The next few days weren't particularly enjoyable for anyone.
Following the near-drowning incident, Buster had agreed to give Caleb his usual position overseeing the set construction, and the caracal had gone out of his way to ensure the proper support structures were now being put into place, even if it had to take an extra week to complete. Mike hadn't been particularly happy about this demotion - though they had at least agreed he could still take the credit when Florence came to give her review - but he was now spending all his time in the New Moon Theatre, overseeing all the rehearsals while giving the cast plenty of not-so-constructive criticism.
After Mike had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't welcome at the Theatre while he was there, Porsha went with Buster, Rosita and Gunter down to the Calatonia Wharf, and the wolf sat drinking a slushie while the two pigs rehearsed Stephanie's stunt. Per Buster's suggestion, the choreographers had reworked the number into a duet, taking better advantage of Rosita and Gunter's long experience of performing together, with a song closer to their usual style.
You got that James Dean
Daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip
Classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down
We come back every time
Cause we never go out of style,
We never go out of style
Though she still felt a slight emptiness seeing someone else doing her mother's stunt, Porsha couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride and admiration as Rosita fearlessly flew down, gliding gracefully across the water before backflipping flawlessly onto the edge.
And when we go crashing down
We come back every time
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style
So take me home!
"Y'okay, kiddo...?" Buster's voice took the young wolf slightly off-guard, though she remained casual enough as the koala sat beside her.
"Oh yeah, I'm good, Uncle Buster..." Porsha sighed, looking back up as Rosita completed the stunt. "Hmm... she's really awesome, isn't she?"
"Of course she is! Heck, after what she's pulled off in Redshore, this little trick is child's play for Rosita!" Buster laughed proudly, though he quickly realised his insensitivity as the young wolf recoiled a little. "Ah... listen, Porsha, it's okay to be upset about this, but we really don't want to risk -"
"No no, it's okay. I get it, Uncle Buster. And like ya said, if anybody can do this right, it's Rosita..." Porsha let a small smile slip across her lips. "Besides, I guess I do kinda owe her one after I stole her part the first time around."
"Nah, come on kiddo, you know we're all past that..." Buster chortled, before gently placing his hand over hers and taking on a softer tone. "But y'know, Porsha, it... it's not too late to write you another part. I mean, I know Mike's pretty mad after the accident, but we're not exactly -"
"Nah, I... I think I'm good..." Porsha thought for a moment. "I mean, I guess I could probably do a dance during Meena's number or something. Y'know, like in the background, but if it's gonna mess up her thing, then I -"
"That's it!" Buster's face suddenly lit up while an idea began to form in his head, though he tried his best to look more mellow as he stood back up and cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, Porsha, that could be an idea, but... but I was actually wondering if maybe Meena would need a little more support than that."
"What kinda support, Uncle Buster...?"
"Well I dunno, maybe..." Buster pretended to think. "Maybe we oughta rework her number into a duet. Just the two of you, ending the show, huh? I mean, you work well together, and there's plenty of harmony there, it... it just kinda seems like a no-brainier, doesn't it...?"
"I... well... well I guess it kinda does, but... but I thought Ms. Fletcher wanted Meena to do a solo..." Porsha shrugged. "Y'know, she's supposed to be getting her a record deal or something, right? And... and Alfonso came all the way from Redshore just to -"
"I know, Porsha, I know..." Buster put up both his hands, trying to sound reassuring. "I just think, maybe, Florence is putting a little too much pressure on Meena, that's all. But maybe if... if she watched Meena singing solo, and she saw some of her, um... shortcomings, she'd take it easier on her."
"What, you mean like... like if it went wrong...?" Porsha was still unsure. "But isn't that, like... what's that word again, uh... sa-sabotage, or something...?"
"Well... no, I wouldn't really call it sabotage, Porsha, it's just, uh..." Buster bit his bottom lip, hesitating for a moment. "It's just helping Florence recognise Meena's limits. I mean, we all know how nervous she gets sometimes, and... and it's better to have something go wrong for her in the run-though than have it go wrong in the actual show, right?"
