Topic: Friendship

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:22 EST
19th February

Even with new members of the company in place, the rehearsal schedule for Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat picked up at the same gruelling pace every other production was put together with. Two weeks of rehearsal before going on was all the cast could expect, and under the watchful eyes of director, musical director, and choreographer, the Shanachie Theater Company worked themselves hard to come up to scratch. They snatched breaks when they could - the chorus often lining the mirrored walls of the attic rooms to watch as the principals were blocked and made to run through scenes, switching places with those principals when it came time to block the bigger numbers. The rehearsal rooms were hot and humid, but held a welcoming atmosphere. Everyone was here because they wanted to be, no matter how hard they were being worked. Even a princess who was trying to keep it quiet.

Graceful thanks to years of ballet lessons, Dru hadn't quite made it as a principal actor this time around, but she had made it as a principal dancer, one of the highlighted performers in the big musical numbers. Dressed as simply as everyone in tank, leggings, and split-soled sneakers, she threw herself into the rehearsal along with everyone else, and with everyone else in that small group, stumbled at the first hurdle. Joliss, the choreographer, had produced a move that sent the entire line up of eight principal dancers stumbling sideways and ending up in a pile on the floor, each of them laughing at their own clumsiness as they helped each other up to try again. One by one, the move was demonstrated and repeated, and much to her embarrassment, Dru found herself with her heel on the shoulder of one of the male dancers, blushing as he grinned down at her.

As nervous as Josh had been for his audition with the company, it had gone off without a hitch. That's not to say it had been a perfect audition, but it had apparently been enough to impress those who'd been judging his performance. Imagine his surprise when he'd not only been hired on, but offered the part of Pharoah in the upcoming production of Joseph. Not only was it a plum part, but for the young man who had arrived in Rhy'Din a few days prior, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream come true.

Looking very much like nearly every other young hopeful wannabe star, Josh was similarly dressed in t-shirt, leggings, and sneakers, which did very little to hide his youthful, athletic physique. He had always been a tall boy, but at six feet and three inches, he towered over nearly everyone in the company, male and female alike. Waiting for his crack at rehearsal, he took an easy lean against the wall to watch the chorus, chuckling along with them when they stumbled and fell and got up and did it all over again. He had an easy-going, friendly way about him and had already made a few friends in the company, despite only having arrived a few days earlier - and it didn't seem to bother the girls that he was easy on the eyes either.

"All right, all right," Joliss called out, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Joseph and brothers, you're wanted next door. Everyone else, let's run through the The Song of the King, shall we?" The elven choreographer turned her piercing gaze onto Josh, gesturing for him to take his place. "I'll be standing in for Joseph during this run through, Josh, just imagine me male, human, and significantly taller." She flashed a grin, and snapped her fingers. "And ladies - your pharoah is the sexiest thing on two legs you've ever seen. I want to believe it this time!"

Josh jumped to attention when he was addressed, not quite expecting to be called to rehearse so soon. There were some butterflies flitting around in his stomach, but he was confident that once he got through a couple of rehearsals, he'd fit right in and have his part down pat. "I'll do my best!" he promised the choreographer, resisting the urge to point out how very unlike a man she looked.

Of course, they wouldn't be rehearsing with the full band up here - band and company didn't come together until two days before the show went on. They'd just have to do with Gabriel playing his piano for now. Flicking the loose strands of hair out of her eyes, Dru found her place with the rest of the chorus, each of them positioned to put Pharoah directly in the spotlight for the opening of his big song. And yes, like the other women and girls in the line up, she had noticed that the newcomer to the group was very easy on the eyes. What she'd also noticed was the very faint trace of an accent that pegged him as being from Tirisano, which made him fascinating and a little bit dangerous to her. But there was no helping it now - for the next four minutes, she was going to have to get up close to the new boy, and hope like hell he'd never paid too much attention to her face splattered all over newspapers and magazines in their home country.

Elvis was, admittedly, a little before Josh's time, but he was familiar with the musical - what serious student of musical theater wasn't' And while it was a decidedly Earth-based play, it was one of his favorite all-time musical productions, and he was thrilled to be part of it. It didn't hurt that they'd done this particular musical back home once already, but in that particular production, he'd had a lesser role as one of Joseph's brothers. It would take more than a little practice, but the boy from Tirisano had potential. With a little practice and the right makeup and costume, he would make a pretty convincing Pharoah. To his credit, he put everything he had in to the performance, though it was only rehearsal. If he was going to make any mistakes, now was the time, rather than in front of a packed audience.

And mistakes were being made, all over the group. It was the first full run through for all of them, which never went smoothly. As far as Dru was concerned, it was embarrassing enough to be watching herself in a mirror doing some of these moves - in particular, the moment when she was required to shimmy and draw attention to the newly arrived bust she'd spent the last couple of months hiding under sweaters - but it was somehow worse to be doing it now there was a cute boy - man - less than three feet away.

Josh's voice was not quite Pharoah's yet, but with a little work, he'd get there. He rolled his hips as he belted out the lyrics, gesturing to his assembled entourage with a sweep of an arm to the left and the right as he sang of the dream that was troubling his character. Being surrounded by so many pretty girls was distracting at best, especially when one of them was the reason for his trip to Rhy'Din to begin with. He'd expected to find a girl barely out of puberty, but had instead found a pretty young woman in her place - one that was shimmying her stuff not more than three feet from him.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:24 EST
"Stop, stop!" There was a crash of chords as Gabriel responded to Joliss' command, and the squeak of dance shoes against polished wood as the group came to variations on the theme of stop. "I know it's embarrassing, I know it's corny, but you have to convince me that you adore this hunk of man muscle," the elven woman informed her chorus, gesturing to Josh as she spoke. "Dru, you haven't looked at him once, and you're the one who gets the spin and faint. If I don't believe you fancy the pants off him when you're dancing there, I'm not going to believe for a second that you've fainted just because he touched you. Okay' From the top!"

As the intro to the song started again, Dru could feel her cheeks flaming with humiliation. It had been hard enough to act as though she was in love in Season's Greetings - it was more difficult now, probably because Josh was very attractive. Drawing in a deep breath, she dropped into the dance once again, tearing her eyes away from the mirror to adore Pharaoh as best she could, despite her bone-deep embarrassment.

Fortunately for Dru, Josh took pity on her and offered a reassuring and somewhat dazzling smile. The kid had star material written all over him, even if he was just starting out. "It's okay," he whispered over to her, hoping to set her at ease. "Just pretend I'm someone you fancy, and your reaction will come naturally." He grinned as another thought came to mind. "Either that or imagine I just took my pants off!" He wasn't sure if that would help much; it might just make her even more nervous, but it was worth a try.

When the piano started again, he put as much feeling into the role as anyone could, considering the role was just as much the King of Rock and Roll, as it was the King of Ancient Egypt. He rolled his hips and waved his arms, and this time when he looked at the girl who was supposed to faint at his touch, he looked at her with such presence, it was almost hard to believe he wasn't some kind of idol already.

Dru's eyes nearly popped out of her head at his suggestion that she imagine him half-naked, letting out a burst of laughter that was about as far from the ladylike Princess Royale as anyone could imagine. "Shh, you'll put me off," she hissed back at Josh as he opened up with his lyrics, relieved to have that reprieve from the unexpectedly friendly banter he had opened with. As she danced, she found it was easy to pretend to fancy him if she just pretended she was one among many, that no one was going to notice her anyway.

They say the mark of a great performer is one who can bring others up to their level without even trying, and Josh certainly managed it in Dru's case. When he looked at her in that way, she found herself blushing, unaware that her face had lit up with a shy glow as an unfamiliar flutter made itself known in the pit of her stomach. Her hand slammed into his with confidence when the time came for that spin, and she realized, as her body crashed into his with the firm display of someone who knew what they were doing, that she really did fancy the new boy. Which, of course, made her "faint" all the more comical as she fell over her own feet trying to get away from the sudden proximity that had made her feel all quivery inside.

The second attempt at the number was far better from the first, in good part because of the nearly instant chemistry generated between Josh and Dru, though they were not partners or even co-stars of any kind. They shared a single brief moment in the middle of a musical number that was almost too brief to be noticed by anyone but the two of them, but there was a definite unexpected spark of some kind between them. There are few pairings on stage or screen that emulate such a spark - Bogart and Bacall, Hepburn and Tracy, Gable and Lombard, Granger and De Luca. If anyone else noticed that spark, they just might have a new leading couple on their hands, even if they were just barely out of their teens.

"All right, much better," Joliss called out as they relaxed out of their ending positions. She glanced up at the clock, and took pity on her exhausted chorus. "One more run through of that number, and then you can go home." A ripple of relief washed through the gathering as they took their opening positions again. Four minutes and counting to freedom.

Josh reprised his role as Elvis impersonator slash Pharaoh one more time for the choreographer, giving it all he had since it was the last number of the day. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but it was getting there and hopefully by opening night, he'd be able to pull off such a convincing Pharaoh, he'd be unrecognizable as anything else. Of course, the costume and makeup would help transform him into the role, but he was well on his way to owning the role. Though he wasn't the lead, he was bursting with pride to have landed such an important role so soon, almost forgetting his real reason for being in Rhy'Din.

As the cast rushed to collect their belongings and pile into the dressing rooms to change and leave speedily, Joliss yelled after them, "Chorus, I want you ready to go by eight in the morning; principals have a costume call at nine. Good job today, everyone, have a good night!"

After a couple of false starts, Dru filed out with a couple of the other girls, everyone wanting to get to the showers and change on time, but that distinctive laugh of hers made her easy to pick out in the crowd. Not only that, but plans were being laid among a small section of the group, resulting in an invitation passed along to Josh to join them for a coffee at a local cafe before they all went their separate ways.

As soon as they were excused, Josh exhaled a deep breath, relieved that his first day of rehearsal had gone so well. He went about reclaiming the belongings he'd left on the floor, slinging his towel around his neck to soak up the sweat, keeping mostly to himself for the time being as he still knew so few of the group. He smiled and nodded at the invitation, promising he'd be there, his gaze trailing toward the girl he was supposed to be keeping an eye on before also starting toward the dressing rooms and the shower.

Performers are pros when it comes to changing and making themselves presentable to the outside world after a day spent sweating together in close quarters. Around an hour later, the smaller group that had decided to go for coffee were assembling outside the stage door of the theater, waiting on one or two stragglers before setting off. Surprisingly, Dru was not one of those stragglers, already leaning comfortably against the wall, her heavy bag hanging from her shoulder. The transformation from chorus girl to shy teen was remarkable - however form-fitting her top might have been, it was overwhelmed by the baggy black sweater that hung almost to the hem of her skirt. Slender legs encased in thick back tights ended in black boots, and her hair was left loose to hang in soft brown waves about her face. In short, she looked nothing like the girl in the chorus line, and nothing like the princess. She looked like herself.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:25 EST
Unlike Dru, Jose was one of those stragglers, but whether it was just a case of first-day jitters that made him late or whether he'd spent too long in the shower was unclear. When he finally did emerge from the theater, he looked as much like a duke's son as Dru did a princess. His hair was still damp from the shower and falling in unruly curls across his forehead. He wore a black leather jacket over a gray sweater and jeans, a gray scarf slung loosely around his neck, black boots on his feet. He stood taller than most of the cast and had little trouble picking Dru out of the crowd, even if she didn't look the part of a princess. If he was going to keep an eye on her, as promised, he figured he might as well introduce himself sooner, rather than later. He had to admit she wasn't quite what he'd expected, at least, so far.

He drew a deep breath, unsure why he was so nervous. He wasn't used to being nervous, especially not around girls, but he was the new kid in town, and he wasn't known by everyone as the self-assured, handsome duke's son here. Here, in Rhy'Din, he was no one, just another face in the crowd, and he wondered if that was what Princess Drusilla liked about this place. "Hey," he greeted her with a friendly smile, just as he might greet anyone who was a friend or a potential friend - not a royal princess.

She actually jumped, obviously not expecting to be addressed directly, since she was doing a pretty good job of lurking on the sidelines of someone else's conversation. Of course, it probably didn't help that she had to crane her head to look up at him, pushing off the wall awkwardly. "Hell-, uh, hey," she greeted him in turn, still just getting used to the more common turns of phrase she'd always been told were unladylike. One delicate hand reached up to tuck her hair back behind her ear as she met his gaze. "You're Josh, aren't you? The new boy?"

He looked down at her from his height - nearly a full foot taller than her - blue eyes dancing with life. "New man," he corrected with a playful grin. He had left boyhood behind a few years ago, or so he thought. He shrugged to adjust the duffel on his shoulder before offering a hand. "You're Dru," he countered, choosing the informal version of her name, as he'd heard others in the group address her.

