When Vel returned from the refresher, there was no sign of Jouren Terrik. Stifling an immediate desire to panic, she looked to the bar. All four of her team were gone as well. Had something happened? She started rummaging in her purse for the comlink "for emergencies only", as Hunter had emphasized, when a hand gently touched her elbow.
"Come, follow me," Hunter said politely, gesturing down the hall to another expansive room filled with people and music. Feeling relieved, she nodded and fell into step next to him. She was starting to feel a little tingly in the head and realized her extra little "nip of courage" from her flask while she was in the refresher might not have been the best idea. They entered a high-ceilinged ballroom where some sort of fancy promenade was beginning. She spotted the rest of the boys in a corner, lounging on plush couches and chairs around a table near a fireplace, and she noticed Terrik on the other side, dancing with another woman.
"Noooo, Hunter," she whispered, as he guided her toward the floor, "This is not going to help our cause." She felt the panic rising again, and it took all her strength to keep up her airy persona, as though nothing in the world could impress her.
"Don't worry," Hunter said under his breath, turning her to face him and making a small bow, "It's a simple dance made by rich people who want an excuse to show off to each other. Tech made us learn it in our room earlier after he studied Terrik's usual habits around here."
He held up one hand, which she took promptly, and he carefully placed the other in the center of her back. He held his elbows up, providing a solid frame from which he could guide her in a way that made them both look effortless.
"Step back twice, feet together, right twice, together, turn, and then go back," he said, stepping toward her and using his arms to gently steer her along. She fought to keep her steps smooth, at first trying to count in her head, but she soon found that he led her in a way that made it easy. Resting her hand on his shoulder and her arm on top the one he had tucked around her, Vel started to relax a bit.
"Nice. Now just try to turn on the charm," Hunter said, giving her a little wink. "Take a page out of Crosshair's book."
Vel laughed, "Now that's a sentence I never thought I'd hear."
She did her best to put forth an image as though she were merely gracing the place with her presence, that nothing and no one could possibly impress her. Hunter assumed a modestly interested demeanor, although his flirting was rather dry and strategic. They had stepped and turned around the room a few times when Wrecker appeared at their side, having ditched his glasses and mustache.
"May I cut in for this fine little lady here?" he asked Hunter, loudly enough to be heard by virtually everyone. Terrik noticed the exchange, quickly bowing to his Twi'lek partner and kissing her hand before reaching out to a woman with a tall red headdress for the next dance.
"I suppose," Hunter replied, trying to model a normal speaking volume for Wrecker. He gave Vel a small bow, then retreated to the sofa where Tech and Crosshair remained.
Wrecker stood before her, having rolled up his sleeves. His shirt looked as if it were hanging on by a thread as he lifted his arms, which she took carefully, and they began their promenade. He trundled about silently, eyebrows furrowed and eyes on his feet. She could hear him muttering under his breath, "back, two three, together, side, two, three..."
As he turned her, it took all Vel had to suppress a full laugh. "Are all your pockets full of grenades?" she whispered, checking that Terrik was on the other side of the room.
"Don't leave home without em," Wrecker replied, giving her an extra spin before lumbering off on the next step. Vel laughed, feeling warm and fuzzy and dizzy and elated, and it definitely had nothing to do with the multiple swigs of alcohol she'd consumed so far... Now this was seeming more like the kind of mission she could get on board with.
The song wrapped up and partners bowed to each other across the room. A formidable-looking Zabrak female approached Wrecker in the pause, holding her arm out as an invitation. His eyes widened, and he looked behind him to see if she was beckoning to someone else. She smiled, took his hand, and led him to an open space, where she placed his arms in the proper positions.
Vel smiled warmly before remembering who she was pretending to be. She lifted her chin and looked around, starting to feel a sense of unease, when the voice she'd been waiting to hear came from behind.
"I believe it is my turn to dance with you," Tech said, and as she turned to face him, her heart leapt into her throat. He had taken off his hat and jacket, and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows in an uncharacteristically messy fashion, as if he had just pushed them up on his way over. "May I?" he continued, bending smoothly in a small bow, and Vel swallowed hard.
"Yes please," she said quietly, "I mean, yes..." Correcting herself as she saw Terrik drawing near, she lifted her hand to meet his, clasped together out to the side. He reached around her with the other arm, nestling his hand neatly in between her shoulder blades, and she suppressed a shudder at the touch of his palm on her bare skin. She rested her arm atop his, strong and gentle at the same time, and they joined the others in the steps.
