On Point

The Prince and Princess Return

By Rena Rouge

Hey Divas and Divos, haven't I got a scoop for you!

Dancers all over the world will be rejoicing as they read the news I am about to share. Lila Rossi (20) has informed us here at 'On Point' that she is back together with her beau, Adrien Agreste (22). Apparently, spending time within the studio has rekindled their romance to the point that dance master, Plagg Fu (38), has refused to pair them together in the pas de deux class due to their inability to concentrate on what is going on.

Lila told us that she and Adrien are having to keep their relationship on the downlow and that it is only allowed outside of studio time, and away from the school.

As to Lila's sponsorship with 'Bloch', it seems Gabriel has joined forces with the dancewear giants to release his debut collection exclusively with the dancewear giants.

It seems the Agrestes are once again taking over the dance world.

Welcome back.

Marinette felt deflated.

After the pas de deux class had concluded, Adrien couldn't have exited the studio quicker if he'd been interjected with super serum. He'd left her there flummoxed and questioning her own abilities, abilities she was already struggling to understand.

She hadn't wanted to be paired with him and she couldn't help but wonder why his father thought it was a good idea. Maybe it was one of his intimidation techniques to get her out of the school, or maybe he just wanted to embarrass her? The incredible skills of those around her was a clear hint she wasn't the same standard as everyone else.

She moved out of the studio and to her bags, sitting down on the floor beside the storage, and began to remove her pointe shoes. A sharp hiss escaped through clenched teeth as she removed the shoes and wool wrapping from around her toes. Three had already split and it had only been a couple of weeks.

"Hey."

Marinette looked up, her anxieties melting away as she relaxed into eyes as blue as the shimmering ocean. The relaxing tones and sparkle gave her a little confidence to remove some of the doubt.

"Hey," she said back at Luka, trying to sound less a little out together and less frazzled than she looked.

"May I sit?"

Marinette nodded, turning back to her shoes and trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. She could feel his eyes on her as she continued tending to her feet, wrapping her toes in plasters and gauze. She found her socks and slipped them on her feet, before throwing on her hoodie.

Without warning Marinette started to giggle, his intense gaze making her feel like some sort of exhibition. She lifted her head to look at him, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he leaned back on his hands. His long toned legs were stretched out in front of him, the tight material of his tights enhancing every defined muscle from his pinky toe to hip.

"What?" she giggled, pulling her legs in and creating a barrier between them. He lifted an eyebrow and smiled at her again.

"You danced amazingly with Adrien," he stated.

Marinette rolled her eyes before rolling her ribbons around her shoe before placing them in her bag. "I stumbled on my last pirouette."

"A little," Luka said, "but at least you didn't change the choreography. I wouldn't like to be in Adrien's shoes right now."

With a swift motion, Marinette looked to the door, almost expecting to see Adrien standing there. Her gut swooped when the doorway remained empty.

"Maybe? But it was better, you have to admit that. The choreography here is so old and used, it could do with a little jazzing up."

Luka laughed. "I wouldn't use that phrase with Gabriel Agreste." He smiled, grabbing his own bag from where it lay beside Marinette's, "but it did look good. I'm just surprised you allowed him to lift you so easily considering how awkward you felt with me. It looked effortless."

Marinette finished packing up her belongings and stood up with a shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose having Gabriel Agreste giving you a death glare does that to you."

For some reason, she thought the words she just said were a lie.

It wasn't just having Gabriel there which had caused her to trust him, she just did. Maybe it was because she knew he'd danced with others in the past? Or maybe it was because of a feeling she had when dancing with him?

"True," Luka agreed. "I think I would have let Adrien lift me with a stare like that. It gave me a shiver just watching him watch you. I felt like I wanted to jump in and defend you, but you sure let the dancing talk."

"Miss Césaire, can I have a word please?" Nathalie had returned to the studio, her face taut and expressionless as she beckoned Alya out of the studio.

Marinette watched her friend as she grabbed her belongings and sheepishly made her way to the director's assistant. Marinette threw her a small smile of reassurance as she passed.

"I was thinking, maybe we could go and grab some dinner together? Cheer you up a little."

Quickly turning back to Luka, Marinette placed on a smile. "I think I'm just going to hang around the studio for a while, maybe practise a little."

He looked at her almost expressionless. "You're not worrying about what Adrien said, are you? He was just being picky."

True, she couldn't stop thinking about Adrien's unwarranted insult, but that wasn't all. She knew she wasn't as good as the others, it wasn't her putting herself down or being dramatic, it was fact. She needed to work hard and she was never one to hide away from a challenge.

"It's fine Luka, it has nothing to do with Adrien. I just want to practise. Try to up my game a little."

