Waltzing for a Breakthrough

"I can't do this," I said, "I'll look like an idiot."

"We can't do it without you. You're the best dancer in the pack," she replied looking at me with her big brown eyes.

"Noelle, listen to me. I don't waltz. I mean, I know how to dance but it's not like a waltz where you just... turn... is it? It's more like a..."

"Samba?" she finished for me.

"Yeah. That's it." I nodded and then took a deep breath in, "We need another plan."

"This is the only way to get close enough to the target to kill him. We need you to be charming and smooth, otherwise he might notice us moving through the crowd." She was right of course, but that didn't make me feel any better about having to do this.

"Ugh. Fine! But if I mess up we have to leave immediately and find another way in."

* * *

"You're looking fabulous tonight!" A middle-aged man said as he approached our table with his eyes glued on Noelle. He had greasy hair and was dressed in what looked like an expensive tuxedo he had obviously stolen from a dead man—the black tie around his neck was tied at least four times too high and so tight around his neck that it looked like it could choke him at any moment. Around his arms were several scars from what looked like burns and blood leaked from a cut on his forehead above his left eyebrow. The man smiled at Noelle as he reached out his hand towards her with one finger pointed in the air, "May I have this dance?" he asked with a fake smile on his face as he gestured towards the dance floor where people were dancing wildly.

"I'd love to, sir," Noelle replied as she got up from her chair and took the man's hand, "But unfortunately my partner already has this dance reserved," she continued while pulling me up from my chair next to her before she started walking me towards the dance floor. The man looked disappointed as we walked away but immediately turned around towards another woman sitting at another table where he pulled her up by her hand and led her towards the dance floor with me following closely behind Noelle who kept her eyes fixed on mine while leading me across the crowded room filled with people dancing wildly through what looked like a war zone of fallen glasses and empty bottles of wine all over the floor.

The song playing on the speaker system changed after what felt like an eternity of walking past tables filled with people either dancing or talking amongst themselves. The new song was softer than the previous one and I recognized it instantly since my mother loved listening to soft music all day long whenever she wasn't working at home as a scribe for an unknown merchant somewhere in Asia who always wrote letters for people who couldn't read or write themselves.

"Nicely done, Noelle," I whispered under my breath as we stopped in front of what looked like a small stage where two men wearing long white clothing stood waiting for us. One of them was holding two small sticks made out of wood which he moved back and forth in front of him while performing some kind of magic trick that made everyone around us gasp as they placed their hands over their mouths in surprise while they looked at each other in awe waiting for something magical to happen. The other man standing next to him wore no mask but instead had a little mustache under his nose that was popular among peasants who could not afford proper manservants or suitable clothing to wear outside their homes.

"It looks like we're expected," Noelle whispered back as she gestured towards a door behind us where two men dressed exactly like the ones standing on stage appeared. They walked up towards us and stood to the side, silently observing our movements.

Realizing that we were now in the middle of a dangerous situation, I tried to remain calm and focused on the task at hand – to get close to our target. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but worry about what these other men wanted from us or what they would do once they had the chance to strike. As Noelle and I danced closer to our target, I kept my eyes on the other men and searched for an escape path in case things went awry.

"Noelle, what if this turns out to be more than just getting close enough to kill our target? These men look dangerous, and I get the feeling that they're not here just to protect him," I whispered to Noelle as we continued to dance.

Noelle looked around cautiously before responding, "Let's just focus on our mission first. We can deal with these men when the time comes. Stay alert and be prepared for anything." We shared a determined glance before focusing once again on our objective, not knowing what sinister twists lay ahead for us.