Take one

[Syrrus]

Tristan Miles was sitting backstage of one of the panels at comic-con Santiago. He was sitting upon a very uncomfortable chair, with arms around his chests, one leg over the other and his head leaning back against the wall behind him.


It had been a hectic weekend for the young man, and even though there was a couple of days left before he could return back to his house in LA, he still felt as if he had had enough. He loved talked to people, to smile and make them happy, but he had not had enough time to sleep since he had come to the convention. During the days, from seven am in the morning, he had to be behind tables, signing T-shirt, answering to the press and preparing for panels. During the night he had to join in on the parties around the convention spot, which entailed drinking a lot of alcohol and trying his hardest not to crawl back to bed too late or too drunk. It was all about the image and it was something Tristan could not handle all too well, being a old theatre student that he was - although only twenty-nine of age.


He was dressed in a pair of unimpressive jeans, black shoes with matching socks, a checked T-shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbow and threw buttons undone, showing off a not too impressive body build - which suited a archer or a fencer. He was a rather lanky looking man, tall with dark blond - almost brown - short hair, and a pair of deep green eyes, with some specks of blue around the iris.


He was now a sleep, no noise got past his lips except light mumbling - him repeating lines from a film which he had just finished.


Ten minutes before the panel questioning opened.

 

[GreyZone]

An already-tall woman walked toward him confidently in towering heels, her long legs out for view in a short burgundy sheath dress that complimented her sharp green eyes. Her presence demanded attention and respect, even though a knowing smile played on her full lips as she sunk into the chair beside the young man. "Hello," she said to the man beside her in accented English, her voice clear and rich, pleasant. "I'm sorry to interrupt your slumber, but I needed a place to escape just for a moment."


She was ready to place headphones in her ears and return to reviewing her script; Monday was her first day that she would be filling in for the normal actress who played Christine. The poor book was covered in sticky notes, tabs, and the margins saturated with notes on delivery, corrections, and blocking as both the lead and a chorus dancer. Even though it was an obviously well-loved copy, it seemed to be in pristine mint condition.


The woman was reading over a scene while she expertly worked on sewing the ribbons on to a new pair of pink silt pointe shows, as if it was a secondary task that hardly required her attention any more. Of course it was--she went through eight pairs a week, on a minimum. "Oh, I'm being rude," she said with a faint smile, reaching out to shake his hand. "My name is Karenina Konstainov," her Russian accent thickened as she said her name, but returned to just a flavor as she continued. "What is yours?"

 

[Syrrus]

Tristan woke with a flinch and almost fell of his chair. He sank down it so far he almost lay flat upon the floor, using it like a very large and uncomfortable pillow. Quickly, although completely out of it, he sat back up properly and pulled his hands over his face and through his dark hair. "Me? Oh, I'm Tristan Miles." He gave her a flattering smile, for he was a kind man, who often tended to befriend everyone, without actually knowing them. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He nodded and folded his arms over his chest again, as he curled one leg over the other and leaned back, looking towards a different direction.


Tristan could not help but feel slightly nervous about his behaviour. Who in the world falls asleep just before a performance. He stroke a hand through his hair another time and sat up straight, trying his hardest to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. It was then his assistant came running, a pretty little girl with blushed cheeks and curly short blond hair, holding a coffee in her hand which she handed him. "Here you are, Mister Miles. Two sugar, no cream. Anything else I can do for you?" "No, thank you Emily." He smiled up at her, she nodded, greeted the other performer and hurried off, while Tristan began to drink his coffee, quickly.

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina jumped a little when he almost fell over, but didn't say anything of it. She doubted that he would want her to. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Miles." But when he had an assistant approach, she was shocked. Was this man some famous actor that she should know? Did he expect her to be in awe of him or something? She never had time to watch any movies, let alone go to the cinema and see new ones that had recently been made.


"What sort of work do you do?" She finally asked, carefully bookmarking where she had been reading in her script before setting it down, still working on her pointe shoe as she spoke. "I'm sorry but I have to fly back and do a matinee tomorrow so I have to get these shoes ready beforehand."

 

[Syrrus]

Tristan peered at her, before swallowing the hot liquid. he stroke a finger over his lips in thought. Surprised, though not unhappy that they woman did not know who he was. It actually made him quite glad. He waved a had dismissively. "I am an actor." he said, while watching what she was doing, it surprised him that she had to do such work herself. The only thing he had to do was to act, and improvise when his lines were either too few or too forced. Oscars aside, he quite missed the lonely nights as a stage performer. "Please, call me Tristan. Emily refuses, out of respect, but I fear it sounds... too formal for my taste. I'm just a guy." He laughed, heartily.


"You are lucky, I still have to stay here for a couple more days. Do not take me wrong, I enjoy talking to my fans very much, they are lovely people - but it is getting rather tiring. I would just love to go back home and sleep, for a week! Or at least a few days."

