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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:14 pm
"Hurry, hurryyyyy!" Tsuji's small fingers grasped Huan Yi's hand firmly and pulled her towards the museum entrance. Her guardian could only laugh at her enthusiasm as she fished around in her bag for their ticket money. The child at her side rocked back and forth on her heels, and out of the corner of her eye, Huan Yi noted how much Tsuji had grown over the past few weeks. The skirt that had hung loosely on her now rested a hair's length above her knees, and the windbreaker she wore to combat the slightly blustery day was already creeping up her forearms and looked a little tight around the shoulders.
"Don't wander off, Tsuji-- oh, t-thank you." Her attempt to reach for the Ashe child was interrupted by the appearance of the tickets and programs, which she hastily grabbed and moved off after her wandering ward. Tsuji, on the other hand, was very much enthralled with the sight around her. She was beginning to feel cooped up at home, and this was the first time she had gone out in a long while. The elegant ladies she had seen on television had told her of this place.
They were so fascinating, with their nimble movements and brilliant costumes. Immediately after watching the commercial she had rushed over to Huan Yi and dragged her back to the set. She wanted to learn more about these dancers in their beautiful outfits.
Large banners proclaimed the new exhibit that resided there among the regular displays of art and culture, but the stream of visitors was still relatively thin. Both the child and her guardian preferred this - Huan Yi for her nervousness and Tsuji for the fact that they wouldn't have to shove people around to see what they wanted.
"Come now, Tsuji.. hey, hold still." Huan Yi knelt down slowly, being sure to tuck her skirt around her properly as she grasped the child. The girl who had once stood at knee-length to her was now close to reaching her waist.. she was startled by how fast she was growing. "You have to stay with me, alright? Don't wander off and get lost." She reached up to tuck the straying blue strands of hair into her hat and secure it more snugly, and Tsuji's yellow eyes flashed impatience. "Here, this is for you."
"Okaaaaay." Tsuji whined as she accepted the program from her, and turned her eyes to examine the cover and contents while Huan Yi gave the ticket to the worker at the entrance. The bright yellow words, emblazoning the photo of a white-clad ballerina with flapping arms, read "Grand Fouette: The Legacy Of Ballet" - but reading was a task that Tsuji hadn't quite mastered yet. However the picture told her enough; what she wanted to see was here.
"Let's go, shall we?" She looked up at her guardian, then to the extended hand that she was offering. With a bounce in her step, she took the hand and followed her into the exhibit.
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:00 pm
Sometimes... not always, but sometimes... Julien wandered. He was never quite sure if he got the urge because there was some force leading him or simply because he liked to see new things and meet new people. Certainly, he'd never fancied himself to have much of an interest in ballet, but seeing that there was a new exhibit at the local museum drew him to it, and on his first day off from his new job, the teen made his way up the steps and into the building, reaching for a program which he promptly ignored.
He wore slacks and an oversized sweater, the collar coming up to under his chin and the dark indigo color setting off his pale skin nicely, making him look almost like an ice prince... until one noticed the warm cheer in his eyes. That made the illusion tumble away, leaving him simply Julien once more.
Julien made his way through the museum to the new exhibit, stepping past the cordoned-off area to enter, and paused inside, eyes travelling first over the different displays and then over the people wandering through. He blinked when he caught sight of a small head of blue hair - blue was a very unusual color for humans, but not, he suspected, quite so unusual for Ashe. And once again, the thought occurred that maybe he'd been Meant to find this place. He stepped forward, coming to rest beside the blue-haired girl and the woman with her, and smiled, looking at the exhibit as he said, "I really like your hair."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:14 pm
"What's this one?" Tsuji pointed at one of the first showcases, which contained a flowing white outfit made of feathers and beads. One look at the program cover showed that the woman in the photograph wore the same one, or at least one similar. Tsuji's hands pressed on the rail as she leaned forward to get a better look at the details.
"Let's see here.." Huan Yi looked around and found the placard that displayed the informational tidbit for the case, using her finger as a reading guide. "'This is a replica of the dress worn by Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, for her performance of 'The Dying Swan', a dance choreographed to Saint-Saens's 'The Swan' at her request. The dance became increasingly popular through Pavlova's worldwide tour and is now widely performed by many others.'"