"I guess..." Porsha sighed. "But I dunno, Uncle Buster, that... that just seems wrong..."
Buster looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well I know it's not the ideal thing to do, kiddo, but... but it might be for the best."
"What's that, Buster?" Rosita's voice made the koala jolt with a stifled shriek, before he turned to see the mother pig standing behind him with a curious look on her face.
"Oh, uh... n-nothing, Rosita... nothing at all..." He forced a smile as he tried to think of an alibi. "Yeah, I was just telling Porsha how, um... how...?"
"Uncle Buster was just sayin' how it kinda sucks that I'm not gonna be able to do my Mom's stunt..." Porsha cut in, briefly sending a small but reassuring smile Buster's way, prompting the koala to take a few steps back as Rosita sat beside the wolf. "But it's like he said, y'know, it... it's probably for the best... besides, you uh... you were real great up there, Rosita."
"Aw... thanks, Porsha..." Rosita's warm tone betrayed a hint of concern as she held her hand. "But y'know, it... you don't have to smile and pretend that everything's okay if it isn't... you know what I mean? Cause I can get that you won't want us to worry about you, sunshine, but... but it's not healthy to bottle stuff like that up."
"Nah, come on!" Porsha stifled a laugh, trying her best to sound casual again. "Like, what is there even to bottle up here, Rosita...?! Y'know, I... I can't swim, and I can't go in the water, so I can't do the stunt, and that's just that! And I'm okay with it, really, cause... cause that's just how it is..."
"Hmm..." Rosita wasn't completely convinced, but Buster noticed a look forming on the pig's face. It was the kind of expression one pulled when they had an idea, and that only seemed more certain as she tightened her grip on Porsha's. "Maybe it doesn't have to be, sunshine..."
After a particularly bad morning of listening to Mike's scathing rants, Johnny and Nooshy finally managed to escape, and headed down to the Wharf to enjoy a much-needed hour of freedom. They took a table outside the ice cream stall and, to Nooshy's surprise, Johnny didn't hesitate to order her absolute favourite.
The lynx raised an eyebrow at the sight of the large dessert that had just been served - a Redshore-style volcano smoothie with extra chocolate lava - then glanced over to the gorilla sat opposite. She knew Johnny would only ever buy it for her on two possible occasions - one being her birthday, which it wasn't - and the look on his face made it even clearer what the current situation was.
"Y'really are desperate, aren't you, mate?" Nooshy snarked, before immediately sticking the straw in her mouth and loudly slurping through it.
"Nooshy, I'm really in a jam here..." Johnny exhaled, rubbing his temple while he drummed the table with his other hand. "Audrey's being a total nightmare, Mike's driving me mad too, and Fletcher's coming for her review in two days! I don't know what to do!"
"Hmm... sounds like a right pickle..." Nooshy chuckled, before glancing into the distance to her left. "Oh hey... speaking of..."
Johnny turned to see where she was looking, spotting Audrey and Tim as they headed into a smaller tent selling second-hand electricals. The serval looked positively giddy as he checked out and gushed over the various gadgets and gizmos, though Audrey remained quiet but content as she carried all the things he was planning to buy.
Nooshy still idly sipped through the straw while she thought to herself, wiping a few dribbling lines of chocolate from her lips as she sat back up. "I dunno, I just... I feel a bit bad for her, that Audrey girl."
"Oh yeah, poor her..." Johnny rolled his eyes. "Must be awful having a famous Mum and your life handed to you on a silver platter."
Nooshy pursed her lips, taken slightly off-guard by this cutting remark, but she remained casual enough despite Johnny's uncharacteristic mood. "Well no, it's not really that, J, it's just... y'know, how she and Tim are always on their own. They never talk with anyone, they run out the second rehearsals end... and I can tell they're right scared of that angry little mouse."
