[ORP] The Battleship Condescension - Live!

[Sypon]

Kimbley Kitty

As soon as ‘Elidae’ moved to make her moves toward ‘Kursha’, ‘Lorata’ joined the attack on the Distorted Mass. She was sure to make a show of her talents, but knew better than to be too flashy. When the psionic blast hit its mark, ‘Lorata’ gasped dramatically.

“Elidae!!” She shouted, running over to the other actor. She kneeled next to ‘Kursha’, shaking her head in sorrow. “Sweet Elidae… So sad… She didn’t even get to say how she really felt.” She pulled the other actor into her arms, tearfully. The orchestra played a beautiful score as ‘Lorata’ slowly ascended upward via her aerokinesis.

Once out of sight of the audience, Odette placed the other troll safely on the catwalk and winked cheekily at her fellow actor. She descended back down to the stage, and looked at ‘Sarcel’ and ‘Kursha’ with somber eyes.

“What now Captain Vidari, Lieutenant Cincil?”

Yamashii

Flydra looked totally lost over the stuff unfolding on stage. Was this what had actually happened? Why hadn't Lorata told them about any of this good stuff?

"It's probably safe by now." She reassured her moirail. "I wonder if Lorata made it to the show."

Doutei

"Wait did Elidae just die?" Scorpa looked alarmed. "What?!"

Yamashii

"There's no way Elidae really died." Flydra scoffed. "They'd have written the whole show differently if that was the climax!"

Melancholies

Emi watched the ascension. She looked to Masoal, then back to where 'Lorata' had vanished. "Dude."

saedusk

Masoal, who hadn't yet looked back to the stage, met Emiola's 'dude' with vague confusion. He looked, but it was too late. "What? What did I miss."

Melancholies

"She ******** died!" Emi exclaimed at him.

saedusk

Someone died. Masoal let that sink in as he looked around the stage, but he hadn't been paying enough attention to the musical to notice who exactly was gone. "Wait. Who? What happened?"

Doutei

Demari watched Lorata fly Elidae up into the sky and then return without her. She wasn't sure she understood the symbolism but it'd been beautiful. The blueblood knew some of this would be going over her head, as she was only a child, but she had wanted to attend anyway to be cultured.

"Wait, your boyfriend runs a cafe? That's lovely! And you're an artist?" Demari brightened. This Amonee was turning out to be such an amazing troll! She was glad she'd sat next to him.

"Give me your business cards!"

Melancholies

"Elidae died!" She said, anguished. Her frown slowly melted away over time, "I guess that solves the love triangle..."

KitsuneAura

"It was," Lorata nodded. She watched teary eyed as Odette lifted 'Elidae' off of the stage. "They really did make me look good, hm?" She tried to put a little pep into it, smiling weakly. She'd been hurt, and Elidae had tried to help her, and then she'd- She'd said 'We have to keep moving.' That was what had really happened. Her fingers shook a little as she smoothed out her skirt.

Yamashii

"I am! I'm a painter. Eventually, I hope I'll be able to paint portraits of people like..." He glanced to the stage where Odette flew around like a gorgeous shimmering butterfly. Someday, he told himself, someday. He would never forget that night he and Nucleo had almost met her. Hopefully the next meeting would go much better and Kursha wouldn't be pointing guns around again.

"I'm Amonee Brycer. It's been lovely to meet you." He pressed a perfumed pink business card into Demari's hands. "What are your interests?"

Green Minuet

Seriously? Was someone messing with him? Through the waterfall of popcorn, Kursha saw a glimpse of a familiar yellowblood peering over the rail. She was yanked back a second later. Shaking all the popcorn off his clothes, Kursha put a hand on Mahmud's shoulder and stared into his eyes, mouth grim and intense. "Please tell me you have a gobstopper or something hard."

 

[Sypon]

Sypon

As 'Elidae' ascended like a mostly-dead angel, the rest of the crew looked on somberly.

"We keep moving." 'Kursha' said dully. "We die for Alternia, we bleed for Alternia... We kill for Alternia."

Ahead, scores of zombies appeared. This time, the real daywalkers were intermixed with actors to pad out their numbers. The safety protocols (chains, primarily) were fairly obvious, but for most the suspension of dispelief wasn't lost. And behind them, another enormous and intricate puppet. Loaned from the Cult of The Mirthful Messiahs, this huge inflatable zombified juggalo was actually extremely impressive. Jets of flames shot out from the ground as the horde advanced and as the juggalo emerged from yet another very spooky door.

"We cannot give up. Heroes never surrender!" 'Kursha' yelled, throwing himself at the enemy.

"Let's kill!!" Also yelled 'Sarcel'.

saedusk

"Oh," he said, "I guess so." Not that Masoal really cared, not for the trolls in the play. "It wasn't you, so it doesn't matter," he told Emi.

