Dark Receiver

[DeliciousMaiden]

"I've been around for the past few years, I've met quite a few people from other lines through the theater."

His words were cut short by the effusive welcome from Mr Luziano, Angelo.
Claire blushed at his compliment and soon they were ensconced at a quiet little table as she looked around appreciatively, the homely atmosphere putting her instantly at her ease.

"His wife was in a play, he met her trough me."

She laughed.

"Ah, the producer plays cupid? Is that what you're famous for bringing people together?"

She teased him. The logic of the theatre would suggest that she and 'Romeo' would fall for each other, but much as she adored Elron, he was more like the big brother she had never had. She couldn't help wondering how the two friends had introduced each other to potential girl friends over the years ...

"This is a really lovely place ..."

She complimented more than happy that the choice of pizza and wine had been made for her.

"What play was Mrs Luziano in? A Shakespeare, or one of you 'adaptations'?"

She asked thinking of his Dickens idea.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He smiled,

"He was not in a play, he was an adoring fan of the young Phoebe."

He winked at her,

"You would know all about young Phoebe right?"

Angelo came back with two glasses, an ice bucket and a bottle, which he opened and poured a taster for Claire,

"It is a 1984 Claret, the lady approve?"

Glen smiled again,

"Now now Mr Luziano, you can not tempt my Juliet with good wine and sweet words."

Angelo chuckled,

"A thousand drums Mr Kane?"

Glen chuckled,

"Oh indeed."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"He was not in a play, he was an adoring fan of the young Phoebe.
You would know all about young Phoebe right?"

She blushed at his words knowing then that Elron must have narrated the entire account of that first meeting. But their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the proprietor who made great ceremony of delivering the bottle of wine to their table.

"Now now Mr Luziano, you can not tempt my Juliet with good wine and sweet words."

She laughed as the two joked and assured their host that the wine was indeed excellent.

"Is there no one you don't get on with ...?"

She asked Glen laughingly.

"Oh, apart from my father, of course ... "

She added realising that it was the first time she had thought of either parent almost all day ..

 

[DeathsKnight]

"Oh of course there is some people I don't get along with, but it does depend on how they approach me."

He sipped his wine,

"And of course there is that little 5% of the world that I just never will get along with."

He smiled,

"So how was Devon? Was your father right? Would you enjoy it there?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Oh of course there is some people I don't get along with, but it does depend on how they approach me. And of course there is that little 5% of the world that I just never will get along with."

She laughed enjoying his company and enjoying their easy conversation.

"So how was Devon? Was your father right? Would you enjoy it there?"

She grimaced.

"That seemed like a good idea at a time. Mum was so upset, I thought it would be easier if I'd at least shown an interest, but seems they take any opportunity to manipulate the situation... "

She sighed.

"Devon's nice enough for a holiday, but I wouldn't want to live there ... "

She stated.

"And even if it were fantastic, I'm past having decisions made for me."

She grinned.

"I don't think they've realised that yet... "

 

[DeathsKnight]

He saluted her with his glass,

"And that is the way it should be."

He took a sip,

"I think that you will enjoy the French countryside much more than what is on offer here, I of course have a huge love for the Germanic countryside..."

He sighed, a whimsical look on his face, with a dreamy voice he continued,

"One day when I'm grown up, I will buy a little cottage on a hill overlooking a lake."

He grinned and winked at her,

"How do you feel about facing a new Paris tomorrow?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"And that is the way it should be. I think that you will enjoy the French countryside much more than what is on offer here, I of course have a huge love for the Germanic countryside..."

She watched his face, listened to his voice drawn into the idea of travelling abroad some day. She was sure she would love any countryside that provided a contrast to what she had seen so far in her life.

"One day when I'm grown up, I will buy a little cottage on a hill overlooking a lake."

She chuckled.

"And one day I may even travel. We all need our dreams I suppose..."

It was so comfortable being around Glen. Even though compared to him she was inexperienced and knew very little about 'life' he never made her feel stupid and she found him fascinating and of course the prospect of a 'date' which went beyond this easy camaraderie definitely set her pulses racing.

"How do you feel about facing a new Paris tomorrow?"

She blinked thinking of France and the town and then realised he was talking 'business' again.

"We don't have many scenes, but he is rather crucial to Juliet's motivation. It's such a shame. I think we had the scene at the Friar's cell especially really well rehearsed. It'll be interesting having someone different that I haven't had time to 'gel' with yet ... "

She mused.

"Perhaps that will add an edge to the play?"

She mused. Juliet wasn't supposed to hate Paris, but hate the idea of marriage to him at least and she had grown very fond of their previous Paris.

"What's he like?"

She questioned curiously.

 

[DeathsKnight]

"He was one of the guys who auditioned for Romeo, he also selected the vault scene at the end. But he was a bit too dramatic for our tastes, I think he has some training behind him, so you can expect him to come with ideas which may or may not quite suit you."

He smiled,

"Of course I don't know much further about him, he did sound very keen to be in the play though."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"He was one of the guys who auditioned for Romeo, he also selected the vault scene at the end. But he was a bit too dramatic for our tastes, I think he has some training behind him, so you can expect him to come with ideas which may or may not quite suit you."

She sipped her wine and nodded. If he came up with ideas she didn't like perhaps that would add to the authenticity, but she couldn't help feeling sorry that she had lost 'her' Paris so soon.

"Of course I don't know much further about him, he did sound very keen to be in the play though.

She smiled.

"Well of course ... as long as he's not trying to 'unseat' Elron. He's not suggesting he understudy yet is he?"

She quipped as the menus arrived ...

"Do you think a dramatic Paris would work?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

He shrugged,

"I'm not certain to be honest. He can't overdo it, or it might just deduct from what we want."

He patted her hand,

"I'll have a word with him, see what he does during the rehearsals and where I can change him slightly."

Mr Luziano showed up,

"I will have my normal, the Luziano special, I think my fair Juliet will have to have a look at the Menu, I could order for her, but I think it's best she pick for herself and learn your tastes for herself."

"Ah of course, I shall return."

He placed a Menu in front of Claire and moved away to tend to his new arrivals.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"I'm not certain to be honest. He can't overdo it, or it might just deduct from what we want. I'll have a word with him, see what he does during the rehearsals and where I can change him slightly."

She nodded.

"You're rehearsing him separately first then?"

She asked and then smiled across to Mr Luziano.

"I will have my normal, the Luziano special, I think my fair Juliet will have to have a look at the Menu, I could order for her, but I think it's best she pick for herself and learn your tastes for herself."

Claire smiled as he handed her a menu.

"I don't mind you ordering for me ... the special sounds ... intriguing ... "

She told Glen, happy to put the menu aside and sip at the wine once more. It was definitely easy to drink, especially as they sat and chatted, Claire thinking not for the first time that she felt so comfortable whenever she was with him.

"How do you think we're doing so far?"

She asked him curiously.

"How long do we have before opening? I assume you're going to do previews or something like that? "

She really wasn't sure what the timescale was or how things usually worked.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He chuckled,

"Well then you can have a taste of my pizza and I'll order you a very tasty spaghetti dish, it's absolute sin, but so good you forget the kilojoules."

He sipped on his wine and shook his head,

"He will take part of the normal rehearsals, as you well know I have no qualms stopping everybody if one person is stepping out of line. As for how we are doing...very good actually, we are about three days ahead of schedule and when all is in full working order I will basically have a special show for board members and some of the critics I trust. And if they are satisfied, it will be the grand opening and your first taste of fame."

He gave her a smile,

"But first there is two months of hell waiting for all of you, I'm a very difficult man to please when it comes to my work."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Well then you can have a taste of my pizza and I'll order you a very tasty spaghetti dish, it's absolute sin, but so good you forget the kilojoules."

She laughed and nodded agreeing to his choice.

"He will take part of the normal rehearsals, as you well know I have no qualms stopping everybody if one person is stepping out of line."

She knew that all too well, although the 'stepping out of line' comment definitely left her in no doubt that Paris would be moulded into an interpretaton that Glen felt was consistent with the vision of the play.

"As for how we are doing...very good actually, we are about three days ahead of schedule and when all is in full working order I will basically have a special show for board members and some of the critics I trust. And if they are satisfied, it will be the grand opening and your first taste of fame."

The thought was exciting, but scary in equal measures!

"But first there is two months of hell waiting for all of you, I'm a very difficult man to please when it comes to my work."

She laughed then.

"Hell is it?"

She echoed.

"You mean you get MORE demanding as time goes on?"

She pretended to look horrified.

"I was petrified of you during my audition, that's for sure ... "

She told him with a blush.

"And ... you're still pretty intimidating in 'producer mode' ... "

She looked at him as they sat at their intimate little table and was amazed at how their friendship had blossomed and marvelled that, even in the short term, he was now her 'landlord'.

"I just hope you give Romeo as hard a time as Juliet,"

She told him playfully.

"In the interests of equality and fair play ..."

She added lightly.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He chuckled,

"Oh indeed, the longer we work on it, the closer to perfection I will want it to be."

The normal waiter came along and he placed their full order, Mr Luziano busy greeting more patrons as they entered,

"Our Romeo knows what I want as we have worked a lot together, so he will almost be harder on you than I will be."

He gave her a smile,

"Come to think of it I will probably be harsher on the rest of the cast, even for somebody's whose first time this is, you're doing pretty well and Elron, well he was born to act, but chooses to teach."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Oh indeed, the longer we work on it, the closer to perfection I will want it to be."

