Part IV.
Rody sang softly to himself as he painted the backdrop for the final act of the play. It was still a couple weeks away, but he wanted it to look perfect for the really romantic scene--the part where Romeo and Juliet take their lives in the name of love. The magician didn't know that somewhere on the other side of the scene, a certain knight was listening to his sweet voice with growing feelings of admiration...and something stronger.
"Hi, ho!" Nei giggled, waltzing onto the stage in her green checkered outfit. "Miss me?" She winked at Percival. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to ditch you last Friday, but I'm all better now!"
"You...are?" Percival asked with a forced smile, trying not to sound disappointed.
"You...are?" Landis also asked, but made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his tone. "Damn!"
"Nei!" Nadir cried. "My darling! It's about time! Glad to see you're feeling better. Now go get changed, quickly. Dress rehearsal begins in fifteen minutes, everyone!"
The cast all rushed off to finish getting ready for their parts in the third act that was to be performed tonight. Percival, however, wasn't as excited as everyone else seemed to be. Had they forgotten--already? It had only been a week ago... The balcony scene with sweet Rody... Percival hadn't forgotten. It had been hell trying to learn his new lines while thinking of only one thing: that kiss he'd so innocently placed on Rody's beautiful lips. If he'd only known how he would feel afterwards...how he would long for another taste of that perfect mouth...he would have made that kiss last a hundred--nay, a thousand times longer--!
"Oof!"
"Ee--! I mean--ahem!--I'm sorry, Sir Percival."
The knight had been so lost in his daydream that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. "Rody!" he cried, his voice squeaking. What just happened? he demanded of himself. Why had he suddenly become a frightened teenager in front of this boy? It was only a kiss, right? No big deal. Nothing to get so worked up about, certainly! ...Right?
"Excuse me, S-sir..."
"No; my fault, entirely," Percival cut in. "I didn't wreck anything, did I?" Somehow, the prop Rody had been painting for the final scene had gotten knocked over. Percival reached down to lift the fake wooden headstone.
"No--wait! Sir Percival--don't touch--! ...that..."
It was too late. The Zexen knight, always eager to lend a hand, had gotten black paint smeared across his uniform. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry, Rody..." the knight murmured. "I just ruined your prop!" The letters "R.I.P." had smeared as though bleeding tears.
"Your uniform!" Rody cried in equal dismay. "That's permanent paint! Oh, Sir Percival--I'm so sorry!"
Percival waved off the apology. "It doesn't matter. I have plenty more uniforms in my closet. But all your hard work...and then I ruined it..."
"Oh, there are dozens of tombstones on the set; what's one more? Don't worry!" Rody said adamantly.
They looked at each other, both suddenly feeling ridiculous for making a scene about such small accidents. Then they burst out laughing.
"I feel so silly!" Rody giggled. "I really am sorry, though, Sir."
"Stop calling me that!" Percival said, his expression softening as his last laugh faded away. "My name is Perc--"
"Is everyone ready?" Nadir called.
"Oops! Now I've made you late!" Rody worried.
"It was worth it," Percival sighed. Rody turned to look at him sharply. "I hope we 'bump' into each other again sometime." He smiled and walked into the dressing room, leaving the boy to wonder with thundering heart.
"Oh, Romeo!" Nei sighed, in character. "Do you believe we shall ever meet again?"
Percival fought the urge to speak his mind, and instead spoke the lines he'd rehearsed. "I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve. For sweet discourses in our times to come."
"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this! I see a vision of you dead in a tomb! Is it just me, or are you looking pale?"
"Trust me, love, in my eye so do you; dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu!"
That last line of the act complete, Percival had to hold his breath so he wouldn't let out a sigh of relief as he made his final exit for the evening. It wasn't until he was back in his dressing room that he was able to breathe easily.
"Ancient damnation! O, most wicked fiend!"
Percival heard Nei giving her soliloquy--the final scene of act three. It was a powerful performance, to be sure. Nei was very awe-inspiring. But with Percival... Dammit, there was no chemistry! There was no possible way for him to even fake love with her. It just wasn't possible, and the audience was not to be fooled. There was only one person with whom Percival could appear to be the perfect lover. It was obvious that this Romeo would never take his life for that Juliet.
"--if all else fail, myself have the power to die!"
Finally! It was over. There was applause, but it didn't shake the rafters the way it had the previous week. The cheers were muffled from the knight's dressing room. Percival didn't dare go back out there, even if he hadn't doubted that the cast had been called in to take a bow. If he walked onto that stage now, he felt for sure the audience would shout for Rody to come back. And it wasn't fair to Nei.
And, Percival thought a bit selfishly, it isn't fair to me.
