Playing the Role

[LongshanksSierra]

Playing the Role (invite only)

IC: Hal gripped the hilt of his sword as the morning mist seeped through his skin into his bones. It was a foreboding day, and rightfully so. He and his own were outnumbered six to one, the enemy being primarily heavy mounted knights while he had but longbowmen and footsoldiers. It seemed like only God himself would be able to save them this day. The ground shuddered with the thunder of the appraching charge...

... until Hal's eyes snapped open reminding him that he wasn't in 15th century France. It wasn't morning, it was actually late in the afternoon. There was no thunder from a charge of heavy horse, there was only a muted silence. He wasn't standing in an open and muddy field, he was up onstage in an auditorium. His high school's auditorium to be precise, and it certainly wasn't anywhere near Agincourt.

Hal and his friends had heard that instead of this year's much expected (and much dreaded) production of Romeo & Juliet (it had been Hamlet's turn last year), the drama teacher had done the un-expected and announced the Shakespere production would be Henry V this year. This decision had been followed by much groaning from the drama elite, after all if it wasn't Romeo & Juliet or Hamlet's, then it wasn't real Shakespere. Most of those unlettered louts wouldn't recognise MacBeth if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. It had been a dare for him to tryout for the role of Henry, the lead, and had soon become a point of honor to at least try. Besides, he knew more about the real events of the play than any of those bleeding heart sops who wondered what light through yonder window broke.

Okay, so Hal was a little bitter. Not because he hadn't gotten the lead (he had gotten it despite all odds against it), but because none of those idiots would listen to him. They were thrashing history with a total disregard, and frequently when it would take so little effort to nudge things correct. Hal rolled his shoulders and tried to let the anger bleed away. He admitted to himself the real cause to the fustration was the stagefright. He really hadn't thought things through too fully when he agreed to this enterprize. He hated public speaking, generally avoided it with a passion. Now look at him. Still he had some weeks before opening night.

There was one bright spot, and that one shining bit of fortune caused him more anxiety than the rest put together. The role of Catherine was going to be played by Elizabeth Drake, and that both set him afire and froze him stiff at the same time. Elizabeth Drake was the kind of girl that intimidated all the guys around her. One, she was tall. At a few inches shorter than Hal was, she towered over most of the rest of the girls and a good portion of the boys. She had been blessed by the female gender with a well-porpotioned and curvy figure. The tight clothing she wore, while not exposing a lot of naked flesh, did not leave much to the imagination, although Hal's imagination didn't need much encouragement to begin with. Her dark hair flowed and her dark eyes smouldered over a pert nose which pointed away from pouty lips. The lips Hal would've paid years off his life to have kissed, and therein lie the rub. He was going to. The much anticipated final scene in Henry V where Henry claims the throne of France with his bethrothal to Princess Catherine, the only "love scene" in what is primarily a play about war and the brotherhood between soldiers. It was that kiss to Catherine that caused him the greatest panic and forced him to remain here long after rehearsal was done trying to put his affairs in order. Oh for a muse of fire...

OOC: Casting call for the role of Elizabeth aka "Catherine." Fairly straightforward story, high school passionada, the quiet guy with the popular girl. If you're interested in the role, drop me a PM. This thread is, of course, by invitaion only.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

Hal strode towards the center of the stage, snacthing up one of the prop wooden swords that had been left in a pile of others. He pulled his rolled up script from the back pocket of his jeans as he flopped down in the wooden throne. He certainly didn't sit as a king did, he was thrown kind of sideways with one leg hanging over and arm of the grand chair. He twirled the psuedo-sword in one hand as he looked over the script in the other. He didn't really need to go over the script, he knew pretty much all of his lines anyway, but one never knew...

Although his eyes rested on the the rumpled paper, they didn't really see the words printed there. The problem with Elizabeth kept coming back to him. It really wasn't a problem, not really. Afterall, it was just a kiss at the end of a play nothing meaningful there. It was just Henry kissing Catherine, not Hal kissing Elizabeth. And if Hal kept that firmly in mind, he might be able to not make an idiot out of himself. He didn't want to look a complete fool because of some inability to kiss a beautiful girl. That was not the sort of issue a guy wanted to get labeled with, it could smudge his reputation. If he had a reputation to smudge.

As he was musing there was a sharp clatter from somewhere off backstage. Hal dropped the script as he hopped to his feet off the throne. The wooden sword remained gripped in his hand.

"Hello?" he called out, "Anybody there?"

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth:

My startled cry reverberated around the empty auditorium.
“H-hello?” I cleared my throat in an attempt to calm my jangled nerves and called out more confidently. I didn’t think anyone was here. “Who is it?”

”Hal. Is that you Elizabeth?”

‘Liz.’ I thought to myself. ‘The name is Liz. Nobody calls me Elizabeth, except my Mum and Dad, unless they are mad at me.’

‘Hal?’ The name sat with me for a moment as I tried to think. Henry Hal! My opposite number in Henry V. I didn’t know him as such, of course I knew of him and had seen him around, but we had never spoken before.

Papers lay in scattered around me, now I would have to rearrange them back into order. I stooped down to pick-up my copy of the script before Hal came and caught me making an ass of myself. As I gathered my papers I tried to recall what I could of Hal, I’d all ready had a fair bit of teasing from some of the girls about being caste alongside a geek.

From what little I knew, Hal was a quiet guy, kept himself pretty much to himself and well… remarkable in so much as he was totally unremarkable. Not that I regarded that as much of a bad thing. It could have been worse, I could have been caste alongside Robert Clee. Now that would have been bad news, although most of my friends would have regarded that as a catch, but Robert would have been more interested in rehearsing anything, primarily human biology, except Henry V.

I heard a noise and looked up from where I was squatting down scooping up my papers. Hal was standing at the stage wing looking at me. “I… err… dropped my papers.” I felt foolish, even felt myself colouring up – thank goodness it was dim enough that he couldn’t see.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

It took a moment for my brain to kick into gear. "Here Elizabeth, let me help you with those," I said kneeling down next to her and scooping up a few of the loose sheets.

I couldn't understand how a girl could manage to look graceful squatting down scooping up a bunch a papers, but somehow she did it. I tired not to stare at her as I collected a few random papers. I honestly wasn't interested in those loose strands of hair falling over her eyes. I didn't even care that she had perfect looking freckles. It didn't matter that her neck curved elegantly down to her shoulders. Honestly, I didn't care. I also really didn't want to start not-noticing anything lower, or I'd get myself in trouble.

What was she doing here? It was late in the afternoon, even for the after-school rehearsal She should have been long gone by now. I considered all the problems with just asking, but decided to try it anyway. "Um, what... what are you doing here?"

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth:

The redness spread across my face and down my neck as he stooped to help me. From the corner of my eye I could see him looking at me, my hair, my neck and shoulders. I went all goosepimply and that redness seemed to wash across my face again. Most guys looked straight at my boobs and ogled me with stupid grins on their faces, or made crude remarks about my ass, not to my face of course – yet Hal was looking at me, my face, my person. I was not immediately a combination of three sexual attributes in his eyes. I turned to look back at him and smiled.

We stood up; I clutched the disarranged papers to my chest. He looked at me shyly and then surprised, as if noticing the papers in his hand for the first time, offered them out to me.
"Um, what... what are you doing here?"

He just seemed to blurt it out, and then appeared to get dreadfully embarrassed by it. Pretending not to notice that he was blushing I replied that I was in the habit of rehearsing on my own in the auditorium when I had the chance. He smiled, and I found I liked his smile.
“What about you?” He appeared to be puzzled by my question. “What brings you here?”

