POTO--directed by S.L. Wright

[The Phantom of Paris]

As part of her film studies class for summer school, Shelby was asked to direct a musical and videotape it, changing one major aspect of the plot to show her personal taste as a director. She chose The Phantom of the Opera.

Think of this as a Room of Requirement. The location depends on the scene being filmed. Erik's lair scenes will be filmed in the Wrights' attic The All I Ask Of You scene will be on the widow's walk of the house. The Masquerade scene will be in their foyer/grand staircase area, and any other scenes will be filmed in the auditorium of Marcus de Benedetto Academy (Point of No Return, Il Muto, etc.)

All cast members (you know who you are) are required to attend an informational meeting about the production in the Wrights' tree house. If you would like to be involved with the production, please contact Shelby Wright.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"So, I really don't know what we're doing here..I don't remember talking about this, much less agreeing to it..." Yukito shouted over the blaring music vibrating through the Volvo to Erin. They were both going to Cassie's house, apparently to do some sort of a musical thing, which Yukito wasn't too keen on. He was open to a lot of genres of music. He liked some of most things, is what he liked to tell himself. Open-minded. Yeah, right. But musicals, he decided, was bordering a line. If he hadn't known for sure that Erin would be as against it as he was, he would have started worrying about being forced into watching The Notebook.

The rain started to splatter against the windshield, first in a haphazard, individualized dropping sequence that took turns. Eventually it upgraded from sprinkle to full-on sheets of rain, and Yukito sighed, turning the wipers on while at the same time turning the volume down and switching it to the next song. For some reason, he really didn't care for Mudvayne's Mercy, Severity. The next song was quieter - for the moment - and his left foot involuntarily tapped time to World So Cold instead. "I don't know if I have an umbrella for you, Erin..." his lips started to curve downward as it pounded down harder until he could barely see. "I didn't expect it to rain..."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

Lately there had been a shift in Erin's wardrobe that had been so subtle she hadn't noticed, but now she was wearing one of the several skirts she now found in her closet, a green and black plaid pattern. It was funny how now her mother was so happy she was branching out to more "Feminine" things besides capris, pants, and occasional shorts that she'd buy her whatever she could spend; her dad, on the other hand, kept telling her to change, and today was no exception. So Erin was sure that her outfit looked good, and kept it how it was. She tugged on the hem of her green spaghetti-strap shirt while Yukito voiced, "So, I really don't know what we're doing here..I don't remember talking about this, much less agreeing to it..."

His voice carried over the music Erin kept turning up inch by inch, playing around like she was dancing to it a bit in the passenger's seat. She turned to look at him, a broad smile on her face. "We're gonna get to sing together, though; that's all that matters!" She rearranged herself to lean back in her seat, bare feet crossed at the ankles resting on the dashboard, the few strands of temporary green streaks mingling in her hair falling on her shoulders. "I dunno anything about it either, I got bored with it when my mom was watching it on tv...."

The sounds of raindrops started splashing down onto the windshield, and Yukito switched on the wipers before poking at the CD player. Aww, I liked that song... heh, this one works, too...

"I don't know if I have an umbrella for you, Erin..."

A smile grew on her face at his concern for her. She'd been so afraid of messing everything up after that time... but he still kept treating her the same, all the same. Still being so sweet and caring for her, and she wished so much that she could return that at least halfway. "It's totally fine, Yukito."

"I didn't expect it to rain..."

"It's fine, Yukito!" she insisted with some laughs. "Really!" A glance outside, and then back toward Yukito, a timid smile on her lips. Even now, she still felt a little afraid of him telling her no, of her pushing too far without even knowing it. So.. "Yuyukun.... Will you kiss me?" A pause. "Out there, I mean?"

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"So, I really don't know what we're doing here..I don't remember talking about this, much less agreeing to it..."

Erin was dancing happily in her seat to the music, and he wondered how she could make dancing to rock music look that right. "We're gonna get to sing together, though; that's all that matters!" she commented with a smile, "I dunno anything about it either, I got bored with it when my mom was watching it on tv...." Erin shifted to a very relaxed position as he switched to a different song. The rain continued to pound harder, and he made a smooth turn, almost at Cassie's house.

