Romeo and Juliet

Opening night at the playhouse seemed to be no different than usual, except for the overwhelming abundance of weapons visible in the crowd. The theater had been closed for a few weeks because even after Dr.Tuta and Mio had patched up the lighting crew and stage manager, they had immediately gone on strike, demanding danger pay and wall runes, it had taken quite awhile to convince Sebastian to loan some of the castle money for this purpose, but Nadir had eventually prevailed by insisting that the theater was earning money for the castle, and threatening to cast Sebastian as the little match girl.

  A hush fell as the lights finally dimmed and the curtains were drawn.

  Yuber stood on the balcony, tapping one hand against the railing in irritation, "Romeo where the hell are you?"

   "I take thee at thy word," Luc said walking onto the stage, "Call me but love and I'll never take the part of Romeo again and we can leave."

   "Romeo what are you doing here? The garden walls are high and hard to climb and think of what my relatives might do if they found you here, they could slice open you gut and play cats cradle with you intestines and paint the walls with your blood, letting your blood ooze beautifully down their cruel blades as you scream out your last at their feet, begging for mercy that would never come…"

   Yuber licked his licked and began grinning fondly as he continued. In the audience Nei covered Shabon's ears as the other kids were herded out of the theater. Some people with weaker constitutions started to feel a little queasy. "Juliet" was in the middle of describing the sounds of pain "Romeo" would make while her kinsmen castrated him with a belt-sander when Luc interrupted.

    "But I'm invincible! (Now can we get on with the show please?) The mask he wore hid whatever expression he had on his face, but his voice seemed a bit higher than was usual.

    A bit later than cue, he turned and walked over to hide behind the wooden bushes in the background of the stage.

     Albert and Sarah came onstage, looking around them, "The voices came from over here," Sarah began.

     "He's over there, kill him." Yuber exclaimed pointing to where Luc's head was visible behind the fake plants.

     "I'm sorry lady Juliet, we came because we heard voices…" Sarah continued with her lines, taking no note of the disruption of the play.

     "I told you he's right there, make it slow and painful."

     "Forgive my rudeness," Albert drawled, taking Sarah's lead and trying to get the play over with as soon as possible.

     As soon as they left, Yuber turned back to where Luc stood waiting for his cue, "You might as well go now, they regrettably won't kill you."

    "Although we have just talked must we part already?" Luc continued (Finally this is taking forever) he muttered as an afterthought.

    "Madam!" Thomas called from within the balcony doors.

    "Someone has not learned their lesson," Yuber smirked evilly, glancing towards the doorway. "Don't worry Romeo, I think you are supposed to die in the end anyway."

    "I will die in the end as soon as my mission is complete." Luc said in a monotone reply.

    "Don't expect me to kill myself for you."

    "Wouldn't dream of it."

    "Madam, come quickly!" Thomas called again, although the audience could here him mumbling "pleasepleasepleasedon'tcome."

     "Any, 'night" Yuber said, turning to walk backstage. A series of muffled thuds was heard as Luc began the next line.

    "Oh Juliet, if you want to get out of here, let me see your face once more."

    Yuber walked back onto the stage grinning, fresh blood spattered his hands and face with red, "Isn't this over yet?"

    "Oh Juliet the girl for me." Luc said in the same monotone that he had used to deliver all his other lines, while throwing his hands upward in a dramatic gesture that by no means matched his voice.

    "Oh how I wish this night would never end, then we could go on inanely wasting time when we should be searching for the true runes."

    There was a long silence, "(isn't the nurse supposed to call you again?)" Luc whispered.

    "The nurse has been indisposed," Yuber smiled, "but a thousand times goodnight anyway."

    "A thousand times good riddance," Luc Muttered. "And don't have too much fun back there, we do have a job to do," he called back as he gratefully walked off stage.

    As the light began to dim the balcony set collapsed, exposing Yuber holding poor Thomas by the throat, "Of all the scenes in "Romeo and Juliet," Nadir had to pick the one without gratuitous bloodshed."

   And then the curtain dropped.