"Anton," Irina, the ballet troupe's irrepressible dance mistress sighed extravagantly. "I need dancers and you give me children," she complained in her thick Russian accent.
"Diamonds in the rough, Irina," Tony replied with a warm smile for the woman he'd known almost since he himself had been a child.
She huffed irritably, as if she did not need to be reminded of this fact. Her gaze flickered over the list of dancers for the new season, frowning dubiously as she slapped a wrinkled, but still formidable hand against the page in her hand. "Diamonds in the rough, indeed. Where is Xenia" Where is Darcy' With your Anya on maternity leave, we are short three ballerinas. You are asking for a miracle, Anton."
Tony shrugged his slim, but well-muscled shoulders, indicating that he was as clueless as she was. "They didn't audition. Maybe they got a better offer somewhere else."
Irina arched a perfectly-shaped, but graying eyebrow at her former prot"g". "Doubtful," she replied. "Nonetheless, that still leaves us short three ballerinas." She looked him over with a critical, but slightly mischievous gaze, tipping her head to the side. "How do you feel about wearing a skirt?" she teased.
"I don't have the legs for it," he replied with a chuckle. Though he was arguably in the best shape of his life, there was nothing feminine about his legs or any other part of his anatomy. He was quite sure he'd make a perfectly hideous ballerina. "I could put you into rotation," he countered with an equally mischievous grin. "You are the most experienced ballerina in the troupe."
That made her laugh. "And what do you propose I do with my cane, Antoshka"" she asked, tapping it against the floor, as if to prove her point.
"We'll work around it," he replied, though they both knew she was far too old to be pirouetting around the stage in toe shoes anymore. "Have you seen Merethyl yet?" he asked of one of the newcomers to the ballet. The elf had impressed him so much he thought she could very well be the Shanachie's next rising star. If he was right, they were only short two ballerinas.
"You will have to do something about her ears," Irina pointed out, critically. She had never seen an elf with pointed ears dance the ballet before, though she could not argue that the girl possessed an impressive amount of talent and grace, almost enough to rival Anya.
"Nonsense. This is Rhy"Din," Tony reminded her, offhandedly. They weren't in New York anymore, and there were more dancers to choose from than just humans. He had yet to have a dwarf or a vampire audition for a spot, but it was not outside the realm of possibility. As far as Tony was concerned, all that mattered was the desire to learn and the willingness to work hard. Talent didn't hurt either, but talent wasn't something that could be taught. You either had it or you didn't.
"And what of this one?" the ballet mistress asked, pulling another application from the pile on which was a photo of a man with tangled, blond hair and a long list of what she considered to be questionable credentials. "A gypsy, Anton' The burlesque is not the ballet."
Tony didn't need to look at the photo to know which applicant she was talking about. The man's name was Lorent Munchhausen, of all things. Tony didn't know him from Adam, but they were as short on male dancers as they were on females, and Tony had scooped the man up before his sister could claim him for the theater. "Beggars can't be choosers, Irina. At least, he has experience."
"Bah, there were plenty of applicants with experience. Why do they all wish to join the theater" Are they here to have fun or to earn a living?" Irina queried, not really expecting an answer.
Tony winced. He knew Irina's feelings about the theater. She had never considered it serious work, but he knew otherwise. He knew how much time and effort went into every production. He knew how difficult it was making sure each and every member of the company could play their part flawlessly.
There had been several applicants he would have liked to have stolen from Mataya's clutches, but they either hadn't expressed an interest in the ballet or didn't have the proper credentials. Irina was right. What they needed was a miracle.
At least, Jamie had seen fit to audition again. The young man had made great strides in his two years with the ballet. So much so that Tony had cast him as the male lead in Carmen. Tony shrugged his shoulders again, as if he wasn't worried. He was confident that one way or another, things would work out. If they didn't, there was always magic, though he considered that cheating. He'd come to Rhy"Din to build a ballet company, but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. "Our next production isn't until November. Work with him, Irina. Find the diamond in the rough and polish it until it shines." "I am a teacher, Anton, not a fairy godmother." She sighed again, and he knew she was on the cusp of giving in to his request. "What he needs is a bath," she remarked with a contemplative scowl. She would have to see what the man was capable of before she promised Tony anything. "And yet, I've seen you work miracles," Tony told her with a smile, remembering the miracle she'd worked on him when he'd been just a boy. "If there's anyone who can do it, it's you, Irina. I'm counting on you." The woman muttered something vulgar under her breath in Russian before tossing up her hands. "What am I to do with you, Antoshka" You know I cannot tell you no." "Spasibo, Irina," he told her, brushing an affectionate kiss against her cheek. He had known her most of his life and could not be more fond of her if she was his own flesh and blood. "You will not regret it!" "Let us hope you do not regret it," she replied, but she was smiling again. There was much work to be done if she was going to whip her charges into shape before November. "I want to personally meet with all the new dancers. The sooner the better. And then, we will see." "You have my permission to do whatever you must to get them ready," Tony agreed. With any luck, by the time November rolled around, they'd have a troupe of dancers capable of making even Petipa proud.
((OOC Note: I apologize for Irina. She has high standards for the ballet troupe, but hopefully, the new dancers will prove their worth. I hope no one is offended by this post. If anyone would like to post a reply or play off this in any way, feel free. It can be assumed Irina will be meeting with the new dancers and doing her best to whip them into shape. Play off it however you wish. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to PM me. :) ))
There had been several applicants he would have liked to have stolen from Mataya's clutches, but they either hadn't expressed an interest in the ballet or didn't have the proper credentials. Irina was right. What they needed was a miracle.
At least, Jamie had seen fit to audition again. The young man had made great strides in his two years with the ballet. So much so that Tony had cast him as the male lead in Carmen. Tony shrugged his shoulders again, as if he wasn't worried. He was confident that one way or another, things would work out. If they didn't, there was always magic, though he considered that cheating. He'd come to Rhy"Din to build a ballet company, but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. "Our next production isn't until November. Work with him, Irina. Find the diamond in the rough and polish it until it shines." "I am a teacher, Anton, not a fairy godmother." She sighed again, and he knew she was on the cusp of giving in to his request. "What he needs is a bath," she remarked with a contemplative scowl. She would have to see what the man was capable of before she promised Tony anything. "And yet, I've seen you work miracles," Tony told her with a smile, remembering the miracle she'd worked on him when he'd been just a boy. "If there's anyone who can do it, it's you, Irina. I'm counting on you." The woman muttered something vulgar under her breath in Russian before tossing up her hands. "What am I to do with you, Antoshka" You know I cannot tell you no." "Spasibo, Irina," he told her, brushing an affectionate kiss against her cheek. He had known her most of his life and could not be more fond of her if she was his own flesh and blood. "You will not regret it!" "Let us hope you do not regret it," she replied, but she was smiling again. There was much work to be done if she was going to whip her charges into shape before November. "I want to personally meet with all the new dancers. The sooner the better. And then, we will see." "You have my permission to do whatever you must to get them ready," Tony agreed. With any luck, by the time November rolled around, they'd have a troupe of dancers capable of making even Petipa proud.
((OOC Note: I apologize for Irina. She has high standards for the ballet troupe, but hopefully, the new dancers will prove their worth. I hope no one is offended by this post. If anyone would like to post a reply or play off this in any way, feel free. It can be assumed Irina will be meeting with the new dancers and doing her best to whip them into shape. Play off it however you wish. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to PM me. :) ))