Heroes of Dreamland Reimagined: Swingin!AU

A Meet Cute (Meta Knight)

Holding my breath, I peek out around the corner of one of the doors into the hall that leads to the ballroom. As long as Boss doesn't see me, I should be fine. I can hear the music in the distance, but it's faded and hard to hear. Exhaling in frustration, I drum my fingers against the wall and debate with myself whether it'd be worth possibly getting an earful from Boss to go get a better earful of the music.

Suddenly, someone clears their throat behind me, making me jump and spin to face them, but I relax a moment later when I see that it's just my older brother. "Geez, Dark. You just trying to scare me? Warn a guy before you sneak up on him, huh?"

He just blinks at me, unimpressed, as he adjusts his red bowtie. "You're not supposed to go in there and you know it. Do you just wanna get in trouble with Boss? I've had enough trouble keeping you this gig as it is, since you're always poking around places you don't belong."

I just roll my eyes at him, standing up a bit straighter and straightening my matching bowtie. "Can I help the fact that I wanna be able to hear the music better? It's always swinging in there. We have to serve all these rich snobs every time Boss decides to have a big bash like this, and we don't even get to enjoy any part of it. Doesn't that ever bother you just a smidge?"

He just blinks at me again, his scar mostly hidden by black polish, but his one eye still visibly milky from the old injury he got serving in the army. Even though he looks like the rougher one between the two of us, he actually tends to be more level-headed than I am. That's probably why he's the head of the mansion's staff and I'm just a coatboy. At least since I have to interact with the guests, I'm always as spiffed up as he is.

Finally, he sighs in frustration. "Look, kid. I'm not Pops. If you wanna get yourself in trouble, that's your call. I've got work to do." With that, he turns away.

Making a face at his retreating back, I take a cautious glance around the front hall before sneaking down the hall toward the grand ballroom. With every step I take, the trumpet gets louder and I can begin to feel the low thrumming of the bass even before I can hear it. I can't help but grin to myself as the music grows nearer. I think everybody loves jazz these days; it's so different from any other kind of music that's ever been heard before. Every time I hear it, there's nothing I want to do more than start dancing. There's just something about it that's almost entrancing, that makes it impossible to stand still.

The thing is, up until recently, the only music you would have heard coming from that room would have been waltzes and serenades. Even when I was a kid, jazz was considered something only for the down-and-outs like myself and my family. It was too dirty and common for the snobs like Boss. And then, suddenly, something like five years ago, it was suddenly the big thing even among the snobs. Now, swingers are hailed as great celebrities, when just a few years ago there were few more distasteful careers available.

Taking a deep breath, I stop at the edge of the open ballroom doors, so I won't be seen, and just close my eyes. The music is easily hearable now, and almost too loud, but not quite. Opening my eyes, I mime beckoning a girl over, giving her a jaunty bow, and beginning to dance. However, I suddenly realize that I almost stumbled into view of the ballroom, and stop short. Exhaling in frustration, I lean against the wall outside the large, gold-plated double doors and force myself to just start tapping my foot instead.

"Hey there. Cutie in blue. What are you doing out here? The party's inside the doors, y'know."

Jumping in surprise, I turn to see a sparkle-bedecked Halfling girl with smoky chestnut eyes sashaying her way towards me down the hall. She's adorned in a light pink, sparkly flapper's cape with a matching feathered headpiece adorned with a cherry blossom. Underneath the cape, a sparkly pink scarf is draped around her and over both of her paws, dangling a little bit past her gloves on either side. She stops in front of me, crossing her lacy gloves. "Really, fella, why are you out here and not in there?"