Scene #9692: Rock Rock Rock Change the World

Owner	Pose
Regulus	Regulus woke up missing Sonetto today after a nightmare about Cosimo vanishing right off her. This is pretty normal for Regulus now. She assumes her friend is doing her own part for Vertin but it feels like as soon as she became friends with her their roles have torn them away into different directions again. It's not a great feeling to go into a concert feeling so lonely but the show must go on. So she performs her morning scream into her pillow and then slides out of her bed and prepares her work for the day. Look, she tells herself, she just has to do this long enough for Vertin to be free and then things will be better. They'll be free. She wouldn't have to stand across from her friends anymore. And fortunately, there has been some good news on making progress on that front actually! The good news is that X--or Mr. Butterfly as he insisted--informed the protest team about a projector room that could connect to the rest of the Foundation. His suggestion was to go loud and make their voices heard and for Regulus that might as well be preaching to the choir but being pointed to the tools to make that a viable option is invaluable. She had spent the last day knee deep in the projector room's systems in order to familiarize herself with the technology that wasn't really local to her era. In the meantime she asked her fellow rebels (with or without a clue) to consider what message they wished to send the Foundation. It's unknown exactly how much they'll be able to get out before the Foundation finds a way to shut it down so it's best to keep it short and sweet and keep at it depending on the opportunity they have. Out of everyone, she has spent the most time talking it out with Druvis, smiling patiently as difficult thoughts become uneasy words. As far as she's concerned, this whole event is more for Druvis than anyone else. After a while, Regulus thinks she has a way to turn Druvis's thoughts into actionable words and she pats her on the shoulders before moving on. An impromptu rock concert is happening either way but only after the 'manifesto' everyone's been expecting has been delivered. This is as much to improve the mood of the rebellion as it is to make some noise so they are harder to ignore but even Regulus knows what to focus on first. She is going to give out the basic demands and APPLe put forward some reasons why the Foundation might want to acquiesce to them. And so the asked for manifesto was born.
Regulus	Over the past couple days, Regulus has brought up a number of guitars to join the drum set from before and has went out and brought out a horrifying number of extension cords and cables. The toughest work was to figure out the particulars of a 1990s computing system and to further figure out the adjustments Mr. Butterfly had made but eventually there was a, "Eureka!" from Regulus before she excitedly sat up and banged her head against the desk in the same exact way X did.. "Agghhh ow ow ow--Yeah this should work, I can reach the Foundation with this!" But obviously actually testing this isn't a viable option when it will give the Foundation an opportunity to just cut off the transmission so at that point it's all about making sure everybody knows their job today. If they aren't singing, they're on security or, in Veronica's case, hooked up to wires so that her EGO's speakers can serve as an improvised sound system. They're just a lot louder than what Regulus can buy on the market and thus her preferred option. Hang in there, Veronica! Bellwhistle, being the most infatuated by the video camera, gets the honor of being in charge of recording the transmission. After a sound test to make sure they wouldn't just blow out the speakers, Regulus realizes--that she has no reason to stall any longer. They can hit this off whenever they want and then they can deal with whatever that means later. Once she's confirmed everybody's ready, APPLe turns on the projector and the computer system sends Bellwhistle's transmissions to the rest of the foundation. First, a computerized graphic of APPLe spinning around with the declaration THIS IS WAR shimmering on the screen as Regulus shouts the rebels' demands. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj4x_vlq2qE "Greetings Foundation! This is the Suitcase Rebellion and here are our demands!" Regulus shouts, APPLe floating over to help set a tempo with the drums as Regulus performs a basic melody with her guitar. "We demand the release of Vertin from her imprisonment, we demand the establishment of Team Timekeeper as an independent body under Vertin as per the Team Timekeeper proposal! And we demand an end to soldiers and martyrs, arcanists shouldn't be forced to fight in order to have the right to live!" "And before you change that channel, the Team Timekeeper benefits the Foundation as well! A mobile and diverse squad of arcanists is necessary to outmaneuver Manus Vindictae, aren't you tired of them running circles around you all this time? They've been three steps ahead of you this whole time! Your policy just forces arcanists to serve the Manus because you tell them to get with the program or just die, Team Timekeeper will offer it's own promise of safety to those who might be hesitant to trust the Foundation so they don't feel like the Manus is their only option!" Regulus slides her shades down and winks to the camera. "Think it over, lovies, we're sure you'll make the right decision! But in the meantime, enjoy this free live concert to relax from the recent Storm! It's our hope you'll see reason and we can beat the Storm together! Here's your chance to take your Mandate of Heaven back as my brother in rock would say!"
Riku Asakura	Riku was here today, making sure to keep the rebellion supplied with necessities, but also extension cords for Regulus's show. However, when not directly being talked to or sure he wasn't being observed, Riku was a bit more morose. Worried about Mayu, of course, and hopefully nobody decides to go after her while he's here helping is one such thing. To be honest, that was the least of his worries because Ultraman Zero was there to handle that. However, more recently, he came to learn that Belial was happy with his job in gaining the Ultracapsules. Meaning, he was in a catch twenty two about the Little Stars. He pushes off the strain and the worry, instead trying to focus him on making sure Regulus's rock concert went on without a hitch. Still, a lot is going on in his mind. However, as a chance to take his mind off things, he brought glow sticks to the concert. Maybe not a rock and roll thing, but in concerts in Japan, you always brought glow sticks to wave during the songs. Why not here? Though he was on guard duty to make sure the Foundation didn't try anything during the concert, he still kept the glow sticks ready for the music when it started. Maybe this could be a release valve for stress. Not just for him, but for the Foundation. They could reach some sort of agreement with the demands, actually making it out to the people. Think positively, he told himself. "Wait, wasn't that said by Chuyao?" he asks himself. Sure, it was something he said over the radio recently.
White	While she'd taken her turn speaking to Regulus about her thoughts, White held fast to her first impression; she could only stand to weaken the rebellion's legitimacy by being too prominent. So, rather than write herself into their messaging personally, she's settled into the work she's more confident in. Background management, area maintenance, and logistics. Inbetween repairs and fortifications of the physical defenses White has been making warm clothes (Mostly coats big enough for anyone to wear, in a pinch), picking up tools both for Druvis and for Regulus, and supplying those hard at work with at least a modest supply of caffienated beverages from the convenience store near her apartment. Somewhere in there, she even stops by the projector room while Regulus is working to drop off whatever notes she could dig up online about that particular model, and helps Regulus get her footing with the device... Once Regulus knows which end is which, though, White's job there is done and she excuses herself silently without fanfare. When the time comes, White meets her security assignment with the same plain-faced acceptance as all of the other little tasks she's assigned herself since this began. Setting herself up with a view of the main path from that one jammed gateway through the building, she wants to meet any sudden responses from the Foundation with an immediate wave of magically-amplified weight, before things devolve to the point of actual violence. If there's a chance that a genuine attack might be stifled before it begins on this one-time-only opportunity... Well, she can't let herself ignore that. She can't ignore the music and the speech either, though. She's primed for disappointment after so many failures and unmet goals, but... As long as someone is still trying this hard, she has to watch over them. Schneider might not have gotten to share everything, but it seemed clear that she had begun to hope for better. Or at least, to believe that Vertin was worth what she risked. That was... Good enough to keep White's attention. At least for now.
