Chapter Two:
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The stovetop was hot, the omelette sizzling, and the soundtrack from Swan Lake played from Leon's music library. The French acrobat balanced on his right foot, while his left leg was elevated and stretched horizontally from his hip, while rotating a small hula hoop around his ankle in repetitive circles. He tossed the spatula into the air, then caught the handle, and flipped the omelette onto its other side while simultaneously reversing the rotation of the hula hoop.
Ever since he was a young boy, Leon often challenged himself with feats of coordination, flexibility, and stamina. Since his partnership with Sora, she too had started to add daily challenges to simple daytime activities. Why, just the other day, he'd been on his way to the laundromat and spotted Sora walking along the laundry line while juggling three pairs of balled up socks.
In less than twenty-four hours, their contracts would be expired with Kaleido Stage. He was bored with California — he'd had enough of the drought. Los Angeles was sunny and hot all the time. He missed France and her four distinct seasons, but to return to Paris permanently after the loss of Sophie was too heartbreaking. Hopefully, a visit to Sora's homeland of Japan would be enough change to satisfy him. And if he could convince her to train with him for the European Showcase, then the more the better.
He finished making his omelette and scooped it onto a plate. He tossed the hula hoop aside and leaned against his counter to eat. He propped up his tablet, opened his email, and started scrolling through the inbox. One particular email caught his attention. It was from an old friend, Jacques,whom he hadn't spoken with for at least five years, shortly before his sister's death.
The Montreal Completement Cirque was scheduled the first and second week of July. It was a ten day celebration that started early each morning and ended at ten thirty every evening on various city blocks in downtown Montreal. The Cirque du Soleil performed countless shows for free and included audience participation stations. There wasn't a message with the email, just a forwarded flyer, but it still sparked his interest. He'd never visited Montreal, but with its French roots, he felt he would be quite comfortable with the culture there.
"I bet Sora would like this," Leon murmured. He marked the email as important, picked up his glass of orange juice, and drained his drink. Leon was determined to convince Sora to be his partner for the competition in the fall. The past year under Kalos' management was the longest he'd ever stuck around in one place after Sophie's death. And in spite of his original rough treatment of Sora, she'd become a true friend to him.
Leon finished his breakfast and then washed his plate in the sink. He then got to work on making a second omelette, this one for Sora. After the apple incident, he didn't quite trust his partner's ability to properly feed herself. Today was their final two shows - one at three in the afternoon and the final one at eight-thirty that evening.
He stored the nutritious breakfast inside a plastic container, grabbed a couple of bananas, and hurried over to Sora's apartment across the street.
He had his hand poised over the door to knock when it opened.
Sora stared at him in surprise. "Leon! What are you doing here?"
He held out the container to her. "Breakfast."
"Thank you!" Sora took the container and gestured for him the enter her place. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. "I was just on my way to the grocery store, but you'll save me some time."
Leon paused at the door and shucked off his shoes, setting them next to Sora's three pairs in the hallway. He joined her in the kitchen. The apartment was a bit spartan. Like his apartment, it came furnished. There was an island in the kitchen with two stools on one side.
Sora set the container on the island's countertop and then fished a fork out of a drawer. She opened a cabinet and pulled out two of the four glasses within. "Would you like something to drink?" Sora asked. She chuckled nervously. "I have water and water."
"Water will be just fine," Leon assured her. He pulled out one of the stools and waited for Sora to sit. "How are you doing?"
"I can't seem to stay still," Sora confessed. She sat on the stool next to him, her feet balanced on the lower bar and bouncing up and down anxiously. "We only have two performances left!"
"There will be more," Leon reassured her. "Just think of it as the start of a new adventure."
Sora stuck her fork into the omelette and started to eat. "Well, at least I don't have to adventure on my own," she said with a full mouth.
"Swallow first, then talk," Leon chided. He propped his elbow on the island, cradling his chin, while he stared at a couple of framed photos across the room. One was of Sora as a child with her adopted parents and the other was of her holding a small infant - probably her baby sister.
She set down her fork and washed down her food with a drink of her water. "We need to get plane tickets so I can let my parents know when to expect us."
"If you'll give me your passport and their contact information, I'll take care of that," Leon offered.
Sora swiveled her stool towards him, knocking her knees against his. "You don't have to take care of me."
"Maybe I want to," Leon countered scowling. "When I find the perfect partner, it is my greatest desire to take care of her. Is that so wrong?"