As soon as these words left Huan Yi's mouth, Tsuji's normally mischievous eyes widened in wonder. This woman performed for people all over the world.. she wondered how that would feel, making people smile just by moving around. An image flashed into her mind of herself in that dress, moving just as the ladies on TV had. Touring around the world, wearing beautiful costumes and moving with grace.. that sounded like fun. She mused on this for a moment when suddenly a voice broke through her daydream.. one she hadn't heard before.
Both Tsuji and Huan Yi turned to look at the stranger that had joined them at the case, and both shared a look of slight surprise at his appearance. His overall paleness, from his skin to his soft hair, was a stark contrast on most they had met, but something about him made Tsuji feel a warming. Perhaps it was the gentle look of his features, or perhaps it was the way he had just complimented her. Her face broke into a wide smile and she stepped forward with a less boisterous gait.
"Thanks!" She had to crane her neck back to get a proper look at his face. "I like yours too - it looks really soft!" The atmosphere about him seemed to convey gentleness, and immediately she thought of their former neighbors and the gift that she had given them (which was hanging around her neck at the moment). Her fingers reached up and toyed with the tassles.
"A-are you also here for the exhibit?" Being in another one-on-one encounter, Huan Yi's cheeks colored as she smiled meekly. She had a feeling that this person was likely someone like Tsuji, but she couldn't be entirely sure. Meeting new people was good for the child, and Huan Yi was for it either way.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:42 am
"I am," Julien nodded, eyes crinkling into a smile as he nodded to both of them. "But I don't know a thing about ballet, I'm afraid. I've never even seen one before. Have you?"
Already, Julien found himself liking what he saw of the two. They seemed friendly and open, and not nearly as cautious as so many of the other Ashe seemed to be. His eyes watched them both, flicking back and forth as he considered each in turn. One seemed shy, the other very outgoing, and his mind was wondering at their tastes in food. Could he possibly concoct a meal that would please them both at the same time?
The thought of the challenge made him smile a little wider, and he held out one hand to each of them in turn, so that they could shake.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:15 am
"I-I'm afraid I don't know much.. we used to see 'The Nutcracker' at Christmas time when I was younger, but not much other than that." Huan Yi blushed and pushed her hair away behind her ears before she spotted his extended hand. "O-oh! I'm sorry." She took his hand gently between both of her smaller ones. "My name is Huan Yi Ye."
"And I'm Tsuji!" The little girl, watching what Huan Yi did, also took the boy's hand in both of hers, but instead of a gentle handshake she gave a much more excited one. "I wanted to come.. the ladies on TV looked so neat! I want to dance like that!" In her enthusiasm, she brought her feet together and tried to balance on the tips of her toes, just as she had seen them do. However, gravity won the challenge and she stumbled backwards, saving herself quickly from an embarrassing fall.
It had looked so easy when they did it!
"Perhaps..." Her guardian mused for a moment. Maybe the child would benefit from dance lessons. She seemed interested enough. But there was the concern of her appearance.. either the instructors would find her an eccentric child, or her parents eccentric. That she could live with, but the fact that she was growing at a rapid rate would likely alarm any normal person. She would have to give this more thought later. "W-well anyway, shall we move on?" She smiled.
"Yeah!" Tsuji was teeming with excitement again, and she looked up at their new acquaintance with a bright, toothy smile. "You're coming too, right?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:07 pm
"I'd like to come, yes," Julien agreed, far more content to let them lead the way. It would be easier to get to know these new friends if he allowed them to show him what they liked, after all. "You both have beautiful names," he added, looking at his program for a moment before folding it and tucking it into a pocket. "Very musical names. It's small wonder you want to dance, I think."
He paused, then turned to look at Huan Yi curiously. "And what is the great love in your life, if I may ask?" He'd have to hit a payphone later and call Mir, he decided. She'd want to meet these two as well, he was certain of it.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:52 pm
"Thanks! I want to do a lot of dancing someday." Tsuji nodded happily at the newcomer and took a few quick hopping steps in front of them before she turned around. She was liking him very much already; Huan Yi seemed to like him, and he was always quick to compliment - both of which went far in Tsuji's book. Almost immediately following the thought, her attention was diverted to the next exhibit: a simple, A-line costume with a flowing skirt, flanked by show photographs in the case (mostly pictures of a man and a woman dancing very intimately).