Holly Asturias	EARLIER "A concert? I'm sorry, and you're... the vocalist?" Nicole blinks. "Mhm! 'Rock 'n Roll' too!" Holly smiles, halfway out the door. "... dressed like that?" Nicole narrows her eyes. "Y... yes?" "No you're not. Come here." NOW When Holly arrives, less early than she usually is but still early, she is dressed for the occasion. Although she's got the same leather pants and heeled boots as usual, there's no dress shape or silky sleeves here; what she has instead is a black tank top, with a black leather jacket that matches her pants. Still, she couldn't help but garnish it; though her midriff and neck are barer than usual, she's still manifested golden ribcage-like supports under her breasts, and a golden collar not unlike skeletal hands wrapped around her neck from behind. It's a LITTLE bit horny. She also brought alcohol! A nice bourbon for White, some more of that blood-mixed sake that the Concord makes, and a few bottles of nice beer. She sets those aside, surely to be kept cool, until people want a sip. Which leaves her to PACE NERVOUSLY, in the meantime, even as Regulus makes her announcements. Fingers and nails tap in succession to no particular beat against whatever surface she can be pacing next to, the last-minute realization she agreed to sing not just for the gathered rebels but for the whole Foundation hitting like just a little bit of a truck. And wearing this? No, no, that's not the problem, she actually quite likes the jacket, and Nicole seemed very happy with it too. Where'd she even find this? She did give her access to make purchases via the Concord for her so... Her mind snaps back to the stage. It'll be fine! ... it's just a lot more than she thought it'd ever be. She'd been considering making little gardening videos but not this!
Veronica	Veronica isn't gonna say it, but it feels good to build Baker and Seventh at full size on the Foundation's turf. It's a sort of 'we're here, whether you like it or not, and we're not going away' statement, in her mind, even if the construct isn't actually visible from outside of the Rescorla-Wagner Center, within which the EGO stands. Veronica is, of course, ensconced within, but she procured a decent armful of snacks and drinks to sustain her while Baker and Seventh is manifested around her. With some of the Center's interior doors and exterior windows open, Baker and Seventh's soundsystem carries Regulus and APPLe's broadcast a good ways across the Foundation campus, the better to reach those who aren't usually in the rooms with the hijacked video projectors. Thankfully the EGO can 'sculpt' its sonic powers, allowing for the ground level below Baker and Seventh's speakers to be quiet enough for conversation, albeit not in whispered tones. "Hey, Holly, right?" Veronica says to the revenant. "Nice jacket!" It's a bit of a clumsy conversation starter, but Veronica does wear her leather jacket everywhere so it at least makes logical sense. "So, uh, how'd you end up as a doctor when you're kind of... dead? Or did the healing magic stuff come first, while you were human?"
Holly Asturias	"Nice jacket!" "Oh thank you! I didn't know I even had this, but I'm already quite fond of it. What would I be without Nicole dearest? Busier, I think, and less adequately dressed." It'd be awful! "So, uh, how'd you end up as a doctor when you're kind of... dead? Or did the healing magic stuff come first, while you were human?" "It's hereditary!" She pauses, smile locked on her face as she realizes how unhelpfully vague that was and how she answered all and none of the questions. No wait, DEAD? "I'm sorry, that was very unclear. I mean that I was born a Revenant, and that the healing abilities are from my bloodline." That's slightly clearer! "But my interest in medical fields comes from admiring my mother, who was peerless before she..." Erm. Well. "That was almost eighty years ago now. I'd like to think I've almost closed the gap with her by now!" She can be a bit proud of that.
Odette Raskins	For someone as generally high strung as Odette is, she's unusually super on board with this plan to use the projector room to deliver a message to the entire Foundation. She's been in a bit of a mood ever since the Storm ended between feelings of personal helplessness and frustration at both Manus Vindictae and the Foundation, so having an opportunity to (presumably) let some of that out is really getting her fired up! Figuratively, of course, since she's still wary of getting into more fights than necessary over this rebellion. She knows full well she's not a great speaker, after all, and she's more than willing to leave the manifesto delivery to Regulus. Her own role is what it usually is: Help set things up, keep everyone healthy and energeized with medicine and energy drinks, and generally be a gopher to make sure things run smoothly. She's careful with helping to get things set up and lined up just right, and she's even done a bit of bathroom and shower singing to make sure she can lend some extra volume for any group chorus efforts! Odette's even made sure to dress the part, even if she's still visibly An EMT. She's dyed the tips of her hair yellow to give it a more fiery look, hung metal chains and bells off her uniform to jingle and shine, and applied just enough white and black face paint in just the wrong way that it's not clear if she looks more like an ancient rocker or a weird clown. "I wonder if Miss Sonetto's gonna see this... Do you think she'll be okay?" Odette asks nobody in particular, frowning slightly as she agonizes over what Sonetto could end up thinking if she did. "Can't be easy for her with Vertin still being treated and all. And Miss Weyerhaeuser..." Odette squeezes a wire a little more tightly, then quickly releases it so she doesn't accidentally yank it out or electrocute herself. "Did she even get to relax since all this stuff started? Growing all those plants can't be easy, either... Really hope this'll win enough minds over to help us end this soon." Resisting the urge to mix one of those energy drinks with Holly's beers, she instead settles for just chugging down half a beer at once. She'll need that hit of bravery to stay on stage, because this audience (Elites included) is far more intimidating than the last show she had done with everyone.
Veronica	"I mean that I was born a Revenant, and that the healing abilities are from my bloodline." Baker and Seventh reaches up to scratch the side of its head with a rebar 'fingernail', miming confusion. Veronica asks from within, "wait, born a revenant? Isn't 'revenant' a word for someone who died and came back? Like 'revive'." "That was almost eighty years ago now." Veronica chokes on whatever she's drinking in there. "You're HOW old?" she splutters. "I mean, uh, rude to ask that. Sorry, I'm sure you've made a lot of... career growth in that time." "Funny, though, I got into the field from family too. No hereditary magic powers, but my uncle was in charge of the company clinic at the power plant. Been helpin' him since... thirteen or fourteen? And was running it myself for the last year or so before the Dark Days," she adds, dancing around whatever happened to her uncle.
