Nezumi strolled through the town. He did not want to be doing this. He hated that he had to succumb to Cinderella's blackmail to find to find a job. Nezumi knew however that, as a human, he didn't have the power to fight her on this. The law was on her side. Still things were frustrating. He had tried a variety of different stores but all of them had turned him down. None of the store managers recognize him and they were suspicious when he couldn't name a single person who would recommend him. It was now getting late in the afternoon and the sun hung high in the sky. Nezumi was hot and hungry.
"This is getting me nowhere." The dark-haired man grumbled. He glanced around and spotted a man selling cooked chicken on the side of the road. Blending into the crowd, Nezumi slipped over and snatched one up. Then he slid into the crowd again and walked casually away. No one called after him. No one even noticed that he was there. Steeling had always been easy for Nezumi. Humans didn't notice anything unless you made a show of it. Nezumi turned a corner into an alley way and slid down into a crouch before biting into the chick. The savory taste of meat filled up his mouth and he closed his eyes content. Sadly, it was gone before to long and his stomach was still rumbling. Human bodies were to big and needed to much fuel to run. If he was still a rat that chicken could satisfy him for the day. Nezumi grumbled before straightening up again. There was no use continuing job searching. He needed to go back to the library and plan his next move. If directly asking people for jobs didn't work maybe there was another way to get one. Nezumi knew he had to do more research on humans before he could try again. The dark haired man sighed and began walking down the ally.
.
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
.
The dark-haired man paused as a woman's voice wafted over him from a building across the ally. He recognized the line from the book Romeo and Juliet. It was one of Juliet's lines spoken at the balcony. Of all the books Nezumi had read, it was this one that had a special place for him. It was after all the first book he ever read, that was why he liked it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Sion gave it to him as a gift.
Shaking his head Nezumi turned to survey the building. There was a side door propped open slightly. From the alleyway there was no signs to indicate what kind of building it was. Nezumi hesitated but curiosity got the better of him. Other than him and Sion, Nezumi didn't know anyone else who read Shakespeare. It made him curious to why someone was reading it out loud. Cautiously Nezumi approached the door and slipped in. It took only a second for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. He found himself in a large theater. He remembered seeing a sign for the theater while walking down the street earlier, but he didn't pay attention at the time. The theater had three sections of red velvet covered chairs. To the back of the theater there was a balcony with even more seating. The seats were empty at the moment except for a handful of people sitting in the front row. The majority of them were young women ranging from ages 14 to 20. There were also a few young slender men there as well. Sitting slightly to the side of them was an middle age balding man. He had a paper and quill and was scribbling something down. The people sat facing the large wooden stage where a single woman stood in the middle. Above her a candle was lit under a glass causing a circle of light to illuminate the young woman. At this moment the woman on the stage was not speak. She stood there looking expectedly down at the older man. Without looking up from his paper he waved a hand and yelled.
"Next!"
The woman's face fell, and she trotted gloomily off the stage and out of the theater. After she left another woman stood up and climbed onto the stage.
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a-.
"Next!" the man shouted again. This woman glowered at him before stomping off. He nixed the next two before they were able to finish the lines as well. Then came the third and the fourth who were better than the first two but still not great. Nezumi watched as another person hopped on the stage. He wondered what was going on. He knew what a theater was and its purpose, but this didn't seem like a performance.
The fairy godmother's spell was still in place and still gave him basic information about the human world. As time moved forward however it gave him less and less help and as Nezumi learned about the world. Although the spell helped for basic thing, it did not give him information that it felt he did not need to know. This apparently was one of those things.
"Next." The man yelled again. And one of the young men sulked off the stage. The last remaining woman climbed up and peered confidently down at the man. She began to speak the lines. The man listened attentively let her finish the whole line. After she finished he scribed something down on the paper before calling out,
"Next!"
The women's eyes narrowed.
"I did that line perfectly!" she snapped stomping her foot. "There's no way anyone else did it better."
