((Takes place on the same evening as the events of Break A Leg.))
It had not been the best night of Carina Cox's life. She'd broken the leg of one of the most famous actors on Rhy'Din, fluffed virtually every line in the second act, burst into tears in the middle of her final soliloquy, and now she'd locked herself into her dressing room. "Perfect, just perfect," she ground out from between clenched teeth, hammering on the door to get someone's attention. Hopefully not everyone had rushed to get home tonight, or she could end up in here all night.
Thankfully, a certain half-elf had hung around after the performance was over to walk a certain actress home and make sure she was safe. He knew she hadn't had a very good night and was hoping he could make her feel better somehow. Wasn't that what friends were for" He found her dressing room door just in time to hear her banging on it from the inside. "Carina?" he called from the other side. "Are you all right?"
Of everyone who could have come by in that moment, Carina didn't think she could have wished for someone better than Aran. "I'm locked in!" she called through the door. "Can you get it open on your side?"
"Locked in?" Aran echoed. However had she managed that' Didn't doors usually lock from the inside, not the outside" "I, uh..." he started uncertainly, trying the door, which did, indeed, appear to be either locked or jammed.
"Perfect end to my day, isn't it?" Carina called through the door, stepping back just in case he managed to get the door open. "Locked in my dressing room all night. Maybe I should just resign and become a teacher."
Though she could not see him from inside the room, there was a look of concentration on his face, as he tried to sort out how to get the door unlocked from the outside. He thought it might call for a little bit of magic again, though what kind of magic he wasn't quite sure. Or he could go look for a set of keys. He thought that was probably the better idea. "Stay here! I'll see if I can find some keys!" he called back at her.
"Okay!" As it turned out, Carina didn't even have her key in the room with her. She'd left it in the main part of the dressing rooms, and the stage manager had found it. He met Aran in the corridor, making a guess as to the half-elf's destination. "Let me guess, Carina's locked in," he said in a wry tone, offering Aran the key in his hand. "Tell her to put that on a keyring or something."
Aran nodded his head gratefully as he took the key from the stage manager, closing his hand tightly around it so that he wouldn't lose it. The way this night had been going, one couldn't be too careful. "Thank you!" he said, before turning and hurrying back to rescue his lady in distress. "Carina, I'm back!" he called through the door at his return. "I've got the key!" he added, even as he fit the key in the lock and turned it to open the door.
"Oh, thank gods ..." She rose out of the chair where she had been sitting, dejected and angry with herself, catching the door as it swung open and moving smartly to get out of the room before she somehow ended up locked in there again. "I'm sorry to be a bother."
"You're not a bother," he said, handing over the key. "The stage manager said to put it on a keyring or something," he quoted the man, practically word for word. He had learned a lot about this world since his arrival over six months ago, much of it under Carina's more recent tutelage, and was relieved to know what the man was talking about.
"Oh." She blushed deeply, taking the key from his fingers and tucking it securely into her purse. Of course it would be her own fault she got locked in; that was just the way the night was going. "I, um, I didn't thank you for helping Jon. I should have done. So ....thank you, Aran."
Aran shrugged his shoulders, a recent habit learned and picked up since his arrival in Rhy'Din. He frowned a little, glad he was there to have helped her friend, but wishing she'd thanked him instead for helping her. "I don't know much healing magic, but I'm glad I could help."
She sighed softly, half-turning toward him. One arm looped about his neck for a moment as she hugged her friend warmly, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for being here tonight," she said softly. "It hasn't been the greatest evening of my existence, but it's good to have someone I care about here."
As much as he had secretly been wanting her to thank him in some way, once she had, his face flushed profusely and not because he was feeling too warm. "The play's almost over, isn't it?" he asked, changing the subject so that she might not notice his awkward and nervous embarrassment. "You only have a few more performances, and it's over."
"You saw what I was like after they had to switch actors," she pointed out, turning to lead the way along the hall to the stage door and out. "Virtually everything I said came out wrong. All it took was one mishap, and I forgot everything. Maybe I'm really not meant to be an actor."
"But it was just an accident," he pointed out. "It won't happen every night. You've been doing splendidly up until now," he said, following along beside her, his hands and face animated and passionate as he tried to give her what little encouragement he could. He didn't want her to stay in the theater if she was unhappy there, but he didn't want her to leave him all alone there either.
She smiled at his passionate insistence on it being a fluke, and deep inside, she knew he was right. It had just been a very bad day, and her confidence was suffering accordingly. "You're very sweet to say so, Aran," she told him, sliding her hand into his as they stepped out into the chilly night. WestEnd wasn't the safest place to walk through at night, but they hadn't had any trouble before, probably because they were together. Besides, Carina took every opportunity she had to touch Aran. It was difficult being someone's friend when you wanted to be something more.
"I'm just being honest," he pointed out again, as if he could be anything else. It was almost impossible for him to lie, though he was certainly capable of withholding the truth, especially when it came to his growing feelings for his best friend. "Anyway, it wasn't so bad. The audience seemed to think it was all part of the play."
