[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

[sassafrisk]

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Frisk says, winking (okay, a definite plus of the glasses was the ability to properly wink without seeming weird). "I was a bit of a theatre geek back home, so I'll be able to take it." They voice trails off, and they grimace, remembering part of the reason they came here.

Frisk opens their mouth, then close it, then open it again, suddenly feeling awkward. They needed to get this over with, but... it was gonna be hard to say. "But, um. Before we start, I'd... like to apologize. For. A lot of things, really, all related to everything that happened back in the Territories. I had no right to risk everybody's lives going with me in that stupid expedition, and... yeah. So, um, I understand if you're kind of. Angry."

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja snorts. “I’d likely be a terrible hypocrite if I held it against you, after my own little foray into the Cloud. We’ll call it even and say no more about it, hm? I understand you’ve also thrown in your hat as a stage hand. Out of curiosity, why? Do you feel, perhaps, that you may not ‘make the cut’?”

[sassafrisk]

Frisk can't help but to breathe a sigh of relief at that. Despite their many, many differences, Kuja was among their best friends on Vaikuntha, and it was a relief knowing he wasn't holding a grudge.

"Yeah, that's part of it. But I'm," there's a blur of motion, and suddenly Frisk's sipping on a half-empty glass of tea to prove a point, "ridiculously fast, prooooobably fast enough to do both if I do get a part. I can definitely hotswap between tech blacks and costume in just a few seconds thanks to my slate," Frisk rapidly switches between their urban outfit and their survival gear a few times, "and I'll be able to help you clear the stage a lot quicker than you would be able to normally. So basically I want, and will be able, to do both if I do land a part."

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja makes a few notes with an air of being impressed. "Well, there's always room for a stage hand. If you wish to act as well, I'm certain we can find a part that would not tax you unduly-"

He takes a drink, leafs through his notes. "This audition is likely to be slightly out of protocol, largely because I am less interested in your ability to memorize lines than your ability to portray emotion convincingly. What I intend, is to give you a direction and a brief background to get you into a character, and then have a dialogue based on those motivations. What do you think?"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk snaps their fingerguns at Kuja, flashing a smile. "Hit me with it, chief." They weren't under any illusions that seventh grade theater productions were the levels of acting that Kuja was looking for, but... this was their passion. Back home, theater was a more legal way to escape their... situation. It was relaxing to put themself in another person's shoes for a little while.

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja examines his notes, tapping his chin. “Yes, of course. I’m just going to select a scene here, and we’ll move forward from there. You are the youngest of three children, with two brothers ahead of you. Your eldest brother has been away at war for some time. Today, he is expected to arrive home at last, and there is a knock on your door. What you find, instead of what you expected, is your younger brother, Cassius. The line you are responding to is:

‘Minfilia, open the door. I need to speak with you.’”

[sassafrisk]

As Kuja gives Frisk their part, there's clearly some mental re-arranging going on behind their eyes. Channeling their feelings for Lilac and Papyrus into some kind of sibling bond could work. The pain that hit them when Lilac left would be perfect for this scene too.

Frisk's demeanor changes. Their expression brightens from a cocky grin to a hopeful, eager smile. "Brother, oh my goodness you're-- wait." Their expression becomes confused, edging on worried. "Cassius? Is- is that... Where is he?" Their voice skirts dangerously close to panic as they finish their line.

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja's voice is gentle, if... dispassionate. "Marcus did not make the crossing, I'm afraid. I'm told he went over in the midst of a storm."

[sassafrisk]

Frisk's expression is frozen for a moment as their character processes that information slowly, looking it over, turning it up and down to find any reason for Cassius to be lying. A look of dawning horror twists their face, and they clap a hand over their mouth, trembling slightly. Maybe a bit overwrought? Well, their brother had just died, so it was probably a good idea to roll with the melodrama.

"I... I see. At least he didn't die on the b-battlefield." Frisk gulps, trying and failing to maintain their composure. "That's... He..." Unfortunately, Frisk isn't a skilled enough actor to cry on command, but they can make a convincing enough pantomime of it. "That's not--"

They break character for just a moment. "Here's where I'd lunge forward to hug Marcus and seek comfort from him, but that would be a bit awkward right now since we're seated across from each other so just... assume I'm doing that. I'm also assuming that Minfilia's just around my age, maybe a bit older, so that's influencing characterization. Kids don't deal with loss well."

Putting their game face back on, Frisk resumes their gross "sobbing." "That's not fair! It's... it's not... He'd won and he's a hero and he deserved to come back home and he died because of a stupid boat and it's not fair!" they wail.

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja nods. "I am sorry, Minfilia. It pains me to be the bearer of such ill news, but alas, I cannot lie to my sister." He sighs, sitting back. "I'll have to tell father, of course. He'll be devastated, but even in his condition I'm certain he'd wish to know."

[sassafrisk]

That would've been some useful character information to know, but hell, Frisk can roll with it. They sniffle and wipe their eyes, sitting back as well. The reminder of the condition of Minfilia's father ought to bring her back down to Earth. "Oh no. Eidolons above, he was so looking forward to M- his return. I can't imagine what this will... sorry, sorry." They shake their head violently to try and throw off the cloud of grief. "I- come in. Please. Is there... anything else we should know?"

[acapriciousreaper]

"There is... one thing." Kuja sighs. "You realize, of course, that with Marcus gone and father in failing health, it falls to us to ensure the family does not fall to ruin. I know you are young, Minfilia... but you're an intelligent girl. I'm certain that, with your help, the Armond name will not be tarnished."

There's something... vaguely offputting, in the way he says that. A faint air of- not quite menace, but... purpose.

[sassafrisk]

It's hard to feign fear and apprehension racing behind the eyes, but Frisk gives it a shot anyways. Might as well go all in on the drama. They chuckle nervously. "I... Cassius, surely you can't mean... I'm a bit young for that, aren't I?" Frisk gulps, averting their eyes from Kuja and nervously twiddling their hands.

[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?"

[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."