Suki feared that the taxi ride over to The Majestic Palace would be an awkward one. She hadn't communicated with any of the cast for over a month and had just recently reconnected with Buster, only because of the good news. The Saluki was proven wrong, however, whenever the bustling cast greeted her warmly, some of them even embraced her as they made their way to their taxis. Buster reached up, indicating his attempt to shake her hand, and Suki lowered herself to the ground, taking his paw in hers and shaking it lightly.

"It's great to see you again, Mr. Moon," she said, somehow being able to keep her composure. Those same butterflies that she'd grown to associate with Moon's presence started fluttering around in her chest again whenever he patted her paw sincerely.

"It's wonderful seeing you, too."

"Mr. Moon!" Gunter called from the taxi, waving him over. "Come on! We've been waiting, like, forever!"

Buster chuckled, shaking his head and readjusting his satchel over his shoulder. He and Suki made their way over to the first taxi, which held Ash, Miss Crawly, Gunter, and Rosita. The showman allowed Suki to enter the taxi first, holding the door open for her as she stepped inside before doing the same himself.

"Ash," he started, buckling himself in, "any word from Mr. Calloway?"

"Oh, yeah. He said he'd be here tomorrow around three. Does that work?"

"That's perfect, we can meet him back here." He rubbed his paws together enthusiastically. "And then we'll get back to business, folks!"

"So, what have you guys been working on this whole time?" Suki asked, crossing her legs and watching Moon's face light up at her curiosity.

"Well, it's not fully developed, but I have the entire first draft written out for a completely new story. It just hasn't been worked on, yet. We usually take a month after one show to start working on a completely new one, again, you see."

"Of course."

"But, after we're done working on Out of This World, we'll start work on that production. Everyone seems pretty excited about the idea; it's a little different than my other plays. More of a timely romance-drama with a lot of swords and kingsman and-"

The car ride continued, and Suki sat, listening to Buster's ramblings the entire time, and would even laugh along with some of the things the other cast members had to say. The showman was completely invested in a world he hadn't even fully created yet, and that sort of dedication and craftsmanship had Suki mesmerized from the start.

"Jeez, Pops, take a breath," Ash had said about halfway through, patting the showman on the shoulder.

"Ah, r-right. Sorry, I do that a lot. Get a little overexcited, is all."

"No," Suki said, almost too intensely as Buster flinched back into his seat. "Sorry, I meant... no. I enjoy listening to you."

"Ooohh," Gunter commented sheepishly, grinning from ear to ear. Rosita nudged him on the shoulder, shooting him a non-threatening glare. Buster and Ash shared the same wide-eyed expression, looking at Suki in surprise. The koala was just about to open his mouth to speak when the car stopped, and the driver announced that they had arrived. Everyone seemed to forget about their brief moment shared in the taxi and instantly started piling out, holding their luggage and staring up at the massive structure with wide eyes.

"Holy moly," Buster muttered, just slipping out of the car whenever he, too, was swallowed by the theatre's beauty. Windows upon windows going up as far as the eye can see. Flowers and bushes and vines coated the windows and draped down the sides of the building. Ionic columns ran into the ground, and from there it sat upon a resting place that could only be reached by taking a flight of pretentious stairs coated with an impressively long red carpet. Moon's family chattered excitedly off to the side while he, Miss Crawly, and Suki stood at the very first step. "This is..."

"Buster Moon!"

The showman clasped Miss Crawly's arm, leaning his back against her and clenching his teeth at the sound of an authoritative voice. Suki noticed just how much the koala had jumped, and how he was now struggling to get his breathing under control. At the very top of the stairs, there was a tall, lean wolf; his fur was a dark red and brown, and he had a friendly smile on his face. He started to make his way down the steps, surprisingly followed by no security, and that was whenever Moon could put a face to the voice he'd heard, and quickly regained his composure. Suki stared down at him worriedly until the unnamed wolf was standing just a few feet in front of them.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir," the wolf said, leaning down to shake Moon's hand. The showman hesitated for a brief moment before slowly reaching up and taking it, shaking it back.

"Uh, th-the pleasure's all mine, Mister...?"

