[zapdragon555]

[Now that I've got this plot largely figured out in my head, I'm gonna go ahead and put an E tag on this. At the moment, the current warnings I'd place on it are drug/alcohol use, language, depictions of dubious consent in sexual situations, and a significant age gap (though both characters are completely legal; Firedancer is in his early twenties and Tarantell in his late thirties). If any of this bothers you, I suggest you don't read! This RP might get a bit dark as time goes on.]

It had certainly been a long time since Tarantell had gotten a reservation for a private class. But then again, the client in question was no object of normalcy, either. Apparently some traveling circus was coming to some nearby town--certainly not the town Tarantell himself lived in, for nothing bright and colorful ever happened there, and with good reason--and apparently the self-proclaiming Ringleader was having some trouble getting one of his attractions to perform right. It was a twisty business, all of it, and it made Tarantell's nose itch with suspicion, but the large sum of money that this Ringleader man had dropped off was a little more than persuasive.

The dark haired man let out a breath as he opened the curtains, figuring what little light the bleak street would provide would at least make the place look a bit cheerier. It certainly looked more cheerful when it was full of kids who were really passionate about dancing, but those classes seemed to be shrinking all the time, for all the kids in the city were growing up or getting drunk or running away from home, and it made Tarantell's heart heavier than usual. He sniffed as dust filtered through on a beam of light from the sun outside, and he rubbed his nose, turning away to look at the clock on the wall. That boy should be here soon…

[1]

[zapdragon555]

Was… this really the place?

Firedancer clutched the directions in his hands, shifting his bag on his shoulder that contained his dance clothes, a small knot of anxiety in his chest. He really didn't want to be here. He didn't need to be here. Ringleader's moods were capricious and erratic at best, of course, but this sudden obsession with Firedancer's apparent lack of talent both stung the boy and also fluttered his heart a little at the thought of Ringleader paying so much attention to him. He touched his hand to his face, feeling the warmth gathering on his cheeks, and he shook his head, trying to put the Ringleader's hard gaze out of his mind as he gathered up his courage and went to ring the doorbell.

He quickly stepped back slightly, as if the doorbell had stung him, for instead of a pleasant ding like he'd always imagined it was more of a joy buzzer sound that startled him back to paleness. He barely dug his teeth at his lower lip in nervousness, glancing behind him with a soft gasp as he heard some shouting on a far-off street and a dog barking, and he looked back at the door, anxiously awaiting his apparent instructor to open the door.

[1]

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Tarantell, more than used to the harsh buzzer sound after his many years of teaching in the small dance hall, turned to look at the door from his spot in the small kitchenette in the back. Oh, that would be him now. Tarantell sighed through his nose, running a hand through his hair to try to mentally prepare himself. He wasn't good with adults. They never seemed to listen to him, and they were as drab and boring as the whole town, more often than not, wanting to chase some old dead dream of becoming a dancer and quitting after the first week. He didn't know anything about this boy--or man; he really wasn't sure about this one's age--either. All of these thoughts passed through Tarantell's mind as he crossed the room to the door, and when he finally opened it, he had to blink, his eyes widening a little bit in surprise at the small, young man in front of him. "Hello there," Tarantell offered, immediately picking up on the young boy's anxiety that seemed to prickle off of him like a sharp taste that made Tarantell lean back just a bit.

Firedancer blinked at Tarantell likewise, a bit startled by the dark man's pale face, and he offered a nervous smile, nodding his head. "H-how do you do," he murmured, his voice soft, and he shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly eager to get off the street and inside. "Mister Tarantell?"

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Tarantell seemed to realize that he was standing in the doorway after a heartbeat, and he quickly stepped aside with a soft 'oh,' gesturing for the small man to come inside. "Sorry, yes, hello. Please come in," he said quickly, his eyes flashing with an apologetic look, and he watched as the boy hurried inside, his shoes echoing on the dusty floor as he looked around. Tarantell glanced out the door as he heard a crash from somewhere off in the distance, and he shut the door quickly, turning to face the boy. "I'm afraid I don't know your name…" he said, and left the statement open, straightening up slightly as the boy turned his violet eyes on Tarantell.

"Oh…" Firedancer murmured, wondering why Ringleader had left that bit of information out. He shifted his weight, his shoulder hurting a bit from the weight of the bag, and nodded. "Firedancer," he said, and after a moment of hesitation he stuck out a hand stiffly to Tarantell.

Tarantell raised an eyebrow at the strange name, not meaning to, and he quickly recovered the rude gesture by reaching out to take Firedancer's hand with probably a bit more care than was necessary. Something about the young man reminded Tarantell of a nervous cat than anything else. "Firedancer. Good to meet you," he said, taking his hand back as soon as he felt Firedancer's fingers loosen, and he folded his hands behind his back, looking Firedancer over. "So you're here for private lessons. Should we start immediately, or get to know each other first?" he asked with a wry smile.

