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Post by aliceroosevelt on Apr 24, 2008 8:03:29 GMT -5
Edith thought of the theater as quality time for the large Roosevelt family. They would go to the evening shows along with all the other aristocrats in town, and have to endure photographers and reporters pressing about issues and asking for statements for various papers. They would sit in a special box (given to them, of course, compliments of the theater) and watch the show, whether it included several singing numbers or dance numbers, or perhaps a play.
Alice hated Vaudeville.
She couldn't understand why her family couldn't shell out a little more so they could see something quality. Vaudeville, she always argued, was second rate, and the performance she had sat through tonight was no better than any of the other ones she'd seen. Sitting between Kermit and Little Ted, who took to poking at each other behind her back, she couldn't quite recall a time where she'd been this miserable.
Oh yes. The last time they went to Irving Hall.
After the show, a two hours that seemed to drag on forever, Alice trailed behind the rest of her laughing, chattering family. She knew the routine by now: they would wade effortlessly through the crowds, smile for a few publicity pictures (The Governor Supports Local Theaters, You Should, Too), go for a late dinner at a restaurant she hated, and then return home and go to bed.
Not this time.
No one would notice if she sort of lagged behind in the back of the little group of her brothers and sister, as she usually did. And no one would think it strange if she stopped to chat with the friendly young doorman, as she usually did. But now she would linger slightly longer than usual, and perhaps excuse herself to head to the powder room. What about your parents, Miss Alice? They're waiting, she answered, and I'll join back up with them as soon as I can.
Of course, she wouldn't.
Once she excused herself, she headed in the direction of the powder room, but veered off and made her way back into the theater. It was emptying rapidly now, and she walked down the side aisle, pleased at her escape. She made her way up to the stage door near the side curtain, and made sure none of the performers could see her before walking stepping out the door into a side street.
Carriages lined the side of the street, and families were rapidly approaching. She turned her back to them, and walked down the street, slowly making her way to the front of Irving Hall until she could be sure her family had gone. Typical, she thought. They probably wouldn't notice she was gone until they got to the restaurant. She loitered at the corner of the building, to be sure no one would discover her.
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Post by Mimi on Apr 24, 2008 15:12:24 GMT -5
Mimi walked down the streets of Manhattan, actually knowing where she was going this time. The last time she was in Manhattan alone, it didn't end well. She tucked a few loose curls behind her ear as she looked around at the buildings. That's how she knew where she was going, buildings, stores and signs. Landmarks you could say, nevertheless, she was directionally challenged through and through. She was going to go see Medda after tonight's show to discuss when she was going to perform with Starsage. And then hopefully she could find something to wear, since she had nothing but the clothes on her back.
Being poor wasn't the best thing ever, but she could survive. She grew up poor, and most likely she would die poor. At least she was living her dream, the dream of performing. She was light years ahead of where she was two years ago. Two years ago, she was stuck in Minnesota with her mother trying to set her up with a young farmer. Mimi didn't want to live her life being a wife and a mother. Maybe later, but defiantly not at sixteen.
She was about to get on the street that Irving Hall was on. Hopefully this performance would open doors for her, and help her achieve her dream even more. She brushed so loose strands of hair out of her eyes, as she neared the building. She looked up at the big sign with Medda on it, and smiled. One day she would have a theatre that she could perform at, and maybe she would have a sign with her name on it and her picture. How great would that be? She thought to herself.
As usual, she was too busy daydreaming that she didn't notice someone was in front of her. And of course, she ran into that person. "I'm so sorry, I..." She said, trailing off as she realized who she ran into: Alice Roosevelt, the Governor's daughter. She froze, "I'm really sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran into you, I'm so so sorry." She apologized genuinely, feeling embarrassed and terrified at the same time.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Apr 24, 2008 19:44:08 GMT -5
Alice was about to turn back around the corner when suddenly someone rammed into her. She staggered backward, nearly colliding with the wall, and her wide-brimmed hat going unfashionably askew. She steadied herself, and prepared to go off on whoever had the gall to run into her. She had been expecting it to be some crude young man who wanted an excuse to talk to her...Alice had unfortunately experienced that more than twice. But she was surprised to see a girl, probably not much older than her.