 

[GreyZone]

Her eyes widened when she finally made the connection. "Oh, I've heard of you. One girl in my chorus is rather obsessed with you, actually." She smiled a little and gathered the lamb's wool she used from the bottom of her bag. "She'll die if I say that I was casually sitting backstage with you."


"Luckily enough, only a select few die hard fans will recognize me if I'm not in a wig and full makeup," she replied, making polite conversation as she worked. As soon as her pointe shoes were done, out come a costume with a full skirt that she took her needle and thread to next. She was tearing out the seams to let out the hem, since she always chose to do her own alterations instead of complaining to the costumer. Being self-sufficient was of the essence. "And those are only the ones who know every piece of the shows inside and out. It's good, though. I can finally quit my day job."

 

[Syrrus]

"Classic theatre is far better than anything I have to deal with, no offence to your roommate, of course - I am always very flattered." Tristan smiled. "So, Phantom of the Opera, or something less popular?" He peered at her costume, still wondering why she had to handle everything herself. "And I am sorry if I haven't heard about you. I never have time to go to plays anymore, and gone are the days when I could." He scratched the back of his head, and peered through the cloth behind him, at the crowd which had gathered. He didn't even know what to say to them, if they asked question about the animation which he had just voiced - mainly because he had completely forgotten which one.


"May I- May I ask a stupid question. What film was this, again?" He smirked, with an eyebrow raised, causing him to look rather sheepish.

 

[GreyZone]

"Phantom of the Opera is exactly it," she replied with a faint smile, holding up the costume that was indeed the dress that Christine wore in the graveyard. "I'm usually a chorus dancer, but I just got promoted to the understudy of Christine. She takes Mondays off, so every eighth show I get to be the prima donna. I've done my time, though. I've been in community theater all of my life, but I've been in the ensemble of a few Broadway shows since. I was in Lion King, they use me for Alladdin as an understudy for dancers, I sewed costumes for Kinky Boots, danced in Mary Poppins, was a prostitute in Les Mis for a while..." She shrugged.


Karenina actually laughed at his question. "Recreation of some old Grimms fairytale for Disney, softened and dulled down, of course." She smiled bitterly as she began to resew the hem by hand. "They used me because of my rather "frightening" accent that can easily be stuck on something vaguely Slavic or foreign. No one really cares."

 

[Syrrus]

"There is only one Christine in theatre." Tristan smirked and stroke his chin in thought. "I was the Phantom once, before I ended up in LA. Haven't sung a note since. Nothing really compared to the stage - except perhaps the checks." he chuckled again and rose from his seat, as he finished his coffee and threw it in the bin. He straightened out his shirt and dusted off his trousers. "Cats was another performance I took part of, and Prince Charming in Into the Woods." he sighed slightly, before stretching - enough to cause his back to click.


"Disney, you'd think that no one could forget that name; I tend to forget them all together. Is that bad?" He laughed, nervously, yet never stopped smiling with a certain confidence.

 

[GreyZone]

"Except on Mondays," she replied with a small laugh, but her eyebrows skyrocketed when he told her about his past in theater. "So you really have been on the Majestic stage. I'm surprised I didn't recognize you immediately, because I studied every cast there has ever been when I made the luminous part of a chorus girl." She smiled distantly as she sewed. "You've really gotten around. I'm impressed. Well, the current Christine's rein, otherwise known as her contract, is ending next month. If I do well, hopefully I may take it over and have my first solid role."


She nodded. "The world does run on the mouse, doesn't it? Don't feel badly at all. Not everyone is as obsessive as I can be. You should see the character map I made for my prostitute! She was a well-developed young girl, I'll tell you that."

 

[Syrrus]

"Acting is my passion and my life. I fear that there is nothing else I can do. Sadly, my theatre experience is causing the reviews of my films to take a slight turn. I am often portrait as a British snob." Tristan shrugged, though was not certain how to feel. He did not much enjoy his fame. "I only did acting in the UK, so if you have not heard of me - I wouldn't be surprised."


Tristan was a excellent traditional actor, he managed to convey a character without the use of lines, which was why he always ended up with roles which either were very dramatic or silent, yet dominant.

 

[GreyZone]

"Oh, were you in the London cast of Phantom?" She asked, tying off one seam on the costume. "I haven't studied that as much since I doubted I would run into anyone on the streets of New York. Lovely city, really. Very different from anywhere else." She seemed to get lost in thought for a moment as she worked on her dress, sewing intently.


After a few moments, Karenina continued. "I will have to look up your work soon, especially since we were both in this film, apparently. I find it fascinating that our characters could be having conversation and yet we had never even met."

 

[Syrrus]

Tristan nodded, though did not seem quite as fascinated, yet more interested in her line of work. He envied her, and her life as a stage performer. Smiling like he did, he listened as someone on stage began to talk to the crowd, their time was up it seemed. "No need, I am certain there is a better way to get to know someone. How about I treat you to dinner after the show?"


