16892/Father Daughter Dance

Father Daughter Dance
Date of Scene:	12 January 2024
Location:	Grant's Apartment - Grant's Gym
Synopsis:	Ted gets to practice his dance moves.
Cast of Characters:	Ted Grant, Clara Jennings

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Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant left the dance very early and feeling not himself. A millennial would say had triggers activated. Ted merely acknowledges, it brought old stuff up, absent friends and such. These days you got therapy, something boxers were immune to. Instead he took off, came home and began getting drunk. Of course when you're near 250 and have a hardworking liver, this was no small undertaking.

So he sits in his chair, still in his robe and belt and ponders whether to open that second bottle.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is not long in returning him. She is not the best at reading others, but she did notice that Ted left without their dance. Honestly, despite her best efforts, dancing was rather a bust.

    The door is opened after some fussing with keys. Even if it were not locked. It is all scripted in her little head. You want to enter a place from the outside? You use a key!

    She gets in and locks the door behind her. Habit, either way. Then she will look for Ted.

    "Daddy Teddy?" she calls out. Oh, and there he is! "Sorry, I only noticed you as you were heading out. It seems the night would have been better spent here, where dances are assured to be in good supply." And away from the crowd.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant gets up from the chair. He holds a finger up to wait and goes over to the stereo. He produces a real vinyl record and sets it up, taking the remotet before walking over to her. "I forgot to tell you you look like a teeny Rita Hayworth. Ya wanna dance? you kin put your feet on top of mine." He smirks and hits the remote and Powerhouse begins playing. It starts slowly.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara waits, smiling as she sees the vinyl taken out. It occurs to her that Ted should see her place. She has nothing but vinyl! She was raised very differently. She will never fit in with Gen Z!

    "I thought you would never ask! And I can dance with my own feet, Daddy Teddy! You taught me a few things." And so did her governess!

Ted Grant has posed:
Powerhouse begins playing in earnest. He walks over and takes her hand. He flings her out and yanks her back into him. Promenades with her on his chest then turns her to face him with a twirl. He dips her all the way down and gives her a smooch on the forehead.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is like a feather in Ted's hands. She has been sneaking in a lot of extra practice, but with her knack for just picking things up, that is more about polish and adding fun new tricks than anything else. She even watched a few old movies with a whole bunch of swing dance! In her free moments, she has been studying Jean Veloz in great detail.

    Ted may be surprised at first, but she is ready for some pretty fun lifts, including one where he picks her up by the waist and she does something like a handstand on his shoulders, her toes pointed up and skirt tumbling down. She of course is wearing safety shorts beneath. Not that anyone is here to watch, though!

    The girl loves the pace, and she is very confident in Ted not letting her fall as she glides into some of those particularly acrobatic tosses and lifts. She is positively catlike tonight! Which does, after all, fit well considering her partner.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant looks at her intensely while they're close and says, "You ready for the big finish?" He gets a bright eyed nodnod. Ted throws her out again, yeets the girl back. grabbing her around the hips. He lifts her off her feet, then she is thrown, her ponytail brush the ceiling. She's weightless for a moment before she drops and falls into a cradle carry with thick arms.

As Powerhouse ends, Ted pushes some hair from her face with his nose. he lets her slide down him. Some slow instrumental begins playing -Smooth Jazz and he holds her tight and does a simple box step. "You like being teeny?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara would totally vocalize her joy in flight, but she has to focus, too. She knows a thing or two about landing, and while Ted absolutely will catch her, if she messes up with someone who is not Ted, they will get hurt trying.

    She cannot help but giggle as she settles back on the floor. "You know... it has its benefits. I never hit my head on anything, and I can dance easily with just about anyone! I think it makes it easier to avoid trouble in a fight, too."

    She is rather practical. The box step is as easy as breathing to her, too. There is something relaxing. She can just be herself. And, yes, she does not have to wonder what to do with her hands. They have a job to do!

    "I wonder how many guys can really dance these days," she murmurs. "Oh! I did see a couple girls dancing together on a few occasions, so I should keep open that option for dancing too, I suppose. It is just for fun." The girls being Kate Kane and Diana Prince did make it a rather hard to ignore couple.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant grasps Clara under the arms and lifts her up. "For the full dad daughter experience. Ever dance this way?" He puts her feet on his feet, which is not easily done because a lady does not put her feet on people he supposes. He gives her a shake till her shoes fall off and she seems more amenable, or maybe just stunned? He gives her the mother of all hugs and grins. He feels her grin more than sees it.'Is the belt hurting you?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara does need a bit of prompting to settle on his feet, but with her shoes kicked off, it is pretty comfortable. She will just rest against him, close as she is, rather than crane her head up to look at his face.

    "I have not danced like this. Well, I do not think so, anyway. Maybe the governess showed me like this when I was very young. I do not remember it, though!"

