8. Fisticuffs Part 2
'Please help me give Hiromi this, he said. It would mean the world to her, he said. It will be an evening she'll never forget, he said. Why does her dad have to keep being right?!' Haru inwardly groaned as her dinner churned uncomfortably inside her. 'Maybe I should have gone easy on the bruschetta. I think I'm going to throw up!'
"You can drop the safety pins, Baron! Turns out there was a tailor in the house," Mercutio smirked, steering Haru through the actors that turned dead silent at the sight of her.
Romeo looked up from Friar Laurence trying to set the sleeve with a handful of safety pins. The title character lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Haru cut him off.
"Please no more Shakespeare. I've already taken more than I can handle," she begged tiredly, forcing herself to come forward and take the seat Friar Laurence had just vacated for her with a wide grin.
Romeo flinched as she started rifling through her mother's bag for green thread. "M-my apologies. I've been forcing myself to be in character for the past few weeks. It was all I could think to say."
Finding the right thread, she wasted no time threading a spare needle. "Maybe we should focus on getting you fixed up. If the balcony scene isn't next, it's next to next."
The prince put one hand on the back of her chair. "He literally has one line after everyone does a brief monologue. He could probably keep the bad arm from the audience if you would mind waiting until then."
Haru forced herself to grab Romeo's arm and hold it in front of her so that the rip was facing her. "Hold it like that. I'm not saying this to be conceited, your highness, but you underestimate my sewing skills." With a practiced flair, she used her favorite knot to hold the cuff ends together and began weaving her needlepoint in and out of the sleeve, actually pulling the needle through every ten stitches or so.
She normally hated sewing in public since people always thought that she was showing off how fast she could go. But she was eager to get this repair job over with as soon as possible.
"You wield that needle like a wand," Baron said worshipfully as she finished the seam with a knot, burying the end before snipping off the remaining thread less than a minute after she tied the first knot.
"Reparo," Haru muttered sarcastically, standing up and shouldering her mother's bag. "Just be more careful about those chairs. They're being strangely vicious tonight."
"You're telling me," Tybalt muttered as he rubbed one leg.
But before Haru could make good on her escape, the prince grabbed her by the shoulders and started steering her the other direction while talking over one shoulder.
"No, I'm not hitting on her, I just need to talk; all of you get to the next part immediately. We can't handle any more delays tonight."
Baron's jealous glare said he didn't believe the man, but Mercutio and Benvolio managed to drag him back to the stage.
Once they were alone, the prince wheeled Haru around enough to lock eyes with her. "First off, thanks for doing that for us. Second off, I know you haven't been encouraging Baron's attentions."
"He doesn't need encouragement, that's for sure," she muttered under her breath.
He managed a small laugh of agreement. "I hate to ask this of you since it's your friend's birthday, but… would you mind sitting back here for the rest of the performance?"
Haru made a startled sound, but he held his hands up defensively.
"I'm sorry, but you're a massive distraction for Baron, and he was panicking about being able to do later scenes with you watching. Also, I wouldn't exactly put it past him to intentionally rip something again."
Haru gave a nervous glance to the stage, only imagining the crowd beyond that. Would she really be able to sit through the rest of the performance in peace, anyway? She knew what scenes he was talking about.
She bit her lower lip before nodding. "I guess I can make it up to Hiromi later. So, how are you planning on making sure he goes out there if I'm back here?"
"One problem at a time, please," he begged, pacing in front of her while taking off his plumed hat so he could ruffle his dark hair in frustration. "If Father catches wind of how many problems cropped up already, I'll never be allowed to direct again. It's so much more fun without him breathing down our necks, and he promised to let us do Once Upon a Mattress next if we-"
Haru didn't think. She grabbed his arm and yanked to stop his worried pacing. "Did you just name-drop what I think you did?" her lips asked in a low tone.
His mismatched eyes were wary at her sudden interest, but he nodded.
This was supposed to be Hiromi's special night. It had taken all of Haru's willpower not to alert her friend until their cab arrived in front of the dinner theatre instead of the promised restaurant. But thanks to Baron's unexpected interest in her, it had turned more into Haru's night than anything else, whether she liked it or not. She didn't want to use the newly formed plan since it would require more confidence than she possessed. But this was too good of an opportunity to pass up, even to avoid a suddenly smitten stranger.
Haru wrapped an arm around the prince's shoulders and started whispering. "If you agree to do one small favor for me, I'll handle Baron and do all the tailoring needed until the end of the next production. Tonight is included in the deal."
The prince gaped at her. "Is it really only a little favor if you're willing to go that far?"
Haru nodded. "To me, yes. To Hiromi, it'll mean more than a little."
"Are you done with her yet?" Baron growled in a challenge as he came up behind them, leaving the stage as soon as his one line was done. His envious eyes were on Haru's arm, still over the young prince.
Haru locked eyes with the man she was negotiating with. "Final offer," she deadpanned while releasing him.