Rody sang softly to himself as he painted the backdrop for the final act of the play. It was still a couple weeks away, but he wanted it to look perfect for the really romantic scene--the part where Romeo and Juliet take their lives in the name of love. The magician didn't know that somewhere on the other side of the scene, a certain knight was listening to his sweet voice with growing feelings of admiration...and something stronger.
"Hi, ho!" Nei giggled, waltzing onto the stage in her green checkered outfit. "Miss me?" She winked at Percival. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to ditch you last Friday, but I'm all better now!"
"You...are?" Percival asked with a forced smile, trying not to sound disappointed.
"You...are?" Landis also asked, but made no attempt to hide the disappointment in his tone. "Damn!"
"Nei!" Nadir cried. "My darling! It's about time! Glad to see you're feeling better. Now go get changed, quickly. Dress rehearsal begins in fifteen minutes, everyone!"
The cast all rushed off to finish getting ready for their parts in the third act that was to be performed tonight. Percival, however, wasn't as excited as everyone else seemed to be. Had they forgotten--already? It had only been a week ago... The balcony scene with sweet Rody... Percival hadn't forgotten. It had been hell trying to learn his new lines while thinking of only one thing: that kiss he'd so innocently placed on Rody's beautiful lips. If he'd only known how he would feel afterwards...how he would long for another taste of that perfect mouth...he would have made that kiss last a hundred--nay, a thousand times longer--!
"Oof!"
"Ee--! I mean--ahem!--I'm sorry, Sir Percival."
The knight had been so lost in his daydream that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. "Rody!" he cried, his voice squeaking. What just happened? he demanded of himself. Why had he suddenly become a frightened teenager in front of this boy? It was only a kiss, right? No big deal. Nothing to get so worked up about, certainly! ...Right?
"Excuse me, S-sir..."
"No; my fault, entirely," Percival cut in. "I didn't wreck anything, did I?" Somehow, the prop Rody had been painting for the final scene had gotten knocked over. Percival reached down to lift the fake wooden headstone.
"No--wait! Sir Percival--don't touch--! ...that..."
It was too late. The Zexen knight, always eager to lend a hand, had gotten black paint smeared across his uniform. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry, Rody..." the knight murmured. "I just ruined your prop!" The letters "R.I.P." had smeared as though bleeding tears.
"Your uniform!" Rody cried in equal dismay. "That's permanent paint! Oh, Sir Percival--I'm so sorry!"
Percival waved off the apology. "It doesn't matter. I have plenty more uniforms in my closet. But all your hard work...and then I ruined it..."
"Oh, there are dozens of tombstones on the set; what's one more? Don't worry!" Rody said adamantly.
They looked at each other, both suddenly feeling ridiculous for making a scene about such small accidents. Then they burst out laughing.
"I feel so silly!" Rody giggled. "I really am sorry, though, Sir."
"Stop calling me that!" Percival said, his expression softening as his last laugh faded away. "My name is Perc--"
"Is everyone ready?" Nadir called.
"Oops! Now I've made you late!" Rody worried.
"It was worth it," Percival sighed. Rody turned to look at him sharply. "I hope we 'bump' into each other again sometime." He smiled and walked into the dressing room, leaving the boy to wonder with thundering heart.
"Oh, Romeo!" Nei sighed, in character. "Do you believe we shall ever meet again?"
Percival fought the urge to speak his mind, and instead spoke the lines he'd rehearsed. "I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve. For sweet discourses in our times to come."
"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this! I see a vision of you dead in a tomb! Is it just me, or are you looking pale?"
"Trust me, love, in my eye so do you; dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu!"
That last line of the act complete, Percival had to hold his breath so he wouldn't let out a sigh of relief as he made his final exit for the evening. It wasn't until he was back in his dressing room that he was able to breathe easily.
"Ancient damnation! O, most wicked fiend!"
Percival heard Nei giving her soliloquy--the final scene of act three. It was a powerful performance, to be sure. Nei was very awe-inspiring. But with Percival... Dammit, there was no chemistry! There was no possible way for him to even fake love with her. It just wasn't possible, and the audience was not to be fooled. There was only one person with whom Percival could appear to be the perfect lover. It was obvious that this Romeo would never take his life for that Juliet.
"--if all else fail, myself have the power to die!"
Finally! It was over. There was applause, but it didn't shake the rafters the way it had the previous week. The cheers were muffled from the knight's dressing room. Percival didn't dare go back out there, even if he hadn't doubted that the cast had been called in to take a bow. If he walked onto that stage now, he felt for sure the audience would shout for Rody to come back. And it wasn't fair to Nei.
And, Percival thought a bit selfishly, it isn't fair to me.