Nostalgia (Open to La Maison Employees)

[Takchawee Ominotago]

La Maison Magnifique. Tak had many fond memories here. It was her first (and only) real (sort of) job, one she had gotten just around the time she'd gotten pregnant, though she hadn't known it at the time. She'd worked until she couldn't anymore - when her appearance just didn't work with the image that La Maison wanted for their dancers. Tak understood, and she had no hard feelings about it, but it was good to finally be back. She'd worked hard to slim back down after the birth back in July, and while she would never be quite as petite and dainty as she had been before, she rocked the new curves that motherhood had given her.

She wasn't putting on her comeback performance until the weekend, but she was working hard on making it perfect. Tak was currently rifling through the assortment of outfits she had to choose from; while she was very, very tempted to rock the red belly-dancing getup that had been one of her favorites last year. The fabric felt nice and familiar in her hands - it made her feel very nostalgic.

But maybe she should try something else now. A new year, a new image. "Hmm..." she hummed aloud, pulling forward a dark green corset and holding it up. It looked her size. She glanced around, wishing she could get someone else's opinion. It had been a while since she'd done this, so she wouldn't mind a little help.

[Melody Rivers]

While Melody's primary concern as choreographer was with ensuring that all of the House dancers knew their moves ahead of the weekend performances, she also had a hand in designing costumes and sets to make sure they went with her choreography. That said, she'd gotten to know those at the House in charge of set construction and costume design quite well over the years, and often visited with them throughout the week to get a progress report.

It was for this reason that Miss Rivers was now heading backstage down the hallway towards the costume room, with the intention of checking in on Roger and whoever else was helping out stitch together that week's outfits. What she didn't know, however, was that Roger wasn't at the House that morning, as he was in class.

"Oh! Tak!" She exclaimed as she rounded the corner to find the younger woman standing alone among the hundreds of costume pieces. They had already 'reunited' earlier in the week, when Cynthia had informed her that Tak's big comeback (at least, Cynthia was billing it as such) would be that weekend, and thus she needed to have killer choreography to go with it. Melody and Tak hadn't worked very long together before Tak had gone on leave, but Melody never forgot the face of one of her dancers, especially when it was one of the more talented ones. They had spent a few hours going over some dance moves, and Melody was confident that Tak, fast learner as she was, would be able to pull it off with minimal rehearsal and improvise some of her own moves as well.

"Have you seen Roger today?" she asked, taking a few steps into the room, aware that there wasn't exactly a lot of room. Roger... was not as organized as she would have liked, though he evidently did not agree with that assessment.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak had set the green corset aside and was studying a pale gold ensemble of frills and feathers when the sound of her name caught her attention. She looked up, and smiled warmly at the arrival. "Hello, Melody," she replied, glad for the company. It always threw her off a little, seeing the woman as both a coworker and a teacher, but it hadn't taken too long for Tak to catch onto how she was expected to act around the other woman at school and in the workplace. She looked up to Melody - she was beautiful, talented, graceful... All traits that Tak admired. She knew the teacher would be one of the best people to help her with her upcoming act.

"I haven't, no," she replied, shaking her head with a small frown. "He might be at Hammel? My schedule's pretty open since I'm just wrapping up a few loose ends before I can graduate, but he might have class." It was sort of nice, not having a lot of classes - she had a lot of free time to spend doing other things. She might actually start looking into getting a second job, since she had the time.

She held up the piece in her hands, holding it against her chest. "What do you think? I'm trying to find something that's perfect for the comeback show." Tak let out a small chuckle. "I just keep going back to the old red one, though." She liked this one, but she would prefer something that showed a little more skin... Tak had worked hard to tone her stomach again, and she wanted to show it off! "I'm thinking about doing several henna designs too," she added, holding out a bare arm and studying it. "I'm not sure what yet, though. I'm hoping it will come to me soon."

