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Post by natalieburns on Nov 9, 2009 18:44:53 GMT -5
Natalie watched the play unfold from backstage. It was always a joy to watch her uncle act - even back when she wasn't being civil with the man, there was no denying that he was a good actor. And Ian... she wondered, once again, where she had discovered that brilliant piece of work. Ian had morphed into a very good actor in the short time that Natalie had been working with him.
But she really should be spending less time watching the play, she thought to herself, and more time going over her lines to herself. Muttering under her breath, she perched on the edge of backstage and waiting for her cue to enter.
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Nov 9, 2009 19:10:34 GMT -5
Rudeth turned slowly toward the jester, all semblance of merriment dropped. He crossed carefully upstage of the jester, his cloak swirling about his ankles. "Is this how I am to be treated?" he bellowed, gesticulated widely. "Ridiculed and undermined in my own court?" He circled around Ian, his face twisting unkindly. "And by fools, no less?" he hissed, leaning in close so that he towered over the jester.
He paused, turning back toward Aritha and extended his hand to her. "Come, my dear," he implored. "Let us dance. I will hear no more of this nonsense."
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Post by Aritha Bianca Kairavi on Nov 9, 2009 19:27:26 GMT -5
Aritha took his hand, "Perhaps for a time, my lord... " she said, sounding reluctant. This was her favorite part. Rudy was a good dancer, and she loved dancing with him. And he smelled nice. Not in the 'I want to eat you' way, but just... nice. Like the spices she cooked with and warm applewood smoke. At least to her, that's what he smelled like.
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Post by Smoke on Nov 9, 2009 19:44:40 GMT -5
Smoke was always distracted during a production. He had one part of his mind on the kids backstage and making sure things kept running, one part on watching the play, one running the spell that let him watch several things at once, and another running some of the more specialized stage effects the techs either couldn't get down or didn't have the concentration to hold. He trusted that if there was anything important he missed, Hoshi would ping him from the audience, but at this point, he was waiting for the intermission between acts so he could unfuzz his head and get some water before switching spells. He was really not the best person to do... anything that wasn't divination-related, really... and it didn't help that his magic tended to start doing this weird static thing during productions.
Everyone was doing great; he was especially happy for Ian, since he was new, and Rudeth, who always had so much fun with this stuff. He really hoped the boy would consider doing theatre after high school...
He focused back onto the present and looked to Natalie and Hitomi. "Ready for your cue?"
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Post by ianharris on Nov 9, 2009 19:54:13 GMT -5
Ian shivered a bit when Rudy yelled at him. It was acting, of course, but Ian always got nervous when someone shouted at him. Oh, well. He would get over it eventually, he figured.
Aritha's line signaled Ian's exit. He pranced towards the side of the stage, whistling. But once he was past where the audience could see, the prancing, whistling, and hat were gone. Ian mopped sweat from his forehead. It was going to be a long night.
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Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on Nov 9, 2009 19:56:04 GMT -5
Vincent also took Aritha's cue, bowing again to the Prince and striding offstage after the jester, still maintaining his quiet, dignified stance. He flashed a grin at Natalie as he came backstage, whispering in her ear as he brushed past her. "Break a leg!"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Nov 9, 2009 20:34:41 GMT -5
Hitomi nodded to Smoke, smoothing her long hair back in her ponytail. Dressed elegantly in the breeches and jacket of a young nobleman, her similarity to her brother was eerily apparent. She couldn't help but be proud of the costuming job she and Aritha had managed: most pieces had been hand-sewn, and those that weren't had been very carefully selected for the individual characters. But as much as she liked costuming, nothing could compare to the thrill of being on the stage.
Hitomi slipped her arm through Natalie's, keeping her back straight so that she was slightly taller than Natalie, at least with the added height of her boots. She smiled, dragging her companion on-stage as the music crescendoed.
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Jason Hiller
Ireth
University Freshman: Lycanthrope
Just another nancy boy...
Posts: 1,433
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Post by Jason Hiller on Nov 9, 2009 20:50:15 GMT -5
Jason jumped a little as Zeph's hand tightened on his shoulder, craning his neck to see over his shoulder. Someone had screamed... He saw Veronique getting to her feet, brushing herself off and storming away -- hadn't she been in the box above the audience? How could she have fallen?
