His quarry hesitated with her delicate hand in his. It felt as though a mouse laid itself in the maws of a bear trap and the exhilaration of her pause sent a chill down his spine. Her gasp reminded him of so many chance encounters that he simply lost count. Something about this girl stood above the drabble. Even without his second sight, the feel of her touch along ignited a curiosity that became intoxicating. That yearning for understanding manifested in a firm grip around her lithe fingers and he took several long strides into a sea of swirling bodies. With a delicate understanding of balance, he pulled her against him and swept her free hand up in his. The air held for a moment as the music's rhythm filled the gap.

"Ask away." The statement left his lips in a low, soft whisper. It conveyed equal parts invitation and threat.

As he delivered those two words, he pulled himself into the rhythm of the music. Whether or not Lady Fae kept pace, his experience with balance mitigated any clumsiness into the push and pull of an elegant ballroom dance. His feet followed hers and the entangling of her hands in his allowed him to direct the dance. As they spun, twisted and dipped, he could not help but feel as though he manipulated a beautiful marionette with his fingertips.

In a dip, he held his lips beside her ear. "Your father was tried and executed for magic."

He pulled her upright, eyes locked with hers through the mask he wore. They moved into a three step.

"Salvar is a prison for you." He stated. The bodies of other couples and nobles blissfully moved around them. He made direct eye contact with a few nearby and watched as they gave him and his partner distance.

"Why?" he asked as the music picked up into the peak of its ballad. He spun her out in a twirl and then pulled her back in for a tight embrace.