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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[ And then there's this asshole. He sees Dino crouched over and he can't refrain from heading over. He wants to kick that ass sticking out there. It's just screaming to be kicked. Maybe if he does, Dino would get stuck in the little house.

In the back of his mind, he's 11 or 12. And that butt is clad in school uniform plaid.

I think it's for Tom Thumb or something

[ Aaaaaaand kick ]

[Dino hears the voice behind him, barely recognizing it, but he reacts with enough surprise that when he's kicked, he only takes out a few extra scenery bits and not the thing itself.]

Hey! Watch it! What's your damn problem??

[And in his head, he's suddenly surrounded by men in suits, and he has a whip in hand. He's ready to maim or kill. He's defensive.]

[ And there's the demented five-year old laugh. It really is like elementary school or something. ]

Nothing. It's just that you were pretty much asking for it, all bent over like that. It's like you never saw a stupid dollhouse or something.

[ Besides, it was a bit of petty revenge for that picnic though Dino hadn't done anything their either. Xanxus seems to just like petty revenge for some reason. ]

[Dino coolly gets to his feet, only wobbling a little, and stares Xanxus down. It's somehow warm, but deadly. Like there's so much more to him than the statement of fact of him being some rock star.]

One, I haven't ever seen something like this. Two, you've had a problem with me for weeks. Get it out of your system, if you have something to say. I'm listening.

[ This...this is very familiar somehow. And it's not uniforms this time but fancy suits. They're older and he's a few weeks from going into the ice... but then it flits away and the deja vous is gone. ]

I can't believe you've never seen a dollhouse. Did you live under a rock all your life? And of course I have. You...you were... [ close to my things? Friends with my stuff? Trying to take him away from me? ]

Look, it makes no fucking sense, but I just don't won't you to take him away. [ He's almost certain that Dino could...like he was the only one who could ]

I don't have any sisters, and I wasn't all that into toys. I've never seen one up close.

[Dino looks angry, but at the end, he blinks. This is weird and he sees blood on both their hands and a look in the other man's eyes that wishes murder on Dino, but is "nothing personal" in a way. Like he's just a casualty, a hurdle.]

I'm not trying to break anybody up. I didn't know you were dating, and anyway, I'm not interested in the first place.

I didn't either but even I've seen them. You're so lame.

[ Everything about this feels so familiar. The only thing missing is the blond falling all over himself... ]

We aren't dating. We were...I don't even know how to explain it, but it was definitely more than just dating. And you... [ He runs a hand through his hair ] Fuck. This makes no fucking sense. But are you sure you aren't going to try and take him from me?

We're not even friends! I've talked to him a few times, we hung out once, and you're acting like I'm trying to recruit him or something.

[Dino huffs quietly, then runs a hand through his golden hair, frustrated.]

He's yours. I have my own people.

So you say. You sure looked close. I'm just saying that I won't let you take him. That's all. You can be friends or whatever but at the end of the day, he's mine.

[ Have they had this talk before, years ago? Maybe. Probably. It sure sounds familiar. But whatever. He said what he needed to say. Not stay away just don't take away. ]

And I'll just bet you do. A bunch of second rate musicians and fans that don't know any better.

How can you look close to somebody you just met? Get over it! Insulting someone you barely know, too? Kind of low.

[With a huff, Dino crosses his arms, giving the set a guilty glance. Maybe they'll make him pay for it.]

Does he know you're going around talking to people like he's a piece of property? I don't know if he'd approve. Of course, I don't know him, but he seems like the type that doesn't want to be totally held back.

[ If anything, they'll make Xanxus pay for it because it's his fault it got broken. He'll even admit to it and probably laugh about it. But that's not the important part. It's this right now. Because he hates to admit it. That Dino is right. At least about that last part ]

No. But if you want to tell him, go ahead. I don't care. But I'll tell you this. I'm not planning on holding him back.

I might tell him, yeah.

[And Xanxus can pay for it, and take all the blame. Dino's natural hatred for conflict and fear of everything is gone, and he stands proudly, calming down. He doesn't feel like "himself". This is a business. He has to deal.]

You already are, if you're trying to rule his life. Take it easy and stop being jealous over nothing.

That's fine with me. I don't care.

[ He'll take the blame and not even try to explain it, mostly because fuck if he understands why he's so goddamn jealous. He just is and he's taking it badly. ]

As long as you're sure it's nothing... [ Funny how this guy is the threat and not all the people legitimately sleeping with the subject of this conversation. ] I'll leave it be.

[Xanxus needs some serious help.]

I'm not out to take anything from anyone. If you don't believe me, that's your problem, but it's the truth. So get over thinking I'm trying to steal away your shark.

[Shark?]

Why don't you try looking at your music instead? Maybe that'll set you straight.

[ Of course he does, but he'll never get it. He wouldn't let help happen even if he did. ]

My music? I don't know what the fuck you're talking about but my music isn't going to make me believe you any more than I do now. So I'm going to be watching you, Bucking Horse... [blink...blink...where the FUCK did that come from?! Act natural. Totally something he'd call someone normally, nothing to see here.]

[He wants to tell Xanxus--and coldly--to stop with the damn persecution complex, but then he says... says what?

Dino blanches a bit and looks ill, holding a hand over his left bicep, eyes wide.]

What did you just do? [This seems like what Finnick was talking about.] What was that? Why--

[His hand tingles a bit and he feels like something is missing, something essential to his survival. What is it? And why does he feel stronger, and more controlled deep down, while panicking on the outside?]

What did you do???

[ He has no idea where the hell that came from. It just sort of came out. Like any other insult. But he couldn't explain how or why THAT was what he said. He has no explanation for it. He doesn't want an explanation of it. ]

Do? I didn't do a damn thing! I just called you a stupid name. It doesn't mean a damn thing.

[ Yet it seems like it does. It had been just too natural to call him that and it shouldn't have been. ]

[Dino shakes. He shakes and his eyes narrow and this has to be someone trying to screw with him. Xanxus has to be... a villain, a plant, something because he knows that name. Dino knows it's his. He earned it. He screwed the system and made his world in the image he wanted. He led and fought and killed and loved and why...]

Go. Just... go. I'm not touching your precious possession or whatever, so leave me alone.

[ He's definitely one of those things and it's certainly not a plant. He honestly doesn't know what he did to Dino right then and he doesn't care. ]

Yeah yeah. I'm going. But not because you told me to. If I stay too long around you, your fail will rub off on me. I heard what I want and I'll be watching you.

[ He turns on his heels, looking pretty pleased with himself. ]

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☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

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the icon looks so wholesome, I feel bad now

rude

very

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