The Unexpected Task

Vito requested a song and Jack sighed, realizing he was setting up the situation so that he was in complete control. She had hoped that by storming in and making the demand, she would be in control, she would have the upper hand, and be leading. But when you didn't know how to dance and you were getting lessons, it was impossible to lead anything.

He suddenly pulled her towards him and she flinched, wincing as she collided with him- she was sure he had been trying to catch her off guard, and when Vito wanted something to happen, he was typically capable of doing just that. She grumbled under her breath, the only words that were audible being insults and a few curse words, though only vaguely referenced. She did need Vito after all.

As he began to speak, she swallowed. So he was going to force her to relive that dreadful night of the summer party and the dance that started the terrible turn of events that left her friendless, helpless, hopeless, and completely and utterly alone. She nodded and said in a forced voice, "Great. Bring it on. I will mop the floor with this tango..."

Jack was making it far too easy for Vito to torment her; even with his body threatening to spontaneously snap his eyelids shut, or for his legs to crumple underneath him, he needn’t go further than pull her near to make her squirm. Though, it could be assumed by the way in which he smirked that he would not stop at such a small reaction. He enjoyed watching her respond to his actions, and to his words. It reminded him of a simpler time when he’d been satisfied with a single glass of wine each evening, rather than his newly developed habit of carrying a bottle of alcohol to bed in order to rid his mind of thoughts that did not belong there. Thoughts that she had drilled into his skull with her chipping fingernails.

The song that Vito had chosen finished with its introduction, and began at a pace that was suitable for the tango. It was an abrupt change in tempo, and yet, due to Vito’s previous experience with the track, he was right on cue. He positioned himself, placing one hand just below Jack’s shoulder blades, and swept his right foot to the side in an arrogant manner. Vito had started them off, and he expected to be followed by Jack as he shifted his weight to his right foot, drawing his left foot nearer in very much the same way he had moved the other.

“Do not step on my shoes…” Vito warned Jack while simultaneously exhaling another cloud of the drug that allowed him to dance confidently after many a sleepless night.

Vito had decided to teach Jack Dyllan to dance by providing her with a challenge that she was incapable of turning down; there would be no step-by-step instructions on how to dance. No, the lesson would be far more entertaining than that; Jack would either fall to the polished dance floor in a heap of tangled red hair and ratty clothing at the evening’s end, or she would watch him carefully and prove him wrong.

If he was in his right mind, he certainly would have decided to skip the games and teach the girl how to dance, for he knew that at that moment he did not have the mental capacity for a battle of wits… but Vito did not know what it meant to “be in his right mind”, and as a result, the evening did not show any signs of being that simple.

Jack was already getting frazzled, and not because she simply could not do it. Jack was the type of girl that if she put her mind to it, she could typically master it. But the humiliation of dancing... Actually dancing... That was what kept her going. She was tough. Dancing was weak-minded, it was stupid and unnecessary, and she felt stupid having to battle it.

But as Vito pulled her along, looking oh so pleased by his turn of fortune, she realized what was more weak-minded, what was more stupid. Losing to Vito over something as unnecessary as dancing. That would be something she could not live down. Already, that glint in his eye of pleasure at her discomfort... that was already digging into her retinas, trying to stay rooted in her eye.

He pulled her along and she stumbled with him, tripping slightly, but she quickly righted herself, her eyes taking on a determined look as she straightened herself up and exhaling some frustration. She closed her eyes and then flicked them open, almost taking on a new personality, more confidant and cool than the real Jack would ever be dancing. She was still herself, she had just realized something...

It's Quidditch on the ground. Keeping the right grip, staying on your toes, looking a few steps ahead. She felt an incredulous grin come onto her face at the amusing comparison. She didn't bother to explain the smile to Vito. It'd just piss him off.

If Vito’s memory served, and he was certain that he had not yet done enough damage to his mind for it to have become unreliable, Jack had been a bumbling mess when they’d last shared a dance. This redheaded creature whom Vito had originally planned to drag about the dance floor in an attempt to humiliate, however, was nowhere near as awkward as that version of Jack had been. She had a new confidence about her, and it made Vito feel somewhat uneasy.

Vito continued to move about the dance floor fluently, but he also began to search his dance partner's facial expression for some sort of hint as to what may have prompted such an abrupt change in her movements. He flicked an eyebrow upward, arching it until it met with the center of his forehead. Perhaps she is beginning to catch on, Vito’s mind proposed, but he quickly banished the thought, as there could be no truth to such a statement. Vito was certain that Jack did not posses the physical skill required to keep up with him and the fast paced dance routine that he’d chosen for their first lesson. It was fluke. There was no other explanation.

Suddenly, as he twirled Jack, an idea struck him. Pick up the pace, and add flourishes. Vito's rich, but rarely heard laugh escaped his throat. He could not have prevented the noise; he was growing far too amused with the situation that Jack had created for herself to filter such things. Rather than being angered by the mistake, however, Vito overlooked it; it was not often that he was presented with such a fine opportunity to inflict such a degree of psychological torture upon his rival, and he certainly did not plan on allowing the moment to go to waste because he felt the need to punish himself for having broken one of his own rules. To do such a thing would be nothing short of idiotic.

Vito extended his arm above both his and Jack’s heads, and twirled her away from him with a firm flick of his wrist. He held her at an arm’s length for a moment, before he reeled her towards himself once more, and drew her firmly against his chest. “That smile,” Vito began, speaking in her ear for a moment as he interlaced his fingers with hers so to guid her hand in the right direction. His every movement was quick and precise, as though his goal was to cause her whiplash. “Has it vanished yet?” he inquired while simultaneously moving to his right in a few elegant and well thought-out steps. What had once been a crowd of drunken, dancing fools had now become an audience, and their watchful eyes were only egging Vito on.

To say that he was pleased with himself and the extra attention that he was receiving, would have been a bit of an understatement.

Comparing these movements to Quidditch really helped. She just had to imagine a Bludger was making her body move position, rather than Vito leading it one way or the other, or the music leading her movements. It was easier to justify moving around like a fool with the excuse of a very angrey little ball attempting to knock her out.

She had surprised Vito with her smile, as he demonstrated with his raised eyebrow. Or maybe he was surpised she was yet to fall flat on her face. He seemed suspicious of her sudden skill in dancing- though it was not skill. It was her attempt to combine sports instinct with this stupid, foolhardy... whatever dancing was supposed to be considered. It was not sport, nor was it skill.

Vito had plans to mess with her, obviously. Suddenly, she was being twirled away, and she felt her feet began to catch each, stepping on each other until she concentrated- it was as simple as an opponent sending her into a spin. She just had to get control of it and pull out of it. Her face slipped into one of concentration until she straightened out, managing not to fall.

He pulled her back and she felt her fingers become tangled in his, feeling overwhelmingly close. What had she been thinking? This proximity was not something she liked, as was evident by a wrinkled nose. At his words, she looked up and felt determination rise in her. She forced a smile on her face. "You don't have that great of an effect on me, Vito."