Mumei rests her chin on her hand, elbow on the tall table. "Does it look like anyone's watching but me over here?" she asks with a smile.

"Well."
Shoan looks left and right
"No, I suppose not."

Deep breath, bouncing up and down a little on her toes
"Okay....okay, let's do it. I'm doing it."
The Lion starts slowly walking towards the dance floor.

It reminds her of the first time she had leave someplace with a pool and diving board that companions dragged her to. Shipboard spaces were not so vast. You never had that far to fall toward a definite something. She paced and bounced for minutes before diving.

"Let's do it then." Mumei joins the stroll to the floor, joints loose and feeling the groove, hands held in check by will when they wanted to follow the swirl of melody. As they near the floor, she double-steps ahead and turns, walking backwards, extending a hand to the Lion in invitation as her shoulders sway. "I can lead more easily with a connection, but it's possible without."

That gets a double eyebrow raise and Shoan's step falters for half a second. But it would be odd and, frankly, probably quite rude to refuse the invitation so she accepts the offered hand.

"Uh, sure. People touch all the time when they dance, it's not uncommon."

"Very true. In the oldest and most traditional dances, they don't," Her free hand flutters up to freeze in an oddly static pose, hand curled as if holding something. "But that's changed a lot over the centuries." She lowers the hand with sinuous wrist rolls catching the fluttery melody.

Her hand is cool and just a bit damp, her fingers cupped beneath Shoan's grip firmly but not tightly, creating the tension of a solid connection that still holds all the possibility of movement. For all the looseness of her movement, there's a firming of shoulder and wrist making an actual connection of movement possible from one body to another.

Lifting their joined hands, the Osprey spins beneath the created arch twice as they finish progress to the actual floor, her hand releasing and shifting and reconnecting in a pattern both complex and instinctive.

"Still good?" she asks with a grin and eyes glinting green in the flashing lights.

Shoan's lip twitches upwards in what might be a nervous smile
"I try not to retreat from any battles, I could hardly imagine the disgrace of leaving you here on the dance floor alone."

There was a certain comfort, Shoan though, in being partnered with someone who knew dancing that well. If the Lion did end up going face first, it could easily be played off some as kind of interpretive meditation on failure and resolve.

Shoan's lip twitches upwards in what might be a nervous smile
"I try not to retreat from any battles, I could hardly imagine the disgrace of leaving you here on the dance floor alone."

There was a certain comfort, Shoan though, in being partnered with someone who knew dancing that well. If the Lion did end up going face first, it could easily be played off some as kind of interpretive meditation on failure and resolve.[/quote]

Mumei considered pointing out that she would absolutely dive behind the bar if anyone walked into the club guns blazing and leave competent people to handle that kind of problem. Instead she just says, "There are many kinds of courage. Thank you for remaining to keep me company."

With a long, low, sweeping bow...the kind that conjures images of long-feathered wings...her presence shifts as she takes hold of the thread of the music and starts to weave with it.

Rising, she meets Shoan's eyes, aiming to hold them aloft with her own gaze as she lays down the warp, a simple step that allows for a lot of movement once it's grasped, where her shoulders telegraph every weight shift...right foot and shoulder advancing so Shoan's left must retreat. It was the opposite of a skirmish, where one wanted to hide their intention and throw false hints of where they were about to move.

________
The falling flat part made me think it was time to toss in a roll for some idea of how ok she's doing.
D5 LE Dancing Void for +1k1 fluff: 7d10o10k4 53 ok

Day 5, dancing fluff roll: 2d10 18

In a true miracle....it mostly works. Shoan just keeps her eyes locked on Mumei's which means she doesn't have to look at her own limbs or worse, any other samurai present.

There's some confusion at first, the Lion unusued to be physically led, but after a few moments she ends up comfortable with the Osprey's lead, allowing herself to be directed along to the rythmn.
"Hai, this is definitely me keeping you company."
She even manages a slight eye twinkle.

"But you are." With the warp laid in, she brings weft, guiding in new directions with the basic footwork established, beginning to progress around the floor. " I can, and do dance alone. But that is mostly worship and communion."

The center they dance around lies somewhere between them, but Mumei seems to divine where the music wants it to go, pulling them in its wake. At least that's a bit what it feels like as they weave between stationary couples and groups or circle the occasional lone dancer in a temporary orbit. "This though...is fun, and connection." Her eyes shine as hips and shoulders pulse in time with the music.

The height difference means that she's avoid the tricker element of spinning the tall woman beneath their joined hands, but as they progress, she tugs one direction, leaping in the other, arm high and the lightest tap-push on a shoulder to guide. Her elbow clears Shoan's head by a thin margin. "hmm...and you'd be great at lifts. Have you danced at all before? I've heard a lot of kids get run through the old folks dances in school."

There were probably a few samurai who'd have paid money to see Shoan's face as Mumei spun her, the wide eyes, sucked in lips and quick inhalation of breath were the Murame equivalent of 'Weight what?!?!'

Slightly breathless
"Danced before? Hai, we were taught the more traditional steps in the dojo. I was tall early so the moves where the woman is spun by her partner were.....more difficult, I was kicked in the head several times, but rarely on purpose."

Continuing to bob weave and spin throughout the crowd, Shoan looks unconsciously squeezes one of Mumei's hands
"...If you're asking me to lift you Nakauchi-san you're...very brave."

