Re: [Part 15] Shakespeare Was Gender Confused (1e/3)
anonymous
July 9 2011, 06:22:44 UTC
Felicia was good about pointing out most of the characters. “Some of them, are like, gen-bent and stuff. We have a lot of guys who wanna try out. And they’re pretty good at Shakespeare - especially that Arthur dude, but he’s majoring in Brit Lit, so whaddya expect, right? Our ‘lovers’ are… umm, Gilbert as Demetrius -“ she pointed to the albino kid who had magically revived himself from his assault at Elizaveta’s hands. “Mei as Helena -“ a short girl from the Asian group. “Ivan as Lysander -“ the frighteningly tall Slavic man. “And Yao as Hermia.” The androgynous Asian. “He totally didn’t wanna be a girl, but he’s just gonna have to suck it up because he looks sooo cute in his toga-thing.” Felicia grinned.
She was really good company, and Toris found himself with his eyes glued to her when she was on stage, too, surrounded though she was by a frightening number of male faeries. At least the male Puck was traditional - it was a cheery Spaniard named Antonio who was too spaced out to play much of a sprite.
Practice lasted until six o’clock that night - Elizaveta wanted to go longer, but the rest of the cast wasn’t going to put up with that. Between Alfred’s yowls of hunger, Gilbert’s screeches of how ‘awesome’ people should not be kept against their will, and a general feeling of utter evil radiating from Ivan’s direction, she was outvoted and flounced off in a huff to sulk somewhere.
Felicia made her way over to Toris. “Come on, you need a ride home, right? Feliciano says we can ride in his van. I totally don’t wanna bike home, passenger or no passenger.”
Toris nodded. “Yeah, sure. Thanks. Man… I’m really sunk without a bike…” Felicia patted his shoulder, then grabbed his arm to drag him over to the little brunette who had been rolling around on stage with the big stagehand before practice.
“Ve, ciao!” the kid greeted. “Nice to meet you - I forgot to check in. I’m a fairy - Feliciano, but everyone gets me confused with Fel - um, Felicia, so… you can call me something else! Ludwig calls me Italia -“
“Because that is how you introduced yourself,” the stagehand, presumably Ludwig, grumbled.
“I didn’t know any English!”
“Yelling the name of your country and waving a white flag isn’t going to get you anywhere, no matter where you are; I don’t care what language you speak!” he roared. Toris flinched, but the Italian only giggled and snuggled close to the big brute.
“Ve~, Ludwig is so cute when he’s frustrated. Well, if you don’t like that, you can call me Veneziano. It’s my middle name.” He pouted. “Mama thought it was funny, cuz my names rhyme kinda. Now, you wanted a ride back to campus?”
Toris nodded eagerly, at a bit of a loss as to what else to do. “Thanks a lot; I really appreciate it.”
“No problema! My brother can also help get you a bike, you know,” Veneziano offered. “He’s got all sorts of connections.”
“Stop volunteering me for things!” a voice barked. It was another brunette, strikingly similar to It but for a dark and dangerous frown across his features. He was being felt-up (er, followed…) by Antonio.
“Aww, Lovi, don’t get mad~,” Antonio cajoled happily. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to be here. You’re not in the play or anything.
“Sh-shut up. I’m just here to make sure a sandbag doesn’t fall on you or something.”
“Silly Lovino, always worrying,” Antonio cooed at him.
Toris raised his eyebrows at Felicia. She wiggled her own back at him, comically, a look that assured them that "Yes, they are together. Even if it doesn't look like it."
“I saw that, finocchio,” Lovino growled. Felicia didn’t seem offended, but Toris prickled a little, realizing the young man was probably insulting her.
“Alright, are we all ready?” asked Veniziano happily. He twirled a set of keys on his fingers. “Andiamo!” And then he took off running, out of the theatre, giggling and shouting “Retreat!” on his way to the parking lot.
Re: [Part 15] Shakespeare Was Gender Confused (1f/3)
anonymous
July 9 2011, 06:32:38 UTC
The van was… an actual van. Toris had been expecting - well, a minivan. Or something. Something with seats, yeah, that would have been nice. But no. The vehicle was your standard pedophile-white delivery van, emblazoned on the side with an advertisement for Vargas’ Pizza, Pasta, and Family! restaurant which Veneziano explained that his grandfather owned. He proudly threw open the doors, ushering everyone inside. Antonio bounded in happily, followed by Ludwig and Felicia, seeming used to it. Felicia had grabbed her bike, hoisted it, and tossed it mercilessly against the van bed. Lovino brushed past all of them, throwing open the front door and sitting grumpily in the passenger seat.
“Come on, come on, get in!” Felicia beckoned. “It’s not gonna bite.
Toris grimaced. There were no seatbelts. There were no seats. Surely this wasn’t legal.
But Felicia was holding out one smooth, slender hand and Toris couldn’t do anything but take it. It was warm and bigger than he expected and somehow, that suited Toris just fine. She didn’t seem like the kind of “so-dainty-you’ll-break-her” type anyway.