It had not been the best night of Carina Cox's life. She'd broken the leg of one of the most famous actors on Rhy'Din, fluffed virtually every line in the second act, burst into tears in the middle of her final soliloquy, and now she'd locked herself into her dressing room. "Perfect, just perfect," she ground out from between clenched teeth, hammering on the door to get someone's attention. Hopefully not everyone had rushed to get home tonight, or she could end up in here all night.
Thankfully, a certain half-elf had hung around after the performance was over to walk a certain actress home and make sure she was safe. He knew she hadn't had a very good night and was hoping he could make her feel better somehow. Wasn't that what friends were for" He found her dressing room door just in time to hear her banging on it from the inside. "Carina?" he called from the other side. "Are you all right?"
Of everyone who could have come by in that moment, Carina didn't think she could have wished for someone better than Aran. "I'm locked in!" she called through the door. "Can you get it open on your side?"
"Locked in?" Aran echoed. However had she managed that' Didn't doors usually lock from the inside, not the outside" "I, uh..." he started uncertainly, trying the door, which did, indeed, appear to be either locked or jammed.
"Perfect end to my day, isn't it?" Carina called through the door, stepping back just in case he managed to get the door open. "Locked in my dressing room all night. Maybe I should just resign and become a teacher."
Though she could not see him from inside the room, there was a look of concentration on his face, as he tried to sort out how to get the door unlocked from the outside. He thought it might call for a little bit of magic again, though what kind of magic he wasn't quite sure. Or he could go look for a set of keys. He thought that was probably the better idea. "Stay here! I'll see if I can find some keys!" he called back at her.
"Okay!" As it turned out, Carina didn't even have her key in the room with her. She'd left it in the main part of the dressing rooms, and the stage manager had found it. He met Aran in the corridor, making a guess as to the half-elf's destination. "Let me guess, Carina's locked in," he said in a wry tone, offering Aran the key in his hand. "Tell her to put that on a keyring or something."
Aran nodded his head gratefully as he took the key from the stage manager, closing his hand tightly around it so that he wouldn't lose it. The way this night had been going, one couldn't be too careful. "Thank you!" he said, before turning and hurrying back to rescue his lady in distress. "Carina, I'm back!" he called through the door at his return. "I've got the key!" he added, even as he fit the key in the lock and turned it to open the door.
"Oh, thank gods ..." She rose out of the chair where she had been sitting, dejected and angry with herself, catching the door as it swung open and moving smartly to get out of the room before she somehow ended up locked in there again. "I'm sorry to be a bother."
"You're not a bother," he said, handing over the key. "The stage manager said to put it on a keyring or something," he quoted the man, practically word for word. He had learned a lot about this world since his arrival over six months ago, much of it under Carina's more recent tutelage, and was relieved to know what the man was talking about.
"Oh." She blushed deeply, taking the key from his fingers and tucking it securely into her purse. Of course it would be her own fault she got locked in; that was just the way the night was going. "I, um, I didn't thank you for helping Jon. I should have done. So ....thank you, Aran."
Aran shrugged his shoulders, a recent habit learned and picked up since his arrival in Rhy'Din. He frowned a little, glad he was there to have helped her friend, but wishing she'd thanked him instead for helping her. "I don't know much healing magic, but I'm glad I could help."
She sighed softly, half-turning toward him. One arm looped about his neck for a moment as she hugged her friend warmly, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for being here tonight," she said softly. "It hasn't been the greatest evening of my existence, but it's good to have someone I care about here."
As much as he had secretly been wanting her to thank him in some way, once she had, his face flushed profusely and not because he was feeling too warm. "The play's almost over, isn't it?" he asked, changing the subject so that she might not notice his awkward and nervous embarrassment. "You only have a few more performances, and it's over."
"You saw what I was like after they had to switch actors," she pointed out, turning to lead the way along the hall to the stage door and out. "Virtually everything I said came out wrong. All it took was one mishap, and I forgot everything. Maybe I'm really not meant to be an actor."
"But it was just an accident," he pointed out. "It won't happen every night. You've been doing splendidly up until now," he said, following along beside her, his hands and face animated and passionate as he tried to give her what little encouragement he could. He didn't want her to stay in the theater if she was unhappy there, but he didn't want her to leave him all alone there either.
She smiled at his passionate insistence on it being a fluke, and deep inside, she knew he was right. It had just been a very bad day, and her confidence was suffering accordingly. "You're very sweet to say so, Aran," she told him, sliding her hand into his as they stepped out into the chilly night. WestEnd wasn't the safest place to walk through at night, but they hadn't had any trouble before, probably because they were together. Besides, Carina took every opportunity she had to touch Aran. It was difficult being someone's friend when you wanted to be something more.
"I'm just being honest," he pointed out again, as if he could be anything else. It was almost impossible for him to lie, though he was certainly capable of withholding the truth, especially when it came to his growing feelings for his best friend. "Anyway, it wasn't so bad. The audience seemed to think it was all part of the play."