interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK XII: LOVE AND TRUST

Who: Everyone!
What: The tour hits Europa, and Edward Blanche plans a trap.
When: May 25th - June 17th, 2055
Where: Any of the potential tour stops, but mostly MOSCOW.
Warnings: Probably violence.

“Oh, will you break my fall
When I climb too high?
I always lose my nerve,
It happens every time.”

☆LOVE AND TRUST

After the disaster that was the beginning of the World Tour, things from there have proceeded innocently enough in comparison. Virgo ended up being able to pull its act into some semblance of order before the festival finished, and so the magic on their side was not entirely lost. Things are tense, however, for anybody who has an idea of the stuff going on upstairs. Whatever is going on, Pride is in the lead by a landslide, and the desperation is present in the managers and the execs alike.

Lesedi, however, couldn’t be happier. In fact, she is getting cockier by the day. Her plans with Lapis went wonderfully, and wherever the gem is now is irrelevant. Barring any major disasters, she is increasingly certain of her defeat of Virgo, and is encouraging her elite members of take potshots at them any chance they get. (This includes her beginner music mages.)

The beginning of the month is spent with both labels visiting a lot of very familiar locations across Americana - most of which are places they will have visited in the past. The routes are very similar to the ones the first bands took during their opening tours last summer.

As for the rescuers, now is the time to regroup. It’s not practical to follow the musicians to ever stop they make, but Shep has apparently enabled his spaceship with a cloaking device, and will be taking all the rescuers and free musicians to the major tour centers of each continental tour - the headline festivals, each lasting for days, and each carrying an important role in the ongoing ritual.

That’s what Silver thinks, at least. As some of the rescuers may now know, Gold has apparently gone solo.

☆EUROPA TOUR

As the Americana portion of the tour comes to a close around the 25th of May, both labels will be finishing up in Britain and heading on into the conglomerate of Europa. All of these cities are basically what they are like IRL except about 50 years more future-like, and you have full creative liberty to make up some developments to the local culture and worldbuild because this is the last time these places will ever be mentioned meaningfully!

THE OFFICIAL STOPS: Paris (May 30th - 31st), Berlin (June 1st - 2nd), Madrid (June 3rd - 6th), Istanbul (June 7th - 8th), Rome (June 9th - 10th), Vienna (June 11th - 12th)
THE HEADLINER: Moscow (June 12th - 17th)

The festival in Moscow is much like the festival in Vista City - a musical blowout to end all blow outs. The two labels festival grounds are practically blending together at this point, almost as if fighting for physical territory along with fighting for the attention of the crowds. The thick energy of magic follows the tour like a comet’s tail.

► RESCUER PROMPT: Instead of cutting through all of the earlier stops, Shep loads all the rescuers up into the now-cloaked spaceship and will bring them to Moscow, the last step in the Europa tour path and the place they’ll be stopping the longest. Silver has been saying that the lot of them should start working on freeing captives at all costs, especially now that the labels are on the road and increasingly disorganized. Shep has gotten together a bunch of new material for disguises as well as more holo projectors - a lot of them have been spotted at this point, but if they can get close to the musicians and catch the labels off guard it could be their best hope of bunging up the rituals for both of them.

Meanwhile, Gold is obviously absent from the team, and some may have seen their former leader essentially announce their intent to leave during their fight with Lapis. Silver and Shep seem to have been avoiding talking about it, but occasionally it will be referenced in public places and the conversation will turn rapidly tense.

► MUSICIAN PROMPT: Everything is more or less business as normal, except for the pressure of the tour seems to be causing all the authority figures to lose their minds, especially in Virgo. Beyond that, though, it’s all deceptively the same. Both labels stop in the various cities and put on their best show, only stopping briefly to enjoy the local culture. Everyone is under very careful watch, however, no matter where they are. No one leaves the performance areas without an escort - it’s clear that both labels are desperate to hang on to musicians at this point. The gravity of the situation is increasingly obvious.

Both labels have been booked into the same hotel this time, which is essentially a castle in Moscow. It’s every bit as lavish as you would expect, and it’s easy to get distracted from the stress with the luxuries that are offered at every turn. The consistent sense of desperation that Virgo has running through it at the moment is totally absent in Pride - Lesedi seems like she’s in an absolutely fantastic mood.

► FESTIVAL PROMPT: The festivals crowds are bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. Rescuers will easily be lost in a crowd, and musicians will be followed by a detour of body guards that honestly feel needed for reasons besides imprisonment. The stages are colourful and elaborate in set up. The musical event goes on for three full days, and most of everyone’s time will be spent backstage or in their hotels. Rescuers will have to do their best to keep up.

☆BLANCHE MAKES A MOVE

In the wake of Virgo falling behind, Edward Blanche has come up with a magical scheme of his own. Using the soul crystal of pure love from Greg Universe and pure duty from Meril, he has been devising a ritual - and with any luck, it take out two birds with one stone.

Greg and Meril, having mostly lost their real personalities after having parts of their souls torn out and crystalized, will be set up in a central location in the hotel, after the performances on the last night in Moscow. They’ll be set up to play music, and while that music is playing it will be reaching out to all of the rescuers, whether they can hear it or not. This music is going to trigger the love and duty within their own souls, and direct it to a particular cause - a sudden and desperate need to save their friends, family, or other sympathetic souls from the labels. And the need to do it tonight. This will hit them particularly hard if they are naturally of a love or duty alignment, but it will have an effect regardless. How much it gets them exactly is up to you.

