Another week had passed, and they were now at their third joint “cheerleading” lesson with the boys.

  Katharina could feel the grind of the machine wearing her thin, and dance was fast becoming her weakest subject. She was neither graceful nor flexible enough to perform half the moves required.

  The routine was built on six base steps, a mess of variations she couldn't even count, and three different types of throws. Yes, throws. And she was the one being flung about.

  The first was simple enough: her partner lifted her straight up and, if he was strong enough, tossed her into the air like a small child before catching her again as they spun on.

  The second was worse. It began with the partner crouching to give her a leg-up, meant to look as though she flew onto his shoulders in a single elegant motion. In practice, Katharina's attempts looked more like a frightened cat clawing its way up a tree. Then she was to stand balanced high above the floor, while they turned in a slow, precarious two-person tall spin.

  Finally, there was the worst of the lot, the move she had privately named “Here, Catch!”, where three or four boys would hurl their partners across the circle in unison to be caught by the next guy. For the record, the boys were not perfect dancers either. Katharina had been dropped more than once by now.

  Katharina's feet were shuffling across the floor, trying to keep up with her partner, a tall, muscular guy, who refused to look her in the eyes.

  They were practicing dancing from one side of the room to the other, cycling through the different base steps, an elegant turn at one side and a throw at the other.

  As they prepared to turn, the boy gently took hold of her hands, and she couldn't help but notice how immensely warm they were. It wasn't like he had sweaty palms; she was the only one guilty of that, but his hands were unusually warm, to the point one might worry he had a fever. Katharina couldn't blame him, but if he didn't let go soon, she would make his hands slippery.

  Luckily, the turn went without incident. Either she was improving, or he was simply a far better dancer than the poor guy who had been tasked with her last week.

  They had almost made their way across the room, which seemed much smaller when she was keeping up with the long strides of the boy, and she could feel the muscles in her stomach tensing up in preparation to be grabbed and tossed.

  And in a few nearly graceful steps, they were there.

  The boy bent slightly, cupping his hands securely around her waist and pulling her into his arms. As she, for a moment, stood there close to the boy, every muscle tense in anticipation, she noticed it wasn't just his hands that were warm, but his whole being was heating up before the throw.

  But this was not the warmth of a person running hot during an exercise; rather, it was a special kind she couldn't quite put her finger on. As he pressed upward, lifting her, she couldn’t help but feel a certain allure radiating from him, one that brought her mind back to a very specific man.

  The blond-haired man had given this exact feeling many times, but just much stronger.But deep down, she knew that couldn't be it as she didn't feel particularly attracted to this guy in front of her, only the warmth and familiar allure.

  Then, with a sudden, explosive amount of power, he threw her in the air. And for just a moment, she could have sworn she hung in the air, lingering longer than gravity should allow.

  "??ナ?ψ???∞?χ throw, and good ??χ?∞ナ?, girl, try smiling ???? ∞??? ????."

  Ever since the lessons had been joined by six additional pupils, the instructor had become noticeably more attentive, not that it meant a lot.

  She would occasionally leave her chair and book to patrol the room, making little comments on the performance of each pair. But it wouldn't be long before she was back tapping the rhythm with her foot, deeply engulfed in her reading. Katharina had even noticed that the instructor had started bringing two books. She found it odd that a mere instructor would own books when the era of this place seemed much too early for widespread literacy, but maybe she was a noble woman of some kind?

  Katharina's thoughts drifted, speculating about things beyond the dance hall, and this came back to bite her almost immediately. She somehow managed to stumble over her own feet and fall face-first toward the shiny marble floor.

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  There was no time to catch herself. She felt her sweaty hands flailing about, trying to brace, but she knew it was going to hurt either way. And by reflex, her face crumbled up into a wrinkled mess as though that would do anything.

  Right as her face was supposed to impact the hard surface, she felt as though a large invisible cushion had materialized between her and the floor. It kept her safe long enough for a large hand to grab hold of her collar and, chokingly, yank her back to her feet.

  She stood for a moment, sputtering and heaving for air before looking up at her savior: her partner, still refusing to meet her eyes.

  "Thanks." She managed between breaths, loud enough for him to hear, but quietly enough to go unnoticed by the rest of the room.

