"YOUR MOTHER…?!"
Everyone present - sans Porsha, Eddie and Ms. Crawly - were still taken completely aback by Buster's revelation. None of them were sure what to say, all hesitating in silence for the better part of a minute before Norman finally spoke up.
"I didn't even think you had a Mom, Mr. Moon. Well y'know, not like that, because obviously you had a Mom, because that's how, uh… oh boy…" Norman's eyes widened a little when the piglets all started laughing at his slip-up, though Rosita held onto her husband's arm and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.
"It's okay, honey, we know what you mean…" She chuckled warmly, before turning her attention back to the still overwhelmed koala. "But Norman's right, Buster. You've never said a word about your mother, and you talk so much about your Dad, I always kinda thought she just wasn't around."
"Yeah, and how did you know about her, Porsha…?" Ash asked.
"Oh, Uncle Buster mentioned her a couple years back." Porsha shrugged. "Remember that time when I cut my hand…?"
This prompted a few murmurs from the rest of the group, though Nooshy clearly wasn't in the mood to reminisce about that incident as she spoke up. "Where even is your Mum, Mr. Moon…?"
"She um..." Buster cleared his throat. "She lives in a retirement home downtown. You guys probably know it. The Perkins Home For The Infirm?"
"Oh yeah, my Dad did a bit of community service there." Johnny said. "He said it was quite nice."
"But you don't visit her…?" Suki raised an eyebrow as she looked down at Buster, making the koala cringe a little.
"Well I do, sometimes, just… not as much since Dad passed…" Buster itched the back of his neck, letting out a slightly bitter scoff. "A lot of the time she doesn't even remember me, and even when she does, she's not exactly showering me with affection."
"Aw, did you guys fall out or something…?" Rosita asked.
"No no, we just… well, I dunno, it… it's complicated…" Buster sighed. "Yeah, she um... she wasn't exactly on board with me going into show-business, so... we've had some ups and downs."
The rest of the New Moon Troupe couldn't help but wince at this. If there was one thing Buster valued above all else in this world - other than Suki, of course - it was the theatre and arts. And to learn that his own mother apparently discouraged this passion certainly wasn't the most reassuring thing to hear.
"And she's always been mad about me selling some old necklace of hers a few years back..." Buster crossed his arms as he continued. "I mean, I don't even remember selling it, but I guess I did, so uh... whatever, point is... she's not gonna be happy to see me."
"Well, she um... she might not turn up, Mr. Moon." Meena shrugged, trying her best to be reassuring.
"Yeah, that's true, Meena. Heck, knowing my Mom, she's probably not even gonna see the invite..." Buster chuckled rather harshly, before sighing as he looked over to his honorary niece. "Look, I'm sure your heart was in the right place when you invited her, Porsha, but this is all -"
"Uncle Buster..." Porsha suddenly spoke up, putting both hands behind her back when they all turned to her, before sniffling a bit as she looked down to the floor. "I, um…. I went through a lotta stuff with my parents too, and... and I never got to set things right with either of 'em. And yeah, I'm happy now, cause you guys are all amazing, but... I dunno, I just... I just really wish things had gone different, y'know...?"
Suki nodded as she gently caressed Porsha's back, silently prompting the young wolf to continue.
"I'm never gonna stop regretting it, cause I never got that chance, but you got it now. And yeah, y'know, maybe it doesn't work out and it's all a waste of time or something, but… but if you'll don't take the chance at all, you're gonna regret it forever, Uncle Buster."
Buster hesitated, remaining silent for just short of thirty seconds, before he finally straightened back up. "Yeah, you um… you might have a point there, kiddo."
The others murmured and whispered in what sounded like general agreement, before Ash went closer to Buster and put her hand on his shoulder. "Take it from somebody who's had their fair share of drama, Moon, this whole thing with your Mom might be a long shot, but it's still a shot worth taking."
"Hmm... it's not gonna be easy, Ash."
"Is it ever...?" The porcupine snarked playfully. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen? If she really does hate you, that's just one extra seat, right? You've got nothing to lose here."
Buster seemed more confident now when he nodded with a smirk, straightening his shirt as he and Suki started heading back up the stairs toward the office. "Ms. Crawly, see if you can find a free spot in the schedule some time this week... we gotta go pay my Mom a visit!"
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Mr. Moon!" Nooshy called encouragingly, before walking off and chatting with Johnny while everyone else split up to do their own things.
