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 Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:27 am
If Paris found fault in herself for one thing (aside from being a vain hypocrite and obsessively overbearing) it would be in her failure to be as active in the issues of the day that affected her life as she often thought she should be.
In some ways it was easy to slip so seamlessly into a quiet life once she'd come to terms with herself, and there was a part of her that preferred to keep to herself and find happiness and peace in the life she'd created for herself. But she also acknowledged that keeping quiet and going about her business was not something she would likely be able to do. As a ballerina she'd already brought attention to herself, due to her past, due to her talent, due to the speculations of others. And her family lived very public lives, too public for the name Paris Gallo not to have a story behind it.
Then there was a part of her that felt responsible. Whatever her past might have been, she had opportunities now that other people didn't. It was in her power to use those opportunities for the better, to help people who found themselves walking in similar shoes.
So when she heard about a little girl named Bailey, Paris took it upon herself to arrange to meet with her.
There was a craft room at the community center that she thought a child of ten might find comfortable, and she'd scheduled time to use the room between afternoon craft sessions so that she and Bailey could have some time alone. Paris walked in that day straight from rehearsals, a short, thin girl of twenty in a black leotard and pale tights with a pink skirt and cardigan pulled over top, a pair of white Keds on her feet in the place of her toe-shoes, and her long hair twisted into the traditional ballerina bun. She carried a black gym bag with her, covered in pink, white, and green polka dots, but deposited it onto the floor and took a seat while she waited for her guest to arrive.Das Tor I hope this is okay! :3 If not, I can always edit!
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:33 pm
While Bailey knew there were others like her out there, people who didn't identify, one way or another, as their biological gender, she had never met one before. Not that she could remember. She'd always been so focused on just trying to get through school, and then dealing with rejection and then the move and the fact she didn't have to face that she used to have to pretend to be a boy (except when she had to undress). So when her therapist had mentioned a possible meeting with someone else in the community, the little girl had been surprised.
Even more so when she found out the woman she'd be meeting, if she was up for it, was a ballerina with some fame in the area. Bailey agreed to it after a couple of sessions, her parents agreeing as well. Maybe it would do her some good, to meet someone else. Especially someone so obviously doing well for herself!
So she found herself at the community center one afternoon, her mother reassuring her that she'd be right down the hall talking to someone about volunteer opportunities after she met the young lady Bailey would be talking to. The pink-haired girl fidgeted with the hem of her pink-and-purple tulle tutu, her precious new space leggings on along with her purple Espeon t-shirt and turquoise lucky tennis shoes, the ones with the purple laces. And then there was several of her beaded bracelets, so she had something to fidget with if she really needed it, and a craft bag (a child-sized turquoise-and-purple duffel filled with craft supplies) her mother had put together for her.
The first thing Bailey noticed when she and her mother walked into the assigned room was that the lady was really pretty. She didn't look at all like she'd once had to be a boy, the sort of look Bailey hoped she could manage as she grew up. She shyly waved to the woman, her mother taking a step forward with her hand extended and a smile on her face.
"Hello, miss. I'm Rose Jameson, and this is my daughter Bailey."
"Hello. It's nice to meet you. And uhm...thank you For wanting to meet with me." She wasn't normally so shy, but...well, she'd never met anyone else like her before. It was strange and awesome and she wasn't entirely sure what she should do.Sunshine Alouette Sorry it took so long to reply!
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Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:48 am
Paris stood as soon as mother and child entered the room, smoothing out the thin, semi-translucent material of her pink practice skirt in a compulsive gesture that was hardly necessary. She smiled in a manner she hoped was more welcoming than awkward, but had to admit (if only to herself) that she was somewhat nervous about the encounter—not that speaking to children was difficult, but it wasn't often that she opened herself up like this to strangers.
She took the mother's hand with a minor show of lingering confidence. “Paris Gallo,” she introduced herself.
Paris was a petite girl, traditionally pretty, with a thin body well-suited for her profession, her legs long and toned with lithe, elongated muscles. Narrow-shouldered and small chested, with graceful, slender arms, she probably seemed quite dainty and delicate, but there was a surprising amount of strength in her bearings, and a surety in her posture that could make her seem impressive to the sort of person who could appreciate what she did for a living.