Holly Asturias	"Isn't 'revenant' a word for someone who died and came back?" "OH!" Now she understands. "No, no, Revenant is my world's term for 'vampire'. I believe I heard someone call them 'bloodfiends' as well?" Was it Angela? Or Roland? "Though, the comparison isn't perfect, especially compared to stories. I can eat garlic and sunbathe, for example! And my blood is golden, as you'll recall from the Walden." When Lilian shot her in the face! ... with her liquid gold projectiles. She deftly dodges the matter of her being 86 or so with a giggle and a dismissive little wave. "Not bad, right?" "Funny, though, I got into the field from family too." Holly's expression softens a bit; she's not relaxing, per se, but this is a better thing to focus on than her impending performance. "Mhm, it seems to be common that people pick up their vocations from their family or parents here, I've noticed. So you run a clinic? Perhaps I'm over-reaching with that question, but 'Dark Days' sounds like a bit of an ominous event. I'm guessing it was a particularly busy time to be running a clinic amidst?"
Odette Raskins	"That was almost eighty years ago now." Unlike Veronica, Odette keeps her drink in! Unlike Veronica, Odette wasn't actually drinking at that moment, but she still has to turn away and clears her throat to let that thought settle in her head some. "So that's why Doctor Holly's so..." She doesn't finish speaking that thought, but she's already noticed the pattern. Still deliberately looking away from Holly, she instead focuses on the cameras and lazily jabs her forehead with the beer bottle until she remembers she's got makeup on.
Regulus	It is something Chuyao had said! Regulus has to be a little cheeky sometimes. Regulus is happy to get support from White because even an alchemical genius might need some time to figure out computer models from like 30 years after she was born. Regulus is smiling plenty and seems like she's more or less settled into her groove of the work. She might just lose it if all this work goes nowhere at all hahahaha! And when Holly arrives, Regulus lets out an appreciative whistle. "Looks like you came prepared to seduce the Foundation to our side." She jokes. "No that will really make an impression! Don't worry, I'll start off so it's less scary, then you can lead on the second song!" ''I wonder if Miss Sonetto's gonna see this... Do you think she'll be okay?'' Odette uses her special technique to stab Regulus in the heart! Nice job Odette, half of Regulus's life total is just gone. "The sooner we get the Foundation to listen, the better it'll be for everyone." Regulus insists, though her smile slips away and her eyes look troubled. The video feed is centered on Regulus during the announcement but as Regulus starts playing, the video feed will wander around to the people supporting the rebellion, focusing on people like Veronica talking to Holly and anyone standing guard or just sort of relaxing. Surprisingly, since it's Regulus, her first performance is actually of a song from the 90s. She is a DJ first, so there's no chance that she picked her song list randomly. No, she picked songs from the 90s because she wanted the Foundation to listen to songs from the 90s. The very state of the computers here, the dwindling technology and culture from a time that Regulus never got to see, is something she fully intends to remind those in the Foundation who survived long enough to hear it. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ9x7FKhJj4 Her first song is A Great Day For Freedom from the Division Bell album. It's a song about a broken promise...the broken promise that the fall of the Berlin Wall would mean a better future for those of the Eastern Block, one in which they could choose their future. It can't be seen as anything but an accusation. o/~Now life devalues day by day As friends and neighbors turn away And there's a change that even with regret cannot be undone Now frontiers shift like desert sands While nations wash their bloodied hands Of loyalty, of history In shades of grey o/~
Regulus	But it isn't just an accusation. Regulus has come to see the humanity of the Foundation and despite pointing to Sonetto as often as she has, she doesn't see this humanity as something unique to her. For however different their ideals have seemed, she still believes the Foundation--and humanity--capable of loving and caring for others and finding solace in one another. Regulus closes her eyes as she lets the music overtake her, putting her full faith and trust in her strumming and the sound bursting out of Veronica's speaking, startlingly loud even with the more sedate music. o/~I woke to the sound of drums The music played, the morning sun streamed in I turned and I looked at you And all but the bitter residues slipped away Slipped away Across the Foundation, the feed spreads like wildfire, starting with the announcement and moving on to the concert, appearing on projector screens, computer screens, and other monitors. Plenty people do their damnedest to shut down the stream, either fumbling to figure out how to shut it down within the system or even reaching out to just unplug their computers, but others keep it running. Some, to look for possible weaknesses to shut down the rebellion, but others are momentarily transfixed--either by the message being more conciliatory than they've been led to believe, or because they lived long enough to remember this music and are hesitant to shut down that little offering of a piece of their old timeline. Some think it might as well be a Manus Vindictae attack and call for the stream to be shut down and hurry at unplugging monitors so that the video feed no longer is present, before moving on to the speakers so that even the music is quieted. Regulus takes a breath after the last echoing song fades and she leans forward to the mic to say, "Alright Holly! That's your cue! You're up next! And then we'll do something a little closer to my era!" She broadly swings her arm towards Holly and then swinging it back to the stage to call her forward.
Veronica	Veronica nods with understanding at the mention of bloodfiends. "That's the kind we've got in the City, yeah. Don't see many of 'em out in the sticks though. Doesn't sound like too raw a deal if it doesn't come with the downsides." So you run a clinic? Veronica makes a 'hmmn' noise that suggests she's set up a topic she doesn't relish following through on, but answers nonetheless. "While the plant was running, yeah. Enkephalin stopped coming in with the fall, of course, but we've figured out how to mostly make do and are even trying to get the old electric dam back online." A pause. "The fall of L Corp, I mean. Were you not around for that? Feels like everybody and their cousin was, for better or worse. It was rough, we'd been reliant on the company for everything. Having the rug pulled out from under us, it's only the Light that let us keep on our feet. Maybe you felt it when you were, uh, in me? It's the power that gave us Baker and Seventh here. Whole town's got it, little bits and pieces." Veronica curls one of her EGO's enormous hands into a fist and then relaxes it again, a reminder to herself of the strength she now commands.
Ein	Earlier... Druvis III - 'no longer' Weyerhauser, though that name had stuck to her like tacky oil, a family that didn't exist and would not again contain her - had rested in the sprawl of branches and greens and browns and buddings of her generations, sat forward, attended to a question that Regulus had asked her. It bore upon her, weighed at her shoulders, and despite the patience of Regulus' actions it was hard for Druvis at all to construct any grander concept or statement of 'what she wanted'. 'To be left alone' was not true, to a point. Abandonment would be too simple. 'To be granted relief', certainly, but how? In what way? Could she request such from anyone? Could she beg such of herself? Did the forest provide such? Which forest? This forest? Like pulling venom from a bite wound, or extracting a bullet from within her, Druvis tried to get to Regulus what she wished for, but eventually could only wonder. . . ''That cannon of fire - pointed at us, at me. Is that anything? To not hold us hostage by greatest force?' But it was an answer to force. She knew the answer. 'The return, release, the independence of Vertin?' But such wasn't truly a demand, wasn't truly an ask. Return and render immune Vertin? Was that their goal? It was to be returned to Vertin, and... That was something else. Eventually, all that she could draw out with much effort, as a lament, that she had no choice, and that Arcanists had no choice, but to be soldiers and martyrs for the human cause, or die. Wasn't that at odds with opposing the Manus Vindictae? Didn't both heads of this beast speak with the same voice? The clarity of the message... But Druvis III could not give Regulus clear answer. She would have to turn that pain into music - somehow. --- 'Think it over, lovies, we're sure you'll make the right decision!' "Are we?" Druvis asks, quietly. The format of the concert - projected from within - meant that she could at least participate, though she was not so musical as to join in the festivities. Despite being classically trained in piano, She didn't feel like playing. If anything, arranged in the projector room, she felt like retreating further. The great performance of self was one that dragged on her, unlike Regulus, a natural wish stifled by the needs of the time and day. She sat, to the side, and without window to watch out, leaned elbow on side counter and watched the concert from the sides, legs crossed, expression ruminatingly blank. If nothing else it was different, different from waiting or scheming or killing, so it was worth a try - wasn't it?
