Behind the Curtain

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-Micah-

Wait, he didn't hear that properly. There was no way Ioria meant they'd have an active interest in Diane's career... "I want you to shape her, Beatrice," he'd said. No. No, no, no, no, no. Ioria was taking this way too far! As if it weren't bad enough that the two-tone eyes would be watching every move as Micah tried his luck with Diane, the violin freak was now going to thrust his nose into her business? Micah wanted nothing more than to claw his eyes out and melt into a puddle of shame and embarrassment.

But... there wasn't a note of teasing in Ioria's tone. Micah balked as the older man continued. Ioria was serious! Maybe... maybe this wasn't a tease geared towards making him blush-- though he was getting hot under the collar again-- but an active interest in seeing the young girl improve, or at least make her bearable so that Ioria didn't have a leading lady to gripe about for the next five years. Micah found his lips twitching in a smirk. The latter was probably true. Ioria could be downright selfish when it came to music matters. All in the sake of beauty, of course.

Turning his attention to the equally shy and embarrassed girl next to her, Micah reached out a hesitant hand and set it on her shoulder. She is so adorable! Somehow he resisted the urge to move his fingers to soothingly stroke her hair as if she were a kitten. "Hey, it's... it's no trouble, Diane. I'd love to help you any way I can. You've got potential and we've... well, we've got three years of sour memories to write over." He offered her a warm smile before clearing his throat and removing his hand. "At any rate, Bea's about as good a tutor as you'll find. Especially if she's willing to do it for free."


-Beatrice-

"...and round and round. We know," Beatrice exclaimed in mild frustration. Oh, this man was such a tease sometimes. The cake arrived perfectly, cutting her off from protesting further and giving Ioria the excuse to "lose his train of thought." Pursing her lips together, Beatrice didn't take the bait but waited it out and her patience was soon rewarded.

"I want you to shape her, Beatrice."

"I can't impose on you more than this... and I know you all have better things to do than losing your time with me..."

So that's what was running around the genius's mind. A slow grin worked its way across her face and the teacher turned to look Diane over from top to middle-way, for in no way was she rude enough to duck under the table to finish her examination of the girl. Beatrice was busy, exceptionally so, with her classes and a performance of her own with the philharmonic come May, but could she spare one day a week for the flustered girl?

"I can take the melody part, you'll teach, she's a fast learner and you saw it too. And Micah can be the third party who listens and gives tips here and there. You know how good his ears are, dont you?"

Her eyes shifted over to Micah. He seemed to be taking it rather well, actually, once he got over the shock factor. And he was consoling the poor girl with a gentle hand-- oh, so cute! How could she resist?

"You've got potential and we've... well, we've got three years of sour memories to write over. At any rate, Bea's about as good a tutor as you'll find. Especially if she's willing to do it for free.""

"Aww, you're so sweet Micah. Of course I'll do it," Beatrice said at last, her hands descending to wrap around her coffee mug. "I can't promise more than a few hours a week, two at most, until school lets out in May, but if the young star is willing to work with my schedule, I should be glad to find Esmeralda tucked in there somewhere." Beatrice winked at Ioria. "Besides having good ears, Micah can read lines fairly impressively, don't you think? He'd make a wonderful stand-in for Phoebus."
 
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- Ioria -

"Aww, you're so sweet Micah. Of course I'll do it, I can't promise more than a few hours a week, two at most, until school lets out in May, but if the young star is willing to work with my schedule, I should be glad to find Esmeralda tucked in there somewhere. Besides having good ears, Micah can read lines fairly impressively, don't you think? He'd make a wonderful stand-in for Phoebus." the man looked at Beatrice satisfied and grinned at Micah "I'd say he'd make a better Quasimodo" he said with a sound laugh "Well, well little missy, it seems you no longer have a reason to refuse us" he laughed again, spilling a bit of his tea on his shirt "Oh no... it will stain... Beaaaaa please help!" he said in a jokingly childish voice pulling her bluse 'This will work to my advantage... I'll leave the birds to tweet alone for some minutes... mwahahah how wicked I am' he thought looking at Beatrice hoping she'd get the hint. "I'm sorry, I'll be right back... my clumsiness is legendary, in the mean time, why don't you think it over, cub?" he added getting up and walking toward the toilette.