Virgo’s musicians will be protected very heavily during the ritual, as Blanche is expecting the attack. His hope is to lure rescuers in and kill or capture them, having the advantage of foresight. He’s also hoping that the rescuers will go after the less protected musicians of Pride and steal them away from Lesedi, who isn’t aware that this is happening. If things go well for Blanche, both the rescuers and Pride will take a major hit, all in one go. Why not let your enemies destroy each other?

Player participation in this can go two ways: one is that your character can simply go after any of the musicians you choose, and you can work out between the players and the mod how well it goes. Alternatively, you can have your character go to the heart of the matter and try to take on Greg and Meril. The tricky part? Blanche is going to be overseeing the ritual as well. However, without the focuses of Greg and Meril’s soul crystals, the ritual will fail. Also, there will absolutely be a few opportunistic ghosts looking for the opportunity to give everyone a hand.

Communication with the mod is key for this event! Please run by plans to have any musicians successfully escape by me before going through with it, and also do let me know if you’d like the ghosts to help out! This can absolutely be combined with other player plots, such as the Pride break out initiative that’s been floating around.

The night of the ritual is June 17th, so take some time to plan things out, and then get threading. Let me know if you need help setting any scenes!

“Oh will you bring me home
When I'm barely alive?
It's the state of love and trust,
And this is for you,
And this is for us.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That’d make it easy to figure out, wouldn’t it? [Luce shakes her head in amusement.] I don’t hate them, particularly. There may have been some around my home in the Italy where I’m really from, but that’s just guesswork.

That's likely, they are a common species throughout the world.

[A pause.]

Do you...remember much from home yet?

Oh, a variety of things. I remember the Family I inherited, the allies we made… Some things are fuzzy than others.

[A pause.]

Does it bother you, that I lead that kind of life?

No. Why should it? You're still family to me.

[Rei shrugs and leans against the taller woman.]

Does it bother you that I'm some sort of demigod?

[She laughs and strokes Rei’s hair.]

I think being a demigod is usually more acceptable than a mafia donna. But no, it doesn’t.

Well, you should know I have memories now, of setting people on fire and killing. I'm the god of war, or...something. So, I don't know if it is. Who says nice things about Ares, after all?

[She laughs right back.]

And it fits. You're familial, and I can't imagine you hurt people because it's fun.

There are worse things to do than that, but… That’s a rather morbid twist to this conversation. Let’s focus on the more pleasant things.

[And she has just the thing in mind.]

When we finally rescue everyone and destroy these companies… I’d love to bring you all to the Italy I know. You could all stay in my home- there’s more than enough room.

[Rei knows all that all too well but she's more than happy to move the talk to something less sad. Ish.]

I'd love to see Italy. [She says in Italian.] And I'd love to visit you for a time. I think that when we're done, there's going to be a link between worlds that wasn't there before, you know.

Oh, you think so? That’d certainly be interesting… Although I can’t imagine what the expenses might be.

[She’ll be fine, mafia donna and all, but not everyone has illegally acquired wealth.]

[Rei shakes her head, laughing at the thought.]

You don't understand. Money isn't going to be an issue. I've started to remember some things from home too, things that we...my...Queen and our court are capable of. Walking between realities is something we can do. And even if it wasn't, I'm sure we'll have the chance to examine how Blanche and Lesedi managed it when we dismantle their work along with them.

Oh! Well, that definitely makes things easier.

[She laughs into her hand.]

It’s amazing the wide array of people that have gotten mixed up into all of this, isn’t it? From personality, to background, to powers…. It’s not really a chance most others would have gotten, is it? Excluding you, it seems.

Just a bit, yes.

[Rei's eyes crinkle up as she smiles.]

And I don't know if I'm all that special. Super-powered mafia, superheroes, and...police-box riding aliens are just as interesting I think.

[Her lips thin.]

But I do know that Blanche has made a terrible mistake, involving us.

He made a mistake not accepting my date invitation is what he did.

[Oh right did she ever tell her family that happened? Well if Rei didn't, now she does.]

[She did, and that makes Rei snort.]

Hell hath no fury...

Oh well. Not everyone can have taste, unfortunately. Although speaking about taste and dates....

[She glances over to Rei slyly.]

...What about them?

[Mother, what are you planning?]

Oh, don’t give me such a suspicious look! I’m just saying, your friends are all very pretty, and came in to rescue you like the perfect knights in shining armor…

[The day Luce stops teasing it will be a cold day in hell.]

And you know full well I'm seeing one of them. Why are you teasing...?

[WHY THIS?!]

[You know why, Rei.]

Oh, you’re no fun. I’m just saying, you should find some time for yourselves. Goodness knows we have enough of it while we’re traveling this much.

Oh, well, she and I...

[Rei trails off a little, not wanting to give Luce more ammo.]

We've been doing that. It's helped with my memories.

Just memories, then?

[She knows all, daughter. Or, well, can make guesses ranging from on-point to wildly-off-the-mark but hey.]

Well, she's helped me relax.

[...why this.]

Relax, huh? Well, I’m sure she’s very relaxing.

[Luce giggles behind one hand.]

Either way, enjoy yourselves. Time with those we love is a precious commodity.

☆TRACK XII: LOVE AND TRUST

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