The 'Angels' of the Theatre House RP

[amypops]

Based on an idea me and my friend came up with for our Drama project (: Completely made up, but fun to act out.

London, England, 2015

The Theatre du Starlight, the most popular theatre in England. People flock from miles around to see productions staged on this legendary theatre. It is a grand theatre, with its walls lined with gold, and it's histories laid down in antiquity in the halls. However, since the Theatre House's grand opening, people have repeatedly complined of a myserious 'Angel' in the Theatre House, who has repeatedly appeared at the most awkward moments during performances.

He, or she, nobody really knows, is known for causing mischief around the Theatre, stealing actors props, distracting actors on stage, annoying the audience, the list goes on. They are also well knows for their amazing vanishing tricks, and the fact that they can be at the other side of the theatre in a split second.

Anything but an angel, arent they? The only reason they are called this is because of the paper wings they strap to their back, the pipe-cleaner halos they wear above their head, and the golden mask that adorns their face.

One day, a group of schoolchildren go on a guided tour of the theatre. A small group of them get bored, and escape from their group. They get lost, and nobody seems to notice they are missing. As night falls, and they are still hopelessly lost, they are about to find out the mystery of 'The Angel of the Theatre House'...

You see, this 'angel' isn't an angel at all. There is more than one, a small collection of orphans who have taken up residence in the theatre, all no older than 16, and all acrobats. Their numbers allow them to do their 'teleportation' trick, and the fact that they are all acrobats explains the 'vanishing' trick.

The 'angels', adiment on keeping their existance a secret (in fear of being thrown out into the streets), lock the children in the dark, gloomy backstage of the theatre, and then reveal themselves, swearing the children to secrecy. Then in a twist of fate, decide to show them round the theatre.

Name:
Nickname:
Age: (No older than 16)
Child or 'Angel'?:
Gender:
Looks:
Personality:
Other:

Heres my charrie:

Name: Lucy Fowler
Nickname: 'Fowler', Luce.
Age: 15
Child or 'Angel'?: Angel
Gender: Female
Looks: Brown hair that reaches her shoulders that is always tied up, blue eyes, quite small. she never seems to wear shoes, preferring to walk about the theatre barefoot.
Personality: She is generaly a quiet person, and doesn't talk to many people. She is quite hostile towards anyone who enters the 'angel's hiding spot, adiment that it is 'their Theatre House'. She can be quite violent to anyone who disagrees.
Other: Was brought in by an older 'angel'.

[Arcticrose]

Name:Emily Woodhouse
Nickname: Emma
Age:15
Child or 'Angel'?: Child then Angel
Gender: Female
Looks: Jet black curly hair that falls almost to her waist. Side swept bangs that always cover one of her piercing green eyes. Pale complexion and a heart shaped face. Average height and weight. Very beautiful but doesn't care enough to acknowledge it.
Personality: Very bubbly yet is somewhat evil. She is always excited when the chance to do something mischievous comes up. Loves to bug people and push their buttons. Extremely outgoing with an ominous presence.
Other: Someone will find her and bring her in.

[Qwill]

Name: Dianna Fisher
Nickname: None
Age: (No older than 16)14
Child or 'Angel'?:Child
Gender:Female
Looks:Dianna has messy medium length red hair and green eyes, she is short, lean and has big ears
Personality:She is daring and bold and pretty much gets into trouble a lot, and usually gets caught doing something wrong
Other:

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Name: Daryn MabydDraig
Nickname: "Dragon" firstly because his first name sounds like Dragon, and secondly because his surname is welsh for "son of the Dragon"
Age: (No older than 16) 14
Child or 'Angel'?: Angel
Gender: Male
Looks: Average height with messy, black hair which is a stark contrast to his white skin which is an almost translucent white after having spent years in the dark of the unlit Theatre. Half his face is disfigured, looking as though it was melting wax. It happened when he was a baby and he had been burnt with water. When people asked him what happened, he merely answers, "Polly put the kettle on, Daryn took it off..." He has a grey eye that always looks unsettled. When the accident happened that melted his face, he lost the eye on the side where the water had scalded him the worst.
Personality: Mischievous, and very friendly. Unerringly Loyal
Other: Every time someone recoils from the sight of his melted face, he feels worse and worse about his appearence. He knows that he can't help it, but he wishes he could hide from the world and keep to himself and those who accept him for the way he is.
((EEEEEP!!! Based on Phantom, eh?))

[PrettyInPointe]

Name: Quincinity (Cwin-sin-i-ty) Jackson
Nickname: Q or sometimes Quin
Age: 16
Child or 'Angel'?: Angel
Gender: Female
Looks: Extremely dark brown hair with a slightly red shine in the light. Light blue eyes and is average height and very skinny. Likes to wear her hair in two messy braids or p in a ponytail or bun, but never down.
Personality: Q isn't the have-fun-and-play kind of girl. She prefers to be serious and focused. She is very devious though, and likes to scheme often. She isn't quiet, she just isn't the most talkative out of the group, and she gets very angry if called her full name. She is sarcastic, and has a born-leader kind of attitude, when she talks people listen, and has been an angel for as long as anyone can remember.
Other: She came to the theatre when she was seven, after running away from home. Her mom and step-dad (real dad left) fought a lot, and she was often ignored. Her step-dad didn't like her. She wasn't happy, so she ran away, and went to the theatre. Has brought a lot of younger angels in.

[amypops]

Lucy hopped off the empty balcony onto the blood red seats in the stalls below. She stood still, making no noise, listening intently.

"Voices?" she asked herself, her whisper echoing in the empty auditorium. Clambering over seats towards the doors, she pressed her ear against the door. Yup, she was right. Voices. She listened some more, and her fears were comfirmed. "School trip? Damn..." she grumbled, running down the isle and scampering up on the stage, running backstage and calling out.

"Guys, we have a school trip! Nobody told us! Call themselves managers of the theatre?" she shouted, and was met by a few of her fellow friends who all lived backstage in the theatre. "Who's up for some mischief?"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Daryn "Dragon" popped his head up from a trap door to look about the room. The lights cast startling shadows on the melted side of his face. "Did someone say mischief?" he said as he climbed up out of the trap door and onto the stage, running up to Luce. "That's just what I've been waiting for. I'm so in!" he said, grinning madly.
As other angels came around, he looked around, happy to be a part of them. He looked back to Lucy, the one person in the Angels who he admired and respected the most. It was because of her that he was there with them.
"So, what's the plan?" He said, grinning mischievously, his eye sparkling at the prospects of being mischievous.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q looked up when Lucy came running back. Lucy had gone out to scout, and she had come back with reports of a school trip. "A school trip?" she said. "Oh, fantastic. Hm... We could cause a lot of trouble with school trip..." she said.

Q was getting images of curtains falling, the kids screaming, the teachers getting angry, blaming some unfortunate kids... "Oh yea. Mischief it is. Any ideas?" She asked. She had known most of the kids as long as they had been in the Angels group. At least one of them would have an idea.

[amypops]

"I haven't got much of a plan yet, but... by the sounds out there, I'd say theres about two classes of children, roughly thirty or forty kids, no doubt with an adult per class, and a tour guide or two. They will probably split into their two classes to see the rest of the theatre, making about fifteen to twenty per group, roughly. not a big crowd at all." Lucy mused, thinking hard about the amount of voices she heard outside the door.

"Who's up for a little bit of 'Angel visits'?" she giggled, hopping from foot to foot. "We havent used our little 'props' in a while"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Daryn grinned, his eye sparkling as he thought of many things. He looked up at the rigging at the top of the stage and then to the curtains. "Well," he said slowly, still thinking it out. "One of us could climb up into the light rigging and just, accidentally, of course, drop some of the lights, or we could bring down some of the curtains..."
Thoughts buzzed round Dragon's head as he pictured climbing up the ropes backstage and cutting loose some of the curtains. He then thought about the last time that people had intruded, and how someone had seen his face and screamed, promptly vomiting. "Or, we could show them my face," he said, bitterly.

[PrettyInPointe]

"Let's stick to the curtain idea." Q said to Daryn, sympathetically. She hated how he obsessed with his appearance. It wasn't that bad. And it could certainly be worse. "I like the light idea. God, I love climbing those riggings. And putting the lights under your face before you drop them, casting the freaky glow, oh it's so much fun. So we can do that. And I was also thinking about when the kids stay for lunch, if they stay for lunch, we could do something with that. It's always funny seeing the kids spit out their food in fear...." She said with a devious laugh.

[amypops]

Lucy gave Dragon a quick hug. "You dont have to if you dont want to." she told him, looking up to the curtains along with everyone else.

"Hmm, no doubt they will be in the auditorium, but its debatable if they will come up on stage. They will probably be backstage, so some havoc back there might be fun." she grinned.

"I wanna hop about the auditorium, hide in the boxes and balconies, shout out some stuff to them, maybe send a few notes?" she smirked evilly.

The last time there was a guided tour, she had sent a paper aeroplane to someone in the tour, and inside was a note telling them to leave, or the 'Angel' would get them. They promptly fainted. Luce laughed at the memory.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Daryn grinned as well. He liked the idea of climbing into the riggings. It was his favourite thing to do in the old theatre. He especially liked dropping things from the curtains. It was always funny to watch unsuspecting victims... er... kids screaming in terror at the havoc they always wreaked.
"What will we do at lunch, though?" he asked. He thought of the old costume area under the stage where they kept all the old costumes they'd found. "Y'know, dress me up in a cape and a half face mask, I could pass for a pretty decent Phantom, eh?"

[amypops]

"Oh, do you remember that time there was a production of the Phantom of the Opera on, and Dragon jumped on stage halfway through with his phantom costume, completely confusing the people on stage, and scaring the people backstage!?" Lucy laughed loudly.

Heck yeah, they were a bit mean, but they saw this as their revenge on life for being cruel to them and thrusing them onto the streets. Plus, they came here whilst the theatre was uninhabited, so technically, it was 'their theatre', people just came in and acted on the stage, took over the backstage rooms, and toured the place like it was some mseum or something.

[PrettyInPointe]

"That was hilarious!" Q remembered with a laugh. The people onstage looked at each other in confusion, and the people backstage were scared out of their wits. "Ooh... Phantom would work..." Q said, thoughtfully. "I can make a pretty good smoke bomb... Drop the bomb on the trapdoor, you appear out of the door, scare the crap out of the kids, then flash some light and you dissapear." She said, getting a smile on her face.

"We can even shove a broken mirror with a "leave" message written on it up behind you, so when you dissapear the mirror is there. Ooh, this will be fun." she said. "So we can do that at lunch, so everyone is in the same place. Of course, if you guys like the idea..."

[amypops]

"Heres hoping they decide to have lunch in the auditorium. Hey, they might think its a show... unless we succesfully creep the tourguides out, too! Shall I send them a note telling them to remember to mention the 'ghost stories', of us 'haunting' this theatre? Then they could get creeped out too, and the whole thing would be more creepy! hey, the word 'creep' was used a lot there... oh well, to continue that, we could creep around the place, tapping people on the back and stealing sandwiches and stuff, then doing our famous 'vanishing' act?" Luce asked, liking the sound of this more and more.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon laughed as he remembered that. "Yeah, that was fun." The light of mischief in his eye shifted to something else, like a deeper memory from that time. It had been fun, but when the audience had seen him, un-masked and looking like the phantom did, they had laughed, thinking it was make-up. It had been then that someone had realised that it wasn't make-up, and people had started screaming in terror. He winced as the memory hit him again.
"There's still a flight rigging here, from the performance run of Peter Pan, isn't there? If that's the case, we'll dress someone up as a more macabre angel, fly them across and someone can project some sort of ominous warning... THen POOF I appear as Phantom!"

[PrettyInPointe]

"Oh yea, they flying rig! That will be good..." She said. "So we can do the flying rig when the group comes into the theatre, stealing sandwhichs I can do, and are we doing the Phantom thing at lunch?" she said. Then she got an idea.

"Wait, you know how sometimes teachers take all the lunches with them in a big trash bag? Well, I can steal the bag, so if we have someone in the flying rig, they can have the bag and drop the lunch boxes..." she said. She didn't want to be mean, but remembering what happened to some of these kids, their parents abandoning them, the water burning Dragon's face, it made her plans fine with her.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon's eye sparkled at the prospect of the lunch box stuff. "Wait..." he said, getting their attention. "If there's any chocolate in the lunch boxes, I claim the Kit Kats!" he said, laughing with pure joy. "I'm really looking forward to doing my Phantom act again. Is there still that organ up in the syklorama? If so, someone can play the phantom theme and then we use a low light setting as a spotlight on the trap door, a smoke bomb goes off and I come up through the floor boards, laughing evilly. If there's still a working head-mic, then we can set it to echo loudly. Whaddya say, guys?"

[PrettyInPointe]

"Oh, this is gonna be good. Teach them to mess with our theatre!" She said, slapping high-fives with some of the other angels. "Okay, planning time. We'll have to get the flying rig out, and I can go steal the lunch boxes in a couple of seconds. The smoke bomb wont be hard to make, I just need some tin foil and some sparklers. Dragon and I can climb the riggings to drop the lights at the same time, to make sure they can't think of it as a coincidence, and then Luce can get the headsets, Phantom costume, and lights ready. Oh, and the mirror, and if you want Luce, you can drop the lunch boxes in the flying rig?"

[amypops]

((A cyclorama is a cloth or painted wall that acts as a screen to paint or project backgrounds, so I think the organ would be in the orchestra pit.. actually dont know where the organ woud go [soz, crazed drama student here :p]))

"I claim any bananas and milky ways or mars bars!" Luce giggled along with the plans. Completely childish, but in her mind, it was fine. "Also, doesnt that organ have a 'self play' mode, so we could set it to play a tune whilst we cause havoc?" she thought. "And the rest of the plan sounds great. Any problems or is anone against it?" she asked the small group of children in the group. "No? Good." she smirked again. She turned to Q.

"Lunchboxes in flying rigs? WHEE! Also, isnt the wires used those ones that are made to look invisible when the light hits them?? it'll look like the lunchboxes are hovering in the air!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Daryn smiled broadly at the idea of mystical, floating lunchboxes. THat was when his stomach growled wildly. "Aaaw, man! Talking about food this much is making me hungry..." he said, pretending to sulk. He looked around and heard the voices of the tour group coming towards the auditorium.
"I reckon, though, that we should start getting everything ready. I'll got and get a headset on and my phantom costume, and I'll meet you, Q, in the right wing, and we'll be ready to start dropping things! This is going to be fun!"

((Yeah, I know, but at the only theatre here, that's where our organ-like instrument is :p))

[amypops]

"Right, the phantom outfit should still be hanging on the rack from last time. Our masks, wings and halos are where they usually are. When Q grabs the lunchboxes, I'll hook them all into the flying rig, and wait until everyone notices they are missing before sending them in from the flies. Sound like a plan?" Luce questioned, rubbing her hands together.

"I still wanna jump about from box to box, or maybe hang from the balcony, then vanish if someone spots me, just to add to the creepiness." she grinned. "All the complaints will teach the managers to not tell us of visitors in our dear Theatre du Starlight!"

[PrettyInPointe]

"Okay, I'll go steal the lunch boxes real quick, and get the smoke bomb ready. See you in the right wing." she said, and dashed out the door. She went to the storage room, and got some sparklers from and old show, and some tin foil they had used for quick repairs on the tin man costume in the Wizard of Oz. She got about five sparklers, arranged them so one stuck up above the others, and wrapped them in tin foil. They would smoke terribly when lit. Then she went to the lobby, where the office was. Usually school groups kept the lunched in the offices for "safe keeping." The door was locked, but Q quickly picked it with a hair pin and grabbed the lunches. She took the secretive and went back to the backstage area.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon grinned. He loved wearing his Phantom Mask, along with the opera cape and fancy shmancy clothing. "Right, I'm gonna get all Phantomed up!" he said as he ran backstage and did a quick-change that was quick enough to rival that of any west-end Actor or Actress.
He came back in no time at all, wearing his mask, cape and opera stuff, with his wild, floppy hair gelled back. The organ was now playing the theme tune and he came out, speaking into his microphone, "Sing for me, my angels of music!"

[amypops]

Luce sang the highest note she could manage into a mic on her head, sounding like christine in the play, trying hard not to laugh afterwards as she strapped her wings on and stuck the halo above her head, before making sure her golden 'angel' mask was securely fastened.

Tilting her mic away from her mouth, she whispered "Plan 'Scare-the-crap-outta-the-schoolkids' is go!", and giggled softly. She heard the huge double doors of the auditorium open, and the excited babble of many schoolchildren filled the place.

Jumping up into one of the boxes, she dropped a piece of paper below, and it laned neatly in one of the tourguides hands. She grinned at the look of shock as he opened it, stammering in fear. She fled backstage, where Dragon was still singing, getting into the mood.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q was laughing so hard when Dragon started singing with Luce. He looked pretty much like a small version of the Phantom. The kids would freak out. She handed the lunch boxes to Luce, and strapped her into the flying rigs. As they waited for Lou's turn, she raided the lunch boxes, stealing the candy, sodas and bananas for Luce. She got a pretty good loot from them, and started munching on a Milky Way. "Oh, I love causing havoc and pandemonium." she said with a devious giggle. "Our Phantom acts top the actual show's." she said, putting on her angel costume.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon warmed up his voice, having turned off his mic for the time being. He listened as a tour-guide stammered. He presumed that phase one had been done. That meant Luce was in the boxes, making little appearences.
"Right, time for phase two," he said, turning to Q. "Up into the rigging we shall go. Bring on the mystical floating lunchboxes and a smashed bulb or light... or chandelier, falling from the ceiling," he said, grinning through his half-mask as he started climbing up the rope, surprisingly agile for someone in full costume.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q raced up the riggings, stopping quickly to make sure she had her mic on and her golden mask in place. She got to the top when the lights were and smiled over at Dragon, switching her mic on.