Riku Asakura	'I believe I heard someone call them 'bloodfiends' as well?' Riku speaks up from his position near the only way in, watching the Foundation people. "It's not an exact comparison... bloodfiends are way more terrifying to see in person, even if they're not eating anyone," Riku says, probably because he doesn't view Holly as terrifying. Riku has really only ever met the one bloodfiend, and just their being there was enough to make him not want to fight. 'The fall of L Corp, I mean. Were you not around for that?' Cut to another picture of Riku, being stabbed in the chest. Riku was around for it and had joined Angela's side. It wasn't a good moment; he had probably misunderstood a lot of what was happening and hurt a lot of people in the meantime. With everything else on his shoulders today, he looks away from the conversation and the concert. Thankfully, Regulus had started to sing. Though the song in question didn't quite feel... right to wave glowsticks at. He didn't live through the fall of the Berlin Wall, but he did learn about it in school. Though for him, that just meant really the start of the crumbling of Communism. He wasn't taught the broken promises or that capitalism had probably killed more than Communism ever did. Though in all of this, Riku did hope the music reached people. That their message wasn't for nothing. How long would it be until the Foundation would negotiate or even talk to them? How many in the Foundation were already put off by what was happening? Questions he didn't have the answer to. To Regulus, when she got down, he smiled at her. It was tough today, but he managed it regardless. "I'm surprised you knew that song, you know, it's not from your era? Did you research the era of the Foundation?"
Holly Asturias	"So that's why Doctor Holly's so..." "Looks like you came prepared to seduce the Foundation to our side." "My aren't you all so sweet today." "bloodfiends are way more terrifying to see in person," "Aha, is that so? Is that because I don't try hard enough, or because I'm just that charming?" She obviously doesn't take it poorly at all. It's a compliment, as far as she's concerned! "Doesn't sound like too raw a deal if it doesn't come with the downsides." "The bloodthirst is... inconvenient, at times, but on paper it's no different than needing to eat your three meals a day. Other than the matter that our food comes strictly from people, obviously. Willing donors, as exclusively as it can be." She's still unhappy about her behavior on that night. But next to everything else that happened, it's one failure among many. "Alright Holly! That's your cue! You're up next!" "!" Holly frets, takes a deep breath, and then pries herself away from Veronica. "Well then. Enjoy the show~!"
Holly Asturias	The genre shift, once Holly is by Regulus, is a bit flagrant, but she was given free reign to choose a song, and so she did! The drums make for the meatiest piece of the track, but there's plenty for Regulus to add on. A bit of dance pop, a bit of electronic, a bit of techno. It's not TOO far from ROCK 'N ROLL, but it's distinctly more modern too. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcgJHM4t81Y o/~ Hey, girl, are you ready? Do you have a hunger in your soul? Are you holding steady? You know that we're gonna lose control I'm thirsty and ready I'm not holding steady, no control I feel it already Tonight, we can be unstoppable o/~ Holly is animated, if nothing else; her voice pitches perfectly to the beat, and she sways back and forth, with twirls and arm reaches, pumps and swings, and heels that carefully follow the beat. There is no way to explain this other than the fact she probably practices animated dancing and lip-syncing anytime people aren't looking, and that's a little bit true. o/~ I heard them cry that a storm is gonna come I need you by my side o/~ She didn't pick this song on a lucky guess. It reminds her of Schneider, just a bit. But it calls to cooperation, it's a tune about teamwork making the dream work. Vertin, without the Foundation, would be weaker. That's not arguable. That's a hard fact. They don't need this to work just to improve the situation. They need it to work so that Vertin doesn't come out of it weaker. She's less attuned to that cause, but the reconciliation of humans and arcanists is important too. Revenants and humans, in her world, are in a similar situation. War only results in mutual destruction. o/~ We're still unbreakable We're forty-stories tall And nothing can touch us When you're by my side Can you feel it in your soul? We rise above them all And we go so high You and I Never fall We're unstoppable We're unstoppable We're still unbreakable We're forty-stories tall And we're unstoppable o/~
Regulus	''Are we?'' To be totally honest, Regulus doesn't actually believe that either. She's pretty sure the Foundation, even if it agrees to terms, will drag it's heels and be really annoying about it if they don't outright send in an army. But Regulus isn't just speaking to the Foundation, she is speaking to Foundation members and if Vertin's goal is to still work within the Foundation when all of this is said and done, they'll at least have to assume the Foundation will throw some concessions their way. But she still hopes that Druvis can enjoy a show even if she's not the sort to participate. During the break between songs, Riku asks her something. "Nah, Petra convinced me to look more into 90s music and then I made a mixtape for Schneider--I figured worst case scenario, she could at least hear the sounds of the future and get something out of it." And the worst case scenario did, bitterly, end up happening, but Regulus is in DJ-mode right now, her breath hitches a little but she keeps her cool. She doesn't have strong opinions on vampires and she hasn't met a bloodfiend to compare or contrast with Holly but she's clearly fine with sharing a stage with one. This latest song that Holly is putting forward isn't even from the 90's, though, but she is happy to play along. Frankly, as they progress through the concert, fewer and fewer people are bound to see the concert as Foundation officers get their bearings, recover from the shock, and figure out how to shut down the message. But Regulus is raised in the protest era, even convincing one person, shaking one person's comfort, is enough to keep going. You never know who is going to be the one to change their attitude and be the pebble that sets off an avalanche. And this song, well, Regulus does feel it's a bit indulgenet for the rebellion itself but that's fine. Everybody's mood, including her own, has been dire and she hopes it lifts some spirits. She walks around with her guitar, moving around everybody as she plays. It isn't a 90's song, but Regulus did her best to learn the music. She actually flubs a couple notes here and there since she didn't have that much time to learn it and practice with all the other tracks, but for the most part she's got it. And honestly, a song beyond even 1999 is a kind of promise isn't it? A promise that one day time will move forward once again. But maybe the most indulgent part is that Regulus clearly digs Holly's singing voice. She closes her eyes as she dances around, unconciously dodging bouncing into anyone as she plays, only tripping as the music starts to fade over a Druvis root and landing on her butt with a wince. "Oofh, kind of lost myself in that one...!" She bounces back up quickly, looking towards Druvis for a long moment. Her mood is so important! And she can do so little about that! This is terrible! "Any requests?" She asks of Druvis. "Any song you'd really like to hear? Name a few and I'll do my best." She'll give it a moment before she moves onto the third song.
