"Your form is really good."

Duck turns her head at Rue's comment while they both stretch their legs on the barre. The corners of the Princess's mouth slightly point upward.

"It's not- I mean- It's only just-" Duck stammers. "It's not any different than what I used to do only- only it's like my body knows better now."

"Like it's doing what you want it to do?" Rue asks.

Duck inspects her ankle instead of looking at her friend. Rue eases out of her stretch with a grace so practiced it becomes natural.

"Duck, I owe you so much," the Princess continues before receiving an answer. "Let me pay some of that back."

"Huh?" Duck jerks and falls out of her pose, her arms flailing as wings when landing. "Oh no, Rue, you don't have to do anything for me!"

But then Rue captures a flying wrist in her left hand, the metal of her wedding ring in sharp contrast to her soft palm.

"Duck, I want to do something for you the way you wanted to do something for me. We're friends, right?"

Duck tries to remember if Rue ever called them friends. It doesn't matter if she did; of course it doesn't because Rue said she loves her and Duck won't argue with that. But hearing Rue solidify it with words bolsters the girl's spirits.

Before any more time can be spent thinking on it, Rue releases Duck's wrist and circles her hands over her head, offering one to Duck.

"I know I'm not Princess Tutu. I don't think I can ever do this the way you can. But I'll try for you. So won't you dance with me?"

Duck stops just a moment before nodding and placing her hand in Rue's. It's easier this time, each gentle scrape of en pointe toes against the floor accenting the following sweeps of legs arching in arabesque. The thumps of rapid footsteps herald a grand jete from one young woman then the other.

"I can't talk the way Tutu does. I don't know how to be kind like her. I didn't know a thing about being kind until I met you, Duck. But you taught me more than anything else that it's all right to be yourself. I can be Rue and I can find happiness as Rue. And I want to help you find happiness as Duck."

Rue lifts Duck, the redhead looking down at her.

"Before we move forward, we have to know where we are."

She lowers her to the floor.

"Mixed up?" Rue suggests.

And it broke up her insides to see Duck cast her eyes down in response. Rue pulls her into a tight hug.

"You are good enough no matter what you're telling yourself," Rue says. "Whatever happened the other day has nothing to do with not being good or kind or beautiful because that's not true."

Duck grasps Rue's arm.

"It's not like Princess Tutu," Duck finally says in a miserable murmur.

"Hmm?" Rue hums while stroking the back of her head.

"There's more than one at a time."

Rue squeezes tighter with a soft, dry laugh. "I know. I know."

"Should I wait?"

Rue makes a snerk before going, "You should do nothing except what you really want to do. Even if I think you should have gone with your first reaction to follow Fakir home, call him a mean butt, and give him a good wallop. But what do you want to do that's just for you? Stay? Go? What will make you happy?"

Duck pulls away to scratch her head. What will make her happy? Has she been doing anything for her own sake? Has she been doing anything that she actually wanted to do? And this thought strikes with the strength of lightning, throwing her hand to her mouth in a startling, "Quaaaack!"

Rue jumps just a hair. "What?"

"Rue, what've I been doing?" Duck asks, still-human arms flapping again. "I dunno what I've wanted to do or why I've been doing what I'm doing! It's like I was just running on ahead without knowing where I'm going! But then that's kinda like what I do anyways! But I think Fakir did what he did because he figured out the same thing and I just didn't catch on 'cause I'm just a moron like always-"

"Stop that," Rue says, grabbing Duck by the wrists again. "Don't say you're a moron like always. You knew more than I did before and you know more now."

"-but what," Duck presses on. "-what I mean, Rue, is I dunno why some things were more important than others and now I know they WEREN'T more important! They just seemed important 'cause we were here and we were doing what we're s'pposed to do! But now we know!"

Rue nods, almost getting it but somewhat lost in Duck's attempt to explain her epiphany. She doesn't get much time to try untangling the words as Duck throws her arms around her.

"Oh thank you Rue! You helped so much! You really did!" Duck cries, bouncing up and down and bobbing Rue with a vice-like grip.

"You're welcome?" she replies. "But what are you going to do?"

Duck slows at that. "Huh... I should do what I wanna do, right?"

"Yes."

"But how do I know what I wanna do while I'm here? What if it's another part of the story? Should I go somewhere else?" Duck wonders aloud.

Rue pats her arm. "If you want to go back to Gold Crown, you can. If that will help you make your decision, is that what you want?"

Duck scratches her head again. "I...I think so."

The Princess pulls her into another hug. "You can come back whenever you want. Even stay if you like. But if going to Gold Crown will help you, then that's what you'll do."

Duck hugs her back again and Rue smiles at the familiar affection from her dearest of friends.

This is how Duck should be, she thinks to herself.