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Post by natalieburns on Nov 9, 2009 20:54:45 GMT -5
Natalie flashed her uncle a grin before being led onstage by Hitomi. Led not being the proper word, of course. Dragged was more like it. The bright lights and heat of the stage wasn't uncomfortable to Natalie at all. In fact, it felt like being at home.
"How fortunate we are that our prince has built these high walls!" Natalie exclaimed, nuzzling closer to Hitomi. "The darkness is kept out, and the merriment is kept in. Come now, my love... there are many more festivities for us to take part in. And this happy night seems to last forever!"
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Nov 9, 2009 23:09:28 GMT -5
Hitomi turned toward Natalie, holding the other girl's hands in her own. "Indeed, how fortunate!" she echoed, gesturing around the ballroom. "If only this--"
Hitomi's voice broke. She felt it before she saw it: the violent burst of colors shifting too quickly for her to identify shifted and burned high above the audience. There, in the headmistress' box, she saw him.
"Lhachlhass," she whispered, trembling.
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Post by Himmel on Nov 9, 2009 23:22:18 GMT -5
Himmel had specific instructions from Smoke, like don't start ADHDing on stage, he respected that. Smoke was one of the few people Himmel would go out of his way to listen to but.. damn Veronique just gone thrown out of her box.. this was special.
He looked up squinting into the box to see who his new hero was and froze in horror. It was him, not the mirror version here, the real one. He started back away slowly, his gaze fixed on the shadowy figure in the box.
Beside him he heard Hitomi whisper the name.
He turned and bolted back stage finding Smoke. He ran up to his friend and grabbed his arm. "We have to stop the play now! He's here, Lhachlhass, the REAL one I told you about! He just attacked Vero and he's coming! We have to get everyone one out now!"
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Post by Smoke on Nov 10, 2009 21:11:34 GMT -5
Smoke turned to Himmel, still distracted, and opened his mouth to say something, then closed it as the vampire began to speak.
He peeked out from behind the curtains briefly, then pulled his head back inside and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. Outside, some of the lighting disappeared, and the stage became distinguishable as a stage rather than a Prince's palace.
"Argh. Okay. Shit." His head was still fuzzy, but this sort of thing was what emergency drills were for. "I think... evacuate in-an-orderly-manner, call the hunter faculty and they do their thing. Point me to the lights."
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Post by Angel Kapur on Nov 11, 2009 0:22:16 GMT -5
The lights flickered and became brighter, and then, the audience lights came on.
As soon as they had, however, the theatre was plunged into darkness as the Red Death walked onto the stage, clad from head to toe in elaborate costume and frightful mask. The lights seemed to make little dent in the dark, but the players could all be seen, as if lit softly by their own inner light; the Red Death alone was clad in a strange shroud which seemed to be visible only because it made everything else look brighter.
He strode purposefully up the stage, cloak flapping dramatically behind him, straight up to Rudeth, ignoring the other players.
"I have come," the Death spoke in a deep and growling baritone, "to make a deal with the Prince. No..."
He turned slowly to face the balcony. "The Princes."
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Nov 11, 2009 1:08:28 GMT -5
Hitomi felt her stomach lurch. She could feel the stagnant air pressing in around her, hot and humid from the heat of the stage lights and the density of the crowd. Her hair clung in damp clumps to the back of her neck and her forehead. The hair on her arms stood on end.
Behind her, she could feel his approach. The dark colors sparked and flared and pulled at everything around them, overpowering until everyone else felt like static.
Almost everyone. She watched in terror as his eyes went to the balcony. They were too close.
For a moment, her legs were heavy in place. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Hitomi took one last look at the face of the boy in the balcony, and she did the only thing she could do: she panicked, and she ran.
She turned sharply on her heel, flying out through the curtain, backstage, through the dressing rooms, and out the door. She ran until her legs gave out, and she collapsed in the hall.
