Theatre Night Town Event

[Ssast]

The stage is set, a dozen or so seats placed before it for an audience. The Bravian Actor's Guild has arranged things nicely, the actors waiting behind the stage with last-minute preparations while a harp and flute play a soft duet to set the mood. A vendor stands in a separate room, announcing the merits of his wares.

"Popcorn! Getcher popcorn here! Fresh popcorn and a drama to go with it! Sponsored by the town hall! Getcher popcorn and a show, just two and a half frenzics!" Okay, his prices were a little more than that but it made a much better pitch! If anyone asked, he had a complicated mathematical formula to explain for him even if it was mostly gibberish. "Popcorn and a show! Just two and a half frenzics! Get it while it's hot! Hurry, hurry, hurry! The show is about to begin!"

[Ssast]

You and a dozen others sit down to a play that reaches back into antiquity; the tragedy of Timon of Athens.

Timon is a wealthy patriarch of Athens, generous and caring to his friends. Perhaps a bit overly so as even the smallest gifts given to him are returned a dozen-fold. Indeed, he goes so far as to pay three talents of gold so that his servant Flavius might marry the woman that Flavius dearly loves.

At a fine and sumptuous banquet Timon goes even further; paying to release an old friend from debtors prison so that he might attend then giving away art and jewelry to all who attend. When the party is over Timon is left with nothing but the house he stands in; which is promptly confiscated by creditors. Only a cynical philosopher Apemantus and a worthless but professional fool keep Timon's from being taken to debtor's prison.

Timon pleads with those he thought were his friends only to have them turn away. Filled with wrath at this turn of events, he vows revenge and engineers another banquet for those he feels betrayed him. At the 'feast' he serves them rocks and tepid water then sprays them with both before he flees Athens.

In a cave beyond the city's bounds he contemplates the error of his ways and his reliance on the appearance of friendship. Then he discovers a bit of gold. And then more. The cave is filled with it. But Timon does not care for what the gold could buy or that he could return to society. Now fully a misanthrope, he meets with a rebel leader and offers him his wealth in return for attacking Athens itself. Even when his good friend and former servant Flavius entreats him to relent, Timon can not. Instead he simply notes that this shining example of friendship and goodness is a mere servant in Athens.

Timon withdraws to the wilderness to die; leaving behind only the epitaph:

'Here lies a wretched corpse of wretched soul bereft.'
'Seek not my name, a plague consume you wicked catiffs left!'
'Here lie I, Timon, who alive, all living men did hate.'
'Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay not here thy gait.'

[Tarance]

Being a creature of... interesting... culture, Tarance the blue Imp had decided he'd go to the play. He'd found an old bowtie left by someone and was delighted that it was a brilliant and garish fuschia colour that clashed with his bright green onesie. He had wanted to put on his best outfit for the show and the bowtie topped of the outfit.

When he arrived at the theatre, rather than spend the frez to buy his own popcorn, Tarance gladly pinched peoples' bottoms and when the were sufficiently startled, Tarance was able to whip around and collect the beautifully scattered kernels into a little sack he'd brought. He repeated this until he had enough popcorn to satisfy his needs, at which point he flapped his wings and settled himself in the rafters. He munched on some of his popcorn and heckled the performers.

"Oi, Timon! Yer a right sodding idjit, rockies fer eatins needin' sludge, NAT tepid water!"

He also threw popcorn down randomly, sometimes at the performers, and sometimes at the audience. It was only fair to do this and it was what he'd been taught was proper. He laughed and heckled to his heart's content, rising and clapping at the end of the show while he chanted, "Die, Die, Die! He's dead! Yay!!!"

[Torrin]

Torrin grabbed a popcorn from the stand and proceeded to take a seat near the front, given his small stature it seemed appropriate. He began munching on the new morsels of food with delight as they crunched in his mouth, salt and butter heightened the experience. Enthralled with the new treat, he nearly missed the whole show, and the message behind it. He heard the jabbering of a little blue fellow, who began throwing popcorn at him. Torrin did his best to eat every kernel that came near him and when he could see no more, looked up at the imp with eyes of child like wonderment, holding hi half empty popcorn bag up as if asking for more kernels. To Torrin, this was much better than hanging out in a ruined castle all day.

[Tarance]

Tarance was blowing a raspberry at some random person when he noticed the big, googly eyes of the redcap he'd seen a few nights ago on arriving in Bravia. It was holding up a popcorn bucket - as an offering or a begging Tarance wasn't quite sure. He squatted and looked curiously at the creature for a moment while his mind clicked over. He finally realized that he'd been throwing popcorn in that general direction, so the cappy must be wanting more.

Tarance picked up his bag and waved it, weighing its contents. There was enough there for his plan, so he opened the bag and swooped down over the crowd. Aiming for the cappy, he dumped the rest of the popcorn, filling and spilling it generously over the edges of the bucket. Tarance didn't look to see if he'd covered the beggar fully or not until he landed on his rafter again and recovered for a laughing fit that lasted several minutes with his feet waving in the air as he cackled and held his sides.