"Oh, just call me Si. The real name's Simon Oaks, I own this joint. But that sounds too official. Si's good. Plus, all my friends call me that."

"Ah, yes. Well, I can assure you, my cast and I are very grateful that you decided to host our show here. It's inspiring to know that we have enjoyers from across the plains."

"Mr. Moon, I can assure you, we are the ones who are grateful you decided to work with us! You've got real talent, sir, and that reflects onto your cast." Si turned to face Suki. "And you must be Miss Lane! Man, you've done an excellent job scouting out this group. I actually wanted to offer you an opportunity here at The Majestic, if you are interested?"

Suki stood as stiff as a board, not entirely sure what was happening. She was stuck between wanting to tell Si the truth, that she hadn't actively recruited the New Moon Troop, and jumping on the opportunity of a new job. Before she was able to stutter out something that would ultimately humiliate herself, Buster Moon beamed, raising his arms to gesticulate towards the Saluki dramatically.

"Oh, she is excellent. She's always been a huge help to me and my crew, I can tell you that much. She's very deserving of a job at your establishment, that's for sure."

Si chuckled, reaching his hand out to shake Suki's. "You've got quite an impressive resume as it is, but having Moon vouch for you is something truly special. If you're available tomorrow, we can have you come in for orientation."

"W-wait, so... I'm... You're hiring me?" Suki asked, flabbergasted.

"You're already hired! We'll get all of the technicalities sorted out tomorrow, though. Today is about the magic, yeah? You guys can follow me."

The New Moon Troop all hollered their congratulations, coming over to either give Suki a quick hug or a pat on the back before following Si up the stairs. Miss Crawly took the Saluki's hand in hers, smiling up at the woman warmly.

"Congratulations, hon," she stated, and Buster Moon offered the elderly lizard his arm to help her up the stairs. So many things had happened in just those mere seconds; the entire introduction hadn't even lasted a minute, and now, Suki was hired and expected to work as a talent recruiter for The Majestic. She looked down at Moon, who was helping Miss Crawly up the first couple of stairs.

"Thank you for that," she expressed and smiled whenever the showman turned to face her. His ear twitched and he gave her that same sly look she could recognize from a mile away.

"Thank me for what, Suki? I was just telling him the truth."

The remainder of the day was a complete blur.

The New Moon Troop was practically bombarded with enthusiasm and praise upon entering the theatre and were all rushed around to try and learn the layout of the building, and of the backstage. Moon was presented with his own temporary office, which he insisted was to be given to someone else. Si was persistent, however, and assured the showman it wouldn't be a problem at all. Throughout the day, Suki would sometimes notice that Buster's looks of amazement and wonder would be snapped back at the sound of a voice, a phrase, or a question. Anything that reminded him of Redshore had the mental weight, at least to him, to turn his eyes to glass and thrust him out of reality, at least for a moment. That was why Suki stuck by his side most of the day and was nervous to leave him once a break was called, and everyone went their separate ways for half an hour. While Suki didn't participate in any official orientation during the day, she did meet back up with Si and some of his other employees to discuss how things operated around the theatre, and that they would be paying for all of her travel expenses whenever she wasn't at the office.

Suki was already beginning to like Si; he had a genuine personality and clearly had a love for the theatre and everything about it. He was a little scrawnier than Crystal and had a lot less fur around his neck, but he had similar icy blue eyes. A similar smile, though his held no malice. Still, she could understand why Buster was as hesitant as he was around the wolf. He hadn't exactly had the best experiences around someone in his position, and by the way he'd pressed himself desperately against Miss Crawly earlier, both in an attempt to protect her and to (maybe) offer some solace to himself, Suki knew he hadn't overcome everything. How could he? She'd only known Moon for a short period of time, but she could tell he had this sort of bravado and swagger that he initiated whenever he was surrounded by folks he was destined to lead or work alongside. But alone? She could only imagine how terribly he'd been faring. Along with all of the mental turmoil the showman must've been facing, he was still healing physically. Everyone, including the hospital staff in Redshore, was surprised at how quickly the little guy had managed to get back on his feet. There was seldom anything that could hold Buster Moon down, and that simple fact was becoming increasingly obvious for Suki to realize.

