The Silver Screen

Who: Cheyenne, Elle, Shoshannah
When: Late morning/early afternoon
Where: The Apollo

Shoshannah was giddy. It surprised her, really, the fact that she was so happy so soon after her camera was stolen. But she attributed a large part of her happiness to spending time with Angelo and, specifically, seeing him play at the Kitten Club last night. And she was able to go from a lovely night with Angelo to a lovely afternoon with her friends in one swoop, which just added to the sense of happiness she had. She knew she and Angelo had plans to search the pawn shops for her camera later that evening, but for now, she'd take comfort in just being able to go to The Apollo, a place she'd never been before, and see the first real move of her life.

She had plans to meet Cheyenne and Elle outside of the movie theatre just before show-time for a movie she'd never heard of before, but Shoshannah got there early. Shoshannah hadn't had the chance to go to the Apollo as a child, which apparently was something that most children got to do, but to be truthful she'd been feeling a pretty unique mixture of childish and mature lately. The child in her was finally able to experience all the things she lacked due to her condition, and the woman in her was just now able to reach out and really start a new life, separate from the one that her parents had created for her. A job and a place at the Drake to call her own certainly didn't hurt with Shannah's need to spread her wings, but she was relying mostly on the friendships she was making to get her by.

And thus, she stepped out of the cab she'd hailed to bring her to The Apollo with a bright smile and wide eyes that were eager to take in everything about the theatre. With a marquee that she imagined would light up the night had they been here at the evening, Shannah was already racking up a whole new set of experiences. The title of the movie on the marquee, a ticket booth with a teller inside, wearing a uniform and an uninterested look, even the sidewalk outside of it covered with little bits of uneaten popcorn, probably from a set of kids who'd skipped school and gone to seen a movie earlier that day. It hit her all at once that it might have been a good thing her parents didn't take her to the Apollo as a child. If she had slept through a movie here, she wouldn't appreciate this place like she could now. She still might sleep through the movie (she hoped she wouldn't but it was always a possibility) but at least she got to see this place and really take it in before she did.

Movies were one of Elle's great loves. Any kind of picture excited her, filling her with the vicarious thrill that came with watching lives that were dazzlingly orchestrated and so much larger than her own. Above all, she adored musicals. Those were the ones she went to see two, three, four times during their run. Some even more. Singing and dancing had a carefree nature to it, and one that Elle could appreciate. In the hands of the right stars, the lyrics, music and movement became the closest thing to magic there was.

Which is why the proposal of going to see a show with Shoshannah and Cheyenne had been met with particular eagerness. She would have been glad to spend time with them in any capacity but this was Elle in her element. She made sure that she arrived at The Apollo in good time so that she wouldn't be in a rush if she decided to get candy. Candy was a very important part of the movie going experience. When she saw that Shoshannah had already arrived, she gave the girl spirited wave, a big, bright grin plastered all over her face.

The smile was still firmly in place when she reached Shoshannah. Armed with the notebook at the ready, that in itself a testament to what may have been a touch of over-exuberance, she wrote out, Hello! How are you? Are you looking forward to the movie?

Cheyenne, well, she was really just there to get out of the house(even if she'd been staying back with Maya and the like, it was still a stifling household), and to spend some time with two of the most beautiful girls in the city. She'd brought her camera, and came just slightly late, hoping that Elle and Shoshannah were both already there. And, lucky for her, they were. So, when she arrived, she hung back slightly, and brought her camera up to snap off a shot or two of the girls while they weren't paying attention to her. She liked natural shots the best anyhow, and therefore...she wanted this one. Something itched at the back of her mind, a name, possibly (Shaelle?) but she pushed it back, not really knowing where that had come from.

At the arrival of Elle, Shoshannah couldn't stifle the bright smile she had. Already leaning closer to read what she had written, Shannah gave Elle a nod. "I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?" But most of her excitement came when she got to talk about the movie. "Yes, I'm really looking forward to the movie! This is the first time I've been to the Apollo," It sounded a little less pathetic than 'this is my first movie', but the light in her eyes and the smile she wore proved that both were true. "How about you? Are you excited for the movie too? Hopefully Cheyenne will be here soon and we can go in..."

I'm good! Elle told her with a smile that suggested that the statement was anything but lip service. The way Shoshannah seemed as delighted as she did made her feel at ease, glad that someone else shared it. However, Elle couldn't hide her surprise when she revealed that she'd never been to the movie theatre before. Shoshannah had most definitely been missing out. Wiping the look off her face, Elle made a sweeping gesture towards the building as if to say 'welcome to The Apollo!' While that had probably been sufficient enough to answer the question of whether she was excited or not, she penned a reply anyway. Very much so! I think movies are wonderful. I come here a lot. The place was like a comforting, faithful friend. Always there in times of need and guaranteed to make it all better.

Cheyenne took another couple of shots of the girls, before she finally put her camera in her bag, and walked over. "And how are the two most beautiful girls in the city?" she greeted them, smiling at them both. Sure, she was putting on a happy face for the moment, and she was taking the distraction, but really....she needed to. This, she was hoping, was going to work out best for her. She'd spend some time with the girls, maybe she'd not think about everything else going on, and...she'd feel better. That was the plan, anyways. Whether or not it worked out for her remained to be seen.

Elle seemed to have become the Apollo's one-woman welcoming committee and it made Shannah smile even more. "I think I'll end up coming here more often." She assured Elle, sure that even before she stepped foot in the place, whatever the movie turned out to be would be just enough to keep her coming back, especially if Elle seemed to like it so much.

