| Details for The Big Play |
| Summary: | Theodore finally gathers the muster to take Ajax on a proper date to the movies. |
| Date: | Dec. 29, 1937 |
| Location: | Embassy Cinema |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Embassy Cinema London
Sat Dec 29, 1937 ((Thu Nov 29 02:34:48 2012)) (C,3)
The Embassy Cinema is one of the oldest as well as poshest cinemas in London. Throughout the years two smaller, traditional auditoriums have been added to the real gem of the Embassy, its main theatre. The main auditorium clearly shows its beginnings as a traditional theatre. The 500 seats, overstuffed and upholstered in red leather, provide much more space than the seats in modern movie houses and are arranged in a fan around the front three thirds of the thrust stage. Immediately behind the highly decorative proscenium arch, which depicts bas-relief scenes out of Greek mythology, red velvet curtains close in front of the movie screen. The screen itself can be pulled up into the fly space to allow the forty foot stage to be used for its original purposes making this space as good a venue for theatre plays and ballet concerts as it is for movie presentations. Adding to the aura of old-time luxury the auditorium is illuminated by old gas-light sconces lined along walls covered in dark golden crushed velvet wallpaper. The sconces have been retrofitted to use modern light bulbs that imitate flames and are also used to illuminate the two small balconies above stage right and stage left.
Theodore has been rather excitable the entire time at the theatre. Upon meeting Ajax in the lobby, Theodore had bought the other boy his ticket, popcorn and bottle of sarsaparilla. Theodore was a little bouncy with excitement, and he let slip that he watched this movie seven times in the last four days, and couldn't wait to share it with Ajax. He is, however, good, and doesn't spoil anything (though he does point out the cameo by the director while in the theatre). As they leave, he's smiling widely, "That was bloody brilliant! Wasn't it aces, Blue?"
Ajax has the air about him of one who has experienced something new and significant. "You know, I've never been to a muggle movie before? Mum doesn't approve of them because they're supposedly going to stunt my imagination or something like that." He grins, then, and notes, "But it was SO not like that! It got you thinking all the way through, wondering if they'd make it or if they wouldn't! It was grand fun."
Theodore stops walking, and gets in front of Ajax. "Wait. SERIOUSLY?" He looks shocked. "You've NEVER been?" He shakes his head a little, "How have you lived?"
Ajax shrugs a bit. "My parents are… odd like that. I guess that's one reason why I read a lot of books, yeah? It's exciting stories and all that. This seems a lot like the same thing but with pictures and all."
Theodore nods, "You HAVE to see the Frankenstein picture!" He smiles widely, excited again. "I had no idea you'd never— I have a print of it back at school!" He bounces a little on his heels, "I love the poetic way pictures can make the viewer have feelings without realizing it. It's manipulative, but in a way that everyone wants it to be, and in a way that's just a little different for every person!"
"Eh, everything's manipulative," Ajax says. "Poetry's supposed to do the same thing. This just uses pictures and music—and what's wrong with that? It's creating an experience. I like it. And I'd love to see that movie! Is it the same Frankenstein as the muggle book? I read that, once. It was pretty exciting, actually. Do you think their science could really ever do that sort of thing?"
Theodore continues to smile, "Nothing's wrong with that! I do it with my poetry too," he says, not even realizing he just admitted that. "It's fantastic! You know, we all have to use magic to make our pictures move. But that?" He shakes his head in a bit of awe, "THAT'S real magic." He sighs, "Anyway, yeah. It's based on the book. It's why I've been trying to read it." He shrugs, "I dunnow. I mean, science ain't my thing I guess, but… Seems unlikely."
"Wonder what would happen if you combined muggle science and magic?" Ajax muses, and then he laughs. "Probably be a total disaster! Anyhow, it was a brilliant thing, that film. I think I quite like cinema." He steps a bit closer, tilting his head to one side. "And… you never told me you write poetry." He blushes a bit, adding, "I think that's really impressive. I like to read it, but I can't write any that's not rubbish."
Theodore suddenly blushes as well, and he looks away, "Um…" He shrugs a little, "I um… I'm not very good, so…" He shrugs a second time, and looks back at Ajax. He stares at him for a moment, trying to decide if he should tell him the poem Ajax's owl delivered was from him. He scratches the back of his neck, and then just moves on, blurting out the change of subject, "My mum is an actress."
