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Michael B. Gustavson ([info]bonjour_benoit) wrote in [info]la_vie_rpg,
@ 2008-07-08 16:27:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
At le Théâtre de Benoit
Who: Michel OT Hans
Where: The Théâtre de Benoit
What: Hans finds the strange Frenchman
When: Mid-Afternoon

Michel stood among the rows of empty seats, just inside the circle of light cast from the stage, watching his performers nearing the end of the last scene.

" Now, until the break of day,
Through this house each fairy stray,
To the best bride-bed will we,
Which by us shall blessed be;
And the issue there create
Ever shall be fortunate.
So shall all the couples three
Ever true in loving be;
And the blots of Nature's hand
Shall not in their issue stand:
Never mole, hare-lip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious, such as are
Despised in nativity,
Shall upon their children be.—
With this field-dew consecrate,
Every fairy take his gate;
And each several chamber bless,
Through this palace, with sweet peace;
E'er shall it in safety rest,
And the owner of it blest.
Trip away:
Make no stay:
Meet me all by break of day."

He smiled as Alec hit every line perfectly. He turned his eyes to Jean-Pierre as he began Puck's last monologue.

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 12:02 am UTC (link)
"Two of the good seats, bitte," Hans said, tapping the section with his forefinger. He reached into his pants pocket and took out his billfold, offering over two crisp Reichmarks with a slight look of embarrassment. "I hope this is acceptable," he said, "as I am not paid in Francs."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 12:27 am UTC (link)
Michel smiled reassuringly at the man. It is not his fault the German government does such things.

"Not a problem," he said, taking the Reichmarks from the man. He stepped into the box office, marked the transaction in the ledger, and put the money away. Opening the ticket drawer, he rifled through to find two of the best seats. Michel's own personal favorite set was still in the drawer, so he withdrew two tickets and stepped back outside the office.

"Here you are, mon Herr. Two tickets for tomorrow's show. Doors open at 18:30, and the curtain rises at 19:00 on the dot."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:05 am UTC (link)
"Danke," Hans said, taking the tickets and pocketing them. "Do you have concessions here? I want to know whether I should take my sister to dinner before the show, or if there will be an intermission..."

A bit embarrassing perhaps to admit that he didn't have a date, and just a sister to bring along - but he was past the point of caring overly much about such.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 01:11 am UTC (link)
He shook his head regretfully.

"Non, unfortunately, the rations and limited food supply have closed our concessions for the time being, we simply cannot afford it. And, to be quite honest, I'd rather use the money to pay my staff so they can keep their families clothed and sheltered. " He supposed it odd to be so open about the situation with an officer, but he had a feeling that Varner understood. He seemed more empathetic than most Nazis. He was more polite, to be certain.

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:20 am UTC (link)
"Ah, understandable Herr Benoit - it is no trouble," Hans assured him. "And it is good of you to take care of your staff in this manner. Have they been with you long?"

He wondered if the actors were hired on a per-show basis, or if they were more of a repertory company.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 01:25 am UTC (link)
He shifted against the door frame, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"My grandfather started this theater, and he passed it on to my father, who left it in trust to me when he died. Many of my staff have been here for years - Jean-Gaspard, my stage manager, worked under my father, and kept the place running until I came of age. His son, Jean-Pierre, started on our stage as a child, and today, is our Puck. Actors will bring in their children and their grandchildren and their nieces and nephews to keep the company alive. I am lucky to have such loyal staff."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:27 am UTC (link)
Hans actually smiled, thinking of how nice it must be to have such a tradition. "What a wonderful thing," he exclaimed, "for you to have such a company with you. I am sure this makes your shows quite excellent."

He was really looking forward to the performance now. "Do you do a good business here, even with the occupation?"

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 01:35 am UTC (link)
"We do well enough. The evening shows are never full, with curfew and all, people are cautious, but I halve the prices for the weekend matinees, and they do quite well. People need their escapes, after all, even if only for a few hours."

He stepped out of the door frame and locked it behind him, turning back to Varner and leaning against the shut door with crossed arms.

"Perhaps we should stage a German play, something a bit more accessible to the officers. Everyone can enjoy a good performance, non?"

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:41 am UTC (link)
"Perhaps," Hans said, thinking that a lot of the people he worked with would not have the culture to appreciate such. At times his aristocratic background, however impoverished his family was by the Great War, did put him in a bit of a differing mindset than the average SS officer.

