Chapter Text
When they finally came to pick Vodyanitsa up for lunch, she was animatedly telling Mitya about every single member of her family and every single animal they had.
Odette had never visited her house but she heard from Alyosha that they had a big farm and equally big family to take care of it. Though apparently, it was all more of a hobby for their family — they also had a pearl farm and connected to it a whole jewellery business. When Odettte first heard of it she was quite stunned — she had to deal with a lot of noisy businessman families and they always were awful to interact with. But Vodyanitsa was nice and she acted nothing like those people. Perhaps the only thing that did show her family’s status were the countless pearls she always wore.
“And my Auntie Ozerova is pregnant! Uncle Shram is hoping for a girl, since their last three children were boys and frankly, I’d like a little girl too. But they don’t know the sex yet,” she sighed. “I love my cousins, but boys can be just… you know, boys! They never let me dress them up. What good are my cousins for if I can’t play dress up with them?”
Mitya nodded as if the inability to play dress-up was the worst thing in the world. From what Odette knew, Vodyanitsa was the only girl in her generation of the family and besides, her older cousins were at least five years older than her and the younger ones, the ones she was just talking about, were at least five years younger. It was a bit bizarre to think about — all three of Odette’s cousins were around her age.
Technically they weren’t blood related, not just because their mother wasn’t actually Odette’s aunt’s sister, but also because Odette herself wasn't blood-related to her aunt and most importantly, they were adopted, but she still considered them her cousins. And they all gladly played dress-up with her, despite the fact that two of them were boys. In fact, Lyney was always the one who wanted to play it the most. It’s been a while since she saw them last…
Vodyanitsa turned away from Mitya for just long enough to spot the three of them — that is Odette and Alyosha, who came to see her, and Valeriy, who came to see Mitya. She pointed a finger at Alyosha and huffed. “And he never wanted to play it with me either!”
“I just don’t understand the point of dressing up as an idiot just for the sake of it,” the boy crossed his arms. “And I played it with you, quite a few times.”
“But you never wanted to! You always complained and that took all the fun out of it.”
“Because you dressed me up as an idiot.”
“Did not!”
“You did—“
“Enough,” she stepped in between Alyosha and Vodyanitsa before a real fight could start. They usually got along so well, at least from what Odette could tell, but looking at them, she could understand how the subject of clothes could set them apart.
Vodyanitsa always dressed fancy. Maybe that was not the right word, she hardly ever had expensive clothes on, safe for the pearls, but it was still clear that she put a lot of effort into her appearance. She created different outfits each day and made each one distinct, even though they all followed a similar theme. With pretty dresses or skirts, that seemed to be her staple — Odette didn’t see her in person that many times, but she had yet to see her in pants — and colourful make-up, she looked like a flower spirit or some other magical creature. Even now she looked like a very tattered spirit, but still one nonetheless.
Meanwhile Alyosha only ever wore two different types of outfits — shorts and T-shirts or long pants and his grandma’s hand-made sweaters. She never saw him in anything different. Maybe a format shirt, a few times during a school celebration, but that was it. She could imagine that he was not the biggest fan of dress-up.
As for Odette, she probably stood somewhere in-between the two.
“In any case,” Alyosha reached for his backpack and handed over a few books to Vodya. “I can finally give this to you.”
“Thank you so much!” She gladly took them and handled them with care as if they were the most precious thing in the whole world.
“It’s no problem. Just try and be on time in the future. I still have a few books for you, I was not going to bring them all in one day.”
“You better not! Oh, your poor back…” Vodya winced at the mere thought, but in Odette’s opinion, Alyosha probably did this in consideration of the other girl. Despite his slight build, he was quite strong. But maybe Vodyanitsa was too. Odette never saw her lift anything heavy or do anything too strenuous, but she never saw her struggle either. The only one in the whole group who Odette could call a weakling with certainty was Mitya.
Speaking of Mitya, “so this is that friend you talked about,” he pointed towards Alyosha and when Vodya nodded in confirmation, he smiled cheekily. “Nice to Mitya.”
Alyosha just blinked. Vodyanitsa laughed softly. Odette had already heard him say that before so she was unimpressed. Valeriy sighed.
“In any case,” Vodya broke the awkward silence. “Now that we all know each other, Valeriy, Mitya, would you want to join us for lunch?”
“We would!” Mitya seemed a little bit too happy at the prospect. “Though it’s still one more class, you know?”
“It is?”
“Yeah, and we’re probably going to be late if we don’t—“ he didn’t get to finish. Vodyanitsa had fished out her schedule and then ran away, dragging him off with her.
Which left Odette, Alyosha and Valeriy standing in silence, looking as the two disappeared behind the corner, until Valeriy spoke up. “Does she have advanced chemistry?”
