interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 2

Who: Royals, Heroes, and Rebels.
What: Hit gameshow series “Fairy Trial” is celebrating one of its anniversaries, and it’s invited you onboard. Check out the OOC post for IC match ups!
When: March 21st.
Where: Sevetop Entertainment’s studio.
Warnings: Mingle log mystery bag.

“Every prince is a fantasy,
The witch is inside of me.
Her poison will wash away the memory.”

☆BETTER TO PRETEND

The day has finally come for Fairy Trial filming to begin!

No matter if they’ve arrived by limo or taken the bus, everyone involved gets star treatment as the makeup and costume departments go wild with the models they’ve been given. At least Sevetop has good accomodations. While it’s a chaotic and crowded scene, everyone still manages to fit in the two buildings Sevetop has dedicated for Fairy Trial’s purposes in this area. It’s one of the only points today that anyone will have a chance to everyone else. After all, once everyone involved in a particular challenge is done with, they’re hurried out the door and to their particular destination.

Every challenge has a different area it takes place in, after all. For some pair ups, they’ll find themselves merely being escorted to another set on Sevetop’s huge property. Others will find themselves being escorted to some very classy transportation and taken outside of Vista City to special obstacle courses that simply wouldn’t fit anywhere else. On the bright side, once the actual filming is done no matter the location, the crew involved seems to relax considerably. Whether they’ve done great or not, Heroes and Royals are treated to dinner and a change out of their costumes. Good job, everyone.

“We kill the lights and put on a show.
It's all a lie, but you'd never know.
The star will shine,
And then it will fall,
And you will forget it all.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Despite telling her that she doesn't need to be shy, it seems that he is the one with the social anxiety here. He puts a very pointed effort into trying to be nonchalant, shrugging his shoulders like it's nothing while still obviously looking kind of stressed.]

I have to finish up my make-up...but no reason I can't spend some time with a fan while I work.

[He doesn't really know what to do here.]

So...So uh. [His voice strains again.] I don't think I saw you um...during the auditions...

[It's okay- neither does she. Connie just follows stiffly after him, one hand fisted into the other. Everything feels so awkward, out of place, a puzzle piece that doesn't fit.]

Uh. [Her voice is way too high, and Connie clears her throat.] I was a little late. I did violin.

I... thought about doing a song a friend and I made once, but I didn't.

[He gets back to his mirror and starts dragging his makeup brush across a slab of makeup. Without realizing, instead of using said makeup on himself, he just keeps moving the brush in circles, stirring up a truly unnecessary quantity of powder into the bristles.]

Oh...

[He trails off.]

Why...why not?

[HE IS SO COOL. BE COOL, TIGER.]

I guess it's... personal. I mean, it's really silly, so it shouldn't be a big deal, but...

[She trails off, fingers fumbling with each other.]

...Would you want to hear it? I don't have my violin with me, so I'd just have to sing the words.

Oh. Uh...

[He looks totally overwhelmed by this idea, but as his face flushes he turns to the mirror and avidly starts messing with his make up as if trying to pretend he is half as interested as he actually is.]

Yeah, sure! Why not. Right? I like... music...

Okay. I... hope you like it.

[Connie swallows and straightens her back, trying to calm her nervous heart. This is fine. It's fine! She knows this song perfectly. They sang it together, and if things go well... Maybe he'll remember.]

♪ The sun is bright, our shirts are clean, we're sitting up above the sea.
Come on and share this jam with me ♪

[Steven freezes mid brush stroke, his heart beating with a sudden quickness. The tune sounds familiar, like something he wrote himself. His surprise shows on his face, and he stares into the mirror helplessly, a frown slowly forming on his face.]

[Is it working? Connie wants to think it is, that the surprise on his face is from the lyrics ringing against something familiar, but the only way to tell is to keep pushing. To keep singing.]

♪ Peach or plum or strawberry, any kind is fine, you see.
Come on and share this jam with me! ♪

[She takes a deep hopeful breath.]

♪ I'll do my best to give this jam the sweetness it deserves... ♪

[He doesn't sing loud enough to interrupt her, by far. But, when she starts into the next line, he'll be mumbling the words along with her, with the kind of precision that suggests he knows them from memory.]

♪ And I'll keep it fresh... I'm jamming on these tasty preserves... ♪

[He freezes there and looks at her, his face flushing deep pink.]

[She told herself she wasn't going to cry. It's not that the heroes in her books don't do it, they just do it dramatically and alone- like in a dark room with the moonlight pouring over them or a cliff facing the ocean. They don't cry in public.]

[But the tears prick at the corners of her eyes, even as she's smiling wide and relieved, heart trembling in her chest.]

♪ Ingredients in harmony, we mix together perfectly... ♪

[She tentatively holds her hand out.]

Would you share this jam with me?

Um...

[He reaches out, slowly and tentatively, his fingers not quite brushing against her before he pulls away as if scared of being bitten or burned.

He clasps his other hand around his fingers. He glances around nervously, like he's trying to pinpoint all the Pride agents in the room.]

Did I... did I see you somewhere?

[There's so much hope in her eyes, glimmering like stars, when he reaches forward. She's only just gotten here, but maybe, just maybe, it's enough, and she can figure out a way to get him out right after filming- a dozen ill thought out but desperate plans bubble through her mind.]

[So it hurts harder when he pulls away, and her expression falls, crashes.]

...It's me. Connie. The first time we met, it was on the beach, and I was reading a book... Do you remember?

[Uh oh. Steven goes tense, knowing that this has gotten serious. He entertains the idea that maybe she is a girl he met here, but he doubts it. He remembers her from before, even if he tried to fool himself into believing they just looked similar.

He doesn't know whether to encourage this or run away. He doesn't want to be mean.]

Did you...have a bracelet?

[It seems like such a vague thing to ask about, but it sticks out in his mind for some reason. It was pink.]

[So he does remember. Whatever's going on... He's just scared.]

I still do. I left it back home but.... I've kept it ever since you gave it back to me, when we were trapped in your bubble.

[He looks up at the mention of the bubble, and then blushes. His bubble. He remembers that - he can do that. It proves beyond a doubt what he's already thinking. Which just makes him feel more bad.]

I'm sorry. [It spills out abruptly.] I can't talk about this too much.

[He can’t talk about it? Worry takes over more and more of her face. What’s been happening? They’re best friends- they’ve talked about everything with each other, haven’t they?]

I- [The words trip in her mouth.] I’ll be here for you, Steven, I promise! You can tell anything to me, and… I’ll figure out a way to help you. I won’t leave Vista until I can.

☆TRACK IIX: BETTER TO PRETEND PT. 2

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