"Ugh," Lili said flopping down onto the couch.
"What is it?" her boyfriend asked with concern.
"I'm having trouble memorizing all my lines. Almost everyone is off book already, and I've only just begun," groaned Lili.
"Hey don't worry. I'm sure you'll be great," Vash said smiling down at his girlfriend. "Do you want to run lines?"
Lili smiled gratefully. "Would you mind?"
Vash blushed. "Not at all."
He watched her run to the other room to get her script. Their relationship was still pretty new to both of them, and he often felt shy around Lili. He didn't know what he could do to help, but he was determined to see her succeed. She returned with a smile, holding the thick booklet in her hands.
"Okay, do you want to start with your first scene?" Vash asked, opening up to where the first post it note was placed.
With a nod, Lili began her line. "How now spirit! whither wander you?"
Dutifully Vash read through the following line, and Lili began the next one. This continued for another couple hours, finally the two of them were exhausted, and decided to take a break.
"Lili, you seem to have a great potential at this. It was no mistake that Feliks asked you to take over the roll," Vash told her. He had been impressed at how quickly she had picked up on the pronunciation and meter of Shakespeare. She said each line with feeling, even though they were just sitting in his living room.
Lili looked down at her script. "You think so?"
Vash smiled, taking her hand in his. "I may not know much about Shakespeare, but I know you. And you can succeed at anything you try. You'll make a perfect Puck."
Lili smiled. Though Vash had smoothed some of her worries, there still was the matter of fixing Alfred and Arthur's dysfunctional relationship. She had no clue where to begin.
* Hetalia *
The next day, after school, the cast of Midsummer gathered in the auditorium once again for rehearsal. Lili was dreading trying to say her lines in front of an actual audience, even if it was a small one. Not to mention she was the only member of the Yaoi Club in the cast, none of her friends would be present today.
"Okay, like I've decided that since we have a new Puck, we should start with Act II scene one. So would everyone in that scene come onto the stage?" Feliks said.
Lili gulped, and joined her fellow actors on stage. As soon as she was in the wings all her fear vanished. All the butterflies at the pit of her stomach settled, inside her head was a voice telling herself she could do this. She took one steadying breath before entering to say her line. In the audience she could hear some murmurs.
"She's not half bad," someone said to their friend.
"Feliks does have a nose for talent," their friend agreed.
Internally Lili smiled, but on the outside she kept up the facade of being a knavish sprite. Things seemed to be going well, until Arthur and Alfred were on stage together.
"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania," Alfred all but growled.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "What jealous Oberon! Fairies skip hence. I have forsworn his bed and company."
Suddenly Alfred seemed really mad. "Tarry rash one, am I not thy lord?"
"Woah they're really good actors," muttered Lili.
The other actress standing beside her replied uneasily, "this isn't acting."
Lili was shocked. They really were angry at each other. She glanced over at Feliks who seemed to be flinching as the argument escalated. Arthur and Alfred were all but shouting at one another. All the actors seemed unfazed, as this had become a regular occurrence.
"Okay, like stop!" shouted Feliks.
As if popping a bubble Alfred and Arthur seemed to notice for the first time they were on stage. Alfred crossed his arms, and Arthur merely tossed his head to glare anywhere but Alfred.
"You two have to stop shouting at each other. I am like through with all your nonsense. Keep the drama off the stage!" shouted Feliks. Some people snickered at the last thing he had just said. He ignored them.
"I don't see what the problem is," huffed Alfred. "Oberon and Titania hate each other."
Feliks sighed, it was obvious he had had this conversation before. "It's called acting for a reason. You two are just like totally missing the point. And it would be fine if it were just like this one scene, but you are acting like children! This needs to stop."
"Do you amend it then, it lies with you," quoted Alfred with a sneer.
Arthur glared up at the taller boy. "Oh like this is my fault!? You are an arse Alfred F. Jones."
"See what I mean?" Alfred said gesturing angrily towards Arthur.
"SHUT UP," Feliks looked at his wits end. "Lets try this scene from the top, and would you two try to act like professionals?"
Lili returned to the wings. It looked like she had more work ahead of her then she thought. The scene continued on, at a more normal volume. But it wasn't without its occasional glares from Oberon to Titania, and back again.
"Is it always like this?" Lili asked the same actress as before.
"I'm afraid so. It's been like this since they got into a fight at Sadies."
"Do you know what it was about?" Lili asked hopefully.
"No clue," the girl shrugged.
"You two, shh," hissed Feliks.
They had continued onto another scene that needed work, one that did not include Puck. Apparently they had had to go back and work on a scene with the laborers. Lili scanned the auditorium. Sitting in the far left corner was Arthur, glaring at his script. Over by the right corner was Alfred, and he wasn't alone. He was leaning against the wall, whispering into Natalia's ear. She seemed to be smiling and laughing at what he was saying. With a jolt Lili realized he was flirting with her. Alfred grabbed Natalia's hand, she just glanced at it with a smile. Lili felt sick. Once more she looked over to where Arthur was sitting alone, and saw him glaring over at Alfred. This was a mess.
* Hetalia *
Down in the scene shop, work was well underway on constructing a forest. Bella enjoyed the constant hum of the table saw as Berwald cut the wood down to size. In the corner Mikkel and Lukas were cutting green fabrics to make the leafy over growth with, they seemed to be fighting for the scissors as far as Bella could tell. Emil was screwing together some frames of the trees that Berwald had cut the day before.
"Hey Bella, can you help me with these," Tino seemed to be caught in a tangle of Christmas lights.
"What are these for?" asked Bella.