    She lets herself get comfortable, squirming a bit, which probably prompts that question. "Well, it is at a bit of an awkward height, I suppose," she admits, laughing. "What is it like, though. Being the best at something?"

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant chuckles. "You'd have to ask Batman. Or Richard Dragon. Or Lady Shiva. How does it feel to be the best at making me tranquil and happy?"

He does feel the huge belt buckle dig into her chest or worce and that is not cool. He makes her get down.

"Okay... humility aside... here. He takes the belt off and puts it around her waist. At its tightest it settles on her hips. It also looks likely to make her fall forward. He whips the Champ robe off and puts her arms into the sleeves. It drags on the floor badly and falls off one shoulder several times. Hah. Having a little girl is fun.

He grabs the gloves and plops them on her hands.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    "I will ask Batman, whenever he shows up to growl at me! But yes, you got the belt. You were the best."

    On her it looks, well, like a girl trying on her father's clothes! She is trying to hold the belt up just in case, and then she is robed up and given gloves. The gloves are ridiculous on her. They are each as large as her head (or bigger) and when she holds them up, she cannot imagine doing much more with them.

    "I fear I will not grow into them," she says playfully. "But perhaps if I eat plenty of those egg whites the guys are always talking about, I can get stronger!" If the hood of that robe is put up, she will be completely lost inside!

    "I am not sure how you can fight with these. They seem very bulky. And this belt! I never realized just how heavy it is!"

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant says "Wait." He grabs her hand and raises it. "Not enough arm... hold up." He gets his arm under her seat and lifts her onto his shoulder. "Ladeeeeez and gennulmen... the New World Snuggler Champeen! Clara... LITTLE GIRL... Jennings! Vital stats- Height -nope! Weight negligible. Eyes: Green. Hair: All over the damn place. Hotness index: At least five more'n she'd ever take credit for!" He strides about the room with the Champion on his shoulder, then sets her down, hair now falling in her face.

"Champ! What're your plans now? God they had to clean up what my answer was. Hahahahaha!" He finally figure out how to keep her in the robe by throwing the hood over her.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara, who slides into her role with much amusement, holds up her hands and tries her best to bring them together in the typical champions pose. It looks really silly when she is doing it, of course!

    "Well, Daddy, now that I have won this belt, I plan on moving up my weight class and see if I might secure someone beyond snuggling." The scandal! She has been around the gym too much. Or she picked up something from Inez in that bar.

    "But my immediate plans are to eat as much ice cream as I can get away with, then find the prettiest girl out there and give her a whirl." She imagines this is something a champion should say. It sounds sexual enough.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant pulls the hood back, more hair flies. "You like girls too? Just like Daddy! I'm so proud!" He pulls her into a hug. "I do have some Spumoni."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Clara is just about to launch into her childish attempts at debauchery when there is a distinct knock on the door. A double-tap followed by a pause, then a triple-tap.

    Clara immediately tenses up. "That... cannot be." Leave it to her governess to even have a very specific knock she uses to enter Clara's room. After a short pause, a woman's voice, muffled by the door, can be heard.

    "Excuse me! I am hoping you might help me find someone."

    At this hour, that is an odd request, unless of course that someone is Clara. And that means the woman at the door is.. "My governess is here!" A pause for thought. "This is wonderful! I have been hoping you might meet her."

    Clara has to think a moment, though. "I suppose I could have given a much better report before I came here. Hm. Much better, considering I did not give any report yet."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant peers at the door and attempts to develop X-ray vision. No dice. He fishes in a pocket of the robe on Clara and withdraws brass knuckles and slips them on. "Baby girl, you go in your room for a bit. I'll give Mary Poppins the brush. Don't come out if you hear a struggle." He doesn't wait to make sure Clara complies. In fact he was fairly deft at extracting the knucks. For good measure he readies the baseball bat in the umbrella stand. Then he yanks the door open. "Yeah?!" He demands, expecting an eight foot tall version of Frau Blucher, breathing fire and shooting death rays from her peepers. He finds he has to look downward. His initial height estimate was way off.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Megan Elizabeth Bell is there, waiting at the door, with a rather worried expression. She is a lithe, rather average woman in height, if anything but in looks. Other than her brunette hair, one could be forgiven if they mistook her for Clara's aunt.

    She is wearing a suit and skirt, both gray and shouting professional as much as a garment can. Megan uses a moderate amount of makeup, and her hair is perfectly styled. For all that, though, when Ted opens the door she smiles, looking pleased indeed to see him.

    "Mr. Grant! My goodness, I thought Clara was simply teasing me about you. Even when that autograph seemed right I was struggling to accept that she really just happened to meet you."

    The tension, on her side, is gone. "I take it my charge is once again taking advantage of your hospitality? She failed to inform me what her plans were tonight, and usually she is very good about these things." That voice, too. Gentle, silky, at times teasing near the territory of a purr.

