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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:40 pm
Her calf had been bothering her for days now. She imagined she must have strained it somehow--a jump, possibly a lift. Regardless of how, the muscle had been tight since, and it gone beyond the point of bothersome, and become a hindrance. With the muscle twitching as much as it did, she couldn't rise up en pointe, and as a ballerina, that was just not acceptable. So she had written her name down on the neat little sign up sheet outside Lazarus' peaceful little domain, claiming a spot for that afternoon, eleven o'clock sharp. Delphine showed up ten minutes early, giving the door a soft rap of her knuckles to let Lazarus know she was there, She was hoping some massage therapy would loosen the muscle up quickly, otherwise she wasn't at all sure how she would be able to dance in the up coming exhibition that some of the dancers had been preparing for for the better part of the month,
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 3:00 pm
Most dancers, it turned out, kept pretty tight schedules. This wasn't really surprising. Lazarus was careful about how he arranged timeslots, always giving himself time to get things topped off between clients, but that meant that most of the fifteen minutes of downtime went to genuine use -- changing linens, wiping down surfaces, refreshing scented oils, washing his hands -- only a few minutes of his break periods were actually devoted to quaffing the wine that was sitting chilled in the bucket on the corner table. Delphine's knock, a full ten minutes early, therefore found Lazarus still wiping down his massage table, fresh towels at the ready to be set out when he was done. No sips of wine before his next guest, then. Pity. Lazarus drummed up his best professional manners, his friendly masseur persona. "Come on in," he offered toward the door in calm, honeyed tones. "I'm just tidying up for you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 4:36 pm
The smile she offered to him as she came in was bright yet sheepish. "If you need a few minutes I can wait. I realize I'm early. For that I apologize." Practice had been shorter than she'd been expecting, and she had hoped perhaps the masseur would be able to see her a little earlier. If not, she would of course understand. There had been another dancer on her list before her, and time was needed to prepare things between appointments. "September had a prior engagement, so practice let out a little early today." Delphi closed he door behind her before turning to admire the decor--or rather the lack of decor. Everything was very neat, very clean but the space lacked anything in the way of personal effects or touches. Professional, comfortable, but not companionable. A few pieces of art on the walls would go along way to liven up the room, she thought. "Has business been going well? Your list has been very full lately."
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:42 pm
Lazarus chuckled, tossing the towel he was holding over into the laundry bin in the corner. It was important to always be cheerful and friendly to these people. It made them feel comfortable. Holding down this job was absurdly important. "When your business goes poorly," he pointed out amicably, "my business goes well. I don't like to root against any of you, but you can see where it would be tempting." He gestured to the table, to indicate she could have a seat now that it was clean. "I sort of wondered when you'd have mercy on yourself and turn up, though. An ounce of prevention's worth a pound of cure, honestly. Wouldn't you rather see me than a doctor?" Lazarus punctuated this with a pretty grin. He turned away to a stack of clear plastic cups and a few pitchers on a small card table. "Water? I've got one with cucumbers in, one with lemons, and one with strawberries."
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 3:48 pm
She chuckled at his logic and offered a nod in agreement. "Oh yes, I do see. It is the same, I think, for those of us serving as understudy." Delphine would never actively wish harm upon her fellow dancers, but, for the chance to shine, she couldn't exactly say she wished them well, either. She took a seat as indicated, bending to slide the zipper down on one of her boots. "I had hoped the problem would work itself out, so that I wouldn't have to trouble you." One boot down, she removed the second, placing them neatly beside the table. "When it became clear to the contrary I sought out your appointment list immediately." The dancer enjoyed Lazarus' company, but he always seemed so very busy. She hated to make herself a burden on him. "Strawberries would be lovely. If you don't mind."