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Firedancer blinked as he folded his arms over his chest instinctively, not sure if the question was a joke, rhetorical, or serious. He glanced away at a spot on the floor, then out the window, then back at Tarantell with a small, unsure smile. Tarantell blinked, realizing perhaps he was making the boy uncomfortable, and he cleared his throat, nodding his head. "Right, getting started. There's a changing room in the back with some unitards if you need one…"

"Oh, no," Firedancer quickly said, his soft voice breaking through Tarantell's. "I brought my own… i-it's my performance one, so… so I figured I should practice in that," he said, nodding once at his own words, shifting the bag uncomfortably on his shoulder. He wished he could act friendlier, but performing on stage in front of hundreds of strangers and performing in front of one stranger were two very different things.

"Ah, yes yes, that's fine," Tarantell said, becoming more talkative to fill in the quiet, awkward gaps between their speeches. He felt it necessary, in that empty room, so large and cavernous and yet too small to really be a proper dance hall. "Go on ahead." Firedancer nodded curtly and walked past Tarantell quickly, his shoes tapping on the floor until Tarantell heard them stop. "On the right," he said before Firedancer could ask, and he heard a soft huff of air, followed by the tapping of shoes again, and he actually smiled at the boy's light embarrassment.

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Firedancer closed the door to the tiny dressing room, the small space calming him down just a little. He gently thunked his head on the wall of the room, staring at the graffiti drawn in pencil scribbled around, a few nice quotes and a few crudely drawn less-than-savory things, and he straightened up to slide the bag off his shoulder, unzipping it to pull out his clothes.

Tarantell waited out in the room, pacing around the perimeter at a slow, ambling rate, and he paused, his hands folded behind his back as he gazed at the door, far from expecting the soft voice so close behind him.

"Um--"

Tarantell jumped in surprise and turned around to stare at Firedancer, his eyes darting down to the boy's feet, which lacked the slight-heeled shoes from before, and he looked back up at his face, the startled look fading like a cinder. He looked at the boy's black outfit, tilting his head slightly. He wasn't as brightly colored anymore, despite that mop of green hair and purple eyes--surely he was wearing contacts--and it made Tarantell frown a little without meaning to.

Firedancer watched the man's face change, suddenly a little unsure of himself, and he stammered out, "Th-th-this isn't my full dancing attire. Um… i-it's much gaudier on stage. I just didn't want all those bells and whistles to get in the way…" he said, a nervous chuckle tittering in his voice as he shrugged. "Literally… well, maybe not whistles, but certainly bells…" he rambled, unnerved by Tarantell's silence.

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Tarantell seemed to finally realize his stare was bothering the boy, and he quickly stepped back, nodding his head politely. "That's fine. Though, at some point I'd advise practicing in your performance attire, since you'll be dancing in that on stage," he said, returning his hands to fold behind his back. Firedancer looked a bit uncomfortable at that, but he didn't say anything, and Tarantell continued, "Let's get started, shall we?"

The practice session had mainly consisted of stretches and holding poses so that Tarantell could assess Firedancer's flexibility and balance. Both were more than on par, and in fact were quite excellent, and Tarantell had tried to hide his confusion as to why the boy was even here. At some point he'd just asked Firedancer to go through one of his show sequences, and as he'd watched the young man twirl and leap like some different species of thing entirely from the shy creature that walked into his studio, Tarantell couldn't help but smile behind a curled hand in front of his mouth.

When Firedancer stopped, breathing fast and soft to catch his breath, he looked at Tarantell with wide eyes, a small smile instinctively flashing over his face at the sight of Tarantell's eyes smiling at him. He blinked once, suddenly self conscious, and smiled at the floor, letting out a huff of air. "I-it's a little bit better when I have the torches…" he admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

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Tarantell shook his head, bringing his hands in front of him to clap softly, a small smile still on his face. "No, that was very good. Where did you learn to dance?" he asked, returning his hands to his back, tilting his head at Firedancer as the boy ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah… it's sort of a long story. But I started learning when I was fourteen," Firedancer said, folding his hands in front of him. "Seven years, come November…"

Tarantell's eyes flickered with some interest, but he nodded, his smile returning to a normal expression, tinged with seriousness. "Well, you're very skilled. Really I'm not sure why your… er, boss? Sent you here," he said, then realized that was a bit rude, and added, "I'm not entirely sure how much I can teach you."

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Firedancer blinked at that, a small flush of heat rising to his face, and he covered it up with a wry smile, shrugging. "M-my boss…" he echoed Tarantell, chuckling. "He's… he's never really completely satisfied with things, I guess. It's one of those, um… Type A Personality type things. Ambitious, I guess," he rambled, and Tarantell's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the flush on the boy's cheeks, but as Firedancer met his eyes he quickly took on a more casual air, offering a smile.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure your boss has his reasons. But if you perform like that on stage, then all I can provide you with is practice," Tarantell said, shrugging his shoulders, then blinked as Firedancer's smile fell slightly, an almost guilty look accompanying the boy's new posture as he bit his lip.

"A-about that…"

[9] [9]

[zapdragon555]

Tarantell fell quiet as Firedancer did, and there was a tense, awkward silence between the two, interrupted by tires screeching outside and a shout somewhere in the distance. Firedancer seemed to dither for a moment, and Tarantell allowed him to think for a moment before he licked his lips and murmured, "Should I… make some tea? Do you drink tea?"