Sora's bright chocolate eyes studied him quietly. "I understand. I'll get it to you after I finish this wonderful meal you've provided!" She started back on finishing the omelette. "Just let me know how much my travel expenses are and I'll pay you back."
"Sure," Leon agreed. He had no intention of letting her pay him back. He'd been a professional athlete longer than her, had won more competitions, and had a substantial amount of savings. It helped that he lived humbly and kept his material possessions down to a minimum.
"So you're going to talk to Kalos about both of us?" Sora asked nervously. "I don't want to let him down."
"He's the owner of Kaleido Stage. His job is to constantly worry about the successes of both the current and future performances. Of course, he wants big names to draw in big crowds," Leon explained. "That's why he called me, is it not? It certainly wasn't because I'm a team player."
"You are getting better with that!" Sora reassured him.
Leon scoffed. "I'm not so sure about that." He had a partnership with Sora and sometimes May, but otherwise, most of the other members of the circus annoyed him. He thought many of them, especially the clowns, were too preoccupied with frivolity. Or in the case of Ken, too busy fawning over Sora. Leon wouldn't be missing that American at all. "Kalos will attempt to guilt you into agreeing to renew your contact," Leon said. "And you are so soft-hearted that you would agree, even if your body needs a break."
"Yeah, I guess," Sora said. "But maybe I should still tell him myself. He gave me a chance when no one else would."
"How about we talk to him together?" Leon suggested. He set one of the bananas on the island by Sora's elbow and peeled the other one for himself. "I'll see you this afternoon for the performance. Remember, don't tell anyone of our plans just yet. It might distract them."
"Okay," Sora agreed. "Oh!" She shot off of her stool, knocking it towards the ground, but Leon caught it mid-fall. "Let me get you my passport."
Leon righted the stool. "Try not to hurt yourself in the meantime!"
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OoO
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The ballet barre was crowded with the various circus performers warming up. Sora and May stood together stretching their hamstrings. The friendly rivals made an interesting contrast to one another.
As they stretched, the wall mirror reflected them side by side. They were about the same size, but where as May was dark haired, dark eyed, and usually quiet; Sora had bright hair, bright eyes, and was outgoing. May's background in ice skating gave her the graceful form of a dancer. Every step May took seemed as if she was gliding on air. Sora was the superior gymnast. She was more akin to a lithe jungle cat with tightly coiled and powerful muscles ready to spring into action.
Despite their differences, no one doubted that they both worked very hard.
"Last day," May said. She grinned at Sora in the mirror. "I hope you're ready to compete with me on the lead role for the next production."
Sora smiled at her rival absently. She and Leon had agreed not to tell the others of their plans to take a break from the show. "I'm always ready to compete with you, May. Any clue what the next show will be about?"
May shrugged. "No idea. I think Kalos will decide once everyone renews their contract." She dark violet eyes locked on Sora in the mirror. "I heard that you haven't signed your contract yet."
"I plan to talk with him tomorrow after our last show," Sora explained. She flashed May a reassuring smile and the Chinese ice skater relaxed slightly. "Let's focus on what we're doing right now."
A quiet murmur rumbled through the athletes as Leon walked into the warmup room. May turned away from the barre, holding it with her hands, and leaning forward. Her eyes followed Leon around the room. "I can't wait to be partnered with him again. We were unstoppable together."
Sora continued facing the mirror, but she too watched Leon. He started towards them with a small smile on his otherwise impassive face.
"Are you ladies ready for the last day of Swan Lake?" Leon asked. He started using the barre next to Sora. His pale, lavender gaze met hers in the mirror.
"We're professionals," May scoffed, her disappointment obvious when Leon chose to warmup beside Sora. "The real question is what our next show will be." She flashed Leon a charming smile. "I hope you're not too attached to Sora. I intend to destroy her in tryouts."
"Hm," Leon replied. He stepped back from the barre and his strong hands laid on Sora's calf and hip as he helped apply a little more pressure to loosen her tension. "You were just a little heavy footed on the trapeze yesterday on your left."
Sora swallowed thickly as his hands worked her muscles and she tried very hard to avoid May's stare. "Your right shoulder," she said.
Leon nodded. "I iced it after the last performance and it seemed to help," he said.
"Heat is generally best for rotator cuff strains," May pointed out. She returned her attention to her stretches, but her eyes kept spying the two in the mirror.
