|| open || Inspiration

[Cassie Brown]

Cassie was sittting on a bench in the park. Not for any particular reason, she just needed a break. She watched families and couples stroll by without a care in the world, they all looked so happy together, smiling and laughing with each other.
This brought back memories of her ex, Matt. Everyone had said they looked perfect together and they were. They shared the same tate in music, the same sense of humour, Cassie had been sure they were made for eachother...and then he met Gina.
Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of Matt and Gina together, holding hands and laughing together. Doing things her and Matt used to do together.
Suddenly she thought of what her Dad would say to her if he caught her crying over a boy. He'd give her a cuddle and let her sit on his knees no matter how old she was, then he'd say "Darlin, don't cry. He don't know what he's missing out on...and anyway, boyfriends will come and go but your daddy, he'll always be here for you" Then he'd give her one last hug and, as if by magic, she'd feel suddenly alot better.
A sudden burst of inspiration flew through Cassie and she pulled out her tiny bright orange notebook from her pocket. It was her song book and she carried it everywhere with her afterall, you never know when you might get inspired. Anyway, she started writing a song about how in love her and Matt used to get along and how much she missed him;
"Your the direction i follow to get home
when i feel like i can't go on, you tell me to go
And it's like i can't feel a thing with you around
And don't mind me if i get weak in the knees
'cause you have that affect on me
you do..."
Cassie started singing this verse quietly to herself, she wanted to know if it sounded okay, then she could add chords to it later on her guitar when she returned home.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

Toni had always admired those who could create for themselves. Musicians and artists. They could make something out of nothing. Writers too. Making something out of the air, out of a feeling. It made her feel like sort of a cheap artist, riding on the hard work of wonderful writers. All she could do was act. Act a part of someone else, all she did was play dress up, play pretend. She wasn't even a good liar. But somehow, when you got her on the stage....

She had her book of No-Fear Shakespeare from class, she was about to be in an Othello production as Emilia, Iago's wife and Desdemona's hand maiden.

At the moment she was muttering the monologue rfom act four, scene three. She had been reading it line by line and then seeing if she remembered it all.

But I do think it is their husbands' faults If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties, And pour our treasures into foreign laps,
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
Or scant our former having in despite;
Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace,
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know
Their wives have sense like them: they see and smell
And have their palates both for sweet and sour,
As husbands have. What is it that they do
When they change us for others? Is it sport?
I think it is: and doth affection breed it?
I think it doth: is't frailty that thus errs?
It is so too: and have not we affections,
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so

Toni was about to start again when she heard someone singing and she paused mid-step to listen. "That's beautiful." She said honestly. That was the start of a great song.

[Cassie Brown]

Cassie looked up from her book startled.
"Oh! oh.. sorry you made me jump" She laughed nervously. She had been so into her song, she had hardly noticed the girl standing in front of her. She had beautiful long curly hair and nice soft friendly eyes.
"My song? yeah...thanks!" Cassie beamed at her. Sure, people had told her that the songs she wrote were good but there was just something about the way the girl had said beautiful that made her song seem better than the others, extra special in some way.
"I'm Cassie" She held her hand out for a hand shake.
She looked the girl up and down again and noticed she was carrying a rather large book.
"That's a big book to be carrying around, are you an english student?"
She certainly didn't look like an english student, Cassie imagined english students to be plain boring people who always had a pen or pencil with them and a huge book to read incase they got bored. This girl looked pretty and exciting and that she always had something better to do than read a book. She looked as though she could be a real somebody. Someone important like a celebrity or the daughter of the president or something. Not like Cassie, she wan't anyone. Yet.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

"I'm Toni." She said with a pleasant smile, shifting herself slightly to face Cassie. The girl had a certain spunk and kind round face that appealed to Antonia. Made her look kid and approachable. Which this girl, Cassie, definitely was so far. She seemed grounded enough that the probable fame coming for her wouldn't ruin her as it did an unfortunate many. Like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan. They were thrust into the world so young they didn't have a good sense of things.

"Theatre major" Toni corrected her with a friendly smile. People carrying around plays were either English, Creative Writing, or Theater people. Nine times out of ten anyway. "I'm trying to memorize some of my lines for a school performance. I go to the big American Acting school."

[Cassie Brown]

Cassie was intrigued. To get into the American Acting School was a BIG deal. She'd once heard that Courtney Cox had gone to that school, but she was pretty sure that was just a rumour.
"Wow! You mean The American Acting school?! I heard they only accept like, the best actors in the whole of America, You must be really good." Cassie smiled at her warmly and studied her face to see if she recognized her out of any TV programs.
"Have you been in any TV shows or anything? Or do you only act in plays?"
Cassie could imagine Toni acting on stage. Standing tall and proud, looking out to the audience who were all clapping on their feet because of her outstanding performance. Then she'd bow and just before the red velvet curtain covered her completely someone would throw a rose at her and she'd catch and blush. Then, the man who threw the rose would catch her eye and...
Cassie blushed as she realized her imagination had run away with her. Again.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

Toni smiled and blushed softly. "Not that big of a deal." She down played. She had no ambition, she really had to work on that if she was going to get anywhere. "But I guess I'm pretty good. I just got a part in a play off Broadway." Antonia said sitting down beside Cassie easily. She could stand for days, but it made her feel poised to leave, and they were talking. Sitting showed she was here to stay.

