a winter labyrinth

[townmusician]

断ち切るしかないんだろ
注いだ冬は心のラビリンス
後戻りなんて出来ないから
やりきるしかないんだろ
黒い気持ちと手を繋いだって構わない
抱きしめたっていいh

I have to break free
This pouring winter is my heart's labyrinth
I can't go back anymore, so
I have to finish this
I don't care if you took my hand with dark motives
I want you to hold me close

Comments

STAGE THREE

[townmusician]

[Group 2 has been given time to lick their wounds, but the end of the labyrinth is in sight for them. Once they exit, they'll find themselves backstage... with shadows on high-alert. Some will approach them, and lead them to the green room where Group 1 is napping. Seems they don't appreciate people being menaces and fucking around with the equipment.

The green room is plain, but everyone has a moment to relax before another shadow appears, this one with a headset and clipboard.]

You're up next—be ready to get on stage in five.

[So, this is it. Your debut as idols is here...!]

[prozaic]

[Shalem blinks awake when the rest of their motley crew arrives, and he begins his preparations, because he can tell what's coming, and what they may have to do though he'd never foresee that he'd have to work with others for this.

He removes his shoes and socks, staring at the blisters forming on them and wiping them away with a Dia, before wrapping up his feet, especially toes, with tape for extra cushioning later. He doesn't like that flooring.

And when he's done with that and has dressed again, he begins stretches-- dancer's stretches, bending over to touch his toes, spreading his legs wide, really pushing his flexibility to the limit. He's not sure if he has to sing, but at the very least he can dance.]

It's best if you all warm up, as well. Given the theme of this place, we're clearly meant to be performing. [Then he points at the dancer's tape he took a portion out of.] Wrap your feet in that, it will help you handle whatever rigorous routine they expect out of you, and minimize blisters.

[He's very professional right now! Because he is. He's a professional stage performer, even if pop and rock are not his style.]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Sunrise had frozen up when they were told they were supposed to perform onstage because...well, that is simply something she's never done. She handled what happened backstage, and occasionally what happened in the background. She was perfectly happy to do it too; she doesn't have to be a genius to know she's too much of a dead fish to perform.

But they're going to have to it, so after a while she takes Salem's advice and takes off her boots to put on the tape. ]

[strawsandals]

Alright... I've never done this before, but it can't be that bad.

[ And he will actually perform decently! He's going to stretch like Shalem is and follow all that advice. Let's go team let's go!! ]

[unweathered]

Hmmm? So performers need to go this far on every level?

[Schneider is very flexible but she seems at ease with some of this]

[prozaic]

Yes, we do. I know Haruka's circumstances and they're slightly different, but the intensity is similar and the consequences are the same.

You have one chance to make it right and make an impression. Or you drop into obscurity in an instant. [Or fucking die.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ ...his worst fears really did come true. Wow. He's killing Haruka. It's official. ]

What? Fuck that? I ain't performing anything for this bozo. Let's just find him and kick the shit out of him already.

[prozaic]

Then I suppose you'll stay here. I don't make the rules, he does.

[unweathered]

[look as long as she's not singing any church hymns it's fine. She'll go up there in her oversized coat because she can pull it off. Performing? She'll be fine (17)]

[townmusician]

[The only church hymns are in the past, thankfully!

The shadow from before pops its head back in.]

Alright, you're up.

[Any last words?]

[unweathered]

No break a leg?

[Not much to say but she'll be using all the Femme Fatale Vibes she has...this is also so stupid she can't even bring herself to feel exasperated.]

THE PERFORMANCE 🧍

[townmusician]

[Five minutes passes slowly, in the palace—it might not even be an actual five minutes, but who knows how much time is passing outside of the Nekyia right now.

The shadow comes back, though, and it will guide everyone to the stage. There's a lot fewer shadows milling around backstage, now, but there are a handful here and there, seemingly keeping the show up and running. There's a rumbling in the distance, and stepping on to stage everyone is met with loud cheers.

