I still live! Fear not, MK fandom! All my fics are still in-progress, Dual Potential still gets updated, and I haven't forgotten you!
This is a "songfic" done to the Pet Shop Boys' amazing piece, "The Theatre", and I use the term songfic very loosely. This song doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the Pet Shop Boys in all their flamingly gay glory, but I'm going to be stealing lines from it the whole fic long. I estimate that there'll be twelve or thirteen chapters, and I swear by all that's holy that I will update it once a week until all the chapters are posted, short of emergency. All the "chapters" will be about this length. This fic is extremely, extremely, EXTREMELY alternate universe, and contains both gay and straight relations, as does just about everything I write.
Just in case you're wondering, Megami Kouhosei doesn't belong to me either. But I can see why you think it might, what with how wonderful I am and all.
THE THEATRE
where it's another world
by Kay Willow
It's another world here
The streets are gleaming
I was even dreaming
That they're paved with gold
The Theatre was glowing with brightly-lit storefronts. It nearly blinded Erts with its beauty and splendor, with the riches and glory that cried out to the wealthy and the world-weary. 'Here,' they seemed to cry, 'life is still beautiful and people are still innocent and all your concerns will be put to rest!'
Even though Erts had lived there all his life, it still seemed to him as though he'd never seen it before this very moment. What a difference a few feet could make...
"Hello there," spoke a young woman, striding forward from where she'd been standing to one side of the great shimmering archways of the entranceway. She spoke in a strong, clear voice that rang out across the crowded plaza. "Are you Sir Erts Virny Cocteau, newly come from the Free Cities?"
The men and women closest them halted in their footsteps. Then whispers arose, drowning out the chatter of those farther away, and soon enough the whole courtyard had heard about the sixteen-year-old filthy rich earl's heir from the Free Cities who had come on vacation to escape the dreadful responsibilities of being a filthy rich earl's heir. The whispering continued even once all this information had circulated and everyone's attention was on him.
It was remarkable, how fast the right information could travel.
"Yes," he said pleasantly. "Simply Erts will do, madam. You would be..." Feigning a stylishly bad memory, Erts half-turned to the figure standing behind him, awaiting a cue.
Azuma carefully consulted a sheet of paper in his hand. "Rome Lotte, young master," he said firmly. "The daughter of Shelton Lotte, the proprietor of your hostel."
"Greetings, Madam Lotte," Erts followed without missing a beat. "And this is one of the family chatelaines--" He could just hear the whispers rippling outward again at the verbal stone he'd tossed them: more than ONE family chatelaine? "--Azuma Hijikata."
"Good will upon you both," Lotte murmured, curtsying vaguely. "I was told to expect you, Sir Erts. On behalf of this fair city, I welcome you to the Theatre."
Nobody was quite sure how it had come to be called the Theatre. The city had once been called Rashville City -- appropriately, as the duchy it was the capital of was named Rashville -- but over the generations had evolved in character and in purpose. What had once been a political capital had turned into a haven for the wealthy. Entertainments, attractions, and diversions sprung up nearly overnight as Rashville mutated into the place that would come to be called the Theatre, a legend the world over.
After all, nowhere else in the world could the young and the monied rule unconditionally.
"It's a bit surprising that you've come here with a family retainer," Lotte was saying. "Most young lords who come here come alone, or with friends."
Normally speaking, one wouldn't even call Azuma a chatelaine in the capacity he was currently acting in. A chatelaine was the manager of an estate, after all. Better describing an adult retainer function accompanying a Theatre-bound adolescent would be a term like "chaperone".
"My parents are very worried about me," Erts said pleasantly. "They want to be assured of my safety, no matter the cost."
Again, more whispers at the mention of the magic word: cost. Expense. Expensive. MONEY. Perhaps saying as much on the streets of a large city might be tantamount to begging to be kidnapped for someone else -- but Erts had no need to fear such a thing. Any potential kidnappers had be better-off looking out for themselves.
The young woman stepped to one side and waved grandly. "Our establishment is this way, good sir. I am here to guide you."
Erts was amused by the ripple of disappointment that ran through the crowd as he followed obediently in her footsteps, Azuma trailing behind him. It would appear that he had made a good start. Already, the Theatre was looking forward to his presence on the social scene. In a matter of days, he expected the city to be well and truly addicted.
Exactly as planned.
Are you wondering what's up with Erts yet? I hope so.
There's going to be a grand total of SIX canon MK characters in this fic. This is an MK fic only in the most lenient sense of the word. There's going to be some OOC-ness floating around. But, to be perfectly honest with you, I can SEE Erts behaving this way under this set of circumstances...
But you don't know what his circumstances are, just yet, do you?
Bwahaha.
--Kay