The idea of reality is heavily influenced by our histories as well as what we can or can’t see, reality is very much different for someone who can’t see at all and someone who can see too much. The world is full of things we can't see, things our brains maybe can’t discern or can’t comprehend. Shadows moving without the cue of their owner, it's a trick of the light. Creaking in the woods that sounds like thousand year old bones more so than wood. Sighs of impatience echoing down a hallway of an old hotel belonging to no one visible. The scary and unexplainable, ghost stories to tell in the dark of a child's room meant to keep them safe in bed and nothing more. Jezebel Aubrey is a hard working college student, who has a passion for the arts, dance, and life in general. Her ears are deafened to the whispers, she’s an adult with her feet firmly planted in reality. Except when it comes to romance, you see, Jezebel is head over heels for a peer of hers. Miriam Donadieu is a hard working college student, who has a passion for the arts, costume design, and seemingly not much else. Miriam is quiet and appears to be quite anti-social, but her feet are firmly planted in Reality nonetheless. Both of them have internships at a local historical tourist trap. The Porte des Dieux Château, a hotel and entertainment club from the mid 1800’s, owned by one snobbish Arnaud Godeaux. He struck a deal with the local college, students can sign up for their internship at the hotel, with room and board, for exchange of a workforce to run the myriad of jobs needed for the Chateau's upkeep. Jezebel as a dance major, is in the thick of the nightlife at the hotel. As part of the Cabaret teams she does bi-nightly shows as a dancer, and as the secondary team captain she is often busy with organizing practice sessions and most importantly costume design and logistics. Which puts her in contact quite often with Miriam Donadieu.
Miriam is a mousy girl, rare to talk and even rarer to glance in Jezebel's direction. From what Jezebel can tell most of her time is spent either in the backstage productions rooms or out of the Chateau all together. Which Jezebel can’t blame her for, this place and that girl share a history. One dark enough to make Jezebel wonder why Miriam was willing to come back. The sequins gently rattle in Jezebel's hands as she passes her fingers over the rip in the tights. Normal tights would rip easily, and be easily replaced, but these land somewhere between tights and stockings, carefully crafted and sewn to catch the stage lights and dazzle the crowd of hotel attendees. One of the other girls accidently caught it on something or another backstage, and was bemoaning the fact that she would need to take it to the seamstress. The girl parroted things Jezebel had heard Richard say before about the quiet art student. She was afraid of Miriam, ridiculously touting the idea that the other student would kill her for ripping the tights. Jezebel said she would take the tights to Miriam herself to save the girl the hassle. Horrible lies, rumors based off of nothing Miriam could control. She’s saving Miriam the hassle of having to have a fool at her door squeak and quake. The employee-only areas of the Chateau really showed the age of the place. Unlike the customer facing parts of the hotel, the carpet still needed to be replaced, along with the floorboards and baseboards. Water stained and dusty, it was always a surprise when this place passed safety inspections. As a matter of fact, mostly everything backstage needed to be replaced. One hundred plus year old wood warps with time, making the hallways look like they were slowly twisting in on themselves. The doors were no different, splintering slightly, it was safer for the knuckles to knock on the peeling wallpaper once Jezebel planted herself firmly outside of the costume design room.
The door was always shut tight, and locked on many occasions. This was surely no different, “Miriam. It’s Jezebel. I have some tights here that can use a fix.” Her tone is chipper, but soft. She likes Miriam, from what interaction she’s had with her she seems more interesting than most of her dancing peers combined. And yet she speaks like she is talking to a skittish animal, not because Miriam is, but because she knows the type of interactions she has with the other students. Jezebel thinks she deserves some softness from at least someone. Silence from the other side of the door. Which is usual, it takes her a few minutes to break her concentration and hop off her chair towards the door. At least that's what Jezebel imagines in her head. The time ticks by as it does, then longer. Jezebel has already daydreamed the movement of the other a few times, and still there is silence on the other side. She knocks again, “Miriam, are you in there? Do- do you have music in or…” more silence makes Jezebel begin to wrap her knuckles almost rhythmically on the wall. “Miriaaam-“ she begins, the impatience bubbling into her throat as she is cut off by a voice to her left. “I could hear you knocking all the way down the hall.” The suddenness causes Jezebel to squeak, and in a blind panic try to open the door. She expected it to be locked, even in her panic a small portion of her mind knew she was just going to run herself into it like a wall. It wasn’t, and the girl stumbles into the room unceremoniously, turning to the newcomer and trying to collect the dignity she spilled all over the old floorboards. “Miriam!”
Giggles, kicks feet. I am not proud of my writing, and this opening is soooooo rough but sure sure.
[ #triplem ]