There's hundreds of shadows in the audience, waving pen lights, an indistinct mass of fans, here to watch a once-in-a-lifetime performance. The stage is basked in lights, and the warmth will at least be appreciated by the coldblooded amongst the group.

An unseen voice echoes across the venue.]

Well, here they are! Braphine's chosen, or at least a few of them. Are you looking forward to the show?

[The voice sounds like Haruka but nothing like him, at the same time.]

If they manage to impress me, they'll get to come face to face with ŹOOĻ, and then we can see what's better—conflict or connection? Me or them? Heh!

[The audience whoops and cheers, and music begins to play over the speakers as Haruka's voice fades away. He's watching, though.]

[prozaic]

[(19)

Conflict or connection? What if he were to utilize his connection with Haruka, instead? He knows he was watching earlier. He just has to change his performance to be more acceptable to this crowd, this sort of environment, than the deep red curtains and velvet seats that he's most comfortable with.

He already has an idea of what he can do, a recreation of one of the performances from the annual concert that Rhodes Island puts on to market the fashion designers that it likes to partner with. It's a big loud for his tastes, Shalem is too classically trained to be comfortable with screaming into a microphone, but he has to try. Especially since he knows Haruka likes his music on the louder, noisier side.

When he steps up, Shalem introduces himself as Abyss, and not the name many know him by. He has the pure black jacket he came in, and not the one he pilfered from the bag check. And then he begins.

Shalem starts out low, almost a whisper, demanding that people actually listen to him over the music that sounds quite alt. rock. But he doesn't keep them in suspense for too long, because his next line is louder, and the next one louder, he's building up to a shout as he sings. He's practically bellowing into the microphone for the chorus, but not in his usual deep-voiced way when he sings the opera, he's really working hard to sing like the vocalist of a contemporary band.

Then in the second verse he rips his jacket off and tosses it into the crowd. Is it gone forever? Is it ruined? Who knows? He did it for the performance, for the spectacle. He's not Shalem or Abyss, he is a role, an angry young man yelling at the world that treats him unfairly, while proclaiming his constant companion is the only one for him. He jumps across the stage, he screams, he points at the shadowy audience, he gestures wildly and yanks off his hair tie to let his hair fly freely.

But there is a line he repeats over and over in the lyrics, screaming into the mic: Forever young and free! And that is full of genuine emotion, moreso than the rest of the song. It resonates with him in a way, but it was written to fit a different Operator, it's just this one line that fits him the best.

By the end, he's panting, but the intensity in his expression doesn't change until the music ends completely-- how did they even know to pull the right melody... Nevermind. He gives the audience a deep bow and then slinks backstage, resisting the urge to rub his neck.

Ow, his throat... He wants some tea... His "how fucked up is his voice after this" roll came back 16 lol. lmao even]

[townmusician]

[...

There's no response, at least not immediately, but when Shalem returns to backstage there's a thermos filled with warm tea and some lozenges.

And a note.]

You don't do anything with half-measures, do you?

[Hm.]

[strawsandals]

[ (13 over here!)

Yoon is not a naturally gifted boy when it comes to performing arts, but he is a good actor and incredibly skilled at memorizing things. It's why he remembers the lyrics to a random song he heard in a cafe one day that was kind of nice.

He's not a dancer, and actually, he's realizing he doesn't have to be because this is a slow enough song. His expressions are pretty good and encapsulate the mood. He has no idea what the hell he's doing but he's giving it his best anyway and it seems to be going over decently well? Part of this is also probably because of his innocent ("innocent") charm that makes people think he's just a cute kid doing his best. He'll take it even at the expense of his pride, honestly.

After he's done, he gives a little wave and goes off stage. ... And then he promptly puts his face in his hands and screams a little. Bro... ]

[prozaic]

[He found Yoon...! And gives him a pat on the shoulder. You did good for your first time, kid.]

[unweathered]

[Oh. Oh no that's so cute. Schneider cheerfully claps for him when he's done]

Good work.