"Before a work out, but afterwards ice is best," Leon said. He released Sora's leg and tugged on a lock of her red-rose hair teasingly. "Turns out that an old friend of mine and his wife will be in the audience this afternoon. Would you mind meeting them with me after the show?"
"I'm happy to meet them," Sora agreed. She sighed and then started to work on her other leg.
"What?" Leon asked, a silvery eyebrow arched.
"It's nothing, it just would have been nice if my parents could have seen our last performance," Sora confessed. "I mean, it's stupid of me. They saw our first performance."
"It's not stupid," Leon said quietly. "However, remember, it's not our last performance together, just our last of Swan Lake." He backed away from the barre and nodded his head at May. "I'll see you both in an hour."
Sora sat on the ground and stretched her legs into a V, leaning over to touch her toes on either side. She watched Leon as he spoke with a few other performers before leaving the warmup room to finish warming up privately. He'd invited her to warm up with him before, but she had declined, not wanting to alienate the other performers. He often showed her preferential treatment, but she enjoyed being part of the ensemble.
"Okay, what was that about?" May asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. He noticed a flaw in my performance and wanted to help correct it," Sora explained.
"No, it's something more than that," May said, shaking her head slowly. "There's something between you two."
"Sure, we're partners and we're friends," Sora explained. With all the time she spent at Leon's hospital bedside, she learned a lot about the mysterious man. He didn't really have friends and he had burned a lot of bridges after Sophie's death in his search for a partner that would do his sister's memory justice.
May narrowed her dark eyes suspiciously. "You don't seriously expect me to think that's it!" She sat next to Sora and leaned close to her ear. "You're sleeping together, aren't you?"
Sora jerked at the suggestion, her eyes widened, and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Of course not! It's not like that!"
"Then why are you blushing?" May tapped her cool fingertip against Sora's cheek. "Even if you aren't," she said, looking back towards the door Leon just exited. "He wants to."
"How do you know?" Sora gasped. "You didn't sleep with him, did you?" she whispered. The idea of Leon and May being intimate churned her stomach.
"Certainly not," May huffed. She sighed. "Though, if he had asked I wouldn't have turned him down. I admit, I'm jealous of the comfortable bond that you share with him."
The wave of relief that rolled over Sora was stronger than it should have been. She and Leon were just friends, but she was very glad he hadn't been romantically involved with May. For some reason, the very idea hurt like a punch to the stomach.
"He never asked me to meet any of his old friends," May confided. She lowered her voice. "And I still never learned who Sophie was. She must have been amazing to have affected him so greatly."
Sora said nothing and focused on her warmup.
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OoO
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The afternoon performance of Swan Lake went on without a hitch. Leon was extremely pleased to have finished another flawless and energetic show. The final performance was due to start in three hours. It was the back to back shows that truly tested an athlete's endurance and part of the reason he felt it important for both him and Sora to take some time off.
One of the show managers informed him that Jacques and Marie Beaucamp were waiting in his dressing room. He hurried to find Sora. He found her listening patiently to the stage manager, Ken. The American tediously explained various ropes and pulley mechanisms and how he ingeniously made them work for so many performances.
"Sora," Leon called, saving Sora from a mind-numbingly boring conversation . Ken glared at him, obviously annoyed to be disturbed. "Those friends I mentioned are waiting. Will you come meet them with me?"
"Yes, sure," Sora said. She flashed Ken an apologetic smile. "I really appreciate all your hard work, Ken. I'll see you after tonight's show at the celebratory party."
"I'll see you later, Sora," Ken said. "I owe you a drink!"
"Oh, you know I don't drink," Sora said. "But, I'll appreciate the company of good friends." She hurried to Leon's side and took the arm he offered her. She never noticed the scowl on Ken's face. "Who are these guests of yours?"
"When Sophie and I were training, we met a generous, artistic couple, Jacques and Marie Beaucamp." The couple was about fifteen years older than Leon. They had always been kind and helpful to the two acrobatic orphans. "He is a choreographer and she is a dance instructor. They moved to Montreal about a year before the accident," he explained. "I've not seen them since they left Paris. I avoided them while I was in my dark mood."
"You didn't want them to see you like that," Sora murmured.
Leon nodded. The Beaucamps were from a happier point of his life. "They asked me to visit them in Montreal during my grief, but I never did."
They reached Leon's dressing room. He and Sora were still in their costumes from the performance, but he didn't expect to talk for long with the couple. He might invite them to the cast and crew celebration after the show that night.
