The crowd wouldn’t part, causing Freya to move faster around it as she approached the gathering around Captain Bell. Her dance card at the ready, she joined the group. Muk nodded to her, and the whole group laughed at a joke she’d just missed. Freya smiled weakly. In the back of her mind, she could hear strings beginning another song.

“May I have this dance, Miss Uki?” Muk said, resplendent with his dress uniform. Little brass buttons gave off a glint from the sconces around the ballroom. He eyed her card.

“I’ve just arrived, Lieutenant, and I have to say I am impressed with how fast you deliver. A mouse could get used to this,” Freya said, extending her paw. They turned to go.

“Captain Bell, do be a dear and take me out for a spin as well? We can’t have those two out there on their own can we?” Holly's voice drifted over the small group. Freya's whiskers went on edge.

“Captain Bell if you don’t dance with Miss Bun tonight it will be the gallows for you tomorrow,” a strong avian voice said. Freya didn’t know the speaker but she had an idea that this was probably the one that was on Bell's other side.

“Ah, Miss Bun, shall we? I dare not displease the commander.”

Freya started hatching a plan in her mind.

Muk placed a paw around her midsection.

“Tell me you’re in,” Freya stared him down.

“What are we—”

Freya blinked a few times, attempting to bat her eyes. By the reaction she received, it was noted and understood. One didn’t describe the entire conspiracy out of the gate, it’s just unheard of.

Muk began to lead her around the ballroom floor.

“This is about honor. My oldest friend arguing about my business and reputation? Well, we can have it out on the dance floor.”

For a second Muk gave up the lead in confusion and Freya pulled him along.

“I uh…hmmm,” Muk regained his composure as the pair drifted closer.

Freya could feel her stomach burning the contents of what was left after so many dances. She would have to dig deep. It felt like the more she burned the stronger and more agile she felt, but that couldn’t be right, could it?

“We’re going to have to show them up in the dance. I hope that you can rise to the occasion,” Freya said, sending a mental jab to Holly.

Holly meanwhile had her eyes on Freya. Holly and Captain Bell glided around the floor, but each time Freya glanced over her eyes were met with a fair amount of contempt. Or was it jealousy?

“That should not be too difficult as Captain Bell has had a few drinks,” Muk said, spinning her.

From nearby she saw Holly trying to get Bell to twirl her as well. She could sense something seeping up from a deep well of contempt.

“Has Holly been talkative tonight?” Freya asked.

“She’s hardly said a word. She just sticks by his side, I think that she might be a little overwhelmed by our talk about the war council.” Muk smiled, “I think she’s distressed. Or obsessed. She’s been following him like a bee all night, hovering each time he leaves.”

“Has he said anything to you about it?” Freya said. She shivered, feeling hungry.

“You might not get this but the commander doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about others or the consequences of his actions. Sometimes I wonder how he can keep his family business running at the same time as…” Muk gestured vaguely at the universe. “…all of this. I’m tired too. We’ve spent all day planning and the commander hadn’t ordered us to be social tonight and take tomorrow off…”

Freya keyed in on the bags under his eyes. How had she not noticed yet?

“I fear that I might have learned the wrong lesson from Captain Bell,” Freya said.

Freya reached deep inside, searching for something to use. Feeling the paw on top of hers, she reached out to Muk trying to make a connection.

There it was. Her paws ached from the boots, and her …no his uniform was tightly fitted and she was feeling and seeing a mouse in a dress. Oh Raven, was that how she looked? That must be how Muk saw her. Freya blushed, feeling a sense of fondness.

“Freya, what’s going on?” Muk said, but it felt like her voice.

“I… I…” Freya felt like she was taking a gulp and then she exhaled. She was tired and wired and when Muk kept leading her, he now felt like an extension of her, more familiar. It felt like the morning after the “carrot cake incident” where she had been sent to bed without food.

“You look hungry… you feel hungry. How am I—” Muk said.

Freya led him off the dance floor towards the outdoor bar. She held up a finger to her lips. Better if no one noticed, and Freya replaced what she lost quicker.