interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

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☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

Who: Famous musicians, hopeful auditioners, and random onlookers.
What: Hit gameshow series “Fairy Trial” is celebrating one of its anniversaries, and it’s invited you onboard. For more deets, check out the OOC post!
When: March 11th.
Where: Sevetop Entertainment’s studio.
Warnings: Mingle log mystery bag.

“It's so much better to pretend
There's something waiting for you here.
Every letter that you wrote
Has found its way to me, my dear.”

☆BETTER TO PRETEND

For musicians in either Pride or Virgo, the job offer is delivered by their managers- a suggestion to accept an invitation from Sevetop to participate in a successful gameshow. (A message that is delivered perhaps a bit more pressingly to some, with the unsaid words of “This is a chance to make it up to us”.) For others, strangers just trying to make a living and wait for their chance to save their loved ones, the message is delivered over their communicators by Gold, with promises that infiltrating this event will aid you in liberating the captives from their label's control. Either way, all roads lead to Sevetop Entertainment.

Sevetop might not have the weight that musical giants Pride Labels and Virgo Entertainment do, but that’s because it’s not into the musical industry. Sevetop is all about television and the big screen. For these purposes, it has its own little area of the city, a bustling kind of Hollywood filled with the more office-like buildings, auditoriums for additions, and even various sets. Whether you’re driven in style via limo, or brought to a regular line of buses, this is where you end up at.

Musicians, of course, end up at the more posh meeting room. A spread of delicate little lunch sandwiches, veggie platters, cupcakes, and assorted beverages are on a table for anyone to snatch up, and regularly refilled. Every celebrity is handed a small folder with papers inside going over both the boring legal things and explaining the purpose of the show. “Royals” are the ones to be “saved”, but they don’t have to make the journey easier on their “Heroes” and are given tools at their disposal to help or hinder. Heroes have one goal to accomplish, ‘rescuing’ their Royal, but it changes depending on the challenge.

Much to your surprise, some of those aspiring Heroes might just look familiar. Don't tell!

☆THE HEROES

In another building, next door, various people picked off the street (some coincidentally, others not so much, thanks to Gold's glamour witchcraft) are being given very much the same kind of presentation… In a room much more cramped, with not nearly enough chairs, on a slideshow. The only refreshments available are small bags of chips (try not to take more than one) and coolers full of bottled water.

After the separate presentations are done with, everyone is allowed to check out the sets for past seasons, which includes what look like giant mushroom tops that are made of very bouncy rubber, climbing walls made of fake vines, pumpkin shaped carriages (horses not included), and other such things.

Of course, it’s not all play. While you’re messing about, you’ve all been given numbers. Once you’ve been called, you’re to stand in front of Fairy Trial’s hosts and commentators: siblings Bella and Maurice Hooks. Both of them are equally friendly, although her more outgoing to his easygoing, but they have plenty of questions for this little audition. Tell them about yourself: hobbies, job, your favorite fairy tale, what you think your best skill is - and then, the most important, you get to display a choice "talent" in front of the audience. It can be whatever you like, as long as it's crowd appropriate.

Be careful, though, because the rock stars you're hoping to work with are watching, too. At the very least, don't make an ass out of yourself. Gold's enchantments are good, but there are some things that even magic can't charm its way through.

After all this, you’ll get a chance to just rest and mingle while your rides come back to take you back to the mall or HQ you were picked up at. Obviously for certain famous names, they’ll probably be the first ones out, but who knows… Maybe there was a traffic delay, and now you have some time to spare waiting around here as well. Just take note that you’re not allowed to wander too far from the Fairy Trial sets. Security is keeping an eye on folks to make sure they don’t steal or wreck anything.

And don’t worry, you’ll be told about the results within a week! They promise.

“You can make believe that what you say
Is what I want to hear.
I'll keep dancing through this
Beautiful delusional career.”

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"Ah well, if I get to know the person I don't mind if they're rough. Rough doesn't mean a bad person, after all." Even then, she was willing to make concessions considering Galaxia was rough all over inside and out. "But I mean, they would need to not mind me too, that's way harder," she laughed.

At the question about suave, she thought back to Mamoru and pressed a hand to her cheek.

"Ah... that's true... suave and confident but who doesn't think I need to be rescued so much as always there to stand by me." She couldn't help but smiling at the thought. "But suave and getting flustered by me sometimes doesn't hurt, I don't want so suave that it seems like they don't care," and Mamoru loved her dearly, and she riled him up like crazy in multiple meanings of that word.

