Marguerite Blakeney is clearly beyond scruples (blazeinhereyes) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-01-18 22:13:00 |
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Now despite the fact that Marguerite had warned him about the scene where Satine dies, it hadn’t really done much to brace him for it. Oh, Percy had tried to brace himself. He told himself repeatedly that it was just a play and Marguerite wasn’t actually dying, only her character was. But after waking up that one morning to Marguerite bleeding to death, he’d become rather sensitive to the topic.
Which was why he’d opted to not be at the rehearsals when that scene came up. He knew he could only really handle sitting through it once. And even then he didn’t think he could sit through it. He actually managed to remain in his seat during the scene, but it did hit him hard. He definitely cried, though he certainly wouldn’t admit to such a thing later. Unless it was to Marguerite and in private.
So once the show was over, Percy took a little time to collect himself before he made his way to find his wife. She also had needed the time to chat with her co-stars, change and greet her fans. So really, it all worked out. He had a bouquet of flowers to give to his wife for a job well done.
While she hadn’t died of tuberculosis in Orange County, there had been enough similarities between what had happened from the internal bleeding to dying of consumption on stage. Especially given she’d literally died in Percy’s arms as Satine had died in Christian’s arms. It was why she had felt the need to warn her husband once it was revealed he had never actually seen the movie.
Still, it was opening night and there was the rush of emotions and exhilaration for finishing a show, there always was. So after she had gone to her dressing room to change (which of course had the orchid Armand always left her on opening night), she had gone to talk with the cast and Andrew - even if Rachel was correct and Corey had said she was - he was still a friend and there was that dynamic between them, she had seen her brother who had told her Percy had been rather struck by the end (though bless her brother’s heart that he didn’t know just why the death had hit Percy so hard), and so once she had managed to extract herself from people at the stage door, Marguerite went and found her husband.
“There you are.”
Smiling, she walked over to Percy and kissed him in greeting.
There definitely had been enough similarities that made it all the more difficult to handle watching Marguerite die on stage. Percy liked to think that if Satine had died almost any other way it would’ve been easier to take. But if he actually thought about it, it most likely wouldn’t be. It was still watching Marguerite pretend to die and flashing back to when she’d actually died in his arms. Thank god for Freya being able to help, otherwise...well, he preferred not to think of that type of ‘what if.’
Finally seeing his wife, he returned the smile and the kiss. “Yes, here I am. And these are for you, my dear,” he said as he held out the flowers to her. True he could’ve just had them sent to her dressing room, but he preferred giving them to her himself. Especially after a performance well done.
“You were fantastic tonight,” he complimented.
That was the interesting thing about live theatre. There was a certain deal made with the audience. An actor could ‘die’ on stage in a role but the curtain call was a reminder that the actor themself was still alive. Something that had been a prominent feature of the Little Shop of Horrors movie, where test audiences had seen the stage ending but disliked it for how morbid it was and all the deaths because in some way, that contract was broken. So of course Percy would struggle with the way she died on stage (in any sense of the word she figured) it would be harder for him. He’d had to deal with her actual death and so that line was all the more blurred for him.
Taking the flowers, she smiled up at her husband.
“Why thank you, they’re lovely.”
And the compliment. Well, she knew that she had given her all in the performance just as she always did, but Marguerite also knew her husband and so searched his features.
“Are you okay then?”
She had to ask. She had managed to channel the emotions she’d felt while dying into Satine dying as morbid as that was. But if it had been a part of her in the performance, and given what Armand had told her….she knew she needed to ask.
That was an advantage that live performances had over movies. The curtain call came and the audience could see that the actors themselves were still alive. When a performance or movie was good enough, people forgot about the line between reality and fiction. It was something that had caused more difficulty for Percy to separate the performance from reality. Seeing Marguerite during the curtain call and now helped remind him that she was indeed alive and well. But it hadn’t stopped him from remembering that she had died in his arms, albeit temporarily.
At the question, there was a somewhat complex answer. He was better than he had been, but it was still upsetting to him. He took a breath.
“I’m better than I was a little while ago.” It was honest. He’d be even better after they got home and when it would be just them. “Even though I knew it was coming, it didn’t make it much easier to take. Though I think I took it better than if I didn’t know it was coming at all.”
It was a good thing that Marguerite had told him about it. Otherwise, Percy would’ve been a complete mess and it would’ve made a scene in the audience. And Percy could certainly make a scene when he wanted to. Or if his emotions were just right.
Marguerite couldn’t blame Percy. It was well known that she could be quite rash when it came to her loved ones, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for either Armand or Percy should they be in trouble. The dreams only solidified that for her.
Still, she was thankful for the honesty. She knew Percy could have tried to brush it off. That whole stiff upper lip thing and all. But the thing they’d made sure to learn from the dreams was open communication and honesty (where it allowed, she told Percy as much as she could whenever she was doing something for Natasha but because he knew how things had been with the League in the dreams, he never seemed to push too much).
Getting home would be good. She just nodded some though at his answer before taking her husband’s hand to place it over her heart as it was currently just them. Always a risk of someone walking by but she wasn’t too worried.
“See? Still beating. But I’m glad that being warned at least helped.”
She figured it would, no need to spring that on him. Still it hadn’t been an easy conversation but clearly a necessary one.