Shaking his head slightly, the prince threw his hands up in defeat. "How can I refuse?"
"That's what I thought. Baron, could you follow me for a second?" Haru asked despite already knowing the answer.
His mood immediately sweetened, following her in an instant to behind a rack of costumes tucked away in a corner.
Turning around once they were concealed, she decided to start at the beginning. "I'm Haru Yoshioka, nice to meet you," she greeted, giving him a traditional bow.
His smile was almost bright enough to give off sparks as he returned the bow. "That's a lovely name! I'm Humbert Gikkingen, but everyone calls me Baron."
'I don't blame him for taking a nickname.' She took in a deep breath. "Baron, your behavior really embarrassed me."
He blanched, clearly hoping for something more in his favor. He started twiddling his thumbs nervously. "I wasn't trying to, it's just that seeing you caught me off-guard, and-"
Haru gently pressed a hand over his mouth. "I'm sure we don't have enough time to talk things through before your next scene, so I'll get to the point. Do you want me to take you seriously after tonight?"
Baron nodded without hesitation, so she took her hand off his mouth.
"Then I want you to completely ignore me the rest of the performance. I'll stay back here to make it easier. Just go out there and be your best Romeo."
He gaped at her in horror.
"I'll… give you my phone number if you can do it," Haru promised, trying to offer a small smile. "Mercutio was right when he said now was a really bad time for us to talk things out. Don't answer me, show me."
Baron pouted like a child denied dessert, forcing himself to turn away from Haru and move around the costume rack to head back to the stage. "Every unworthy thing may look on her, but Romeo may not!" he mourned bitterly.
"Drama llama," Haru muttered under her breath, intentionally waiting until he was on stage again before coming around the costumes as well.
A blinding flash greeted her almost immediately, making her blink in surprise.
Juliet was holding an old-fashioned camera that was already spewing out a photo. She grabbed the paper while smiling at it. "He's the king of the drama llamas. The deal doesn't include photos, right?" she asked with a smirk.
Haru's shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're not going to scapegoat me the whole night, are you?"
Juliet took two steps in order to wrap her in a one-armed hug. "You have him twitter-pated, Haru! Unless you get over your shyness enough to go out there someday, he's probably never going to be able to take a romantic role again. You still get my custard," she reminded her with a grin, setting the camera down and pinning the photo paper to one shoulder of her red dress before climbing a ladder that had been bolted to the wrong side of a tower-shaped structure for the balcony scene.
Haru could only cover her mouth and nose while attempting to breathe steadily and mentally count to ten while fighting back a blush. "Me on stage. Not likely." 'Hiromi had better appreciate this when the moment comes.'
"Um, hello," Friar Laurence greeted her nervously while showing her a sleeve of his churchman's robe that was clearly safety pinned together on the seam. "Lune said you're willing to do more repairs?"
Haru managed a smile at him, directing with her head at the two chairs from before. "Let's get you fixed up."
ooOoo
"For never was a story of more woe,
"Than this of Juliet, and her Romeo," the prince intoned sadly as the play ended.
There had been disappointingly little left to report of the rest of the performance. There were no more accidents, the prince was on a double-patrol to keep everything running smoothly, and Juliet showed increasingly clever ways to hide Haru's picture so that only Romeo could see it, although a few snickers from the audience said loud and clear that someone had caught onto the ruse.
Haru had to admit that she was having more fun than she was anticipating. It had almost become a game to finish an actor's hemline or adjust a tunic before they were needed back on stage. Sure, there were a few times she had to side-step with the actor while finishing a detail right before they headed out there, but it was still a fun challenge.
But for now, her hands were bare of material. Sore and pricked from that much sewing in one night. She stared at her hands, trying to steady her heart and her breath for what was going to come any second. All she could do was sit in her folding chair and await her fate.
Tybalt was trying to hide a laugh as he patted her shoulder with his huge hand. "Just relax, Chicky. Baron's extremely old-fashioned when it comes to how to treat women on a date. Just ask Louise, she'll tell you he's a gentleman."
"She seems like the type to warn me if he wasn't," Haru agreed, but that didn't make her feel any better. 'I've never dated anyone before, let alone a college guy. What if I mess it up? What if I want to mess it up?'
"Forget that! We want to know about Romeo and Rosaline!" someone in the audience called out as others gave agreeing shouts through the applause, making something solid slam against the floor of the stage.
Haru was somehow certain it was a 'dead man' rising from the grave.
"So do I!" Romeo answered, not even staying for the curtain call as he nearly ran off the stage and around the corner with a beaming smile only for Haru, who was fighting back another violent blush and trying to keep her eyes on her hands and lap.
That didn't prevent her from seeing him standing in front of her expectedly. "I believe we had an agreement?" he prodded excitedly.
"The play was over before he looked at you again," Mercutio egged on from the other side of the chair while teasingly nudging her with an elbow.
"What about the final bow?" she asked pointedly.