Yeah, it does sound like she's describing a specific person, but that doesn't deter Luci. Of course it doesn't. Hey, people had fights and broke up sometimes. She's a great emotional rebound.

"Hey, let me see your phone," she says, holding out a hand. It's number-giving time.

"Oh ah, I don't have a phone, I can't afford one," which was the truth. That, and it made it too easy to trace her and her loved ones. "But! You can practically always find me at Thistle Do Nicely. That's the flower shop I work at!" she smiled. "I'd love it if you came by to visit me! Mrs. Ophelia would probably love it too, she's the owner."

No phone? Woah. Luci had been pretty sure that every person their age had a cellphone or was at least between phones. How did she check her email? Or get a Uber? Or find things to do on the weekends?

"...you don't just work all the time though, do you? Surely you do... something for fun, right?"

She doesn't have an email, she walks, and more walking or plans prior to work, honestly.

"Oh no no no! That's... I mean, Mrs. Ophelia is super kind but no, I don't spend every day at the flower shop. I love having fun, I especially love going places to eat! I love food."

A girl who loves food-- Luci can get behind that. She loves food too, and she likes it when people shun eating because it's somehow 'better for them' or whatever. Eating trends. Bullshit.

"Have you been to the sushi burrito place on 8th? It's pretty amazing. Everything's wrapped in seaweed or rice paper."

"Oh ah no, never heard of it! I'm going to definitely have to try it out. Will you come with me?" Usagi asked, wanting to get to know Luci better. "And then I can take you to my cousin's diner a different day. Have you ever been to Brad's Diner? She's a waitress there!"

"Can't say I have, but if your cousin is as cute as you, I'll have to trot out the whole Carnival to take a look at the place." And wouldn't that be a trip and a half for a little diner completely ignorant of the descent of rockstars.

"But first, we should definitely go somewhere for lunch. No cousins just yet. One at a time," she grins, teasingly.

"Di is absolutely beautiful!" she giggled. "All my cousins are, honestly." Usagi felt absolutely no shame in how much she adored her loved ones. "But ah, if all of Carnival comes, then I can meet them too!"

She adored meeting new people... most of the time.

"YES! LUNCH!" she pumped her fist and the 'one at a time' went right over her head but she hugged onto Luci's arm without any real forethought, always just one for physical contact.

"All your cousins? How many cousins do you have...?" Luci's starting to look around surreptitiously. Is she being punked right now? Six Hot Cousins Tagteam One Unsuspecting Rockstar?

She's pretty sure she's seen something on the internet like this.

Luci arches an eyebrow at Serena, but smiles anyway, really unsure what to do with this level of adorable-but-oblivious. Having her hanging off her arm isn't unwelcome at all, though, Luci is also a fan of physical contact as long as everybody's on board. "Here, lean in--" Luci lifts up her phone in a move to selfie with Serena. "For the Instagram."

"Oh ah, well here in Vista City? Just four, we all moved here together. There's myself, Di, Ricky, Alex, and Nora. Alex is the oldest and Nora is my baby cousin. Di, Ricky, and I are all the same age," as she ticked off her "cousins" names, she also folded her fingers and smiled. "But don't worry," she assured. "They're all super nice if you ever meet them!"

Usagi had no idea what "Instagram" was, but understood the concept of taking a picture. She smiled brightly as she kept a hold of Luci's arm, since the other hadn't pulled away, she had no intention of letting go.

"Cheeeese!" she exclaimed loudly.

Four cousins, all the same age. That does sound like a setup for some kind of punking television show. But does she want to risk looking like an idiot on TV and not meet four beautiful cousins?

...tough choices.

But pictures. Luci is a pro at this, and gets both her and Serena in the frame. Serena looks excited, Luci looks her usual smug punk self. She puts it through a filter and posts it. "Hashtag 'love meeting fans'..."

"Yay!" Usagi had absolutely no idea what a "hashtag" or "instagram" were, but she was still hugging onto Luci as she watched her do everything only to finally let go with a big smile.

"Are we headed to that sushi burrito place? You don't have to, though, if you were just kidding," she offered quickly, letting Luci have a way to leave if she wanted. "I just need an address and I can figure out the rest, usually. I'm pretty good at finding places when I walk."

Years of video games made her oddly good at a map and there wasn't pressure to get an entire group of rescuers to safety.

