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???: Oh, my love! My star! Let me kiss the tears from your precious immortal face-
The two kiss passionately- or at least that’s what the script says. In reality, Rift leans down to peck Sita on the cheek and promptly falls over into a vat of fake cheese. It feels real enough, though, as she sits there with dripping wet clothes and a frown not unheard of among the group.
Arson flails his hands around in the air, clipboard waving frantically at the actors in a very undignified manner. The pen behind his ear slips out in the ruckus, and Laden reaches down to grab it with a sigh before tucking the writing implement back where it belongs. They’ve clearly done this before.
“What happened to passionate, Rift?!” Arson chokes out, still trying to throw hands with air molecules. “The script clearly states passionate! That- that was the most chaste kiss I have ever witnessed in my life!”
“It was better than last week,” Sita pipes up from where she lies on the stage, silver hair practically dripping off the edge like some sort of demented waterfall.
“Last week Rift kissed the floor, and it still looked better!” Arson growls, somehow even more exasperated than before. “All of this is just a catastrophe! It’s almost comical how bad you all are at this!”
“Hehe, cat-astrophe,” Page chuckles from the corner, pointing at Rift’s fluffy ears, or at least, usually fluffy. After her ill-fated encounter with the cheese, they’re droopy yet kind of spiky at the same time.
“Shut up, deadweight,” Rift grumbles, but it’s all in good fun. “By the way, Sita, there’s a rat eating your hair.”
“Darn you, Margaret,” Sita chides, ruffling the fur on the rat- Margaret’s head. “I just dyed the ends blue yesterday! Also, I told you to stop eating hair. It’s bad for you.”
The rat squeaks. It almost seems... smug?
“Looks nice, by the way,” Rift adds from her perch on the prop tree, having finally climbed out of the cheese bucket. Why they keep a a vat of cheese onstage at all times, no one knows. If she were to ask, Page would just wink and whisper, “Aesthetics, Rift. It’s always for the aesthetics,” before skipping off to bother Arson about some ‘new, innovative, product’ for ‘maximum prop-making efficiency.’ Arson would inevitably decline, until Page flashes her signature puppy eyes. They’re all vulnerable to Page’s puppy eyes. He would buy it for her, and then practically melt into the floor with regret when she discards it within two months for the next big thing. And thus the cycle begins anew.
“C’mon, Arson, get over it. The show must go on, after all! Let’s block Scene 6 instead,” Page interjects.
“Oh- fine. Sure. Em, Gill, and Rosea to the stage. Page, set the scene,” Arson concedes, resigned to his fate. Reluctantly, he allows a small, “the show must go on.” Later, he’ll pretend he didn’t say anything, but everyone knows he’s just embarrassed to have folded so quickly to Page. They’ll sympathize. Everyone in the troupe is susceptible to Page’s charms.
The Page in question cheers as she heads towards the prop closet. “Aw, thank you so much! I knew you’d understand.”
“Oh god, acting,” Sever bemoans from his spot collapsed on the floor. “Gill is a truly atrocious character and I refuse to play him in this ridiculous farce of a show!” He still begins to saunter towards the stairs. Everyone’s aware he doesn’t actually mind his role. He just gets too much of a kick from criticizing people. Real or made up.
“Stop trying to kill the mood, Sever. It’s mean,” Rift pouts, giving him her best sad eyes, though they are admittedly not as good as Page’s. She hops excitedly onto the stage with a bit of a satisfied smile. Rosea is a fun character to play, even if Rift’s not very good with romantic stuff. Probably shouldn’t have chosen to audition for one of the main characters in a vampire romance (key word ‘romance’), but those are past Rift problems. Current Rift just wants to have some fun and do some acting.
“Coming,” Jes calls from the back of the room. She walks calmly to the front, much more composed than the rest (sans Laden, whose expression literally does not change ever. They are truly a statue, especially amongst such dramatic people). Unfortunately, Jes almost trips over Sita on her way across the stage, still flopped over the side like a discarded marionette.
