The Hermitcraft Plays

21: Almost a full run through

For some hermits, the night was spent normally. But some - like Cub, Scar and xB - had to sustain their facepaint (and not ruin their pillows) by staying up, and did go through their lines a couple of times, before the next morning, where they appeared with muted excitement from tiredness.

Joe was especially cheerful, rejuvenated by the costuming and set, and practically leaping over as the other hermits arrived in their various energy states.

'Hey Joe.' Scar yawned. 'How's... play?' 

'Play good, lack of hermits... disappointing.'

But it didn't take too long for the rest of the group to come, and scene one was soon ready to start.

'Ok, Rendolf, Pearlie, take it away!' Though useless in the full sunlight, the lights turned on as the pair bound onstage.

'Do you know what time it is, Pearlie?' Rendolf started strongly

'No, what time is it?'

'It's Christmas time!'

'Yay!' Beef said, followed by legitimate excitement from the rest of the villagers. 'Christmas time!'

'I know! Christmas time is the best time of the year! Especially when the Christmas God comes and blesses us with presents!'

'And, since it's Christmas Eve, the Christmas God will appear tonight!'

'What presents did you want, Rendolf?'

'I wanted the gift of new socks!'

'Wow! Socks! What an amazing gift!' Pearl replied 'I want a pet wolf called Tilly!' How long is it now?'

The scene continued well for a few more lines until Scar completely missed his cue, still in the audience as Ren spoke his line, 

'According to the ancient tradition, the Christmas God will appear right...' A pause. 'Right... now?' 

'SCAR!' The vex jerked awake, realising and slipping backstage, realising he couldn't get through the redstone and appeared from the side. 

'Boo!' He burst onstage to shrieks of horror from the villagers 'You will all die a painful death because me and my friend- vex- Cub- have stolen the Christmas God and will never let him go!' 

'Get away you foul Christmas Vex!' Rendolf declared, running at Scar before the vex forgot to magic-hand-trick.

'Uhh get back you foul mortal dog idiot!' He did, just to continue the scene, which didn't happen anyway as Scar forgot to the rest of lines. 

'You'll never beat us! We will get back the Christmas God whether you like it or...' Ren said instead. A short pause.

'You will never succeed! Our base is big and powerful!'

'We will stop you!' Ren vowed, continuing the scene.

'You can try, you foolish dog-boy! And die from the big evil traps I've set!' And, with that, Scar walked offstage.

'I take back everything I said about using Scar as a good example in this...' Joe muttered to himself 'Continue on.' 

So they did, to an equal level of quality. Scene 2 and 3 passed by chaotically and slowly and scene 4 turned into a painfully long time of Cub and Scar forgetting lines and being generally exhausted from the sleepless night. Wels, who'd found it impossible to sleep from the constant jangling of all the bells he wore, literally fell asleep when he was faking being dead, and it took a lot of noise and a lacklustre hotguying for him to wake up. Thankfully the 3 Dumb Men had gotten sleep and scene 6 was decently fast, leading to the chaos and sleeplessness of Scene 7. By this point, morning had turned quickly to afternoon, and the toys in the toy scene were now all rubbish, not just the ones who refused to put in effort. It was clear Joe was losing patience, as they got to scene 9 and the second of the two convex scenes.

'My all powerful masters! There is terrible news!' A pause followed Bdubs's genuinely decent entrance. Scar turned with an absent 'hmm?' While Cub just yawned as he looked around.

'The... the minions you sent to guard those toys you trapped... they come, defeated, with news of an attack! And that a group of rapscallions have freed them and reversed all your hard work!'

'Oh no...' Scar mumbled. 'That's... not good.' 

'Ah, it's time for... the V speech... uhh... so vassal... you viewed us... valiantly... valorous... vexes... something about vanishing... before I vanquish you violently into the void.' Scar applauded politely. 

'I'm sorry?' Bdubs's apology sounded far more confused and underwhelmed than repenting.

'Leave our presence!' Cub added. 'Now.' Bdubs walked offstage.

'And bring in the... Bad people.'

'We are... bad.' Was all Cleo came up with. 'We're sorry.'

'You're very bad.' Agreed Cub

'Ja.' Doc nodded, trying not to fall asleep. 

'We will... punish you!' Scar decided. 

'Oh no, please give us your pity.'

'Go away!' Cub added

'Yeah! Go... die in a pit of vexes or... something.' 

'No! Don't kill us!'

'We don't want to die!' Added Cleo.

'Bdubs! Take the traitors to the pit!'

And then they all failed at the fight scene, with everyone forgetting the blocking. Then they all left the stage very anticlimactically, and the next scene - the ice queen scene - began.

'Is this the right place?' Pearlie started

'The map says we just need to get through here...' 

'The- this is- Ice Queen place.' Wels said inaccurately, followed by a large yawn. 

'FREEZE!' Stress walked onstage.

'Can we... not?' Impulse suggested. 

'What are you doing here?'

'We're on our way to find the Christmas Vexes and save Christmas... Can you let us through and get there.'

'Sorry, luvs, but the palace is closed now.'

A pause, while Wels remembered his bit.

'Fight me!' Was all he came up with. He walked towards Stress, sword out, and promptly got stabbed.

'Oh no. I've been stabbed,'

And then he walked offstage to find somewhere to sleep.'

'Bells!' Cried Rendolf, 'Oh no!' 

'Calm down.'

'You killed him!'

Another pause, this one a lot longer than the first.

'Scar?' 

Nothing.

'SCAR!' 

Grian started walking around, trying to find his friend until pointing him out, fast asleep with Cub backstage. 

'I think we need more sleep.' He decided, then returned to Joe. 'Joe, can we sleep?' 

'We need to finish one run through!'

'We can do it tomorrow... we've got time...'

'The play needs to be ready for Sunday! We don't have time to... not act!'

'We're all tired!'

'Yeah... we are...'

'Fine! Let's finish it tomorrow then if that's what all of you think...' 

'And who wants to join me in putting a box of obsidian around Cub and Scar?' 

Joe paused for a second, then smiled.

'Me.'