INTERMISSION - Ari & Seloria
The evening was off to a rocky start, which meant that everything was going more or less according to plan. In the way of such shows, which were cobbled together from pre-prepared acts by a variety of people, the majority of the performers had not seen each other’s faces until dress rehearsal the night prior, at which time, naturally, something had gone wrong in the lighting booth, and half of act one had been rehearsed with garish red lighting and shouts from the tech crew.
Par for the course, really.
Tonight, fortunately, the lights and sound seemed to be functioning, and though the stage manager had ripped out several chunks of his own hair, the first half of the gala was already behind them and the reception had been extremely positive. There had been a few hiccups, certainly, but they had been so minor as to remain invisible to those unaccustomed to watching from the wings.
After the curtain had fallen on the final act of the first half, Ari had lingered in the wings. She intended to watch the second act from here, as the lighting the night before had quite ruined her own enjoyment of the dress rehearsal. She had pulled the pins out of her hair, allowing it to tumble free, and removed her shoes, but had not yet taken the time to change out of the gown she had been outfitted with, being more engaged with what was happening onstage than the idea of her own comfort.
When she heard her name called, she turned, and offered the unfamiliar girl a smile. She had gotten so that she knew most of the performers in the Theater District, but she thought she would have remembered this one, with her long, pale hair and her big eyes. Dancer, by the graceful way she moved, if Ari had to venture a guess. “You certainly may,” she said easily. The crowd was milling on the other side of the curtain, and for the moment there was no pressing need for quiet. “What can I do for you?”