"Well, kids are clumsy still," she says, stepping closer and turning so they face in the same direction, Shoan's arm wrapped around Mumei. Not touching, but the Osprey's shoulder connects with he warrior's bicep, as a point of guidance as the music sways. Looking over her shoulder, she adds, "lots of stomped on toes and barked shins."

It's only a few breaths before she unwinds the hold with a grin. "Not so brave. I'm aware of the lifts I can tumble out of if they become drops"

Ruefully "Sometimes a clumsy child grows into a clumsy samurai. But they can take solace in the fact that their partner can survive a drop."

Despite her tone Shoan was....sort of, if she admitted it to herself, enjoying all this. Perhaps the Osprey's enthusiasm was infectious? Or maybe it was just a natural reaction to catchy music and adrenaline?

"You're lovely, don't worry. Also, I know there's some modern moves that make use of a stiffer carriage. I'm not as familiar with them, but I bet I could find some if I borrow a densai someplace."

The music shifts, slows. There's some syncopation rolling in the bass line and a bit of a funky edge to the melody. Mumei lets go of Shoan's hand, dancing back a bit to show what the change does to the basic footwork...though there's a lot more hip movement than she expects her partner to necessarily want to do. "So...lifts require more touching, but I'm happy to teach you one, Murame-sama."

She swirls, one out and low, warning off the couple drifting into their space. Yes, dance has it's territorial marking gestures as well.

Shoan watches on for a few moments before nodding and slowly trying to copy the Osprey's moves before increasing her speed. True to form while many in the club are really shaking their hips the Lion is..slightly moving them, although at least in time to the beat.

"If you can forgive the contact then I will...try my best for a lift. I should bring gloves next time I got dancing."

She shoots a slightly apologetic look at the couples being driven off, although Shoan has done the exact same thing on other occasions.

Mumei nods, dancing her way around the statuesque Ikoma before replying, obviously enjoying the music an company. "Nothing to forgive. The Osprey dance to worship and as an art. Touch is part of the process...like wrestling. So this is a very simple lift, and you're not likely to drop me since I'll have a hold on you as well." She points across the floor to a very active couple who have pretty much claimed a wide corner with their twirls and outflung arms and legs in every combination. "Watch a minute...there!" The smaller of the pair has basically just hopped and stacked their hip atop their partner's one arm across their neck while the partner scoops around with a hold on the outside hip as they spin.

"Nothing to it." The Osprey swings wide and twirls toward Shoan. "Ready?" With even the slightest indication that the answer is yes, she tosses herself into the hold with abandon, one arm draped around the Ikoma's shoulders...rather broad and delightfully muscular ones at that. All the looseness is gone, as Mumei becomes a vertical pillar beside the Lion, arm outstretched into the spin.

"Hmm, you are right, that doesn't seem too-"
As Mumei tosses herself Shoan reacts on pure instinct, one arm reaching tightly around the Osprey's lower hip to spin the two of them around with their own momentum before settling Mumei down again
"-Hard...."
There's a half second pause before the Lion quickly removes her hand.

"Not too hard at all, you have very nice core muscles...nice and strong I mean, excellent for dancing."

Delighted laughter follows, as Mumei lands with a spin and knee-slide before popping up and shimmying back. She did promise to make her partner look good and has little trouble playing up the sort of moves that will let her height shine. They've steered to the center, where the world can revolve around them for a bit. "Why thank you, Murame-sama! You've all the upper body strength in the world. I could almost literally fly with you as a partner doing the tossing, neh?"

"So...an style borrowed from dead worlds, has hand shoulder and hip as points of contact, if that's ok?" she asks while holding her gaze and pausing for a few moments of grooving in place. Some might delight in the discomfort of pulling others out of their comfort zones, the Osprey wants to well and truly understand and coax them from them. In another timeline's mythology, an Osprey might have danced to coax Lady Sun from her cave to bring life back to the world.

"There are stronger samurai, but it is nice to know years of training have their uses. It helps to have a partner who wants to fly."
Shoan continues to relax as she notices nobody appears to be laughing at her.

"Hand, shoulder and hip? That sounds reasonable, thank you for being patient with me."
Shoan ever so slightly confirms this with a gentle hip bump to Mumei as they continue to groove.

"Who doesn't want to fly?" She bumps back with a grin. Better encouragement than a verbal 'good job' for a grown adult. At least in her opinion. "I've danced in freefall, and it's amazing. Had the best flight in one of those choppy bladed machines this afternoon. It never gets old. But a throw? You can still feel gravity, but for a while, it can't hold you. It's amazing."

Cocking her head, she says, "You know, with your height, we're going to set you in a leader's hold, so...your right hand around my side to the back. That's often at hip height, but here...maybe just below my shoulder blades. With matched heights, I'd rest my left arm on top and around your shoulder, but I'm going to reach underneath instead."

This brings them reasonably close together, and she takes Shoan's free hand with hers. "Can you feel the connections and the way we can push and pull a bit against one another there?"

For a brief second there's a curious look on Shoan's face when Mumei mentions the flight, but it is pushed away for now.

"A leader's hold? Perhaps I should have trained as an Akodo."
As the two samurai come close it's obvious the Lion's body is radiating heat at this point, a mix of adrenlaine, nerves, alcohol and possible excitement means Shoan is rather flushed as she moves with Mumei, holding her hand tightly.

"Hai, I can feel it."
She hadn't been in this close contact with someone else for a long time.