"Yeah?" Ajax asks. "That must be pretty exciting. Does she make a lot of films?" He bumps up against Theodore a bit, flashing him a grin, and attempts to steer them along the street away from the cinema, just to see where they end up drifting to. "My mum writes books, but they're the really dull kind. How to throw better garden parties, that sort of thing."
Theodore begins walking again when prodded, and he shrugs, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Actually, she's a stage actress. Pretty famous one, actually. Celine DuPont. You might of heard of her?" He shrugs once more, "We have a lot of parties at the house with her famous friends. A lot of them are muggles, and a few have been folks who are in the pictures." He looks at Ajax as they walk, "I think creating is wonderful, even if it's the dull kind, Blue. Give her more credit," he suggests kindly, and smiles.
Ajax smiles a bit crookedly at this. "Well, stage is impressive in its own way. They have to remember so much and get it right every time! I'll guess they get to do things over in film, like with taking pictures. And I love Mum, and I'm glad she has her books, but I just hate tea parties and garden parties and all that bollocks about what you have to do, where you have to sit, what fork you have to use—you know what I mean? Can't say anything honest, can't do anything loud. Just pretend you're totally normal."
Theodore laughs, "You ARE normal, Blue. Sorry to break it to you." He grins, "So…" He walks a few more steps, "…can… Can I ask your thoughts about somethin'?"
"Tell that to my mum! She doesn't think I'm proper at all." He shrugs it off, though, and cocks an eyebrow at the question. "Sure. What's on your mind, then? I'm happy to listen."
Theodore laughs again, "Proper? No no no. I said NORMAL." He gives Ajax a playful shove with his shoulder. "Anyway… I've been thinking…" He shoves his hands even deeper into his pant pockets and looks off down the sidewalk. "I'm considering quittin' the team…"
Ajax laughs a little, rebounding from the shove but keeping his balance easily enough. "Yeah, yeah," he says, but then he turns more serious at the mention of quitting. "Yeah? Well… do you think you'd be happier if you did? I mean, that's what's important, right?"
Theodore sighs, "I was just…" He stops walking again, and he shakes his head, "They turned their back on me. I'm not a quitter, but… Maybe I'm not the Chaser I thought I was. Father always said to focus on my studdies- not that he's talking to me right now -but… Well… Mum got me a camera for Christmas and… I was kind of thinking maybe instead of quidditch I might… kinda…" He looks away, and speaks a little more quiet, "…make…pictures…" Then he slowly looks at Ajax, his brow raising worriedly, as if worried he needs approval.
Ajax's eyesbrows lift, and he smiles some. "Well, you're not a quitter if you decide you're not enjoying the game. You're being true to yourself and all that—and that's important in magic, so why not in life? Anyway, photography's brilliant! Everyone loves pictures, and you could do some pretty exciting stuff to get the good sort. I think it sounds worth trying, at least!"
Theodore smiles, looking relieved. "Actually… it's kind of a… motion picture camera…" He smiles.
"Wow, really?" Gabe asks, looking doubly impressed. "Do they even HAVE wizarding cinema? You could probably do some REALLY impressive stuff with magic, too. Wow, that would be amazing! You should definitely do it."
Theodore laughs, and shakes his head, "No way! No magic! That would ruin it!" He smiles, "Besides, if there was magic, the Ministry might have my head." He shrugs, "Supposedly, it's enchanted, so it'll work back at Hogwarts. I thought maybe I'd make a picture when we got back to school."
Ajax shakes his head a bit, grinning. "No magic? But that's my only useful skill! How'm I going to help you make films if I can't contribute?" He elbows Theodore in the side. "Of COURSE you've got to make a picture! It'll be such fun!"
Theodore seems a little embarrassed at the approval, but also relieved, and he begins to walk again. "Thanks. That's… Thanks." He walks a few more feet, and then he stops, looking at Ajax once more. "You're really aces, Blue." He smirks a bit, "I… Thanks."
