All life is a Stage...

[Taffy]

Ricki watched as Heather got up and started her scene. Heather was an amazing actress as well, but Ricki'd always thought she was holding herself back a bit - but seeing Ricki did the same, she wasn't really one to say anything. She pushed the thought out as she concentrated on Heather's performance, Ricki's eyes had begun watering slightly during the performance - though, Ricki wasn't too sure as to weather that was because of the acting, or due to the fact that she just didn't like to see people crying.

Either way, Ricki burst out into a round of applause once Heather was done, a grin streched across her face as she whooped at the fellow blonde. "Way to go hun!" she cheered on, her grin remaining on her face, She's getting a lot better,

[StormHawk]

For once, Gavin did go quiet when Heather started her performance instead of making a silly face to distract her. He sat back and watched her carefully, grimacing inwardly since he knew that it was more than just an act that those tears came. Though he did bother her like crazy, it was all affectionate and she was a close friend.

When she finished, Gavin joined in the loud clapping and voice his agreement with the crowd about how she was slowly coming out of her shell and not holding herself back as much as she did when the class started. "Nice once," he yelled and then brought both fingers to his mouth to let out a loud whistle.

While Gavin was still clapping, he leaned over to Shimmer to whisper to her. "Hey Short Stuff, eight-six the whole poking her in the head thing," he said and winked at her. I'll let her slide now and bug her more in Phys. Ed. He thought a half smile at her.

[Nightcrawler]

Nightcrawler stood to applaud and smiled slightly at Heather. "A tremendous release Akwah... vell done for zhis your best performance yet. I am very pleased to see you digging into yourself und showing us all zhe depth you have vissin you." He clapped for a moment or two more to allow her to feel the joy of a well played scene. Then he stood silent as he took his hands down from their applause and folded them behind his back.

"However, ve are today making zhe point of how an intro... an opening... can grab von off from zhe very edge of zheir seat. An 'A' for effort no doubt, but I am sorry you did not do as vas asked. Alzhough true, it vould have been a virtual impossibility for you to do zhat play's beginning, you might have chosen somesing else..." he nodded solemnly and said "please take your seat."

"It has been a funtastic class today, und as usual ve are just about out of time, so our final scene today eees goooooiiiiing toooooo gooooo..." he dragged out the words as he looked around at the bright faces staring back at him to chose who would finish off their performances today "...tooooo Ricki!" He smiled at her. "Let us feel please, miss Taffy... vhich ees in fact vhat zhe goal and objective of zhis exercise vas intended to address. zhe anticipation...zhe sheer joy or sorrow...zhe moment of....Zhe Beginning..." he flipped his right hand out toward the stage as if to say in gesture 'There it is- show us your stuff!'

[Taffy]

Ricki had her grin streched across her face as Nightcrawler commented on Heather's performance. Though, no sooner had he spoken the words that put her on the spotlight, did her smile shrink down to a rather shocked look. She was sorta hoping that Nightcrawler would skip her - seeing she wasn't one of the best actors, she was average. Fairly decent, she still quite a bit to improve - or so she thought anyway. Ricki had an ackward smile plastered on her face as she walked towards the stage, and looked out at everyone. "Umm, I hope it's okay that I'll be doing a scene from a book, instead of a play-" she bit her lip "- it's from one of my favourite fiction books, and it's from the point of view of a story teller... but the story teller is telling his own story, but as if he were someone else..." Ricki wasn't too sure if she'd made herself clear enough, but she went along with it anyway.

She took a deep breath, before she tried to get into Eragon's character. She composed her face to look straight, with a grim smile. She wasn't too good at displaying emotions, but what she was actually good at was using body language to express herself. "Imagine a dark night..." she called out, yet her voice was a whisper, "People - loads of people - hurdled around a small fireplace, under the shade of a magical tree..."

Ricki sank down, so that one of her legs was kneeling on the stage, and the other was bent, pressed close to her chest, her hand leaning upon it.

"In the kingdom by the sea,
In the mountains mantled blue,
On frigid winter's final day
Was born a man with but one task:
To kill the foe in Durza,
In the land of shadows." her voice was a low whisper, her expression was grim, yet she tried to add a slight twinkle to her eyes. Her hand that wasn't on her knee's continued to move whenever nessecary.

"Nurtured by the kind and wise
Under oaks as old as time,"

Ricki jumped up from her crouch-like position, her eyes now wild with excitement.

"He ran with deer and wrestled bears,
And from his elders learned the skills,
To kill the foe in Durza,
In the land of shadows."

She bent her knee's slightly, trying to compose her face to look mad and wild. Her hands came up besdies her as claws, as she began to side step towards her right.

"Taught to spy the thief in black
When he grabs the weak and strong;
To block his blows and fight the fiend
With rag and rock and plant and bone;
And kill the foe in Durza,
In the land of shadows."

