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 Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:01 pm
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
There was a buzz in the air that Ayuu was sure everyone could feel. Ze certainly could, but zer heightened mood was based in adrenaline and pure fear, not emotions ze would wish on others. Ze hoped the audience beyond the curtain was exhilarated and anticipatory instead, as excited to hear their junior concert as they were to put it on.
Ze knew ze had a number of Nightmares in the audience who were there for zer, which was all very nice, but did nothing to calm zer nerves. Of course, Ela and Sothen were here, huddled in the back. Not that ze'd seen zer former tutors in person, but they had already texted zer selfies and wished zer an awesome show.
Ayuu needed no visual confirmation to know that Nurse Amaran was there as well. She'd always been there, and the grimm couldn't imagine a world without her support.
Which left Bo and Ellis. Ayuu hadn't expected the geist to be interested in attending, but he'd responded to zer verbal invitation with an immediate nod. Finally I get to hear the grimm play! he'd crowed, giving zer shoulder a squeeze and flashing his crooked grin.
Ayuu thought ze might love that grin.
Glad for the dimness of the backstage lights and the darkness of zer fur, the grimm peeked out from behind the curtain. Catching sight of zer, Ellis perked up and waved bright claws, suffusing Ayuu with another wave of warmth, less urgent than the one Bo had inspired but no less dear. The geist, of course, was late, but punctuality had never been a trait he could claim and Ayuu expected nothing less. Ze cared for them both a great deal, and due to zer own lack of forethought while claiming their tickets, they would soon be spending all night side by side, unknowing objects of zer affection. Ayuu sighed impressively at zer stupidity as ze waved back at the imp, then ducked behind the curtain again.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
The show was four numbers in by the time Bo graced the audience with his presence. To be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault that he was late. Ms. Greysin had given him until tonight to hand in his painting assignment, and he had taken advantage of every last second he'd been given. He had a feeling if she touched it wrong, the elf would smudge his work. Luckily, she knew what he was like and surely understood that was a possibility. She was unlikely to deliberately sabotage him, not on his last assignment as a junior ever.
His last assignment as a junior.
Bo wanted to dance across his aisle as he made his way to his seat. He didn't, but he did hover a little—despite the no-hovering signs—right past the legs of a pale imp with double the things in his eyes than anyone really needed. Bo stared a little, decided a few more irises were pretty cool, all things considered, and leaned in to address the unsuspecting imp as he took his seat.
"So. What did I miss?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
For all that he enjoyed watching people when they didn't know they were being watched, Ellis was too distracted to do so now. He'd never been invited anywhere really, especially not to a concert that someone he knew was actually in, and the imp was arguably almost as nervous as Ayuu zerself. He wanted zer to do well, and even though ze'd looked a little rattled before the show, Ellis was confident ze'd be fine. But he was still nervous. Funny, that.
Once the lights had dimmed and the show had started he began to calm, at least until the geist showed up. He was a rather attention-grabbing specimen, even in silence, and as Ellis looked up to get the measure of the latecomer, the imp froze. He was tall for a junior, though that was probably still what he was, a certain roundness to his face and thinness to his shoulders suggesting as much. He was hovering slightly to avoid his aislemates' feet, and between the lights on stage and the intermittent glow of his skin, Ellis saw that the geist was grinning.
And then he was beside him. Great. What had he missed?
Rather than go over all of the things the other boy hadn't seen, Ellis whispered, "Three and a half pieces. Woodwinds, violins, more woodwinds, and this." They had all been really good so far.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
Ellis paused halfway through an inhale, then closed his mouth and swallowed. He knew who this was. Bo. It was Bo, Ayuu's geist. A shiver crept up his spine, tail bristling with an emotion he couldn't name. He wanted to hold a hand over the kid's mouth to get him to shut up. He also wanted to make the best impression possible. It was a struggle.
"Not yet. Right before the break." He hoped that was enough to keep him quiet. Ellis could practically feel the disapproval radiating off of those seated around them.
It was only as the current song came to an end that he realized his mistake. The program mentioned the performers' names but not their races. For him to have known there was a grimm coming up, he would have had to have been there to see one too.
Ellis shrank slightly in his seat, hoping Bo didn't notice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:01 am
Considering he had yet to read the program, the geist didn't have a clue how the performers had been listed. Still, he was reckless, not stupid, and he was very observant to boot. Something was up with this kid, and Bo knew that whatever it was would likely reveal itself in time. Normally waiting around that long would have been a problem, but Bo had promised himself he would stay confined to this chair for the next hour and a half, and he had a feeling that would be long enough.
