"-I can't take it anymore, can we stop here?"
Selene slumped on one of the armchairs, exhausted by her "theater" session. The costumes did the same, a little distraught.
" -I am a lost cause, you can see that I am incapable of imitating the femme fatale.
-I'm sure if you had more willpower and confidence, you'd do better.
-I especially don't feel like it anymore Plumy..."
The ballerina admitted defeat. She had lost taste for dancing. She stood up, her face plunged in her hands and said with pity.
"-Maestro Lance was right..."
Nutcracker let out a cry of displeasure, hand on his sword.
"-You let Lance enter our scene!?
-Yes, so what? It went very well."
Castafiore couldn't help but give a victorious smile, which irritated the wooden puppet even more. He was definitely not able to frame this damn Maestro. To tell the truth, the other costumes were also in the background, too afraid.
This moment was one of the rare ones when Selene had the audacity to raise her voice, displeased.
"I don't care what you think. I don't know what you wanted to tell me with your stories of 'demons' or 'cursed Maestro'. I had a great time with him, it hadn't happened in...Too long, so don't count on me to follow you in your paranoia."
And on her words she left her stage, with a quick and sure step.
" -Are you proud of yourself now?" Retorted Castafiore, under the ashamed looks of her fellow beings.
*
**
Selene had left her stage and was now outside, under a heavy rain. Fortunately for her, she had been able to conjure up an umbrella and take shelter under it. She breathed in as much fresh air as possible, hoping that it would calm her down a bit.
She didn't like to get upset, especially since it was unnecessary, but she couldn't help it. She didn't understand why her friends were reacting this way to Lance, especially since Balan had never reacted this way to Lance. She was frustrated that the Cast-Member did not see what she saw. In addition, her worries about dancing and Odile had not helped her mood at all. She felt stupid for getting carried away so quickly.
The ballerina shook her head, it was useless to dwell on these trivialities. Since she was out, she might as well go to Tim's Island. She knew Cotton was there and couldn't help but worry about the weather.
She walked lightly, letting the wind carry her. Sometimes she spun around as if she were dancing. Selene often moved like this when she was alone.
When she finally arrived on the Isle of Tims, she expected the little ones to be sheltered. But rain or shine, they were still having fun like children.
It was fun.
She finally found Cotton in the distance, on a trampoline, playing with a little red Tim. She smiled, glad he was okay and having fun.
She stood still for a few minutes, listening to the soothing sound of the rain falling and the breeze brushing against her frail skin.
But this moment of "meditation" was interrupted by a sweet voice she recognized all too well:
"-Please, fly to me, you know I can't touch you with my hands, my little one."
Selene searched everywhere for the origin of the voice and rushed in the direction of it. When she saw Lance a little further away, she couldn't help but rush towards him, eyes sparkling and a smile on her face.
Lance was alerted by the sound of footsteps and his eyes lit up when he saw the ballerina.
"-Lance I'm so glad to see you again!"
She was so relieved that he was okay, that she had forgotten her formalities. But the Maestro did not raise this point, on the contrary, he found it more than pleasant.
It was at this point that she was caught up in reality. Lance was soaked like a stump. She mechanically shared her pretty blue rose umbrella with him and took a false authoritative tone.
" -Dear heavens, Lance you'll catch a cold!"
Lance apologized, a little confused by the short distance between him and the human.
"-I'm just trying to help poor Tim..."
Selene shifted her gaze to the little yellow Tim who was shaking like a leaf.
"What's wrong with him?
-He doesn't seem to like the rain, but it's impossible for me to pick him up.
-Can't you touch the Tims?
-To tell you the truth I'd rather not, just to be safe."
The girl did not look any further. She handed her umbrella to Lance. The latter shivered when his hand brushed hers. Then, she recovered with the greatest of delicacy, the small Tim, that she kept preciously in her arms. The small ball of fluff calmed down little by little, warmed by the arms of the young girl.
"-Let's take him back to the Opera House."
Lance nodded and continued to hold the umbrella so no one would get wet.
"What were you doing on the island anyway?
-I needed to get some fresh air, to calm down," she said slowly, as if weary.
"Did something happen to you?
-Don't worry about trivial things."
He was silent for a moment and continued:
"-Balan told me about your discussion. I'm sorry I worried you, I didn't mean to...
-Don't worry, I know you're overwhelmed...
