"Get up. If you can’t learn by copying, I can at least try to teach you by being your partner."
He didn’t wait for a response, because again, Kree didn’t usually respond.
That was why the "Okay" earlier had made Athiel sowhat happy, even if he didn’t show it.
Athiel reached forward and grabbed Kree by the arm, his grip as firm as he could make it, then pulled the creature up with little regard for how unsteady it still was.
Kree rose almost imdiately.
Like it didn’t dare hesitate.
It knew what Athiel wanted.
It always did.
But the mont it was upright, there was a visible tension in its body. Its shoulders stiffened, its movents restrained, like it didn’t know what to do with the sudden closeness forced onto it.
It was... unsure.
Very unsure.
And scared.
That much was obvious.
Because Athiel had never gotten this close to it without hurting it the past week.
’Oh?’ Athiel noted quietly, his eyes flicking over Kree’s expression for just a second before he looked away again. ’So you do notice the difference.’
That was interesting.
Athiel couldn’t believe how excited he felt just from that.
That’s why it had stopped trying to gain even a little bit of affection from him. No more reaching. No more lingering movents. No more quiet attempts to get closer.
Now it just stood there.
Waiting.
But because of that hesitation, it made Kree harder to move, its body almost locking in place, like it thought it had to stay still unless told otherwise.
"Just follow ," Athiel snaps, his voice sharp enough to cut through whatever hesitation Kree was feeling.
Kree’s eyes blinked slowly.
As if it was processing what he had just said.
Athiel didn’t give it ti to think.
He adjusted their positions without asking, without explaining.
He took Kree’s hand and placed it where it should be, then moved his other hand to Kree’s waist, guiding it into the proper hold with practiced precision.
A classic ballroom position.
It fits.
Athiel was smaller, lighter, and easier to move.
So he took the role naturally despite the... implications.
’It’s just positioning,’ he told himself, his expression remaining neutral. ’Nothing more.’
Kree’s body didn’t react imdiately.
There was a slight delay.
A pause.
Then—
Its posture stiffened further, its hand twitching slightly in Athiel’s grasp, like it wasn’t sure how much pressure to apply, or if it was even allowed to hold him at all.
Its fingers barely closed around his hand.
It was careful, very careful.
Like it was afraid even the act of touching him could result in punishnt.
He exhaled softly, the sound faint in the vast ballroom.
"For now," he said, his voice lower than before, less sharp, more...kind? If that’s what he’d call it.
"There will be no punishnt."
Kree froze.
Not in fear this ti.
But in confusion.
It understood the word punishnt, but it also understood the word "No" so for Athiel, it must’ve put two and two together.
Athiel adjusted his grip slightly, not loosening completely, but easing enough for it to feel different.
Less forceful.
Less... threatening.
Like how he was the first few days.
"None," he repeated, more firmly this ti. "See? So, as I’ve said. Just follow , and I won’t hurt you."
There was a pause.
A small one.
Then—
"...Master?"
The word ca out softer.
Less strained.
Kree’s shoulders dropped just a little, the tension still there, but not as suffocating as before.
’Good,’ Athiel thought, satisfied, though his expression didn’t change. ’At least it understood.’
He didn’t dwell on it.
Instead, he moved.
He stepped forward slowly, guiding Kree along with him, his hand steady at his waist, his other hand holding firmly but not painfully.
This ti, there was intent behind how he led, not just control.
"Follow," he murmured, his voice quieter now, almost blending with the silence.
Kree moved.
It was late.
Its step landed just a fraction behind his, heavier than it should have been, its body still unfamiliar with the rhythm, still trying to understand how to move without forcing it.
Their hands shifted slightly from the uneven motion.
Kree’s other hand hovered at his waist, uncertain again, like it didn’t know if it was allowed to stay there or if it would be punished for it.
"Don’t move it," Athiel said, his tone flat but not harsh. "Keep it there."
Kree stilled for a mont, then eventually obeyed.
They moved again.
Another step.
It was still slow. Still very unrefined, with no class whatsoever.
Kree’s foot dragged slightly, its balance thrown off again when its tail lagged, brushing against the floor before lifting awkwardly.