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Post by Aritha Bianca Kairavi on Nov 11, 2009 1:33:53 GMT -5
Aritha yelped a little as a strange voice echoed over the stage. That was not Professor Mervielle-Dion. She clung to Rudy, wondering what the stranger meant by making a deal with princes. What princes was he talking about? There was only one in the show, and he wasn't even looking at the stage, but up in the balcony. The balcony the headmistress had fallen from...
She whispered very quietly, "Rudeth, what's going on?"
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Zephyros Aetai
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Small God
Even the mightest Hurricane started as the gentlest of breezes...
Posts: 1,380
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Post by Zephyros Aetai on Nov 11, 2009 1:37:22 GMT -5
Zephyros pushed his brother away, moving as close to Jason as he possibly could in the seats. He felt his heart rate pick up and was so happy he'd gotten Ellie to heal his wrists last night. He knew it wasn't the right person. That was NOT the tiny vampire's voice, that was for sure. Professor Dion had a smoother, kinder voice, a strong tenor that could be terrifying and yet calming.
"Jason... I don't like this. Let's get out of here," he said urgently, his eyes flickering gold in his distress as the breezes around himself picked up.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 11, 2009 1:40:33 GMT -5
Korlian moved to stand beside his brother, looking at the stage curiously. He met the eyes of the man dressed as the Red Death and laughed, a harsh mocking sound that carried through every corner of the auditorium.
"And what deal would you wish to make with us?" he called derisively. This was... Angel, yes? Ah, right, the one masquerading as a vampire. The one who had befriended him in his odd state. Korlian leaned somewhat over the balcony, knowing he was perfectly safe in doing so. "What would you ask of the Princes of the Fae?"
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Post by Angel Kapur on Nov 11, 2009 2:38:05 GMT -5
As Korlian began to speak, the lights moved to show him and Lhachlhass as well.
"Your kin are coming for you," he said in his booming voice, cloak flapping. He was grinning behind the mask, though whether from glee or fear or challenge or just the strain even he couldn't tell. "They say you've strayed too close, and should they fail tonight... there is always tomorrow night."
"I wish to keep the feud you've brought from destroying this place. I wish to keep them out of what is no longer theirs, and aid you in removing that farce you wear permanently." He paused for effect. "Or I can attempt this without your aid, and we will see whatever there is to see."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Nov 11, 2009 3:38:12 GMT -5
Korlian's eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening on the railing to the point of leaving prints in the wood. How dare he presume to think he could control Korlian and his brother? Even their own Courts had failed at such a thing.
Not that what Korlian had done was deserving of the prison he had been given. Nothing was deserving of that. Oh, he remembered now. He remembered everything except somewhat the past thirteen years. A mere blink of the eye in his long existence. His lip curled a little as he watched Angel's aura flicker. Ah, interesting mix of emotions that was. He looked at his brother with a brow raised. What did Lhachlhass think of this? Korlian personally didn't care what Angel's motivations were... as long as it resulted in Korlian not returning to the horrid form. At least, not for too long. Oh, he loathed that form.
"Our kin coming for us... we've faced that before, haven't we brother?" he asked softly, smirking slightly. His voice this time carried only to the Fae beside him. "What do you think? Should we help protect this school, and have our fun while we're at it? We have no reason to put our allegiance with either Court."
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Post by natalieburns on Nov 11, 2009 10:36:41 GMT -5
Natalie, who has spent the last three minutes rooted to her position in fear, decided that this would be an excellent time to get the hell off the stage. She backed slowly away from the not-Val Red Death, careful not to make any sudden movements. Whoever it was inside the Red Death costume probably didn't care too much about Natalie, but she didn't want to risk drawing unnecessary attention to herself.
She slipped backstage and started frantically looking around. No sign of Vincent or Ian. Natalie turned around and looked back towards the stage. There was Ian - the boy was standing just off the wings on the other side of the stage. Shit. Natalie tried to make a motion, any motion that would allow Ian to see her, but all she could convince herself to do was a small, barely noticeable wave.
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Post by ianharris on Nov 11, 2009 11:02:12 GMT -5
Ian saw Natalie waving at him from the other side of the stage. He wanted to run around and join her, he really did. However, there was a force greater than anything else in Ian's mind at that moment, and that was a strange mixture of fear and curiosity. When the lights had illuminated the two strangers in the headmistress' box, Ian had ceased all movement and stared, horrified, at the duo. They were nothing like he had ever seen before.