"The Theatre du Starlight is the Angel's theatre. No place for children. Leave now or feel our wrath!" she shouted in a creepy, echo-y voice. She quickly worked on a nearby light, making it drop into the dead center of the stage. "Mwa-ha-ha-ha!" she said with a creep laugh, then switched off her mic, listening to the kids screams and frantic voices. "Oh, that was fun. Top THAT, Dragon." she said with a laugh.

[amypops]

"Hey, for your 'grand entrance' shall we sing?" Luce giggled, stacking the lunchboxes one by one into the rigging, nibbling on a mars bar as she worked. "Might creep them out. And I'll turn the volume of the organ up so it fills the auditorium, but we can still be heard. Also, I took the broken mirror out of the girls bathroom on the third floor, what did you say we were doing with a mirror again?" she continued to much on the mars bar, satisfied with her work.

"Your angel of music is ready!" she cried in an eerie voice, mock curtseying before Dragon. "The note has been posted, they are being told the story of the 'Angel' that haunts this place. I'm ready to start jumping about the place like a monkey on sugar!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Gladly," Dragon whispered to Q. He cut one of the lights loose from the rigging, taking extreme care to cut one that wasn't above anyone. As the light fell, he let loose his best evil cackle, letting it echo ominously in the air. He then turned his mic off again and faced Q. "Phase 2 complete. I'll see you soon," he said as he shinned back down the rope he was on and concealed himself in the shadows of the wings, ready to begin the phantom act when the time came, after the mystical lunch boxs.
"Ok, Luce," he said as he came face to face with her. "I'll come up through the trap door to my theme, then I will yell 'sing my angel of music' and you all begin. Then I'll say something ominous and sink through the floorboards again, leaving a mirror behind me. This shall be our best phantom act, yet."

[amypops]

"Got it! Break a leg! Well, not literally, but you now all these theatre traditions..." she smirked, scampering up the rigging and preparing to launch herself onto one of the boxes. She mentally counted down, then leaped, landing flawlessly in the box.

One of the children in the auditorium pointed up in shock, cowering behind his classmate and screaming something about seeing the 'Angel'. She quickly hid before anyone else could see, and started giggling to herself, with her mic on. She could hear a few panicked cries, and the tour guides trying to calm everyone down.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q climbed down out of the riggings and walked over to the mirror. She whipped out some blood red lipstick she had swiped out of the dressing rooms and started writing on the mirror. She stepped back, and reread the message. "The Angels are not pleased with you presence." she said to Luce and Dragon. "Pretty good, eh?" she drew a halo and some wings to sign the message, then got out the smoke bomb.

"Now, I'll climb up to the riggings above the trapdoor. I'll drop the bomb on Luce's signal, and you can come out." Q said, waiting for their approval. She looked out at the kids, who were screaming from Luce's appearance. "Oh, this'll be good..."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon laughed to himself. He regained his composure and went to the opening of the trap door, making ready to make his grand entrance. The remote for the organ was in his hand and the hydraulic lift was ready to push him up through the trap door, ready to become the part of his favourite character.
He turned his mic on and began to sing, quietly, eerily. He heard his voice echoing around the auditorium, and heard the screams of terror.
"Beware the Phantom of the Opera! He's here, the Phantom of the Opera!"

[amypops]

"Just appear when you hear the bang." Luce grinned, swiping the lipstick from Q and painting it on her lips. It contrasted greatly with the pale powder she had just put on, making it stand out more. "Since the mask only hides the top of our faces, why not add some stage makeup to add to the theatrical experience?" she smiled. "Be right back, kids to scare."

She climbed up the other side, appearing in the box across the room, and feeling rebellious, screamed "BOO!" at the unsuspecting children below, cackling.

She heard Dragons voice echoing around the place, and watied for her cue to start singing, deciding that she would start climbing about the boxes towards Dragon. Heck, she was his angel of music fo just now, why not play the part?

[PrettyInPointe]

Q lit and dropped the bomb, releasing coils of smoke. It kept smoking long enough for Dragon to come out out of the trapdoor. She quickly went over to the lighting booth, ready for the grand exit. In the time she had before the end of the act, she watched as the kids cowered in fear. Some went under the chairs. Others screamed. Some were paralyzed in fear, staring at Dragon. She saw a girl and a boy jump so high when Luce yelled "BOO!" from behind them. Q laughed, then remembered the mirror. She quickly ran and put it on the lift. Then she went back to the lighting booth and watched the rest of the act, quietly applauding Luce's singing.

[amypops]

Luce hid again, composing herself for her grand entrance. She listened gleefully to the screams of both children and adults downstairs in the auditorium, and heard the bang of Q's smoke bomb, then the organ playing at full volume the Pantom of the Opera theme, and more screams.

Peeking over the edge, she saw Dragon rising out of the ground, and start singing his part. As Dragon cried 'sing, my angel of music!', Luce made a sudden appearence in the box, singing herself. "He's here, the Phantom of the Opera..." then sang a long, high note, while Dragon contunued his commands, herself singing higher and longer with each demand, climbing on the walls and through the boxes towards him. She waited for his final demand, after which she sang the loudest and highest note she could, jumping from the box onto the stage, and disappearing through the trapdoor with Dragon as another smoke bomb went off, leaving the lipsticked mirror in their place.

Luce let out another cackle as the sounds of petrified screams filled the place, and headed ofer to send the lunchboxes in.

((Did i controll anyone so much?? I will edit it if I must))

[PrettyInPointe]

((Nope, I think you're good. Also, can Q be the angel who brought Luce in? If not, I'll change it. Did I control people too much? Cause I think I did, but I'm not sure.))

Q dropped another smoke bomb, then flickered the light and ended with pitch blackness as Luce fell through the trapdoor. She waited for the mirror to pop up, then flickered the lights back on. She slipped over to Luce, cackling madly. "That was brilliant! And way to hit the high note!" she said, patting Luce on the back.

Q remembered when she found Luce in an alley behind the theatre. She had brought her in, and inducted her into the Angel family. She had become one of their most valued planners, and had helped her induct more angels, including Dragon. She had grown up so much since she was the girl in the alley. She was causing havoc like an old pro.

[amypops]

((Sure. I didn't realy decide who brought luce in, so you can be that angel if ya like))

"Thanks. Those notes are killer. Did ya nick any drinks from the lunches? I need some" she smirked, mock bowing. "How did the mirror trick go?"

Judging by the amound of screams from the auditorium, it must have gone down quite well.

"And now, Ladies, Gentlemen, Angels and screaming children of all ages, the floating luches trick." she whispered to Q and Dragon, before clambering up to the flies to control the flying rigs. As predicted there were more screams from the visitors as they noticed their lunch hovering above them.

"Shall I drop them?" she called down to Q, pulling a pair of scissors out of her pocket.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon was cackling madly, his mic still on. The cackles echoed around the auditorium and as they died, a dreadful stillness hung in the air. The stillness died and then horror broke out. Children were screaming, trying to run from the auditorium, only to find that the Angels had blocked the doors.
Turning his mic off, Dragon came up from the trapdoor back stage and bowed deeply, smiling manically, at the other Angels.
He turned the mic on when the noise died down and announced, slowly, his voice deep and threatening. "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the Grand Finale..."

[amypops]

Luce took this as her cue. Letting go of the wire, the rig holding the lunchboxes went flying into the auditorium, missing the childrens heads by milimetres. Joining in with her own mad cackle, she debated jumping back up on stage, but instead scampered over to the balcony, where she stood on the railing, still cackling like a maniac witch.

In the shock, one of the children threw something at her, causing her to nearly fall. Gripping the railing with one hand whilst hanging over the kids, she skillfully pulled herself back up, pulling a face at the kids and pulling the 'vanishing' act by speeding back to backstage.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled, pleased at how the finale had gone. He just wanted to do one last thing. Sprinting back through the back-stage passages, he came out at the back of the auditorium. His mic was turned back on.
The organ started playing, and he used his remote, hidden under his cape, to turn on the spotlight that was pointing at him.
"Leave this place, and never return to our Theatre!" he yelled, his voice booming through the auditorium. In one fluid movement, he had wrapped his cape around him and used the remote controlled lighting rig to create a complete blackout of the auditorium. The organ stopped playing and there was now a horrified silence.
Dragon climbed into one of the boxes behind him and hid in the shadows as the tour guides turned on their torches in a hurry, wanting to leave the Theatre as quickly as possible. He walked leisurely back to the wings and returned to the rest of the Angels.
"Well, I must say, that was our best performance yet," he said as he turned off and removed his mic.

[amypops]

"I have to agree with ya there, dragon!" Luce cried, giving him a hug. "They sound scared out of their wits! I don't think there will be any more tours for a while! Also, cant risk anyone getting backstage. When's the next stage show scheduled?" she asked, taking her mask off and wiping the make-up off of her face.

"It's been too long since people came. Maybe if we waited for ages, then people thought it was safe, then create an even bigger scene!" she giggled, removing the wings and halo and putting them back in their hiding place.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"I dunno when the next show is. All I know is that this was one of our best ever." Dragon said as he took off his opera cape and phantom costume, getting quickly changed behind a curtain, returning into his baggy trousers and t-shirt. "I just wonder, though," he said as he took a sandwich from one of the lunch boxes. "If any of those kids figured out what really happened. I would be interested to see some new faces around here. It would be a change to the scenery, as it were," he said, taking a massive bite of the sandwich. "Mmm... chicken mayo with sweet corn. It's been years since I've had a sandwich like this!"

[amypops]

"You struck it lucky. I got plain old cheese." Luce grinned, taking another bite of the sandwich. "And I agree, some new faces might be nice. It's been a while since we have seen some new Angels. How many do we have now? I've never bothered to count, but theres not many of us at all, and most of us have been here since we wele just itty bitty baby angels" she smiled. "Itty bitty angels, heh. And how long has it been since we were actually outside, for that matter?"

[PrettyInPointe]

"We have 17 angels right now, most of whom are under 12. Those kids out there looked... fourteen-ish? Some older kids would be nice..." Q said, then trailed off. Some of the younger kids looked offended. "Oh, no. You guys were amazing. Blocking the door, popping up behind kids and scaring them, fantastic." she said, ruffling a younger boy's hair.

"The next show is scheduled for next week. Either Thursday or Friday." Q said. She was the oldest angel in the group, and felt it was her responsibility to keep track of these things, and care for the younger ones. Her parents hadn't cared for her, and when she arrived at the theatre she vowed to never be like that. "You guys were all awesome." she said, giving hugs all around.

[Arcticrose]

Emma shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her body. She rocked back and forth sitting on the hard concrete. Alright. I need to get moving. Emma pulled herself up off the ground and started to walk around. Rubbing her hands together she walked towards the theater. The big building would be perfect for protection for the wind. Emma quickly ran around to the back and leaned up against the wall. She wiped her dirty hands on her faded ripped jeans and sighed. Where am I gonna sleep tonite? Emma thought. She turned her head to the side and saw a door slightly propped open. Emma looked around to make sure there was no one watching. She quickly made her way into the warm theater. Maybe if I stay here tonight, no one will notice. Emma thought tip-toeing her way through the place.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q had wandered off, looking for the tour group of students. She wanted to see how the tour guides explained their little show. Q turned the corner, and then backed up really quickly. There was a girl around the corner. Q quickly slipped into a cleaning closet, left it a little open, and waited for the girl to pass. She planned on pulling her into the closet to give her a good scare, as she still had her angel costume on. She waited, the heard the girl's footsteps. She saw the girl pass through the crack she left open in the door, and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the closet. The girl looked terrified.

Q was about to laugh, when she noticed the girl's clothes. The school group wore uniforms, but this girl had dirty faded jeans, not a plaid skirt. "Who are you?" Q asked, carefully.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon finished his sandwich and went over to the fallen stage light in the centre of the stage. "Phew, we're lucky it didn't break our stage!" he said as he lifted the light. For all he looked weak and mild, Dragon was just as strong as most boys his age and, due to his being an Angel of the Theatre house, he was a strong gymnast and fast sprinter, which made it almost effortless to get from place A to B whilst pulling off a show.
"I'm going to go and repair this light. It shouldn't be too difficult," he said as he grabbed a length of rope and tied the rope around the light, making two straps of rope in order to carry it on his back.
He kicked off his shoes and started to climb up the rigging up to the platform above the stage, where he walked along to the adjacent position where the light would go. He leaped effortlessly across, landing on his feet. Carefully, he sat down with his legs either side of the beam and started to re-screw the screws he'd loosened earlier for the light to drop.
He'd soon fixed it and was shimmying down the ropes again, tumbling off it at the last metre or so, falling to the ground with a thump. He got up to see he'd ripped his jeans again.
"...Great!" he said, sarcastically. "I'll see you in a sec," he said to Luce. "I'll just go and get the repair kit from the costume department. See you soon," he said as he picked up his shoes and ran down to the stairs leading down to the costume storage under the stage.

[amypops]

Luce waved a quick goodbye to Dagon, and turned to face Q, only to realise she wasn't there. "Oh, well then..." she muttered to herself, searching for something to do. Two of the younger Angels had gotten into a fistfight ofer a packet of crisps, but another Angel was sorting that out...

She wandered back onto the stage, noticing the lights were back on now and hat the auditorium was completely empty. "Well, at least it stopped anyone getting backstage to know our secret..." she whispered to herself.

Occasionally (only if the Managers asked first, of course), the Angels let a theatre company take over the backstage to stage a production, but only after hiding any evidence that the Anels were there, and causing a bit of havoc here or there five minutes before curtain up.

Looking up, she found herself in one of the boxes, her regular 'hideout'. She liked to climb about them, leaping from one to the next, a bit like a monkey. Jumping up into the highest one, she balanced on the edge, teetering this way and that, looking like she was away to fall, but never actually falling.

[Arcticrose]

She waited, the heard the girl's footsteps. She saw the girl pass through the crack she left open in the door, and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the closet. The girl looked terrified.

Q was about to laugh, when she noticed the girl's clothes. The school group wore uniforms, but this girl had dirty faded jeans, not a plaid skirt. "Who are you?" Q asked, carefully.

Emma silently made her way through the hallways. She let out an ear piercing scream when someone suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her into a closet. Emma was in shock. She didn't think that anyone would have noticed her presence. Emma looked up at the person who had grabbed her. She was wearing a golden mask, a white robe sort of thing, and a halo. An angel? Emma noticed that the angel had began to laugh and then stopped suddenly. "I-I'm Emma. Who are you?" She asked still in shock, observing the girl's (she assumed it was a girl because of her voice) odd costuming. Emma bit her lip waiting for an answer.

[PrettyInPointe]

"I'm an angel of the theatre." Q said, slowly. She decided not to run the risk of telling the girl, Emma, her name, until she was sure Emma was trustworthy. "Hi, Emma. When I asked you who you were, I meant you're not with the school group, right?" she asked. She was already sizing Emma up. She was pretty, an angel bonus, her green eyes were piercing, which would look good against the gold mask. Maybe it was just Q, but her eyes had a glint in them too, a mischeivious glint that many other angels had. Hm... maybe a born angel... Q thought. "You need help, kid?" she asked, knowingly. She had done this many times before.

[Qwill]

((Here is pre-assuming my charrie saw the angels))
Dianna watched the angels, she suddenly stepped up to them and poked one. "Is this a dream? is this real life? Who are you?" Dianna asked. Apparently she had gotten herself into a mess again and was seriously lost.
But at least some teacher will catch me, Diannna thought and then touched the Angel again, "My name is Dianna Fisher, uh....um.....can you help me get out of this place because I'm lost and well you guys are....different."

[Fandango]

((I recognise something like this from my drama class...))

Name: Harriet Noble
Nickname: 'Riet, Ret.
Age: 15
Child or 'Angel'?: Angel
Gender: Female
Looks: Short blond hair which is always messy and untidy, with a floppy fringe which hides one of her eyes. Brown eyes, always wearing dark eye-makeup. Quite tall, an never seen without her friendship bracelet on her wrist.
Personality: Riet is loud, annoying, cheeky, and quite sarcastic, too. She always has an answer to something, be it serious or witty. Her tongue gets her in trouble on a daily basis.
Other: She came to the theatre on a 'special trip' with the orphanage she stayed at. Fed up of life, she asked an angel if she could join them, and grew up learning their mischievous and acrobatic ways.

-----

Harriet hurried into the main room of the Angels hideout, upset, to say the least, to see that she had missed all the fun.

"Why did nobody bother to wake me? Those screams woke me up, you all know I like to join in the pranks!" she moped, wandering over to the pile of now open lunchboxes. "Lunch already? My, I have slept in late..." she grumbled, grabbing a ham sandwich from the pile and wandering over to an unoccupied stool in the corner. "What did I miss?" she asked a younger Angel, who proceeded to fill her in on the mornings events with great enthusiasm.

"A Phantom of the Opera act? Who did this one? I'm guessing Dragon played Mr. Phantom, it always was his dream role..." she trailed off, taking a bite of the sandwich. "And a whole auditorium full of schoolkids? Must have been quite the show." She finished munching the sandwich, throwing the crusts into the nearest bin and picking up a carton of Ribena from a massive jumble of juce cartons and bottles, whilst draping her own pair of wings over her shoulders.

"What did you guys do? Raid the nearest Tescos?" she asked in mock awe, poking the straw through the hole and wandering through to the deeper part of the backstage, behind all the costume rooms and leading to the old, rickety staircase which led to the attic, a huge room converted to look like a huge dorm, where most of the Angels slept. She leant lazily against the banister, still drinking from the carton, when she felt someone poking her in the arm. "Is this a dream? is this real life? Who are you?" A girls voice asked. Harriet whirled around, tossing her Ribena at the source of the voice, narrowly missing the girls head by millimetres. The girl walked forward, seemingly unafraid, and poked Harriet again. Harriet swatted the girls hand away. "My name is Dianna Fisher, uh....um.....can you help me get out of this place because I'm lost and well you guys are....different." Harriet blinked at the girl. "What are you doing in our theatre?" Harriet snarled. "You say you're lost? Were you here with the school? Well, Miss Dianna Fisher," she said the girls name almost mockingly, "the exit is that way. Leave, now, and tell NO-ONE of what you saw!" she cried, pointing wildly at the nearest fire exit.

