The first few days of rehearsals were relatively uneventful, since Buster and Mike had spent most of that time plotting out the sets and organising their construction on the Calatonia Wharf. But rehearsals were now fully underway in the New Moon Theatre, and while the others occupied the various other rooms and facilities to practice, Tim had set up a portable mixing desk in the auditorium, right in front of the main stage.

This makeshift DJ set was a jumble of various computers, consoles and sound equipment that the young serval had collected over the years, ranging from the latest gadgets to decades-old retro tech, and even a few gizmos that he'd put together himself out of second hand junk. It wasn't quite to the standard of the latest, most expensive sound sets, including the New Moon Theatre's own, but it was perfectly suited to his own needs, and Tim was perfectly content with it.

"Alright, let's see here..." Tim muttered under his breath as he finished setting up the programmed song, before putting on his headset and sitting back in his folded-out seat. "And... playback!"

A classic, catchy jingle began to play while stage lit up with a bright blue spotlight. The golden prop moon in the background descended with Mike standing on it, the mouse straightening his smart grey suit as he jumped down to the lowered microphone.

I'm singin' in the rain
Just singin' in the rain

What a glorious feeling
I'm happy again

I'm laughin' at clouds
So dark up above

The sun's in my heart
I'm ready for love

While Mike sang centre-stage, Nooshy performed her still-in-progress dance choreography behind him. She only wore a sleeveless white vest and black sweatpants - since her outfit for the show hadn't been fitted or designed yet - and she held a prop umbrella while she danced, most of her moves paying homage to the song's original performance.

Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face

Tim softly hummed along to the tune as he nonchalantly tapped his fingers on the side of his desk, trying his best to resist temptation as he looked at his control panel.

I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain

Just singin'
Singin' in the rain

The sudden SCREECH! of the record caught Mike off-guard, and he looked over to see Tim pressing various buttons and switches on his panel. This turned the music into an impromptu house track, incorporating the iconic jingle of the song into a pulsing, electronic remix.

Nooshy was equally surprised, though she couldn't resist bopping her head along to the track as it gradually built up. When the beat finally dropped, she backflipped and spun around on one hand, gracefully twirling the cane with her legs and free hand in perfect sync with the melody. This seemed to encourage Tim to continue, so he turned up the volume and increased the tempo.

"Hey hey hey! Cut! Hey, stop it!" Mike suddenly barked, prompting Tim to pause the music as Nooshy got back up on her feet. "What the heck was that supposed to be, huh?!"

Although he was a tiny little mouse, Nooshy immediately noticed the more nervous and submissive posture and tone Tim took on when Mike approached. "Oh, um... s-sorry, I just... I just wanted to improvise, and I got a bit -"

"I told ya to stop messin' with the tracks, ya little freak!"

"Take it easy, mate, he was only havin' a laugh..." Nooshy sent a smile and a wink Tim's way, making the serval blush a bit. "Besides, it was a good beat."

"Good beat! Pah!" Mike scoffed bitterly. "The only beat there was the beatin' my ears took having to listen to it! We're supposed to be makin' real music here, none of that dubstepping flashmob crap!"

"Right..." Tim sighed, sitting slightly lower in his seat. "Sorry, it won't happen again..."

"It better not!" Mike snapped in an even more aggressive manner. "Caleb might have vouched for ya with Fletcher, kid, but I'm still in charge of this show! And if you mess this up, so help me, I'll make sure ya regret it!"

"Geez, man, take a chill pill!" Nooshy objected, not showing any fear despite the angry scowl Mike was sending her way. "He said he was sorry, just give him a break!"

Mike scoffed, then straightened his suit and left the room, muttering a few curse words under his breath. Nooshy sighed as she glanced back at Tim, who looked more sad and mellow as he silently adjusted the speakers.

"Is he always like that with you?" She asked, her tone striking a mix between concerned and interrogative.

"Oh, um... well no, he just... he's happy enough when I do it right..." Tim turned back to his screen, not making eye contact. "It's fine, I'll just... I'll just stick to the schedule."

Nooshy considered saying something else, but after a moment of thinking to herself she decided that the young serval wasn't comfortable talking about this, so she simply lowered her head and left the room.


"Well... things are going great in there..." Becky snarked as she walked into the dressing room, where most of the troupe were taking a break. Porsha was already getting the early fittings for her outfit, while Rosita, Meena and Ash were just chatting around a nearby table where Becky sat to join them.

The sound of Johnny's piano was still faintly audible from the rehearsal hall next door, as were his and Audrey's voices while they struggled to find any harmony. Ash and Meena couldn't resist peeking through the window to observe the lesson for themselves, noticing the frustrated look on Johnny's face while Audrey continued making complaints and excuses to Nancy.

"Not exactly clicking, are they...?" Meena asked, prompting Becky to shake her head.

