Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

77. Private Lessons

"Stand up straighter." He said smacking my back with his tail. I let out a disatisfied grunt. My back might be healed but that hit would surely leave a bruise. I gritted my teeth and tried to think taller thoughts.

"Lets take a break." I said nodding to myself.

"When you do it flawlessly, you can have a break." He said. "Now again.

Dancing was an akward process. It was nothing like the free flowing movements from home. The posture was ridged. The neck, the hands wings tail. All of it had to be posed in just the right way. None of which was made easier because of my height. His legs are much longer than mine. For every step he made I had to double it. I was taller now. My eye level reached the top of Cerastes shoulders but it meant less than nothing Dante. Dante was at least two heads taller than Cerastes and at least three to me.

I felt the top of my head brush lightly under the crook of his arm when I made a wrong turn. My own arms were tired from having to stretch them at high angles. It gave me deja vu of meeting Cerastes for the first time.

We stood side by side my back ached from keeping my wings tucked tightly.  The muscles were still weak. My right hand held his left. We stepped forward four steps or I should say he stepped i jumped while he counted out the steps.

"One. Two. Three. Four. In."

We twisted inward. I looked down to reach foor his right hand to grab it with my left. A swift smack was felt against my ankle and i grumbled out a suffering sigh.
"Head up. Now back, two, three, four."

He counted out as we walked four steps backward. I tried to straighten my posture again. Rather than dancing i was just pulled around at a fast speed.

"Forward, two, three, four. And back again, two, three four."

We ended up back in the exact same place we started. This was a dance that is meant to be done with lots of people or dragons i guess. Couples stand in a circle and move to the steps. Then after the steps are completed the female is passed backwards to a different male partner. They complete the steps and are once again passed along untill the females have danced with every male in the circle, completing a full rotation.

A dance where women are passed around seemed like a very dragon like sentiment.

"Step in close." Dante said pulling me in so our sides were touching. "Step away." He said while still holding my hand. "And point your left arm and foot out. Yes tilt the head away. Good now spin in to me." The left hand the held my arm yanked me back towards him. I twirled in over his chest and his hands switched in mine. Leading me to spin to his right side.

"Good. Point your right arm and foot out again. Hold the pose. And now twirl to behind."

This was the difficult part. Usually the dance required the male to twirl the female once and then she would spin behind him to end up exactly where the dance had begun but eactly two aces back.  But my legs were short and he uses to much strength.

I tripped again and fell to my knees. My whole body ached. I had alot of stamina but this used muscles that I dont usually use and Dante was a heavy handed or heavy tailed teacher. 

"This is only the most basic set. There are still eight more dances and the ceremonial grand march to be completed."

"Your steps are to long." I gritted.

"You will have to acclimate. Most males you will be interacting with will be of this height and far less accommodating if you make a mistake." He said reaching down.

"I didnt dance at the last banquet. Why cant I skip this one as well?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, you wont have the luxury of absence this year. You can only practice." He said helping me to my feet. My face was Inches away from his chest, when we were dancing I basically rolled acrossed it. The smell of his skin lingered in my nose and i took a step back.

"Would it kill you to put a shirt on?" I asked dryly. I blew air out my nose in a huff.

"This much is considered conservative for this portion of the festivities." He said tugging on the vest so it opened to show more of his brown skin.

I grimiced in distaste at the exposure. I could only imagine what would be the opposite of what he was wearing. He took a step closer.

"Lets start again from the most basics of basics. This is a simple box step." He said taking both hands. "Just follow my lead." 

He would take a step forward and i would take a long step back. He would step to the left side and i followed. He took a step back and i moved foward. He moved to the right so i moved to the right. The box followed this same pattern over and over again.

"Arient you dragons always trying to pile on heaps of fabric and jewelry." I said rubbing my eye with my shoulder.

"The outfit is determined by the event." He shrugged. "The hatching celebration is made up of roughly four distinct activities."

"Four?" I asked. As we began turning while moving in the box step. Making circles around the room.

"Your familiar with the first two parts. The presentation of the hatchling, where the offspring is judged by each clan and gifted strength by each. There is also the post celebration feast. The heads of each clan start off with a private meal and after they finish the rest of the rabble can eat. Its a feast that lasts many days. But on the second evening there is a dance. It requires couples to first be introduced during the grand march and then there are nine dances over the course of the night."

"Thats only three." I said counting my fingers by taping them against his hand. Baby show, big eating, and dancing, i thought.

"Sex." He answered.

"What?" I asked.

"The fourth portion if the event. Its a wide spread belief that dragonesses are more likely to conceive during a hatchling banquet. Something about female jealousy and conception bolstered by smelling a hatchling." He said waving his hand side to side as if he didn't believe it.

"Thats also why you will find that many males will be dressed in a minimal asthetic. They are showing off. Hoping for a chance that one of the females will be enticed with their body and invite them to bed." He explained.

My skin bristled. I did not like this at all. I rubbed my arms to calm my skin.

"Dont worry. I wont let any of them carry you off." He said.

"Ill hit them if they try it." I hissed.

"Arany was a special case. A male wouldn't drop from the force of your spring. If it comes to it, it will be my responsibility to put them in their place... If you do hit someone, do it with your hands. Tapping a tail against anothers tail is an unspoken invitation to bed. You might really be carried off if your not careful." He said. His tail tapped against mine and my tail shrank away. I felt heat in my cheeks.

"If another male trys to tap your tail ignore him untill you can walk back to me." He told me.

"You seem very sure of yourself." I said. "What if they're bigger than you?"

"You should have more faith in the future sire of your hatchlings." He replied. "You'll have to give me more offspring than that drake for me to be satisfied."