There's No Reply • •

[Dexter Zachary Naismith]

The first thing Dexter did at the end of every class was reach for his water bottle. The contents was only ever gathered from his apartment sink or the water fountain near the theatre each morning, but Dex always needed it after a session of running lines or rehearsing a scene for whichever performance was coming up next. He always had a mild fear of waking up the morning of his exam or opening night and hearing his voice come out sounding croakier than the witch in Snow White. It was his little ritual, and even if he had another class somewhere else immediately after, he would rather be late than not reach for that bottle. Call him silly or superstitious, but Dex already knew he had his quirks. The thing with the water at the end of class was just another to add to a growing list, if he ever felt like being honest about them.

Capping the bottle once he had drank half of it, Dex put it carefully back into his backpack, slipping it down to the side and wrapping it up in a small gym towel he kept in there. The towel only served to stop the bottle from ever leaking all over his books and scripts for class. It wasn’t like Dex used the campus gym, or any other gym in the city for that matter. His exercise, if he ever decided to blow off some of his constant energy, came in the form of the handsprings and backflips he’d perform without warning, usually when people were least suspecting it. Many of the people Dex considered to be his friends still didn’t know about the years of gymnastics he had under his belt, the competition medals his parents had hanging on display back at their current home in Michigan, though some of them were engraved back from Shaldon. With the room empty aside from two other students and Professor Hamilton, Dex was tempted there and then to make his exit by way of cartwheeling, but he kept himself in check this time, just. Instead it was a wave of his hand that then ran through his outgrown locks of dark hair, and he pushed the door open to the busy hallway.

He had some lines he needed to learn; a task Dex found pretty easy, if he did say so. Most students would head to the library for the peace and quiet to read over the script and take in the words on the page before them, but Dex hated the silence in there. He needed a place with a little more noise, so he headed towards the dining room. It wasn’t close to lunch, but it would still work for what he wanted to do. He had yet to find a time when that place was void of students in need of a snack, or a pick me up. Finding a table no one had claimed yet, Dex dumped his things on the top and sat down, stretching out and getting comfy before pulling the right contemporary script from his bag, along with the water bottle which hadn’t leaked yet, much to his relief and slight amazement. He was always expecting it to, for some odd reason.

• • •

TAGGED! @alick
WORDS! 543!
OUTFIT! Geeky Guy!
LYRICS! Curiouser and Curiouser - - - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
NOTES! <3

[Deleted]

Alick knew her voice was good, but she always wanted to keep pushing herself to become better, whether that was with her vocal range or song choices. She was used to singing showtunes or songs on the radio. She had a wide vocal range, and she wasn't afraid to go for the high notes. But today, during her vocal lesson, her coach decided he wanted to make her try a more soulful sound. He wanted her to get into the music in a way she had never been before. So, the song he had picked out was 'I Put a Spell on You' by Annie Lennox. Alick tried her hardest the first time, but her voice came out more melodic instead of soulful. After a few more tries, she finally got it. 

She had never realized before just how much she enjoyed soul music until she got to sing it like she had today. There was just something about it that made her feel powerful; like she could literally put a spell on someone. It made her want to snap her fingers, tap her foot, and sway her hips to the beat, which she had done. Those motions were key to getting into the song. 

After her lesson, she wanted to get lunch. She had worked up an appetite. She grabbed a sandwich and a salad, along with a bottle of water. After she swiped her card with the prepaid meal plan on it, she made her way to the dining room, where she looked around for an empty table. She thought she had found one, but as she walked closer to the table, she realized there was another person sitting there. She thought about turning around and finding another table, but she was already within eyesight of the guy, and she didn't want to make him feel like she didn't want to sit by someone. 

She stood at the end of the table, looking at him. She thought he looked a little familiar, and she figured they had a class together at some point, especially since he was reading a script. She just didn't remember his name. With the amount of people Alick knew, it would've been impossible for her to remember everyone's name. It was nothing personal; it was just her. 

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

She asked, waiting for his reply. 


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For:
Dexter Zachary Naismith
Outfit:
 Click
Words:
396
Notes:

[Dexter Zachary Naismith]

Dex had been a drama kid for as long as he had been a gamer. He took serious roles, comical roles, and even musicals were in his forte. There was very little Dex would say no to, and he lived with the mentality that everything ought to be tried at least once. He also liked to make quite a scene at least twice a week, just to bring a spark to people’s life. No one expected someone to cartwheel through a coffee shop, or backflip out of a class. It was one of a number of reasons why Dexter did it, as well as because he missed his gymnastic days. It felt like such a long time ago since he had competed or even trained; and in truth it had been a good few years. However, Dex had it listed on his resume and while he never knew if anyone would bring it up, he couldn’t let his skills get sloppy. A few handsprings here and there, some mat runs when the sports hall was empty, it all contributed to keeping that talent sharp.