    Clara, as ordered, has fled to her bedroom! The guest bedroom, that is. She tries to imagine what kind of struggle she might hear for a moment, but does not give in to the temptation of listening at the door.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant boggles a moment. He realizes he is wearing a bodysuit and trunks which he does in fairness rock but he usually wears more for introductions. The hand with the brass knuckles goes behind his back.

"Yeah, Clara is here and /getting changed/ ya gotta excuse me. I was doing dress up for that dance. Belt, robe, the whole thing. Clara is /just folding them/ up for me and /changing./"

"Please come in. Clara, come out?" He shuts the door. There was an attempt on Clara's life and he is not taking any chances. He stands behind her, susses out her body language and looks for any suspicious bulges.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    There are no bulges that would be considered suspicious and her bag is rather on the small side for a gun. She is just a pretty woman, unbothered by the complications of unusual powers.

    His hard study will be noticed, and the governess just reads it as a man rather appreciating what he sees. So she returns that look in turn.

    "It is very kind of you to invite me in, Mr. Grant. Oh, and I am happy that Clara is behaving and helping you. I have worked very hard to prepare her, and while she has made much progress, at some point she just has to get into the real world and spread her wings."

    Clara does heard that, since Ted's voice carries. Fold it? Oh. Right. She can do that. With military precision, too. But changing? Changing into what? She looks at her dress, which the governess knew she was wearing, so that leaves, well, her nightgown.

    There is some hesitation as Clara shuffles through her mental lists of what is and is not right to wear when meeting her governess like this. None of them fit. Frustrating. So out she eventually comes, dressed in a nightgown.

    "Clara! There you are!" says Megan. The two meet and there is a hug shared. "I understand you are doing well here for Mr. Grant. I know you have been working quite a bit on these dances." Nothing like learning how to have fun together to demonstrate appreciation, after all.

    "But now I am intruding, and Clara is doing just fine. I should really excuse myself." But she definitely does not want to.

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant feels kind of badly, ready to rabbit punch a lady, with knucks no less! He puts the knuckles in the key bowl. As for his visual search well, it certainly wasn't unpleasant. He is usually the hospitable type. So he says, "You don't have to leave. Clara was just going to bed. We're both a little tired. You came all the way from New York... please stay. Could I get you a drink?" Big smile. Body suit. Muscles like Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Well, Megan could be talked into it, she supposes. She is too polite to correct him. She lives in Gotham, after all. Still, it is late, and though a car is waiting, well, it will leave soon enough on its own.

    "She should sleep early. She has been up past her curfew very often in these past two weeks. Sometimes, I might add, when she was supposed to be recovering her strength for an upcoming engagement."

    Megan looks over the girl slowly, considering. "But we are past curfews, are we not, dear? Still... hop to bed. Mr. Grant and I have things to discuss, and you have had enough fun tonight. I have just been waiting at home."

    Clara will look confused for a moment, at being told to head back to bed, but, well, she is not particularly well equipped to disobey Teddy and her governess when they are both giving her a direction. She looks slightly crestfallen, honestly. Which is why there is more.

    "You did very well at your last lecture, and I am sure you carried yourself well tonight, as well. Why not read for an hour and then shut your eyes, dear?"

    And that seals the deal. Clara practically bounces on her toes all the way to the bedroom. She turns at the last moment, "Goodnight governess, goodnight Daddy Teddy!" Door shut and off she goes!

    Megan laughs softly and looks towards the man. "Daddy Teddy? I never could imagine the guy who should have beat Ali would be called 'Teddy' in my presence. And yes, I will certainly accept that drink."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant watches Clara go all six year old kid for a moment then looks back at the Gov... Megan. "Yeah, she has some daddy issues there. I think she's getting past that." He realizes he's still wearing that body suit and says, I should probably change... but drink first. How do roll? Rye, Scotch, Bourbon, Rum... oh... out of Rye." As she looks around, he looks at her. "Can I take your coat?"

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Megan laughs gently at the mention of daddy issues. Her words are more serious, though, "Well, sadly she has no idea what she is missing. Her father was a truly good man. Kind, gentle, and very dedicated to his work. Which is not always such a bad thing, unless it is taken to excess."

    It is a sharp turn to the deeply personal. But the governess senses this get away from the rigors of the job might just be good for her, as well.

    "Oh, and scotch, neat please. I should warn you, though, I have a considerable tolerance."

    She turns her back to him, arms moving back to slip out of her coat. With his help, of course. "You are most polite, Mr. Grant. I hope my appearance has not thrown your evening too far off from expectation."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant gores to the bar. "Gotcha. It's a double then... oh you're a Brit, no ice." He gets the drink and moves to the couch, indicating the party is moving there. "And no worries. Your appearance is a high point of my evening. I expected someone way older than you. Here, drink up. You look like you could use one. No offense."