Buster stopped at the top of the stairs and propped himself up on the bannister, prompting Suki to sit down on the top step so she was closer to his level. "You sure you're okay doing this, honey?"
"What, are you kidding?" Buster laughed, still forcing a smile onto his face as he took on a higher-pitched tone. "Oh-ho, I'm absolutely terrified."
"Alright, let's see here..." Rosita muttered to herself as Ash looked through her phone, both quickly shooting up when she found what they were looking for. "Oh Porsha! Hey, uh... just come here a second, will you, sunshine?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Porsha quickly rushed over, slightly panicked by the urgency in Rosita's voice, though the mother pig seemed more excited as she beckoned the wolf to sit between her and Ash.
"We were just looking up some pictures from one of the old Festivals..." Ash held up her phone screen, giving Porsha a better look at the photograph. "Thought that wolf there looked a little familiar..."
With her dark teal coat and greenish-gold eyes, this wolf was nearly Porsha's spitting image - or, to be more accurate, Porsha was hers - and she let out a small gasp when she realised who it was: The Swan In Wolf's Clothing.
"My Mom...? Oh, was this when she did that stunt...?" Porsha's face lit up when Ash nodded. "Man... so how long ago was this, anyway?"
"Probably about twenty-five, maybe twenty-six years ago, I think..." Rosita was still slightly awed as she thought back. "I was there, y'know. Yeah, I was about your age when I went with my parents. Oh, but your Mom was amazing, sunshine. So graceful and beautiful, it just... it really blew the whole crowd away."
Porsha was beaming with a deep scarlet blush, which only intensified when Rosita nudged her shoulder. "Y'know, I probably should have realised sooner that you were her daughter, Porsha. I guess that death-defying fearlessness runs in your family!"
"I guess so..." Porsha chuckled, before pursing her lips as she noticed another one of the pictures on Ash's phone. "Wait... is she skiing there? Like... on the water?"
"Yeah, that's part of the stunt." Ash casually pointed to another picture, showing that the high platform was actually hanging over a large pool. "See, she jumps off the top, swings around in a circle, then she glides on the water and lands at the end there..."
"Oh..." Porsha's grin shrank a bit. "I mean yeah, that's cool and all, but y'know, doing that and the jumpy thing seems a little much, doesn't it?"
"Well yeah, it's certainly ambitious, but I'm sure that's nothing for the strong and fearless Porsha Frangipane!" Rosita's words put Porsha more at ease, though she didn't notice a more concerned grimace briefly flash across the wolf's face. "You could say you're literally blowing my trick out of the water, huh?"
"Oh, uh... well, if you wanna do it instead, Rosita, then I could probably -"
"Oh no no, sunshine, I was just kidding!" Rosita gently took the young wolf's hands, an encouraging tone in her voice. "No, this is your moment, Porsha. If you want it, take it!"
Porsha giggled, recognising the lyrics that Rosita had just quoted, before looking back to the pictures. "Yeah, I um... it's also my Mom's stunt too, so I guess it good to keep it in the family, huh...?"
"Oh yeah, of course!" Rosita laughed. "Gosh, I can't imagine how proud she'd be if she could see you doing that, Porsha!"
"Hmm..." Porsha nodded. "Yeah, I hope so..."
It was the midpoint between late afternoon and early evening when Buster and Eddie arrived at the Noodleman Mansion - the stately home of Calatonia's most beloved and legendary singing icon - and the koala couldn't hide the enthusiastic skip in his step as he made his way up to the front door.
"Nana...?!" Buster called out as he entered, looking towards the penguin butler that had let them in. "Oh, uh... is she up?"
"Madame Noodleman is in the drawing room, Mr. Moon."
"Ah, great. Thanks, Hobbs!" Buster gave a small salute before he and Eddie entered the room. "Hey Nana. We wanted to see if... oh... Ms. Fletcher...?"
"Moon...?" Florence was equally shocked as she and Caleb sat up slightly on the couch, putting down the cups of tea they'd been sipping from. The gorilla wore a stylish but formal blue suit, and her black cane was propped against the coffee table. "Hmm... so what brings you gentlemen here...?"
"I sent for them, Florence..." Nana's voice was huskier than usual, and the old sheep was slightly shaky as she pulled herself off of her seat, prompting Caleb to gently hold her hand and guide her to the nearby zimmer frame. "Ah... thank you, young man."
