[Player Plot] The Masque of Nusquam, Part I

[acapriciousreaper]

Who: Open to all.
When: December 3-9th, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Where: The Lady of Bliss, Sparks Golsaucia
What: Kuja is conducting open auditions for his upcoming tragedy, The Masque of Nusquam. If nothing else, the event is catered.
Warnings/Notes: Monsters, Sword fights, Revenge, True Love, Miracles...


The main lobby of the Lady of Bliss is a fantastic sight. At the moment, it’s dressed in lights and tinsel and wreaths in honor of the holiday season, and there’s a certain amount of bustle around the place. Kuja, of course, stands at the far end, dressed in festive-and-eye-catching silver and green, tapping one finger on the banister. At his side hovers a moogle, dressed simply with a bow tie and sunglasses.

He greets the assembled group with a critical eye, holding his slate and a stylus poised to write. “Good morning all, and welcome to the Lady of Bliss. Firstly, I’d like to thank you all for coming, of course, and we’ll direct you to Rehearsal Room Three, wherein you can find complementary sandwiches and refreshments if you wish to partake. Now!” He turns smartly, leading the way through a side door and into a corridor, before holding another door leading into a large room with a mirror on one wall.

“All aspiring actors of course will be auditioning, whereas any prospective stage-hands, electricians, special effects artists, engineers, carpenters, et cetera, will have a slightly less-involved process, but you’re all of course welcome to take in the atmosphere and mingle. We're going to have a brief bit of question-and-answer before I depart to conduct auditions, and after that if you require anything, Mojito will certainly be able to accommodate you."

Comments

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja nods. "My apologies for the, ah... Well, it doesn't matter. I'll be seeing you at the callbacks."

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja's expression remains carefully neutral. "Nothing I need bother you with. There are old accounts that need to be settled, of course. I may do business with your husband, well."

[mythmaker]

"Business with my husband that doesn't involve me," she starts, feigning curiosity, intrigue. Her expression is wary, but she hides it behind a warm smile. "My husband is a good man. I find it difficult to believe he'd leave business unsettled for so long a time." She chuckles, playing the part of an ignorant wife while probing for more information through seemingly harmless statements.

[bleating_heart]

Asriel blinks. "You mean 'come down to the Lady of Bliss to partake in an evening burlesque'? Yeah, I saw it, alright. You uh, wait, you know what sort of place Kuja works, right" He asks, just kind of staring at her. Well, there is clearly a miscommunication somewhere here.

[bladeofconquest]

Corrin is still laughing despite it all. "N-No, no, Asriel, I promise you, this isn't a burlesque performance, it's an actual play! It's called, uhm...the Masque of Nusquam, I think? I just came out to audition for a part because I thought it would be fun to at least try, you know?" She pats Asriel good-naturedly on the shoulder. "But I promise you, nothing indecent about it."

[einspine]

"VERY POSITIVELY!!!"

Still beaming, he raises a bony brow. "WHY? IS IT REALLY THAT SHOCKING? HAVE MY HIDDEN TALENTS BLOWN YOUR MIND?" Nyeh heh heh. He has that effect on people.

[musicinmysoul]

"Tea, thank you."

The fox bows her head some before settling in. That's a straightforward question, but it does make sense with what Kuja may have planned. Gotta play into a performer's strengths after all.

"I think I can see myself in a tragic role best. I think I can do heroic as well, but that's if that role hasn't already been claimed."

[bleating_heart]

"...Huh. I can't say I'm not surprised, but hey, at least this is something my mother probably wouldn't disapprove of as much. So, what, he's actually transitioning into drama?"

Asriel rolls his shoulders a little.

"We didn't have much of that in the underground. Just a robot on TV. There were books, though. What kind of thing were you trying out for?"

Re: AUDITIONS

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa nods! He knows exactly what this is like!

"You're the one who saved me, huh? Thanks. I'm Klo~oa. Where am I, anyway? Oh, are you Lolo again, or are you supposed to be someone else?"

It is explicitly obvious that his personality has not changed from being Klonoa.

Also it's kind of sounding like this has kind of happened to him before.

[acapriciousreaper]

"Not now, obviously, Minfilia. Do you not trust me?" He sighs, closing his eyes. "I want to ensure that you are cared for, of course, and with father in failing health and Marcus... Well. That's a question for a few years down the road, hm? In the meantime... we'll have to care for each other. Won't we?"

Kuja breaks character, then. "Yes, I think that's enough to be getting on with. Thoughts?"

Re: AUDITIONS

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja pauses. This is the first time today he's been completely taken aback. Oh, there'd been bad actors- people who overacted, or underacted, or simply frozen because they didn't know how to improvise-

He hadn't yet encountered someone who just couldn't act at all.

"Ah, Klonoa. Breaking character for a moment, forgive me. This isn't someone you recognize. And you... do realize you're attempting to get into the mindset of a character, yes?"