But the girl wouldn't budge.

[Arcticrose]

"I'm an angel of the theatre." Q said, slowly. She decided not to run the risk of telling the girl, Emma, her name, until she was sure Emma was trustworthy. "Hi, Emma. When I asked you who you were, I meant you're not with the school group, right?" she asked. She was already sizing Emma up. She was pretty, an angel bonus, her green eyes were piercing, which would look good against the gold mask. Maybe it was just Q, but her eyes had a glint in them too, a mischeivious glint that many other angels had. Hm... maybe a born angel... Q thought. "You need help, kid?" she asked, knowingly. She had done this many times before.

"Sorry, a what? Angel? You just look like a girl in a costume to me!" Emma answered confident that this girl wouldn't hurt her. She laughed when the 'angel' asked her if she went to school. "Who? Those preppy nerds? Not a chance! Do I look like one of them?" Emma asked gesturing down at her ripped jeans and ratty jacket. "Yeah, well, I don't really have a place to sleep tonight. I slept under a bench yesterday but that didn't provide much warmth." Emma coughed thinking about it. "Why should I trust you" She asked going back into defensive mode. Emma brushed her tangled hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q decided that this Emma girl was an angel. She was curious, yet cautious, and she was homeless. Basically, an angel's "story of my life" situation. "Come on Emma, you can sleep here for tonight. I'm thinking you should join the angels." Q said. She started walking toward the backstage area, beckoning Emma along.

"The angels of the theatre are a group of kids who live in the theatre. This group has existed... forever, basically. We protect our theatre. And to answer your question, you should trust us because most of us have been in the same situation as you. Homeless, helpless, ect. That's what the angels do too, induct kids who need a home." she said, taking off her mask. "Oh yea. Forgot. The name's Q. So, you in with the angels?" She asked, and waited for a reply before opening the door.

[Arcticrose]

"Um.......alright..." Emma cautiously followed the girl making sure it wasn't some trick. The girl began to explain all about the 'angels of the theater' as they were making their way around the backstage area. "Kids who live in the theater?" The girl finally removed her golden mask and introduced herself. "Q?" She asked. "Interesting."So, you in with the angels?" She asked
"So you guys, eat here, sleep here, and scare here?" She paused as a smile stretched across her face. "I like it" Emma said with a nod of her head following Q through a door.

[Qwill]

But the girl wouldn't budge.
Dianna smiled jokingly. She wanted to get the girl angry it would make her tire out in the end. "Tell no one what I saw right?" Dianna asked grinning. "Well thank gods I brought my video camera in here. Dianna sneaked it out of her back pocket and turned it on.
She smiled at the girl, "I'll be sure to tell no one what I saw all right."
Then she pressed the "record" button

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon, who had been repairing his jeans, returned to the backstage area. He saw that there were two people that he didn't recognise. He saw that one was being interrogated by Q. The one with Q looked pretty much like what all the Angels had done before they had become one of the group. He then saw the one with Harriet, one of the friendlier, and more mischievous, of the Angels. He saw that the person with Harriet wasn't an Angel, obviously not. After all, this person was in a uniform. He then saw, with a gasp of horror, that the person had a cam-corder with them.
Sneakily, he snuck up on the girl with the cam-corder. He could see that Harriet had seen him, but he motioned for her to remain quiet.
"I'll be taking that!" he said as he grabbed the girl's cam-corder and ran to the nearest rope, climbing up it with the camera in hand. "Who are you and why are you here?"

[amypops]

Luce, bored of her box-balancing, strolled backstage, hearing the grumbling of the irritable 'Riet. She smiled at Q as she passed, and saw her talking to a girl in ratty old clothes.

"New recruit?" she asked, but continued walking, not waiting for an answer. She could hear 'Riet, her voice more angry than irritated now, so she sped up, ducking as she saw Dragon swoop overhead, his jeans obviously fixed.

She also saw who Harriet was shouting at.

One of the schoolkids, her skirt perfectly pressed and her hair neat and tidy, not a stand out of place, stood in front of Harriet, a video camera trained on Harriets face.

Dragon snuck up on the girl, nicking the camera out of her hands and scrambling up a rope before the girl could respond. Luce, cackling in her usual way, scrambled up a ladder till she was roughly at the same height as Dragon, a sheer 20 feet above the ground.

"To me!" she cried, waving an arm around in Dragons direction. Heck, if they dropped it, it didn't matter. The video evidence would be destroyed. And why did the stupid, stuck up posh school girl bring a video camera on a school trip, anyway!?

[Fandango]

'Riet stared in shock at Dianna, her mouth agape. How dare she!? How dare this girl just waltz into their home, their sanctuary, video in hand, acting like she owned the place?

Harriet decided then and there - she did not like this stuck up schoolgirl one little bit.

She was ready to slap Dianna, but stopped in shock as the camera flew out of her hands, and Dragon clambered up a rope, video camera in hand. Luce climbed up the nearest ladder, scampering up and flailing her arms about in Dragons general direction, shouting for him to throw it to her.

'Riet cackled at the sight of them, twenty feet up in the air, tossing the camera to each other, whilst Dianna looked on in shock. She climbed up another piece of rope, and joined in the game.

"To me, Luce!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon had passed the camera to Luce, the momentum built up making him swing wildly on the rope. He held fast to the rope, swinging to and fro, until he could leap from the rope to the lighting rig. He did so and landed expertly on his two feet and dropped down to his bottom and rolled around the metal pole of the rigging, hanging upside down from the rigging by his knees.
"C'mon, 'Riet! Chuck it to me!" Dragon said, his long-ish hair hanging down, some covering his eyes. The motion of hanging upside down made the Phantom mask that he had been wearing up until then, fall off his face and down to the ground, clonking the girl on her head, and revealing his melted face and missing eye. He wondered, to himself, if the girl would scream...

[PrettyInPointe]

"Um.......alright..." Emma cautiously followed the girl making sure it wasn't some trick. The girl began to explain all about the 'angels of the theater' as they were making their way around the backstage area. "Kids who live in the theater?" The girl finally removed her golden mask and introduced herself. "Q?" She asked. "Interesting."
"So you guys, eat here, sleep here, and scare here?" She paused as a smile stretched across her face. "I like it" Emma said with a nod of her head following Q through a door.

"Yep. We live in the theatre. And yes, the name's Q. Nothing more. Just Q." Q said, bluntly. Then a smile spread across her face. "Well then. Welcome to the Angels. We hang out backstage mostly." she said, leading Emma around the corner. What she saw there was a state of havoc. Typical. She saw a prep school barbie in a uniform, staring up at Dragon, Ret and Luce, who were in the riggings, throwing a camera around. "I'll introduce you after this. Wait here." she told Emma, quickly. Then she raced up into the riggings along with the others. "Over here!" she shouted, holding her arms out, and laughing at the upside down Dragon. "Who's that little brat?" Q asked Luce, laughing.

[amypops]

"Who's that little brat?" Q asked Luce, laughing.

"Some posh schoolkid who was here on the trip who thinks that its clever to annoy the hell out of 'Riet, and just waltz in here and video us!" Luce cried from the riggings, tossing the video camera to Q, who caught it nimbly. "I mean, seriously, how rude can you get? Some of us might not like being video-ed. In fact, none of us like being video-ed!" she said, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

The camera was tossed back to her from Dragon, and she passed it on to Q. She noticed that Dragons mask had come off, but that girl hadn't seemed to notice, as her eyes were trained on her camera.

"Wait, is that thing still recording?"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon's eye opened wide at the suggestion that he camera was still recording, as he had pulled a face at the lense, jokingly, not realising it was on, once his mask had come off. "Luce, pass it back to me, quick!" he said, his voice cracking with worry. He'd seen how doctors had reacted to his face when he was younger, and he didn't want this video going all over the internet.
He caught the camera and opened the screen, seeing that the camera was indeed recording. "Q, do you know how to delete these videos?" he said as he chucked the camera back to Q.
"Eurgh, my head's hurting a bit," he said as he swung back up into a sitting, the blood rushing from his head. His face had gone red with all the blood going to it.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q grabbed the camera out of the air and quickly started pressing buttons. She was good with technology, for who knows what reason. "Expensive model..." Q mumbled, rewinding the camera then she pressed the menu button, and went on to delete the footage. She knew what could happen if that video ended up on the internet. Dragon's face would be worried upon by doctors, they would be taken away from the theatre, and who knows what else? "Here, I got it." Q said, releif filling her voice. She tossed the camera back to Dragon so he could check it.

[amypops]

"Hah, great!" Luce cried, glad th

at the short period of panic was over, and pulled a face at the girl below. "What d'ya think we should do with this one, then? She is most definitely not Angel material, just look at that niform. Most likely a private school, meaning rich relatives, obviously a home to go to..." she blabbered to the small group of angels, acting like the girl wasn't there. No doubt it would annoy her.

"What do we do to everyone else who trespasses without a purpose?" she grinned slyly, trying to make the girl feel uncomfortable.

[Arcticrose]

"Yep. We live in the theatre. And yes, the name's Q. Nothing more. Just Q." Q said, bluntly. Then a smile spread across her face. "Well then. Welcome to the Angels. We hang out backstage mostly." she said, leading Emma around the corner. What she saw there was a state of havoc. Typical. She saw a prep school barbie in a uniform, staring up at Dragon, Ret and Luce, who were in the riggings, throwing a camera around. "I'll introduce you after this. Wait here." she told Emma, quickly. Then she raced up into the riggings along with the others. "Over here!" she shouted, holding her arms out, and laughing at the upside down Dragon. "Who's that little brat?" Q asked Luce, laughing.

"Awesome. Can't wait to start causing mischief. That's my specialty."Emma said with a grin. When she followed Q around the corner. She saw some other kids torturing a girl in a prep uniform. Emma stood trying to stifle her laughs as they through a camera around the riggings. Emma assumed by how distressed the prep girl was that the camera was hers. "Okay I'll wait." She said to Q. Emma couldn't help but burst into loud laughter when the girl in the uniform started to panic. I can't wait to be a part of this She thought. The havoc soon ended and all the kids returned to the ground. One of the girls who she had heard someone call Luce started talking to the girl who owned the camera. Emma smirked. She guessed that Luce was just trying to scare the girl.

[Qwill]

Dianna paused. This person obviously thought she was someone special and needed something to get back down to earth, ignoring someone. Then very gently, like how you squash a tiny bug without much precision or force.....
Dianna slapped her.
Dianna took the video camera from them and said firmly, "If someonbe here trespasses without permission, you don't take their things or try to intimidate them in the lamest way possible. Otherwise you'll probably get slapped again. Youthink I'm special with a private school and all well things is that you aren't much better. And the next time that you believe you can steal my video camera you are once more the stupidest person to have crossed me."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon couldn't believe what he heard coming from that snob's mouth. He leaped from the light rig, catching the rope, and swung to the curtains, where he slid down, jumping and landing with grace right by the girl. His mask was lying by her feet.
"So you think this place is worse than the outside world? Well, in the outside world, when people see my melted face, they scream, vomit and call me repulsive and sickening. Out there, I'm hunted down by the police to sort out my face. I don't fit in out there. In here, people who are unloved are loved, people who are homeless have a home, people who are starving are fed. In here, it's all for one and one for all, rather than out there where it's eat or be eaten. So you think twice before you say things like that." He glared at the girl icily with his one eye, the grey iris looking like a stormy sea.
He bent down to pick up the mask, replacing it over the melted side of his face, looking like the Phantom of the Opera.
"Why are you here?" he asked her, his voice as cold as his single eye.

[amypops]

Luce's mouth formed a pefect 'o' of shock as that girl slapped her in the face, snatching the camera back.

"Oh no you did not!" she cried, leaping at the girl, but didn't get very far, as one of the Angels was holding her back. She struggled to get free, but the angel had a firm grip on her, and she eventually stopped squirming, and settled for glaring angrily at the girl.

Dragon stepped forward out of the shadows, clealy showing his face to the snob, and gave his own snappy response. Luce was pleased to see that she looked a little taken aback.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"We've all got our stories here, we've all got reasons to be here. What makes you any better than us? We've all been spurned by the world, we've all been kicked when down by the world, spat on, called the scum of the world. You're with that school. You come from money. You've got a life, you've got a raison d'etre. You have a warm place to return to, a bed to sleep in at night, and food to expect three times a day. You've got a life. But we. Here we don't know when we're going to next eat. We don't know what will happen from one morning to another. Why should you say we're as bad as the people in your school. They're all like you. They've all got lives."
Dragon's eye filled up with tears as he stated every fact about their lives, sinking into a near bout of tears. "If it weren't for Q and the older angels, half of the others, Luce and myself included, would be frozen to death on the streets by now!" Dragon practically yelled the last sentence, his voice cracking. Tears spilled over the lid of his eye, and he sobbed into Lucy's arms.

[amypops]

Luce hugged Dragon tightly, angry tears streaming down her face. She hated seeing any of the Angels upset, and this girls comments were just the icing on the cake. Managing to supress the urge to rip the snob limb from limb, she turned and faced her.

"What he said was all the truth. You have families, friends, a place to stay, a life. We are merely here to survive. These people, all these Angels, have never had the luxuries that you grew up with. We have lost many an Angel from here thanks to people on the streets. They don't understad how hard it is to live like this. We stick together, because each Angel needs someone, everyone needs someone, we are just here to provide that service. Do you know how it feels to spend a night, just one night on the streets? Then try two nights, a week, a month, hell, even a few years on the streets! Would you rather have somewhere to come back to?"

Luce turned from the girl, biting her lip. How could people be so selfish? First her mother, then everyone at school, then the people at the childrens home, and now this rich stuck up.

She hugged Dragn tighter, repeating to herself over and over not to run out of the room in tears, and not to punch the girl in the face.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon hugged Lucy back tightly. His tears soon stopped and he was just left with a red, puffy eye and a tear track on his cheek. "Why should we bother with her?" Dragon asked Luce. "C'mon, we don't need to justify ourselves to her," Dragon said, his voice becoming laced with disliked and an overhanging feeling of regret.
Dragon broke from the hug and clambered back up the rope, swinging up back to his favourite perch on the light rigging, where he continued to tighten the screws of the light that he'd hastily repaired earlier.

[amypops]

Luce let go of Dragon, wiping her eyes and casting one last glowering look at the snob before leaving.

Dragon scrambled up a nearby rope and started repairing the light he had dropped earlier, and Luce was temped to follow, but decided that he looked like he wanted to be alone.

She wandered around the backstage, and yet again found hersef in one of the boxes looking over the theatre. She slumped down in one of the chairs, punching the arm. Then she started punching the whole chair, letting all her anger and tears out.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q stood, and let Dragon and Luce get it all out. Stopping them would be difficult, and not help them calm down at all. When they had gone off, Q walked up to the girl. "Look. They were right. The angels live here, grow here, and are home here. We are a family, and we accept people, no matter what their race or heritage is. No matter how horrible their backgrounds are." Q said, in a forced calm voice. She didn't like to get upset in front of the other angels.

"Saying that we are no better than the rest of you prep school barbies is like saying being homeless is easier than having a home to go back to and people who love you. My own mom didn't love me. So saying that... it's just wrong. Here, we protect each other, and we protect our home. We stole your camera to stop you from ruining this for us. And I don't appreciate you slapping an angel. But I would appreciate you leaving. Now. And don't come back, and don't tell anyone, anything. Do I make myself clear?" Q said in a tone of forced calmness laced with anger.

[Qwill]

"What the hell are you talking about?! I actuallay meant that just because I;m a so called snob doesn't mean you aren't one too, God you over estimate these things" Dianna yelled, "And just because I go to a private school and I have a home that still doesn't make me a snob!"
' You guys are so engrossed in your little world inside this theatre you don't believe that someone else from the world out side can be normal and good natured! And i'm not saying that I am, I'm just saying that maybe the reason you want to keep yourselves away from the rest of the world is because not because you don't trust them but because you think they're all rich, backstabbing snobs who wouldn't want to mingle with you. I bet you wouldn't even know my name and would just refer to me as some lame excuse for a person! When I arrived here I asked you a simple question and you yelled at me to leave. You tell me to not say anything to anyone because obviously they would treat you like an idiot. Now I'm getting confused because right now i bet a lot of people would be interested in you, like for a psychological study on why teenagers are getting so antisocial these days!" Dianna paused. What had she just said?
"But oh my God, go see a shrink!"

[PrettyInPointe]

This was getting Q upset. Her voice was practically shaking with anger. "We were not angry about you coming here. We were angry about you pulling out a video camera when we asked you to leave and keep us a secret. You're right about one thing, a lot of people would be interested in us. That is why we didn't like you taping us to show to world. And what's making you a sob is not that you have a home or go to a private school. What makes you a snob is how you're acting towards us. You're thinking you're better than us. You're thinking you can just waltz in here and take away our chances of having lives. You're thinking you can just insult us and think we're not going to react. Well, you're wrong. Now, if you would please, the door is over there."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

When the girl replied to them, telling them how the world would be 'interested in them' for studies on 'antisocial behaviour', Dragon let out a small yelp as he lost his balance on the beam, nearly falling from the lighting rig. His arms flailed as he tried to regain his balance.
As he flailed, he became more unbalanced, due to his lack of focus, and he fell from the beam. He swore loudly as he fell, trying to bring his limbs under control as he controlled his fall. He lashed out with his arm and cauht onto the curtain, merely six feet from the floor. Sliding down slowly, he got to the ground, and caught his breath, bringing his heart rate back to normal.
"Antisocial?!" He practically screamed. "We're not shutting the world out, we're hiding, because of what the world has done to us. If it weren't for the carelessness of my mother, I wouldn't be scarred so hideously, with the world spurning me whenever they see my face like a wax sculpture gone wrong! If you had managed to keep that stupid video, then you would have the police on us here, taking us into care, and I would go under the needle in the hospital, countless times, so they could see if they could make me look 'normal'." Dragon's voice shook, and his voice cracked as he spoke. "Why should we see a shrink when we're fine when we're together?"

