I can tell. But this might be your most dangerous adventure of all.

[ unlikely, alina thinks, with how heedlessly the doctor seems to rush into the eye of a hurricane. in all the time that she's known him, she's never known him to retreat from a flash of danger up ahead — from trials and tribulations that would make a lesser man shake and stumble. it's enviable, to alina — that boldness of behaving as though he can conquer any storm, where she often feels swept along by the chaotic wind of her own life. fearful of what's ahead, while the doctor always races toward it.

their approaches to dancing mirror that: her tentative steps, his disregard for the confines of any rules. the heel of alina's foot nicks his shoe for a second before she bends to unlatch the straps of her own. the red tip of her hat wobbles as she shucks her flats off, skittering across cobblestone. ]

What's the point in having steps if you're going to ignore them? I'll look ridiculous.

[ on the other hand, she's much too alight to care if she's gawked at tonight. she straightens, perching her hands back on his shoulders. well, if he's going to give her lessons — ]

You should lead by example, Doctor.