"Yes, Miss Starigold, I understand and I do value your time. I promise you will be reimbursed twice for the time you've not been able to train him."
Meredith was sitting at her desk with the phone speaker on.
"Miss Meredith, I want to make it perfectly clear I'm not doing this for the money. I'm an artist, who's art is to train boys to become dancers. I only accepted this request because i heard there was a boy at your school who performed the Rougardé, and at the mere age of eighteen! I was very excited when you made the call but frankly, I'm beginning to question whether it was a mistake."
"Miss Starigold, please be reasonable. The school can't possibly be held responsible for him falling sick, but I can tell you he's been recovering well and we think he'll soon be ready to begin his training."
That was the lie she told. She'd managed to contain the secret of what happened three weeks ago when Ida raped Jude. Among those who knew the truth it was only her, Nina, Chris and the two other guards with them at the time.
"How soon is that? A week, a month? I can't wait that long. There's only five months left until the Championships and there's much work to be done."
"A week, we believe he'll be well enough to begin his training within a week."
"Okay then, a week it is. But know this is my final offer. If i can't begin training within a week I'll consider our deal null and void."
"Thank you, Miss Starigold. I'm confident he'll be ready within a week."
"Good, I'll see you then."
"Yes take care, Miss Starigold."
"Bye."
Meredith let out a sigh as she turned off the speaker. Somehow she'd managed to delay the notoriously strict Starigold, but she knew time was running out. If Judes treatment didn't make some leaps soon she might have to cancel his training and participation in the championships. The board wouldn't be happy.
She turned on the monitor connected to a security camera in Jude's room. Fawlorne was with him and they lay in bed together, watching a movie. It had become a habit of hers to watch over him. He'd made some big progress in his recovery, she had to admit that, but she was still unsure if it was enough. A little more than two weeks ago she'd called Fawlorne to her office, she'd explained the situation, only leaving out the detail of the completed binding, and asked for her help.
Jude had developed severe PTCS, Post traumatic cock syndrome, and his body had begun to break down. Meredith wished she could have been the one to help Jude and couldn't help to look at Fawlorne in envy as she breastfed him. She had a defective womb, which meant she could never bear children of her own. She loved children, especially boys. It was the reason why she became a teacher in the first place.
The movie finished and she saw Fawlorne rise from the bed and head to the bathroom. When Fawlorne came out she'd changed into a skimpy dress, her cock already hard, holding up the dress to reveal her balls. She spotted the faked yawn when her dick fell onto Jude. She had to admit, Anna had style. Fawlorne said something to him and he reached down to touch her cock. Meredith felt her own cock stir and unbuttoned her pants and stroked it. She couldn't take her eyes off of Jude as he jerked Fawlorne off and suckled her tits. The first time she jerked off from watching them she felt ashamed by her actions. It wasn't proper. Then it happened a second time and a third and now she didn't question it anymore.
Jude used his hands with such skill one might think he was an expert. Where did he learn that? The school provided theoretical education of handjobs but not practical. Could he have picked it up during his week with Ida? If so, it was nothing short of amazing he'd reached that kind of level in such a short time.
Meredith emulated his movements with her own hands, when Jude cupped Fawlornes balls she cupped her own. She grunted as he increased the pace and Fawlorne was nearing her limit.
"Oh Jude, you're the best. Take mommy's seed."
Meredith and Fawlorne ejaculated at the same and she sprayed her seed all over desk and the papers on top of it.
Dazed, she blinked her foggy eyes and groaned as she saw the soaked papers on her desk. They were test papers which would be given back once she'd scored them. She reached for a towel but then saw on the monitor that Jude and Fawlorne kept going. She was leaning over him with her tits on his crotch. The towel dropped from her hand and she picked up a small pencil which she reckoned was about the same size as Judes penis and started sucking on it. Touching her breasts and stroking her cock.
Jude moaned in such a cute manner and the way he arched his back as fawlorne pleasured him egged her on even further. She ejaculated a second time, spraying even more sperm over the test papers. Huffing and puffing she slumped back in her chair.