 

[LongshanksSierra]

"Oh," I said not trying to look in her eyes, they seemed a little too perceptive, like she could see what I was thinking. But she did have beautiful eyes. Eyes that sparkled like... Cut it out! And stop staring! "Pretty much the same," I continued. "Just trying to get used to the stage." She had an uncanny ability to make the heat rise in my cheeks. I hoped she didn't notice my face was red.

"I've never done this before. You know, been in a play." I felt like I was rambling, but couldn't find a way to shut up either. I'd imagined talking to her a hundred times, but this wasn't like any of it. Of course that might just be the fact I couldn't have carried a conversation in a bucket. "I don't know why I tried out. I'm not an actor. It was mainly a dare." Shut up you fool!

"What about you? Why did you tryout?"

 

[sandmartin]

"Well actually I enjoy it. I've done a few of these now, but I still get nervous..." I lowered my voice as if sharing a grave secret. "which is why I come here to practice when nobody is around to hear me much it up."

He was smiling again and I found myself smiling back at him. I was definately warming to him, he was cute, I decided, in a geeky kind of way! He was also very nervous and I wasn't sure if that was me doing that to him, or because of the play.
"What was the dare?"

 

[LongshanksSierra]

"It was just a challenge, one of those 'I-bet-you-won't' guy things," I replied. "There weren't any stipulations. I guess I should have made some." I briefly wondered why she was still talking to me, it seemed like she was actually engaging me in conversation. Asking questions, answering mine with more than one word. And she was smiling.

It made my heart beat a little faster. And she had a funny habit of scrunching her nose every so often, combined with a smile it nearly dropped me. It might've been my imagination, but her cheeks seemed a little rosier than usual. She wasn't actually blushing, was she? No, it must be my imagination.

"How do you deal with the nerves? I mean what's your secret?" I asked looking down, then bringing my eyes back up to her. It was still dangerous to look her in the eyes, but I was getting used to it. "I don't like even talking in front of people. And now this..." he gestured around the stage area. "Lots of people, bright lights. I've got a lot of monologues, and I've got to be the king and not seem like an idiot doing it. Then there's kissing a beautiful girl." I clamped my teeth down on that one too late. For a split second I had forgotten who I was talking to. Idiot! Why did I have to bring that up? Fool! Moron! I could feel my temperture rising, my neck and forehead were on fire.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth:

He flushed bright red and turned away from me. I could almost feel his embarrassment as a tangible thing. I mean, it made me blush to be called beautiful, but nowhere near as brightly as he. I pretended to sort through my script sheets politely, as if not noticing he was blazing bright red.
"The secret?" I mused, "Now let me see - there isn't one! I get terrified before I go on stage, but somehow it all vanishes when I actually walk out there - it's as though I become someone else, the person I'm playing."

I stole a quick glance across at him, he was still very flushed. "Uhm! Do you want to practice some of your lines with me?"

 

[LongshanksSierra]

I was trying to salvage something of self control when she mentioned practicing lines together.

"Sure," I said keeping control of my voice. "That'd be great." I searched my pockets for my script. "Is there any scene you want to work on. I've already got most of mine memorized, it's just a matter of getting used to practicing them out loud." I remembered I had left my script at the foot of the throne up on stage. "I know you don't have a whole lot of scenes, but is there one you need to work on? There's the English lesson scene, or..." he stopped himself, the only other scene Catherine had significant time onstage was the last one in which... well he didn't want to step on that land mine. Again.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth:

I immediately started shuffling through my papers of jumbled script. I had no idea which scene to choose, part of me wanted to put the pressure on this rather funny and shy guy by opting for the last scene. Without doubt some of my reasoning was due to devilment and some of it was due to… well, I wasn’t quite sure – curiosity perhaps, would he actually kiss me? Would I like it, would it be nice? But the truth was, I didn’t want to appear too brazen…

“The English lesson to start with if you like – unless of course you have something else in mind?” My turn to blush – ‘Goodness what was wrong with me?’

