fiery_ring | (no subject)

The school hall is crowded with parents. Carlotta approaches the back door to it and turns back to Teja and Demeter.

"Remember, you're my aunt and uncle Fernandez from Spain, on my mother's side so not really communicating with my grandmother and father, who are also here. Have you chosen first names?"

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From:

wheatencrown

Demeter does her best to look concerned and Demeter whispers to Doris,

"Tell Carlotta that I won't cause anymore trouble and my daughter always calls me meddlesome."

Then she goes over to help clean up the lemonade and saying various platitudes at Carlotta's grandmother.

From:

ostro_goth

Teja gives a deep look at Carlotta's father. "It seems you will talk with me, now," he states, "unless you are so afraid that you would run."

From:

fiery_ring

"Of course not." Carlotta's father says in bewilderment, stepping out towards the back door and more or less ignoring his mother's plight.

Doris gives a subtle nod to Demeter and scurries meekly off. The girl might be heard to give an explosive snort of laughter as she disappears in the stage door.

From:

wheatencrown

"Is there anything I can do to help you, my dear? Oh look at your poor dress."

Demeter uses a bit of divinity to make the dress drier, she doesn't think it will do that much good but its a start.

From:

ostro_goth

Teja leans back against the wall beside the back door, and steadily regards Carlotta's father.

"One assumes you loved your wife, or you would not have married a woman from foreign lands, that you family must have found unsuitable," he begins.

From:

fiery_ring

Mr Brown stares at Teja, with a look of anger.

"You know perfectly well that she had left your sort when I met her." he says. "One cannot help who they are born to. You must understand just how hard I have worked to take Carlotta in, to help her to fit into society and get the best possible chance in life. I cannot allow such influences as you to destroy all that."

Whilst angry, his tone is also one of assertiveness rather than agressiveness.

"Not to mention the fact that I know you both to be frauds. My wife had one sister, who I met many years ago. Carlotta doesn't have another Aunt and Uncle. I can therefore only assume that you are circus folk. You're lucky I didn't go out and call the police for impersonation. I certainly won't allow you to take advantage of my daughter, who I love very much."

He shakes his head. "You are a fool if you think that you can dictate what I say on this matter. I am her father, and her legal guardian, and my word on all matters will be final."

Inside, Carlotta's grandmother is led away by Miss Jenks to get dry clothes. Carlotta takes the opportunity to run down to Demeter.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaims as quietly as possible. "I told you to be careful around them! It's entirely possible that Father might know I don't have an Aunt Ada and Uncle Theo, he was married to my mother after all, he would have met her family at the wedding."

From:

wheatencrown

"Trying to understand and I'm sorry."

Demeter gives her a quick hug,

"I think I need to find Teja before he makes things worse. We'll leave and say that I'm sick. I'm sorry, I thought things would be easier."

She then gives her a much stronger hug and goes off to find Teja and Mr. Brown.

From:

ostro_goth

"I do not wish for any advantage," Teja says, looking at the man. "She is dear to us, and we merely wished to see that she is well, and safe, and loved, and treasured for the strong and intelligent girl that she is! What I have, where I live..."

He pauses, smiling.

"... what you call your wealth pales to insignificance, compared to that! You will need it, too, to pay for her schooling, and her wedding. I think you do not realise the true quality of your daughter. Listen to her more, and tell her less of what she should do. Try to see who she is, and treasure her! That is all I ask."

He turns, seeing Demeter come towards him. "My dear, what is wrong?" he asks her -- he is still pretending to be her husband, is he not, even if they have been exposed at not being Carlotta's blood relations?

From:

fiery_ring

Carlotta dashes out of the back door after them.

"Please don't go!"

Mr Brown looks between the three.

"No, Carlotta is right, please don't leave. It will attract attention." He moves back towards the hall. "I am very disappointed with you for telling lies." he adds to Carlotta, with a stern look. "Go back to your class."

