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“Really? Like really?!”
Lumine nodded with an endearing laugh as she watched Nilou’s face light up brighter than Celestia itself. She had finally gotten over her nerves and asked Nilou if she could learn some basic dance moves. Nilou was always mentioning that she would be happy to teach her but Lumine was always nervous because she wasn’t as… fluid as her brother was.
Although with Nilou nearly prancing around from happiness, Lumine’s nerves were temporarily washed away. She was happy to see her friend in such a light and rambling about how amazing Lumine would be dancing. Lumine would go through a million embarrassing dance classes just to continue seeing her like that - she was sure of it.
Until they started…
“Um… Nilou… It doesn’t feel like I’m doing this right…”
Nilou chuckled from behind her. “That’s because your arms are too straight.”
Lumine sighed as she brought her arms back down to her sides. When she said she wanted to learn to dance she wasn’t expecting it to be so hard. How did Nilou manage to make it look so effortlessly easy?
“Maybe dancing isn’t for me…” Lumine said.
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Nilou smiled. “Dancing is for everyone. You see… dancing…”
Nilou began moving her arms, mimicking the waves of the sea and treading lightly on the sandy beaches, taking Lumine on a walk of movement.
“... doesn’t come from rules or a textbook. Dancing comes from the heart; whatever your heart wants to say, your body is the poetic device that will help her communicate the words of your soul. There is no right or wrong when it comes to speaking with your soul.”
Lumine was entranced with the way Nilou was moving, letting her body flow as she talked. It was beautiful how Nilou talked about dance and Lumine felt herself smiling in awe. But then she shook her head as she remembered their conversation from just moments ago.
“But Nilou,” Lumine furrowed her brows. “You just agreed with me when I said I wasn’t doing it right…”
Nilou let out a laugh. “I guess you’re right about that one. But in that case it’s like painting, it’s a little hard at first but once you’ve learned the basics… well, your brush can take you just about anywhere.”
Lumine’s smile came back as she nodded with a new wave of confidence. “Okay, well… In that case, I can try again.”
“Great!”
Nilou clapped her hands happily as she helped Lumine move her body back into position. After listening to Nilou’s words, Lumine felt a little more at ease, letting herself try to understand her body’s movements and finding more joy in dancing. But when it came time to learn how to move her hips, everything came crashing down again.
“Nilou, I feel ridiculous!” Lumine cried, looking at her frame in the mirror - she was akin to a wet noodle.
“Oh, but sweetie, you’re doing great!” Nilou persisted.
“I look like a fish out of water,” Lumine said. “Maybe my soul is just a fish…”
“If your soul is a fish then you’re a golden koi,” Nilou smiled at her.
“More like a rusty koi,” Lumine muttered. “I’m hopeless...”
“Oh, come now,” Nilou coaxed, taking Lumine’s hands in hers and pulling her close. “You just need to loosen up a bit.”
Lumine almost squeaked when her body fell flush against Nilou’s, blushing slightly at the feel of the dancer’s slim body against her own. Her heartbeat quickened when Nilou placed her hands on the small of her back and swayed her hips causing Lumine to stammer out sentences she didn’t even know the meaning of.
“N-Nilou, what are-”
“Just feel the beat,” Nilou shushed, gently guiding Lumine’s head to her chest.
Lumine timidly let herself be pulled closer and, although she was now stiff from the proximity, she swayed her hips along with Nilou’s. A few beats later, Lumine realized she was swaying to the combined beatings of their hearts and she closed her eyes to let the music take over her body. Nilou began moving her feet to slowly twirl their bodies in circles, still helping Lumine sway her hips as they danced for a while. She almost forgot she was in a private dance lesson until Nilou’s calming voice filled the air.
“You see? You’re looking more fluid already when you let yourself go.”
Lumine hummed, adjusting her head to sit more comfortably on Nilou’s shoulder. “I’m still not as graceful as you are.”