“Gah! Sita, why are you lying in the middle of the stage? We have a scene to do.” She gently shoves the girl off the edge, where she lands with a quiet plop, hair puddling around her like a sopping wet halo.
“Guyssssss, Jes pushed me!” she grumbles, legs thrown out to the side and a hand laid dramatically over her face.
“Jes, don’t push people,” Arson sighs. “Sita, don’t lie on the stage when we’re doing important stuff.” This is what he got for going into theatre instead of something sensible, like medicine. He should have seen the drama coming, but nothing in school could have possibly prepared him for these idiots. Still, they were his idiots and he felt obligated to try and keep some kind of peace around here. He couldn’t let it descend into total anarchy, after all, even though the thought sometimes crossed his mind.
“Alright, let’s begin. Places, everyone!”
GILL: Oh doomed one, do not be afraid! For even in your mortal state, you are still my love. I will never abandon my one true love, not for all the gold in the world. Stay with me now, my sweet eclipse.
He cradles EM’s head in his arms.
EM: Worry not, dear. I return the favor, an undying oath of love forevermore. Even as I lie here fatally wounded, I think of you.
They kiss. EM reaches up and rests her hand on GILL’s cheek, wiping away a lone tear- wait, where’s the tear?
“Sever, you said you could cry on command! You even brag about it regularly, and believe me, I am so very tired of hearing about your ‘impeccable ability to mimic emotions.’ But now, in one of the only scenes where you have to cry, you cannot summon a single, little, tear? It’s for character development!” Arson glowers at Sever from where he sits in the front row.
“In my defense, I was thinking about a really funny joke!” Sever pleads from the stage.
“Stop thinking about your ridiculous jokes on stage! You’ve got to get into the character’s mindset, and this isn’t it,” Arson shoots back, stopping Sever’s long-winded excuse in its tracks.
“Fine. Sorry, Arson. Can we keep going?”
“Yeah. Begin Scene 6.”
GILL: Oh doomed one, do not be afraid! For even in your mortal state, you are still my love. I will never abandon my one true love, not for all the gold in the world. Stay with me now, my sweet eclipse.
He cradles EM’s head in his arms.
EM: Worry not, dear. I return the favor, an undying oath of love forevermore. Even as I lie here fatally wounded, I think of you.
They kiss. EM reaches up and rests her hand on GILL’s cheek, wiping away a lone tear that slips from his eyes.
GILL: I am sorry, I should not cry. A vampire should always be ready to lose a loved one. Immortality is... difficult, my love. I knew I would have to bid farewell to you one day.
GILL begins to sob.
GILL: I simply did not realize it would be this soon.
EM: Then turn me, and I shall be with you forever! A simple solution, as it seems to me. I offer up my neck.
Arson interjects. “More emotion, please! Em is dying! This is a sad scene, show some sadness. Go on.”
Jes and Sever grumble, but adjust their expressions appropriately.
GILL: But, my love, how can I burden you with such a curse?
EM: It is not a curse but a gift, if it keeps me with you. Do not hesitate, sink your beautiful fangs into my neck and drink.
GILL begins to cry again, but he brings EM’s throat to his mouth and bites. The venom works fast.
EM: I can feel it, my love! The bloodlust!
GILL: I- I- I am sorry.
GILL runs offstage, from the place where EM lies with blood leaking from her neck. The wound is already starting to heal.
Enter ROSEA.
Hello?
Rosea?
“Rift!” Arson calls. “Where are you? Haven’t you memorized your cues?”
No answer.
Suddenly Rift stumbles out, quickly back in character. She glares at Arson, a look that clearly means, ‘don’t. say. anything.’ He nods back. You don’t mess with angry Rift.
ROSEA: Em? Sister, where are you?
ROSEA gasps at the sight of what seems to be EM’s dead body.
“And... Scene!”
