Chapter 17
Chicot stood in the overly air-conditioned theater, her hand just above her brow to block the stage lights as she watched a group of swordsmen perform on stage.
She sipped her water, her leotard tugging awkwardly on the top of her head as it always did, and listened to the performers exchange glancing blows while they shouted at each other.
They were great, and Chicot couldn’t really pick out any obvious mistakes in their show.
In fact, everyone they had watched had been clean and polished, prepared to immediately start.
She did her best to put it out of her mind, sweat pooling in her spandex body suit despite the cool room around her.
Now, this process felt familiar. This was not her first time doing this, it was one of many, and she was beyond ready for it.
“Court Jester Chicot’s House Rules on stage please.
” The voice was firm and inattentive, like they had been at this for hours—which they had.
Elijah took her hand, the two of them walking out in front of the casting directors sitting halfway up the rows of seats.
They were surrounded by other potential performers, some already auditioned, others still waiting nervously to be brought backstage.
Chicot had her mask off for now, as it had been requested.
The directors had them each spin around for them so their full costumes could be seen, Chicot doing it carefully and only adding a shimmy at the end so they could take her in.
The movement earned her a smile, something that she’d been hoping for.
Sunnie had mentioned how much the directors liked to see personality.
“Please introduce yourselves,” the casting director said. Elijah went first, bowing with his lute at his side. When it was Chicot’s turn, she stepped up and crossed her legs, bowing deeply.
“My name is Chicot,” she started. “And I play the part of the Court Jester Chicot, a pantomiming jester.”
When she finished her statement, she did a flourish and clipped her mask onto her face, placing her hands under her chin and striking a cute pose as she wiggled her fingers. The directors laughed, one of them leaning over to whisper to another, amusement on their face.
“Thank you.” The main director that had been conducting the auditions now seemed less bored, his eyebrows raised as he gestured with an open palm. “The stage is yours. We would love to see your performance in full. Please use the tape line as a curtain if you’d like.”
They grabbed their small prop table and the crate they were provided, walking out on stage to place each on the tape marks they had requested before their audition.
Once they had their things in place, Elijah thanked the directors and Chicot bowed in sync with him.
The two of them then went to their starting marks, nodding to each other. Then, they began.
Chicot tumbled across the stage, easily hopping up onto the box. She didn’t look at the directors, focused on striking her first pose as she waited for Elijah to come in. From there, it was like this was what they’d always been meant to do.
Elijah played his lute, sang songs, bickered with Chicot, and Chicot contorted herself, teased Elijah, and pantomimed to explain her house rules.
Occasionally, she stopped him as he did something “wrong” and exaggeratedly pantomimed to show him what he was supposed to do instead.
The directors laughed at the right moments, their voices the only thing that Chicot picked up on.
“I have no idea what she means! Do you all know what she’s trying to get me to do?” Elijah asked the audience, who weren’t paying them much mind. Thankfully, one person was actively watching them, and they shouted out exactly what Chicot and Elijah needed.
“Stand on the box while you sing!” the performer yelled. Their voice carried, and it made everyone else in the crowd laugh as Chicot pointed to the speaker. She gestured with open palms as she looked back at Elijah, effectively conveying, See!? See!? It was not that hard!?
Elijah rolled his eyes dramatically, stepping up on the box. “There, are you happy?”
Chicot set her hands on her hips, nodding in just the right way so her bells wouldn’t ring loudly.
Elijah then scoffed and flicked one of them on her jester hat, and Chicot stumbled away from him, overreacting with severe offense as she covered the points as if he had just touched her butt or something.
“Oh, what?” Elijah asked. “Are the bells sensitive?”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, one hand on his hip and his lute in the other.
Chicot responded by sliding her hands down her head around her chest, crossing her legs as she swished back and forth.
There was a peal of laughter from the crowd as she pretended to be shy and awkward about him touching her bells.
Elijah pressed his hand to his heart then.
“All right, I’m sorry!” Elijah said. “What do you want me to do next?”
