"Mytho, there you are...wh..why'd you bring her?"
"That's what I'd like to know, too!" Duck suspects she's blushing all the way to my ears as she's dragged onto the theater stage where at least a dozen girls are lined up wearing loose clothing, tights, leggings, and rest of the club members are scattered about the stage, some setting up props, going over lines and putting together costumes.
The Goldencrowne Academy had the best acting talents. They put on the best shows Duck had ever seen and she absolutely loved watching them perform. After a long school day, she'd go to get completely immersed into a show and forget about all of the trials of the day. She couldn't imagine going through all of the practice they did, she swore theater kids were on a whole other level. She supposed that's why she preferred painting and the free rein that came with it.
As cool as it was to see everyone behind the scenes of their next production, Duck felt totally out of place here. Mister feather head was pulling her behind him for some reason until she was walking across the stage with him. She knew she must have looked like an idiot — but to be fair, she was still being kept totally in the dark by Mytho and it didn't look like he'd explain anything directly anytime soon. She was starting to understand that he was the type.
"Well, you said I could pick anyone, so I've chosen!" Mytho grins broadly at Georgina, the school's theater director. She places her manicured hands on her hips and frowns deeply at her newest student like he'd just told her a bad joke. She turns to acknowledge Duck and then back to her line of girls.
"Mr. Ravenwing, this girl looks sweet and all, but what's wrong with my actresses?"
"Nothing, I suppose," Mytho lets go of Duck's hand, but the second she tries to run, he wraps an arm intimately around her small waist, pulling her into his side. Duck places a hand on his rather firm abdomen when she nearly lost her balance and quickly lifts it away, blushing. "But if I remember correctly, you said that I could choose any girl, so I chose Duck."
There's a collective murmur amongst the students in response to what Mytho is saying. Duck stands there and rolls her eyes at the fact that she still had no clue what was going on. Looking around at the line of girls, however, she can see some pretty dirty looks. She wasn't exactly making friends right now, let alone a great impression. Which sucked, because she still hadn't a clue as to why. Whatever it was, she could conclude on her own that it was going to suck for her either way.
"But..." Georgina smiles politely, but anyone could tell she was growing noticeably tense, "This girl isn't apart of the drama club. We don't even know if she's good for the part."
Duck's eyes grow wide, then, and she turns to look at Mytho, but he looks straight ahead with a calm, determined expression.
"She's still a student at this school, and I've grown very comfortable around her and should therefore be able to create a chemistry onstage. I know I'll be able to act with her. But anyone else wouldn't suit me. They haven't bonded with me like Duck has."
"You can't be serious."
"But I am. I only know Duck at this school, and if I'm going to perform, I need to have a good relationship with the actress opposite me. We don't have enough time for me to start from scratch."
Whatever he's talking about is total baloney, Duck thought to herself. Her eyes were starting to hurt from how much they kept rolling back in her head.
"These actresses know the part like the back of their hand, all we're asking is that you choose from them who you think would suit you best!"
"I understand that. I am choosing this red headed, jumpy girl that you see before you. If this will be a problem, though, I'll understand...I could...just….join a different club.." the ruby eyed teenager glances off to the side innocently.
Oh, please. Duck can't believe what she's hearing. How could anyone be so full of themself that they thought a threat like that could ever…
"Now, , let's not make any rash decisions. If you truly believe your chemistry as a prince and princess will only work with Duck, then who am I to ruin a potentially good pairing? I wouldn't turn you down without a proper demonstration." Georgina waves off her outraged actresses and clears the stage.
Duck has to clench her jaw to make sure it doesn't drop open. She's pulled to the center of the stage underneath the hot spotlight and swallows hard. Mytho holds both of her hands in his and smiles down at her with excitement in his eyes.
"I don't exactly remember having agreed to this!" Duck whispered, looking around her at the circle of students who had begun to gather in hopes of watching them perform together.
"Oh, come now, Duck," Mytho reaches up to play with a strand of her hair before she slaps it away. "I brought you here so you could have fun. You're incredibly talented, but you never do anything fun."
"How would you know, smarty pants, you don't even know me."
"True, but I know enough. All you do is go to school and your dorm room. You only stay out late when you're painting, and you only hang out with those two silly friends of yours. You are living a life without much fun, I can conclude."
"Again, you don't know me. I have...fun...that's why I paint, because it's fun."
Mytho didn't miss a beat as he replied, "You paint to let out what's going on inside. It's more of therapy than enjoyment. For you, at least."
Duck gazes up at Mytho, confused, intrigued, and hopelessly entranced by how smoothly he could just say things with such confidence, knowing he was right every time. No, he didn't know her well, but he did know plenty. In an instant, his ruby eyes capture her and draw her in so she forgets she's even standing onstage.
Suddenly, it's just the two of them, arms wrapped around each other and looking into the other's eyes as they ponder the very obvious spark between them.
