First Rehearsal: 4:45 PM
"Alright, let's try this again." Hanji said to Reiner, Ymir, Bertholdt and Eren who were on stage. They had run the Mercutio and Tybalt death scene five times already and the reason they kept redoing it... was because of Eren. The smaller boy went back to his place on one side while Ymir made her way to the other side. "Bertholdt, can you recite your line before Tybalt comes in?" Hanji asked the tallest male.
Bertholdt nodded. "Y-Yes Miss Hanji." He glanced down at his script. Then he glanced back up, pointing off stage.
"By my head, here come the Capulets!"
Reiner waved his hand dismissively, "By my heel, I care not."
Eren's delivery was normal at first confidant even if a bit shaky,
"Follow me close, for I will speak to them. Gentlemen, good den: a word with one of you."
Reiner scoffed and turned to face Eren,
"And but one word with one of us? couple it with something; make it a word and a blow."
Eren scowled, but it was hard to tell if he was acting or not.
"You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you will give me occasion."
Reiner turned his head away once more,
"Could you not take some occasion without giving?"
Eren spoke calmly, for once,
"Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo,--"
Reiner abruptly interrupted,
"Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!"
Bertholdt leaned into Reiner's right side and spoke quietly, but loud enough for the audience to hear. "We talk here in the public haunt of men: Either withdraw unto some private place, And reason coldly of your grievances, Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us."
Reiner turned from Bertholdt and took a step towards Eren,
"Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze; I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I."
Ymir enters from one side of the stage and approaches the others while Eren regains his composure and speaks,
"Well, peace be with you, sir: here comes my man."
Reiner stepped in front of Ymir with a scowl,
"But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery: Marry, go before to field, he'll be your follower; Your worship in that sense may call him 'man.'"
Eren lightly pushed Reiner away from Ymir with the back of his hand,
"Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford no better term than this,--thou art a villain."
Ymir frowned and shook her head,
"Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting: villain am I none; Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not."
Eren put his hand on his prop sword and got close to Ymir's face,
"Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw."
Ymir backed away from Eren her hands up in a submissive position,
"I do protest, I never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love: And so, good Capulet,--which name I tender as dearly as my own,--be satisfied."
Reiner gave a dissatisfied snarl and placed himself between Eren and Ymir, his sword drawn,
"O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! Alla stoccata carries it away. Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?"
Eren's hand gripped around his prop,
"What wouldst thou have with me?"
Reiner began to walk circles around Eren with his sword drawn as he recited his lines,
"Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out."
Eren nodded, and before he could help it a grin came across his face, "I am for you."
The small brunet advanced and began fighting Reiner before he was fully prepared, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Ymir chose to continue with her lines,
"Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up."
Reiner ignored Ymir's line and continued to fight Eren,
"Come, sir, your passado."
Ymir closed the gap between herself and Bertholdt,
"Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons. Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage! Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath forbidden bandying in Verona streets: Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!"
Eren aggressively stabbed Reiner with something like a victory cry rising from him.
Reiner fell and held his side before reciting his line almost breathlessly,
"I am hurt. A plague o' both your houses! I am sped. Is he gone, and hath nothing?"
Bertholdt rushed over to Reiner and knelt down beside him, pretending to help the blond sit up. The v-fringed male looked concerned. "What, art thou hurt?"
Reiner leaned against Bertholdt as he sat up still clutching his side,
"Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough. Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon."
Ymir dropped to her knees beside Reiner,
"Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much."
Reiner grasped Ymir's arm with his free hand,
"No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough,'twill serve: ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o' both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death! a braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm."
Ymir lowered her head and spoke quietly,
"I thought all for the best."
Reiner scowled and clutched to Bertholdt,
"Help me into some house, Benvolio, Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses! They have made worms' meat of me: I have it, And soundly too: your houses!"
Ymir walked to the front of the stage solemnly,
"This gentleman, the prince's near ally, My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt In my behalf; my reputation stain'd with Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet, Thy beauty hath made me effeminate And in my temper soften'd valour's steel!"
