The Glorious Evolution

By the time the first dishes reached the tables, Levi finally had a chance to enjoy being a guest after a small train of celebratory flattery had formed in front of his table.

Rusk, Drayven, and even Wick’Ral congratulated him in person... becoming an apprentice under one of the Twelve Grandmasters was already changing how even Counts approached and treated him!

Levi accepted the formalities with a smile until the attendants came along and served roasted meat in shallow porcelain bowls, forcing the nobles to return to their seats.

Some dishes arrived on warmed stones, while others rested among chilled petals... even the sauces came in separate little vessels, allowing the guests to adjust each mouthful to their liking.

Jasmine sampled a pale dessert, considered it, then quietly moved the dish toward him.

’That bad?’

’Try it.’

Levi did... and immediately felt the urge to spit it out... some dishes were simply not cooked for human palates.

’You could have warned me.’

’Then you wouldn’t have tried it.’

’You are becoming a bully, you know that?’

’I always was.’ Jasmine covered her smile with her fingers, her shoulders giving a small, silent shake.

Around them, the nobles gradually abandoned their formal introductions.

Conversations wandered from business to troublesome children, travel, and disagreements that apparently followed certain married couples regardless of where they went or how strong they had gotten.

One elderly noble insisted that his wife exaggerated how often he lost his way, only for her to ask which entrance he used to reach the dining hall.

He changed the subject.

Levi kept the dimensional captions available for Jasmine, occasionally adding a private comment that made her lower her face toward her cup.

She returned the favor whenever he missed something amusing among the guests... by the final course, they were spending almost as much time gossiping about the people around them as enjoying their food.

Then the attendants cleared the center of the hall.

Chairs moved toward the walls, the musicians left their seats near the adjoining lounge, and several nobles rose before the first melody properly began.

Husbands offered their hands to their wives with varying degrees of ceremony.

One woman accepted right away, while another remained seated until her husband remembered to bow.

The couple joined the others, the woman arranging her husband’s hand at her waist before allowing him to lead.

Soon, dresses swept across the polished floor as the guests moved into a slow, familiar dance.

The musicians began a slow melody, the gentle notes of a harp and flute drifting over the warm, deeper tones of a cello and bass.

Conversations continued along the edges of the hall, though the dancers paid little attention to them.

Jasmine turned her chair slightly.

She watched a young couple miss a turn and recover together, then followed an older pair whose movements seemed effortless.

Neither kept checking where the other placed a foot... they simply knew when to move closer, when to turn, and when to wait.

Her gaze drifted toward the musicians.

She could follow the bows crossing the strings and the fingers moving over them.

She could see the dancers reacting to the music, their steps slowing or quickening with the melody... but she could only watch.

Whatever they heard that guided their movements never reached her.

Just... pure, dreadful silence.

Levi noticed how long she watched.

She didn’t complain or ask him to explain the music... when he sent her a message, she answered with her usual ease, then returned to the dancers as though she merely enjoyed observing them.

Perhaps anyone else would have believed that... but Levi never lost his touch for sensing people’s true emotions.

In that instant, he understood... Jasmine didn’t want to watch everyone else enjoy the moment.

She wanted to be part of it, too.

Levi put down his cup and rose before his lack of dancing experience could convince him this was a terrible idea.

’Would you dance with me?’

Jasmine looked from his offered hand to his serene smile.

’Do you know how?’

’I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that before accepting.’

An amused smile tugged at Jasmine’s lips... she spared the musicians one last look, then reached for his hand.

’What about the music?’

’You’re with me.’

Levi smiled as though she had asked the easiest question of the evening... if she wanted an orchestra, he would become one for her, and only her.

Then, he led her toward the edge of the dance floor, choosing a place with enough room to make a mistake without involving the other couples.

Jasmine rested one hand on his shoulder while Levi placed his own at her waist... he barely touched her at first, making her glance down at his hand before looking back at him.

Levi caught the look and tightened his hold with a touch more confidence.

Then, he turned his attention to the music.

His Harmonic Spine caught it as it spread through the hall... the steady, deeper rhythm, followed by the softer notes that rose and fell around it.

Levi separated each vibration in his mind, studied how they moved together, and began recreating them through his own body.

At first, he kept the music to himself.

A low vibration traveled along his spine, followed by a lighter sequence that faltered when he tried to combine them. The stronger rhythm swallowed half the delicate notes... he eased its intensity and tried again.

This time, he could distinguish them.

He added another instrument, then another, adjusting each until he could feel the separate melodies moving through him without losing their place in the song.

It took more control than simply producing sound.

Too much force, and Jasmine would feel nothing but an unpleasant buzzing through her feet. Too little, and the music would disappear before reaching her...

Levi tested the balance once more, letting a full phrase pass through his body.

He wanted her to feel the small notes too... the ones she might miss if he hurried, the ones that made a melody worth listening to.

When he was satisfied, he gently adjusted his hold on her hand.

Jasmine glanced down at their fingers, then up at his face.

’Are you ready?’ Levi smiled.

Jasmine gave him a look of confusion, and then the symphony hit her all at once.

A deep rhythm rose through the soles of her feet as music poured through their joined hands, filling her with sensations she had no names for.

Jasmine froze mid-step.

Her fingers closed around his, and her silver eye widened... the confusion vanished from her mind.

She could only stare at Levi in stunned silence as goosebumps coursed through her body.

’Shall we dance?’ Levi smiled... this time, it was gentler.