interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK III: THE STREETS ARE EMPTY

Who: Drafted Virgo Members
What: Juno makes everyone do a seance.
When: October 21st-22nd.
Where: The basement of the Virgo residential tower.
Warnings: Ghosts, apparently.

“You can't shake the feeling.
Be quiet not one sound.
But the wind seems to speak,
Something's here in the room with me.”

☆THE STREETS ARE EMPTY

Juno arrives without notice. In fact, you can’t even really remember seeing her approach. One moment you’re doing your business, and the next she is telling you that you have to come down to the basement with her, in order to complete a “task” you’ve been assigned. This sort of thing would seem preposterous to a normal person, but even if you don’t realize it, you aren’t one. As Mr Blanche’s personal assistant and sometimes second in command, her word seems to carry almost as much weight as his does.

You don’t really have any choice but to agree.

“Bring whatever instrument you know best,” she says. “You’ll need it.”

She snaps up every one of you that she sees in her initial sweep, and soon she has a whole pack of Virgo newbies following her down to the lowest floors of the residential tower. It feels weird, but it’s like you can’t quite articulate why. No one else seems to be able to either.

Most of the lights are turned off on those lower floors, but it’s easy to tell it’s a place you’ve never been before. It’s strangely...hospital like, down there, in both aesthetic and a sense of sterility. Maybe some kind of laboratory setting? Which seems like a super weird thing to be in the basement of an apartment building, but this is yet another thing you can’t quite bring yourself to ask about. Juno leave most of the lights off, except for a few central features. The ambience is dim and cold.

She tells you not to stray, and you don’t. The thought of going against her becomes somehow repulsive, like you don’t even want to think about it too long. You try not to think about your surrounding too hard, either.

She lines you all up, and then after some strangely intense eyeballing, she starts breaking you up into some incredibly lopsided groups that seem to have nothing to do with your actual bands. In the end, she looks disappointed with resulting teams, but carries on regardless. Each “group” is given some complexly timed sheet music and a funny looking mobile speaker.

She says that you have a half hour to compose a group piece to play alongside the sheet music , and that it needs to be good. Then, she wanders off to start pacing the basement in a strangely arcane series of movements, and leaves you all to it. Only among your peers do you start feeling like you can voice any of your previously stowed concerns, but make sure Juno doesn’t overhear you – occasionally she’ll come by to bluntly critique anyone who is performing inadequately.

You feel lucky that she doesn’t have a whip with her, because you’re almost certain that she’d use it without much remorse.

☆THE SEANCE

The performance is about as awkward as you’d expect, given the set up. The four groups are set up so that they’re facing each other, as if standing at the corner of a square. Each speaker is set up in the center of its group, and the precisely timed electronic beat that plays from them is what you’re supposed to perform along to.

Odds are that you do your level best, but, outside of your control...something goes wrong.

“Have you ever felt...
Something evil,
Lurking around?
The moon is full,
The streets are empty.
Shadows cover the town.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"This is...kind of creepy. Have you shown any of the others? I'm sure Doctor would have an idea about what to make of it..."

She leans back against Luce, swaying just a bit awkwardly.

"This is all just too weird."

"Not yet." Luce's arms come up to steady Rei, and she starts to guide her away. There should still be chairs in the area they were brought to, shouldn't there? Maybe they all need a moment.

"I couldn't really dedicate myself to anything for long. It's only now that I thought to show someone... For right now, let's sit down. We need to get ourselves together."

Rei relaxes into Luce's touch, and she allows herself to be led, trying hard not to let the wobble in her knees get to her. She definitely needs a moment, probably more than one.

"We really do. Like...I've felt so hazy all night. Just not myself. Like I couldn't focus. You too?"

"Me too," Luce promises. The chairs are starting to come into view, so that's one good thing.

"Whatever we were made to play... Do you think that had something to do with all of this?"

"You know?"

Rei taps her chin thoughtfully. That would make sense in a way...

"Yes, I think so."

"I wonder how." Luce is no brilliant scientist- and the man in the labcoat comes to her mind again- but she'd never thought music could do that. As they reach the chairs, she helps Rei to sit down.

"Do you think it's some sort of new entertainment technology, or something?"

"Maybe? But why use us as guineapigs?"

That didn't add up...

Luce an only answer with a huff. That's what she's been wondering.

"Meril thinks we're being set up to fail. That the label wants leverage on us." She doesn't really think it's that bad... Virgo already has their contracts, what else do they want?

"That makes no sense given the time and money invested in our bands." Meril was prone to exaggeration.

"That's what I said... I can't think of any band here that hasn't been some amount of successful." She starts to stretch her fingers out, trying to think.

"Let's try to see what we all share in common. We're all new bands, aren't we?"

"Yes. We are. Which generally points to the idea of hazing?" That felt like it clicked.

"Maybe this is a prank?"

"I thought similar before." Luce sighs.

"I hadn't taken Virgo for that kind of thing... I wonder how on earth they could do this kind of thing?"

"Magic?" Rei's answer was totally serious.

...Well, that's one way to give her pause.

"Ah, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing, Rei." Luce isn't judging, although she is a little surprised.

"I grew up in a shrine." Rei brushed off the surprise with a smile. "A lot of things are possible in this world, things we don't talk about."

"Of course, that's right..." She's so used to the kind of religion her parents had shoved onto her, it's far too easy to fall back into it sometimes even without thinking. 'Magic' isn't really a thing in comparison to 'miracles', and anything other, well...

"What sort of magic would explain this?"

"I have no idea. But you know? I'm thinking I might look into it. I met a few people at a new age shop downtown that invited me to their circle. I think it could be interesting." There's a pause there, and Rei frowns. "I'm not sure it's anything good, though, if that's what it is.

Sorry, if it sounds crazy."

"Oh, not at all!" That's Luce for you- she just beams happily, encouraging all the way.

"There are stranger things in the world, aren't there? Goodness knows there are people who believe in wilder things. But... If you do find anything out, I'd love to know." Her gaze drifts away again, and Luce rubs at the area over her heart.

"If you can find anything about that song... You heard it too, right?"

"I did, mother."

Rei steps closer, reaching out for Luce and taking her around the shoulders. Leaning against the older woman she nods.

"And I'll...see if there's anything in occult books about it I guess. It didn't sound like anything magical, but then, neither did my castle."

There's something so reassuring about wrapping her arm around Rei right back, lightly curling her fingers through her hair. In no way can Luce imagine regretting her choice to pursue music. At the same time... It's so special to have these teenagers in her life. It makes her wonder what it would be like to raise a child right from the start.

"It was a beautiful castle," she murmurs. "I've never seen anything like it before. Similar, maybe, but... not exactly like it."

"And it was a beautiful song..."

That was all Rei really could think to say to that. She was more than happy to just be held and to hold, and not talk anymore. There'd been enough upsetting things today. Why add more to it, why not just...enjoy what they could. Whatever happened. Whatever weirdness was going on? Rei knew she could at least count on Luce, Ivan, Pao-Lin, and Doctor at the end of the day. And that was a damn sight better than she'd had before coming to Virgo.

At least now she had a family worth a damn.

☆TRACK III: THE STREETS ARE EMPTY

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject