Sam's body was thrumming with nervous energy as he did everything to prepare for the band's big night. The band leader had already arranged with Pelican Town's new mayor to use the town bus as transportation and Shane was already proving to be way cooler than Lewis, since he decided to make it a town-sponsored event to the city. This meant the band did not have to foot the bill for the entire bus and that word would go around that a bus to ZuZu was available tonight. That meant a trip to the city, a concert, and whatever other shenanigans in which the residents of Pelican Town wanted to engage themselves before the bus headed back home. But that was all still hours out.

Normally, Sam's mother did not want him to play guitar in his room before ten, but she was in an especially good mood after going out with Caroline last night. Even though she was clearly hung over, Jodi simply smiled and encouraged Sam to do whatever would help him feel ready to be on stage so long as he helped Vincent get ready for school. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy a nice walk outside.

Sam thought it was odd that Jodi seemed more comfortable allowing her oldest son to help care for Vincent more to allow herself a break. Usually, she did not ask for help, though Sam himself sometimes volunteered his time to entertain his little brother. If it made his mom this chill all the time, Sam wondered if Jodi and Caroline should go out for drinks more often. Even if he had to entertain Vincent for a while, there were enough people around town he could visit willing to help, and his little brother went to bed well before Sam. That meant he and Abigail could still have plenty of quality time together in the evenings until his mom got back. It could be a win-win situation.

So, once the boys got some slightly charred bacon and scrambled eggs in their bellies, Sam chose to let Vincent hang out in his room until he had to leave to meet Penny and Jas for the day's lessons. His kid brother was in the stage in which Sam could do no wrong - except the occasional zombie mishap - but that was a minor setback in their sibling dynamic.

Vincent sat on the edge of his older brother's bed, gazing up at Sam with wonder as the blond practiced the most difficult portions of the song set for the evening ahead. "Does this mean that you're gonna be famous and leave home to have concerts in other places?" the boy asked, a slight pout to his lips.

Sam smirked. "Nah, this is our debut, but we probably won't be discovered by any real labels for a while, Vince." Reaching down, he ruffled the strawberry blond's hair. "So don't worry, kid. I'm gonna stick around for a long time."

Vincent looked relieved by the promise but crossed his small arms over his striped shirt protectively. "Dad said he'd come back soon when he left to fight the bad guys." His large eyes glanced up at Sam, looking for comfort and reassurance. "Do you think that means he'll be back by the Spirit's Eve?"

The guitarist sighed and sat next to his little brother, sliding the instrument off his shoulders, and setting it aside. "I don't know when dad's gonna be back, buddy," Sam admitted with a frown. He patted his little brother's back affectionately. "But I swear that I'm not going anywhere, so don't sweat it."

Sniffling, Vincent bobbed his head gratefully. "I know talking about dad makes mom sad," the boy acknowledged with a shutter, "but sometimes I think that not talking about how much we miss him would make dad sad, too."

Sam pulled his kid brother into a hug. "Whenever you wanna talk about dad, you come to me, 'kay?" He felt the dampness on his shirt from Vincent's tears. "And if you want, we can go out and do some stuff together, just the two of us."

"W-What about Au-Auntie Abigail?" Vincent asked through his blubbering.

"She'll understand that we men need some time to do our own stuff every once and a while," Sam assured his small sibling. He laughed, "Abigail is a strong, independent lady who doesn't need me there all the time."

Vincent beamed back at his older brother, despite his puffy eyes. "Let's go on an adventure, Sam!"

Sam's gaze fell on his phone to check the time. Vincent was supposed to go to school with Penny and Jas shortly but missing one day would not hurt anything. Sam could stop by quickly and explain things to Penny before he took Vincent out for their guy time. "Alright," the saiyan-haired man laughed, springing to his feet, and offering Vincent his back for a piggy-back ride. "But we've got to get back in time to get ready for the concert. The band can't play without me!"

In his distracted state, Sebastian found his fingers playing his keyboard like the synth, which created several lines of nonsense code typed out onto his computer screen. He erased them quickly, as he shook his head to draw his awareness back to his work. Classes were over for the day, but he had some dead time to fill before he met the rest of the band over at the venue and needed to make sure he finished as many of his assignments as possible. Though, at this point, Sebastian realized he should just admit defeat since there was not a single brain cell committed to homework at that moment. Heaving a heavy sigh, Sebastian picked up the duffle bag he brought along with his clothes for the concert and went in search of a proper room to change.

