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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[ The distrust is apparent, and it hurts him just as badly. Yet, he knew perfectly well that it was coming, and in all truth, he deserves it. Much as he wishes things weren't this way, it won't change how they are. He takes a deep breath. ]

He left by himself. I'm not going to force him to do anything he doesn't want.

[ Too many people have done that to him already. Greg clenches a fist, for just a moment. ]

But I'm not going to sit back if Santiago thinks she can hurt him again.

[Maybe for the better, Luce thinks. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, and maybe it'll look better for him- but that's for another time. For now, however, she just nods.]

Fair enough. But Greg...

[This isn't going to lead to a pleasant conversation.]

Why did you think he'd be safer under Blanche's thumb than Santiago's?

[ That question hangs in the air a moment. Why did he...? At some point he'd said Blanche was just as bad. At what point did his mind change...?

His head throbs before he can think too deeply on it. He's not going to argue for Santiago being any better, is the point. ]

Blanche didn't crack his gem. And Blanche let me take care of him. [ Yeah... yeah, that's enough, right? Right... ] He's not a good man, but that's more than she's ever done.

The only reason he did that was to have something over your head.

[It should be an obvious fact, yet Luce is worried. She knows what Blanche and Juno can do. How they can twist minds around.]

How do you know he wouldn't have done that to him eventually?

[ Oh, Greg knows that plenty well. ]

He knows I'd never do anything for him if he hurt him.

Did he say that to you? Do you have it in writing?

[ He rubs at his face, and remembers what Steven said. He doesn't know what to believe. ]

It doesn't matter at this point. Steven ran back to the people that hurt him. Blanche can't be bothered to get at him again.

[The way her lips thin is a show of anything of how frustrated Luce is, but she doesn't yell or even raise her voice. Everything, after all, is tempered by concern and worry.]

It does matter. Greg... It feels like you trust too easily, sometimes. And we can't trust someone like Blanche.

He was holding Tiger's presence there over your head for a reason, and do you think just because Tiger's back at Pride that you're in the clear?

[ He doesn't trust Blanche, not really. But the man is his boss. Greg's job simply includes more duties now. ]

Luce, what do you think happens to the people who've gotten fired?

They're killed.

[A blunt, matter of fact answer. There's no emotion behind it. Luce keeps them trapped up deep inside.]

And then their spirits are captured, hurt and far from home...

[It's her best guess, with what she knows right now.]

[ Of course. She's sharp, done more investigating than him. She'd know. ]

They've got us in some sort of categories. They need souls from each group at their disposal. To power something, I think. People who are too much trouble are used for that.

You're top of their list, Luce.

[With the stunt she organized and pulled off? Luce thinks she'd be surprised if she wasn't. She could make a quip here about it, but....]

Greg, how do you know this?

[He heaves a breath through his nose. ]

I thought I could pull off a stunt like you guys did on my own. Managed to get my hands on some info, and... impressed Blanche with it.

[Greg pulls at his hair. He still can't fathom how he ever thought that plan--if it could have been called that--would have turned out any different. ]

My magic's the only reason I didn't get tortured, or... Converted, that's what they call it.

[So that's what he did. Luce lets out a breath.]

Just poking your nose around things and not breaking anything... That probably helped your case as well.

Nothing good can come out of this. There's no way it'll end well.

I broke a couple things.

[ It's an attempt at humor, though he can't quite muster the energy. Greg shakes his head. ]

I know. Trust me, I know. But I'm stuck now, and I might as well try and use it as best I can.

To do what? He's going to have a closer eye on you than anyone, now, because of what he knows you can do.

[And who knows what he might force Greg to do... Luce doesn't like thinking about it.]

I've got some bargaining power. I know I don't exactly rank on Blanche's scale of importance, but I can take a little of the heat off of friends who've gotten on his bad side.

[ He seems to have made an awful lot of friends who qualify. ]

[For a moment, she's silent, processing everything and trying to decide what to do. Finally, another sigh.]

Were you going to do this on your own?

[ Greg rubs at his face, before slowly shaking his head. ]

I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. But I got myself into this, and I don't want anyone else getting dragged down with me.

Well, everyone is already dragged into this mess to start with, so I may as well stay along with you for the ride.

[It's said so simply, like this isn't a dangerous scenario full of blackmail and manipulation.]

Luce...

[ The warning never makes it out of his mouth. He's told her she's in danger. She's experienced their torture firsthand. Still, she's determined; if she wasn't convinced by his words now, surely nothing else he has to say will deter her. It's what he admires so much about her, and what makes him so afraid. ]

You don't get scared of anything, do you?

Now who told you that, Greg?

[She wants to roll the Mare Ring between her fingers, find comfort in the warmth it reflects back to her, but that's something too precious to show to just anyone. Luce makes do with clasping her hands together, rubbing at her own knuckles.]

I'm scared of plenty. I just also happen to be terribly stubborn. Besides... What sort of friend would I be if I left you on your own like this?

[ Greg's smile is brittle, as though he's about ready to shatter. That's right. Luce isn't foolish; anyone would be afraid. She's just brave enough to keep moving on anyway.

What sort of friend... he thinks of Sans.]

A smart one... maybe. [ He takes a deep breath. It's nice... nice to know he's not chased away everyone with this. Not yet. ] Thanks, Luce.

You should probably get back. There's a lot to prepare for before the show starts.

Well, I've been told I've been lacking a little in the common sense department.

[Or, rather, tortured, but... It's fueling her, she thinks. Just not enough. Shaking her head, she walks closer to him and leans down with her arms enveloping his shoulders. When she presses her lips into his hair, there's the faint heat of her power into the gesture, a soft warm flame of it'll be alright.]

[Then she pulls back and smiles down to him.]

I'm going to talk to a lady about a birthday party, which you're invited to, so don't get in any trouble until then, alright?

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☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 1

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