He frowned at the downpour, his mind imagining Erin upset about getting soaking wet. "I don't know if I have an umbrella for you, Erin..." Once he'd had an umbrella underneath the passenger seat - his mother was religious about it, and he ended up possessing one out of habit - but he hadn't seen it in ages.

She smiled as if she knew a secret, perhaps something in what he had said. "It's totally fine, Yukito."

Still caught up in his mental search for where the umbrella might have gone, and one half of his mind pulled to the lyrics and the drum sequence in the song thrumming through the machine, he didn't really hear her. "I didn't expect it to rain..."

"It's fine, Yukito!" she insisted with some laughs. "Really!" His eyes flickered over to her, seeing her watching the window outside for the moment. He felt a bit of pride in snagging her, actually. She wasn't into the enormously feminine thing - he could think of a sizable list of things she didn't bother about that other girls he had known would have fits over - but somehow she still managed to stay the farthest away from being a 'one of the guys' type of girl. His eyes flickered over to the skirt she was wearing, her legs propped up. Careful, Erin.. he mentally teased, making him smile mischievously to himself. He made himself look back at the road.

"Yuyukun.... Will you kiss me?"

"Anytime." he almost cut her off, he said it so fast.

"Out there, I mean?" He whirled his head towards her to look at her, and he realized she meant out in the rain. A chuckle escaped him.

"Sure, why not?" He wasn't going to argue with her. The summertime brought a feeling of restlessness with it, and he definitely wasn't worried about it being cold. It was New Orleans, after all...

Also, he had started to realize how much he would miss her while she continued trudging through high school without him there. Even if she didn't talk about it, he knew from their arguments and from her grumbling comments that she was irritated by just the idea of it. Well, he hated it too, really. He wanted to pull her out but he knew he couldn't do that. It would have been one of those stupid, impulsive things his logical side wouldn't allow.

They were in moments pulled over next to the sidewalk, the rain still slamming down in torrents, making it impossible to see outside within moments of them parking. I probably would have had to pull over anyways...sheesh.. He turned over to look at her with his hand on the door handle, poised to leap out into that. "Ready?" Waiting but a moment for her to answer, he jumped out into the rain, laughing as he raced over to Erin's side so he could be over there waiting for her before she got out, grabbing at her arms and pulling her towards him. He almost slipped in the huge puddle of water – as it was, he got a large portion of his jeans soaked, and his shoes filled with water. Well, now we're all wet. That's weird. He stared at her face for a long moment, his eyes blinking furiously to shed the water from his eyes, then he moved in ever-so slowly for the kiss.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

The rain fell too blurry on the windows to see much besides the distorted colors outside, but it made Erin remember something she'd wanted, giving into another little cliche... But for some reason, it kept sticking in her head as something she at least had to try.

"Yuyukun.... Will you kiss me?"

"Anytime," came the immediate response

"Out there, I mean?" Erin tacked on, earning her a small laugh from the driver's seat.

"Sure, why not?"

She smiled at him, glad to make the memories and even more glad that he was willing. It was weird, not normally something you're probably supposed to ask to do-- in the movies it was always spontaneous or overly dramatic, but Yukito wasn't exactly either of those. So she had to compromise a little.

Yukito had tugged his car off to the side of the road, thick sheets of rain still drenching everything around them, and Erin found herself grinning at his enthusiasm. Not something you see everyday, you know that?

"Ready? he asked, though her only answer was a laugh. What a random question to ask... what am I supposed to be getting ready for? Then it occurred to her that at the moment she was still barefoot, her shoes shoved underneath the seat, and she ducked down to fish them out as Yukito disappeared from her view.