Luckily, being on a college campus had its benefits and there were plenty of options. Sebastian noticed that a janitor was stepping out of a single unisex bathroom and claimed it immediately. Not only was it clean, but it was spacious enough for him to hang up all his clothes on the grab bars attached to the wall to make some final decisions.

After a few moments mulling it over, Sebastian elected to wear the black pants decorated with nearly enough superfluous belts and zippers to feature on the character model for a Final Fantasy protagonist and a simple black t-shirt with a white speckle gradient starting from the hem and fading to black toward the neck. From a distance, it almost looked like snowfall, which worked well for his "winter" theme that Sam had assigned.

Sebastian twisted the lid from the hair clay that Violet's friend Bex gifted him for the Flower Dance and ran his fingers through his raven locks until he was satisfied it looked somewhat stylish to his untrained eye but would also keep his bangs out of his eyes when he moved his head around. To finish the look, he added a choker and a few dangling silver chains around his neck and a ring carved to look like a hollowed-out skull to a finger on his right hand before donning his leather biker jacket.

As he shoved the rejected items back into the duffle back, Sebastian heard a click from the door behind him and froze. The band member turned to confront his unexpected visitor and discovered his unofficial stalker lurking in the doorway.

"Wow, you actually look decent today," the young woman teased as she leaned her body on the doorframe.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Sebastian demanded, backing away as she stepped closer. "I locked the door."

The younger student exhaled sharply in amusement. "If you used the facilities here more often, you'd know that lock has been broken since the beginning of the semester." She reached down under the sink and Sebastian heard the tear of velcro as she produced a cigarette carton. "It's also where people keep their 'contraband' cigs on this side of campus, since it's close to most of the bigger classrooms and several people can discreetly sneak in here between classes."

Of course, he should have identified the familiar scent, Sebastian reflected in hindsight. But he felt unnerved as the auburn-haired woman circled him like a vulture and nodded approvingly. "I'd almost date you looking like that." The student pulled a tube from her back pocket and unscrewed it to reveal a makeup wand. "You need a little something, though."

Sebastian flinched away from the underclassman as she leaned closer to apply the inky-black fluid to his face. "You said you'd leave me alone from now on," he snapped with a scowl, swatting her hand away. "And don't touch me!"

"Oh, relax, I won't bite," the student cackled with a Cheshire cat grin as she stepped forward, Sebastian's request to be left alone completely ignored. Sebastian felt his back against the wall. "I'm just trying to help you out here," she swore, wielding the applicator in the most non-threatening manner she could. "It draws attention to the eyes, and I don't make the rules, but everyone digs that shit whether they admit it or not." Her dark orbs narrowed as she held his chin to apply the eyeliner with the wet brush before he could complain again. Sebastian would have moved his head, but he worried the black liquid would get in his eyes if he did.

She backed away slowly, admiring her work. "Much better!" she proclaimed with a satisfied smirk as she slipped the makeup back into her pocket. When Sebastian did not respond, the goth regarded him carefully, tilting her head toward the corner of the room. "I guess that's your stuff in 308 is yours and not Edge's, huh?"

Sebastian confirmed with a quick bob of his head and snatched up his belongings now that she backed off enough for him to maneuver around her. He hated being cornered and made to socialize and this girl was doing both. "It doesn't matter, I'm leaving now anyway."

The tiny woman frowned before exhaling audibly. "And here I was thinking he was sure to come back…" she complained, fiddling with the braid in her auburn hair as Sebastian scrutinized both ends of the hall to make sure no one would see him leaving the bathroom with this girl and get the wrong idea about their non-existent relationship. Deciding the coast was clear, the band member stepped out into the corridor and headed back toward the computer lab to grab the rest of his things.

"You could try his office," Sebastian advised in the hopes of getting rid of the woman who insisted on following him. He just wanted her to stop harassing him, even if it meant foisting her off on someone else.

