"how endearing."[break]
downing the flute of champagne, lorelei did little to show any form of annoyance. it wasn't like she hadn't already taken roman's tongue for things much smaller and larger than what he said then so why be bothered by it now? "i'll have you know that for a 'skank', i've been nothing but loyal. maybe that is the reason why you are so upset. maybe i should look for another to distract me, seeing as you hate my company so." the idea was always there. having entertained various dogs at once, she wasn't too scared to bring in someone to entertain her while roman was out working on his preferred lonesome under the watchful eye of one of her pokemon. having been fitted with the finest self-destruct mechanisms money could buy, she also could remotely kill him if anything went awfully wrong. there was no reason not to just let him be and work off his anger by himself ...[break]
other than her withstanding his rage for her own amusement, of course.[break]
"men are oftentimes so meek, however. i don't need a dog who can lick my boots, you do that just fine. i wonder if anyone could withstand a modicum of what i've put you through." the epitome of hardened soldier, roman was no joke. he was lorelei's pride and joy as a torturer and 'trainer' of the human canines she had and he knew it. of course, he would also know her promise of being able to bring in new dogs to her side was always available, should he allow it for more than a day or two before he killed them himself.[break]
"speaking of which ..." a soft clink introduced her putting her empty cup down, locking eyes with a young man who had been looking for another partner on the floor. it seemed the last song had finished and there was time to bring forward new partners, switching out the tired dancers for new faces. "you were never good at dancing, pup. while we wait for them to arrive, i'd like to keep my toes to stand on before them." with this, she nodded a quiet 'goodbye' to the blonde before departing for the open floor - taking to a perfect stranger quite well with polite smiles and fake laughs at an introductory joke. [break]
as the next song began, she fixed her white mask over her sharp features and offered roman a cold but prideful smile as if to remind him of his replaceable status.[break]

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

@romanl

jealousy was indeed a horrid beast, but lorelei loved the morbid and scarred.[break]
"it seems this will have to end our dance. thank you." with a curtsy as if the man wasn't being held aloft in the air, lorelei was utterly calm as she watched him skitter away like a small mouse in the face of a large predator. the way roman's shadow cast over her was always welcome - reminding her of their own height difference that made her pride swell all the more every time she had him doubled over to a third of her stature. "roman." this was a brief greeting, followed by another curtsy as they started their dance. this curtsy was more elegant and played out, showing her immensely higher level of respect for him. if it wasn't for the familiar face before her, she might have had a recollection of her cruel teacher who had slammed manners into her using a hardened yard stick. [break]
a scar on the small of her back ached at this thought, but was quickly sated and quieted by holding onto the guard dog's calloused hand.[break]
as roman showed jealousy, lorelei allowed her to do the same. her fingers clutched onto his own with a gentle but firm grip, one leaving the words of 'welcome back to where you belong' unsaid. in front of one another, they were reunited, and it never felt so good as it did with him and him alone.[break]
sometimes, she wished he was the only individual she had to deal with. maybe moments where the world felt so incredibly homely and small would last and bring her out of her hollow shell.[break]
"your dance skills have improved. this unfaithful skank thinks you've been paying particularly close attention during your lessons." having taken it upon herself to teach roman some manners when in public, she was judging his every step. as his mentor and keeper, she had to keep him well-tuned and polished. their steps fell in line and she was impressed enough to allow herself to pull herself closer to him to show familiarity in closing the space between them both. this was something more personal than a waltz or any dance - it was an invasion of privacy and she forced herself into his space just like many times before.[break]
it was one of the few actions that brought her joy and prolonged enjoyment.[break]
"what say you, dog? have you been secretly growing without me looking upon you? like a flower blooming in the shadows, you seem to be growing with or without my pruning. perhaps i saw this coming, hence why i prepared this for you." stopping their spinning and weaving, she took off one of the flowers in the mini bouquet she wore on her dress. an unovan cowslip was presented to the small bouquet she had picked out for her date's matching outfit. abundances of cedar leaf hung from his bouquet, lorelei's eyes trained upon them wishfully though she expected nothing. [break]
"i fear the kalosians will take their time, as per usual. shall i have your next dance as well?"
[break]

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

@romanl