Just as she slipped the plain flipflops back onto her feet and pushed the door open, one foot was hardly touching the sopping ground when Yukito pulled her close to him, and the pair of them both were nearly knocked off-kilter-- Shoes have, like, zero traction, she noted with silent humor. Now her skirt was clinging to her legs and her hair felt flat on her head, little chunks heavy with water falling to her face. And what was the point of flipflops in the rain, anyway? Erin laughed at the entire situation, still smiling as their rain-soaked lips met. Is the water supposed to be romantic? she wondered fleetingly. Still, she couldn't help but feel like she was melting just a little whenever they kissed-- a thought she was determined to keep only in her head for fear of sounding beyond cheesy--and her arms still found themselves looped behind his neck. But her wet skin felt odd against his half-soaked shirt, and it was a little cumbersome to breathe with the way the rain was coming down on her face, and she was pretty sure she'd inhaled rainwater, and her hair was definitely sticking to the sides of her face now, and her shirt had glued itself to her stomach. Really, it felt more comical than romantic, and Erin began to laugh through the kiss, and the laughter increased as she pulled away.

"Y'know... this isn't as romantic as I thought it'd be," she announced, feeling the raindrops across her cheeks and lips, dripping from her eyelashes on downward. "And I think I'm gonna change at Cassie's," she tacked on with a fresh laughter, tugging a little on the stubbornly-soaked shirt, trying to separate it from her skin. "I love you, but I'm getting back in the car," she added, still in giggles, and ducked back into the passenger's seat, halfway aware of her sodden clothes soaking into the interior fabric.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

He asked if she was ready and didn't wait for her answer, leaping out of the car and slipping in the downpour. If he weighed any lighter, the rain would have pushed his face down to say hello to the pavement. As it was, he gripped the front of the Volvo until he was able to reach Erin's door, where she was still inside, pushing her flipflops on. He yanked open her door and pulled her out, close to him, her laughing and his face surprisingly serious as he kissed her with as much solemn wanna-be-movie-magic as either of them possessed. The rain poured down around them, and made fabric stick unceremoniously to their skin. Her hair stuck to his cheek and he felt her smiling, but something was still off about the whole thing. There was more amusement in it than that movie-magic stuff. Her arms wrapped around his neck, though, and he smiled, too. The rain poured down his neck and tickled him, Erin's giggles developing into laughter that helped her pull away.

"Y'know... this isn't as romantic as I thought it'd be," she declared. Yukito didn't say anything. I dunno...I liked it. It was a little weird, though, like you were trying to melt away from me if I didn't keep a careful hold on you.

"And I think I'm gonna change at Cassie's," she pulled on her shirt and he kept his eyes glued to her face, his thoughts making his lips twitch with amusement he wasn't going to explain to her. "I love you, but I'm getting back in the car," His smile faded when she turned from him to crawl back into the Volvo. Reluctantly, and with much less enthusiasm than before, he walked around and got in, pulling the door shut quickly in order to keep as much rain out as possible. Which was a pretty stupid thing to do, since Erin and him were soaked. Okay, so the whole totally-wet thing wasn't so fantastic and not as easy as it seemed - he kind of wanted to plan ahead and get extra-grip tennis shoes for next time. Or to weigh himself down in case a wind picked up - but he couldn't help but have the weird sense of knowing that he had enjoyed the whole kissing-in-the-rain thing more than she had. It didn't seem quite right. But he felt like he shouldn't tell her about that. Even if his expression might give him away.

He let out a sigh and buckled, "This is gonna be fun to explain to Cassie and everyone..."

[GGJ5]

OOC: gonna go ahead and "arrive" them, mostly because I really want to RP PotO... Also made it vague because I dunno where the Wrights are gonna be holding this event... lol.... if that's not cool, let me know and I'll edit. :3 BIC:

Erin Spenser

"Y'know... this isn't as romantic as I thought it'd be," Erin decided, amused more than anything at the whole staged ordeal. Maybe it's better if you don't plan it... It's never planned in the movies. "And I think I'm gonna change at Cassie's," she added, trying to lessen the clingy-ness of her soaked clothes. "I love you, but I'm getting back in the car." She turned and ducked back inside, dripping shoes slipping off automatically, and she could feel herself start shivering with the temperature difference and the cool water icing her skin.

