Annual New Years Ball

[dana]

Dana smirked a bit mischievously. “And thank heavens we are different. Quite frankly I’m rather happy with being me, despite all my mistakes. And even though cloning is perhaps the sincerest form of flattery, I would much rather not have any more mini little ‘me’s running around. One me is quite enough thank you.” Dana grinned easily. Sure, she wanted kids one day. One, or two. But most certainly not more than 3 kids – hey, she would have to give birth to the kids after all! – but that was different. Children – though hopefully having some of her own personality traits – would not be the same as having small copies of her running around after all. Besides Dana wanted one boy and one girl at least. And Kris would be an adorable uncle. At the very least kids liked him as much as animals did and Kris was patient with small kids as well.

“What’s the point of voicing your thoughts if you don’t feel strongly about them? And I still say that at many cases passion can be overrated,” Dana tilted her head slightly as she shrugged her shoulders easily, “Not may people pay attention to muggle sciences. I only know very little bits and pieces about them because one of our maids goes to a muggle university and sometimes tells me about such things. So I’m afraid I’m not very good conversationalist about that. As for family-line? I’m proud of mine. Maybe you find it arrogant and a Slytherin-ish trait, but I’m proud that my family has managed to stay pureblooded for centuries. Sure, with the help of some arranged families, but it takes a lot to make a family-line stay together and stay strong. Even if I would gladly cut out my own biological parents and have Mereidth and Julien as my straight parents. But well, can’t change that fact, so I have mostly accepted it. I will be happy if I can be half as good as my grand-mother in life and accomplish half as many things.”

Dana mused about it for a moment. Everything she said was true, even if it did sound arrogant and spoilt. Then again, it was her life and her family. Pulling her thoughts back Dana paid some closer attention to Ryder’s words once again.

[ryder]

He smiled at her comment about how thankful she was that they were different, but made no effort to respond. He, generally speaking, felt the same and there was no point in restating what had already been said. He had decided long ago that the world was only ready to handle one person like himself, even if he was happy with who he was. It seemed that he and Dana had yet another thing in common. He remained silent after the topic drifted to being vocal about ones opinions, and instead he kept his steps steady with the rhythm of the music and let her finish before he addressed anything. He preferred it that way. To let someone get everything they wanted to say out before responding with your own feelings. "Perhaps passion makes life harder, but the things that don't come easy are always more worth while." He lad long ago decided that could not live a life with out passion, that he didn't want to play it safe. He would rather look back and see my life as one mistake after another, but everyone of them done with pure passion than everything been some scheduled plan. Maybe it was something he heard his mum say when he was young, she had said that the things one regrets the most when looking back are the things that they didn't do, not the things they did. And that when you look back, everything you did, whether it was good or bad it always flooded together to make a wonderful expedience. He wasn't sure why he remembered her saying it, but it was one of the few things he could recall clearly about her.

He smiled again, that same one sided smile, when she talked about her family, but he stayed silent about his own. He always felt that there was little to tell. His family was not rich, or well known other than his father and his work on the World Cup. It was a few moments after Dana fell silent again that the music came to a slow stop and their dancing came to a stop. He stayed still for a moment, his hands still resting on Dana. After a long moment, A voice came out above the crowd.

It seems that the midnight hour is fast upon us so come now lets all count down the last few hours! 10...9...8..."

Ryder listened for a moment, and then turned toward Dana again, mouthing the numbers instead of saying them out loud. Five...four...three...two...one...The final number had barely formed when he lifted both of her hands and couped her face, his palms at her jaw and his fingers up across her cheeks, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips her hers for a few moments longer than acceptable for their situation before finally breaking their kiss and pulling back, his deep eyes locked on hers as he whispered "Happy New Year."

[dana]

Dana mulled over Ryder’s reply thoughtfully. She could understand the point he was trying to make. She really could as the things you had to do... the things and activities you were good at were the ones you enjoyed and felt passionate about. Yet it was hard to be passionate about every mundane detail of life. And sometimes it hurt to much to care with all your heart for everything and everyone. Dana wasn’t brave enough to carry her heart around on her sleeve and bare through all the hurting such behavior would bring along.
„Fighting too hard to get what you have stubbornly set your eyes upon, not going to a compromise from time to time – that may in the end be more painful and cost you more than the think you fought for to gain did in the first place,“ Dana replied silently with a small shake of her head considering the topic closed. She would not change her mind, her life had taught her well enough that hurt wasn’t good.

The music ended and Danad tilted her ead thoughtfully as the countdown started. She wasn’t stupid enough to not know what would happen when the countdown reached one. Everything so far had led to this point. Not only the biggest and most important part of the ball and the purpose of it as the new Year rolled up, but also to the tradition of sharing a kiss on midnight. Dana wasn’t sure of Ryder at all. He was a yet unkown number in the equation she made in her head. He wasn’t a friend and when she needed help she would run to other people first. But maybe sharing a kiss would be interesting. And it would be nice to have a friendly kiss.
Dana stood perfectly still as Ryder framed her face with his hands and kissed her. The kiss wasn’t overly friendly perhaps as it lasted longer than actually needed. But it was nice. Not earth-shattering, breath-taking or something that made your knees go weak, but nice. Even if it didn’t tell her much more of Ryder.

Dana pondered about the kiss for a few more moments eyeing Ryder thoughtfully. Finally coming to a some sort of a conclusion Dana offered her a quick smile and reaching up brushed a bit of her lip-stick off from Ryder’s lip and nodded. „Happy New Year. We might meet again at school,“ Dana replied looking up and smiling brightly as the familiar tune of Auld Land Syne started up.
„I have promised this dance away,“ Dana told cheerily as she turned and flashing Ryder one more quick grin over her shoulder raised her skirts a little as she sprinted over the dance-floor her arms locking around Kris’s neck as she kissed his cheek before doing the same with Cleo and both of her grand-parents.
Kris’s arm wound itself around her waist as they shared the dance to Auld Lang Syne together as always swaying together with closeness that came from trust, years of practice and friendship as Kris sang the lyrics along to the song in Estonian.
„Candlelight is warm and king, my heart beats to the waltz,
All charms, warms and soul and this night will bound our hearts.
We dance hand in hand in the light of candles,
it's our last waltz today, one we’ll never forget

I now see all my life in a new light
And I will love you even more.
Now blow the candle, kiss me once
And then it’s time to leave.”

((These are word-to-word lyrics from Candlelight Waltz which is what Auld Lang Syne is called in it’s Estonian version.))