The Saluki wasn't exactly sure if it was her place to confront Buster about any of this. After all, he'd decided that he had no reason to call her the entire month they'd been separated, and he'd promised he would if he needed anything. Still, she couldn't exactly let the issue go. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she did care about Buster. She cared about all of the New Moon Troop; Johnny was such a gentle giant, responsible, and incredibly talented. He cared so deeply for his makeshift family just the same as if they were his own. Ash was rough around the edges to start, but that was because she was extremely protective of those she held dear, especially when it came to Buster. Meena was a sweet girl with a hell of a voice and expressed her love for the rest of the crew whenever she could. Rosita was a wonderful performer and mother, and it was clear that her years of raising 25 piglets had given her the insight and experience to help support the New Moon Troop whenever necessary. Gunter, her partner, was hilariously optimistic and always ready for a good time. He was able to mix his work and fun in a way that Suki truly envied. Porsha she'd known for years of being Jimmy's assistant, and ever since she became a part of the New Moon Troop, she'd grown out of her shell so much. Sure, she still had a long way to go, but she was learning. Learning to appreciate the small things, and the family she'd been taken into. Nooshy was a spunky and confident girl and was willing to do anything for her friends, including standing up to their bullies or the things holding them down. Miss Crawly was always present, always dependable, and reliable no matter what happened to her. Sure, Darius wasn't present all of the time; he was still doing work in Redshore shooting commercials and putting in the effort to release his very first album. Still, he'd agreed to come back for the new premiere of Out of This World, and was slowly growing on Suki and the rest of the cast. Clay Calloway, of course, was a spectacular mentor, and it was clear that out of everyone, Ash had become the most attached. The two held a similar bond that the porcupine and Buster possessed, though Ash had a lot more to do with Clay's reinvigorated love for singing and performing. They were all fortunate enough the have the rockstar on their team, and be so willing to stick around, even through the rough start.

And Buster Moon...

He was an utter mess, to begin with. He had morals; they did exist. But sometimes, whenever he was so caught up in one of his dreams, they would be forgotten. Well, maybe not so much forgotten; Moon always cherished and cared about his family and his kiddos, but whenever he had his mind set on something, there was very little he wouldn't do in order to get that thing accomplished. Suki didn't know much about his past, but she was well aware that the showman had a reputation as someone that came up the hard way. He wasn't always as fortunate as he was now and even still, whenever he was given more opportunities, he took them with caution and skepticism at the very beginning. Despite all of this, Suki couldn't help but grow attached to the idea of him. The idea that this koala, this "little guy from nowhere" had the same amount of guts, if not more than half of the big-time animals she'd met in her lifetime. He cared so deeply and worried so much. He was under constant stress, and if somebody else wasn't stressing him out, he'd do it to himself. He always worked, and never stopped for anything. And just the way he took care of his cast; took them under his wing and showed them how to push the limits of their imagination... it was all extremely admirable.

As the day turned into night, Suki called two cabs in order to transport the New Moon Troop to their hotel, paid for in advance courtesy of The Majestic. After hanging up the phone, she came to the realization that none of the cast was anywhere in sight. Even with a quick glimpse backstage, Suki wasn't able to find a single soul besides a couple of night cleaners doing their duty of swabbing the floors and making room to prepare for the sets in the day to come. For a split second, Suki panicked. Had something happened? Was this place just as shady as Crystal Tower Theatres had been? Was Buster okay? Had the cast already left? Was Buster okay?

Suddenly, just as the worries and doubts in her mind were starting to amplify, a subtle song drifted through the backstage area, calming Suki's thoughts and allowing her a moment to listen. Her long ears perked a bit at the noise as she began following the musical trail it was leaving behind.

"If they asked me, I could write a book

About the way you walk and whisper and look

I could write a preface on how we met

So the world would never forget"

Suki continued to follow the song backstage, discovering with a sort of start that it was coming from Mr. Moon's new office. And, what's more, she realized that while the song was playing, someone else was singing along. Someone closer and more tangible than a disembodied voice.