Smiling a bit lopsidedly, Ajax gives a rolling shrug. "Well, one tries? You're pretty decent, yourself." He stands there for a moment, hands in pockets, and seems unsure what else to say for now.
Theodore lifts his brow, "Oh? Decent?" He tilts his head a bit, looking the other boy right in the eyes.
Ajax nods solemnly, meeting Theo's gaze. "Quite so, very decent." The corners of his lips curl slightly into a smile. "What, were you hoping for a bit more than that?"
Theodore nods, and he takes a rather confident step into Ajax's personal space. "Yeah," he says, and then gently pushes Ajax back the couple feet so his back is up against the building. "I was." And then he leans his head down, and if Ajax allows, gently kisses the other boy on the lips.
Ajax's eyes widen slightly at the little push, but then he picks up on where things are going. He leans up into the gesture hopefully, and once their lips touch he almost seems to melt against Theo, a little sigh of exultation escaping his throat. Once they part, he has a new light to his eyes. Something has undoubtedly been kindled, here. "Now that," he says very softly, "That was aces."
Theodore smirks, definitely pleased he wasn't pushed away. He lingers there another minute, just looking at the other teen, before he blinks and kind of snaps out of whatever little moment of happy he was stuck in. "…thanks."
Ajax's smile fades only slightly when the moment passes, and he shuffles his feet slightly, suddenly unsure of what to say or do that won't somehow spoil the moment. "Um. I really feel like I should have something clever to say right now, but I'm pretty well at a loss."
Theodore continues to just grin, "Say you'd like to try it again some time." He shrugs, "It's what I'd say." Then he gives Ajax a reassuring smile, "Coffee?"
Ajax's grin resurfaces, and he gestures down the road a bit. "Coffee. Brilliant! And— yes, I'd definitely like to try it again sometime. Anytime, really. Honestly, just walk into class sometime, pull me out of my seat, and— " he pauses, blushing suddenly, and shakes his head. "Bloody hell! Sneaks up on you, all this fluttery heart business. Um. Sorry."
Theodore laughs, and glances at Ajax as he begins to walk towards the cafe. "Fluttery heart?" He smiles widely. "I like that." They walk a few more steps, and as he stares at the coffee shop ahead, he says, "Grace of lips, gently brush though outside eyes judge unworldly, words lost, drowned in flushed cheeks and fluttered hearts…" He smiles again. "That wasn't your first, was it?"
This draws a dark look from Ajax. "First I care to remember, anyway. That useless git, Gareth…" He sighs, though and shrugs. "He kissed me once. It wasn't— I didn't like it. He was trying to force the issue." He smiles just a little. "I can safely say that this was my first PROPER kiss —definitely the one I'll have on my mind." A moment's pause, and he adds, "Also, I liked that. Did you just make that bit up on the spot?"
Theodore smiles at Ajax, "Maybe we'll have an improper one sometime," he says playfully. When asked about the poetry, he shrugs it off, shoving his hands in his pockets once more. The boy who couldn't read or write shakes his head a little, "Yeah… It wasn't anything really…"
Ajax reaches out impulsively to link arms with Theodore, leaning against him slightly. "THAT could be VERY interesting," he declares. "And you might call that not anything, but I call it lovely—never had anyone make up poetry for me before."
Theodore shrugs again, but doesn't at all make any attempt to be further away from Ajax. "It's all up here," he says, tapping the side of his head. "I just feel it, it makes sense. Damned if I can't write it down, though." He sighs as they near the cafe.
"I'll bet you could record it, though," Ajax speculates. "You could use your camera or get one of those sound recording machines. I wonder if there's a spell to transcribe words to parchment? I'll have to find out. Besides, I think part of what made it nice was hearing you say it. I'm—well, I'm fond of your voice, you know."
Again, the taller boy shrugs, "Maybe… I dunnow… I mean," Theodore sighs another time, "I worry folks will think I'm dumb." He looks at Ajax, "Poetry ain't really all that tough, ya know?" the jock notes.
Ajax snorts. "You kidding? I'm pretty book-smart, and I can't write poetry! You're a lot more talented than I am at that. Just because it's easy for you doesn't mean it's easy for others. You're just GOOD at it." He grins a bit, reaching up to poke Theo lightly in the chest. "Face it. You're talented, and you're not just an athlete."