The truck smelled like flour and eggs and oregano and it made Toris hungry. But maybe that was because they - Ludwig, Felicia, Antonio, and he - were packed in all snuggly and he was very much pressed up against Felicia's side.
But he decided he wasn't going to think about that.
He didn't have to work very hard to distract himself, though - without warning, the engine fired up and Veneziano peeled out of the drive with the sharpest turn Toris had ever had the misfortune of living through, and that was only the beginning.
The two-mile ride to campus was the longest of Toris' life. In the fleeting images glimpsed through the front window, he counted at least three red lights they had run, as well as one old lady that they had to swerve in order to save. He felt himself sliding across the van, rattling like a dried seed pod, flung first into the giggling mass that was Antonio and then into the hard, unforgiving shoulder of Ludwig.
And then he found himself very much in Felicia's lap.
Sure, the car was still swerving, but for the briefest of seconds, the entire world slowed down to a tiny pinpoint - Toris. Was sitting. In Felicia's lap.
He was pressed up against her chest and he could feel the warmth of her legs beneath him through the fabric of her dress. Maybe something was off about the way he was sitting and the way that she felt beneath him and for some reason he expected something different but it still felt amazing and he was so close to her face that he could see her blissed-out expression as it slowly turned to - panic?
And then he found himself sprawled on the floor of the van as it started to slow. He'd been very firmly pushed there by Felicia herself, who looked like she was going to have a heart attack.
Toris got the distinct feeling that he'd Done Something Wrong.
"We're here!" Veneziano said happily from the front seat. "We're at campus! You can all get out now - I need to get the van back to Nonno in twenty minutes, si?"
Toris scrambled to his feet, swaying a little in belated sympathy to the previous swaying of the vehicle, feeling something like a sailor on land after a long journey. He was seasick enough. He fumbled with the bar to the back doors until Ludwig or Antonio - he couldn't tell which, he decided he wasn't thinking straight - took pity on him and let him out.
Felicia hopped down beside him, letting Ludwig hand her the beach cruiser. Her face was flushed pink and she refused to meet Toris' eyes. She smiled and thanked Veneziano, laughed at something Antonio said to her, and got on the bike.
Re: [Part 15] Shakespeare Was Gender Confused (1g/3)
anonymous
July 9 2011, 06:35:50 UTC
"I'll see you all at practice tomorrow, yeah?" she said, addressing no one in particular.
"If I can get there…" Toris said, realizing again how screwed he was without transportation.
"Oh, stop fucking whining, I said I'd help you," Romano snapped from the front seat. Toris didn't remind him that he did not agree to help, just verbally lambasted his brother for volunteering him.
"T-thanks, that's very nice -"
"Aww, Lovi, that's such a sweet thing to say!" Antonio cooed, trying to wiggle through the space between the front seats in order to be able to hug Romano. In the swearing and struggle that followed, Felicia simply gave everyone a half-wave and… just biked away.
Toris noticed her go, and wondered what he did wrong. Her fingers had been shaking on her handlebars.
Re: [Part 15] Shakespeare Was Gender Confused (1g/3)
anonymous
July 9 2011, 16:20:09 UTC
This is amazing! I love your characterization and creepy!Eliza is the best. Feliks and Toris are sooo adorable together
Toris raised his eyebrows at Felicia. She wiggled her own back at him, comically, a look that assured them that "Yes, they are together. Even if it doesn't look like it."
I love that they are already at silent communication level. I will be eagerly awaiting an update talented author!anon
She was really good company, and Toris found himself with his eyes glued to her when she was on stage, too, surrounded though she was by a frightening number of male faeries. At least the male Puck was traditional - it was a cheery Spaniard named Antonio who was too spaced out to play much of a sprite.
Practice lasted until six o’clock that night - Elizaveta wanted to go longer, but the rest of the cast wasn’t going to put up with that. Between Alfred’s yowls of hunger, Gilbert’s screeches of how ‘awesome’ people should not be kept against their will, and a general feeling of utter evil radiating from Ivan’s direction, she was outvoted and flounced off in a huff to sulk somewhere.
Felicia made her way over to Toris. “Come on, you need a ride home, right? Feliciano says we can ride in his van. I totally don’t wanna bike home, passenger or no passenger.”
Toris nodded. “Yeah, sure. Thanks. Man… I’m really sunk without a bike…” Felicia patted his shoulder, then grabbed his arm to drag him over to the little brunette who had been rolling around on stage with the big stagehand before practice.
“Ve, ciao!” the kid greeted. “Nice to meet you - I forgot to check in. I’m a fairy - Feliciano, but everyone gets me confused with Fel - um, Felicia, so… you can call me something else! Ludwig calls me Italia -“
“Because that is how you introduced yourself,” the stagehand, presumably Ludwig, grumbled.
“I didn’t know any English!”
“Yelling the name of your country and waving a white flag isn’t going to get you anywhere, no matter where you are; I don’t care what language you speak!” he roared. Toris flinched, but the Italian only giggled and snuggled close to the big brute.
