1st Summer 514AV
Early Afternoon
Early Afternoon
Adelaide had just come from watching her Uncle be sworn in as Magistrate and left as soon as it was politely possible to do so, in order to catch the afternoon auditions at the Playhouse, which she had been kindly asked to be involved in this time around. Adelaide was glad to note that her standing in the Theatre was increasing ever so slightly, from mere benefactor to an active partaker - someone who's view was respected genuinely than merely because she provided money. Still, going to the Playhouse was not considered a day off, since it was owned by the family and she had a job to supervise its management and affairs. That made it the perfect place for her to have a little fun and de-wind, without having to take a day off.
When she arrived on Fire Island, the day had already seemed very full after that morning and narrowly avoiding a punch up with a deranged freeborn on Kalvinah Bridge. Thankfully someone had come to deal with him and take him away, in spite of Adelaide's plea for clemency, so she had been able to reach her destination relatively quickly. Outside the Theatre Booth was a long line of people, some nervously clutching pieces of paper, other's practising and a couple at the front avidly flirting. Adelaide smiled as Vincent waved her in and she started making her way down the stone steps to the performance area. A young man with freckles and pale hair was standing in front of a panel of three, slowly getting more red-faced as he forgot increasingly more lines.
"Oh, to behold a ring of fire than enflames my fire... no, I mean desire. And that that ring should face, I mean grace, the finger of my beloved..."
It was crueller to let him continue with this charade, but Adelaide stood at the back patiently, opting to wait for him to finish before interrupting and greeting Octavius.
"But that same ring grows old."
"Cold." Adelaide knew not what had pushed her to interrupt but she did so, sweeping forward with a kind smile, "Oh, but that ring grows cold when her beauty, that in itself could send me to breach the brightest lights of the sky to bring her back the stars, frowns on me." she paused before noting, with an warm laugh, "A rather poor choice of play, so don't worry about getting the words wrong - you've probably improved it."
Octavius stood to greet her, with a small nod of respect, and held out a seat for her. Adelaide sat down with a thank you and turned back to the red-faced man, though he could not have been more than eighteen, with an apologetic glance.
"You speak well but your nerves have got the better of you. Try again next season... and do pick a different speech. Don't look too disappointed, and I'm sure you'll eventually get in. You are, after all, rather young. Do any of you have anything to add?" she turned to the three people sitting by her and all but Octavius shook their heads.
"Yes. Thank you Steven." Octavius said with a smile, "If you could send in the next person."
As Steven fled the scene, Octavius turned towards Adelaide, whose chin was resting on the palm of her hand as she looked pensively out at the sea, "You're too kind. I did not think he spoke well at all."
"He's young."
The next couple of auditionees were rather poor dancers and Adelaide hardly bothered noting what they were doing. Still, she smiled at the first and raised her eyebrows at the arrogance of the second, before sending them both on their way with kind words tinted with strong irony, at least in the case of the second person.
"Next." Octavius called.
A middle-aged man with greying hair entered, his hands calmly by his side and his head straight.
"Name?"
"Ulric Rhann Carneg'her."
"That's quite an unusual name. Where are you from?"
"Alvadas, but it's not a name typical of anywhere."
"Alright. You may proceed." Octavius raised his hands towards Ulric and there was silence.
Suddenly, the man transformed in front of them, his greying hair growing longer and turning blonde while his entire body shortened and a figure developed. Adelaide's eyes widened as the man became a pretty, young woman standing in front of them with confidence. She leant forwards in anticipation, sure that whatever was going to happen would be good.
"I am performing a part from the play, The Miser's Wife."
Adelaide nodded at this - it was a play she knew well, "Do you need someone to read in?"
"Yes." the woman, or rather the man, came forward and handed her a piece of paper. With a start of nostalgia, Adelaide remembered that she had done that exact audition piece in the past - a long while ago. She motioned to Octavius that she would read in, mentioned that she knew the play and stood up, moving to stand next to the performer.
"That a man should love her without reason, perhaps
But that that man should be my lover, I cannot fathom
Reason hath surely been exhausted while illusion possessed him!
For what other than mistaken illusion could give him cause,
to dote on this woman and dub her exquisitely divine? Perfect?
Make her husband a cuckold in the name of her pretty blue eyes?" He started well and it was impossible to tell that he was not playing his real gender. Unless of course, the man at the beginning had merely been the illusion in spite of the name, Ulric.
"He has not spoken to her?" Adelaide almost forgot to speak, so bemused was she by the man, or woman, in front of her, delivering lines with such panache.
"Of course not, yet still he believes himself in love.
While I, who bear his child and, indeed, am free to do so,
should bore him?"
"Milady, if I might be so bold... this supposed love may prove to be merely his vanity speaking." She was not really acting as she read in the lines, but her voice was convincing and she forced herself to sound right, so as not to put him off. Anyway, she had nothing to prove - she was already a member of the Playhouse troupe.