  The boy extended a hand, a small peace offering, and a sigh of relief came over Katharina as she grabbed it, feeling like she had gained a new ally. But that illusion was instantly shattered when he spun her into another elegant turn before dancing his way toward the other end of the room.

  The lesson continued, and Katharina gave up on building any rapport with her silent partner. At least she had gotten to use her new language with someone other than Lian, even if just a single word.

  Two firm claps rang from the instructor as she put down the book for the last time today.

  "That will be all, you may leave now."

  As soon as the words were said, the familiar tug of the brand toward the baths began. Her partner turned without even glancing at Katharina, and practically stormed toward the door.

  All the girls made their way to the door as well, except Lian, who, for some reason, was headed for the instructor. Katharina was unsure of which way to go; the brand had told her the door, but she barely ever went anywhere without Lian. And she ended up stuck in an awkward limbo, not leaving and not going to Lian until only the three of them remained in the large dance hall.

  Katharina was desperately trying to catch Lian's attention, as the brand's anger slowly grew, and she caught Lian’s eye at last. Lian just gave the smallest shake of her head.

  "You can go, Katharina. I'll be right there."

  The instructor now also looked at Katharina, and both sets of eyes told her she was not welcome in the coming conversation.

  Katharina scurried to the door and hurried down the hallway in an attempt to at least appease the brand. She remembered how the teacher had let them talk and count the steps a few weeks back, only because Lian had looked at her, and they had nodded at each other.

  By the time she reached the baths, most of the girls were finishing up. Only 'Runner' still sat on a stool, scrubbing away. Maybe she, too, had waited for Lian and Katharina? She had been warming up to them ever since joining their table at meals, though it was hard when Katharina couldn't hold a conversation just yet, and Lian was focused on teaching.

  Either way, Katharina felt bad for 'Runner' and sat down beside her while she washed away the dirt of this week.

  They mostly sat in silence, the splashing of the water the only sound filling the room. But Katharina was getting the impression that 'Runner' was pacing herself to let her catch up. And so she did. Still, there was no sign of Lian, and the burn of the brand was only getting fiercer by the minute.

  Finally, the door opened, and Lian's expressionless face popped into the room.

  "You are ???χχ ????, Katharina?" Lian looked surprised not to be the only one in the bathroom, and Katharina just nodded.

  Katharina and 'Runner' were nearly finished. Again, Katharina was left uncertain if she should go or stay. This time, she chose to defy both Lian and the brand and wait around. She wanted answers. What was the deal between Lian and the instructor?

  But they weren't alone. For some oddly endearing reason, 'Runner', too, defied the brand, and now the two of them were slowly putting on their clean clothes while waiting for Lian, and biting their teeth to withstand the sting of the brand.

  From the corner of her eye, Katharina noticed how the brand on Lian's body glowed faintly, pulsing in reddish hues. Last time she saw it, she was sure it looked like an old scar, all faded.

  Was this because they were late? She couldn't help but pull down the shoulder of her dress and take a look in the mirror at herself. And sure enough, with every pulsing warning from the brand, it seemed to glow, a faint but noticeable red.

  Katharina decided to wait with the questioning until they were alone; she also didn't want to make 'Runner' wait painfully any longer than necessary, and soon they were off to supper.

  As they walked back to their little room on the upper floor, there was an unusual silence between them. Lian wasn't pointing at any items they walked past or quizzing Katharina on the usual syllabus.

  Katharina still had the burning urge to ask what was up with Lian and the instructor, but it was probably better to wait until they were completely alone.

  As they got ready to get into bed, Katharina finally mustered the courage and the words to ask Lian.

  "What-e... was you and... Madam Dance say?"

  "Madam Dance?" Lian tilted her head in confusion.

  Katharina sat down on the edge of her bed and mimicked opening a book with her hands.

  "Oh, it was ∞????∞Ω, just... ∞????∞Ω."

  "It was ∞????∞Ω?"

  "Yes, you know, it was not." Katharina could practically hear the gears turning in Lian's head as she tried to circle in on the premise of the word. "It was as air, ∞????∞Ω."

  Katharina finally understood.While she now knew the meaning of the words, she also knew they were a lie.

  That was not 'nothing'.

  Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next tuesday :D

  - Pinkymus