She flushed bright red and bowed her head.

Answer enough, really.

"It's j-just," Hinata tried to put it into words, "M-Mia h-has a plan, and to g-go through w-with it, she i-isn't calm, but s-she's still going to d-do it. A-And she's the o-one giving the orders t-there."

She let her cat run roughshod over her. Orders weren't her strong point.

"I t-think if it were l-life or d-death I c-could give o-orders," she said, "b-but I u-usually am the o-one offering a s-suggestion f-from the s-side."

It worked well enough for her team.

"S-She's ordering V-Vedette and F-Fabrizia t-though," Hinata said quietly, "a-and doing it like s-she's u-used to it. I'm n-not sure h-how to do t-that myself."

She bowed her head. "Y-Yes."

Hinata thought of her father, and of her sister--both of whom immediately sprang to mind when the thought of giving orders came to mind.

But she also thought of Kurenai-sensei and how she said orders but they never made Hinata want to cringe the way her family's did.

"I w-will try," she said, though it wasn't simple at all, and forced herself to stand straight.

A play was not a matter of life or death to her.

She didn't say that, though. It might be to him, and who was she to judge? Konoha had odder.

"I'll t-try it n-now," she said bravely, though she glanced sideways at him, "if you w-would..."

There was no way she was going to be able to act with him so close to her.

She took a few deep breaths, gathering her thoughts, making sure she hadn't forgotten her lines in the midst of panicking about having to speak them.

Remember, she thought, you're just speaking to Hoshi.

"G-Good Fabrizia, r-run thee to the p-parlor;" that was no good, she knew it, Mia wouldn't stutter to her ladies-in-waiting, another deep breath and a moment to picture Kurenai-sensei's bearing then she went on, "There shalt thou find my cousin B-Bastiana..."

Better. Possibly too mild, even for Mia, but the stutter was less and she took heart for that as she continued on, doing her best not to stutter though both 'Cecilio' and 'Vedette' tripped her up.

"Against that power that bred it: there will s-she hide her," and Hinata felt that, here, Mia would be somewhat less ordering and more warning and beseeching all at once. Have this happen, but have them not find out... "To l-listen our purpose. This is thy office; Bear t-thee well in it and leave us alone."