[amypops]

Luce slumped on the chair, listening to the sounds in the distance, a lot less angry now. The chair looked a lot more battered, but it was still standing.

She looked up as she heard more exclamations of shock, and wandered backstage yet again to see what was going on. Both Dragon and Q were glowering at that girl, and she wondered what the girl had said now. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been worse that what she said earlier, could it?

"What happened?" she asked Dragon quietly.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon turned to Luce and pulled her away with him, talking quietly to her about what had transpired between the girl, Q and himself. He fiddled with his mask as he talked, not used to how it moved as he spoke.
He finished explaining the whole event as they walked backstage to the hang-out area with the battered chair.
"What is it about those people from the outside? They're all the same with us. They think we're here because we're antisocial, and because we're freaks of nature, or some crap like that," he said as he sat down on the arm of the armchair. "Why do people think we're all like that?"

[amypops]

"If I knew the answer, I would most defenitely go about solving it..." Luce said sadly, sitting on the other arm of the chair. "Its mainly because people who have nowhere to go or no-one to talk to end up turning to violence, destroying stuff. Its so stereotypical. I mean, we aint all like that!" she complained, slipping off of the arm and onto the cushion of the chair, curling up into a ball.

"What is it with people and thinking we're all like that? Oh wait, you just asked that..."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon laughed weakly. He smiled and hugged Lucy quickly. "It's because in the world, people don't belong unless they are sorted into some sort of group. The world feels threatened when it meets people who don't fit into a group, and so they force them into a group, and eventually force them to become like the group they 'belong' to. It's the same wherever you go. It's kinda like that show that was put on here two years ago. What's it called? Y'know, the one with Bohemians and the GAGAs? Oh yeah! We Will Rock You, isn't it? It's the same with that show with the green-skinned girl... Wicked, that's it. But, it's just because people don't like individuals," Dragon said, eventually, shrugging.
He squished himself into the chair, sitting all squished up next to Lucy. His best friend, and the person he owed his life to.

[amypops]

Luce shuffled over a bit, allowing Dragon to squish into the chair with her. "Yeah, it is a bit..." she mused, nodding her head. "People are just scared of what they don't know. Like, how we're a bit different, and people arent used to that, and they're afraid. But I hope that one day they'll get over that fear..." she trailed off, staring into space.

"It's not exactly fair, isnt it? They're afraid of us, so they push us away. I mean, I'm afraid of the spiders, but you dont see me sending them away to other places, just because I don't want them there."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"It's just because they're 'humans'. Humanity is terrible, because of the fact that they force the people that aren't like themselves into living like rats, making them scrounge around for crumbs of food, practically crushing the life and spirit out of us." Dragon said as he wiggled a bit in the seat, getting comfy with Luce. He looked around the backstage, thinking about how they depended on the people who knew of them to get food into the building, allowing them to remain alive.
"At least there are some people who don't try to destroy us, and help us remain alive."

[amypops]

"I take it thats why we chose to become 'Angels' then? Because Angels are better than Humans? Because Angels care for other people?" she wondered, not really meaning to make it sound like a question. She noticed her wings were still on her back, and carefully took them off before they got too crumpled, gently brushing her fingers over the feathers, sighing.

"I think Q is a sort of fallen angel." she blurted suddenly. "I mean, she took me in, and she's been here for years, and in that time, there has to have been more than a hundred kids here at least once in their lives, and she looks after everyone with her life..."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Yeah," Dragon agreed quietly. "If it weren't for Q, you wouldn't be here and then I wouldn't be here. She's not a fallen Angel, as such, more like our Guardian Angel, if you get my drift." Dragon said quietly. "If anyone is a fallen Angel, it's me," he said, laughing slightly. "Like when I fell from the lighting rig a few minutes back."
The to sat there in silence for a while, perhaps contemplating life, the universe and everything, and possibly coming to the answer of 42.
Dragon closed his eye and leant his head back against the seat, breathing slowly in and out through his nose.
The two had been best friends ever since Luce had found him and taken him in five years ago, saving him from the cruelty of the world and the cold streets, and starvation.
"Y'know, Luce, every day I think about when you first found me, and took me in here. You have no idea how grateful I am for it."

[amypops]

"You're welcome." Luce smiled, giving Dragon a quick hug. "But it's not like I could have left you. If life here has taught me anything, it's that nobody, nobody, deserves to live on the streets as a child. We haven't done aything wrong, yet are cast away from society, because of what happened to us. It's not fair. Life isn't fair." She slumped back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling.

"Y'know, you were the first Angel I saved. In the beginning, it was just Q and me. Then I saw you and knew, that for some strange reason, i had to bring you back here. Sounds crazy, I know..."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled appreciatively, hugging Luce again. "I know what you mean," he said, half smiling. "There's a natural instinct in most humans that makes you feel compassion to people in trouble or in need. Most humans nowadays, though, ignore the feeling, and so, it takes only a very special person like you or Q, to really make a difference."
He thought to himself quietly again. It was true, for a long time, Q, Lucy and himself had been the only Angels of the Theatre, but, gradually, more children had been rescued, there were many many angels who needed looking after.
"I wonder, y'know, what's going to happen in the future, if, like, we're going to get jobs and grow up, or if we're going to stay here forever, making mischief, even until we're a hundred years old..."

[amypops]

((Lotta hugging going on here, huh? :p))

Luce laughed quietly at Dragons thought. But it was true. Surely they couldn't stay here forever? They would be old soon - they weren't getting younger, that was for sure - but Luce had never thought much about it. It's not like they could just leave and get a job, they had never been to school, so didn't have any qualifications and the like.

"I always wanted to be an actress when I was younger. Not a movie star famous actress - a stage actress..." she remembered. "Did you ever think about what you wanted to be when you grew up?"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled as his dream came into his mind. He'd always wanted to play the Phantom of the Opera or Mungojerrie in Cats. Those were the two shows he knew the best and they had always been his dream. He'd even thought that if he got into the stage world, he might be accepted for who he was, even if he looked the way that he did.

"I always wanted to play the Phantom of the Opera, so that's why I find it great to don the costume and do something when we're causing mischief. I also wanted to be Mungojerrie in Cats, because he was the best character, in my opinion." He looked away into the middle distance as he contemplated the possibilities. "I wonder if we'll ever be able to do something on stage. I mean, we've seen more shows than anyone could possibly imagine, and we know the theatre inside and out... I wonder if we'll ever 'grow up' if you get my drift. Growing old is definite, growing up is optional..."

((He's a very huggable person :D Plus, Luce is the only person he's ever loved (and not necessarily love love, but friend love) ))

[amypops]

"Like Peter Pan." Luce smiled.

"I always wanted to act in the theatre. Scaramouche from We Will Rock You was always my dream role. I mean, she was cast out from society, a bit like this, because she dresses differently and thinks differently from everyone else. I also liked Rumpleteazer for her pure awesomeness." she told Dragon.

"I think we might get somewhere in the theatre, if we try hard enough. I mean, just because we didn't get an education, doesn't mean we can't act! We grew up in a theatre, we're acrobats, we can sing, and I know for a fact that if people think you're good enough, they can hire you whether you have a degree in acting or not! We might actually be able to get somewhere!" she grinned, dreaming of all the possbilities.

[Arcticrose]

Emma watched awkwardly as the huge argument continued on between the school girl and the rest of the angels in the house. She really understood what the angels meant though. How she longed for a place to call home. One by one each angel went off on their own and two left together until it was just her, Q, and the prep school girl. This is really weird. Emma thought as she waited for someone to speak. I wonder if I should go find someone else. Emma thought slowly backing away from the scene. She followed the path that two of the angels took. Emma took a step and stumbled over her own feet landing flat on her face. She proceeded to get herself up off the ground when she noticed two other angels. "Sorry. Am I interrupting?" She asked biting her lip.

[Qwill]

This was getting Q upset. Her voice was practically shaking with anger. "We were not angry about you coming here. We were angry about you pulling out a video camera when we asked you to leave and keep us a secret. You're right about one thing, a lot of people would be interested in us. That is why we didn't like you taping us to show to world. And what's making you a sob is not that you have a home or go to a private school. What makes you a snob is how you're acting towards us. You're thinking you're better than us. You're thinking you can just waltz in here and take away our chances of having lives. You're thinking you can just insult us and think we're not going to react. Well, you're wrong. Now, if you would please, the door is over there."

"I'm sorry," Dianna admitted calmly, "But maybe you could ask her." Dianna pointed at Harriet. "Why she had such a problem with me coming inside the theatre. And stop making all those accusations at me, God, hate really is blinder than love."
She turned to the others, "You think that the world's done to you more than it's done to me? My parents hate me because I keep embarrassing them in public, that's why they sent me of to a private boarding school, and you think just because I go there I have to like it? Do you know what it's like to go to detention 24/7 or have classes on how to behave? Or have no friends because you're the person who keeps getting them in trouble?"
It was true and Dianna was not going to leave until those "Angels" could become humans again.
"I just don't understand why you hate society, by forming a huge stereotypical image that every human is mean and cruel to you, humans aren't special, you guys aren't special, I don't see why making yourself seem cut out from the world is going to help at all, it's probably only result in the fact that you'll have a harder life than you had when you were here." Dianna spoke softly, "No one is special at all, so shut up and keep all those thoughts of the "horrible humans" inside yourself because deep down they aren't true."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q snorted. "You're complaining about lessons on how to behave? And you're giving us a lesson on how to behave? Ironic much?" she chuckled. Then she got serious again. "We don't think all humans are horrible. Some humans help us, or at least will leave us alone. But we do think some humans are horrible. The humans that shunned us, dropped us out of society, kicked us when we were down, threatened to ruin everything for us. Quite frankly, humans like you. And at least your parents care enough to send you to a private boarding school. Our parents, kicked us out on the streets. Reality check, on the streets, you don't have friends and your life is ten times worse than detention. At least you had a bed to sleep in and clean clothes and cooked meals. We didn't have that. We aren't cut off from the world, we just see it differently than you. Respect that, and leave." she said. Gosh, this girl was annoying.

[Qwill]

"And you think the streets is worse than a boarding school?" Dianna retorted, "You're free to do what you want, with no image of society terrorizing you, I mean yeah some humans can be mean but I still have annoying grownups telling me what I should do and how I should act in front of everything. And no one controls my life, not even you, so don't order me to leave right now because just because you're expecting me to feel sorry for you. You can't ever control my life; you misinterpret the entire view of the world, you want people to leave you alone and get out of your lives and you claim you're not antisocial. I have no idea why I'm bothering to argue with you because you'll manipulate everything I say into a twisted lie just so you can get what you want. Stop living in this fantasy of living life like this because when you get older the whole world isn't going to wait on you, leave you alone or sympathize with you. Get a life."

[PrettyInPointe]

"Get a life?" Q repeated angrily. "Get a life?" She barely even realized that it was just her and the girl now, but she was lad the other angels had left. They knew what Q was like when she was angry. It wasn't pretty. "None of us had lives. That's the purpose of the theatre. It's our home. This is my life, taking care of the kids here, protecting them, giving them their chance to have a life." Q said, clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to keep calm and not yell.

"A life doesn't have to be going to school and having parents and talking to everyone who wants to talk to you. We may actually have more of a life than you. At least we all have friends here. And it's not like we never leave the theatre. We have to get new angels, food, older angels go and get jobs, and so on. And we were never waited on, and we don't expect to be. We don't want your sympathy, we don't want the world's sympathy. That's why we are asking you to leave. If we're wasting your time, it's your fault for not leaving on those many occasions I have asked you to." Q said, with a finality in her voice.

[amypops]

"Sorry. Am I interrupting?"

Luce Looked up and saw a girl enter the box, the girl she had seen with Q earlier.

"Naw, it's fine." she smiled at the girl. "Hey, arent you that girl I saw with Q earlier? I take it you're a new Angel. Welcome to the family." she grinned.

"What's your name? I'm Luce, this is Dragon. Hey, do you have any wings, or a mask or anything? All angels have their own one. Also, do ya know whats going on with that girl with the camera downstairs? All I can hear is muffled arguing."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon got to his feet when he saw the new girl come in. He went over and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, person-whose-name-I-don't-yet-know," he said with a cheeky grin on his face. He liked the look of this person, especially because she looked like the rest of the angels did when they first arrived; ready to start a new life. If there was one thing that he couldn't stand (apart from peoples' reactions to his face and rich snobs) it was someone who was too timid to be an angel right from the off.
"You look nice, person-whose-name-I-don't-yet-know, and I think that I would very much like to get to know you." Dragon was a friendly person, when he saw people that he could be friendly to, that is.

[Arcticrose]

((I can't remember, is dragon wearing his mask right now?))

"Oh okay good. Yeah Q invited me to stay here earlier. My name's Emma. It's nice to meet you guys. About the mask and the wings.....um I don't really have anything apart from the clothes on my back. Sorry. The girl downstairs? I don't really know. Just a heated argument between her and Q I guess. The boy stood up and shook Emma's hand. "And I'm glad that I look nice." She said chuckling and twirling her mangled curly hair. "So how does this whole 'angel' thing work?" Emma asked Dragon and Luce.

[amypops]

((Naw, I dont think he is))

"Well, we believe that this is our theatre. This is our home, and we like to keep it that way. You wouldn't like someone to just waltz in and start raking through your house, would you? Well, we don't like people comng in here and raking through our stuff. So, Emma, you're an Angel now, right? Well, we need to get ya some wings! And a halo, and a mask..." Luce grinned. It had been a while since a new Angel had shown up.

"Basically, we annoy anyone who comes here. Normally, we would be fine with it, if we have had warning. With warning, we have time to hide any existance of us. But, like today, we weren't told of a school trip, and had they decided to take a tour backstage, we would have been rumbled. So we got our own back!" she told Emma with a smirk.

"You've probably heard the rumours of this place being haunted? Thats us. We're all acrobats, and we know every nook and cranny of this place, which is handy for getaways."

[Arcticrose]

When Dragon had walked up to Emma, she noticed his disfigured face. Woah. Emma thought but didn't let her face show her surprise. He's a nice guy. You'll learn to look past it. She told herself. "Yup, I'm an angel. I'm so glad I finally have somewhere to sleep. I slept under a bench yesterday. This is a big improvement." Emma told Luce stepping the edge of the box and looking across the breathtaking theater. "So our job is to annoy people? I like it." She said with a laugh turning around to look at 2 of her new friends. "Actually I've never heard anything about this place." Emma sighed. "I never really talked to anybody."

[amypops]

"A bench? Well, this certainly is an improvement. We managed to convert the loft into some sort of huge bedroom type dorm thing. There's no actual bedframes, because they're too heavy, but there's at least thirty matresses up there, and theres only about seventeen or so Angels, according to Q, so we can nab you some covers out of the cupboard and you can choose what matress to sleep on." Luce smiled.

"Foodwise, however, we have to go about finding what we can. The school group we shocked today We nabbed all their packed lunches, plenty of sandwiches."

[Arcticrose]

"Ahhh a mattress. I can't wait to get on one of those." Emma told Luce. "Food?" Her cheeks flushed as her stomach growled. Emma hadn't eaten anything in a couple of days. "You...wouldn't happen to have any left would you?" She shyly asked praying for a yes answer as her stomach loudly growled again. Emma laughed. "If, so could we go grab some? I'm starving!" She started to walk towards the exit of the box. "I can't wait for the next prank. I love causing havoc."

[amypops]

"They're should be enough sandwiches left. Q has put a 'one packet of sandwiches per angel' rule in place, to make it more fair. There's other things like crisps and chocolate, and juice. C'mon, we'll go get some just now, if ya like!" Luce told Emma, skipping over to the exit of the box.

"Then if ya like, we could go raking for some duvets or something and you can pick a mattress, and then we can go make some wings and halo's, and we'll find a mask that fits!" she cried enthusiastically.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled. He grabbed a packet of sandwiches that he had taken from the lunch box pile earlier. "Here, take this." he said as he handed the sandwiches to Emma. She was one of the few people, other than Luce and Q, who hadn't flinched (or obviously at least) when she'd first seen his face. He felt comfortable and a sense of security in that one action.
"I'm pretty sure we can find you a mask in the costume room. That's where I found my Phantom mask, so I'm sure we'll find you a mask that'll fit you," he said as he joined Luce's side. "This totally makes up for the intrusion of the school trip. I mean, we've taken in another angel; this is great!"

[Arcticrose]

"Oh my gosh! Chocolate!" Emma shouted with joy. "I love chocolate!!!" She told Luce. "Yes! I would love to pick a mattress and then promptly lay on it for a billion hours after! I can't wait to get something down my throat and into my stomach." Emma said as Dragon handed her a sandwich. "Thanks." She smiled at him. Emma immediately started to stuff the sandwich in her mouth. She didn't even know what she was eating, all she knew was that it was good. Emma finished her sandwich in a matter of minutes and smiled. "Yum. Food. I had forgotten how good it was." She laughed. "Cool a mask." Emma said while her, Dragon, and Luce headed to the costume room. "Thanks for taking me in." She told them.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled as he led Emma into the costume room under the stage. It was perhaps his favourite place in the Theatre, because, when he was in there, he felt that he could become any person he chose; it was as simple as putting on a mask. Unconsciously, his hand strayed up to the melted part of his face, tracing gently over the welts and folds of mangled skin, wincing at the memory of it. As he realised what he did, he hastily replaced his Phantom mask, wishing he hadn't reminded himself of the time before he had been saved.
"This is a treasure trove and a half, eh? All the leftover props and costumes all stay here. You can become anyone ore anything in here. The whole world at your fingertips," he said as he ran his hand along the spines of some books on a bookshelf against the wall. They were all programs of stage shows. The angels collected them, keeping them as memories, in a sort of odd way.
"Do whatever you want, so lond as you don't... y'know... lose your head or anything..."