Firedancer jumped, drawn out of his daze as he stared at Tarantell, then looked down at himself, then back at Tarantell. "You really don't have to…" he began, his voice small and hushed and obviously not fully behind his words, and Tarantell smiled slightly.

"I'll make some tea," he murmured, stepping around Firedancer in a wide arc towards the kitchen to give the boy some space. Firedancer blinked and looked back at Tarantell over his shoulder, and he let out a breath through his nose, his shoulders drooping slightly as he relaxed.

"I-I'll go change clothes, then…"

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[zapdragon555]

When Firedancer emerged from the dressing room, he saw Tarantell was still not in the main dance room. He began to wander around until he finally located the small kitchenette where a kettle was spitting out a slow trail of steam as the water heated up. Tarantell stood in front of it, and he blinked and turned around to face Firedancer as the boy walked into the room, his smile disappearing as he quickly put it in check. "I hope chai tea is alright. It's a little strange, to some people."

Firedancer blinked back at him, then smiled and shook his head. "That's fine," he said, walking a little further into the small corner-kitchen and stopping a few feet away from Tarantell, leaning against the counter on an elbow. "I'm not much of a tea drinker, but sometimes Soothsayer keeps some odd ones--" He cut off as his stomach made a hollow, growling sound, and he flushed to his ears, quickly looking away. "--th-that are imported from somewhere…"

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Tarantell's eyes flickered with surprise at the noise, and he sighed softly through his nose, a real smile brushing over his face. "I'll see if we have anything to eat. I'm a little peckish myself," he said with a cheerfulness that was uncustomary to him. Usually his company was graced by such callous adults or loud, outgoing children, never really a shy creature such as Firedancer. It made him feel the need to fill the silence, and maybe smile a little more, though both things came naturally around the boy. Deciding not to dwell too much on these thoughts, he looked into the small fridge, looking around. "Mm…" he murmured in disapproval at himself. He needed to go grocery shopping.

Firedancer peeked over his shoulder, his stomach rumbling at the thought of food, and he blinked at Tarantell's murmur, tilting his head to the side as Tarantell began to speak again. "I… really don't have much of anything. There's some leftover thai food in here… and a few snacks leftover from what I keep for the kids, like cheese sticks and crackers… not much," he repeated himself, an embarrassed note in his voice.

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Firedancer's eyes widened a little at Tarantell's consideration, and he held his hands up for a moment as if to stop the man, then reconsidered as his stomach growled again. "Um… I don't want to steal your food, so… so I'd be okay with the cheese and crackers…"

Tarantell glanced up at Firedancer over his shoulder, then looked back in the fridge, then nodded and pulled a few cheese sticks out and set them on the counter, and reached up to retrieve a pack of peanut butter covered crackers from it. "Well, the thai food is going to go bad if it's not eaten soon, so I guess I'll finish that up," Tarantell mused, pulling out the go-box and reaching for a plate. Firedancer watched him with a kind of impressed silence, watching the other man move around the kitchen easily, and he smiled slightly before he caught himself and looked back at the counter, reaching for a cheese stick.

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Tarantell pressed a few buttons on the microwave, then stepped back and folded his hands over his chest, leaning his weight on one leg. The humming of the microwave filled the silence of the small room, and so Tarantell fell quiet, watching it spin in the microwave as Firedancer nibbled on the cheese, his violet eyes flicking around the room at the faded wooden cabinets and scuffed up floor. It was homely, for sure, but it was comfortable. If not a little bit dusty.

Suddenly the kettle started whistling, a sharp sound breaking through the comfortable silence, and Firedancer jumped slightly. Tarantell looked up, blinking, then started to attention and walked over. "Sorry, sorry," he murmured to a very startled Firedancer, one hand curled at his chest as he watched Tarantell quiet the kettle and move it off of the heat. He let out a breath, then smiled, taking another bite of his cheese and looking over at the microwave, sniffing the air idly. That did smell good…

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Tarantell got the hot water calmed down, and he reached up to retrieve two mugs, his movements quick and a little jittery. "Ah… um, Firedancer," Tarantell said, not used to the strange name, but he tried not to let it show. "Would you take that out of the microwave? I'll get the tea poured, sorry about that," he added in a softer voice, clearly a bit embarrassed as he poured the scalding water into the mugs and retrieved two tea balls to fill them with the loose leaves, his fingers deft and quick.

Firedancer blinked out of his daze and nodded his head up and down, shoving the rest of the cheese stick into his mouth and going over to the microwave. He opened it up, his eyes widening at the smell of the noodles, and he smiled and sniffed the air for a moment before reaching in to grab it. "Got it," he said, setting the bowl on the counter, and as an afterthought he closed the microwave and glanced at Tarantell. "Where's the silverware? I'll get you a fork or something…"

"Drawer closest to the sink," Tarantell said, focused on closing the little metal cages and dipping one into each mug, not thinking about how normal it felt to have another person in the kitchen. "Thank you… the tea should be ready in a few minutes," he added, looking up and offering Firedancer a smile.

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