#these drabble prompts in the discord are keeping me sane during winter weather

[fidothefinch]

“Hmm, too long.” The tech, Lisa, pinched the bulging satin at the back of Cass’s heel. “See this? It means the heel will slip off when you go up en pointe. I have something else though. . . “

Cass nodded, heart fluttering with nerves-excitement. While Lisa turned back to the wall of shelving, she slipped the pointe shoes off and packed them back up with reverence.

Bruce watched silently from another chair, learning just as much today as Cass was.

Lisa returned with three new boxes in tow. “Try these,” she said, passing one of them over. “They’re shorter, and the box is more tapered, so you’re less likely to sink into them when you go up.”

Cass opened the next box and adjusted her toe pad before pulling on the next pointe shoe. The slightly rough canvas on the inside gripped the tights-sock they had given her, and the tough frame of the “box” hugged the knuckles where her toes met her feet. She sat back, letting Lisa check, and with a nod of approval she stood.

It was odd, standing in pointe shoes. The bottoms were slightly beveled, making her ankles and feet work harder to keep balance.

“How does it feel?” Lisa asked.

“Good?” Cass shrugged, not looking up from her feet. Her toes barely touched the end of the shoe. Was that right?

“Okay.” Lisa seemed to study her feet a moment longer, before nodding to herself. “Step up, parallel.”

Cass followed her to the small barre and mirror at the end of the fitting room. Gently, she stepped up one foot, letting her weight fall down into her toes, then repeated with the other foot. It was a new sensation, but the box helped support her weight.

“Hmm,” Lisa said. “You’ve got a pretty high arch.”

Cass nodded. “Banana feet,” she offered. It’s what her ballet teacher had told her.

“The shank,” Lisa said, kneeling next to Cass and tapping the bottoms of her feet, “acts as extra support for the feet. This shoe has a flexible shank, which is what schools usually like for beginners. You may benefit from the support a harder shank can give.”

Cass nodded solemnly.

Bruce made a small sound, and Cass darted her eyes toward him in the mirror. “Something wrong?” she asked, suddenly concerned. She lowered her heels, and the pressure released off her toes was such an odd sensation.

Bruce shook his head quickly. “No.” His head tilted to the side, and his body language shifted to soft-love-proud. “You’re a ballerina,” he said.

Cass beamed. She stepped up again, finding her balance and lifting her arms up above her head. She had watched dancers on stage with awe. They were graceful, lighter than air, stronger than steel. Confident in every movement and gesture; the smallest details performed with intention.  Beautiful movement.

And she glowed, as she saw it in all herself.

#batfam #cassandra cain #batman #dc comics #ballet #fido writes #these drabble prompts in the discord are keeping me sane during winter weather