Yukito trudged back in, still managing to soak his side of the car possibly even more than Erin did for hers. She could hear him sigh as the click of his seatbelt snapped into place. "This is gonna be fun to explain to Cassie and everyone..." he commented dryly.

Now thoroughly shivering, Erin hugged her arms around herself in an effort to maintain whatever warmth was left. "So then don't explain it! Let them figure it out themselves," she decided wit a laugh. "Yukito, I'm freezing, put on the heater." She went and flipped it on high even as the words came from her mouth, leaning forward as close to the vents as possible, the shivering slowly dissipating just in time to reach Cassie's.

"All right, one more time!" Erin announced about going out into the rain again, promptly hopping out of the car and leaving her wet shoes below her seat. She tried to come to a halt when she'd made it to shelter, but her feet slipped on the dry ground and she crumpled. "Ow! Frick, that hurt!" she announced to whoever was listening, then laughed as she pulled herself to her feet again, attempting to straighten the thoroughly-moistened skirt. "How much you wanna bet my thigh's gonna have a bruise on it tomorrow?" she asked, still laughing a little at her own klutziness.

"Cassie!" she called as soon as she was in sight. "I need to share some of your clothes and dry these while I'm here so you don't have to watch me dying of frikken hypothermia, okay? Y'all don't wait for me, seriously," she noted to Shelby. "I'll be like ten minutes, seriously, don't wait." And she scampered off to change.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

She shivered and somehow made it look good. "So then don't explain it! Let them figure it out themselves," she laughed, excusing away in two sentences their completely soaked selves. "Yukito, I'm freezing, put on the heater." He reached over for it immediately but she was already at the controls. A glance over showed him Erin leaned over as close as possible to the vents, the music still down low and now accompanied by the deep rushing sound from the heater. Yukito kept glancing over at her, torn between two shifts of mind; concern because they had actually gotten out in the rain and she was shivering, and also disappointment that there were no signs of them doing it again. Then there was the confused ideas he had going through his head about this musical thing. He didn't say anything until they got to Cassie's. He sent a dark look up the walkway to their front porch, feeling like the wet clothes clinging to him were suddenly tighter and starting to strangle him. But how's that new?

"All right, one more time!" Erin announced, leaping from the vehicle.

"Erin, be careful." he warned quietly, slipping out into the middle of a puddle. He swore under his breath, staring down at how wet he already was. Now all drying out the heater had done was pretty much lost.

A strange noise and Erin's voice shouted, "Ow! Frick, that hurt!" She had slipped, of course. But she looked okay as she managed to stand.

"You okay?" he asked, slamming his door shut and walking with maybe a little more speed than usual. Seeing her laughing at herself and straightening her skirt, he sighed and knocked on the door.

"How much you wanna bet my thigh's gonna have a bruise on it tomorrow?"

"I told you to be careful. I nearly fell a dozen times when we got out the first time," he smirked at her. "And you're clumsier than me." When the door opened Erin fell into her usual greetings, Yukito following quietly behind as she practically demanded dry clothes with the air of someone used to asking favors of friends.

While she said hello, Yukito momentarily left Erin's side to stare at a familiar spot in the main entrance. He could've sworn there was something different here, since the day Cassie had been attacked. What was different? Maybe it was just his imagination. Moving his eyes up to a decoration he didn't see, he muttered, "You waste money on a pool around this town. It's just like you're freaking swimming when it rains here."

He hesitated for a moment, staring at his dripping self. "I can wait until I'm dry, I guess. If I wasn't completely soaked I'd offer to stand in the corner and not touch anything, but..." he shrugged.

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: I'm posting as both sisters in one post, since Shelby has reached the stage where she's just not talking at all now. You'll see. And sorry for the long wait! BIC:

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

"Sorry it's raining, Shel, but the living room will be just as fine for a meeting as the tree house, right?" Cassie asked hopefully as she balanced a tray of lemonade glasses in her hands, setting them down on the table in the less-formal living room, the one that had a television and furniture that was comfortable now, not things that had been comfortable when the house was in construction.