Riku Asakura	'Is that because I don't try hard enough, or because I'm just that charming?' Riku, for a moment, doesn't know how to answer that. He can't say, 'because you don't have the bloodlust made manifest that they do,' that might be rude. So after a moment, nods once, "Yeah, it's definitely because you're charming." When it comes to Holly's song, it's a bit closer to what Riku is familiar with, and of course, he pulls out the glow sticks to start waving them in the air to try to enjoy the beat. It's enough to let some of his worries melt off of him, and hopefully put him in a better mood. Forget the problems of the future for a little peace in the moment. Regulus talks to him about the source of the song, and Riku grows a little saddened that it was started to try and give Schneider a taste of the future. The loss is still felt across the group for the woman, but he tries to put up a brave face and nods to Regulus. Though it being Petra's idea is... well, not troubling but definitely surprising. "Well... I think it was a good idea. I really hope it touches some people," he says brightly. He sincerely does hope this, but right now, their goals seem so far away.
Odette Raskins	"Looks like you came prepared to seduce the Foundation to our side." "My aren't you all so sweet today." Regulus just outright saying that does catch Odette in the middle of nursing her beer, and she coughs into her bottle briefly before wiping her mouth off. She wisely holds back on taking another sip long enough for Holly to follow that up with her own response, and that gets the EMT to jab the bottle into her forehead harder a few more times with a quiet whining noise. "The sooner we get the Foundation to listen, the better it'll be for everyone." Unaware of her direct attack on Regulus' heart, Odette still ends up taking some splash damage when she sees Regulus' expression after responding. "Y... Yeah! We'll turn things around so hard they'll want to listen." She replies with a reassuring-ish tone. It's not as though she doesn't believe it'll happen, but there's still that underlying current of unease in her chest over the situation itself that hasn't been resolved yet. That first song hits that feeling right on the nose, too, and Odette continues nursing her beer while listening to the lyrics. She's not sure how to really gesture for this song, and the general tone stops her from outright cheering, but it does hold her attention nonetheless. As the verses continue towards that more optimistic tone, Odette finds herself reaching for her PDA, turning its flashlight on to wave it in the air just like she's seen in recordings of old Earth concerts. By the time the song ends, Odette does certainly feel better about the aim of the concert, even if her chest doesn't feel any less tight. As Holly's song starts, the EMT makes her way over to Druvis with a slight bit of bounce in her step between the more upbeat tone and lyrics of the song. She slows down for a moment to just watch Holly's dancing and swaying with the song, then forces herself not to stare too long so she can actually get to Druvis before the song ends. "Hi, Miss Weyerhoos-ulp. Haueser?" She pauses briefly to inhale and shake off the beer heat. "Can I get you anything? I've got some instant noodles and the flavor packets if you want something crunchy and salty." Odette offers, reaching into her pocket to reveal a clear supermarket bag (the sort used for holding rolls) half-filled with crunched up instant noodles and a smaller bag of artificial chicken and spicy seasoning packets. "Our group here's pretty... Hmm. We don't have anyone that really does the super deep tones, huh?" She asks while glancing around briefly at those gathered in the projector room. "Like those.... Crooning? Is that the word?"
Ein	Sat next to, Druvis scoots just a smidge to accommodate with due space for Regulus, seeing the emphatic settling coming and preparing herself. The branch, beneath, is solid and resolute, though the everfaintest give to it absorbs the worst of the smooth-barked landing from transferring into Regulus' bottom entirely. Still. Dropping one's entire weight onto a slightly irregular surface with barely any give wasn't the best for one's spine. Druvis, sharing the wince in sympathy, extends a hand to gently touch Regulus' shoulder. It's, perhaps, the most that Druvis has even engaged in contact, though Regulus had tried previously and succeeded in slight contact. If Druvis had some particular touch-based issue, it had been blunted upon leaving Chicago. Not cured, no, but... Blunted. Smoothed and lathed and peeled, worked and chipped at. In context, it was like a hug, if she was but there to meet Druvis in the middle and see it. Regulus, as well, was fighting. That she did not hear the voices of the forest did not mean she was deaf to other voices - to those of the people, to those embodied in music, Regulus was akin to Druvis in this and the druid knew. How to say that though? How to communicate? 'Any song you'd really like to hear? Name a few and I'll do my best.' In opposite it would be as if Druvis asked Regulus to handle seeding and turning and speaking to the soil, though she knew it was not the same. Surprised, called to use her own meagre feelings on it, Druvis tried to recall anything that had struck her. The jazz, the sound of Black music, was a kind of pleasing spirituality to the essential message, but she had no voice to sing it, her heart separate. And for a protest song... Was there any she liked? Could she even name one? No. No, no, not that way. Escaping from the hinge of 'if', she began at 'any' to find 'one' among the scattered ashes of her thoughts. "There was one, perhaps. A song not 'of Chicago', but of people like us who lived within 'Chicago', lived within 'America', lived within 'the world' as it was. Have you heard - Pie in the sky? . . ." A wince, too, but she could not name the song, had no head for the artists, but she knew the poetry of it. For her breathiness, Druvis hits dusky lounge singer as she attempts to get close, and underbreath as Holly performs, she attempts: "But when asked // about something to eat // they will answer with voices so sweet: // You will eat, bye and bye, // in that glorious land above the sky," And as she dips to finish, murmurs the choral additive of 'way up high'. 'Hi, Miss Weyerhoos-ulp. Haueser?' "Druvis." She corrects, almost automatically, looking to Odette with a slow pan, off of Regulus in their musical aside, to look at Odette, and then the medic's noodles and packets, and then a thin and unfelt smile. "No, thank you. I'm not hungry." For packets and strange foams and dried noodle, at least. "What. . . is it?"
Holly Asturias	Holly, fresh off the high, serves herself a bit of her bloodsake in a little plastic cup, a little reward for not flubbing it. If Regulus dropped any notes, it escaped her noticed, or she's not interested in pointing it out. SHE'S not a pro, why would she get on others' case? Regulus' attention shifts to Druvis, silent and down in her corner; Holly sits, at the edge of the stage-area, indicating her bottle of red-tinted sake (and the rest that was brought along) to the arcanist. "There's bourbon, if that's more to your taste. I'm sure White won't drink all of it." 'This time' is implied by her playful tone, though she'd not really be mad if she did either. "The fall of L Corp, I mean. Were you not around for that?" "Hm hm hm, where were we?" She clears her throat, after all that vocal workout. "I'm not familiar with L Corp at all, or even the 'Light'. I've heard both terms, and they relate to Angela's wonderful library, don't they? But I'm quite out of touch I'm afraid." "Yeah, it's definitely because you're charming." "Well, thank you! Some Revenants can be quite terrifying when bloodlusted, though I'd like not to count myself amongst them. As much as possible. It's not my 'vibe'."