“No,” Alyosha shook his head.
Valeriy sighed. “Then I suppose I must go after them to ensure that Mitya ends up where he should.”
***
Vodyanitsa really needed to get a hold of this whole school thing. She didn’t realise that even though Mitya had the last two lessons with her didn’t mean that he always had them with her. And Alyosha told her about that, you can had either the the basic or advanced form of almost any subject, she chose her own advanced ones because it was mandatory to choose at least three, but somehow it didn’t occur to her that Mitya might have chosen different ones. He was her only friend — made a bit over two hours ago — in her year and as much as she was excited to meet new people, she didn’t necessarily want to do it alone.
Still, it was just one lesson and she met him in the cafeteria. And Odette and Alyosha too, as well as that other guy, Valeriy. When she saw them he was pulling Mitya away from the coffee machine like a parent pulling their child away from the ice cream stand when they were clearly told ‘no’ before.
They really were interesting.
“I’ve got something for you,” Alyosha was kind enough to go and pick her up from her class so she didn’t get lost on her way to the cafeteria. When they finally sat next to Odette, he pulled out a bag with sweet buns. “I thought you might forget to pack your own food so I bought these,” he turned towards Odette and handed her one. “And while I was at it I thought that we might share sweet buns to celebrate Vodyanitsa’s official first day of school.”
Odette eyes the bun, then gestured at her own lunch box. “I already have my own food.”
“But you can hardly celebrate with a salad.”
“Salads are good.”
“So are sweet buns.”
Odette hesitated for a moment. She looked at both Alyosha and Vodyanitsa, deep in thought as if she were doing some kind of silent calculation. Then she took one of the sweet buns, tore it in half and took the smaller one. Alyosha looked a little sad, but quickly composed himself and then turned to Vodyanitsa to offer her one.
She almost felt too guilty to accept them. She did forget her food. It seemed like Alyosha always knew when she would mess up and did everything to clean up after her. Didn’t he also predict that she would get lost in the morning?
“You shouldn’t have,” she still accepted. She would never say no to sweet buns. “I was planning to buy my food in the cafeteria shop.”
“You better not. The food’s expensive and not that good,” Vodyanitsa nodded along. If Alyosha said so then that must be the case. He was responsible with money, unlike her.
“Not that good, sure,” Mitya chose that exact moment to come to their table. He had a paper cup with coffee in one hand, apparently having succeeded against Valeriy. And when it came to the taller boy, who should be easier to spot in the crowd, Vodyanitsa couldn’t see him anywhere, not by the coffe machine nor anywhere else.“But it’s relatively cheap. At least the coffee, I don’t know about the rest.”
“It’s not the most expensive thing, I’ll admit. But you’re still better off bringing your own lunch,” Alyosha pointed at the cup in Mitya’s hand. “And I’m not even sure if I would call this coffee.”
“The important thing is that it has coffeine,” he said before gulping it in one go. “That takes care of lunch.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Valeriy finally arrived and quickly took the cup out of Mitya’s grasp. The shorter boy let him without any resistance. Why would he? The cup was empty. Valeriy must had realised the same, because he sighed, crumpled the cup and then threw it behind himself. Vodyanitsa was just about to lecture him about throwing trash around — that’s unacceptable anywhere, be it out in nature or at school — but the cup landed perfectly in a nearby trashcan. So instead she clapped.
“Valeriy,” Mitya feigned a charming smile. “But it has milk and sugar. Those things have calories.”
Valeriy looked like he wanted to argue but then he just pulled a protein bar from his bag and handed it to Mitya. “Eat this and then I’ll be off your case.”
At first Vodyanitsa thought that he would decline but in the end he accepted. “You’re going to embarrass me in front of everyone…”
“Currently you’re the one embarrassing yourself.”
“Valeriy—“
“Thank you for inviting us to join you,” said guy completely ignored Mitya in favour of turning towards Vodyanitsa.
“It’s no problem, I’m just happy to make new friends.”
***
It felt a little bit weird sitting with someone else than Odette and Vodyanitsa. Alyosha wasn’t nervous or anything, but still. It was… unexpected. Even if he expected Vodya to pull others into her friend cycle, potentially even leaving him and Odette behind, he didn’t expect her to do it on the first day. And she certainly didn’t expect her to pull Valeriy in. He didn’t have anything against the guy, but still, it was Valeriy, one of the biggest recluses Alyosha had ever met. He kept to himself most of the time.
Maybe not such a recluse — he thought looking at Mitya who decided to lean against the bigger guy. He had his eyes closed but still chirped into the conversation from time to time. Clearly, Vodyanitsa managed to bring in Valeriy only because of Mitya.
It made him wonder if perhaps there was something more going on between the two.