"True. A pose of courtly love is doubtless his intention,
In persevering, withal, in the face of her inattention
Merely wounded pride at, thus far, her lack of affection."
"Milady speaks in jest?" Though, of course, he was not a lady. Something which Adelaide had to keep reminding herself.
"Jest may be a suitable remedy for my anger, yet no.
I speak not in jest, but in temper.
I swore he should be mine, and mine he will be."
"And if he leaves you for the Lady?" It really was a most unusual state of affairs and even Mercy, usually so unshakeable, seemed to be looking at the proceedings with surprise.
"She has a husband."
"He is old, and his days may be numbered." In a way, Adelaide thought as she was reading the line, she was starting to enjoy herself and took up the mantle of the part with that mixture of manipulative slyness and surprised horror that characterised the part of the maid.
"Then, should Alonso's affection outlast the Lady's husband,
I swear, by Krysus herself, I will do all in my power to prevent his straying."
"Surely, you cannot mean..." The young Dynast had now truly embraced her task and was now reacting perfectly to the man's lines. She noticed a fleeting wink coming from Octavius at that point.
"For the sake of my unborn child, who I would not wish to be born a bastard, if not my own." How was he doing it? The acting was a little over the top and inconsistent in places but the mannerisms were so feminine...
"Milady!" The line came late and Adelaide had to refrain herself from blushing. All her wondering about him was grossly unprofessional and made her late.
"If Alonso's affection should outlast the Lady's husband,
Then it will also outlive the Lady, who shall prove faithful evermore,
in death as she was in life, to her esteemed husband."
"But who is this Lady?" asked Adelaide, raising her eyebrows with the consternation demanded of the character.
"Why, Madame Gilda Hessel, native of Ravok."
"A daughter of the Lark family?"
"The same."
"You would hang for such a crime."
"Unfortunately, Alonso is not given to loving charwomen and fishermen's wives. Come close and listen.
There is a man I know, living not two miles from here,
And take heed of my description of this same man.
For though he now has loose teeth and a belly fat with good beer,
That very man was once Zeltiva's greatest assassin.
And, rich with the fruits of his past life, he sits on his hill.
Surveying the poor and the rich alike; all bend to his will.
Nobody would dare lift a finger against him,
though he is now the shadow of that which he once was."
Someone had crossed out the next line and Adelaide realised that the man did not want her to continue so, after a short pause, she stopped and smiled at him. As she returned to her seat, Mercy gave a little clap and an amused laugh. When she had sat down and turned back, the middle aged man with greying hair had returned to his previous state and Adelaide could not help but imagine that she'd invented the whole surreal situation.
When she arrived on Fire Island, the day had already seemed very full after that morning and narrowly avoiding a punch up with a deranged freeborn on Kalvinah Bridge. Thankfully someone had come to deal with him and take him away, in spite of Adelaide's plea for clemency, so she had been able to reach her destination relatively quickly. Outside the Theatre Booth was a long line of people, some nervously clutching pieces of paper, other's practising and a couple at the front avidly flirting. Adelaide smiled as Vincent waved her in and she started making her way down the stone steps to the performance area. A young man with freckles and pale hair was standing in front of a panel of three, slowly getting more red-faced as he forgot increasingly more lines.
"Oh, to behold a ring of fire than enflames my fire... no, I mean desire. And that that ring should face, I mean grace, the finger of my beloved..."
It was crueller to let him continue with this charade, but Adelaide stood at the back patiently, opting to wait for him to finish before interrupting and greeting Octavius.
"But that same ring grows old."
"Cold." Adelaide knew not what had pushed her to interrupt but she did so, sweeping forward with a kind smile, "Oh, but that ring grows cold when her beauty, that in itself could send me to breach the brightest lights of the sky to bring her back the stars, frowns on me." she paused before noting, with an warm laugh, "A rather poor choice of play, so don't worry about getting the words wrong - you've probably improved it."
Octavius stood to greet her, with a small nod of respect, and held out a seat for her. Adelaide sat down with a thank you and turned back to the red-faced man, though he could not have been more than eighteen, with an apologetic glance.
"You speak well but your nerves have got the better of you. Try again next season... and do pick a different speech. Don't look too disappointed, and I'm sure you'll eventually get in. You are, after all, rather young. Do any of you have anything to add?" she turned to the three people sitting by her and all but Octavius shook their heads.
"Yes. Thank you Steven." Octavius said with a smile, "If you could send in the next person."
As Steven fled the scene, Octavius turned towards Adelaide, whose chin was resting on the palm of her hand as she looked pensively out at the sea, "You're too kind. I did not think he spoke well at all."
"He's young."