Well, he was right about the man thing, anyway. Feeling her cheeks starting to burn with the hated blush, Dru pinned it down and produced her public face, offering him a smile that was as confident as she was nervous. Her hand curled into his with a gentle but firm handshake. "That I am," she confirmed, glancing away as the group started on the short walk toward one particular little cafe not so very far away. "Dru Granger," she added, not sure why she wanted to get that in there so quickly, but going with it.

He arched a brow at the introduction, his only show of surprise, noting the formal demeanor she was having a hard time suppressing, despite her best efforts. It was so slight that if he didn't know who she really was, he might not have noticed at all. He wondered if he should come clean and tell her who he was, but he thought her first reaction to that news would be to accuse him of spying on her. "Any relation to Jonathan?" he asked, falling into step behind the small group that was already proceeding toward the cafe, silently inviting her to walk along with him.

Tucking her arms close about herself, she moved into step at his invitation, rolling her eyes at the teasing giggle that came from ahead of them as Clora glanced back and winked at her. "He's my brother," she told Josh, seeing no reason to keep that a secret. Anyone could find it out, after all. But there was one thing she had to know. Eying him curiously, she decided to just jump straight in. "Where in Tirisano are you from?"

Brother" Josh thought to himself, hiding further surprise from his features, a few years of acting serving him well in that regard. So, that meant that Jonathan Granger's father had slept with Drusilla's mother. No wonder the matter of the princess' parentage was such a highly-kept secret. He was about to comment on that when she surprised him again, this time with a very pointed question, and this time he couldn't hide that surprise from his expression. "Roslae," he replied without hesitation, knowing she was going to find out sooner or later anyway. "I'm from Roslae," he repeated, giving her only the information she asked for, at least for now. Baby steps.

"Roslae," she repeated. She had no memory of that duchy - the only time she had ever visited it was when she was a baby, on the tour that introduced her as her mother's daughter. The Duke was always nice to her, though; he was a friend of her uncle's, one of the few in power who could say they were actually the Prince's friend. He made a point of talking to her whenever the occasion presented itself. Vague suspicion touched her expression for the briefest moment, hidden away out of years of long practice. "Rhy'Din's very different from home, isn't it?"

He offered a brief shrug in the lift of broad shoulders. "Yes and no. I haven't been here very long, so it's hard to say." He shifted the duffel on his shoulders, almost nervously, telling himself that this was just another role to play, nothing more. Though he'd come here for her benefit, there was no mistaking the fact that it was benefiting him, too. He felt an awkward silence settle between them and knew he had to break it somehow. He wasn't used to awkward silences. He was well-known and well-liked back home, but here it was like starting all over again. He realized that she had just confirmed for him that Tirisano was her homeland, though he had not asked. "What brings you to Rhy'Din?" he asked, curiously. That was the big question, after all.

"I ran away." It was the truth, too, it just didn't encompass all of the truth that had sent her running for the only person she could take her anger out on. The fact that the only person she wanted to yell at had already been gone for six years when she arrived was another matter entirely. The smile on her face as she said it, however, spoke volumes. Her first act of defiance in sixteen years had brought her a whole new family who didn't care that she was a princess, though as yet she couldn't be sure he'd put all that together. "I ended up finding out a lot about myself and my dad's side of the family."

That bit of information wasn't too surprising really, considering what had happened just before she'd disappeared. Who wouldn't want to run away from home for a while after losing the people who loved you the most and worrying that you might be next on the list of targets. He had seen it all on TV, as horror-struck as everyone else in the nation had been for the royal family. He felt sympathy well up inside him for all that she'd been through and found himself having a hard time not letting it show on his face. He turned his face away from her so that she would not see the hint of sadness that wanted to make itself know. "All good, I hope."

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:25 EST
"Better than at home," she told him with a nod. "I mean, the Grangers are huge, but they've got this big collective heart. They've really been looking after me." She couldn't help smiling gently at the thought of the sister and brothers she might never have known without the tragedy of the summer. She glanced up as he looked away, that suspicion narrowing her eyes again. Did he know who she was" And if he did, was he going to sell that information' She was going to have to tell Xoren as soon as she got a moment that her anonymity might have been compromised.

Josh wondered, not for the first time, why he had been asked to come here. She seemed to be doing fine. She had an entire family of Grangers to look after her. What did they need him for, except as a spy, which had been his own first thought at the offer to come here. "It's good you have family to look after you," he replied, feeling suddenly awkward.

"I'm on my own a lot, though." As soon as she said it, Dru wished she could pull it back. It felt ungrateful, to admit that out loud, but again, it was the truth. Lena had Tommy, Des had his little family, Jon was caught up in work and his family. Even Jack, who was the closest thing she had to a friend, was constantly distracted by his wife and the fuzzball he'd gotten at Christmas. "I dropped out of college pretty quick when I got this job."

"Do you like it' This job, I mean?" he asked, turning to face her again, searching her face in the dimming light of day as they approached the little cafe where they were to meet and mingle with the rest of the company. He suddenly wished they were going somewhere a little more private, where he could get to know her better without the rest of the company butting in.

She shrugged. "That's a bit complicated," she admitted with a shy chuckle. "I did a play with the other company at Yule, and ....Well, it was fun, but it was a bit too much for me, really. This is more fun, I don't feel as though everyone is looking right at me. And I'm better at it - I did dance lessons when I was younger, so I don't really stick out." She drew in a slow breath as the group they were a part of stepped in through the door of the cafe. As much as they were all together, everyone drifted off into their separate groups, more a gathering of trios and quartets and pairs at tables that were just a little bit closer to one another than usual than a large outing. "What about you? You must be very good to get such a good role first time."

He watched her, giving her all his attention, studying her face, finding small hints in her expression, her body language, that told more than mere words. She was shy, that much was clear, and more than a little bit wary, but she was more open and honest than he'd expected, especially knowing that he was from her homeland. If she suspected anything, it didn't show, at least, not yet. He found himself wanting to gain her trust, not because it was what he was supposed to do, but because he thought she needed a friend. He glanced momentarily around them, noticing that the group was dividing into smaller sub-groups. Maybe he'd get a chance to get to know her, after all. He shrugged again as he turned back to answer her question, as if it wasn't a big deal really. "It's all I've ever really wanted to do," he replied simply, sparing her the details.

She nodded, understanding why anyone with that ambition would move away from Tirisano. "There aren't many opportunities to perform outside the capital," she agreed quietly, thumping down at a table in the corner, not too far from the others but far enough not to be overheard. Despite her nerves, Josh was proving to be very easy to talk to, and she found herself wanting to get to know him. Needing to know if he was befriending her because he wanted to, or if it was because he was seeking out information about her. "Well, not unless you sing opera or dance ballet."

He smiled, an easy-going smile as he came to a halt beside the table she had claimed for herself. "May I?" he asked, before taking a seat. If she didn't want him there, this was her opportunity to say so. He chuckled at her remark. She'd already seen where his talents lie, for the most part. "I can sing, but not opera, and I can dance, but not ballet."

She glanced at the seat beside her as though she hadn't realized it was there, offering a shrug as she nodded. "Of course." Of course where most other girls her age would have said Sure. As hard as she tried, Dru just couldn't get away from her upbringing. Ignoring the obvious gossiping going on at Anette's table that had to be about the new man making friends with the quiet girl who couldn't possibly be Jonathan Granger's sister, Dru cleared her throat with a smile. "You're a very good singer," she complimented him honestly. "I'm sorry I tripped over your foot. It won't happen again."

As for himself, he had learned better than her how to blend. After all, he was only the second son of a duke of a small duchy. No one cared much about what he did, so long as he didn't draw the wrong kind of attention or bring any shame upon the duchy. He found that in the few minutes he'd had to talk with the princess, she was very likable, if a bit shy and cautious, but who could blame her really' As for him, he was naturally warm and friendly, without a shy bone in his body, which was probably a good thing or they might never have said a single word to each other. "Thanks," he accepted the compliment at face value. "Don't worry about it," he told her, dismissing her apology with a wave of his hand. "That's what rehearsals are for." He shrugged again, sliding his duffel from his shoulder and reaching behind him to hang it on the back of his chair. "You're good for a newbie," he returned the compliment, with a small smirk. "I almost thought you fainted for real back there."

Dru couldn't stop the blush that rose as he directed her mind back to the moment she'd pressed close to him for the first time in the dance, renewing that quivery feeling as she dropped her gaze hurriedly. "Well, I am here to learn," she managed, trying to deflect the conversation from what she was sure was a very obvious example of a girl crushing on a boy. Man. "Besides, if I didn't do it properly, Joliss would have made me do it over and over again until it was right, and I would be covered in bruises." She offered a quiet laugh, much more familiar to anyone who had seen the princess in action, even just via a television. "Jon's wife says I should wear padding. I always seem to go home with new bruises after every rehearsal."

"Are you the company fainter?" he asked curiously, lifting a hand to get the attention of a waiter or waitress. It had been a long afternoon, and he had worked up an appetite. He didn't bother to explain what he meant by the term he'd just used, letting her figure it out for herself. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to get stuck in such a role. Acting was about spreading your wings and pretending you were someone you weren't, but then, she seemed to be doing a decent job of pretending not to be a princess here in Rhy'Din. At least, she seemed to have most people fooled.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:26 EST
She wasn't entirely sure what he meant there, but chose to take it at face value. "No, I just ....it's funnier if the smallest person in the chorus is the biggest personality without lines," she shrugged, a little embarrassed by the way she'd been singled out. "Ludo threatened to split the Narrator's role so he could have more female leads, but thankfully Gabriel shot him down on that one. He keeps winking at me when he talks about female leads." She shrugged again, eying Josh thoughtfully as the waitress picked her way over to them. He wasn't your everyday, run of the mill actor, but nor was he pretending to be interested in the profession. So what was he, she wondered. Was a newspaper paying his way here in Rhy'Din to get the scoop on her, or was there something else going on' Rather than ask outright, she paused to order a latte with a shot of peppermint and watch as the waitress turned on her not inconsiderable charms for Josh's benefit.

He seemed either unaware or uncaring of the waitress' charms, though he was friendly enough, ordering a club sandwich and a cup of coffee for himself. Though he was as much a noble as she was, he had broken away from home and gone off on his own to college, where he'd learn to be independent and to take care of himself. Once he was finished ordering, he looked back to Dru with that friendly smile on his face. "Maybe he has a role for you in mind."

"Maybe." Dry shrugged again, not really sure whether she wanted to be thrust that much into the spotlight. She enjoyed acting, certainly, but she also liked being just one among dozens. "Of course, you are going to be on his radar for life now." She smiled encouragingly, glancing up as the waitress finally took the hint and moved away.

"Well, maybe not for life," he laughed. Though he enjoyed the theater, he didn't really plan on spending his entire life in Rhy'Din. He had bigger aspirations than that. "So, what?s it like being Jonathan Granger's kid sister?" he asked, changing the subject and turning the attention back on her.

"I don't know what you mean," she admitted openly, genuinely uncertain as to what he was asking her. Leaning forward onto her folded arms, she considered him for a long moment. "You ask a lot of questions," she said quietly, her smile faded into seriousness. "Do I need to be worried that you're asking so much about me and not volunteering much about yourself?" Do I need to stop being friendly to protect myself"

"Jonathan Granger," Josh repeated. "Quite possibly the most famous and successful actor on Rhy'Din. He just got a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, and he's nominated for an Oscar, isn't he" Are you going" To the Oscars, I mean," he rambled on, hoping to distract her from her suspicions by gushing about her brother, who he didn't have to lie about admiring.

A small frown touched her brow as he gushed about her brother, not because he was gushing, but because he had failed to answer what was a very important question to her. She leaned back as the waitress brought over their order, grateful to have something to distract her attention as she felt herself close up. The last thing she wanted was to put her uncle in a position where he would have to order her home for her own safety. "No, I'm not going."

He sensed her mood turn, though he wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't answered her question or because she hadn't been invited to attend the Oscars. He frowned thoughtfully, wondering how he could build some trust between them without telling her the truth. He hadn't lied exactly; he'd only omitted information and played dumb in hopes of gaining her trust and friendship, but maybe this wasn't the way to go about things. "You okay?" he asked, nudging her with an elbow playfully.

Steeling herself, Dru lifted her public face to him, the smile every bit as reassuring and welcoming as she could make it. "I'm fine," she lied with convincing assurity, and just as quickly pulled the rug out from under any false sense of security she might have just given him. "You can't prove anything I've told you, you know," she informed him, the sharpness of her tone hidden behind the sweetness of her smile. "No newspaper or magazine is going to pay for my secrets without proof of any kind, and you can be picked up long before you contact whoever it is you're working for. But pretending to try and be my friend" That is a despicable tactic."

