The duo had been performing long enough that they were able to read a group fairly well and this one, they enjoyed teasing just a little bit.  They had shown interest enough earlier in their ability and were certain they had not missed Kyuhyun singing along with them quietly a time or two at some of the more well-known songs.  Finally though, even they were itching to get out the instruments.

           As Zhou Mi and Henry stood up to retrieve their instruments, the rest of the group stopped talking almost immediately and watched the pair intently.  When they returned, a case each in their arms, their entire demeanor had changed.  They were still mud spattered and a bit worn from the road today, but they looked like performers from the way they carried themselves and how they treated their instruments.

           Almost lovingly, Henry removed a well-cared for mahogany violin from the padded casing and inspected it carefully.  Zhou Mi brought out what appeared to be a Celtic harp, which the group was familiar with only because they had seen pictures in the monastery.  Raptly, they listened as the two minstrels tuned their instruments, a slight frown of concentration on their faces that brightened to a smile instantly when the notes aligned as they wanted.

           With a professional smile, the pair finally stood and addressed the seven persons scattered around the fire.  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Zhou Mi began, holding the harp elegantly with one hand and gesturing theatrically with the other.  “Please allow me to introduce myself.  I am Gentleman Mimi.”

           He bowed politely as he waited for his companion to introduce himself, during which time Kyuhyun could be heard to ask, “Isn’t Mimi a girl’s name?”  Summer promptly smacked him in the back of the head.  “Ow!” he cringed, earning another glare from Summer as he was making too much noise.  In annoyance, he grumbled to himself and paid attention to the minstrels instead.

           Without missing a beat, the violinist bowed and introduced himself, “I am Henry the violinist, at your service.”  He bowed perfectly with the instrument poised in his hands before righting himself and situating it comfortably against his neck.  “Please allow us to perform ‘I Am’.”

           With a deep breath, the two started to play and the elementalists watched in wide eyed amazement as the most intoxicating sounds emerged from the instruments first and then from Zhou Mi as they warmed up to their song.  While playing, Henry began to let the music move through him as his body followed the beat.  The party was further entranced when he managed that feat without skipping a beat and for the first song, all they could do was watch in awe until it wound down to a close.

           When the song finished, the performers bowed, happy grins glowing on their faces.  The elementalists clapped enthusiastically and were heard to say such things as, “That was amazing!”  “No wonder you’re performers!”  “How did you learn to do that?”  With all the aplomb they had cultivated over time, the minstrels bowed again and waited for the enthusiasm to fade before they attempted their next number.

           When they began playing again, Henry took a larger role in vocals as the song was a bit more primal with a heavy dance beat underneath.  Eunhyuk found he could not resist the call of the music and soon after they had started playing, he was on his feet, moving freely to the rhythm that thrummed through him.  Respectfully, the minstrels watched him while they focused on their own music and had a certain enjoyment to the fact that the rest of their listeners didn’t seem to know who to focus on more.

           The elementalists had seen Eunhyuk dance many times in the monastery, but the music they had was always rather tame in comparison.  This…this music now brought him to life and Kharin wasn’t the only one to watch him, fascinated.  She was, however, the one to watch him the closest as his lithe body twisted and turned, pausing with the music in a calculated pose and then following the beat perfectly as the sounds shifted.  She was caught completely unawares when he moved by their group and enthusiastically pulled her to her feet, sweeping her into the dance whether she wanted to or not.

           Thoroughly amused by the bold move, the rest of the group watched and grinned broadly as he pulled her around the improvised dance floor.  She was by no means the dancer that Eunhyuk was, but it was clear she was having a very good time as her face was positively glowing when he continued to hold her hands, guiding her through the steps he felt.  The entertainment was shared by the minstrels who were smiling just as hard, though Henry was a bit distracted by his own dancing.  It was nigh on impossible for him to stand still when he played.

           Eunhyuk pulled Kharin close and pushed her away, grinning as they both stumbled occasionally over the other but not caring in the least.  For that moment, it seemed for all the world that they really were the only two that were present.  It was almost painful when the music stopped as they were forced to pause too, breathing hard.  When they saw the rest of them watching them, they burst into embarrassed laughter and rushed to their seats, applauding the song.  They weren’t sure if the applause from the others was in part for them or not but they made a point to focus entirely on the bowing Mimi and Henry.

           “Well done!” Zhou Mi congratulated heartily.  “That was most impressive, sir Eunhyuk.  Truly you have an ear for the music.  And you as well, miss Kharin.  Well done!”

           The praise, while welcome, also had the side effect of making both blush brightly and they were only glad that the fire didn’t illuminate everything that well.

           “Thank you,” Kharin blushed fiercely as she ducked her head.

           At the same time, Eunhyuk grinned, not quite as bright as her, and encouraged, “Please.  Continue.”