Duck's heart and brain were starting to react again, picking up where they'd left off in their previous war for dominance. Mytho only smiles back, as if he knew what was going on inside her. She wouldn't be surprised if he had — after all, he claimed to know just enough about her. He was right. Duck hadn't quite found an activity or a group that interested her — let alone kept her entertained and social. It didn't make sense to get a lead in a production like Sleeping Beauty when she hadn't even attended a single drama club meeting, but drama could be fun.
How frustrating! The trickster! How could he possibly know so much? Duck was really starting to consider it. But not a lead role, definitely not. Even being a stagehand would be a nice change of pace….
"You've got the part!"
"Eh?"
Poof! The spell breaks then as Duck turns to the director with her mouth agape. Georgina's almond shaped eyes are wide and sparkling like a cartoon character as she clasped her hands together tightly. Her expression was a mix of astonishment and something like intense eagerness. She steps toward Mytho and Duck, arms outstretched and eyes tearing as if she'd just witnessed something beautiful with unworthy eyes.
"That was simply glorious!"
What in the hell! Duck looks around her in disbelief to see that their surrounding audience had all the same expressions — awe. But at what, though?!
"Are you serious?" Duck asks, glancing up at Mytho to see his lips were pressed together to stifle his laughter. He closes his eyes and brings his hand up to cover his mouth and Duck would have found herself laughing to, if this wasn't the most random, exasperating part of her day — make that her entire life. She supposed when you got so used to things being normal, it felt odd when they were out of place.
And all because of this guy…
"Of course I'm serious! I didn't see it before, but your chemistry is simply perfect! The way you gazed at each other like you were the only two on the planet … or the earth! Even though you're clearly just companions...That's true acting!"
Duck turns red as the crowd erupts into applause, and Mytho smirks his usual smirk down at her, eyes full of mischief.
"She's right, Duck, you're such a great actress…" his tone lowers as he looks down at her teasingly. Duck screams internally and thinks of slapping him across his gorgeous face, but her thoughts are interrupted by Georgina clapping her hands to get the attention of a girl standing nearest to her.
"Bring Duck a script please, it's time for rehearsal."
"Did that seriously just happen?"
Hours later, Mytho is walking with Duck out of the school building, chuckling at her dumbfounded expression. And after she had been so great in her surprise rehearsal, immersing herself wonderfully in her character! For someone as ditzy as her, she sure knew how to memorize a script. In fact, she had an entire scene down by now. Sure, she needed an exact line here and there, but she still understood the flow of the script well enough to improvise if she forgot anything. There was still a lot more to work on, of course, but Georgina had called it a day after a few dance practices. Duck wasn't doing so well with that one and claimed she was the clumsiest woman on earth. Mytho believed her.
"After all that, you're still going to question it?"
"I mean...it's so surreal, part of me is wondering if I was even there the whole time!"
"Oh, believe me, you were," Mytho chuckles, "I have the bruises on my feet to prove it!"
Face flushing as red as her hair, Duck swats at Mytho's arm, "Oh, shut up, Mytho…."
But a moment later, guilt seems to washover her and she stops walking, babydoll eyes sparkling with emotion. Mytho stops walking, too, surprised when she reaches for his arm with a worried expression on her adorable face.
"You're joking, right? Did I really step on you that much?"
"You're so weird!" Mytho smiles at her then, fascinated by her mood swings. He felt like she expressed so many different emotions in such a short time when he was around her, and yet she still managed to look absolutely beautiful each time they changed her. Humans were very strange indeed, but there was also so much life in them. Could that be why Mytho somehow felt like he was hopelessly drawn to her?
"Eh?" Now she was confused again! Mytho only laughed harder, this time throwing his head back. She was always confused!
"Duck, we should work on the dance together sometime. What do you say we meet here in front of the fountain during the afternoons following rehearsal?"
Duck bites her lip, "That sounds like a good idea. So..there's a rehearsal tomorrow, do you want to start meeting then?"
"Yeah, and don't forget! You'll owe me if you stand me up!"
"I wouldn't do that to you, Mytho! Even though you always make me want to rip my hair out!" She laughs then, forcefully, but melodic all the same. Mytho laughs back at her and slowly walks backward in the other direction.
"Don't trip and fall on your way back to your room, airhead. We don't have any understudies for you right now!"
"Mytho!" Duck growls through gritted teeth and turns back around, to part ways with him. How could someone be so frustrating and yet so sweet at the same time?!
This guy was going to drive her crazy!
Walking back to her room with her script in hand, Duck starts to read a bit ahead so she can visualize how the following scenes would go. It isn't until she gets to the last page, just out of curiosity when her eyes get wide and she stops in her tracks. Suddenly there are butterflies having a party in her stomach while the conflicted war between Duck's brain and heart start up for another round.
"Mytho and..I...we...I have to kiss him?!"