The Exposed Mask
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:30 pm
The Exposed Mask [Memory]
Frost 4 118 Age of Steel
Dryka stood with the other Geraet’s as the great Yolivan came into the room. They all stood in a row their backs straight and their heads held high. In contrast there expression were vastly different. Some were stoic while others smiled, some even looked nervous. There weren’t very many of them, only ten after all being a Geraet was a highly sough honor. Dryka was the only Fae’ethalan among them in this particular year, but it didn’t really matter, they were all bounded by the grace of the Emperor who had saved them.
Madem Yolivan swept into the room with a grace that made Dryka feel clumsy and awkward. This Geraet was one of the greatest actress and singers in living memory. Her face like all graduated Geraet was covered by a mask. She wore one of the three faced masks with two faces on each side and a half mask over the actual face. She worn a silken dress with an empire waist. She stood with the same confidence as any full Geraet surveying the class before her. Dryka could see the woman’s eyes looking around the room studying each of them. Then she removed her mask and set it on the table even as the initiates all gasped.
The old woman turned and looked at the girls with a raised eyebrow, and tutted and shook her head. “You all need to learn to take things in stride, and most certainly not show shock.” They were all silent for a moment still not sure how to react. Dryka brought her expression under control and stopped staring wide eyed at the woman even as she continued to watch them like a hawk. “Good, excellent work bringing those expressions under control.” She set her hand next to the mask on the table and then said. “As you continue to learn and grow as the Hands of the Emperor and your specific talents grow you will begin to learn the specific rules for each of the groups. While generally the Geraet don’t remove their mask to perform their duties, acting is different, as are some of the other Consort assignments. The subtleties of acting are lost while wearing a mask.”
“Can you show us an example.” Dryka asked. Madem Yolivan look at her and then nodded her head. She picked the mask up and put it back on. She then walked to an open area and lowered her head and began to speak. Dryka watched and instantly could see what the actress meant. She could hear the influx of the voice. Madem Yolivan began to speak and just stood there speaking holding her hands in front of her. Her voice continued rising and falling in tone, and in line with that she began to move her body in response to her words.
Dryka held her breath and watched with excitement as the speech was presented. She listened to the speech as much as watched the performance. They way she emphasized certain words and just as often it was by a drop in volume as it was by a rise in volume. It was beautiful and after and watching as sometimes the subtle body movement helped to emphasis a point as much as the volume. She did have to admit there did seem to be something lacking in the excellent performance, but when it was over Dryka applauded.
Madem Yolivan looked at her and nodded in gratitude as others slowly began to applaud. The consort Garead looked around. “Remember Initiates that we are supposed to be polite, master of etiquette, not statues. If you enjoyed something applauding is appropriate, though not over enthusiastic shows of appreciation.” She looked around and then once again removed the mask and returned to her original position.
She once again began to speak but her expression was blank. As Dryka watched and listened she realized it wasn’t blank but appeared defeated. The scene being reenacted was from something set in right after the Sundering. Watching all of the elements coming together Dryka could feel at first the woman’s sense of defeat after the world had destroyed all she had spent a life time working for. It was beautiful watching the meshing of words, tone, facial expression and body language as she moved from hopelessness to anger as she called out the divines for their failure to fulfill their promises. Yes being able to see Yolivan’s expression as she spoke and monologed was what had been missing the first time. The speech continued and moved from anger to quiet resolve that she wouldn’t let the collapse of the world around her stop her. Dryka could see how that expression could distinguish between despair and quiet resolve.
Once the second performance was completed Dryka applauded again, this time the others joined in, and Madam Yolivan bowed for them before standing up straight. She then stood up and looked around. “Tell me your thoughts.” Dryka raised her hand. “Excellent not just shouting out. Yes Dryka.”
Dryka was surprised that the woman knew her name, but she controlled her expression and spoke. “The facial expression the second time helped to distinguish different emotions. So while your volume might be similar the face helped with distinguishing the emotion driving the tone.”
Madem Yolivan nodded her head and then called on another raised hand and listened as they made a comment similar to Dryka’s. The woman patiently went nodded her agreement and then turned to the body of the group. “So yes if you get assigned as an actor then you can take your mask off for the performance.” She paused and grinned. “Though sometimes a roll will call for you to wear a mask.”
Dryka could feel the woman’s attitude and body language become more serious at that point. “Now to the lesson. You are here because you showed the most promise towards acting, but we will see how far that promise goes.” Her eyes and lips turned serious. “Like any other field we only accept the best, and while acting may seem frivols like any positions the Hands of the Emperor put there people, we can gather information that might just save the Emperor and the Empire from the forces of chaos.”
