Sienne's smile was bright and inviting, urging him into movement with a gentle, persuasive whisper.<i>Listen to the music</i>, she said, a simple enough instruction to follow but difficult to master for the ocean child ignorant to the ways of fire and drums. He nodded, though all he could do was try and hope his movements pleased her.<br/><br/>Curious eyes followed the smooth, curving lines of Sienne's body, from her fall of silky dark hair to the plump rise of her breasts, from the pop of her hip down to where her toes dug into the sand, finding the purchase Mischa had so clumsily searched for earlier. He copied her movements, tentatively at first. As an apprentice he had been taught to watch before doing, memorizing movements in his mind's eye prior to attempting replication, but this clearly was not Sienne's way. Learning<i>was</i>doing, and the only way to tame the fire as it leaped and licked at the sky was to mimic the dancer and listen to her sage advice.<br/><br/>He pressed up on his toes, feeling the flex and burn of his calf muscles as he lifted himself skyward only to fall back onto his heels with a muted lack of grace.<i>Snap, snap, SNAP</i>the poi sounded in his ears, heat kissing along his sides and slowly roasting him like a hunk of red meat. Sweat ran from every pore, coating his body in a thick layer of salt, cutting through the silky oil still glistening on his pale skin. He stared at her, mesmerized, feeling her pull him along with the nuanced sway of her pelvis.<br/><br/>Together they carved a half circle in the sand with their toes, a crescent desert moon. His eyes grew hazy from aromatic smoke but where they once burned at such irritants he did not seem to mind so much now. Beneath his feet the ground seemed to rumble and pulse with the beat of the drums, quick and then slow, as if the earth itself were dancing along with them, listening to the music and rolling in recklessly beautiful abandon. A flash of thought came to him, and he wondered if Nascha'ara's beloved twin, the goddess Tuscaro, was here now, dancing beneath his soles and giving her blessing on this wild display.<br/><br/>At the edge of the circle, Viktor seemed to materialize. Sienne had distracted Mischa from tracking the movements of his master, and now that the warlord was in his sights he was surprised to find Viktor watching not her, but<i>him</i>. He did not allow this realization to falter him, instead continuing to follow Sienne in her movements, synchronizing his newfound skills with her as best as a novice could. She was gentle with him, keeping their dance simple yet seductive, and he felt his hips began to loosen the more he whipped his poi back and forth through the air.<br/><br/>"Do you only watch, master?" the boy yelled to him, eyes alight with a lively orange glow. "Do you not dance?"