Veronica	Between sets, Veronica walks her EGO over to Riku, or as close as she can without the myriad cables coming unplugged from Baker and Seventh's soundsystem. "Everything alright, big guy? You seem a little..." She makes a circular gesture with her EGO's hand, searching for the right words. "More stressed than just 'we're in the middle of a rebellion' should cause. Something else on your mind?" Baker and Seventh's chest splits down the middle and one of the human arms within the EGO reaches out to offer Riku a strawberry soda from Veronica's stash. "I'm not familiar with L Corp at all, or even the 'Light'. "Oh, geez, where do I even start? Besides saying you know how to rock out, wow. Anyway, L Corp was one of--" I've heard both terms, and they relate to Angela's wonderful library, don't they?" "Right, she's in the Concord so you've probably heard the real basics from her. Most of L Corp was in the dark about the 'master plan', this Seed of Light business. They were gonna give everybody in the City an EGO, or lots of us anyway. Angela didn't wanna get sacrificed to finish the job, so only half the stuff got out - that's why we had the White Nights and the Dark Days. It's 'cuz she's responsible for both that I dunno what to think of her. She just wants revenge, she says, but the Mad Father 'n' I want more than that."
Regulus	''We don't have anyone that really does the super deep tones, huh?'' "Well there's Mr. APPLe." Regulus says to Odette. "You've heard him talk before." And had a crush on him sort of?! Regulus doesn't know about that. ''I really hope it touches some people.'' "Oh it'll touch some people, even if it just means they're pissed off." Regulus manages a grin in his direction. It isn't exactly unexpected that he might get in trouble for supporting this rebellion but she's taking Riku at his word when he says it's a cause he thinks is worth fighting for. She just hopes the price isn't too heavy for him. But much like in the way that the Storm of 1929 was a time Regulus felt compelled to reach out to Sonetto, this rebellion is one in which she feels compelled to be there for Druvis but Druvis is more of a struggle--she had time to get to know Sonetto outside of a time of crisis, Druvis she's only ever known in a moment of crisis or in the calm before a second one. The conversation with her takes longer than Regulus expected, but she doesn't leave early for the sake of the performance which might mean that Holly is on stage for a little while longer while APPLe is banging on the drums while Regulus chats this out with Druvis but he has the werewithal to say, "Take a moment to hug a friend, friends." He says as if to assure any potential still-remaining viewers that the concert's still ongoing. Good luck etiher way Holly! Regulus winces as she sits down but is provided some support with Druvis's touch and Regulus is wearing her shades so it's hard to read those big eyes of her. But Druvis can probably feel tension melting out of Regulus at the touch. Nobody really has an invincible heart and though Regulus pretends to have one, it can't really be one. The heart is made to ache so they know to reach out to one another. ''Have you heard - Pie in the sky?'' Regulus's face is at first blank, but then understanding starts to dawn on her as Druvis offers the poetry to her. "Wait, wait, I thinK I ''do'' know this one. Someone sang this at a labor event--" She looks to APPLe. "APPLe! Do you remember--I think it was Joe Hall? I think I remember someone saying 'pie in the sky' came from Joe Hall!" "Ah, yes, I believe it is The Preacher and the Slave." "It's not my register, but I think I remember the melody--" She smiles at Druvis. "Yeah, we can do this one for you, love. It's a good song." She sets down her electric guitar and instead draws out the acoustic she kept on her back and starts strumming. The melody is a little rough since Regulus is performing from an old memory, but as APPLe starts singing she gets into her groove. o/~Work and pray, live on hay, you'll get pie in the sky when you die And the starvation army they play And they sing and they clap and they pray Till they get all your coin on the drum Then they tell you when you are on the bum. o/~ At this point Regulus isn't sure if anybody is listening, but from Holly's conversations with Regulus, the Revenant will know for sure this wasn't Regulus's planned third song. She is definitely sneaking this one in for Druvis's sake. It's not like it's inappropriate Does the foundation even promise anything to those that die in its service? Regulus also holds off on prosletyzing further until the song is done, swinging her head from side to side as she plays. APPLe, meanwhile, is singing so he takes the mic and floats over to Bellwhistle to mug for the camera and to Odette and Riku to pull them into the concert vibe. For someone who doesn't harp on about rock and roll that much, he does seem just as in tune with the performance of performance almost as much as Regulus herself.
Riku Asakura	'Something else on your mind?' Riku looks up at Veronica in her EGO, for once forcing the Ultralad into looking up at someone instead of the other way around. Riku's worries are a little all over his face, but how does he explain the whole Belial situation to her? 'Yeah, Space Satan is my dad, and right now approves of me.' Instead, he decides to let out the other thing worrying him a little. "Well... a thing is happening in my world right now. A friend of mine's daughter has acquired some sort of power that makes monsters go after them... we have no long-term plan on what to do about it, and are right now hiding her away underground at my home. Thankfully, there is another Ultraman at home who can handle things while I'm helping here, but it's still a bit... worrysome." Riku takes the strawberry soda. "Thanks," he says with a smile. Though the talk turned towards the White Nights and Dark Days, which caused Riku to shrink a little more. He decides to open his can of soda and take a drink. 'Oh it'll touch some people, even if it just means they're pissed off.' Riku wasn't thinking of making anyone angry, but on the other hand, this rebellion has likely made him some enemies. Despite that, he does think this fight is worth fighting for. If there is going to be a price to pay, nobody has said anything about it yet. He'd expect more pushback from the Paladins, but right now, nothing. Riku looks at Druvis for a moment. He's not sure how to communicate with her. She's so... withdrawn? Introverted? It didn't help that their first meeting was as enemies, and even losing a common person hadn't really mended or created any bridge between them. Though he does look at the way she treats Regulus, and is at least moved by that. Though before he could say anything, APPLe is dragging him towards the stage to get more involved in the concert. "H-hey, I thought I was supposed to be security..." he half-complains. Though when the music starts again, he is actually swinging a glowstick in the air for the tune.
Holly Asturias	"They were gonna give everybody in the City an EGO," "Ah! She did explain EGOs to me, although, I must stress, very briefly." Holly chews on the heavier matters of that statement, on 'sacrifice' and 'duty' and wonders about that for a moment or three. She supposes she's already in the process of sacrificing herself for her kind, by any metric that matters, and the ache in her right arm is becoming a constant reminder of that. But she can't fault Angela for wanting to live, if that's the whole story. She'd like to, too. "She's been kind to me, but then we are Partners as you've noted." With some distance from the stage, when it's obvious Regulus is DEVIATING FROM THE PLAN like a true Pirate DJ Rebel, Holly can focus back on Veronica for now, and the sweet alure of her sake. "It's hard for me to judge her if her sin is to have wanted to live. Even if the consequences were that... hm, I should hear it straight from her, I think! Besides, it's quite the heavy subject for what should be a good time, while we're afforded the luxury of having any." Overhearing of Riku's woes, the thought of poking at them is washed away by the fact he is dragged away to start glowsticking for the camera. Holly cheers, puts her cup down, and starts clapping her hands along the beat, for the ambience and the mood.