Shelby didn't answer, merely straightened the black beret perched atop her flyaway red curls and shoved a notepad toward Cassie. She quickly scanned her sister's messy scrawl. 'Your friends are late.'

"They don't mean to be, Shelby, really! Besides, isn't everyone in theatre fashionably late anyway?" She pasted on a smile, but Shelby only rolled her eyes. She picked up her black pen and scribbled on the sheet of paper again, passing it to Cassie. 'It's not fashionably late. That's called unprofessional.'

Cassie was just about to retaliate when she heard the front door open. She smiled and made her way to the entryway, stopping in her tracks at the sight of her sodden friends. Oh... she immediately felt a bit self-conscious about her not-drenched outfit, a purple skirt with a light blue polo. "Woah," she said, a confused smile coming over her face. "What happened to you?"

"Cassie! I need to share some of your clothes and dry these while I'm here so you don't have to watch me dying of frikken hypothermia, okay? Y'all don't wait for me, seriously. I'll be like ten minutes, seriously, don't wait."

Cassie nodded. "No problem. You know where my closet is. Help yourself to anything you want, and grab a towel from the bathroom to dry yourself off, too. They're clean, don't worry, Halina just did laundry. And then you can bring me your stuff when you're ready and I'll throw it in the dryer. Let me know if you need help, 'kay?"

"You waste money on a pool around this town. It's just like you're freaking swimming when it rains here." Cassie couldn't help notice that Yukito was glowering at a certain spot on the wall...a spot that Cassie purposely kept herself as far as possible from.

"I can wait until I'm dry, I guess. If I wasn't completely soaked I'd offer to stand in the corner and not touch anything, but..."

Cassie shook her head. "Hang on, I'll grab you something of my brother's to wear. It might be a little big--no offense or anything, he's just tall--but at least it'll be dry. Hang on."

She made her way up the curving staircase, pausing at one of the linen closets to grab a bright yellow beach towel patterned with Disney characters. From there, she grabbed a green T-shirt and pair of denim shorts from Jake's dresser. "Hey, Yukito!" she called, poking her head over the railing of the landing and looking down at him. "Catch!" She tossed the clothes and towel down to him. "There's a bathroom just past the kitchen, you can change there."

She made her way over to her own bedroom, knocking on the door. "Everything okay in there? Shelby's getting impatient, sorry..."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

Erin had tried to fix her hair as much as she could while it was still relatively damp, but it wasn't working out so well, so she ran a brush through it and let it hang down limply. Unfortunately that meant it would poof out into uncontrolled waves when it dried, but she was already changing from her cute green outfit into one that didn't match at all, and wasn't flattering either, since it was just a set of pajamas. But having been so uncomfortable in wet clothes that clung to her with water, Erin wanted the comfort in pajamas.

A knock came to the door, then Cassie's voice: "Everything okay in there? Shelby's getting impatient, sorry..."

Erin reached over, shirt midway on, and opened the door. "Hey, yeah, it's all good," she rattled off, tugging the shirt down until it met the waistband properly. Then she leaned over and scooped up her wet clothes. "Dryer?"

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

Cassie's question of 'Woah, what happened to you?' went unanswered by both of her newcomers. Yukito had to smile as Erin welcomed herself in her friend's home, dashing up the stairs to Cassie's room to find herself something dry.

Cassie nodded. "No problem. You know where my closet is. Help yourself to anything you want, and grab a towel from the bathroom to dry yourself off, too. They're clean, don't worry, Halina just did laundry. And then you can bring me your stuff when you're ready and I'll throw it in the dryer. Let me know if you need help, 'kay?"

Yukito had meanwhile found his eyes staring at the spot on the floor that brought back memories, grumbling under his breath, "You waste money on a pool around this town. It's just like you're freaking swimming when it rains here." He hesitated for a moment, staring at his dripping self. "I could wait until I'm dry, I guess. If I wasn't completely soaked I'd offer to stand in the corner and not touch anything, but..." he shrugged.

Cassie shook her head. "Hang on, I'll grab you something of my brother's to wear. It might be a little big--no offense or anything, he's just tall--but at least it'll be dry. Hang on." He frowned at the comment, despite the tag of 'no offense'.

