Bound by the Barre
| C | date: 8/7/2025 location: Elsewhere, Paris |
abilities: lovely creature dialogue: #0a2a28 mentioned: @Geneviève Caussade |
C |
| CV | By the next morning, Camille was expected to join the intermediate class for pas de deux, which was surprising. He’d expected to rise in rank sooner rather than later, but to jump into a pas de deux was unorthodox. The boy wasn’t nervous per-se, but the stakes felt higher than usual, though he decided that it was a positive thing that he was deemed to have surpassed the introductions. It also meant another change of uniform to match the appropriate level. Teal was exchanged for white for the boys, while the girls in the intermediate level wore mauve. He’d expected to share the news with his new acquaintance at breakfast, but he had not seen her yet, alas, it would have to wait until the next time he ran into the girl. After changing into his new attire, he headed to the floor above to find the new hall. Music echoed from one of the rooms. He followed the sound of one of the songs from the Flower Festival in Genzano. Reaching the correct location, he slowed as he passed a glass-panelled room, glancing through the glass at a graceful couple performing a variation. His attention was captured briefly by the girl, executing a series of slow, controlled turns, the stage-ready smile never leaving her face once. Immediately, it was clear that this was miles above standards, compared to the group he’d been shoved together with yesterday. The boy was both encouraged by the raised stakes, and expectant of how his integration into this new class would unfold. He rolled through his relevé and performed some gentle stretches out in the corridor, fidgeting masked as warming up while he waited for the couple to finish. He did not enter until the variation had finished and the Madame in charge of the class had spotted him and waved him inside. Confidently and poised, because he knew he belonged, he entered their space. Welcomed into the studio, Camille was encouraged to introduce himself to the intermediate class he was joining. Before he’d opened his mouth, someone had already recognized him and exclaimed, “Camille!” It was Genie, the upper class girl from the prior day, smiling at him. It took a second for him to recognize her with her hair tied back and in her mauve leotard instead of the ordinary—but fabulous—clothes. Upon recognizing her—and finding both the image and the greeting oddly infectious—Camille returned the smile with equal enthusiasm. “Geneviève! Just the person I was hoping to see.” At least now, there was no further need to share the news. He glanced around the room at the students. “Je suis Camille de Varenne. Enchanté de rejoindre votre classe ce matin.”1 The introduction was polite, and perhaps he hoped to establish a tad of dominance among the class by stating his full name. Once introductions were out of the way, not much time was wasted before the Madame continued to the next element of the class. While Camille was new, he was not given any grace period. “Swan Lake Act II. Camille, veux-tu être partenaire avec Geneviève?”2 The Madame turned to him expectantly, nodding at the girl he’d been introduced to the other day. If he hadn’t already been run through the hierarchy of this school, he’d still quickly notice that she was among the top students in this age group, for the simple fact that she was handpicked to dance first. After his initial skepticism, his respect for her grew, seeing that she was not only talking about herself in a superior way, but also living up to her claims. It also confirmed what he’d already suspected, that if he ought to aim to partner with anyone during this intensive, it was her. His lips parted a fraction, before swiftly zipping together again, resisting the urge to tell the Madame that, surely, his father had informed them that he ought to be practicing Bluebird instead. Admittedly, it was difficult to rein in the entitled, bratty tendencies for someone like him, who was used to his words being law outside of the dance studio. Back in Nice, Camille had established quite a reputation; both as the founder's son, but also because of his audacity when addressing staff. It had been a gradual shift, as he quickly rose in status and realized he could afford it. To question or correct the Madame in this circuit where he was technically still proving his worth, he imagined would not go well. Of course, Camille had no qualms about voicing his opinions as he saw fit, it was merely his father’s disappointment, and perhaps an older girl’s gentle reminder that kept him restrained for the time being. The cue was noticeable enough that the Madame suddenly seemed to pay him closer attention. Her eyes were keen and calculating. “Alors. Swan Lake. Est-ce que tu vas y arriver”3 she asked, professionally. To most people, it would sound like she was merely garnering his engagement and preparing for the variation. However, to Camille, it was clear that she was, to some degree, testing him. Camille schooled his expression into subtle gratefulness and nodded. “Oui, Madame. Bien sûr. Ce sera mon plaisir.”4 Confident in his abilities, too, he was. She nodded, satisfied for now. “Très bien. Maksim prendra des notes et interviendra si je le juge nécessaire.”5 She gestured for a significantly older boy that Camille hadn’t paid much attention to previously to step back and stand in the corner. When brought to his attention, he thought he remembered seeing him dancing with Genie through the glass window prior to his entrance. He met his gaze. The other boy’s light eyes darkened in a way that he couldn’t quite place whether it was jealousy, or possessiveness. In case of the latter, he could rest assured that Camille was not trying to “steal his girl”, if that was even a possibility with their age difference. That he might steal his dance partner for this intensive, however, that was more likely. It was certainly not the first, nor last time he’d be subjected to jealousy in this field, though he found it particularly amusing that, this time, someone at least three or four years his senior was giving him their ire. Granted, Camille could understand why. If he had been dismissed to be a study for someone so much younger, he’d be terribly bitter. At least this Maksim had better control over his ego than the Frenchman. He’d caused scenes for less. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly into an amused smile as he watched the boy sourly move out of the center. He positioned himself in the corner, watching them with crossed arms. Safe to say, Camille imagined that this must have turned into quite an unexpected morning. He played it off by turning to his newly assigned dance partner, quickly turning the amused smirk into an inviting, polite smile instead. Despite himself, he was looking forward to partnering with Genie, who, after seeing a part of her variation, he could see where she’d gotten her principal status at this institution from. While the Madame prepared the music, Camille took the opportunity to pay her dancing an acknowledging compliment. “I saw you dance. You both did well.” He cast a brief glance in the direction of her previous partner. Predictably, the boy was already staring, daggers in Camille’s case. Ignoring the animosity, Camille turned back to Genie, careful to sound sympathetic rather than malicious when he said, “I hope your friend will not be terribly disappointed.” He emphasised the word ‘friend’ to gauge her reaction, and whether she would correct his assumption. 1. I'm Camille De Varenne. I'm looking forward to join your class this morning. 2. Do you wish to partner with Geneviève? 3. Will you manage? 4. Yes, Madame. Of course. It will be my pleasure. 5. Very good. Maksim will take notes and jump in if I deem it necessesary. |
CV |
Ilias Lahlou | Ilvermorny
Bound by the Barre
Bound by the Barre──〃
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Camille seemed to notice it as well, as her hand found his to begin their variation. She took a deep breath, composing herself before she smiled and returned to her normal cheerful demeanor. She gently gave his hand a pat as she spoke with a soft thankful tone.