"You're the best so far." The man acknowledges. "But that's still not good enough. This is art woman! We strive for perfection here." The woman eyes burned with anger.
"You're too choosy!" she cried "I'm the last person here! You have to pick someone!" The man looked around in surprise.
"So, you are" he muttered a little disappointingly. "I suppose I'll have to hold more additions tomorrow…." His continued to scan around the room until his eyes landed on Nezumi. "Ahh it looks like we have one more person." Nezumi took a hasty step back. He wasn't sure what was going on and he didn't want to be roped into something unpleasant.
"Well hurry up boy!" the man said impatiently. Nezumi opened his mouth to reject the offer but before he could, the other woman laughed nastily.
"Him?! Please, there's no way he can do better than me." Nezumi shut his mouth with an audible snap, his eyes narrowing.
"Alright." He said softly a cold smile crossing his face. The woman smirked and crossed her arms as he matched confidently down the middle isle and onto the stage. As he approached, the woman shot him one last amused look before leaving the stage and sitting in the front row. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he could say those lines better than that woman. He walked under the beam of light in the middle of the stage and turned to face the man.
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
He poured all his feeling into the words. He would do Juliet justice. He would show the woman and man before him just how powerful the young woman's words could be. He spoke as if he was Juliet, confused and conflicted. He spoke as if he wasn't himself.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
The words flooded out of him like water. Nezumi was surprised how pleasant it sounded. Shakespeare apparently sounded much better spoken then read. He wondered how it would sound if he spoke the whole play. A sudden realization hit him. Wasn't that what theater were for? He didn't realize that they acted out books. If he knew he could see all his favorite books in motion, he would have come here sooner.
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Nezumi finished and a satisfied silence filled the theater. He let out a quite breath and looked down at the woman. She stared back at him her face frozen in shock. A victorious smirk crossed the dark-haired man's face at her reaction. Did she really believe she could read those lines better than him? Nezumi stared down at her from his place on the stage. He felt more alive and exulcerated standing there under the light. Suddenly the sound of clapping pulled Nezumi back to reality and he looked up sharply. The man in the front seat had jumped to his feet clapping wildly.
"Beautiful! Amazing! Magnificence! Bravo! I have never seen such talent!" The man's roared enthusiastically. "What's your name son?"
"Nezumi"
"Nezumi?!" the man looked shocked for a second before tittering unhappily "That won't do!" He heads vigorously, eyes full of disappointment. "With your talent you need a name that shines. You want to draw people in not push them away. We can't have a rat in the theater. We need a star!" He eyed Nezumi thoughtfully. Nezumi held his gaze. He was not going to let the man, or the woman, see how confused he was. Why did he want to draw people in? That was the last thing he wanted to do.
"How about Eve?"
"What?"
"Eve! It'll be your stage name!" the man said his eyes shining "I can see it now! Romeo and Juliet staring Eve! You'll be the mother of all actors! What do you say!" Nezumi stared at the man's broad smile, frustration rising in his chest. What did this man want with him? He didn't understand humans at all. They were startling loud creatures who said the weirdest things.
Stage name-a name actors and actresses have when they are on the stage.
The fairly godmother's voice suddenly filled him and Nezumi almost snorted. The fairy's magic chose now to jump in. As he mulled over the fairy's words however, he suddenly understood. The man wanted him to be an actor. The very thought was amusing. Him an actor? What kind of nonsense what that? What good would acting do for him? He wanted to avoided human not be the center of attention. He was a rat not an Eve whatever that was.
"If you don't stop stealing, I will turn you in."
Cinderella's warning rang through Nezumi's head and he pressed his lips together. He didn't have a choice. He needed money and this was the only place offering him a job.
"Fine." He said shortly. The man clapped his hands eyes glistening with tears.
"Excellent! Wonderful! This is going to be amazing!" Nezumi sighed and looked around the stage. If he was being honest with himself standing on the stage wasn't half bad. At least there was an invisible wall between him and the people watching. They would leave him alone as long as he performed. Perhaps he could make this work.
