Dancing

[Elsa Bellefonte]

This was frivolous.

Elsa knew that even as she walked into the studio, looking around with a critical eye. She hadn't technically danced in years; that was her sister's gift. She did dance with Erika from time to time, because it made it easier to practice when you could see someone who looked exactly like you do something. They often did that, sometimes with clothing, sometimes with makeup, occasionally with movements and the like.

Elsa paused and looked in front of the mirror, almost thinking she saw Erika there for a moment. That also happened when you had an identical twin: a reflection became your sister. It didn't help that Elsa had dressed in clothing that would have been "twin neutral." They did share clothing, practically all of it, but Erika usually wore the fashionable  garments while Elsa usually wore plainer garments, ones that said "don't look at me." Their workout garments, however, were virtually the same.

This was frivolous, which is why Elsa wanted to do it.

She stretched a little, looking at the mirror again. At one point she'd seriously wanted to be a ballerina. She'd practiced incredibly hard, done routines practically till she bled into her toe-shoes, which was supposed to be the plan. Elsa had the build for it; she had some grace as well. People liked watching twins perform. But at a recital... Elsa had tripped; Erika had done what every good sister would do: she'd covered. Nobody had actually known which girl had done the tripping, nobody but their family and the teachers. That was enough, as far as Elsa was concerned. Besides, as she kept telling everyone: she was too smart to be a ballerina.

This was frivolous, which is why Elsa wanted to do it, and was precisely why she was stretching out in front of the bar, taking deep breaths and trying to pretend like she wasn't being haunted by bad memories. Times like this, she almost wished that there was someone else around: she could use someone else's thoughts to distract her.

[Charlotte Larkson]

Easter was coming and like the Starks in Game of Thrones Charlie felt incredibly unsettled. Her entire body changed. She had to go home. She had to go home, she had to see her mother, she had to deal with that horribly critical environment and she couldn't do a damn thing about it but smile and pretend to be perfect. She hated it.

With her racing thoughts and fears Charlie made her way to the dance studio. Ballet had been her mothers only gift to her. Of course it was also the gift that ruined their relationship the moment Charlie got pulled away and sent to Montana despite her families efforts to buy off the government. Before Bellefonte it had been her entire life. Charlie didn't go to school. Charlie didn't have friends, she didn't have hobbies, she didn't have a single thing but ballet. She walked, slept, eat, drank, and lived ballet and that was all. She was supposed to be a prima ballerina. She was supposed to finish the dream that her mother had and never accomplished and she'd failed.

She hated that the only thing that could calm her nerves and made her feel like she was her was the same thing that made her family life hell.

At this time the studio should be empty. So when she opened the door to see one of the Bellefonte twins she stopped dead, jarred back into reality. "Oh... Sorry... I didn't realize anyone was in here.'

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Oh look, a convenient distraction. Elsa turned toward the voice, looking at the girl. She looked vaguely familiar, and she appeared to be more or less dressed to dance too. Elsa remained quiet for a few moments, looking about the room before focusing in on the girl. "There's enough room in here for two people," she said, shrugging. "Unless I'm filling it up with all my bad vibes."

She smiled and then gestured toward the closest bar, moving to it herself. Maybe if she actually started doing exercises she'd forget things. She tried for a moment, feeling incredibly rusty. After one stretch, she ended up looking behind her at the other girl. The girl looked distressed, but then again, most of the students here looked like that. Elsa was tempted to poke around, possibly do a mental scan, but she wasn't sure that was really what was called for here.

"Feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong," volunteered Elsa instead, turning back around, figuring that she didn't need to say or do more, and that if she did, it wouldn't be appreciated.

[Charlotte Larkson]

Relief. She took a few more steps in with the other girls blessing. "Some people like to practice alone." She shrugged "Your bad vibes are fine as long as they don't mind mixing with mine... I guess this is your release too?" She asked as she took a seat changing her shoes as she watched the other girl... eeerii-els.. shit. How was she supposed to tell them apart? She didn' twant to ask either. It wasn't like Bellefonte was too big not to at least know people's names even if you didn't actually know them.

She started to lace up her toe shoes as she watched her form. "Your hips." She noted gently, "They need to be square, right now they are angled and it'll throw your rotation off later." She wasn't going to be a stickler but she'd asked.

Once she was done she got up and started to stretch on the next bar, wincing when she tried to over extend. "It's been a while... for me too."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa shrugged. It wasn't really her release so much as her momentarily wanting to pretend she was a child again. She didn't see the point in confessing this to a nearly random stranger though. They had dancing to get to anyway... though Elsa had barely started when the other girl was pointing out what she'd done wrong. Elsa fought the urge to curse, instead readjusting herself as per instructions. She'd clearly had training and sort of knew what she was doing, but her body was also as obviously not willing to cooperate.

"I used to want to be a ballerina," replied Elsa, moving back into stretches. "I was pretty good too. But my sister was, well, she got more attention, I suppose," Elsa would've shrugged if she wasn't busy moving. She instead looked over her shoulder at the other girl. "And I'm Elsa,' she said, "and no, I wasn't reading your mind; I just know that nearly everyone who knows there are two of us thinks the same thing. Though you'd probably guess soon enough if you've met Erika," she paused, then sighed, "and I'm sorry, I keep thinking I know you but I'm not getting a name."

She moved to do a few more stretches, which only added to the wincing. Yes, it had definitely been a while since she'd done this sort of thing; her body was making that all too clear.

[Charlotte Larkson]

Charlie began to run through the positions, hearing her mother reminding her over and over and over again that a good foundation was key. First, then second, then third, then fourth than fifth. It seemed her entire life was ran by numbers. Those five, the twelve numbers on the clock, the calories in a muffin, all of it was so much more in control of her life than she was. 