"We're going to hang them on the hanging bars, with the green fabric. It'll give a starry appearance. I've already talked with Matthew, our lighting designer, and he's up for having low lighting in the woods," Tino said cheerfully as they began to untangle him from the wires.
"That's going to be really cool looking," Bella smiled. And romantic, she thought to herself.
"I know, I just hope we can figure out the right bars to hang them on, I should have asked Antonio to come. He's going to be in the fly loft," Tino shrugged.
Bella smiled. "I'm sure we can figure it all out."
Once they had untangled everything, Bella and Tino joined Berwald in constructing Titania's bower. The base was a simple trapezoid, at each of the corners would be a wooden bar. A railing would enclose the bower, and hanging from above would be ribbons and silks.
"I hate to go raid Francis's fabric collection again," Tino said looking down at the designs.
"I'm sure he will understand," Bella said.
"No, Francis is crazy when it comes to his costume designs. He insists we can't take the fabric until he knows for sure he won't need it," Mikkel said joining them.
"Wait doesn't the drama club have a costume collection already?" asked Bella.
"We do, but Francis always insists on designing new costumes for the leads. He gets it from his mother, I think," Mikkel said frowning.
"He wastes the budget," Emil said with another frown.
"Perhaps, but his costumes are always really neat," Tino said, giving the poor Frenchman his pity.
"Well I guess I will ask him for it. Berwald do you have a list of what we will need?" Bella asked.
Berwald nodded, and handed her the list.
She walked down the hall to where the costume shop was located. To her horror she walked in on Francis passionately making out with Michelle.
"I thought you were supposed to be sewing," she said dryly.
Instantly the two of them pulled apart. Michelle wore a look of chagrin, while Francis just smiled with amusement at Bella's expression.
"Bella," Michelle laughed nervously. "What are you doing here?"
"I need some fabric," she said matter-o-factually.
Francis sighed. "Not again. Your stupid set designers keep taking all the fabrics I need to make my costumes."
Bella tapped her foot irritably. "Look Franny, I need these fabrics."
He snatched the list from her before moaning again. "Pink silk? Purple silk? Organza? Tulle? Ribbons? Silk flowers!? Are you serious?"
"Deadly," Bella said losing patience with the primadonna.
"Well I need these things for Hippolyta's costume, not to mention Titania's. How am I supposed to turn Arthur into an enchanting fairy queen if I give you all my organza?! He needs all the help he can get," Francis huffed.
"Can't you just buy more?"
He looked at his feet. "I overspent the budget when we were doing Anything Goes...I have to use what I already have."
Bella sighed. "I suppose we are going to have to work together to find a solution. I'll be back with Berwald and Tino. While I'm gone, try to refrain from sucking face?"
* Hetalia *
Back on stage things were going no better. Arthur and Alfred had gotten into another fight, setting Feliks back another day on the blocking.
"Gilbert?" Lili asked, shyly approaching the other actor.
"What can I do for you frau?" he asked with a grin.
"I need your help," she said seriously.
His smile dropped. "Oh hell no. I am not getting involved in another one of Elizabeta's crazy ass schemes."
Lili put on her best glare. "You owe me, lover boy. I helped you get together with Matthew, so you owe me big time."
"Look I already did my one good deed this year, getting Lovino with Tonio. I am out of favors. Better luck next year," Gil said opening his script up again.
She pulled it down. "Gilbert Rolf Beilshmidt – "
"I really wish you didn't know my middle name," the boy groaned.
"You are going to help me, or I will make Elizabeta beat you so hard that you will never have the appetite to eat Mattie's pancakes ever again, so help me god," she said still glaring at the boy.
Gilbert knew that this was no empty threat. "Getting Lizzy involved is a low blow, Ms. Stein."
"Are you in?"
"Ja, I'll help you," he grumbled.
Immediately Lili gave one of her most adorable smiles. Gilbert thought it a bit scary how quickly this girl could go from threatening to cute.
"Wonderful! You're good friends with Alfred, right?"
"Yes," he said warily.
"Great, then keep Natalia away from him."
"What?" Gilbert said a little too loudly. People glanced over at them, some of them shushing them.
"You heard me. I need the two of them to stop flirting together," Lili shrugged.
"No way." Natalia scared him more than Lizzy any day.
"You promised," she said.
"Actually I didn't," began Gil.
Lili crumpled into the chair beside him, all her bravado disappearing. "What am I going to do?"
She sounded so hopeless, that something in Gilbert crumbled. "Yeah, I'll keep him distracted..."
She kissed him on the cheek. "You're the best, Gil."
Gilbert patted her head. "Nein, I'm awesome, and don't you forget it girly."
Only once she had left did Gilbert realize the whole thing had been a farce. "Verdamnt she is a better actress than anyone gives her credit for."
* Hetalia *
Everyone left rehearsal feeling mentally and emotionally drained. Feliks had spent almost the rest of the time yelling at Alfred or Arthur, leaving Toris in charge of managing practice. A job that he wasn't very fond of.
In the basement Mikkel and Francis had gotten into a big fight over fabric, seeing as Berwald insisted he needed everything on the list. Gilbert had bruises from where Natalia punched him in the arm, and Alfred had bruises from the hickies she had given him backstage. Arthur was at the end of his rope, as he had caught the two of them making out. And felt like he wanted to cry or scream and break something.
Lili felt satisfied in finally getting Gilbert's help, but there was still a lot of work for her to do. Memorizing lines, learning the blocking, and there was still the little matter of homework. But luckily there was a Yaoi Club meeting tomorrow at lunch.
Here's another chapter. I am basing most of this from my own experience in theater, and my love of the Bard. I own neither Hetalia or A Midsummer Night's Dream. Leave a Review, they motivate me a lot and it helps me to keep writing! ~T.W.o.W.