She let him give their food order and listened as he continued to answer her questions.

"Our Romeo knows what I want as we have worked a lot together, so he will almost be harder on you than I will be. Come to think of it I will probably be harsher on the rest of the cast, even for somebody's whose first time this is, you're doing pretty well and Elron, well he was born to act, but chooses to teach."

She laughed, reassured by his compliment.

"And what makes you think that I won't run scared?"

She was curious.

"Acting opposite Elron, who's such a natural is intimidating enough,"

She clarified.

"Without a tyrannous producer breathing down my neck night and day ... "

She smiled, only half joking.

"Even I don't know if I'll 'bottle it' or not ... "

She told him worriedly. Would she really have the nerve and the skill it took to be a convincing Juliet when it came to the performance? She had no way of knowing.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He placed his hand on her's and gave her a smile,

"You will have no need to run, I picked you as Juliet and so far you have justified my faith in you. You have sorted out most of the little nicks there was and you have shown a lot of character, getting through that rough patch with your parents and still gave a good performance. I doubt that you will not be able to handle the pressure, like I said, it's all about the fact if you love it or not."

He removed his hand from her own and took a sip of his wine,

"And I will definitely not be such a harsh taskmaster after we finish for each day, then I am just Glen Kane, the same guy sitting here in front of you."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"You will have no need to run, I picked you as Juliet and so far you have justified my faith in you. You have sorted out most of the little nicks there was and you have shown a lot of character, getting through that rough patch with your parents and still gave a good performance. I doubt that you will not be able to handle the pressure, like I said, it's all about the fact if you love it or not."

She was disappointed when he moved his hand off hers, but his words had more than reassured her. She was working as hard as she could and hopefully learning all the time.

"Well, I do love it as you know. It's all I ever really wanted to do..."

She confirmed, thinking that she was even prepared to break from her family to pursue her ambitions; surely there could hardly be more dedication than that?

"And I will definitely not be such a harsh taskmaster after we finish for each day, then I am just Glen Kane, the same guy sitting here in front of you."

She grinned.

"Well, that's a relief..."

She told him with mock serious voice.

"I had thought that you might be getting me to rehearse being thrown about my Lord Capulet, or stabbing myself over and over .. or long heart-wrenching soliloquys before bedtime ..."

She grinned.

"So ... all I have to worry about is you as my 'landlord'?"

She teased, then dropped her banter.

"Though actually, I don't think there's any part of Glen Kane I don't like, so ... I think I'll cope ... "

 

[DeathsKnight]

He chuckled as she teased him, mental imaging giving him just enough to laugh about, he smiled at her last words and gently patted her hand again.

"I am glad, the last thing I would want to do is drive you away, I would really like to see if I could show you more of the city and it's hidden gems."

He gave her a grin and then lifted the wine from the ice bucket and refilled their glasses,

"So Claire, what is there I should know about you while you grew up? I'm sure we can swap a bit of our history?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"I am glad, the last thing I would want to do is drive you away, I would really like to see if I could show you more of the city and it's hidden gems."

She smiled feeling at ease and relaxed with him, the issues with her family forgotten for the present. Ironically it was Glen who drew her thoughts back to her family.

"So Claire, what is there I should know about you while you grew up? I'm sure we can swap a bit of our history?"

She supposed it was a reasonable question, but she wasn't sure what to tell him.

"There's nothing remarkable to tell really,"

She told him as she pondered.

"I suppose we moved around a bit more than the average family and changing schools was always a pain I remember. I found it easy enough to make friends, but I guess I learned not to get too attached to anyone, so by the time I became a teenager I was more of a loner ... "

She smiled, seemingly not upset by how things had developed for her.

"That's where I got my real interest in literature and theatre. Hours of reading, theatre trips, study ... "

She blushed as she continued.

"I didn't really have realistic ambitions of acting. It was always a dream, a what if ... if it hadn't been for Elron I wouldn't have even attempted reading for Juliet. I was expecting a 'bit part'... "

She sipped her wine reflecting that she had definitely come a long way since that first meeting.

"I always liked writing ... diaries, poems, the usual stuff."

She shrugged dismissing her earliest attempts.

"Maybe some day I'll even get something published? Who knows?

 

[DeathsKnight]

He smiled,

"Well then if you have it proof-read, it can always makes it's way to a publisher."

He sat back in his chair,

"I grew up in the theater, my father had started this company, since my mother was not around I had to come here after school. It was fun when we did Shakespear in school and I could actually see the roles being played out. When I finished school my father sent me overseas to study, drama of course. That is how I got to see most of Europe, my other tours was when I took over the company after my father passed away."

