Chapter 296 - Interlude 4 - Kaori, The Actress, Finale

The Next Day

Kaori and her group were getting ready. Currently, Kaori was sitting on a wooden chair, backstage at the theatre, reaching up and adjusting her flower crown with trembling, unsteady hands. Normally, before any and all performances she was calm and ready. 

However, this time, she wasn't. She was as nervous as she'd ever been for this sort of thing. The reason why was simple. All she had to do was peek by the door leading to the stage to see it. 

The building was absolutely packed. Over a dozen rows of chairs surrounded the circular stage, and for some reason, only a few were empty. As Kaori looked and saw that once again, she gulped. 

What the heck happened!?  Kaori asked herself.  Why are all these people here? 

She was caught between being surprised, being concerned, being shocked, and being nervous, all at once. A soft hand fell on her shoulder, and Kaori turned toward its owner. Yumi stood there, with a smile on her face dressed in scholarly robes as she said: 

"Lots of people here, huh?" 

"You're telling me," Kaori sighed. "Where did they all come from?" 

"I have no idea. I saw them coming in earlier, one by one, and I couldn't figure out what had brought them here. Out fliers weren't that good, were they?" 

At that, Kaori chuckled, keeping her eyes out on them for another moment before she shied away. 

"Hey," Yumi added, "don't worry. We've performed in front of bigger audiences than this, haven't we?" 

"Yeah, but, I dunno, it's just unexpected." 

"Aren't you the type that likes improvising?" Yumi raised a brow at her. "This should be right up your alley, right?" 

As Kaori heard that challenge, she smiled back at her. 

"We'll see." 

On that note, the final steps of the preparation was concluded. Kaori, Sinneah, Yumi, and Vermia all stood in front of each other. 

"Good luck, everyone," Kaori said, putting on a brave grin as they got ready to walk out. 

"As always, as long as we put our hearts in it, and, well, remember our lines, this will go greatly," Yumi stated. 

"Let's get this show going then," Vermia said. 

"Right, let's show them what we've got," Sinneah added. And, finally, Yumi walked out, to deliver a short narration that was part of the play. 

Kaori peeked from behind the nearby wall, trying to get a feel for the audience. How excited they were, how they were dressed, who exactly had come to watch them. Her eyes scanned from one side to another, until they fell on one specific pair that was sitting at the front. 

"..." Kaori blinked. "Seriously?" 

Her eyes spotted two women seated in the front row who all stood out from the rest of the viewers. One had clear, long white hair, the other a dark shade of crimson. One was excited, chatting joyously with the other, while the white-haired one was resting her head on her palm, looking like she was waiting for the play to start. 

They actually came? Kaori thought as she looked at them. 

If she wasn't feeling some amount of pressure before, she was definitely feeling it now. 

Still, underneath that concern was a bubbling sense of elation. She hadn't expected them to care about this at all. She hadn't expected Ash to be able to be dragged here for a play. She didn't look like the type who would ever be caught at one of these places. And yet, there she was. 

The sight of her made that concern Kaori was feeling evolve into something different. A call to action of sorts. Suddenly, she felt fired up. She wanted to show the two of them, Ash and her teacher, that coming here wasn't a waste of time. 

So, as Yumi finished her narration and it was time for Kaori to go to work, she straightened her back and closed her eyes, as she walked out toward the stage, while Yumi walked back. 

With that, the play began in earnest. Finally, Kaori and her troupe got to give a performance at the artistic central of Pearl, and show the locals here what they were made of. 

And, that was all Kaori had asked for. 

Though, now, something else had been added to that list. 

---

Later

"Woo!" Kaori yelled, raising a cup in the air that spilled a little bit of alcohol as she jerked it up so quickly. "That was awesome!" Kaori declared as she and the others sat down at the bar portion of the same tavern that she and Ash had visited before.

The day had given way to the night, and this time it was not just Ash and Kaori, but Kasumi and the rest of the troupe had come as well to celebrate the occasion. 

The play came and went in a flash, beginning with tense nerves and ending in satisfied applause from an audience who seemed pleasantly surprised. Kaori would have preferred for them to be shaken to their core and their entire grip on reality to be challenged by their performance, but this was okay too. 

