Karma walked into the kitchen to find Fia mumbling as she stood in front of the sink. With her eyes fixed on the stream of running water, she was leaning forward as if taking a measurement on a graduated cylinder. Occasionally, she would touch a finger to the falling liquid in a quick temperature test. The redhead approached her from behind a tapped on her shoulder.
Startled out of her focused state, the girl jumped and squeaked involuntarily as she whipped around and put her hands up as if to defend herself from an assailant. Even if her posture was sturdy, a pout graced her lips under a pink cloud that floated across her cheeks and nose. Green eyes widened.
"Karma?" Fia stared up at the redhead, who was not attempting to hide his bemused smile whatsoever, for a few moments in shock before real recognition and excitement sprung into her countenance. "Karma!" She grabbed his hands. "Will you help me with something?"
"Uh, sure?" Karma watched Fia approach a familiar box on the counter where two red birds were perched and watching her curiously. She held out her hand and waited for the two to hop into her palms, carrying them back over to him. He stared at her optimistic smile with slight skepticism. "What exactly am I helping you with?"
Fia let the birds hop onto the sink faucet and she gingerly took Karma's hands into her own. She took a place next to him at the sink and cupped his hands under the warm water next to hers. Aka and Fuoco hopped first to the couple's arms and then, cautiously, down into the makeshift bird bath.
"A bird bath! My hands aren't big enough to do this for the both of them so you're a big help." The Italian giggled as the pair began splashing around but smiled with more concern as water pooled and cascaded unevenly around their hands.
"This isn't right. Hold on." Karma carefully lifted an arm up and moved it around Fia. Standing with his arms on either side of her, he managed to situate his hands around hers to create a more symmetrical bowl for the birds.
Blushing but smiling, Fia nodded appreciatively. She looked up at him over her shoulder. "Thanks, Karma."
Orange eyes peered down into the other girl's face. "Why the heavy-ass makeup?"
Fia sweat-dropped as she averted her gaze. "The first showing of the musical is in a few hours. We have to go really heavy-handed on the makeup so we don't get washed out by the stage lighting," she explained quickly.
"Right, because the wallflower who blends into the background and can't speak would never get washed out," he said sarcastically, tongue stuck out of his mouth.
Nudging him with her elbow, Fia scowled slightly as color erupted across her face. "J-Jerk! W-Who asked you to n-notice anyway? I hope you know that my mascara can be used as a weapon!"
"Pfft." Karma dropped his chin onto her her head. "Can't spell tsundere without 'u,' can we?" he replied. "Or chubby and clumsy for that matter."
"Hey!" Fia pouted but didn't retaliate so that she didn't disturb the birds. Cheeks darkening, she muttered. "Can't spell chuunihan without 'u' either… Or mischievous and underhanded for that matter."
"I'll take that as a compliment," the redhead smirked.
Fia turned around with a serious face, ready to retaliate by splashing water at him, but broke into a giggle as soon as she found Karma's playful smile. "Oh, alright." She shut off the faucet and guided the birds back to the counter. Letting the water fall from between her fingers like satin ribbons, she then grabbed a towel, drying first Karma's hands carefully and then her own.
He averted his gaze and found the birds preening themselves on the counter. "Aka's wing looks better." Karma noted absentmindedly. "You took good care of her."
She looked up at him with an embarrassed smile. "Thanks. I… I actually planned on letting her test it out today. Would you… maybe want to join me? I-If you've got nothing better to do anyway, I mean, you might as well, n-not saying that you have to o-of course!"
"Are you asking me out on a date?" He smirked and poked her puffy pink cheek. "Sure, I'll go with you."
Laughing about trivial things, Fia and Karma sat together on the field with the open, empty box resting between them. As they talked, the two cardinals hopped around in the grass as Aka made a few trial flaps.
"I'm serious!" Fia asserted adamantly as she shoved Karma's arm. "It was terrible! Because I refused to let her teach me her secret technique after the last mission, Ms. Jelavic pinned me down and told me that she wouldn't let go until I could assemble a model figure with. my. tongue. in thirty seconds or less! My previous record was at least double that…"
"Talk about tasting defeat." The redhead only laughed more. "Did you finally get it?"