Caleb nodded with a smile, sitting back down as Nana made her way over to the massive window at the other end of the room. Buster and Florence both stood a few feet behind her while she gazed out, getting a perfect view of the Calatonia Wharf in the distance. Hobbs approached with a small silver platter, with a single cup of tea - Lapsang Souchong with no sugar, just the way Nana liked it - for her to take.
"So, uh... y'feeling any better, Nana?" Eddie finally broke what seemed to be over a minute of silence, though Nana sent a small smile her grandson's way as she glanced back at him.
"Quite..." She said calmly, turning her attention back towards Buster and Florence as she slowly returned to her seat. "To finally have two of my most successful protégés in the same room is quite the sight, I would say."
"Well, that's because it's quite the special occasion, Nana." Florence said, sitting slightly further along the couch to give Buster a space. "I know you've been practically begging me to collaborate with Mr. Moon and his troupe for a good few years now, so I felt -"
"You have?!" Buster cut in, a wide smile forming on his face as the old sheep nodded. "Gosh, I... oh Nana, I really don't know what to say."
"Hmm..." Florence nodded. "Well as I was saying, I know you've not been feeling all that great these past few weeks, Nana, and I thought seeing us all doing this year's festival together would perk your spirits up a bit too."
"Very thoughtful of you, darling..." Nana gently sipped her tea. "And I trust this new show you've concocted is going along well, Mr. Moon."
"Uh, yeah... yeah, it's going great, Nana." Buster shuffled slightly forward. "Yeah, I don't know if Ms. Fletcher told you, but we've actually got her daughter making her debut too."
Nana raised an eyebrow as she looked to Florence, her blunt response making Buster's eyes widen. "Isn't she the problem child?"
"No no, Nana, that's my niece you're thinking of..." Florence stifled a slightly embarrassed chuckle, putting Buster slightly more at ease. "No, my daughter is Audrey, Nana. If you remember, Caleb brought her by here a week or two ago...?"
"Ah of course, she's the younger one. Yes, I rather like her..." Nana chuckled, before looking over to Buster. "And I trust she's in good hands with your castmates?"
"Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I've paired her up with Johnny, /so I think they're gonna be great. And they're actually gonna be singing one of your songs too, Ms. Fletcher."
"Really? Hmm..." Florence pursed her lips, then finished the rest of her tea. "Caleb was telling me about the elephant too. Um... Meena, was it...? Apparently she's quite the artiste."
"Oh-ho, like you wouldn't believe!" Buster boasted proudly. "I tell you, that kid's got the best set of pipes in the whole troupe. She really knows how to bring down the house!"
"Yeah, literally..." Eddie muttered under his breath, fondly remembering Meena's climactic number at the Moon Troupe's first big show.
"She's certainly a standout, and I personally think she has a lot of potential as a solo artist..." Caleb said as he sat straighter. "See, we have a few old friends in the record business, and they could probably get her an audition, and maybe even land a record deal."
"Whoa-ho, that'd be amazing! Aw, Meena would be just so -!" Buster cut himself off, his excitement suddenly being tainted by a massive stain of uncertainty. "Wait, but... but wouldn't that mean leaving the troupe?"
Florence shrugged. "I suppose, but sooner or later you're all going to move onto other things. That's how life always works."
"Uh... right... right, yeah..." Buster looked down to the floor, slightly zoning out while Florence and Caleb continued.
"Of course, we're saying all of this when none of it's set in stone. I'll have to see her performing for myself before I put in the word for her."
Florence's words snapped Buster out of his brief catatonic state, the koala quickly shooting up from the couch.
"Yes, obviously! And that's why my troupe is gonna completely blow you away when you come by to see our run-through next week." He said, grinning. "So that's definitely something for you to look forward to, Ms. Fletcher!"
Florence was intrigued, but mostly amused, as she silently nodded in response. Buster then made his way over to Nana's seat, clambering up on the coffee table and gently holding the old sheep's hand.
"Well, it was really lovely talking to you, Nana. Hope you get over this cold before you come see our show at the Festival!"
Nana chuckled, her warm tone now being a much more familiar sound after all they'd been through. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Mr. Moon."
Eddie was about to go and give his grandmother a hug, though he was taken off-guard when Buster suddenly jumped down and ran right out of the room.
"Buster? Hey Buster, wait up!" He called as he ran after the koala, only just catching up to him as they reached the front door. "You okay there, buddy?"
"Uh, yeah... yeah, never better..." Buster took a deep breath as he opened the door and stepped outside. "I just got a lot to think about..."