Now, it was time to move on to the next project, as Yumi counted the money they made, all of which came as tips from those who went to watch them. 

"Wow..." Yumi let out, as she looked through every crown. "The people of Pearl are definitely not frugal." 

"When they can afford not to be," Kasumi clarified. "You deserve every bit of that, though. It was a great performance." 

"Of course," Vermia said, crossing her legs with a smug look. "We knew what we were doing, the quality was never in question. What was in question was the potential pay and that, at least, was not disappointing." 

To Kaori's left, Ash was largely silent, but Kaori could feel her eyes on her every now and then. 

... Right,  Kaori thought.  We still haven't talked, haven't we? 

They'd never gotten the chance to before, as Kaori and her troupe had spent every minute between their last meeting and now preparing for the play. And, while that time had definitely paid off, it meant that, currently, they were on some shaky ground, after what they'd done. 

For Kaori, of course, it was normal. But, she understood that for Ash, it was new territory that they'd treaded on. 

Knowing that was what made her turn toward the woman and smile widely, as she said: 

"Hey." 

"... Hey," Ash replied, crossing her arms. 

"Did you enjoy the play?" Kaori asked. 

"I think so," Ash muttered, shrugging. She kept her eyes on Kaori, as though waiting to see what she did. 

"You think?" Kaori asked, giving her a bit of a teasing smile. 

"... Yeah, I mean, I dunno," Ash replied, looking away. She didn't say anything else. As she remained silent, Kaori made a choice right on the spot. 

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Kaori asked. 

"Hm?" 

"Away from everyone else, I mean." 

"Oh. Sure." 

They left the tavern then, unnoticed as Vermia continued to brag about how good their performance had been to the listeners nearby. Exiting out into the cold nighttime Pearl streets, Kaori took the lead, putting her hands behind her back as Ash followed her. 

Well, here goes nothing,  Kaori thought, before taking a deep breath and turning to face the woman. 

"So... I remembered what we did," Kaori said, with a shy smile. At that, Ash took a deep breath. 

"... Sorry." 

Kaori didn't know what she'd been expecting, but that word surely wasn't it. 

"What?" 

"I'm sorry," Ash reiterated. 

"For what?" Kaori asked, dumbfounded. 

"I... I took advantage of you," Ash explained. "You were drunk, right? I should have pushed you away or something but..." 

"No, Ash," Kaori waved her hands, trying to put on a relieving smile. "That's not true at all. I mean, I was drunk but I knew what I was doing... To some extent anyway. Point is, I'm not trying to scold you. I wasn't looking for an apology." 

"... What were you looking for, then?" Ash asked. 

"I dunno," Kaori shrugged. "I pulled you out here cause, well, maybe we should both be asking ourselves that question. I mean, did you like the kiss we shared?" She asked, feeling hopeful for a "yes". 

"... Maybe." As Ash looked away, her expression changed to one that was far more vulnerable. Her eyes couldn't meet Kaori's, and her posture wasn't as firm as it normally was. 

"I know I did," Kaori smiled at her. "A lot, actually. You were good, for it being your first time and all." 

Ash gave a long sigh. 

"I'm so not used to this." 

That made Kaori laugh. She stepped forward. 

"That's okay. Whatever's going on here," Kaori gestured between them. "Whether it's just a fling or... Whatever, I'm down to take it at your pace. Whatever you want to do, I'm fine with. I just... I like you." 

"Why?" 

"Eh, I don't know, I think you're neat," Kaori replied, chuckling. "And... That's enough for me to know that I don't want us to just part ways after tonight. Again, I don't know what you want to do, but I'm good with whichever direction you want this little adventure of ours to take." 

"And, if I suck at all of this?" Ash asked, softly. 

"It'll be the same as when I fail my performances sometimes," Kaori shrugged. "At the very least, it'll be very funny for both of us. I can promise you that." 

"So, you'll laugh at me?" 

"No, I'll laugh with you! You know," she said, wrapping her arms around Ash's upper back, and looking into her violet eyes with as much warmth as she could muster. "In between all the making out and all." 

That last sentence must have been what did it. 

"Fine." 

And so, their lips met once again. 

Only, this time, without the taste of alcohol lingering in Kaori's mouth.