"No!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I choked!"
Karma snickered. "Too embarrassed?"
"I actually choked! Like, literally choked," Fia admitted. She bit back her lip under scarlet cheeks.
"Wait… Seriously?" Karma stared at her in disbelief before breaking out into laughter. "So, instead of letting her kiss you, you opted for the kiss of death?"
"It's not funny! This is my first kiss we're talking about!" she protested. "And choking is the only reason she let me go!"
The taller male dropped his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, an action to which the girl pouted profusely. "Speaking of letting go, I think it's about time to say goodbye to your birds."
"Oh!" Fia turned towards her avian friends to find them perched on Karma's shoes and watching her patiently. "Were you waiting for me?" Stretching forward onto her stomach, she extended her hands to them. When the pair hopped into her palms, she gave each a quick kiss on the beak and an affectionate whistle. Aka sang back a happy tune while Fuoco crooned a more melancholy melody. Fia sat up slowly and brought the musical couple to Karma.
He scoffed. "Take care, troublemakers," he said dismissively but with a slight smile on his face. He placed his hands under Fia's for support and, hearing a last pertinent chirp, the two lifted their hands up together. Karma watched the pair fly off together and disappear into the azure blanket of sky, only breaking contact when he felt a warm body lean back against him.
"Rocambolesco!" Fia cried out in happiness. She turned to look up at Karma with glittering eyes and gripped his sleeve. "Wasn't that super cool?! Even the clouds look like birds flying into the distance today~."
"Yeah… I'm surprised you aren't crying. You're always so sentimental," he teased. He expected to see a pout or hear a whine, not to see the contemplative, far-off gaze she turned to the sky.
"I will miss them, but I know a thing or two about needing to be free…" Fia said slowly. "About needing to let things go… and get things off your chest."
"Sounds like you've been doing a lot of thinking," he observed coolly.
Fia laughed dryly. "The thought has been on my mind for some time."
"Must have been a long and lonely journey."
"H-Hey! … Okay, I fell straight into that one, but that was mean!"
Karma rested his head on her shoulder with an apologetic sigh. "Sorry, but you seemed so tense. It's not like you not to smile through things. What's bothering you?"
"I have something I need to let go of." Gingerly, she shrugged him off and turned to face him. Fia bit her lip. Was this really okay? Even though he'd long stopped bringing girls home, Karma had never expressed any interest in her and she didn't want to make things any more awkward than they already were. "Karma, I…" Losing confidence, she faltered slightly. It might not be the right time to say it, but she needed to stop choking down her feelings.
"I've always had trouble talking to other about how I feel. You… You made speaking easier, being me easier. So… It's ironic that I can't figure out what to say now." She laughed nervously over a shy smile as she searched his face for emotion.
Unable to gauge his reaction, Fia sighed and continued. "Thank you doesn't even begin to cover what I'm grateful for and how I feel about you… You…" Cheeks flushing, Fia resolved herself to just put her feelings in as straight-forward a manner as she could. "I love you, Karma." The words were wisped away from her lips like white dandelion seeds lured away by the wind. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, lingering for only a moment before pulling back with a melancholy smile. "Waiting… Was completely worth it. I wish I could do that again…"
Orange eyes stared down at Fia in shock. Red-faced, Karma opened his mouth to speak but Fia's phone began singing "Ring! Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring! Pick up your phone~!" She sweat-dropped, paling as she, obviously terrified by the sound of this particular ringtone, fumbled with her phone in an attempt to answer it.
"Director!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking into a high-pitched squeak. "I-I was just about to call -"
"FIAMMETTA TIMO, WHERE ARE YOU?" a very acidic voice yelled through the phone. "You were supposed to be here an hour, fifteen minutes, and ten seconds ago. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen… Need I continue? If I do not see you within five minutes, I'm sending out the understudy tonight."
