And Curiosity Kills the Cat... Again.(Meg INACTIVE

[eastsidesunset]

The bus shuddered to a stop, and I slipped out, staring in awe at the huge theatre before me. Multi-coloured lights flashed everywhere, all competing for the eyes of potential theatre-goers. It was dark out, but you could hardly tell with all the people chatting and going places. It certainly wasn't Times Square for nothing. I'd been here before, though only the one time about seven years ago for my mom's birthday. She'd compained about us not having enough money to spare going to a high class show at the Broadway Theatre, no less, but Dad had been persistant. And you know she loved the experience.

So what was I doing here, all alone, on a Saturday evening? Well, it was sort of a long story. Even before I'd met her, Soda had gone on and on about Meg Giry until there were calluses on both me and Darry's ears. We teased him about it, naturally, but everyone was glad for Soda. He'd finally gotten over Sandy enough to meet someone new. And then that one chance meeting with Meg was enough to prove she was right for Sodapop. Heck, they proved that opposites really did attract.

I smiled at the memory, turning a corner and looking at all the listings of shows going on tonight. You see, that one meeting with Meg had sparked my curiosity about what exactly was so great about dance. She had mentioned performing in this theatre, and I swore to myself I'd watch one, even if it meant sneaking in to do so. So here I am, scanning through the show listings to find one with Meg's name on it. Darry wouldn't be home until pretty late today, so I had a while to myself.

"Aha. Got it," I said to myself. Stage A, showroom 7. Now for the hard part. I'd had plenty of experience with Dally, sneaking into the local movie house back in Windrixville, but this would be about a million times harder. "Here goes nothing." I slipped into an opening in the crowd and moved with it, painfully aware of how much I stuck out like a sore thumb in the mob of people all dressed in their best suits and dresses. Ah well. Couldn't help that.

To this day, I still have no idea how I managed to get past the security at the entrance to the show. I just... merged into a particularly huge group of excited people, and I think the ushers were too overwhelmed anyway to check everyone's tickets. So I got in. And I crept into the darkest corner of the place, close enough to the stage to still sorta see, but hopefully far away enough to not be seen.

As soon as the show started, though, I forgot I didn't have a ticket; forgot I wasn't supposed to be here and might get kicked out at any moment. I just lost myself in the music, the dancers that seemed to merge with the soundtrack, and the breathtaking visuals of it all. One thing was for sure... I would never look at dance the same way again. A very, very distant place in my brain told me it would make for one awkward situation if someone who knew me saw me crouching here, but I ignored it. I was going to enjoy this while it lasted.

[georgie]

Meg's act one ballet costume

Meg's act one ballet hair (and back of dress)

Meg's act two costumes (aka dead Giselle XD)


Meg Giry was nervous. It was her first lead in a ballet and it was opening night. She had been featured most of her life in the ballet sequence at the Paris Opera House but they were very small roles. A maid in Il Muto and other small roles were the biggest roles she'd ever had. Now she was playing Giselle in the ballet of the same name. It was a role the required you to have a firm knowledge of the story as well as the knowledge of heartbreak and love and the ability to show it in your face, since in ballets, you do not speak. She sat in front of the dressing room mirror, making sure her hair was perfect. She took a deep breath and sighed. She was SO nervous but she was sure she could do this. "Miss Giry?" the stage manager said as he popped his head in, "The show's about to start." "Thank you." she said standing up with a smile. She took one last look in the mirror and took a deep breath before heading toward the stage.

It made her even more nervous when she made her entrance and no one applauded, like they usually did for the leading ballerina. Maybe it's because no one knows me yet. This is my New York debut... she thought as she continued to dance. It was her act one variation with lots of pointe work, arabesque and spins. She danced with so much more confidence than she ever had in real life. In the moment when Giselle was trying to impress a young man, Meg looked perfectly the part. All she had to do was pretend the young man was Soda and she was fine. Over halfway through the Variation, the audience started applauding for her. She was doing a rather difficult step, which included balancing on her toe and kicking out with her raised right foot while traveling across the stage. Her smile became wider as she continued and reached the end of that dance and the audience's cheers of "Brava!" and "Bravo!" reached her ears.

