Disclaimer: These are not my characters, as you very well know

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, as you very well know. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Okay, if you have been on the FF forum lately, you may have noticed this concept springing from a discussion on the craziest plot ideas ever. A few strange accounts of Setzer's rock star worshipping were shared and then the band, Ultima, was born. We haven't been quite the same since.

This is a fun little undertaking that we have decided to go through with, and we hope that you will come along with us and enjoy the ride. So far, the definite participants in this story collaboration are Margaret Rennie, Ntrophi, and myself. If you simply must join in the fun, and you are much more than encouraged to do so, e-mail me at: a_red_thread@hotmail.com.

I'll leave the rest of the explaining to the moogle and the imp. (That will make sense a little further down the page, I swear. ^_^)

Now, without further adieu, I give you:

"Ultima Hits the Opera House"

The long-awaited debut

of the World's first band

Intro

A moogle walks across the screen. He is carrying a piece of paper. Once he's halfway, his little waddle comes to a halt and he turns his back to the screen. Takes out a little hammer. Rap rap rap. He turns a struts off the screen, leaving the paper tacked to the wall. The camera pans in to show the notice full-screen. It is written in a lovely cursive hand, displaced in areas by a cut and paste effect. It's been photocopied about five times, it seems. The headline reads:

Ultima Hits the Opera House!

No need to be alarmed though, as the next line clearly states:

This Saturday! Tickets on sale at the box office

Only 50GP per person

The badly reproduced image underneath depicts, vaguely, a beautiful blond woman. She is wielding a guitar like a weapon. The sight is quite ecstatic, and several young men are crowding the notice, to the obvious disgust of the prim ladies coming from the Jidoorian flower shop. "Punk kids."

So the buzz surrounding the band has begun. Things have been changing in the World lately. The World is fast approaching a renaissance, of sorts. A World which is now referred to as The World of Rebirth. There has been a buzz of excitement and rumor recently. The invention of the guitar caused stirs of ecstasy. Young men and women alike have been found thrashing away at the new invention.

Yes, a change is in the air.

And the concert is the upcoming Saturday. Then the phenomenon that will come to be known as Ultima will grace the stage for the very first time.

~*~

A moogle walks across the screen, followed by an imp. They halt at the very center of the screen. The moogle jumps up and flutters his furry arms in the air.

"Kuu-uoppo! You know what time it is now, right, boys and girls?"

He turns to the imp, who spins around with a flourish.

"It's Instruction time!"

"Kupo! Yeah. That's right."

The two do a little dance. You groan and unceremoniously throw something at the screen.

"Sorry."

"Kupo Kupoo. Okay, it goes like this. The band, Ultima, will perform here on Saturday, and you can come here, at the Opera House, to attend it. Just here, okay? Where you saw the notice. Okay, repeat that back to me!! Kupo-upoo!"

"Here, the band Ultima will perform at the Opera house on Saturday."

 "Got it! Ku-uopppooo. Then there will be several reviews gleaned from various attendants, which will be posted all along the Jidoor strip, and by that I mean posted on the notice board here in Jidoor. Kupo. Got it? Yeah? So say it!! Kupo!"

"Reviews will be posted after the show."

"Kupo! Right on!"

The two creatures stare out dumbly at you for a moment longer. Shrug at each other. Then…

"Oh yeah, kupo me! I almost forgot. Here is your ticket. I got it directly from The Man himself, kupoo poo. That's Mr. Setzer Gabbiani to all of you folks. If you were in the business, you'd probably know him as The Man too. Kupo! Right?"

"The Man."

"Uh. Kupo! Silly imp!"

They rush off, with the moogle in fast pursuit of the imp, who is dead scared.

You hold the ticket and read it carefully:

Ultima

One showing only – The Opera House, Saturday

Ultima is:

Celes Chere – the beautiful lead vocals, guitar

Edgar Figaro – lead guitar

Locke Cole – bass guitar

Sabin Figaro – drums and percussion

For further information, contact Mr. Gabbiani.

You shrug and put it into your pocket for future reference.

So, Saturday then, you repeat in your mind.

And then, the screen fades out.