...
"You're an actor?!"
Cinderella's voice rang through the library. Nezumi glanced up from the book he was reading. He wondered if he could continue ignoring her. Cinderella had been yelling at his window all morning. Nezumi had learned to tuned her out. It had been a month since he started at the theater and earlier this week, he had his first performance. He had kept his job a secret from Cinderella since he didn't want to admit he listened to her. He was glad that he did. Apparently, she had an issue with acting judging by her angry tone.
"Hey!" She yelled again. "I know your up there!" He continued to ignore her. He used to be stuck at her beck and call every time she yelled at his window for fear her stepfamily would learn of his presence. Now however he had the power to tune her out. Ever since his first paycheck rolled in and realized just how much money he was making, he stopped worrying about the stepfamily. He had enough money to buy a house if he needed to. The only reason he stayed in the library was because did he didn't feel like waste extra time doing unnecessary things such as finding a new house. Nezumi liked the library and he was still hanging on to the faint hope that he would one day be able to return to being a rat.
"That's it, I'm coming up" Nezumi looked up and in surprise. That was knew. She never attempted to climb into the library before. He felt half curious and half annoyed. He wondered how such a clumsy girl was going to get up. At the same time, he didn't like the idea of her breaking into his personal space. The dark-haired an heard a scuffling sound followed by a cry of shock and then a thud. Nezumi sniggered and closed his book. Forget annoyance this was something he wanted to see. The dark-haired man went over to the window and watched Cinderella pull herself to her feet. She dusted herself off and glared at the window before trying again. Her second and third attempt ended the same way. On the fourth time she got stuck halfway up and hung uselessly for a few seconds before jumping down. The fifth she made it to the window but grabbed a rotten piece of wood that broke, sending her plummeting to the ground. Finally, on the six attempt she managed to grab the windowsill and drag herself in. The young woman fell into the library and lay there panting. She looked extremely disheveled with her hair everywhere and mud crusting her dress and face. Her hands were all scrapped and bruised. Nezumi watched her for a few seconds before saying,
"Yes? What is it?" The woman sat up looking surprised at his willingness to listen. Nezumi rolled his eyes. If she was going to climb all the way up into the room, he might as well hear her out. Cinderella's surprise turned to annoyance and she glared at him
"You can't be an actor!" Nezumi kept his face neutral while his mind whirled in confusion. Of everything he though she would say that wasn't one of them.
"Why?"
"Because it's not right! People are going to recognize you and if they see you come here…what'll I do if my stepsisters learn you're here?!" Nezumi tuned her out. Why did she feel the need to worry about every little thing? Seriously did she think he was planning bring people here. He made sure no one knew where he lived. She of all people should know he didn't like humans.
"Are you done?" Nezumi said dryly when she stopped to catch her breath. He was starting to greatly regret listening to her in the first place. Why didn't he just continue to ignore her and go back to his book? Cinderella stared at him huffily before stomping her foot.
"This needs to stop."
"You're the one who wanted me to get a job."
"yes but….." she puffed out her cheeks in aggravation. "Why must it be this job?"
"Because." Nezumi said simply.
"Well you can't! You're making my life hard! Someone's going to notice…" Nezumi tuned her out again. Truthfully, he was actually enjoying acting much more then he orientally thought he would. After his first performance the crowd went wild. It pleased him how easy humans were manipulated into cheering for him. The stage was like another world. Everyone knew their part and what they needed to do. All he needed to do was to act and they would follow. Acting out the part of Juliet was exhilarating. The only downside to acting was the fans. He learned the hard way how dangerous they were. After his first performance he made the mistake of trying to leave trough the actor's entrance. The second he stepped out into the main part of the theater throngs of admires rushed him. They were all screaming and trying to get close to him. Many wanted him to write his name on paper. Other's wanted to touch his hair or another part of him. After that fiasco, every time he had a performance, he snuck out the back.