[Arcticrose]

Emma followed Dragon under the stage and her mouth gaped open looking at all the props. "This...is...amazing!" She said running to try on every small prop she could find. "I love this!" Emma shouted."Do whatever you want, so lond as you don't... y'know... lose your head or anything..." "Because I'm definitely going to lose my head." She replied sarcastically putting on a sparkly blue mask. "What do you think?" She asked Dragon and Luce but before they could answer she ran off again. Emma soon stumbled upon a small gold mask that covered half of her face and quickly tried it on. She wandered around some more and then found Dragon. "What do you think about this one? I really like it." Emma smiled.

[amypops]

Luce followed Dragon and Emma down into the costume room. "The gold angel masks are over there." she said, pointing to a box next to a pile of other masks. "And I agree, this place is the best place in the theatre." She ran over to the wig box and plucked out a purple wig, putting it on her head and facing Dragon. "What do ya think?" she giggled, striking a pose.

She saw Emma come back with a gold mask covering her face, her green eyes standing out. "Woah, angel and a half, huh? All she needs now is the wings and the halo!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"That mask is perfect for you, Emma," Dragon said, grinning, although half of his smile was obscured by the mask, the laughter in his eye still shone through. "And, Luce," he said, turning to Lucy. "That wig suits you down to the ground. Very.... Scaramouche, eh?" he said, laughing slightly at the prospect of Luce being like Scaramouche.
He walked along the rows of costumes. His favourite costume, the Phantom of the Opera suit and cape, was hanging on a rail in the backstage area, ready for any sudden need of it, in the case of unexpected guests.
He suddenly came upon the leotards, wigs, tails and leg/arm warmers that had been used in a production of Cats. He pulled the Mungojerrie unitard off the rack and ran behind a screen, performing one of his famous quick-changes. He re-emerged seconds later, dressed fully with wig, arm and leg warmers and tail. He was only lacking the make-up.
"Smashing, eh?" he said, laughing at the look on Luce's face. "Rather fitting, don't you think?"

[Arcticrose]

"I love the wig!" She told Luce. "And thanks about the mask." Emma searched through the endless boxes of props when Dragon soon stepped out. She burst into laughter. "Wow." Emma couldn't contain herself. "I don't really know what to say." She finally spit out between laughter. "That is definitely you." Emma smiled and continued to sift through the countless costumes. "So what do you guys do around here all day?" She said pulling out a blue wig and trying it on.

[amypops]

"Very Scaramouche indeed!" she giggled, belting out the first few lines of 'Somebody to Love'. When Dragon re-emerged as Mungojerrie, she laughed and applauded his quick-change act.

"Oh, idea!" Luce cried, placing the purple wig back on the stand and diving into the piles of leotards and other dance items that had been used in Cats when it had been on at the Theatre du Starlight. She grabbed a wig, leotard, arm and leg warmers and a tail, and came out in a Rumpleteazer costume, matching Dragon.

"Shall we go hunting for some make-up and make-up tutorials? No doubt theres some in here!" she cried, cartwheeling towards Dragon.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon laughed loudly, taking Luce in her cartwheel and gripping her waist, starting them off in a double-windmill; a move which they had practiced many times when watching the rehearsals of the performance of Cats that had happened in the theatre.
"There's almost certainly going to be some make-up here," he said as he came up from the double-windmill, regaining his balance and finishing with a flourish. He knew that he would only be able to wear half of the make-up, but he supposed that the spare Phantom mask could easily have make-up on it. He removed his Phantom mask and put the back-up one on. "I'm ready for the make-up!" he said, laughing and smiling.

"Oh, and Emma? You ask us what we do all day? Well... look around. This is exactly what we do all day!" he said, beaming from ear to ear.

[Arcticrose]

Emma applauded Luce and Dragon's double windmill and laughed. "Doing that all day sounds like fun to me!" She said grabbing a costume from the pile of stuff that had apparently been used in the musical Cats. Emma quickly tried it on, though not nearly as fast as Luce and Dragon. "What do you guys think?" Emma said as she emerged laughing. "Geez you guys change fast. Is this something I will eventually learn or is it a gift you're born with?" She asked while looking for the makeup.

[amypops]

"Whee! Make-up!" Luce cried, landing flawlessly after the double-windmill. She and Dragon had practiced it god knows how many times, copying the actors who were also practicing, over and over untill they could do it better than the actors themselves.

Giggling, she all but dived at the make-up cupboard, checking everything was still in date. Grabbing the foundation, highlights, shadow cream, brushes, sponges, paint, the lot, she headed over the the brightest part of the costume room and started setting everything up. She looked over as Emma entered, also in a cats outfit.

"Whoa. What do ya think, Dragon? You pick what cat! I was opeless at remembering their names. Come here, Emma, and I'll do the Cat makeup if ya like."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"You learn it as you become an Angel. You need to be able to perform a quick-change to rival that of a West-End performer, and the balance and speed of a highly-trained athlete and the gymnastics of a... well... a Gymnast!" Dragon said, almost in an off-hand kind of way. "But don't worry, you will definitely pick up on it in the first few weeks. Hey, we could even teach you. The Theatre's pretty quiet when no shows are being performed, so it's the perfect time to practice."
Dragon also started looking for the make-up with Luce. He'd never been good when it came to finding things, as he was very scatter-brained, and it just made everything all the more difficult to find when lost.

[Arcticrose]

"I'd adore learning that even though I'd probably fall on my head. I'm not what you would say.....graceful. But it would still be fun!" Emma watched as Luce attacked a cupboard full of various things having to do with makeup. "Sure I'd love that! Sounds like fun! Considering I've never worn makeup in my life this should be interesting" She chuckled and sat down in a chair as Luce observed her. "I can't wait to see what this will turn out like." Emma tried not to fidget as Luce applied all kinds of makeup but she couldn't keep still. She started tapping a rhythm out on her knees impatiently.

[amypops]

"Hmm... I honestly cannot remember the names of these Cats..." Luce muttered to herself, grabbing a home-made costume book from the shelf and flicking through it. One of the other Angels had made it over the course of a year, carefully drawing out every costume and listing the parts of the costume, the make-up used, and how to apply it.

"Hmm... the leotard you have on looks sorta like... Victoria's. Its just plain white, so we shall go with the Victoria make-up" Luce confirmed, pulling out the make-up and started applying it. It took a while, but eventually, Luce finished, and held up a mirror so Emma could see.

"So, whadda ya think?"

[Arcticrose]

Emma looked into the mirror and saw a face she didn't recognize. "Woah, that's me?" She said with shock. "Wow, Luce, you're an amazing make-up artist! This looks so much like the character!" Emma complimented her picking up the costume book. She looked back in the mirror. "Wow." Emma poked at her face and turned from side to side. "I really do look like a cat!" She said laughing. "Wow this place already feels like home. Thanks." Emma said giving a warm smile to Luce.

[amypops]

"Yup that's you" I haven't done make-up in a while, but its fun. Me and Dragon come down here a lot, messing about, trying new styles..." She looked up as Emma mentioned the place feeling lke home.

"You're welcome" Luce grinned, placing all the make-up back in the cupboard and placing the book back on the shelf. "Hey, whadda ya say I teach you some of our gymnastic moves? I mean, quick and agile getaways are crucial in mischief making!" she smiled fixing the wig on her head.

[PrettyInPointe]

Deciding she was done with the argument, Q decided to go find Emma, who had wandered off. If the Dianna girl stayed... well, it was her funeral. Q walked around for a bit, then decided to try the prop room. She walked in, and couldn't stifle her laugh. "I can't leave you two alone for two minutes now can I?" she said in between laughs. "Already you turned our new recruit into a cat. But fantastic make-up job, Luce. And the cat outfit suits you Dragon." she said. Then she spotted the golden mask. "Oh, perfect. Fixed her up with a mask already. So, when do you want to work on the gymnastics and quick changes? We can do it anytime, finishing here first would be fine. It's amusing to see you guys as cats, actually." she said, with a chuckle.

[Arcticrose]

"That would be amazing!" Emma smiled. "I'm not very flexible or graceful or coordinated but I'll try anything! Maybe you'll be the person to teach me how to not fall on my face." She laughed and looked up at Luce. "So what will be learning first master?" Emma asked joking around. "Will it be a cartwheel? flips? splits?" She paused waiting for an answer. "None of which I can do by the way." Emma quickly added in. Just then Q entered the room. "Hey Q! What happened to the barbie?"

[PrettyInPointe]

"The barbie... I dunno really. I decided just to leave. Arguing with her was a waste of my time, and I decided if she tries to follow me the other angels will deal with her. And their a bit less tolerant than me." Q said, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, I'm assuming these guys set you up with food and a bed, right? They better have." she said, grinning at Luce and Dragon. "Well, I hope you'll like it here. And don't worry, as you're here, you'll learn to be more flexible and graceful. You just pick them up being here. I was a terrible klutz when I started."

[Qwill]

"Get a life?" Q repeated angrily. "Get a life?" She barely even realized that it was just her and the girl now, but she was lad the other angels had left. They knew what Q was like when she was angry. It wasn't pretty. "None of us had lives. That's the purpose of the theatre. It's our home. This is my life, taking care of the kids here, protecting them, giving them their chance to have a life." Q said, clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to keep calm and not yell.

"A life doesn't have to be going to school and having parents and talking to everyone who wants to talk to you. We may actually have more of a life than you. At least we all have friends here. And it's not like we never leave the theatre. We have to get new angels, food, older angels go and get jobs, and so on. And we were never waited on, and we don't expect to be. We don't want your sympathy, we don't want the world's sympathy. That's why we are asking you to leave. If we're wasting your time, it's your fault for not leaving on those many occasions I have asked you to." Q said, with a finality in her voice.

"And you're still hiding from the shadow of the real world!" Dianna yelled. Then she took a deep breath. "You know what? I give up. I won't argue if you are just manipulating words, spouting lies and acting as if you are such a perfect Angel. Well instead you're just a fallen one who can't see the real point of life as probably real angels and maybe if there's a God, Him too. I''m not going to leave because that's what you want the most right now, and I'm not going to give it to you."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon had been attempting to apply the Mungojerrie make-up to his face, failing at the attempt of trying to put it on over the phantom mask. "I'll just have to be a Mungojerrie who got into one too many fights in the junkyard..." he said as he removed the mask. It looked even weirder with the scars uncovered and the remaining, un-mangled half of his face, covered in orange, black and white make-up. It looked quite terrifying. He quickly replaced the mask and re-applied the make-up to the mask, attempting to make it look natural.
When finished, he turned to face Q, Luce and Emma when heard what the snob-girl was yelling at Q, he could see her at the door to the costume room, and he was furious at what she had called Q.
His temper took over his usually calm demeanor. He stalked over to the girl, his anger evident in every stride he strode and he went up to face her, so she could see the blazing fury in his eye. And without so much as a slow movement to show what was coming, he slapped her, and much harder than she had slapped Q. He saw the girl physically reel back from the force of the slap.
"How dare you call Q a fallen angel! She'd be more angelic than you even if she was a fallen angel. She's not however, a Fallen Angel. She is our Guardian Angel."

He left the girl there and returned to Q, hugging her tightly as he arrived.

"Don't listen to her, Q. You're not a fallen angel. You're our guardian angel."

[Qwill]

Dianna slapped the boy back.
"Do you realize how pathethic you sound when you say that?" Dianna yelled, "Do you realized that you guys are all acting like idiots, you push people away because no one has ever helped you and because no one cares about you, when people who care want to come near you you push them away too. And you push me away when all I asked was who you were. You only refer to me as snob. I know about half of your names already. You guys are hypocrites, saying that you don't have a problem with me coming here and yet you let someone just yell at me. Then I slap you in return because you took my video camera and erased a video of the only time my parents every showed love to me as well as countless others of less meaningful moments. You guys make a big deal out of a slap and say that you guys are too good to rise to such a low level at that, then you go again and slap me. Which makes you even worse of a hypocrite. I said I was sorry and you yell at me again. And you call yourself the Angels when all of mankind has sunk to the worse of low levels where none of us, not even you, can ever be the next thing as close to an angel. So now you're here, saying that you guys are too angelic when you guys," Dianna's voice faltered and she spoke softly, "Are just human beings."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q hugged Dragon back. "Thank you, Dragon. That means a lot to hear that." she whispered in his ear, then turned back to Dianna. When she did, Dianna slapped Dragon back, Q grabbed her wrists, holding them so tightly there was no way of escape. "You. Do. Not. Hit. An. Angel." Q said between her teeth. "Get it into your head right now that you can't change who we are. Not everything can change to be the way you like. If we left here so we weren't 'shunning society' anymore, we would just be seventeen kids out on the streets. This is our home, and by being here I'm not shunning society, I'm protecting these kids from what society did for them. I'd be willing to bet if you saw a kid on the streets, you'd be one of the people who would walk right by." Q said. Then she took a deep breath.

"Now, I'm sorry Ret got angry with you, she's a little protective. Happy? But we did not all get angry with you right away. If your little snobby butt hadn't whipped out a video camera, we could've politely asked you to leave and you could've politely gone, no harm done. Now, I'm sorry to have wasted your precious time arguing, so how about you just leave, and never have to deal with our 'pathetic' selves again." Q said sarcastically, pointing towards the door.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

As the girl slapped Dragon, he swore loudly, removing the mask where she had hit him and rubbed his scarred features tentatively where the pain was worst from the slap. He did his best to alleviate the pain, but where he had been slapped was an incredibly sensative part of his face. Tears welled in his eye, but he refused to cry. The tears stung his eye almost as much as his cheek did.
Dragon would've very much liked to attack the girl, but he knew he wouldn't be helping the situation any more than he'd tried to.
He scowled at the girl and then removed the make-up from the Phantom mask and the half of his face and went back behind the curtain and changed back into his normal clothing.
When he was sure that no one could see him, the tears flowed freely. It wasn't so much the agonising pain in his face, but more the painful memories that flooded back to him. That girl was so like the family he'd grown up with, until he was shunned by them for his scarred face. The pain she had induced by slapping him had awoken a memory of his mother doing the same thing, on the same part of his face.
He sat down against a wall, clutching his knees to his chest and rested his head against the wall, calming down.

[amypops]

Luce stepped back in shock as the girl slapped Dragon, bringing her hand up to her own face and rubbing wher the girl had slapped her earlier. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl packed a punch, and her slaps hurt.

She watched as Dragon took off his make up and quick-changed back into his ordinary clothes, and left the room. Luce, seeing the tears in his eye, also changed back into her normal clothes, but kept her make-up on and followed Dragon outside.

She saw him leaning against a wall, crying his eye out. Luce sat next to him and gave him a hug, not saying anything in the fear that she would make it worse.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

((lol, not his eyeS, but his eye. He's only got one...))
Dragon hugged Luce back tightly, never wanting to let go. He was 14, yet he'd never known a mother-like figure, and Luce was, in a way, a motherly figure to him, even though she wasn't even a year older than himself. He felt safe when he was with her, he was comforted by her hugs, and he always could tell her anything.
He just sat there, hugging her, not speaking or anything, just silently getting over the emotional and physical pain which he was in.
"Thanks Luce, for everything you've ever done for me," he whispered to her as he hugged her.

[amypops]

((Edited :p))

"That girl is just a witch. A snobbish witch. There was no need to slap you at all. Or me. Or anyone else she has managed to hurt while she's been backstage." Luce sniffed.

"I'm tellin ya, If I ever see her again, she's gonna wish she'd never been born! I'm gonna annoy her so much, she'll cry!" Luce promised, shaking with both sadness and anger.

This girl had gone too far, in Luce's eyes. This was why they hid away from people, so they wouldn't get hurt like this. Hurt emotionally or physically.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Luce..." Dragon said, having stopped crying by this point. "Don't. 2 wrongs don't make a right, they make a left, and that's definitely not a right. Wait... that didn't make sense. Oh, I remember it now. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. If we try to get revenge, it'll just compromise the situation, giving her more material to use should she decide to take this up to the police. Think about it. Seventeen kids living illegally in a theatre, scaring off people, stealing of property -lunches- and then assault -me slapping the girl. It would be quite the sensational story, and, because we'd be treated like scum, she'd be the one taken seriously. We should just drop it, and bury it six feet in the ground. That's the sensible thing to do. After all, if anyone can sort this out without resorting to violence, it'll be Q."

[amypops]

"Of course. That girl has wealthy parents and god knows what else behind her. We'd never win in a million years..." Luce muttered bitterly. "Money and a home doesn't give you the right to slap people because they disagree with you." she sighed.

"D'ya wanna go raid the costume department again? Or go search somewhere else for something to do? Something fun might take our minds off of todays events... I certainy need to forget about them, or at least push them out of my mind, before my brain explodes..."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Yeah, we might as well explore this place fully. Although, I know for a fact that there are some props left over from the failure of the attempt of the Pirates of the Caribbean stage show. We can go and take some of the coats, hats and cutlasses. Maybe choreograph a stage fight or go crazy and swing around on the ropes and duel on the light rigging beams..." Dragon said, smiling mischievously. "Come on," he said as he got to his feet, feeling himself again.
He ran in such a happy manner that it could almost be taken for skipping. "C'mon slowpoke!" he said jokily. He and Luce both knew that he was the slower of the two.