"Hey, I'm not that short." A beat. Am I? "I'm actually still growing!" It was meant half-sarcastically. Cassie flew up the staircase, and he stood by himself in the hall, mumbling darkly under his breath, "They really act like I'm a freaking midget sometimes..."

"Hey, Yukito!" He looked up towards Cassie just as she tossed him a pile at him. "Catch!" He caught them, but nearly let the towel drop once he saw what was on it. Ha. Ha. "There's a bathroom just past the kitchen, you can change there."

"Thanks."

Feeling like he was being dismissed, he wandered to the kitchen - he wasn't sure, but he hoped it was the only one, houses here were so large - and found a bathroom off it to change in. He discarded the cold, wet clothes on the floor and tried the shorts and T-shirt on. The shorts went past his knees, and they were too loose, but they would work, he supposed. He grabbed his belt off his wet pants and used those, and sighed. Then smiled. It was kind of hilarious-looking, at least to him. First, he held his clothes over the sink and tried to squeeze all the excess water out, but he wasn't sure how well it was working. Just enough not to drip all over the place anymore than he already had, apparently. Then Yukito tried to dry most of the rain out of his hair, but the smell of a watery downpour still lingered as he wandered out of the bathroom and into the hallway again, looking for signs of which room he should be going to for this weird musical thing. Of course, he saw none. It was just too big a house. He figured the wisest idea would be to wait until the girls came downstairs in a second, and Cassie would lead them through the maze. Until further notice, he was anchored to an invisible lifeline at the front door.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

The curiosity was eating away at her, but neither of them made any attempt to answer her question. What, did you walk here all the way from your apartment or something? Or...I dunno, get a flat tire? Why are you all wet?

She busied herself with taking care of her soaking-wet friends, sending Erin up to her own bedroom to change into something dry and deciding that Yukito could borrow something of Jake's. "It might be a little big--no offense or anything, he's just tall--but at least it'll be dry." Too late, she remembered that guys never took too kindly to being called short, or at least being compared to someone taller. Excellent job. "Hang on."

"Hey, I'm not that short," he protested, conforming her suspicions. "I'm actually still growing!"

"Congrats," Cassie deadpanned. "I am not. And hey, you're taller than me, anyway. Count your blessings." With that, she ran up the stairs, grabbing some clothes and the first towel she saw and tossing them down to him. Then she made her way over to her room, knocking on the door to check on Erin. Now I feel like a creeper...but Shelby will kill me if we don't start soon, and the others still have to show up, and I need to figure out how to work the dryer too...god, of all the days for Halina to have the day off...and how will Erin and Yukito react if they find out I don't know how to turn on the dryer? I'm so pathetic sometimes.

Erin opened the door, and Cassie chucked a bit to see her in a pair of pajamas Now I feel really overdressed... "Hey, yeah, it's all good. Dryer?"

Cassie felt her smile fading a bit, but she tried to keep her expression neutral. "Uh, yeah. Follow me."

They met up with Yukito back in the entryway, looking a bit out of place in Jake's old clothes. "Let's get those in the dryer..." Cassie said, nervousness mounting. I really hope one of you will know what to do.

The laundry room was just past the kitchen, the last room before the old servant's quarters. Cassie took the wet clothes from her friends, taking a second to figure out exactly which appliance was the washer and which was the dryer. They looked so much alike...Decision made, she threw them in and stood gazing at the strange dials and numbers and settings. Why is it so complicated? Can't it just be simple? It's a simple job, isn't it?

Shelby came stomping up to them, angrily brandishing her notebook. Cassie wearily read the newest message. 'I don't have all day, Cassie.' She sighed. "We'll be there in just a minute, okay? Can you wait that long?" Her only response was a glare as Shelby stalked out, back across the entryway to the living room.

Cassie gave another sigh. "Okay, I didn't want to say this because I didn't want you to think I was some stuck-up, sheltered rich girl...but I have no idea how to turn on the dryer. I'm sorry. Do you think one of you could help me, if you know how?"

