Completion: A Must, Clarice x Stace {MATURE}

[Stace]

The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it's dead for you.
--Oscar Wilde


Art. It's intriguing. It's beauty. It's an obsession.

Many artists have said that art is just a portrayal of the artist. A means of expression. What was it that Purhm had to express? Not only was Purhm obsessed with art, in all of its forms, but he was a fanatic of collecting. He had an art collection, all of his own art. It went along well with the skeletons he kept and the souls that he collected. He did it all for art. His passion. His obsession.

With each soul, he collected new talents and knowledge as well. He was a patient creature -- after all, what kind of artist did not have patience? But he was also not his own creature. Everything he owned, everything he knew, he shared... with himself. Well, it could be said that this other part of himself was another personality entirely, for this second personality belonged to the second head on his body. The head, decorated with a single, long horn extending from the center of his forehead. Purhm absolutely despised his other half. It didn't do a bit of good for him. But, thankfully, he never had to deal with both heads being conscious at the same time. He -- they -- had learned at an early age that two heads controlling the same body was an immensely difficult task.

The grey demon watched over his sleeping, single-horned counterpart quietly as he sat watching from the darkest depths of an old theatre. It seemed as if it was being set up for a new production. Purhm didn't know what the production would be, he had only been sitting there for a few moments. It seemed quiet backstage, but he was certain that it would get louder as he waited.

Purhm had a great love for theatre. Above all else -- painting, drawing, music -- Purhm had a passion for the theatre. Perhaps because it was such a large collaboration of all the art that he held so dearly to his heart. And so far, he had collected all the souls he could want. He had attained the talents of painting, drawing, playing every instrument he could think of, graffiti, graphic art; he had it all. Except for one, final ingredient -- the piece that he decided would complete his collection. An actor. If he hadn't been so patient, he would have reached out for an acting talent immediately. But no. He had all the time in the world. The most satisfying piece was saved for last. Finally, he would get what he always dreamed of having. Acting talent.

Of course, it wasn't as though he couldn't act on his own, and it's not like he had anywhere to audition -- there weren't many demon productions going on -- but making this last soul into a work of his own art was going to be fun.

His grey eyes scanned the area again. The lights beyond the closed curtains had been turned on. It seemed as though they were checking all the equipment. He inhaled deeply, leaning back and fingering at the crown of horns that decorated his own head. His black hair had some length to it, which sometimes became a fashionable problem, but he didn't do much socializing with his own kind. He didn't need to. He had his art to keep him... sane.

And then something that his counterpart had said before. "The me have the not much sleepzies so the you can wakezies the up earlyz!"

While at least one of them had to be sleeping for both sides of the body to be under the control of only one of them, they still took in all the images and sounds of the still-conscious head. And that voice haunted all of Purhm's dreams. That stupid way of speaking. The pointless things the other did. Thankfully, Purhmzies -- as Purhm, the crowned personality liked to call the unicorn-like head -- did everything he was instructed to do.

Unfortunately, Purhm was getting tired early. Maybe he should have waited another day to start his tracking, but while he was extremely patient, he didn't want to wait another day with nothing to occupy him. He had no souls to torture anymore, and he was too tired to capture another to take up that time. So he would simply pick out his newest target. He or she would have to be the best actor he could find.

So he waited in the dark, hoping to find his soul soon.

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

TThe old theatre, once empty and deserted, was now being revitalized and reawakened to it’s old splendor. After years of being left to sit in it’s gloomy dust, someone had finally purchased the grand old structure. A reopening gala was planned a few months in advance. A show was picked and auditions were held. Now rehearsals for Repo: The Genetic Opera were underway. At the same time, renovations and set building were underway in order to meet with the deadline. The cast, at the moment , had split up to practice lines and body language for whatever role they had.

In one of the back corners, a young brunette woman was pacing back and forth. Her name was Marissa Hodges. Most folks called her Rissa. But here, under the flickering lights, she was Blind Mag. Not only was it a tough role because of the singing, but Blind Mag was one of the most emotionally difficult characters to get into. But Rissa liked the challenge. It wasn’t her first time on a stage, but at twenty six, she was one of the youngest adult cast members. Already, there were some dubious glances at the young brunette. But she ignored them….