Theodore rolls his eyes, "It's easy for you to say that, Blue. I mean… I dunnow… Quidditch was my life. It's all I really know. This is all so… different." He smiles at Ajax, "Not bad. Just, new."
"So you're doing something new," Ajax says. "It's an adventure. I know how it is! Up until this term, I was just the gifted screw-up. All I spent my time doing was coming up with new ways to bend the rules. Now I'm… doing this whole 'well-behaved prefect' thing. It's pretty weird, but I'm actually still enjoying school."
Theodore laughs at Ajax as they arrive at the coffee shop and head inside. "Yeah. I been meanin' to talk to you about that. I was thinkin'. Maybe we should bend a few rules. There's a set of twins I wouldn't mind causin' some trouble against. I could use a good sidekick."
Ajax smiles a bit ruefully. "It sounds fun, but I'd feel pretty horrible about myself if I screwed up being a prefect. I mean, it's the only thing I've ever really done that I'm actually proud of. Even my mum got excited about it. Breaking rules is pretty much the kiss of death for that."
Theodore nods, "Okay okay… You're loss, Blue." He grins, "The only thing, huh?" He shakes his head, "You're smart. You're funny. You're talented. Surely you're proud of something else?"
"I'm smart," Ajax admits, "but I'm not good at anything really useful or interesting. And I'm not really that talented, and loads of people are funnier than me. I've always been kind of hopeless at anything important, except for this." He smiles some. "Actually, I'm pretty baffled over why you bother with me at all, but I'm not complaining!"
"It's your hair," Theodore responds flatly. Then he tosses Ajax a smile, indicating he's kidding. "Anyway, you sell yourself short. I was told you're aces at charms."
"Oh, that," Ajax says, shrugging off the charms and the blue hair. "I'm good in that subject, yeah, but I don't DO anything with it. It doesn't matter if I'm good at charms unless it's good FOR something. You know what I mean?"
Theodore nods, "Well… Maybe you should be an Auror. That's pretty bad ass, you know." He smiles, and shrugs as they reach the counter, "Order whatever. I've got it…"
Ajax orders a coffee with cream and sugar, looking thoughtful at the idea of being an auror. "Maybe. It just— it sounds like that would mean a lot of fighting, wouldn't it? I don't really like to fight."
Theodore tilts his head, "Fighting's sexy." He gets a coffee for himself, just sugar, and pays the fellow. "Well, I'd think charms would open a few doors at the Ministry, if not Auror, something else?"
That seems to surprise Ajax. "Sexy? Why's it sexy? I mean, I think riding broomsticks and being— well, being you basically —is pretty sexy, but what's sexy about fighting?" He's so focused on the question, he hardly seems to realize it might be awkward to so bluntly declare his opinion of Theo's appeal.
Theodore lifts his brow and stops for just a moment. "Me?" He smirks a little, "I um… heh… hmmm." He walks over to a table and sits. "I dunnow why. Just is. Risking pain and yourself. Fighting for what you believe in. Because it's the right thing to do." The jock who's been in his fair share of hall fights shrugs, "I dunnow. Maybe it's the chaser in me."
"Of course you! You're sex on legs!" Ajax declares, going over to snag a seat. Once he's settled, he continues, "And I'd fight for something important, but then that's why it's noteworthy— I hate fighting, but an important thing is WORTH fighting over, you know?"
Theodore blushes at that, and he looks around, chuckling a little, but also kind of embarassed. "I'm… I'm not, sheesh…" He shakes his head, and looks back at Ajax. "I get it. I do." He shrugs, "Well… I mean, we're kind of nearing that point where we need to figure out what we do with ourselves after 'Warts. It's tough to be an auror. You have to be smart like you." He rolls his eyes, "Anyway, it's fine." And he smiles, "Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll be brilliant." He takes a drink of his coffee. "Thanks for comin' out here today, Blue."
Ajax smiles, nodding with the declaration about making decisions. "I figure I've got next year to figure it out at least, then I can try to make it happen in my last year." And then he blushes a bit, leaning forward over his coffee. "I was really glad to. Thanks for having me—and, well, everything. It's been lovely."