Whatever skill he possessed as an actor abandoned him in that moment, his mouth dropping open in undisguised shock. He thought she might suspect something, but he hadn't expected her to attack him the way she did and completely misunderstand his intentions. "I am trying to be your friend," he insisted, looking a little insulted by her attack. He looked around again at the small crowd of people surrounding them. He didn't want to make a scene, not here, and he was pretty sure she didn't either, but he wasn't sure if she'd trust him enough to let him take her somewhere a little more private. "Look, I..." He sighed, clearly distraught. "I can't explain here."

Her brow rose at his response, knowing he had just given himself away with his reaction to her sharp stab toward the truth. The insulted look on his face, however, was a bit of an insult in itself; she was the one in danger if he wasn't above board, after all. "And where can you explain?" she asked him, prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt within reason. "I believe you know who I am, and if you do, then you know I'm not going to put myself willingly into any situation where I might come to harm."

"I'm not who you think I am," he said, leaning forward and dropping his voice to nearly a whisper. Like her, he didn't really want people here knowing who he really was. He didn't want the extra attention, and he wanted to earn his way on his own merits, not because he was of noble birth. "I haven't lied to you," he appealed to her sense of honesty and integrity.

She considered him for a long moment, forcing herself to look past the good looks that were so distracting to the solid sincerity in his expression. "No, I don't think you have," she agreed softly. Her gaze flickered to the rest of the group, who were engaged in their own conversations a fair distance away, and she seemed to come to a decision. With a shy touch of pink on her cheeks, she drew her chair up beside his, far closer to him than she was entirely comfortable with but close enough to converse quietly without anyone hearing them. "Tell me why I should trust you," she said softly, soft brown eyes asking him for a reason not to make herself an isolated no one.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:27 EST
He had to think about that a minute, debating how much to tell her and what to tell her. For some reason, he found himself wanted to earn her trust, not for his father or her uncle, but because he deemed she really did need a friend, and who better than someone who could knew who she really was and could relate because he was in nearly the same boat that she was" "Because there's no one else here who understands the way I do," he started, knowing he couldn't just leave it at that. He had to explain further. "My name is Joshua Stuart. My father is the Duke of Roslae."

Surprised by the revelation she hadn't been expecting, Dru reared back to stare at him, for once her public face deserting her. She could see it now, the similarities to his father and brother that had been niggling in the back of her mind. "You're James' brother," she breathed in astonishment. Of course she knew his brother - she'd danced with James Stuart on Christmas Eve, for goodness' sake! Leaning toward Josh once again, she lowered her voice into a vaguely accusatory hiss. "What are you doing here?"

That question was a bit trickier to answer, and once again, he had to think about it a minute so that he didn't say the wrong thing. He wasn't there to spy on her exactly - more like, to keep a watchful eye on her, but in a way, wasn't that the same thing" But he hadn't come to Rhy'Din only for that. He shrugged his shoulders, struggling against the flush that was creeping into his cheeks now that she'd called his bluff. "Same thing you are, mostly."

Again, she stared at him, though this time it was in quiet disbelief. "I'm sorry," she shook her head lightly. "I am fairly sure that you didn't come to Rhy'Din to find your birth father, and to hide from an entire country. I would suggest that you try that answer again."

"I came here to work in the theater," he explained, reforming his words. He drew back with a sigh, knowing if he blew it now, he'd likely never gain her trust. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him, but it was. Maybe it wasn't only her who needed a friend. They were both a long way away from home, after all. "Look, it's a long story, and I'm not sure this is the time or the place. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not here to spy on you or to blow your cover."

She was quiet for a long time, finally surfacing from her thoughts to meet his gaze with a good deal more confidence than she had shown before this point. "I'm sorry I attacked you," she apologized with soft grace, offering an endearing image of the ruler she would one day be as someone unafraid to admit a mistake. "It was wrong of me to make an assumption, and to act upon it. I do apologize."

Now it was his turn to feel guilty. He wasn't lying to her exactly. He wasn't there to spy on her, though he had been asked to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't get into any trouble or get involved with an unsavory types. Tirisano didn't want any scandals and they didn't want their princess getting herself in any trouble, but if he wasn't a spy, then what was he exactly' He glanced around at the small crowd again, suddenly losing his appetite for the sandwich and coffee in front of him. "Can we-can we go somewhere else, and I'll explain?"

If it had been anyone else, Dru would have refused. But this was Duke Oliver's son, James Stuart's younger brother - both men she knew and respected, and both men she understood to be very proud of the young man sitting beside her. "Very well," she agreed, pulling out her purse to lay down payment and tip for the uneaten sandwich and drinks. It was a novelty for her to pay for anything; she took every opportunity to do it these days. "Where would you recommend?"

He shrugged again, his naturally sunny disposition fading for some reason, now that she had called him out. "You know this place better than I do. I've only been here a few days." He didn't dare suggest his apartment. If he took her there and anyone found out, there'd be a scandal, for sure.

"Oh goodness ..." She bit her lip thoughtfully. Maple Grove was out of the question - it wouldn't be fair to him to take him outside the city when, by his own admission, he was very new in town. "Well, we could go back to the theater," she suggested. "The doors are open for the evening performance, but there won't be anyone in the rehearsal rooms by this time of the evening. Or we could go into the wings and spy on Jon."

His eyes widened at her suggestion. He knew there were a few well-known, even famous, celebrities who worked at the Shanachie, and he knew he was likely to brush elbows with them at some point, but he hadn't expected her to be related to any of them. "Do you think he'd mind?" Josh asked, clearly taken with the suggestion. It was no big secret that Jonathan Granger was one of his idols.

Dru found herself smiling at the subdued eagerness on his face. She'd never thought to find herself in a position where she could make a small dream come true, but apparently getting close enough to watch her brother at his trade from behind the scenes was something Josh was genuinely excited about doing. "I don't see why he would," she shrugged lightly. "So long as you don't jump out at him. Perhaps some day I could introduce you."

"I'd like that," he replied, that easy-going smile of his returning. Maybe there was hope for them yet, so long as she didn't hate him when she found out what he was really doing here. He waved a hand in the air to get the waitress' attention. "Can I get this to go?" he asked, regarding his sandwich. Duke's son or no, he wasn't about to waste a perfectly-good sandwich.

"Sure, cutie pie, let me wrap that up for you," was the easy-going answer, and as the waitress whisked the sandwich away to do just that, Dru realized she was glaring at the woman's back. Quickly settling her own features into something less jealous, she glanced down at herself, embarrassed to find that she was comparing her skinny, sweater-draped frame with the voluptuous curves of the woman who didn't seem to be able to help flirting with Josh at every opportunity.

Once again, Josh didn't seem to bat an eye at the waitress' flirtation, taking it all in stride. Whether he realized she was flirting with him or just ignoring it was once again hard to say. He seemed pretty comfortable in his own skin, though he was not quite aware of the effect he seemed to have on the females around him, present company included. He'd never had any trouble getting dates back home, but all the same, at twenty years young, he'd never been part of a serious relationship and was in some ways, as innocent as she was. "Thanks," he told the waitress, turning his attention back to Dru as soon as they were left alone again. "I can't believe Jon Granger is your brother!" he gushed again, seemingly more surprised and impressed by this little tidbit than he was by her being royalty.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:28 EST
Distracted from her ruminations on her own unexpectedly jealous streak, Dru blinked in surprise as Josh resumed his admiration for her brother, feeling herself relax as she realized that he really was more impressed by that than by her natural position. "Imagine how I felt when I got here, then," she found herself teasing quietly, her smile once again a natural, genuine curve to express her amusement.

"I've seen all his movies," Josh laughed, adding. "Even the bad ones!" Though he didn't really want to emulate his idol, he had followed Jon's career pretty closely, especially over the last few years. Like Jon, Josh was in love with the theater, though he preferred musical theater to drama. "You know, some people don't take musical theater seriously. I don't think they realize how much hard work goes into it," he mused aloud, turning the subject to one he was more comfortable with and better suited to discuss than matters of state. "I don't know about you, but I worked my *ss off today!"

"Did you see Swan Song"" she asked him, her tone warming as he praised her brother to the skies. The change of subject, however, made her giggle softly. "Maybe next time you should rehearse without your pants on, rather than just suggest that people imagine it."

"Swan Song was brilliant!" he gushed again with a bright smile on his face, chuckling at her remark. "Then they'd have to change the title to The Emperor's New Clothes," he teased back with a smirk of his own, alluding to another story that involved a King who was tricked into walking around naked by telling him he was wearing magically-rendered invisible clothing.

Another giggle made itself known as she leaned away, enjoying his company despite the urge to blush that kept having to be pushed away. "You never know what the costume is going to look like," she warned him. "For all you know, you might only be allowed to wear a diaper and a necklace for this part."

"Then you might be fainting for real," he teased, thanking the waitress again when she dropped off the sandwich, which was wrapped up neatly inside a paper to-go bag. He pushed away from the table and grabbed hold of the duffle bag to tug it on over one shoulder. He waved to the others to bid them farewell, at least for now. "See you tomorrow!" he called, in a friendly tone.

"You are not that attractive," Dru lied through her teeth, just about managing to hide the wince as he drew attention to the fact that they were leaving together. Tugging her own heavy bag over her shoulder as she stood up, she sighed as Clora and Anette called out a couple of variations on the theme of don't do anything we wouldn't do. "Yes, yes, good night," she waved to the group, giving Josh a prod to get him moving before the goodbyes became more risque.

"Seems like you've made a few friends," he said, unable to help noticing that fact. Maybe she didn't need his friendship, after all, though he assumed he was the only one in the company who knew the truth about her background. He started toward the door at her prodding, pulling it open for her like a proper gentleman, whether she was a princess or not, before stepping back outside.

Stepping out into the darkness, Dru turned automatically toward the theater, already planning on catching a ride with Jon back to the Grove rather than make her own way in the dark. "They're not really friends," she told Josh quietly. "I mean, I'm the youngest person in the company, so they look out for me, but to have a friend you have to be honest with them, don't you?"

"Maybe," he said, considering her question, the point of which wasn't lost on him. "But I think maybe you're an exception to the rule. I mean, you can't really go around telling people who are you. Neither can I, for that matter," he added, almost as an afterthought. "I don't want any special favors. I don't want anyone treating me different just because I'm....you know. I want people to base their judgements on my character and my achievements, not on my father's title." Not his title, but his father's. He was only the second son to the duke. So long as nothing happened to his brother, he didn't have to worry too much about politics, except maybe where she was concerned.

"I understand," she nodded, and she was one of the few who could understand what he meant, as constrained as he was by rank and position. "It's just difficult. If I let myself make friends, none of them will be approved of by Parliament, and I'll probably never see them again once I ....get promoted. It's a question of being lonely now, or being hurt later. That isn't a decision that is fun to make."

Josh quieted again, lost in thought a moment before responding to her statement. He didn't know about that kind of loneliness firsthand. As the second son, he hadn't had to deal with the same kinds of constraints that his elder brother and father had, but there was still a part of him that he kept private, protected within himself, a piece of himself he let no one else see, not even his father. "Why'd you really come here, Dru?" he asked as he tilted a glance to her, not so much curious as it was sympathetic. There was something she wasn't telling him, but he wasn't quite sure what it was.

She paused as they turned into the street behind the theater, leaning back against the wall as she looked up at him, considering what her answer should be. Just how truthful she should be. "I told you I ran away to hide from the country," she said slowly. "I didn't run away because of that. I ran away from me, from the Princess Royale, the heir to the throne. I ran away from friends who were approved before I ever met them, and the promise that I have to get married before I'm twenty, and knowing I won't be left alone in my personal life until I've produced at least two children to secure the line. I don't have any choices open to me. Before the summer, there was always the chance that I might someday have a cousin, and I'd have a safety net, I'd be able to abdicate. I don't have that any more. And I can't cope with it."

He paused beside her, turning to face her as she opened herself to him, telling him the truth of her escape from Tirisano, opening her heart to him and sharing the burden of her secrets. Suddenly, she wasn't just the Princess Royale, some girl he'd seen at a distance or on TV that he hardly knew and had no hope of ever getting to know; nor was she the shy, innocent girl who was struggling to find her place in the world of theater and make her family proud. She was neither and yet both of the things, more complex a creature than he ever could have imagined, and he found his heart going out to her, hoping he could become a friend to her, not so that he could spy on her, but because she seemed to need a friend, more than anyone else he'd ever met.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:29 EST
And he realized how lucky he was that he, at least, was somewhat able to make his own choices and live his own life, at least, to a certain degree. "You've been through a lot, Dru. No one is going to force anything on you right now." He felt compelled to touch her and offer her a little reassurance with that simple human touch, but he held himself back. She was still the Princess Royale, and though of noble birth himself, he deemed himself beneath her station. "Give yourself some time." No, time wouldn't change anything, but at least, she'd be able to look back on these days and remember them.