Yamashii

"Go Sarcel!!" Flydra cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered the blueblood on. It was good to see their favorite military commander kicking a** on stage even if it was annoying to see Kursha get all the good lines.

Skyli Peep

Were they having a moment? Was this what it meant to actually have a moment with someone? Wait, duh of course it was he's had tons of moments! Giving an intense stare back, Mahmud took the satchel that he had carried into the theater and whipped it open for Kursha to see, filled with various bottled drinks and one beetle bags of candy. "Pick your poison."

Yamashii

Cerpin yelped in surprise as jets of fire shot out of the stage and lost his footing on the stairs, crashing down them with a groan.

Doutei

"Whoa. This is actually kind of awesome." Scorpa whistled and leaned forward to watch the show. All it needed was an electric guitar soundtrack backing what was bound to be an epic fight!

"Lorata! Sarce!" The yellowblood cheered with Flydra.

Melancholies

Oh no, Sarcel didn't know how to deal with tears. Was it a bad thing that she was losing her ability to be shaken up like Lorata was? No one else in this theatre knew the truth of things; at the end of the day, this was all just flashy propaganda. She awkwardly patted Lorata's hand as a show of solidarity. Hopefully the comfort got across. Sarce wasn't exactly the best at it.

'They keep stealing my lines..' she thought privately.

KitsuneAura

Lorata abruptly began to laugh, the way trying to avoid crying often made so easy, and couldn't quite make herself stop. "He keeps- He keeps stealing your lines-"

Yamashii

"By the way Scorpa." Flydra poked her moirail on the cheek. "Where is Austri? Did you tell her the wrong theater or something?" It seemed like something petty the yellowblood would do. The play feud between the two sirens could get nasty sometimes.

Green Minuet

Kursha's eyes lit up at the sight of an unopened can of soda. He grinned. "Time for a little payback..." He gave the can a vigorous shake, making sure its contents were good and riled before he turned his attention upstairs to the box. Eyes transformed into crosshairs. Any second now, she would show her face again... there!

He threw disturbed can of soda as hard as he could towards the yellowblood.

Doutei

"Oh, I've got too many hobbies." Demari blushed, not wanting to get started and gab endlessly. She fidgeted with her dress as she tried to think of a short list to share with Amonee.

"I like boats, exploring, fashion, and most importantly- trolls! I like meeting people!" The girl smiled up at him. Her smile was short lived as the stage filled with daywalkers and props and REAL DAYWALKERS? Horrified, she withdrew into her seat while her fish zipped around her in almost a makeshift cocoon of sorts. They seemed to be communicating with her while she watched nervously.

Melancholies

Oh no, this was going from bad to worse. "Isn't it awful?" She laughed a little too, awkward. Sarcel didn't really laugh either...

Pursing her lips, she couldn't take staying quiet anymore. She whispered quickly to her friend, "Do you need to step out for a moment?"

Yamashii

Amonee stared at the solid wall of fish surrounding the blueblood, the only small holes seeming to be for Demari's eyes. He was stunned.

Melancholies

Emiola was beaming, "That's pretty jack." She gave a content giggle. "See? This is all pretty cool huh? I told you it would be." She was having fun. "You're having fun too, right?"

 

[Sypon]

Kimbley Kitty

Odette didn’t like this part. But she stomached it, for the audience’s sake. It was easy enough to focus on the daywalkers and the extras, perform choreography as if it were a menial task. She didn’t have to look at that giant inflatable clown as long as she kept her gaze low.

“For our glorious Queen Marian!” ‘Lorata’ shouted, hoisting her partisan into the air before charging into the battle. There, she followed her choreography as best as possible. The true daywalkers could only be controlled so much, after all.

After a bout of spectacular stunt performances, ‘Lorata’ took a step back from the action to deliver a somber monologue. “Oh Elidae…” She lamented. “If only I could be fighting beside you… It is all my fault that you were taken from us too soon...”

‘Lorata’ sobbed, hiding her face in her hands and falling on her knees.

Doutei

"No, I-" Scorpa turned to answer Flydra for a can to hurdle straight into her face. Pain exploded through her cells, along with rage. What the ********! Ow! Who- ********- Oh- Wait- Him! Her brain whirled as she arrived to the only possibly conclusion she could come to.

"You!" Her voice was full of venom. Then, the can exploded and she shrieked, knocking it away from her and back down to the first floor. Covered in foam, Scorpa turned to Flydra with her eyes blazing.

"What did you bring." It wasn't a question. It was a declaration of war.

saedusk

To be totally honest, Masoal never really put that much thought into whether or not he was having fun. It wasn't just in this moment, but in almost every moment. Sure he had fun, he just didn't think about it much. Even if he seemed annoyed on the outside, hanging out with Emiola, well, it was fun.

"I am having fun," he admitted as 'Lorata' fell to her knees on stage. "I don't think she is."