Huan Yi laughed softly as she watched the little Ashe press her hands on the railing again to get a better look at the pictures. The girl danced over to the information podium and squinted at the squiggles on the placard, which reminded her guardian that it would be high time for reading lessons soon. She turned her attention from the child momentarily to their companion when he asked her about her hobbies, and her cheeks flushed a little.
"Oh.. I like reading." It sounded so lame when put that way, but it was what it was. "Pretty much any book, although I'm rather fond of period literature and plays." Her gaze returned to the exhibit Tsuji was looking at and eyed the photographs - it looked very similar to Romeo and Juliet (and, upon further inspection, probably may have been; there'd been a ballet based upon it, after all). "What do you enjoy doing, uhm.. ?" She looked up at the taller man and smiled; she was quite eager to know the name of their museum companion.
By this point, Tsuji had grown tired of trying to decipher what was written on the card and taken to examining the pictures. The dancers on television made the positions and moves look so easy! Even though she knew it'd probably take some practice, her feet were unconsciously mimicking the position in one of the photographs - another en pointe stance. She didn't notice though as she balanced to get a better look at the higher up pictures, too absorbed in the task at hand.
Even after she managed to stand perfectly en pointe in her tennis shoes.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:24 am
"Julien," he supplied, realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet. "Or Jules, as you prefer." He turned to the pictures for a moment, but his attention was far more on Tsuji's imitations than the exhibit itself. Like the other Ashe, she already seemed to have something that called out to her. "I like cooking and quilting," he added, answering Huan Yi's question after a moment. His words were unapologetic, as though he were oblivious to the fact that such hobbies were rarely considered masculine. ...Or perhaps, he simply didn't care.
"I can sit still to read just fine, but my attention tends to wander if I'm not doing something with my hands, so early on, I found sewing and cooking. Besides, it's fun to try tasting new things, and my guardian isn't a very adventurous soul when it comes to the kitchen." He nodded to Tsuji's perfectly-executed en pointe at that point, half-grinning. "I think I may just be able to say, someday, that I knew a famous ballerina before she was discovered." He stretched a bit, slipping his hands into his back pockets casually.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:30 pm
"You enjoy cooking as well?" Huan Yi brightened up at the news. She had always enjoyed being in the kitchen; memories of helping her mother and then later Mrs. Egan came back to her, and she smiled. It would be interesting to have a cooking buddy. But as his gaze followed Tsuji and he commented on knowing a famous ballerina, her green eyes blinked before she turned and saw the child leaning far over the railing, balanced perfectly on the toes of her sneakers. "T-Tsuji!"
The surprised cry startled the young girl and she turned sharply and lowered back to rest her feet solidly on the floor. The gaze of her two elders made her feel a little anxious and she shifted her weight a little. "What?"
"When did you learn to do that?" Huan Yi was astonished. Just this morning, the child had been unable to balance herself on her toes, despite a number of (unsuccessful) attempts. It was a skill that grew out of training and practice.. and here this child had just done it without thinking. Whatever the case, Tsuji merely frowned and knotted her eyebrows together in a confused gaze.
"Do what?" These words made the feat more astonishing to her guardian, but she merely shook her head. Tsuji seized the opportunity to move them along as she reached for both Huan Yi and Julien's hands and pulled them along with her. These adults were too busy talking to each other, and she was starting to feel antsy. What could be more fun than being around her? "Hey, I see some TVs, let's go over there!" She tugged their hands in the direction of a small circle of display screens. "If I'm gonna be the best, I wanna watch them and see how they do it." The screens flickered with images of dancers and costumes, processions on stage, and composers. Tsuji rocked on her heels as she took in the sight with enthusiasm.