Madem Yolivan walked over to a table along the side board and picked up some small books and returned handing them out to each of the Geraets in the room. “This is Paldaldies’ play ‘Crucible of Order.’ That dialog I just performed is from this production.” She looked around “Paldaldies, one of the first Geraets, authored this play and it is one still regular produced.” She said as she handed the last of them out. “Alright everyone I want to open to page 20 and begin memorizing the second paragraph.”
Dryka flipped open to the page and began to read through the lines their and recognized it as the first part of the speech Yolivan just used. As Dryka read it and began to memorize the line she though about what it was saying and how she would react in that spot, and wondered how the different people in this room would react to being in the same situation. There could really be a verity of responses. They were given about ten minutes and Dryka realized that while she was fairly confident she wasn’t sure if she had everything right, and that maybe she had spent to much time trying to picture different ways people would have reacted to this monolog.
“Alright Initiates lets have Unidla start us off.” Dryka watched Unidla took the stage. She had every word memorized but she was working very hard to replicate Yolivan’s performance. The young fae had already watched the master perform the part and so Unidla’s performance felt woody and flat. They continued down the line and others had various success about memorizing the script, and Dryka flinched at the pauses as they tried to remember the words. She also flinched as each person tried to replicate the teachers version of the text.
Eventually it was Dryka’s turn. She walked up to the front and instead of standing she sat on the ground and pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them, and then laid her head on her knees. She began to speak, slowly, but she tried to betrayed a resigned air. This woman could easily have been resigned and not just hopeless. There were difference. So Dryka continued on and while she couldn’t remember exact words she avoided pausing and just pulled what came best to her and soon she had finished the shortened monolog.
She stood up to quiet applause and returned to line as the next continued on. Dryka stood watching but could feel some of the others looking at her, and more disturbing was Yolivan’s gaze upon him. When the last of them had performed, the older woman was quiet for a moment before moving forward and saying. “Excellent work for your first time. I can see why you were selected.” She walked down the lines, and made comments towards each of them and at last as was always the case she came to Dryka. “Dryka you were the only one who did it differently. Why.” Dryka shrugged, “No two people are the same, people would react differently even if they came to the same goal, and what I did seemed right.”
There were snorts from the others, but Maden Yolivan’s raised a hand. “Very good Dryka. When you play a character you have to make them a part of you, not just try to be someone else.” There was an encouraging smile. “Thank you for not pausing when you didn’t remember the line, but just moved on. Excellent habit to start with.” She then moved on to the next in line, but Dryka felt herself blushing but looked down at the ground with pleasure at the praise. Maybe this was how she would help the Emperor.
Frost 4 118 Age of Steel
Dryka stood with the other Geraet’s as the great Yolivan came into the room. They all stood in a row their backs straight and their heads held high. In contrast there expression were vastly different. Some were stoic while others smiled, some even looked nervous. There weren’t very many of them, only ten after all being a Geraet was a highly sough honor. Dryka was the only Fae’ethalan among them in this particular year, but it didn’t really matter, they were all bounded by the grace of the Emperor who had saved them.
Madem Yolivan swept into the room with a grace that made Dryka feel clumsy and awkward. This Geraet was one of the greatest actress and singers in living memory. Her face like all graduated Geraet was covered by a mask. She wore one of the three faced masks with two faces on each side and a half mask over the actual face. She worn a silken dress with an empire waist. She stood with the same confidence as any full Geraet surveying the class before her. Dryka could see the woman’s eyes looking around the room studying each of them. Then she removed her mask and set it on the table even as the initiates all gasped.
The old woman turned and looked at the girls with a raised eyebrow, and tutted and shook her head. “You all need to learn to take things in stride, and most certainly not show shock.” They were all silent for a moment still not sure how to react. Dryka brought her expression under control and stopped staring wide eyed at the woman even as she continued to watch them like a hawk. “Good, excellent work bringing those expressions under control.” She set her hand next to the mask on the table and then said. “As you continue to learn and grow as the Hands of the Emperor and your specific talents grow you will begin to learn the specific rules for each of the groups. While generally the Geraet don’t remove their mask to perform their duties, acting is different, as are some of the other Consort assignments. The subtleties of acting are lost while wearing a mask.”
“Can you show us an example.” Dryka asked. Madem Yolivan look at her and then nodded her head. She picked the mask up and put it back on. She then walked to an open area and lowered her head and began to speak. Dryka watched and instantly could see what the actress meant. She could hear the influx of the voice. Madem Yolivan began to speak and just stood there speaking holding her hands in front of her. Her voice continued rising and falling in tone, and in line with that she began to move her body in response to her words.
Dryka held her breath and watched with excitement as the speech was presented. She listened to the speech as much as watched the performance. They way she emphasized certain words and just as often it was by a drop in volume as it was by a rise in volume. It was beautiful and after and watching as sometimes the subtle body movement helped to emphasis a point as much as the volume. She did have to admit there did seem to be something lacking in the excellent performance, but when it was over Dryka applauded.