Melancholies

Emi also looked at 'Lorata'. "I mean, I think you're right for once."

Yamashii

Flydra immediately reached to cup the side of Scorpa's poor face with a hand out of concern. That impact had had to hurt her poor darling. The tealblood barked at a member of the waitstaff to bring them a bag of ice for the bruise.

"How rude, it was only a handful of popcorn." She huffed in irritation and reached down to open up a box of the snacks they had bought earlier before the show. In it was a bunch of soda, candy for Scorpa and a bag of healthy snacks such as oranges for Flydra.

"Orange for an orangeblood?" She squeezed them all until she found the ripest squishiest one to offer to Scorpa. They had no idea who the real offender had been.

Green Minuet

Kursha punched Mahmud in the arm. "Hey, nice work!"

Wellp. Probably time to enjoy the show again, because surely there wasn't going to be any justice from above.

Skyli Peep

At the playful punch Mahmud grinned, giving Kursha a quick pat on the back. "Team work makes the dream work, dude. Whoever that was has got to be sorry right about now." In celebration, he extended a friendly can of soda to Kursha. Thank goodness he had someone cool to sit next to during all this, wait until he told Tevini and Cerpin all about this guy!

saedusk

"For once?" Masoal huffed, but continued to watch the show. "I'm right more than that."

KitsuneAura

"It is!" Lorata reached up and wiped her eyes, finally managing to get the laugh under control. She looked back over then, blinking, and then gave the blueblood a small, genuine smile. "I'll make it. Us heroes have to see how our stories end, right?" Her grip on Sarce's arm tightened a little as Odette began to sob on stage, but if Sarce was getting worried then she was already too worked up. "So we can make sure your statue actually looks like you."

Doutei

"Works for me. Batter up." Scorpa snarled and grabbed the orange. She wound up her pitch and hurled the fruit straight at Mahmud! Then the yellowblood grabbed her stash of candy from Flydra's bag and took a victory bite. She'd stopped watching the show and now watched her enemy. And waited.

 

[Sypon]

Quote:

Suddenly, when all seemed lost - mid-fight and out of nowhere - Elidae descended again, slowly, via a harness from the catwalks. She had done a costume change into an elegant gown. This was, of course, a request that the purpleblood had made specifically.

"Oh, Lorata! You are everything! Don't give up! Fight! For me! For Alternia! YOU are the hero!"

She began to sing. The swell of the orchestra picked up with her sweet tones, and Odette's choreography queue was on. This was 'Lorata's' swansong - the inspiring moment where she instilled the will to push on in her comrades. And indeed, 'Sarcel' and 'Kursha' looked skyward, and were truly inspired to keep fighting. The clown would fall.

Yamashii

"Look! You were right!" Amonee nudged Demari, or Demari's fish layer to be specific, "There's a gown! It's practically a ball scene!" He gushed happily. Wow, That Elidae actress could really sing!
Cerpin watched the scene in amazement. Holy crap, he could not wait to see Sascha's musical if he ever got one if this was the kind of incredible translation military heroics got when shifted to the stage. There were real tears in his eyes.

Skyli Peep

Now you see, Mahmud was finally feeling triumphant. He lost the evil highblood girl, made a new friend, and even had said friend defend him! AND this production was awesome! Look, there was even a musical number! At a particularly high note there was hard contact with the back of his head and he squirmed in his seat. OUCH. THE ******** reaching around behind him, he looked at the offending orange and scowled. ********. Them. Holy. s**t. Whipping his head around, Mahmud gave the nastiest, most angriest glare he could summon to...

... THEM. Those triflin'...

"Holy s**t these two are the WORST. Dude!" He looked at Kursha and gave him a serious look. "Okay long story but, those two? Up there? Worst ******** news, and the worst part there's usually two more hanging around. We gotta take them out. Look what they did!" Holding up the orange to his newfound friend, he shuddered as he could practically feel those juices on his head. "Please. I can't aim nearly as good as you can."

Melancholies

Sarcel returned the smile with a small one of her own. Her commant actually earned a little laugh, "What, you don't like my stage visage?" She had nothing against the actress, but the likeness wasn't... the best. Lorata was pretty strong; it made sense that she'd get her own movie like this, even if the story was completely different. She was beaming for her friend. "We could make the statue a little taller, at least. Not as tall as yours, though." It'd just look awkward.

Yamashii

Flydra giggled and highfived Scorpa at the sight of Mahmud's angwy widdle face like the immature brats they were.

Doutei

Demari gasped and the fish began to peel away as she leaned forward to watch the song. Elidae's actress looked beautiful in that gown! As she sang praises to the seadweller, Demari tried her best to catch the words of the song to sing it again later. It was so moving!

"Do you think the others will change too?" It'd be so magical! For Kursha to tear away his uniform and wear a matching dazzling outfit! And Lorata! And Sarcel! Oh, there was so much potential for this scene! Maybe she ought to try making a movie of her own sometime!

