Thread: Two Belles of the Ball on a Stage Too Small - ( Erebus & Crescent )

img200x315 ---------------------------------- The heavy rattling of a moving truck rumbled past their shared alleyway, the vehicle's diesel engine spitting in a noisy acceleration from the intersection just down the street. In the forced halt to their conversation, Jean raised both her elbows up high and rested her wrists atop her head. She crossed her legs, settling her upper body, from the middle of her spine to her shoulders, flatly against the rough textured wall. Her left eyelid drooped just lower than her right in the unofficial staring contest she traded with the other woman. The upward curl of her lips had begun to unravel somewhere in the midst of Lily's criticism of her attitude, and now the suggested truce flattened it entirely. It might have been too much to hope that some directed frustrations might loosen the accented brunette's interest in the role. Still, Jean thought she noticed some chinks in that conceited armor, some signs that the woman could actually be irritated herself. That small victory was soured by the inner admission that Lily was right. Through whatever butchering Dave was doing to the script, they were stuck portraying the role together. A public feud didn't look particularly good for either then, especially not Jean when matched up against the emotionless ice queen propped up in the doorway. Even with opening night so close at hand they could still drop her portion if she let fly her temper again. The words 'disgusting attitude' spoken in Lily's voice rang in her mind again, almost derailing thoughts of coexistence in exchange for the throat tearing alternative. Luckily she managed to hold back her tongue and keep the flare up limited to a cold glare and a grimaced expression of clenched teeth behind closed lips. Exhaling through her nose, Jean suckled the last bit of flavor from the surface of her tongue and swallowed it along with the proverbial bitter pill. Fine. She let her head lull slightly to the side, the direction of her eyes shifting absently to the wall opposite her. Jean couldn't find much else to add to the matter. 'You're right,' might have been an appropriate compliment but there was no way that was gonna happen. In fact, in the month or so since rehearsals had started, Jean could hardly recall a significant exchange between them before now. Casual conversation was never really in the cards when her first introduction to Lily was as a rival who, by the way, is a total elitist bitch. Her right hand drifted down to offer an indifferent scratch to the side of her nose before resuming its place on her head. The alley had lost its appeal, and Jean struggled with the choice of going finding an excuse to head back inside and face the questioning gazes of all those that had seen her storm out or waiting out in silence, hoping that she would grow uncomfortable and leave first. Jean decided she was ok with putting off the communication issue until they were forced to rehearse together on stage. A buzzing sound coming from within her bag gave Jean an excuse to delay that decision. She eased her back from the wall, feeling the indentations left by uneven chunks of brick pressed against her back, and crouched down to start rummaging in her bag for the source. Plucking out an iPhone encased in teal rubbery plastic, she held it in front her face and swiped her thumb sideways across the screen. With her upper teeth, lower lip and a puff of air, Jean made a nondescript noise, Pfuh! With her face screwed up, she reread the screen before flipping her phone to its side, oriented longer than tall, and began to pluck both of her thumbs on a virtual keyboard. Her right thumb hovered over the lower right edge a moment, hesitating, as she looked sternly at the device. After letting out resigned sigh, she tapped her thumb several times just above that spot. Still without uttering a coherent word, Jean looped the strap of her bag over her shoulder and pushed up to standing. Looking slightly fumed, she stepped towards the open doorway, ignoring the cement doorstop. Jean stopped just before crossing the threshold, turning her head towards Lily and speaking in a low, weary tone, It's for you too. She held up her phone, screen facing out, for the other woman to see. The latest text received was from 'Director Dave'. It read, Time to rehearse! Where are my girls? The text input portion held only a capital 'F'. Without another word, Jean walked inside the empty stretch of hallway, stooping her head slightly and wiping two fingers along either side of her cheeks.