houseofcards_rp | It's Swing Time~

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It's Swing Time~

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Elisha's motivation for organizing - or, honestly, delegating the organization of - a semi-formal dance party. Lucinda had suggested a ball, with stars in her eyes. She probably had already picked out ballgowns and themes in her head when Elisha had nixed the thing and - in a moment of desperation, with the memory of the swing-themed Fox wedding still in his head - suggest a Spring Swing, instead.

Everyone had run with it, and Elisha was pleased to say it had come out well. He was even more pleased to say that he didn't have to wear a suit, even if he stepped out into the lantern-lit gardens in everything but the tie. He paused near the raised dais provided for dancing and gave the small band the signal to start up the music before he attempted to fade back in the crowd. Not that that ever worked.

"Let the games begin," he murmured to no one in particular as he picked up a glass of champagne off a tray.

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He did well to repress his shudder at the mention of Athena. Not that he'd been afraid of her or disliked her overly, but the woman was just...snaky, in his view. Prone to making the worst choices ever, too.

"Athena..." he finally said, glass hovering at his lips, "...she was something, that's for damned sure." Although he'd never ever forgive that bitch for the hell she'd put David through. Granted, it was a two-way street, that entire debacle, but regardless. He knocked back the rest of the tumbler.

Back to work talk; it was safer, really. "I probably will, once I get the gist of 'how things are done'. Handling David's files last year gave me the basics, but now that I can get in depth with things...it'll be a chore, but a necessary one."

Well, she was a snake. It was what she was, and Avery had actually been really fond of her. They weren't at all in disagreement over Athena's life choices, though.

"She and David were poison for each other," Avery said. "I think it was clear to everyone but them." Probably to them, too, honestly.

"It won't take you that long," she said as she sipped the rest of her wine and set aside the glass, still a quarter full. "I can't imagine that Julien's information system is nearly as intricate as David's was."

Ethan slid down in his chair, almost descending into broodiness at the mention of his father and his...wife. "...he loved her, I do know that." He had to admit that, at least. Because David had. Ethan's brow furrowed. "I just--sometimes, I wish--" he cut himself off then, shaking his head. "Nah, never mind."

He toyed with his empty glass, not bothering to sit up any straighter, and indeed dropped his head back against the chair back when she mentioned David's filing system. "Oh, my God," he groaned in memory. "All handwritten, illegibly, at that. Shit going back years... I almost had a heart attack when I opened the top drawer."

"Hadyn said that Jordan has all his non-confidential stuff now," Avery said with a grin, "and that it alternately makes him twitch and want to just go ahead and end it all to get rid of the pain." Poor Jordan, really, and for more than just that.

He just didn't seem very happy, all in all.

She eyed Ethan for a moment, and then stood up.

"Come on," she said. "You owe me a dance before you slide all the way onto the floor."

He smirked in unholy commiseration. "Yeah, I know. I heard him bitching in the library all the way down in my office off the armory. It was glorious. I know Jordan has patience rivaling the Almighty, but trying to slog through David's terrible handwriting is just...cruel and unusual."

Ethan blinked up at her when she rose from her chair, adopting a pout and something resembling a whine. "Do I have to?" He held out a hand anyway; never let it be said he'd refuse a lady her wish. ...most of the time.

"Someone should have taught him the art of computers." Except, well. She was also friends with Meghana. She'd heard a bit about that one too.

Her grin is impish. "Just one, Ethan. Every other girl in this party has shown off her panties, and I'm starting to feel left out."

He snorted a laugh as he hauled himself up out of the chair, taking her hand and planting upon it a kiss as they moseyed over to the dance floor. "Because it just isn't a party if the Ace of Diamonds doesn't flash the entire crowd, right?"

Thankfully, the band's next number wasn't freakishly fast and hyper, so Ethan had a chance to untangle his feet and relax back into the style. Didn't take him long, though; most of the moves were tailored to the lady, anyway.

"Absolutely not." Especially since Säde wasn't around to frown at her for it; she might as well have some fun.

She hadn't done much swing dancing, but the few people she'd hit the floor with before Ethan had gotten her into practice - and Avery was naturally graceful in any case - so it didn't take long for her yellow skirt to be swirling around her bare legs.

"I've got to give the gossip mill something to work with, you know." Even if that something was just emerald green silk panties.

"Mm, true," he mused as he swung her into a another spiraling twirl. "It's been unusually light lately, I've noticed." That, or no one was bothering to tell him anything. He didn't really care either way.

Granted, the last time he'd been to a semi-formal event like this was before he'd returned Home, and then he'd been unable to really enjoy it, as he was "working", so to speak. Now, not having any agenda other than enjoying the evening was...nice.

"Either everyone's behaving themselves," he added, pulling Avery back in close, "or they're storing shit up to rain all over everyone's parade."

"Maybe everyone's waiting for the other shoe to drop." Though after this year, they were probably on their fifth or sixth shoe, at least. "After all, the tower popped up, the ocean showed up, and...nothing."

It could be just growing pains - that was a theory one of the scientists in the Diamonds had tossed up - but it seemed a little anticlimactic.

Her hand rested on his shoulder and she looked up at him with raised brows. "Maybe we'll be lucky and the rain will fall while we're in Italy."