Turning at the sound of a familiar voice, Shannah's smile brightened. "Cheyenne, hello!" Now, Shoshannah would have easily replaced her with Cheyenne considering that Elle and Cheyenne were two of the prettiest people Shannah knew, but the compliment was nice and it made her smile more. "We're excited to see the movie. How are you?" She hadn't wanted to talk for Elle, but she figured saying the two of them were both excited didn't seem too over-the-boundaries.

Elle blushed slightly at Cheyenne's words but smiled along with it. It was high praise indeed, considering who it was coming from. She waved to her as a greeting and nodded along with what Shoshannah said. Being included in the comment didn't bother her; it wasn't as though the girl was putting words in her mouth. However, she did add, I hope you're well. Or at least feeling better compared to the last time she saw her.

Cheyenne smiled, and she gave Elle a little bit of a softer expression, since the girl knew about her troubles, after all. "I'm fine." she said, to both of them. "Looking forward to the movie as well. It's been a while since I really took time out for something like a girl's night. So, I'm happy. In fact, I'm perfectly happy to treat, if people would be kind enough to let me." she added.

The term 'girls' night' was something wholly knew and entirely exciting for Shoshannah. She'd never been fortunate enough to have girl friends close enough to her that would want to go out for something like a girls' night so she relished the term. "Cheyenne, you don't have to pay!" She started at first, but found that, just like with Angelo, this could be an opportunity for repeat meetings. "Only if you let me pay for something else. Coffee or a lunch sometime, all three of us?"

Elle offered Cheyenne a gentle smile in return and a slight nod. That was good to hear. And if a girl's night was going to help raise Cheyenne's spirits, Elle would endeavor to make it an enjoyable time. When she offered to pay, Elle waved a hand and shook her head. But as she listened to Shoshannah, Elle took a cue from her and started to smile once again. Then I'll pay for whatever we do next. She was more than willing to encourage more times like this.

Cheyenne laughed a little. "Alright, alright. We can take turns paying for what we want to do together." She said, thinking that at least made her hopeful that there'd be a regular sort of meeting to be had. "I'll be right back." she told the girls, going to get the tickets and the like.

Shoshannah watched Cheyenne head to the ticket booth, a smile still on her face. Turning back to Elle, she made a motion with her head toward the booth. "Want to go stand with her?

Elle nodded and linked an arm with Shoshannah's. She hoped the gesture wasn't too forward but it came as an easy, natural thing to do. That and it served as a way to express some of her bubbliness.

Cheyenne smiled at the ticket girl when she got to the booth, and she paid for the three, turning around and noticing that they were walking up towards her. She smiled, and handed them their tickets. "Done and done." she told them. "Now, it's not going to be a proper movie without popcorn and the like. Other little things, so what shall it be on that score, ladies?" she asked, keeping herself going with being upbeat.

Shannah didn't think it was too forward at all. She actually liked the idea of linking arms like this, it was nice and surprisingly fun; made her feel like she really fit in here with Elle and Cheyenne. Taking the ticket Cheyenne gave her, she turned her smile from Elle to Cheyenne. "I don't mind paying for the snacks." She didn't quite have a knowledge of what the 'other things' Cheyenne was talking about, but she had no problem paying for the concessions, especially if that's what was needed in order to get the complete movie experience.

Elle slipped the ticket into the back of the notebook for temporary safe keeping. She gave Cheyenne a smile, glad that she was thinking along the same lines as herself. Glad that she wasn't the only one who took pleasure in the little things. Uncoupling her arm from Shoshannah's in order to write, she offered, We can split it if you want? Shannah might not have had a definite idea about what to get but Elle would certainly help her out with that.

Cheyenne laughed a little. "You guys really miss out on the meaning of the word 'treat' dont' you?" she asked, rhetorically. "That's where I pay, and you guys have fun, and all is well. So c'mon, let's head to the consessions, get sugar and popcorn and other things that are generally bad for us."

"Ok, ok, I'll stop." But that didn't mean she couldn't help out here and there, did it? With a smile, Shannah slipped her arm away from Elle's only to go and open the door for them. "What's the normal snack for a movie, other than popcorn?"

Elle gave in to Cheyenne with a shrug and a little smile that served as a thank you. Attention going back to Shoshannah, she answered the question with, Candy, like Jujubes, chocolate bars, things covered in chocolate, like Raisinets and Milk Duds. All the good stuff. Her smile grew wider at the last comment.

"Anything salty, or too sugary for anyone's good." Cheyenne supplied as well, smiling. "And we can have a little bit of all of it, and share, sound good?" she asked. She knew that Shoshannah was still a bit starved for experiences, so she was more than happy to provide little ones whenever possible. Like all of this. Besides, she liked giving.

It sounded perfect to Shoshannah. It was things like this, spending time with friends, going to the movies, things like this that made her not worry so much about where her camera was. Feeling that giddy sense inside her she got each time she was able to try something new, Shannah headed to the concessions stand to survey the treats there. The sheer amount of choices there had Shoshannah's eyes flicking back and forth, trying to pick out something that they all might like. Finally she turned back to Elle and Cheyenne. "Why don't you two pick the snacks? I like surprises."

Following after Shoshannah, Elle stood with her head cocked slightly to the side and tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. She moved closer to Cheyenne and gave her a look that asked if she had any particular preference when it came to the confectionery. I think chocolate is a given, she wrote to Cheyenne. Everyone likes chocolatey things, don't they? Popcorn, too. That's definitely a given for the movies. She wanted to get the choices just right.

It didn't take long for Shoshannah to have her hands full of popcorn and candy and to be heading into the theatre with Cheyenne and Elle. As the lights dimmed, she gave an excited smile to both girls, took her first bite of movie theatre popcorn, and settled in for another new experience along with her friends.