"I'm sure Audrey'll come around eventually..." Rosita said. "I was really nervous my first week too..."

"You, nervous? Get outta here!" Porsha laughed as she came back out from behind the privacy curtain. "Rosita, literally the only time I've ever seen ya scared is when ya first tried doing the jumpy thing. And now you're perfect at that, too!"

"Hmm... well, let's just say there was a long, tough journey to get to that point, sunshine..."

"What does any of that crap actually do aside from waste money?! Honestly, Caleb, ya wouldn't believe how much ya can save without it!" Mike was yelling down a tiny blue phone as he sauntered into the room. "Seriously, name me one time in any of these festivals where we've actually needed those structures? Not one! Trust me, buddy, I know what I'm doing!"

"What was that about...?" Ash asked as Mike hung up the phone, the little mouse scoffing in annoyance as he looked up at all the girls.

"Apparently, Caleb ain't ever heard of cutting unnecessary costs..." Mike said with a smug grin, before turning his attention to Porsha. "Oh hey, Stephanie's kid. Y'all set for your stunt today?"

"Uh-huh! Yeah, I'm ready!" Porsha giggled, her tone striking the midpoint between excited and slightly anxious.

"Right, good. And Moon said ya already got some experience doin' it too..."

"Oh yeah, Mike, Porsha's more than cut out for this." Rosita said confidently. "She was doing those high jumps even before I was."

"Well, thank heaven for that. Fletcher doesn't wanna comedy show, so we can't have some big lump of jello jiggling around up there in the sky..." Mike let out a hollow laugh. "Anyways... I'm leavin' it to Moon to figure out whatever you're doin' here, Porky..."

"Yep... looking forward to it, Mike!" Rosita forced a friendly smile onto her face until the mouse left the room, before it drooped back into a bitter scowl. "Well... I guess some things just never change."

"Don't even know what Nancy sees in him..." Becky scoffed. "That guy is such a little jerk..."

"Yeah, well... what else is new?" Ash snarked, before looking back to Rosita and gently holding her hand. "Hey... y'okay?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Rosita sighed. "Just Mike being Mike, that's all."

"Seriously...?" Meena asked. "He's got no right talking to you like that, Rosita."

"You guys are very sweet, but there's no point getting upset over it..." Rosita cleared her throat. "Besides, y'know, I'm a pig. It's okay admitting that I'm not exactly a supermodel."

"Don't be ridiculous, Rosita, you're beautiful!" Porsha sat right beside the mother pig and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Heck, I'll be happy if I look half as good as you do when I'm over forty. Wait... are you over forty...?"

"Hmm... I'm forty-three, Porsha." Rosita chuckled as the young wolf let out a relieved exhale, prompting the others to laugh. "But yeah... thanks, girls. That really means a lot."


Although the ride on Suki's moped had been quite a gentle trip, Buster could feel sweat in places he didn't even know he had as he hung onto his girlfriend's waist. The gravel in the parking lot was slightly bumpier than the main road, the subtle juddering making Buster feel even more nauseous, though there was plenty of space for them to park as they pulled up right in front of the large sign: Perkins Home For The Infirm.

"Well... here we are..." Suki said gently, stepping off the bike as she gently lifted Buster down onto the floor. The saluki could tell that her boyfriend still wasn't completely set on doing this, so she crouched down to his level with a reassuring smile. "Hey... y'okay...?"

"Uh, yeah... yeah, I'm good." Buster exhaled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It just... it's been a while, is all."

"It'll be fine, sweetie. Remember, if anything goes wrong, I've got your back..." Suki kept a tight grip on his hand as she gave him a small kiss on the cheek, before standing back up and straightening down her skirt. "Right... ready?"

Buster hesitated for another moment or two, then nodded as he headed up to the door. "Yeah. Let's do this..."

Suki wasn't sure what exactly she had been expecting - perhaps something more rustic or old-fashioned - but she was pleasantly surprised by the contemporary but still welcoming décor of the home's interior, with it's cool white walls, navy blue carpets and various amateur pieces of art displayed all over. A quick glance around the main room allowed her to notice various animals of different ages - most clearly being in the later stages of life - playing board games, watching television or speaking to visiting family members. All in all, it seemed quite nice, so it clearly wasn't the setting itself that was putting Buster off.

"Oh hi, Mr. Moon!" The young white rabbit at the reception desk lit up when she saw them enter. "Not seen you round here in a while. Y'here to play us some more piano?"

"Yeah, um... not today, Lindsay." Buster nearly mumbled, while Suki looked in the corner to see the wooden piano that the receptionist was referring to. "We're uh... we're just here to see my Mom."

"Oh yes, absolutely." Lindsay nodded, then looked back to her computer. "Bernie had lunch about an hour ago, so she's just resting in her room."