He was graduating in another year and Dexter wanted to get as much experience as he could under his belt in that time. The more he learnt, the more he took away before he donned the cap and gown. To him that meant taking on as many roles as he could, varying each part and pushing himself to step out of his comfort zone time and time again. He didn’t know what would happen when he was out of college, but he wanted to have an edge when he was going up for auditions and battling against ex-classmates for stage roles. Dex never really saw himself making it into Hollywood, but the stage was different and he felt very much at home up there in front of a live audience rather than surrounded by cameras and a recording crew.

Dex brought his water bottle to his mouth as he looked over the first page. Finding the first line of his, comprising of three words, he reached back into his backpack and pulled out the green highlighter he used on all of his scripts. Pulling the cap off with his teeth, he dragged the pen across the page in one swift motion, highlighting the first of many lines. Glancing up at the voice, Dex wasted no time in nodding his head and adjusting his position and things so he wasn’t hogging so much of the space. “Go for it.” He said cheerfully enough, running his fingers through his hair and propping his head on his hand as he flicked his attention back to his script, highlighter resting against his lip.

• • •

TAGGED! @alick
WORDS! 455!
OUTFIT! Geeky Guy!
LYRICS! Curiouser and Curiouser - - - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
NOTES! <3

[Deleted]

Alick took a seat when he answered her, placing her tray on the table. She unwrapped her sandwich, taking a big bite from it. Alick might have been a really tiny girl, standing at around five feet even (or so she claimed), but her mouth was large. She often amazed people with how big her mouth was, especially since she was so little. She could fit an entire ice cream cone in her mouth, which she had learned at theater camp one year. She had sat with a group of kids, and they bet she couldn't do that. So, she got an empty cone and shoved it sideways into her mouth. The group of seventh graders had been so impressed, and she had been asked to redo the trick every night for the rest of the week. Of course, she didn't do that anymore. 

As she chewed, she looked at the boy who seemed to be interested in the script. She assumed he had a role in the play, which excited her. She wasn't in any plays this semester, which kind of bummed her out. She loved being on stage pretending to be someone she wasn't. She loved portraying a character, putting her own spin on them. When she swallowed, she set the sandwich down, opening her water bottle. 

"Who are you portraying?"

She asked before taking a gulp of the cold liquid. She chugged about half the bottle before re-capping it. 

"I sadly wasn't able to take a theater class this semester, which really sucks. But, I do get to take one next semester, and I think they'll be putting on a show."

She told him. 

"But most of my classes this semester just deal with vocal training and music theory, which can be a drag. As much as I love music, I really don't give two shakes of a lamb's tail if so-and-so did this or that."

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For:
Dexter Zachary Naismith
Outfit:
 Click
Words:
319
Notes:

[Dexter Zachary Naismith]

Dexter had a knack for learning his lines, which was excellent, because it meant he would have most of this script memorised by the end of today, could read over it when he wasn’t needed to ferry things around at Gotham, and then spend the rest of his evening invested in video games. That was what Dex called a balanced life. He would have withdrawals if he wasn’t slaying some ferocious beast that had already bested him three times before morning light. Of course, he would try to fit some sleep in there, but it wouldn’t be the first or last time he had forgotten to keep track and simply been snapped out of his video game delusions by the sound of his alarm in his bedroom ringing incessantly, the sound only reaching his ears during a silent loading screen. He would try to ball park how many times it had happened in the past, only to say it was too many times, but Dex still did it and probably still would. He was a gamer, and it was a small price to pay for victory.

There was one he had turned off last night after a particularly nasty boss had wiped him out for the fourth time. However, he had a strategy already planned for taking the iron clad monster on tonight and he was sure his neighbours would hear his roar of victory when it worked. And it would work. He was certain of that. “Hm? Oh, it’s just for class. Algernon, from Wilde’s, Importance Of.” Dex had a habit of abbreviating things and did it without thinking people might not be able to work out what he was on about. He was fairly certain his accent had helped him get this part when they were dishing out the who’s and what’s, but he wasn’t going to complain. It was probably the best one for him, though he would have to hold back from back flipping across the stage.

He listened, wondering if he gave off his approachable guy personality even when he was hunched over a script, inhaling every word there. He nodded his head slightly. “They put on a show every semester. And there’s also the dress rehearsal of the examination shows. They’re open for the public, too.” He said with a nonchalant shrug. The drama department kept them busy and there was enough there to sink their teeth into. Dex had this exam piece to prep for, and he’d just wrapped Grease two weeks earlier, which meant he had to hang up his leather jacket and stop talking about hickeys from Kenickie. “Someone out there will.” He said lightly enough. Dex enjoyed the theory classes as much as he enjoyed being able to run around the theatre getting into character. The greats inspired him, and the history made him realise just how game changing it could all be. It was nothing to shrug off.

• • •

TAGGED! @alick
WORDS! 495!
OUTFIT! Geeky Guy!
LYRICS! Curiouser and Curiouser - - - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
NOTES! <3