Performing oral on a male was a controversial issue within the empire. Some, particularly within the upper classes and the clergy, were adamant that no part of a male's body should ever enter the body of a futa with the exception of their tongue. Meredith was not upper class though, but a lower class futa who'd risen to middle class and might one day be inducted into the upper class. Among the lower and middle class there were many futas who enjoyed sucking male dick. They liked the sweet taste of it and how helpless the male was as they did.
These people claimed that to have a male's dick in your mouth was not true oral penetration. They argued that true oral penetration was only when the dick entered the throat, and few males had big enough dicks to throatfuck someone. The government accepted it and she suspected, that even among the upper class, there were many who enjoyed it in secret.
When she regained her senses, she picked up the towel and tried to wipe off the test papers, which had begin to dry and curl around the edges. It couldn't be helped, they would have to be returned as they were.
She glanced back at the monitor, Jude rested his head between Fawlornes breasts, chest heaving and with a smile on his lips. The rehabilitation had been a success. Not only had he been re-acclimated to futa cock but also overcome his fear of anal penetration. She relaxed and felt assured that he would be able to begin his training.
The next week Jude was checked out of the infirmary and returned to the dorms. He trembled as he sat down on the bed where he was raped. When he blinked, he could still see the bloodstained linens and feel the terror of that moment.
He thought of how different it would've been if Chris had not acted as swiftly as she had, rescuing him moments before Ida was about to bind him. Had she not, he wasn't sure if he could live with himself anymore. Fawlorne told him she'd been standing guard outside his room for the entire duration he spent in the infirmary. He made a mental note to thank her for it later.
The next day Meriss Starigold arrived at the school to begin his training. Jude had practiced beforehand and was glad to see he had not lost his step during the hospitalisation. She'd refused to have a proper introduction with Meredith present and demanded they would meet in the dance hall first thing when she arrived.
Jude was nervous as he changed into his Ballet outfit. When he entered the hall, he saw a woman dressed in a black bodysuit with dark hoses underneath and her hair tied in a tight knot. She wore a stern expression and regarded him with a steady gaze as he walked up to her and curtsied.
"Jude, I presume."
"Yes ma'm, pleased to meet you".
"Likewise, now stand straight."
Starigold eyed him from top to bottom. She stepped around in two graceful strides, hunched down and squeezed his calves, moving up to his thigh, over his bum and then his torso. When done she snorted, "Could've been better but I suppose it'll have to do. Now stand en Pointe and raise your left leg."
He stood up on his toes and raised his leg, keeping perfect balance throughout. "hmm, you have well developed feet though. Okay, that's enough. Stand down."
She strode off a few steps then turned to face him and brought out a small cane she'd kept hidden.
"I don't believe I need to introduce myself but for clarity's sake my name's Meriss Starigold. That'll be Ms Starigold to you. My work speaks for itself, I've trained many masters in my time. Damien Mchart and Duke Langley to name two. The style I teach is that of the Vaganova method with influences from the Bournonville and French styles. I deploy a strict regimen and I expect you to adhere my instructions to the tee. We've already lost valuable time because of your illness, so we'll progress at a quicker pace. Please do take better care of your health next time."
"Yes, Ms Starigold."
"Now I need you to perform a couple of basic exercises to assess your level. First, show me your alignment."
Jude straightened and turned his feet outward with the heels touching. It was the basic starting position of ballet and a graceful pose that gave your body the impression of being fastened to an invisible force at your feet and a string above that pulled at your core. Starigold instructed him to sway to the side to test his balance and whether he could keep his feet posted to the floor.
"Next approach me with a turnout and Port de Bras."
Jude held his arms in a straight line across his shoulders, touching fingers in front to form a circle, and took three steps towards Ms Starigold. With the first he lowered his arms down to his hips, with the second he raised them above his head and with the third he completed the circle to return to the original position with hands touching.
"Not bad, I suppose. Next, get up en pointe and tip over to the mirrors over there and then back to me. Mind your Port de Bras at all times and keep your steps short and at an even pace." He tipped over the mirror and then back to Starigold.