 

[Sypon]

Kimbley Kitty

‘Lorata’ appeared to be deeply touched by Elidae’s song, picking herself back up and starting to dance to her cues. It was a lovely, starting slow and somber, but picking up in tempo as ‘Lorata’ started to regain her confidence. When her confidence was full, she started to move towards the zombies, her dance turning deadly as she used her kicks to take out the enemies before her. At least one real actor got mixed up in the choreography there, taking a pirouette kick-to-the-face meant for one of the daywalkers. Odette held back a wince from that.

As the song came to an end, ‘Lorata’ had taken out a bulk of the zombies on stage. But it was not enough. She was swarmed by a handful of actor-zombies, and she disappeared from the audience’s sight. Odette had to crouch slightly, being a bit taller than most of the extras.

She cried out in pain, throwing copious amounts of vague purple liquid into the air over herself and the zombie horde. Things turned quiet, and it appeared the worst had happened.

Then suddenly— ‘Lorata’ sliced through the horde with her partisan, the actor-zombies collapsing on the ground around her. For a moment, ‘Lorata’ stood proudly, and the music swelled with a loud, heroic sting. When the music stopped, she stumbled, clutching her side in agony.

Green Minuet

Kursha considered grabbing another one of Mahmud's tasty treats to pelt at the troublemakers upstairs. He hesitated, hand hovering above a box of hard candies. Then he shook his head and leaned back. Fighting fire with fire would only get them all kicked out. "I've got a plan. Stay here."

Easing out of his seat, Kursha edged towards the aisle. He prowled up and down until he found an usher. He leaned in to whisper, "Excuse me... I overheard those two trolls up in the balcony earlier... They mentioned they were planning to sneak in without any tickets, and now they're making a ruckus..."

Yamashii

"I hope so! I bet Kursha would look good in sequins." Amonee nodded and made up his own headcanons for what each troll should wear. "And Lorata would look so pretty in lace..." It was fun to imagine people in crazy expensive outfits! Demari's excitement was infectious. It was so fun to have someone to geek out with!

"I mean- wait- what?" He tensed as the female lead suddenly clutched her side, stumbling around. "No! Lorata!" Odette was doing a great job at pulling at his heartstrings and he grabbed Demari's hand to comfort them both through this emotional moment!

Doutei

"Who the ******** is that?" Scorpa squinted, watching Mahmud make his neighbor do his dirty work for him. The troll looked to be talking to an usher and the yellowblood scowled. "What now? Should we call one too? We have to retaliate Flydra!" As the music grew more powerful on stage, so too did the drama off it.

Yamashii

A troll passed him in the aisle and Cerpin glanced to the now free seat. Wait, that was Mahmud! He grinned and plopped his a** down in it.

"Dude, you never told me you had an interest in theater!" Mahmud had an impressive spread of snacks visible and the purpleblood reached down to grab a fistful of wiggly fruit worms.
Flydra grabbed Scorpa's hand and pointed to the stage.

"Lorata's dying!" Her normally dreamy eyes were full of sadness and pain. It was hard to watch their most important friend fall to pieces, even if it was a performance and not actually Lorata. The tealblood hated this moment even though it was very well acted and beautiful.

KitsuneAura

Lorata giggled. "Nothing beats the original! But taller is definitely doable. I'll have to make a whole new garden just for us." She might have gone ahead and taken the time to consider doing that, but the play drew her back in. What an amazing scene, but- Oh! She was wounded! Honestly at this point, Lorata had expected that her play self was going to get through it all without a scratch, so even she was surprised.

Skyli Peep

As Kursha moved to go speak with an usher, Mahmud's little pumpbiscuit went aflutter. He'd really do that? For him? Oh gosh... they just met and already they were friends! Only a friend would go talk about the situation to someone!

And speaking of friends, an all too familiar face plopped down next to him.

"Cerpin!" He was almost far too loud for the theater, as he wrapped an arm around his best buddy and gave a tight hug. "I won these tickets, right? And I decided 'hey, I've never done something like this... I should go!'" But then I got in trouble, so then I moved, and then I met this guy over there..." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of his new "buddy" Mr. Ultra Aim, "And now I get to see you! AND this show's a riot! Dude, this is the best! I love the theater!"

Now that he got all his feelings out, he gave a happy sigh and grinned. "I didn't know you were interested either though. The hell you doing here? If I'd known you were coming, we couldave sat next to each other!"

 

[Sypon]

Quote:

"Sergeant Gorgos!" Yelled 'Kursha'. He and 'Sarcel' disengaged as the fight died down thanks to 'Lorata's' heroism. He ran to her side and crouched, once again doing a yell at the sky. Ganyma, as it turned out, was rather difficult to direct.

