Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 24, 2021 10:51:48 GMT -8
The nights in Las Vegas were beginning to warm up again; it was subtle but a clear indication that spring had made its way to the desert. Even with the rains back on their way, it felt rejuvenating. The new wave of tourists and spring breakers brought a kickback into the city's nightlife from its mildly dormant winter.
The back door opened up, letting out a cacophony of the sounds from the hotel inside. Laura stepped out into the back lot, an employee-only lot. Behind her followed Brianna and Tonio, and a handful of other performers from around the hotel. Tonight's show had gone swimmingly, and the gathering of performers was looking to spend the rest of their energy in celebration.
New York- New York hotel was almost a small town in what it had to offer for bars and restaurants, but the cast never partied there when they wanted to be away from the audience. Tonight they just wanted to be themselves, not whoever the audience had cast them as in their tantalized imaginations. The crew was mostly the regular faces; tonight, a new one was a blonde woman who had come with the KÀ cast. Laura assumed she was one of the new understudies that had been recently hired and thought nothing more of it.
They had a regular spot, a dive bar some dozen blocks away. Laura had removed her six-inch heels and donned a pair of flats, her stage bag slung over her shoulder. She walked down the road, the posse around her, as she took a moment just to be here and now. After a show, it was a pattern for her to ground herself on the bar's walk. To let the performance run its course through her, feel the emotions it brought, then let them go.
The clatter of pool balls, the unmistakable hum of TV's, and the music drowned out by voices welcomed the crew to their regular spot. One by one, they moved to the bar, ordered their standard drinks before taking up their tables off of the pool tables and near the bar. Laura sat down, her Mojito in hand, one leg tossed up over the side of her chair, her back and shoulder leaned against Tonio. She looked across the group and noticed the newcomer hadn't made it to the bar, her loss.
In moments the performers fell into their well-practiced routine. Talking about the evening shows, updates on people's personal lives, and after a drink or two, into gossip about the business. Tonight, they chattered about the Absinthe cast's drama, the recent open call for performers at Mandalay Bay, and the current favorite, the casting scandal of Riley Sorsa.
" So has she fucked up for the last time yet?" Said one across the table towards the Trio from Zumanity.
"They." Corrected Laura. "Not recently, no."
"I heard the casting director bailed from town after he was let go. Micha says Sorsa's manager razed his contacts to the ground."
"I heard he left because this was the second time he let sexual favors decide a role. Once is bad, but twice is a pattern."
That role belonged to Naomi in Laura's mind, and almost anyone on the cast would agree. It wasn't that Riley was terrible at their job, they just weren't as good, and Naomi had clawed her way as an understudy for that role. The fact it was stolen, likely by casting couch tactics, made Laura's blood boil. But tonight, she didn't want to go over the same gossip. She tapped her empty glass and gestured that she was heading to the bar.
"What are you drinking?"
She was pulled from her thoughts by the man's voice. Glancing over, she found the man at the bar next to her, sitting and writing something in a book. He had dark hair, green eyes, a fantastic five o'clock shadow, and the angles of his face cut just right. He was undoubtedly her type.
"A Mojito," she said with a smile, adjusting her posture to open up towards him.
"Who's asking?"
"Rick," he said, holding out his hand with a friendly smile.
"Let me buy you a drink? And stay for a minute? My pals bailed and well," he gestured to the empty seat next to him at the bar.
Laura glanced back at the cast at the tables; they were laughing amongst themselves. Tonight's gossip had been stale, and she didn't want to spend more time thinking about the drama. Rick seemed like a good distraction from it all.
"I'm Laura, and yeah, sure," She said with a smile, taking a seat.
She had planned only to sit there for a few minutes before returning to the others. The two got to talking, and soon they were on their second drinks together, and some of the cast were starting to call it a night. Rick worked for the city but was working on a book in his spare time. He had moved here from Seattle a few years back for a relationship that didn't work out. He wasn't the usual guy at the bar during spring break; he was more reserved, soft-spoken, and hadn't dropped any insinuating flirts. It was like a breath of fresh air for Laura, and so she talked and talked and talked.