Tristan was a social man, he knew most people, actors and others, who he enjoyed spending a lot of time with, though none really shared his interests, and he did not often think of them when he needed help. Asking a pretty girl out to dinner was another easy thing.

 

[GreyZone]

She rose when it sounded as if it was there turn, gently folding her costume and placing it lovingly in the bag. It was still so surreal to her that she would play one of the most well-known roles in theatre of all time on Monday. The dresses seemed sacred to her.


Karenina was delighted by his invitation and quickly accepted it. It was very rare that she actually ate alone or at home, and she made it a habit to never decline a dinner request no matter what the circumstances were. Nothing was ever too much in this business.

 

[Syrrus]

Tristan was presented out on the stage and stepped out. He walked towards his seat, waving - once - to the crowd which shouted loudly, the shrill of lady squeaks was enough to give any man high confidence, though Tristan hardly found it to be too pleasant, only confusing. He stood, however, to pull out the chair for Karenina, before sitting down himself.

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina smiled distantly as she lowered herself to the seat, a bit disgraced and trying to hide her discomfort. She was good at being in front of large audiences as someone other than herself, but never Karenina. But she adjusted her hair, crossed her legs, and prepared for the questions.


It had never been her intent to do something with voicing--who went to Disney cartoons after something like Phantom?--but then again, who denied Disney? She had been in shows by them before, and she didn't want to deny to the role. She was in no position to.

 

[Syrrus]

Question time was the easiest, it often contained questions about funny incidents, if they wanted to do little else than voice acting and then it ended up being about the actors themselves ,about their day to day life - if they liked cats or dogs, if they could travel in time; where could they go - it was rather mundane though Tristan managed to smile and sound charming through every single one. He looked at Karenina when he talked, from time to time, as if he was talking to her instead of the crowd - trying to make her more comfortable with the whole situation.


"Are you two dating in real life?" One person asked, which caused Tristan to blink and peer at Karenina with a wide smirk. "Why, of course! Or well, perhaps in my dreams. I do not know about you but I do not think I stand a chance."

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina had politely smiled and nodded the entire time, answering questions about her accent, her previous acting caresses, random tidbits of petty information that she was surprised anyone wanted to know.


When Tristan answered that particular question, she was shocked by the way he handled it, but it didn't show on her face. "I actually just had the privilege of meeting Mr. Miles moments ago," she responded, her lips twinging up in a faint smile. "But I can assure you that he is being modest."

 

[Syrrus]

"Modest! How dare you, I am simply being honest." He waved his hands dismissively in the air and leaned back in his seat. "She's a sweet girl, for sure. And I suppose you were hoping for a more proper answer but I can't really give you one, I am sorry." He smiled at the person who asked the question and then peered at Karenina and stuck out his tongue, teasingly. "Modest. My word."

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "Very charming, Sir. I am so glad that we could make each other's acquaintance five minutes before we were asked if we were dating."


She patted his arm before taking another small sip of the water that had been provided for them. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

 

[Syrrus]

A simple conversation, some questions and time later everyone was asked to leave the hall. The questioning had involved some acting, they had asked if Tristan could please be a character from a few movies, and by standing up and walking around the stage he had done exactly that, with great energy and to perfection. Which was why, by the end of it all, he sat at the edge of the stage and signed some autographs to the fans who stayed a little longer than intended.

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina watched him with interest in her sharp eyes as he moved about the stage, owning it and everyone in the audience's attention.


She moved to stand next to him when they were signing autographs, but simply observed as he did.

 

[Syrrus]

Talking to his fans was something he did on a daily basis, it was a rather shallow chat - it mattered nothing in the long run, but it made them happy so he would do anything. Peering up at the young woman behind him, he gave her a smile. "Shall we?" He rose to his feet and gestured towards they who were left. "Or do you have something to tell them, like how they should come and see your performance?" He grinned and again, stuck out his tongue, just a little. "I wish I could."

 

[GreyZone]

Karenina shrugged. "I doubt they'll care very much about my debut as a named character on Broadway. You must sing Music of the Night for me on our way to dinner."


She straitened and brushed her hands over the hem of her dress before retrieving her bag. "Are you ready? I don't have to be at the airport until 12:30 tonight."

 

[Syrrus]

"You have to leave tonight already? What a shame." It indeed was, Tristan could not help but feel rather cheated for he wished to spend lengthy hours with the young woman he knew so little about. It was rather nice to speak to someone who knew more than the upcoming film list, or who slept with who. It was a shallow life he lived and he did indeed not wish it to stay that way.


"I am ready, yes, though I am hardly going to sing all the way to the restaurant - I know a great place, and Emily should have ordered a cap, probably to take me back to the hotel but I might as well use it to have one last meal with you, before you leave to the world unknown."