Aaron// Soleil// Jesse// Dylan// Brendan// Tasha// Bianca
candidates//hatching//weyrlings//adults//Ryslen Weyr

Brendan made a face as he looked at the stage. It was tilting slightly to one side and looked as though it might collapse at any moment. "They don't honestly expect us to work in this dump," he scoffed.

"This is the only space we have right now, Diva, so get used to it," Aaron snapped a bit sharper than he had intended. "This is only for rehersals. The other show will be out of our space by tech week."

Tasha set her bag down on a chair, ran up the aisle and jumped up onto the stage. "Don't you just love these old theatres?" she sighed, gazing around her. "I feel like I'm back in the 1800's!"

"Funny, so do I," Brendan muttered.

"This is going to be hard enough without you bitching about it every two seconds," Dylan warned him. "It's really not all that bad."

"Oh my gosh you guys! This is like the prettiest theatre I have ever seen!" Bianca exclaimed, entering on stage from where she had been exploring the backstage. "Everything's so cute!"

"Oh yah, it'll be really cute when it collapses on us," Brendan moaned. "I can see the headlines now 'Actor Brendan McCormack as well as cast and director killed in collapse of an old theatre in downtown Seattle.'"

"Well aren't we optimistic today!" Soleil said in a sing song voice. "You'll all be happy to know that there are three couches in the greenroom, which means no more blanket incidents."

"You know you wanted me to lay down on top of you," Brendan purred, pulling Soleil to him and then into a low dip.

Jesse chose that moment to walk in. He chuckled and edged around them. "I see you two haven't wasted any time."

"It wouldn't be a theatre if Soleil or Brendan hadn't made out in it," Dylan drawled.

Brendan swung Soleil back to her feet. "You're just jealous," he accused.

"Oh yes, I want you I need you oh baby oh baby," Dylan said in a monotone voice. "I'm going to go look at the costume room."

"No no, stay here Dylan," Aaron sighed from where he was sprawled in one of the seats. "As soon as the sluts are finished we're going to start rehersal."

"Oh Aaron, I've been meaning to tell you, about scene six... I still don't quite have the blocking down," Brendan said casually as he took the stairs up to the stage.

Aaron didn't get a chance to reply, Tasha walked up and smacked Brendan on the arm. "I win," she said simply.

"I don't like that contest," Bianca announced.

"No hun, not a contest, a bet," Tasha assured her. "I bet Diva a slap he wouldn't have the blocking down if he went to that club last night."

"I was hoping you'd slap a little lower down," Brendan sighed.

"Knowing what happened after you went to that club last night, I'm waiting a few days for that," Tasha replied.

"Please god don't tell us any more," Soleil pleaded.

"She doens't have to," Dylan groaned. "Tasha, you need to stop sharing so much."

"What, you all don't want to know about my glorious love-life?" Brendan asked, feigning hurt.

"Sex-life," Dylan corrected him.

"Whichever," Brendan replied with a grin.

"Act one scene one!" Aaron yelled. "You all had better be off book, I'm not feeding you lines any more."

The actors arranged themself at the proper entrances for the scene. There was silence for a moment and then a loud crash and a squeak from backstage.

Bianca popped her head out from behind the curtain. "Sorry about that," she apologized with a smile.

Aaron rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Don't worry about it, Bianca. We can clean it up later. Go!"

Tasha seated herself on the chair supposed to be a couch, hands opened in her lap like a book. "I don't mean do complain, but this would be easier with props."

"Take that up with demon woman when when we get back," Aaron told her. "Come on people keep going!"

Soleil strutted on stage carrying her purse as a book bag. "Bryn what are you doing studying on a Friday night?" she asked, dropping the bag next to Tasha.

"Oh I don't know, I was thinking of passing our finals on Monday," Tasha drawled.

Soleil sat down on a "couch" opposite of Tasha. "What's the point of getting good grades if you don't get out and use them?"

"What kind of life'll you have working at a fast food joint somewhere?" Tasha shot back.

Brendan walked out of the same entrance Soleil had and pounced on her. "I wouldn't let my Lisa work in a fast food joint."

Soleil leaned back and smiled up at Brendan. "See Bryn? Who needs grades when you've got a Josh?"

Tasha made a face. "I think I need an airsick bag."

"You...you're...you..." Brendan frowned as he tried to remember. He looked anywhere but at the director and in the most apologetic and timid voice he'd ever used called, "Line?"

Aaron sucked in a long breath and rubbed his temples. "Tech week is a week away and you don't know your second line of the show?" Aaron asked, voice trembling with rage and disbeleif.

Brendan gazed back at him. "No," he said simply.

Aaron sighed and shook his head. "You're hopeless Brendan, you know that? The line is 'You just wish you had a man as great as me'. I'm sure you've said it before. Memorize, Diva!"

"Thank you," Brendan replied and flashed his most apologetic smile. "You just wish you had a man as great as me," he repeated and bent to kiss Soleil.

"Nothing better than self absorbed jocks," Tasha agreed, not even looking up.

Brendan shook his head. "Lisa, sometimes I don't believe you two are related. Come... come on... baby... um..."

"Do the locomotion!" Bianca sang. Muffled laughter and a high five followed from stage right.

"Brendan, you have an understudy who knows the lines. If you don't start memorizing you are going to be the understudy," Aaron threatened.

' "Does he have my face?" Brendan asked, not disturbed in the least by the director's threat of demotion.

"Maybe we should break for lunch?" Jesse suggested. "Brendan works better if you put food in him."

Aaron closed hie eyes for a moment, trying to deny the fact that this was his life. "Good idea, Jesse. I'd at least like something in my stomach to show my appreciation of this show."

"Oh loosen up, it honestly isn't that bad," Tasha told him, unfolding herself from her chair. "If we can just get diva to learn his lines we'll be fine."

"Diva? Learn?" Dylan scoffed.

"Hey, how do you think he got here?" Tasha challenged.

"Slept with the right people," Dylan replied smoothly with a sideways glance at Aaron.

Soleil made a face. "Oh that is just disgusting. Thanks Dyl, I think you just ruined my lunch."
"You're welcome," Dylan chirped.

"Where's a good place for lunch around here?" Jesse asked, then frowned as he looked into his wallet. "Make that a good cheap place."

"Ooh oh I know the best place and it's like just around the corner!" Bianca exclaimed.

"It's called...?" Soleil prompted gently.

Bianca bit her lip. "Oh my gosh it's been forever! I don't remember! But it had the best sphagetti!"

"Do you mean the Sphagetti Factory?" Dylan asked, looking at Bianca in disbeleif.

Bianca gasped. "Oh my gosh that's it! How did you know?"

Tasha shook her head, biting back a smile. "She must have ESP, hun."

"No, no, I had a friend who had ESP once," Bianca told her, "he would have known before I said anything about sphagetti."

"ANYWAY," Brendan broke in, "the Sphagetti Factory is anything but cheap and it's not close."

"How does Chè Seven Eleven sound?" Jesse suggested. "I think I saw one on the way over."

Dylan examined the contents of her wallet. "Sounds good to my wallet."

"Oh ugh but everything is so fatty there!" Brendan complained.

"You can eat my bag," Dylan promised.

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