The show continued to show Giselle's forbidden love for Duke Albrecht grow, her mother trying to keep them apart because of her weak health, and finally Giselle going mad and dying. It was then intermission and Meg felt like she could breath again. A lot happened in one act. She quickly changed into her white dead Giselle costume and finally had a moments rest. She couldn't believe it. People actually liked her dancing. She then heard the stage manager call for places for act two. Miss Giry then quickly went to her starting place.

Act two brought Giselle summoned from the grave by the Wilis, female spirits who were jilted before their wedding day and Duke Albricht begging for forgiveness, Giselle, of course, forgiving him because she loved him so much. They then share a pas de deux, or a duet in dance for Giselle and Albricht. Meg had never felt more beautiful as she danced in the pas de deux in a beautiful white gown. She'd never danced in one before and she was a little nervous about it but her partner, a man in his late 20s named Greg, was very experienced and made her feel at ease. Mainly, he just stood there and held her as she did more difficult things on pointe, like she had one leg in the air and he spun her. He also lifted her. He always said in rehearsals that lifting her was effortless because she was so small and light. She trusted Greg wouldn't let her fall so that trust made things in the dance a bit easier. Their final pose ended with Greg down on one knee, reaching out and Meg in an arabesque on pointe behind him. It looked lovely and the audience cheered and applauded, making Meg smile. They continued with a second pas de deux with solos for each of them. Meg as Giselle ran off "into the forest" with Greg as Albricht close behind her, searching for his lost Giselle.

The finale was the most difficult dance Meg had ever had to do. A lot of jumps and quick, defined movements. She was glad Greg was such a good partner. She really needed him for this. The arabesques and spins came so quickly, they made her dizzy but they looked beautiful when Meg did them. She left the stage for a moment, to let Greg have his solo and collapse to the ground at the end of it. She slowly made another entrance and the proceeded to dance with Greg and the ballet chorus (who were NOT known as ballet rats XD). The finale was long but beautiful. Miss Giry truly had heart in her dancing as Giselle. She was beautiful, which was how she wished she could be seen as people outside the ballet.

Finally, it was over and Meg made her way back to the dressing rooms to change back into a pair of jeans and a ballet pink tee shirt. She swapped her pointe shoes for hot pink converse and put her black ballet company hoodie on. She took out her bun and shook out her gently curled blonde hair. Calls of "Miss Giry! Miss Giry!" met her as she came out into the lobby afterwords. She signed some programs for a small group of little girls who came with their dance class before going to stand awkwardly in the corner. Greg had come out and he was MUCH better at the whole press thing and greeting people. She spotted a boy in the lobby. He definitely stood out from the crowd but he looked familiar. She went over to him. "Excuse me?" she said softly, "Have we met before? You like like someone I've met...wait...you're Soda's brother, right? Ponyboy?"

((OOC: just so ya know.... these are the videos that inspired Meg's dance descriptions: The Act One Variation , Pas de Deux , and Finale (a little of one and two XD ))

[eastsidesunset]

As the show came to an end, I resisted the urge to clap and instead slipped out from the dark theatre room into the brightly lit lobby. Media reporters were already situated with their camera gear, talking amongst themselves and waiting for the dancers to appear for their interviews. Just like at the beginning of the show, nobody saw me coming out and I was able to tiptoe into another corner to wait for the huge mass of people to file out, thus giving me a chance to leave the theatre unnoticed. Note to self: Use this technique again. It works wonders.

I could still hear wild applause coming from the audience in the showroom, probably giving the performers a standing ovation no less. I wished I could be in there with them, but that would just be looking for trouble. So I clapped for Meg and the others sliently, and looked around to watch people go by in the bustling theatre. Broadway sure wasn't Broadway for nothing. The lobby was just huge. Brilliant lights hung on just about every square inch of the roof, almost palace-like in the grand, regal feel of it all. For the millionth time since I'd entered this place, I felt exactly like a cockroach in a wedding cake. It was a wonder I hadn't been shooed out by now.