Luka looked unsure whether to stay or go, but she needed to practise without a distraction – and Luka was quite the distraction.

"It's okay. I'll see you later, back at the dorms and maybe we could watch a movie or something?" She placed her hand to his forearm, giving him a reassuring smile.

He seemed to be debating with himself about something before eventually giving in. "Sure. Don't stay too late."

She watched him leave before swinging the bag onto her shoulder and making her way over to Plagg. He was currently talking to the pianist, so she hovered awkwardly behind, not wanting to interrupt their conversation but wanting to try and make herself known.

The conversation reached her ears and she couldn't help listening in. Slowly turning away but listening in carefully. They were talking about Adrien and how he changed the choreography. It seemed Gabriel had summoned his son to his office and she could only imagine what kind of pressure Adrien was under to be 'perfect'. It was one thing to be in the school, but to be the son of the Director must be a whole other level of pressure.

The pianist suddenly spotted her, stopping the conversation with Plagg and nodding in her direction. He closed the piano lid before standing up and walking away, leaving her alone with her instructor.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng? How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if the studio is free this evening? There's a few things I'd like to work on."

Plagg smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder – an offering of support. "For you, I'm sure we could make an exception."

"Thank you," she said, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"Come with me for a moment." Plagg led her over to the stereo, the last remaining dancers exiting the studio with a quick goodbye and wave.

Plagg began to mess around with a couple of leads, before finding one he was sure would fit into her phone. "You can use this studio for the next two hours. If you want longer just tell the cleaner to contact me and we'll arrange something."

"That's great. Thank you, Monsieur. Plagg."

He nodded in welcome, continuing to mess around with the different wires. She wasn't sure what he was after, knowing the one he'd already placed on top was perfect for her connector.

"Just know, Adrien is…" He paused and she was sure he was trying to think of the correct words to say. "...under extreme pressure at the moment. He's a good guy though and an amazing dancer. Don't take what he says to heart, a lot of the time he has no tact but he does have meaning behind what he says. Poor kid needs some friends and social skills." The last sentence was muttered as Plagg returned to standing and gave her a wide smile.

Without another word, he grabbed his own bag and made his way to the door, only to stop and turn back to her. "You're doing great, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, just don't lose who you really are."

Carefully, he closed the door behind him leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts.

Who she really was? She wasn't sure anymore. She'd been trying so hard to fit in, to prove herself as worthy as the others, but was Plagg right? Was she doing it at the deficit of herself?

She took her phone from her pocket and plugged it into the stereo. Opening her Spoitfy she wondered which playlist to select. She could either select something from her classical ballet playlist and rehearse the pas de deux and work on her technique, or she could do something else, something more her.

Slipping off her shoes and her sweats, she pressed play and walked to the centre of the studio floor. It was time to remember why she loved to dance so much.

Adrien had been waiting in his father's office for at least 5 minutes, his father marching from one end of the room to the other, turning to face him then sighing. It was getting highly repetitive and if Gabriel Agreste was going to shout at him, Adrien wished he would just get it over with. He was tired. The day had been emotionally and physically draining and he just wanted to get back to his room and crash. He didn't need his father's attempt at parenting today.

Finally, Gabriel stopped, turned around and came to sit opposite Adrien at his desk. His fingers threading together as he leaned forward, an eyebrow raised and a less than impressed look on his face.

"You changed the choreography," Gabriel stated, Adrien unsure how to answer this without sending his father into a talespin of steam and anger.

"I just thought…"

"Thought what, Adrien? That choreography has been performed in this company for 15 years. I choreographed that with your mother, and suddenly you think you can just change it! You have no right! You are just a dancer!" Gabriel was one step away from shouting. Adrien could see the build up in his words and movements, and the purple tinge working its way from his neck to his face. He was not happy.

"Can you sit there and tell me you didn't think the lift looked better? It was one move, father, I didn't change the whole damn routine."

"That one lift changed the entire aesthetic, Adrien! And not just that, you put your partner at risk. She stumbled because of you."

Whilst Adrien couldn't help but think maybe his father's words had an inch of truth in them, he wasn't going to be demerited when he knew what he did worked. It looked good. Everyone saw it.

"She's not as strong as the others, father, she's never danced a pas de deux and she trusted me. That must tell you something! I know what I'm doing."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, staring at Adrien. Any moment now he was sure his father would turn into Superman and shoot lasers right through him. Adrien folded his arms and remained staring, edging his father to the bring and hoping he would break first. A tried and tested approach when it came to Gabriel Agreste.

A knock sounded at the door. Breaking the stare off currently taking place over Gabriel's recently printed copy of 'On Point'.