"I would certainly enjoy such," he admitted. "There is a Soldatenkino - a cinema in German for soldiers - that I have caught a few performances in, but there is nothing like a live performance."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 01:50 am UTC (link)
"Oh, I completely agree, Herr Varner! Cinema is rehearsed, everything goes according to script, and there is no spontaneity. Live theater has that spark of life to it that a screen simply cannot duplicate." He uncrossed his arms as he spoke, and gestured with his hands.

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:54 am UTC (link)
"Do you find, Herr Benoit, that the nature of the audience affects the show?" Hans asked, curiously.

He wondered what a performance for a primarily German audience would be like, as opposed to a regular show. He certainly did not plan to attend in uniform, preferring the instead the relative anonymity of being a suited stranger in a dark auditorium full of similarly attired strangers.

"This is what is missing for me, in a film versus a play - the interplay between the actors and audience reaction- the human element."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 02:03 am UTC (link)
"Naturally. The actors play to their audience. The more engaged they are, the better the show. The actors feed off that energy - it gives them purpose beyond simply reciting lines to empty air. There's nothing quite like it, really, the feel of all those eyes on the stage.

"In the summers, we stage children's stories, and allow the youngsters to stand 'round the edge of the stage, get up close to the action. The fascination, the rapt looks of attention and awe." He smiled. "Those performances are sometimes the best we'll have all year."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 01:54 pm UTC (link)
Hans chuckled, picturing that. "How adorable," he said. He wondered what Stephane, Marie-Pierre's occasional messenger, would think of such a show. He made a mental note to drop in and visit the Occitan boy and his family sometime this week as he hadn't seen them since the shooting.

He felt weary suddenly - he tired easily since the incident, both physically and mentally. He sagged back against the wall, and rubbed his temples, trying to recall what they were speaking of. "Ah, well... it is nice that you have such things."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 02:01 pm UTC (link)
Michel tilted his head and furrowed his brow. The color had begun to drain from the man's face, and his shoulders slumped slightly as he leaned against the wall.

"Are you all right, mon Herr? Do you need to sit down, or drink some water?"

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 06:03 pm UTC (link)
Hans began to protest that he was fine, but he did feel as thought a rest might be the better course of action. Since he'd been stubbornly refusing to ride his motorcycle, walking all over to find the theater had been a bit much.

"A little water and a moment's rest if I would not be intruding on your practice."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 06:30 pm UTC (link)
"Not at all. This way," he said, leading Varner down the hall and around the corner towards his office.

Michel's office was in the back of the theater, across from the stage door. It was large, with high walls decorated with framed posters advertising the plays done over the years and a Persian rug covering the floor. There were large windows covering most of the wall behind the dark, wood desk opposite the door. A fire place sat in the the wall to the right, near the door, and two plush chairs with a small table between them sat in front of it.

He gestured for Varner to sit on one of the chairs while he walked to the table behind his desk and poured two glasses of water from the pitcher he always had filled.

He handed one to Varner and sat in the other chair. He thought about asking after his condition, but did not know if such a question would be considered too invasive for the man. These Germans were so formal, so closed off, he did not understand them.

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 06:49 pm UTC (link)
Hans settled heavily into the chair, and took the offered water. He drank half the glass then set it back down.

"Danke," he said. "Forgive my need of such things- I am recovering from a fairly serious wound."

He stated it matter-of-fact, and didn't elaborate further on what type of wound, or how it had been received.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 06:57 pm UTC (link)
Michel sipped his water and raised an eyebrow at Varner's comment.

"Completely understandable, Herr Varner, no forgiveness is necessary."

He took another sip of water, set his glass down, and stood.

"Then, perhaps, you are more in need of a happy fiction than I thought." He paused. "Despite your convictions against the joys of life." He walked over to the desk, and pulled a large accordion file out of the bottom drawer. He rifled through the files, trying to pick out a story appropriate for the German.

"Ah, here we are. This would be a good one." It was a short tale of two children growing up just outside of Paris, and the stories they dreamed of in their shared backyard, that he'd been contemplating expanding into a novella. He walked back and sat down, handing the bound papers to Varner.

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 07:28 pm UTC (link)
Hans took the offered story and started to leaf through it. "I will read it," he said. "But I cannot promise I will enjoy it any."