She stopped side stepping, her hands dropped by her side as she spun around on one foot. During her turn she changed her expression to look... sadder.

"Quick as thought, the years did turn,
'Til the man had come of age,
His body burned with fevered rage,
While youth's impatience seared his veins."

She pushed herself upright, bringing her body together, to look more composed as a twinkle entered her eyes, the sadness remaining.

"Then he met a maiden fair,
Who was tall and strong and wise,
Her brow adorned with Gëda's Light,
Which shone upon her trailing gown.
In her eyes of midnight blue,
In those enigmatic pools,
Appeared to him a future bright,
Together, where they would not have
To fear the foe in Durza,
In the land of shadows."

She tried to make her face look more empty now... as if all the emotion from the world had gone, she pressed her lips together, as she lowered herself back to the ground, as she continued to recite;

"In the dark before the dawn,
In the room where slept the man,
The foe, he crept and loomed above
His mighty rival now so weak.
From his pillow did the man
Raise his head and gaze upon
The cold and empty face of Death,
The king of everlasting night."

Ricki looked down, her face half visible to her audience.

"Calm acceptance filled the man's
Aged heart; for long ago,
He'd lost all fear of Death's embrace,
The last embrace a man will know."

When she looked back up, the madness was back in her face.

"Gentle as a morning breeze,
Bent the foe and from the man
His glowing, pulsing spirit took,
And thence in peace they went to dwell,
Forevermore in Durza,
In the land of shadows."

She held her stance for the next five seconds, before she got back up, her ackward smile returning on her face as she spoke. "Hope that was okay," she muttered as she walked away from the stage, heading back towards her seat.

[Allure]

Again, Veronika clapped for the Ricki, the next performer halfway in earnest. She could have picked a much better scene, but then again not everyone can be as brilliant as me. I chose a scene no one else would have the courage to do, and I played it out brilliantly as usual. Anything is better than that flea bitten bag of bones. That is the most disgusting mutation, to make bones come out of you. I hope she gets osteoporosis. "That was rather cute, it had a ring to it yes?" she asked Heather and continued clapping till Ricki sat down.

Her tummy grumbled quietly and her hand flew to her stomach. "Oh my, it is certainly lucky that it is time to leave now. I believe my stomach knows it is lunch time as well," Veronika said with a giggled to her friends. "I knew I smelled lunch being cooked," she said with another giggle and rubbed her stomach cutely.

[Aqua]

Swallowing her tears, Heather smiled happy she was able to achieve what she so desperately struggled with. She returned the "cape" to its rightful place and then went back to her seat. She was extremely content with herself and proud too. Especially since everyone seemed to like it.

Once Ricki went, Heather clapped for her friend. Though the Acolyte wasn't good, she wasn't bad either and she did try. Plus Ricki was Heather's friend so she was supportive like she wanted to be. "She did a good job," she replied to her best friend. "Whooo!"

After the last performance was done, Heather looked to Veronika and listened to her speak. Lunch sounded pretty great right about now, plus it would make her feel way better. "You guys want to join us for lunch?" she asked. She looked to Ricki, Torri and Gavin, the usual group. Sky and Lian were always welcome, but the two of them enjoyed to do their own thing most of the time. They still knew it was an open invitation coming from Heather.

[Decay]

"Oh man I love Eragon! That totally rocked! Sound all sad and spooky and stuff," Sky yelled clapping for Ricki, the girl she affectionately called 'Stretch.' She clapped until she caught a whiff of the food in the air. "Alright! Burger for lunch today! This rocks! Chase is gonna flip, he loves it when we get burgers. I'm totally gonna beat him this time, I'm extra hungry cause I forgot breakfast. I'm gonna have like ten burgers," Sky said outloud with a laugh as her stomach grumbled loudly.

"Hey Nightcrawler, are we good? I wanna get on the lunch line before Chase cause that fat ass takes all the good toppings for himself and makes me wait," she called loudly already packing up her books cause she was determined to beat Chase to the lunch line.

[Ripple]

Both performances were awesome, and Lian clapped even more for Heather. She was really glad that the water chick was able to get deeper into her artistic roots. The Paragon knew the girl could draw, very well at that. But when it came to acting, she just never quite got it. There was always potential but not greatness. What she just did was greatness.

"Time for the munchies to be dealt with," she said once everyone was already packing up to leave. Time was pretty much up in several minutes and no more performances were able to commence till the next day. "Sky let's head to the room first, gotta give ya something." She was reminding Sky of the cold ones she got from the fridge. Lian didn't care that they were Wolverines. So they had to do some chores or whatever, wasn't the end of the world. She just made sure her scent wasn't traceable to the extent. Course Lian was just talking out of her ass and knew the X-Men would find out anyway.