What was, perhaps, the most heartbreaking part of her little confession was how little she seemed to feel it. She had already partitioned off her emotions, knowing she couldn't afford to display too much to anyone. So these hurts, these disappointments, this trap she was in ....she relayed it all without tears, without open distress. It was all there in her eyes, but not a drop in her voice or expression. His hesitation and ultimate decision not to reach out to her, though subtle, was just obvious enough to send a flicker of bitterness across her eyes. She was never going to be just Dru, to anyone. "I shouldn't have told you all that," she said quietly. "You've done nothing to deserve me unburdening myself on you. I apologize. Shall we keep on?"

"If you can't tell a friend, who can you tell?" he countered, forcing a faint smile, mostly for her sake. He could understand her desire to run away from what she was, from the burden of duties and responsibilities that had most likely been thrust on her since birth, her family's deaths only making that burden all the more heavier, but there was something else she needed to know that perhaps she didn't realize. "You're not alone, you know. You have the love and support of all of Tirisano. The people love you, Dru. You're not just a figurehead to them. They look at you and they see the future. You are their future. I know that's a huge responsibility, but you're not alone. You have your uncle and your family here, and if you'll let me be your friend, you have me."

"Are you my friend?" she asked him very softly. "Or would you rather not have to worry about befriending me" I can understand if you would rather just concentrate on the theater and your role within it. You don't have to waste time on me, Josh." She made no comment on his understanding of the people of Tirisano; she had never been greeted with anything but warmth and affection and yet ....her mother had been murdered by a small section of those people. It was a frightening thought.

He tried, for a moment, to put himself in her shoes, knowing a little of what she was feeling, though unable to understand completely. He remembered what it had felt like when his mother had died; how utterly alone he'd felt. Though it had happened a long time ago, there was a place in his heart that remained empty, that no one could fill, and he knew she had reason to feel an even deeper sense of loss and fear that, next time, it might be her. "Are you gonna push me away before you even give me a chance?" he asked, meeting her gaze unafraid, unashamed, and unflinching. He tried for a moment to push past the rules and the expectations that had been placed on them both and reached for her hand, to offer what every human being wanted, whether noble or commoner, to offer her the gift of friendship, to do with what she would. "I'd like to be your friend, if you'll let me," he repeated for the second time.

How could he possibly have known that all he needed to do to earn her undying loyalty and friendship was to touch her" Unbidden, Dru found herself blinking back tears as the first person to reach past the barrier of their rank took her hand, swallowing hard as she looked up at Josh. "I would like that very much," she admitted, just a little tearful, not as in control of herself as she should have been. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," he assured her with a warm, reassuring smile, sensing her tears. "Friends don't thank each other for being friends. They just are," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before pulling away. "Come on. You promised me a peek backstage, and friends or not, I'm gonna hold you to it!"

His enthusiasm made her giggle softly once again, brought back from the brink of tears by a well-timed comment. "You do realize that you can go backstage any time you like, yes?" she pointed out, leading him toward the stage door with an amused quirk to her expression. "You are a member of the company now."

"Yeah, but people might get the wrong idea if they see me stalking your brother," he reminded her with a grin, glad he'd made her smile again. There was a time to laugh and a time to cry, and he was hoping he'd be able to put a little laughter in her life, despite the tragedies she'd endured. "Come on, Peanut. Let's go stalk your brother together," he said with a mischievous smirk on his face, christening her with a nickname that seemed to fit her, considering the difference in their height.

"Peanut?" This, too, made her laugh; no one had ever dared to peg her with a nickname until she'd come to Rhy'Din, and between Jack, Tommy, and now Josh, she had three. "All right, Giraffe, lets." She stuck her tongue out at him, pushing open the stage door with a grin to the doorman. Leaving her bag with him was an easy matter, and she began to lead the way through the warren of passages and rooms that led up toward the stage itself, the sound of the play in progress above relayed through the intercom.

Josh followed along behind her, the easy flash of a grin to the doorman and a slightly cocky, "I'm with her," as he pointed to Drusilla ahead of him. He chose to keep his duffle with him, rather than leave it with the doorman. It didn't bother him on his shoulder and he just felt better keeping it with him. Despite his rank back home, here in Rhy'Din, he was no one special, and that bag held too much personal information to trust it with anyone other than himself.

It didn't take long to find the steps that lead up to the gantry above backstage right, a place Dru had discovered early on as the best place to watch the performance on stage if you couldn't be in the audience. They were out of the way, and out of sight of pretty much everyone, and finally she seemed to completely relax, leaning on the safety railing as below them her brother made his entrance into the last scene of the first act. "This is my favorite place in the theater," she whispered to Josh, wondering just why she'd chosen to share it with him when before today they'd never even spoken.

"It's awesome, Dru," he whispered back, with a happy grin on his face. He wasn't sure why, but he felt easy and comfortable in her presence, despite who she was. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that they were close in age, or from the same place with similar titles and backgrounds, or if it was their shared love of the theater, but there was some inexplicable something they had in common that seemed to bind them together, at least for now. "Have you always wanted to be an actress?" he asked, as he took a lean beside her, half his attention on her brother below them, half his attention on her.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:30 EST
She shrugged, her eyes on the actors below them as they whispered back and forth, just quiet enough not to put anyone off. "It never really occurred to me until I came here to try it," she admitted ruefully. "Jon told me I should try it, and I didn't want to let him down. But I enjoyed it. Maybe I'm fooling myself by having a job that I enjoy here, but I'm never going to have this chance again. I might as well get the most out of it that I can."

There wasn't much he could add to that, frowning a little in the darkness at the realization that her whole life had been laid out for her, practically since the time she'd been born. The same could be said for Jamie - James, his elder brother, his only brother. He was the one who'd take his father's place one day as Duke of Roslae. Not Josh - he'd been the spoiled younger son, the one who'd made his mother laugh with his little plays and antics as a boy, before an untimely illness had taken her away from them. "You could have done worse," he whispered back, not bothering to mention again that acting was all he'd ever wanted to do.

"I know," she whispered, inching a little closer as her eyes followed Jon's progress across the stage, laughing a little at the well-enacted jokes in the script. "I'm very lucky. But I'm also seventeen. I wouldn't be normal if I wasn't rebelling, would I?" She flashed him an almost teasing smile, her delicate features uplit by the rig that poured illumination onto the stage.

"I guess not," he admits, unable to hide his uncertainly. He was only just out of his teens himself, only a few years older than her, still little more than a student who'd been yanked from drama school and offered the chance of a lifetime, so long as he agreed to keep an eye on the most important person he'd ever met. "I never rebelled," he said, offhandedly, almost more to himself than to her. "I never really had to. After Mom died..." He broke off, not really wanting to go there. It would only stir bad memories for them both. He turned his attention back to the stage, admiring the way her brother commanded the stage, effortlessly took charge of the performance, or so it seemed to an admiring onlooker. "He's really amazing, your brother. I'd be happy just to have a fraction of his talent."

Under cover of the audience's laughter, she nudged her way right up beside Josh, not daring to offer an overt touch, but pressing her arm to his as they both looked down. It was a gesture of sympathy and solidarity, of understanding that particular loss in her own way without putting it into words. "You know, I'm sure he would be happy to talk to you about performing, if you would like his advice," she suggested softly. "He doesn't make much of it, but Jon loves to encourage people."

"Maybe," he said, feeling the warmth of her presence close beside him. It felt strange, knowing that she was trying to cheer him up now that his mood had turned, when things were supposed to be the other way around, but maybe that's what being friends was all about. "We should have more theaters back home. More opportunities for people to hone their craft without having to leave." It was a small observation, but one that maybe she'd be able to do something about, or maybe even something her brother could help with. "Does he know who you really are?" he asked quietly, nodding his head toward the tall, handsome man occupying center stage.

She nodded in agreement at his mention of the theaters. Tirisano lacked public performance spaces, but more than that, it lacked a thriving arena where people could enter that profession and gain practical experience. It was exactly as she had said - unless you sang opera or danced ballet, there was nothing for you in Tirisano. Josh's nod toward Jon made her smile reappear briefly. "Yes, he knows," she whispered. "It isn't exactly common knowledge, but there are a few of the Grangers who know the truth. Humphrey, the head of the family ....he's the reason I'm allowed to stay. If he hadn't argued my side, I would have been ordered back to Itana."

There was a small piece of the puzzle that didn't make sense, and a small piece of her brother's life that he knew nothing about. After all, everything he knew about Jon Granger, he knew from the papers, and a good deal of what had been written wasn't even true. "What about your father?" he asked, realizing she had yet to mention him, except in passing, as if he wasn't important or didn't exist.

"He's dead." And there it was, offered with absolute detachment, no sense of loss or bereavement at all. Dru had never known the man, had blamed him for all the gossip and rumor her mother had had to endure throughout her lifetime, and had come to Rhy'Din wanting only to give him a piece of her mind. He was no loss to her.

Unlike the grief that he couldn't hide for mother's death, the same grief she must have felt when her own mother was killed, there was no grief, no emotion of any kind at the mention of her father. Well, what did he expect' She had not even known the man. It seemed the mystery of Princess Drusilla's paternity had been solved, but at what cost' He glanced her way, studying her profile a moment, searching for the right words. He'd offered no sympathy or remorse about her mother's death - a woman she had cleared loved. What should he say about her father" "I'm sorry," he told her abruptly, not so much for her father's death as for his ignorance in asking a question that was clearly none of his business. "I shouldn't have asked."

"The world's a better place without him," she murmured, glancing to Josh as she shared this. "He didn't treat anyone particularly well, my mother was no exception." She bit her lip, frowning as a thought occurred to her, twisting to face Josh in the half-light of the wings. "I know I probably don't have to say this, but I need to be sure," she whispered carefully. "Only my uncle knows I'm half Granger. He didn't share it with anyone. You're one of a very few people who knows my parentage. Not even your father knows who sired me." Slender fingers gripped Josh's sleeve. "I can trust you with that knowledge. Can't I?"

He met her gaze head-on, seeing the desperation in her eyes, the need to trust someone, the grave importance of her request to keep her secret, and he nodded in agreement. "Yes," he replied without hesitation. "You can trust me." With this secret, anyway. There was no reason his father - or anyone else for that matter - needed to know the true identity of her father. Maybe it would come out eventually, one way or another, but it wouldn't come from him.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:31 EST
The smile that spread over her face was relieved, yes, but pleased to know that she had found someone from Tirisano, someone from the nobility who would always be around her, whom she could trust with the truth of her background. Without thinking, she leaned in and kissed his cheek - just a soft peck that betrayed how much she had decided to trust him in those moments, her attention returning to the action on the stage before she could let herself blush.

He stared at her in disbelief as she turned her attention back to the stage, touching the place where she'd brushed her lips against his cheek. He'd been kissed countless times in the past by numerous girls, all of them hoping to either win his heart or at the very least, have a little fun for a while, but no one - not a single one of them - had ever touched his heart the way this lost little princess had. He wanted to ask why she'd done it, but decided against it. It had been a chaste, friendly kiss, nothing more. A kiss to thank him for promising to keep her secret and for offering his friendship. But instead of making him feel better, that kiss only made him feel more guilty than ever, despite his promise to keep her secret.

Somehow he was going to have to figure out a way to do his father's bidding without betraying or compromising her trust in him. It was so simple really, once it came to him. All he really had to do was be her friend. Friends protected friends, and when it really boiled down to it, wasn't that what he'd been sent here to do' Not to spy on her, but to protect her. He smiled as he turned back to watch her brother, his heart a little lighter for having sorted it out. All he needed to do was be her friend, that was all. It was all so very simple, or so it seemed.

As the audience's applause rang out for the end of Act One, Dru grinned, adding her own applause to the fulsome display of enjoyment as the curtain closed. And like the little sister she was, she made sure her big brother saw her up there, waving like a maniac to get his attention as he headed off the stage in search of his dressing room and a little peace for the next twenty minutes. It didn't occur to her to think that her kiss to Josh's cheek might have been out of line, or that it could have caused him some discomfort. As far as she was concerned, he was here to join the theater and just happened to have come across her and decided to befriend her. "Where are you staying?" she asked suddenly, her voice at an easier volume now that the stage was empty and the audience heading to the bar for the interval.

