Big bright accent, catty smile, Oscar Wilde confrontation

[plaguedrat]

"Can I think about it and call you back?" Rat looked at the script in front of him as well as the drafted contract. The casting agency's offer was far more than he'd expected, especially for an 'out-of-towner' and Rat needed the money more than he was actually willing to admit. The city stipend paid his bills bu. Marius but Rat had a little more pride than that.

"Okay, Mr. Nezumi," the casting agent said, looking a little less than pleased with it. Rat felt strange being addressed as a Mister anything, much less a stage name he'd made up because he didn't have a real last name.

Besides all that he liked working. Television was a new prospect and it wasn't the stage, but there were plenty of actresses here. They didn't need to put a dainty man in a dress and hope the audience was forgiving the way they had in the West District. There was only so much call for Shakespeare too. Rat had to either diversify or embrace his niche.

But playing an effete gay secondary character, a drag queen? Rat wasn't sure about the script. On paper, it wasn't much of a part or even much of a show. It was a miniseries, apparently, with hope for renewal as a full time show. Dark stuff, they promised. Very edgy. Rat wasn't impressed, but he was hungry and he needed work.

"I'll call you first thing in the morning with my decision," Rat said, letting himself out through the lobby.

Comments

[oddthatway]

The buildings are starting to blur together as I pass them by, too caught up in thoughts of trying to figure out how to handle the apparent vampire infestation I've been discussing with Tris. I know I need to stock up on more weapons, especially of the kind that can actually hurt the creatures. I know there are stores specializing in them, I just have to find them.

I'm in the middle of considering other possibilities as well; I need to be prepared. I've already lost too much to risk losing more in Darrow.

That's when I nearly walk into the man coming out from one of the buildings.

"Shit, sorry!" I exclaim by way of apology.

[plaguedrat]

Scowling, eyes narrowed, Rat maneuvers gracefully out of the way. "Watch where you're going," he says. It's bad enough being lost in thought without people charging at him.

"Don't bother anyway. The auditions are done for the day."

[oddthatway]

"I know. I'm sorry, okay?" I repeat, trying not to let my own irritation rise up at the man's reaction. He looks like something died just beneath his nose, the way he's scowling. Like I've caused some great offense by nearly walking into him.

"I wasn't going to?" I say, shrugging. I have no idea what he's talking about, "Auditions? Auditions for what?"

I assume he must be some sort of actor. In Candor, that just means he's a damn good liar.

[plaguedrat]

"For the miniseries," he says, nodding at the door. "Be Careful With My Heart." Rat rolls his eyes, highly unimpressed by the title, but not stupid enough to express that opinion right outside of the studio to a stranger. That runs a little too close to biting a hand that feeds him, even for the infamously acerbic Rat.

"They just closed callbacks, so if you were hoping for basic cable stardom, it's slipping through your fingers."

[oddthatway]

"Sounds like riveting stuff," I reply. "As riveting as that Space Hospital show, even. Lucky for you, I have no interest in auditioning." I might have begun to develop an affection for shitty television, but like hell am I letting a stranger know that.

"Aw, damn. There goes my chance," I say with mock sincerity. I would make a terrible actor; I always say what I feel and I always promote what I believe to be the truth in any given situation.

[plaguedrat]

Rat glances around like he wants to make his opinion known on both programs. "I'm not sure we'd be competing for the same roles anyway," he assures her. "Unless you are a very convincing drag queen."

His mouth twists a little, uncertain of how he likes the sound of that appellation. It's not what he's considered himself or how he'd tried to sell himself for the audition.

[oddthatway]

I guess, considering how close we are to what I assume is the studio holding the auditions, this guy has a lot more on his mind than he's at liberty to say, considering his aspirations. "The only thing I'm very convincing of is telling the truth," I say. "And I can tell you I am no drag queen."

I can guess, from the way his mouth quirks, that he isn't as sure of himself in that role himself.

"And are you?" I can't help but ask.

[plaguedrat]

"I can't imagine that you are," he agrees. He hasn't known many women who impersonate men on the stage but then what does he know of this girl's private life. "And I can't say I think of myself as one either."

So it's a question of what he chooses. His principles or his pay? Rat is quite certain he knows which one will pay for his meals.

"I played female roles out of necessity."

[oddthatway]

"No?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow. I have to wonder why he would consider the part of a drag queen when he seems to dislike the term itself. "What draws you to the part then?" Candor taught me that acting is just another form of deception; entertaining lies, but lies all the same.

"They didn't have enough parts for men?" I let out a snort. I find that hard to believe. But then again, I don't know where he comes from. "Wherever you're from, I mean?"

