"Sounds good!" She scrolled through the files, trying to figure out what would work best--she didn't want something sad-sounding, but so much of her slower music was a bit more downbeat. Finally, though, she came across a slow but cheery-sounding piece, one she felt would be very danceable. "Um...I'll play a sample first." Tektite pressed play, but paused the song after about half a minute. "That work?"
"That should work fine!" Fog let go of Melo and stretched. "We should start with some really simple steps, first."
Gold hesitated, then approached the others, clearly intent on partaking in the dancing. After all, it was...just dancing, right? That wasn't that illegal, it wasn't like anything bad would happen...
When Tektite played some music, Fog Pearl demonstrated some simple steps to the other gems. "Do you think you can try these?"
Melo was released by Fog, and walked a bit away to have some space from others. Melo attempted to follow Fog's movements, and... That was awful She snorted a bit at her inability at gracefulness Maybe she'd be better at fast dances, she was more used to running and dodging..
Citrine tried to copy her, movements stiffer and more clumsy than the Pearl. "L-like this?" There was something in her that said this music wasn't right, she needed drums, she needed a hard beat she had no words for because the military wasn't geared toentertainment. She copied the movements of the Pearls ably enough, but she both looked and felt like a iron deposit in a diamond mine. Glancing over at Melo to see her having similar probelms, she spoke up, "Um, can we pick up the beat? Something with like a da-da-dup noise? I don't think Melo and I do so well on the slow stuff."
Gold scooted a little bit away from the others and attempted the steps. She'd never really danced before--Amber'd never given her the chance--but she was a Pearl, after all, it shouldn't be that hard! Her lack of confidence in her steps made them a little shaky and ungraceful, though. Sighing, she wondered what to do. Maybe a dance that would just. Get her mind off the steps, let her not have to focus on the steps themselves and just kind of...focus on the music.
Tektite scrolled through the music files again, finally settling on something a bit more workable. "Here. This is good, I think."
Fog Pearl nods and claps her hands a little, repeating the steps she showed earlier, before twirling once, smiling. "Is this better?" she asks, addressing the other gems.
Citrine let her head bob to the music, let it sink into her core, and she suddenly realised - she didn't have to dance like a Pearl. She didn't have to dance like anyone but herself. She grinned, bright and brilliant, popped her shoulders and few times and suddenly dropped into a neat spin in time to the beat, pulling herself up fluidly then flipping back over onto one hand, holding herself there effortlessly. Quartzes were phenomenally, notoriously strong in their upper body. And even if it hadn't been for her caste, a mace-wielder didn't stay weedy for long. She kicked upwards to the beat, careful and suddenly perfectly aware of her hard-light body and everything around it, pushed off and landed in a neat crouch, laughing. She was suddenly aware of the others looking at her, and blushed. "Heh, uh, that's probably not what you meant. But it's so fun!"
Gold considered for a moment, listening to the music and watching Citrine, nodding her head in time with the beat. Then, quite suddenly and without warning, she arched backwards until her hands touched the floor, and flipped, stood, lifted her leg over her head, and twirled twice, then landed and turned to look at Citrine. "I see what you mean, it is fun..." she admitted, wondering why she hadn't tried this before--before remembering that Amber had always forbidden her dancing, and she'd been too scared to try--no, she meant that she'd been obedient and good, as a Pearl should be! Not scared... She looked down at the ground and crossed her arms, suddenly awkward and shy.
Citrine grinned at her encouragingly, still bopping her head from side to side. She executed a neat two-step, rolled up onto her toes and held out her hand to Gold. "Come on, then, let's dance!"
Fog laughed. "Well, that's certainly unconventional. But nice! Maybe you will show us some steps!" Her own movements were controlled and light, but quite structured, predictable. These new, spontaneous steps that Citrine and Gold showed were intriguing to her Lavender half, but Smoke was less sure. Fog gestured with her hand a light flourish, as she stepped back. "Have the floor! I'm sure you will be gorgeous!" she smiled.
