☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

[interdimanagers]

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.”

Comments

Jamie Hemeros

[mildwildchild]

A - JAMIE FALLS PREY TO THE BITTER STING OF CYNICISM: (open to other musicians)
He's not sure what kind of weirdness to expect from this latest proposition, but he can't really turn it down when Patil tells him he's been signed up for it. So Jamie attends the briefing. He reads the folder of materials. He consumes his weight in tiny sandwiches and carrot sticks with ranch dip.

At one point when he hits up the refreshment table for...sixths, sevenths, he lost count about three thousand calories ago - he leans over to the person standing next to him and mumbles, "So what do you think's gonna go wrong this time? My money's on at least one of our heroes being an obsessed fan that tries to set the building on fire or something."

B - JAMIE KILLS TIME WITH A BUNCH OF RANDOS (AND YOU): (open to all)
The shuttle sent to pick him up has been waylaid by some kind of mechanical failure. The next available one will be sent from HQ, but Pride has a lot of people to ferry around and a finite motor pool, so it might be a little while.

That leaves Jamie some time to idle away with the other people hanging around the studio waiting for their rides. Mostly he's wandering around the sets, looking at the props and making small talk when he's approached.

"Have you watched this show very much? I, uh. I never really kept up with it."

C - WILDCARD: freestyle me

A

[snapcrackleburn]

"I seriously doubt Pride will let us participate without bodyguards on standby. But just to be safe, it won't hurt to note the locations of the fire exits when you enter the studio." Oh hey, it's the guitarist from MANTICORE, Roy Mustang.

"You do have to wonder how we're assigned to our partners though. Would they purposely pair someone up with one of their wild fans in hopes it will get high ratings?"

[mildwildchild]

"I wouldn't put it past 'em," Jamie snorts. "It would make for a pretty good spectacle, some poor dope getting stuck with a rabid fan. It does say the Royals are allowed to make things harder for their Heroes, though. Could be funny."

He pushes a carrot stick through the ranch dressing on his paper plate, idly making little patterns in it. "So, is there a particular wild fan you're hoping to get paired up with for this?" His tone is mostly casual but still carries far more sass than is probably appropriate.

[snapcrackleburn]

Roy laughs; it's funny Jamie should say that. There is a "fan" of sorts out there he'd like to contact but that's best kept secret from what he's learned about her reasons for being in Vista.

"I don't know very many of my fans personally. I do think it would be more fun to get paired with one though. They'll likely be more enthusiastic and into the role. Acting along with the fairy tale is half the fun of this game after all. Might has well enjoy wearing a crown."

[mildwildchild]

"Yeah? As long as they didn't cross the line from 'enthusiastic' to 'batshit insane,' I guess you'd be okay." Jamie is both amused and sort of worried, and he's not sure quite why he feels that way.

"So you're ready to act excited for whoever you get saddled with? I guess it's not too different from putting on a good face for interviews and stuff."

[snapcrackleburn]

"We're not actors but acting is a large part of our job," Roy says with a nod.

"I have yet to meet one of my 'batshit insane' fans in person. I know they exist on the internet but if they've come to see me in person I didn't notice them. Have you been less fortunate?" The age group boy bands are aimed at doesn't exactly help with that does it?

B

[traumatizing]

"Never seen it," is Terry's response. Reality TV has never really been his bag, and these days he doesn't even have time to keep up with the shows he does like. He sighs tiredly and leans against... What is this, a toadstool? Whatever. "Seems simple enough though."

[mildwildchild]

"Yeah. I can't remember ever watching it, but that's not a big surprise. Y'know, considering." He leans back against the same toadstool and eyes Terry critically.

"You okay? You're looking kind of haggard. Maxxie keeping you up all night?" This is his feeble attempt at a joke, but considering Terry is all but family now Jamie feels some sense of propriety for his well-being.

[traumatizing]

Terry lets out an astonished laugh at the joke, (and being called 'haggard,' wow thanks dude,) and shakes his head. "No, thank god," Terry raises an eyebrow at Jamie, like he's about to share some information he'll regret hearing, "if there's one thing I can say about him, it's that he respects the sanctity of sleep."

It's kind of the opposite issue really. He always sleeps more peacefully with Maxxie there.

[mildwildchild]

Well he was going to say "shit-like," but changed his mind. You're welcome.

Jamie has, by now, blundered into plenty of opportunities for Maxxie to TMI at him about his sex life, so Terry's comment is pretty mild in comparison. Still, probably better not to go too far down that path.

"So...?" He's prying, just a little bit. "Is something else bothering you?" Aside from the unending drama of being brainwashed music slaves, he means.

[traumatizing]

It was a cunning trick. Pretend he's about to say something scandalous and then just say something totally benign.

He does have a lot on his mind though, because when is Terry ever not a cocktail of anxiety and anger anymore? But he doesn't want to bug Jamie with all that - especially here - and he shrugs. "Just coming off finishing a new album. I haven't had the time to relax yet, that's all."

B

[rising_wing]

"Nope, I'm not really one for TV."