Tears leaped into Fia's eyes as she scrambled to her feet in a fluster and held the phone at an arm's length away to avoid a burst eardrum. "I'll be there, Brian! I promise! I'll be there in no more than ninety-five seconds!" With that, she shot Karma an apologetic look and began wiping her eyes as to not ruin her makeup.
"That's quite the promise. I'll hold you to it. I'm calling the understudy in ninety-five, ninety-four, ninety-three, ninety-two, ninety-one, ninety, eighty-nine -" Brian counted down.
"DIO!" Fia hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket and looked to Karma. "Could you say 'hike?' Now?" Her tone was pleading, with a desperate sense of urgency, and all he could do to respond was nod stiffly and mutter the word in reply. Even so, at that, she took off running towards the theater on the opposite side of campus and screaming "SCREW THE QUARTERBACK! SCREW YOU, BRIAN!"
Watching Fia disappear into the distance, Karma leaned back and stared up at the sky. He cursed himself under his breath and fell back against the grass, looking towards the empty box that once held two striking red birds. She had flown off, and he had let her.
Huffing, Fia threw herself through the theater's double doors. "HA! THIRTY-EIGHT SECONDS LEFT!" She collapsed onto her hands and knees.
"I already called the understudy just in case," a man with wavy chestnut hair standing in front of her said, violet eyes glued to his watch.
Fia's shoulders sagged as she crumpled to the floor like a paper doll. "But… I-I guess I can be a stage hand…" She sniffled from her melted form on the floor. Her lip quivered but she forced a resolved look onto her face.
"I'm joking, but just barely," Brian replied flatly. "Peter, pick up your partner and get her in the changing rooms. Fix her makeup while you're at it and make sure she gets to her mark on time."
"Sure thing!" Peter saluted Brian with two fingers and, whistling, picked Fia up bridal-style and carried her towards the changing room.
As she was set down in a chair in front of a lit mirror, Fia pouted. "I can fix my own makeup," she said with a sigh. 'Besides, Ms. Jelavic will kill me if I don't practice,' she added mentally.
Peter laughed and adjusted his vest and hat in the mirror. "I know that. You were really late today. Did you get everything resolved with your family?"
"Not exactly," Fia replied as she lightly touched up her makeup with a big brush. "I'm… not actually expecting my family to show up tonight, but at least I got my point across, right?"
"Right." Peter laughed as he pulled over Fia's costume and began helping her fix her long locks into a more manageable style. "So, are you going to the We-Hate-Brian party after the show?"
Fia sweat-dropped. "The what?"
"Oh, that's right. You're new to theater here. Every production since Brian-the-Tyrant took over, all of the actors, stage crew members, and techies decide to get together and throw a We-Hate-Brian afterparty. It'll be in my house this year."
"Your house?" Fia blushed. "Isn't Brian your housemate?!"
"Yeah! My roommate, actually" he responded cheerfully. "He's the star of the show, so to speak. He never misses it."
Fia laughed nervously. "I'll see how I'm feeling after the show. I have the jitters."
"If you've got the jitters to do the jitterbug, you're more than welcome to dance with me at the party~. Just relax." Placing the last bobby-pin into place, Peter squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Go get changed. I'll see you onstage!"
"That was really cheesy, even for you!" The girl giggled and shot her reflection a determined look. "Alright. Let's do this!"
Karma stared at the pair of tickets in his hand that read "West Side Story" in a fancy font. Looking around from his seat in the front row on the left-most third of the theater, Karma spotted Nagisa and Haven sitting together in the balcony seating.
"Well, look who it is," a deep voice called. Karma shifted his gaze upwards to see a familiar Italian man looming over him with a friendly smile. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Not at all," Karma replied as he moved his jacket so Giovanni could take the seat beside him.
The older man stretched in his seat and let out a satisfying sigh as he surveyed the stage area. "Are you here to see mia bambina shine on stage?" Jadeite eyes glimmered with pride.
"I… Guess you could say that." Karma bit a nail in thought before turning back towards Giovanni. "Where's the rest of the family, Don?"