"I mostly act in plays, I like the stage, its a different sort of acting from TV shows. But if I got offered a part in a TV show i might try it."

[Cassie Brown]

Cassie nodded as she listened.
"Off Broadway? Cool, what play are you doing? She asked "Judging by the size of that script it looks pretty long!" Cassie laughed dryly.
She looked away from Toni for a moment looking at a mother and a child playing with their dog, she watched their laughing faces and smiled to herself.
"Y'kno, I love shakespeare and i mean Love, I could write a whole book on him if i wanted to!" Cassie giggled "But... I've never seen a play by shakespeare before and i have always wanted to"
She looked at Toni and imagined her playing the lead girl in romeo and juliette. She would be perfect for that, Cassie thought.
"Im guessing you want to be an actress when you're older, right? " Cassie asked,

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

"I'm Mrs. Elvstead in Hedda Gabler." Toni said with a smile. It was one of her favorites, Ibsen was a genius. There was a symbol in everything, and his characters were people. He made living humans out of nothing.

"This," She patted her large book. "Is a collection of Shakespeare works both as he wrote it and in the vernacular, you know, common language. I'm Emilia in Othello for class." Toni shrugged. This was life at acting school, you were always memorizing and remembering, snapping in and out of character at a moment's notice, and you had to make sure you were doing a good job.

"Technically, I'm already an actress, I'm already acting. But yes, acting's what I'd like to do as a living."

[Cassie Brown]

"Hedda what?"Cassie asked looking confused, she had never heard of a play called Hedda Gabler before.
A bird swooped down just above the two girls heads, Cassie ducked out of the way and then watched it soar magesticaly back up into the sky. She wondered what it would be like to fly up high in the sky and watch all the people down below going about their dail buissness.
Cassie felt another burst of inspiration and quickly jotted down a few notes of flying, high, sky, birds, small people down below. She hoped Toni hadn't seen her, it would seem very rude if she had.
"Cool! You're really lucky to have that!" Cassie beamed motioning to the book "And yeah, I spose you are an actress already" She laughed.
"I hope i get discovered and become a singer songwriter"Cassie said dreamily, imagining herself on stage playing her guitar singing the lyrics to the new song she worte. The crowd clapping and cheering her....
Cassie blushed, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

"Gabler. Its by Ibsen, a more modern writer. Its about the woman who's too much like a man, like a tom-boy, I suppose. it's rather interesting." Toni had never been good at describing things for herself, she did better with lines, when it was all written out. One of her favorite plays and she had no words to describe it in a way that would make sense.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be discovered. Do you preform any places? Talent shows, open mic nights? You really should."

[Cassie Brown]

"Hmm..." Cassie said thoughtfully "Sounds kinda interesting, maybe i could come and see you act."
Cassie smiled at Toni. They were getting on well.
"Perform? No, i really want to but... I'm not sure where a good place to start would be?" Cassie's eyes lit up suddenly "Do you know any good places? Y'kno like pubs and clubs and stuff?"
Cassie looked hopeful, her eyes wide and bright with enthusiasm.
A mum and a buggy walked passed and Cassie sighed, "Even if you did know anywhere, i probly wouldn't earn that much and what if i have to work late? How am i gonna cope with college and stuff...?"
Cassie shook her head as if she had already given up.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

"Um, I dunno, maybe there's a night club that would hire you or something? or you could sing in the subway, gross but lots of people, even businessmen have to ride the subway... I really have no idea. You'll find a way to get out there. I know it."

It was Cassie's dream, she just had to succeed. The girl needed a drive, a force, she had to give it everything she had and she would get somewhere, that was for sure. According to Toni anyway.

"If you give me your number or something I can tell you when and where I'm doing stuff."

[Cassie Brown]

Cassie grinned widely at Toni.
"Do you really think im good enough?" She asked but knew the answer already.
"Okay, if you think the subway is a good place to start i'll go there tomorro and see what happens" She smiled at Toni, she was turning out to be a really good friend. "And then i'll maybe try and find a spot for me to play at a night club or something"
"Oh and here's my number" Cassie said opening her notebook and tearing a page out. She fumbled around in her pocket untill she found a pen and then wrote her number and name down.
She handed the paper to Toni with a smile and said "If you tear the paper in half, you can write your number down on it and then i can text you or something and tell you how it went in the sub-way"
Cassie grinned again and offered the pen out to her.

[ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI]

Toni smiled encouragingly and scribbled down her number as well. Scribbled wasn't really the right word, jotted , painted... she had very good handwriting really. "Here you go." She said. Toni wanted Cassie to succeed. It sounded like a good plan to her, maybe they'd both go far.

ooc- writers block, and busy, sorry

[Cassie Brown]

occ- lol its okay. I have writers block too. Ill end this post and then maybe we can do another one soon?

Cassie smiled and took the paper from toni. her writing was so neat with little curls at the end of each letter. Much neater than her untidy scrawl.
"Thanks," Cassie said and smiled."id better get back, it was nice meeting you, ill text you tomorrow, bye" She said and waved to Toni as she walked away and smiled.