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Hey, yeah, it's all good," Erin answered easily when Cassie asked how her ability to raid her friend's dresser drawers was going. She held out her ball of moist clothes. "Dryer?"

"Uh, yeah. Follow me."

Erin and Cassie started walking out to what Erin assumed was the dryer. She couldn't keep from telling Cassie what they'd attempted, and with a little laughter told her, "We tried the kiss-in-the-rain thing and it failed amazingly." She giggled at the memory.

Then they turned the corner and Yukito came into view, wearing shorts for the first time in Erin's memory. More like highwaters with how they swallowed him up, and she smiled at the sight. "Let's get those in the dryer..." Cassie said.

She turned and followed Cassie into the washroom, who stood there, wet clothes in hand, silent and pensive for a moment. Erin cocked an eyebrow, watching her friend with curiosity. "What?" Was there a secret code to enter in the thing to make it work or something?

Erin heard the footsteps from Shelby before she saw her, and turned to give her a thoroughly confused look when she shoved a notebook in Cassie's face. "We'll be there in just a minute, okay? Can you wait that long?" Oooookay.... Shelby left anyway, even though she clearly didn't like her sister's words. Shelby, clearly, had no words wither. It kind of worried Erin. That... is not good...

Cassie gave another sigh. "Okay, I didn't want to say this because I didn't want you to think I was some stuck-up, sheltered rich girl...but I have no idea how to turn on the dryer. I'm sorry. Do you think one of you could help me, if you know how?"

The confession made Erin burst out into warm laughter. She dropped her forehead onto her friend's shoulder, still laughing as she explained herself: "You are sheltered, Cassie!" She lifted her head and took the clothes from Cassie's arms. "Here," Erin said, pulling open the door and tossing everything in. She didn't bother with any kind of drying sheets or anything, just twisted the knob to 25 minutes and toggled the switch to Start. "Okay, done, let's go before your sister decides she hates me for life!" Erin spun on her heel from the washroom, grabbed Yukito's arm, and headed back to the front room. "That's a good look for you," she said to him with a giggle.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

He figured from Cassie's tone that she didn't catch how utterly sarcastic he'd been when he protested to the imagined 'short' comment. Ah, well.

They didn't take all that long for him to change and go back to the entryway. Upstairs, he could hear Erin's giggle, and he wondered what she was finding so amusing.

"Let's get those in the dryer..." He awkwardly held out his clothes and gave them to Cassie, turning to see Erin in pajamas. D***. Of course she looks great in anything, and I'm standing here like a total dork. She was smiling at him, and the corner of his mouth gave a little twitch.

Fine. Laugh if you want. The whole kiss thing was your idea anyway. They hovered behind Cassie until she found a nice place to stare at the washer and dryer. Yukito stood behind them and tried to remain invisible as Erin turn to Cassie with wonder.

"What?"

Shelby made a quick entrance and shoved book in her sibling's face. Cassie read the note and responded to Shelby like the notebook was Shelby's subtitles for life. Yukito frowned, but didn't say anything. He watched the place where Shelby had vanished to. She hadn't even looked at either him or Erin.

Cassie gave a sigh. "Okay, I didn't want to say this because I didn't want you to think I was some stuck-up, sheltered rich girl...but I have no idea how to turn on the dryer. I'm sorry. Do you think one of you could help me, if you know how?"

Yukito held up his hands in a gesture of 'don't ask me!' and let Erin laughingly step forward. "You are sheltered, Cassie!" She lifted her head from her friend's shoulder and took the clothes.

"Here," Erin said, pulling open the door and tossing everything in. She quickly spun the correct dials and punched a button, the dryer springing happily to life under her experience. "Okay, done, let's go before your sister decides she hates me for life!" Erin spun on her heel from the washroom, grabbed Yukito's arm, and headed back to the front room.

"That's a good look for you," she said to him with a giggle. He scowled playfully.

"Shut up about my stupid chicken legs," he muttered. Once they'd gotten to the right room, Yukito took a look around and stared directly at Shelby.

"So what's this whole musical thing about, anyway?"

