Author notes: In this story I use a lot of French words and names. If you don't know any of the phrases I use. There will be a guide at the beginning, here. You'll get used to it after a while :) I promise.
EXCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Moulin Rouge characters. However I do own Théo and Pénélope
enjoy.
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Translation.
mon chéri: My love
Je sais: I know.
ce soir: This evening
centime's: equivalent to a penny
enfant: Child
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"Come on Théo, I do not have all day, mon chéri." Pénélope said slamming the dressing room doors open. Théo, Pénélope's assistant, came running after her. "Je sais! Je sais!" Théo exclaimed waving a sparkling black top hat above his head. "Mademoiselle Satine, I have found it!" Pénélope yelled running though the 12 woman packed into the small room behind the curtains of the Moulin Rouge. "Ugh, finally." Satine said rolling her eyes, patting on more black eye powder. "Here let me pin it in." Pénélope said with bobbies in her mouth. "NO! Let me do it. Your going to do it WRONG!" Satine exclaimed snatching the hat out of her hands. "Do you not remember last time, Cherub..." Pénélope shuttered. She loathed it when Satine called her that, it was only because she was just 18, and inferior to the Mademoiselle. "It fell off during Diamonds and then all the wallets had to see you run out there in your rags and take it off the floor." Wallets was what Satine called the men that came in to the Moulin Rouge. "I am sorry, Mademoiselle. I will not happen again." Pénélope said looking down at the floor. "LADIES! LADIES! It's show time!" Harold Zidler, the ring leader on the Moulin Rouge, exclaimed. "Oh my Duckling! You look exquisite ce soir!" Satine squeaked and pushed herself passed Pénélope, whom nearly fell onto the floor. Pénélope could see through the kindness and cute that Satine portrayed to everyone else. Pénélope knew the best of men did not come to the Moulin Rouge, but they still were people. Satine would subsequently stab them in the heart every night, only to leave them wasted with mere centime's spilling out of their pockets. Théo helped Pénélope pick up all the spilled bobbies. "Do not let her get to you again, Péné..." Théo said placing a hand on Pénélope's shoulder."Je sais." Pénélope said shaking her head and wiping a small tear falling from her eye.
They finally gathered all the bobbies from the floor just in time to almost be trampled by the Diamond Dogs. A mummer of "MOVE" and "Stupid enfant" came from the women pushing their way out to the floor. Once the woman were out onto the floor,Théo noticed Pénélope looking into the big mirror. Slowly rotating her head left to right, tucking pieces of her long blonde hair behind her ears, Pénélope studied her appearance. She hated it. "Your beautiful, ma chéri." Théo said standing behind her, taking his shoulders in his big hands. Humph. Pénélope let out a big sigh. "Thank you Théo, but you always say that." Pénélope said to Théo through the reflection. "That is because it is true!" Pulling on her hair playfully. "Don't you hound!" Pénélope said turning around to ruffle his thick, brown hair and poke him in the stomach. "There is the smile." Théo said shielding his stomach from her finger.
Théo was an exceptionally handsome boy. He was tall. He was tanned from his working outside and had the most perfect teeth in France. Nobody understood how this young man was so handsome at such an age but at 17 he had exquisite qualities. These qualities are what made most of the young ladies blush when he walked by on the streets of Paris. Until the proper, young ladies found out he lived in Momarte, the village of sin. No proper, upstanding citizen went there, or was found there. Even though the richest of the rich came to dabble in their fancies. Théo took life in stride, though. He loved what he did, and loved whom he worked for. Théo had known Pénélope for the better part of his life. She had found him begging under a bridge when he was 10. She was but a year older than him, it still made no difference. She looked as if she was of age. She had rented them a hotel room. Soon after not getting rent for numerous amounts of months, the land lady wanted the real story. Ended up that the old land lady was very sweet and felt sorry for the poor children out of a home and without a family. Madame Chairmont took them in as her own. Since then Pénélope and Théo have grown up there, in the out skirts of Paris, in the village of sin.
Every night growing up, Pénélope would see the bright lights from the red windmill. She felt as if they were beckoning her to come join the excitement and the beauty. Handsome men went in to see the most beautiful woman. Pénélope knew of one of the most beautiful, whom never left the Moulin Rouge with one of the handsome men. She had her own flat, the most beautiful place in Momarte. Pénélope wanted to dance with the handsome men. Pénélope wanted to be a beautiful woman of the night, living out a dream at the wonderful Moulin Rouge.
Well she got her dream, she got to work at the Moulin Rouge. But it was not exactly as she wanted it to be. The most beautiful women, walked all over her ever night. Pénélope was not a Diamond Dog, Pénélope was not The Sparkling Diamond