Dancing on Glass

Save a Dance

Cinderella sat down hard beside him, her skirts flaring out around her and coughing out a poof of cinders that flew up into their faces making them cough.

"No," she said, "No I did not get an invitation. What are you doing here?"

"Well I knew all the ladies invitations were being sent out today so I figured I'd wait around and see if you got one – and if you'd try and tell me. I'm sorry about the letter."

Cinderella shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she said, waving it off.

Jazz glanced at her as she looked out across the lake.

"I don't know why I expected to be allowed to attend. I never get to do anything remotely fun."

"Perhaps your stepmother believes fun is bad for the health," Jazz said brightly and Cinderella laughed.

The sound caught on a lump in her throat and she tried to clear it, looking down at her skirts.

She sniffed and Jazz straightened up, leaning forwards to try and see her face but she turned it away.

"Are you crying?" he asked gently.

"No, soot in the eye," Cinderella said, rubbing at her eyes. "Like I said, I hardly matters anyway. It's just a ball. It's not like I have anything to wear that isn't old fashioned and spent the last decade in a trunk. And a ball would take so much time to prepare for, I have a lot of work to do to keep the house in order."

"You don't think it would be nice to attend just one night?" Jazz asked.

"Well it's not like I can" Cinderella snapped without meaning to. "Sorry."

"It's alright."

Cinderella was quiet for a moment, her fingers digging into her skirts.

"I just don't understand why I can't attend the commoners' evening," she suddenly said as a burst of wind raced across the lake at them, her hair flaring out behind her, the dying sunlight catching on the sheen across Cinderella's eyes. "It's not as if I want to meet the Crown Prince. Of course, yes, it would be nice to see him again—"

Jazz instantly glanced at her through she didn't notice.

"But I wouldn't see him. He wouldn't remember me. I'd be hard pressed to even meet you when I assume you'd be wherever they put all the important people. All I wanted to do was attend the ball."

A letter was suddenly shoved under her nose making her jump and she looked down at it, wiping her eyes as she took it and looked at Jazz.

"I was going to hold off and produce this later, with grand sweeping gestures and all sorts of moronic acting to make you laugh and make me out to be some sort of hero, but I hate to see you on the verge of tears... so here," he said, dropping back to the grass, his hat falling down over his eyes again as he let out a huff.

Cinderella raised an eyebrow at him, then turned the letter over to see the front. It was blank.

Turning it back, she pulled the flap loose, breaking the seal, and opened it.

Two things came out, a letter and a card.

The card made her heart pound so hard as warmth flooded her stomach that she grabbed Jazz's waistcoat, her nails digging in and latching right onto his skin making him yowl and glare at her but she was staring at the card, practically trembling with excitement.

"Jazz. Jazz! It's an invitation! You got me an invitation!"

"Yes, I know I did, release your claws," Jazz said, wrestling her nails out of him.