"If ya keep spinnin' in circles, yer gonna make me dizzy." Mac complained with a smile as he continued to polish his bartop to a high shine.

She laughed softly, and spun around with the broom as if it was her dance partner, "Gotta keep practicin' if I wan' outta here, Macy-boy." Her mood in high spirits, she continued to dance towards the short Irishman. ?Care ta join?n??

?I?d care if ya continued ta sweep, cail?n bail?. We still have same work ta do bahfore openin?.? Though he did smile at her invitation. The dancer brought a warmth that La Barre had been missing for years, and it was hard to not smile in her presence.

?Suit yerself, then.? Humming, she twirled away from him, the broom still in hand as her dancing partner. Katie swept in motion, managing to be both amusing and productive at the same time. Her notes might be off-key, but her movement was flawless with the rhythym.

?No practice today?? Mac asked with interest as he finished his polishing. He then moved behind the bar to make sure that all of his glasses were clean.

?At th? theatre? Nah, I?ll go upstairs durin? mah break an? practice.? She opened the door and swept the dirt outside, the brisk chill urging her to go faster.

?Don?t ya have other things ta do during yer free time? You?re so young, you should enjoy your life. With others.? He added as she opened her mouth to retort.

?I see mah family all the time.? At his pointed look, she shrugged and started to rearrage the tables and chairs. ?They ar? all startin? their lives ova again, some wit otha people. They dun need me taggin? ?long all th? time. I enjoy dancin? ? it?s whay I came here.?

Mac shook his head slowly, but did not have the heart to continue to press the work-obsessed dancer.

?Ya work too much.? Mac grumbled and sat in one of the chairs in the ballet room above his bar. They had just finished the last portion of the room ? the bar. The light wood was finished with a high shine, and it met both Katarina?s and Vera?s stamp of approval. Now, he watched in silent awe as Katarina practiced hard, her dress fitting to her upper body and flowing down with her graceful movements. No matter how many times he teased her, he could not deny her hard work certainly showed, ?Don?t ya ever go on dates er something??

Katarina laughed as she studied her feet in the mirror and their position, ?I dun have time fer dates. ?Sides, ya have ta have someone ta go on a date with. Dun ya ?member??

?That?d be the point.? His eyebrows rose as he watched her flutter on the tips of her toes. ?Ya work too much.? He repeated, knowing that she had heard and ignored.

?I have no choice. I have ta prove tha? I kin be in th? company wit? th? opera, an? I didn?t get much time ta practice. It?s only a few weeks away. An? I have ta work fer ya if I wan? a place ta reherse, an? mahbe buy a place ta live.?

?Well, when yer done practicin, come downstairs. I wanna show ya somethin?.? With nothing more, the short Irishman moved from his seat and down the stairs that no longer squeaked or wobbled.

Katie shrugged to herself, and pushed the matter away until she was done practicing, which was not for another good hour. Covered in a light sheen, she moved to gently take off the ballet slippers. They were black and new, and she was trying to break them in for the opera. New slippers were always hard on the toes, and even as she taped them up before putting the slippers on, there were several raw blisters and cuts on all of her toes. The pain was nothing new, but she still winced as she removed the tape and slipped her feat into something more comfortable. She would tend to the wounds later.

Heading down the stairs, Katarina paused as the odd illumination of candlelight. Pushing against the moving doors, her eyes widened upon seeing Mac and Vera all dressed up. He instantly rose from his seat and moved to her, offering an arm, ?Here, we gotcha somethin? for the ocassion.?

?What ocassion?? Katarina was obviously confused as he lead her past the swinging doors again into the back room.

?Our date.? He stated promptly, and opened the door for her. Inside held a long and formal red dress that was cleverly off the shoulders with a bow. It?s shape was meant to skim and flatter while being able to move with movement. On the floor in front of the dress were a pair of red flats in the style that she loved.

Beyond words, Katarina felt tears rise at the tenderness of the expression. She was beginning to think of Mac and Vera as family, and this warm gesture only confirmed her thought. Mac patted her arm, ?When yer ready, come out and join us.?

It was the quickest that Katarina had ever gotten ready for an outing, though it was probably due to the lack of makeup and hair accessories. Her mind travelled to her upcoming time spent with her cousin, and her smile grew all the more. She did not realize how much she missed enjoying life until she had the moment to begin.

?Ya getting? nervous yet??

?Of course she is nervous.? Vera gently scoffed, ?All performers experience being nervous, it is just a matter of control.?

Katarina was well used to the bickered of Mac and Vera. The hour was in the wee of the morning, and she was wiping down tables with half-lidded eyes. The bar held the scents of old smoke, ale and sweaty men. In her opinion, it was not too far off from the backstage of the theatre.

?I bet Rini?ll do jus? fine. An? then they?ll make a troupe an? she?ll be th? principal ballerina.? The ever oppimist, Mac?s red face moved from his wife to study the dancer. ?Yer cleanin? on yer feet, dearie.?

Vera also turned to look at Katarina, ?You do look tired. Are the practices running long??

?Nah, nah longer than usual.? Rubbing her hand over her face, she picked up the empty glasses that she gathered from all the tables. ?Jist beeen out late is all.?

?Out late doing what? You cannot be tired and expected to preform well.? Vera?s english was always more pronounced when a lecture was approaching.

Mac however, sent a look to his wife, ?Th? girl needs ta be ou? ?n havin? some fun. She works too much.?

?For you!?

?Oh, Lor?n Skies.? Katarina mumbled as they continued to agrue as if she was not there to listen. Making her way behind the bar, her body was focused on cleaning the glasses while her mind was elsewhere. Some part of her busy life was going to fail eventually. She certainly could not leave the theatre, nor the bar if she wanted a studio to practice at; and Vera had mentioned teaching a few ballet classes. She would have to talk to Aunt Marian about her small portion of work at the farm. Hopefully it would not conflict with living there.

?Right, Katarina?? Mac?s beady gaze bore into the back of her head.

?Righ?.? She said automatically, setting the clean glasses into their appropriate cabinets. A few bottles caught her eyes, and she spoke to Mac over her shoulder, ?Hey Mac, where do we git mos? of our wines??

His red face frowned at her spontaneous question, ?Some o? the boys trade it in fer the Badside brews. Why??

?I met someone who jist bough? a vineyard ?n th? south par? o? town. Could he sell his wine here??

He shrugged, ?He prolly won? have wine ta sell fer a while, but I don? see why not. Don?t have a lot of places here tha? make wine.?

?Hmm,? Yawning, she washed her hands and gathered her things, ?If I see him, I?ll let ?im know. Fer now, I?m goin? home.?

?I?ll walk ya.?

?Mac, I dun need-?

?Katarina, do not argue. It is too late for anyone to travel alone.?

She eyed Vera as she moved from opposition to agreement. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. ?All righ? then, let?s go.?