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

"We tried the kiss-in-the-rain thing and it failed amazingly," Erin told Cassie conspiratorially. Cassie couldn't resist a high-pitched, rather Erin-like squeal. "Awww! That's so, so sweet!" Getting her voice back to a more manageable level, she tacked on, "But I can see where it would fail. In the movies, their clothes and hair always dry within the next second. Gotta love the magic of cinema!" She laughed. "A magic..." she said dramatically, "that you and I will get to experience soon enough. I'm so freaking excited, you have no idea..." Or, at least, I would be excited if Shelby would be a little less of a pill about it. I mean, seriously...

They met up with Yukito and took an interesting group field-trip to the laundry room, where Shelby joined them and confronted Cassie with a glare and a note. Erin and Yukito's curious and perhaps disapproving looks didn't pass by Cassie unnoticed. "Um...yeah," she said softly as Shelby left, not finding the strength within her to tell her friends that since the Attack, Shelby had not spoken a single word at all. Not that she had been all that verbal before, but now it was basically completely mute, using notebooks, sticky notes, and keyboards to communicate when necessary. You think I'm messed up, Yukito...this is nothing compared to her.

She gave an embarrassed confession that in her very sheltered, pampered life she had never had to operate a dryer, which caused Erin to burst out laughing. "Hey!" she said. "Sorry! God! What's so funny? It's not that funny, is it?"

"You are sheltered, Cassie!"

"Not like I chose to be that way or anything..." Cassie grumbled as Erin successfully turned on the dryer. "Okay, done, let's go before your sister decides she hates me for life! That's a good look for you," she said, the last bit being directed at Yukito.

They trekked back through the house, where the sight of the costumes--amazingly accurate replicas of the costumes in the movie and stage play--met them in the living room. Cassie pointed to Christine's frothy pink Masquerade Scene dress and laughed. "Erin, you get to wear that! Aren't you excited? And that's yours too--" She pointed to the blue stage version Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again dress--"And that--" the Broadway Don Juan costume. "Yukito, we've only got your Music of the Night costume, stage version, here, sorry. The others are coming soon...I don't think any of Aidousan's have been shipped yet but I think we're looking at tomorrow as a possible arrival time. And there's mine--" Again, Cassie pointed, this time to the ballet outfit of Meg's in the Angel of Music scene, Broadway version. "Well, one of 'em, anyway. I didn't get finished unpacking and hanging them up yet."

"So what's this whole musical thing about, anyway?"

Instead of answering, Shelby handed each of them a letter, on which in theory held an overview and instructions. Cassie skimmed it.

Dear cast members,

Hello. My name is Shelby Louise Wright, and I will be directing you in my adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for agreeing to work with us on the project and can only hope this will be a fun learning experience for all involved.

Following that was a two-page plot summary of the musical, which Cassie skipped over.

The cast members are as follows:

The Phantom--Yukito Maki
Christine Daae--Erin Chloe Spenser
The Vicomte Raoul de Chagny--Kagayaki Aidou
Meg Giry--Cassandra Emily Wright
Madame Giry--TBA
Carlotta Guidicelli--Halina Kazimiera Jedynak

"Halina's in it?" Cassie asked, incredulously. "Our maid? Shy, mousy Halina..." A glare from Shelby stopped her, and Cassie found another note shoved in her face. Ever listen to her sing while she works? She's amazing. Now shut up and read.

Cassie obeyed.

Ubaldo Piangi--Vikram Rajan Singri Jr.
Mssr. Andre--TBA (Preston Brailsford?)
Mssr. Firmin--TBA
Joseph Buquet--TBA (Jacob Terrence Wright?)

Any questions at this time about the show or filming may now be directed to Cassie Wright. If there are no questions, we will proceed to passing out filming and rehearsal schedules.

The deadline for the project is Wednesday, August 22. I expect all filming and editing will be done by then.

Once again, thank you for participating.
Sincerely,
S.L. Wright, director/Co-producer

Cassie stood up, her face reddening. "Um...yeah. Any questions before we move into scheduling?"