Still, there was something about one of them that seemed oddly familiar. A childish voice ran through Ian's thoughts. I... I shouldn't be like this!
And just like that, Ian recognized one of the two figures. And his heart sank just a little bit. "Kor..." He breathed. In his head, Ian mentally compared the thing-he-was-pretty-sure-was-Korlian to the picture in the book. There was very little room for doubt.
If that thing in the box isn't Korlian, Ian thought to himself. I will put down the books, leave this school, and get a job at Starbucks. Not really. But still... it has to be... there's no other explanation... Still petrified with fear, Ian kept his gaze fixed on the exchange before him, praying that nothing too terrible would happen, but knowing that it probably would. Things always went from bad to worse in these situations.
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Vincent Hawk
Ireth
Sexy British Professor of Music
~ Sing like no one's listening ~
Posts: 722
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Post by Vincent Hawk on Nov 11, 2009 11:44:59 GMT -5
Vincent gripped the hilt of his sword in a sweating hand as he scanned the audience with wide, frightened eyes from just off the stage. He soon spotted Diana seated next to Jason and Zeph, but the chair on her other side was empty.
Vincent's heart jumped into his throat. Where was Ariel? She hadn't come back from the intermission... His stomach churned with fear. She could be anywhere right now... everywhere he couldn't protect her. This was infinitely worse than the Conall incident. Then he had been at Ariel's side to help her, and he had been able to see his enemy. Now both Ariel and the enemies, whoever they were, were unseen and unknown.
But the voices of the Red-Death-who-was-not-Valérian and one of the two strangers in Veronique's box echoed in his head. The stranger-Red-Death had addressed the people in the box as the Princes of the Fae... and hadn't Korlian shown himself to be of Faerie kin? And he had a brother, Lhachlhass, who would also be Fae.
Your kin are coming for you, the Red Death had told them.
Vincent's knuckles whitened as his hand tightened on his swordhilt. This whole night was going to hell in a handbasket. He prayed silently that, wherever she was, Ariel had found somewhere safe to hide, or someone to protect her. And most importantly, something made of iron, to use as a weapon if need be. He hoped need wouldn't be.
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Jason Hiller
Ireth
University Freshman: Lycanthrope
Just another nancy boy...
Posts: 1,433
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Post by Jason Hiller on Nov 11, 2009 13:07:15 GMT -5
Jason nodded and swallowed at Zeph's words, gripping his boyfriend's hand in one of his and moving the other to tap Professor Harrows' shoulder to gain her attention.
"We have to get out of here," he told her, trying to speak slowly enough for her to read his lips in spite of his rising panic. "Now. We're not safe here anymore."
He craned his head up, looking over the rows of seats toward the auditorium doors. Everyone seemed to be focused on the Red Death... maybe no-one would notice of they sneaked out, as long as they kept low and out of sight.
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Diana Hawk
Ireth
Ass't Principal; Head of Shapeshifters
You told I had the eyes of a wolf; search them and find the beauty of the beast.
Posts: 262
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Post by Diana Hawk on Nov 11, 2009 13:12:14 GMT -5
Diana nodded, reading Jason's lips and taking his free hand. She glanced to her left, seeing that the seat beside her was empty. Ariel hadn't come back from the intermission. Diana prayed that wherever she currently was, Ariel would be safe, far from the chaos currently unfolding in here.
She crouched low and led Jason and Zeph quickly out into the aisle, hurrying toward the doors and praying they wouldn't be noticed.
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Zephyros Aetai
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Small God
Even the mightest Hurricane started as the gentlest of breezes...
Posts: 1,380
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Post by Zephyros Aetai on Nov 11, 2009 13:27:08 GMT -5
Zephyros reached back and grabbed his brother by the collar, pulling him close. "C'mon, Notos. We're getting out of here while we can," he hissed, dragging his brother behind him carefully but awkwardly. Knowing Notos, he'd want to stay and find out what was going on, but Zeph would rather his brother get out of this ALIVE.
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