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius has nowhere to be, having just worked a double-late shift the prior evening. So, naturally, he is out walking, his usual distraction of choice when he has spare time, when he isn't buried between the pages of a book or with Rat. After a good hour and a half of traveling in no one direction in particular, he's considering stopping for a quick snack, a smoothie or ice cream, perhaps.

The day is fairly nice out, as far as summer days go. Not overly humid, with a pleasant breeze. He only wishes now that he thought to bring a book with him, he thinks, considering heading over towards the park to sprawl in the grass there.

He is just about to act on that instinct when he catches sight of a familiar head of dark hair and grey eyes, exiting a building a few feet away from where he currently stands. Pleasantly surprised, Marius hurries, making his way over to Rat, a little out of breath as he catches up to him.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," he teases, approaching his beau with a delighted smile. He tilts his head, trying to gauge the other man's mood. Rat looks to Marius as though he has a lot on his mind.

"So what brings you to this building in particular?" He asks.

[plaguedrat]

"It's as if I never see you," Rat agrees, batting his eyelashes and feigning distress. Offering Marius one of those secret smiles that he only reserves fr his lover, Rat closes the space between them.

Holding up the envelope, Rat glances back at the building. "It was a callback audition. I've been offered a part." Before Marius can respond, Rat gives him a quick shrug. "I'll tell you about it over coffee. Or are we cutting to the chase and getting you some waffles?"

He still hasn't forgotten Marius' cries of effusive praise over that breakfast, after all.

"And what about you? Come here often?"

[pontmercyfriend]

"We really ought to do something about that," Marius teases right back, shaking his head and chuckling at Rat's exaggerated distress. His smile brightens when he sees one of Rat's secret smiles, knowing it's meant for him and him alone. When his beau moves in closer, Marius steals a quick kiss, just because he can.

Marius responds anyway, unable to help himself. "You've gotten cast? Congratulations; that's wonderful!" He beams at Rat, truly delighted for him. He knows his beau has been searching for acting work for awhile, now. To hear that he's found success at last inspires a surge of pride and happiness in him; he leans in to press a warm, lingering kiss to Rat's cheek, smiling into it all the while. "Coffee sounds good," he nods, his smile turning sheepish at the mention of waffles. "No waffles necessary. Yet, anyway."

"I've walked this way once or twice," Marius says, moving to grab Rat's hand not clutching the envelope in his own. "It's a good path for meandering, in my experience."

[plaguedrat]

"You're going to get me typecast," he says, cupping Marius' face and gently returning the kiss. As if that's something he's concerned about; his whole life before here, Rat had played two roles. He had been the beautiful Eve on stage and the hateful, protective Rat on the streets. The reality is that all of his roles are permutations of two personas.

When Marius delights, Rat shakes his head. "I've been offered a part. I haven't decided if I'll take it yet," he explains. Squeezing Marius' hand, he stays quiet and walks a few blocks down until they reach an Ahab's Coffee. Away from agents who might overhear him, Rat takes a seat.

"I don't know if I want the part."

[pontmercyfriend]

"Oops?" He says, leaning into Rat's hand as they kiss. He hasn't seen Rat perform; not yet. But he's heard Rat read to him, and the effortless way he weaves between the voices of multiple characters makes Marius certain that his beau possesses an abundance of talent; so much so that he could hardly see how anyone could typecast him. But then, Marius is also fairly biased.

Marius lets the quiet settle between them as they walk, enjoying a silence that feels comfortable with Rat. He lightly swings their hands together in lieu of conversation, enjoying their entwined hands and their closeness amid the crowded, city sidewalks.

"Ahab's Coffee?" Marius muses as they walk inside, taking the seat across from Rat. "This city is nearly as fond of literature as you," he teases.

"What sort of part is it? Is it not the sort of part you like?" Marius frowns, leaning closer to Rat and watching him with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

[plaguedrat]

"Oops," he agrees, leaning his head forward for just a moment before walking with him.

He shrugs at the name, grinning slyly at Marius' comment. Usually, he prefers to make his own coffee and save the money, but he needs someplace to think and sort out what to do with Marius. Even if he doesn't know the show, Rat trusts Marius' ability as a sounding board.

"I'll buy."

When he collects his coffee, Rat finds a seat at an isolated little table by the window and sighs, putting the script in his bag. "They want me to play a drag queen. A homosexual accessory to the plot."

[pontmercyfriend]

He returns Rat's sly grin with one of delight, pleased by the response. Marius enjoys literature and puns as well, so Darrow's seeming fondness for them in terms of names for its restaurants makes him happy as well. Something about the names helps make such public spaces cozier for him. And Rat appears to have a lot on his mind regarding his potential role; this place seems like a good spot for such a conversation.