[acapriciousreaper]

There's a moment of quiet reflection. "He hasn't heard from me in some time. I suspect he thinks me to be gone, I'm afraid. He is a reasonable man, I'm certain an arrangement can be reached."

[acapriciousreaper]

Yes. Kuja's mind has been quite effectively blown. "Wwell. I'm certain we can progress. What I had intended was a sort of improvisation scenario. I give you background on a character and their motivations that you will assume, and we have a dialogue based on that."

[acapriciousreaper]

Tea is poured, and set on a tray, and Kuja smiles. "I think there might be something that might be a fit for you. I should likely ask beforehand, lest we have a repeat of an audition earlier: is there any lingering trauma related to the death of family members?"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk taps their chin, mulling it over. That... had certainly been a ride. "Hm. Well, first off, I would've appreciated it if you'd given me both of the brothers' names from the start. That would've made it a bit less awkward. Other than that... I'm kinda curious as to how you initially scripted the scene."

[bladeofconquest]

"I guess? I've never really met Mr. Kuja before, so I couldn't say. He's a friend of yours?" She asks.

"A good book is never to be looked askance at, I always say." Corrin says primly. "Growing up, some of my best friends were books." At least, thanks to the incredibly well-stocked library the Northern Fortress possessed that her siblings had always been adding to as well; she'd never been in any danger of running out of reading material (especially once she was fifteen or sixteen and had found the romance novels that had somehow found their way into the collection. Corrin always suspected Camilla probably had a hand in that; either way, they'd gotten her hooked on the genre, hopeless romantic that she was). "Anyway, I don't have a specific part in mind; I think the play is an original one, so it's not as though I can buy a copy of the script anywhere, but I'm sure Mr. Kuja has accounted for that. And if I don't get a part in the play, I think I'll offer my services as a seamstress; you know, working on the costumes and the like. I'm pretty good with a needle and thread so that's always a good fall-back."

[old_stoneface]

"-I think I'll offer my services as a seamstress-"

There was a loud spluttering from a nearby chair. Vimes had, apparently, been consuming the contents of a cup of coffee, which had for some arcane reason been spontaneously inhaled. He was now hacking and coughing, making hand gestures to the effect of 'I'm fine' to concerned onlookers.

Re: AUDITIONS

[wind_in_my_ears]

"Yeah, rupu! I know exactly who it is! I read a book, acting is drawing on your experiences, right? So since I know what this is like, I have to be doing good!" He says, smiling away.

"But.. if it's not Lolo, who would it be?"

[bleating_heart]

Asriel glances over at the man with the coffee, raising an eyebrow as he stretches his shoulder slightly. "Uh, right. You sure you're ok there?" He asks the guy, returning to look at Corrin.

"...So, wait, was he getting more than just actors? I thought he was just getting actors. Well, okay, I thought"

NEVERMIND WHAT YOU THOUGHT

"that.. he was.. just getting actors. Maybe if he really is just getting people in general I could help out. I.. kinda owe him and I have the height to hold, like, stage lights or something if he needs it."

[bladeofconquest]

Corrin glances up confusedly when Vimes appears to start choking on his drink. For a moment, she's worried, but then he starts indicating he's fine. Must have just drank a bit too quickly, she thinks.

"Oh no, I think people are here trying out for all sorts of positions, not just for roles in the play. My friend Richard is here to try out for some sort of electrical position; lights and the like. And there you go! That'd be a great idea, Asriel, I'm sure Mr. Kuja would be amenable to the idea."

She frowns though. "Oh, drat. I was so excited to come out for this, I think I forgot to actually bring something to show Mr. Kuja if my audition falls flat though." She chuckles. "Wouldn't be a problem if I was half the seamstress my big sister Camilla is, though. Everything I know about being a seamstress I learned from her. She was very big on hands-on training, you know? I learned a lot from her."

[defenestraighttomyheart]

"I am... Fantastic at lying to people."

It's almost comical how transparent that was.

"I just, I just lie so good all the time."

That time, it was comical.

[mythmaker]

"And if a fair arrangement can't be reached?" She guides Kuja further away from the desk and tries to guide him into dipping her. "Just go like this... What will you do then, gentle sir? You must have some plan." Her question is weighted. She asks him: what is your goal?

Re: AUDITIONS

[acapriciousreaper]

"It's- you aren't Klonoa, in this instance, you're the character within the play. Do you... understand what it is we're talking about, here?"

[einspine]

"OHO!!! HOW SPONTANEOUS. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALL FOR IT!" His hands ball up in excitement. That grin? Still firmly in place. Oh, what sort of role will he fulfill? Ah, how suspenseful!

[musicinmysoul]

"...Nothing that hasn't had time to heal."

This would be an awkward time to mention the hunts against black dragons, so Matilda just. Doesn't. Do that.

She will, however, gratefully accept that tea, taking a soft sip. "I hope that audition you mentioned didn't get too awkward..."