A/N: MiroSlav wrote this bit. More notes next time when not on a bus with limited internet!
In which Elle and Percy rehearse A Christmas Carol and get to know each other.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
"Stop!" Elle ordered, and the actors froze in their places. "Alice, you're giving your lines a bit too quickly once the dancing's over— slow it down just a little and the audience will understand you better. Will, I know you're not feeling well, but you're going to have to push past that. Fred is meant to radiate cheerfulness."
"Sorry," Will said, and sneezed. "I swear I'll be over this by Friday," he added miserably.
"You'd better, or Her Majesty won't be pleased," someone muttered.
Elle's breath caught for a moment, a wave of dizziness sweeping over her. She closed her eyes for a moment, silently chanting, Not now, not now, not now! until the vertigo passed, leaving only the distant ringing in her eyes, the faint sounds of a far-off trumpet pronouncing Princess Elena's return to the castle. She opened her eyes and forced a smile on her face. "Just take care of yourself tomorrow and make certain not to put any stress on your voice."
"It's not a sore throat, just a stuffy nose," Will explained. He sneezed again, two loud mini-explosions that made him nearly stumble into Alice.
Elle clapped her hands. "Let's run through the scene one more time and then I promise we'll move on." She sat back in her chair, trying to ignore her headache as she watched the group shuffle around the makeshift stage and start the scene over again.
Why had she wanted to join in the whole 'remembering past lives' craziness again? So far it had just been weird, her memories of being a princess turning out less exciting than she'd hoped and even gross at times—no textbooks had mentioned royalty enjoying live frogs for dinner, thank you very much. And the headaches and occasional flashes of memory were distractions she didn't need right now.
Once the company had gone through the scene, and the two others that had needed the most work, Elle clapped her hands and called everyone onto the stage. "Okay, that's it for the day. Great work, you guys! Come in tomorrow, and we'll run through the whole show, see how well it holds together." She smiled at them, putting all her enthusiasm and optimism into the grin. "This is going to be awesome." Not perfect and not their absolute best, but they were still going to do an amazing job, especially considering most companies had at least a month to prepare, not three weeks.
Nearly everyone grinned back, though a few, especially Will, looked stressed enough that Elle found herself adding, "Now who wants to go to bar? First round's on me."
That certainly got everyone's attention.
"And this is why we love you," Will told her solemnly.
"Better not let Gavin hear you say that," someone said, snickering.
Will deadpanned, "Yes, because by 'this is why we love you' I obviously meant that I am secretly in love with Elle, and planning to steal her away from Gavin." He paused, frowning. "Please don't take that out of context and tell him that I'm seducing Elle. I don't think the cure for my cold is having Gavin punch me in the nose."
Elle laughed and linked arms with him, tugging him towards the coat rack. "Oh, Will," she said, shaking her head and offering him a pitying smile. "If you made a move on me, I'd be the one to punch you. Gavin would just be there to hold my purse."
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better," Will muttered, and turned his head away to sneeze again.
Elle caught sight of Percy lurking in the back of the group, trying unsuccessfully to blend into the backdrop. "You!" she called, pointing a finger at him. "That invitation meant you too, Percy! Even if you don't drink. I'll buy you an appetizer or something."
Percy blinked, and then offered her a small, puzzled smile. "Okay."
Once they were at the bar, Elle paid for the first round and then cornered Percy. She grinned a little at the wariness in his eyes.
"So all I know about you is that you know David, you're a gym teacher, you make an excellent ghost, you're very tall," she announced, concluding in a low voice meant only for his ears, "and you were Percival in a past life."
"Yes," Percy agreed, and then was silent.
Elle sighed loudly in exasperation and threw herself into the seat next to him. Was he really not reading between the lines here, or was he being deliberately obtuse? "That was my way of asking you to spill your life story," she said. When he just looked at her, she added, "You know, the usual questions- are you single, do you have any siblings, do you visit your family every holiday and if so, would you be interested in performing in a Christmas play next year. That sort of thing."
Percy grinned slightly at that. "That last one was pretty specific," he said, then shrugged. "Not much to tell, honestly. I'm single, I don't have any siblings but I have a lot of cousins—I visit the city every Christmas and when I can during the summer." He paused. "So is this a regular thing?" he asked, raising one large hand and gesturing at the company. "Performing for the shelter? I know someone said it was your first time doing a Christmas show."
"It's our first time performing at the shelter, period, although the shelter's had music nights for a while," Elle said. She leaned back in her chair, sighing a little at the thought of being able to perform another Christmas play next year, one where they had time to prepare and to create a decent set. "But I'd like to do something again next year."
"You should have Gavin suggest it to the owner," Alice suggested, walking by with a glass of something red and delicious-looking.
"Right," Elle said, her smile freezing on her face. "The owner."
Gavin's continued pretense that the shelter was owned by some mysterious figure that never showed his face was getting ludicrous. She'd seen that plot in enough movies and musicals to figure out fairly quickly Gavin was secretly the man behind the curtain. Now she just wondered when Gavin planned to tell her—hopefully before she actually walked down the aisle and said "I do."
"You okay?" Percy asked.
Elle blinked, and smiled at him, mentally brushing aside her annoyance. "Nothing for you to worry about," she assured him, and then leaned in closer, watching his eyes widen a little. "So, if we do have something again next year, would you be willing to help out?"
"Promise no lines?"
"No lines," Elle promised, clasping her hand to her chest.
"Then sure, as long as I'm helping out kids," Percy said.
Elle beamed at him. "I knew I was going to like you," she said, and patted him on the shoulder. "Now come on, let's have a drink. I won't even make you answer any more questions for the rest of the night."
Percy made a quiet noise in the back of his throat. It took a moment for Elle to realize he was laughing, so softly she could barely make out the sound. "I don't believe that," he said.
Elle laughed. "Okay, maybe not. How about no more questions for the duration of your drink?"
"Deal," Percy said and smiled.