           Quite happy to oblige, the duo eased into a bit of a slower song, giving them time to recover.  It wasn’t a romantic song exactly but it was definitely more of a couples dance.  No one moved for the first few seconds and then bravely, Siwon stood up and reached down for Summer’s hand.  She stared at it for a second and then glanced at the others before she smiled shyly and accepted.  It wasn’t the most skilled of dances by any means, but as best he could, Siwon led Summer around the fire.  While it was never anything they had ever practiced before, it was clear the activity was wholly enjoyable.

           The other five watched for a bit longer and then Eunhyuk pulled Kharin back to her feet and danced with her again.  Finally, Leeteuk gained the courage to ask the shy Eleanara as well.  Caught up in the moment, none of them observed a pouting Kyuhyun who alternated between glaring at Siwon and then watching the others dance.  It did not even occur to him to try to cut in until Mimi stopped playing, gently setting the harp on the case and then into the dance while Henry continued to play.

           Politely, he interrupted Eunhyuk and Kharin, as they had already shared one full dance.  Graciously, Eunhyuk bowed out and watched with interest as the more experienced Mimi led her as only one who had been performing as long as they had could.  The other two pairs slowed to watch while an uncertain but still excited Kharin tried to follow the more professional dancer.  She smiled brightly when the steps started to come together and Eunhyuk laughed to himself, completely understanding that revelation.

           While the others were somewhat distracted, Kyuhyun took that opportunity to try and cut in on Summer.  “I’ll take over now,” he stated simply as he grabbed Summer’s hand and attempted to pull her from Siwon without even trying to ask.

           Confused and annoyed, Summer stumbled out of Siwon’s grasp and into Kyuhyun’s awkwardly.  “Hey.  You could ask,” she muttered, glancing at the other pairs and back at Siwon who didn’t seem to know whether to be affronted or amused just then.

           “Why did you have to dance with Siwon first?” he asked instead, struggling to even begin to dance.

           “He asked me first,” she responded automatically, frowning at the question.

           Kyuhyun mumbled, “You could have said no…”

           Now Summer just looked cross at the idea.  “And you could have asked.”  As he had no response for that, she glared at him again.  “Are we going to dance?”

           Faced with the direct question, Kyuhyun struggled for a response and uncomfortable with being put on the spot, muttered, “I don’t really want to, anymore.”  He sort of did actually but he was annoyed enough by her response to be contrary.  Summer muttered something unflattering under her breath and promptly stomped on his foot.  “Ow!” he winced, immediately letting her hands go and stepping back, a pained expression on his face.

           Before things could get too heated, Mimi stepped in.  Genteelly, he handed Kharin off to Siwon and then swooped Summer into the next refrain of the song, eliciting an immediate smile from her as he nodded, “Miss Summer.”

           Surprised by the change in partners, Kharin had to adjust to the more awkward Siwon but he smiled broadly and went with it.  Nursing his wounded pride, Kyuhyun grumbled some more and went back to his seat to glare at both Mimi and Summer…

           Henry winded the song down and with little more than a pause to readjust himself, launched into another more upbeat song, smiling as he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the music.  Mimi continued dancing, at one pointing handing Summer off to Eunhyuk who shrugged and grinned, before sliding up to beg a dance from Eleanara.

           Leeteuk was gracious enough at first, grinning as she was swept away and still holding to the image of her smiling face as they had danced, but as Mimi led her with considerably more skill, he couldn’t help but be at least a little bit jealous.  She looked so happy…  Belatedly, he wished he was that good at dancing but it wasn’t something they’d ever had extensive lessons in.  Granted, they all knew the basics, but with the exception of Eunhyuk who danced very well on his own, dancing with a partner was a fairly foreign concept for them.

           The pairs switched off once more with Mimi stealing Kharin and handing Eleanara off to Siwon before he finally bowed out.  He entrusted Kharin to the still standing Leeteuk and moved to rejoin Henry.  Seamlessly, he rejoined the music, adding his vocals to the song easily.  They watched the pairs reestablish themselves and he had to grin when Eunhyuk was brave enough to drag the still pouting Kyuhyun to his feet and almost push him at Summer.  “Just dance already,” he laughed as he effortlessly shifted away to take Kharin back.

           Uncertainly Kyuhyun took Summer’s hand and mumbled, “Do you want to dance?”

           Summer debated giving him a hard time about it or not, but as she had already stomped on his foot, she relented and nodded.  “I do.”  Without waiting for anything else to throw him off, Kyuhyun started to dance with Summer and as he finally let himself begin to enjoy the moment, a smile crossed his face, mirrored on hers.