"Last time I checked, at home," he replied slowly. "I'm not sure if Florence will show, but this is Fia's first show since Felix passed away." Giovanni smiled wryly. "You don't have to look at me like that; I've come to terms with it already." He paused, humming very much like his daughter does when thinking things over. "I'm surprised she got up on that stage again. I guess I have you to thank for that, Karma."
"What do you mean?"
"She has her passions, but she's been taking care of us for so long that I was starting to wonder whether or not she remembered how to be herself. Fia opens up around you. No one makes her laugh like you do or drives her crazy like you do." Giovanni answered with a chuckle. "In fact, every time she comes home, she talks about you. It's usually about how you annoyed her that week, but it's never without a smile. Every time the kids try to say anything about you, she pushes back with 'Karma's great!' 'That's just how he is.' 'You would be surprised.' or something else along those lines."
"I didn't know she thought so highly of me," Karma muttered.
Giovanni smiled and ran his hand along his stubbled chin. "Why wouldn't she?"
Karma averted his eyes, thinking back on his actions over the last few weeks. "What if I'm not as great as she thinks? You're her old man - you wouldn't want someone like me to hurt your daughter."
"I don't think that matters to her, and I support the decisions my daughter wants to make." Giovanni shrugged. "Don't worry about your mistakes. You'll find that our Timo girls often try to take on the world on their own. That makes them incredible at calling out bullshit, but also accepting people for who they truly are so long as you give them the same luxury. They know that we have made our mistakes, that we have blood on our hands, and that they care about us anyway." He stared down at his open hands and clenched them into tight fists, willing away the red stains that would never actually leave him. "My daughter told me that mistakes are proof that you are still trying. Besides, mistakes are always forgivable if you can admit to them."
Karma sighed heavily. "That's real optimistic of you. I don't know about that."
"Even if you don't come to be a couple." He looked at Karma with a serious expression. "Regardless of what happens," he whispered, trying again, "You will always be welcome in our family." Orange eyes widened but couldn't bring themselves to meet the sincere green ones fixed on them. Giovanni patted Karma's back with a strong hand. "Show's about to begin."
Before Karma could respond, the lights began pulsing and finally dimmed, alerting the audience to the beginning of the show. Begrudgingly, he sat back in his seat and watched as a stern-looking brunette walked onto the stage with a tablet in his hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our production of 'West Side Story.' We have spent many a tumultuous, arduous, tedious night on the stage -"
Fia, from backstage, felt as if every word were directed at her, verbalized arrows being shot through her body by a vengeful spirit. Feeling weak, she grabbed onto Peter for support.
"- but enough from the lowly director." Brian smirked ever so slightly. "I will humbly allow our actors and actresses to lay out for you their labor of love." He shot a pointed look at Fia, standing just out of sight from the audience at the side of the stage.
The Italian turned on her heel and attempted to make an escape, knowing that he was insulting her unwillingness to kiss Peter, but was picked up by the waist by the said green-haired boy. She flailed and struggled, then sighed and fell limp as Brian walked past them with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
Peter smiled apologetically at Fia and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Break a leg," he mouthed as the curtains flew open like wings ready for flight and the opening scene played out.
As intermission began, Nagisa turned to look at Haven with surprised azure eyes. "I didn't realize Fia was so good at acting."
"Yeah, Tsu-chan should really incorporate this into her missions," Haven noted as she leaned against his shoulder.
Nagisa smiled wryly. "I can see why it would be harder for her to stick to expectations. Still, it seems like she's doing a lot better now than a couple days ago." Nodding solemnly in agreement, Haven sighed. Nagisa smiled and nuzzled Haven gently. "I'm glad you're doing better too, Haven."
She blushed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Thanks, Gisa…"
Karma stood to stretch his legs. He looked over his shoulder to see that Giovanni was staring intently at the stage, precisely where his daughter was just standing in the last scene.
"Hey, Don. You alright?"
"Yeah, I just… I wish the rest of my family could see this. She's doing so well." Giovanni admitted with teary, proud eyes.
"Speak of the devils and they shall come," the redhead noted as he gestured with his chin to the fashionable Italian woman and her two children as they weaved their way down the aisle and to the front.
