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.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm fine!" Usagi's worry is met with a chuckle. The damage wasn't nearly as bad as she might have thought; Roy had been knocked back but one of the other mushrooms cushioned his back as they both went down. In the end he was simply knocked on his behind, her on his lap.

"Are you all right Serena? Did you scrape your knees?" From his point of view it looks like she's the one who might have been injured.

"Oh thank goodness!" she laughed as she looked at Roy, not quite getting out of his lap just yet. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ah, hopefully the mushrooms won't make a reappearance, don't want a repeat of that. Though I'm pretty good at taking a fall."

She stood up carefully before holding out her hand to Roy.

"I'm quite alright, though!"

Roy takes her hand and stands, careful not to pull on her hand too much. "Fancy meeting you here. Are you here to audition for the show?"

He takes another look at the giant mushroom props and reaches out to feel the surface of the nearest one. "I'm surprised they're that bouncy. Perhaps they're more than just props? The game involves something like an obstacle course if I've understood correctly."

"I am! I'm a big fan of Fairy Tales in general so I thought why not? I didn't know so many musicians would be here for this though. Why not just have a super special show with just musicians?" since she was trying to play off the "normal citizen of Vista" thing.

"Haaa... I hope it's not just obstacle course though, I'm not good at those like at all."

"I hope whichever royal you're assigned treats you well," he says, wondering if Serena is regularly a bit clumsy. "Obstacle courses are meant to be challenging even for athletic types so there wouldn't be any shame in having some trouble. Being on television is a plus isn't it? Instead of musicians only it's more fun when fans get to meet them, right?"

"Well, the only thing I'm not really used to, is that why would our Royals want to hinder us? Do you win something if we lose? That's the only thing I don't understand. Still, being on television... ha I just hope I don't get nervous!"

"I don't think we Royals win anything otherwise we'd be better off called Villains. But I think there are some participating celebrities who enjoy adding a little interest to the challenge by pointing things in the wrong direction. For comedy maybe or just because they can. Some people love to be the center of controversy and bad reputations." He lives with one example of such a person. Roy still hasn't completely forgiven the knifepoint encounter with Squalo and he certainly won't forget it. Oh please save him from his situation Sailor Moon.

"When I get stage fright a slow deep breath makes a big difference. It's okay to have butterflies, just use that excitement to your advantage."

"Ha, not me." It was one of her bigger issues to burden, honestly, knowing that her mere existence drew chaos to her and all that entailed. She knew they were all drawn to one another, all lonely creatures seeking one another, seeking love. And she wanted nothing more than to hold out her hand to them.

Ah, but she was way over-thinking that.

"Well, I'm not too worried about that, I just hope I don't trip on stage in front of everyone. That's what would be the most embarrassing. Do you ever trip on stage?"

"I haven't. It helps to keep track of where the chords are and wear the right shoes. I did have an accident in my previous apartment though. It went viral on youtube shortly after I joined MANTICORE." If she's heard about it, it's the famous Flame Guitarist nearly burns down his apartment video.

Was that a real video of him though, or something staged by Pride? He can't be sure if it was his own accident to claim.

No, she hasn't, such is the life of someone who not only lacks internet, but did not grow up with it.

"What happened?" she asked, completely unaware of the potential can of worms she just unleashed.

"I wanted to record a first performance with the fire guitar I had developed but I underestimated the area I would need and set the curtains on fire in my apartment. It was all captured on the webcamera. My manager encouraged me to upload it any way." Roy lowers his head a little, half embarrassed half frustrated with the possibility Pride had set him up to be embarrassed via their brainwashing.

"I am normally better at controlling fire than that," he adds.

"Ah, but you still tried it and you learned from your mistakes, that's what's important. No one was hurt, right?"

"No. I was the only one in the apartment at the time thankfully. And I have a fire extinguisher on hand wherever I live." It sounds a lot less safety-smart and a lot more 'I need it or I'll burn down the place' when he says it aloud. Oops.

"It hasn't happened since. I only perform with the fire guitar on stage now."

"Well but see! Point proven, you learned from your mistakes, and that's just as important as anything else!"

"True. It didn't end in disaster so I'm fortunate." He nods.

Getting back to the present... "Is there a specific musician you're hoping will be your royal match for this game?"

"Ah well, I love Flower Over Bones, but I don't have anyone specific in mind. Though I hope my cousin can get Rei Hino, she loves Rei!" she grinned. "She really admires her and I want her to get a chance to really meet her, ya know? But I'll do my best to rescue whomever I get!"

She's such an earnest girl, it's refreshing to speak to someone so innocent. What a difference from the constant backstabbing and hisses between senior musicians at Pride. It feels like he should be familiar with someone else like Serena but he can't recall the face of the young lady just yet. Wasn't she also golden haired and blue eyed?

"Ah. I've been meaning to tell you something related to your work at Thistle Do Nicely. I have a friend... A... Special Friend." Secret girlfriend? It will do as a cover. Wait. Is it a cover? (It's complicated.)

"I asked her to stop by and pass her address and info to Mrs. Ophelia the other day. I was wondering if you had heard of a lady doing that? I'm going to send her some bouquets in the future."

"Uh... no, I can't say that she has, but if she gave it directly to Mrs. Ophelia she'd not have necessarily told me right away. But uh, alright. I'll keep that in mind?" she didn't know if this was a rescuer of if Roy was just wishing to be discreet, she's dealt with the whole spectrum.

"If you have a name I should know that would be easier."

"Elizabeth Falke. Blonde hair, big brown eyes. If Mrs. Ophelia hasn't met her yet, she likely will soon. Knowing Elizabeth though, she'd have visited already by now. She's a very diligent person." He sounds proud as he describes her. Whoever she is, there's a great deal of admiration and respect on his face as he talks.

"Oh well, no, I didn't say that. Just that if she went to Mrs. Ophelia directly, there wouldn't be much reason for me to know," she offered gently. "But I'll keep an eye out for a Ms. Falke address during deliveries."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. -As well as your confidentiality. I'd rather my fans and the paparazzi not know so she isn't harassed." Ah celebrity dating. So complicated. If Serena has met Riza she might be able to draw the connection but if not, Minako can fill her in on the juicy details.

"It's no one else's business who you love and who loves you back," she offered in all seriousness. "I have both your backs, promise."

Funny how a secret romantic relationship made such a good cover for his rescuer. Not that the feelings had to be faked. He has to wonder how often they "pretend" to be in love to cover up secret missions.

He gives Serena a thankful nod. "I knew I could count on someone Mrs. Ophelia holds in such high regard."

She laughed, blushing and waving her hands in front of her.

"Ahahah thank you, but really, it's not a big deal, I'm just glad to help."

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☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

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