[townmusician]

[Yoon might be embarrassed, but out of the corner he can catch sight of something out of place—some carefully wrapped onigiri.]

thank u tom cardi i owe u my life

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli... is going to combat stage fright with the only thing he has in excess: rage. After digging around the green room to no avail, he pointed at the shadow sending them on stage and demanded a guitar. Well, he got it and since avrae decided he does have some level of skill after all what the fuck and did his best to tune it before marching out on stage.

There won't be so much dancing as there will be music and singing, but he'll drag a mic along with him so that he can hold it up and shout straight into it, putting all his anger on display for the audience of shadows but mostly for Haruka. ]

My name is Elijah Walsh, and if you don't like my song, Haruka, you can eat my big, fat, werewolf dick!

[ This is a lie since McGillis made their weird polycule verbally sign an imaginary relationship contract, and Haruka was not included in that. Anyway. Obviously, Eli will never be idol material with is foul mouth. He's far better suited for a rude-ass grunge band if anything at all, although the song he's made up on the fly is... absolutely ridiculous... and yet?

Still a goddamn good time, that's what it is.

So, he strums the first few notes and launches into a stirring (17 lmao) rendition of this. ]

[unweathered]

[ (17) Schneider is by no means a particularly talented singer. But she is a very good performer and knows how to use her strengths to her advantage. the song she chooses suits her voice quite well, focusing on something more low and sultry than something too upbeat that required too much energy to work with.

She knows how to flaunt herself shamelessly to an audience at least. The oversized fur coat certainly helps with the vision.]

[idealitas]

[ First of the stooges who rolled ass, let's gooo

He was put off by the idea he wouldn't try, so he does his best to sing, even if he's too awkward to keep dancing consistently. Alas, he can't match the energy of the others in captivating the audience (or Haruka) for the kind of competition this is, losing his voice halfway from the nerves (5). This is either the Iori Curse (stage fright) or the Momo Curse (no voice).

...Until this is done with, he'd like to be left alone backstage. ]

1/2

[cleansewithfire]

[ This is probably the first time in Sunrise's short life that she's experienced stage fright, so perhaps it's a good thing that she's unexpressive enough that it isn't immediately obvious. The other saving grace is that while she's done only backstage work, the troupe she works for does mostly musical performances, so she at least sort of knows some songs.

Her choice is song is slow ballad (and somewhere, Echo would probably both flattered and kind of concerned), and...even more surprisingly, her singing isn't bad? (13) Certainly more emotional than you'd expect given how she speaks normally. She's not even going to try to dance since she knows she can't, but her looks and the song seem to be winning her some appeal points. ]

[metagame]

[Atem is many things, but being idol is not one of them. And he's actually not that great with public speaking or being in the spotlight despite being a king and required to do it daily. He needs to rehearse more than the scant time provided. As it stands, it took him days to rehearse what he did for the flea market!

What... what does he even sing... he doesn't know any idol music... His memories as Yugi are failing him, too. He can remember the beat of some songs, none of the lyrics. And Yugi's taste in music is weird!! What the hell is Gothic rock, partner? WHAT IS IT

... he does know some hymns. Some of which are... very embarrassing... but what other choice does he have?

He inhales. Holds his breath for a beat. Exhales.]

The King, Pharaoh, comes to dance,
He comes to sing;
Mistress, see the dancing,
Wife of Horus, see the skipping!

[He does a little jig and skip! Kill him now. Somehow the shadows were kinder than this.]

He offers it to you,
This jug;
Mistress see the dancing
Wife of Horus, see the skipping...

[h e l p]

His heart is straight, his inmost open,
No darkness is in his breast...

[i may prefer megumi ogata but that ain't saving him from his devastatingly poor performance (8)]

[unweathered]

[help she's trying not to laugh but this is hysterical this is the work of an out of touch old man]

[townmusician]

[...........







Honestly, what the fuck? The performance was certainly trying something, but what that something is is incredibly hard to place, leaving the audience baffled—and Atem too, as he is left Confused by the ordeal.]