[amypops]

"Oi! Wait up!" Luce giggled, catching up with Dragon and carreering round the corner, nearly crashing into another Angel. Stammering apologies, she noticed that Dragon was ahead of her, and she quickly caught up with him again.

She entered the costume room, and noticed that Q and the girl were still there, so clambered up the side of a wardrobe and all but skipped along the top, unseen by the two below. She heard Dragon behind her, and they entered the part of the costume department that was oveflowing with pirate outfits.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon arrived by Luce in a second after her. He was grinning from ear to ear and laughing as well. He loved playing around in costumes and becoming other people for a few minutes in his life. "Nicely done, Luce," he said as he regained his breath.
He started looking around at outfits almost immediately, picking up a tricorn hat and flattening it on his head quickly. He then put a belt round his waist, clipping a sheath and cutlass to it, and shoving flintlock pistols in here and there. He then grabbed a coat and was finished.
"Quite dashing, don't you think?" he said, jokily. "The name's Sparrow, mate. Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"

[amypops]

"Ahah... keep away from the rum, mate!" Luce giggled, wiping her cat make-up off and drawing a curly moustache on in eyeliner, before grabbing an eyepatch and a rag for her hair. She copied Dragon, and grabbed a few swords, shoving them into her belt.

"Wanna go scare some Angels?" she laughed "But of course, we'll have to practice. It's been a while since we've raided anywhere. Have at thee!" she laughed again, and started waving her sword about madly at Dragon. Sword fighting had never been her strong point, but it was alwways a laugh. They ended up on the stage, and Luce clambered up the light rigging.

"A duel to... something, preferably not death, on the lights!" she cried, swinging from a rope.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled as he shoved the cutlass back into its sheath and began to clamber up the ropes, getting higher than the light rig, from where he jumped, landing with his bare feet landing perfectly square on the beam.
"Oh, you can just imagine the Pirates of the Caribbean theme playing right here, can't you? I mean, that bit when he's on the sinking boat? Genius..." Dragon drew the sword and held it out, waiting for Luce.
"Da da da-da, da da da-da, da da da-da, da da dadaaaa!" he sang as he begand to sword fight in time with the music.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q decided that the argument was over, whether the girl wanted it to be or not. She started walking around, checking up on the other angels, and so on. She ended up going to the stage, to find Luce and Dragon, in full pirate costume, sword-fighting in the riggings. "Why does this not surprise me?" Q said, chuckling. "So, so far the day has gone like; angels, cats, pirates. What'll be next?" she said, laughing. Q called backstage for the angels to take a seat in the theatre, and together they watched the performance. Q decided it would be a good way to calm down after the earlier prank.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Don't forget the Phantom of the Opera!" Dragon yelled down, laughing as he did so. He avoided a swipe at his head from Luce, making him fall to his bum on the beam, where he rolled over backwards, hanging from his knees. He shoved the cutlass into his belt and a rolled around the beam, hanging by his hands and moving along, monkey-bars-style so he came up behind Luce.
He got to his feet behind Luce, cutlass drawn. He tapped her on the shoulder, saying, "Have at thee, fiend."

[amypops]

Luce cracked up laughing, nearly falling off the lights, but regaining her balance and picking up her sword. She joined in Dragons singing, waving her sword about helplessly.

"Och, I could never do this sword fighting... stuff!" she cried, pulling out a pistol and pretending to shoot Dragon. "Hah, I think I win!"

She heard Q call up to her, and laughed once more. "Hmm... let me think... Rebels?" she cried, throwing her arms up as if she had just had an amazing idea. "Flourescent make-up all round!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"YAY! And drinks!" Dragon said as he pulled a flintlock pistol from his belt, firing it in the air, a flash of light came from the barrel of the gun and a poof of smoke came out. "That was cool..." he said as he replaced the pistol in his belt. As he did, his hat fell off and floated to the ground. "Oh noes! My haaat!" he cried, watching the hat fall.
"Oh well," he said, shrugging and laughing again. "Time to be something else. OOOH!!! I know! I'll be Elphaba and you can be Fiyero, Luce!" he said, smiling, as he swung onto a rope, sliding down it and running to his hat on the stage.

[amypops]

Luce pretended she had been shot, clutching her chest and falling sideways off of the lighting rig, but catching herself before she fell. As she clambered back up, she listened to Dragons idea.

"A male Elphaba and a female Fiyero... goodness, It'll be like a pantomime!" she joked, following Dragon down onto the stage. "LET THE GREEN GUY GO! Hey... it has a nice ring to it!" she giggled, nabbing dragons hat before he could reach it and started running about the stage with it on her head.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Noooes!!! NOT MY HAT, YOU FIEND!" he cried, laughing hard. He pulled another pistol from his belt, this one loaded with a fake bullet, and fired it at the hat. The gun fired the bullet at the hat and it went flying off of Luce's head. "My hat!" Dragon said as he grabbed it and plonked it back on his head. "Now, I'm going to have a magificent garden party and you're not invited... why's the rum gone? ....I have a jar of dirt!!!" he said, going quite crazy.
"Quick! To the costume lair! Now we can become Elphaba and Fiyero! YAY!"

[amypops]

"What are you on!?" she joked, skipping behing him as they headed down to the Costume place, Q tagging behind. Luce leapfrogged over Dragon and bolted towards another part of the costume department, and started raking through the costumes.

Jokingly, she threw a Black dress and hat at Dragon, then a broom, then a stuffed monkey, giggling all the while. "Ooh, no, wait!" she cried, snatching the stuffed monkey back and strapping a small pair of wings to its back. "Now it's either an angel monkey, or a winged monkey called Chiserty!"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"It's got to be Chistery!!! He's my little minion!!!" Dragon said, dashing behind the curtain, getting into the dress and clipping the wig onto his head and placing the hat on top. He pressed his phantom mask close to his face, so it didn't come off. He returned to Luce and Q, looking extraordinarily like a woman, as he'd thought to put on a padded bra for the lulz.
"Time to greenify!" he said as he grabbed the make-up and did the Elphaba make-up on himself. "Now, I'm ready to Defy Gravity!" he said as he grabbed the broomstick and Chistery.

[amypops]

Dragon emerged, and Luce fell over laughing. Every time she tried to speak, another wave of giggles would overcome her, and she'd burst out laughing again. When she eventually managed to get enough air into her lungs, and had calmed down a bit, she was able to face Dragon.

"Sorry, its just... you in a dress!" she cried, biting her tongue. Doing a quick change act, she re-emerged as Fiyero, tights and all. Seeing Dragon again, clutching the toy monkey with the wings, just made her crack up again.

[Qwill]

Q hugged Dragon back. "Thank you, Dragon. That means a lot to hear that." she whispered in his ear, then turned back to Dianna. When she did, Dianna slapped Dragon back, Q grabbed her wrists, holding them so tightly there was no way of escape. "You. Do. Not. Hit. An. Angel." Q said between her teeth. "Get it into your head right now that you can't change who we are. Not everything can change to be the way you like. If we left here so we weren't 'shunning society' anymore, we would just be seventeen kids out on the streets. This is our home, and by being here I'm not shunning society, I'm protecting these kids from what society did for them. I'd be willing to bet if you saw a kid on the streets, you'd be one of the people who would walk right by." Q said. Then she took a deep breath.

"Now, I'm sorry Ret got angry with you, she's a little protective. Happy? But we did not all get angry with you right away. If your little snobby butt hadn't whipped out a video camera, we could've politely asked you to leave and you could've politely gone, no harm done. Now, I'm sorry to have wasted your precious time arguing, so how about you just leave, and never have to deal with our 'pathetic' selves again." Q said sarcastically, pointing towards the door.

"What happened if I told you that in a few years time they're scrapping the theatre and building something else in here?" Dianna suddenly blurted. "They're knocking this theatre house down completely and that means that you go down with it too." Dammit, Dianna thought in her head, they're just going to yell at you more. "It's true," Dianna managed to choke in a breath, "And you really can't do anything about it." Dianna looked firmly and hardly into Q's eyes knowing that if she blabbered another lie Dianna would most definitely slap her as well.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Oh stop it," Dragon said, trying to be serious, although, it was mighty difficult, as he wasn't used to wearing a bra, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. "It's not as if you've never worn a dress..." he said as he paced over to her, having to hold up his skirts as he did. This just earned another bout of giggles. "Do you want me to tickle you?" he said, his eyes narrowing. "Because, I will if you carry on like that..." he said, putting the Chistery monkey down on an upturned crate, covering its eyes. "I don't want your pure mind to be tainted by this extreme torture..." he said to the toy monkey.
"Now... Luce... I would like to introduce you to my friends, my incredibly gifted at tickling hands, righty and other-righty..." he said, advancing on her, looking for all the world as sinister as a green man dressed in a dress wearing a padded bra... which, of course, was what he was.

[amypops]

Luce's laughter soon turned into a mixture of choking and cackling as Dragon jumped on her and started tickling her like mad. She flailed wildly, trying to throw him off, but was unsuccesfull. Rolling out of the way, She pulled the monkey of of the crate and made her fingers into a gun, pointing them at the monkeys stuffed head.

"Stop tickling me or the monkey gets it!" she cried dramatically, cracking up again. She wouldn't be surprised if her throat died tomorrow, from all the laughter it was putting up with.

[Arcticrose]

Emma quickly wiped off her makeup and took off her costume just as Dragon, Luce, and Q re-entered the costume area. She didn't really know where Barbie went and she didn't really care. Emma burst into uncontainable laughter when Dragon appeared in a dress and obviously a padded bra. "Wow. Elphaba?" She guessed. Emma glanced back at Luce. "And Fiyero! My my, what will we do with you two." She laughed and ran off to grab another wicked costume. She found a sparkly pink dress which she assumed was Glinda's and snagged a blond wig. Emma changed as quickly as possible and emerged. Luce and Dragon were having a tickle fight on the ground. "I'm popular!" She shouted with a laugh trying to draw their attention.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q was in hysterics in the corner. She'd never seen Luce and Dragon so crazed, and they were probably scaring Emma. But still, they were hilarious. "Dragon, Luce and Emma, the Wicked-ly hilarious trio." She said in an announcer's voice. They were just too funny. Q checked the clock in the dressing room. "Oh, goodness! Eight thirty already. I'm going to go start getting some of the smaller kids ready. You guys can keep on.... being crazy." Q said with a chuckle. Then with a wave she went back to the backstage area and called the other angels over. "Come on guys, time to get ready for bed." she said, smiling.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon turned round to see Emma now dressed up in the Galinda garb and nearly had another laughing fit. Her tiara was askew and she looked an absolute hoot in her outfit. He quickly lunged at her and grabbed her wand and then grabbed Chistery from Luce and picked up his skirts, running towards the stage to where he could get into a flying rig or something crazy.
"Can't catch me, Galinda! After all, we can't all come and go by bubble! And Fiyero, let the Green Monkey go!!!" he yelled as he ran across the stage, being persued by the others.
As Dragon ran, he didn't look where he was going and ended up running into the wall on the side of the stage. He fell to the ground, laughing all the harder. "Hahahaha! That was even funnier than that performance of Peter Pan when the people who were working the girl who played Peter's flying rig accidentally made her fly into the wall!"

[amypops]

((Finding Neverland reference, huh? XD))

"Oh god, that was soooo funny! It was like... *swing* *BANG* Swing* *BANG*" Luce cried, catching up with Dragon and tackling him to the ground once he got back up. Grabbing Emma's Galinda-fied leg, she dragged her to the ground as well, and the three fell to the ground in a fit of giggles. Luce wrestled the monkey out of Dragons green hand and threw it to Emma.

Once she had regained her breath, she sat on the edge of the stage, staring out at the empty auditorium. "It's been one heck of a crazy day, huh? I mean a whole school trip to scare, a new Angel, some kid lost in the back... come to think of it, wouldn't those kids have noticed that that girl is missing by now? Surely she's not still in the theatre...?" Luce wondered, swinging her legs in a childish manner.

"Oh well, no matter, it's her life. D'ya wanna get out of these costumes and help Emma find a matress? And some pyjamas. Theres showers and stuff downstairs, too, isn't there? Or are they upstars...?"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"They're downstairs, aren't they? Y'know, the communal showers through the door to the far wall of the costume storage. Whatever it is, we do need to find them, I need to shower this stupid green off me. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's itching something terrible at the moment..." Dragon said as he got to his feet and removed his hat, fanning himself, still looking for all the world like a woman.
"C'mon, I need to get out of this dress. It's too hot. How do you girls wear these things? Although, the skirts are incredibly liberating. I'm rather enjoying the breeze..."

[amypops]

Dragons comment set off another wave of laughter from Luce. "Yeah, I need a shower, too. Leotards, wigs, make-up... I feel a bit icky after all our running and jumping around. You coming down for a shower, Emma?" Luce asked, taking off Fiyero's jacket and wig and heading back down to the costume room to put everything away.

"There's goodness knows how many showers, dunno why you'd need that much in one place... but hey, it ensures everyone gets a shower. So, I'll go grab some pyjamas or something for Emma, the towels are in their usual cupboards, am I right?" she blabbered on.

"Oh, and Dragon, don't do what you did last time and wander into the girls showers... I know the towels are cooler, but still..." she grinned.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"It was an accident! It was my first night here and I had soap in my eye..." he grumbled as he removed the green make-up. "It's not as if I meant to..." he said as he removed the black make-up from his eyebrow. "See you guys later," he said, dashing off in the direction of the guys' showers, where he had a long shower to relax and get clean.
He got out of the shower dripping wet and put a towel round his waist and picked up the dress and outfit, placing it on hangers, taking it back to the costume rail.
He rummaged around in the costume chests in the costume storage until he found some new clothes that had been left behind by some teenage boys from some performance a while back. He also grabbed a pair of pjs that hadn't been used since Daisy Pulls it Off, and put them on, finding them very comfortable.
"Ok guys, are you ready for bed?" he yelled into the girls' shower room from the costume storage.

[amypops]

"Yeah yeah, so ya say!" she giggled, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, quickly drying herself off.

"Nearly!" Luce cried back in responce to Dragons question, wrapping a towel around her wet hair and shoving a pair of pyjamas on. She exited the room and nearly bashed into Dragon, who was standing outside the door.

"Och, I'll just leave it to drip dry." she sighed, throwing the towel back into the bathroom and shaking her head about like a dog, probably getting water dropets all over Dragon. "Emma'll be out in a minute, I'm guessing, she's been in half an hour already." Luce grinned.

"So, sall we save her a matress next to our ones?" Luce asked, thinkng about the layout of the matresses upstairs in the attic/dorm. "There is one near mine, isn't there?" She scanned the room in her mind trying to remember where everyones matresses were. Most of the angels 'personalised' teir matresses, the odd teddy here, a blanket there.. it helped set apart who slept where, and minimalised arguments.

[Qwill]

Dianna sat down on the ground wearing a smug smile. She decided she was too tired of telling them what would happen to the theatre and decided that when it would happen she wouldn't bother to help them. She watched as they all got ready for bed, some of the younger angels were in bed earlier and snored like a locomotive. But Dianna just stayed in the floor, smiling and not caring whether or not they paid attention to her. Her hyperactive brain managed to keep her awake and then she turned and looked at the older angels in the eye and grinned the biggest grinned she ever grinned since 05'

[PrettyInPointe]

Q had just finished getting the last young kid's teeth brushed and pajamas put on, when she heard the older kids coming up to the dorm/attic area. "Oh, good. Everyone get in a circle?" she called out, and they did. This was a tradition-thing Q had started when she had come here.

At the end of the day, all the angels sat together in a circle, and went over the day's events: the fun parts, who forgot to do what chore, and so on. It was a nice calming down thing to considering how wound up the kids could get during the day. "Luce, Dragon, can you guys bring Emma up? It's bed time." she called over to them.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled, a bit tiredly. "Of course," he said, heaving himself to his feet, and slumping over to the ladder, where he slid down, holding on to the outer bars of the ladder. His feet hit the floor with a bump and he went to the door of the wash-rooms where Emma was still showering.
He opened the door, covering his eyes tightly, and called in, "Hey, Em, it's time to come up to the dorm. It's just up the ladder and into the circle of people sat on the floor!"
He grinned and then went over to the stage, just grabbing his beanie which he had dropped earlier that day, and put it on his head, when he saw an unwanted visitor. He rolled his eye and climbed up the ladder and went straight to Luce and Q.
"Uhm, guys... we have an... er... unwanted visitor downstairs. If you guys could... er.... come along with me?"

[PrettyInPointe]

Q sighed. She really didn't want to have to deal with Dianna again. It hadn't gone well the first time, and Q didn't really care what she thought. "Do we really have to come down? I mean, can't we ignore her? She has to go away eventually, right?" Q said to Dragon, sighing. But she still wondered what kid of a school that girl went to. To lose a child... what kind of a school would do that? And could Dianna get home? And why wasn't the school looking for her? Would they come in the morning? Q walked over to Dragon. "What should we do?" she asked, resigned.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Look," said Dragon, trying to find reason in his own thinking at the same time. "If her school really is as bad as she says, then it is obvious why she was lost here. I resent her actions towards us as much as you do, especially with how rude she was to you. But... if her parents are as cruel to her as she says, then I think..." Dragon stopped mid-sentence. It was difficult to say what was on his mind. "If she is being treated like that, we should give her a chance. It seems to me that she is in the same position as many of us when we were first found, except that she comes from the other end of the spectrum to us. I think..." he took a deep breath here, knowing that there would probably be uproar at his suggestion. "It might be good to take her under our paper-wings, and make her into one of us."
Dragon shuffled uncomfortably as he heard mutinous whisperings and mumblings and conspirational grumblings. He even saw the odd death stare.