The next couple of auditionees were rather poor dancers and Adelaide hardly bothered noting what they were doing. Still, she smiled at the first and raised her eyebrows at the arrogance of the second, before sending them both on their way with kind words tinted with strong irony, at least in the case of the second person.
"Next." Octavius called.
A middle-aged man with greying hair entered, his hands calmly by his side and his head straight.
"Name?"
"Ulric Rhann Carneg'her."
"That's quite an unusual name. Where are you from?"
"Alvadas, but it's not a name typical of anywhere."
"Alright. You may proceed." Octavius raised his hands towards Ulric and there was silence.
Suddenly, the man transformed in front of them, his greying hair growing longer and turning blonde while his entire body shortened and a figure developed. Adelaide's eyes widened as the man became a pretty, young woman standing in front of them with confidence. She leant forwards in anticipation, sure that whatever was going to happen would be good.
"I am performing a part from the play, The Miser's Wife."
Adelaide nodded at this - it was a play she knew well, "Do you need someone to read in?"
"Yes." the woman, or rather the man, came forward and handed her a piece of paper. With a start of nostalgia, Adelaide remembered that she had done that exact audition piece in the past - a long while ago. She motioned to Octavius that she would read in, mentioned that she knew the play and stood up, moving to stand next to the performer.
"That a man should love her without reason, perhaps
But that that man should be my lover, I cannot fathom
Reason hath surely been exhausted while illusion possessed him!
For what other than mistaken illusion could give him cause,
to dote on this woman and dub her exquisitely divine? Perfect?
Make her husband a cuckold in the name of her pretty blue eyes?" He started well and it was impossible to tell that he was not playing his real gender. Unless of course, the man at the beginning had merely been the illusion in spite of the name, Ulric.
"He has not spoken to her?" Adelaide almost forgot to speak, so bemused was she by the man, or woman, in front of her, delivering lines with such panache.
"Of course not, yet still he believes himself in love.
While I, who bear his child and, indeed, am free to do so,
should bore him?"
"Milady, if I might be so bold... this supposed love may prove to be merely his vanity speaking." She was not really acting as she read in the lines, but her voice was convincing and she forced herself to sound right, so as not to put him off. Anyway, she had nothing to prove - she was already a member of the Playhouse troupe.
"True. A pose of courtly love is doubtless his intention,
In persevering, withal, in the face of her inattention
Merely wounded pride at, thus far, her lack of affection."
"Milady speaks in jest?" Though, of course, he was not a lady. Something which Adelaide had to keep reminding herself.
"Jest may be a suitable remedy for my anger, yet no.
I speak not in jest, but in temper.
I swore he should be mine, and mine he will be."
"And if he leaves you for the Lady?" It really was a most unusual state of affairs and even Mercy, usually so unshakeable, seemed to be looking at the proceedings with surprise.
"She has a husband."
"He is old, and his days may be numbered." In a way, Adelaide thought as she was reading the line, she was starting to enjoy herself and took up the mantle of the part with that mixture of manipulative slyness and surprised horror that characterised the part of the maid.
"Then, should Alonso's affection outlast the Lady's husband,
I swear, by Krysus herself, I will do all in my power to prevent his straying."
"Surely, you cannot mean..." The young Dynast had now truly embraced her task and was now reacting perfectly to the man's lines. She noticed a fleeting wink coming from Octavius at that point.
"For the sake of my unborn child, who I would not wish to be born a bastard, if not my own." How was he doing it? The acting was a little over the top and inconsistent in places but the mannerisms were so feminine...
"Milady!" The line came late and Adelaide had to refrain herself from blushing. All her wondering about him was grossly unprofessional and made her late.
"If Alonso's affection should outlast the Lady's husband,
Then it will also outlive the Lady, who shall prove faithful evermore,
in death as she was in life, to her esteemed husband."
"But who is this Lady?" asked Adelaide, raising her eyebrows with the consternation demanded of the character.
"Why, Madame Gilda Hessel, native of Ravok."
"A daughter of the Lark family?"
"The same."
"You would hang for such a crime."
"Unfortunately, Alonso is not given to loving charwomen and fishermen's wives. Come close and listen.
There is a man I know, living not two miles from here,
And take heed of my description of this same man.
For though he now has loose teeth and a belly fat with good beer,
That very man was once Zeltiva's greatest assassin.
And, rich with the fruits of his past life, he sits on his hill.
Surveying the poor and the rich alike; all bend to his will.
Nobody would dare lift a finger against him,
though he is now the shadow of that which he once was."
Someone had crossed out the next line and Adelaide realised that the man did not want her to continue so, after a short pause, she stopped and smiled at him. As she returned to her seat, Mercy gave a little clap and an amused laugh. When she had sat down and turned back, the middle aged man with greying hair had returned to his previous state and Adelaide could not help but imagine that she'd invented the whole surreal situation.