Johnny nodded. "Yeah, I suppose..."
"Plus you're bound to have it a bit tough when your famous Mum's trying to relive herself through you..." Nooshy scoffed. "I hate when parents are like that..."
"Hmm... she probably doesn't even like singing. I suppose she's just not our kind of weirdo, eh...?" Johnny stifled a laugh. "Still... doesn't mean she has to give me the silent treatment when I'm trying to be nice to her. Half the time I feel like she's avoiding me..."
"Eh... maybe she likes you..." Nooshy shrugged, pulling a mischievous grin at the sight of Johnny's unamused grimace. "Oh what, you've never heard of puppy love?"
"Or maybe you're just thinking of that Tim bloke..." Johnny pulled his own grin at the sight of the beaming blush on the lynx's face. "Still, Nooshy, I don't think it's that. I mean, look at her, she's like ten years old."
"She's actually seventeen and three-fifths. Heard that Becky girl mention it..." Nooshy snarked smugly, before taking on a more sincere tone. "But I get what you mean... still, maybe we should try talking to 'em. Y'know... ask if they wanna hang out with us or something..."
"Wouldn't get my hopes up..." Johnny lounged back, though after a moment or two he seemed to be drawn to the distant sound of a nu-disco beat. "Hang on a minute, is that... do you hear that...?"
Nooshy pursed her ears as her ears pricked up to listen, before she shot up from her seat and took off to the source of the music. Johnny was slightly taken off-guard by this - especially since Nooshy had left her half-finished smoothie unattended, a particularly unusual occurrence - but his own curiosity quickly prompted him to follow her.
Did a full one-eighty... crazy
Thinking bout the way I was
Did the heartbreak change me? Maybe
But look at where I ended up
The song was coming from the electrical tent, playing from a medium-sized set of speakers that Tim was testing out. While the singer on the actual song was faintly audible, most ears were focused on the voice of the other young woman who was singing along to it.
If you don't wanna see me
Dancing with somebody...
If you wanna believe that
Anything could stop me...
As Johnny and Nooshy got closer, their eyes both widened when this young singer turned back around, belting out the chorus with all the enthusiasm of an experienced performer. "AUDREY...?!"
Don't show up!
Don't come out!
Don't start caring about me now!
Walk away!
You know how!
Don't start caring about me now!
The vendor and other customers cheered and clapped in rhythm as Audrey continued singing and riffing, the young gorilla having closed her eyes as she almost seemed to have disappeared into her own little world.
"Bloody hell!" Nooshy gasped, utterly overjoyed as she gripped Johnny's arm tight. "She really is our kind of weirdo! Ah-ha, I knew it!"
Johnny rolled his eyes at this remark, though he couldn't help but be impressed as he looked back to Audrey, who had managed to pull Tim into dancing with her for the final chorus.
When the music finally stopped, the impromptu audience of animals that had been listening all gave a small but sincere round of applause, prompting Audrey to pull a shy little smile as she gave a few waves and "thank yous" in response. Though her eyes bulged wide and she seemed to freeze on the spot when she finally noticed that two of her cast-mates had been watching her.
"Oh man, that were brilliant!" Nooshy's presence prompted Tim to take a few silent steps back, though Audrey remained where she was as the lynx came over. "Knew you had something worth showing off under all that shyness, eh, love...?"
"Well no, I... I um..." Audrey began stammering, anxiously gripping the bottom of her shirt as it wrapped around her fumbling hands. "I was just having a bit of fun, I wasn't trying -"
"Nooshy's right, mate, you were amazing!" Johnny cut out, though Audrey still seemed to be somewhat zoned out as she stared right at him. "This is exactly what we've been needing! You bring that kind of energy to rehearsals, Miss Fletcher, you're gonna blow your Mum away!"
"I... I, um... well, it... um... I... I've really gotta go!"