"All I'm getting are occasional glances," Vel whispered, revealing her self-consciousness. "I don't think this is going to work."
"Not to worry," Tech responded matter-of-factly, "I believe his curiosity is piqued, based on the subconscious behavior I have observed thus far. But he thrives on attention, so likely he is trying to entice you to make the first move. The fact that you have not done anything to indicate an interest in him is actually working in your favor."
Vel sighed as they rounded a turn, looking around the room. She caught Terrik's eyes on her, met them for a moment with a brief flash of interest, then carelessly drifted them back to Tech, who watched her closely, moving effortlessly as if he had performed this dance all his life, and she felt herself release some of the clenched muscles in her shoulders.
"That is an improvement," Tech said matter-of-factly. "This entire facade consists of nothing more than parading each other around the room to ensure everyone gets a good look. It is almost comical in the astronomical level of self-absorption it requires."
Vel laughed, dropping her head toward his, "What a silly idea," she said, although she had to admit... she felt absolutely gorgeous and would have been happy for this to be the entirety of their mission. She looked Tech in the eye, feeling that liquid courage kick in a bit more, and it fueled her desire to coax him out of his shell. He must feel something toward her...
"And did you get a good look?" she asked.
"There are so many people, it's impossible to fully ascertain the details of each individual," Tech began, looking at the people all around them.
"No," Vel interrupted, letting out another little chuckle, "A good look right here? I was hoping you'd like this dress. I chose it for you..."
Tech was confused, missing a step but quickly recovering. She laughed as she stumbled as well, leaning into him a little more as they found their rhythm again. All this turning was making her feel slightly dizzy. Bubbly. Silly.
"Is that... tsiraki?" Tech asked, catching a whiff of her breath in their misstep. "But you were drinking Rhuvian fizz on the floor..."
"Oh, heh," Vel replied, grinning impishly, "I had a little bit from my... personal stash."
"I understand the importance of blending in, but it is imperative that you maintain a clear mind in order to secure the location of the laboratory," Tech said sternly.
"I'm fine," she said. "Besides, I never have a clear mind anymore. I just keep thinking about kissing you by the waterfall. And I want to do it again." She was shocking herself with her own bluntness, but she felt positively effervescent. Besides, he might as well know, she reasoned with her totally normal and not-at-all impaired brain.
Tech was speechless, spared only by the fact that they were passing Terrik, dancing with a glamorous Mirialan. Tech shook his head minutely at Vel, eyes flitting toward Terrik, and stood up a bit straighter, dancing as carefully as if he were on a tightrope.
"Oh, come on," she continued, clearly on a roll now, "Was it so bad? Maybe you just need a little reminder." She made a kissy face at him, an attempt at playfulness, but was startled when she was promptly jerked off the dance floor to the side. When she realized it was Tech, and he was now holding her by the elbow, she opened her mouth to protest, but he was already speaking.
"You cannot do that right now," he said, revealing a rising frustration that she had not yet seen. "This is not the time nor the place." His fingers gripped her arm tightly, conveying his sense of urgency. She felt a charge of electricity, bewildered by his response and delighted at the same time.
"I am serious," Tech continued, leaning closer. He wasn't that much taller than her normally, but it felt as though he towered over her. "You have no idea what that has done to me, and it is impossible to address in the middle of all this, with you looking like that..."
Vel felt a flutter in her chest, unable to tear her gaze from his rich brown eyes, intense and closer to hers than they'd been in a while. She didn't know what to say, but was spared the need by another smooth voice that broke in.
"Excuse me, I'm so sorry to interrupt," came a low voice with an accent, "but is everything okay here?" Vel looked up to see Jouren Terrik, standing to their side, looking pointedly between them. "Are you alright?" he asked Vel, arching an eyebrow with just a hint of suggestion.
"Erm," she paused, slowly realizing the opportunity but hating what it required, "No, actually..." She looked at Tech, eyes narrowing slightly, "This man won't stop bothering me."
Tech's face registered surprise and he let go of her elbow as if it had burned him. He opened his mouth to reply, but Terrik stepped closer, a bit into his personal space, and tilted his head up a few inches. "Why don't you go enjoy some of the tables for a while?" he said, pulling a handful of player's chips from his pocket and pressing them into Tech's hand.
Tech began to splutter a reply, but Vel nodded emphatically, and Terrik steered him toward the door with a friendly-looking yet firm arm across his shoulders. Vel caught Hunter rising to his feet in the corner, watching the interaction closely but making no move, as Tech walked out, still attempting to form an argument.