They then launched into a silly series of pantomime, in which Chicot tried to get Elijah to play the right song for the mood, switching from a lute version of “Careless Whisper” to one of his original tunes that Chicot would do a cute dance to, ending with her contorting herself while she was standing on her hands.
“Oh, now we’ve got a show going!” Elijah shouted, and he started to play faster, hopping off the box. Chicot got out of her contorted position, tumbling back and standing with her arms in the air. “One more big trick from Court Jester Chicot, everybody. Clap please.”
He started a chorus of applause before he went back to playing his lute, Chicot looking confused for a moment before she acted fake shy, waving her hand as if he were pumping her up unnecessarily.
She then hopped onto the box again, pretending to be unbalanced for a moment as the music started to get even faster.
The clapping kept up, the crowd managing to keep on beat and in unison, which was impressive.
When she looked out at the crowd, the main director was even joining along.
Chicot got on her elbows, shifting into an elbow stand with her legs bent over her head.
She then wrapped her lips around the mechanism in her mask, blowing up a balloon as Elijah’s playing got faster and faster.
When the balloon was at full size, Elijah abruptly stopped as he whipped out a blow gun, shooting a dart at Chicot and popping the balloon.
There was another peal of cheers from the small crowd they were in front of before Chicot hopped down and met Elijah in the middle, taking his hand again so he could do their outro. They thanked the crowd, deeply bowing with their arms linked and then standing, panting in front of the directors.
“Thank you very much, Court Jester Chicot’s House Rules.
You can leave the stage.” The director’s voice was lighter now, warm even.
They thanked them again as Chicot got her mask off, and then they exited to the hallway where a gaggle of people dressed like halflings smiled nervously at them, waiting for their turn.
Elijah picked Chicot up in a hug, then they ran together to the changing rooms. They hadn’t bounced like this since they had gotten the news about the callback, and now all Chicot could think about was telling Monty that they would also be at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
Of course, she didn’t know yet. But after that performance?
She was certain that they would absolutely be making it into the cast. Maybe they’d even get to share a stage with The Pirates Three again.
They stayed for the rest of the auditions, showing their support to the other acts and calling out if they seemed to request it. Chicot didn’t see anyone she knew, at least she didn’t think. It seemed like maybe this was just for new acts they were considering.
When the auditions were completely over, Chicot followed Elijah out of the mansion they used for auditions.
She was smiling, bouncing as she walked, and she held her phone in her hands, wanting to text Monty or Sunnie, but she didn’t have their numbers yet.
She’d get there. Right now, she could just celebrate with Elijah, and celebrate they did, ordering a heap of Chinese food and getting drinks for back in their hotel room.
“To the best jester and bard duo in all of Wisconsin!” Elijah held up his beer can for Chicot. Chicot clinked hers against his, a mouth full of rice and sesame chicken.
“To the best jester and bard duo in all of the USA!” she yelled, and Elijah threw his head back and laughed.
Elijah showed her updates about Duchess from Ken, the two of them cooing over their cat as they ate and drank. Eventually, they settled back into the single bed they were sharing, full of good food and bloated from beer as they stretched out among the flimsy pillows.
“Ken got a job with the blacksmith at Pennsylvania,” Elijah said. Chicot perked up, turning to face him.
“Really? That’s great.” Chicot patted Elijah on the shoulder, sluggish from the feast they’d had and mentally exhausted from finally being done with the audition.
“Yeah.” Elijah crossed his arms over his chest. “I really like him.”
Chicot smiled, grabbing onto the pillow and hugging it as she laid her head on it. “He’s a good guy.”
“Monty’s a real good lady, too,” Elijah returned. Chicot’s heart skipped, her face pressing into the pillow to hide, but she was grinning. She couldn’t take it.
“She is.” Chicot looked at Elijah. Elijah nudged her gently.
“Look at us,” he said. “Falling in love at our first faire.”
Chicot laughed, rolling onto her back, “God. We’re pathetic, aren’t we?”
“Hopeless romantics might be a better way to say it.” Elijah rolled his eyes. Chicot snorted.
“Yeah, maybe.” Chicot looked at the popcorn ceiling and wondered if she could count them all in one night.