While Ymir was speaking her monologue, Bertholdt had pretended to help Reiner walk across the stage as if to get him to a house. It wasn't until Reiner pretended to stumble and fall down dead at the end of her line that Bertholdt stood up and raced over to Ymir. He grasped her shoulders and swung her around to face him. If she looked closely, she could actually see tears in his eyes. "O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead! That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds, Which too untimely here did scorn the earth."
Ymir stared in silence at Bertholdt for a moment before sadly reciting her line,
"This day's black fate on more days doth depend; This but begins the woe, others must end."
Bertholdt wiped his head around quickly, fear forming on his tanned face. "Here comes the furious Tybalt back again."
Ymir turned to look at where Eren entered, she gritted her teeth and grabbed Reiner's fallen sword from the stage. She spoke furiously,
"Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain! Away to heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!"
Ymir approached Eren the few inches she had over his height helped her look more intimidating than usual.
"Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again, That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep him company: Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him."
Eren paused at first, and attempted to match her eye level,
"Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, Shalt with him hence."
Ymir placed the sword near Eren's neck,
"This shall determine that."
Eren once again let out a battle cry and began the fight scene. Ymir delivered the killing blow multiple times, but Eren refused to stop fighting.
"I stabbed you! Go down!" Ymir demanded.
"I will not die this day!" Eren yelled back.
Hanji sighed. "Eren, please just die. This is why we did this scene five times. Just do it..."
"Never!" Eren continued to go aggressively at Ymir who at this point had given up and was just blocking his blows.
Reiner looked out from the curtain, "Eren, if I die so do you. Now die."
While Eren was distracted by Reiner's presence, Ymir caught his foot with hers and tripped him. "There. He's dead and we can move on."
Hanji mouthed the words 'thank you' to Ymir and then nodded. "Alright, we can continue."
Ymir gave her a brief nod, "Alright, Bertholdt it's your line."
Bertholdt gave her a sharp nod. Then he proceeded, sounding fearful and worried.
"Romeo, away, be gone! The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain. Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death, if thou art taken: hence, be gone, away!"
Ymir started to walk off the stage, but looked to the place where Reiner lay
"O, I am fortune's fool!"
Bertholdt put all of his fear into his line hear, he felt his heart banging in his chest.
"Why dost thou stay?!"
Ymir paused and looked at Bertholdt for a moment before rushing off stage.
As the scene ended, Hanji began to clap. "Bravo! Wonderful job you four!" Then, she glanced over at the clock. It was 5:00 PM now. "Alright everyone, we're done for today!"
Reiner got up and sauntered over to his friend, "Good job today Bertl."
Bertholdt glanced up to his friend and smiled awkwardly. "Thanks Reiner. Same to you."
"Thanks man!" Reiner grabbed his backpack, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow!" The v-fringed male waved to his best friend.
"Wait! One more thing everyone!" Hanji exclaimed from her spot in front of the stage. "Before you guys leave, we are starting with the balcony scene first thing tomorrow! Just a heads up!"
Ymir stopped in her tracks for a moment. Oh no. Why that scene of all the scenes?! That meant she was going to have to "A-Alright, sounds good!"
Krista squealed happily. "This is going to be fun! I love the balcony scene! It's my favorite scene in the entire play!"
"It's my favorite too!" Marco added looking to Krista. "It's the most famous scene in all of Shakespeare!"
Annie, as she was walking by, noticed Ymir's tenseness and made her way over to her. "You alright? You're shaking a little bit." She asked in her monotoned voice.
"Perfectly fine," Ymir chuckled lightly trying to diffuse the situation and make herself seem calm and collected.
Annie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. It's just the balcony scene. Nothing to worry about." Ymir shrugged, but was internally screaming.
"..Okay.." With that, Annie walked out. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya'" Ymir gave her a small wave before sighing, "Crap."
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YAY EREN DIED (IN THE SCENE NOT IN THE ACTUAL ANIME)
Get ready for lots of YUMIKURI IN THE NEXT CHAPTER