“I have years of practice under my belt, Lumine,” Nilou responded with a laugh and Lumine couldn’t help but blush about forgetting that major difference in their dance techniques. “But if you really want to move your hips like this, then maybe I can help you with that…”
Lumine almost asked what Nilou had in mind but the finger dancing around her hip bone immediately answered all her questions. She gasped around a giggle as she curled in on herself only to jump again when another finger joined on her other hip.
“N-Nilohou?!”
Nilou hummed in question, continuing to twirl her fingers against Lumine’s hips and slowly adding more fingers.
“Whahahat are you dohohoing?” Lumine laughed, wiggling her hips and bringing her arms down to clutch at Nilou’s wrists.
“Helping you loosen up,” Nilou responded simply, tweaking at the dips of Lumine’s hips and drawing out a surprised squawk. “And would you look at that? It’s working swimmingly. You’re dancing!”
Lumine gasped as Nilou took one of her hands and twirled her around so that she was facing the mirror. Lumine was able to catch a glance of Nilou’s partner hold before doubling over as the fingers returned with more energy than before. With a shriek, her hips moved on their own, twitching and gliding in vain attempts to escape the ticklish assault.
“Whahat doho you mehean I’m ‘dahahancihing?!’” Lumine managed to get out between her laughter.
“I mean, look at your hips!” Nilou said. “They’re moving so nicely, wiggling back and forth and around… that’s called ‘dancing,’ my protégé. Oh, and look what happens when I move up here - you’re moving your shoulders too. Now you’re getting it!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lumine saw Nilou’s smile as she dragged her nails up her side and across the ridges of her ribs. Shaking her shoulders, Lumine danced and squirmed, desperately trying to protect her ribs from the tickling and only receiving more “encouraging” comments from her dance instructor. And as Lumine attempted to run away from the ticklish sensations, Nilou merely followed, engaging in an upbeat partner dance to a song of laughter.
It wasn’t until Lumine finally squealed out that she understood how to move her hips that Nilou’s tickling finally came to a stop. They had ended up on the floor when Lumine collapsed from the rib tickling and Nilou fanned her face as she caught her breath.
“Are you okay?” Nilou smiled and Lumine nodded. “You did great, I knew you could move your hips like that! I just had to tickle it out of you. Y’know… fish are flowy and graceful creatures of the water. You were definitely right in thinking that your soul was a fish.”
Lumine covered her face as she blushed. She still didn’t think she was moving that great or that her dancing was up to par with even the most beginner of students but she appreciated how encouraging Nilou was - even if it was a silly comparison. It made her want to continue learning to dance among other things.
“But do you know what I think?” Nilou continued, tracing her finger around Lumine’s tummy and bringing just enough giggles out of her. “I think that your soul is a strong traveler who experienced many different lands and met many different people and watched a million sunsets just to find more sunrises…”
Lumine looked up at Nilou as she mused, a giddy smile on her face as her story was being written on her tummy.
“And I just know that once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to tell those stories to all of our souls… Yeah?”
Nilou looked down at Lumine, ending her script. Lumine felt herself melt. Even without dancing, Nilou understood her soul and unsung words despite being uncoordinated and out of tune. They looked at each other for a moment before Lumine nodded, lamely thanking Nilou for the dance lesson and hoping that she understood what she really meant.
“Thank you for allowing me to teach you,” Nilou smiled, helping Lumine up to her feet. “You’ve worked hard, shall we end today’s lesson?”
Lumine almost pouted, disappointed that her dance lesson was already over. Flitting her eyes around the room, she hesitated before looking at her hands.
“W-well, actually… Can you teach me some partner moves…?”
Lumine nervously looked up at Nilou and watched as the dancer giggled before taking her hands.
“Let’s discuss those lesson plans over some rose custards.”
And as Nilou waltzed them out of the theater, Lumine began to think that maybe she wasn’t so hopeless in dance after all.