- Diane -


Well, saying she expected him to touch her would be lying and indeed she found herself staring at his hand on her shoulder "Hey, it's... it's no trouble, Diane. I'd love to help you any way I can. You've got potential and we've... well, we've got three years of sour memories to write over." what did he mean? Micah quickly got his hand off her blushing a bit 'He could have left it there...wait, what?' why the hell was she thinking something like that? She didn't even know him! "At any rate, Bea's about as good a tutor as you'll find. Especially if she's willing to do it for free." was this Beatrice so special? Well, she would have loved to get some help to take out her Esmeralda... "Aww, you're so sweet Micah. Of course I'll do it, I can't promise more than a few hours a week, two at most, until school lets out in May, but if the young star is willing to work with my schedule, I should be glad to find Esmeralda tucked in there somewhere. Besides having good ears, Micah can read lines fairly impressively, don't you think? He'd make a wonderful stand-in for Phoebus." "A stand in for..." she started before blushing 'Why the hell are you blushing Diane?'

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back... my clumsiness is legendary, in the mean time, why don't you think it over, cub?" said the man before going away. Think it over? It was a splendid chance but... 'He said he'd help me out but...' "Wouldn't your girlfriend be upset, knowing you'll spend so much time with another girl?" she was really concerned about it more so after his touch... her shoulder felt kind of cold now, even if she couldn't quite understand the reason. She locked her amber gaze into his and waited for a reply.
 
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-Beatrice-

As fate would have it, Ioria's clumsiness lined up perfectly with his motives. Beatrice would be impressed with the timing of the spill, but she knew well enough that it was more likely to be lucky coincidence than design that had trembled the violinist's hand. Sighing, she whipped out her napkin and began dabbing at the stain before Ioria could even beg her assistance, still dabbing as he stood up to head to the washrooms. Obediently, Beatrice tucked her napkin in her purse and started following after the man.

"Wouldn't your girlfriend be upset, knowing you'll spend so much time with another girl?"

Hearing those quiet words just before she waltzed out of earshot, Beatrice pursed her lips and couldn't help but turn around to address the girl with a slight reprimand in her smile. "Really, darling, you're an actress! There are many, many more flattering ways to find out that Micah is single." With a triumphant humph, the teacher pivoted on her heel and sashayed down the length of the restaurant after the clumsy man, leaving Micah to blush and mumble his way out of that one.

Upon joining Ioria at the back of the restaurant, Beatrice whipped out her ever-present Tide pen and tugged him to the side before he could enter the men's room. With a smug smile on her face, she began administering the stain with the stain remover. "Two weeks. I change my bet to two weeks," she said in a low voice.


-Micah-

A stand-in? Quasimodo? Seriously? 'Thanks, Ioria.' Micah narrowed his eyes and shook his head at the jovial pair. They were obviously enjoying themselves. Could this get anymore awkward? Yes, yes it could because Ioria was a klutz and Bea, despite her prowess in music, had an eye and ear for drama as well. Although, things really couldn't get worse if he and Diane were left alone, could they? Again, Micah was wrong.

"Wouldn't your girlfriend be upset, knowing you'll spend so much time with another girl?"

The innocent question caught Micah off guard. As well as the amber eyes sparkling with reflections from the restaurant's florescents that were looking up at him so imploringly. He found himself staring at her for a few seconds before he recollected himself, cleared his throat, and averted his gaze. 'What was the question?' Oh, right. He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Beatrice swooped upon the scene like a vulture, ready to pick apart his bones to feed her matchmaking frenzy.

"Really, darling, you're an actress! There are many, many more flattering ways to find out that Micah is single."

"Hadn't you better go help your floundering oaf?" Micah retorted, his cheeks reddening as Beatrice flounced away. Then with a gentle heave of breath, he turned his attention back to the female beside him with a shy smile. "You don't need to worry about anything like that. I said I'd be glad to help, and I meant every word. We're a family, you know? We artistic types need to stick together."
 
- Ioria -

"Oh-oh... tho weeks uh? That's an awful earlier don't you agree?" he said leaning on the wall and grazing her hair with a hand asshe got his shirt clean "Haven't I won this one, darling? I did manage to shorten your bet" his voice was smiling and he looked back at the table: the two were talking (sort of) and drinking (sort of) in a (nothing of the sort) relaxed manner. Ioria patted Beatrice's shoulder and pointed the table out to her "I should have brought my cake here... It seemes it will take some time before we can go back, what happened that made them purple, Bea? I know it's your fault..." he asked looking into her eyes. He knew he was doing something good (at least for his inner fangirl) but still, he was a bit upset for his cake. He really had an awful sweet tooth.