"And furthermore what's going to happen if they start asking questions? I don't want people to connect me with you!" Nezumi snapped back to realty and found to his dismay that Cinderella was still talking.
"Shouldn't you be preparing or something?!" Nezumi finally interrupted. "Isn't the prince sending his men to have every girl try on a 'magical shoe' or something?" He hoped the mention of the prince would distract her. To his relief her eyes lit up.
"Yes! They'll arrive in this town tomorrow!"
"Took them long enough." Nezumi snorted. "We're not that far from the capital."
"They wanted to go to the main cities first. They probably thought the woman they're looking for would most likely be there." Her voice became low. "I think the shoe is mine!" she giggled. "I doubt anyone else had a fairy made outfit for the ball."
"And you're telling me because?"
"Because I want to tell someone." She wined crossing her arms. "I had this wonderful evening and now the prince is coming for me and I have to keep in a secret!"
"Oh, sorry to hear that." Nezumi said attempting boredom. He had brought the prince up to get her off his case, but now he was regretted it. It reminded him how annoying tomorrow would be. With the prince's servants tromping around town causing an uproar, the theaters would be less pack during his performance. The less people the more it impacted his paycheck. Although Nezumi didn't care much for the money he still enjoyed using it to buy new books. He didn't want to have to ration books because people decided to try on a stupid shoe.
"I heard a rumor" Cinderella said giddily. "That he's going to ask whoever fits the shoe to marry him." Nezumi's mood soured even more.
"Good for him." Nezumi snapped. "Can you go now?" Cinderella blinked a few times.
"Fine." She said sulkily. "Bu this isn't over! I haven't given up this conversation. I just have work to do"
"Sure." Nezumi waved her off as he picked up his book again. "Have a nice day." She gave one louder huff before stomping to the window. She climbed through it and instantly fell with a shirk. Nezumi heard her hit the ground. A few seconds later he saw her staggered away towards the house. The image would have amused him if he wasn't in such a bad mood. Tomorrow night was his last performance. If Sion's men could have waited one more night, he would have gotten another full house.
"Also, there's a chance Sion will be with them and then I could meet up with him again and go to his library." A quiet voice pointed out. Nezumi shoved it down. Yes, he still wanted to go to Sion's library and yes, he had been collecting books to force the prince to read (no more suggesting the fact that Sion didn't read classics was in insult to him) It wasn't for that reason, that Nezumi was feeling down. No, he was merely just looking out for himself, pure and simple. If there was one things rat were not it, was complicated. He hated when things became complicated.
...
"It fits!" Sir William's exclaimed surprise on his face.
"It fits?!" the stepsister shirked
"It fits?!" The stepmother cried in horror.
"It fits." Cinderella breathed, her excitement rising. This was it! She was going to go to the castle and meet her prince charming again.
"We must leave at once!" Sir William's said sanding up. Then he paused. "May I also see all the men who work here?" Cinderella's stepmother looked confused but called up the staff. Cinderella watched puzzled as men entered the room. Once they were all there, Sir Williams turned to her.
"Young lady did any of these men accompany you to the ball that night?"
"No." Cinderella said wondering what was going on. Apparently, it wasn't very important because Sir Williams nodded and with one last,
"Very well." clapped his hands. The guards began leaving the room. Sir Williams offered Cinderella his hand.
"Shall we my lady?" Cinderella hesitated, wondering if she should go with them or first tell the rat that she was leaving. She felt it was rude to leave without a final farewell. Perhaps she should go to the theater and see him…. The young woman shook her head and firmly took the knights hand. The rat was off playing 'Eve" at the theater tonight. It's not like he wanted or needed her help. He's probably be happy that she was gone. Well good for him. He could live in her father's dingy library reading books until his eyes fell out for all she cared. She on the other hand would go to the castle and marry the prince. Nothing was going to stop her.