 

[LongshanksSierra]

The 'English Lesson,' as I described it, was a funny little scene in which Catherine, suspecting that she would be forced to marry Henry, tried to learn some English so she would be prepared to live in England. Now, the only problem I hadn't forseen when I suggested it was that the English Catherine had decided to learn was all in refrence to parts of the body. Oh the scene is actually quite innocent in nature, but when you're a young man with an eye on a certain young lady and she begins discussing her body with you, in any form, your concentration begins to slip slightly.

When Elizabeth asked how to say 'le main' she would delicately display her hand so the auidience would make no mistake as to what was being asked. Now I could make it through fingers, hands, and elbow just fine. However, things like chin and neck are where things got a little difficult. I kept trying to keep the heat from rising on my neck.

It might have been my imagination, but I swear everyonce in a while I noticed she seemed to be blushing as well.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth

I loved the way he blushed over the simplest and most innocent of things, and I have to admit, I giggle quietly to myself a number of times.

When we finished the scene I was reluctant to end our rehearsal so immediately suggested we tried again. Secretly I wanted to move on and practice the last scene and before I knew it I had tagged on the end of my proposal... "...or we can move on to our next scene if you like?"

 

[LongshanksSierra]

Hesitantly I agreed to rehearse our last scene. I was nervous, but she had suggested it, so apparently the idea of kissing me wasn't abhorent. Still, I took it slow and made sure we went over a few lines more than once. It was one of my favortie scenes, a tongue-tied Henry trying to express his love for Catherine. A simple soldier trying valiantly, if clumsily, to court an elegant princess. I guess it had always struck a chord with me. And here it was being played out in real life. Okay, so I wasn't a soldier and Elizabeth wasn't a princess, but the idea was the same. I felt woefully outmatched trying to speak to her in words of love, granted they were Shakespeare's words but I still had to speak them to a beautiful girl. I hoped she didn't realize just how much a parallel I was drawing between Henry & Catherine and Hal & Elizabeth.

"O Kate, nice customs curtsy too great kings." Old Willy was a master, but sometimes it was hard to work your way around hum. "Dear Kate, you, and I cannot be confined within the weak list of a country's fashion. We are the makers of manners, Kate, and the liberty that follows our places stops the mouth of all find-faults, as I will do yours for upholding the nice fashion of your country in denying me a kiss. Therefore, patiently and yieldingly." I took her hands in mine and leaned gently forward. I tried hard not to look too deeply in her eyes, lest she read to much in what myine were saying. I leaned over close to her, the sweet smell of her perfume filled my nose. I closed my eyes as my lips gently found hers.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

Hesitantly I agreed to rehearse our last scene. I was nervous, but she had suggested it, so apparently the idea of kissing me wasn't abhorent. Still, I took it slow and made sure we went over a few lines more than once. It was one of my favortie scenes, a tongue-tied Henry trying to express his love for Catherine. A simple soldier trying valiantly, if clumsily, to court an elegant princess. I guess it had always struck a chord with me. And here it was being played out in real life. Okay, so I wasn't a soldier and Elizabeth wasn't a princess, but the idea was the same. I felt woefully outmatched trying to speak to her in words of love, granted they were Shakespeare's words but I still had to speak them to a beautiful girl. I hoped she didn't realize just how much a parallel I was drawing between Henry & Catherine and Hal & Elizabeth.

"O Kate, nice customs curtsy too great kings." Old Willy was a master, but sometimes it was hard to work your way around him. "Dear Kate, you, and I cannot be confined within the weak list of a country's fashion. We are the makers of manners, Kate, and the liberty that follows our places stops the mouth of all find-faults, as I will do yours for upholding the nice fashion of your country in denying me a kiss. Therefore, patiently and yieldingly." I took her hands in mine and leaned gently forward. I tried hard not to look too deeply in her eyes, lest she read to much in what mine were saying. I leaned over close to her, the sweet smell of her perfume filled my nose. I closed my eyes as my lips gently found hers.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth

I looked at him shyly as he stood before me trying his hardest to play his role in character. His nerves were all too transparent and I easily saw through the window of his eyes and knew the turmoil he was going through, this was more than character play – he was trying to disguise his true feelings by character play. Whilst these thoughts did not occur to me in logical sequence, I was aware that there was more to his nerves than mere rooky actor fumbling through his lines.