“That was pretty good, everyone! Despite the... hiccup, everything’s gotten a lot better since last time!” Arson says, trying to reassure the actors.
“Last time, Sever tried to bite grass instead of Jes,” Sita offers. “That’s a low bar to clear.”
“I was... maybe a little tipsy at the time. It wasn’t my fault,” Sever protests.
“Grass,” Sita repeats, smirking.
“Tipsy,” Sever answers.
“Grass.”
“Tipsy.”
“Grass.”
“Tipsy.”
“Guys, stop,” Jes interrupts. “We’ll never get anywhere like this.”
“Siblings,” Arson mutters under his breath.
“It’s not like you’re much better with Rift,” Sita says, having heard his comment. “You two argue just as much, only you do it when you think we’re not looking. ‘Course we know it’s all lighthearted fun, but you can’t talk.”
“Yeah, even Laden joins in sometimes,” Sever adds. “Must be weird, being triplets. I’m so glad I get to be the older one here. I’m clearly more responsible and much more mature.”
“Ha,” Sita scoffs. “Mature. Keep telling yourself that.”
“What- what do you mean by that? As the older sibling, I am automatically more mature here. Anyways, it’s not like you’re much better,” Sever argues, hopping down from the stage.
“Again, guys, please stop arguing!” Jes says, quite annoyed at their antics. “It’s not doing either of you any favors. Sever is older, Sita’s younger, neither of you are mature.”
Sever gasps indignantly, but stops talking.
“Alright, everyone,” Arson begins. “Do we want to run Scene 6 again or go back to Scene 8? Your call.”
A chorus of murmurs rises up from the group.
“Louder, please. I literally cannot hear any of you.”
“8!” Sita calls. “I need so much practice with that one.”
“Well, I heard Sita first. Scene 8 it is! Rosea and Mali to the stage. Page, sets.”
Rift high-fives Sita on the way up the stairs. “We got this, don’t worry.”
“I know,” Sita responds. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“Places!”
ROSEA is wandering around a battlefield.
ROSEA: Mali, my love. Where are you? Are you hurt?
MALI is lying in the other side of the stage, blood dripping from wounds in her legs and arms.
MALI: Here, sweet sour cherry! Please, come to me. I need your love.
ROSEA: Mali! What has happened to you, due to which you sustain such grievous injuries?
MALI: It was Erven! He ambushed me as I was searching for you, beautiful one.
“...by the way, where’s Trey?” Arson asks, interrupting the scene. “He has to appear as Erven later on, and I’ve not seen hide nor hair of him for the past few hours.”
“I think he’s out with that new boyfriend of his,” Jes offers.
“That’s nice and all,” Arson says. “But he needs to be here instead. Couldn’t he have waited to go on a date?”
“Probably not,” Sita answers. “You know Trey.”
Arson only lets out a quiet “ugh.”
“Just- just keep going up until his entrance, then we’ll stop for today. From Mali’s line.”
MALI: It was Erven! He ambushed me as I was searching for you, beautiful one.
ROSEA: Oh, my love! My star! Let me kiss the tears from your precious immortal face-
The two kiss passionately.
MALI: Thank you for this last act of love, my dear. But there is still a stake through my heart.
ROSEA: Then drink from me! Regain your strength!
MALI: That would be monstrous, to drink from a human being. I am no Erven, no matter his claims.
ROSEA: I want you to, my love. I am willing.
MALI and ROSEA begin to weep. ROSEA puts her wrist next to MALI’s fangs, and MALI bites, drinking her fill.
Enter ERVEN.
“And that’s where we’re ending for today, everyone!” Arson calls. “Let’s get out of costume, and then we can all go out for dinner. As a treat. Rift and Sita, that was the best run-through of that scene you’ve ever done.”
“Thank you,” Rift says. “I’m so happy I finally got it right.” She tousles Arson’s carefully crafted hair as she goes to put her costume on the rack.
“C’mon, everybody. Let’s go have some fun.”