"And the simple secret of the plot

Is just to tell them that I love you a lot

Then the world discovers as my book ends

How to make two lovers of friends"

The Saluki smiled a bit in realization and wonder as the fact dawned on her; that was Moon's voice. She continued walking towards the door, finally making her way up to it and grabbing the knob. She turned it and peeked her head inside. Not only was Mr. Moon singing, but he was also joined by all of his cast, who were all watching and laughing and singing along to small parts of the chorus before the instrumental break. On top of all of that, everyone in the room was in the process of getting their nails painted by Nooshy and Porsha, Moon included. He'd apparently already gotten his done, because as he danced a bit to the music playing over vinyl, he would gesticulate dramatically and flex his claws a bit, allowing the glaucous blue color he'd chosen to shine in the artificial light of the office. Johnny and Ash were laughing as they watched on, trying not to mess up the girls' hard work, and Meena, Rosita, Gunter, and Miss Crawly all looked down at theirs, either freshly done or having been done for a while, still laughing and giggling as Moon continued:

"And the simple secret of the plot

Is just to tell them that I love you a lot

Then the world discovers as my book ends

How to make two lovers of friends"

The showman bowed comically, and the rest of the cast erupted in sweet applause, clapping their hands and laughing as the vinyl record slowed to a stop.

"Stop, stop, you guys are too kind, really," Buster feigned theatrically. "I'll be here all week, folks."

He was just reaching to take a sip of his coffee whenever Suki started to lightly applauded herself, and since everyone else had since ceased, the attention was turned to her. Moon's eyes widened and he sputtered, pulling the coffee away from his lips and bursting into a fit of coughing. Everyone laughed, even Suki (just a bit), as he balled his fist up and started hitting his chest to silence the fit. Johnny turned and waved, giving the Saluki what she could only describe as a very knowing smile before speaking up.

"Oi, Suki! We were just gettin' our nails done," he explained, showing off his fresh coat of matte black polish. The Saluki grinned.

"I can see that."

"We would've invited you, we just couldn't find you anywhere," Gunter told her, not looking down from where his cloven hooves had been painted a spectacular array of sparkling pink and gold.

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. "I'm sure Mr. Moon will want his nails done more often than not. I can join you another time."

Everyone chuckled as Moon rolled his eyes, finally calming down from his coughing fit. "R-right, well, is there something you need, Suki?"

"I just wanted to let you guys know I've got two taxis on the way; they'll take us to our hotel. So have all of your stuff ready, alright?" she informed them all, receiving smiles and nods from all around as the cast began to leave and retrieve their things. Soon, the only two animals left in that office were Buster and Suki. The showman was taking the record off of the player and sliding it back into its case, silence enveloping the space. "Sorry about that," the Saluki started, "didn't mean to barge in."

"Pft, please. You're always welcome, Suki," Buster replied, hopping from his chair and sucking in a pained breath. "Just wish you... didn't have ta witness my mediocrity first hand."

"Oh, please. You've got an amazing voice. I wish I could've heard you sing sooner." An awkward pause. "Harry Collie Jr., right?"

"Ah, y-yes. He's been my favorite for a long while."

"Same here." Suki stuffed her phone in her pocket as she realized that at this moment in time, Buster was simply looking for a few extra things to do. He was organizing some papers and placing them back in their drawers, cleaning up his coffee, that sort. "Would you like help?" the Saluki offered as she reached down to grab one of the papers that had fallen on the floor. Coincidentally, that's just the moment Buster decided to reach for it, and Suki's hand brushed over his. She recoiled, unsure if she'd broken a boundary as Buster stiffened, releasing a short puff of air from his lips as he looked back up at her, eyes shining.

"I'm alright, Suki, thank you." His voice sounded so small as he spoke as if weighing the words he was saying before letting them go out into the air. "You're too kind. I-I'll meet you guys out front, okay? Just give me a minute."

Suki blushed, eyes shining as well as she slowly stood back up. She smiled. "Alright, Moon," she said as she made her way out of the office. "By the way, I really do like your nails. Good pick with the color."