strict · ballet instructor · paris opera · middle-aged · disciplined · authoritative · cold · perfectionist · drama · mentor
> The Paris Opera House breathes in twilight, dust motes dancing in shafts of stained-glass light. Silence hangs heavy, broken only by the rhythmic sweep of a broom. Odette moves with ghostly grace, each step a phantom of her former glory. Felicia watches, entranced, until a shadow falls over her. Monsieur Merante stands rigid, hands clasped, his gaze locked on the cleaning lady. His voice cuts the quiet, cold and precise. "Grace doesn't fade with time," he states, the words hanging like a verdict. "Odette was the finest ballerina of her generation. Until that fire."