'Yay'-- amazing. She ends up on a rockstar's instagram and her response is 'yay'. She seems a little out of touch with what's happening, but that's fine. Better than someone who couldn't keep it together around her or grabbed at her for a souvenir.

"We are absolutely headed to that sushi burrito place--" Luci waves and a black car pulls up to the curb. Taking Serena's hand gently, Luci backs her way into the backseat and pulls Serena along with her. "But you certainly won't be walking."

Serena follows happily, always the trusting and caring individual. It was a wonder she didn't get into way more trouble. She scooted in next to Luci and clapped her hands together.

"Thank you so much for taking me! This is great! What can I do to thank you!"

Somebody's mother never taught them to not get into cars with strange musicians. Luci helps Serena not fall out of the car or onto her face by holding her hand until she's situated.

"I have your company for the next hour at least, don't I? That's good enough for the moment." She gives the driver the address and they're off. "So, which is your favorite: Pride or Virgo? Be honest, I don't care if Virgo's more your speed."

She keeps a hold of Luci's hand, always physically affectionate and fond of hugging and holding friends and new acquaintances alike.

"Ah well... I don't like labels overall, I guess, just certain bands in each one. Like, I live Flower Over Bones and Crown of Thorns, but I guess I'm a really big fan of whatever song I like. Not like... death metal though, that stuff is way too intense for me. But the right song for me could be anything depending on my mood. When I'm destroying monsters in a video game, the last thing I want is classical, ya know?"

"Ahhh... I'm surprised you haven't started playing video games to my music then. I hear it's great monster slaying stuff," she says with a grin. "Squalo might get a little pissed that I couldn't convert you for him, but who am I to change your tastes?"

"Ah I can't even afford a console right now. We moved into Vista a couple of months ago, but I'll definitely listen to it from now on. Is Squalo all about Death Metal then? I guess I could try to listen if you have a song you'd recommend. But if he wants to convert me, he should do it himself, you can convert me to your stuff," she laughed.

"Squalo's the cellist for MANTICORE, he's all about death metal, heavy metal... Xanxus too, really. I seduced him over to the punk side, but he can't resist the siren's call sometimes."

She opens up her phone again and starts scrolling through-- finally she hits on one of her favorites. One of the songs she wrote for Laura...

"Here, I think you'll like this one," she says, hitting play on her phone. Obviously she has their whole discography on her phone.

"Well, I bet it's easy to be seduced by you," she laughed.

She waited eagerly by Luci's elbow, and when it played, she listened, her head bobbing in time with the beat.

"This is amazing!" she smiled once it ended. "Wish I'd gotten into your music even sooner!" Although, how many could say they had the lead singer share their music with them?

"Mm, except when it comes to you, I'm realizing," Luci says with an arched eyebrow, biting her lip suggestively. Nah, progress is not being made, she knows when she's beat.

"We are pretty amazing," Luci agrees, sitting back in her seat with a very self-satisfied smile. "Next time I see you, I'll get you one of our pre-loaded iPods. They've even been signed by me and Yuffie and Xanxus and... Fetch and Poe." Back when they were part of the band.

"Ah, trust me, you're plenty seductive to me, " she blushed, waving her hands in front of her. But her heart of hearts belonged to Mamoru, always had and likely always would. "But I love my fiancé, ya know? He's my other half," she placed her hands over her heart. She blushed a bit deeper. "That... is sappy I know, but I can't help it," he made her that giddy almost all the time.

"Well, then let's make it another date! I'll bring you something too, ah! I know, do you have a favorite flower? I'll bring you a whole bouquet of it."

Luci tilts her head and watches Serena put her hands over her heart and confess that she loves her fiancé. Yeah, there's no way she's jumping in on this, she's in adorable love.

"No it's not. It's nice. Being in love is a nice thing," she says, ruffling Serena's hair in an attempt to make her feel less self-conscious. "Love and devotion is punk rock, as much as people try to make it look like we don't give a rat's ass about anything."

"Yeah, let's do it. You bring me something you think I'd like-- I'm curious what you'll think of me after today..."

"It is... we've been through a lot together. We met when I was 14, but it wasn't love at first sight or anything. He was kinda a jerk at first, but we helped each other in a lot of situations and got closer. Do you have someone you feel drawn to like that?" she wondered if Luci had someone she loved in such a way. "I mean, you certainly don't have to answer that!" since they had only just met.

"I'll think you're amazing, you're feeding me, after all, how can I think anything less? And I think I already know which flower to get you."

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