"And to think... she only became really enthusiastic about dancing this morning." Huan Yi sighed slowly and turned to Julien with a questioning but amused look. "Do Ashe children take to certain things this quickly? I mean..." It was obvious what she was getting at. The graceful en pointe stance that the Ashe child had just done was still astonishing to her. "I-I mean.. learning something that fast.. ?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:01 pm
Julien's look as he was led along by Tsuji was best described as indulgent. He didn't pull free of the grip, perfectly happy to let Tsuji hold his hand and guide him as he looked over at Huan Yi. "Many of them do, yes," he agreed easily. "I doubt I've met every one of them, but most of the ones I know, something calls to them very early on. Maybe it's part of our natures to find our destiny so quickly." He half-shrugged, keeping his voice low so that Tsuji wouldn't be disturbed as she watched the dancers.
"How are you taking to it, being a guardian to one of us? I think it drove Mir crazy sometimes, after all."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:14 am
Tsuji smiled and happily tugged them over towards the displays, her eyes glued to the screens. She couldn't quite decided which one she'd rather watch so her gaze wandered over each quickly. There was just so much to watch that she didn't know where to start! The entire trip to the museum was a treat for her senses and she did her best to memorize the photos and the costumes.
It was strange, her enthusiasm for this. It had hit her like lightning as soon as she had seen that advertisement, making her feel so light and dizzy with excitement. As strange as it was, it was something she wanted to see through, just to see where it would take her.
Huan Yi watched her young charge and a smile touched her lips. "I-It.. was quite startling at first. Having her drop into my one's life pretty much guaranteed surprises." She chuckled. "Sometimes she's a handful, but it's so... interesting, I suppose, despite the difficult times." It seemed like a fairy tale to her at times but saying so out loud would just sound silly. She was sure that Julien understood what she was saying though. "Did your guardian-- may I call her Mir as well? Did she struggle a little with her guardianship as well?"
"Huan Yi, Julien, look!" A tug at their hands served as a reminder of Tsuji's presence as she tapped the screen. An old grainy film showed a woman dancing over a spotlit stage, pale arms flapping as she dipped and rose onto her toes. The little girl's eyes widened in wonder. "Isn't she pretty? That's the lady on the program, isn't it?"
"That's right." Her guardian chuckled as she watched the dancer. Her broken movements conveyed such sadness, and she felt it touch her heart, if only just a little bit. "It's a very sad dance." Tsuji tilted her head at the statement, as though she were puzzling it herself, and turned to check the video to see for herself. As she too watched it, she knew what her guardian was talking about, and a small twinge of sadness settled in her chest. It was familiar, this sadness.. but she couldn't place it.
"You can dance to show how you feel?" Tsuji shot the question out there as her fingers drummed against the edge of the display podium. It was an interesting concept - she only thought a person danced when they were happy (at least that's what she felt like doing when the mood arose). Conveying emotions through dance? That was new to her.. very curious indeed. But it was something she intended to try sometime soon.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:56 am
Julien nodded, his own eyes soft as he squeezed Tsuji's hand a little. "You can do a lot of things to show how you feel," he agreed. "Some people dance. Others paint or sculpt. Still others sew or cook." He kept his voice hushed, as though he might disturb the dancer onscreen, though there was certainly no way she could hear him. "It depends on what calls out to your soul, I think, but any way of creating is a way of showing how you feel, no matter what it is you're creating." He dropped down to squat beside Tsuji, bringing his tall form much closer to her height.
"I think you will likely make a very beautiful, very skilled dancer. But it takes a lot of work and practice. Anything you really want with all your heart does, right?" His eyes were gentle, warmth for the smaller girl shining in them as he smiled at her. And then, with a gentle squeeze to her hand again, he stood back up, looking over at Huan Yi.
"Her name's Mireille, but she always encourages everyone to call her Mir. I'm very sure she'd do the same for you." His smile faded as he considered her question. "I think... her struggle isn't so much with raising me as with something else, but I also think that being a mother is probably a very scary, and very happy, thing."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:02 am
Julien's words sparked a warmth in Tsuji's heart, and with each squeeze of his hand the feeling doubled. She had heard encouragement before - from Ciellas, Huan Yi, even once from William (even if it was coupled with a line about her moving out). To hear it from her own kind felt a little more encouraging somehow. It wasn't that she disregarded it from the others, but moreso that it seemed much more believable from Julien.