Without saying a word, Florence sat down beside her husband. She wore a removed expression on her face and nonchalantly inspected her nails, searching like a bloodhound for any nonexistent chips.
By contrast, Gio and Lupe were shoving each other, arguing as usual.
"Keep rolling your eyes!" Gio cried. "Maybe you'll find a brain back there!" He scowled and took a seat next to his mother, closer to the aisle in case the child had something up her floral sleeve.
"Ugh. I would make fun of you, but you just wouldn't understand it," Lupe replied arrogantly, climbing into her father's lap.
"Shouldn't you have a license for being that idiotic?" Gio muttered under his breath.
"Sorry? What was that? Your meager existence didn't register in the world I'm running. I don't care what you think of me - I don't think of you at all!" She retorted childishly.
"Yeah, well, if I wanted to kill myself, I would climb up to your ego and jump to your I.Q." Gio spat back.
"Oh, is that how it is? I don't care if you don't like me. It's fine, actually. You can have terrible tastes. You have no one to blame but yourself."
"You know, I get really emotional when you're gone… It's something I like to call HAPPINESS."
"Who gives you the right to pick on a little girl?!"
"A little girl? You're the devil!"
"Well, your outfit is ugly."
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
Karma sighed and lightly rapped his knuckles against their foreheads. "As much as I love throwing senseless insults around, aren't we all here for your sister?"
The two huffed and turned away from each other with their arms crossed and bottom lips jutting out.
"Who would have thought the delinquent would be the responsible one?" Gio mumbled under his breath.
"What did you just call me?" Karma asked, an eyebrow raised.
Gripping his armrests in fear, he stammered "N-Nothing!" and whipped out his phone for an excuse not to interact with the taller male any longer.
Lupe giggled as a mischievous smile played onto her lips. "So, here to see your girlfriend?"
Karma growled slightly but fell back into his seat with a sigh. "No, not really…"
Giovanni set Lupe down and gestured for her to join Gio in the seats near the aisle. Florence gave a curious look to her husband and the redhead slumped in his seat beside him.
Florence rubbed her temples, ignoring the actors bowing on stage and the people moving towards the exits. "Would you stop crying, Giovanni? It was acting, acting. Your daughter is waiting for you outside those doors!"
He continued to bawl into his hands, much to Karma's alarm and his children's boredom. "But!" He snorted loudly to keep his nose from running. "More than that it was about star-crossed lovers! Doesn't that stir even a little bit of something in you, amore?"
The woman's countenance relaxed and her arms, formerly folded across her chest, came to rest at her sides. "Yes, now… Please, Giovanni." She tried more softly. "People are staring."
Giovanni jumped to his feet and swept Florence up in his arms, dipping her to place a kiss on her lips. Now grinning one of his signature charming smiles, he laughed. "We are the conquerors of love! Not a tragic Romeo and Juliet, but a couple content to be with their family, no?" He set her down gently and gave her a knowing, soft smile.
Florence nodded slowly. "Yes, well, let's just hope she forgives me." She gingerly took Giovanni's hand and they began making their way up the aisle.
"Ew…" Gio spat disgustedly. "They're being all lovey-dovey and stuff…"
Lupe took Gio's hand in hers. "That's just 'cause you're jealous."
"Am not!" He pouted embarrassedly but protectively guided his younger sibling through the crowd with surprising ease after their parents.
Karma paused for a few moments before filing out behind everyone else. He smiled as he saw Peter and Fia greeting people with happy expressions next to Brian, who wore his signature scowl, even as he shook the hands of several people who approached them. The redhead smiled involuntarily; he was happy for her.
Nagisa and Haven made their way to Fia and she threw her arms around them, looking relieved. She laughed embarrassedly, probably to a compliment, and waved them off as she turned, in surprise, to see her family.
Gio pulled out a crushed bouquet - typical - and dead-panned when Lupe stuck her tongue out at him and pulled out a larger, more lush one - also typical. Laughing, Fia pulled both of them into a hug and graciously took the flowers, holding each bunch equally in her arms.