Pale blue eyes scanned the script repetitively as Rissa walked in a slow loop. The scene she was reading now was Mag’s final one, involving the song Chromaggia. “Highest notes in the whole bloody show…..” she thought to herself with a wry grin. “And I get to die…” She flipped a few more pages, reading and rereading the scene. “Hey Rissa!” One of the special effects technicians was waving her over. In his other hand was some harness attached to wires. “We wanna try out the lift system for your final scene. So arms up and I’ll strap you in.”

Raising her arms, Rissa could see some of the older actors in the wings. They were obviously hoping she would make a mistake, flub it somehow. She’d show them that Marissa Hodges wasn’t intimidated…..”Mind if I practice the last bit of my song?” she asked the techie who was cinching the harness buckle. “Go ahead.” he replied with a grin. “It’ll help us check movements with the wires and choreography.” Tightening the last loop, he flashed a thumbs up to the lift operator in the side loft. There was a jerk, and then Rissa was up in the air.

“Go ahead!” he called up to her. “Belt it out!” Rissa glanced once into the wings and saw the faces looking at her. Some wore expressions of curiosity. Some wore looks of smug contempt. Rissa took a deep breath, before singing out the last line. ”Come Take these eyes……I would rather be….blind…….” Her normally adequate voice filled the theatre, ringing out in an attempt to prove her worth. There was silence as she was lowered and unhooked from the lift. Rissa glanced around, a tad sheepish. “I think the harness works….if you need me, I’ll be grabbing a water.” With that, she darted past the others and behind the curtain to backstage. She just nearly avoided running smack into a man who had been standing behind the drape. “Sorry sir…didn’t see you “

[Stace]

Purhm wasn't the average sized... man. No. He was rather large, actually. Not that he was HUMONGOUS. Just that, as far as the height of men went, he exceeded "tall". So when the muscular two-headed being looked down at the puny mortal as she apologized, he smiled. Not a warm smile, but not quite the smile of a creeper either, just... a smile. Perhaps it was out of the human habit to be polite.

"Excuse me," he said, watching the actress as minimal light from outside the curtain filtered through. He watched her face for a moment, the smile remaining. "That's quite a voice you've got," he said, making sure to keep at least half of his body in the dark. The only part of his face that was not shadowed was the left half below his eye. Even then, his dark grey skin did not seem abnormal in the lack of light. The woman might have noticed that his upper-half was unclothed -- it was easy to find clothing made for those with two heads, especially not for extremely tall men.

"I admire your talent." He spoke slowly, his voice smooth and almost velvety. Was it obvious that he was trying to kiss ass? He didn't know, but flattery had a way of making that little detail go over one's head.

Purhm watched her amusedly, wondering what had provoked her to come back to the darkest backstage area. He had only begun paying attention to her when she began singing. Maybe she would be the actress he wanted. He didn't know yet; he was pretty picky.

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

Rissa looked up at the man, who was a good deal taller than her five feet six inches, and returned his smile with a sheepish, proud one of her own. “Thanks. I‘m glad I managed to get it loud enough that it can be heard behind the drapes” she said with a slight chuckle, trying to figure out who it was she was talking to. The light backstage, due to the ongoing renovations, was terrible and at least half of the man’s body was in the shadows. She obviously hadn’t met him before, or she probably would’ve remembered the height.

She also would’ve remembered that voice. That rich, smooth voice that both sent a shiver down her spine and made her feel like she would willingly do the Cha-cha across a lane of traffic if he asked. Not that she actually would….. The added fact that he was complimenting her again made he blush slightly. She hoped he couldn’t see it in the dim light. “Thanks again sir…” Rissa grinned. She wasn’t egotistical, but it was always nice to hear from others that you had talent. Especially in a competitive business like show business. “So…who are you? A talent scout or something?” she asked. “I’m just wondering why you’re hiding behind the drapes. If you wanted to watch, you could’ve sat in one of the house seats, or even got into one of the balcony boxes.”

[Stace]

"Yes, a talent scout," he replied. He turned around and made a gesture for the woman to follow him before disappearing into the dark. "I'm actually also overseeing the renovations," he explained to her, "Or else I might have sat in the house to watch you. But I'm not here for scouting today."