He snorted lightly. "Probably." The new "additions to Deck lands were a bit...odd, but then the place had never been considered stable. Ethan was sure the surveyors were on medication for massive migraines year-round, poor sods.

Thankfully, the music changed, allowing the new Ace to concentrate on both not stepping on Avery's toes and actually using full sentences. "Ahha, yeah. This I can dance to, carina." Arm around her waist, Ethan shuffled them across the floor with the rest of the couples.

"What, and come back to a repeat of the Great Flood? Or maybe a plague of locusts; that'd at least be interesting." His brows quirked. "If economically disastrous, but still." He sent her out for a slow twirl, saying, "It might storm a time or two there, too. 'tis the season for it, but it's gorgeous, out over the lake."

Edited 2013-05-13 20:30 (UTC)

This made conversation just a little easier, she had to admit - as much fun as the faster songs were. "Or all of the plagues of Egypt, all at once." She paused. "I think I'd opt to go back to Italy."

Her dress flared out gently before Ethan brought her back in. "I like storms," she said, "we don't get enough on Deck. The weather tends towards clear." With just enough snow to make winter pretty.

"Oh, God, can you imagine? Rivers of blood, darkness eternal, frogs, boils, hail...yeah, I say we just never come home, if so.

"But yeah, me too. Some of the blizzards in Russia were...fun, I have to say. And I really like London's perpetual fog, for some reason. But watching the thunderheads roll in up in the mountains..." he shook his head in recalled wonder, "...there's nothing else like it in the world, carina."

"They probably wouldn't even miss us if we didn't. Or at least wouldn't have the time to go looking."

She smiled a little as Ethan spoke, dancing lightly. "You miss Italy a lot, don't you?" She asked. "I don't remember any place other than here, and I went all around Europe when I was off-Deck." Never in one place for long, though there'd been some fun in Rome.

Melancholy touched his face at her question; Ethan sighed softly. "I do, yeah." His shoulder shrugged under her hand. "I dunno, it was the only place that--that really felt like home for me way back when." They shuffled about a moment, then he went on.

"Granted, David put me there on a job, but Don Santino turned out to be more than I'd originally expected." Ethan chuckled, thinking back. "The man had relatives all over the country, I swear. Wherever we went, we were always running into someone he knew.

"Italians are like that, I noticed. Willing to share anything with a visitor, make every stranger feel like family." A chuckle escaped as he added, "And kill your ass if you ever crossed one of 'em."

She was quiet until he finished speaking, but at the end, her lips curved into a soft smile. "That last part there," she said dryly, "sounds a little like here." At least in the sharp Suits, she thought. "Like if you shoved the Hearts and Spades together and they somehow lived together in harmony."

She reached up to adjust the strap on her dress. "I'm looking forward to seeing it. I didn't go further north than Rome when I was in Italy."

"Oh dear God, what a visual," he remarked after mulling it over a bit. But had to shake his head with a little laugh. "I don't think either Castle could handle all of that, but yeah, I get what you're saying."

He hitched her a bit closer, comfortable. "Roma's beautiful, too. It's actually not that far a drive, if you'd want to take a day or so to head down there. My place is outside Rimaggio, southeast of Firenze. Roma is about...two hours or so south."

"They'd have to expand," Avery said. "Not to mention put stringent rules in place that would eventually get broken anyway, when the Hearts drove the Spades crazy." Sure, there had been a few Hearts that had switched to the Spades over the years, but Athena...was Athena, and Avery remembered Zoe's father well; he was a charming, kind man who nonetheless had really belonged with the Spades.

"It's lovely there." She smiled in remembrance as they danced more closely together; it had been a lot of years since she'd nursed a broken heart by running across Europe for a year, but the memories were always there. "I haven't been since....oh, since I was nineteen, I think."

"Then I'd say you're overdue for another visit," Ethan smiled as the song ended. He clapped along with the rest of the dancers, then maneuvered them from the throng back over to the bar, asking for simple club sodas and ice.

"Thanks for the dance, m'lady," he told her with a slanted grin. "Been ages since I actually got to enjoy a party like this."

"It's more fun to get up and dance," Avery said, "instead of standing against walls and brooding."

Which is, from her experience, what Julien used to do when he was Ace. Though he did dance at the Spade Ball. It was curious, really, that he'd bothered to come at all now.

"It was my pleasure," she said, and glanced around. "And I suppose I should make the rounds, since I'm representing the Diamond Faces." She'd expected at least one of the others...but she appeared to be it for now, at least.

"You should. Don't want you wasting all night with little ol' me." He gave her a wink and kissed her hand, saying, "I'll keep an eye out for the next 'green flash', though."

She had to laugh at that, a bright sound that had others turning their heads before she turned and sent him a returning wink.

"I'll keep that in mind," she says. "Have fun, Ethan."

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It's Swing Time~

.....can you tell I'm tired? gawd.

THAT looks more like Ethan.

ffffff, right? I mean, Ivona's pretty and all. but...awkward, much?

She's just not really Avery's type. XD

she really isn't.

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...i am having all the problems ever. :(

It is Monday like whoa.

It really is. /shakes fist at it

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