On Point

Dance Master Steps Down

By Rena Rouge

Recent news coming from Italy, is that the Italian Ballet Company's dance master, Robert James (28) has been asked to step down from his position within the company due to unforetold allegations.

Robert started his dance career as a Principle at Agreste Company in Paris, before taking on a mentoring role as Dance Master, and trainer to none other than Adrien Agreste (22). At the moment we cannot publish any details as we don't know for certain why he has been forced to take leave from the high class school and company.

When more information is available we'll update you as soon as we can. For now, we must stick by the old saying – innocent, until proven guilty.

*****

Marinette had heard many stories over the years. Some happy, some sad and some damn right terrifying, and as she sat here now, side by side holding onto him, she saw one of the darkest pitfalls of the dance world. Of those in a trustworthy position using it to their advantage.

"Did he — did he do anything to you?" she finally asked, wanting to track the guy down and make him pay.

How dare someone in a trusted position just do what they pleased, and as for Gabriel? What kind of a father allowed that to happen to their son? Just another reason to make sure she did whatever she could for her partner to free himself from the Agreste name.

Adrien fiercely shook his head. He stretched to touch his face, a hand wiping harshly underneath his lashes and removing the glistening signs of tears away from his skin. She could just imagine Gabriel's response to seeing Adrien cry. He'd most likely tell him to man up and get on with it. That life wasn't fair and he had to live with it.

However, Marinette saw something different. She saw the harsh exterior, Adrien surrounded himself with, crumbling away. A Lost Boy returning from Neverland after being held hostage by Captain Hook. The boy that was abused thanks to his surname.

"What a prick!" she exclaimed, a snotty snicker coming from the man sitting beside her.

"Plagg saved me, for want of a better word. I had been in the middle of a private session when he walked past and dragged me out the room. Nothing was going on, but Plagg had said he'd heard something and wanted to make sure someone was watching my back. He called my father and ripped him a new one that day, and he hasn't left me since. He refuses to."

She could tell he was trying to speak with some humour, that he was pulling on his mask to shield his pain from her — his embarrassment, but he had nothing to feel embarrassed about. This wasn't his fault.

"You should never have been put in that position, Adrien. You should never have had to experience some bastard manipulating you. I'm so glad Plagg was there for you."

"Me too. I feel like him and Tikki are my family. They've been my constant support and encouragement through everything."

He turned his head towards her, and the sheer intensity in his eyes had her breath catching in her throat. His eyes were the brightest she'd ever seen, jewels of misunderstanding and neglect. He deserved to be loved. To feel the way a family should — to feel what he got with Tikki and Plagg, but all day, everyday.

A prang of jealousy shot through her for the close contact of the 3. It wasn't that she didn't experience that kind of love herself, the love and affection she felt from her Maman and papa was intense. But this was different. This was a hole she never realised she had. One that was different from the love of a family. Something more unique, more intimate. Something more... she didn't want to linger on feelings she couldn't even name. It was all too much.

"I'm sorry," Adrien suddenly announced, wiping his free hand across his face, Marinette glad he hadn't removed the one clinging to her. "I didn't mean to put a downer on the day. I should be thanking you if anything, this is the most fun I've had since before my mother got ill. It finally feels safe to be happy."

His choice of words didn't go amiss and Marinette gave his hand a quick squeeze in support. She smiled, unable to say anything through the built up emotion choking her.

"You really are amazing, Marinette. You've taught me to live again, that there is more than one colour in the rainbow. You've really made my world brighter and I honestly can't think of a way to thank you. I'll forever be in your debt."

He launched forward, their pod starting to swing, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Her hands cautiously moving around his back and holding him tight, because if she didn't, she was worried he would break.

Had anyone held him like this before for nothing more than care and attention? For his benefit? Holding him together, keeping him together?

She didn't want to be the one to let go, so instead she remained, tight and sturdy, waiting for him to be ready, for him to release her and finally let it go.

"Enough about me," he quickly said. "What about you?"

Knowing her story would be minimal compared to Adrien's, she felt silly even beginning. But the way he sat there, interested, she knew he needed to be out of his mind for a while, and who knew, maybe Adrien could help her find some answers.