A deep frown plagued her face. "That must have been shitty." She said looking over at the other brunette. "I don't have a sister but I can imagine it being hard being compared to her." Which was probably even worse if you were a twin. 

"Elsa." She repeated back not knowing what her powers were but being able to come to some conclusions based off what she said. "I'm Charlie." She wished she had more to contribute. She wished she could make the girl smile or do something to lighten the mood but she was tired. She hadn't slept all week and she was just looking for something else to do. 

"mind if i put on some music?" That'd help.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa laughed dryly at the mention of it being shitty. she was tempted to add something about sharing the same face, but that seemed like a bit of an overkill, all things considered. The girl had already been confused as to who exactly Elsa was, which meant that she already knew full well that Elsa was one of the twin Bellefontes. Not like they were really doing a great job of hiding themselves, especially Erika.

The name was repeated back, with Elsa nodding slightly, mostly to confirm that yes, she was in fact the younger twin, though by mere minutes. Elsa soon got another name, and she couldn't quite resist doing a little scan of Charlie's brain. Charlie, short for Charlotte, last name Larkson; that did take one "click" which would likely be noticed by Charlie herself, what with the little brain buzzing and the thought momentarily becoming a little more... evident. Elsa also momentarily picked up a desire to lighten the mood, which nearly made her sigh. She withdrew just as those thoughts were starting to come across her attention.

"Just as long as it's not something awful," she replied at the request. "What were you thinking?" which would be quite ironic if Charlie remembered Elsa's power, or guessed based off the tingling and so forth.

[Charlotte Larkson]

Her head felt odd and Charlie gripped the bar for support as a strange sensation overtook her. Her stomach growled and she quickly dismissed it to the fact that she was on day three of her restricted eating. Shh she tried to coax her body into cooperating Only five pounds and you'll be there. She could lose five pounds. She had to lose five pounds. Her mother was right, she looked like a cow. 

Charlie's eyes met her own in the mirror, she bit the inside of her cheek hard, almost enough to draw blood before forcing her eyes away, and the smile back onto her face. She didn't know why, they both knew that each other were there under less than ideal circumstances, whatever they might be. 

"It won't be." She assured her and went to the stereo, plugging in her phone and putting on Pandora, an indie rock song started to play, she scrolled a bit. "Something light but not corney." She said with a firm nod. "Actually... I wouldn't mind something a bit.. angrier." She said as she started at the rock alternative stations. "Might be nice to get some of that restless energy out.... plus I kind of like angry music."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa kept scanning thoughts, and whenever someone "spoke" in them, it always came out all the stronger: SHH... ONLY FIVE POUNDS AND YOU'LL BE THERE, along with something about her mother. Elsa actually stiffened at those thoughts, pausing for a moment, trying to think about what to do. It wasn't her business, not strictly speaking, but this girl clearly didn't need to lose much weight. She couldn't have been much bigger than Elsa herself, and Elsa knew that her own weight was on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Actual words came out, directed toward the questions, and Elsa knew she had to respond to those. Won't be, then an indie rock song. Elsa certainly didn't mind that, and was tempted to suggest that it would suffice, but Charlie was already going for angrier music. Elsa had to half-smile at that. "Yes, that would probably be good.... might be a bit difficult to dance ballet to though."

Elsa then stood in silence for a few moments, still lightly skimming over Charlie's thoughts. She knew that the skimming wouldn't be quite as noticeable, not unless Charlie had training, but that struck Elsa as unlikely. A little deeper digging would be noticeable though... Elsa decided she didn't need it. Instead she'd just outright say it. She'd never been one to care about feelings or opinions before, and she wasn't about to start now:

"You don't need to lose weight," she said, turning to look away from Charlie and back to the mirrors that showed both their reflections. "And you don't look like a cow, unless it's one of those ridiculous skinny ones on the crappy candy."

[Charlotte Larkson]

"we'll figure it out." She assured her. She'd danced ballet to plenty of rock songs, you just had to find the beat and go, trust your body. Not every ballet dance had to be to a balled.

The irritating buzzing wouldn't go away. Charlie closed her eyes tightly for a few moments to try and relieve the sensation but it just. wouldn't stop. She could feel her blood start to pulse through her veins growing more and more irritated at the lack of control inside her own head. That was the point. That was half the point of limiting, counting, weighing, all to have just the tiniest bit of control over her body, and here was the buzzing derailing all of that.

"What?" She asked whipping her head around, fire in her eyes. Was this girl reading her? She didn't have a clue what her ability was, she didn't care, but if it was reading minds and she had any control over it she sure as hell hoped this girl didn't just voluntarily scan her.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Figure it out, at least that should be doable for dancing. Elsa wasn't sure she'd actually manage anything resembling actual ballet anyway. Too many years had passed since she'd last put on tights and attempted the motions, though her body was likely to remember. it didn't help that she kept being distracted with her own readings. She thought she could pick up Charlie noticing, which interested her. Most people weren't quite sensitive to notice when Elsa just sort of casually skimmed over their thoughts, but everyone had different reactions to her. She couldn't really predict it.

What? Of all the dialogue options she had, that was the one Charlie chose? Elsa sighed, moving back into position, remembering the girl's earlier instructions and forcing her body to reenter positions yet again. "You heard me," she said, looking at the mirror again. She didn't feel the need to repeat herself. Elsa wasn't out to save the world or fix someone's problem if they weren't useful; she just didn't like it when people were stupid, simple as that. She began moving again. "I thought you were starting music?" she asked, finally glancing over for that.