My pulse beat a little quicker as he leaned toward me, taking my hand in his and I felt him trembling, but it was his eyes that gave him away; searching mine, hopeful, almost daring to believe, yet not quite – the fear of rejection all too apparent. I felt my face relax, the seriousness of the intimacy acknowledged as he closed his eyes, his lips brushed my and my heart seemed to stop for the briefest of moments as I accepted his kiss and then responded with one of my own.

Our lips parted and our eyes met, there was no smile, just a prolonged pause of silence which seemed to speak volumes in a roar that might have filled the auditorium. And then the silence was broken by the rustle of falling papers. I watched as he coloured up brightly, then smiled as he stooped down flustered to pick-up the script that he had now inadvertently dropped. I giggled nervously as he apologised profusely, hurriedly trying to gather the script together in an almost panicked state. I was deeply moved by his loss of composure that appeared to suggest he scarcely believed what had just transpired. I knelt down in front of him and helped him gather his papers. His eyes met mine as he looked up…

 

[LongshanksSierra]

I was trying to get a grip on my thoughts, and my script, as she knelt down to try and help. For a moment, it had felt like she had returned the kiss, not just accpeted it but actually kissed me back. I was trying to figure out if it was just my imagination or if it had been real. She giggled slightly, and I wasn't sure how to take that one.

Her eyes were liquid when I looked at her again. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and kiss her again. To keep kissing her and not let go. Of course she was Elizabeth Drake, and not for the likes of me.

Then again, she had been friendly. I'd probably be able to convince myself later that she'd actually even been receptive. Still, things were safer this way. No matter how much he wanted to kiss her again, he wouldn't risk the embarrasment. At the very least she'd probably pull back, at the worst... well I didn't want to consider those possiblities too much. High school was tough enough without succumbing to a social shunning.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth

Kneeling on the floor in front of him, helping him gather his fallen papers, something happened which I will never understand as our eyes met. I was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming urge to just lean forward and kiss him.

I fought the urge, the moment passed and I looked down feeling awkward and embarrassed. I glanced up and he was still loking at me.

My hand trembled everso slightly as I passed him the papers I had gathered. My muttered a thank you and we stood up, facing each other. He started to say something and as I looked into his face that overwhelming rush returned.

I had no idea what he was saying, I just acted on impulse, leaning toward him and putting my lips to his...

 

[LongshanksSierra]

As we stood back up I reached a decision, I couldn't keep hanging around her without making a complete and utter fool out of myself. I was about to suggest we call it a day when suddenly she leaned forward and kissed me. For a second I stood there in wide-eyed astonishment, not moving. Luckily my body knew what to do before my mind could catch up. I pressed my lips back against hers, and as the kiss lingered between us I reached up and gently clasped her neck below her jaw. My hand held her face softly as I explored her lips slowly with mine.

Finally I let the kiss break, although it still felt far too short. "Elizabeth," I started softly, "I ... " But I couldn't figure out just what I wanted to say, or rather how to say it.

I gently held her chin in both my hands as I leaned in for another kiss. It was as if someone had slowly set every nerve in my body on fire. I didn't know exactly where this had come from, or where it was going to. I didn't really care either, for this moment all I wanted was right what I had in my hands.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth

He had the most tender touch as his hands held my face, our lips locked together. My arms moved round from his shoulders to his back as I embraced him to me.

My eyes flashed open, staring directly into his as I pulled away, coming up for breath. I flushed brightly, not knowing what to say, a mixture of embarrassment and... and, well something else, though I wasn't sure what.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

The kiss broke slightly but she stayed there as I moved my hands from her chin to hold her gently at the small of her back. She felt so warm and alive in my arms.