- Diane -

"Really, darling, you're an actress! There are many, many more flattering ways to find out that Micah is single."

Diane needed some seconds to get what the woman was implying. She needed some more to glomp the implications, on the while Micah spoke to the woman and she waltzed away.

"Wait, no, it's not like that you know..." she started with red cheeks and unsteady voice. She couldn't imagine to have said something so shameless. "You don't need to worry about anything like that. I said I'd be glad to help, and I meant every word. We're a family, you know? We artistic types need to stick together." Micah was so gentle, so kind... who should she believe to? Beatrice? After all, Micah just said not 'to worry about anything like that' did it meant it was none of her business what she asked? She knew she was a stranger and she didn't really meant to imply anything like that but still... it stung a bit.

'Wait, what? No... keep calm you stupid brain... I've known him for about a hour and a half... Just stop this nonsense' she was so confused... did she really care to know if he had a girlfriend? "I'm sorry... Usually I'm not so shameless" she said lowering her head.
 
-Micah-

The young man hooked his finger through the handle of his cup and began tugging it around the table, his gaze tied to the liquid sloshing against the sides. Had... had she really meant what Beatrice was implying? Was she really fishing for that personal detail, or was it past experiences that prompted her to ask, or was it something else entirely? But if it was the first, why would she be interested in him of all people?

Micah nervously cleared his throat-- he seemed to be doing that a lot this evening, maybe she'd think he was a bit sick-- and glanced over at her to smile reassuringly. "Don't trouble yourself about it, Diane. Bea's just being Bea and she's been buzzing in my bonnet to get a girlfriend ever since she started hanging around Ioria." He tipped his head back to down the rest of his coffee and nodded in the direction of the washrooms. "They'll stay back there giggling and whispering until we look like we're chumming up." A little twinkle surfaced in his eye and he hid behind his hand, because Bea just might be able to lip-read, to whisper to Diane. "What do you say we just get up and go, hm? Spoil half their fun and get away before they can implement any embarrassing plans. We can set times and dates for your tutoring after they've grown up a bit."
 
- Diane -

"Don't trouble yourself about it, Diane. Bea's just being Bea and she's been buzzing in my bonnet to get a girlfriend ever since she started hanging around Ioria." so he WAS single! 'Wait, what? How does it relate to it?' she thought turning totally red. "They'll stay back there giggling and whispering until we look like we're chumming up." She nodded briefly before getting the right sense of his words "They'll what?" she asked turning even redder if possible... how could an actress behave so childish? Micah justleaned to her and whispered "What do you say we just get up and go, hm? Spoil half their fun and get away before they can implement any embarrassing plans. We can set times and dates for your tutoring after they've grown up a bit." 'Wait. Think you silly girl' what was he talking about? Going away ALONE with him? Did she trust the wrong people? She gulped the last bit of her coffee and looked into his eyes: they were sparkling... jokingly? Did he really want to ruin the two's plans? Or was he just betraying a strange lust or something on those lines? "You do know that sounded like a bad pick up sentence, right?" she said laughing. She decided to trust him, for now... he's reactions showed well that he wasn't a beast and if worse came to worst she would be compelled to make him try her self-defence abilities...
 
-Micah-

Now it was his turn to be completely flustered and red-faced. Thankfully, he was decently quick at thinking on his feet when he wasn't being goaded beyond what he could handle by Ioria and Bea and they were nowhere in sight now. Drawing back from the girl, he averted his gaze and chuckled nervously.

"You know, most phrases sound like bad pick-up lines for the sole reason that they aren't pick-up lines," he said as casually as possible. "Forgive me if I gave that impression. I guess we're both stumbling around in that area tonight, aren't we?" He shook his head and chuckled again for lack of a better reaction. Gosh, he didn't want her to think he wasn't interested at all, but what else could he say? They'd just met for crying out loud! Wouldn't it look weird if he were already making passes at her? Despite how quickly Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum wanted this to progress, Micah just wasn't that kind of guy. Or so he hoped, at any rate. Besides, she might already have a significant other lurking around somewhere. He needed time to figure things out without laying it out in the open like Diane had with Bea's help. Hey! That was an idea. He could tease her for her earlier statement and still not make it look like he was fishing for information.

