this is a two-parter. ballet AU.
He's never seen her actually dance before.
He'd only seen Claire around a few times before, seeing as he wasn't in the ballet, and every time she had this cold look on her face. As if distant and wary of everyone around her.
Hope was part of the orchestra, as a violinist, for quite some time, now. He happened to catch her practicing after their work was done for the day, having forgotten his scarf in one of the studios while chatting with one of his colleagues. Even she didn't know anything about Claire, no matter how much she tried to initiate conversation (which was impressive; Vanille always got people talking). The mystery surrounding the rosette only drew him closer.
When he got closer to the studio, he found that he definitely wasn't alone— music came from inside the room. He immediately recognized it as a piece from Swan Lake, so he figured it was one of the ballerinas that had stayed behind to practice. Before Hope could fully open the door, he stopped, eyes trained on the rose-haired figure poised in front of the studio's mirror. Her facial expressions were so in tune with the music, not once staying the same as her body moved effortlessly with rhythm and grace. Strong, lean arms angled outwards in second position, followed by a series of perfect pirouettes before leaping into the next position.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her.