The sight of Bailey sent Paris momentarily into memories of her own childhood. She met the girl's choice of attire with a wide smile that concealed some of her own inner sadness, the sort of pain that came from the struggle to express herself when so many others thought themselves more knowledgeable about what was right and proper and “good for her” than she was.
“It's nice to meet you too, Bailey,” she said. Once she'd let go of the mother's hand, Paris held her hand out for Bailey. Suddenly unsure of herself or where to go with the conversation from here, she looked back at the mother and attempted another smile. “You're welcome to stay if you'd like,” she offered. “I don't know if you had other plans or not. Or if you'd rather talk alone,” and she directed this statement to Bailey, “I don't mind either way.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 6:30 pm
Rose approved of the way the girl held herself and spoke. Her smile didn't fade as she shook her head.
"This is for the two of you. But if you need me, either of you, I'll be right down the hall. And it won't be a bother at all if you need me."
Bailey took Paris' hand, shaking it in the nervous way of someone who wasn't too sure about everything, but was still excited. "You're really a ballerina?" That was something Bailey couldn't get over. Because ballerinas, boys and girls alike, were both really pretty in the girl's mind. The massive amounts of glitter involved often times might have helped that opinion.Sunshine Alouette This took way longer than it should have, otl.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 7:15 am
Paris nodded in agreement to Bailey's mother.
“Thank you,” she said.
She was not unaware of Bailey's anxiousness, and felt slightly better knowing that this was a nerve-wracking experience for the both of them. Paris had never done anything like this before, and she had to wonder if Bailey have ever even met anyone else like her.
Paris hadn't when she'd been younger. If she had, maybe things would have been a little easier.
“I am a ballerina,” she said, smiling with pride. She motioned to one of the chairs for Bailey to sit, retaking the chair she'd only just stood from herself. “My mother put me in dance classes when I was younger. When I was around your age I started doing pointe work. I was really happy because that's usually something only girls do, and before that no one ever really understood how I felt. Have you ever seen a ballet before?”
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 6:05 am
Rose let herself out of the room, letting the two girls have their space to talk. Bailey gave the door a glance, but looked back to Paris quickly, nodding. "I got to see the Nutcracker once, back in Tacoma. It was..." She took a seat as she tried to find the right words. "Amazing. There weren't any words, but you knew what was happening and it was amazing and awesome!" It had been the only ballet she'd seen more than a few steps of, but it had left an impression on her.
Ballet was a thing of beauty, and anyone who thought otherwise obviously didn't have eyes in their head.
"How'd you know you wanted to be a ballerina when you grew up?" She knew there were lots of kids who took ballet, but most of them just...grew out of it or stopped being interested. And that obviously hadn't been the case with Paris. "I still dunno what I wanna do when I grow up. So many options!"
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am
“Well, part of it is that dancing's really the only thing I've ever been good at,” Paris admitted.
Of course she loved ballet. She didn't think anyone could go through such intense training and still want to be a professional ballerina if they didn't love the art. But at least part of her own dedication came from a different source—she wouldn't know what else to do with her life. She'd danced since before she could even remember; one of her earliest memories was of her toddler dance classes. She'd never really explored other avenues. From the time she was very young, it was dancing or nothing.
What would she have done with her life if she didn't have ballet? If she wasn't a dancer, what kinda of a career would she have sought? These were not questions she often considered. She didn't have to, but when the idea was brought up she felt as if she had to give it at least a little thought.
“I think another part of it if that, when I was little, ballet was the other thing I did where I felt like I was really able to express myself,” Paris continued. “My parents didn't really understand. Neither did my teachers at school. But my ballet instructor did. It was like something just kind of clicked into place and I felt more like myself and less like what other people expected me to be.”
Paris paused, suddenly worried that the topic might be becoming too heavy for someone so young. “Anyway, you have plenty of time to decide what you want to be when you grow up. What are some things you like to do?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:18 am
"I'm glad you had something like that!" Bailey herself understood just how important that feeling was, even if it was only one or two things that gave it to you. "I know I'm really lucky that my parents and brother understand, and are patient. My grandparents think it's 'just a phase', and...well, my classmates didn't like when I started really being me." Knightside was so much better than that short time at school back in Tacoma after she'd 'come out'.
"I bet, though, that you're really good at it. Ballet. When you throw your all into something, it hits a level all it's own!"
The question about what Bailey liked to do made her a little shy. "Well...I like arts and crafts a lot. And Pokemon. And football! And gardening." She loved her little garden of kitchen herbs! And one day...she and Reed would have a proper little plot again!