“Ve~, Ludwig is so cute when he’s frustrated. Well, if you don’t like that, you can call me Veneziano. It’s my middle name.” He pouted. “Mama thought it was funny, cuz my names rhyme kinda. Now, you wanted a ride back to campus?”
Toris nodded eagerly, at a bit of a loss as to what else to do. “Thanks a lot; I really appreciate it.”
“No problema! My brother can also help get you a bike, you know,” Veneziano offered. “He’s got all sorts of connections.”
“Stop volunteering me for things!” a voice barked. It was another brunette, strikingly similar to It but for a dark and dangerous frown across his features. He was being felt-up (er, followed…) by Antonio.
“Aww, Lovi, don’t get mad~,” Antonio cajoled happily. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to be here. You’re not in the play or anything.
“Sh-shut up. I’m just here to make sure a sandbag doesn’t fall on you or something.”
“Silly Lovino, always worrying,” Antonio cooed at him.
Toris raised his eyebrows at Felicia. She wiggled her own back at him, comically, a look that assured them that "Yes, they are together. Even if it doesn't look like it."
“I saw that, finocchio,” Lovino growled. Felicia didn’t seem offended, but Toris prickled a little, realizing the young man was probably insulting her.
“Alright, are we all ready?” asked Veniziano happily. He twirled a set of keys on his fingers. “Andiamo!” And then he took off running, out of the theatre, giggling and shouting “Retreat!” on his way to the parking lot.
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“Come on, come on, get in!” Felicia beckoned. “It’s not gonna bite.
Toris grimaced. There were no seatbelts. There were no seats. Surely this wasn’t legal.
But Felicia was holding out one smooth, slender hand and Toris couldn’t do anything but take it. It was warm and bigger than he expected and somehow, that suited Toris just fine. She didn’t seem like the kind of “so-dainty-you’ll-break-her” type anyway.
The truck smelled like flour and eggs and oregano and it made Toris hungry. But maybe that was because they - Ludwig, Felicia, Antonio, and he - were packed in all snuggly and he was very much pressed up against Felicia's side.
But he decided he wasn't going to think about that.
He didn't have to work very hard to distract himself, though - without warning, the engine fired up and Veneziano peeled out of the drive with the sharpest turn Toris had ever had the misfortune of living through, and that was only the beginning.
The two-mile ride to campus was the longest of Toris' life. In the fleeting images glimpsed through the front window, he counted at least three red lights they had run, as well as one old lady that they had to swerve in order to save. He felt himself sliding across the van, rattling like a dried seed pod, flung first into the giggling mass that was Antonio and then into the hard, unforgiving shoulder of Ludwig.
And then he found himself very much in Felicia's lap.
Sure, the car was still swerving, but for the briefest of seconds, the entire world slowed down to a tiny pinpoint - Toris. Was sitting. In Felicia's lap.
He was pressed up against her chest and he could feel the warmth of her legs beneath him through the fabric of her dress. Maybe something was off about the way he was sitting and the way that she felt beneath him and for some reason he expected something different but it still felt amazing and he was so close to her face that he could see her blissed-out expression as it slowly turned to - panic?
And then he found himself sprawled on the floor of the van as it started to slow. He'd been very firmly pushed there by Felicia herself, who looked like she was going to have a heart attack.
Toris got the distinct feeling that he'd Done Something Wrong.
"We're here!" Veneziano said happily from the front seat. "We're at campus! You can all get out now - I need to get the van back to Nonno in twenty minutes, si?"
Toris scrambled to his feet, swaying a little in belated sympathy to the previous swaying of the vehicle, feeling something like a sailor on land after a long journey. He was seasick enough. He fumbled with the bar to the back doors until Ludwig or Antonio - he couldn't tell which, he decided he wasn't thinking straight - took pity on him and let him out.
Felicia hopped down beside him, letting Ludwig hand her the beach cruiser. Her face was flushed pink and she refused to meet Toris' eyes. She smiled and thanked Veneziano, laughed at something Antonio said to her, and got on the bike.
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"If I can get there…" Toris said, realizing again how screwed he was without transportation.
"Oh, stop fucking whining, I said I'd help you," Romano snapped from the front seat. Toris didn't remind him that he did not agree to help, just verbally lambasted his brother for volunteering him.
"T-thanks, that's very nice -"
"Aww, Lovi, that's such a sweet thing to say!" Antonio cooed, trying to wiggle through the space between the front seats in order to be able to hug Romano. In the swearing and struggle that followed, Felicia simply gave everyone a half-wave and… just biked away.
Toris noticed her go, and wondered what he did wrong. Her fingers had been shaking on her handlebars.
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Toris raised his eyebrows at Felicia. She wiggled her own back at him, comically, a look that assured them that "Yes, they are together. Even if it doesn't look like it."
I love that they are already at silent communication level. I will be eagerly awaiting an update talented author!anon
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