With a one-sided smirk, he added, "Besides, what would your boyfriend think if word got around two weirdos were trying to set you up?" He attempted a wink, failed, and blushed and cleared his throat. "But seriously, as soon as you want to leave, I'll be more than happy to take you home and away from their incessant teasings. Don't say I didn't warn you if you decide to stay. "
 
- Diane -

Diane passed through chuckling, nodding and blushing in the split of a second, swang by his words as a seaweed by a wave "Besides, what would your boyfriend think if word got around two weirdos were trying to set you up?" she spoke calmly (sort of), putting her chin on her crossed fingers, using them as a pillow "Mmmh I think he would want to know the ones who were trying to set me up..." she said to observe his reaction. She felt a bit unfair to behave like that but she was having so much fun teasing him and, after all, he seemed kind enough to forgive her little joke...

The girl looked in the older's direction... still no sign of them. Could they really get out her potential? She loved so much her work... well her 'I want to make a living out of it' hobby. She had to work two jobs to afford the living expences and some other lessons she'd take to improve herself. Still, she loved her lifestyle, te get home tired but satisfied. And maybe, with their help, she would have loved it even more.

"That would be if I had an actual boyfriend though" she said sighing and sticking her warm amber gaze into his eyes. What would his reaction be? Would he think she was being cocky? She really hoped not... 'He was so kind... wait, haven't I already thought that twice?'
 
-Micah-

Well, that was all settled. They were both single, both of the nervous, shy variety, both enjoyed teasing, and would have both Ioria and Beatrice on their case until Micah got up the guts to ask Diane out. Unless some other lucky fellow got around to it first, but Micah was pretty sure he'd be able to work up the courage before that became an issue. Hopefully. He liked the woman and the more he got to know her the more he liked her. True, it was only an acquaintance of an hour at most, but a person could make themselves very agreeable or disagreeable in that amount of time and Diane was only getting more and more agreeable. Her willingness to banter somewhat awkwardly with him just endeared her all the more to him. And she was soft, so soft to look at.

'I wonder if her hair is as soft as her personality?' The thought immediately shocked him, more because his hand was actually itching to stroke the blonde curls to find out than the thought itself. Micah grimaced inwardly and gave a little sigh. Meeting her warm gaze with his dark one, a smile flickered across his features and a hand went to rub at the back of his neck. It was getting stuffy in there again. Time to change the subject.

"Are you going to do it, Diane?" he asked at last. "Beatrice really is wonderful to work with and I'm sure she'd make an excellent coach. But don't let Ioria pressure you into agreeing to something you don't want. I know he can be imposing, especially with those mismatched eyes of his..." Shoot, it was beginning to sound like he didn't want her to say yes. Change of tactics! "...not that I'm trying to talk you out of it or anything. It's a great idea, if you're willing. I'd love to stand in or whatever to help out. Get to know you better..." Crap, that came out of nowhere. "I mean, you seem like a great person and I love your voice. It-it's beautiful, inspiring. And I think you'll find an Esmeralda inside yourself that'll put others to shame. Ioria doesn't see potential in just anyone. But I'm glad, for you that is, that he does see it in you..."

He was rambling now, so he pinched his lips closed lest he say something completely embarrassing and cast a glance towards the back of the restaurant. Still no sign of the jovial pair. Wait, was he actually wanting them to come back to rescue him? Gosh, he really must be flustered!
 
- Diane -

Diane was puzzled. Did he just try to touch her hair? No... he didn't... right? But the true question was: would she have minded him to? After all, everything she knew about relationships was what she learned from studying people behaviours, what she acted out, and what she had to portray... they had never been her feelings, it never was what she felt, what she experienced. She never had the time to try to feel what her characters felt, she just learned that under certain conditions different characters would react in a different manner but... how should she have to react? Where should she draw the line between legit and amiss? When was she supposed to refuse a move, and when was she supposed not to freak out from it? She managed to act out so many different characters... and still... she herself was one of the most difficult ones to portray.

"Are you going to do it, Diane?" the girl was in a daze when his voice fished her out her world "D-doing what?" she asked cautiously "Beatrice really is wonderful to work with and I'm sure she'd make an excellent coach. But don't let Ioria pressure you into agreeing to something you don't want. I know he can be imposing, especially with those mismatched eyes of his..." she smiled at him "I find his eyes intriguing, it feels like you could look into them forever and you'd find every time something different in them... he must be more twisted than most label him as" said the girl gazing into Micah's eyes listening to his monolgue to the end, trying to figure out what she should be feeling while his shy eyes were on her 'He's not as intense as Romeo, nor is he as confident as Phoebus...' she thought trying to figure out what Diane was feeling and not someone else. If she stuck with them... would she be able to learn about herself? Would she be able to act better, to act as best as she could? "I'll do it." she said lapidary. She had something she wanted to know "And you, Micah?" she asked grinning "What would I see if I stared long enough in the depth of those abyss drops?" she continued before she could stop.
 