She squeaked as she was thrown into the air and caught by her father. Giggling, she buried her face into his neck as he spun her around and set her down again. Fia gestured animatedly towards Brian and Peter and then back to herself, her face wearing her tale of struggle, satisfaction, and pride.
Fia's face immediately froze when her gaze fell on her mother. Karma didn't know whether or not it was a subconscious move, but took notice when Fia turned her bruised cheek, unnoticeable under the makeup, away from the woman. Florence approached Fia carefully and pulled a neatly-folded, albeit wrinkled, sheet of paper out from her purse and handed it to Fia.
The girl looked in disbelief at her mother and then pulled her into a tight embrace full of tears and solemnly happy smiles. When they pulled back, Florence wiped away Fia's tears and placed her hand over her daughter's heart with a cold look of resolution. Green eyes widened in surprise, but Fia nodded and pulled her mom into another tight hug, mouthing "I will."
Shortly after, Fia waved off her family and leaned against one of the walls of the building with an exhausted sigh. Excusing herself from the crowd, she found her way to the foyer, cool from the night air sneaking in through opening and closing doors. She smiled absentmindedly up at the ceiling, ignoring the sigh from the redhead sitting next to her on the bench.
"What a show! Did you see that actress up there? Did she even know what she was doing?" Fia exclaimed with a mock critical tone.
Karma couldn't suppress a snicker. "You did fine, Fia."
She tilted her head and leaned forward to get a better look at his face. "Really? It wasn't a half-bad performance?" she asked, throwing his most-used qualifier back at him.
"No, not bad at all." He smiled and gestured towards the papers in Fia's hands. "What are those?"
She blushed and tried to smooth over the wrinkles under her hand carefully, suddenly self-conscious and concerned that the papers might only be an illusion. "It's… I'll tell you guys about it soon, okay?" Fia smiled at Karma slowly. "I'm glad you came to the show, Karma. I was -"
"Fiammetta, are you not coming to my We-Hate-Brian party?" a familiar voice inquired. "You can't miss it."
Fia sweat-dropped, unable to deny the director. "Y-Yes! Coming!" She gave Karma a quick kiss on the cheek. "I mean it. Thank you." She turned on her heel and ran towards Brian. Laughing, she fell into step with him and joked. "Would you be opposed to me borrowing something from costume check?"
"Only if you will wear the clown suit and act as the entertainment for the party."
She nearly tripped when her step faltered. "I was k-kidding!"
"As was I," he replied curtly without his voice changing at all. "We don't need a clown. Peter will suffice." Violet eyes shone with bemusement.
"Oh, Brian…" she sighed as the two started down the hall. "How was my performance?" Fia choked out the question, afraid of the answer.
"How about I answer that at the end of the last performance, hm?" Brian mused. "One critique will be enough, I presume?"
Karma sighed as the two rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving him alone again.
Fia opened the door to the apartment with a quiet "Ciao~!"
Peter peeked his head in curiously through the doorway. "Who's going to answer you at 3 in the morning?"
"Perhaps, the cold, creeping voice of insanity?" Brian suggested as he entered.
Giggling, Fia let Peter in and closed the door behind them. She bent down to take off her shoes and dusted herself off. "Thanks for walking me back!"
The boy with the oceanic hair and earthy eyes laughed. "If I didn't, would I really be Tony?"
Fia playfully shoved him. "I'm sure Maria can handle herself."
"I suppose she can," Brian mused with the corners of his mouth upturned ever so slightly.
Wide-eyed, Fia leaned in to whisper into her co-lead's ear. "Was that… approval?"
Peter flipped his hair out of his eyes. "I don't know. It's always hard to tell with him," he whispered back.
"I can hear you." The brunette shot the pair an impatient look. "How well can those two really handle themselves if they both died, hm?"
"Eep! We've been caught." Feeling guilty, Fia chewed on the inside of her cheek and lowered her gaze.
"…"
"I can hear you," Brian repeated without so much as a change in intonation.
Peter dead-panned. "I didn't say anything that time! So you're a mind reader now?"
"I have my ways," he responded curtly. "I can't quite believe you two decided to jitterbug at my party."