[Arcticrose]

After chasing, wrestling, and laughing with Luce and Dragon, Emma followed Luce downstairs to take a shower. "Finally!" She told Luce "I haven't taken a shower in forever! Literally!" Emma said with a laugh. She quickly got in the shower. It felt so good to wash her hair. Emma finished up right as Dragon called for her from the door. "Okay! I'm coming! I'll be right there!" She called back to him. Emma dried herself off and put on her new, well new to her, pajamas that Luce had given her. She followed the loud buzz of noises to a room full of mattresses and kids. All the kids were arranged in a circle. Emma threw her dirty jeans and jacket on the blank mattress beside Luce's. The older kids were standing still having an argument about the girl wandering about the theater. "Are you guys seriously gonna take that brat in?" Emma asked.

[Qwill]

Dianna sat on the ladder's rungs, she was thin enough to fit. All the other angels were looking at her. It was nearly ten, her school probably didn't notice she was gone, or even cared. Dianna held her backpack in her hands and opened to the folder for the trip. Her history class was studying drama and right then Dianna remembered that everyone in the class was given a few random odds about this theatre. Dianna flipped to the last page where she saw a news article. She very quickly climbed up the ladder, her backpack dropping and spilling the contents on the floor,
"I know you don't want me here," Dianna declared. She thrust them the news article, the one where it blatantly said that the theatre was going to be demolished.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon took the article and his mouth hung agape when he read the article's headline. "Q, I think you need to read this..." he said, handing the piece of newspaper to Q, then turning to address the rest of the Angels.
"Guys, I know you really don't like the idea of taking this girl in, and to be honest, I'm not so hot on the idea either, but she's got the same sort of problem that we all had when we first came here. She just comes from the other extreme of life than we did. She needs our help, and who would we be if we didn't help another person in need?"

[amypops]

"Shouldn't somebody have noticed she's been missing by now? And that this was the last place she was seen? They might send in a search party!" Luce huffed, flopping down on her mattress and crossing her arms in a huff. "I don't want people raking through here, you know that. Im not saying they will, but what if they do?"

Luce had decided that she didn't like this girl much, and she didn't really trust her. maybe she would come to trust her in time, but right now, she wasn't fond of her.

Luce figeted with her hands, something she always did when uncertain, or nervous, or stressed. She desperately wanted to dive over and rip the article to pieces, but she had no idea why. What good would it do, anyway? the girl probably thought she was a crazy nutcase, anyway.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Luce..." Dragon started. He hated this idea as much as all the others, but he felt that if they left this girl to fend for herself, then they would be no better than the people who had abandoned them, forcing them to live on the streets. "I know you don't like this. Neither do I, but it's the right thing to do. Think about it: If Q had left you on the streets, or to fend for yourself, you'd be... well, y'get my drift, don't you. We can't just leave her now. I know that she came in here, camera toted and slapped us and all that, but it's bad enough that her school left around 2 o'clock in the afternoon and now it's after 10 at night! Do you really think they're going to send out a search-party for her when she's been gone for more than eight hours, and they've done nothing about it yet."
Dragon looked Luce square in the eyes. His jaw was set with determination, and his eye had taken on a steely glint. He was a boy on a mission. "Luce, we need to do the right thing. If we don't, we're no better than those people who we despise more than anything."

[amypops]

Luce averted her gaze, unable to look Dragon in the eye. She sighed heavily.

"Well... I... ugh. Fine. She can stay, I'm just... gonna ignore her for a bit. I need to punch something." Luce muttered, flopping back down onto her mattress, grabbing her small stuffed tiger and hugging it hard. The fur on its back was all matted and hard, after she had tried - and failed - to glue some paper wings onto it's back.

"I'm sorry, but you know what I'm like with people I don't trust." she whispered to dragon, feeling a bit ashamed of her actions. Sure, the girl hadn't made a very good first impression, but everything dragon had said was true.

[Qwill]

Dianna tried not to here them, she really didn;t want them to cause a fight between each other. Yeah she could argue heavily with them but they were like an even closer family and she was not going to allow that to happen again, especially to a group of teenagers who were barely twenty. Dianna sat down on the ladder fingering a rubber band around her wrist. She was still in grass stained jeans and a tie dye t shirt, her messy red hair was tied up together in an even messier ponytail. "Um people," Dianna said abruptly, "Have you not seen the news article?"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"It's alright Luce. It doesn't make you a bad person," Dragon said, stroking the side of her head reassuringly. "It just makes you a normal person. None of us are perfect, not a single one of us. We can't help how we feel towards people if we get the wrong first impression of them." Dragon whispered to her softly, wanting her to cheer up.
When he heard the girl asking them about the article, he got up and went over to her. "We didn't know about that. We weren't told. And if they're going to tear this place down, they have an army to fight." He said resolutely. He wasn't a leader, but when Dragon believed something, he was so sure of what he did that nothing would stop him.
He held out a hand to the girl, palm up, waiting to take hers. "C'mon. You can become one of us. I know some people will resent it for some time, but you're in just as much need as we were when we were first found. I'm Dragon," he said softly, his voice reassuring and friendly, his eye lost the steely glint of dislike. "Who are you?"

[Qwill]

"Dianna," Dianna replied, "I don't really need to be one of you though. I think I just want answers. On the theatre, on school, on life. And I don't think they'll stop it just because of a group of teenagers. I think that to stop it you'll need some of the public to help, even though you may hate it. Maybe I should go back to school the next day and try to get some people to help and then return. Although," Dianna's voice faltered, "They probably wouldn't like too. Beside you've got nearly six months to figure it all out."

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Six months is practically an eternity, Dianna." Dragon said, taking her hand and lifting her up to the attic level off the rung on the ladder. "We'll all figure something out. But for now, Di, you're with us. You're stuck with us, so best be making the best of it, eh?" he said, looking her in the eye, trying to read her. "You're not alone anymore. And if it's answers you're wanting, then answers you'll get. But, for now, come and have a seat and tell us about yourself. If you're going to be one of us, there's no secrets from the Angels of the Theatre."
Dragon went back over to his mattress beside Luce's. She was still hugging her Tiger tightly. "Hey, Luce," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

[Qwill]

"I'm sorry about slapping you," Dianna coughed the words out to the girl who was holding the stuffed tiger, "It's okay if you don't want me here but...." Dianna didn't finisht he sentence and let her words just roll off her tongue. Dianna sat on the floor and turned to the other angels, including Emma, "You guys ok if I'm here?" With a slight nod from an angel in the corner Dianna continued, "Well....my mother was a librarian and my dad was paying serious hospital bills for my sister. We were middle class but didn't have that much money and they fought a lot mostly about crappy stuff and I got mixed up in their crappy arguments once when I was eight. So they sent me to a crappy boarding school which they barely paid anything for and well it was...crappy."
Why did she just say crappy 4 times? Dianna paused, she was usually comfortable about acting crazy in school but she felt really unusually stiff around the "Angels".

[amypops]

"Hey, Luce," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

She stayed quiet for a while, before sighing again and rolling onto her side to face Dragon. "It's just... I'm a bit stressed, thats all. And tired. I mean, we scared a whole school group, then proceeded to cartweel and swing our way through different costumes throughout the rest of that day... I think I'll feel better after a sleep." she smiled ressuringly.

"So, uh, grab a matress then, Dianna." she said, unsusre. The words felt strange on her tongue, and she didn't know why. She smiled again at Dianna, loosening her grip a little on the tiger. She seemed to be squishing the life out of it.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q watched the whole scene, letting Dragon take control. She approved of Dianna coming to join them. Dragon was right, she was in their same situation... sorta. Either way, she needed them. Q crossed over to Dianna. "So, welcome." she said, shaking her hand. "You can pick any mattress without a stuffed animal or blanket on it. And if you need pajamas, you can just raid the costume storage room. Showers are downstairs, I'm pretty sure you passed them. We're going to do our circle before we go to bed, so if you want to join..." Q said, then motioned for the other kids to form a circle.

"You don't have to join if you're tired, Luce." Q said, then looked back at the kids. "So, good day, I think. Two more angels, a good scare, a good lunch, all in all pretty fun. What do you guys think?" she asked, beckoning Emma over.

[Arcticrose]

Emma shrugged when the angels decided to except her in. If she had just been excepted in why couldn't Diana? All the angels got up and sat in a big circle. Emma joined sitting next to Q. "Okay?" She said unsure. "Why are we all sitting in a circle?" Emma asked fidgeting with a string hanging off of her bright blue pajamas. She looked around at all the other kids. This is my new family. Emma thought. No more nights on the street. No more walking all day. No more struggling to keep warm. She smiled. Finally, a home.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q smiled at Emma. "Every night we discuss our day in a circle. Like who forgot to do a chore, if we're in need of any supplies, any news we heard, or just how the day went for us. So, how did it go for you?" Q said, with a little laugh. She assumed it had gone pretty well for Emma. Most of the new angels had a pretty good first day when they first came. It was their first day off the streets and with a family, and the other angels were usually beyond welcoming to them. A new start always made it a great day. Q nodded encouragingly.

[Qwill]

Dianna smiled a genuine smile,"Thank you." She walked over to a mattress in the far end and opened her backpack. Since she went to a boarding school they were required to pack a set of clothes in their backpack, just in case of emergencies. Dianna didn't bring pajamas but she had a pair of sweatpants and a jacket. She went downstairs and found the showers/
***
Later when Dianna returned her hair dripping with water she sat down uncomfortably in the circle. She listened to what they said and thought about it overall. It seemed like a good day but what if the school realized she was gone?

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon sat on his bed, listening to everyone, his mind buzzing with the events of the day. He was looking forward to the next time that they would get a chance to freak out some unwanted visitors. The phantom of the Opera mask he usually wore was now lying on the ground by his mattress, as he held a green monkey which wore a little red waistcoat and had wings. It was his special monkey that he had been given by a cast member when he'd seen the show of Wicked when it had been in the Theatre.
He lay back on the mattress and squished his head into his pillow, his disfigured features sinking into the pillow. That was when a thought that had been troubling him came to him.
He turned on his side and poked Luce in the shoulder, waking her up. "Luce, are you awake?" he whispered, not wanting to wake any of the other angels. "Luce? Luce? LUCE?!" he continued until he woke her up. "Ah, good to see you're awake. Anyway, what do you think about that thing about the Theatre getting demolished? I hate to admit it, but I'm scared..."

[amypops]

The lights were out in the attic dorm, and every Angel was fast asleep.

Luce was having a strange dream, about flying cats and green boxes wielding swords and a small production of We Will Rock You and bottles of glitter and magic spells and stage fireworks, and was enjoying it immensely. However, she was rudely awakened by Dragon poking her shoulder, he knew that was her weak spot.

"Agh, I'm up!" she cried, roling off of the matress and landing with a dull thud on the floor, frantically looking around for the culprit, and to make sure she hadn't waken any of the others.

"Oh, it's you, Dragon." she clambered back under the covers, back to the warmth, and listened intently to Dragon.

"Same." she whispered, hugging her winged tiger tightly. As she looked aorund at the masses of sleeping bodies, she noticed that almost every stuffed toy in the room had wings, wether the toy had been made like that, or the wings had been stuck on. Or, in Luce's case, the wings had fallen off, but they still rested on the tiny stool next to her matress.

"I mean, if this place goes, where will we go? Or, how will we sneak nineteen kids out of a theatre swarming with builders? Why are they knocking it down anyway? This place is famous for its ancient architecture... isnt it?"

[PrettyInPointe]

Q lied awake on her mattress, worrying. Was this place really going to be demolished? What would happen to them? Not all the things they had done had been exactly legal, and Q would never let all these kids go out on the streets. But if they went to an orphanage, there wasn't a chance they would always stay all together, and Q couldn't imagine losing any of them. They were a family, whether they had real parents or not. If they demolished this place... where else could they go? Q suddenly sat up. She had heard whispering. Listening, she determined that it was Dragon and Luce. She walked over to their mattresses, and sat down between them.

"Hey guys, I'm a bit worried. If they demolish this place, we may be sent to an orphanage. If we go to an orphanage, there's no chance we'll all be together forever. And I'm not going down without a fight, and not all our pranks have been legal, so I might even be put in jail or juvee. We need to stop it. Ideas?" she said in a hushed whisper. She would never admit she was worried to anyone but these two.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon paused for thought when Lucy asked him numerous questions, ending with the most difficult question to answer. He didn't know if the theatre was famous for all the reasons it apparently was. He had know idea how old the architecture was. He remained in silence, not knowing how to answer anything. "Luce..." he began, not knowing what to say. Finally he thought of something. "I don't know."
By this point, he had registered the presence of Q next to them, and he felt comforted that he had his two best friends with him there. He relaxed slightly and started to let his creative juices flow.
"If they are going to destroy our beautiful home, then it is almost certain that there will be a last performance of the first show that was ever performed here. That show is none other than the Phantom of the Opera. If we can, we'll do something to interrupt it, showing who we are, perhaps we can get the people to sympathise with us. If we did, the story would probably go to all the local, and possibly major, newspapers and the news channels and all that. Either way, if we interrupt a performance to show who we are, then we'll become known. Of course, questions will be asked as to what we have done, etc, but there's a good chance that if we can get the public to sympathise with us, we might be able to stop the Theatre from being demolished." Dragon said all of this very quickly as his thoughts flowed. "It's not good, but it's the best I've got. It's either that or we sabotage the demolition vehicles. Or, we could move to a different Theatre, which, I know, is sad to consider, but if we can't prevent the demolition, then we might very well have to."

[Fandango]

'Riet lay on her mattress, clutching her little winged dog tightly. For the whole evening, she had blatantly ignored the new rich girl with her newspaper, turning away from her every time she looked over, and pretended that she didn't hear any questons that were asked. She spoke to the other new girl, Emma, a little bit, deciding that Emma was a well nicer person than Miss Dianna Fisher.

She rolled onto her back, staring at the low, sloped ceiling of the attic, counting the small glow-in-the-dark-stars that adorned the roof in a futile attemt at trying to fall asleep.

A thump from across the room jolted her fully awake, and she looked over to see Luce whispering to Dragon, crawling back into her bed. He had probably poked her awake again, and she had fallen out of her mattress.

Q soon joined in their conversation, but 'Riet chose to mind her own buisness, rolling back onto her side.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q smiled. She always imagined Dragon's.... creative recklessness. There was a lot of risk in showing themselves, a lot they were putting on the line. If they did Dragon's plan and showed themselves, and then had to move to a new theatre, it was likely someone would make the connection between the two trouble-making groups. That, and Q couldn't imagine ever leaving the Theatre du Starlight.

"I don't know, Dragon. There's a lot we're putting on the line in that plan.... what if we did have to move. Would people know it was us? And no theatre are as nice as this one.... and who wouldn't be suspicious of a ton of ratty-looking kids walking down the street? The police are bound to get involved." she said, doubtfully. But then she smiled. "But it would be awesome to rock our Phantom of the Opera plan, one last time." she said, with a light laugh.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled, agreeing. "I reckon that, whatever happens, we should rock the Phantom routine one last time. It would rock as much as Fire burns." He said, swinging his legs round on the mattress so that he had his bare feet on the cold floor boards. "We could always mess with the machinery. They'd have to start setting up equipment and all that other technical stuff at least a week before, so we could always stop it. Otherwise, I can't really think of anything else that we can do."
Dragon picked up a box of matches and lit the candle that he had in the holder next to his mattress. The little flame flickered and then caught, casting a warm glow and dancing shadows across the walls. Dragon stared intensely into the flame, willing an idea to come to him.
"I don't know what else we can do, guys." Dragon sighed, admitting defeat. "We can never leave the Theatre because it is a part of us. Neither can we reveal ourselves, because we'll be taken away."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q sat next to Dragon and patted him on the back. She knew it was probably hard for him to admit he didn't have an idea. "It's okay, we'll think of something." she told him reassuringly. Already an idea was forming in her head, but she wasn't sure if it would work.

"Okay, so I think we should definitely screw with the equipment, maybe delay the show and demolishing a bit. Then... well let's say they do Phantom of the Opera as a last show, which I'm sure they will. Then we should do our Phantom act, maybe bumping up the intensity a bit, but we'll adjust it to be at the end of the show. Then we'll come out at the end, with mics, and someone can take over the lighting booth, and then one of us can explain our problem. How this is our home, how we need to stay here, how we're willing to compromise as long as we get to continue to live here. And then hope for the best. At least one person in the audience will sympathize, and we'll play on that, and maybe we'll convince them. If not... I'll figure it out." she said confidently, trying to disguise her doubts. "Sound like a plan?" she said, hopefully.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon nodded, still silent as he stared into the Candle's flame. He sighed heavily, making the little flame flicker, sending eclectic shadows all over the melted side of his face. Had someone walked in to the room at that moment who did not know Dragon, they would most likely have screamed or shuddered at seeing such a grotesque sight.
"I'm sure that if one of us gets up on stage, we'll definitely be able to play on someone's sympathy for us. If we were to remove my mask, they'd almost certainly sympathise with us. After all," he said, swallowing a lump that was forming in his throat. "People always have sympathy for freaks of nature."
No matter how confident Dragon always seemed, he was incredibly insecure. When his face injury had happened when the scalding hot water had fallen on him, his Mother had turned away from him, shunning him, leaving him to fend for himself. It was a cruel world outside, and he had no sanctuary with his family. That was when he'd been forced to leave. He'd only been a young sprog at the time, barely more than 10 or 11. When his Mother had looked at him after the accident had first occurred, she'd looked at him with such disgust and distaste that had emotionally scarred Dragon for life.
He picked up his winged monkey from his bed and held it in his smallish hands, lightly playing with the wings as his thoughts consumed him.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q grimaced at Dragon calling himself a 'freak of nature.' He certainly wasn't. But no matter hoe confident and happy Dragon seemed most of the time, he wasn't quite right on the inside. He would always have his injury to bother him, and the fact that his mom had caused it scarred him. But Q certainly had to give him props for how well he dealt with it from day to day. She knew how much it must hurt him.