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Unlike Clara, who needs her rigid posture removed surgically at this point, Megan can settle on the couch and slouch just enough to be casual. Not that she does it too much, though. Good posture makes for a very attractive silhouette.

    She takes the drink with a grin. "Guilty as charged, I'm a London girl, just like Clara, but with a few more years under my belt." At the suggestion he expected older, she laughs gently. "Not too many years, mind! I am no spinster. And I do enjoy a good drink. And a night to spend how I want is something of a novelty. These have been the first since I first met that little girl."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant raises an eyebrow and pours himself some Bourbon. He clinks glasses if Megan will allow. "She's a doll. I gotta say, I want to help with this assassination business. She became very dear to me. Hey, can I call you Megan? I prefer nearly anything to Teddy. Mr. Grant is for people who owe me money. Here, take your shoes off. Stay a while. She's safe. Yer off duty," Saying that he slips one shoe then the other shoe off her, barring a kick in the face.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Megan will accept the toast, and adds a soft, "To good friends we have only just met," to make it official. She is just getting relaxed when he brings up the much more serious topic. She takes a moment to address it.

    "I understand you saw what happened to her. While I am not sure how it was done, she was setup. In all my time doing this work, that has never happened. Not a single time. It is unsettling."

    She arches an eyebrow, but does not protest when her shoes are removed. She is, for the record, wearing black nylons. When he is down there, he may even notice she prefers thigh highs with a lace top. Not quite governess issue, one might say.

    "And please, call me Megan, Ted. Clara never does, of course. I am just the governess now, as if it were a military rank or a code name."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant nods. Then begins massaging Megan's feet. He's rather curious at the effect. He has a record of more than half his subjects melting immediately. Those who put up a fight are rare. "You have cute feet. Not gunboats." He concentrates on his job, between sips of his drink.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    It is rather like Megan knew where this was going the second she stepped in the door. This may be her first free night in almost twenty years, but she is quite comfortable in enjoying it to the fullest.

    "I should certainly hope so! I do my best to keep them as shapely as I can, just in case a legendary man should get his hands on them."

    It is perhaps no surprise that her nails are painted (red, most likely, though the stockings do make the exact shade a bit hard to discern). Those feet were definitely pedicured, too. They feel soft.

    She drinks freely, but not too much at once. Megan knows where she is going with this, but she means to enjoy the entire journey. One sip at a time. When her glass is empty, she will playfully say, "I will just help myself, Ted. Now that you have started down there I have no intentions of letting your hands slip away from me."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant looks up a little surprised. "It's nothing. You're too nice to a big mug like me. You have all kinds of class... is this starting to seem like a '40's rom-com to you?" He sets her feet aside for now and moves closer to sit beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. There's none of the yawn-stretch maneuver. This is a litmus test. She can move away, stay put or lean in. Ted smiles at her. "You're an incredible woman to raise this little girl to such a life... she had one of those nightmares her first night here. Dark stuff. I want to help you both." He's begining to think he may have to help her picvk a different drink, the Scotch showing signs of evaporation.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    She is working through that bottle at her own pace, thank you kindly! But she obviously is liking it. As for Ted's test? She smiles a most coy and aware smile at him. She waits to give him a clear reaction for a good five seconds, then sets her glass aside and leans into him.

    "We are both wound up in this whole thing, you might say. Her father is the whole reason I wound up as her governess. He knew we were destined to be connected, and set things in motion before the fire to ensure she was taken care of and that she would not be left alone. Oh, and yes, this whole mission of ours, too."

    Her expressions are complicated when she talks about it. Not guarded per se, but clearly struggling to express so many different emotions at once. While her face deals with that, her body just settles in, comfortable and familiar.

    "And you saw one? Her night terrors are a whole other challenge for her. She has had them since she was a little girl."

Ted Grant has posed:
Ted Grant nods. "I've slept near her a few times to make her feel safe. She's still a a little girl in many ways. Those things are terrible... this is your first night off in how long? Geeze. I thought I was a workaholic. You know... you have a Rita Hayworth vibe to you. I could go for you. Listen... you not Doris Day or some ingenue. I'm certainly no kid. This is your rare night off... would you like to stay? I can put on some jazz or show you my scrapbook or some fight videos... or whatever." He leans into her a little, slips the forearm the rest of the way around her.

Clara Jennings has posed:
    Megan grins at Ted. "You have that rugged, man's man feeling about you, Ted, and a woman like me is very happy you can go for her. This is my first night that I have stolen away from the Conservatory since I met Clara. That was when she was four years old. My goodness she was adorable. So shy and sweet. I have been 'Governess' ever since."

    She turns enough to give him a look. Her lips curving into a different, more playful smile. "Tonight, though, I am just Megan Bell, a woman who wants to hear some jazz and be an adult."