Odette Raskins	"Druvis." "Miss Druvis!" Relieved about the correction, Odette nods slowly as she observes Druvis's reaction to Regulus' questions and the noodles alike. There's even a slight puff up of Odette's chest when Druvis asks about the noodle, giving her a much-sought chance to strike up some kind of conversation! "These... Are instant noodles! They're.. Um. noodles that're cooked already, but they get fried after cooking to dry them out so they can fit in these little bags or sealed cups with the seasoning packets." Odette explains, while helpfully pointing at the shiny packet and the clear red packet. "People usually eat them by boiling water and throwing them in for a while, but I like to crush them up in a bag and eat them that way." She continues, then hastily adds "Sometimes." as an obvious lie. "They're super cheap and kind of salty, so they're real handy on a budget." With that explanation provided, Odette seems to realize something, and she puts on a faux-professional tone. "Now, as an EMT, I should warn you that they've got high sodium and fat content, so it's not healthy to eat a lot of these." And then she's back to her normal, slightly anxious-by-default and more casual tone. "But they're really tasty and cheap, so I keep grabbing them from work." She doesn't put the bag away yet, either, waiting to see if Druvis'll go for it with that new info in mind. When Druvis starts singing, meanwhile, Odette finds herself eating some of her words. She inhales deeply and just holds her breath the entire time, and it's plain on her face that the pattern of feeling the fltuters at anyone with a sufficiently smooth or deep voice has not abated in the slightest. She's still standing in the same spot she was when Druvis started, forgetting to clap until after she's already finished. "Well there's Mr. APPLe." That, at least, does snap her out of that. "Oh, true, true! Ah. Is he going to be singing, too?" She asks, sounding both hopeful and vaguely disappointed at the same time. How could she not? He's an apple! She really needs to stop thinking about his voice. Just her luck, then, that APPLe is totally signing, and Odette gets that same look on her face she did when Druvis was singing. There's definitely some self-loathing in there, too, and those feelings continue fight with each other in her head and on her face right up until he brings that camera over to her and Riku. Is her facepaint okay? Aside from the smudged gray spot on the forehead, she still looks like someone who couldn't decide on how to look today. An EMT? A rocker? a clown? Definitely odd, for sure. "H.. Hello, Foundation! Let's give it up for all our singers!" She adds a cheer and a jingling of her bells and chains onto the end of that in the hopes that the camera'll shift to Riku or one of the prior singers, not-so-subtly trying to lean sideways as though that might help her sneak away from it. "We're all here for one reason, and we're all here as part of the same team as all of you. We want everyone to get through the Storms alive and well, so...! Um. So creating Team Timekeeper's the way to do it, just like Reggie said! Humans, Arcanists, Awakened, a..." What other A-names were there? There had to be something else, right? She's drawing a blank, and the clock is ticking! "Aaaaeveryone in here is from all different places, united for this goal!" She concludes, glancing off-camera at Regulus in the hopes of seeing a good reaction to all that.
Ein	Druvis doesn't know whom or what, but to registers, she dips her head and faintly curls a corner of her mouth in a secret smirk. This one, at least, she knew, but taking it from Regulus in her genuine worry was something unconscionable. She wasn't incapable of knowing, deaf or blind. She simply didn't know how to say what she needed to, lacked the words and the knowings. Yet, for this one sole thing of music, she could share in the seed she had to offer: "I do not believe the register matters." Druvis listens to the music if no-one else will, in the Foundation or elsewhere. Of course, there's others here, Mr. APPLe to sing and know and Regulus to carry the tune, and Holly and Veronica and Riku to all hear a song of dreams and hunger and wanting in a place that would deny them. "Oh, America..." And it might be 'Oh, Foundation', or 'Oh, Humanity', or 'Oh, All of Us' for how she joins Mr. APPLe in the final refrain, save for the last two bars. "You will eat, bye and bye, // When you've learned how to cook and how to fry - and bake a pie." She wasn't a fan of the idle thoughts at chopping wood, but all the rest... Druvis sees Riku, looking at her, and for a moment owlishly stares up at the young man from her seated position, before blinking slowly. Was he. . . trying to speak to her? No, he didn't say words, but there was a soulful wanting there. Did he . . . Druvis looks at the branch that she and Regulus sit on, scooting a bit away from Regulus, and then back towards since that only created less room, and then looked up at Riku, and-- Mr. APPLe somehow took hold of their 'security' guard, gripped with little white limbs and dragged, dragged, dragged away. She has no idea about idol music or glowstick use, but also: Was there a ritual? A festival? As curious as anyone from 1928 can be with chemical lights or hand torches of such a nimble size and battery operation as to be magic, Druvis watches the show until Odette finishes her rummaging and explainer. "Like the 'instant' coffee? It seems fad, and I have not heard of frying a noodle. . ." The incredulous 'American' druid does not know how to feel about '''flavor packets'''. "Is the small foil pouches for some culinary alchemy?" She asks quite genuinely, not grasping such but not averse to the entire thought of something as such. It was drier than anything Sotheby would produce, but perhaps given time and exposure... Odette is entranced by her singing, and the unrefined voice of Druvis isn't one she finds any pride in, but she's not ignorant to the order and causation of things. "I was not that good..." She protests lightly, and then Odette is gone to shout and cheer and give-it-up, leaving the sidelines-on-purpose woman to her social introversion. Relieved, Druvis exhales and sits back, shoulders slacking by degrees and spared from considering what enemy of Typhon's the powder would help combat against.
Regulus	''I thought I was supposed to be security...'' "Do not worry, friend, it is just for a moment." APPLe says. "A concert is a community, we must show this even at risk of danger." o/~If you fight hard for children and wife Try to get something good in this life You're a sinner and bad man they tell When you die you will sure go to hello/~ APPLe seems to also intuit to end two lines early but he is an apple, after all, he might be a little wary of lines about chopping down apple trees as a result. Once upon a time, a tree was his house! And it wasn't chopped down, he fell off due to the cruel force of gravity tearing him away from his home even as he Awakened in that moment. ''Let's give it up for all our singers!'' "Are we still connected, Mr. APPLe?" Regulu asks. "It's hard to know how many are still connected, but some places are still receiving." APPLe tells her. Regulus nods, having been humming along--perhaps thanks to Druvis's advice that the register isn't really important, serving as an undermelody to APPLe's voice. Maybe she just wanted to give APPLe his shot, but she had also been sure to keep her own volume low so she could hear Druvis sing. And certainly, Druvis might not be a trained performer and accomplished singer and artist in that way, but Regulus is still happy to hear it. Regulus didn't exactly go to Julliard herself but she tells Druvis, "You weren't that bad either," with a smile. "So don't think we didn't enjoy listening to you, especially with a song that spoke to you!" This time she gives Druvis a reassuring pat before pushing off to her feet once more. She thinks of the Dark Days White Nights. She thinks of Petra speaking of the Fate that always seemed to have it out for girls who just wanted to survive. And she makes her way back up to the stage, taking the microphone from APPLe along the way.