Carlotta shoots a worried look at Demeter and Teja, then does as she's told.

From:

wheatencrown

"Don't blame her for our lies. We worry about her so much and as her friends we wished to attend but this was the only way we could find it. It was our idea and blaming her will only make her worry more. Let tonight be a good night and we will sit elsewhere so you don't have to suffer."

Her voice is sad as she strives to make things easier in this hard position and takes Teja's hand, leading him to sit at some open seats near the back. Though she did say quietly,

"I have been estranged from my family for a long time because they made a choice for my daughter without asking her or me. Think carefully on what you want your daughter to learn from you."

From:

ostro_goth

"Do not try and force her to be less than she is; for all that she is, together, is a bright and brilliant thing," Teja quietly says to the father, in parting.

Then, with an attempt at levity, he says, "But I must follow my lady; you know how it is!" before he walks with Demeter to wherever she wants him to be.

From:

fiery_ring

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter." Mr Brown says quietly but firmly, sitting down with a now dowdily dressed Mrs Brown.

Carlotta performs somewhat better in this half of the play, but shoots nervous glances over at both parties.

From:

wheatencrown

Throughout the rest of the performance, Demeter holds Teja's hand quite tightly, its so hard not to worry.

She's seen how badly things can go wrong and the way he used right just hurts. Its important to be able to listen and learn and clearly they don't wish to.

From:

ostro_goth

Teja holds on to her hand, trying to convey calm. He will tell her, later, what Carlotta's father has said; it was not all bad, as he understood it. The man was unsettled, and of a small mind -- but he loves his daughter, and that is the one thing that counts.

From:

fiery_ring

At the end of the play, Carlotta carefully sees her grandmother and father off, though not before getting a stern private lecture from both of them. Then she comes back through the hall to Teja and Demeter.

"I'm awfully sorry." she says. "I should have been more careful to explain things to you both instead of expecting people to follow my web of lies. It means a lot to me that you came, really it does."

From:

wheatencrown

Demeter gives her another hug, she at least knows where she is with those,

"Don't apologize, I'm glad we were able to come and sorry that we caused trouble. Its clear your father loves you, but I think he's still learning how to be a father. Next time if there is a next time, we'll just keep things simple. You were wonderful, its clear to see how much you thrive on stage."

From:

ostro_goth

"You did well indeed," Teja says. "The play was actually funny at times! Indeed, as Demeter said, you father loves you -- he is confused, out of his depth, and clings to talk of entitlement and sneer out of his fears, but he would be sensible man."

From:

fiery_ring

Carlotta cringes.

"Thank you, but the last time I gave a performance that badly was when I was suffering from food poisoning." She hugs Demeter anyway.

"Of course father loves me! Why ever would you think he didn't?"

From:

wheatencrown

"You might have been doing badly but you still were comfortable up there. That's something that can't be taught, how to make things work even when your mind isn't on the performance."

Teja really brought up the other point and Demeter gives him a bit of a look,

"I never doubted it at all, I think he just is figuring out how to be a good father to you. At this point he only has your grandmother's advice to rely on and she means well but she doesn't seem to know you."

From:

ostro_goth

"He is a good man, at heart," Teja says, "and you can trust the choices he makes for you; but your grandmother seems afraid of unseemly connection much more than he is; she seems to thin about propriety more than about people. Do you know who her parents were?"

From:

fiery_ring

"I'm not sure." Carlotta says to Teja. "But I know they were borderline aristocracy."

Looking at them both. "Is it okay if I take you back, I have to go to bed?"

From:

wheatencrown

"Of course, you must be tired."

Then she pulls from her sleeves a small package,

"Here, a loaf of cinnamon bread to share among your cast."

From:

ostro_goth

"And I need a potion; my brains are getting cold," Teja says, rubbing the short hair at the nape of his neck. "It was good to see you in your world, Carlotta, and to put faces to all the names you mention."