From: artemis@cwis.unomaha.edu (Gina Ritter)
Subject: Castle -- Elo:  "Celebrationies (kinda)"
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 17:37:59 GMT

[This comes just after Meghin leaves in "A Cause for Celebration"]

	"Bleah."  Elo looked back over her shoulder, sticking her tongue
out slightly.  All that work to get Megs all prettied up and she went to bed.
What a waste!  Megs was *such* a poop sometimes ...
	"Bad Elo, no Cheezit!"  she scolded herself.  Meg had a lot of
things on her mind -- she missed that shepherd guy mercilessly -- and seeing
everyone so joyous and happy and in love had to wear on her a bit.  Well
a night's sleep might do her good; Meg would probably (hopefully) be more
cheery in the morning.
	Boy and didn't it just exude romance in here.  Everyone was just 
dressed so darned neat (she wasn't gonna admit she'd never been to a ball
before) and it was just so beautiful to see so many couples dancing or
cuddling so happily.  Of course, it would be a bit nicer if she was
part of a couple herself ...
	"Say ... you look like you're going to a wedding or somethin'.  
Need a groom?"
	Elo turned.  A young elfish man stood there, smirking at her.  He
had longish dark brown hair and a funny -- but wow, really keen --
color of eyes ... like amber, or honey, or something.  He was wearing some
weatherbeaten (but rather neat) crimson robes.
	"Excuse me?"  she sniffed.  Haughty, Elo, she thought.  Haughty'll
work against eyes like those.
	But he just smiled.  "I was askin' if you needed a groom.  Or ...
a dancing partner?"  He bowed before her, and, before she could think
to jump away, scooped up her hand.  "Allow me to interduce myself,
milady.  I'm Fenwyck."
	Oh, wow!  "Ah ... hi."  Oh, to Hades with haughty!  "I'm Elotheria.
Elotheria of Kandorr."  Wowsers, he was cute!  Oh ... he'd asked her to
dance.  Yes, that was right.  "Sure."
	"Sure?"  He looked confused for a moment and his ears twitched.
	"Um, sure, I could use a dancing partner."  Wipe that darned grin
off your face, Elo!
	"I would be ... real ... honored."  And he kissed her hand.
	"!"  Oh ... my.  Would it be too forward to melt at his feet --
or perhaps she could just smooch him instead ...
	"C'mon,"  he said softly, standing, still holding her hand.
She wondered if she could like, discreetly, give him her other hand too.
Oh, that would be just too obvious though, and Elo was never obvious.  
She followed after him to the floor, where other couples were dancing.
Boy, he was kinda tall, now that she noticed.  "You've done this before,
right?"
	"Huh?  Oh ... uh ... yeah, yeah, I have."  Uh-oh, this could be bad.
	"I thought so,"  Fenwyck said with that smile that made her knees
go all funny.  "You want I should lead?"
	"Lead?  Lead where?"
	His eyes widened, and he laughed.  "You're silly, Elo.  And very
pretty too.  Can't imagine why you were wallflowering.  Ya'd think you'd
have buckets of partners."
	"Nope.  'Fraid not."  She grinned at him.  Hoo boy, she was flirting.
If only Megs could see her now!  "I just got here, anyways."
	"Explains why I never noticed ya 'til now.  Been at the Castle long?"
He put his hand on her waist, and she blinked, a bit surprised.  Yeah, of
course, she knew you had to, like, touch when you danced, but it had been
*such* a long time ... wait, it hadn't been ever.
	"Oh, I've been here about a year.  I got here several months before
all that icky stuff with the Dark One -- who's gone now, thank the 
Goddess! -- started.  When did you show up?"
	"Not too long ago.  I came here with this shepherd guy and his cat."
	"His *cat*?"  Don't step on his feet.  Don't step on his feet.  
Darnit, Elo, you're such a klutz.
	Fenwyck nodded.  "Yeah, his cat.  Looking for his girlfriend.  She's
a priest, bleah."
	Shepherd guy?  Priest?  No way.  It couldn't be.  "You don't mean ..."
Golly, she thought, she could really grow to love ball dancing if it meant
she could stand close to Fenwyck like this.
	"I don't mean what?"
	Oops, got distracted.  Learn to finish your sentences, Elo.  
"... don't mean a certain priest named Meghin?  She's here, ya know."
	"Meghin?  Meghin's *here*?"  he asked, looking shocked.  "Oh, that's
keen!"  He let her go and looked around.  "Noel.  Noel!"
	What the hell?  "Uh, I don't mean to complain,"  she frowned, "but
hadn't you asked me to dance?  I don't think the song is done with."  Drat.
So easily distracted.  Why was it that the object of your affections 
never seemed as totally enthralled by you as you were by him?
	"Well, we danced,"  Fenwyck said, puzzled, as if to say, 'what's
*your* problem, milady?'  "We can dance some more later if you like, but
now, I've got to go tell Noel --"
	"Later?  Later?!"  Oh this really sucked rotten gecko eggs.  "I don't
believe I shall be available later."  Back to haughty.  She spun around and
stalked off.  "Your loss, toots."
	"Hey!  Come back here!"
	She stopped and glared over her shoulder.  "I can see you're very
concerned with Meghin and this Noel.  I don't want to be anyone's tempmorary
distraction."
	He stomped his foot irritably.  "Shoot, Noel and Meghin are my
friends, you long-eared twit!"
	"How can you be so caught up in *them* when I wanted to smooch 
you?!"  Oh ... hellsbells.  She slapped both hands over her mouth.  She
darted away as fast as her heels would let her.
	Fenwyck stared after her, blinking.  Then he smiled, a bit shyly,
guiltily.  "Ooops.  And I thought *I* was being obvious.  Elo, my 
sweetie ..."  He hummed a few bars of something vague and pretty and 
wandered away.

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Gina Ritter			----^_^----	  	       Diane Atkinson
artemis@cwis.unomaha.edu 			    dementia@cwis.unomaha.edu
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