Roriana
Roriana froze as the ladies in her group started moving in harmony with the music. Almost as if they knew what dance to perform.
Or maybe, they did.
The girls passed through the beaded curtains, discovering a whole new room.
As Roriana entered, It felt as if a wave of powerful auras masked in one had physically slapped her. Radiating from this very room was energy greater than anything she had ever experienced through out her journey coming here. Matter of fact, the power she had felt outside this room collectively was a mere lake compared to the ocean of aura energy oozing from the people sitting behind the screen of smoke.
The Royal Blood woman from earlier had a powerful aura, but compared to the ones here, it was clear she was merely the tip of the iceberg.
The room was grand yet elegant as a heavy thickness of black filled the entire space, causing Rori's spine to chill. The only source of lights were the small candles and lanterns glamourlized as decoration. The darkness came with a thin atmosphere of scented smoke that made Rori feel a bit dazed.
It made her feel all the more creeped as she could vaguely see some people staring at her in the dark. She could only make of dark silhouettes. They could see her but she couldn't see them.
Anklets jingled lightly in unison adding to the intoxicating atmosphere, drawing Roriana back to reality. She was meant to be undercover as another dancer until she finds the Emperor.
The girls were swaying their hips in a hypnotizing manner, moving to the song with elegance. It made Rori question how they were all in sync. It didn't look like any of the girls knew each other.
With a sigh Rori too, followed the women, moving her body to copy the girls synchronized steps as much as she could. A wave of pleasure shot through her body as her head began to feel lighter.
Her arms and hips swung in an ackward manner. Completely different from whatever the other girls were doing. She was clearly bad at this. But suddenly, everything began to feel surreal. Like she was transcending into another space different from her own. A space where there were no worries.
In Roriana's reverie, a small laughter escaped her lips earning a sharp gaze from the audience. Her eyes widened from realization. Was it really her who made that sound!
She closed her eyes shut as she shook her head profusely. Concentrate! Something was wrong. She didn't feel like herself.
She increasingly became aware of the cold foggy nature of the air. It was the smoke. It was making her act this way.
She bit down on her lips. She still needed to go on dancing. Maybe no one would notice. There was nothing too odd about a group of party performers who had a girl that forgot her dance.
Sweat began forming on her face. Rori could feel the gaze of the audience on her.
Her arms began to shake and her feets moved ungracefully as her hips bumped into another girl, which throws the girl off by accident.
She could even hear chuckles and suppressed laughter coming from the audience.
Yet she kept on dancing. Until she bumped into yet another girl at her side, causing the girl to stumble and fall with a small squeal. It didn't help that most of the girls were wearing heels too.
"Sorry!" a wave of anxiety shot through Roriana as she stepped back. Unknowingly her boots stepped on the toes of the girl behind. She screamed and hopped on one foot.
"Sorry," Rori whispered slapping her mouth. Upon doing so she elbowed a girl on the noes. The girl cried stepping back as she pinched her nose in pain and accidentally pushed another girl in the process. Then that girl slipped and pushed another girl, and then that girl slipped and pushed another...
The girls who had been moving their bodies in poised, elegant, fashion, were now distracted and shaking with fear as their choreography had turned into a mess of struggling girls dropping to the floor, and women whose eyeliner had turned into a black river on their faces.
Years of practice ruined just like that. The flutes and drums only added to the confusion which was their group.
Rori felt like hitting her head with a shovel and burying herself in the ground. This was stupid. What did she think was going to happen when she came to the palace and joined some random girls unplanned. This was stupid! This was stupid! She was stupid!
"You, come forward," a male voice commanded
The music stopped immediately.
TBC
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