The girl was stammering an apology. "I'm so sorry, I..." Alice felt the girl's eyes catch her face, and she saw the familiar look of realization. This was one of the reasons she hated being a Roosevelt and having her picture in the papers all the time. She couldn't go anywhere without people knowing who she was. And the worst part was, people thought they needed to treat her like a princess or something when they encountered her on the street. She wasn't a princess, and she certainly wasn't the President's daughter or anything of the sort. She was Teddy Roosevelt's daughter, and probably the one he loved the least.
It was nothing to be proud of.
"I'm really sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran into you, I'm so so sorry." The girl looked almost frightened, which Alice found amusing. Everyone, it seemed, was under the misconception that everyone in her father's family was in demand of respect. Her father was the governor...not her.
Alice chuckled aloud at the girl, trying to be friendly. "My goodness, what do you think I'm going to do? Behead you?" She shook her head, a good-humored smile coming across her face, as it quite rarely did. "Don't worry so much. I'm not a queen, for Pete's sake..."
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Post by Mimi on Apr 26, 2008 15:54:35 GMT -5
"My goodness, what do you think I'm going to do? Behead you?Don't worry so much. I'm not a queen, for Pete's sake..."
Mimi's pale face flushed a shade of light pink. She's heard many a story about people who have met political figures, and their family. Those stories usually didn't end very well. She didn't know what else to do, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said. Normally the stories she heard went like this: Meet important figure/family, Talk to them, the important figure gets mad, that person goes to jail or worse. Most likely, it was just somebody pulling her leg.
She was very thankful that Alice's response was good-natured and friendly, something that was rare nowadays. Even if it was someone of her same social class, they'd overreact and usually it was Mimi that got in trouble. Almost everything was her fault, even though she stood up for herself, everything was blamed on her.
One thing she noticed about Alice was that she was prettier than the pictures she saw. Mimi tried to get her confidence and easy going nature back after she embarrassed herself. "Well since I already know who you are, I'm Mimi." She said.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Apr 26, 2008 16:47:56 GMT -5
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Alice shook her head. "We Roosevelts aren't as high and mighty as the papers make us out to be. Or haven't you noticed?" she added with a smirk. Anyone who thought Theodore Roosevelt was a hard, serious man should see him spending time with his children. When everyone was younger, it wasn't a rare occurrence for him to lead them on obstacle courses through the forests of their estate. He would lead them in a line, marching through the trees and going through obstacles that he found. He always told them, "You may go through, over or under an obstacle...but never around it." And then after they were sweating and dirty, they would go into the house and change their clothes before joining their father around the campfire for his tall tales and, Quinten's favorite, ghost stories.
That was one of the happier times Alice could remember with her father.
"Well since I already know who you are, I'm Mimi."
"Hello, Mimi," Alice said cordially. "And even though you know my name, I'd feel like an absolute snob if I didn't do it right. I'm Alice." She offered Mimi a smile. In the interest of conversation (the girl didn't look very aristocratic, to be frank, and Alice doubted she would have a lot to say to her) she asked, "What brings you here, Mimi? Did you see the performance? Dreadful, wasn't it?"
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Post by Mimi on Apr 27, 2008 21:16:24 GMT -5
"We Roosevelts aren't as high and mighty as the papers make us out to be. Or haven't you noticed?"
Mimi smiled slightly, "I guess I haven't noticed then." She said with a simple shrug. She never really cared about what happened with important figures and such, all she knew is that they were important and the highest respect was demanded. If you didn't show respect, things didn't end very well for you. Even though she loved trouble, she hated the consequences that came with it. However, the excitement and the rush of doing something 'bad' was almost worth the consequence. But getting into major trouble with an important figure didn't interest her. She'd like to remain free, and not go to jail.
"What brings you here, Mimi? Did you see the performance? Dreadful, wasn't it?"
"Well, I'm coming here for a costume fitting I guess. My friend and I are performers and we don't have anything 'nice' to wear. So Medda is offering us dresses." She paused, as she bit her lower lip.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on Apr 30, 2008 18:42:01 GMT -5
"I guess I haven't noticed then."
Alice gave a small smile back. She decided that she liked Mimi, with her simplicity and honesty. Those were two things she didn't often find in her world. Everything was overdone and sugar-coated; made to sound better and less shocking than it really was, or else it was exaggerated and blown out of proportion when it wasn't shocking enough. Everyone tried to maintain that delicate balance, saying a lot without saying too much. Sometimes, Alice longed to cross the line on either side and not give a damn for once.
"Well, I'm coming here for a costume fitting I guess. My friend and I are performers and we don't have anything 'nice' to wear. So Medda is offering us dresses."