Percy certainly could’ve tried the stiff upper lip approach to it, but what good would that have done? Marguerite knew he was emotional, especially when it came to her dying. Or fake dying as it was in this instance. And considering the whole open communication and honesty being a thing so they didn’t repeat their dreams had also driven him to being honest in his response.
When Marguerite put his hand over her heart, he took in the sensation of it beating in her chest. It was a good way to help remind him that she was indeed alive. Spending the rest of the night just relaxing at home would be a good way to unwind from the emotional upheaval that the end of the performance had inflicted on him. And also serve to drive away the memories of her actual death from the forefront of his mind.
“As am I. I no doubt would have made quite the scene from the audience had the warning not been given.” He managed to have a teasing tone to his voice despite the fact it was a heavier topic for them.
The fact that Percy was emotional was one of the many reasons that she loved him. Oh, there were plenty, but the fact that he didn’t try to hide his emotions away and was always honest with them? It was something she appreciated and loved. And not only because it was the main thing they had taken from the dreams so as not to have so many issues. It was what had drawn her to him in the Dreams as well and why his shutting his emotions off and hiding them had been so confusing and painful.
Relaxing at home after opening was always a good thing for Marguerite just because of the need to decompress. But the fact was this was a much more emotional role for the actress now than it would have a couple years back. There was more of herself infused and that took its own toll. Add in the whole...dying in Percy’s arms back in May…. well, it was more draining than it had any right being.
“Oh I’m sure you would have and then Armand would have to deal with it and it would have thrown everyone and really, you’re quite distracting in your own right.”
Her voice was light and teasing, but she was definitely relieved that there were no scenes and making Percy live through her death again. She would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t have to go through that pain again. Not until they were old and grey and both ready to die in old age together if she had any say in the matter.
Percy had learned from his dreams to not shut his emotions down. He was more than capable of doing so when needed, but he preferred to be open and free with them. And he was more than determined to not do that to Marguerite without there being a very good reason that they discussed beforehand. After all, who knew if there would come a day when he needed to play the part of the fop and be indifferent towards Marguerite in public. Orange County had its eccentricities, but more than that, if he ever helped refugees and asylum seekers the way he’d helped people in France escape the Reign of Terror, it could become necessary.
But if that’s what would happen, Marguerite would be right there doing it with him. Because communication was key, and he wasn’t going to let that break down in this life.
“I am, aren’t I?” Percy quipped with a smile. “Still, best that Armand did not have to see me make a scene that would detract from your show.” Not to mention he would’ve had to think of a story to cover up why he’d made the scene and that would’ve been a feat in and of itself.
That was one of the good things these dreams brought, the fact that they could learn from them if necessary. Such as open communication. Percy had withdrawn into himself in the Dreams, put on an act and Marguerite had been too afraid and too proud to talk about what upset her. And she knew Armand always worried she wouldn’t let people in if something was wrong because of that tendency. Which okay was still valid. The two just had different definitions on when or if she should say something.
Still, if Percy were to do as he had in the Dreams (and she had a feeling it was only a matter of time if he wasn’t already), she knew that there would be communication. Once she knew the truth, in all the sets of Dreams - but especially the last set and when they were rescuing the Dauphin - Marguerite was in on the ruse and they had even used such ruses to their advantage. It simply was how they were.
“Yes, he might start to think you’re the more dramatic one and that might actually break his brain a bit.”
And it meant that Armand didn’t need to know the truth about what had happened the week leading to the elopement. No. Armand didn’t need to know that particular detail. He had lost too much already and even if if had only been temporary, she knew her brother would fret on it far too much.
Learning from the mistakes in the Dreams was definitely something Percy liked to take to heart. He didn’t want to repeat the mistakes if he could help it. Thus open communication between them was what he strove for. Percy didn’t like closing up on himself and pretending to be cold and distant, so he’d do his best to avoid it. Or if he had to do so, he’d tell Marguerite first.
“Now I almost want to make a scene to see just how much it might break his brain,” Percy responded teasingly. He wouldn’t actually do it, of course. But it was still an amusing thought. Poor Armand probably wouldn’t know how to handle him if Percy went and made a dramatic scene.
If Percy had any say in the matter, Armand would never learn about the incident before they eloped. There was no reason to worry the poor boy because Marguerite was fine now. And really, his wife didn’t need both him and Armand fretting over her when things got rough in Orange County.
“Anyways, are you ready to head home or are there other things you need to do first?” Might as well get clarification on that. As much as standing around here talking to Marguerite was nice, it’d be better to just go home and relax with her there, and to finish calming down from the emotional upheaval Satine’s death had left them both with.
As far as Marguerite was concerned, neither Armand nor Percy needed to fret over her but she knew that was basically never going to happen. So the less they did it, the fewer times they went over the top with it, the better. And while Percy usually could control it, she knew Armand would be different so giving him fewer reasons to fret the better.
“Heading home sounds perfect.” Because really, there wasn’t anything else she needed to do at the theatre. She’d already spoken with those in the cast, some fans and now it was just time to decompress with her husband at home.
Most of the time, Percy could control his fretting. But in instances where Marguerite died, he couldn’t control the fretting. At all. Right now he was controlling it since, well, Marguerite hadn’t actually died, just drudged up memories of her having died.
“Shall we?” He asked, offering his arm to his wife in a gentlemanly fashion. He was more than ready to go home and relax with her. That was the best remedy for the unwanted parallels to when Marguerite had died.