Josh added his applause to that of the audience, noting the wave Dru gave her brother and the brief tick of a glance that took in her companion. He'd been spied and no doubt Dru's big brother was curious who it was that was hiding in the shadows with his little sister to watch his performance, but he'd find out soon enough. Hunger finally got the best of him, and Josh unzipped the duffle and withdrew the paper bag the waitress had given him that held his sandwich, only then noticing the slip of paper she'd tucked inside that read simply, "Call me, Meg," and included a phone number.

He frowned a little at the slip of paper and shoved it away into a pocket of his jacket to discard later before unwrapping the sandwich and handing her half, brows furrowing for some reason, either due to the slip of paper or the question she'd asked. "My father arranged for an apartment, not too far from the theater." But far enough that it was in a safer, more affluent area than WestEnd.

Of course, Dru's observant eyes didn't miss the note that had been included with Josh's sandwich, that unexpected feeling of jealousy welling up enough to make her frown before she sternly reminded herself he was her friend, nothing more. It didn't matter that she fancied the pants off him - and thank the gods for Jack's presence over the last few months, or she wouldn't even have realized that she fancied her new friend - Josh wasn't hers to be jealous over. If he wanted to call the dumb blonde from the cafe, he could. He was a grown man. "You're lucky to live so close," she smiled, twisting to lean back against the railing and stretch her legs out, knowing she was going to be gently interrogated on the way home by her big brother. "Don't misunderstand me, I very much like Maple Grove, the estate where my family lives, but ....it's outside the city. It's a little isolating."

"Sounds nice, actually. You're lucky you have family here you can rely on." Did he really just say that' Did he really just admit to her that he might be a little bit homesick and lonely' He turned around to lean his back against the railing as he bit into his sandwich, which would have been better warm, but satisfied his hunger well enough for now.

She eyed him thoughtfully, wondering if he was lonely because he was homesick for his family, or lonely because he knew hardly anyone yet. "You know, if you're feeling at a loose end ....you would be welcome to come and stay at Willow Manor for a night or two," she heard herself offering, instantly remembering that an invitation like that, if taken up, was giving Tommy license to tease her for the rest of her life. "There are plenty of spare rooms, and ....Well, we're friends now, aren't we" Friends look out for each other."

He brightened a moment at her suggestion, but almost as quickly shook his head in denial as he realized how inappropriate that would be. It became apparent in that moment that some of the things he had father had been trying to teach him all these years had rubbed off, at least a little. "Thanks, but I wouldn't want to intrude," he told her, a little too solemnly, secretly wishing he could take her up on the offer. He wasn't used to be alone so much; he'd been living in a college dorm back home, where there had always been something going on.

She met his gaze with solemn, soft eyes. "You wouldn't be intruding," she assured him. "I don't live alone. I live with my sister, and her fiance. It isn't as inappropriate as it sounds." A small smile flickered on her lips. "Did you really think I would invite you to sleep in the same house as me if I was on my own" Lord Roslae?"

He laughed, loudly enough that it echoed through their small part of the theater. His laugh had a rich sound to it, like when he laughed, he laughed with his entire being. It wasn't the supposed inappropriateness of her invitation that made him laugh, but the formal address. It was rare that anyone addressed him that way, and he didn't really think of himself as a lord at all. He was just an actor at heart, even if he did have noble blood flowing through his veins. "Oh, is that how it's going to be, Your Highness?"

"Shh!" She covered his mouth with her hand, giggling herself at the enviable richness of his laughter as he teased her in return. "You need to learn discretion, Joshua. Or maybe I should just make a list of all your indiscretions while we're here and make you do nice things for me to get them checked off the list?"

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:31 EST
He mumbled something incoherent beneath her hand, blue eyes dancing with amusement as he watched her. It was so tempting to tease her in return, to catch her in his arms, and tickle her until she begged for him to stop, but this wasn't just any girl but the Princess Royale of Tirisano, and he had to remember that his place was beneath her, even if he did make the short list of suitors. He pried her hand from his mouth, his smile softening, but some of the light going out of his eyes at the sobering thought. "If anyone hears us, they'll just think we're practicing lines for some play. I am a King, after all," he boasted, a little playfulness coming back into his eyes at the statement, enjoying teasing her, despite his own worries.

"And I do adore you," she countered through her own smile, surprising herself with how playful she could be, given the right encouragement. Laughing once again, she drew back from him, taking up a lean once more. "I think my brother might think we're smooching up here, you know," she mused as the thought occurred to her. "He might decide to talk to you about how fragile I am." It couldn't be more obvious that she didn't consider fragile to be a word that could be applied to her, the amusement on her face infectious.

He knew she was only teasing him, but her teasing was having some kind of effect on him, which was an odd feeling for him. He was used to being the one doing the teasing, not being teased. "Fragile isn't a word I'd use to describe you, Princess," he said, using the word like a nickname, so that if anyone happened to overhear them, that's all they would think. Who would ever suspect that royalty had infiltrated The Shanachie Theater, after all"

She'd always hated being called that, but for some reason, the way Josh used the word didn't spark off irritation in her. Instead, her smile softened as she looked up at him, startling herself with a sudden realization of just how much taller than her he was. He loomed, but in a good way. "You're more observant than anyone else, then," she complimented him cheerfully.

He shrugged modestly, as if it was nothing. "It's one of my better traits," he agreed, not bothering to list the rest of them, good or bad, as he perceived them anyway. "So, do you just hang out here until your brother is done, and then he drives you home?" he asked, changing the subject again as he dropped his duffle onto the floor, the sandwich devoured, the waitress' phone number forgotten.

"Not always," she conceded, twisting her hair back off her face as finally the heat of the lighting rig nearest to them started to get to her. One hand fumbled for a hair tie, wedged into the tight pocket of her skirt. "I mean, today I got a ride into town with one of my cousins, so I either have to call someone or wait for Jon, but most days I drive myself. I'm not used to having so much free time."

"What do you do for fun" That is, when you're not at school or rehearsal." He assumed she was still in school, though she might be done by now and had decided not to pursue college. She'd run away from home, at any rate, and for the time being, wasn't under the watchful eye of her uncle, though he assumed her family here wouldn't allow a seventeen year old to run rampant and wild either.

Dru blushed awkwardly. "That's not really something that comes up," she admitted in embarrassment, glancing down as the automated call for the audience to return to their seats went out. Her voice lowered automatically to a whisper as she went on. "I read, or I visit my brothers. I'm not in college, but I still have a lot of studying to do. Politics and stuff."

He nodded his head mutely, realizing they were going to have to start whispering again as Act II was about to start. Either that, or go somewhere else where they could talk without disrupting the play or anyone overhearing them. "Come on," he said abruptly, reaching for her hand. "There must be someplace we can go to talk while we wait for your brother."

She nodded, a little annoyed with herself when the butterflies started up as he took her hand. She jerked her head toward the steps down to stage level, turning to lead the way once again. In time, he'd get to know the theater as well as she did, but for now, Dru was going to have to take charge. The only place she could think of was the dressing rooms two floors below the stage - that would be private enough, and allow Jon to know where she was.

He picked up his duffle and slung it over a shoulder before turning to follow her lead down the stairs into the bowels of the theater. It was one way to get a tour of the place, anyway. He held his tongue while she led the way, respectful of the drama that was taking place on stage, idly wondering what Dru's brother would think of him. Would he see right through him' Would he think him an eligible suitor" Would he think they were just a couple of lonely kids trying to make friends" In the end, it didn't matter what Jonathan Granger thought; only what Drusilla thought.

They narrowly avoided Jonathan himself in the corridor, heading up to take his cue for his first entrance in the second act. Down on the level where the dressing rooms were, the lighting was easier on the eyes, the play being broadcast in muted tones via the intercom. Dru led the way into the common area, and thumped herself down onto one of the comfortable sofas there, stretching her legs out once again. "This is better, yes?"

Josh spied a few vending machines in the common area and decided he could use a soda. He jerked a thumb over one shoulder to roughly indicate the location of the vending machine. "I'm gonna get a soda. You want anything?" he asked, as he remained standing.

"I should probably drink something," she conceded, moving to reach at her feet for the bag she'd left with the doorman. A very unladylike curseword escaped her lips before she could prevent it. "Or not." Sitting back, she shrugged. "I'll live."

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:32 EST
"What's the matter?" he asked, catching wind of the cursing complaint as he started toward the vending machine and fed a few coins into it, pressing a button or two to make his choice. He was more than happy to share or buy her a drink of her own, if only she asked him. She had paid for his sandwich, after all.

"My purse is in my bag, my bag is by the stage door," she explained, chuckling a little at her own lack of foresight. "Oh, well."

"Oh, horrors!" he said with a smirk, laying a hand across his forehead in a feigned show of distraught emotion, not unlike a damsel in distress. "Whatever shall we do' The Princess has lost her purse. I shall have to buy a soda for her."

"Hey!" Laughing, Dru grabbed a pillow off the sofa beside her and threw it at him, something she would never have even considered doing if they had been in Tirisano. Rolling her eyes, she made a show of swallowing her pride. "Please, Josh, could you get me a soda" And I promise to pay you back when I get my hands on my purse again."

He laughed, catching the pillow as it was thrown his way and tossing it back onto another chair. "Ah, but you forget that you paid for my sandwich, so it is I who is in your debt, my lady," he said, dipping a well-practiced bow her way.

She rolled her eyes at him, giggling quietly. "You're one big tease, Joshua Stuart," she informed him succinctly, crossing one knee over the other. If she hadn't been wearing tights, that wouldn't have been a very ladylike move, but Dru was a proponent of thick woolly tights in winter, saving herself from chills and embarrassments in one fell swoop. "One day, you'll have to follow through on some of that."

"Follow through on which part?" he asked, straightening and turning to slide a few more coins in the machine and punching another button or two to order up another soda.

"All your teasing in general," she shot back with a smile, stretching for a moment before finding a comfortable sprawl, hands folded against her stomach. "Should I start making predictions and see which one comes true?"

"Do you moonlight as a psychic?" he asked with a smirk as he leaned over to fish the two sodas out of the machine dispenser. Once that was done, he slid his duffle off his shoulder and dropped into a chair, before handing her one of the sodas.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Dru laughed, relaxing into the new sense of camaraderie she didn't think she'd ever had with anyone else. Taking the soda from him, she opened it to take a delicate sip, relieved to wet her throat finally. "According to some of the gossip back home, that's the only reason I survived the summer." She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous rumor. That was part of the ugliness in Tirisano - the inherent distrust in anything even remotely magical.

"The only reason you survived the summer is because you're psychic?" he asked, looking a little puzzled, the soda poised in his hand to be guzzled, but he had yet to take a sip.

"Because obviously I knew that riding in the car behind my uncle would get me killed," she explained with drawling, ever so slightly bitter sarcasm. "And naturally I had a choice over which vehicle I was going to ride in. It was the fringe anti-mage protesters who came up with that one - you know, the really rabid fanatics."

Whatever smile he'd been wearing a few moments earlier faded at the mention of the "accident" that had taken her mother's life, among others. He remembered it had been all over the news at the time and came as a huge shock to the small peaceful nation. There had been all kinds of rumors and confusion about what had caused the accident, but the cause had finally been determined to be nothing short of an act of terrorism. No one had come forward to take credit for the attack, and no arrests had been made. He could only imagine what it must have been like for her. It must have been terrifying. Was it any wonder she ran away from home" "I'm sorry. Not everyone thinks like that, you know," he told her sympathetically. As the second son of a duke, he did not have to worry quite so much about his own safety and security, but one could never be too careful. "I'm sorry about your family," he added, realizing he hadn't conveyed his condolences yet, at least not personally.

"I know." She nodded in agreement with his assessment of everyone else in the small country, understanding that whoever had attacked her family had either been working alone, or as a part of a very small section of the population. His offer of condolence made her smile gently, the expression sad but nowhere near as heartbroken as she had been when Jon had offered that same condolence to her a few months before. "Thank you," she accepted Josh's sympathies with good grace. "I know it is a few years too late, but I was very sorry to hear about your mother."

He mirrored her smile, though it was tinged with sadness, not just for his own loss but for hers. Few people could relate to what she had gone through, and though he hadn't experienced anything nearly so terrifying, he did understand what it was to lose someone you loved and to worry that someday someone might want to hurt you just to make a point. "Thanks." He turned quiet as he took a swallow of his soda, and there was that uncomfortable silence again.

The silence stretched out for a long time before Dru made a grab at something that might open up the conversation once again. "I'm curious to know what began your interest in the theater," she offered hopefully. "And why I've never met you before today. Your father and my uncle are good friends, and your brother always turns the conversation to what you are doing and how proud he is of you. I don't know why it never occurred to me that I hadn't met this infamous younger Stuart."

