[Big Maul] Big Show Prep (J 1.3)

Rich

Jet Black,

You leave Hottopic with Boio and head out to gather the dancers. Esco and Mari are missing, but the rest have been gathered. There are overalls and several costumes that fit your general description, left here for people to try on, then Rache will make alterations. But she's not here, not now, she's off working on other parts of the big project.

So tell me, does the show generate customers? Do you have regulars that come by during the day? What happens then? I don't imagine the whole Maul would wait for a show to get their rocks off.. right?

Do you dance in any of these shows, or are you merely the puppetmaster?

AsIf

The show generates hella customers, especially when there's a new one. And because Franc's music collection provides a non-nauseating alternative to the Muzak itself, we also get people just hanging out during the day.

The AMC complex has 10 theaters in it. Two of these have been turned into one big theater by completing the naturally-occurring destruction of the dividing wall. That's our main stage, where the big production numbers are put on. The big room has a capacity of about 200 people. We actually hit capacity once, during the run of FUCKING FREEDOM. "Standing Room Only" - how glorious those words sounded!

But even when there's nothing going on there, we still have eight other theaters, and they all have their own sound systems. Franc has set up music players in each of them and given each its own collection of CDs. We often find people sleeping in there, or fucking, having meetings, whatever. We're pretty lax about those rooms because we use them for the same loungy purposes. They're also used for rehearsals, side-shows, general storage, and sometimes we let people do barter in there.

Me, I'm a fair dancer, but I'm more of an actor and a singer. I don't always play the lead role but I do always play a significant one. If there's a narrator, it's usually me. Tonight I'm playing Doctor Osama, the evul villin.

AsIf

Ok since Mari can't be found (Where the fuck is Mari?) I'm gonna lean on Julia, the most flexible of the dancers in Bob's gang. She'll have to choreo both gangs.

"Jules, remember the sixteen-bar fight scene we made up in sketch rehearsals? We're using it, do the whole thing twice, but with hammers as right-hand props. Hit the upbeat with the hammer swings. The other group will be doing the counterpoints, but they're hitting on the downbeat. Get it? The machine will be... like this," indicating by walking a rectangle. Four inserted pairs of duellers, one side wins, then the other side wins, keep it even. Lower heads when killed, Boio will hit you with a red spot, stay put! Got it? Good. And for the ending... hmm... Ok, final verse, red spots go off, white lights full stage, you all fan backstage to let Bob and Osama come through for their solo duel. Mirror each other. And be menacing." Looking up to the whole group. "Remember, you're bitter enemys, fighting for the fate of the hole world!" I go on like this for some time.

Occasionally glancing around for Mari, expecting her to show up. Where the fuck...?

Show everyone the little Bob figure. "Grab your own costumes, do whatever works. Rache will help." Spinning around to see Jackbird walking by, arms full of lumber. "Jackbird! One big hammer and five regular ones!" Oh there's Fall. "FALL! Come with me, hunkster. We're gonna modify our disco boogie bit into a fight scene."

Rich

Everyone takes mental notes and follows along. Fall hustles up to you, lets you show off the fight scene ideas. Julia is right by you, excited for the chance to choreograph, well, anything.

Jackbird gets your attention, and pulls you aside. "Jet. Not sure if anyone told you. But Mari was pretty effed last night. And this morning, she was walking around with Cache, looking even worse."

AsIf

That stops me for two moments. I stare at Jackbird's face, my lips pursed as if almost ready to speak, trying to see if he's lying or hiding anything.

Read Person. +1XP

AsIf

(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 4, 2. Total: 7)

AsIf

"You telling me the godzone truth, Jackbird?"

Rich

Jackbird quirks a brow, then in his own blunt way, answers, "Jet. You know what a hard-on I have for Mari. You know I watch her whenever she aint lookin, and half the time when she is. I fucking know."

AsIf

"Yeah, yeah." I've seen Mari wasted many times, but mostly in party situations. But now that I stop to think about it, lately she has seemed rather woozy and withdrawn (I wince at my own internal pun). Pat on the shoulder. "Ok, thanks. Let me know when your hard-on sees her again, will ya? Right now I'm gonna assume she's trashed and won't be coming to work. Fine. Let her miss the orgy of Bob the B." In my mind I'm quickly re-blocking the actors in the orgy scene. "And you, my good sir, have some props to finish. Let's keep it moving." I scoot him along with a flexy wave of my twinkly fingers.

Fuck. Always something. What part of "The show must go on" don't these people understand?

Egh. Off to go work with Franc on the last bits of music.

Rich

Jet Black, before you get over to work on the music, Esco shows up. She comes right up to you, all smiles and looking sweet. "Hey Jetty, Cache and Mari are lookin for ya. They're hangin out at Mamma's, said it's real important. I can run things, if ya wanna go do that."

What do you do?

AsIf

"Why would Mari be looking for me at Mamma's? What the shit is wrong with people today?" It's rhetorical question because I don't expect anything but a smug smile from Esco. She loves it when other people are in trouble. And Mari is in trouble, believe me. My mind is occupied with show details, but nagging questions keep arising. Questions like Where is Mari getting the jingle to score with? We're all fucking broke as far as I know.

Still, I don't want to flame Esco's superiority complex any higher than it already is, so I stop there and shake my head. "No. Rehearsals will continue as they are. In fact, come with me. I have an idea for your aria, and Franc has a perfect melody for you. Put your sweet note in every chorus, and it comes right before your romantic fuck scene with Bob. Oh yes, that means you're coming with us, Fall."

I don't even need to look at her to know what she's thinking. I can almost hear her long red fingernails making a hashmark on some mental checklist of her own. Whatever. The show must go on.

Off to see Franc, the three of us: "The Evul Doctor Osama", "Bob the Braker" and "Looseyloo" (Bob's Romantic Intersex).

AsIf

I stick with them for a first run-through of all the songs they're cast in (including a few breaks for last-minute inspirations from Franc). Example: He has added in some loops he found somewhere featuring these awesome vocalizations. It's somebody who's either screaming or cumming - you don't know whether to feel scared or horny. It's a perfect sound to represent Osama's machine, which emits sexfear waves that cause people to stop fucking.

Anyway, next I work on my fight routine with Fall and accept one - but only one - of the changes suggested by Esco for her solo aria. (It's expected, let her have one.)

Then we all go out to the stage so the dancers can sync their routines up with Franc's score. While Jules handles that, I make a quick run to see Rache about backdrops. "Paint em now and set em in theater 8 under the lights. They can dry while we do tech rehearsal. We're almost there, Rachie."

Oh yeah. "And hey - thanks. For..." I wave my hand in circles near my head and make cross-eyes. Pull up an imaginary hoodie, and leave the room. I need to slip her something special. A little token of appreciation. Wondering what that should be.

AsIf

I can't think of anything she likes that she doesn't already have. I'm drawing a complete blank. Maybe I don't know Rache as well as I thought I did. Make a mental note to spend more downtime with her. But not now. Now it's back to work.

Rich

As you continue the whirlwind of activity, Esco eventually pulls you over to Mamma's. She's surprisingly insistent on this one. She literally grabs your arm to pull you away from Rache, "C'mon, Jetty. You gotta see Cache! It's tres tres importante!"

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