Weissenasche Theater.
“Two VIP tickets for ‘Léon: The Demon.’”
“These are your tickets.”
Standing behind the ticketing booth, Morgan received the money from the purchaser and handed two coins carved with the numbers 23 and 24 in exchange.
“Wait... you’re Morgan! I’ve watched your stage play ‘The Lost Sage’ before!”
The purchaser seemed to recognize the elderly fellow behind the ticketing booth.
“Mister Morgan, I’ve heard that you’ve gone to the Norland National Theater. But, I haven’t seen you performing recently. So... you’ve become a ticket seller now?”
The purchaser not only knew the ticket seller called Morgan, he also seemed to be a faithful audience of Morgan’s shows.
“Due to the fact that the movies being screened in Weissenasche Theater are simply too outstanding, Norland’s National Theater announced bankruptcy. I was only able to find this job due to my relationship with this theater’s owner.”
With a smile on his face, Morgan answered the purchaser’s question. This period of time should’ve been his life’s lowest point. Yet, one cannot hear any sadness in his voice.
“So it really was because of the ‘movies.’ I’ve only come over because my friends were nagging on to me nonstop about these movies. Mister Morgan, I still believe that your stage plays are more outstanding. Why don’t you continue performing on stage?”
The ticket purchaser started becoming emotional. Morgan didn’t answer his questions. This purchaser seemed to be about the same age as him. Trace if gray was mixed with his brown hair. He was one of those old conservative type.
“It’s your first time watching ‘Léon: The Demon?’” Morgan answered the man with a question of his own.
“Yes, Mister Morgan. I came with my daughter.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the other side of the theater. There was a young girl standing there waiting for him.
“You should go there and purchase a handkerchief before entering the theater,” said Morgan.
“Handkerchief? My daughter has one...”
“It’s not for your daughter. It’s for you... There’s still people waiting in line behind you, please enter the theater from this side.”
After Morgan made a hand gesture, the purchaser walked toward the audience hall with doubt in his mind.
There weren’t a lot of people coming to the theater to watch ‘Léon: The Demon’ today. Compared to before when the entire theater was packed full with no room to move, the number of people today was much lesser.
After Morgan sold the ‘movie tickets’ to twenty-some more ticket purchasers, he was finally free.
“Umm... Teacher Morgan, why do we have to become attendants in this theater? You should be returning to Farucci!”
There stood a girl less than 1.5 meters tall beside Morgan. There were two furry ears growing out from the girl’s brown hair. They were moving non-stop and very eye-catching.
Those were not human ears...
“Femes, what’s your opinion of ‘Léon: The Demon?’”
Morgan looked at the girl. The question Morgan asked seemed to have stabbed her sore spot.
“If it wasn’t for that movie, our theatrical troupe wouldn’t have disbanded! Teacher Morgan, you also wouldn’t have to become an attendant in this theater!”
To the girl, what they’ve encountered during this period was a misfortune. As a stage play performer, she had not stepped foot on a stage for three months. During her last stage performance, there was only a singular number of audiences.
Even now, she remembers how empty the audience seats were. After that performance, the Norland’s National Theater announced bankruptcy and she became homeless.
“That’s not my question. I wanted to know if you like the movie ‘Léon: The Demon?’”
Morgan looked straight at her. She wanted to continue complaining but was forced to swallow her complaints after seeing Morgan’s eyes.
In the end, this beast-eared girl held the hem of her attendant outfit. Her furry ears drooped down as she mumbled to Morgan, “I... like it.”
Even though the appearance of the movie ‘Léon: The Demon’ caused her to lose the theatrical troupe she was with, she couldn’t help but admit that ‘Léon: The Demon’ was a very fascinating movie.
Back then, she came to Weissenasche Theater with the intention of picking at and slandering the movie. She had fully prepared her tongue for the occasion. Yet, after she finished watching it, all the discontent in her mind has been reduced to tears from her eyes.
She cried all the way till the movie ended. At that point, she felt so sad that she didn’t even have the heart to slander the movie.
“That’s all that needs to be,” Morgan nodded.
“But... Teacher Morgan, if you were to return to Farucci, you will definitely receive better treatment than...”
Femes was unwilling to stay here as an attendant. But, Morgan didn’t answer her. Instead, he pointed to Femes’s side.
Femes furry ears shook slightly. It was then that she discovered a new customer had appeared at the ticketing booth.
“Ah... I’m sorry!” She immediately turned around and welcomed the guest with a smile on her face. Her behavior was simply that of an outstanding attendant.
......
Work continued till 10AM. Outside Sir Weissenasche’s study. The performers that were originally from the Weissenasche Theatrical Troupe were all lined up outside the study’s door. There were roughly twenty of them.
“What? The producer of ‘Léon: The Demon’ is here?”
Having idle time, Femes found the last performer standing in line to inquire what’s going on. She learned the producer of ‘Léon: The Demon’ came to the theater.
“I’ve heard that it’s to prepare for a new movie! Furthermore, he’s here to select performers!”
“...”
Femes’s heart did not have the slightest movement from hearing those words. The only thing in her mind was to take out the razor she had kept hidden for a long time to ‘give’ to that producer.
Femes took a glance at the long line and hesitated. As a veteran stage performer, movies were sort of ‘heresy’ in her eyes.
When watching movies, the audiences simply couldn’t see the actual performers on the stage. What they’re seeing were nothing more than phony images.
But, her teacher Morgan walked to the end of the line without any hesitation.
“Teacher Morgan, did you also decide to stay in Norland because... you wanted to participate in the next movie?”
Femes had thought her teacher would uphold his accomplishments as a stage performer. But, it seems that Morgan didn’t care about those things.
“As an audience, I only wish to be able to see the producer of ‘Léon: The Demon.’ But, as a performer... who doesn’t wish to play a role in an outstanding story?” said Morgan.