She had definitely kissed me. I kept repeating that thought, letting the reality sink in. She had definitely kissed me. The embarassment was still there, but being replaced by a new sort of heady feeling. My nerves were firing in overtime, making me both kind of jumpy and yet very relaxed at the same time.

Her eyes were boring into mine, and there was a certain expectation to them. I didn't know what to say though. 'Wow' didn't seem enough. All I could do was look down at her and think how beautiful she was.

 

[sandmartin]

Elizabeth

I didn’t know what to do – this was silly, I felt silly albeit in a nice kind of way. Trouble is guys and me didn’t mix too well, they were either too scared to approach me, or saw me as some kind of trophy to hang off their arm and show off to their crowd. I was trying to workout what was going on here and how this was going to pan out. He didn’t seem the usual trophy hunter type, but he did seem the too scared to approach type.
‘Would he ask me for a date – what should I say if he did – more to the point what would my friends say if he did?’

His hands slipped round to the small of my back, he looked as though he were trying to muster the courage to say something, but was struggling to find the words. I kissed him again, softly on the lips, just to try and break the ice a little, let him know it was okay. Holding me close to him I suddenly became aware of his erection pressing against me.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

"Maybe we should... well, that is maybe sometime we could..." Mt mind was racing through the best way to approach this, and doing a fine job of failing miserably. She was so far above my social caste it was practically sacrilege that we had kissed. Still, at the moment I was able to convince myself that there was just a chance that she might make a go of it with me. So I was floundering around an appropriate way of asking for a date.

She snuggled a tad closer in my arms and let another kiss linger on my lips when I became aware that the hardy erection she had given me was pressed snugly between our bodies. Given the position I realized she surely had to be feeling it. And while she didn't give any indication that she had felt it, she wasn't making a move to back away either. A sneaky suspicion wormed it's way into the back of my mind that she might actually be enjoying the idea of how turned on she was making me. It didn't really seem likely, but girls could be weird like that. The thought that her hormones might be kicking like mine were only increased the blood flow, and felt the bulge in my pants swell even more. If she really hadn't felt it before, she must surely now. I was curious to her reaction as I still fumbled around finding the right combination of words that would form a sentence asking her out.

 

[sandmartin]

“Err! Do you want to call this a day for now.” I asked him, my head pressed against his chest so I could hear his rapidly thumping heart. “We could practice another day if you like? Right now I could use a break, a coke or something – interested in joining me?”

I felt kind of goofy for asking, but I didn’t want to appear rude by not asking. Besides, I wanted to know more about my new geeky friend, like who he really was and why he had suddenly decided to join our play when he had never shown an interest in joining us before. Okay, okay – I’ll admit it – there was more to it than that, like I loved the way he looked at me with those puppy eyes that said, ’Any minute now I expect to wake up and find this is all some dream.’ That made me feel real special and I liked that. I also liked the fact that he hadn’t made a lunge for my breasts as soon as we had shared a kiss!

From my perspective this was all looking a little too good to be true, and for once I felt I was in control of the situation and not diving for cover because of it.

 

[LongshanksSierra]

"Sure," I replied, trying to figure out when exactly the universe had realligned itself. "I could go for a coke." I didn't know exactly what she had in mind, but even if she had wanted me to knock over an armored car for the cash to buy the cokes I'd have been up for it. It seemed like there was something she was hiding in her eyes. I wasn't sure, but it seemed like she wanted something. What that could be I didn't have a clue, but it had me awful curious.

"Where were you planning on getting this coke?" I asked as we disentagled ourselves and left the stage. "My car is outside if we'd need a ride." Okay, so my car translated as my parents' beige Volvo station wagon. But why mince words?

Normally I would've found a quick exit strategy, but this was Elizabeth Drake. Any man who turned down an invitation from her wasn't worth the title, and should be shot for good measure.