“So Odette, are you working on any new performances? It’s been quite the while since we last saw you at the Opera Theatre,” Mitya gestured at himself and Valeriy.
The letter nodded along. “It’s quite the shame, you dance beautifully.”
“Thank you,” Odette said in a monotone voice, but Alyosha knew that she was pleased with the compliment, deep down. Her facial expressions were very minimalistic, but they were there, and he had long since learnt to recognise them. “And we’re currently holding auditions for roles amongst the younger dancers. I’m hoping to be a mouse.”
“A mouse?” Vodyanitsa asked.
“Indeed,” Odette nodded. “They have the best costumes.”
“You’d look pretty in a mouse outfit, I’m sure. Ballerinas have those big, round skirts, right? Just imagine—“
“Tutu.”
“Eh?” Vodyanitsa looked puzzled at Odette and then raised her hand a lowered it a few times as if she were trying to mimic a train. “Choo choo?”
“No, tutu.”
“Choo choo?”
“Tutu. That’s what the skirt is called.”
“Oh!” Vodya noded. “What a silly name, but I like it. So imagine a tutu that has a tail going around the rim and also big mouse ears and—“
“The mice don’t wear tutus.”
“They don’t?” The other girl looked disappointed. “But it would look so pretty… If it were me, I’d put mice into tutus, they’d look so pretty…”
Of course, Vodyanitsa had already decided to start designing clothes for a ballet she didn’t even know. The only valley she ever saw was the one Odette did last year during winter break, back when she came to visit Alyosha. Swan Lake was beautiful and swans had tutus on back then.
“The mice wear full body suits,” Odette gestured at her whole body and then pointed at her face. “Including a mask. Or more like a head sculpt.”
“Oh, right,” Mitya suddenly sat up straighter from his place nested against Valeriy. “You’re doing the Nutcracker, right? I saw it a few times, even once with Valeriy. It’s a classic. I remember when I first saw the mice I thought they looked kind of silly next to the other characters, but if I were to choose, I’d want to be a mouse too.”
“They have the best costume,” Odette repeated again. “And you don’t have to bother with makeup and hair that much because it’s all covered by the mask.”
“Wait!” Vodyanitsa looked horrified. “You’re saying that we won’t be able to see your face? How will we know when you’re on the stage.”
“You’d see a mouse. A lot of mice. That would mean that one of them is me.”
“That’s beside the point! Why can’t they do a face-revealing mouse costume? That’s what I would do.”
“The mask is what makes the costume stand out the most. It’s different. That's why I want to be a mouse.”
“But your face is so pretty!”
“It’s not a model show. It’s a ballet.”
“I know, but…”
“Let’s just let Odette be a mouse,” sensing that the whole exchange could easily spiral into some kind of weird argument, Alyosha decided to stop Vodya.
“But…”
“She wants to be a mouse, then let her be a mouse,” on some level, he could understand where she was coming from. Odette was really pretty and having attended each of her performances in the last year, Alyosha could admit that she looked quite nice in those ballet costumes. But on the other hand, if he were a ballerina and there was a dog role with a full dog costume, he would want to be a dog. Wanting to be a mouse was a respectable choice.
“In any case,I still have to pass the audition,” Odette sighed. “There’s multiple mice, so technically it’s easier to get that role, but they still might decide that I’d fit better as something else.”
“I think that you’d fit a princess.”
“There’s no princess in the Nutcracker.”
“Then uhm…” Vodyanitsa thought deeply. “Some other monarch?”
“Well, I’d like to be the Mouse King if given the chance, but it’s a senior role. Not to mention, traditionally a male one.”
“You really want to be a mouse, don’t you?” Alyosha asked before Vodya could get a chance to talk.
“They have the best costumes.”
“So when’s the premiere?” Mitya asked and Alyosha couldn’t be happier for the topic change. “I didn’t see a date on the website for the Nutcracker last time I checked. I didn’t see it on the schedule at all.”
“That’s because they’re not yet sure. The Nutcracker is a staple of the opera’s winter performances, but many of the last year’s performers had either retired or moved out. So they need to see how long the preparations might take — how skilled the new cast is, how many adjustments there’ll have to be to costumes and the scene… Not to mention that this year this is the performance that the students will join, so they need to take into account that children learn slower.”
“So no official date yet?”
“No.”
“But you’ll tell us when it’s finally out?” Vodyanitsa asked. “Now that I’m in Shneznograd I wouldn’t want to miss any of your performances! I’ll attend all of them!”
“I will, but don’t trouble yourself. We perform the same show multiple times. There’s no need to see every single one.”
“Nonsense,” it was Mitya who opposed that statement. “The Royal Opera is the Second best ballet house in Teyvat. Their dancers are amazing and they never fail to bring more and more magic into every performance. And their shows with the students always give off this fresh feeling… No matter how many times I see it I can’t get enough.”