"You said the end of the performance, not the final bow," Baron informed her with a bit of a smirk in his tone. "My patience has been tried enough for the night."
Haru blushed even harder as she forced herself to look up and offer a nervous smile and one hand. "Your phone?"
He blinked, running quickly for the collection of coats hanging off a rack by the back door and poking through the pockets of a light grey jacket. "Please tell me I didn't accidentally leave it in the dorm- ah ha!"
Knowing it would only save time, Haru pulled her own cell phone out of a hidden pocket of her dress and unlocked it so that they could switch phone numbers.
"So when's the date?" Hiromi asked eagerly as she and Naoko were escorted into the backstage, each carrying a bowl of the half-eaten custard.
Baron laughed in good humor as he finished tapping his information into her phone. "Patience, please. Are you doing anything tomorrow?" he directed at the furiously blushing brunette.
Haru laughed nervously. "Well-"
"I'm cancelling our movie tomorrow!" Hiromi announced, coming forward enough to nudge the chair closer to Baron with one foot before having another spoonful of the orange custard. "She's all free now."
"But no pressure," Haru sighed, noticing that the director had a handful of the actors in a huddle on the stage, clearly conspiring something.
Baron blinked, kneeling before her and offering her phone back. "I'm not interested in forcing you into anything, Haru. Just… let me show you I know how to talk without Shakespeare. Are you familiar with the park about ten minutes walk from here?"
'Too bad I knew as soon as Mom grabbed me that I wasn't walking away without a date,' Haru admitted to herself. "A bit, yes. When do you want to meet up?"
"Would ten be agreeable?" he asked, relieved that she was agreeing to seeing him again.
"That should work. I'm not an early riser," Haru admitted, making her mother and best friend high five each other behind her back.
"If I can have your attention, ladies and gentlemen!" the young director called to the audience, some of which had obviously started to leave. "We have a special treat for everyone to make up for the earlier delays! I've been assured that it will be worth a few extra minutes."
Haru sharply looked away from Baron with a panicked expression. "I didn't mean in front of everyone!"
"Mean what, sweetie?" Naoko couldn't keep from asking.
The prince ignored the outcry. "It is my great pleasure to announce that Hiromi Hashima is going to grace us with her interpretation of 'Shy'."
Hiromi's mouth fell open to emit a squeal of pure unexpected delight. She spared only enough time to nearly suffocate her best friend with a hug, pass her custard to a stunned Naoko, and run to the stage, where the huddled actors were lying in wait as one of them finished hooking up his phone to a speaker and starting the appropriate music.
Hiromi strutted confidently towards the prince who was fighting back a smirk. "So who's the lucky man? Hey, nani nani nani, is it you?"
"Nani nani nani, no," he laughed, making her repeat the routine a few more times with other actors, adding a slight amount of drama to her gestures. The Capulet servant from earlier in the play stepped up in a second for the prince's line as Juliet just as eagerly took the part of the possessive queen.
Hiromi knew she was coming off as hammy, but it was too good of an opportunity to waste on subtlety! This had been her favorite musical since childhood. She knew all the versions, all the lines, and could even name most of the main cast's real names in each movie and popular play interpretation.
Thankfully the other actors were good at ad-libbing their movements to echo her dancing. It felt all too soon when the song ended with-
"I am one man…" she sang, dragging the last word out for all she was worth as the other actors sang,
"The lady is one… man…"
"Sh-y!" they all cried out, ending the music with two of the actors picking her up and planting her squarely in front of the makeshift prince, who was grinning like an idiot.
The audience screamed their approval, clapping wildly for Hiromi's first stage performance that didn't have an audience of schoolmates' assorted family members.
Her answering bow was just as over the top as her performance, grinning wildly at the plumed prince as she rose. "Thanks for letting me do that."
The young director was grinning from ear to ear as he finished clapping as well. "Well, that's one less role to post auditions for."
Hiromi blinked in surprise, forgetting that there was still an audience. "Wait, what?"
Still beaming happily, the young man pointed at where Haru was waiting just off stage with Baron on one side and her mother on the other. "Your friend over there sold her sewing skills to the theatre for the next few months for you to get the first crack at Princess Fred's role. We're doing 'Once Upon a Mattress' next, and she seemed to think you would be a perfect fit."
Hiromi's mouth fell open again in a nearly inaudible squeal of pure joy as the audience roared their approval once more. She didn't even realize she was falling backward until Mercutio caught her by the arms.
"Wow. You're just making everyone swoon tonight, aren't you?" the troublemaker purred at Haru, making her shoot a glare at him.
"Shove it!"
xxXxx
As a reminder:
Romeo- Baron
Juliet- Louise
Benvolio- Natori
Mercutio- Toto
Tybalt- Muta
The Prince/Director- Lune
Capulet servant- Natoru
Father Laurence: Haku from Spirited Away. His hair reminds me of an old-fashioned churchman for some reason.