He took a sip of his wine,

"Of course Elron was there all the time, he even convinced his parents to send him overseas, only a few years later he decided that teaching is more his thing. So my dear Claire, there is nothing you can not do if you wish to do it."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Well then if you have it proof-read, it can always makes it's way to a publisher."

She shook her head and laughed.

"No, I don't think anything I've written in the past is publishable ... it's just something I thought I might have a go at in the future ... but I have to find something I can write about that other people want to read first..."

And right now Claire thought that she needed much more experience before she could be capable of that. It was definitely a project for the future.

Her focus turned to Glen as he began to tell her about his childhood and realised that he had seen much of Europe, which made her feel even more 'sheltered' than before. She watched him sip his wine, not wanting to push for details about how his father had died and smiling as he went on to speak about Elron.

"Of course Elron was there all the time, he even convinced his parents to send him overseas, only a few years later he decided that teaching is more his thing."

Personally Claire thought that it was a shame to lose that talent to teaching and wondered how Glen felt about Elron's decision to leave acting.


"So my dear Claire, there is nothing you can not do if you wish to do it."

She laughed, not quite following the logic of the argument.

"Well, I don't want to teach ... "

She told him and realised that Elron did in fact possess many qualities that would make him an inspirational teacher.

"... guess the only thing I figure I have a chance at is acting that's really been my only true ambition ... "

She grinned.

"... so ... guess you're stuck with me for the time being at least ... "

She told him happily.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He chuckled,

"It is not just teaching, what I mean is that if you truly want to do something, nothing will stop you. Take acting for instance, if you failed this once because you prepared the wrong role, you would have come back for the next audition, it is all about how much you wish to do something."

He smiled,

"You wish to perform to the best of your abilities and even though not classically trained, you have a feel for acting, it is in your heart and you do it very good. You seem to find the logic in the character and then bring in the feeling, that alone is enough to make your performance stellar."

Their food arrived and Glen smiled,

"Well there goes my choc chip muffin for breakfast."

He laughed and cut out one of the wedges for Claire,

"Now tell me if you don't taste the salami, bacon, chicken and dash of garlic among that mass of cheese."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"It is not just teaching, what I mean is that if you truly want to do something, nothing will stop you. Take acting for instance, if you failed this once because you prepared the wrong role, you would have come back for the next audition, it is all about how much you wish to do something."

She considered his words and wondered if she would really have had the nerve to audition again if she hadn't secured a role in his production. Perhaps she would in time ... or perhaps she'd have gone on to studying stage management or production or something like that.

"You wish to perform to the best of your abilities and even though not classically trained, you have a feel for acting, it is in your heart and you do it very good. You seem to find the logic in the character and then bring in the feeling, that alone is enough to make your performance stellar."

She could not help but be pleased at his compliments, all the more so as she knew he did not make such comments lightly. She was trying to do her best for him, for his production and he was certainly giving her a supportive environment in which to develop her first skills.

The arrival of their food interrupted the direction of their conversation. Sharing the pizza and pasta between them they tucked in, Claire exclaiming appropriately about the flavours of both dishes and sipping at her wine as they ate and chatted.

"I think I'm going to have to watch my diet living with you ... "

She quipped as she tucked in happily.

"... if I didn't have such a hard task-master as a boss, I'd take up some physical activity to work it off ... "

She joked enjoying their easy banter.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He chuckled,

"Being on a constant diet is a bit of a let down, you have to enjoy the calories while you can."

He grinned,

"I might just drag you along for the early morning jogs, they tend to clear the mind and of course get you burning all them pesky stored energy. So I can be your dietitian, task-master, fitness instructor oh and landlord, I'm sure I can serve those roles with some credibility."

He grinned at her,

"But of course, I am an artiest and I require a workable environment."

He finished his wine and filled his own glass,

"All of this for the low price of $9.99."

He laughed at her reaction

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Being on a constant diet is a bit of a let down, you have to enjoy the calories while you can."

She laughed as he joked with her.

"I might just drag you along for the early morning jogs, they tend to clear the mind and of course get you burning all them pesky stored energy."

She pulled a face signalling that jogging wouldn't be top of her list of activities!

"So I can be your dietitian, task-master, fitness instructor oh and landlord, I'm sure I can serve those roles with some credibility."

She pretended to look horrified.

"But of course, I am an artiest and I require a workable environment."

She laughed.

"You are soo scaring me now ..."

She told him dramatically.

"All of this for the low price of $9.99."

She laughed deliberately misunderstanding his comment.

"So that's what I pay each month for all your services and accommodation ... hmmmm... that might be an offer I'd take you up on ... "

She quipped.

"Though seriously, when time permits I really would like to take up something different ... "

She seemed to consider.

"... used to enjoy dance at school ... and even used to sing a bit ... perhaps in time I'll have the chance to take up some hobbies again ... "

She suggested...