While the carriage rumbled on, James and Suze explained the etiquette of a dancing hall. Veronica had some memories about it, but she would rather not make a fool out of herself, so she listened attentively.
"First things first, you never ask for a dancing partner. You will just stay on the side and some man will definitely approach you. And before you start thinking about what if nobody asks you, just don't. You will possibly be the most beautiful woman there, if you want you can even reject the uglier ones!"
While Suze spoke both James and Veronica stared at her with wide eyes. She seemed awfully excited about this whole ordeal. Veronica on the other hand was just a bit anxious. Her hands didn't really want to stop sweating, but she had nothing to wipe them with.
Suddenly a handkerchief appeared in front of her. She took it and said a quick thank you to James. There was only one issue about the dress, it was the lack of pockets. Her working dress at least had a space for her small purse and pocket watch, but this one had nothing.
While she began wiping her hands not too gracefully, Suze continued.
"The next important part is of course the dance... Wait, please tell me you can dance! We didn't even ask you!" Suze started to feel uneasy, but thankful the dancing part wasn't an issue.
"Yes I can dance... It was a long time ago since I did, but I think I will manage!" In her past life back on Earth, she had to learn quite a few older dances for special occasions. Also she was from Austria, the origin of one of the most famous waltzes, called Viennese Waltz. These were the dances the Victorian Era was famous for.
Also she had the memories of this world's famous dances, which was pretty much the same. All in all, the dancing won't going to be a problem.
"Good! Then you probably know that the man leads, even if they are bad dancers. It would hurt their fragile ego otherwise..." Said Suze while smirking and taking glances at her husband.
"Hey, I'm here too!" Said the man with the fragile ego. At which both women and eventually James laughed.
"Okay, that's about it. The entrance fee will be payed by James since only he is the only one who can carry money... Oh, also don't drink anything other than water. The liquor they serve is very overpriced and they might even drug you!... Okay, the last part is not true, but only drink if some man buys it to you!"
Veronica didn't really had the intention to get drunk before her ascension, but judging by how much her legs shook, she might need something to take the edge off.
Throughout the rest of the journey, they chatted and talked more about the dances. Suze also made her repeat the steps of the Bathing Ritual at least half a dozen times. They won't going to be with her while she does it, since that could contaminate the area.
That was the part Veronica was really scared about. If she makes a mistake, that would lead to her corruption or even death.
The carriage moved on, through the small window she watched as the bright buildings passed them by. Soon they grew bigger and fancier, which meant their destination was nearby. Just as this thought appeared in Veronica's mind the carriage came to a halt and with the help of James she climbed outside.
The building in front of them was colored pink, marking its purpose as a dance hall. At this point Sera noticed that many buildings in this world were colored in a way that marked their intended usage.
For example, the dance hall was pink, because of the Dancer path. The courthouse was gray because of the Mediator path. The Church of Time was purple because of the Lost path.
Veronica was sure, more colors had similar meanings, but she still haven't read the book, so she couldn't be sure what their meaning's were.
There was a small line before the dancing hall, but it moved quite quickly. Everyone dressed fancily, but just as Suze said, most of them didn't even compare to Veronica's beauty. While walking towards the entrance, she had gotten a lot of shocked stares, but no matter how much she wanted to blush from all the attention, she controlled her facial muscles and moved on with a small, prideful smile.
Eventually they reached the main door, and James quickly payed a few gelt for the entrance fee. It pained Veronica's heart a bit, even though she herself spent so much more, it still felt bad.
They walked inside and Veronica nearly stumbled as she looked around. The inside of the dancing hall was just simply amazing. The celling was decorated by a gigantic crystal chandelier, which provided illumination to the main dancing area. To the side on a podium, a small band played a complex, elegant, slow paced music.
The walls were a warm beige color and the whole length was illuminated by small gas lamps. There were also a lot of tables and a dining area set up, for any hungry customers. They served drinks as well. There was no bar counter or anything like that, these kinds of people held themselves to higher standards.
With slow and steady steps Veronica approached the right side of the dance floor, where the other women waited to be picked out for the next dance. As she walked, the women instantly looked at her with envy. She had to control herself again to not laugh in their faces gleefully...
That wouldn't be too lady-like behavior, and for tonight she had to act like how she looked!
When the music was about to end, the men began approaching the single ladies. To no one's surprise Veronica was one of the first to get asked for a dance.
The man wasn't bad. He was maybe a few years older than her, in an expensive suit. His hair was black, same as his eyes. He was also a bit handsome, but not too much.
"Would the lady care to give me the next dance?" Asked the man very formally. For answer Veronica just held out her hand with a smile and let herself be led to the main dance floor.
Soon the next song started and everyone began dancing. Just like Suze suggested, she let herself be led by the gentleman. He was quite good, but Veronica could've easily do better.
She also had a strange feeling while they danced. It was like a barrier in her mind, that was gradually being demolished, brick by brick. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she understood that this was an indicator for the ritual.
This was something that Suze didn't say anything about, and Veronica had a feeling that no other ascended had a similar feeling while trying to complete their advancement task.
As she thought about this the song soon ended. The man asked her if she wanted to drink anything, but her heart was beating too fast from excitement. There was only one dominant feeling inside her soul... The need to dance!
After about two hours and a few dozen dance partners, she was struggling to stay on her feet, but the barrier was still there. It only had a few more building blocks, by her judgement after the next dance she would finally fully demolish it.
"Would the lady care to give me her last dance?" Asked a familiar voice behind her. She turned around to find a very handsome man looking down at her. He had dark brown hair and light blue eyes, but the most defining feature was the creepy smirk on his face.
"Floyd, what are you doing here?" Asked Veronica with a bit of concern. She didn't even process what he said beforehand. Instead of answering he just chuckled lightly, then took Veronica's arm and led her to the dancing area, where a new song was just about to start.
The whole thing happened too fast and she was very tired. It took her a few seconds to even realize where she was. As the next dance began she looked at Floyd angrily, but didn't leave the dance floor.
Luckily for her Floyd was an amazing dancer, much better than any other man, or even her for that matter. His every move contained a hidden elegance, that the naked eye couldn't even perceive. She led Veronica without much effort, even though her legs were starting to give out.
The song only lasted for a few minutes, but she felt like it was an eternity. Every time Floyd looked at her, that creepy feeling appeared on her spine. She couldn't quite place it, his eyes showed concern, but his demeanor only held danger.
When the dance ended, she nearly fell to the ground, but Floyd quickly supported her and began to carry her towards the exit without her consent. She really wanted to protest, but her legs weren't working from all the dancing.
Her heart was racing and she even began loudly shouting, when Floyd was about to put her in a carriage that wasn't her own. While she was screaming and clawing at him, two sets of footsteps began approaching them from behind.
"HEY! Floyd! What do you think you're doing!" Shouted a strong manly voice. Veronica heard Floyd's stifled curse and he slowly helped her lean to the carriage. With an innocent smile on his face Floyd said, "I was just helping Veronica get back home! She looked to be a bit tired, so I decided to be a true gentleman!"
Neither Suze or James believed the nonsense he spouted. With a few angry looks Suze helped Veronica walk away, while James said a few angry words to Floyd.
"From tonight you are blacklisted from both the inn and the hideout! I hope you are happy with your life choices!" As James walked away Floyd just laughed self-deprecatingly. Then eventually, when all three of them had left, he turned towards the sky and screamed in pure rage.
Angrily he got on his carriage and went away...