His father called for the visitor to enter, his eyes remaining fixated on Adrien's, neither willing to blink. Nathalie poked her head around the door, Gabriel finally cutting the stare off and looking to his assistant.

"Yes," he demanded, his body language still putting up a wall between the two of them.

"I have Ms. Césaire here for you."

"Thank you."

Nathalie stepped back and closed the door leaving the tense atmosphere between father and son thick and unmoving. Gabriel looked back to Adrien, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm giving you your opportunity, so don't mess with mine. I expect better tomorrow."

Adrien took this as his cue to leave, waiting until he was away from his father to roll his eyes. He walked to the door, his hand stretching out to grab the handle when his father called his name.

"Adrien, next pas de deux class I expect you to be partnered with Ms. Rossi or Ms. Bourgeois. Regardless of this little thing you'll be doing, you'll need to train with a worthy partner. Do you understand?"

Adrien's nose flared as he knew he couldn't get out of this. His father would pull his deal if Adrien stepped out of line again, so for the foreseeable future he would follow the rules of Gabriel's game, even if he hated every moment of it.

"Yes, father."

"And tell Nathalie to allow Ms. Césaire in, please."

The politeness meant nothing coming from Gabriel Agreste, Adrien wanting to tell Alya to run in the opposite direction. He'd heard she'd attended Urdang in London before coming here, and he wasn't entirely sure why she thought this was the better choice. Though Urdang was hard, it catered to a lot more tastes, just as Adrien wanted to expand the school and the company here. There was more to dance than just ballet and he wished his father would open his eyes to what was out there… to what he could bring to the dance school.

He made his way over to Nathalie, passing on his father's demands before giving Alya a small reassuring smile. For whatever reason she'd been brought here, it wouldn't be good. It was never a good sign to be singled out by Gabriel Agreste.

Grabbing his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and made his way in the direction of the studios. He needed to blow off some steam and usually Plagg left his studio open for students for the remainder of the evening… or at least until the cleaners came in.

Adrien looked at his watch, he should have at least a couple of hours before turf out, just enough to push his boundaries – and dance away his frustrations.

The dance had gone amazing, the lift was incredible and dancing with Marinette was an experience. Yes, she had fumbled, but he needed to prepare her for if his father pulled her up on it. He felt the strong need to protect her, even though he was quite sure she could protect herself and he knew exactly how harsh his father could be.

His heart wanting to drag him back to sit alongside Alya as his father laid out a personal attack on the girl. He made a mental note to check in on her tomorrow. To make sure whatever his father had said and done wouldn't lead to any long lasting effects. He'd seen it before. Gabriel breaking down the strongest willed dancers into nothing more than a shell of their former selves – you only had to look at him to see it.

As he approached the studio he noticed the lights were on and gentle music was playing from the room – not ballet soundtracks though; modern, contemporary.

His interest spiked as he moved forward, peering into the studio from around the wall. He watched the dancer inside command the floor in a way others could only dream about. Her moves were effortless; a perfect combination of lyrical and contemporary, telling a story of heartache and angst. A story of longing and love, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"Amazing, isn't she?" The sound of a second voice came behind him, Adrien smiling in response to the newcomer.

"She moves so effortlessly."

"That is a true dancer."

Plagg stood beside Adrien, folding his arms and looking through the window. They both remained silent, watching her move across the floor like an angel floating through the sky. The undeniable resemblance to his mother caused his head to rotate in a tailspin of hurt and comfort. It was eerie and, yet, wonderful.

"I think I made a mistake," Adrien said all of a sudden, his eyes never leaving Marinette as she graced the studio with her presence. The floor didn't know how lucky it was to have such delicate and intricate feet caressing it with pirouettes and leaps.

"What do you mean?" Plagg asked, both silent as Adrien composed his words.

"Alya."

Plagg sighed, turning around and placing his back to the wall. "She's talented," Plagg said. "She deserves to be here."

"She's with my father at the moment. She doesn't deserve that."

Marinette continued dancing around the studio. He wasn't sure whether this was a prelearnt routine, or if she was freestyling. It was close to perfection though and he wanted to see more. This is what he wanted to do for the gala, she was what he needed to prove to his father there was more to life than pointe shoes and straight backs. Sometimes you just needed to be free; to feel yourself in the music and allow your body to act on its own accord.

"Tell Marinette about the studio," Adrien said. "It needs to come from you."

Plagg nodded, a slight pout on his lips. "Are you sure you want to reveal this to her?"

"It's time someone else knew."

Glancing at Marinette one last time, Adrien turned and made his way out of the studio. It was finally time to let someone else in, he just hoped he'd chosen the right person.