Jacques and Marie looked exactly as he remembered.
"Très bon travail! As always, you were magnificent!" Jacques said. He grabbed Leon by the upper arms and kissed both his cheeks in greeting. He then took Sora's hand and kissed the back of her knuckles.
"You danced beautifully together," Marie sighed. She stood from the chair in a fluid, smooth motion and smiled at Sora. "What dance did you study?"
Sora looked from Marie to Leon helplessly. "I haven't studied any dance."
Leon wrapped his arm over Sora's shoulder and hugged her to his side protectively. "Sora comes from Japan and they didn't have a traditional acrobatics school. Her training has been more on the fly."
"Ah," Jacques said. "That might explain why the two of you are so good with your ad-libs."
Marie laughed. "Oh, I doubt that's the reason, Jacques." She smiled kindly at Sora. "You have great talent, cher. You and Leon have a communication through the heart," she said laying her hand over her chest. "He and Sophie had it too. You both have a passion for the art and it's obvious in your performance."
"Thank you," Sora said. "Leon said you're a dance instructor. What do you teach?"
"Oh," Marie said breathlessly. "So many! Traditionally, I trained in ballet. But my passions are Tango, Swing, Bellydancing, and now the silk ropes." She took Sora's hand and led her away from Leon back to his chair. "Let me help you get all those pins out of your hair." She started to remove the bobby pins from Sora's bound up hair. "Give that scalp a little break before you do this show again in a few hours."
Leon clenched his jaw, not appreciating Marie's manhandling of his partner.
"Let them talk," Jacques said quietly in French. "She won't hurt her."
Leon shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Of course, Marie wouldn't harm Sora. He didn't need to be quite so defensive. Sora wasn't Sophie. She wasn't going to go off with some charming man intent on sabotaging her career, and Marie was hardly Yuri. "I was surprised to learn you would be attending," he rejoined in French.
"We've always followed your career closely, Leon," Jacques said. "Tonight is your final performance. Have you thought about your future after this?"
"I'll be taking some time off, Sora too. I intend to accompany her to Japan to train for the European Showcase in the fall," Leon explained.
"What does the showcase consist of?" Jacques asked.
"Three three to four minute acts," Leon answered. "I was thinking the swings of course and possibly the hoop."
"Have you heard of the festival in Montreal? You could both come and stay with us. You might consider the silks for a third routine. Marie and I would be happy to help choreograph. Our season is technically over, aside from the festival, and that's just for fun." Jacques laid his hand over Leon's shoulder. "It would be good for you." He nodded his head towards Sora and Marie. "A few dance lessons could only help. Your partner has great talent and the two of you have great chemistry. Training can only help."
"Why don't you both come to tonight's celebratory party after the last show? We can talk about this then," Leon suggested. He thought about the flyer he read earlier. They had plenty of time before they needed to go to Japan.
"Okay," Jacques agreed. "I hope you'll agree, but regardless, it's been so good to see you." He stepped back from Leon and drew his wife away from Sora. "We should let you rest," he said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Sora. We look forward to seeing you again tonight."
"You'll be coming to the cast and crew party?" Sora asked. She pulled out the last of the hairpins.
"Yes," Leon answered. "I invited them so that we could visit longer."
The Beaucamps left, leaving Leon and Sora alone in his dressing room.
"I better go back to my dressing room so I can get out of this costume and take a nap," Sora said, casting a nervous look towards the door.
"I have a spare robe," Leon offered. "You might as well rest here."
"Don't you need to rest?" Sora asked.
Leon shrugged. His endurance level was so advanced that he could do a second show now without any particular duress. "Not particularly." He started towards the chair and guided her to her feet. "I'll help you with the zipper."
He could feel her trembling slightly under his touch as he unzipped the back of her costume. She pulled off the outfit, standing only in her sports bra and bicycle shorts. It was more material than a swimsuit, but even still, Leon stared at her tone body, appreciating what he saw. He reached for one of his robes and draped it over her shoulders.
Leon gestured towards the twin-sized bed in the dressing room's corner. "You take the bed. I'll take a brief nap on the couch." He stepped back from her and stripped out of his costume, wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs. "Shall I wake you in forty five minutes?"
Sora nodded, staring at him, her bright, caramel colored eyes focused on his chest and abs. She blinked and quickly turned her back to him before slipping into his bed. "That will be fine," she mumbled, burying her face against the pillow.
Leon grinned, pleased that Sora had appreciated what she saw.