☆INTERLUDE: YOU WILL BELIEVE IN ME

[interdimanagers]

Who: All the opt outs, and DAFT PUNK.
What: Gold and Silver waste everybody's time.
When: December 7th, 2054
Where: A warehouse in outer Vista City.
Warnings: NPCs being cryptic.

“I will cry for you, I will cry for you. I will wash away your pain with all my tears, And drown your fear.” ☆YOU WILL BELIEVE IN ME You were late, for some reason. It doesn't matter whether it was because of an important photo shoot, a performance that ran late, or just being generally slothful and slow: you're all getting shuffled onto the last shuttle out. Maybe you didn't want to go to he party and were trying to avoid it. There's a weird tension that been leading up to it, especially on Virgo's side, and as you stare out at the cityscape beneath you may find those same misgivings rising up again. No matter your feelings, attendance has been made mandatory. The punishment for not showing is likely not worth the relief of avoiding it, at least if its your fault. So maybe it's a blessing when your shuttle driver suddenly seems to cease, and then takes your shuttle abruptly off course. It's less obvious at first, but it becomes more and more so as you fly - you're supposed to be heading to the coast, but your flight path is heading down to the south, out to a comparatively barren industrial sector of Vista that you've never actually seen. They are unresponsive to speaking and shouting, and the layer of glass that separates you make it impossible to actually disrupt them. You're more or less the prisoner of this little detour until it finally begins to land, sailing gracefully through the doors of an otherwise unremarkable warehouse. There are two shuttles arriving within the same few minutes - one marked with Pride colours, and the other with Virgo. The entry gate closes, and seals itself. A few minutes after that, your pilot moves for the first time in a while and opens the doors for you, leaving themselves sealed within the cab and apparently not being very fussed about it at all. You're released out into the warehouse, and you can see there are...bean bag chairs littered about? And some coolers filled with beer and vodka? What the hell? One of the walls even has a projector connected to a computer, apparently set up to watch movies. Ultimately, it's not really what you expect out of a sudden hijacking. A few moments later, a pair of masked people who may or may not be familiar come riding out of one of the upper levels on a shared, flying motorcycle, landing and dismounting at a bit of a hectic pace. Gold helmet is at the wheel. "You made it!" they declare, somewhat awkwardly. They sound a bit rushed. Silver pushes themselves off of the back, tucking some kind of device into their leather jacket. "Look, guys, let's make this simple. So far as you're concerned, this is a stick up. You're ours for...the next five hours, let's say. Behave yourself and everyone goes home, no problem." Gold looks over at Silver for a moment, and then addresses you in a bit more friendly manner: "So...point is, you may as well have some fun and just deal with it! Nobody here wants to fight, right? Let's be chill." There's a pause. "We brought booze?" ☆YOU WILL BELIEVE IN ME So, you're stuck here for the foreseeable future, it seems. Your captors don't seem to mean any harm - if you stay non-violent, they will too. There could even be an opportunity to gather some information, if you can keep your cool. The pair of them will be cycling in and out over the night, and despite an apparent tension in the air, they also seem...bored? Maybe just restless. There is something going on that they're not telling you, and it's up to you whether you want answers or not. As it is, they seem happy enough to sit back and watch the movies they have set up on that computer and knock a few back. No ones phones will be able to get signals, in the meantime. You can only wonder what this means for your friends stuck on the other side. “See your face every place that I walk in; Hear your voice every time I am talking. You will believe in me, And I will never be ignored.”

Comments

[sponsorigami]

[ For a moment, Ivan sees a cold, dark spiked room cast in a sick reddish hue. There's a flat-screen hanging on the wall. The faces on it are blurred, but he feels like he knows the others well. They're in danger, and there's nothing they can do. There are others he can't immediately see who are also in grave danger, and part of their fates depend on theirs. Time is of the essence.

Ivan shivers and brings his arms around him. ]

I know how you feel.

[ In more ways than just that flash of a strange vision. He thinks back when when most of his family had fallen ill in various ways; he couldn't do anything then. Ivan doesn't have an answer for her. He wishes he did.

But then he gets an idea. He sits up straight and starts softly, but the words grow in volume has he continues. ]

When everything feels like it's going all wrong
And I'm losing my hope and the will to be strong
I am laying face down on the freezing cold floor
Not knowing what to do or to try anymore

With the cards stacked against me, I am out of time
I search, and I cry, but answers I can't find
Praying to every god that my fate can still bend
What is right? Could this be the very end?

Although, while it may seem that everything's too hard
Don't discard all the hope dreams we carry now. We can make it somehow
Believing together, we can reach the stars

[ It's a song in progress, one that is supposed to have a back and forth feeling between despair and hope. It's only now that Ivan has come up with something to base the "story" on. And motivation to complete it ASAP too. He looks over at Trucy to judge her reaction. He's... never done this before really, singing without musical accompaniment or without having planned to create music.

