lucetilogs | Dance is more than just an art form, it's an expression of yourself

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Dance is more than just an art form, it's an expression of yourself

Who: Duck & Everyone else! [And closed thread for Simon Blackquill]
What: Dancing to try to find a solution
When: After the Luceti University AU
Where: A little into the forest
Summary: Duck has been worried about Mytho and what to do to try to help him, so she's doing the one thing she knows that will help her clear her mind. That's by dancing of course!
Rating: E for everyone bro; Possible Ace Attorney spoilers inside

There had been a lot on Duck's mind for a long time now. It even predated before Fakir came. Ever since she'd gotten to Luceti and learned that Mytho lost his heart shards again, she's been doing the best she could to help get them back again. One by one she found the heart shards, but with signs of the crow starting to appear and his now daily pain, Duck has gotten to be more worried.

She couldn't help but to second guess if what she was doing was right. Should she continue when he was already in pain? She knew she had to, but she was so afraid about what would happen to him. Knowing what happened in the end both helped and scared her even more. What if she didn't have the strength to save him this time? What if she was just causing him more harm. It killed her to think that she could be doing more harm than good. Since Fakir was here now, she could rest a little easier, but she was still very worried. When he had told her about the pain that he felt everyday Duck just wanted to give up and cry because he was in so much pain.

She'd come a long way in the near year that she'd been here, but she couldn't help but feel insecure. Abd then there was Rue who had been irritated that Duck had been mallynapped a while back. 'Do you have any idea the state that Mytho has been in?' rang in her ears. She did know his pain and wanted to make it stop, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty. She wanted to save him just as much as Rue and Fakir did. She wanted for both Rue and Mytho to be happy and to go back to the story like they were meant to be. And yet she'd grown so accustomed to being a girl again. She would do whatever it took to save Mytho, even return to a duck. She really enjoyed her time as a girl and even though she'd give that time up to save him again, she couldn't help but feel sad that she'd eventually lose the chance to do a lot of things around here. All of the wonderful friends and people she'd met here she wouldn't be able to talk to physically anymore.

She was just a duck, but part of her didn't want to go back to being just a duck. In the end she would take her fate as should be. So in order to clear her mind and try to figure out ways to save Mytho, she found herself practicing ballet again, trying to dance to get her mind off of all the negative aspects. Dancing always made her feel the most calm and even if she wasn't graceful or talented as a girl, what mattered was that she felt more at ease. She could have easly changed into Princess Tutu and danced gracefully and amazingly like a real princess, but she wanted to rely on her own strength rather than turning to Princess Tutu for strength all the time. If she could solve some issues on her own without using Princess Tutu, that was what she thought would be wonderful. She wanted to improve and do things on her own without any help if she could get away with it.

So while she was lost in thought, she danced clumsily in the forest. Her steps had been off every now and then and she was out of state occasionally. She may not have been as talented as Rue, Princess Kraehe, or Princess Tutu in this state, but her dancing had it's own sort of gracefulness underneath all of the clumsy steps.

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[It wasn't until he spoke that she snapped out of her thoughts. The moment she heard his voice, she stopped dancing to look to see who it was.]

O-oh. Well... I... was just trying to clear my mind mostly..

[It just so happens that that's what he's doing to, though he's not going to be as forward about it here and now. ~~He's not completely insane and tired just yet.~~ Sokka starts walking over and finds a fallen log nearby and takes a seat on it.]

I didn't know you were a dancer. Or at least I'm assuming you're a dancer... if that's what clears your head.

Everything alright?

[Nodding slightly.]

Back at home, I attended a ballet school, although there are other divisions there as well. But I'm... not that good at it.

[And then when he asked if she was alright, she wanted to lie and say nothing was wrong. Telling him that she was trying to clear her mind kind of made that obvious something was bugging her though. Taking a set near him, she let out a small sigh.]

It's just.... Things are happened again like they did back at home and... I don't know what to do. What if Mytho ends up suffering again...

[Sokka's new to this whole "parenting" thing. His normal state of being is usually in full tilt on sarcasm, but he simply can't bring out that state of being around Duck. In part, it reminds him of Penga from Toph's school, that nine year old that was crushing on him like mad. This wasn't that by any means, but he still was never that mean to Penga. ~~Unless one counts tossing metal coins at their foreheads in the hopes that they'd be able to metalbend them away.~~

Sokka turns his head to look at her when she sits down next to him and tosses her a reassuring smile despite the fact that he's a little confused about what she's talking about.]

Well, you certainly do ballet better than I would. Then again, I don't think I'd look good in that sort of outfit. [Yes, let's mentally scar her with that visual.]

Who's Mytho? And, uh, what happened to him... her... it... back home?

[And that's one thing that Duck has appreciated about him thus far. Even in a uncertain situation like this, he managed to lighten the mood just a little.]

You might. You never know.

[But back to the issue at hand. Did she say much? Or would that be a dead giveaway that she was Princess Tutu? Well, he didn't know who that was yet so...]

Mytho is one of my best friends and... perhaps it would be better to explain a story first. I doubt that you've heard of it, but there's a story called "The Prince and The Raven".

[Sokka knows nothing about Duck! Okay well he knows some, but he's sure she's got more secrets than just being a ballerina.]

Okay, even if you did find an outfit like that my size, I don't think you could pay me enough to wear it. ... Not that we actually have money here, but... you know what I mean.

And oh that story? I know that story. [Sokka doesn't know that story at all, but he's definitely good at lightening the mood in the meantime.] That's the story of where a famously rich prince has a pet raven and loves it so much. And then one day they switch bodies so that they know how what the other person's life is like?

[Sokka isn't sure how adept Duck is at figuring out sarcasm, but he is trying to make it pretty obvious that he's pulling her leg.]

[Even like this, she manages to giggle a little under her breath.]

It's not so bad.

[And obviously he doesn't know it, but props from trying.]

That does sound interesting, but that's not exactly it.

There was a prince who was beloved by all. He was a very kind and gentle prince who cared for nothing more than those around him. However when the Raven started to cause trouble, the Prince went to fight him. In the end, things got to be very serious.

[And this is where it got weird...]

However.... It's at this point that the story stopped. It remained unfinished because the author -- Drosselmeyer -- who had been writing it had passed away. The weird part is... even though Drosselmeyer had died, the story seemed to continue on it's own and come to life. The Raven tried to leave the story, but the Prince stopped him. He was able to seal away the Raven, but at a heavy cost....

In order to seal away the Raven... he had to piece his own heart with his sword. By doing so, the pieces of his heart were scattered along the land.

[Okay. Sokka thinks his own story was much less weird.]

So this Weirdelmeyer guy writes a story... dies... and then the evil bird thing tries to leave the story... that's no longer being written, but is still being written. And the prince kills himself to stop the story.

Have you been staying up too late listening to ghost stories or something?

[I mean, seriously. Why are they talking about this again? Oh, right.]

So what does that have to do with your friend?

It's a weird story even for us back home. But...

That's where Princess Tutu comes in the story. She comes in to restore the lost heart shards to the prince who had lost all of her emotions in the process. However.... In the end.... She confesses her love to the prince and ends up becoming a speck of light.

[And that's where Duck's expression dampers without realizing it. Reaching for her pendent without thinking about it.]

Well... The Prince and the Raven have escaped the story somehow. The Prince... -- Mytho -- lost all memories of being a prince or even what it was like to have emotions. So I--

I mean... Princess Tutu... Just like the Prince and the Raven, she came out of the story as well. And she's trying to get his heart shards back so that he could be happy again. So that he could be more like himself the more emotions he has back... But... in the process it only brings him more pain. And then she can't help but wonder if what she's doing is truly the right thing anymore, not wanting to see the prince she cares about suffer any further.

[She probably shouldn't be talking about this stuff to somebody who doesn't know her real identities, even if it was Sokka. Suki knew about it, but she couldn't help but to start to tear up thinking about it.]

She just wanted her prince to be happy again.

[Sokka may be a forgetful guy when it comes to some things, but generally one thing he's pretty good at is reading other people and knowing what's going on beneath the words they say. Had Duck not made that small mistake, Sokka might have had a sneaking suspicion that this story related to her more than she was leading on. But her verbal slip definitely made that guess stronger.

Sokka looks down to her and sees her tearing up, her worry clearly on her sleeves. It's then that Sokka does something he hasn't done up until this point and puts an arm gently around her, hand resting on his shoulder. He'll be her father figure; he's not usually the sentimental type, but it's for his sort of adopted daughter.]

You must care about the Prince a lot, hm?