The real test of the talent would be at the performance anyway. Purhm would have to pick out the best from his new theatre. He had purchased it recently, and he would make sure that it would thrive. His little obsession for art and theatre motivated him to make the purchase. And he could afford it, not because he had a job, but because he had the power to manipulate metal into whatever he wanted and almost as quickly as he might want to. So making a few coins here and there usually got him what he wanted.

But what did a demon want with an old theatre? Other than to collect the souls of the people that visited? To ultimately put on the best theatre performance that ever existed! It might be appropriate to insert maniacal laughter here.

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

Rissa followed the man through the backstage gloom, listening intently as they walked. So he was a talent scout AND a construction supervisor? Just who was this man? "Um, excuse me sir? I never caught your name....I'm Rissa hodges. You are...?" It was very straightforward, but Rissa needed a name to refer to him as, besides 'The bug guy'. As they were walking, she was also trying to catch a better glimpse of his face. However it was as if he was intentionally hiding it in the shadows. That only made her wonder more about who she was speaking to.

[Stace]

"Marcus Purhm," he answered over his shoulder. It was his, well, stage name. And it would become difficult to continue talking to Rissa without her seeing that he was obviously not human. "So what got you into theatre, Rissa?" he asked, attempting to start a conversation to keep her distracted. He continued to walk, assuming Rissa was following, never looking back to actually check. He could hear her footsteps anyway, and he could smell the dust that her feet stirred up as she disturbed the long-settled coat of dust that layered the backstage area. A cleaning crew would need to be back there before they did too much construction.

Meanwhile, he would need to come up with an excuse as to why he was leading her away. He really just wanted to get away from the light of the house seating and the stage. Well, the conversation should occupy her away from that question at least for a little while.

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Purhm." she replied, thinking "Odd last name...sounds middle eastern..." He asked her a question and she jerked out of her thoughts. "Oh...i think it was seeing Wicked for the first time as a small child and wanting to be up there on the stage like Elphaba." Rissa ;aughed. It was a rather silly story and she knew it. Avoiding a low beam, she coughed at the dust stirred up. "So why'd you but this theatre?" she asked, clearing her thoat as she followed him.

[Stace]

"I've always loved theatre. Acting, directing, all of it," he said, truthfully, though he wouldn't speak much more of the truth about his reasons, "And since I could afford it, I decided to buy it. Almost an impulse buy, I suppose. But I hope to get some good productions going, even if I have to produce and direct them myself. I'm thinking about writing one, actually." He glanced back at Rissa. And he began to wonder if she knew any of the other actors.

It seemed as though something was starting to go on on stage again. The lights were moving and they were testing microphones. It seemed as though they were putting off the actual rehearsal in order to test out the theatre amenities. All of which needed to be upgraded, Purhm was sure.

"This place could certainly use a dusting," he said to himself with a chuckle as he ran a few fingers across the wooden surface of an old dresser that seemed to have been an abandoned prop.

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

"You write plays too?" Rissa was admittedly impressed. "Out of curiosity, anything you CANT do?" she laughed, coughing slightly in the dust. "You're right. This place needs an overhaul, and quick. But the crews might be able to get it done in time." Rissa brushed an old cobweb off her shoulder. "Is there something I can help you with Mr. Purhm?"

[Stace]

"I've got quite the resumé," he commented as he wiped the dust off of his hands.

Help? He considered the offer for a moment in silence as he looked over the old props that had been pushed into that corner. In order to get in well with the cast, to find out as much about them as possible, it would probably be best to have someone he could trust, but he couldn't expect one-sided trust to work out well in his favor. He would have to get Rissa, whom he had decided would have to be his liaison, to trust him, and would therefore probably have to get her to understand that he was a demon. That would be difficult. But he assumed it would be more difficult to hide from her and have the secret come out later and scare her away.

No. He would have to take his chance now. A mutual trust, and probably a friend for Purhmzies. Purhm didn't really like the sound of that, but it was the price he may have to pay for his plans to work out properly.

