining that, I just can't help but wonder if there could be something more between us."

"I understand if this is surprising for you, and I'll even understand if you say no. I just couldn't think of a better place to bring it up." Sarah looked away for a minute, not sure whether she had just opened herself up way too soon. She felt as though she had just made things way more awkward than they needed to be, and she wanted to crawl in a hole after doing so. But, actively doing so would probably make things worse. Now that she had said what needed to be said, she needed to give Victoria time to let it all sink in. She just hoped she hadn't thrown away what they already had in the process.

[WC: 347]

[Sarah WC:1,021/4,000]

[Job WC: 2,010/8,000]

Victoria was pleased to hear that Sarah liked her new dress. While the brunette was worried that her dress might not be the best choice for a wedding, no one really seemed to mind. At least no one had told her if they minded or not.

Maybe she was just overthinking things and no one really cared about her dress as long as it was not torn in places where it did not need to be torn.

Victoria chose to go with that belief and focused on Sarah, who had complimented her new dress.

"Thanks for the compliment, Sarah. I don't wear dresses very often. in fact this is the first one I've worn in a long time... I don't remember the last time I wore a dress." Victoria told her redheaded companion. When she was growing up in the back alleys of Capital Crocus a dress was a luxury. The money needed to buy a decent dress was better spent on food. Why bother spending good money on an article of clothing that was just going to get dirty and ripped after a few days in the back alleys of Capital Crocus?

Her inner street kid was talking again.

Victoria silenced the voice of her inner street kid to listen to Sarah talk about why she invited the brunette here. The brunette listened as the redhead talked about their relationship for a bit before the latter gave the big reveal. Sarah felt that there might be more between them than just being guildmates.

Upon hearing that last sentence the brunette blushed furiously. She blushed so fast and so hard that she was unable to control her reaction to what Sarah had said. Knowing that she would have to give an answer to the statement, Victoria tried to compose herself before talking.

"Um... well, uh..." Victoria croaked out. She was looking awfully dumb right now. She had better come up with something better to say before Sarah took offense

"Well, uh... I didn't know that you felt that way, Sarah." Victoria said awkwardly, the red on her face painfully obvious.

Nice going, Victoria.

[Post Word Count: 353]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,342/4,000]

It wasn't the response that Sarah was hoping for, but she could understand that it might be a lot to take in. At least she didn't just flatly turn her down. "Sorry. I guess that was probably a lot to hear. I have trouble with being open around others. And yet, with you, I have no such issues. Maybe its because you've seen me at my worst. You make me feel comfortable just by being near, no matter what we're facing."

"In all honesty, I kinda wasn't sure if I should tell you, because as tough as I act around everyone, I have a lot of the same insecurities. I have a whole list of issues I could go through, but we've worked together long enough that you probably know most of them already. And yet, somehow, you've managed to stand by me all this time. I guess I should give you some time to let all that sink in. For now, whaddya say we enjoy the wedding? I'm rather curious to see how well you can dance later."

Sarah said what she felt she'd had to say, and grabbed a couple flutes of cider from a passing tray, making sure to note the difference from the actual champagne. Due to how closely the two had worked up to this point, Sarah had taken note of the fact that she hadn't seen Victoria drinking much lately.

"I think we're in the front row of seats." She blushed lightly, offering her arm to Vic. It had been quite some time since someone had made Sarah feel this way, so she understood the importance of allowing the other person to process things. She also wanted to avoid overshadowing the event they were currently attending. "Let's try to have fun today, no matter what."

WC: 301
Sarah WC: 1,322/4000
Total WC: 2661/8000

Victoria did her best to shove her awkwardness aside long enough to give Sarah a fair hearing, so to speak. The brunette's efforts to put her awkwardness aside and keep an open mind were rewarded when the redhead began to talk a bit about herself.

Victoria learned that Sarah had difficulty being open around others. The redhead then went on to say that she felt comfortable around her and Victoria was not expecting to hear that. She was so surprised by that information that she did not bother trying to hide her surprise. This was the first time in her life that someone said she made them feel comfortable just by being near them.

"Well, that's the first time in my life that someone's said that they felt comfortable around me." Victoria candidly admitted to Sarah. Sarah was quite clearly going out on a limb telling her this and Victoria did not want to sound rude to the redhead. However, the brunette was not sure how her admission was going to come across, but it was too late to take her statement back now.

