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“Jewelavyn,” a feminine voice echoed through the castle in the ocean. Dorthy found themself wandering through the halls of the castle they lived in with Jewelavyn, the towering Prismarine structure in the middle of one of Creaturae’s oceans. With their companion being the queen of the oceans, it was expected for their home to be surrounded by the sea.
A small purring noise came from Dorthy’s shoulder, and they spoke to the tiny red and white Fluffle on their shoulder. “I know, Velvet, I know. But I’m sure she’s here. She wouldn’t just leave without me… or without telling me first.” They shrugged, making Velvet let out a strange little chirp. “She wouldn’t do that, Velvet, don’t be nonsensical.”
Dorthy walked down another hallway leading to the throne room, making their way inside. The room was made of light colored prismarine blocks with a dark prismarine floor. Towers of gold blocks and purple concrete towers over the two, with paintings and purple banners hanging from the walls. The purple stained glass windows showed the seas outside, wavering with life as guardians swam about the outside of the castle. It was a nice place, but the ruler of the seas wasn’t in her throne.
Dorthy let out a soft huff. “Where is she? She couldn’t have gone too--”
The sounds of soft music caught their attention, making the TeaBlossom perk up and look around. They listened for a second, before turning to a hallway that led behind the throne, into one of the smaller rooms of the castle. Dorthy began to walk towards the hall, their high heels clicking softly as they walked.
The sounds of the music got louder as they walked, and Dorthy realized it was coming from a jukebox. They made their way into another room and looked around. It wasn’t as large as the throne room, but of a nice size. A couple of golden towers stood proud as a couple of windows showed the outside world. A jukebox played soft music that sounded like it came from a piano, and there near the furthest wall was Jewelavyn. Her fair skin stuck out against her bright red hair, tied into a ponytail down to her waist. She was wearing a black leotard with purple shorts, a teal long sleeve with ties on the side, pink gloves, pink leg warmers, and blue ballet shoes. Her white eyes were closed as she stood on her toes, the scar that went over her right eye quite visible.
The Demi-Goddess stood still for a moment, before raising her arms over her head and spinning slowly. She picked up one leg as she did this, her body turning in a slow rotation. She then put her foot down and moved her arms so one was near her waist, the other still above her head. She made a few motions, moving from one side to the other with grace.
Dorthy didn’t realize they had been staring, and when they shifted their weight to one side, they were surprised to see Jewelavyn open her eyes and look in their direction. Dorthy made a small sputtering noise, before apologizing, “Sorry, Jewel! I--I didn’t mean to stare! I just… I was looking for you!”
The queen of the seas blinked in surprise, before chuckling, her voice somehow soothing to the nervousness of the TeaBlossom. “No need to apologize, Dorthy,” she spoke. “I did not even realize you were there.” She moved her gaze away, her smile fading, as if from guilt. “My apologies for not telling you where I was. I did not think to tell you since you were asleep when I came into this room.”
Dorthy waved a hand. “It’s fine, Jewel. I know I’m a heavy sleeper.” They tilted their head. “What are you doing, anyways?”
Jewelavyn smiled softly. “Just doing some ballet.”
“What’s ballet?”
Jewelavyn gaped in surprise, then remembered that Dorthy was still learning about this world. They had only come into existence only 6 months ago. Even at this point, Dorthy was still learning many things about Minecraftia. Jewel smiled. “It is a style of dance that is usually performed in front of audiences, and it can be a very demanding style due to the practice and techniques used. It can be very delicate and graceful when performed correctly. It is easy to learn, difficult to master… at least for some people.”
Dorthy stepped up to Jewelavyn, their height difference making them feel very small. While the TeaBlossom stood at five feet even, Jewel was a little over six feet tall. They shook their head. They could focus on that later. “So… how does ballet work, Jewel,” Dorthy asked.
Jewelavyn gestured with her hands as she spoke to her companion. “Well, it depends on the technique the dancer is taught or teaches. Many styles focus on fast footwork to make it appear that the ballet dancers are gliding across the stage. Many styles emphasize the whole body as one, while others focus on the different body parts as separate entities.” She put a hand to her chest. “I have studied many methods from different servers to find my own style, as I felt that being restricted to one style was not free enough for myself.”
Dorthy listened with great intent and nodded as their companion spoke. “So… you created your own style of ballet?”
“Correct. Mine is a mixture of other styles to a level that I am comfortable with. It has taken me quite a while to find my technique, but I am really happy with it.”
Dorthy blinked. “How long have you been doing ballet for, Jewel?”
“A few hundred years. I believe I started doing it as a stress reliever about… 348 years ago? I think, anyways.”
Dorthy’s jaw would have fallen off of their face if it wasn’t attached. “Wow, for that long?!”
Jewel nodded. “You must remember, Dorthy: I am over 10,000 years old. I have been around for… quite some time. Albeit, I have not been around for as long as Brine. But even then, I still am quite old.”
The TeaBlossom nodded. “I can understand that. Can… can you show me some of your ballet techniques? I would love to learn a little bit from you!”
The Demi-Goddess nodded. “Of course. Stand next to me and I can show you some of my positions and poses.”
Dorthy moved to the side of Jewel, Velvet moving from their shoulder to sit in their arms. They pet his head, then looked up at their companion.
“Alright, watch for a bit, then you can try. Is that fine with you?”
“Of course!”
Jewelavyn nodded and began to go slow, a few spins, a couple of leaps across the small space, and a few more turns with such grace. Her movements were steady and flexible. Dorthy noticed how she didn’t stumble, even with being on her toes.
Jewelavyn stopped and looked down at Dorthy. “Alright, just follow my lead.”
Dorthy nodded and carefully set Velvet down. They then mimicked Jewel’s movements, hands up, then down, then to the side. Legs with knees bent, then up, then on one foot. At first, Dorthy couldn’t quite get their balance, but with a few tips from the Demi-Goddess, it became a little easier.
The two made their movements and Jewelavyn could see how hard Dorthy was trying. At least they were doing their best, which made her genuinely happy. Dorthy was someone that Jewel trusted, someone she had told her secrets and all her deepest fears. She really cared about the TeaBlossom, and she knew they cared about her. After all, Dorthy had been there ever since they were created. They were kind and they always knew what to do to make her feel better. Dorthy was the best friend Jewel had always wanted.
After some time of the two dancing together, Jewelavyn turned off her jukebox and walked to Dorthy, seeing them picking up Velvet. She reached down at pet his head with a chuckle.
Dorthy smiled. “How did I do, Jewel?”
The queen of the oceans grinned widely. “You did very well for your first time, Dorthy. I think that, with some practice, you and I will have many good sessions together. You are still learning, but I will definitely call you for more practice sessions.”
Jewel looked out the window, before looking down with a nostalgic smile on her face. “Dorthy?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you… for indulging me. It had been… such a long time since I had someone to share my passions with. I… I never really had that when I was under Entity 303’s control. He never cared for my passions.”
Dorthy looked up at Jewel, seeing her eyes watering. They shifted Velvet to one arm, putting their free hand on her shoulder. “Jewel, it’s no trouble. You know I care about you. You mean a lot to me. And you have to remember: you’re free now. You don’t have to be under anyone’s control. You don’t have to answer to anyone. You’re your own person now. You can do whatever you want, and I will always be there for you.”
Jewelavyn couldn’t help but reach down and hug the TeaBlossom. She sniffled a bit, but in a happy way. She really couldn’t ask for a better best friend than Dorthy. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Dorthy giggled and patted her back. “It’s no trouble. Do you wanna go get something to eat?”
“I… I would like that.”