Audrey finally gave up trying to explain herself, suddenly turning on the spot and shooting off. For a brief moment Johnny and Nooshy both considered pursuing her, though they only took half a step before stopping themselves.
"Audrey, where... oh, yeah... Miss Fletcher, where are you going?!" Nooshy called, her ears dropping slightly in disappointment, before she looked over and noticed the serval that was still gazing at her.
"Oh wow, is that the time..?!" Tim blurted out as he looked down at his wrist, despite the fact that his watch was on his other hand, and he quickly went to get his three clearly heavy bags of second-hand equipment. "Yeah, I'd better get back before Mike gets angry at me again..."
"Right, yeah... come on, we'll give you a hand..." Nooshy took one of the bags from Tim, struggling a bit for herself with the surprising weight. "Grab the last one, will you, Johnny...?"
"Oh, um... thanks, you two." Tim let a small, flattered smile cross his face as he followed them out of the tent towards the end of the Wharf. "Audrey's got a great voice, doesn't she?"
"Absolutely, mate... she's fantastic!" Nooshy laughed, before playfully nudging Johnny's shoulder. "Guess we know that's not her problem, eh?"
"Yeah... great..." Johnny scoffed enthusiastically, letting out a small sigh as he kept on walking. "Really not looking forward to finding out what is..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting... the high-flying starlet of Calatonia City, the heir of Stephanie Frangipane, the Swan in Wolf's Clothing herself... PORSHA!"
The distorted, tinny sound of cheers and applause echoed from all around Porsha as she stood at the very edge of the platform, looking down into the dark, violently thrashing ocean that waited beneath her. She felt her breath begin to shudder fearfully, before some of the crowd's voice became clearer.
"Not so strong and fearless now, are ya, big girl?!"
She shut her eyes tight and bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to block out the sound of Mike's voice. As she opened them again, her eyes bulged wide open when she noticed the water below was beginning to rise up, just before another loud - but still very familiar voice - suddenly snarled right in her ear.
"Now the whole world thinks I got a talentless loser for a daughter!"
Porsha shrieked as she suddenly lost her balance, only just latching into the ledge as she dangled above the rising water. Tears began streaming down her face as she felt her grip loosen, and when the ledge finally slipped through her grasp, there was nowhere left to go but down into the deep, cold darkness below.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"PORSHA!"
Ash barged into the bedroom, having been woken by the high-pitched shrieks. She quickly clambered up on the bed and pulled off the sheets that Porsha was wrapped in, grabbing both the wolf's forearms to keep her still.
"Hey buddy, come on, snap out of it!" She begged, before forcefully shaking her roommate as she finally started to regain consciousness. "Porsha, please just wake up!"
"MOM...?!"
Porsha shot up and nearly knocked Ash right off the bed before the porcupine latched onto her, finally snapping the wolf out of her terrifying trance. Her sci-fi pyjamas were soaked with sweat, her fur was an unkempt mess and her greenish-gold eyes were almost bulging out of her sockets.
"Oh my gosh, that... that was so scary, I dunno what even was happenin' then, I... I just -"
"Hey... hey hey hey, it's okay, Porsha. You're okay. There you go, that's it..." Ash softly stroked her friend's hands, quietly shushing Porsha as her breathing rate gradually slowed down to normal. "That's it... it was just a nightmare, Porsha, you're safe."
"B-but... but the water, it... it was pullin' me down, I couldn't get out and I... I... oh, I'm such a useless, stupid... ugh!" Porsha finally broke down sobbing as she put her face in her hands, her voice becoming strained by her tears. "What am I gonna do now, Ash...?"
Ash said nothing as she threw her arms around Porsha's body, pulling her into a tight but still comforting hug. She tenderly stroked the back of Porsha's head while the wolf buried her tearful face in her much smaller midsection, but the porcupine was finding it hard to hold back tears of her own from everything that her friend had gone through.
"It's gonna be okay, buddy..." Ash almost whispered as she tightened her embrace. "You're gonna be okay..."