ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
When she first saw the flyer for The Green Fairy, Lena didn't think to take down the information until the day of. Which was why she was one of the last people of the day to audition.
"Hi, I'm Lena Cavanaugh, I'll be dancing for you today." She bent down a little and placed her wireless speaker on the floor in front of her and pressed play.
She stood with her back to the person holding the audition and at the first beat, she began to move. She'd practiced the choreography at home and in between her classes and knew she was going to nail it.
By the end of the choreography, she was breathing heavily but happy that she went through it without any mistakes. She smiled at the very young looking man in the chair below. "Do you judge now or will you call me later?"
With auditions coming to a close, Luca felt as though he had a slightly above mediocre group. There was talent, of course, but nothing that had really stood out to him in such a way that was enough. He needed girls that would attract anyone, even the most shallow, stuck up assholes that he was likely to bring in. It wasn't enough to just have the physique of a dancer, there had to be more.
He'd already begun gathering up his things, prepared for the worst case scenario to come from one of the very last dancers to even show up. He had a thing about those who chose earlier spots, it just appealed to him on a comfortable level. Luca had been raised on punctuality and the mindset that those who went first were more eager to be a part of something. Although, he knew he shouldn't really judge without a backstory. When she spoke her name, she sound sure of herself and the way she held herself was also a key point that Luca marked down before nodding, giving her the go.
Leaning back in the chair, he watched closely. He was in no way a choreographer, nor was he an expert on dancing, but he knew what he liked as a man and he'd observed enough people in his life to know what was acceptable in this field. She had a good sense of rhythm and her fluidity in movement was attractive. All in all, he supposed he was impressed. She'd make a good final addition to the show, although he still had a specific role that he needed filled and he didn't quite see her in that. The song ended and he was looking down at the notes he'd been taking throughout the course of the dance.
She spoke and he lifted his head back up to look at her, "You're in, but there are some thing I think you need some work on. At least to fit with the very concept of my club. If you're not open for critique though, the door is there," He motioned behind him.
The Aussie's eyebrows lifted in surprise when she heard the slight accent in the younger man. She smiled when he said she was in but she didn't celebrate just yet.
"You can't be better without some critiques. Hit me, boss man." She responded cheerfully.
She'd lived a life full of criticism from plenty of people for much less. Dancing was her passion and even though she knew she was excellent by her own merits, she always had things to improve on.
Luca could appreciate her level of professionalism at that. There were plenty of dancers that he'd offered criticism to who had not handled it quite as well. Which was in all honesty why he made his last comment about the door. He was sick of sitting through drama, his patience had been tested all day. "Good," He responded shortly, looking back down at his notes.
When he looked back up again, he folded his hands in front of him and thought about how to proceed, "Alright, the main thing, really the only thing is," He paused and pursed his lips. "Look, you've got a wonderful smile, truly. However, I want you to work on keeping it from your face when you dance. Most of the songs that will be played, while they're your choice initially, none of them will have need for a full-blown smile. The smirk, you did it once or twice in the dance, that's the most smile I want to see from you on stage." There was a certain air about his club that he wanted to have and bubbly was not quite what he was looking for.
He'd already had to make the comment to one of the younger girls that he'd liked a fair amount. She was just a lot of smiles, he pegged it on her being young. "You've got a very nice attitude though, that's what I want you to fixate on the most in your songs. Tempting, teasing, but never fully giving, you know?"
If his only criticism was that she smiled too much, Lena would have no problems getting feedback from him any day. She nodded and grabbed her portable speaker off the floor.
"I can definitely work on that." She nodded as she hopped off stage. The young man was much too serious and she wasn't sure whether she would work well in that kind of environment so she decided to familiarise herself with him.
"Sooo what do I call you?" She asked, approaching him. "If I'm going to be getting constant feedback, I'd like to put a name to the comment."
Although the club was his and he was the overall boss, Luca didn't quite feel comfortable being called Mr. Ivaskov by anyone. It sounded so much like what his father was looking for and Luca couldn't have that. So when she asked what to call him, he was quick in his response, "Just Luca, or Luc will do. I'm not really keen on formalities."
He kept his arms folded across his chest when she approached, his discomfort probably clearer than he intended. Proximity was still a thing he didn't do well with, fully aware of the chill that radiated from his body. The heat that came off of others was also something he was put off by. It took him longer to regulate his temperature after constant interaction with others. Probably why he didn't socialize very often.
"Is there anything I should know for your schedule? Availability and such?"
His curt response caused Lena to pull a face. For someone not keen on formalities, the young man was definitely a little too rigid. It won't matter in the long run though, thought Lena. She would wear him down eventually.
She raised an eyebrow when the brunette silently built a wall between them with the crossed arms and she mimicked him, shifting all her weight to one foot. She wasn't too good at reading body language but his discomfort was coming off him in waves so she kept her distance while making sure she didn't look intimidated.
"My day job is in the mornings and afternoons. I'm assuming this place is open at night and...on weekends?" She asked. Places like these weren't built for every day business hours after all.
His lips twitched the slightest bit when she mimicked his stance. He wasn't trying to be intimidating, not in the slightest, he just couldn't have her close. Already he'd dealt with a squeaking and affectionate younger woman, he was okay with not making it two. He barely even came into physical contact with his family, let alone people who worked for him.
"Yes, weekends. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We open at 7pm and close at 2:30am," Although he was considering opening earlier to prolong business hours. He didn't have many dancers, so it wasn't the worst thing int he world, but on the off chance that they got to be a hot spot, well, he was just going to have to cross that bridge when they came to it. Another reason he had Lorena helping him with the business end.
Luca gave a nod and let out a breath, "Well, there will be a meeting on Wednesday night for the dancers as well as dress rehearsals and such starting before the club opens. We're working out the details of how long sets are still, but you'll be informed at the meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call mine or my sister's cellphone which are listed on the website as well as posted on the board that is hanging up back stage in the employee section. Good?"
The hours and days weren't so bad. Her weekend classes always started late anyway. If it did end up clashing, she could always ask her sub to step in.
As he continued, Lena nodded and took note of what he said and gave him a smile at the end. "Good." She responded. "I'm looking forward to working with you Luca. Any chance you'll smile at least once while the club stands?" She teased lightly.
Her teasing wasn't lost on him entirely. He supposed he was looking forward to working with her as well. She had the sort of spunky attitude that went along with the type of club he was building. However, he was still new to being the owner and manager of anything, he'd always had it drilled into him that employees should be given the strong and harsh side of the business first and foremost. With that said, his father had never been anything other than strong and harsh in his business and most of his employees hated him. Luca didn't want that.
His lips twisted up at one corner and he held amusement in his eyes, "If you're lucky, I might slip a time or two." Or ten. He really did want to enjoy this business that he was creating, it was the whole point of leaving Romania and starting fresh in Oregon.
Luca offered his hand, "It was very nice meeting you, Miss Cavanaugh. I do hope you enjoy your time here and don't hesitate to come to me if the need arises. I'm open to receiving suggestions and criticism just as open as I am to giving them."
She grinned and nodded when Luca responded, glad he had a sense of humour, even if it did needed a bit of coaxing. She could definitely see herself working for this guy. As long as she didn't get fired for misconduct of behaviour.
Reaching forward to grasp his hand in a firm grip, Lena winked at him and nodded. "Likewise, Luca. And please. Call me Lena. I'm not uh...keen on formalities myself." She let go of his hand and hitched her bag up her shoulder. "You have my resume, call me any time."
She smiled widely at Luca once more before leaving the premise and doing a little victory dance outside.
