Nicolas came to the podium and put his hands on Auri's waist. She immediately knew what he was doing and put her hands on his shoulders. He hoisted her up and then put her on the ground. She was grateful for that. Stepping off the podium with her ankle would have meant putting weight on it. Doing that would have hurt.
Nicolas let go of her waist and she removed her hands from his shoulders. He stepped back from her and inspected the dress. Making sure there were no creases in it. Satisfied, he stepped back with a nod.
"You remember your walk," Jean stated.
Auri looked in her direction and nodded. She had spent hours the previous day perfecting it and making sure her limp was invisible. She knew her walk.
"When you go out there," Jean told her, "Wow them. I know you can do it."
Auri smiled at Jean and said, "Thank you."