Madem Yolivan looked at her and nodded in gratitude as others slowly began to applaud. The consort Garead looked around. “Remember Initiates that we are supposed to be polite, master of etiquette, not statues. If you enjoyed something applauding is appropriate, though not over enthusiastic shows of appreciation.” She looked around and then once again removed the mask and returned to her original position.
She once again began to speak but her expression was blank. As Dryka watched and listened she realized it wasn’t blank but appeared defeated. The scene being reenacted was from something set in right after the Sundering. Watching all of the elements coming together Dryka could feel at first the woman’s sense of defeat after the world had destroyed all she had spent a life time working for. It was beautiful watching the meshing of words, tone, facial expression and body language as she moved from hopelessness to anger as she called out the divines for their failure to fulfill their promises. Yes being able to see Yolivan’s expression as she spoke and monologed was what had been missing the first time. The speech continued and moved from anger to quiet resolve that she wouldn’t let the collapse of the world around her stop her. Dryka could see how that expression could distinguish between despair and quiet resolve.
Once the second performance was completed Dryka applauded again, this time the others joined in, and Madam Yolivan bowed for them before standing up straight. She then stood up and looked around. “Tell me your thoughts.” Dryka raised her hand. “Excellent not just shouting out. Yes Dryka.”
Dryka was surprised that the woman knew her name, but she controlled her expression and spoke. “The facial expression the second time helped to distinguish different emotions. So while your volume might be similar the face helped with distinguishing the emotion driving the tone.”
Madem Yolivan nodded her head and then called on another raised hand and listened as they made a comment similar to Dryka’s. The woman patiently went nodded her agreement and then turned to the body of the group. “So yes if you get assigned as an actor then you can take your mask off for the performance.” She paused and grinned. “Though sometimes a roll will call for you to wear a mask.”
Dryka could feel the woman’s attitude and body language become more serious at that point. “Now to the lesson. You are here because you showed the most promise towards acting, but we will see how far that promise goes.” Her eyes and lips turned serious. “Like any other field we only accept the best, and while acting may seem frivols like any positions the Hands of the Emperor put there people, we can gather information that might just save the Emperor and the Empire from the forces of chaos.”
Madem Yolivan walked over to a table along the side board and picked up some small books and returned handing them out to each of the Geraets in the room. “This is Paldaldies’ play ‘Crucible of Order.’ That dialog I just performed is from this production.” She looked around “Paldaldies, one of the first Geraets, authored this play and it is one still regular produced.” She said as she handed the last of them out. “Alright everyone I want to open to page 20 and begin memorizing the second paragraph.”
Dryka flipped open to the page and began to read through the lines their and recognized it as the first part of the speech Yolivan just used. As Dryka read it and began to memorize the line she though about what it was saying and how she would react in that spot, and wondered how the different people in this room would react to being in the same situation. There could really be a verity of responses. They were given about ten minutes and Dryka realized that while she was fairly confident she wasn’t sure if she had everything right, and that maybe she had spent to much time trying to picture different ways people would have reacted to this monolog.
“Alright Initiates lets have Unidla start us off.” Dryka watched Unidla took the stage. She had every word memorized but she was working very hard to replicate Yolivan’s performance. The young fae had already watched the master perform the part and so Unidla’s performance felt woody and flat. They continued down the line and others had various success about memorizing the script, and Dryka flinched at the pauses as they tried to remember the words. She also flinched as each person tried to replicate the teachers version of the text.
Eventually it was Dryka’s turn. She walked up to the front and instead of standing she sat on the ground and pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them, and then laid her head on her knees. She began to speak, slowly, but she tried to betrayed a resigned air. This woman could easily have been resigned and not just hopeless. There were difference. So Dryka continued on and while she couldn’t remember exact words she avoided pausing and just pulled what came best to her and soon she had finished the shortened monolog.
She stood up to quiet applause and returned to line as the next continued on. Dryka stood watching but could feel some of the others looking at her, and more disturbing was Yolivan’s gaze upon him. When the last of them had performed, the older woman was quiet for a moment before moving forward and saying. “Excellent work for your first time. I can see why you were selected.” She walked down the lines, and made comments towards each of them and at last as was always the case she came to Dryka. “Dryka you were the only one who did it differently. Why.” Dryka shrugged, “No two people are the same, people would react differently even if they came to the same goal, and what I did seemed right.”
There were snorts from the others, but Maden Yolivan’s raised a hand. “Very good Dryka. When you play a character you have to make them a part of you, not just try to be someone else.” There was an encouraging smile. “Thank you for not pausing when you didn’t remember the line, but just moved on. Excellent habit to start with.” She then moved on to the next in line, but Dryka felt herself blushing but looked down at the ground with pleasure at the praise. Maybe this was how she would help the Emperor.