Regulus	"If you listened to us all this time, whether it is because you couldn't figure out how to turn us off, because you wanted to see if we'd spill any beans or show any openings, or because our words reached you... I'd like to thank you for giving us your time. Please give the Team Timekeeper proposal an honest shot. The Timekeeper won't stop trying to stop the Storm, she couldn't possibly be more dedicated, so let her have some of your trust. She's earned ours. She's been forced to dream for too long, let's make some of those dreams a reality and then maybe..." Regulus dips her head. "Maybe then the peace really will be with us." She straightens up and adds, "I'd like to play out with a song that I never got heard in my time. 1967, the Youngbloods." She sticks to her acoustic as APPLe moves back to the drums. It's another surprisingly sedate song. o/~Love is but a song we sing Fear's the way we die You can make the mountains sing Or make the angels cry Though the bird is on the wing And you may not know why o/~ And as slowly the remaining connections start to die, Regulus quietly moves through the rest of the song, swaying from side to side, trusting the song to share it's message properly. o/~Come on people now Smile on your brother Everybody get together Try to love one another right now o/~ And that last line is the last word Regulus has before the connection to the Foundation is broken. Try to love one another right now. And the Great Rebellion Concert is over. "..." Regulus wipees at her eyes and then smiles at everybody. "Wellp! That's about as loud as I could imagine us getting, so hopefully we managed to fulfill Mr. Butterfly's hopes! Now it's back to waiting. But um--seriously. Thanks for helping out. I'm uh... I'm used to gathering an improv band out of strangers, not sticking with people I've known for this long, so... Thanks everybody." She smiles a little sheepishly, cheeks pinkening faintly.
Odette Raskins	"Like the 'instant' coffee?" "Kind of! Half as good as the real stuff, way less than half the price, and it last a super long time." Odette explains with considerable ease, both mortified at her own ability to retain as much information about cheap noodles as she has and satisfied about being able to speak with Druvis this freely about the topic. "I found a pack in my room once that was a few years old from the last person that had the room, and it still tasted fine. No food poisoning or anything!" Wait, does that make her sound like a desperate scrounger? "N-not that I'd go looking for those on purpose or anything! But... I mean, paramedic training's expensive, you know?" She chuckles nervously, internally grateful that Druvis has already given an escape route: The seasoning packets! "Alchemy? Nothing that fancy, but sort of! The foil one makes the noodles saltier and more flavorful, and the clear one makes them spicier. It can be really strong, though, so it takes a bit of experimenting. Or..." She lets that thought linger for a second. "... You can save it for other food, like fries or veggies." She finishes with a slight flourish in her tone, like she's excited to be giving Druvis some kind of forbidden knowledge. A moment later, however, the self-consciousness hits, and she clears her throat to try and look a little more put together (KISS x Juggalo makeup notwithstanding). "I was not that good..." "You weren't that bad either," "Not bad at all. You've got a really... WARM. Um. Nice... Voice for it." Odette trips over herself for a moment, then takes a deep breath before nodding quickly in agreement with Regulus. She steps away a moment later, content to hide her face for the rest of the concert. Or at least until Regulus goes into the last song of the evening. Raising her lit up PDA again, Odette provides some extra mood lighting for as long as the connections hold and then some. She breathes a heavy sigh of relief once it's done, and she glances around the projector room again. "That really was a good show, Regulus. We got everyone together, we reached a whole bunch of people, and... And we've definitely got way more eyes and hearts in our corner than before." She declares with an uncommonly high degree of confidence behind her words, bolstered considerably by finishing one entire beer.
Riku Asakura	'Do not worry, friend, it is just for a moment.' Riku accepts the explanation and nods. "Alright. I'll do my best, Mr. APPLe." Riku accepts this, and when on camera, he smiles, waving at it. He doesn't have a lot to say, really, because a lot of what he was willing to say was already said and honestly said a lot better than he could. He takes a breath and... "You should try to at least talk to each other. If you've been listening this long, I know you want to at least listen to what we have to say. So as Regulus says, give peace a chance!" He waves the glowstick more gently for the final song, waving it from side to side in a metronomic way. Even as the numbers drop off one by one, it's at least a good ending for this. Finally, when the last listener is cut off and the party ends, the glowstick is lowered. "Is there anything you need or want while we wait? I mean... we can't wait forever, right?" Finally, he walks up to Druvis again. THIS time he's going to say something to try and bridge the gap. "Hi... I'm glad your forest got some peace near the end. I don't know what corrupted it, but... I'm glad I could help at least a little."
Ein	Druvis has no words of guidance for the Foundation's people. She does not feel comfortable doing so, speaks and listens to the wrong aspects of the place to know, but... 'You weren't that bad either,' 'Not bad at all. You've got a really... WARM. Um. Nice... Voice for it.' Easier to take the words of Regulus than Odette, Druvis doesn't quite smile or accept either, faintly expecting Regulus' kind words but not Odette's, needing a moment for the effusivity -- and emphasis -- of the medic's expression. "Warm?" She repeats, searching her own feelings for where that slotted into her self-image and not finding a piece where 'voice' was 'warm' fit. She spares Odette the awkward-questioning 'thank you?', the extended moment of searching, and tries to smile while her eyes slide away. Odette is well on her way to cover her face entirely and cease to exist as a being in the space out of absolute despair (until the next song), and so Druvis returns to Regulus. "I would say," She begins, sotto voice after the exclaiming that their rock (rock rock!) and roll little lion had gotten up to, drifting down in tone so that cameras might only find her lips subtle motion and not the tone of her breath. "If we are still connected to, your concert at least beat your expectations." And, from the druid of plants to the 'druid' of sound, neither had expected greatness, so something 'good' was itself a kind of victory. Would 'tomorrow' bring a different and more direct fight from the Foundation? Could it, in the same way? Perhaps not. 'I don't know what corrupted it, but...' It is Riku who approaches, last perhaps for the evening, and Druvis is at her most wearied, not one for great gatherings at all, but fine enough for one more conversation. She expects to be, at least, and yet Riku in his hopeful innocence speaks to her, and for a moment Druvis dissociates away from the question, green eyes anywhere else, and then, with a swallow and shift of eyes off-and-then-back-on, slides off once more with her answer: "Fire did." She begins, and then draws in a steadying breath and holds it, half-exhales, and finds the right pressure to continue. "And I turned damage into misery's curse. By the time you stepped with it, the 'corruption' was my own rot. Even if the trees remained ashen in their austerity at my demand, it was... my demand." Her eyes track back, limping to see, and her thin smile is all but self-accusing if her words did not strike two lines under the thought. "So," "To be released from that," Whether it was 'the forest' or 'Druvis', she would agree on the forest's behalf and leave the woman for later. "Yes, it was... good." Weak, she shifts hands from lap-fold to besides her on the branch, pushing up to stand and pausing before she leaves her seat. "If we are completed, then. . ." Shifting, she looks to the group. "A rest, before any reprisal?" If they would be struck for this, then, at least, they could be ready from their performances.