Two Sides of the Moon. (Beastars AU)

Chapter 8: Adler Part 1: Those Who Dwell in the World's Shadow

Tonight was the night. After weeks of preparations, the drama department was ready to give it their all during the play. The art team did a phenomenal job, both on Legosi's set for the final scene as well as the stage as a whole.

They had one final dress rehearsal before show time and as usual Louis took command, "Alright everyone! Show me just how committed you are to having the best play Cherryton has ever seen!" The rest of the acting team practiced until they were perfect. Their movement was on point and they had gotten the stage sword fighting down to an art. "Well done, despite your shortcomings you have all performed well. Be sure to keep that same level of diligence and we will put on a show that the audience will be talking about for years to come," Louis looked up and noticed Legosi and Kai finishing up their final test for the main spot light. "Legosi, Kai!" the deer called out.

The two looked down. "Yes Louis-senpai?" the wolf responded.

"You two did an admiral job keeping up with us. Make sure you're able to do the same during the show."

Kai looked to Legosi, "Did Louis just give us a compliment or am I going crazy?"

"I'm mostly impressed with you Kai. You seem to have gotten the hang of working with the lights much faster than I anticipated. Perhaps if you showed this much initiative before, you would be on stage instead of behind the curtains," the red deer smirked.

Kai got annoyed by the backhanded compliment but then put a hand on Legosi's back and just grinned, "Well Louis, maybe if you were half as good at making things interesting like my canine companion here, I would've been a lot more motivated to give my best."

Louis was completely taken aback by the mongoose's words. He already hated the large carnivore, but now he was being compared to him in the worst possible way. He tried his best to hide his frustration, however the red deer was now staring daggers at Legosi without even realizing it.

Except for Legosi and Bill, the drama club was oblivious to the change in Louis's attitude.

Legosi put a hand behind his head, "Umm...Kai, I think you're giving me too much credit. I just showed you how the lights work and rambled a bit because I was talking about something I find interesting." The wolf took a step back, still feeling the deer's gaze.

Kai smiled, "That's what makes it fun. You're hilarious when you ramble. Plus you showed me all sorts of cool stuff."

"If you say show," Legosi responded, his tail now wagging thanks to his friend's compliments.

Kai noticed this and giggled, "You must be terrible at keeping secrets. That tail of yours is a dead giveaway."

"Only about how I'm feeling," the wolf laughed back.

The entire drama club was surprised. They couldn't believe these two were actually smiling and laughing with one another and were trying to figure out who was behaving the most unexpectedly..

Louis was getting angrier, "Damn you Legosi! You're a freakin carnivore with the kind of strength I could only dream off. You have that miserable mongoose praising your leadership, and yet you still act like a little mouse just because I stare you down. Now here you are, wagging your tail and laughing without a care in the world." The red deer was absolutely livid. He couldn't figure Legosi out at all, "Does he have some sort of personality disorder? Is that way he changes so easily? No, there would definitely be more signs. His records didn't say anything about taking medicine, and he has no signs of being a drug user. Is he some sort of psycho? DAMN IT! I don't have time to figure out that mess right now! I need to focus on tonight's performance!" Louis turned to the others and resumed the rehearsal.