[Melody Rivers]

Melody understood that her relationship with her students who also worked at the House was somewhat complex, perhaps more so than it ought to be. That said, she appreciated that they all put in their best effort to keep House stuff out of the classroom. (God forbid they should mention schoolwork at the House; that never seemed to be a problem.) Occasionally one might accidentally call her by her first name in class, but she rarely corrected them, as they usually self-corrected or apologized and she knew it was merely an occasional mistake. The woman was fairly care-free and didn't see the need to get worked up over those sorts of things. It was the nature of the game really.

When Tak suggested he might be in class, she nodded her head, giving a bit of a laugh. "That would be nice, for a change," she joked, mostly to herself; she wasn't sure whether the girl knew Roger, but he had a habit of going to class only when necessary. It was hard to blame him, sometimes - she loved being at the House and could see why a young man like Roger would prefer being here to a classroom, as well.

She looked at the corset Tak held up , knowing immediately that it would not do: the corset would be too constraining for the kind of dance moves they had planned for her performance, and besides it was just a bit too... classical, not fitting the theme of the performance. Noa could rock a corset for her performances, but Tak needed to be able to move freely and in every which way. She took a few steps closer to the girl, giving a smile as she gently took the corset out of Tak's hands and placed it off to the side. "Why don't we put that one aside for now," she suggested, "while we find one for this weekend together."

She rifled through a nearby box she knew to have some more danceable outfits. "I want to make sure you can move freely," she explained as she did so, figuring it was best to teach as they went: ultimately she wanted Tak and her other best dancers to be able to find their own perfect outfits themselves. "Ah-ha," she exclaimed, pulling out a green and gold bikini top, falling down from which were a few small tassels of the same color. "I think I remember this one. Now where's the rest of it..." She kept looking, ultimately pulling out the skirt, sleeves, headband, and cape that went with it. "I think this is the one," she said, showing it all to Tak laid out on Roger's sewing table. "What do you think?" Melody hoped the girl loved it, as she certainly did. It also went with the green backdrop she'd requested for the number. To her, Venus was a green planet, so if Tak was performing Lady Gaga's song of the same title, she wanted the stage and the choreography both to bring the audience right onto the planet of love.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak laughed along with Melody; though she didn't know Roger extremely well, he was an interesting enough character and, given the chance, she'd like to get to know him better. And he seemed to be an expert in the fashion department, much like the woman she was working with now. Tak herself liked to think she did a decent job at dressing herself, although oftentimes she just draped herself in shawls and fabrics that hit just low enough on her thigh not to be too slutty and called it good. Like she was dressed now - hiding her new motherly curves under a couple tapered layers of green and gold. "If I see him, I'll let you know you were looking for him," she told Melody with a smile. It would give her an excuse to talk to the boy, at least.

The corset was pretty, certainly, but Tak realized a little late that it probably wasn't for her, or this performance. At least Melody was kind enough about the rejection - Tak let her take the piece out of her hands and dipped her head, nodding. "Thanks, Melody," she chuckled. "It's been a while since I've done this." She was sure the older woman would find something perfect in the blink of an eye.

She followed the dancer over to the other box, listening as she explained what she was looking for. "Definitely," she agreed, running her hand over a drape of sheer silver fabric nearby. There were just so many to choose from. At the exclamation, she looked up, eyes widening at the top she'd chosen. "That's gorgeous," she said, taking it in her hands as Melody looked for the rest of the pieces. Once they were all gathered, Tak eyed the complete outfit, already feeling the excitement of the upcoming performance race through her veins. "I love it," he told Melody breathlessly. "Oh, this is perfect." It wasn't too different from her old red favorite, and she always looked good in green. "Can I go try it on?" She had to make sure it would all fit before she got too carried away. But she was fairly certain she would rock it.