"Great, thanks." Buster gave a small smile, which quickly sank into a grimace as he led Suki round the corner and down a long hallway.

They walked in silence for the better part of thirty seconds before Suki spoke up again. "I um... I didn't know you played the piano, Buster."

"Hmm... where do you think the one back at the theatre came from...?" Buster said with a chuckle, appreciating the levity of this brief conversation before they finally reached the door at the end of the hallway.

The handle was a few inches higher than him - and unlike other times he'd visited, Buster wasn't in the mood to jump for it - so Suki pulled it down and slowly pushed it open for them to enter.

The room was simple enough, and very clean, though it was cast in a rather dull semi-darkness with the blinds on the large window being half-closed. The television in the corner was a flat-screen, but still a fairly old model, and the wooden closet and chest of drawers were slightly aged but still in good condition.

"Who's that...?" A soft but slightly gruff voice spoke up, prompting them both to turn to the small, shadowy figure that was sat on the bed at the other end of the room.

This koala was between her sixties and seventies, her slightly ruffled and unkempt fur accentuating her wrinkles while her thin-framed, circular glasses magnified her bright but tired blue eyes. Her dull beige shirt contrasted with the long red skirt that she wore, and she slowly clambered down off the bed to step into a pair of slippers by the closet.

She held her glasses up and squinted slightly harder at her visitors, her curious expression changing to a more neutral grimace when she realised who it was. "Eh... hey, kiddo..."

"Oh, so you know who I am today, do you...?" Buster said, Suki instantly sensing the rather bitter tone in his voice.

"I always know who you are. Sometimes, I just don't recognise you..." Bernie answered back, letting out a small sigh. She was slightly shaky, but stable enough, as she made her way over to the dresser on the other side of the room, pulling out a black shawl to drape over her shoulders. "I thought you and your friends were in Redshore, anyway."

"Nah. Well yeah, we were, but we um... we came back last week, Mom."

"Ah... right..." Bernie then turned her attention to the tall, slender saluki that was stood beside her son, taking on a slightly more concerned tone. "Oh... you got a new assistant? What happened to the lizard...?"

"No no, Ms. Crawly's fine." Suki chuckled, reaching a hand forward. "Yeah, I'm Suki Lane. Buster's girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Hmm..." Bernie seemed pleasantly surprised as she shook Suki's hand. "I always thought the only thing he'd ever love would be that theatre of his..."

"And there it is..." Buster scoffed under his breath, clearly being used to her making that remark. "Anyway, um... that's actually why we're here today, Mom."

"What, you're doing another singing contest?" Bernie snarked as she pulled a small stool over to the dresser. "I hope you have real prize money this time. Don't want everybody here thinking my kid's a con artist again."

"Oh ha ha... no, it... it's not that." Buster took a deep breath. "See, Mom, my uh... my troupe's actually gonna be performing at the Autumn Festival in a couple weeks. Y'know, for Florence Fletcher."

"Ah... yeah, I like her..." Bernie stood on the stool to reach the top of the dresser, pulling down a recently-opened envelope. "Some wolf came by a couple days ago with this... I guess it's like a ticket, or something?"

"Yeah, it's your invitation." Suki said. "We um... we were really hoping you'd come by and see it, Mrs. Moon."

"Hmm... well, I guess I'll think about it..." Bernie was rather blunt as she walked back over to her bed and clambered up onto it, still holding the letter.

Suki noticed Buster eyeing the door, clearly trying to find the opportune moment to leave. But she knew giving up now wasn't going to change anything for the better, so she decided to try a different approach. So the saluki took a few steps forward and sat at the foot of the bed, though Bernie didn't seem to mind her presence, and glanced at the framed picture displayed on the side table.

The wood on the frame was slightly faded with age, but the picture within it was still in decent condition. It showed a male and female koala, aged somewhere between their late 20's and early 30's, with the white dress and black tuxedo clearly indicating the special occasion this photo was taken for. Despite her more youthful appearance, the female's circular glasses gave her a seamless resemblance to Bernie, and from other photos she'd seen, Suki could immediately recognise the thick, rectangular glasses of Buster's dearly departed father, Baxter.

"That's a nice wedding photo." Suki said softly, making Bernie chuckle as she picked it up and passed it to her. "You looked beautiful, Mrs. Moon."

"Hmm... thanks." Bernie let out a nostalgic sigh. "Baxter looked so handsome, and everyone was so happy, we... we danced to my favourite Cat Stevens song, I... can't even remember the damn words now, but... but it was probably the second happiest day of my whole life."

Bernie closed her eyes for a moment, gently humming a soft tune to herself. Buster briefly straightened up heard it, trying his best to piece together why this sounded so familiar, before Bernie spoke up again.

"Wasn't too long after that when Buster came along..." Bernie's rather dry chucks still betrayed a small hint of affection buried there. "He was a nightmare a lot of the time, and you probably know, but Baxter usually made it work."