           Abruptly, the music changed again, losing the violin entirely as Mimi carried the tune and Henry joined the fray.  He was as skilled as Mimi but where the other had been genteel, Henry was more energetic and flirtatious.  Easily, he stole Eleanara from Siwon while the former lead went to stand next to Leeteuk who was watching closely.  The water elementalist couldn’t help but grin as a glower slowly slid over Leeteuk’s face as Henry danced with Eleanara much closer than Mimi had.  She was blushing but her expression was still one of enjoyment.

           Siwon nudged the earth elementalist and the glower immediately disappeared as he focused on the other man.  “Huh?”

           “Nothing,” Siwon chuckled, thoroughly amused.

           When the song changed, Henry switched off again, trading Eleanara to Kyuhyun and leading Summer off.  The pair appeared thoroughly awkward and attempted to dance with marginal success.  Eunhyuk rescued her from Kyuhyun and Kharin took great delight in prompting the fire elementalist to dance, backwardly leading him around the fire.

           Sensitive to the mood of their audience, Mimi and Henry watched over them carefully, judging how things were winding up.  Henry bowed out sooner than Mimi had, making sure to grab one dance with Kharin before he departed.  They played another song, allowing the pairs to get readjusted before Mimi came back and with a broad grin, asked the lone Siwon to dance.  Amused by the idea, Siwon accepted and the two made one of the most absurd couples, struggling briefly for who would lead and eventually deciding to take turns throughout the duration of the final song.

           Contentedly, the other pairs ended up with their original partners and when Henry finally wound down the song, they all stopped, breathless but highly entertained.  Siwon and Mimi bowed to each other before the minstrel returned to pack up his harp, giving Henry a congratulatory hug as he did the same.  Slowly, the other pairs drifted apart, smiles still lingering on their lips and in the case of the girls, all three continued to wear a very telling blush.

           “Ladies and gentlemen,” Mimi stated breathlessly.  “We must beg our leave but we hope you enjoyed our performance.”  Together, he and Henry bowed gracefully and then once more as the applause continued, more enthusiastically from the ladies and Eunhyuk.

           Almost immediately after they had put the instruments away and returned to the camp, Eunhyuk approached Henry, asking about a few of the moves he had seen the other perform.  In seconds, the pair were busy comparing dancing styles and showing each other how some of the more advanced steps were performed.

           The ladies clumped together and giggled about how much fun they had, gesturing animatedly and blushing more as they conversed.  The remaining men clustered around Zhou Mi, alternating between being jealous of his skill and impressed.  Zhou Mi bowed gratefully to Siwon again, glad that he had not been offended by the dance they had shared.

           “It was fun,” Siwon admitted, grinning sheepishly as he looked at the other two.  “Besides, now I know how you felt when dancing with Kharin,” he chuckled, focusing on Kyuhyun.

           The fire elementalist laughed.  “Hah!  She’d have to have someone taller than her to lead,” he started, pointing at Zhou Mi, “since I sure couldn’t see around her.”  He shrugged helplessly, a blameless expression on his face.

           “Kyu!” they heard Kharin’s voice sharply and he winced, actually amazed how she had a knack for overhearing everything.

           The other three laughed lightly as she glared at Kyuhyun’s back but remained where she was.  “I think you all did well for not having danced much,” Zhou Mi congratulated, bowing out of respect.  “It will be a few days yet before we will have to part ways.  If you’d care to, we can perhaps practice some more in the coming days?” he offered openly.

           “We’ll see,” Leeteuk immediately answered, not averse to learning but he wasn’t sure they could all last like they had tonight.  That and he wondered if the minstrels would continue to cut in if they did practice…

           “The offer stands,” was all Zhou Mi stated, nodding in acquiescence.

           That seemed to be enough.  While Henry and Eunhyuk were still talking animatedly, the others began to wind down, feeling the hour of night.  Carried away by the performance, they had completely lost track of time and as that realization hit, they all started to feel considerably more tired.  The euphoric high of dancing started to wear off and sleep sounded like a very good idea.  At least, even the two dancers had to bow out and the group, now pleasantly tired, were all quite content to rest.  As they had done every night they were able to, the elementalists continued to set a watch, to the amusement and acceptance of the minstrels.

           Generally, minstrels didn’t have to worry about being attacked, but they didn’t mind having a watch.  Not quite ready for sleep yet, Eunhyuk volunteered for first watch and they agreed to follow the watch they had the other night with Siwon next and they would continue from there.  All in all, their first live performance had been a grand success and they were actually looking forward to the travel time they would spend with the charismatic minstrels.

(a/n:  Small success for me!  I reached 500+ views!  Yes, that makes me happy.  lol  I know this one was all filler but I have been wanting to write this chapter for a while now.  <3 Henry and Zhou Mi.  <3 SuJu.  And <3 to all my readers and especially my commentors.  I hope you enjoyed it!)