"No, Dragon. You'll keep your mask on. Whether it will help or not, you cannot deal with the people's reaction. I won't allow you to deal with it. We'll find another way. A way that doesn't hurt any of us." she said, decisively. Dragon could break down if all those people screamed, and Q wouldn't let that ever happen.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled, tears welling up in his eyes. He loved being with the Angels, because it was one place where he knew he belonged. He looked at Q, the tears of happiness threatening to spill over the cusp of his eyelids. "Thank you," he said quietly, truly appreciating what Q had said.
He turned back to face the candle once more and started playing with the fire with his fingers, letting the warmth heat his fingers. He watched the little wick burn down as the flame gradually ate at it.
"But, Q, what happens if we don't succeed? If we don't succeed, we might never see any of the angels ever again. Ever. We'd be taken away by the authorities and thrown into different orphanages, left there until someone came along and decided they wanted us. That or..." Dragon stopped in mid-sentence, shuddering at the other option that would be most likely for him. He'd most likely be taken away to be the guinea pig for numerous experiments to sort out his face. He shuddered thinking about it. That was his worst nightmare. He suddenly turned back to Q and fixed her with a stare that was so intense and pleading it hurt. "Please Q, don't let us fail. We need to figure something out. We can't let them destroy our home."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q almost started crying herself at the look on Dragon's face, but she kept herself together. Instead, she got a look of determination on her face. These kids needed her. She was their protector, their helper, their..... their gaurdian angel. She locked her jaw and pulled Dragon into a tight hug.

"I won't fail you guys." she whispered. "I will never fail you guys." It wasn't just her saying it. It was a promise. A promise to all the angels, awake or otherwise, and to herself. She wouldn't leave these guys with no home, and no family. Without their family.

Q squeezed Dragon one last time, then stood up. "Get some rest, both of you. We've got a battle ahead of us, and the next few weeks will be the hardest yet. You'll need your rest." she gave them a loving smile, and climbed back into her own bed. But she knew she wouldn't get any sleep. She had to formulate a plan.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smiled appreciatively at Q and hugged her tightly one last time. He lay back down on his bed, looking at Lucy, who was seemingly sound asleep on her mattress, and smiled to himself. If Q said everything was going to be ok, then he knew deep down that everything would be ok.
He drew one of his hands up from the floor where he had been absent-mindedly tracing patterns in the dust, and put it on his pillow. He stared at his hands as he thought. Absent mindedly, he stroked his scarred features, feeling the bumps and contours of the melted skin, and wished that it wasn't there. He rolled over onto his side and found himself staring straight into a burnished, metal plate that dully reflected his mangled features in the dimming candlelight.
Tears welled in his eyes and a single tear spilled over the cusp of his eyelid and dribbled down over the melted skin and landing on his pillow.
In the mirror-like plate, he could see the seemingly sleeping form of Lucy and smiled once more to himself and closed his eyes, drawing his tartan blanket over his body and settling down to sleep.

[Qwill]

Dianna had taken a while to adjust into the theatre but she didn't really create as big of a fuss as she did. Most of the time she just hung out in the corners. She knew what would happen if they demolished the theatre. She knew that they'd meet a horrible fate. She just didn't want to tell them. It seemed useless now. Then, Dianna has the faintest glimspe of hope.
"We could try to make this theatre a historical monument," she said excitedly,"we could try to make it famous. so people won't knock it down. We could try that"

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Morning soon came in the Theatre, with thin beams of light filtering through the small windows in the attic room where the Angels slept. The faint trill of birdsong hung in the air and the slight breeze that wafted through an open window smelt of the summer sun.
"Wake up guys! It's a new morning!" Dragon yelled as he jumped out of bed, shaking Q and Luce to wake up. It was a beautiful morning and Dragon rushed to the biggest window he could and flung it open, breathing in the warm summer air as deeply as he could, smelling the faint smell of freshly mown grass, the warm, spicy smell of the summer breeze the bird song filling is head with nature's music.
It was going to be a good day, he decided. Plus, the Angels needed to get out of the Theatre for a bit...

[PrettyInPointe]

Q woke up to Dragon flouncing around the attic. She laughed. "Come on, Drag. Help me wake everyone up. None of them should miss such a beautiful day like this." she said smiling, breathing in the smells of summer, as she opened another window. They then set upon waking everyone up, which didn't take long.

"So everyone, how about we go down to the park today? Do you guys like that idea?" she asked, smiling as she saw everyone's faces light up. "We haven't been out in a while, so it will probably be okay. And today is so amazing, I can't imagine staying cooped up here all day. What do you say?"

[amypops]

Luce grumbled audibly, wincing slightly as the sunlight flooded in from the attic windows and glared through her clenched eyelinds. Burying her face in her pillow, she muttered a small complaint about being woken up too early, before she was pushed out of bed by a fellow angel.

Scowling after the giggling youngster, she sat on the edge of her matress, rubbing her eyes and blinking to get used to the light.

"Park? Sounds fun. Ain't been in a while." She grinned at Q, tidying up the small space around her matress and placing her stuffed tiger onto her pillow before standing up.

"Can we go raid the costume cupboard for some clothes? I promise I wont pick out something stupid like last time..." she smirked, remembering their last trip outside and a flourescent green jumper.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon smirked as he, too, remembered the fluorescent green jumper that Luce had picked out for herself the last time they had gone to the park. It had been a very warm day, but Luce had insisted on wearing a fluoro jumper because she thought that it looked 'cool'.
He smiled and adjusted the Phantom mask slightly, scratching at an itch on the side of his nose that was obscured by the mask.
"Yeah, Luce, you've got to promise to not wear those CUH-RAYZY clothes like last time!" Dragon said, punching her lightly. "...Then again, who am I to talk? I insisted on wearing that outfit from the Pirates of Penzance the last time... that was crazy too..." Dragon looked off into the middle distance, remembering the craziness in the park from then.
"Well... what are we waiting around her for, then? TOOOO THE COSTUME DEPARTMENT!" He yelled, dramatically pointing and running towards the ladder, where her slid down, holding onto the sides of the ladder.
"Also, Q, we need to get some food soon... we're running a bit low, I think."

[amypops]

"We could nip to the nearest supermarket, what with our numbers it might be eay to nick some stuff..." Luce suggested, following Dragon down to the costume department. Once down there, a smile spread over her face. She loved this place, it was just so... crazy. Just like their lives here at the Theatre. That, if Dianna or whatever the new girls name was, was right, wouldn't be standing for much longer.

"What do you think we will do, Dragon?" Luce whispered as the lights flickered on, illuminating the rows of clothes and costumes in front of them. "I don't want to leave the theatre, and I most certainly dont want to be split up from you guys. And the streeets would be an even worse place to go... and then social work will get involved..." she trailed off, buryig her head in the nearest rack of wooly jumpers.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon sighed, half contentedly due to the amount of different clothes in the costume storage, and half in confusion. He had no idea what to do about saving the Theatre. They couldn't leave it, it was their home. And, even if they were forced out of it, he would certainly not be split up from the others.

He dove into a chest of jeans, pulling out a pair that he loved to wear. They were red plaid patterned jeans and they fitted him just right. They dangled chains, and he loved that, because they were just so dangly. He then selected a white wife-beater type of shirt and then, over the top, wore a brightly-coloured collared shirt which he wore hanging open. He sunk his feet into a pair of discarded DCs which were his size and walked over to the mirror, rolling up his sleeves.

"Y'know Luce, I really don't know what we're going to do. When you guys took me in, I never thought we'd leave. This is our home, we can't leave it, it's a part of us. It wouldn't be the same if we moved into a different Theatre... We could... no, that won't work. But we could... no. That won't work either." Dragon turned to look at Luce. "The thing is, Luce, if we are forced out of here, we can't do anything to keep the whole group together. We'd be moved into an Orphanage, and there we would most likely stay until we're old enough to leave."

Dragon looked down at his feet as he sat down heavily on a closed crate of clothing. "Well... we'll have to think of all that later. For now, we'll live in the moment. And at the moment, we need to go to the market to get some food etc. However, I don't think we'd be able to get anything from a Supermarket, but there is a vegetable and fruit market in the square by the park."

[amypops]

Luce nodded silently, grabbing a plain white jumper and heading over to the skirts section, picking out a pink skirt and some leggings, heading for a 'girly-look'. After getting changed, she searched around for a comb or a brush to attempt to tame her hair, pulling it up into bunches and sticking a few ribbons in the bunches.

"What do ya think?" she asked, striking a funny pose, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. Her heart just wasn't into it as it had been the day before, when they had gone crazy with the make-up and such. Her arms flopped down to her sides and she plonked herself down on a nearby crate, resting her chin on her hand.

"I just... don't know what to do. It's like... the demolition was merely mentioned, and the whole mood had dropped and everyone is depressed! Even havng two new Angels isn't lightening the mood..."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q walked into the costume department, along with the other older angels , staring at the rows and rows of costumes. She smiled half-heartedly. She loved the color, and brightness of the whole room. She walked around, selecting clothes for the younger angels, whom she couldn't trust to pick out normal-looking clothing. As she went over to the bin of jeans, to find Luce and Dragon, both looking rather bummed.

"Come on guys, cheer up. We're going out today! As long as you meet us back where ever we agree to meet, you guys and some of the other older guys can go off on your own. If you want to. We'll figure out how to save this place. We will. So have fun. By the way, I love the looks." she said, smiling at them.

Q looked back at the jeans and started digging through, pulling out all the small sizes she could find, skirts and shorts and pants, lights and darks and inbetweens. She also took some different colored skirts and shorts, a few pairs of leggings, some blouses and tee shirts, and other various accesories. "Okay, can you guys let the youngin' choose their outfits, and don't let them go crazy. Then again, why should I leave you two that job?" she asked, sarcastically. "Meanwhile, I have to pick an outfit..." she mumbled, wandering around the costumes, trying to find something she liked.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"Well, shall we go about our business as though the demolition isn't happening? We'll cross the demolition bridge when we come to it," Dragon said, patting Luce's shoulder comfortingly. He sat down next to her, feeling rather glum, even though his words were bright. It was just so hard to think of what might happen should they leave.

That was when Q walked in. Dragon smiled and posed when Q complimented his outfit. "Isn't just fabulous, dahling?" he said, posing for a non-existant camera. He put on his best 'super-model pout' as he called it, having seen it on so many adverts and magazines and stuff and began to parade around, grabbing random feather boas and hats, playing around with them, plonking them on little kids' heads and giving them the randomest things he could find.

"Oi, no snarkiness," Dragon said, smiling cheekily when Q said that she would never give them a job involving no craziness. "We enjoy being crazy, and if those kiddies choose to be as crazy as us, we're quite flattered."

He threw some hats and boas to the kids, letting them scramble for them as he went back to Q and Luce. "Well, when are we going to go? It's a gorgeous day, and I really want to get to the park."

[amypops]

"Soon, hopefully." Luce said, grabbing a pair of pumps from a nearby rack and stuffing them on her feet. She adjusted the ribbons in her hair, and grabbed one of the younger angels around the waist, who had just chosen a scarf and was attempting to persuade another angel that it was a skirt.

"No, Jackie, that isn't a skirt. It's too short, Kate. Go choose some jeans or something, something you can run about in. If you're wearing a skirt, make sure you wear leggings. And NO Neil, you cannot wear a skirt."

A small male angel looked quote upset at the latter news, and trudged off to the trousers section.

"But I like being different like you two!" he complained.

[PrettyInPointe]

Q walked around for a bit, eventually choosing something rather plain, compared to the other two's outfits. She had chosen a plain black tee shirt, a white jacket in case she needed it, black converses, and a pair of red skinny jeans for some color. She liked this outfit. It was... subtly unsubtle. If that even makes sense.

Q looked in the mirror, pulled her dark hair into a high ponytail, and nodded. She looked pretty good, good enough to go to the park. She hurried over to where the younger kids were scrambling to get clothes they liked. "Different like them, eh?" Q said, upon hearing Neil complaining. "Trust me Neil, you can be just as crazy as those two without dressing like a girl. How about... these." Q said, pulling out a pair of shorts that were neon green. "Are these... different enough for you?" she asked, and the small boy nodded.

"Good, now let me... fix some of the other kids." she said, patting the boy on the head before going over to a couple of girls trying to decide on their "perfect outfits." She knew the girls were probably looking for something girly. They were a girly bunch. "Hey guys, what do you have so far?" she asked. She wanted to let the kids decide, as long as it was somewhat appropriate. It made the kids happier with their selections.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon laughed at the fact that Neil had wanted to wear a skirt to be like himself and Luce. It made him think of when he had first arrived at the Theatre. He'd not been quite as crazy as he was now until he and Luce had become close friends. That had been when he was launched head first into the bonkers brigade. It often ended with him and Luce dressing in opposite-gendre clothing and parading around as if Luce was Dragon and vice versa. It had been quite funny, actually.

"Q, are the little kids done yet? I mean, just give them Luce's bright, inconspicuous, neon clothing from last time and then they can fight over it," Dragon said, nudging Luce jokily in the arm. But he was beginning to get a bit jumpy. It had been a while since he had been to the Outside and he was really wanting to get out into the sun and relax a bit, well, after supply-stocking was done.

[Fandango]

'Riet shuffled out of one of the changing rooms, looking inconspicuous in a pair of jeans, some trainers and a plain t-shirt. Plonking herself down on an upturned crate, she looked around at the younger Angels who had begun to run riot a little, spotting Neil staring wistfully at the skirts.

"So, park, I heard you say? It's been a while. Take it we'll be playing the roles of 'kids babysitters' if anyone outside asks? Or cares enough to ask?" she asked Q, still following the kids with her eyes. One of the kids fell over, but 'Riet didn't get up to help them, instead she turned to Q and looked her in the eyes.

"Why did you bring that stuck-up in?" she asked, refusing to call the new girl by her name. 'Riet had warmed up to the Emma girl, but Dianna... 'Riet couldn't stand her.

"I mean, she just storms in with her school group, whips out a video camera and acts if she is better than us! THEN she brings news about this place being knocked down, and now the whole 'happy family' atmosphere has dropped like a rock from the light frames."

[PrettyInPointe]

Q sighed. She knew Dianna wasn't exactly the nicest person in their group, or the most welcome, but she needed a place to stay, and that was the point of the angels. Q walked over to help the kid up, then went back to 'Riet. "Come on 'Riet. She needed a place, and that is our purpose in life. To help kids in need of a home. Sure she isn't the nicest, but she could have ratted on us. Her joining us is better than being put up for adoption." Q explained with a shrug.

"But yeah, if anyone asks we'll just say that were babysitting some of our younger siblings and their friends. That's usually a good enough explanation." Q looked around. Everyone looked pretty ready. "Okay, I think we can move out." she called over to Dragon and Lou.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

"WOOHOO!" Dragon cried out, throwing his hands up into the air and doing a little victory dance. "TIME TO GO OUTSIDE!" Grabbing Luce by the wrist, he dashed over to the door where the little kids were all getting excited about going out and Q and 'Riet were talking about Dianna. "Hi Riot," Dragon said, grinning. The two hadn't spoken in a while, and they had always gotten on quite well. He even had his own nickname for her - Riot.

"C'mon, let's get out of here... I'm dying to get out into the sun and feel the sun on my face again!" Dragon said as he lifted little Neil onto his shoulders, much to Neil's happiness.

[amypops]

Luce giggled as Neil squealed in delight at being suddely lifted into the air by Dragon.

After counting and recounting all the Angels, going over what not to do outside (aka dont tell them where we live, dont tell them what we do, just say you're at the park with a large group of friends and that Dragon, Luce, Q and 'Riet are baby-sitting) and making sure they had enough drinks and snacks for each Angel, they set out in small groups, so it wouldn't look so suspicious if a large group of oddly dressed children ran out of the side-door of the theatre.

"Right then. See you all at the park!" Luce cried happily, a skip in her step.

[Thirrin Vertigo]

Dragon relished being outside again. It was so much better than being confined to the dusty old Theatre all the time. He'd sorely missed the feeling of the wind through his hair and the sun on his cheek. He raced ahead to the front of the crowd, next to Luce, who was walking with a skip in his step.

"This is great!" he said, hugging her tightly. "We're finally outside again! I've been waiting for this for ages!"

[amypops]

Luce hugged Dragon back, grinning from ear to ear. "

It's been too long!" she sighed, smiling up at the (thankfully) blue sky. Sticking your head out of the attic window didn't compare at all to the feeling of actually being outside, and walking up the street. For most people this was a daily occurance, but for the Angels, it was a rare treat.

"Right you lot, keep up! Nearly there!" Luce called to the small group following Dragon and herself to the park.

"It's down this street, right? It's been that long, I can't remember everything." she winked, gesturing for the younger Angels to hurry up.

[Arcticrose]

Emma stepped out of the shower and put on her ratty clothes again. She combed through her mangled hair with her fingers as best as she could and went back up to the attic. Emma, realizing that all the other angels were up and somewhere else, followed the commotion to the costume department. At first she was confused, but Emma quickly picked up that they were headed to the park today. She looked down at her torn jeans and grabbed a nice pair from a large chest. Emma wandered and found a bright blue t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie. She emerged from the corner and stared and Dragon and Luce's interesting outfits. Emma laughed to herself, she had never liked to stand out. Walking over to some mirrors, she grabbed a brush and finally managed to brush out all the tangles. She pulled her hood up and followed the rest of the kids outside. Emma quietly walked along in the back of the group. Emma thought it was vaguely familiar when they arrived. She then remembered that she had spent the night here a lot when she was little. Emma frowned and followed the rest of the kids.