Glass Skin (Discontinued.)

02

The man in front of Fleurette spoke with extra exaggeration. Every now and again he'd wave his arms around, she thought this action was to try and get emphasis across of his words. "Sir?" Fleurette said in broken English, the man looked shocked for a moment. After all this was the first word she'd spoke since walking through the theatre doors. In fact Fleurette noted it was the first word she'd ever spoken in English.

"Yes?" The man replied.

Fleurette shifted her suitcase from hand to hand musing over her words, "I," she pointed at herself. "Understand you," she pointed at him. "To a point." She confessed, it was the truth. His earlier words went in one ear and out the other, Fleurette had little clue what he was saying, that was his fault though because his accent was thick and he spoke so quickly.

"Well I guess that is something," sweeping a hand through blonde curly hair, he aimed his blue eyes up at the ceiling before looking down at her. "You dance?"

"Yes." Fleurette nodded.

"Do you sing?"

"No."

"Just a dancer?"

"Yes." Fleurette answered again, the fact that he was keeping his questions as short as possible and repeating them slightly was annoying. Annoying and patronising, Fleurette noted.

The man rubbed a hand thoughtfully on a lightly stubbled chin and looked at her. "Perhaps there is a place for just a dancer." He smiled kindly, Fleurette smiled too although she was a little confused. "You all good to dance now?" He questioned, Fleurette looked down at her case and then up at him. She nodded slowly, he smiled again and gestured a hand to follow him. "The names Carter," he looked over his shoulder at her, "Jerry Carter, your name?"

"Fleurette."

"Pretty name." Jerry smiled and sat down slowly in a seat, gesturing to the stage he smiled. "Just stick your shoes on and get going." Fleurette shifted and awkwardly walked away from his side and up the stairs.

His rather blunt and forward nature was a little off-putting. Standing in the wings, Fleurette looked around. This theatre was no different to the one back in France, only this one was obviously not haunted, or was it by an actual ghost, who knows. It was quiet, quiet and still and Jerry seemed to be the only person present at the moment.

Putting her case down and pulling her cloak off, Fleurette rummaged for her shoes, pulling a face at how battered they looked she slipped them on. It was a little daunting, Fleurette could freely admit to that, the last time she tried out somewhere she was with Eleanor. Now standing on her own, Fleurette could openly admit to herself that she was scared. Walking forward lightly she stopped in the centre of the stage; an audience for one smiled warmly up at her. All right, first thoughts were getting washed away. Despite his blunt nature, Jerry also seemed like a rather nice person.

"When you're ready, Fleurette." He leaned back in his chair, Fleurette nodded and turned on her heels she turned a few more times before walking off of the stage.

There was one performance needed to be done to nail herself a new job which would earn decent enough money, hopefully. One performance came to mind which would, with any luck, get her the new job she so desperately needed. That one performance was also the only performance she managed to do once, her solo was getting performed overseas, there was a small sense of pride in that knowledge.

"So, does Miss Fleurette have a last name?" Jerry questioned while handing Fleurette a glass of water. She looked like she needed it after that show of her skills, she still stood heaving quiet breaths a little. Jerry could freely admit, she was definitely a skilled dancer, that was for sure. He sat and processed what he had seen for a few moments, before jumping into action and grabbing her a drink. She took it slowly from his hands and nodded slowly, "That's your cue to tell me it." Jerry laughed lightly.

"Bousquet." Fleurette smiled and then frowned numerous times when Jerry tried to pronounce it. After failing several times he grinned at her.

"Perhaps I'll just stick to calling you Fleurette." Jerry stated.

"Perhaps that's a good idea." Fleurette spoke slowly, English was an interesting language. Things said in the language sounded so different to her native tongue.

"Here," Jerry handed her a piece of paper, she looked it over and then up at him, in truth she hadn't even clocked him having it in his hands when he came towards her with a glass in hand. The cooling water had all of her attention. "Come back here this time tomorrow and we'll start practises, how does that sound?"

"Good."

"Great!" Jerry grinned again, "Well I have places to be, I am afraid to say I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Jerry turned from her side and took to walking down the stairs of the stage, his jacket was still left in the chair he had thrown it in, and that was grasped up quickly.

Fleurette smiled and slowly drunk more of the water before looking miffed, Jerry just waved his hand to signal to leave it anywhere; chances are and were he would return here, he could just put it away when he come back later. She felt bad for just leaving it on the edge of the stage, but she did so before turning and picking her case up. The two of them exited the theatre together, Jerry smiled and locked up the doors before saying goodbye to her and then walking down the street.

Fleurette sighed and looked around, where was she meant to go? Carefully crossing the road she ducked into the alleyway where she last saw Erik and Giry. "Here," Meg popped up beside her and waved an apple in her direction. Fleurette frowned, where she just appeared from was a mystery. There was a slightly agitated look on her face, Fleurette took the fruit from her hand and looked at it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," Meg nodded and quickly pulled Fleurette down the street, she let out a startled sound from the sudden action. "We found somewhere to stay," she looked over her shoulder in Fleurette's direction.

"You got sent back here to get me?" Fleurette questioned simply, her expression still troubled over why her friend was being so short with her, when before she seemed as peachy as ever.

"Yes."

"Meg, what is wrong?" Fleurette asked while the two of them turned the corner of a the street and walked up to a darkened building. It didn't look all too welcoming, that much Fleurette could quite simply state. Looked like it should've been haunted, heck, it looked more haunted than the two theatres she had been performing in...not that she was getting too carried away counting the one Jerry managed as number two on her list.

"Mother and him had an argument, it was horrid."

"Horrid?"

"Things got a little verbal." Meg confessed while pushing open the door, Fleurette looked around the building and frowned. As if the squeaky door didn't help matters with it giving off the air of haunted, the inside seemed to just hit that right home; hollowed out, empty and void of life being within it for quite some time. Fleurette swore she heard the wind whistling through an open window, or broken window off to the side somewhere.

"Is this place safe?"

"No, it's apparently been condemned. In that case it seems fit for us to inhabit it, if only for a little while. Do not look so hesitant, Fleur!" Meg laughed and twirled in the foyer. The floor was dusty and parts of the tiles were chipped and broken. Meg's movement just kicked up clouds of motes, and somehow her feet daintily missed all the broken tiles so she didn't trip or stumble; it'd like she'd been missing those cracked pieces for years. "Look at the size of this place! It's huge! Think of all the rooms we can explore!"

"What was this place used as?"

"Does it matter?"

"Curious is all." Fleurette smiled and gave a shrug. Putting her case down the two linked hands and twirled slowly in the foyer. Both of them laughed happily but then ended up trying to walk, only they almost fell over from being dizzy.

—

(Edited: 9/Oct/2023)