There Is A Time For Dancing

Posted on Sun Feb 22nd, 2026 @ 1:51pm by Commander Anastasia Aventnova & Lieutenant Cassian Massy
Edited on on Sun Feb 22nd, 2026 @ 1:53pm

3,359 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: The Hand That Rocks The Babe

Ana showed up at the location they had agreed on and took a deep breathe. The last time had been at a more swanky restaurant, so this one was at a more subdued one, an upper-scale Chinese place that didn't require the top-scale dressing up, not that it stopped her from wanting to look good for Cassian.

It had taken her most of an hour to get ready, just to make sure she was as perfect as she could. Her hair was brought back with a black bow holding it at the top before it spread out slightly at her shoulders. Another dress of the Roman style than anything else, fashioned like a toga, being over one shoulder while leaving the other bare, wrapping around and tied at the waist before ending just past halfway down her thighs and in a hunter green rather than the blue she'd had before. She made a mental note to invest in more shoes, stuck with the black pumps she'd worn before. The purse was clutched in front of her as she caught a look at the clock once more, early by several minutes this time.

Cassian was nervous, not because he didn't want to go on the date but because he wanted to impress. With a final glance into the mirror at his two piece suit of vest and pants, with bow tie and white shirt he hoped it was enough, not over dressed but not under by any means. He left his quarters aiming to arrive at the venue exactly on time, early might seem too keen, late was just rude. He realized that while in the turbolift he was pacing, something he'd not done much of in a while and usually when under pressure or in this instance, nerves.

When the doors opened to the busy Promenade he took a left, right, straight past the kiosk, another right then left and he arrived at the venue picked for tonight's date. "Here goes." He muttered to himself as he entered.

Her eyes flicked around at every motion near the door, now regretting arriving as early as she had, with the hostess asking her first whether she'd wanted to be seated, then giving her another glance every minute or so to the point where Ana was certain she was expecting that Ana had been stood up. One shoulder had slumped slightly, not that she'd expect Cassian to not show, but few would have known that it was a sign of nervousness from a woman meeting someone else. When he finally walked through the door, the shoulder perked up along with her face and she walked over towards him with a bright smile on her face, "It's good to see you again, Cassian!" She leaned in to give him a kiss on each cheek, lingering with the second one.

"Ana." Cassian spoke, his nerves calming and mood picking up. Once the greeting was done with he looked her over. "You look great." And she did, at least to him. "I like the colours too." Ok enough complimenting He mulled to himself. "Have you been waiting long? I hope I didn't keep you..?" He really hoped that she'd not waited on him, though knowing her, probably did.

"I've been here a little while, I was just a bit early." She gave a glance to the hostess, who was already prepared for them with two menus and an annoyed look that she was having to wait even longer on them. "This was.. Just hanging around in my closet, gathering dust more than anything else. I'm actually surprised it still fits, but it's definitely not as nice as what you're wearing." There was the clearing of a throat behind her, "It'll be just a minute!" Ana snapped at the hostess, now annoyed with her herself.

"Well, I gotta say it looks really good on you, than hanging up in your closet. I pale in comparison" Cassian could hear the hostess. "I guess we better go in." He mused. "I have to admit, I didn't even know about this place, even had to ask for directions." Cassian spoke as he stepped aside for arriving patrons. "Shall we go in before all the tables are gone?"

The senior officer took a deep breath to settled herself, clearly this was nerves on her part and her fingers clasped the purse even more tightly, "I suppose we should." She nodded to the hostess who didn't even acknowledge before gesturing them to follow her, "I found it a few days ago on one of my walks, determined I should try it and decided to make you experiment with me." She went in front of him at his gesture, "It's supposed to be a Northern cuisine rather than the typical Cantonese or Szhechuan of most Chinese places."

"I like the decor, very calming. The music is nice too, soft, gentle." Cassian spoke as he followed close behind as they were lead to the table by the Hostess. Even as they walked past other tables the aroma of various foods assaulted them, some smelt really good too. He was looking forward to seeing the menu and what they offered, having forgotten to do that before leaving his quarters.

The table that the two were led to was out of the way, night in a corner of the restaurant and Ana waited for Cassian to 'assist' in seating her as she knew he liked do before placing her purse on the table next to them. A waitress brought them two glasses of water before promising to be back in a few moments. Ana smiled across the table, reaching up to brush an errant strand behind her ear in a move that meant that she really wasn't that comfortable here, but then proceeded to pick up the menu nonetheless. "I suppose I should ask how your day was? Hopefully no one made too much of a mess for you.. I know that we're on our way to a bit of a mess on Velis Three, but we're still a few days away."

"You don't have to suppose anything Ana." Cassian spoke. Sometimes, at least to Cassian, so much can be said without a work. The presence of someone, the appearance of them, the visible effort taken could mean more than a single spoken word. To him she was here with him, she didn't have to be, it was her choice yet here she was. Cassian saw the brushing of the hair behind the ear, even some gestures even men could pick up on. "If this is too much, we can find some where else if you like?" Last thing he wanted was for her to force herself to enjoy a moment with him in a place she was uncomfortable in.