As he finished his second old Fashioned, Rick glanced down at his watch and frowned.
"Well shit. I am sorry, I didn't realize it was already this late. I work in the mornin’."
Laura laughed slightly and shook her head.
"Oh, it's alright. Thanks for the drink..." She waited to see if he would ask, and right now, she knew she would say yes.
"It's been a pleasure to meetin’ ya, Laura; maybe we'll run into each other here again. Oh, uh, Break a leg? Right? "
She shook her head with a smile. Wait, was he just going to leave? Shit.
"Hey, hold on." She grabbed a napkin and wrote her number on it, passing it to him.
"Text me sometime, tell me more about that book."
Rick looked down at the napkin handed to him. He held it in his hand like it was a piece of art or a delicate creature. His lips curled into that unforgettable smile.
"Yeah. I'll do that. Have a Good night"
The blackness of the condo was broken from the hallway light as the front door creaked open. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He didn't turn on the lights as he crossed the condo gracefully, sidestepping the mess and furniture.
In the kitchen, he placed his book down on the counter. The top of his hand was pale; the skin had begun to peel and curl back. Like wilted, dried paper, it crumbled in long thin strips. He didn't seem to mind the sicking display of shedding. Instead, he flipped through the book's pages.
Each page was titled with a name.
Brianna, Araz, Nicky, Tonio.
He stopped on a page labeled Laura.
His molting had crawled its way up to his arms, towards his face. Peeling away from his strong angles, his five o'clock shadow, and green eyes. It looked agonizing, yet he paid it no mind. Instead, he wrote down notes, facts, information he had gleaned about her tonight. Once satisfied that he had recorded it all, he slipped the napkin in place within the book and shut it.
The mask finally had shed itself from its proper form. Riley rolled their neck; the glamour left them feeling tight. As if they had been pressed within a fleshing cocoon. Slowly their light once more illuminated the dark condo as they took the book of names and placed it upon the shelf.
Riley settled down on the couch with their cellphone in hand and looked down at the texts they missed. Seeing a message from Dani, a smile crossed the moth's face. They typed out a response.
The back door opened up, letting out a cacophony of the sounds from the hotel inside. Laura stepped out into the back lot, an employee-only lot. Behind her followed Brianna and Tonio, and a handful of other performers from around the hotel. Tonight's show had gone swimmingly, and the gathering of performers was looking to spend the rest of their energy in celebration.
New York- New York hotel was almost a small town in what it had to offer for bars and restaurants, but the cast never partied there when they wanted to be away from the audience. Tonight they just wanted to be themselves, not whoever the audience had cast them as in their tantalized imaginations. The crew was mostly the regular faces; tonight, a new one was a blonde woman who had come with the KÀ cast. Laura assumed she was one of the new understudies that had been recently hired and thought nothing more of it.
They had a regular spot, a dive bar some dozen blocks away. Laura had removed her six-inch heels and donned a pair of flats, her stage bag slung over her shoulder. She walked down the road, the posse around her, as she took a moment just to be here and now. After a show, it was a pattern for her to ground herself on the bar's walk. To let the performance run its course through her, feel the emotions it brought, then let them go.
The clatter of pool balls, the unmistakable hum of TV's, and the music drowned out by voices welcomed the crew to their regular spot. One by one, they moved to the bar, ordered their standard drinks before taking up their tables off of the pool tables and near the bar. Laura sat down, her Mojito in hand, one leg tossed up over the side of her chair, her back and shoulder leaned against Tonio. She looked across the group and noticed the newcomer hadn't made it to the bar, her loss.
In moments the performers fell into their well-practiced routine. Talking about the evening shows, updates on people's personal lives, and after a drink or two, into gossip about the business. Tonight, they chattered about the Absinthe cast's drama, the recent open call for performers at Mandalay Bay, and the current favorite, the casting scandal of Riley Sorsa.
" So has she fucked up for the last time yet?" Said one across the table towards the Trio from Zumanity.