Her voice pulled him away from wandering thoughts of both their tragedies and back to the present, taking another swig of his soda as he contemplated her question. "I don't know," he replied thoughtfully. "It was my mom, I guess. She always loved the theater. She used to take me when I was little. We'd stay up late watching old movies together. Jamie was always busy with school or friends or something. I guess I used to put on plays for her when I was little, but I don't really remember that much." He shrugged, at a loss for more of an explanation that that.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:33 EST
"Do you really think there's a demand for a mainstream theater in Tirisano?" she asked him suddenly, sitting up a little as she sipped her soda. "I'm supposed to be a patron of something, but opera and ballet are done to death, and I'm really not that interested in poetry. Apart from the children's hospital, my name isn't attached to anything at home. It's one of the main things I'm continually being badgered about."

"My mother thought so, but there are those who think we should only do original works, nothing that's been done already. I think what people are missing is that theater is supposed to be entertaining. What does it matter if it's an original work or something that's been done elsewhere so long as it's entertaining?"

"It never really occurred to me until I came here," she admitted ruefully. "But then, I thought Itana was huge until I saw Rhy'Din. Our capital city could fit comfortably in the WestEnd with room to spare."

"We're part of the Nexus, Dru. We're at the center of the universe here on Rhy'Din, whether we live in Tirisano or here. This is where everything comes together - every world, every time, every universe. There are so many possibilities, so much potential. And yet, we hide in our little nation and pretend no one exists but us." He knew there were those who wouldn't like what he was saying, but it was true. He knew there were those who might even think it treasonous or anti-national, but he believed that to hide like an ostrich with its head in the sand and ignore the worlds and the universes around them would get them nowhere. "I'm not saying we shouldn't be proud of our own heritage and our own culture, but there's so much more out there to explore."

Dru smiled with shy delight at his words. Tirisano was a xenophobic nation - yet another reason why her parentage could not become public knowledge - and it was rare to come across anyone there who thought the way she did. As much as her uncle was considered a liberal ruler, the country and Parliament were in for a shock when she took over. "Maybe one day I'll change that," she mused softly. "I don't want my children going to school in Itana. They should come here, and learn how to be themselves in a place where just walking down the street is an education."

He nodded in agreement, apparently a little deeper and more passionate about certain things that anyone gave him credit for. He wasn't just a pretty face, and his interests didn't only revolve around the stage. Though he kept most of his opinions on such things to himself, that didn't mean he didn't have the intelligence to form an opinion. "The world is bigger than just Itana and Roslae and Tirisano," he remarked in agreement.

She giggled softly. "I'm living proof of that." Sitting forward, she let her elbows come to rest on her knees as she went on. "It isn't as though Tirisano insists that everything beyond our borders doesn't exist. If we can maintain profitable trade agreements with companies like the GrangerGuild, and diplomatic relations with Rhy'Din and the other city states, then there must be room to open our borders to all the differences that make places like this so wonderful. Of course there'll be conflict at such an integration, but we have conflicts of our own. Maybe injecting fresh perspective into the population at large will smooth some of those disagreements."

"Just so long as Itana doesn't become a haven for vampires," he pointed out, reminding her that opening the borders could cause other problems. "It's a tricky business, but it's time people see that Rhy'Din has as much to offer us as we have to offer them." And that was about as far as his opinions on politics went. He really didn't like discussing or debating politics and generally avoided it, but for some reason, he felt comfortable with her, like he could tell her almost anything.

"I think opening the borders that much won't happen until long after I'm in the royal mausoleum," she shrugged lightly. "Change doesn't happen fast. I think the most I can hope for is to lead by example, and establish some way for our people to see other cultures and other ways of life without exposing them to the dangers of that. And I think ....I think establishing a nationalized theater that invites performers from all over and puts on productions like the ones here ....I think that might be the way to go."

"It's a step in the right direction anyway," he agreed. He wasn't sure whether they agreed because they were both young and idealistic or because they just thought alike. There were certainly others who thought like they did, but it was a topic of conversation he was rarely comfortable having with anyone, including his own father and brother. "It sounds like you've given a lot of thought to what you'd like to accomplish."

"I've had a lot of time to think." Again, this was offered without any sense of bitterness or resentment, but touched with the loneliness of being an only child in the royal household. "I know how the Parliament works. If I can present them with something that seems innocent and purely for the entertainment of the people, they won't think twice about allowing it. And once it's established, they can't abolish it without making enemies of their own population." It was very sneaky, betraying the intelligence that had been cultivated by an unsuspecting government who were going to regret the decision to have her educated at all in the future.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he realized something. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to ask for my help in this little venture?" he asked, stretching out on the chair and hoisting his feet onto a table, crossing his legs at the ankles as he leaned back and took another swallow from the bottle of soda.

Her smile twisted into something impish that seemed to highlight her youth, and at the same time made a feature of the delicate beauty she was growing into, very much her mother's daughter. "Well, I'm going to need some support from within the nobility," she pointed out sweetly. "And your family is very highly respected. Besides, I'm sure that between us we can persuade, guilt, or blackmail your brother into presenting the idea to Parliament when the time comes."

"Oh, so that's it!" he exclaimed with a teasing grin. "You're just using me to get to my brother. The truth is out!" Of course, he was mostly teasing, though it wouldn't have been the first time it had happened. It was no big secret that his brother was one of the most eligible bachelors back home in Roslae - maybe in all of Tirisano. He was going to be a duke someday, after all, while Josh's only ambition was to become an actor.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:34 EST
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Dru scoffed, her cheeks lighting up in a vivid blush as she shook her head. "He's far too old for me." Never mind the fact that there were some in Parliament who would be putting forward the names of men twice James Stuart's age as prospects for her husband.

"Not to marry, silly girl!" he said, laughing. "To gain favor with the Parliament." Though he wasn't quite sure where one began and the other ended. James was a better fit for her, politically anyway. It would be a good match, though no one has yet suggested it, as far as he knew. For some odd reason, the thought of Dru with his brother - or with anyone else really - filled him with jealousy and envy, though he did his best not to show it. There was no way she was ever going to choose someone like him, when there were so many other more suitable young - and old - men to choose from. He was only one of many names on the list. He pushed those thoughts from his head, as he found them unpleasant and confusing. He had only just met the girl. He had no right to be jealous of anyone.

"Ah, but you see, I wouldn't be the one gaining favor," she pointed out the cunning in her plan. "You would convince your brother to present this to Parliament as his own idea, and when it is put to the House, I can approve of it. Once a proposal reaches the House, royal backing makes it far more likely to be passed. So your brother gets the credit, and Parliament thinks they've had a wonderful idea, and no one can say that I'm trying to force foreign ideas onto the country at large." She purposely made no comment on her marriage, teasing or otherwise. It was a bit of a sore subject - with every month that passed, she was getting closer and closer to the show courtship that the whole of Tirisano would watch with baited breath.

He, too, forced his thoughts away from that of courtship or marriage. Though his father had suggested Josh might win her favor and become one of the names on her list of possible suitors, that had never been his reason for befriending her. Another thought came to mind then, one that seemed so obvious. "Why don't you invite the Shanachie to put on a display in the capital" Let Parliament and the people see what they're missing," he suggested.

She considered this with interest. "That's a good idea," she agreed. "Of course, I wouldn't be able to do it right now. I'd need some kind of swell of public opinion in my favor to be able to persuade Parliament to allow it, but, you know, I have a couple of big life decisions that the country is going to enjoy coming up. I should get my chance before I'm twenty."

"Do you have any choice in making those decisions?" he found himself blurting out before he could stop himself. He knew she had more choices to make than just who to make her consort and the father of her children, but this seemed to be the decision that the country was most poised to learn.

She blinked, surprised to find that he seemed so interested in that particular decision she would have to make. But then, she supposed that royal watching was something the whole country of Tirisano did - knowing the ins and outs of the princess' supposed love life would be fascinating. "Well, on my eighteenth birthday, I'll be given a list with seven names on it, each one of whom will have been vetted and chosen by Parliament as a suitable prospect for my husband and the future Prince Consort. I'll be expected to dance with each of them at the ball to celebrate my coming of age, and then over the next few weeks, I will have to interview them personally, to learn something about them for myself. I'm allowed the freedom to cut that list of seven down to two or three, and finally to choose my husband from that shortened list. He'll be informed, and from then on, there will be public appearances organized so that the people can follow a courtship from first preference, through engagement, and to marriage."

"My father said I might be one of those names chosen by Parliament," he remarked, shrugging his shoulders as though either it didn't matter or he thought it unlikely. "But I'm not so sure." She had to know this was a distinct possibility. With his brother being groomed to take over the duchy, that left the second son free to court the princess, though Josh wasn't sure he liked the idea of his fate being pre-determined and decided for him anymore than she did.

Dru's expression seemed to shut down for a moment before she remembered that she didn't have to hide her reaction from him, letting him see the confusion that rose in her, spurred on by the attraction she was pretty sure was one sided from her. "I hadn't thought of that," she admitted softly. "My uncle has been pushing rather hard for me to show favor to Edward Vandorelli, the Duke of Lowerstoft's brother. But he's so old."

Josh scowled at the mention of the man who, though he might be a friend of his father's, was far too old to make a proper consort for a young princess. A thought came to mind then, though it was a rather evilly ingenious thought. There were two solutions to her predicament. One, she ran away, but she'd tried that once already and had been found out. The other option was a little more creative, but by no means certain. "I have an idea," he said, dropping his feet from the table and leaning forward to share his thought, with a lovely but slightly evil grin on his face. "It's gonna sound crazy, but when the time comes, if you don't like any of the other candidates, pick me."

Dru's jaw dropped. Never in a million years would she have expected him to suggest anything like that, knowing what he knew of how restrictive the upper ranks of the nobility in Tirisano were. "I couldn't do that to you," she shook her head. "It isn't that I'm not grateful for the suggestion, but you have such talent and so much potential to make something of it. You don't deserve to be trapped into a life like mine. You don't want it, and you shouldn't feel that you have to offer."

He shrugged his shoulders. Though she was turning him down now, she might change her mind when she was forced to court men twice her age. He hadn't offered for himself or even to make his father proud. His father was already proud of him; there was little he could do to squelch that pride. He had offered for her, and in that moment, he wasn't even sure why he'd offered, but wasn't that what friends did for friends" Or was it something else? Was there something inside him, some desire to protect her, that he didn't even recognized yet' And yet, now that he'd suggested it, he wondered if she'd think he had a hidden agenda. He didn't. Was it so hard to believe that he was just trying to be nice? "Desperate times call for desperate measures," he said with that shrug.

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:35 EST
The little princess' face had softened as he shrugged. It didn't occur to her in that moment that he might have an ulterior motive for offering, though it would no doubt come to mind later on. All she saw was a good man offering to sacrifice his entire future for her sake, and though it was a touching gesture, she couldn't countenance accepting it. "You're not what I would call a desperate measure," she told him gently, reaching over to touch his hand, her soft brown eyes alight with the attraction she felt to him after a single day's acquaintance. "Not by a long shot."

"You shouldn't have to..." He trailed off, frowning thoughtfully as she touched his hand. Was he reading her wrong or was he sensing some kind of attraction' And who was he to talk about what she should and should not have to do' She was the heir to the throne of Tirisano. She had more duties and responsibilities than he could ever imagine. It saddened him that she might have to marry someone twice her age, someone she didn't even find attractive, just to ensure a successor to the throne, though at least she had a little choice in the matter. He wasn't sure why he'd offered his own name up. It certainly wasn't because he was politically ambitious, but the thought of her being forced into an unpleasant marriage irked him for some reason.

Whatever might have happened next between them was interrupted as actors and actresses started flooding the common area as the play had reached its end. Josh slid his hand away from Dru's just as a familiar face was approaching. Josh slid his hand away from Dru's and moved to his feet as Dru's brother approached, cheeks flushing a little as he realized he was most likely about to meet his idol.

Quite what passed between them in the quiet that followed the touch of her hand on his was beyond Dru to grasp or put words to. She only knew that she felt warm and chilled, eager for something unknown, and yet shy of that unknown something happening at all. Part of her was relieved by the sudden influx of actors from the stage above, passing through the common room toward their dressing rooms, but there was that part of her that was also intensely disappointed by the interruption. Looking up as Josh rose to his feet, she felt herself smile happily at the sight of her big brother, bouncing up off the sofa to congratulate Jon with a warm hug.

Distracted by the sudden flood of actors into the common area who were busily chatting with each other, making plans for the evening and congratulating one another on a job well done, Josh watched as Dru lit up on seeing her brother. A few shouts were offered to Jon, and he waved and returned the camaraderie before wrapping his sister in a warm, brotherly hug. "Hey, squirt! Been waiting long?" he asked, dropping a fond kiss against the top of her head. She looked like a midget compared to him, though Jon couldn't help but notice that her companion was even taller.