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Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:23 am
Lazarus liked serving the flavored water. Clients took it as a nice touch, it cost practically nothing to do, and slicing fruits and veggies in the morning was a nice mindless task that helped to either clear the fog of a morning hangover or loosen up sore muscles, depending on whether or not Stroud had elected to give him the night off. Coffee, hot shower, putting together his things for work, getting dressed: it was a simple routine. Easy. Easy was about all he could manage, most mornings. Lazarus didn't think Eli had been an early riser, either, except on days he'd probably had those two children of his with him. He still caught himself making pancakes in little silver-dollar sizes by accident, sometimes, or cutting the crusts off of french toast. He poured the water into a plastic cup and handed it to Delphine. "They do pay me to be here," he assured her with a warm smile. "Why should you feel guilty about making use of a service your company's providing? They're showing they value your career. Coming here when you're having a problem shows you value it too." He rolled his padded stool over to a space on the floor in front of Delphine, then settled himself on it, rolling over a small table of drawers with lotions and oils in it alongside of himself. Lazarus reached down to cup his palm lightly under Delphine's heel so he could pick her leg up into his lap. "Tell me a little about your life," he inquired, voice lowered now that he was only sitting a small space apart from her and they were settling into a session. "Anything stressing you out? Aside from ballet, of course," he teased.
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:47 pm
She took the offered cup with delicate fingers, drawing it up to her lips for a dainty sip before resting it on her lap. "I'm not sure," she admitted, returning that warm smile. "You are right though, of course." If she wasn't the one taking up Lazarus' time, then someone else certainly was. The logic that formulated in Delphine's head, up to this point, had been terribly flawed. "I'll keep all that in mind for the next time, though with luck that won't be for a long while." She winked down at him as he brought her foot up to rest on his lap. "Not that I don't enjoy your company." The water came up again, cool and refreshing as it washed over tongue and throat, and she made a soft sound of appreciation before lowing the cup back to her lap. "There is nothing in life half so stressful as dance," she countered, not missing a beat. "But no, nothing really. We have a new filly I've been working on training to be a jumper, but she's picking it up faster than most, so there's hardly anything to worry about there." Although that could perhaps explain the calf strain.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:28 am
It was funny how much the strangest things could hurt him. Funny, when he'd gotten so used to not feeling much of anything that alcohol couldn't drown out. His fingers itched immediately for a drink, and he heard her words echo over and over in his head in hideous refrain: 'There is nothing in life half so stressful as dance.'This statement was so acutely painful that he nearly wanted to laugh. There is nothing in your life half so stressful as dance, he thought, a moment's utter hatred for Delphine rising in his throat. You hideously spoiled, naive child. You don't have the first ******** clue what stress is like if you think some mid-sized city's ballet company is the most life can ask of you.It was an ugly, startlingly vehement thought, and he forced himself to tamp it down without outwardly reacting, other than to spend a little longer than he needed to on leaning over to grab hand towels from his cart and unfolding them across his thighs. He made sure he was still smiling thoughtfully when he looked back over at Delphine. He was being petty, after all. Selfish. It wasn't her fault she had a normal life, and she got to be a person, while he had been broken and reshaped into one of Stroud's perfectly kept possessions. He didn't wish suffering on other people. He didn't."You break horses?" he asked, more than a little surprised. "Isn't that a bit of a career hazard?" Lazarus daubed a small amount of warming oil between his hands and ran them together before bringing them down to Delphine's foot and lower shin in his lap. His first touches were gentle and smooth, not yet kneading or even probing for spots where the muscles had gone to knot -- just getting a new customer accustomed to a stranger's touch, bringing her circulation up and her skin to a cozy temperature.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 10:26 am
Delphine was none-the-wiser to the masseuse's ugly thoughts. She sat quietly, smiling as she sipped at the subtly flavored water in her hand. Waiting patiently for him to prepare what needed preparing. Oblivious that she had done or said anything that could have been taken badly. Oblivious to so many things. When he turned back to face her she returned that soft smile before giving a small shake of her head, almost wistful. "It would be if I allowed myself to be the rider." Once upon a time, but one fall off the back of a nervous yearling had been enough to convince the budding ballerina that her place was firmly on the ground. At least for the training. "I have someone that helps me, they handle the riding, and I give the directions." The young woman fell quiet for a moment as he touched her leg, spreading the oil across her skin with gentle sweeps. " I enjoy riding, occasionally I chance it, but the temptation strikes less and less as my career here grows." Another side of cool water. "Because you're absolutely right, it's too much a hazard to chance it." There was something sad in her voice. She loved horses, always had, but she loved dance more. It hadn't been an easy choice to make. "There had been a time before I had settled on dance, when I'd considered pursuing that avenue." Back when she hadn't been sure if she'd get into the DCBC. Back before she had risen to the ranks of a soloist.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:33 pm
"It sounds exciting," he said with a smile. "I just don't want to see your career cut short. I've seen you practicing -- when you're not trying to give yourself a muscle injury," Lazarus teased, "you're really talented." He told them all they were talented. (He told some of them more than others, because some of them were talented. Delphi was talented.) It was important that he be liked. That the dancers all feel comfortable in his presence. Lazarus took a slightly firmer hand with his movements, letting the oil settle into her skin. Now his fingers were moving more deliberately, testing out the lay of sinew and muscle underneath his touch -- looking for places where the muscle had gone tight, wasn't pulling the way it was supposed to. A light massage, comfortable and useful for diagnosing problem areas. "What things do you do to relieve stress?" he asked, making sure he was at friendly and curious ease. Being a massage therapist often had a mental component, as well, and a touch of the Sherlock Holmesian era -- trying to get the client to provide the relevant information they were withholding that was affecting their health. If she was anything like most dancers, part of the problem would be that she was too much of a workaholic to actually want to have any outlets for her stress.