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:17 am
Paris was sure to be careful about listening to the sound of Bailey's voice when she talked about her family. For a kid going through what Bailey was going through, an accepting family was important. Despite the grandparents, Paris was at least reassured that Bailey's parents and brother were treating her well and handling things as well as could be expected.
“So you like a lot of different things,” she observed. “That's okay. It's good to have a lot of different interests. It gives you more options. One day you'll find you like one thing more than the other, or you'll find something new you might want to do instead.”
Paris shifted to find a more comfortable position in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she continued to observe Bailey. Her smile grew somewhat strained and awkward as she endeavored to find something to say. She'd not thought this encounter all the way through when she'd agreed to meet with Bailey; she didn't know what topics were best to talk about and which were better left alone.
Perhaps, she thought, it would be best to let Bailey steer the conversation.
“You know, I've never really done this before,” she admitted. “I've met other people like me in passing, but sitting down and talking hasn't ever really happened until now. For a long time I kind of avoided things because I thought it was easier that way.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 9:42 am
"Whatever I do...I know I wanna be around people. I want to help others somehow. Make lives better." That, throughout her childhood, had never changed. Even as her interests did. She fidgeted a bit, mirroring Paris' anxiousness a little.
"I haven't either. Before now...I really only talked to my family or my therapist. I've...you're the first person that I know is like me that I've met." She gave the other girl a sheepish smile. "I mean, I knew there were others. But...it was so hard to imagine anyone else going through anything like me." Her voice shook a little as she remembered what had happened at her old school. "It's like people think we wanna be different, like we wanna be born in the wrong bodies. All we want is to be ourselves and not be hurt for it. Right?"Sunshine Alouette She was being adorable, and then she broke my heart a little. ;____;
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:19 am
Paris met Bailey with a gentle smile. “Right,” she said.
It hurt a little to hear the way Bailey's voice shook. Paris reached for one of Bailey's hands and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“There's going to be a lot of people who don't understand,” she said, “and there are going to be times when things seem really hard, but you just have to remember that there are people who'll be there for you. I know sometimes that doesn't seem like enough, but one day you'll be all grown up and you'll realize your experiences have helped you grow into a stronger person. It seems to me like your family has you back. Mine didn't always. I think my mom was so afraid of doing the wrong thing she didn't know what the right thing was, and my dad just didn't understand at all.
“But you have people who support you, and that's the most important thing,” Paris continued. “And if you want, I can give you my number so if you ever need someone else to talk to, or if you have questions, or if you're afraid, or even if you're happy and just want someone else to share it with, you can call me, okay?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:29 am
Bailey took comfort in the older girl's gesture, listening and nodding. Paris was right. For all the naysayers and people who didn't understand...she had her family. She would always have her parents and her brother.
"Yeah. And...you'd do that, Miss Paris?" She was more than a little surprised by that, but it made her happy, too. To have someone else like her to share things with, who knew how important even the little things where. "I'd like that!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:44 am
Paris laughed gently. “You don't have to call me 'miss,'” she said, even if she rather liked the sound of it. “Just Paris is fine.”
To prove her previous point, Paris leaned over to dig around in her dance bag until she found a scrap piece of paper and a pen. She scrawled her name and her number on the paper in pink ink and passed it over to Bailey.
“There. I don't know if you have your own phone, otherwise I would have just entered it in so you don't lose it,” she explained. “Either way, your mom's already got my number, so you're welcome to give me a call whenever you want. Morning, day, or night. If I'm not able to answer, I'll call back as soon as I can. And if it's an emergency,” she took the paper back for a moment and wrote two more names and numbers beneath her own, “this is my husband Chris's number. I've already told him about you. And my mom's number, too, just in case. So that's two more people you can add to the list of people who've got your back.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 9:16 am
"Mom said she's adding me onto the plan next week, since it's gotten to a point that it just makes more sense for me to have one." She giggled. "Probably won't be anything like an iPhone, though. Just something really simple." Having three numbers, though...Three more people in the world that she could trust to not turn her away.
"Thank you, Paris. This...this means a lot." She gave Paris a smile full of relief. "You're really awesome!" She was a little less alone in the world, and that feeling was just...amazing.Sunshine Alouette I think...we can actually wrap it up. o.o
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