01-07-2013, 02:04 AM
"My family is... protective. They don't let me leave the house much." Genna looked around the room with delight, then confided, "I snuck out tonight. They were all going somewhere, and they think I'm asleep with a sore throat."
Rayner's comment made her conscious that her actions were making her stand out, and she determined to do better. But it was so hard! The people were all so different, and the dancing was like nothing she'd ever seen. It had none of the fairylike grace of ballet, nor was it the stately measures of the formal dances at the parties she'd attended. This was music for real people. People who didn't stand on their toes until their feet bled or lace their corsets so tightly they could barely breathe. And the player piano! She knew such things existed, of course, but her father had always scorned them, saying Bronzes should keep their noses out of music.
Genna kept silent, but her eyes sparkled and her face practically glowed with delight as she perched on a barstool. She took a tiny sip of vermouth, wary of the burn of alcohol. This was far more potent than the genteel wines and champagnes she was accustomed to.
On the other side of Mischief from Genna, Della leaned on the bar and drained her glass in a single swallow. "Another."
The bartender looked at Mischief for confirmation before pouring a second glass, and then a third as the second was drained. Della smiled at her companions. "They have good stuff here... aren't you going to drink that, Genna?"
Genna blushed and took a slightly larger sip of the herbal wine. "I don't have much money... and this is probably expensive..."
|