[Melody Rivers]

Melody smiled. "Excellent," she replied to Tak's assurance that she would let Roger know the choreographer had been looking for him. She was often looking for him, as it turned out: she had a firmer grip than perhaps was necessary on costumes, not because she didn't trust Roger to make good outfits for her dancers, but because she had to make sure his vision meshed with hers. She rarely asked him to change things, since they discussed costumes before he started making them, but she liked to check up on his progress every once in a while.

As Tak looked at the new costume Melody had found for her, the blonde smiled, confident that the younger woman liked this new outfit just as much as she did. Yes, it fit everything perfectly; it was just 'Venusian' enough to work with the green planetary backdrop while still giving her the freedom she needed to rock those dance moves they'd worked on, plus whatever else Tak added. This would work, this would definitely work.

"I insist," she replied lightly, as Tak asked to try it on. She turned back towards the sewing table, busying herself looking at some of what she believed to be Roger's most recent handiwork as Tak changed. After a few moments, she turned back and looked at what she had on. "Perfect," she said simply, a smile spreading across her face which brightened up her entire countenance. "Of course," she added.

"Did you want to try it out onstage?" She asked further, a hand reaching up to comb through her long blonde hair. It might be smart to make sure she could do all her dance moves comfortably.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Honestly, Tak should have gone to Melody in the first place. The dancer obviously knew what she was doing, and this had gone a lot faster than it would have if Tak had just continued to look around herself. It gave her more time to perfect her performance instead of stressing over the perfect thing to wear.

"Wonderful," she beamed, brushing her hands against the fabric once more before stripping down as Melody turned away. There was no one else in the room, and Tak had no shame as it was, so she didn't bother going to the changing room. Soon enough, she had donned the entire outfit, which fit her body and smoothed over her curves beautifully. It was just a tad snug around the bikini part, but nothing she was concerned about. "I never doubted you, of course," she grinned, striking an elegant pose. Oh yes, it felt very... Takchawee.

"I'd love to," she agreed, pulling her long hair over her shoulder before tossing it in a spray against her back. "I was wanting to practice it today anyway, so getting a feel for it in the outfit and getting your feedback will be killing two birds with one stone." She winked playfully before walking out of the clothing room and made her way down the hall to the stage, making sure Melody was beside her. "I've seen the posters Cynthia's been putting up around town," she mentioned, laughing. "I hope the performance will draw in a big crowd." She had confidence it would; Cynthia wouldn't be putting up advertisements if she didn't think so.

Tak stepped out onto the stage, the long skirt swishing around her legs. "I'm ready whenever you are," she told Melody, clearing her head as she got herself into her dancing mode. She was Venus.

[Melody Rivers]

Melody smiled at Tak's expression of confidence in her choice. She had put countless hours into studying and learning about fashion, so she did consider herself something of an authority of the subject. She and Cynthia both spent a lot of time and money on clothing, so it was nice to see the younger workers appreciate their experienced perspective. Melody wasn't exactly modest when it came to her passions.

"We're not worried," she replied to Tak's remark about ticket sales. Since they'd put up those posters, they'd already gotten several calls from people wondering if they could reserve tickets. Not that Tak was suddenly a superstar, but regulars at the House knew she was one of the better dancers and that she'd been gone, and if Cynthia was actually advertising her return, then it was something worth seeing. Besides, the House was one of those places to 'see and be seen," so it didn't surprise her that people wanted to make sure they were in attendance if this was going to be something memorable or well-attended.

She followed Tak out of the costume room, down the hall and onto the stage, leaving Tak standing onstage while she took the stairs down to the floor. Sitting by the edge of the stage was a cd player that she used when teaching her dancers the choreography for the week. "I think I have it all set up," she said as she turned the player on, switching to track nine. Tak would be on later in the evening to ensure that people didn't leave after her performance if they were just there to see her. That wasn't likely, but Cynthia knew how to build anticipation, and she did want to make an event out of this.

Pressing play, she stepped back to watch Tak as the synths started up, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders as she placed both hands lightly on her hips.