"I can't believe you threw darts at a photo of your own face - and got them straight through your eyes!" Fia cried in dismay.
Peter playfully punched Brian's shoulder. "Party sounds so arbitrary when you say it, Bri'."
Fia pouted. "But Peter invited me to dance! Besides who doesn't like to cut loose -"
"Footloose -" Peter chimed in.
"Kick of your Sunday shoes -" she sang.
Peter spun Fia quickly. "Oo-wee, Marie, shake it, shake it for me -"
Brian spoke with a dead voice as he separated them. "Yeah, Jack, get back, before I make that the next musical."
Fia sweat-dropped embarrassedly and whispered, "You know, knowing him, that means he'll make us memorize that and four other scripts for auditions."
"You're probably right but the auditions for the fall play will hopefully be a little less tedious," Peter replied helpfully.
"I can hear you. Besides, who's to say that it will be? I have much planned for you two."
"But Peter is graduating and I'm… Fall semester might not be the best time for me to tryout for auditions here," Fia mumbled.
The upperclassman dropped his hand onto the slumped shoulder of his underclassman. "Why's that?"
"O-Oh, nothing. You'll all find out soon enough!" She waved her hand dismissively. "Peter, thank you for being my mentor throughout this whole experience. I know you'll only do amazing things in grad. school! Brian… Brian… I know you made me cry at least once a rehearsal and that you have a glare that's made camera lenses shatter and costumes rip and souls die, but I couldn't have put on a great show without you and… Thank you. I'll see you at the next spring auditions?
Brian raised an eyebrow. "Just because you had a role this time does not guarantee you a spot next year."
"I-I know that! But I'm going to try anyway - Someone has to annoy you once Peter is gone!" Fia gave Brian a determined smile.
Brian smirked. "As well as make my coffee, fetch my pens, clean my tablet screen, lock up the theater, make the costumes, paint the sets, break up the fights, mop up the tears -" he added.
Fia paled, turning towards Peter with a look of dismay. "I-Is that really what you have to do most of the time?"
"Well… Yeah, kind of. It's not so bad when you get used to it." He shrugged a shoulder and put his hand on his hip.
"Yeah, but… Your whole life is dedicated to theater, and Brian is the embodiment of theater!" she protested.
"And yours isn't?" Brian clicked his tongue.
The girl shuddered in terror and broke out into a cold sweat. "O-Of course it is!"
"Was that poor acting or an even poorer attempt at deception?" Violet eyes found olive ones, looking anything but amused.
Peter laughed. "Isn't it the same thing?"
"Pff -" Fia giggled. "Anyway, I should probably get some sleep. Goodnight, Peter! Goodnight, Brian! I hope you enjoy the rest of the We-Hate-Brian party. I'll let you in on a secret. None of us actually hate you! We're really grateful and you're… surprisingly cool.
Brian crossed his arms. "Surprisingly?"
Peter patted the short man's back. "Let it go, Brian."
Fia locked up after them and went to clean off her face, change, and grab a light snack before passing out on the couch in her happy exhaustion.
Nagisa: Is she going to sleep through the comment box this time?
Haven: Tsu-chan needs some sleep so let's let her.
Giovanni: Does this mean I finally get my spotlight?
Florence: Quiet. She's sleeping… Mia carina needs her rest if she's to finish what I started. The empire will fall.
Giovanni: But I never get to take over these comment boxes!
Narrator: And you never will. Is no one else concerned that Florence seems really scary right now?
Anyway, sorry for the really slow posting. We've been swamped with end of the year work. F-A-I-L-U-R-E that's how you spell finals! (I'm kidding - kind of). So, Right Brain is going abroad this summer to study Spanish and Left Brain will be really unaccessible. We'll still try to post, but thank you for your ongoing patience!
On the next chapter, we tie up some loose ends before summer starts and our housemates find themselves on the long-awaited mission marathon you've all been waiting for! We'll have some special news in and from the Timo family, some characters you might have been missing, and… what happened to Fia?
Now, who ended the We-Hate-Brain party? It was just starting to get fun! I call getting the next turn at Director Darts!