"Rissa, how would you like an assistant position? I know we've just met, but I need someone to help me manage stuff about this production. I mean, to get my theatre to take off, I'm going to have to host only the finest shows, and therefore I need all of the finest components. Does that make sense?" he explained. "So what I'd have you do is report to me what you can about your experiences during every play, especially between you and your fellows. I'll be watching the rehearsals anyway, but I'm afraid getting personal with all of the artists isn't exactly my job."

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

"An assistant position? Me? I'd love to!" Rissa exclaimed happily. "As long as I could still act, that is." She glanced at Purhm. "What exactly would you need me to do?" Rissa figured it was best to find out now so she could start working on it. As long as it wasn't too time consuming, she could get started now. One thing had her confused though. "Mr. Purhm, are you sure you dont want one of the veteran actors? I'm all too happy to help, dont get me wrong. But if what you need involves a history of the theatre, you can get first hand accounts from them. Other than that, I'm at your disposal." Rissa tilted her head slightly, still trying to see his face properly.

[Stace]

"No no. You're all I'll need," said Purhm to Rissa. "I just want you to get in good with the actors, tell me what they're like. I don't really have time to get to know them myself. I'll just need a report from you every so often..." he trailed off as the lights on the stage moved again. Then, seeming to remember something abruptly, he pulled something from a pocket. "Here. My card," he explained, handing a business card to Rissa, his hand finding a sliver of light as he waited for her to take it.

"It's got my name, number, and address. Will you meet me there after rehearsal? We'll discuss some more there, and do some paperwork. Oh, and please don't go flaunting the responsibilities of your job. It may harm your chances of making friends here." He was smiling, though Rissa probably wouldn't have seen it. "If you have any more questions, I'll answer them there and then, all right? But it looks like you need to get back to rehearsal." He chuckled and gestured toward the front of the stage.

"See you around."

[The_Epic_Dr_Clarice_Lecter]

"Thank you Mr. Purhm..." Rissa thanked him once more, trying not to show just how elated she was right now. Accepting the card with a smile, she stuck it in her back pocket where she knew it'd be safe. "Meet you here?" Rissa thought over her schedule quickly, then nodded. "I can make it." His remark about flaunting brought her energy down a notch. "Sir, I don't flaunt. I can be discreet and professional, you have my word. I'll see you here this afternoon." Shaking his hand quickly, Rissa hurried back to the stage. From behind her, she heard his goodbye. For some reason she got an odd chill down her back at the words. Ignoring it, she pushed through the curtains.

((Hope you don't mind skipping ahead to the meeting?))

Several hours later, the rehersals were finally over. Rissa had been in and out of costumes and make up. Thankfully, she was back in her own clothes and had washed the make-up off. Looking around, Rissa slipped out to her car and pulled the card out of her pocket. She entered the address into the GPS on her dash and drove away.

Luckily, the address wasn't too far from the theatre. Rissa pulled up outside of a nice looking place. She brushed her hair back with her fingers, checked her reflection, and climbed out to go knock on the door.

[Stace]

Purhm took a nap for a while to make sure he'd be wide awake for when Rissa showed up. He had been awake for a few minutes before he heard the knock on the door. A woman, dressed in secretary clothes, answered the door, asking Rissa in and pointing the way to Purhm's office down the hall. The door was partially ajar and Purhm sat at the desk, sorting through paperwork. Even though he was a demon that one may not assume needed to deal with paperwork, he still had dealings in the mortal world that required papers upon papers of crap.

He set it all aside as he heard Rissa approaching and prepared himself for a scream of surprise or shock whenever the girl would enter the room. Who wouldn't be surprised if they found that the guy that had agreed to work for was a two-headed HUGE demon, after all? He remained seated for the moment, trying not to come off as intimidating; he really was trying to get on good terms with Rissa after all.

He was shirtless because, unfortunately, two-headed suits were hard to come by, and the demon world didn't exactly have a Fifth Avenue on which to shop. He had, however, come across pants that would fit him... them. Men's big and tall apparently catered to some rather abnormally sized men.

Aside from the two-headedness, the horns would probably set off some alarms, and if he had to, Purhm was prepared to use the single horn of Purhmzies head as a coat rack just to offer some comic relief to keep Rissa calm. He was also prepared to use his powers to lock the door behind her so she couldn't escape, but that wasn't exactly Plan A.

He breathed in deep as he awaited Rissa's response to his appearance.