-Micah-

"And you, Micah? What would I see if I stared long enough in the depth of those abyss drops?"

Lips parting in shock at the unexpected question, the young man could neither speak nor think straight as he searched her warm gaze. What was she suggesting? It had to be innocent. She couldn't mean it like that... could she? Would she be that bold? Truth be told, he hoped she'd find something worth looking at for a very, very long time. Colour prickled in all the wrong places: the tips of his ears, his smooth cheeks, down his neck, chest, arms, hands. Unable to look her fully in her eyes anymore, Micah averted his gaze to his mug again and focused all of his attention on just breathing.

'Breathe, come on, breathe. You shouldn't be getting this worked up. You hardly know her. She hardly knows you. It's innocent, it's all innocent, she's not interested...'

He had to think of something to tell her. Something to smooth over the awkwardness. But what? What could he say? What might intrigue her? Make her want to look into his eyes? If eyes were the window to the soul, what would she see? What passion would she see driving him? Micah fidgeted with the napkin by his hand. There really only was one answer if he were to be honest.

"Music," he answered at last, his voice hoarse and almost cracking from the storm raging inside his head. "You'd the fabric of my soul woven into intricate notes upon a page," he risked a glance in her direction again, "but that is only if you stared long enough."
 
- Diane -

"Music" his reply was as simple as that. His face changed a couple of colors during the time he thought of an answer and in truth, Diane didn't even want to ask. It just came out of her mouth, smooth as the most natural thing to say to someone met a hour earlier on a job. 'Diane, you're a stupid, is it something to ask?' but he was kind enough as to add something. And that reply really hit her deeply: "You'd see the fabric of my soul woven into intricate notes upon a page, but that is only if you stared long enough." his gaze was so sweet as he spoke of music, so humble as he described the complexity of the bigger picture in his mind.

The girl was fascinated by what he thought she could see inside his dark eyes "When I was a child, someone once said to me: look into people's eyes, Diane, and you'll see as many colors as there are human beings... It doesn't matter if that color is true or false, eyes tell the story of just one person for their lifetime." She said serious, again... why was she saying something like that to him? "But, of course, at the time I didn't get it at all." she said chuckling "I learned little by little and I have to admit I became a good reader: Mr. Ioria's talk about a confident man who almost went through hell to reach the spot he got for himself, Ms. Beatrice's are caring and strict, they tell about a woman who believes in the 'here and now' more than in dreams and future... or so she believes" she added sipping her drink before going on "But... I feel a bit lost... for as much as I look into yours, I just can't focus on something definite... as if you are torn by something..." she said tilting her head like a dog, a hand on her chin. Did she say something she shouldn't have? Did she freak him out? Better sooner than later... at least she wouldn't have to be hurt in the future... because something was telling her she would be around him for a pretty long time.
 
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-Micah-

Once again the angel in her halo of wispy blonde hair had him astounded at her words. The more he found out about her, the more intriguing she became. She wasn't just another cute face, another pretty voice. She had depth and Micah greatly admired depth. He wasn't sure how much he was in possession of-- he always felt so shallow. Except when he brought his trombone to his lips. The emotions he could evoke from his instrument more than made up for his feelings of inadequacy. He listened to Diane's observations of Ioria and Beatrice and couldn't help the smile on his face. That was Ioria all right, but as far as Bea was concerned, she was such a queer character he wasn't even sure about who she was. Bea just kind of flowed in and out of where she wanted to be like an ocean tide. That was kind of like living in the moment, wasn't it?

"But... I feel a bit lost... for as much as I look into yours, I just can't focus on something definite... as if you are torn by something..."

Micah blinked, startled at her conclusion regarding himself. Torn by something? Was he torn? He looked down at his hands again, fidgeting with the napkin once more. Maybe it was his shallowness, his lack of anything that she was seeing. He wasn't much of anybody, not like the others. His past was simple, his future even more so. He didn't even know what he wanted out of life. In truth, he'd been hanging in limbo for the past two years, not moving forward or backward, just stationary. It did irk him a little but he didn't know what to do about it. 'Maybe it's because there really isn't anything there that she can't find something,' he thought dejectedly.