"Thank you. The Flower Festival in Genzano is one of my favourite to practice. There is so much togetherness and yet so individuality. And pay no mind to Maksim. He is merely... peculiar about his partners." She explained as she turned outwards towards the mirror and the two of them separated to start their adagio.
Geneviève didn't have a very long intermission between Camille's entrence and her own. She watched as his presence as the Prince searching for Odette, the Swan Princess cursed to turn into a Swan during the day and regain her human form only at night. Geneviève quickly pattered into the center and began her presentation, showcasing her transformation from Swan to Human.
Despite their age gap, Geneviève was not much taller than Camille which made for their pairing to work. She still took care to not lean too much into his arms as it was not proper practice and the partner in dance was only meant to serve as percautionary stability, not a permanent structure to use as momentum. She took care to keep her arabesque pulled high and winced when her foot sickled in a manner noticable enough to the Madame to comment on it sharply. Her foot corrected itself when she was set down and the dancing continued.
Geneviève tried to keep her mind off the fact that her foot had been corrected in front of the class. It wasn't the first time, as nobody was ever the perfect dancer. Even the ones who had been Prima Ballerina in their times had once been corrected and called out. It was still shocking for her as it did not happen very often. However if she did not focus and get her mind off of the one call out, she would mess up once again. Or worse- injure herself and take her out of dancing for the afternoon. Or worse perhaps, the summer.
She and Camille finished their set with each other and Geneviève took a deep breath as she awaited the Madame's corrections. It was not her best run through, and it wasn't her favorite Pas de Deux overall. However Swan Lake was a staple in the Ballet world. Every well respecting ballerina and dancer was expected to learn some aspect of the Ballet when they reached a level that was appropriate for the teachings to be applicable. Last year, she had shadowed the academy's now graduated top student, a girl named Clarisse- who had performed the most moving piece of "The Dying Swan" that Geneviève had ever seen. Clarisse's performance had only pushed Geneviève to be better on stage so that one day she might have her moment on stage that inspired a younger generation.
The Madame delivered both critique and complimets to the both of them. Geneviève nodded as she felt the sheen of sweat beginning to stick to her skin. She could do with a water break.
As she and Camille both stepped aside from the center and the next pair of students took their moment, Geneviève turned to him and offered her own complimentary statement to his dancing style.
"That was very easy to work with. The Madame was right to place you here with our group." She said as she took a sip from her water. During meal times, some of the water pitchers were enchanted to be lightly flavored with citrus or mint to help produce extra hydration. Hers was lightly flavored with cranberry and orange, which suited her mood for the day. Camille stepped next to her and spoke quietly, commending the way she had taken to the floor with Maksim, whom Genie was ignoring at the moment. She wouldn't have if not for the absolute face of disgust or flabbergast, honestly she couldn't tell.
"Oh thank you- Maksim and I have been dancing for quite some time. I'm sure when you find your set partner you will understand the trust you build between each other. And I do mean it. He is just Russian and grumpy-" Geneviève started before looking over at Maksim who suddenly became increasingly interested in the plant behind him.
Regaining her composure she invited Camille to sit with her as she addressed her slipping lace tie on her shoe. Likely after today's lesson, she would need a trip to the shoe room for a fitting.
"I appreciate how the Madame partners us with others. It does help to build trust amongst each other. Though I cannot say that everyone shares the sentiment. Your last studio- was it different than ours here?" Geneviève asked before Maksim appeared behind her and sat down out of spite. She ignored his presence again and waited for the answer out of her new friend.
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―――――――――――――――――
date ; july 9th, 2025
time ; mid morning
mentions ; @camille de varenneReducio―――――――――――――――――STATS:
sta ◦ 8 | eva ◦ 10 | str ◦ 3 | wis ◦ 7 | arc ◦ 9 | acc ◦ 8―――――――――――――――――
france ; elsewhere
word count ; 1078 words
#8eb1d1 ; dialogueReducio―――――――――――――――――TRANSLATIONS: (Both French and English were copied and pasted from Google Translate)
Coded By: Isabeau Nevara
Siobhan McCarty -PC-
━⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅━
Geneviève Caussade -iNPC-