'Sarcel' stepped forward and put a hand on 'Kursha's' shoulder. "We can't win. Not without Lorata. What should we do." She delivered plainly. 'Kursha' looked back up at her.

"We have to try. Are you with me?" He put her hand out for her to take, which she did.

"I'm with you."

"Lorata... You need to fall back. Call in reinforcements for yourself and for Bonbon. We'll stall as long as we can." He pleaded. A huge shape, that of some kind of a mutating, hulking commander, began to appear. Its size and shape were augmented by holographic effects that had been installed for this very special purpose.

Yamashii

"You got in trouble? What the hell 'd you do, Mahmud?" Cerpin raised an eyebrow. "And it was an impulsive decision. I came after I finished some work." He relaxed back in his seat and got comfortable, resting his legs across the brownblood's lap. Cerpin would fill up as much space as allotted to him.

"This show is insane. It's so good." He wondered if they were selling merch in the lobby. Maybe he could buy some T-shirts for Aerona and Tevini since they'd missed the show.

Skyli Peep

"Oh uh... I sorta..." He cleared his throat a little bit and looked a slight bit sheepish. "... told a blueblood to bite me BUT I DIDN'T KNOW she was blue until AFTER I said it so...-- WOAH!" A big goofy grin plastered its way onto his face, and he hugged onto Cerpin tighter, pointing at the Commander monster. "YOU SEE THAT? Thats AWESOME!"

Melancholies

Sarce blinked owlishly. A garden just for them? That gave her a funny feeling for some reason. Maybe it was because she finally had confidence in herself and she still wasn't used to it. Or maybe it was considering herself to be under the whole 'hero' thing. Probably. She was equally surprised at the movie portrayal of Lorata being injured, but it was... truthful, at least.

"I don't think Vidari yelled quite this much when we were on the mission..." It was funny, if she detatched herself and tried to be the audience, not a star player. She didn't like how she held Vidari's hand either. "Is... are romantic subplots usually this cheesy?" She was getting second hand embarassment. Then again, that might have just been because it was about her.

Yamashii

"Well s**t that is pretty cool!" Cerpin returned the hug with a one armed version of his own. He wondered how expensive that hologram machine was? Maybe they could look into forcing Tevini to engineer something similar for the club. In between her stupid lessons at the military center or whatever. He wasn't being petty, no.

"You know, I actually don't doubt that they ran into something that big? I know we had tons of trouble on my final mission too." The rockstar let out an impressed whistle at the sheer size of the enemy.

Green Minuet

"Nah, it's just 'cause it's with you." A voice whispered behind Sarcel and Lorata. After finishing his mission, and sending the usher upstairs to go harass a certain pair of trolls, Kursha went to return to his seat only to find it occupied. Figuring he would catch up with the brownblood later, he went off in search of someone else to harrass.

Skyli Peep

Out of reverence, Mahmud gave a slow nod to that. Not looking up once from where he stared, he lifted his bag and put it on Cerpin's lap so they could both have at the snacks easier. "No s**t, hunh... I wouldn't doubt it either... I'm glad you're safe though. Seriously." He didn't move his head, but looked to the side at his friend out the corner of his eye. "We didn't see too much on the final mission in my group, but it was still tough. Next time they should make a production about you."

 

[Sypon]

Kimbley Kitty

“You have to fight… For me… For us...” ‘Lorata’ said slowly, voice growing weak. She started to ascend toward the catwalk once again, this time by herself. “Please, you have to keep moving!” She said with urgency, reaching a hand out as if making a dramatic plea. Continuing her flight upward, she watched ‘Sarcel’ and ‘Kursha’ from above. Her costume whipped around in the wind as she silently rose the rest of the way, played off by a reprise of the earlier number.

Yamashii

Cerpin stared wordlessly at Mahmud, a rare moment of purple blush spreading across his cheeks in surprise. Did Mahmud actually think Cerpin was worth something like that?

"Ha! You got me good for a moment." He punched the other boy's arm playfully.

KitsuneAura

"He definitely didn't. But, hmm...Ah!" Lorata startled, turning away from watching herself rise into the sky (she wasn't dying now, was she?) to look back towards the voice. It didn't look exactly like him but it had sounded an awful lot like...She brightened. "Captain?"

Skyli Peep

Gog, he was gonna get a bruise from all these arm punches! Not that he minded, really. It was affectionate, while not being too serious, just the right levels of bonding. Mahmud gave his own little shove back with a big grin. "Oh shut up, you know you deserve a show with all the s**t you've been through, man..." He then went back to snuggling and smiled, admiring Odette's acting skills. Damn, she really earned all that she worked towards. Put in the leg work there. "Not that a stage'd be big enough for you, I think."

Being a little dramatic, Mahmud framed the stage in front of them with a little box made from his fingers. "Movies, productions, music, everything "Cerpin Sugall"!" He then gave a little snicker. "You just gotta make sure you thank us little people afterwards."

 

[Sypon]

Sypon

The two remaining trolls fought valiantly. In the final battle, sparks flew - slashing and hacking at the huge creation resulted in realistic bloodsprays, wind machines, lightning bolts, and a huge release of confetti from around the Coliseum. But, victory was not to be.

‘Sarcel’ fell onto the stage, biting down on a blood packet and spilling it everywhere. ‘Kursha’ rushed over. “Kursha. We have to get out of here. It’s no use.” She commented, looking straight into Ganyma’s eyes. The eye contact made him look away, an imperceptible shift from the audience.

“No!” He cried. “Not without you!” At first, ‘Kursha’ seemed defeated. He had lost all of his will, and clearly was nearly incapacitated. But then, it happened. ‘Sarcel’ moved her face up until both actor’s faces were touching. It was… A kiss. Of sorts. Between the two professional gladiaterrors devoid of chemistry, it was the best they could do anyway.

‘Kursha’ pulled back and yelped. “The least I can do… Is stall until Lorata brings reinforcements! For Alternia!”

He ran at the hulking commander and began an onslaught of attacks - actually very impressive, Ganyma’s most comfortable act now that the talking and smooching was done with. But, the script called for a stalemeate. Cast aside by a huge hand, ‘Kursha’ lay defeated as the hulking commander crashed down around him.

Yamashii

"There's no little people in my life. You're larger than you think." Cerpin laughed affectionately and looked away towards the stage in an attempt to hide the embarrassed gratitude flushed across his face. He was a confident b*****d but somewhat unused to such sincere praise.

"Wait, did they just kiss? Damn, that Kursha gets around!" He clapped and let out a whoop at the climax of the scene.

Doutei

Scorpa watched Lorata die on stage and grit her teeth. She knew that the seadweller had fallen earlier than the rest on that ship but it still bothered her. The yellowblood hated to see her friends look bad in front of others. Odette was doing a great job making Lorata look as good as she could with the circumstances but she still couldn't help but hope that show would have been changed to give all the glory to Lorata.

Then Sarce fell next and Scorpa gripped the railing of the box. Driven to bitter tears, she watched the show in silence. At the kiss, her blood boiled. No. NO! Kursha already had Lorata around his nasty finger, now he was going to have Sarce too? Scorpa was furious.

Until he got his a** kicked by the commander. Ganyma's attacks had looked pretty cool to be honest and Scorpa studied them to try and replicate later. But she let out a small whoop when 'Kursha' fell. Then an usher came and she began to sweat.

"Huh? What do you want?"

Melancholies

Sarcel had jumped. Welp, Vidari was here. Just as she was about to say something, a shitshow erupted on the stage. By that, she meant the whole kiss thing. It was pretty hard not to visibly gag, but she was a military official, she was good at steeling herself against feelings of disgust.

Still didn't stop her from wordlessly staring at the greenblood, eyes wide with silent contempt. If it wasn't for Lorata, she probably would have gotten up and left. The last thing she wanted to do was prove her actress accurate by smashing Kursha's head open like a watermelon.

Skyli Peep

"..." If Cerpin was embarrassed by the genuine praise before, were he to look he'd be downright repulsed by just how big eyed Mahmud got. Thank god it was cut short by his hootin' and hollerin'. "Wait WHAT?!" He snapped his attention to the stage and gave a huge grin, and a loud cheer. "GET IT DUDE! HELL YEAH!"

A few trolls, clearly annoyed by his antics, gave furious hush tones to Mahmud, who then sank a bit in his seat again. "Maybe he gets around more than you, dude..." The thought was funny though.

Yamashii

"There's no way that happened. Right?" Flydra was equally shocked the way Scorpa was but her disbelief manifested in different ways. She was not happy to see a romantic subplot between Sarcel and Kursha either! Sarcel was too good for that crazy greenblood. She grumpily threw a soda at the floor and watched it splatter.

"It's absolutely ridiculous. They would nev- what's your problem? We're watching a show." She frowned as Scorpa was talking to the usher. Her blood ran cold as they asked the two to produce their tickets.

"Excuse YOU, don't you know who WE are?" They produced not only their tickets but their military IDs as well!

KitsuneAura

"Oh my glub." Lorata said, staring at the stage. She opened her mouth to say something else, glanced at Sarcel, and closed it again. She'd already said no! So instead she also turned to look at Kursha again, just without the contempt. Was he making a face too?

 

[Sypon]

Quote:

Just as the lights started to dim, and it seemed that the heroes were done for, ‘Lorata’ started to sing from off-stage. Slowly, she entered from stage left, wearing a brand new, shimmering, expensive gown and standing at the bow of a massive prop ‘reinforcements’ ship. Her dress fluttered in the wind, sparkling under the bright spotlight that tracked her as the ship slid across the stage. The solo continued until the bow of the ship reached the bodies of ‘Sarcel’ and ‘Kursha’, and ‘Lorata’ switched into normal dialogue.