Victoria listened as Sarah hinted at insecurities hidden by the tough appearance she put up and said that despite them Victoria had steadfastly remained by her side. The brunette had a laundry list of her own issues concerning being open with others, so Sarah was something of a kindred spirit in that regard. After that Sarah suggested that they enjoy the wedding and implied that the redhead would test her dancing skill later. The brunette blushed again just as she received a flute of cider from the redhead and thought about the possibility of having to dance in front of other people.

She could manage enjoying the wedding just fine, but the dancing part would be much more challenging.

"You... you might want to reconsider dancing with me, Sarah. I'm not very graceful and I'd end up stepping on your toes... literally." Victoria tried to gently dissuade her companion away from suggesting that they dance later. The brunette hoped that Sarah would not actually take her out onto the dance floor, but if Sarah insisted Victoria would go along with it. She just hoped that the redhead knew what she was getting into.

Victoria gently took Sarah's arm... if that was what she was supposed to do.

"Sure, Sarah. Let's enjoy the wedding." Victoria said to the redhead. This would be the first wedding the brunette had ever been to. This would be quite the learning experience for her.

[Post Word Count: 423]
[Victoria's Word Count: 1,765/4,000]

Before taking her own seat, Sarah led Victoria to hers. She knew that bringing her here was a big step, possibly too big of one. But, she couldn't deny that she'd occasionally wondered what it might be like to be as close to someone as the two for whom the ceremony was being held were. She wondered, even, if Victoria might just be that person. But, at this point, it was too soon to tell.

After all, she had only just confessed to her. The other guests were not far behind, and soon enough, the proceedings had begun. As the groom, groomsmen, and bridal party each made their way down the aisle, Sarah pondered matching suits, knowing that neither she nor Vic particularly liked dresses, regardless of how good they looked in them. Before long, the vows were exchanged, and the main ceremony had run its course.

Sarah eventually found herself in front of a microphone, surrounded by everyone, and raising a flute of cider to the happy couple while rattling off a speech, with a couple good natured jabs at the both of them. Upon its conclusion, she found her seat next to Victoria, finishing her meal while waiting for the fun to start. "I would have liked to show Mai how wonderful all this is, but....well, you know how she is around sweet stuff." She said, trying to keep the mood light.

As the music started playing, Sarah watched the couple dance their first dance as husband and wife. She couldn't help but wonder what that might be like herself. She then thought back to Vic's comment. Well, no time to start practicing like the present. As everyone else took the floor, she stood, offering her hand to the stronger of them. "It's okay if you're not great, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Besides, think about the guildhall and all its chaos. You think I'm not used to a little soreness in my feet?" She chuckled lightly at herself. "Besides, I'm gonna look pretty awkward if I go out there by myself."

---

WC:347
Sarah WC: 1,669/4,000
Total WC: 3,434/8,000

After being guided to her seat by Sarah, Victoria sat down and watched the wedding unfold with all the ceremony that involved. The brunette watched it from her seat and kept her mouth shut as everything went without a hitch... at least as far as she could tell. Sarah even got in front of a microphone and made a rather good speech to the newly wedded couple and the guests with little to no preparation for it, a feat that the brunette could not replicate because she was not very articulate even in the best of times. The stress of a public performance like a speech at a wedding would not do her any favors.

Focusing her attention on what happened after Sarah finished her speech, Victoria observed the wedding party a little longer. She had never been to a wedding and did not know how it was supposed to go, but judging from how happy everyone was and how everything was going smoothly, this was how a wedding was supposed to be. After giving the speech Sarah walked over to her and sat down next to her, then spoke about how she would have liked to bring Mai Stormschild to the wedding.

Keeping her facial expression neutral the best she could despite her surprise at Sarah even considering the idea, let alone voicing the fact that she had considered the idea, Victoria took a quiet breath and looked Sarah in the eyes, doing her best to keep her words neutral. The brunette had met Mai a few times in the past and knew that giving Mai any sweet foods was asking for trouble. That was the most polite way to put it.

"I know that you woulda liked to have brought Mai here if you could, but I'm not sure if that would have been a good idea. There wouldn't be a whole lot for her to do here. And when she gets bored... well, there's no telling what can happen." Victoria did her best to assure Sarah that the latter had made the right decision in not bringing Mai to the wedding. Deciding to let that matter drop before she said something dumb, Victoria found a welcome distraction when she heard music start playing and watched the newly married couple dance. Her attention was diverted when she saw Sarah rise from her chair, turn to face the brunette, and offer Victoria her hand for some reason. Victoria looked at Sarah quizzically until the brunette put two and two together.