Alice stiffened a little. Mimi was a performer? Alice hoped she hadn't just been in the show, otherwise she was afraid of insulting someone she seemed to be getting along with. But she calmed herself quickly when she rationalized that since Mimi appeared to be coming to the theater after the show, odds were she hadn't been one of the dancers on stage. The thought was a condolence, and Alice was able to smile and reply coolly. "Oh, you're a performer? That's interesting...you dance, I assume? And you know Miss Larkson, as well. I've only been acquainted with her once, when my father met her after a show..."
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Post by Mimi on May 1, 2008 15:48:47 GMT -5
Mimi was glad Alice wasn't a snob, unlike the stories she heard. She was glad Alice was a real person, just like her...just a lot richer.
"Oh, you're a performer? That's interesting...you dance, I assume? And you know Miss Larkson, as well. I've only been acquainted with her once, when my father met her after a show..."
She nodded, "I'm a performer. Ever since I could remember that's what I've always wanted to do." She paused as she smiled, "Well, I do dance but singing is my main passion. I do all three, singing, dancing, and acting. And yes, I do know Medda, not as well as the other newsies. I've only met her once, when Starsage brought me here to audition."
She fiddled with her hands in front of her, Mimi wasn't the most outgoing person in the world but she wasn't the shyest. She didn't know what else to do, she was almost afraid that she would do something wrong. She didn't like the feeling of fear, she liked the feeling of freedom, without fear.
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Post by aliceroosevelt on May 1, 2008 16:10:46 GMT -5
"I'm a performer. Ever since I could remember that's what I've always wanted to do."
Since Mimi didn't seem offended, Alice could guess that she hadn't been on stage tonight. She listened to Mimi and nodded in response. "I see..." She was momentarily at a loss for words. She always tried to be friendly, but truth be told she didn't think she would have anything in common with Mimi. Mimi's passion, it seemed, was the theater, and Alice disliked Vaudeville performances of any kind. "I never really liked Vaudeville, to be honest. It never really appealed to me. But I suppose it's because I get showcased so much on a normal day, I don't need to do it on stage." Alice realized that she could be bragging right there, but she didn't worry too much about it. She wasn't one to second-guess herself often.
"Well, I do dance but singing is my main passion. I do all three, singing, dancing, and acting."
Alice nodded again. "You sing, then? That's something...I don't think I've ever really spoken to a person who could really sing. Perform at it, I mean." She met few performers in her life. She came across an opera singer who was an acquaintance of her father's once, but she didn't think that woman could sing anything other than a piercing high note. And the mayor's daughter, who performed at a pageant Alice was forced to go to, could sing about as well as a dog could quack.
"And yes, I do know Medda, not as well as the other newsies. I've only met her once, when Starsage brought me here to audition." "
Alice's brow furrowed. "You're a...newsie?" she echoed, confused. She knew what newsies were, of course. You couldn't live in New York without knowing what a newsie was. But she had never seen a girl who claimed to be a newsie. She had only come across boys, namely, the rude one she had met in Central Park not too long ago. But the area around the Governor's Mansion was always full of them, peddling their newspapers and yelling. They had all been boys, however, and the fact that Mimi said she was one was a confusing aspect. She said quickly, "Do forgive me, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just...well, I didn't know girls could be newsies..."
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Post by Mimi on May 1, 2008 16:20:40 GMT -5
"I never really liked Vaudeville, to be honest. It never really appealed to me. But I suppose it's because I get showcased so much on a normal day, I don't need to do it on stage."
Mimi nodded slightly, "I don't like watching it. I'm a perfectionist so if I see someone butcher a performance, it bothers me. I want to get on the stage and show them what they did wrong." She shrugged slightly, "But that's just who I am." She said.
"You sing, then? That's something...I don't think I've ever really spoken to a person who could really sing. Perform at it, I mean."
She smiled, "Yes...I sing. I'm probably not the best at it, but its what I love to do." Usually the singers Mimi heard were the opera singers who thought they were the best. They usually were prima donnas, and their head was about the size of the city itself. That bothered her, why can't someone have a talent and be humble about it? Nothing would change about it most likely, but it was still a pet peeve of hers.
"Do forgive me, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just...well, I didn't know girls could be newsies..."
She laughed, "No, girls can be newsies too. There aren't as many, but there are girl newsies. I needed a job and my friend told me she was a newsie, so I decided to become one as well. Its a living." She shrugged. "It keeps me alive, and that's all that matters, right?"
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