“Come aboard, my comrades-in-arms!” ‘Lorata’ shouted toward her team, outstretching both of her arms. “Let us leave this wretched wreck! There is no hope for this ship if a team as strong and capable as ours cannot make it through! Hurry off now, our Majesty the Queen’s reinforcements will take us to safety!” She said, the orchestra swelling for the finale.

Yamashii

"These nights, probably yeah." Cerpin groaned at the joke. "How can a beanpole psycho be more popular than me?" He overemphasized his wounded pride to try and earn another laugh out of Mahmud. He liked the younger troll's smile. And blush.

"I mean, you too. You've got TWO bestfriends, huh?" The purpleblood had not forgotten their talk earlier. "You should really spend more time with them. No, wait, I've got an idea! I'll take care of it." Cerpin mused, tapping at his chin in thought. He fell quiet, Odette's beautiful song filling in the silence for him. Damn, she was good.

Doutei

It was magical.

Youthful eyes stared at the kiss, amazed by what she had just seen. Demari was too young to have experienced one herself but she hoped her first one would be just as amazing as this.

"Can't you just feel their pain?" The girl pulled on Amonee's sleeve, admiring the romantic torment- the tragedy! Their pain indeed...

Skyli Peep

Mahmud wanted to question Cerpin but aw hell no, no way he was going to interrupt this song. This easily had to be the best song on stage yet. Wide-eyed again, he clung to his buddy and said not a word the whole time, looking enraptured.

Once the song was done though, he softly whispered. "Hey... you sing like that? You should totally sing like that, dude..."

Yamashii

"Um... yeah." Amonee could not have been less convinced about the chemistry between the two actors. Well, he supposed in live theater was probably hard to nail every emotion. But still! As a hardcore soap opera fan, he had been hoping for more passion! More longing! He wondered what the real kiss had been like.

"Odette is doing so good, don't you think?" The jadeblood tried to redirect the conversation to something else.

Green Minuet

Kursha was indeed making a face, the expression of which was almost all eyebrows, wiggling and out of control. He took a hiatus long enough to greet Lorata though, beaming to her with a winning smile. "So, what do you think? Think she's falling for me? Oh wait!" He leaned between the two trolls, clapping a hand over both their mouths. "You're back!"

Doutei

"Yes, she's amazing!" Demari nodded enthusiastically. The blueblood admired how beautiful she looked in the gown as she sung. Odette was easily becoming an icon of beauty in the girl's mind (and the media). Demari was glad she'd made the decision to come here tonight to witness this. If only she could get the chance to meet the actress someday. As well as the people this performance had been based off! She had so many questions.

But for now she watched the show in a dreamy daze.

Yamashii

Cerpin appreciated all kinds of music but he couldn't help but wonder how Mahmud thought rockstar Cerpin singing like beauty and grace Odette would sound. He supposed he could try and sing something soft and quiet but the purpleblood didn't think he could hold a candle to the redblood in a scene like that.

"Uh, well, I mean I could try. Later, at home." He would have to buy the soundtrack along with those T-shirts, it looked like. "And you could do Bonbon's part earlier!"

 

[Sypon]

Quote:

At last, the lights were brought back up. All the actors (minus daywalkers) were called out for a curtain-call. 'Sarcel' and 'Elidae' came out first, and then 'Kursha' and 'Lorata' shared the stage. Ganyma looked into the audience, sweaty and breathing heavy but happy. That went better than expected! He was glad that he could take his wig off, now.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He waved into the audience, cheerily.

Green Minuet

Kursha suddenly ducked back down between Lorata and Sarcel. "Don't let him see me!" He hissed without explanation.

As if actors could see out over the stage lights.

Yamashii

Amonee jumped to his feet, sign held high, screaming happily as Ganyma waved to the audience. There was probably no way the tealblood could really see him but he hoped Shield would feel his love and adoration.

Skyli Peep

Out of some stupid, stupid urge, Mahmud looked down to his chest and muttered something about not being "well equipped" enough to play Elidae, before busting out in a little laugh. "Oh, Cerpin!" he whispered in a high-pitched, squeeky voice. "Fight! For me! For Alternia! YOU are the hero!"

He hadn't much time to "practice" his lines however, when the curtain call came around. "Oh!" Scrambling to untangle himself from Cerpin, Mahmud quickly stood up and began to clap wildly, a big grin on his face. "Bravo! Bravo!" Was this what people shouted at the theater? Thats what he saw on TV at least.

Yamashii

To be honest, Cerpin had never really gone to one of these kinds of shows either and was equally unsure what the proper protocol was. This wasn't really his sort of scene and he opted to treat it like a recent concert he'd gone to, raising a lighter to the sky and waving a flame in respect.