"I... I don't know what to tell you about me," he said at last, "but as far as Ioria and Bea go, yeah, I think you've got something on them." He sighed and hung his head. "I don't have a crazy story, Diane. I wasn't a child prodigy, I was never the kid who won any awards. Heck, I don't even have a degree. I'm simply Micah Mooney, the second trombone in a semi-professional gig. And I don't know why I'm telling you all this... it's all boring nonsense."

His hand tightened its grip on the napkin. Oh no, were those tears trying to gather? What?! Why!? The liquid burned in the corners of his eyes, a testament to just how pathetic he found himself and how hopeless he was to change that.
 
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- Diane -

"I don't have a crazy story, Diane. I wasn't a child prodigy, I was never the kid who won any awards. Heck, I don't even have a degree. I'm simply Micah Mooney, the third trombone in a semi-professional gig. And I don't know why I'm telling you all this... it's all boring nonsense." Diane finished her drink and looked at him sweetly. He was gripping his napkin as if his life depended of it. What tipped her off though, wasn't his behaviour but his words. He was belittling himself or better he was belittling Micah Mooney "Don't you dare belittling Micah Mooney" she said in a harsh voice covering touching his handwith gentle fingers "He's a wonderful man who reached his 3rd Trombone spot without even having a degree and in a semi-professional gig nonetheless" she said, her tone soothing more and more "He's a man who agreed to help someone like me just for the sake of it. He's someone who doesn't like sweet things but would eat them anyways just to please others." she raised his head gently looking at him with a gentle gaze and added in a whisper "He's someone so earnest to picksomething like 'music' as the picture of his soul." she hesitantly touched his cheek, placing her thumb near his eye "He's someone who'd cry in a place like this in front of someone just met. Who you are it's not boring nonsense because if you hadn't been you, we wouldn't be here talking like this with the others taking obviously too much time getting back from cleaning a stain as little as that was." she concluded winking at the last sentence before getting back sitting politely on the chair with a bit of red coloring her cheeks "Or... well... at east this is... what I think..."
 
-Micah-

"He's a wonderful man who reached his 3rd Trombone spot without even having a degree and in a semi-professional gig nonetheless... He's someone so earnest to pick something like 'music' as the picture of his soul."

Micah couldn't breathe. His pulse fluttered as those gentle fingers settled on his hand and quickened as those same fingers tilted his chin to turn him towards her. What... what was happening? Was he imagining... was she actually... Micah tucked his bottom lip between his teeth and hurriedly blinked the moisture away from his eyes. No, those warm, soft, darling amber eyes were still boring into him as if she could see right through to the sheet music of his soul.

"He's someone who'd cry in a place like this in front of someone just met. Who you are it's not boring nonsense because if you hadn't been you, we wouldn't be here talking like this..."

As if her touch on his face wasn't enough to completely undo him, before he knew it her hand cupped his face in the most intimate gesture anyone had ever bestowed upon him. She'd caught him crying-- a man, crying-- but her response... When she should view him as weak, she instead praised him of all things! Could it mean, did it mean... Was she encouraging him? Everything around him seemed to vanish until all he could see where her eyes, all he could hear were her sweet words, all he could feel were her tender fingers.

"Diane..." he whispered almost inaudibly, his own hand moving towards hers.

But then she winked. And removed her touch. And suddenly the world came crashing down on Micah's head again. Teasing! She'd only been teasing him! It stung like a horde of wasps but at the same time had him craving for more. Embarrassment dropped his head as he averted his eyes before she could see the hurt inside them. He really was pathetic, wasn't he? A pathetic, no good, easily duped stalker. Ai yi yi! What must she really be thinking of him?


-Beatrice-

"And with that, I think it is time to go break it up again," Beatrice announced as she retreated from her observation post behind a potted plant. She brushed the sprinkling of soil off her hands onto her skirt before adjusting her hair clip and turning to Ioria with a bright smile. "I concur, darling, you've won this bet. Now let's go make use of the adage 'Distance makes the heart grow fonder' and have them wishing for more alone time, eh?"
 
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- Ioria -

He chuckled getting one of her red strands behind her ear "Don't I always win, deary? But it's true, you almost took it from my lips" he said indulging on her cheek with an amused smile. "It's time to see what they can do, to test the limits and break through" he singed in a very low voice "Come on, Bea, we have to see if it will work out or not" he added preceding her.

Once he almost reached the table, though, as he smiled brightly and opened his mouth to say something, his foot got tangled into the carpet, tripping him. In a couple of seconds he was fell flat. "Ouch...?" he said, almost asking it to the carpet itself. 'Not what I had in mind to distract them but... I'll make it suffice for now.'

