008 ✽ It's betta down where it's wetter

[giglio_madonna]

Who: Flowers Over Bones and those in attendance
What: One last solo band performance before the big tour, at the world's largest aquarium. Of course, being a giant aquarium, there's plenty of other things to do too.
When: Backdated to early April
Where: The Vista City Aquarium
Warnings: None planned, but note- this is set before Flowers Over Bones (Luce, Doctor, Rei, Ivan, Pao-Lin) escape out of Virgo's grip. If you want to talk with any of them one last time, now is the chance to do so. Also doubles as a mingle log!


As befitting such an enormous and thriving city, Vista houses the largest aquarium on the entire Americana west coast. Vista City Aquarium takes up the entirety of a multi-floor building, sprawling over a sizeable bit of land in the crowded city and providing nothing but top of the line care for its many aquatic and amphibious inhabitants. Needless to say, the gift shop is an entire floor all its own.

Such a place is obviously a popular place in the city for those interested in aquatic life, but today is special. The Annual Charity Run is taking place to usher in spring, just like every other year, and, to help this goal, they've enlisted the help of Virgo's own Flowers Over Bones. On one of the only levels not for the housing of aquatic life, a stage area has been set up for the band. All proceeds to see them, of course, go straight to the Aquarium.

That isn't to say people are obligated to go to the concert. It's an optional event of the day. There's still an entire building full of water and creatures to explore, an endeavor which can take up an entire day if one is so willing. Notable attractions include:

- A glass tunnel that goes through an entire tank of Caribbean sea life
- A room filled with screens livestreaming the events of oceanic researchers watching over the dolphins and whales the aquarium doesn't house
- A shallow tank where you can pet more docile small sharks and rays
- An area where you can play chess electronically with one out of a pair of octopi, Celia or Pat. Human winners are rewarded a voucher for food down in the food court. Celia and Pat get pieces of crab. Celia and Pat also have a high win rate.
- The food court and gift shop floor, where you can buy refreshments for the day or whatever gift shop knicknacks your heart desires. Not only are there the typical things such as clothing emblazoned with the aquarium's logo, keychains, and lovely coral or shark teeth jewelry.... But there are also plushies larger than most people. There's seemingly one for just about every kind of animal. Yes, even the blobfish.

Comments

[bass_instincts]

Shin smiles, "Yeah. You can't just build these kinds of colours, either, though this city tries."

[riveres]

"The city tries too hard and it's people." Nearly all of them look like extra's in a dystopic science fiction novel.

[bass_instincts]

Well, they are suitably dressed, considering.

"It's true," he concedes, "but these fish, they're just happy to be fish."

[riveres]

"Beautiful, simple, and lively fish, created that way by a master artist. I'm truly envious." He waxes.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Severin Dufour. I'm a dancer at your label." Also a spy for the rescuers.

[bass_instincts]

"You looked familiar," he admits. His band doesn't use dancers, so they probably have only passed each other in the halls or cafeterias.

He offers a hand, "Shin. But I guess you knew that." At least he doesn't come off as a stuck-up diva.

[riveres]

He gladly shakes his hand. "I do, you're of Nuclear Parliament. Pleased to meet you." Oscar appreciates that.

[bass_instincts]

"Nice to meet you too." He puts his hands in his pockets as he looks back up to the fish. He looks back to him, "Dancers deserve more credit too. You must do as much work as the artists, maybe more."

[riveres]

"Are you trying to get something out me?" He's far too nice.

[bass_instincts]

Shin laughs, "No. I'm honestly just giving a complement here. I don't know you well enough to want something from you specifically."

[riveres]

"...Good, I guess. How's being a well-known musician been so far?" Oscar asks. Yes, he is going to try to sow seeds of doubt with this one too.

[bass_instincts]

"I've got complaints, but not ones I didn't expect," he smiles. "Namely, not enough live shows for my taste." Dazai already got to him, but more people wouldn't hurt either.

[riveres]

"Is that all you think you're missing, Shin?" He questions.

[bass_instincts]

It still catches him off guard to hear that kind of thing questioned. He gets the feeling he knows this is going into the same weird territory that Dazai had dragged him down. "What do you mean?"

This is making him start to feel a horrible sense of dread all over again.

[riveres]

Oscar doesn't care how Shin feels, as long as he questions being in this label. (He's not all the good with people, he admit.)

"Are you merely satisfied playing and being a rock-star or do you feel an emptiness inside? Like there's something missing."

[bass_instincts]

Shin smiles, "I think you're barking up the wrong tree. It's not the rock-star part that feels wrong."

[riveres]

"Everything else doesn't feel right doesn't it?" Nope, you aren't distracting him with that bullshit.

[bass_instincts]

"That's it. The only time anything feels right is when I'm playing music. Even when it's the bass guitar for myself in the penthouse." He sighs and looks up to the fish, but then checks to make sure no Virgo body guards or escorts are around.

"Even trying to think about the missing pieces is hard. It makes me ill."

[riveres]

"You should try anyway. You want to know why you play the music right?" Oscar should talk, with his 'work and blatantly ignore everything that is wrong in your life' philosophy but hey, he's not the one being brainwashed by music wizards.

[bass_instincts]

"I would. I feel compelled to do even the most exhausting things. I'm not actually a hard worker," he admits. He's pretty lazy and impatient, and isn't prone to doing more than the minimum.