nexus_crossings | (no subject)

(no subject)

There's a new addition to the nexus; a young woman in her early twenties with a small duffel bag slung over one shoulder, wearing a completely bewildered expression as well as pointe shoes, tights, and an oversized jumper over a black leotard.

She was expecting to leave her class and end up in the main theatre for rehearsal; instead, she's God knows where. After walking a little, she stops and looks around again, trying casually not to panic in a way that only the British are able; usually this involves a couple of deep breaths and muttering to yourself, but is subject to change.

"This is fine. Totally fine. I'm just completely lost in a place I've worked for years. Totally normal."

and then, at normal speaking volume;

"If there's anyone here, I'd really appreciate a hand. Anyone?"

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The bow is observed with a crooked grin. He can't help but observe aloud, "Your name suits you."

"Certainly." Although looking around, he unsure of where to take her. He looks between Grace, well mannered and well groomed, and the surrounding buildings, quietly discounting any that might not meet her standards.

"I think I know just the place," he announces, turning to her again. "There's a lovely woman close by who runs a bed and breakfast. I'm sure she won't mind you borrowing a room quickly... May I take your bag for you while we walk?"

"That'd be perfect, thank you"

Grace really isn't all that bothered about where he takes her. As long as it gives her a few minutes of privacy and is clean, she's good to go. Although the sound of a B'n'B isn't so terrible either.

"Oh, that's okay - you don't need to. It's not very heavy." All that's really in it are her street clothes, more pointe shoes, and a mix of snacks for good measure.

As they walk, she speaks up again, though she doesn't look at him right away. She's still taking a lot of the place in. "So, how long have you been here?"

"A little over a year." He too is keeping an eye on the path, but he breaks away to smile at her. "And I promise I didn't cause too much trouble."

Glancing down at her shoes, he spies a more interesting topic than himself. "You're a dancer? Ballet?"

(Sorry this took a while; had 3 classes in a row and now I'm dead)

"Well you know what they say; well behaved people rarely make history" she replies with a smile of her own. "A little bit of trouble is never a bad thing"

She also glances down at her feet when he does, and nods with just a hint of pride.

"Got it in one - been doing it since I can remember."

(Not a problem. You caught me at an unusually fast time.)

"I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that," he replies with a mock-relieved sigh.

"I've never seen a dance quite so beautiful as ballet." They come to a humble, but clean and well cared for bed and breakfast. Reynard opens the door for Grace, holding it for her until she's through.

Once she's inside, he strides up to the front counter, leaning on it and putting on his best smile for the middle aged woman raising her eyebrows at her. "Madeline, could I ask a favour of you, my dear?"

The woman's wide eyes narrow to squint through her glasses at Reynard and then Grace. Suspiciously she asks, "What sort of favour?"

Unfazed by this doubt, he persists in being as charming as possible. "This young woman needs somewhere to change, and your lovely hospitality jumped to mine. I was wondering if she could borrow a room for a few minutes."

It's a long minute of consideration before Madeline pulls out a set of keys and offers it to Grace. "Here you go, miss."

"Thank yo-."

Reynard's hand is slapped away before he can accept the room key, and Madeline points a finger at him. "You can stay here, mister. Give the lady some peace." And then to Grace, "It's up the stairs on your right."

She nods her agreement. "It really is; I don't think there's anything else like it."

She steps through the door before him, and gives the woman behind the desk a small smile as Reynard does the talking. By the sounds of it, he's used to being - or at least trying to be - charming, and Madeline's been used to it for a while now.

Grace doesn't try to hide her amused look as she steps forward to take the room key.

"Thank you so much - I'll only be a minute."

In reality, it's more like ten - but soon enough she's coming back down the stairs, no longer in her studio get-up but grey jeans and a green off-the-shoulder top. Nothing fancy, but she feels far more comfortable meeting new people when she's not in tights. Her feet are already thanking her for the change into boots.

As she hands the key back over, Grace addresses Madeline once more. It almost felt rude not to. "You've got a lovely place here; that room is beautiful"

Reynard is still trying to charm Madeline (who is remaining persistently stern with him) when Grace comes back down. The woman smiles kindly when Grace hands the key over. "Thank you. I'm open at all hours at reasonable rates if you ever need somewhere to stay."

"Right now she has a whole big multiverse to explore," Reynard chimes in, pushing off of the counter and straightening.

Madeline blinks. "It's your first time here?"

"It certainly is, and you have made an excellent first impression, I'm sure," Reynard tells her as he goes to open the door for Grace.

"Keep your eye on him," Madeline tells Grace. "He's a troublemaker. But I'm sure you can have a good time despite that."

"I'm sure I will; this place looks..interesting"

Before she follows Reynard to the door, Grace thanks Madeline again. If she's going to be here a while, she may well have to take her up on her offer.

As she steps outside once more, she turns to her companion with a smirk.

"So, she seems fond of you. Have you known her long?"

"A few weeks..." He shrugs and then admits, "Maybe months..."

A skip jumps into his step and he turns to her, suddenly bouncing and beaming brightly at her. "So, my dear, what sort of things do you like to see? This is Plaza, the centre, where most people come into the Nexus. There's Downtown, which has most of the shops, bars, that sort of thing... And, my personal favourite, the Wilds."

Grace raises a brow at the jump between 'weeks' and 'months', but just as quickly, the subject's changed once more.

She wants to ask about the possibility of there being a dance shop, or even a studio or theatre - but the sound of Reynard's 'personal favourite' catches her attention.

"The Wilds..?"

Her interest brings a pleased curl to the edge of his smile. "Mm, the Wilds. Mostly parkland, but there's plenty to explore and quite the sights to see. If you're one for nature, that is..."

"Sounds very mysterious - but as it happens, I am"

Whenever she'd visit her parent's house, being close to woodlands and fields was always a wonderful change. London was brilliant in many ways, but when you've been raised in the countryside, there's nothing like it.

With a theatrical sigh, she pushes her free hand into the pocket of her jeans, while the other remains clasped to her bag strap.

"If only I had someone to explore with me. What a shame."

Taking off his hat, he uses it to accentuate a sweeping bow and then places it over his heart as he straightens again. "My lady, if you would allow me, I am a guide by trade and entertaining company." He dips again, offering a gloved hand. "It would be my honour if I could show you."

She touches her fingertips to her chest in mock surprise, an oh-so ladylike gasp of delight closely following.

"How could anyone say no to such an offer?"

She can't keep it up for long, her expression soon crumbling into a laugh.

"But no, that'd be great - I love exploring outside"

Grinning, he sets his hat back on his head and offers her an elbow before they start to walk.

"While we're getting there, perhaps you could tell me a bit about yourself. Where do you come from? Are you a professional dancer?"

There's a little hesitation before she takes his arm - but only a moment or so.

"Well, I was born in a town called Guildford, but for most of my life I've lived and worked in London. When I was eleven, I enrolled at the first of two Ballet schools, and when I turned sixteen I auditioned for the Royal Ballet Company and got a place in the Corps. I've been dancing with them ever since."

It hasn't been all that long since she joined, but in ballet years, she's already been there half a lifetime.

"What about you? What do you do?"

Grace's story is received with raised eyebrows. "That is incredibly impressive. Especially for someone so young. You must be as talented and determined as you are beautiful."

"I am truly a guide," he tells her. As they walk he makes sure his lazy strides match her in speed so that he doesn't pull or drag her as they move. "I make sure people have a good time outside. Mostly hiking, rock and mountain climbing. Canoeing, kayaking, canyoning, camping... Anything you can think of, I can provide."

"That's lovely of you to say; if I manage to find somewhere to dance, you're welcome to watch sometime."

Grace couldn't stop herself blushing at the compliments even if she wanted to, but what he says about her determination is very true. She's been fortunate in her career, but helped mostly by how much she's sacrificed for it.

She's pleasantly surprised to hear that he actually works as an outdoor guide; she'd assumed he'd been kidding around.

"That's so cool - I love hiking and camping, but I haven't tried rock climbing before. I don't really have a lot of time to myself"

"It would be my pleasure. If I find somewhere for you, I'll make sure to sing your praises."

Her enthusiasm gives Reynard more of a boost and he finds himself perking up even more.

"You'd be well suited to rock climbing, my dear. It shares a lot with dancing. The strength and control of your body is exactly what makes a good rock climber." He leans in a little closer. "Some people find that time moves slower in their own world while they're here. If you find that's the case with you, you should let me take you climbing one day."

"I'd like that a lot" she says sincerely, "and I'm hoping that's the case. Or better yet, that time's stopped at home completely. I know that sounds selfish, but the idea of going back and knowing everything's moved on is just.."

She shakes her head, as if trying to nip that line of thought in the bud.

"Anyway. How did you get into being a guide? Was it something you were always interested in - I could see why"

He sets a hand on her arm and assures her, "Everything will be fine, Grace."

Then it's back to beaming. It helps that they seem to have moved from paved streets to a path through a park-like area. Grass, trees, flowers and benches soon surround them.

"I have a talent for it. Learning paths, knowing when somewhere is safe and when it's not, judging the weather and timing... It all comes fairly naturally to me. And you never know who you're going to meet, or what sights you're going to see. It keeps life interesting."

His assurance is appreciated, though she's not sure she entirely believes him, however much she wants to. Still, she smiles back at him all the same.

"You're very lucky, getting to be outside so much - It sounds like an amazing job to have."

That is a downside to what she does; being outdoors is something she often misses out on. During show season - this one included - she'll sometimes have weeks where she's outside only to walk to work and back again. The studio becomes her home, and her colleagues her family.

With a thoughtful exhale, she glances over at him again. "What's your absolute favourite thing to do from that list?"

"It is, except when the rain starts," he points out with a grin.

Her question is a good one and he lifts his head, staring out with a long, slow inhale as he considers it. The silence has just about settled when he decides. "Getting up early, before dawn when it's still dark, and hiking up a mountain. A challenging one, not a saunter. When it's cold and the wind howls harder the higher I climb. It's tough, and sore, but eventually... eventually you reach the top. The highest peak in a range. Just in time for the dawn to break."

Turning to her, he beams. "It's quite a reward, to sit on top of the world and watch the sunrise."

The image his description brings to mind is a familiar one to Grace. Pushing yourself physically to your limit makes reaping the reward at the end so much better, whether that's on stage or, in this case, on top of a mountain. Sadly, London was sorely lacking any of it's own.

"That sounds beautiful - the next time you find yourself wanting to go, let me know?"

"I will." Though his response is immediate, her enthusiasm still has him off-guard. He considers her thoughtfully for a moment and then grins. "I guess I don't need to warn you that hikes like that aren't too easy going."

No sooner has he said this than something catches his eye and he brightens again. "Ah! This was what I was going to show you!" He steers her through the parkland to get a closer look at the floating ammonites that roam about the Wilds. He'll take her lead, however, and if she seems reluctant to get closer, he'll slow for her. "They're very friendly, if not too bright."