But sadly your wallet can — Alyosha thought. He agreed with Mitya, Odette and all the other performers were amazing, but sadly, there were just so many tickets he could afford. Last year he managed to be there for opening night of all of their performances, sometimes to see Odette and sometimes seeing them with her, but he never came a second time, baring that one with Vodyanitsa. And if it weren’t for Odette he probably wouldn’t go that often.
Though Vodyanitsa could probably afford more. Alyosha wouldn’t be able to go with her, but perhaps Mitya would. They seemed to be getting along quite well. Maybe Valeriy could too. That would put Alyosha’s mind at ease. Coming from a family of bodyguards, as Odette told him, he could probably protect the two of them from everything.
“So I’ll try to see it as often as possible then!” Vodyanitsa proclaimed.
“You really don’t have to.”
“But we’re friends! If I can, I’d like to be there to support you. It must be quite nerve-wracking, performing in front of so many people…”
“Not really. During the performance I mostly focus on getting the steps right and then only notice the people when everything is over. But at that moment it’s not nerve-wrecking at all, more exulting or exalting. Out of this world.”
“If that’s the case then I wish I could ever experience that…”
“Why can’t you?” Mitya asked.
“I have two left feet,” Vodyanitsa stated simply. “I could never dance well, and definitely not as beautifully as Odette.”
That’s true. Alyosha remembered how as children they’d sometimes try and dance together. He couldn’t even count how many times he had to massage his feet because she stepped on them. Vodya and dancing? A terrible idea.
But not every performance was a dance one. And Vodyanitsa was the best singer Alyosha knew.
“You could sign up for the school’s choir,” he proposed. “The school is under Fatui's influence and so is the Opera. Miss Columbina often invites the best students to perform with her. She has this show — The Moon Goddess and her little Kuuhenki. The latter are always the school students.”
“Really?” Vodyanitsa’s eyes practically glowed. “I’ll have to sign up as soon as possible then!”
“I could show you the choir place after class,” he said. “But tomorrow. Today I’m working.” Well, he will be working tomorrow too, but a little later.
Vodyanitsa sadly looked down. She purses her lips, as if she wanted to say something but was stopping herself from voicing it out loud. “Okay… Thank you.”
“We can show you today,” Mitya offered. “I’m not doing anything noteworthy and Valeriy knows where everything in the school is. We’ll get you there, no problem.”
“You’d do it?!” Vodya cheered up momentarily when Mitya and Valeriy nodded. “Oh, thank you so much! It’s not that I don’t want your help, Alyosha!” She quickly turned towards him. “I’m just worried tomorrow might be too late. I’m already three days behind everyone and—“
“I get it. You don’t want to miss your chance.”
“I’m so glad you understand.”
“So it’s final — we’re going to the choir place after school,” Mitya announced.
“And then we’ll go get ice cream!” Vodyanitsa added.
“And then we’ll go get ice cream!”
***
“I don’t think Vodyanitsa will like choir very much,” Odette said as she walked with Alyosha to her ballet school. He worked in the coffee shop across the street so they always went together.
“Why not? She loves singing and she’s very good at it.”
“Yes,” Odette might not have grown up with Vodya, unlike Alyosha, but even she knew that she was an amazing singer. She would actually pay to hear her sing. “But she’s also a very individualistic person. I think that if she’ll only be performing in the choir it’s going to stifle her. Unless Miss Columbina will give her a solo part.”
“You might have a point. She always likes singing her own interpretations of songs…” Alyosha pondered. “But it’s not like there’s some other singing performance opportunity that I can think of.”
“Neither can I,” Odette agreed. “Guess she’ll really have to impress Miss Columbina.”
Luckily, Miss Columbina was known for giving solo parts to anyone who impressed her and she was apparently not that hard to impress. You just had to sing nicely and with passion. Maybe Vodya would be okay.
***
Meanwhile, near an ice cream shop, Mitya raised his cone in a mockery toast. “Let’s cheer for Vodyanitsa for impressing Miss Columbina with her singing so much that she was given a solo part immediately!”
Valeriy raised his ice cream too and Vodyanitsa joined them, if only a little abashed. They were talking about her and it felt kind of… nice but awkward at the same time.
They chatted for a bit, talking about how she would do great and whatnot. And then they walked her home after she begged them, unwilling to repeat the same mistake from the morning. Luckily she remembered the address and Valeriy knew where her street was.
“See you tomorrow!” Mitya waved and she waved back. Valeriy was technically waving, but he did so in such a stiff manner that it looked kind of unnerving.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!” She shouted back and as they disappeared around the corner she couldn’t help but smile. Her first day of school was a success after all.