Once he'd recovered, Tarance looked over the edge and waved his bag, yelling, "Poppy Corn fer youse!"

[Callie]

Callie and Nodwin and her auntie Alexandria were wandering through town when much to the tiny toddler's delight, she heard a voice ringing through town, announcing popcorn and a show. Aundie Axix? Can Callie go, pweeeessseeee? Callie wan see show and habing poppy korn. Wat ish poppy kown? Dat good? Callie wikey kown, poppy kown makey funny poppy sounds when yew eated it? Pweeeseeee, lets go see show. Obiekaybie? She smiled her biggest, prettiest, more endearing dimply smile up at her auntie to help convince her that popcorn and a show was exactly what they should do. The entire time she begged, she tugged her auntie's skirts, practically trying to pull them off to get her to go the direction she wanted. And of course, Alexandria, who loved her niece dearly, was not too hard to convince. I am not positive, but I can imagine her thought processes were probably something like this: "Hmmm...take Callie to a show and feed her popcorn...that might just keep the mischevious little lunatic occupied for a bit. Can't be worse than her steward losing her, there will be enough going on at a show that she won't wander off. She might disrupt the show, but surely that will only add to the experience..." Now I'm not sure that is what was running through Alexandria's mind, irregardless, she agreed and allowed her niece to pull her towards the stage, paying enough to get both of them bags of popcorn and a seat.

It turned out that Callie thoroughly enjoyed the show, though the child was highly upset that the Timon fellow was such a meanie, and she vocalized it loudly. Dat be meeeaaannn, yew no should do dat Timon. Yew neber gibing up a good fwend, dem ish too speshil to letted go wikey dat. Awww, Aundie Axix, him dieded and no habing any fwends anymore. Dat be sad show. Ohh...wookie at dat. Poppy korn falling from wayyy up dere. Ohhhhh, wookie Aundie. Callie meeteded dat blue fwend uppy dere. Hewwwoooooo! Yew see Callie? Callie down hewe, yew know Callie wite? Then she saw a fellow in front of her that made her mouth drop open in disbelief. He was a tiny fellow too, only he looked like he was hurt, there was blood spurting out of his cap. Aundieee, wookie dat! Callie darted out of her seat and ran to Torrin. Yew ish huwt. Yew need go doktor? Yew wan Callie hewp yew? Oh, yew wikey poppy korn too, poppy korn ish good. Butt poppy korn no makey yew stop bweeded all ober yew self. Wat yew wan Callie do for yew?

Of course, since Nodwin had followed them in, the baby hippogriff calmly watched the show, eating popcorn from Callie's hand, and the few stray pieces that were thrown close to Nodwin. Then Nodwin calmly followed the precocious toddler to the redcap, keeping a safe distance from her bouncing curls and spinning skirts while alternating attention from the redcap, to the imp, to the child and her aunt. But mostly nudging just close enough to eat the rest of the kernels out of the bag Callie had dropped when she got close to Torrin so she could help properly. Not that a four year old could help, and not that Torrin needed help...but then again, she's a four year old, so she had no idea that the blood from the cap was a natural state for Torrin, not even a tiny inkling of that fact.

[Alexandria]

Alex thought Callie would love browsing the town market. And what better way to keep an exuberant toddler busy than to find something busier than her? Alex was looking at spring dresses for them when the sounds of a voice rang through the market announcing popcorn and a show. Sounds like fun she thought as she turn to ask Callie what she thought. Too late, Callie pounced like a silent thief... or should I say the Callie way with more questions than you got answers.

Alex tried to keep from laughing but Callie didn't make it easy for her. She tugged and begged and tugged some more. Have you ever been tugged by a tiny toddler? It's cute and endearing. Alex loved letting Callie win. It's her job to make her niece happy. So she pretended to move in the one direction so that Callie would think she was pulling her towards the poppy korn and show.

OK, OK, OK!!! You win if only to make you... Alex didn't get to finish that as Callie tugged her again. While Callie walked and Alex was being pulled she found the chance to explain what poppy korn was. Popcorn also known as popping corn, is a type of corn that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Alex's brow arched... maybe that's was too technical. Alex looked at Callie who wasn't paying her any attention. Alex giggled, can you say one track mine.

The show was enjoyable. Town Hall should do this more often Alex thought when Callie started talking about Timon. The word meanie from Callie made Alex laugh. No explaining that to Callie Alex thought as she sat back and let Callie ramble on from Timon to falling popcorn. Alex looked at where Callie was pointing to see a tiny blue imp. Friends... Callie am I missing something?; she asks but like Callie she was on to something else more like Torrin. Alex giggled and followed. Callie this is Torrin and no he isn't hurt that's his cap. He's a redcap... it's sorta like... Alex scratched her head. Never mind Callie just know he isn't hurt. Sorry Torrin this is my niece Callie and her hippogriff Nodwin. Callie again that's Torrin.