Even on the islands Riku would rather be out in the sun, playing on the beach.

"In fact, I hadn't even heard of it until they asked me at random to participate. Money's money, right? Gotta pay the rent somehow."

Re: B

[mildwildchild]

"Guess there's worse ways to earn a paycheck, right?" Jamie offers sort of a lame grin. It's not quite the sort of expression one would expect from a pop star with hundreds of thousands of fans. Jamie, realizing this, tries to put a little more effort into acting as self-assured as someone of his status probably should be.

"I don't think I've seen you around before, so either you just got signed or you're one of the lucky fans that got tapped to play hero." He accompanies this with a well-practiced dazzling smile, the kind that's calculated to melt hearts and elicit dreamy sighs from star-struck fans. Jamie isn't really expecting either from this particular individual, but he guesses it will be a plus if the guy is somehow charmed by phony bullshit.

[rising_wing]

"Lucky fan I guess," Riku said with a shrug, because really, he's not that kind of guy.

"So you're one of the musicians they hired to play the distressed royals?" He does recognize Jamie, all that research on what's happening with Sora, but he's not going to pretend to be a fan.

[mildwildchild]

"That's the plan, or so I've been told. Jamie, with Flashstep." He holds out a hand, still smiling, though it's a little less calculated and more sincere now. "Nice to meet you."

[rising_wing]

"Rick, same to you." He gave Jamie a firm handshake, smiling back. "Maybe I'll be the one to rescue you."

C - this only took forever

[giglio_madonna]

It's as people are leaving the little audition area that it happens.

Ever since Solstice, Luce has been trying to give Jamie some space. Yuffie had been receptive to her apology, even with what had happened, but... That's not everyone, and Luce doesn't want to press.

Yet in the thick of a crowd, it's easy to get bumped into other people, and she takes a step back. "Oh, I'm sorry-" The apology softens on her tongue when she actually looks at who she's bumped into. "Jamie?"

is okay

[mildwildchild]

Jamie turns toward whoever's jostled against him, ready to wave off their apology, but when he sees who it is the casual smile he's conjured up fades rapidly and all the blood drains from his face.

He guesses it was kind of inevitable that he'd run into her again someday. He just...hadn't really prepared himself for it in any conceivable way.

"U-um - "

The noise of the gathering around them suddenly fades and becomes distant, muffled by the sound of his own panicked wheezing, of his pulse pounding in his ears, of Yuffie struggling desperately with Luce only a few steps away, and his blood is soaking into the carpet, and there's nothing but intense pain and helpless terror and Luce looking at him calmly as she shoves a knife into his chest and his eyes unfocus and dilate in fear

- and it's over in a split second, gone as suddenly as it struck, and it's just him and Luce staring at each other in a crowd of noisy people. He takes a shaky breath.

"H-hi." It comes out as a hoarse, trembling half-whisper, and he licks his lips and tries again. "How, um - how've you been?"

[giglio_madonna]

Yeah. She thought that would be his reaction.

Luce lets the crowd pass her by, a rock in a river of people, figuring out what to say. A lot of it is too personal to say immediately in public. For now, she goes with something that seems normal but has a deeper meaning considering what happened between them.

"A little unpopular. What about you? Have you... been feeling better, since winter?"

[mildwildchild]

He's not sure how to parse the "unpopular" comment, but he's also too rattled to focus on it much right now. Nervously he rakes a hand through his hair, and is mortified to find that it's trembling; he tries to hide it by folding his arms tightly across his chest, a posture that unconsciously belies his apprehension.

"I, uhh...yeah, I'm - I'm fine." He nods, trying to stave off the irrational fear knotting his stomach. "How's...everything going with you guys? Your band and Virgo and everything." The words come out in a breathless rush.

[giglio_madonna]

"As well as it ever goes." Even as she says it, Luce knows that dancing around the topic isn't going to get either of them anywhere. It's dangerous to speak so freely while they're in public, but Jamie going alone with her anywhere after last time? It would never happen.

So she goes with the blunt but vague answer.

"I'm sorry."

A

[killerbeep]

B snorts quietly in response, nudging Jamie with his elbow. "Hey, c'mon, maybe nothing'll go wrong at all! ...Maybe."

He shrugs slightly. "Okay, maybe it will."

Re: A

[mildwildchild]

Jamie nudges back. "It totally will. These things always go tits-up. Maybe if we're lucky we won't be completely traumatized by the end of it."

If that last part comes out sounding kind of bitter, well. It's because he sort of is, right now.

[killerbeep]

That gets a small frown, not annoyed so much as just... worried. B knows Jamie's ended up way worse off than he has when things have gone bad in the past; he just hopes that it's not gonna happen again this time.

"...Well, we can always hope, right? Maybe take some kinda precautions, just in case."

[mildwildchild]

"Yeah? What kinda precautions?" Jamie peruses the snack table briefly, grabbing another tiny sandwich before turning back to his bandmate. "Maybe I could get a fake sword or something to whack people with if they try anything funny. That'd be a start." He points at B with the sandwich and takes a bite out of it.