*****

His heart felt heavy. He'd never really understood what that meant until he sat here, above Paris' skyline and thought about what he'd just finally released. Stories which only Plagg, Tikki and his father knew. He wasn't even sure if Nathalie was privy to such information.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

They'd released hands as they hugged and he couldn't help but miss the feel and the warmth. She'd comforted him, something no one had done since his mother's death. A simple small gesture but it grounded him, it was real, not just part of the 'Agreste show'.

He continued to speak, recognising the silence was weighted by the conversation he'd just shared.

"Tell me about your future," he said. "What do you want to do? Where do you want to be?"

He watched as her eyebrows creased in thought. She looked out over Paris, her lips scrunching together in a pout. He could imagine the voice running through her head right now asking her the same question over and over again.

Where do you want to be? Where...do you want to be?

She shook her head, looking back at Adrien with a weak grin on her face. "Honestly? I don't know. I never expected to make it this far, so the future is kind of... blank."

Adrien couldn't help but smile back. She had bagged herself a place at one of the most prestigious dance schools in the world, yet she didn't know what she wanted from it. It was so wholesome and refreshing to hear, after all, most people seemed to have some big dream which only ended in heartache. With so many female dancers, they were ushered in and out of the company like a revolving door. Careers were short lived and confidence? Destroyed.

"Have you thought about trying to get a place at a more contemporary company? There will be quite a few different scouts coming to watch from all over the world."

She shrugged, her face still bright and seemingly without care. "What will be will be. I'm just enjoying it all at the moment. It's quite the experience."

She huffed out a laugh that made her eyes dance with the fairy lights above them and Adrien knew he needed to find out more.

"Anything that stands out?" he asked, suddenly intrigued.

She shrugged, that wonderful pink tinge stretching the length of her cheek bones. He felt nervous as he waited for her answer. Did he want her to say dancing with him stood out? Was he just fishing for compliments? The feeling suddenly turned into a rather violent pain in the chest. What if she said she hated it?

"I suppose meeting a load of new people has been fun, like Alya and you. And then there's Luka —"

She carried on talking, but he'd switched off.

Luka.

In the midst of all their hand holding and hugging, he'd forgotten about Luka.

"And... how are things going?" His hands mindlessly wandered to play with the edge of his jacket, he wasn't sure what he wanted to know about this or, even more so, why?

"They're... going," she said nonchalantly.

Her shoulders lifted and she moved around in her seat. Every indication that there was something not quite right with her relationship with the king of the dance floor. Before he could ask anymore questions about her relationship with Luka, she shot around to face him, almost colliding nose to nose.

With their faces so close, an internal battle began to unfold within him. The magnetic pull of desire clashed with the rational restraint, each heartbeat echoing the conflict between yielding to the moment and exercising self-discipline. His struggle continued to amplify as it directed itself around the intricate dance of emotions, and the conscious effort to resist the temptation of a spontaneous, yet possibly regrettable, kiss.

"Have you ever kissed someone and it wasn't..."

Her sudden mention of kissing Luka injects a dose of reality into the charged atmosphere. Adrien moved back, respecting both her relationship, and her boundaries.

"Wasn't?" Adrien encouraged, wanting to mentally kick himself for continuing this conversation.

"You know in fairy tales and at the end of movies when the protagonists kiss, it's this big romantic moment when you feel the tension reside and the two finally allow themselves to love."

"Yeah?" Adrien found it hard to keep his face neutral. Everything inside him was telling him to abort, to back track or maybe jump out of the cabin. He was quite certain he didn't want to know where she was going with this. That this wonderful, funny and hard working girl had had a foot popping movie moment with someone who wasn't him.

"Well... it... wasn't like that."

The tiny person inside his head began to spin right manically – breakdancing, if he wasn't mistaken.

"Oh?" he asked, attempting to give off a worried and curious aura.

She sighed. "Yeah! It was my first kiss ever, and I've been seeing Luka for a while, but I just didn't feel 'into it', you know?"

"Your first kiss? How old are you?" Adrien asked.

"I'm 19." Once again, that wonderful tinge took over her cheeks, flushing them and making her look like a doll.

"And that was your first kiss?"

She nodded. He turned a little to face her as the ferris wheel slowly moved them to the top and held them at that position. He could see miles into the distance, for once Paris' smog and pollution wasn't blocking the view in front of them, the clear skies helping stretch the distance and give him a clear picture of the City.