"No, it's all right, I just.." Ana blinked a couple times as she reviewed what she'd done and started to reach up in automatic reflex before drawing her hand back down again, "I'm... Fine." She repeated, "How did?" She asked the incomplete question, "Cassian, you've been awful perceptive lately when we've been talking." She tapped her arm twice, then ran a finger down to her wrist. It was unconscious to her, but it was a question regardless.

"I've been reading up on Roman ways. If I'm to understand you then I need to understand what drives you. I've read that a single gesture can mean more than the spoken word, an act unspoken can speak volumes. Such as when we parted after our first date, you kissed my temple. Or when I kissed the top of your hand when we greeted. There is a pleasant simplicity about it when you compare it to other relationships, an act, not a word, a gesture, not a sentence. Everything has a meaning and that meaning can change depending on how the act is done."

"But you didn't know that before you did it." Anastasia said quietly, "I couldn't hold you to that if you hadn't known about it, but I didn't know back then, until I'd had a chance to really think about it." She glanced down in front of herself, then brought her gaze up, "You did your research on Roma Nueva just for me?" She asked more directly this time.

"It would be foolish of me not to." Cassian spoke. "Your ways are important to you, they help define you as a person. so by learning over time about your ways its respectful to you, it shows that I care. I may not fully understand everything, I can't as I've not lived that upbringing, but learning and maybe getting it wrong is better than being ignorant to it and not caring."

"That's really sweet..." Ana said softly, the smile on her face small, but genuine. She took another deep breath and took a chance with one finger twirling towards the outside while cocking her head towards the inside. It wasn't one of the more nuanced gestures, but it was one that was made during a social engagement where someone couldn't say exactly what they wanted to say.

Cassian picked up on the moment, instead of drawing attention to it and creating unease, he smiled and simply said. "Is there anything on the menu that tickles your fancy?"

"Not particularly, I think I picked this place mostly because it looked to be something new." She gave him a raised eyebrow, "Honestly, I'm not very hungry right now anyways."

"That's ok, we don't have to eat right away. We have plenty of time." From what I read about this place, it wasn't one of those set time duration places like other venues.

Ana couldn't help but give off a bit of a laugh, but kept her voice low, "Or, we could just get out of here?" She made the same twirly outwards motion with the slightly cocked head to the inside to provide the cue once more to educate, "If we get hungry, we can get something else instead?"

"Sure, ok. How about we leave, there is a place that has a different selection of foods, or beverages if you're not hungry, even a dance floor if your feeling energetic." Cassian spoke, getting the vibe that Ana perhaps wasn't enjoying this as much as previously hoped.

"I think that's a great idea!" Ana agreed instantly, sliding her chair back and reaching out for his hand, "Actually, going dancing sounds like a wonderful idea to me, I haven't been in... It was a long time ago, really, I think maybe since the Academy?"

"Last time I went dancing, I looked like a spider having a seizure. Definitely not flattering." Cassian joked as he took her hand and lead her through the door, letting her leave first as he held it open for her. The walk to the new venue was but only a few minutes at most.

It was a relief when they left this restaurant, the hostess staring daggers that would certainly have killed her if they had been manifested. In a bold move, Ana wrapped her arm into his and held his hand in her own. It threw off her steps a little bit, but she could compensate for that easily enough. "Dancing is easy enough to do," She smiled, "I'll admit I prefer the slower music more than I do the faster, though to get a fair bit of exercise, anything'll do."

"Great, I'll look like an arthritic spider instead." Slow was nice though, more intimate in a way. He lead her the way and soon they were standing in front of a venue that was lively but not in an overbearing way. There was food that could be smelt, drinks, chatter but it wasn't to the point of shouting. "So, how do you feel about this one?"

"Much better." Ana glanced around what she could see going on, "Unless you don't like it, that is? I think it just feels more welcoming to me. But if you wanted something a bit more just you and me, I'm sure we could find something else."

"No no, here is good. We have plenty of options here to do things. Who knows, a dance could work up an appetite and at least we are at some place that serves it." Cassian spoke with a smile. "Shall we go in?"

"Of course!" Ana reached out for the door, stopped when Cassian made the same move and allowed him to open the door for her before stepping in. Unlike the previous place, the hostess actually had her check in her purse at the beginning, with a whisper that she could retrieve anything she needed if it came down to it. Ana didn't release Cassian's hand once she handed over the purse and urged him towards the dance floor with her, seeing a lot of tables that were empty, primarily those meant for two people, though others larger as well, clearly intended for either resting between dancing or even full meals, whichever the attendees desired.

Cassian looked around, this was far more welcoming than the other place. Tables were established around a central dance floor, a bar off to one side, the sounds of a kitchen off to the other side with people walking around in server uniforms handing our orders of food. "Could I tempt the lady with a dance?" He asked, turning towards her.

