After the way Hani had laughed off his confession of interest in her the day before, Ethirdir wouldn’t have been surprised if she had continued playing her game of hard-to-get and rejected his offer of a dance. He would’ve been disappointed, certainly, but not discouraged, as he felt fairly committed to this chase of the beautiful innkeeper’s daughter-turned-thief. Thankfully, that feeling of rejection didn’t come to pass as Hani seemed almost elated at seeing him again and gleefully accepted his offer of a dance. Her precious partner, recognizing the need to step away, gracefully bowed out and went in search of another dance partner.<br/><br/>Hani was all his, and Ethirdir grabbed he opportunity with aplomb as he slipped his arms around her in the customary dance formation and began to lead her across the dance floor as the slow music began playing. His face rested against hers as they grew comfortable in their dance positions, though not before Ethirdir’s eyes met hers in a display of obvious affection. While playing his usual games against his rival Doryn, he often focused too much on showing up the good Captain and not bestowing enough attention on the lady who had grabbed his affection. There was no chance of that with Hani, however; she had captured his attentions from the moment he had laid eyes on her, and he made sure she knew it as he led her quietly and blissfully around the dance floor in his arms.<br/><br/>And she seemed to realize that. There were moments during their dance when Hani seemed lost in his affections as she almost begged him to sweep her off her feet like in the romantic poems and epics sung by the bards. But then again, there were also moments when her eyes clearly scanned the crowd, no doubt in search of the only other man who could capture her attention. Ethirdir knew he was at a disadvantage against the Captain, who had known Hani a lot longer than the Elf, and it would take more than a memorable dance to steal Hani’s heart. Thoughts drifted back to her tongue-in-cheek offer to only offer her myself intimately if both men would have her simultaneously, and Ethirdir again half-seriously pondered if she might indeed be worthy of such an arrangement.<br/><br/>Regardless, he still enjoyed his dance with Hani, and despite his hopes of more he chose to continue acting the gentleman and accept her wishes. As much as Ethirdir would’ve loved to woo such a beautiful woman to his bed, she deserved a far more intimate and thoughtful courtship. Besides, she was far too smart for many of his usual tactics, a fact she was all too eager to point out. Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn't offer her something.<br/><br/>With a pleased smile on his face, Ethirdir took Hani’s hand and kissed it upon the back of her palm. “You dance beautifully, my dear. It is truly a pleasure,” he said, slowing their dancing down a little as the music started fading into the next song. “I could dance with you all night.” And unless Doryn stepped in, Ethirdir fully intended on doing just that. How dare the good Captain not act like a man and step forward to show how much he obviously cared for this amazing young woman...<br/><br/>Suddenly, without warning, the music stopped playing. At first Ethirdir thought the band had simply messed up their song, but to his surprise the silence wasn’t limited to just the band - most of the entire Dew Drop has fallen silent. All around the tavern, wide eyes in stunned expressions were facing towards the door of the inn. Curious, Ethirdir turned to look in that direction as well...and he felt his own face immediately mimic everyone else’s countenance when he recognized the tall figure standing menacingly in the doorway, the cane in his right hand clearly visible in his silhouette.<br/><br/>“Baron Ludwig von Berenholdt,” he muttered, somehow feeling compelled to speak the man’s full name, as if saying anything less would mean being cursed.<br/><br/>The Baron scanned the suddenly quiet crowd silently, his piercing black eyes judging everyone who dared look his way, before stepping inside the tavern. His cane clacked loudly against the floorboards, echoing loudly inside the enormous chamber as people dared not say anything about a muted whisper. The man had never visited the tavern before, and it was unclear why a man of his stature would even wish to patronize such an establishment, but there he was, making his way through a rapidly thinning crowd as bystanders hurried out of his way to avoid any hint of a scolding from him.<br/><br/>Eventually the Baron stopped and sat down at a lone small table with no one else seated around it, his scowling face remaining as stoic as ever. The silence from the crowd lingered as people wondered what was going to happen next - none of the waitresses seemed particularly interested in even approaching him, let alone taking his order.