Should he continue? Is it helping? ]

[[ ooc: Subbed Japanese song and English cover that the rewrite is based on. ]]

[magic_to_do]

[Trucy was staring at the ceiling, mostly lost in her own thoughts, when he started to sing. She rolls herself back into an upright position, or as close as the beanbag will allow, and stares with wide eyes and slowly warming cheeks.

It's beautiful. A sort of strange mix of upbeat hope and wistful sadness that really speaks to her. Oh, wait. He's looking at her. He probably wants her to say something.]

Wow...


[That's all she's got right now. Fairly, the guy she has a crush on is serenading her. That's... taking up most of her brain right now.]

[sponsorigami]

[ He takes that to be a good sign. He hums the part he's already sung, trying to get back to the part he was at. He's making it up as he goes, mostly.

Trucy gets to see more of the real Ivan, the one behind his music image, the awkward teenager who trying to follow in the shadows of his more spotlight standing band members. ]

So let's just
Turn these troubles all around
Pick ourselves right off the ground
Every cheer and yell will be such a lovely sound
Let's go make a great big smile
Show them that it's all worth while
Stand with all the friends that we have found

So let's just
Hold our hands left and right
Within us we have a fight
Every cheer and yell will be such a lovely sound
No more acting like zeroes
Time to become our heroes
We shall turn this darkness into light

[magic_to_do]

[The more of that side of him she sees, the more smitten Trucy is. When he goes back over the part he already sang, she hums along with him. It's a pretty tune. And she's never been good at one the spot lyrics, so that's pretty darn impressive. Ivan might shine a little brighter than he thinks.]

That's beautiful. It's like the song is actually reaching down and pulling my spirits up.

[sponsorigami]

Th-Thanks...

[ He scratches his head, suddenly self conscious over his impromptu singing and maybe blushing a little now that he's thinking about it. How weird he must seem, but he's glad that the wild idea helped improve her mood. ]

That's all I got right now, but I'll try finishing it later.

[magic_to_do]

You should! I'd love to hear it when it's done.


[She certainly doesn't think he's weird. Really any eccentricity he has is positively charming. Of course she is viewing that through the rose colored lens of a crush, so results may vary.]

[sponsorigami]

You'll be the first to hear it. Well... after my band and Ms. Angel, of course.

[ It's hard for the band and the manager to not hear it before anyone else. They're kind of involved in the process. ]

[magic_to_do]

Great! So I'll be the...

[Quick count in her head...]

Sixth person to hear it. I can't wait!

[She's okay with that. But she does consider that a promise, so she'll hold him to it.]

[sponsorigami]

[ He gives a small groan and frowns. ]

It doesn't sound so good when it's put like that... How about... you'll be the first to hear my finished lyrics and shamisen accompaniment before my band and manager have a chance to change things?

Sorry, I had too many tabs open like an idiot. ^^;

[magic_to_do]

[Trucy makes a sound that is something like a tiny squeak.]

R-really? You'd do that for me?

[Golly she sure seems excited about this. There may be stars in her eyes.]

Trucy did magic to get more food at the party

[sponsorigami]

Yeah. We're... we're friends, aren't we?

[ While it might disappoint Trucy a little, Ivan sounds hesitant, bordering on afraid, when he asks her the question. He's worried that maybe... he's wrong, and they haven't become friends yet. It feels like a big step for someone so introverted. ]

She is an amazing magician.

[magic_to_do]

[No one can see the little hearts floating around her head suddenly start sinking, but they are. She got carried away, and now she feels silly. But Trucy does her best to keep the smile on her face.]

Friends, right! Of course we are. Totally friends!


[Add a slightly nervous laugh and her total social failure is complete. Awesome. How is it so much easier to be confident and composed in front of a crowd of screaming fans than the boy you like? Ugh.]

Ivan is such a loser ninja stop that

[sponsorigami]

[ At confirmation, Ivan brightens. He wasn't rejected friendship! ]

I-I'm glad. I wasn't sure if... um, well--

[ He laughs nervously too, for a different reason though. ]

--I don't really know how to... make friends...

[magic_to_do]

Making friends isn't that hard. When you want to make friends with someone just keep talking to them whenever you get the chance. Pretty soon you'll be friends.

[Or you'll annoy them. Still, she seems confident in her advice. ]

That's what I do.

[sponsorigami]

It sounds right... It's the talking part I have trouble with.

[ He seems to have forgotten that there are a few times when he has initiated talking with Trucy. Why is he being so hard on himself? ]

Would watching a movie in a warehouse also count as something to build friendships?

[magic_to_do]

[She giggles.]

Of course it would! And don't worry, talking to people is like anything else. You get better the more you do it.

[sponsorigami]

Would you like to move our beanbags closer to the movie?

[ Maybe they can get caught up in the movie and lose track of time, and then they could go home. ]

[magic_to_do]

Good idea! It's a little hard to see the movie from back here.

[Trucy gets up and starts dragging her bag closer to the screen. She'll make sure to slide her bag riiight next to his. Because.... it's easier to share popcorn that way. Yeah, that's it.]