Chapter 9: Let's Get Started

After the rehearsal, Briar and the boys wait for the results.

Vil says, "I must say, I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting you to be half this graceful."

Everyone remains silent.

Then Vil says, "Consider me impressed, Jamil."

"You humble me with your praise, Vil," Jamil replies.

Then Vil says to Kalim, "You were rather poised yourself, Kalim. Perhaps home tutoring does make a difference."

"Wow, you think? Heh heh. You're making me blush," Kalim replies with a smile, "I don't know if I'd say my poise comes from tutoring though. It's probably just because I like to dance."

"Kalim's studied traditional dance since he was a child. I'm a bit into street dancing, myself," Jamil says.

"Ah. That would explain why your core muscles are so well-developed," Vil says.

Vil then trunks to Briar, "And Briar, you were doing well, you danced gracefully, but I notice you seem rather stiffed a bit, rather uneasy. With some more practice, you'll feel more confident and can pose more easily."

"Thank you, Vil. Honestly, despite some of the performances I did, I'm nervous about doing a fashion show," Briar says.

Vil nods in response.

Then turns to Leona, "And on the other side…"

Leona remains silent.

Then Vil begins criticizing him, "Leona. What was that UTTERLY ABYSMAL gait?"

"What? I walked the same as the Scarabia guys and the Ramshackle girl," Leona questions.

"You most certainly did NOT," Vil says, "You have none of Jamil's flexibility, Briar's grace, or Kalim's class. Your feet drag along the ground. Your posture is atrocious. Your head bobs when you walk, and you swagger like some kind of ruffian. Some prince you are. Are you sure you're not just the royal jester? Actually, no—saying that does a disservice to jesters everywhere."

"Yowch. He's not pulling any punches," Ruggie says.

"That's really harsh," Sereia says.

"Really harsh," Grim adds.

Then Crewel says, "Schoenheit. I think for a pup as poorly trained as Kingscholar here, we'll need to start with the basics: walking on two legs. Otherwise, we might as well be chucking a newborn kitten down the runway."

"I think you have the right idea, Professor Crewel," Vil agrees, "We can't expect an elegant performance from Leona when he doesn't have the fundamentals of walking down. And if both his gait AND his performance need work, then I'd prefer to focus on walking with the limited time we have. As loath as I am to admit it, Leona could make an eye-catching main model if we leverage that air of smug superiority he gives off.

Then turns to the others, "As for you two Scarabia gentlemen and Ramshackle lady, I give your runway walks tens across the board. It's time for you to move on and try a dance. Your job will be to deliver a dance performance that livens up the venue and gives your sorely-lacking main model some much-needed punch-up. Taking everyone's talents, or lack thereof, into account, this is the only solution."

"Agreed, Schoenheit," Crewel replies, "Your plan is the only one that can even out our Kingscholar-sized deficit."

"I question if the three of us are good enough to cover how bad Leona is," Jamil wonders.

"We'll give it our best. I told Leona I'd look after him, and I will!" Kalim says.

"Well, we just need to do our best to get this performance right," Briar says.

Then Ruggie says, "I'm embarrassed to be part of Savanaclaw right now. Sorry my dorm's housewarden is giving you guys so much extra work."

"Just sayin', I happen to be an expert at walking on two legs. Feel free to hit up ol' Grimmy for some coaching, since ya clearly need it," Grim replies with a smirk on his face.

This makes Leona angry and glares at them, "Okay, I'm starting to get REAL SICK of—"

But Crewel scolds him, "QUIET! I will tolerate no pointless yipping! Here's the plan, pups: take lessons from Schoenheit and put on the best possible performance you can."

"Let's get started with some Fairy Gala lessons right now!" Vil says.