[She probably shouldn't have made the slip. She probably shouldn't have mentioned Tutu knowing how it could direct to her. But there was so much worry going on through her mind these days she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop herself from exposing that like she normally would. Maybe it was because this was Sokka she was talking to?

She was a little surprised, but she didn't bother moving or anything. She doesn't have the strength to act like it wasn't her.]

I do. I just... I just wanted to see him smile again. But... back home we were able to get his heart shards back again. He was able to go back to the story happily with his princess. But when I got here... he didn't have them anymore....

[Well, in fairness, Sokka still really didn't know who this Princess Tutu was, why she wouldn't want him to know that she was her, or even if this story was as real as she said. It's not as if the names or the story meant anything substantial to him. But still, he'll still call her by the name he knows she knows he knows.

He sighs a bit and shakes his head.]

It sounds like my sister Katara. She came here to Luceti years ago... and so she's missed out on so many things that I and most of the others from my world have experienced. She didn't get to see Zuko turning traitor and coming over to our side, the end of the Hundred Year War, the creation of a new nation, and the journey to find out Zuko's mom. I mean, she was there with me when we did those things, but the Katara here only knows about that from the stories we've told her.

But she's grown to accept those changes. Slowly, she's forgiven Zuko and found peace that Dad is finally able to go home.

I don't know what these... pieces of heart are or if they're even here in Luceti, but... somehow I don't think this place is part of that story of yours. Your story here is what you make of it. [He points to her as he says it.] We go through a lot of pain—a LOT of pain—in trying to find happiness. Some more than others. [He says that with a bit of sarcasm. He's actually talking about himself secretly.] He may go through pain, but he's got a good kid... [Pause.] a good kid... my kid... looking after him.

[His words did help her a little bit. They did bring comfort. But there was no denying what was going on with Mytho now. She knew it was.]

But... I've been getting his heart shards back but... He told me one day that he felt random pains more each day. Which means he's becoming more like the crow prince he was at home. And if that's happening, it means that the suffering he felt back home isn't too far away. I didn't think I could do it alone and without Fakir here.... I didn't know what to do. Because it was thanks to Fakir that we were able to save him. What am I supposed to do when the raven becomes more and more present?

Even with Fakir here now, I don't know what to do. I... I don't know how to save him. I don't want to see him hurt like this anymore.

[And she knew what she would have to do in order to restore his heart fully. She would have to give up her pendent allowing her to live like this. She would do it of course, but she'd come to love being a girl and dancing. And then she paused hearing the last bit of his words. The tears she had now were more than the fear and pain she'd been feeling. She was touched to hear such kind words.]

You really think so?

Look, Ducky, I can't pretend to know anything about the princes, princesses, ravens, and all of that from your world. I haven't met Fakir or this Mytho guy, and I don't know how to restore his heart thing. And that makes it... more than a little difficult to give you any solid advice about what to do.

[He gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and wipes her eyes with his other hand.]

But my dad always taught me that my biggest responsibility as a warrior was to protect those that I cared about. and that sounds more or less like what you're trying to do. I don't think that's a bad place to be at all.

I just... wanted him to be happy. I never meant to make him suffer like this because of me. And Rue too... I just want them to happy and go back to the story like they're supposed to be.

[She wrapped her arms around him as if searching for comfort.]

At least... Drosselmeyer isn't here to make things worse and as far as I know the Raven isn't either but... as long as Mytho could repeat what happened back home... It might be possible for the Raven to come back.

[Admittedly, Sokka is in a little over his head. When he agreed to be her fatherly figure, he had kind of assumed that she was just an ordinary kid, similar to ~~Kai~~ (okay, very much NOT like Kai) Ikki, not some Princess Tutu character who's finding heart shards for some prince somewhere. He can barely keep this weird story in his head by itself, much less make educated guesses about things and give her any sort of solid direction.

But that doesn't mean that he can't at least be there for her. When she reaches around him, Sokka puts his other arm around her and gives her an embrace. Parenting, am I right?]

Shh, shh. Why would he be suffering because of you? You didn't do anything to him.

[Or at least he's got no reason to think that she had.]

Besides, even if this Raven thing came back... the village can take care of it. We've handled worse things.