"Oh, about two hours," Dru grinned, drawing back from the hug it had taken her a while to get used to but now was something she actively sought out whenever she was around her brothers and sister. "We caught the end of Act One from the wings. You had the audience eating out of your hand tonight." With another warm smile, she glanced to Josh, realizing that he was probably a bit nervous all of a sudden. "Oh ....Jon, this is Josh, a new friend," she moved to introduce the two of them, who towered above her in their various ways. "Josh, allow me to introduce my brother, Jonathan Granger."

Jon shrugged at the compliment, as if it wasn't a big deal, though the praise - especially from his little sister - meant a lot more to him than he'd ever admit. He released her from his embrace to turn to the young man, who he deemed was maybe in his late teens or early twenties, to offer another friendly smile and a shake of his hand. "Nice to meet you, Josh. Keeping my kid sister out of trouble, I hope?" Jon asked with a playful sparkle in his blue eyes. His cheeky wife had been a good influence on him.

"A pleasure," Josh echoed, returning the handshake and becoming suddenly tongue-tied now that he was face to face with his idol.

"Josh thought that it was more socially acceptable to stalk you in my company," Dru offered up innocently, knowing that neither one of them was going to take that tease without objecting one way or the other. Jon wasn't the only one Vicki had an influence on. To Josh, she added, "Which buttock did you decide you wanted him to sign?"

"I'm not stalking him!" Josh exclaimed, as that blush deepened, hoping Dru's brother didn't take it the wrong way. He wasn't interested in him in a romantic or sexual way; he was just a fan and admirer of Jon's work and had been especially impressed with his roles in A Murder of Crowes and more recently Swan Song.

Jon arched his brows, looking startled momentarily before realizing Dru was only teasing her friend. It only took a moment before the look faded, but if one was observant enough to notice, it spoke volumes of some of the troubles he and Vicki had experienced over the last few years. "I'd be happy to give you an autograph," Jon said. "But I think you might prefer to have in on paper."

Dru dissolved into giggles, her revenge for Josh teasing her about as absolute as she could possibly have made it. If she'd known about those troubles Jon had navigated, she might have chosen a different route with which to tease her new friend, but such things were very personal to her brother's relationship. She nudged Josh in ....well, given her height, in the hip, grinning up at him. "So having women all over you doesn't make you blush, but meeting Jon Granger does?" she continued to tease playfully. "Are you like this with all famous actors" Should I introduce you to Mataya De Luca, or Max Yako, next?"

Jon chuckled, taking pity on the poor young man who his sister was teasing. "Come on. I think Liv left some photos in my dressing room for me to sign. You can have one of those." He turned to start toward his dressing room, presumably with the pair of youngsters in tow.

Josh glared at Dru, her teasing doing nothing to alleviate that blush. "I don't have women all over me," he insisted under his breath, grateful than her brother had chosen to mostly ignore his sister's teasing.

"You did at rehearsal," she pointed out cheerfully, giving him a gentle tug to follow her brother. It must have been a little strange for him to see how she blossomed around her brother, after their quiet evening. "Come on. I promise, I'll behave myself."

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:36 EST
"That's because I'm playing Pharaoh!" Josh pointed out, looking a little perplexed with her teasing. He seemed mostly unaware of the effect he had on girls, and though he liked them well enough and had dated a few, he'd never really had much time for them. "And I am not stalking your brother," he insisted further, with a hushed voice. "I just admire his work. That's all."

Whether Jon could hear what was being said behind him or not was unclear. He made no comment either way, but simply lead the way toward his room, unlocking the door with a key, and pushing his way inside while the pair followed behind.

This brought fresh giggles from the little woman by Josh's side. "I know you're not," she assured him, but nothing was going to stop her from teasing him now she'd found a weak spot and the means to make him blush. "But even you can't be so naive as to think that you couldn't have any woman in the chorus line with a snap of your fingers." Herself included, if she was brutally honest, but she wasn't going to volunteer that information. She paused outside Jon's dressing room. "Should I wait out here?" she asked, briefly serious. "I don't want to see my brother's underwear while he gets changed."

The young man's mood seemed to shift, the flush on his face growing a little flustered with her teasing. "What makes you think I want any of the women in the chorus?" he countered, still not quite believing her claim. If he could have any woman he wanted, why wasn't he dating anyone then" "And I don't want to see your brother's underwear either!"

"I didn't say you did," she pointed out, but she subsided from her teasing with a flush of her own on her cheeks for the implication in his counter that he didn't fancy anyone in the chorus. She wasn't entirely sure why that had the potential to upset her, but was determined not to let that show. "Never mind. Jon was going to give you an autographed picture."

He was about to say something else, when a voice was heard from inside Jon's dressing room. "Would you two stop arguing and get in here?"

Once again, Josh - or maybe Dru - was saved by her brother's timely intervention. "This isn't finished," Josh told her, with a point of a finger and a flash of his steel-blue eyes, before turning to step into her brother's dressing room.

Her reaction to that was possibly the definition of confusing. On the one hand, she felt the warning, the suggestion that she'd made him angry and he was going to make sure she knew it at another time; on the other hand, that flash of his eyes set off a chain reaction of fascinating fireworks deep in the pit of her belly. Both of which presented themselves to Jon's eyes, as she stepped in behind her friend, with downcast eyes that flickered often to the tall friend she had made and blushing cheeks that seemed to burn brighter whenever she did look at said friend.

Jon seemed unperturbed by whatever was going on between the pair, as if there was nothing that could possibly disturb his calm demeanor. Or maybe he was just amused by the situation and was milking it for all it was worth. Whatever the man was thinking, he was sitting at his dressing table, scribbling his name in black marker across a glossy black and white eight by ten photograph of himself. "Do you want me to add a personal note?" he asked, glancing up at Josh momentarily.

"No, that won't be necessary," Josh replied, feeling ridiculously silly and embarrassed for some reason. "I'm sorry for any trouble, Mr. Granger."

Jon sighed and set the pen down, glancing between the two of them, noticing something that both of them seemed to be missing, which amused him to no end. "How old are you?" he asked the young man.

"I'm sorry?" replied Josh, confused.

"How old are you?" Jon repeated.

"Um," Josh looked to Dru momentarily, wondering what the point was of this line of questioning.

Dru wanted to assure Josh that he wasn't being any trouble when Jon's question seemed to come out of nowhere. Without thinking, she looked up, surprised that her usually tactful brother had asked such a personal question so abruptly to someone he'd only just met, her glance finding Josh's gaze with a fresh eruption of shy embarrassment. She didn't know what Jon was getting at, either, of no help to her new friend as he looked to her. She shrugged a little helplessly, somehow managing to convey that it couldn't hurt to share his age with an actor he admired.

Josh turned back to Jon, unable to hide the puzzled expression from his face. "I'm twenty," he replied, resisting the urge to address him as sir, though the word seemed to hang in the air between them.

Jon smiled warmly in return. "I'm twenty-eight," he told the younger man, who wasn't really all that much younger than he was. "You can dispense with the mister and call me Jon."

Dru bit her lip to prevent herself from adding in her own age, though it was tempting to interrupt this tentative male bonding over an autograph. Then she glanced at Josh again, and remembered that he didn't fancy her, he was annoyed with her, and the best possible defense was probably just to keep her mouth shut for now. So that was exactly what she did, folding her hands behind herself as she leaned back against the wall.

Josh nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sorry, I'm just a little nervous," he apologized. "I'm a big fan."

Jon smirked a little, tossing a brief glance at his sister before handing the young man the autographed photo. "I'm no one special, Josh. Just an ordinary person like everyone else whose lucky enough to be doing what I love."

"Josh recently joined the theater company," Dru volunteered tentatively, the hesitant flicker of her gaze toward the younger man all the evidence Jon needed to guess that she was attempting to smooth ruffled feathers by countering her friend's nerves. "Maybe you could give him some advice sometime?"

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:37 EST
"Has he?" Jon flashed that dimpled, Granger grin he was so well known for. He looked between the two young people again, gaining a slightly better understanding of the situation. "Welcome to the Shanachie, Josh," Jon said with a warm, friendly smile. "I'd be happy to give you some advice, but I'm afraid it's going to have to wait. I have a wife and baby girl at home who get a little worried if I don't show up on time. Why don't you bring Josh around to the big house for dinner this weekend and we'll talk," Jon suggested, not giving either of the young people a chance to apologize or make any excuses.

Josh flushed a little again and glanced to Dru, as if to ask her permission. Only a few minutes earlier they were arguing, and he wasn't quite sure where he stood with her now.

Put on the spot with the full knowledge that Jon had done that precisely because he knew her well-bred manners wouldn't allow her to object, Dru blinked, looking between Josh and her brother rapidly for a moment. "Very well," she agreed, those beautiful manners hiding her uncertainty at extending an invitation to someone who seemed to want to spank her for being a tease. "Josh, it would be a very great pleasure if you would join us for dinner on Sunday. I do hope you'll agree."

Josh wasn't quite sure if she really wanted him there, but he couldn't very well turn down an invitation that had been put to him so nicely as this one, as it would be rude. Besides, it would be an opportunity for him to get to know Dru and her family better, and that was, after all, in part, what he was supposed to be here to do, not to mention that he was interested in any professional advice the great Jon Granger might be willing to offer. "It would be a pleasure. Thank you for the invitation," he told them both, inching his way toward the door. "If you'll both excuse me, I'll just be on my way. I have a costume fitting early in the morning."

Dru glanced at her brother briefly, turning before Josh could make his escape, the fidget of her fingers at her waist enough to share her edge toward anxiety even without the concern that colored her expression. "Will you be all right to get home on your own?" she asked Josh softly, the shy, quiet little princess in evidence once again as she met his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Josh replied, the soft smile returning to his face, though it was edged with a bit of nervousness now that they'd had their first argument. At least, he thought they'd had an argument; he wasn't quite sure. "I, um....I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked, edging a bit timidly closer. Though neither probably noticed, Jon had a smirk on his face as he watched the other two.

A tiny smile lit up her face as Josh edged a little closer to her, brown hair swaying about her cheeks as she nodded. "Yes," she assured him, and very quickly bounced up to kiss his cheek again, a silent thank you for being truthful with her and wanting to be her friend. "I hope you have a good night, Josh."

She was rewarded for that kiss with another smile, a genuine one, relieved that maybe she wasn't so angry with him after. "You, too, Dru," he said, turning to her brother one last time. "Nice to have met you, Mister....Jon. Thanks for the autograph!" And with one final glance at Dru, he ducked out the door to collect his duffel and make his way to the apartment he was calling home for now.

"Good night!" she called after him, and for a long moment, Dru just stared at the door that had closed after her friend, working up the courage to turn around and face her brother. When, finally, she did, it was to raise a brow in Jon's general direction. "I know you're bursting to say something," she accused fondly. "Out with it."

Jon went about removing his makeup while Dru and Josh said their goodbyes and his sister stared after him a little longer than necessary. "He likes you," Jon said, with a slightly amused smirk as he finished up wiping the stage makeup from his face.

She shrugged, dismissing that thought. "Doubtful," was her answer. "I think he's been sent here to keep an eye on me, to be honest. But he's trying to do it for my sake, rather than because he's been ordered to."

"So?" Jon continued, tossing tissues into the trash and turning to face his baby sister. "That doesn't mean he doesn't like you, Dru. What were you two arguing about?" he asked further, moving to his feet so he could change into his street clothes.

She hesitated, frowning as she considered the question. "I don't actually know," she admitted a little awkwardly. "I think I offended him with my teasing, and he got angry with me. It was my fault, I'll apologize for it tomorrow." Realizing that Jon wanted to change, she stepped back toward the door. "I left my bag with the doorman. Should I go and get it while you change?"

"What were you teasing him about?" Jon pressed further, wondering what it was she could have said to make the younger man angry. Though he wanted to get home to Vicki and Emily, he paused a moment to hear her answer before changing to go home.

"Well ..." Again, Dru hesitated but this time it was entirely because she was genuinely embarrassed to be sharing this, as evidenced by the bright flush on her cheeks as she looked away. "All I said was that he could have any woman in the chorus if he snapped his fingers. And it isn't as though he doesn't know he's handsome, is it?"

Jon contemplated that a moment before answering. He was pretty sure Vicki might have nearly said the same thing to him once, but there was only one woman he'd wanted, and that was her. "You ever think maybe he doesn't want just any woman in the chorus?" Jon asked, as he started to undo the buttons of his jacket.