"I promise I'll work hard! I'll be the best dancer out there!" She nodded rapidly and squeezed his hand back with both of hers. Nothing was learned in a day. Her failure to stand en pointe showed that much. But she was willing to try, however much she could.
"It seems like it can be." Huan Yi's thoughts drifted as she watched the young child before her and smiled. Bless her, she had released their hands and was already tottering on ahead with eager eyes. She moved to follow behind her slowly, keeping her in sight but giving her enough space to look around. "But to see them so happy.. that is the best reward." The words sounded a little corny coming out of her mouth, and she even blushed at saying them, but it was a true enough statement.
Tsuji's happiness was her happiness.
At present, the child had wandered into the middle of the room to get a good look at the displays. She gave a dismissive glance over what she had already seen and was dismayed to find that most of the front room she had already explored. What to do next? That couldn't be all there was!
A small trickle of people moved down a large corridor towards the back of the museum, and the child tilted her head. Now what could everybody be going to see? She glanced at the large banner and squinted, which did little to help. She really needed to work on her reading skills. But she knew that something was going on, and she wanted to find out what.
"Huan Yi, Julieeeen!" She called loudly to the two of them and drew a few disapproving stares. Her guardian jumped at the sudden volume and pressed a finger to her lips in hopes of quieting her down. Tsuji took the hint and lowered her voice. "Let's go this way! There's something going on!" She motioned to the sign, and Huan Yi glanced up and read "Performance and Demonstration - Learn About Technique!" in decorative gold letters.
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:30 am
Julien chuckled, slipping his hands back into his pockets as he looked over at Huan Yi. "I think we've got our very own tour guide," he teased lightly, pure cheer on his face. Whatever he might've gone to see while on his own could be seen another day, and Tsuji's energy and enthusiasm were infectious, though he did move at the more sedate pace of her guardian.
After walking a minute or so in relative silence, he turned to glance at Huan Yi again. "I think you've got a good attitude, really," he offered quietly. "Your words are true for you. I can almost feel it radiating off you, it's so strong." And that without him being an empath! He chuckled inwardly at the very thought. "It seems to me that a better guardian couldn't have been chosen for her, if you feel like that."
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:44 pm
"Y-You think so?" Huan Yi's cheeks reddened again, but this time she was quick to smile. "Thank you. W-We all do our best with what we're given, I'm certain." After what he had told her about the Ashe's interests beginning to manifest early, she felt comforted to know that things were going well. Something was already calling out to her.
Tsuji beamed when she had their attention and took off ahead, not bothering to wait too long. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the small hallway as she dodged between slower-moving visitors with their shuffling steps. The end of the hallway had opened up to an empty display room. The normal displays had been moved to another part of the museum to leave the room barren. The wooden floors had been cleaned and polished, so much so that the little girl could see her reflection faintly.
". . years of practice, but the basics are always, always important." The voice she heard wasn't projected over the installed intercom nor a microphone, and as she looked around for the source she spotted bright flourishes of movement between the legs of the crowd. She wriggled her way through the watchers to the front, earning some well-deserved glares in her pushiness, but her eyes went wide with wonder at the two graceful figures before her. A man and a woman glided across the floor, touching one another lightly before moving away and joining with a strong, supportive connection.
Now this is what she came to see.
"The basics are practiced by all dancers for a reason. It saves a lot of pain later on." The man wiped his hands on the towel draped around his neck, and he smiled at his dance partner.
"We start with stretching, before going into basic steps using the bar, such as this." Her leg rose next to her and formed a perfect right angle from the floor, and Tsuji (along with a number of younger children present) watched in complete awe and clapped. The woman chuckled. "It's a little hard at first, but leg stretches are essential to dance."
"Would anybody like to try?" The man said, and the Ashe child's hand shot up as quick as lightning. Some of the people next to her were a little startled at her speed, but a number of other children followed her lead and held up their hands. He laughed at the enthusiasm, and pointed towards Tsuji. "I saw yours first. Come on up here."
"Okay!" She could barely contain her excitement as she skipped forward. The smile widened on her lips when she turned to look back at the crowd (some of who watched her curiously, others eying her peculiar blue hair) and her eyes scanned it for Huan Yi and Julien, before finding them just emerging from the hallway. The child took a deep, steadying breath.
Her first real performance!
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