"Oh please..." Buster scoffed as he crossed his arms, still casually eyeing the doorway.

Suki sent a sharp glare at her boyfriend, making it clear that his commentary was not helping, but she kept her smile when she noticed the golden, moon-shaped jewellery hung around Bernie's neck in the photograph. "Oh, I really like that necklace too..."

"Yeah, my mother-in-law gave me that. It's a Crescent Of Courage." Bernie chuckled. "It's one of their old heirlooms. They'd always been passed down to the daughters to get through the hard times. Y'know, it... it's like a little bit of Moon Family magic... lets them know they're not alone..."

"Aw..." Suki was genuinely touched, before her eyes widened slightly with a realisation. "Wait... Buster, is this the necklace you gave away?"

"What? No! No, of course not, Suki, I... I um..." Buster thought for a moment, internally arguing with himself. "No, I... I couldn't have... y-you loved that necklace, Mom, I'd never have given it away."

"Hmm... you weren't just gonna buy that theatre with your Dad washing cars, kiddo..." Bernie snarked, though her tone did seem slightly playful. "Plus you pawned and sold everything else from the old house, so..."

"Well yeah, but... but... hey, what about that?!" Buster's face lit up as he pointed to the small, gold and red coloured jewellery box on top of the dresser, which bore an identical crescent symbol. "Yeah, you used to keep it in that! I bet if we cracked it open, it'll still -"

"It's not there, Buster..." Bernie said, slightly more assertive. "There's nothing in that old thing now but a bunch of papers. It was just a silly old necklace, anyway... so stop worrying about it..."

Buster's ears lowered slightly, and his bitterness was briefly overcome by some genuine regret, with a little bit of shame.

"Look, Mom, I... I'm really sorry, but... but we're all putting so much work into this show, and... and it'd mean so much to me and... and the rest of our friends if you would just come and see it... please...?"

Bernie hesitated, clearly internally arguing with herself just as her son had done a moment earlier, before letting out another small sigh. "Like I said... I'll think about it."

Buster was disheartened by her answer - though he wasn't all that surprised - and he went back to sulking by the doorway. Suki didn't want the conversation to end on this note after the progress she'd made, so she decided to keep prodding.

"Y'know, I'm not sure if you're aware, Mrs. Moon, but this year's festival is actually a really special occasion. It's the hundredth -"

"It's okay, dear, you don't need to sell it..." Bernie interrupted, though it seemed she was going out of her way to do so in a gentler manner as she took the photograph back. "I'm sure it'll be a lovely show, and... and you and your little friends all know what you're doing with that, but... but I might be busy that day."

"Ugh! Busy doing what?!" Buster finally snapped. "Sitting around here in the dark feeling sorry for yourself?! Just like you've been every other day for the last twelve years!"

"Buster!" Suki hissed through gritted teeth. Though to her surprise, Bernie was already well-prepared with an equally vitriolic rebuttal.

"Last I checked, Buster, I wasn't the one who put me here!"

"Like you'd even remember if you did!" Buster barked back as he began storming off. "Look, either come to see the show or don't, Mom! I really couldn't care less! But I got bigger things to do than waste any more of my time trying to get through to you!"

"Buster, please, just -" Suki was cut off when her boyfriend slammed the door shut with a resounding THUD!, and she let out a frustrated sigh as she got up and followed him. "Honey, just wait a minute!"

After briefly going down the wrong hallway, Suki eventually found her way back to the receptionist's desk and headed out into the parking lot, where Buster was sat right beside the still parked moped. She hesitated briefly, but couldn't hide her mildly disappointed tone when she finally approached him.

"Buster, it was going so well... you didn't have to talk to her like that."

"Oh, so it's my fault that she's a passive aggressive old buzzkill...?! Suki, if you knew even half of what I've been through with that miserable -!" Buster cut himself off, having not meant to snap at her too, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a moment to regain his usual tone. "Look... I'm really sorry for acting like that, I just... I dunno..."

"Hey... it's okay..." Suki quietly knelt down to his level, planting a small kiss on the top of her boyfriend's head. "I get that you guys have been through a lot, but... but it's not too late to heal from it, honey. For either of you."

"Hmm... I'm not sure about that, Suki..." Buster sighed. "It was a mistake coming here. We should just be back at the set..."

Suki hesitated for a moment while Buster clambered back up onto the moped, before letting out a soft sigh of defeat. "Yeah, alright..."

Neither noticed Bernie watching them from the window as they mounted the moped and drove off. The old koala remained completely silent as she stood down off the dresser and clambered back onto her bed, placing her invitation on the side table next to her wedding photo.

"Aw, Baxter..." She softly lamented as she stroked her finger against her late husband's image. "You'd have known what to do..."