Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 16th cycle. Now cycle 17!
"Two Clubs Enter the Arena"
New Directions & Vocal Adrenaline
Rachel/Jesse
*grumbles, lateness, damn you "common" cold!*
They all had this thought, just them, not their directors, no… This was a matter that would have to be settled club to club… A matter of honor, to level the playing field before their finest hour… Regionals. After each of the clubs had their go of trying to 'funkify' the other, it did not feel like they were done.
As the ones presently on the losing side, Vocal Adrenaline had put out the challenge to New Directions. After what they imagined would involve a text message storm, they had gotten their response: Yes. Neutral ground, away from and half the distance from their respective schools.
In each case, the rules were established: No preparation; they would decide on their song on location, so not to give advantage, or chance to double cross. Costumes were fine, though they had to play it neutral, not knowing the genre or style of their song. Above all else, the rule was clear: No telling Mr. Schuester or Miss Corcoran. It was just them, twelve of New Directions and twenty-six of Vocal Adrenaline.
As the time came, the two motorcades departed for the location. New Directions packed in three cars, Vocal Adrenaline in six. Both packs arriving at once, getting out of the cars and lining up, there was the sound of a musical or two being thrown about as reminiscent of the scene.
Each club sent forth a representative, exactly who they'd expect: Rachel and Jesse. They kept stern. "Right, how do you want to do this?" Jesse asked, arms crossed before him. Rachel gave a strong smirk, taking out her phone and holding it up.
"Radio," she waved it about. "Leave it up to destiny. I'll keep the stations rotating, you tell me when to stop and the first song we hear…" she let him conclude for himself. He nodded slowly to himself.
"Any song?" he checked.
"Unless that scares you…" she maintained. He bowed his head.
Start rotating," he declared, and she did. They kept on with their stare-off, until enough time had passed and Jesse spoke. "Stop." Rachel hit the key, and the sounds of a news report flew out. "Okay, wait," he leaned to look at her radio.
"I got it, I got it," she insisted at the same time he spoke. "Rotating again," she did so, and after a brief beat…
"Stop," he told her, both on a bit of an edge as they waited to see if they'd have to do a third rotation; they didn't. The song came up and they both looked to one another with a satisfied smile. Once they gained awareness of the moment, they blinked, game faces back on. "Should we take care of the music?" he indicated his group.
"If you don't mind, actually, I'd be more at peace if we took care of it. They don't trust you… and I'm not sure I do either…" she nodded.
"Right," he nodded back, just as slow, then stronger. "Okay, so… Ten minutes?"
"Ten minutes," she repeated before they both returned to their groups, to start doing at least some basic planning. Most of that time was given to getting hold of the song, looking over the lyrics. The idea, really, was to go at it on the fly; how else to show what they'd come to show? At the very least, both sides grasped the notion.
Once everyone was ready, signals were given across the lot – show time. They approached, like two armies meeting on the battlefield. Jesse was the first to break forth with a verse, the rest of Vocal Adrenaline moving into formation.
[J] "Please allow me to introduce myself / I'm a man of wealth and taste / I've been around for a long, long year / Stole many a man's soul and faith."
On the other side, it was Finn who kicked things off for New Directions, the rest of them standing strong with him. After his verse, it was the whole of Vocal Adrenaline who sang together, moving as one with the brief choreography they'd worked out.
[F] "And I was 'round when Jesus Christ / Had his moment of doubt and pain / Made damn sure that Pilate / Washed his hands and sealed his fate."
[VA] "Pleased to meet you / Hope you guess my name / But what's puzzling you / Is the nature of my game"
They went right along into the next verse, the guys breaking away from the girls. It was a maneuver that New Directions used as well, after Vocal Adrenaline.
[VA guys] "I stuck around St. Petersburg / When I saw it was a time for a change / Killed the Czar and his ministers / Anastasia screamed in vain"
[ND guys] "I rode a tank / Held a general's rank / When the Blitzkrieg raged / And the bodies stank"
The boys rejoined the girls then, though the girls would pipe up with light back-up. And then Rachel came forward from within the pack, facing their opponents, strong, eventually backed up by her boys.
[ND] "Pleased to meet you / Hope you guess my name, ([ND girls] "oh yeah") / Ah, what's puzzling you / Is the nature of my game, ([ND girls] "oh yeah") / (woo woo, woo woo)"
[R] "I watched with glee / While your kings and queens / Fought for ten decades / For the gods they made" / [ND guys] "(woo woo, woo woo)"
The whole of the New Directions' girls took the next part, calling out Vocal Adrenaline to back them. And when their guys stepped up, New Directions was called in return and obliged.
[ND girls] "I shouted out, / "Who killed the Kennedys?" / When after all / It was you and me" / [VA] "(who who, who who)"
[VA guys] "Let me please introduce myself / I'm a man of wealth and taste / And I laid traps for troubadours / Who get killed before they reached Bombay" / [ND] "(woo woo, who who)"
Vocal Adrenaline took the next verse, backed by the girls, and Jesse. New Directions followed up, again with the girls breaking away, only here Vocal Adrenaline snatched the end of the verse, the better for the girls to carry along, backed by the guys.
[VA] "Pleased to meet you / Hope you guessed my name, ([VA girls] "oh yeah")" / [ND] "(who who)" / [VA] "But what's puzzling you / Is the nature of my game, ([VA girls] "oh yeah")" / [J] "Get down, baby" / [VA] "(who who, who who)"
[ND] "Pleased to meet you / Hope you guessed my name, ([ND girls] "oh yeah") / But what's confusing you / Is just the nature of my game" / [VA] "(woo woo, who who)"
[VA girls] "Just as every cop is a criminal / And all the sinners saints / As heads is tails / Just call me Lucifer / 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint" / [VA guys] "(who who, who who)"
The song was drawing to a close, and there was no need to figure out what would happen when that happened… They'd just walk away, back to their sides, their cities. So they'd make it count.
Jesse came forward for Vocal Adrenaline, cut off by Rachel, sharing as well, the verse framed by the support of all thirty-eight singers.
[J] "So if you meet me / Have some courtesy / Have some sympathy," [R] "have some taste" / [ALL] "(woo woo)" / [R] "Use all your well-learned politesse / Or I'll lay your soul to waste," [R/J] "mmm yeah" / [ALL] "(woo woo, woo woo)"
The group continued their combination, though with breakaways from Mercedes, and Rachel, and Jesse.
[ALL] "Pleased to meet you / Hope you guessed my name, mmm yeah / (who who) / But what's puzzling you / Is the nature of my game," / [Me] "Mmm mean it, get down" / [ALL] "(woo woo, woo woo)"
[ALL] "Woo, who" / [Me] "Oh yeah, get on down" / [R] "Oh yeah" / [J] "Oh yeah!" / [ALL] "(woo woo)"
Joined voices broke away and echoed at the walls, as everyone returned to their cars and, as figured, drove away without a single word.
Now they were ready.
THE END
[A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, story alert won't get you anything! ;)]