"No," she shook her head, those infernal good manners of hers prompting her to turn her back as her brother worked his way out of his layers of costume. "It wouldn't matter, anyway. He as good as said he doesn't want anyone from the chorus."

Jon chuckled, a little amused by his sister's misunderstanding of her friend's remark. "Of course he did. What did you expect him to say when you put him on the spot like that?" He drew the jacket over his shoulder and laid it against his chair. "Tell me something, Dru. Do you like him?"

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:37 EST
"I don't know him," she countered promptly, falling back on the ages old standpoint that it was necessary to know someone inside out before you could say whether you liked them or not. "We only met today, Jon. That is hardly enough time to make a decision like that about anyone."

"You're right," Jon agreed, not having known that they'd only just met. "Let me put it another way then. Would you like to get to know him better?" He unbuttoned the dress shirt he wore beneath the jacket, unconcerned that his sister was just a few feet away. He wasn't going to strip down nude, and she was his own flesh and blood.

Besides, with her eyes fixed firmly on the bare wall less than an foot in front of her, Dru wasn't in danger of seeing anything she shouldn't. "Of course I would," she answered her brother's question as though that should have been patently obvious. "He's intelligent and funny, and he shares a lot of the same opinions as I do. Of course I would like to get to know him better. It would be good for me to have a friend I don't have to give up in a couple of years' time."

"Don't have to give up?" Jon echoed, obviously not having got the whole story regarding her friend Josh. He changed out of the theater clothes, his back to Dru, in case she took a peek over her shoulder at him, into jeans and t-shirt underneath a navy blue pullover sweater.

Belatedly, she realized she hadn't actually provided her brother with all the facts. No wonder he seemed confused about Josh. "He's from Tirisano," she explained to the wall in front of her nose, picking at her fingernails as she talked. "More than that, he's the second son of the duke who is my uncle's closest friend. I don't need to be afraid of making friends with him, Jon, because when I take the crown, I won't be expected to give up his friendship. And that is a little scary."

Okay, that made a little more sense. At least, the part about him being sent there to spy on her made more sense now. "Why is it scary?" he prompted, not only wanting to understand himself, but hoping that by pushing her further, she might figure these things out for herself. He shoved his fingers through his hair to fingers comb it, before making his way toward her to snag his jacket off a hook near the door.

"I've never made a friend for myself before," Dru confessed very quietly. "They've always been vetted before they ever met me, part of a short list of suitable companions for a royal heir. And they made friends with me because I'm the princess, not because they wanted to." She frowned, twisting to look up at Jon uncertainly. "What happens if I want to be his friend, but he decides he doesn't want to be mine" What if all I have to offer is my rank" I don't want to be rejected by the first person from home who hasn't been chosen to be my friend by Parliament."

Jon considered her question seriously, knowing how important it was to her, not having realized just how lonely she had been until now. Even surrounded by a family who loved her was not always enough. She needed friends of her own who cared about her for herself, not her royal title or that she was a Granger. "First of all, you have a lot more to offer than just your rank. And second, maybe you should give him a chance before you decide he's going to reject you."

She held his gaze, small and young and not afraid to be either when she was with her big brother. "I know you haven't got much to base it on, but ....do you think it's a risk I should take?" she asked Jon, trusting in his judgement far more than he might have realized. "Or will I just get broken again when I want more than he can give?"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Dru. I was scared to death when I first started dating Vicki and look at us now. But honestly' He's far from home, too, and probably needs a friend as much as you do. Why don't you start there?" He flipped the switch on the lights, darkening the room. "Let's go home. We can talk on the way."

Nodding obediently, Dru slipped out of the dressing room, aware that all along the corridor others were stepping out of their own dressing rooms to make the trip to their homes in timely fashion. She paused to wait for her brother before speaking again. "Why do I always fancy people I can't have?"

Jon stepped out of his dressing room behind his sister, turning to lock the door and stuff the key into a pocket of his jacket. "Why do you think you can't have him?" he asked, as he turned back around, assuming she was talking about Josh.

She snorted softly, shaking her head. "Because he knows who I am and what I'm going to be, and who would want that in their lives?" she pointed out shyly. "It doesn't matter if I fancy him or not. I could never countenance beginning something that would either end with my marrying someone else or trapping him in a life he'd hate."

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?" Jon asked, looping an arm through hers as he led her toward the exit, where she could collect her bag before leaving. "Why don't you just worry about getting to know him first and then see what happens?"

Dru looked up at her brother a little guiltily. "Are you saying that I am over thinking things and making a catastrophe out of nothing?" she asked innocently, the gentle quirk of her smile proving that she did at least know about this bad habit of hers.

"Not in so many words, but yes," he replied with an affectionate smile. "Besides, don't you have a little choice about who you marry?" he asked further. He'd never been too clear on that little detail, knowing very little about the life of royals, even though his little sister was one of them.

"A little," she conceded, but didn't include the concern that Josh might not end up on her short list. She hugged Jon's arm fondly, pausing to charm her bag out of the doorman with a sweet smile. "What do you think of him?" she asked her brother then, curious to know what his first impression of one of the Stuarts of Roslae was.

While Dru was charming her bag from the doorman, Jon drew his jacket on over his shoulders and the car keys from a pocket. "Doesn't really matter what I think," he pointed out after bidding the doorman goodnight and stepping outside. "What matters is what you think."

Dru Granger

Date: 2014-02-28 08:39 EST
"Oh yes, because that's a helpful thing to say to someone who has only ever fancied one other person, and he's married to her cousin," Dru pointed out with a wry turn to her smile, waving goodnight to the doorman as she followed her brother out into the darkness. "Please, Jon, I'm only asking for your opinion. I'd like to know if I've missed something important because he's so ....Josh."

Jon chuckled at her admission, having already guessed she'd had a bit of a crush on Jack - or more accurately, having been told as much by Lena. He was actually relieved Dru had met someone closer to her own age that she found attractive, but whether it would ever become more than a crush, he couldn't say. "Okay," he agreed, as they started toward the garage where he had parked the Bentley. "It's a little soon to form an opinion, but so far, he seems like a nice guy. A bit shy, maybe. You said he's from Tirisano, as well?"

She nodded again, one slender finger moving to tuck her hair back behind her ear as she walked along beside Jon, her dance bag hanging heavily from her shoulder. "His father is the Duke of Roslae," she told him quietly. "I can point the Duke and Josh's older brother out on that recording from the Christmas Ball. I danced with both of them. But I'd never met Josh until today. I never thought I would meet him, to be honest."

"So, if he's a duke's son, isn't it acceptable to be dating him?" Jon asked further, having very little knowledge of Tirisano and the rules of court and royalty. He could understand why she might be discouraged from dating a commoner, but Josh was no commoner.

"I suppose it is," Dru mused thoughtfully, a small frown on her pretty face. "And perhaps just the fact of dating me would be enough to get him on the list Parliament will give me next January, but it still comes back to the fact that I couldn't ask him to give up a promising future just to marry me. If it got that far. Which it probably won't. He doesn't want anyone from the chorus line, remember?"

"Maybe he just doesn't want anyone else from the chorus line," Jon pointed out, though he had not been privy to the conversation and wasn't sure what exactly had been said. "Besides, take it from me, love changes everything."

"Love?" His little sister looked at him as though he had grown a second head. Love was the furthest thing from her mind at any time - she'd resigned herself to spending her life without a true lover. The best she would let herself hope for was someone who would become her friend over time. She snorted a little derisively. "I don't expect I'll ever fall in love, Jon."

"Uh huh," Jon replied with a smirk. "I've heard that before," he said as they strolled down the street toward the parking garage, which was only a short walk from the Shanachie. Who he'd heard it from, he didn't say. Plenty of people, actually, but he was not one of them. It was no big secret that Jonathan Granger was and always had been a hopeless romantic, but it wasn't until he'd met Vicki that everything had fallen into place.

"Not everyone is as lucky as you are," Dru said, the envy obvious in her voice. She'd been privy to enough of Jon and Vicki's relationship to understand that they had something very special, something she would never have. "You have a wonderful wife, and a beautiful daughter, and a lovely, if somewhat insane, dog. Goodness knows what the next baby is going to be like."

Jon couldn't help laughing at Dru's summation of his life, especially at the part about Cosmo. "It wasn't always like that, you know. We almost weren't a couple at all."

She smiled up at him. "You know the magazines in Tirisano call Vicki a Cinderella without the ego," she informed him sweetly. "No one knew who she was before she started dating you, and now no one can imagine a time when you weren't with her. That is magical, Jon. I refuse to believe it was ever a case of almost not happening."

"Well, believe it. If she hadn't showed up at my trailer one day, practically seducing me into dating her, we might have never become a couple." He knew it was a lot more complicated than that, but he didn't want to go into the whole story about his travels into her past that had been Dom's idea. "The point I'm trying to make is that you never know, Dru. If someone had told me I'd end up this way when I was your age, I probably wouldn't have believed them." And considering who he was at seventeen, that was a pretty good bet.

"What a difference a decade makes, hmm?" She shrugged, blowing out a brief huff of breath. She understood where he was coming from, what he was trying to tell her. She just wasn't quite ready to believe it. "All right then, tell me this ....how do I find out if he likes me?"

"Ask him," Jon replied as they arrived at the parking garage and he led the way inside toward where he'd parked his beloved Bentley. He knew it wasn't quite as simple as that, but it was a start. "He agreed to come to dinner with you. Think he'd do that if he didn't like you at least a little?"

Again, Dru rolled her eyes. Everything was so simple in Jon-world. "Jon, if I just come out and ask him if he likes me, he'll think I'm asking if he likes me as a friend, and I already know that he does, because he asked me to be his friend earlier today," she pointed out. "Besides, how much more obvious can I make myself" I know I light up like a pink lantern when I'm shy of someone."

"Maybe he's a little scared, too," Jon suggested as they wandered through the rows of parked cars. "How long has he been here?" he asked, curiously. He knew very little about Dru's latest boy-crush, though it seemed he was might find out more at dinner on Sunday.

"About a week, I think. He came to the auditions for Joseph the day after he got here, I know that much." As she spoke, her eyes scanned the rows of cars, faint nerves at being in an enclosed space with so many hiding places all around her making her walk just a little faster. "So not very long. Not long enough to have made many friends, at least."

Jon seemed to sense his sister's nervousness and wound a protective arm around her shoulders. The garage was as secure as a garage could get, with security on duty keeping watch via cameras. Besides his family and home, the Bentley was Jon's most prized possession, and you could bet he wouldn't be parking it here if he wasn't confident that the place was secure. "I think you're worrying for nothing, Dru. Why don't you just take things one step at a time and see what happens?"

Grateful for the reassurance offered by the arm that wrapped about her shoulders, Dru tucked herself close into Jon's side as he offered her some very sound advice. "Because that would be the sane, sensible thing to do?" she said with wry humor, shrugging as she looked up at him with a smile. "Thank you, Jon. I appreciate your patience with me."

"Dru," Jon started as they finally found the car, turning to face her, his hands on her shoulders to meet her gaze with brotherly love and devotion. "Things have a way of working themselves out. If it's meant to be, it will be. If you really like this..." Jon paused, realizing Josh was no boy, nor was his sister a girl. They were practically adults, no longer children. "If you really like Josh, then just let things happen naturally. Worry about being friends first, and then see where it goes from there."

Which essentially cut down to stop worrying about what happens in the future and enjoy the moment. Good advice, especially for a princess who couldn't escape the future. She smiled again, warm and affectionate for the brother who tried so hard to help her enjoy her life as it was. "I'll try," she promised Jon softly, rising up on her toes and simultaneously pulling on his jacket so she could kiss his cheek. "Love the me that is in the now. I can do that."

"Something like that," he replied, Jon beaming a smile back at his sister, pleased and touched by the affection she freely offered. Though he hadn't known her very long he had already grown very fond of her and even a little protective. His father might have been a cheat and a philanderer, but Jon and Lena were definitely benefiting from it in the way of an additional brother and sister they'd never known before. "Come on," he told her, tossing his arm around her shoulders once again to lead her toward the passenger door. "Let's go home." Home to Maple Grove, not to Tirisano - to the home that Jon and Lena had grown up in, a home where the bad memories of the past were being replaced with good memories in the present.

A home that would always be there for Dru, no matter her rank and station or the responsibilities laid upon her by her birthright. A home that would always be home, no matter the mistakes the future would bring. Home and family, safe from the intrigue of the court she had grown up in. No matter how trapped she might feel, Dru knew she would always have a place here, where there were brothers and sisters and cousins, where she was just one of many. And where, someday, she would bring her children, whoever their father turned out to be.

((How's that for a scene that ran away with us" Huge thanks to the awesome Josh and Jon!))