- Diane -

There she went again. Talking strangely about strange things with a stranger... but after all, that was her. She already acted enough on stage, was it so bad to be that different off of it? Did she exceed her boundaries? Would Micah think she was some kind of freak? Would he refuse to hang out with her again? Wait... was she really thinking about hanging around? 'ENOUGH! Too many questions, no answers and off topics. Focus Diane!' she yelled in her mind as she looked up toward the bathroom "Oh, look. Speak of the devil..." she started, looking at Ioria fall without being able to help "... and apparently he falls..." she said to Micah getting up and reaching out to help him "Ouch...?" she smiled "I don't know... did it hurt?" she asked sitting on her heels. Once he got back up, he stroked her hair and laughed it off "Not really, the carpet was pretty soft..." he said winking at Micah without her noticing "Then 'Ouch' isn't the right thing to say" she said side glancing Micah nervously.

She wanted to talk to him, to know about him. How could someone so kind, think so poorly about himself? She could see his potential, why was he so against it? What brought him to that extent? But she couldn't talk to him like she wanted if there were others around... 'Ok, you're becoming a stalker' she thought side glancing him again 'I'm not' she answered 'You are.'
 
-Micah-

Though he'd been crossing his fingers for the comical duo to appear just a few moments prior, Micah now found their re-emergence to be most unwelcome. He was in a state of complete imbalance. Was Diane really just teasing him? Why? Why would a virtual stranger tease in such a manner, especially one as gentle as Diane seemed to be? There had to be something behind those actions, something behind those words, right? Normal people just didn't go spouting off deep questions and thoughts as if they were common place. Maybe she felt the natural chemistry, too. The whole "love at first sight" thing like he'd experienced.

'Yeah right.'

Maybe she was just different-- a good different. But then what should he think about her words? Never before had Micah felt so confused about anything. With the big oaf ambling back into the picture he had no chance to work it out any time soon, either. Micah gulped at the wink said oaf offered him and instantly fled to the safety of his napkin. Though, he couldn't help but chuckle at Diane's soft reprimand at Ioria's choice of phrase. Happening to look up in time to catch her glance, the lad offered her a one-sided smile and a half-chuckle-- the kind that come out your nose instead of your mouth. Okay, he was making eye contact with her again and at the moment wasn't blushing. So far so good. Now what?

Why did having a crush on a girl have to make things so darn complicated? And why did it irk him to no end that Ioria could so easily touch those luscious blonde tresses when Micah barely had the guts to look the wispy-haired angel in the eye? 'I'm never going to get the hang of this, am I?' His eyes flickered over to Beatrice and Ioria. They couldn't even figure out that they were a couple. If they were his coaches in this, he was hopeless. 'Darn.'

Could he go home yet?



-Beatrice-

Normally the woman would have been there to catch Ioria before he tripped, but she was too busy assessing the exchange of glances and gauging the colour of Diane's cheeks to notice her partner in crime go flailing. Coming to a halt-- indeed, almost tripping over her fallen comrade before coming to her sense in time to prevent the collision-- next to the violinist, Beatrice bent over just enough to loop a hand around his arm to help him back up again.

"Now, sit yourself down and finish your cake, darling," she cooed as she flicked a piece of carpet fuzz from his shirt. "We still have business to discuss with the young lady, don't we, Micah? Has it all been decided? Were your charming blushes able to convince her?" Her indigo eyes turned on him with a devilish glint as she slid into her seat again before slipping her gaze over to the blonde with a smug smile. "I take his glare to mean yes. When would you like to start, Esmeralda dear?"
 
- Ioria -

The man lowered his head in apology and reached his seat safely, looking at his cake: it was still there. All of what he left. Good. If there was something he was jelous of (other than his violin) it was his sweets. They were HIS. Not even Beatrice could touch them not even if she just wanted to move them. He would call her by full name and wouldn't talk to her for days. Truth was, in those days his falls increased and he started to talk to her again, a bit out of guilt and a bit out of survival instinct.

The man stared at the little (almost) newborn couple and got that something was off: Micah was blushing as he should have but he was blushing for something else it wasn't shyness... Ioria couldn't get a grasp on what though and looked at the girl who, instead, wasn't blushing at all and understood 'And here Bea though she couldn't act well... look at her being so calm she drew Micah to be ashamed of himself...' he thought smiling.