My eyes caught on a family of four, looking as happy and picture-perfect in their best clothing as a family could get. There was a girl who looked about seven, tugging at her mom's dress for an ice cream cone. Beside her was a boy who was probably her older brother, looking about 11 and clearly uncomfortable in his specially-tailored suit. Then there were the kids' parents. From the back, they looked so much like my own parents that it made my throat tighten just looking at them.

I forced myself to look away, fighting away the sudden tears that threatened to overwhelm me. What was wrong with me today, damnit? I did my best to swallow the lump in my throat, taking a deep breath. That helped, and I calmed down enough to look back towards the lobby. By then, the showroom doors were opening, crowds of people pouring out in high spirits, all chatting excitedly about the show. Meg and the rest of the dancers were emerging from other, smaller doors too, and with them came shouts of names from media reporters and pleas of autographs from fans.

I watched the commotion from a ways back. Don't get me wrong, I would've loved to join the meet & greet. But again, that would've attracted attention, which was one thing best avoided. For me at least. Meg, surprisingly, didn't stay in the crowd talking to fans and signing autographs for long. After only less than five minutes, she had retreated to the sidelines, looking overwhelmed. She looked around the lobby, and spotted me in an instant.

Groan. Of course my good luck couldn't last. She approached me, and said with a quietness that just about matched Johnny's, "Excuse me? Have we met before? You look like someone I've met...wait...you're Soda's brother, right? Ponyboy?"

I felt my ears heat up in a second at being seen, and worse, recognised. Hoping the press wouldn't follow her here, I stammered out, "Uh, yeah. That's me. We met, I think, once. You're Meg, right? Soda talks about you a lot. Do you mind if we talk, um, somewhere else? I'm sorta... not supposed to be here..." My face burned even hotter if that was possible. "You're an amazing, dancer, by the way. Not that I'd know anything about it. Ballet, huh? Wow." I chuckled nervously, kicking the ground.

[georgie]

Meg couldn't believe it. She had danced in her first ballet as a lead, not featured in a bit part! She was Giselle and people were actually shouting "Bravo, Miss Giry!" It was all for her. She couldn't help but grin as she made her way to the front of the stage to take her final bow and the whole audience stood up. She blushed and she curtsied before the audience. She thanked Greg as he presented her with a bouquet of red roses, just like her best friend Christine Daae had gotten when she played Elisa in Hannibal for the first time. She hugged Greg and thanked him. She was floating on cloud nine as she walked back to her dressing room. Her dresser put the roses in a vase on her dressing table. She was surprise a space could be found. Since intermission ended she guessed, flowers in every color of the rainbow had been arriving and there was almost no clear space to be found.

After so many years of little bit parts and no one even knowing her name, it was weird for the young Miss Giry to have people wanting her autograph or even calling out her name. She still blushed as people noticed her. She couldn't stop grinning and she couldn't let herself answer any of the reporters questions. Luckily, Greg came out shortly after her and told them that "Miss Giry is the newest member of our company, direct from the Paris Opera in France. She's also extremely shy and not use to the attention of the press so do forgive her. She'll warm up in time." They completely seemed to understand her dilemma.

When she spotted the boy who looked rather familiar, Meg so hoped it was Sodapop's brother, Ponyboy. She wanted to see a familiar face amidst the craziness. "Uh, yeah. That's me. We met, I think, once.You're Meg, right? Soda talks about you a lot.Do you mind if we talk, um, somewhere else? I'm sorta... not supposed to be here..."" She smiled as he told her it was who she thought. "Yes," she told him, "I'm Meg." She blushed as he told her Soda talked about her. "I hope he's only said nice things..." she said softly.

If you told me you were coming, Ponyboy, I would've gotten you a great seat." Meg told him, "They gave me so many to give to friends and family and I don't have any here...family that is and I never thought anyone I know here would show up here." She smiled. Then she shook her head. "You're with me now, Ponyboy." she told him, "You can be here. They wouldn't dare to kick you out while you're hanging with the star." She winked, clearly showing she was kidding about the star part. "We can go talk in the theater, if you'd like, or in my dressing room, which ever you prefer." she told him.