"I would love to." Anastasia smiled at him, placing a hand on his elbow, taking a feel for the song that was playing. It was more of a fast tune, but that didn't mean that there had to be a lot of space between the two of them. "And trust me, I won't judge your dancing if you don't judge mine."

"I wouldn't dare." Cassian spoke as he lead her to the dance floor. He was not sure the details on dancing for her traditions and what she was comfortable with. "You might have to help me here, I'm not sure on how you like to dance."

Ana chuckled lightly, "Just like anyone else. Oh sure, there are some traditional Roman dances out there, but the likelihood that this place would play any of them are so remote that I would be extremely surprised." She smiled broadly at him, "It's mostly just moving around, isn't it?"

"True." Cassian stepped in front of her, his hands open, arms towards her. "May I?"

She stepped into his arms, but grabbed one of his hands, turning her arm into a position where the back of her hand faced his and his her. It was a Roman gesture, to indicate to others present that they were not to be disturbed while dancing for any potential partner changes, not that anyone there would recognize it.

Gradually, the two fell into a gentle step, being new it took a little going to find the perfect stride length for his partner. He led Ana, along with those others that were dancing in various twirls and steps, side to side rocking but all the while he had a smile on his face.

It was easier for her, merely having to follow his steps, but as they fell into the rhythm and began to be able to predict what moves he was about to make based off of where he was moving and how fast. When he made another twirl and she over-rotated on it and nearly tripped, she started to laugh as he brought her back to fully upright and into position, "Martial arts, yes, dancing? I'm a bit less graceful."

"That's ok, I'll be the knight and catch you." Cassian answered as the two danced together, others were smiling, enjoying the shared moment. This was nice, it was different to a meal. They were close and to him he valued that. They had not danced before so this was something new and something he took great pleasure in, seeing her smile.

They danced closer and closer, slower as the music slowed, or faster as it sped up. But between them, the distance not only closed physically, but the comfort level was closing as well. After about an hour, Anastasia knew something was more concrete than it had been before and leaned in to him, clearly seeking to give him a kiss.

Cassian paused, he saw the lean, his eyes to hers, as he did so he brought her closer to him as he leaned forwards. He didn't want to pressure her, but his lean continued until his lips graced hers in a gentle yet tender touch.

She pressed a tiny bit harder at the own touch of his lips, a spark running through her as she discovered that he wasn't about to object to the move she made. It wasn't a long kiss, but there was feeling behind it. As she withdrew, she smiled at him, "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Cassian smiled, not the question he expected. "Not bad at all." He answered with a grin as the world around them had seemed to have shrunk to just the two of them in that moment.

It truly was that way with her too, sure there were blurs at the edges of her vision, but the only thing she could focus on was the man in front of her. "I wouldn't object if you wanted to do it again, either." She curled a finger into the palm of his hand.

"I wont turn down such a gracious offer." Cassian spoke as he leaned forward to repeat the act once more. This had been the most progress made since the two of them started this budding relationship, yet he wouldn't change anything about it. The kiss almost followed the same as the last only this time his arm went around her even more, holding her firmly to him.

For a few seconds, Anastasia regretted that she was effectively the same height as him, but it would work to their advantage, she knew. After they parted, she licked her lips to try to moisten them again, smile never leaving her face. "You know, I've tried going out with people in the past, but it's never been like... This. Usually, the guys I tried to date just want one thing, but you've been patient and kind."

"You should probably know that...uh...I've not had a relationship before. Not even a serious one or fleeting. At best, I went with a classmate after graduation, but that's all." Cassian confessed. "Being patient is par for the course, its all too easy to rush into things, but often doing so means you miss out on what matters around you."

"That's the thing about us Romans." Ana said quietly, "Patience is in our blood, we think of the long term because.. Well, to be fair, I'll likely live about thirty years longer than anyone on Earth born the same time. It's a mutation in our genetic structure from the planet that the original colonists landed on. I'm only third generation, it was my grandparents who emigrated there, and we age very slowly. So I was free to focus on my career first, even if I'm only technically a reservist back on Rome."

"So what you are saying is, I'll be greying and old and you will still look in your 30's?" Cassian smiled as he spoke. He knew some cultures peoples had different life spans, just didn't expect to be dating one.

The certainty in her voice made her heart jump as he used the words that made some of his intentions clear, "At least you'll have someone who can push your wheelchair around easily?" She actually gave a giggle at that thought, "But yes, at around sixty I'll still look about thirty and I'll effectively stop aging looking about sixty. Unfortunately, it's all about being carried and born on Roma Nueva."

"Wheelchair you say. Well, good to know what I have to look forward to." He chuckled. "Are you hungry?" Wondering if all the dancing had lead to an appetite.

"On one condition." Ana agreed to the thought process, "We dance some more after."

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