"Alright," Marius agrees, though he wants to offer to buy himself. It's still new and wonderful to him, having a beau to do these sorts of things with and for. "I'll buy next time, then."

He orders a coffee for himself and follows to the table by the window Rat selects, letting his hands rest around the cup while Rat speaks. He hopes he can provide sound advice, even as he isn't an actor himself.

"Accessory to the plot?" He asks. From Rat's description, Marius guesses the role isn't a large one, nor does it possess much agency beyond propelling the plot forward. "So the role is an archetype of sorts?" He pauses, taking a moment to think. "It sounds to me like it could be a gateway for a good opportunity for you, even if you dislike the role. But if you dislike the role that much, you shouldn't take it. You shouldn't have to endure an unpleasant part for the sake of it."

[plaguedrat]

"Sounds fair," he says. The equivalency is easy enough, a coffee for a coffee. Even with Marius, maybe even especially with Marius, Rat doesn't like to have to owe. It's in no small part because of Marius that Rat is considering the role. Marius works long hours and Rat has been endlessly picky, waiting for theater work that has yet to materialize.

"More of a stereotype," Rat says, stirring cream into his coffee. "To provide witty commentary on the main character's love life. Then I'm briefly suspected of theft. Really deep stuff."

Rat scoffs and takes a long drink of his coffee. "It's honestly sort of disgraceful. Aside from the suspicion of crime, you could replace the role with an amusing dog and the plot wouldn't suffer." The implication leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Rat hasn't got much by way of capital-p Pride when it comes to his sexuality, finding it simply to be an aspect of himself, but having his orientation made into an amusing bit for the audience bothers him deeply.

[artoflove]

Lito has been learning about the city now that he's sober. It is not as bad a place as it could be and he's taken to pursuing his career with determination now that Hernando is not here to occupy his heart and his time. He has been scoping out the auditions and the prospects, enjoying the healthy television business and the films that do seem to take place here.

Nothing exactly his speed yet, but he has ideas.

He is in pursuit of one of them when he runs into a man outside of a building that he knows to have auditions, giving him a long look at his appearance. "Any luck, my friend?"

[plaguedrat]

"Depends on your definition of luck," he says. Rat bites his lip, unimpressed by a stranger calling him friend but not stupid enough to make a scene when anyone walking through the door might be writing his next paycheck. The other man strikes him as an in front of the camera type rather than a producer or a director.

"Are you auditioning for Be Careful With My Heart?" he asks, unable to resist shaking his head at the title. It sounds so melodramatic, to say nothing of the actual script.

[artoflove]

"No, no auditioning today," Lito replies, though it sounds like just the sort of movie that he would put his hat in the ring for and he makes a note that he might have to investigate this project when he returns home. More than that, he needs to get himself an agent as soon as he can, because that is the first step to getting back out there.

"I am an actor, though," he boasts. "Lito Rodriguez. Maybe you've heard of me?"

[plaguedrat]

"No, I haven't. They don't have TV and movies where I come from." It's brusque, but less surly than Rat would normally be. He's smart enough not to immediately aggravate potential coworkers but he's only gregarious when he's onstage and never prone to flattery.

"Rat. Rat Nezumi, I guess." The stage name sounds ridiculous to him. Even more so than Eve. It's just Rat Rat.

[artoflove]

Lito's grasp on the language remains tenuous, but he thinks that he's just been introduced to a Rat. Eyeing him warily, but with acceptance, he nods his head, even if he privately wonders if he's made a mistake. "Where do you come from that they don't have television or movies?" he wonders, thinking of the entertainment they're missing out on.

[plaguedrat]

"A dystopian hell hole outside the walls of an authoritarian state," Rat deadpans, letting Lito decide how serious he must be. Honestly, it's kinder than much of what he's said about No. 6 in the past.

"I acted on the stage. Shakespeare mostly."

[artoflove]

Lito has lived in that, he thinks. But maybe it's just his over-dramatic self raring its head given that Lito has always known a decent amount of leisure and luxury, even when he'd been sharing quarters with nearly every member of his family. "I skipped the Shakespeare and went straight to telenovelas, which are sort of like modern Shakespeare, but with endless drawn out cliffhangers."

[plaguedrat]

"Sounds like the perfect distraction," Rat says, thinking he can see the appeal. The West District would have loved that sort of entertainment and the escape it would have offered from the dark realities. It was why Shakespeare had worked so well. Despite the antiquated language, the struggles against power, fate, and love had stayed universal. The penis jokes had also gone over well.