Dances of Duality (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

6- Time Will Tell

Author's Notes: The art for this chapter is by Slipnslideblog (Silver) on Tumblr, as is the art within. The art for the cover is also specifically of this scene, by AceofIntuition. 

The song played is Time Will Tell by Jonah Levine.

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You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." – Isaiah 26:3

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"Do you...enjoy dancing?"

Joey gave her a grin growing out of a touch of hesitation, a touch of shyness even, as she sat across him once again in his lonely office. But even if his smile was small, a glitter in his eyes certainly wasn't.

It was...relieving, almost, for him to react; the beginning of this third visit to the middle-aged cartoonist was arguably a bit tongue-tied. He asked her how she had been doing and she explained that recent moment that undeniably would be special for a very, very long time. The expression upon his face remained unchanged, simply listening and observing the woman in the chair past his desk as she described her silent worries for the man of ink and the musical remedy she employed that seemed to heal wounds she reopened. An unstretched, flat mouth behind folded hands, brown eyes behind his stained glasses seeming to pierce into her despite how nonthreatening the cordial old artist was. He murmured something at one point- something about "I'm so glad you have someone that keeps you from being alone,"- but that look wouldn't leave him.

He was certainly, undoubtedly worried until the moment she assured her new life's mentor that truly she'd done her best to leave the past be, leaving Mr. Drew flushed with ease and...something else. Whatever it was, she liked it, and so the young woman gave her own reserved yet warm nod and smile in response to his inquiry.

"I don't really, like- dance much at all or know-...know how, but..." Her eyes rolled to the floor, staring at the floorboards a ways off where shadow and reality met and blurred details of their environment. A few fluttery blinks and her gaze met his once more, a shine of their own in tender, childish vulnerability. "...I do have fun to," she finished in a confession so soft she briefly wondered if he could hear it at all.

That is- until she saw his eyes narrow, his smile sharpen, and his head shake with a "tsk, tsk" of much the same tone as hers.

"I don't suppose you can say you don't know how to dance after going about dancing like that," he countered, that expression about him now obviously a sort of playfulness. It made her cheeks a touch hotter, mouth drooping slightly in the sort of embarrassment that comes without shame.

Heaven knows it could have only gotten worse when Joey walked over and held out his hand, the frills of his undershirt's sleeve tickling at his wrist as that mild but mischievous grin waited an arm's length away. The other hand bent backwards behind him, completing the gentlemanly stance of someone long distanced from the society he formerly offered it to. Francine's hand rose slowly at first in mere surprise and then...as she looked over him...-

Joey's touch as she placed her fingertips on his in offering was so amazingly delicate, every drop of care he had in his old bones tangible in how gradually he took her hand into his. A thumb with rosy skin smoothed over her knuckles, a brief moment of what was maybe comprehension- of humanity- before his hold tightened into a grip and one last look was thrown over his shoulder the woman's way before pulling her behind and walking into the nothingness ahead, eyes smoldering quietly with anticipation.

At first, Francine was mesmerized alone by the idea that he was taking her from her seat to dance, but as he continued to move on towards the growing darkness, other things took her attention. Finally as Joey slowed to a stop some distance away from where they began, the shadows pulled away and before them was a phonograph. That- that...definitely wasn't within sight before; it made Francine's brow furrow in confusion, but soon the draw of another mystery pulled her in- the man that was now holding her hand.