Athiel felt the disruption imdiately.
"Pay attention," he said, more focused now than irritated. "You’re not walking. You’re following a rhythm."
Even though he knew Kree probably didn’t even know what rhythm was.
He resud humming, quieter, more deliberate this ti, letting the sound guide the pace rather than accompany it.
Kree’s gaze flickered, as if trying to connect the sound to the movent.
Then it stepped again.
Closer this ti.
Still imperfect, but not as off as before.
Athiel continued guiding, adjusting the pressure of his hand just enough to signal direction, not forcing, but not leaving room for hesitation either.
They moved across the floor slowly, their steps uneven at first, Kree’s large fra making every mistake more obvious, every misstep heavier than it should have been.
’But it’s starting to.’
That much was clear.
The delay between Athiel’s movents and Kree’s responses began to shrink. Its steps beca more controlled, less exaggerated.
Its tail lifted sooner, no longer dragging behind it.
Its grip steadied.
Not tight.
Not hesitant either.
Sothing in between.
’...That was fast,’ Athiel thought, a quiet note of interest slipping in.
He adjusted the pace slightly, just enough to test it, just enough to see if it would falter.
Kree followed.
Still a little off.
But it corrected itself faster than before.
’You’re learning a little too quickly,’ he thought, his eyes narrowing just slightly, though his expression remained composed.
There was sothing strange about it.
The way Kree didn’t just repeat what it saw.
It adapted.
I understood.
But in a way that it seed...odd.
Even to soone like Athiel.
They turned again, and this ti, Kree moved with him.
Not after.
With him.
The difference was subtle, but unmistakable.
Athiel felt it imdiately in the way their steps aligned, in how the movent didn’t drag or resist.
For a brief mont, he looked up.
Just a glance.
Kree’s expression was still uncertain, still cautious, but there was sothing else there now.
Focus.
Sothing close to anticipation.
Athiel looked away first.
"Again," he said, his tone steady, controlled, as if nothing had changed.
And they did it again.
And again.
And again.
And...again.
After they were done, Athiel was in complete awe.
’I’m exhausted.’ Athiel thought. He didn’t like dancing, but apparently, dancing was in him.
He was a pretty good dancer for soone who didn’t like moving.
That part annoyed him more than it should have.
But...
"Kree, you danced a little too well, don’t you think?" Athiel looks up at Kree, inspecting the creature.
His eyes narrowed slightly, more focused now.
Athiel was trying to think of all the possibilities as to how.
One of which, Athiel thinks that Kree has evolved again, and was most likely an even quicker learner.
That would explain it.
Because for a mont, as they kept dancing, Athiel almost forgot he wasn’t dancing with an actual human being, but instead, a humanoid monster.
The movents were too smooth.
A little too natural.
And a hundred percent correct.
Kree just stared at him, though.
Not moving.
Not reacting the way Athiel expected.
An odd expression of... pain.
Athiel noticed it imdiately.
He frowned.
"What? Are you tired? You can’t be tired," Athiel says, crossing his arms against his chest, his tone sharp, almost irritated. "I was nice to you today, I even praised you. You should be grate—"
Kree takes a step forward.
Athiel instinctively takes a step back, his body reacting before his thoughts could catch up.
His hands imdiately went to his pocket to grab his "Kree Repellant," because the last ti Kree acted weird and ’upset,’ he knew exactly what followed.
He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
But instead of fully approaching him and getting closer, it did the most unexpected thing.
"Oh?" Athiel’s eyes widened.
Kree... fell onto its knees.
Just like that.
No warning.
No hesitation.
"Kree?" Athiel paused.
For a second, he just stared.
His mind tried to catch up with what he was seeing.
He wanted to check if Kree was officially broken. He couldn’t have that. He needed to make sure Kree was in perfect shape for the ball.
That was the priority.
Always the priority.
He was about to approach the monster, already thinking of what to test first, but to his surprise, Kree looked up at him.
And then he saw it.
There was water coming out of Kree’s face.
Athiel stilled.
His brows furrowed.
’Water? No, not water.’
Tears?
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