"You're an amazing, dancer, by the way. Not that I'd know anything about it. Ballet, huh? Wow." "You really think so?" Meg asked, "But thank you either way." She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I've been dancing since I could walk. My mother put together the dances at the Paris Opera House so..." she shrugged, "Kind of hand to get into it, you know? but it's fun. It doesn't take much to know about it, to be perfectly honest. I never had ballet explained to me. Dancing, yes, of course. But never a ballet like the one I just did. But I find it'd kinda like a play or movie without speaking, you know? Like it still tells a story...like if you turn off the sound on the TV and watch it."

[eastsidesunset]

"Yes, I'm Meg," she confirmed, then, blushing at my comment about Soda, added, "I hope he's only said nice things..."

"Of course. I think you're pretty much the first girl he's ever mentioned so much since Sandy," I said softly. "I mean, he likes you a lot." I saw the drastic difference between my brother just a few weeks ago and my brother now as well as anybody did. He was finally back to the Soda we knew and loved, and Meg was the deciding factor. That much was so obvious even Darry could tell, easy. And he wasn't the best face-reader in the group. So we all wanted Meg to stay, at least as a friend, hopefully more.

"If you told me you were coming, Ponyboy, I would've gotten you a great seat. They gave me so many to give to friends and family and I don't have any here...family that is and I never thought anyone I know here would show up here," Meg said, interrupting my thoughts. And suddenly I remembered that I hadn't exactly watched Meg's show the legal way. I couldn't've if I'd wanted to. Could you believe how expensive the tickets were?! I started to notice people glancing at Meg and I with a look of contempt that was very obviously not directed at the lead ballerina.

"Nah, it was a split-second decision. Only just decided tonight," I said quickly. "And do ya think I'd forget to drag Soda along if I'd planned ahead?" I managed a weak grin, still as self-conscious as you could get and looking at the floor so I wouldn't have to see the growing amount of people starting to openly stare at the greasy hoodlum talking with the dancer from Broadway. Meg didn't seem to see it at all, just continued talking, casual as anything. I remembered the reporters still crowded around the other dancers-- but not for long, I knew, with the stares me and Meg were attracting-- and I got a sick feeling in my stomach.

"You're with me now, Ponyboy. You can be here. They wouldn't dare to kick you out while you're hanging with the star." She winked, then continued, "We can go talk in the theater, if you'd like, or in my dressing room, which ever you prefer."

"Which is emptier?" I asked, anxious to leave the lobby. And then I saw a couple of the reporters finally starting to notice us, and there was no more time to decide. I pulled Meg towards the theatre door, which was closest and hopefully empty. Inside the theatre was totally black, which was even more blinding after the bright lights of the lobby. Oh well, at least it was empty. I think. It was impossible to know for sure, seeing as I couldn't even see my own outstretched hands. I shuffled along the edges of the place until my fingers found some curtains. I opened it, letting in the lights from the brightly lit street. It was far from enough, but at least we could see now. Sorta.

I told Meg what I really thought-- that she was a great dancer-- and she replied, "You really think so?" I was so surprised that she thought I was just saying it to be polite that I was struck dumb. My brief pause probably made her think I was trying not to lie or something. So she said, "But thank you either way," smiling."No, no. I mean it, really. Anyone could see that," I said quickly.

"Yes, I've been dancing since I could walk. My mother put together the dances at the Paris Opera House so... Kind of hand to get into it, you know? but it's fun. It doesn't take much to know about it, to be perfectly honest. I never had ballet explained to me. Dancing, yes, of course. But never a ballet like the one I just did. But I find it'd kinda like a play or movie without speaking, you know? Like it still tells a story...like if you turn off the sound on the TV and watch it."

I listened, nodding a couple of times. Somewhere around the last sentence, I smiled. It was pretty easy to get Meg talking-- about dance, at least. I had to remember to tell that to Soda.