En Pointe

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    Kate pulled on a cardigan and leggings over the long sleeved black leotard she wore with her usual pink tights. Her hair was already pinned into a neat bun, and she slipped on some moccasins before hurrying out the door, bag in hand. Dancing was a good way to spend her Saturday evening, since she wouldn't have to worry about being too exhausted the next morning. Making her way to the dance studio, she hurried through the gym, and didn't pause until she was closed safely inside the mirrored room.

    Placing her bag on the bench, she shed her sweater, tights, and shoes, and sat to tie on her pointe shoes. She missed the sense of strength that her pointe shoes gave her, and wished that she could wear them in her dance class here. When the ribbons were tied, she took a small drink of water and rose to her feet. Finding a nice spot in the center of the barre, she warmed up carefully, rising en pointe and doing a series of barre exercises that would ensure that she was warmed up properly.

    To finish her warm-up, she did did a series of glissades, moving quickly down the barre and then up again. Turning away from the barre, she glided to the center of the floor, facing the mirrors, and began to pirouette. The classic ballet turn was a favorite of Kate's, and she always liked to start off her practice with them. She did a few in each direction before stopping for a short drink of water.

[Athena Achilles]

Athena put her pencil down as she finished the last of her homework and pushed the chair back. Since her arrival at the Academy, she had kept out of the way of the people around her, and tried to fill her endless days with activities that would keep her busy - while she wasn't in lessons of course. She was enjoying working with the pony she had been assigned and the teachers here were no more lenient or stricter than she was used to, though she had the feeling that her silence was beginning to rub a few of them the wrong way.

Rising from her desk, she walked over to her closet and pulled out the hanger that held her leotard and tights. As it was the weekend, she didn't think anyone would be in the studio, as she knew most teenagers enjoyed spending the weekends hanging with their friends and watching movies. She slipped into her ballet clothes, making sure that the long sleeved black leotard was sitting nicely on her body - as she didn't have anything that she could begin to call a 'figure'. Pushing her feet into her running shoes, she grabbed the tissue wrapped package that was her pointe shoes and slipped out of the room and exited White House.

Keeping to the shadows, and staying out of the way of the collection of people that were enjoying the evening air, she followed the path around to the gymnasium and headed down to the dance studio. Pushing the door open, she was a little disappointed to see that there was a girl, whom she recognised from dance class, already working. Slipping in, she sat down on the bench that lined the wall and changed from her street shoes into her pointes. She didn't have the courage to ask if the other girl minded the company, but she was sure that the brunette would tell her to leave if she didn't want anyone else here.

She sat on the floor by the benches and began to stretch out her muscles before she stood up and moving her arms from first to second, she did a couple of revelé's before rising en pointe and doing an arabesque on her right leg, her arms in forth position. Lowering her left leg back to the ground, she glided over to the barre to work on her barre exercises.