"They." Corrected Laura. "Not recently, no."
"I heard the casting director bailed from town after he was let go. Micha says Sorsa's manager razed his contacts to the ground."
"I heard he left because this was the second time he let sexual favors decide a role. Once is bad, but twice is a pattern."
That role belonged to Naomi in Laura's mind, and almost anyone on the cast would agree. It wasn't that Riley was terrible at their job, they just weren't as good, and Naomi had clawed her way as an understudy for that role. The fact it was stolen, likely by casting couch tactics, made Laura's blood boil. But tonight, she didn't want to go over the same gossip. She tapped her empty glass and gestured that she was heading to the bar.
"What are you drinking?"
She was pulled from her thoughts by the man's voice. Glancing over, she found the man at the bar next to her, sitting and writing something in a book. He had dark hair, green eyes, a fantastic five o'clock shadow, and the angles of his face cut just right. He was undoubtedly her type.
"A Mojito," she said with a smile, adjusting her posture to open up towards him.
"Who's asking?"
"Rick," he said, holding out his hand with a friendly smile.
"Let me buy you a drink? And stay for a minute? My pals bailed and well," he gestured to the empty seat next to him at the bar.
Laura glanced back at the cast at the tables; they were laughing amongst themselves. Tonight's gossip had been stale, and she didn't want to spend more time thinking about the drama. Rick seemed like a good distraction from it all.
"I'm Laura, and yeah, sure," She said with a smile, taking a seat.
She had planned only to sit there for a few minutes before returning to the others. The two got to talking, and soon they were on their second drinks together, and some of the cast were starting to call it a night. Rick worked for the city but was working on a book in his spare time. He had moved here from Seattle a few years back for a relationship that didn't work out. He wasn't the usual guy at the bar during spring break; he was more reserved, soft-spoken, and hadn't dropped any insinuating flirts. It was like a breath of fresh air for Laura, and so she talked and talked and talked.
As he finished his second old Fashioned, Rick glanced down at his watch and frowned.
"Well shit. I am sorry, I didn't realize it was already this late. I work in the mornin’."
Laura laughed slightly and shook her head.
"Oh, it's alright. Thanks for the drink..." She waited to see if he would ask, and right now, she knew she would say yes.
"It's been a pleasure to meetin’ ya, Laura; maybe we'll run into each other here again. Oh, uh, Break a leg? Right? "
She shook her head with a smile. Wait, was he just going to leave? Shit.
"Hey, hold on." She grabbed a napkin and wrote her number on it, passing it to him.
"Text me sometime, tell me more about that book."
Rick looked down at the napkin handed to him. He held it in his hand like it was a piece of art or a delicate creature. His lips curled into that unforgettable smile.
"Yeah. I'll do that. Have a Good night"
The blackness of the condo was broken from the hallway light as the front door creaked open. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He didn't turn on the lights as he crossed the condo gracefully, sidestepping the mess and furniture.
In the kitchen, he placed his book down on the counter. The top of his hand was pale; the skin had begun to peel and curl back. Like wilted, dried paper, it crumbled in long thin strips. He didn't seem to mind the sicking display of shedding. Instead, he flipped through the book's pages.
Each page was titled with a name.
Brianna, Araz, Nicky, Tonio.
He stopped on a page labeled Laura.
His molting had crawled its way up to his arms, towards his face. Peeling away from his strong angles, his five o'clock shadow, and green eyes. It looked agonizing, yet he paid it no mind. Instead, he wrote down notes, facts, information he had gleaned about her tonight. Once satisfied that he had recorded it all, he slipped the napkin in place within the book and shut it.
The mask finally had shed itself from its proper form. Riley rolled their neck; the glamour left them feeling tight. As if they had been pressed within a fleshing cocoon. Slowly their light once more illuminated the dark condo as they took the book of names and placed it upon the shelf.
Riley settled down on the couch with their cellphone in hand and looked down at the texts they missed. Seeing a message from Dani, a smile crossed the moth's face. They typed out a response.
02:15am Hey, Sorry. Work kept me busy. You awake?