[Granted she had gotten a little carried away, but it felt good to let it out. Now that it was out, she realized that even if she ranted... Even if she spoke like this... nothing would change until she tried. She knew that she had to remain calm, even if she found it more and more difficult to do so as each day passed. Fear and pain set into her heart as she kept moving forward.]

Yeah... And... Fakir and Rue are here too. They'll be able to help me. And I have everyone else here too.

Thank you.

[Finally settling down, she rubbed her eyes. She was silent for a moment before speaking, as if thinking about something. He knew about Princess Tutu now (sort of). So it would be okay...

Standing up after the embrace, she twirled her hands above her head before offering one out to him.]

Dance with me. I'm not as graceful as Princess Tutu is, but that's okay.

[He certainly didn't know everything about Duck and Princess Tutu. As far as he knows, the two are indeed one and the same, different names for the same person, much like Combustion Man was once named Sparky Sparky Boom Man.]

And I'm here too. [He has to remind her of that. He may not know what's going on, but a not-dad has to do what a not-dad has to do.] And nah, I didn't do anything.

[Sokka lets go of Duck and watches her spin away. He doesn't notice her hesitation at first, but when she finally offers her a hand and an invitation to dance, two thoughts run through his mind.

First, isn't she Princess Tutu already? And secondly...]

I dunno about this. I've never really danced before. And the last time I "danced" with someone, she was kind of trying to capture me and throw me in jail. [And even then, it wasn't as if Sokka was really dancing. And not her style of dancing either.

Despite his inhibitions though, he takes her hand and stands up,]

[Dad you're so creative with names...]

Of course. Just you being here for me is enough.

It's okay. I won't try to throw you in jail.

[Attempting to joke a little. Once he takes her hand, she started with simple dance steps that he could follow along with. As a girl she wasn't as graceful to do much anyways.]

Everybody can dance.

[Well, everybody can attempt to dance; whether or not they can is another story. Still, this is his "daughter" trying to spend some bonding time with him, even if he did just happen to run into her accidentally. With almost anyone else—even his sister—he probably would have flat out refused. But in this one instance, Sokka makes an exception. After all, the girl didn't have a family, and here he was... proxying in as a dad... or at least a bigger brother.]

I am ever so grateful that you're not looking to throw me in jail.

[Still, he doesn't know where to start. It's not like he really knew any proper steps or anything. But he watches her, letting her lead for a moment (despite that it's very much not the lady's job—not that Sokka would know) before finally mimicking her very basic steps. One two thre one two three one two three one two oops! Sokka butchers one step and steps where he shouldn't, he narrowly dodges her foot, though they'll definitely have to start again.]

[And she appreciates it. Really. He's comforted her more than he probably realizes he has. He's easy to talk to and she always felt better after.]

I'll be sure not to then.

[she giggled lightly. Despite his blotched steps, she has no issues. She's not the best dancer either, so she can sort of sympathize. Assisting him the best way possible, she tried to lead him through the steps so that he could catch on. If he didn't, it really wouldn't be a big deal. After all, dancing -- at least for her -- was more about soothing than it was actual talent.]

[Sokka is... not very good, but at least they can be not very good together, hm? One way or the other, he manages to learn quick enough, and those he'll still make a mistake here and there, maybe he'll actually get through an entire set without too many mistakes. And just maybe, he'll actually enjoy himself just an inkling. Not that he would admit it to anyone else... well, maybe except Duck. He ultimately decides to be a little daring and spins Duck for a twirl, but as he faces her again, he gives her one directive.]

So just don't tell anyone that I'm doing this. It... might be more than a little embarrassing if people found out.

[Which really means that he wouldn't mind it all that much, and he wouldn't take it out on Duck if she did tell. But all things considered, he's not going to tell his own friends about it, nope.]

[Talented or not at dancing, there was no question that it was fun. She twirled when he decided to go for it, giggling a little.]

I don't see how it's embarrassing, [Because you're a girl/duck into this kind of thing] but I'll keep it to myself if it matters.

Well it's simple. I'm not the dancing guy.

[And Sokka is a guy, and guys aren't supposed to be into and like all this frou-frou stuff. It wasn't manly. If Duck knew, that was one thing; but if the entire town found out, well... he's teased Zuko over the dancing thing once. This would come back to bite him.

[Nevertheless, he pulls Duck back in and thus ends whatever dance they were doing before letting go over her hand.]

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Dance is more than just an art form, it's an expression of yourself

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