Skyli Peep

Mahmud immediately feels foolish that he didn't bring a lighter!

Sypon

It was true - Ganyma couldn't really see anything. But, he always made sure to wave to every part of the audience. So he did.

"Thank you again, everyone!!" He bowed one last time and began to head back stage.

Doutei

Demari rose for a standing ovation, cheering on the cast as they took their bows! She'd loved the show and couldn't wait for the next big production that would be performed. Everyone had been wonderful! She reached down into her basket to pull out the final surprise and handed her silver fish a bouquet to ferry up to the stage! It landed at Odette's feet as Demari continued to applaud.

KitsuneAura

Lorata had so many questions. But she hopped up out of her seat anyway, letting her height provide cover for the Captain even if she didn't know why and clapping enthusiastically.

Doutei

Scorpa had many questions too.

Yamashii

As did Flydra.

Melancholies

Sarcel could deal with a lot of things. Sarcel could deal with Kursha being a moron at times, but the fact he'd just slapped a hand over her mouth really was the icing on the cake. Kursha had ducked away before she could properly slap him across his goddamn face. Lorata jumped up, and Sarce slowly rose too as she continued to stare Kursha down over her shoulder.

She joined in with the clapping, just less enthusiastically. She was glad the trial was finally over.

Micillia

Chiara leaned forward, and growled into the boy in front of her's ear. "10 min. Ally, Don't skip out." She stood back and clapped like everyone else.

Kimbley Kitty

Odette was all smiles for the curtain call, lavishing in the audience’s cheers as she made a deep bow. Demari’s bouquet fell at her feet, and she readily picked it up with a touched smile. When she stood back up, she blew a kiss with her free hand. Stepping back, she hummed a little satisfied noise. She hoped that the now-lieutenant Gorgos was satisfied with her stage portrayal.

Yamashii

"That was truly wonderful." Amonee dried a tear from the side of his eye. "I am so glad I came to see it! And it was lovely to meet you, Demari." He would forever remember this night. He continued clapping with the crowd enthusiastically and hoped that next time, he'd be able to get a seat closer to the stage!

Skyli Peep

Welp this was it. At least Mahmud's final moments had been good ones. He looked up to Cerpin wide eyed after Chiara whispered in his ear and said to him "If I'm not back out of that alley in a half hour... ... I don't know, but please don't read my stuff."

Yamashii

"Dude, take as long as you need." Cerpin misunderstood and waggled his eyebrows a few times like a dog.

Doutei

"I'm glad too! Thank you for watching the show with me. I hope to see you again sometime!" Demari smiled at Amonee. He'd been a great companion for the show. She was glad that she'd gotten his card. Perhaps she could hire him to make a special painting for her as an excuse to see him again. Tidying up her belongings, she allowed her fish to lift her basket once more.

Green Minuet

Once Ganyma disappeared from the stage Kursha stood up and stretched. He feigned applause. "Well, that was terrible. Have a good time?" His gaze flicked from Sarcel to Lorata.

 

[Sypon]

Sypon

The "EXIT" signs lit up in the Coliseum. Souveniers were being sold like hotcakes as the crowd slowly shifted to exit.

Yamashii

"That's my cue! See ya at home, Mudbud!" Cerpin let out a whoop of excitement and went chasing after a fistful of T-shirts, disappearing into the night.

Skyli Peep

As for Mahmud, he really, REALLY wished his bro understood exactly what he meant by not coming back... welp. If he turned up dead, then... karma, he guessed.

Taking a deep breath and sigh, he walked out towards the alleyway, getting ready to meet his maker.

Melancholies

Sarcel wanted to refrain from responding to Kursha. She didn't have a terrible time, if only because she genuinely liked spending the evening with Lorata. Otherwise, the movie had hardly impressed her. "I was." She turned and gave Lorata a tight smile. It dropped as she went to address the both of them again. It was stupid, but she felt a little inferior at the moment. Mostly she just wanted to leave, but it felt rude to ollie outie without giving Lorata a proper good bye, at least.

Sypon

As Ganyma made his way backstage, he gave Odette a poke on the shoulder and a heart-melting smile. "Hey, Odette. You did great tonight!" With a thumbs up, he went to try and remove his wig- the true struggle.

KitsuneAura

"It was fun," Lorata decided brightly, returning Sarce's smile. After a second's consideration, she stepped over to give the blueblood a quick hug for good measure. "Let's watch another one sometime!" She glanced back to Kursha. "You too, Captain! I don't see either of you enough." She'd just have to schedule times with them separately for a while, it was looking like. How curious.

Kimbley Kitty

Odette smiled wide at the tealblood. She was more than happy to work with him, an old friend with a great heart. "You too, Ganyma! You always make Vidari so much more likable." She complimented back, waving goodbye to the tealblood. Now, she had to get those fins off.