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:37 pm
The praise, as it always did, had Delphine smiling proudly, clearly pleased with the recognition of her talent. "Thank you, Lazarus." She chuckled softly, Hands coming together on her lap with the press of fingertips to fingertips. "I appreciate the concern, but I assure you, I am taking precautions." More could be taken, obviously, but she was a stubborn, headstrong young woman. She pulled in a a quick breath as the softer press of his hands grew firmer, but it didn't exactly hurt. Or rather, it did, but in a way that also felt good. So though she tensed initially, she was quick to relax into it. The question brought a soft peel of sheepish, guilty laughter. "Not nearly enough, I've been told, but I would argue that dance is as much a stress reliever as it is the cause." It was, but it wasn't. She certainly enjoyed dance, took pleasure from it, and it could certainly prove cathartic. Except that Delphine was always pushing herself to to better. To be better. "I do enjoy other genres of dance, beyond ballet. They are just for fun." Her head tilted, features going thoughtful. "I've been meaning to take a little time off, to take a trip away from DC, I just haven't gotten around to doing it just yet." With the production of Cinderalla in full swing, it would be some months before she got the chance for it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:29 am
Lazarus quirked a smile at Delphine. "Procrastinating on finding outlets for your stress will not relieve your stress," he chided gently. "Your mind won't just run in tip-top shape without you putting some effort into it. I mean, they call it mental health for a reason, after all -- your brain will always start to malfunction if you're not giving it the right care and exercise to keep it functioning like it's supposed to. And when it's not doing its job, you wind up with things like this." He slid his thumb up into a tough knot of muscle, gradually coaxing it toward a state of relaxation. "Have you thought about morning yoga? That might be something you'd like. They do a class out on the pier a couple times a week."
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:44 pm
He was right, of course. There was no denying that, so she didn't even try. "Have you always been this wise, Lazarus?" She gave him a gentle smile as he worked on her leg, features pinching only slightly as he found a knot and worked to coax it away. She gave a small, thoughtful hum as he mentioned yoga, shaking hr head. "I haven't. Honestly I don't generally go looking for other hobbies." Which should surprise no one. "I might though. I've heard it can be relaxing, and it does promote better balance." Balance was very important to dancers, after all.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:12 pm
Lazarus chuckled softly. "I'm not wise at all," he deflected. "I just get kickbacks from the yoga people for sending them referrals." He winked to indicate that he was, of course, joking. "Seriously, though," he said, bending her toes upward, pointing toward her head in a slow stretch. "We're not always good at seeing when we're doing things that aren't helping us out. Sometimes it's easier to see our options from someone else's point of view." He raised his eyebrows inquisitively. "What are some things you ask other people for help with?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 7:54 pm
Delphine flashed a smile in response to the joke and the wink, chuckling softly as she gave a small shake of her head. "So that's your game, is it?" Leaning back, the dancer lay her hands on the edge of the seat, arms taking the brunt of her slight weight as Lazarus worked on her leg. "Clever than, instead of wise." The smile faded though, a moment later, and she turned dark eyes away from him. "It's not often I ask for assistance in any regard." Never, if she could help it. There was something about relying on another person that put a bad taste in her mouth. Generosity was all well and good, certainly appreciated, but Delphine never asked, and she never expected. Worries and responsibilities were all her's to shoulder. She much preferred independence, to dependence.
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