The music playing and Sarah's words led her to the conclusion that Sarah wanted to dance.

"OK then. I'll dance with you, Sarah. I just hope you know what you're getting into." Victoria agreed to dance with the redhead but made it a point to remind her that her feet may or may not get trampled in the process. Victoria stood up and took Sarah's hand. The brunette hoped that she could somehow get through the "dance" without stepping on Sarah's feet too many times or otherwise making herself look bad.

[Post Word Count: 512]
[Victoria's Word Count: 2,277/4,000]

Sarah led Victoria out onto the floor, before settling into a rhythm, and holding her close. She did her best to keep her movements simple for her partner, not wanting to make her look bad, or show her up too much. Due to her natural skill as a fighter, dancing was almost second nature to the demon slayer. Helping Victoria was no simple task, but Sarah owed it to the both of them to at least try. As the music hit more upbeat sections, Sarah would perform all sorts of simple yet flashy maneuvers with Victoria, twirling her about, spinning her around, and at times lifting her up, sometimes tossing her up into the air and catching her, without missing a beat.

During the slower sections, She would simply hold Victoria close, paying attention to both their steps by infusing some of her own magic into the section of the floor they occupied. Sarah enjoyed spending time with Victoria like this, much as it tested her abilities, she felt it also brought them closer, which was something she was sort of counting on. As the music wound down, Sarah danced slowly with Vic, gazing into her partner's eyes.

"I'm glad I asked you to come with me. I might never have gotten to have such a fun time with you otherwise." She said, with an oddly cheerful expression. While a generally upbeat attitude was common for Sarah, her being this happy wasn't quite so common. "I just hope you've been having as much fun as I have, sorry if any of that was too much for you. I guess you could say I kinda feel driven to show off when you're around." She giggled, something that she rarely allowed herself to do, in her general rejection of gender based stereotypes.

WC: 300
Sarah WC: 1,969/4,000
Total WC: 4,246/8,000

Despite her numerous misgivings Victoria allowed herself go onto the dance floor with Sarah and prepared to dance the best she could. The brunette did not have the benefit of formal lessons in any style of dance, so the redhead would have her work cut out for her. Still, she would do her best to cooperate with Sarah so that the redhead would not have to do all the work.

While Sarah still ended up doing the bulk of the work, she made Victoria do her share. She put Victoria through a series of moves the latter was not accustomed to doing such as spinning, twirling, and even the occasional lift followed by being thrown straight up into the air. Thankfully Sarah always caught Victoria because otherwise the brunette landing on her face would have been rough, not to mention more than a little humiliating. The most impressive part of it all was that every move was done in time to the music.

When she started out Victoria demonstrated all the grace of a department store mannequin, but as time went on she did a little better. By the end of the dancing she was still nowhere near as good as Sarah, but the brunette had learned what to expect and did her best to work with the redhead so that Victoria did not look totally flat-footed. As the music began to gradually wind down Sarah eased off of the fast-paced dancing and began dancing slowly with the brunette, something for which the latter was silently thankful.

Victoria noticed that as they danced Sarah was making quite a bit of eye contact with her. The brunette was not sure what to say to that, so she kept quiet until Sarah spoke to her. Victoria blushed once again when the redhead thanked her for going to the wedding with her.

"It-it's no problem, Sarah. I was glad to be able to join you." Victoria replied somewhat awkwardly to the expression of gratitude. Sarah then apologized for putting Victoria through an intense dance routine earlier. The brunette felt like she had been thrown in the deep end by having to do all of those moves when she had no formal or informal training in dancing, but she had been through worse.

"And I didn't mind the dancing too much, Sarah. I just hope I didn't drag you down with how awkward I was at the beginning." Victoria replied to the apology in a calm tone of voice to show that she had no hard feelings. She did not mind dancing too much as long as she had a competent partner to help her through the more complex sequences of moves. She just wished that she had had time to prepare for it by taking a class or two, but she doubted that it would have done her any good. Even if Victoria had had advance notice and had taken dance classes, Sarah would have still outperformed her by a considerable margin. Sarah had been in her element on the dance floor.

[Post Word Count: 509]
[Victoria's Word Count: 2,786/4,000]
[Total Word Count: 4,755/8,000]