Gold hesitated, cheeks flushing a bit as she took Citrine's hand. "O-okay," she agreed, already extremely nervous. She'd never really danced with anyone before, of course, and wasn't quite sure how. Dancing alone was easy, dancing with a partner seemed...more difficult. Not to mention that dancing with someone who was a higher-up Gem than her was probably illegal...and wrong....but...but...she wanted to try it, just this once! And then she wouldn't do it anymore.
Citrine grinned, delighted, her gem already starting to glow. Something subtle changed in her style, and she lifted Gold by the one arm, letting the Pearl brace against her knee and lean back almost double as the Quartz dropped them both down and balanced Gold on her shoulder as she six-stepped, dainty hands going to one broad shoulder then the other as she rolled rapidly and rose with her partner still doing a perfectly balanced handstand. She caught Gold as she fell backwards into her arms, and their eyes met just as their bodies began to dissolve into light.
Gold felt herself beginning to dissolve into light, could feel her body beginning to merge with Citrine's, her Gem glowing brightly, and immediately she freaked out. Fusion? Fusion? She couldn't be a part of a fusion! Her Gem's glow began to dim, and her body started to reform from light, and she promptly bolted off into the hallway, her cheeks a bright yellow as she slammed the door behind herself. What. Was. That?! She'd almost been part of an unsanctioned fusion! Between two different types of Gems, no less!! She leaned against the wall, slowly sliding to the floor and pressing her hands to her face. The worst part was...part of her had almost wanted it! She had loved dancing with Citrine, loved the way it felt to begin to merge with another Gem, the intimacy and raw emotion that came with it...she had honestly wanted to fuse, but...but...it was illegal! She'd very nearly done something illegal! What was happening to her?? Groaning, Gold buried her face in her knees and tried to get Citrine and their dance out of her mind.
"H-hey, Gold, wait!" but by the time her own form had settled enough for verbal words, the Pearl had already bolted. Citrine groaned. "Aw, shards." She better than to chase after her, because bluh bluh huge Quartz horrible mean clod. She also knew that the Pearl had issues with going against the laws and stuff, but she couldn't help but feel a little rejected. Especially since Hematite had barely talked to her since Iron Pyrite... she bonked her head against the wall a couple of times, feeling intensely stupid. "Diamonds, I'm dumb. I shouldn't have pushed her like that...bluh, I just wanted to dance with someone nice, that was all." Fusion was amazing, and having experienced it once with Hematite, her solidity and strength bleeding into Citrine's manic joy... she kinda really missed it.
Melo witnessed the dancing and almost fusion, and gasped as Gold ran off. She looked at Citrine, and heard her words. She walked over and kinda takle hugged her, (which didnt mean much considering she came up to about her waist) and held on Melo had no words of comfort but tried really hard to comfort with her hug. Hopefully Citrine wouldnt freak out on touch like grey, crap-
Citrine felt the impact at her waist and opened her eyes to see the curly-haired Pearl hugging her tightly. She laughed, a sad watery echo of the delighted noise before, and knelt so she could hug Melo back and bury her face in that springy hair It was usual for her to be the giver of hugs, not the receiver, but it was nice to get one back occasionally. "Sure is nice to know that not all the Pearls are scared of me." She hadn't really registered she was speaking aloud, but it was true. After an existence of Quartz abuse, she couldn't blame Grey or Smoke, or even Lavender or Rose sometimes for flinching on instinct when she came around a corner, but it hurt, a whole bunch of tiny hurts that built up into one big one. Citrine had done nothing but defend them since they had met, and every time she saw than flicker of fear in their eyes she just wanted to punch every other Quartz that had ever done them wrong. But that Melo who was one of the smallest and least fearsome of the gems of the ship didn't even hestitate in hug-tackling her... that meant a lot. That would keep her going.