- Diane -

"I take his glare to mean yes. When would you like to start, Esmeralda dear?" Diane had fought against the urge to blush since Beatrice got back. She knew there was more to the woman than what she wanted to make known ans he was now teasing them like there was no tomorrow. She was just relieved the other one was so into his cake in that moment he didn't notice (or didn't want to make noticed) the air around them. Diane looked up to Beatrice and smiled "I'd be happy to start whenever you want and I'll change my turns at my works accordingly." the girl then looked down to her hands "Truth be said" she added a bit ashamed "My schedule it's pretty much hopeless and the best time for me is after rehersals" she had a tight schedule to be able to get to the end of the month but didn't want to ruin everyone's nights after a tiresome rehersal just to help her. "And then, it would become late and I don't have a car and I would be bothering someone everynight and I don't want to bother anyone so..." she didn't know how to go on. 'Let's pretend this never happened? Don't bother with me anymore? What did you want to say you moron' "Even if I'm so willing to..." she finally said sadly and in a low voice, changing sentence halfway. She didn't dare look into anyone's eyes maybe just Micah's but she was giving him her back and then again the one most bothered would be him so maybe... no, thinking back she didn't want to look into his eyes either.
 
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-Beatrice-

"Truth be said, my schedule, it's pretty much hopeless and the best time for me is after rehearsals." Already Beatrice was shaking her head, not wanting to hear any excuses. Diane had said she was interested and that was enough for the teacher. Nothing ever daunted Beatrice, not even busy schedules and debts to pay, and nothing ever could persuade her to relinquish an idea when it had gotten hold of her. Especially when it was an idea propagated by Ioria and sanctioned by the theatre.

"And then, it would become late and I don't have a car and I would be bothering someone every night and I don't want to bother anyone so..." Now Beatrice found herself frowning, her brow arching as she studied the girl. Was she getting cold feet? Backing out? Or had she really not wanted to go along with this scheme all along and just couldn't find the words to refuse? If it was the latter, she would need much more help in the acting department than Beatrice could ever give her.

"Even if I'm so willing to..."

Holding up a hand, the teacher brushed the actress's words away with a flick of her wrist, "Diane, is this because you don't want to commit to working on your part with me and haven't found the words to refuse or do you really think you're just that much of a bother?" Beatrice arched her brow even higher and peered down at Diane over her nose in her "don't-mess-with-me-schoolmarm" look. "Now, which is it, Diane? And please be quick about deciding, we don't have all evening. Are we meeting next week after rehearsal or not? Yes? Or no? What is your gut response?"


And what was Micah doing during all this? Not enough to warrant a post of his own, that's for sure. Oh no, the man's head was constantly rotating back and forth from Beatrice to Diane, his eyes agog at the manner in which Beatrice pounced upon the actress. It only took one wrong word when she got this way to turn a civil exchange into a bloodbath. When it came to a fight or an argument, Beatrice never took prisoners.
 
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- Diane -

The girl averted her gaze and looked at her empty cup, letting her finger graze its border, trying to find the right words to explain what she wanted to convey "I just don't want to be a bother! I know how hard it is to work 'til late at night and having another early shift in the morning!" she said raising her head and staring into the woman's eyes "Who, in its right mind, would refuse such an offer? I may be young but I know what 'chance' means!" she decided not to act indecisive anymore, after all she didn't need nor want their pity, Diane wanted their help because they thought she was worth the time, not because the 'poor thing needs it'. "Of course I want to work with you." she added determined letting her stare deepen into hers "And I wouldn't make it a loss of your time" her voice was calm but very different from the 'calm' one she used with Micah. That was sweet, almost caressing, this one was more fired up. It was her future on the stake and if there was something the three-part-timer-musical-actress was determined not to mess up, it was her future.

- Ioria -

The man followed all the scene from the side. It was Bea's turn to clarify things and the too shy, little gipsy had better come out from her shell if she wanted to impress the teacher. Ioria stuck down his fork but a deaf sound told him his plate was empty. Too bad it was soo good. On the while, Micah was looking at them as if he was watching a tennis match.

A moment of silence. A soft sigh and then the little gipsy ripped her skirt a little more and came out a cute and determined Diane. Her honey colored eyes were a bit darker, as if a fire was burning in them... how would lil' Micah react to her reply? From what they could see from their spot she was pretty sweet with him. 'And still... I like her better this way... it seems she could be less malleable as a person and more so as an actress' he thought looking at them. He knew Bea wasn't finished yet but if he knew her half he thought he did... well... she shoud have liked Diane's reply... or at least that gaze.
 
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