"Keep the pointe and raise you left leg above your head and grab the ankle." Jude recognised the position, it was the starting point of the Rougardé, the move he performed at Liberation day.
"And now the Rougardé," Starigold confirmed his suspicions. He lowered his leg to the ground to brace himself for the spin. Starigold's cane flew out and struck his behind. Delivering a sting which made him jump.
"I did not tell you to lower your leg."
"But Ms Starigold I had to re-balance myself."
"So you're saying your balance isn't good enough?"
"I… If you'd told me I'd do the Rougardé I would've prepared."
She snorted and stepped up to stand in front of him.
"Duke Langley could do it from any position, at anytime," Her voice was cold. The mention of his idols name stirred something within him.
"Now again," she called out and he raised his leg up to the previous position.
"Rougardé!"
Jude swung his leg out in a wide arch and spun. He kept accelerating through the first three spins then kept that speed for the next seven, facing forward for as long as he could before he had to turn. In the last four spins he slowly raised his leg back over his head. It was important that he faced the audience at the exact moment he stopped and plan ahead to make it appear natural.
He worried he could not withstand the frantic spinning and lose his balance but he completed the move without complications. He tried to keep his expression level but the corner of his mouth kept pulling up as his chest heaved with pride of completing the complicated move. His cheek stung as Starigold let her whip fly.
"Wipe that smug grin off your face, it's unbecoming."
"Sorry Ms Starigold."
Starigold stared, lips pursed, eyes intense. Was she impressed? Many had been during Liberation Day.
"So how did I do?" Jude asked when he couldn't bear the silence anymore.
"Pitiful."
Jude's jaw sagged.
"The speedup was acceptable but your pacing was uneven between the sixth and seventh spin. Furthermore, you slowed down before the eleventh spin and I spotted a slight tremble in your ankle during the finishing position."
Jude couldn't believe what he heard. There had been a slight tremble in his ankle, that was true, but he didn't notice anything about the pace. Starigold met his look of disbelief with an even stare.
"You're probably thinking 'but I did nothing wrong, everything was perfect' and I'm sure it may have appeared that way to you. But let me remind you that you're not the teacher here. You might think you're special but I've seen a thousand boys as talented as you. How many of them do you think made it to the big stages?" She didn't need to provide an answer, Jude was aware of the competitive nature of professional ballet.
"Sorry miss Starigold, I'll try to do better next time."
She turned her back on him and strode a few paces away, the cane firmly in her hands.
"I expect nothing less."
She kept him going for an hour and a half before she finished her class. Jude curtsied to her as he left. She followed him with her eyes as he walked through the door. When Hanna, from the championship committee, told her she'd met an eighteen year old boy who performed the Rougardé she'd not believed her. Now when she'd seen it with her own eyes, she still found it hard to fathom.
She made him go through all the basic moves of ballet and a hoard of advanced. Not only was he accustomed to every single one, but he performed each to near perfection. Not since Damien Mchart had she seen such skill from a boy his age. Perhaps not even Mchart. Actually, she was hard pressed to think of any active dancer that could measure up to him. Then again, Ballet had seen quite the downturn in recent decades and most talented dancers developed their skills in other styles.
She'd criticised his Rougardé but truth was his mistakes were so faint only people of masterful level would be able to spot them. She questioned how such a talent could've stayed hidden for so long and she should be excited about it, but there was something missing. While he performed every moves to near perfection, she couldn't shake that feeling of absence. Only time he'd done a mistake was in his Rougardé, so why did she feel this way?
It struck her as sudden as a bolt of lightning hit the ground. His technique was flawless but there was no life to it. It lacked soul and spirit. He performed his routines with mechanical grace.
Perfection is a man made word and doesn't exist in the real world. Art is the craft of expression and perfection can only be attained through the flawed nature of the human heart. All students she'd trained into stardom had shown that 'it' factor, even if they'd been complete beginners when they started.
She felt nothing from Jude. No emotion, no personal style and no soul. It was as if he was broken inside. Technique could always be taught but the human heart is a fragile thing. Once ruined it was near impossible to mend and let the soul of the boy shine through his dance.
There was only one way in which she knew it could be done.