-My original intention was to come and see you to tell you everything...But fate seemed to have other ideas.
-Why did you want to see me?"
He blushed, embarrassed to admit what he had done last night.
"-It could be that I have studied Swan Lake and dance in general in depth, in order to help you the best I can..."
Selene looked at him, eyes wide:
"-You did this just to help me?
-And because I was interested... I mean because I saw you doing it..."
He put his hand in front of his face, red with shame, but Selene gently took it from him to see his pretty face.
"-Lance...That's adorable.
-Really?"
He looked away, too confused. Selene nodded and brought her hand to her chest.
"-Never has a 'boy' taken an interest in my passions to help me...Never..."
She wore a wistful expression. Lance was suddenly curious about the turn of the conversation.
"-What do you mean by that?
-Why don't we talk about this later, at a more convenient time?"
She laughed, embarrassed. The Maestro respected her choice, perhaps it was something she couldn't talk about easily.
Lance continued to watch her, until they reached their destination. Once inside, the ballerina motioned for him to follow her and ignore the Cast-Member.
"-Let's go to the dressing rooms, there's what we need."
As the two companions passed into the row of seats where the costumes were, Nutcracker and Lance met each other with their eyes. The little soldier looked at him with an evil look while Lance stuck out his tongue, looking proud and victorious.
When they arrived in the dressing room, Selene put the tiny Tim on a cushion and wrapped him in a blanket so that he could rest.
Selene invited Lance to sit down in front of a mirror, while the costumes spied silently and discreetly behind the door, the scene which offered itself to them.
" -Your turn, dearest Maestro. " Cooed Selene.
" -Selene what do you intend to do to me ... ? "
The ballerina stood behind Lance and put her little hands on his shoulders and looked at him with an angelic air in the mirror.
"-You're soaking wet someone has to dry you off and comb your hair again, right?
-Oh, but I can take care of-"
She cut him off by putting her index finger in front of his purplish lips.
"No, no, no, you've done so much for me in such a short time, I'd like to return the favor, if you don't mind of course...
-Please go ahead, I'm all yours."
Lance did not like to be touched, in fact he was no longer used to it. But could he refuse anything to Selene?
The girl gently took each strand of Lance's hair and pulled it back. The Maestro felt the tips of her soft fingers brush his forehead and he found it pleasant.
"-I must admit I envy your hair Lance, it's so beautiful...You're the type to take care of yourself right?" She said as she gently wrung out the Maestro's hair with a white towel. She meant well, so she applied herself while taking little glances in the mirror to see Lance's face.
"-Indeed, I wouldn't stand for my hair to be unkempt," he replied calmly.
She laughed heartily. Once his wet hair, she armed herself with a hairdryer and engaged it to the minimal power in order not to rush his " subject ". She juggled between this and the brush, while remaining very careful. Lance let himself be done, not flinching, very touched by the attention that Selene showed to him. He felt his cheeks get warm, without knowing why. He did not let her out of his sight, captivated by what she was doing.
The girl, put down her material, replaced correctly the long wick before Lance and moved away.
" -And here! Nothing much, but it's always more pleasant than walking around with a mop on your head."
She burst out laughing.
Lance bent down and kissed her hand.
"I thank you Princess, it was a simple and pleasant moment.
-Glad you liked it then...
-Would I have the honor to do the same with you one day?"
She put a hand in front of her mouth:
"-Maybe..."
Suddenly, someone knocked softly on the door. It was Castafiore.
"-I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a small group of Negati, soaking wet that just appeared..."
Lance couldn't help but give Castafiore a sorry look, remembering the last time. But Selene, innocent, took a pile of towels and blankets and rushed to where the Negati were waiting.
The Maestro followed her in a hurry. He found her pampering them.
"-Don't worry my little darlings, you're in the right place!"
The Negati were jumping up and down on her, happy that someone other than Lance was taking care of them. Selene laughed heartily, she loved the Negati as much as the Tims. She didn't understand why everyone was afraid of them.
Lance concluded that it must be because she had no knowledge of the role of negativity in the Wonderworld.
He decided to join her and help her, because some Negati were more imposing against her, and two pairs of hands are better than one.
Castafiore, who was observing the whole scene (the other costumes were going about their business) noticed that it was the first time in a while that she saw Lance as happy as he had been a few centuries ago.
"-May the Wonderworld bless Lance and his little Princess." She whispered.