He made a point of casting a suspicious sidelong glance at the imp, hoping to rattle him into spilling his secrets, then leaned back to enjoy the show.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:02 am
He knew. There was no way Bo hadn't figured out that they were here for the same grimm. Ellis's stomach churned, his nerves jangling through the rest of act one, yet once Ayuu stepped out onto the stage, it was like he'd been cured. His troubles took a backseat at the sight of zer, and in that moment he no longer cared what was to come.
Many in the audience seemed to agree. They were silent as ze crossed the stage and took a seat, fur all but sparkling under the lights. Ayuu breathed in, out, placed zer feet on the piano's pedals, and launched into a light, spry tune, perfect for summer. Zer claws danced across the keys and ze swayed with the melody, captivated by zer own song. Ellis was literally on the edge of his seat, leaning forward as if he was trying to catch all of zer notes and hoard them for himself.
When the last of them echoed through the air, Ayuu stood to take zer bow. Ellis sprang to his feet as well, clapping and hooting along with many of those around him. Ze had been slotted right before intermission for a reason, and as the lights came up and the Nightmares and Daydreams in the audience hurried off to get snacks and go to the restroom, all of them were talking about the grimm pianist's talent.
Ellis took in the awed compliments with a proud smile, and when he finally turned to retake his seat, he nearly had a coronary.
Bo was watching him, a knowing smile lighting his eyes.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:02 am
The expression the imp wore might have been funny had Bo deliberately done anything to put it there. He supposed he kind of had, but only barely. Still, the geist wasn't unfeeling, and he couldn't ignore the fear under the boy's naked shock. He was hardly the type of guy to want people fearing him for no reason at all.
He deepened his smile, tried to make it friendly, but it only seemed to make the imp worry harder.
"Hey. You look like someone just shoved a stick straight up your a**. Calm down. Have a seat. Or is that only gonna make it worse?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:02 am
The giggle that rose in Ellis's throat was suffused with so much nervous energy that it almost sounded like he was about to cry when it escaped.
"I'm sorry, I..." He perched at the edge of his seat, eyeing the geist nervously. "My name is Ellis. I'm Ayuu's friend. And you're Bo, right? Ayuu has told me a lot about you."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:03 am
Bo slowly drew himself out of his slouch, his smile still a fixture on his face. He was sure there were those in Below who might have felt angry or violated to learn they'd been spoken of behind their backs, but he apparently wasn't one of them. To be honest, the news made him feel a little like a celebrity, and he puffed up accordingly.
"Did ze now?" he leaned over and clapped the imp on the back. "Kthonios, what're you so nervous about? Ayuu can have friends besides me. I'm not zer warden or anything."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:03 am
"Oh! Yes, I know! I wasn't worried about that, I just... I've been hanging out with... zem...?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:03 am
"Zer. I wasn't sure myself for a while, I mean, I knew ze wasn't he or she, but I didn't know what ze wanted blah, blah, blah. So I asked."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:03 am
He'd asked. And Ellis hadn't. Was that a challenge? He couldn't tell. The thought that any true competition that might spring up around who was Ayuu's better friend made Ellis want to sink into his chair again.
"Zer. It's just that ze and I have been hanging out a lot while you've been working on your school stuff, and I didn't want you to think... well... that I was trying to be a better friend."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:03 am
Looking back, Bo could never be quite sure what had tipped him off to what was actually going on here, but when he realized what the imp was truly getting at his stomach dropped ever so slightly, like he'd stepped off of a curb that was a little taller than he'd expected. The imp liked zer. Liked zer liked zer. Even if this... Ellis didn't know that yet, Bo did. And in that moment, the geist realized he liked Ayuu too.
It explained... everything, really. The way his heart plunked faster when ze smiled, how much he enjoyed touching zer arm or shoulder when they spoke, feeling zer soft fur under his fingers, how he longed to hear zer play. He was irritated that he hadn't figured this out sooner, that it had taken someone else almost stealing zer away to make him realize how much he'd miss zer.
"Yeah, sure. Hanging out. As friends." He tried to keep the sarcasm from his voice, and although the barest hint did break through, Bo recovered quickly. "No worries, I get it! Now that I'm back on track with school and stuff, all three of us should do something together." Part of him wanted Ayuu to see them side by side, to understand just how superior Bo was. Another part had no intention of following through on any sort of meeting at all. The rest was just tired. The geist kept a smile on his face through it all.
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