"I know, it seems dismal for a 19 year old to only just have had their first kiss. I just never had the time for relationships, the only people I met were on the dance circuit, and I had a couple of failed relationships, but never got that far."

Adrien wanted to tell her that Luka wasn't the one for her, that she needed to call it quits and move on, but that wasn't the type of guy he was. He didn't wish bad on anyone, and he liked Luka. Not as much as Marinette, but the guy was a decent guy and from what he heard from Zoé, he was even more of a decent boyfriend.

"I think... maybe you need to try again. Perhaps your expectations were too high."

"Hummm..." The non committal sound flipped his heart around. She deserved a world turning, floor shaking first kiss and as much as he wanted to believe what he'd just told her, he knew it wouldn't be enough.

Luka and Zoé were a modern day fairytale gone wrong. An all powerful love ripped apart by a condescending mother and a wide ocean between them. Without Zoé coming back, Adrien was sure something could have become substantial and permanent. The way Luka looked at Marinette was the same way he was sure he did...like she held the moon and the stars in her hands. But Zoé was Luka's best friend and girlfriend and Adrien knew full well until the magnetic pull ended between them, there would be no room for Marinette.

"Maybe." She puffed air from her cheeks and looked out the window, past Adrien's head. The wheel began to move again — the start of their descent.

"Don't write it off yet, Shortcake, you obviously like him, and I'm sure he likes you."

She hummed, yet he wasn't sure whether it was in agreement or in acceptance of the relationship not being what she thought she'd received.

"Enough about me. Are you and Lila getting back together?"

He didn't know why it happened, but suddenly he was laughing so much he couldn't stop. Tears began to leave his eyes. Streaming over his cheeks as he attempted to pull himself together.

"Sorry," he exclaimed, wiping under his eyes. "I wasn't laughing at you, I promise. Lila was what my father believed was my perfect match. He always linked his relationship with my mother to mine with Lila, and I suppose I believed it. It was all great until my mother died and I hit rock bottom. She didn't want to know anymore. As soon as I said I wasn't dancing again, she was off with another guy. I should have seen it coming really. I don't think I should date within the dance world anymore, I can never trust or believe what's being said or done. I'm better off alone."

And wasn't that just a sad, yet honest thought. A thought which helped him push Marinette to Luka and keep herself well away.

They remained in silence for the rest of the rotation, finally hopping off when they were back at the loading bay.

"I suppose we better get back to the studio, and rehearse. I don't want your father to have another reason to come for you."

Adrien agreed, although being out of the capsule was kind of entering back into the real world from Narnia. He'd been the most open he had in years and she'd accepted it — accepted him. And just from those small details of friendship and comradery he knew he'd made the correct choice. Marinette was his future — his lucky charm and his means to an end.

As they made their way back to the studio, he was ready to work. To focus and choreograph what he was sure was going to be a roaring success.

Adrien left the studio around 6pm, staying there an hour or so after Marinette to work on the choreography. The day out had helped bring his mind back into focus and they'd progressed efficiently. It was all coming together just fine, but fine wasn't going to cut it. It needed to be more than just fine, it needed to be unexpected and memorable, it needed to be good enough for his father to admit he was wrong but it wasn't there yet.

Grabbing his towel from the top of his bag and placing in his headphones, Adrien began to make his way out of the studio and towards the exit, turning the lights off as he headed down the corridors.

The studios had emptied hours ago. Classes and rehearsals finished at a reasonable time before the chaos of full show rehearsals started the following week, they'd be lucky if they slept at all by show week.

He continued thinking of moves in his head, every now and then flinging his arms around and turning, a small experiment to see if the flow was there and if it would connect.

A lift, a spin, a gesture and a...

His body collided hard with another. One which was obviously female.

Whipping the earpiece from his ear, he looked into the red rimmed eyes of Alya, one who was currently wiping a tissue over her mouth and, from the proximity, had just exited the toilet.

He'd seen this numerous times over the years. He knew the signs. And looking at her greying face and decreasing waist size, he knew exactly what she'd just been doing.

He wanted to help her, and he knew he could.

"Let's take a walk."