He thought that sounded harsher than he'd intended- the pain made him cranky. He looked apologetic a moment before busying himself with drinking the rest of the water. "I will read it," he said again.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 07:33 pm UTC (link)
Michel resisted the urge to laugh, but it was quite the internal struggle, so he sipped his water to cover his smile.

"That's the trouble with you Germans, you're all so dour. Enjoying life would not mean the end of it."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 07:43 pm UTC (link)
"And the problem with you French is that everything is as a grand party," Hans snapped, thinking of how irritating that quality had become of late.

"Everything is all fun and games and merriment until the time comes to be serious, and then you just give that Gallic shrug and answer nothing about anything at all and then one day you are just up and gone and there is the end of it."

Of course, he was speaking of Marie-Pierre more than anything, but he waved his hands in a frustrated gesture as if it made sense to the situation at hand.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 07:56 pm UTC (link)
Michel lowered his glass and raised an eyebrow at the man.

Gallic shrug? What on Earth...

Such arrogant assumptions and generalizations never sat well with Michel, and he found this man's condescension flat out maddening.

"Life is not a 'grand party', Herr Varner, the war and this occupation assure that much," he said quietly but firmly, "but I, and many of my countryman, see little reason to keep such things from completely ruining our lives. We must find our joy where we can, or there is little point to this. Life without joy is mere existence, Herr Varner, and to the French, mere existence is not enough."

He set the glass down on the table and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, his hands falling into his lap.

"As I have said, I do not know what happenstances have bittered you to life, and I know how well the Germans like generalizing about the French, but do not confuse all French for a single one."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 08:04 pm UTC (link)
Hans withdrew physically as well as emotionally from the conversation, shrinking back against his chair as if he'd been struck.

He was guilty as charged of making those assumptions, right at the moment. When had he become like that? He felt ashamed at having spoken in such a manner.

He wanted to apologize, but stubbornness would not allow him to. Retreat seemed the best option.

"Ah, perhaps it is best that I depart now..."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 08:09 pm UTC (link)
He sighed. The man is nearing impossible. He will apparently not defend his statements, nor will he apologize if he cannot do so.

"Herr Varner, you will not leave this conversation unfinished. Defend your statements, or, if you cannot, apologize for them. Either is acceptable, and both are simple."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 08:39 pm UTC (link)
"Is that an order?" Hans asked, irritated more than upset now. He'd be damned if Benoit would give him orders -he got enough of that at work.

There would be no apology now. "You want an explanation? Fine. Since I have been here, one of your fine French people broke my heart and another nearly shot me through it. Is that enough of an explanation for you? These have been my formative education in your country."

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 08:49 pm UTC (link)
He quirked an eyebrow.

"I assume no authority with which to give orders, mon Herr, it was merely an express wish to see you not shrink away from a unpleasant confrontation.".

He shifted in his seat; these overly plush chairs offered practically nothing in terms of back support, and he'd always disliked them for it, but replacing them would be an extravagance he would not allow himself.

"I can understand second part; such grave injuries would color anyone's view of the world and the people in it to some degree, but I am somewhat puzzled by the first. Acts of love and betrayal are individual acts, not collective, and an entire country should not be condemned for them."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Your formative education on the French has been severely lacking, Herr Varner." He reached a hand across the table. "If you'll allow, I would like to rectify that situation."

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 08:57 pm UTC (link)
Hans stared a long moment at the offered hand, as if it might be some sort of a trap. In a way, perhaps it was - he would be opening himself up to more hurt, more disappointment. To trust someone again - it seemed an impossible leap of faith.

He thought to what Benoit had said earlier - about existing versus living. He could go on existing, certainly, without need for companionship. But living?

He'd had an invitation come to the house just the other day - a dinner party that the American singer was having and she'd thought to invite Hans. At the time he'd dismissed it -particularly since it had said 'and guest' but perhaps....

"What are you doing on the tenth?" Hans asked abruptly, placing his hand in Beniot's.

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[info]bonjour_benoit
2008-07-09 09:04 pm UTC (link)
He raised his eyebrows slightly as he thought and shook Varner's hand.

"The tenth? Rehearsals during the day, and paperwork in the evening. Thursday is typically our dark day - we stage no shows, in preparation for the weekend. Why?"

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[info]heil_hans
2008-07-09 09:09 pm UTC (link)
"I am invited to a dinner party," Hans explained somewhat awkwardly. "It says 'bring a guest', and I have no guest to bring as my sister is busy that evening."

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