She rolled her ink-black eyes, sneering at the idea. "That's way too direct of an approach. You clearly don't have any experience with these things." The gauge-eared woman side-eyed Sebastian as she fell into step with him. "So, are you going out tonight?"

"I've got a gig with some friends," Sebastian replied with a dismissive jerk of his shoulders as he opened the door to the private computer lab to grab his backpack. As soon as he felt the strap in his hands, Sebastian spun on his heels and tried to ditch his unwanted company. But he heard the clack of her boots on the tile floor behind him and he felt his impatience boiling over. Luckily for Sebastian, he encountered just the man he wanted to find.

"Hey, Sebastian!" the Professor Edge called, waving down the programmer with a friendly smile. The crows' feet framing his eyes seemed especially prominent when he tried too hard to be casual with the students, Sebastian noticed. Though for some reason the man looked more gaunt than usual. "I hardly recognized you," the taller man disclosed with a chuckle. "You're sporting quite the look, kid!"

Before the synth player could react, the obnoxious freshman butt into the conversation. "Hey, Doctor Jay. My boyfriend -"her glare darted to Sebastian, willing him to play along, "Sebastian has a gig tonight. I had some classmates say they were going to come watch the band play, but they ditched for a frat party tonight. Do you want to swing by later and check it out?"

"She's not -" the woman firmly pressed the heel of her boot to his foot to silence Sebastian from stating the contrary on their relationship status. Sebastian shot the young woman with a dirty look that would have killed from a painful infection if not from direct damage to vital organs. He felt like he was trapped in some twisted nightmare that only worsened when the professor believed the lies.

"Ah, so Andi's your girlfriend," Doctor Edge addressed Sebastian with a knowing wink before addressing the freshman. "That's a shame about your friends," he sympathized with Andi's lie. "Those Greek life parties are a dime a dozen, but live music is something really special," the professor lamented, the wiry man's expression reminiscent of some bygone days of his own as he spoke. The man paused momentarily before accepting the invitation. "Well, at the risk of revealing what a square I am, I don't have any plans," Doctor Edge admitted sheepishly, "so I'd love to see what the music scene around here is like nowadays. I haven't been to a concert in ages!"

It was then Sebastian recognized that to the untrained observer, the three of them must look like the strangest biker gang in town with all three of them wearing leather jackets. Though Andi had opted for a deep red. Maybe to compliment her hair or something.

Edge pulled his phone out of his front pocket and offered it to Sebastian. "Here, we can trade contacts," the professor handed his cell to Sebastian to get the details, but Andi - as Sebastian now knew the name of his leech - quickly intercepted and added her phone number to the professor's device instead.

"Sebastian's going to be driving, so I'll text you, Jay," the female student stated sweetly to rationalize her rudeness. Sebastian noticed how quick she was to drop the 'professor' title to suggest familiarity with Edge. Is Jay his first name? Sebastian wondered. He supposed anyone whose first name started with the letter could use it as a nickname but knew someone who went by "Jay" instead of "James." Maybe it was a great uncle on Demetrius' side? Whatever, it didn't matter.

Tucking her long hair behind her ears, Andi beamed at the teacher, and boldly continued her charade. "Since Sebastian's going to be playing on stage, do you mind if I stand near you?" she asked, projecting a pitiful picture with her doe-eyed appearance. "I don't think I know anyone else going…"

Sebastian simultaneously fought the urge to roll his eyes and scream at Andi, but as he slowly exhaled the rage, he realized that whether things worked out in this desperate girl's favor, this whole debacle might resolve her stalking habit sooner rather than later. Either she would be exposed as a psycho liar when Edge met Violet at the concert - assuming the mechanical engineer did make an appearance - or somehow whatever weirdness Andi was planning would work out and he could move on with his life.

"Sure, Andi," Edge nodded amiably, flashing a friendly smile. "But no need to keep an old guy like me company if you spot any of your friends. I can take care of myself just fine." He lifted his arm to read the time on his phone. "I better get home soon so I can get dressed into something more casual for a concert. I'd-"

While Sebastian was not particularly attached to his fellow motorcyclist, Edge had not given the programmer a strong case to dislike him, either. But the raven-haired man did not have time for this. "I'll be late if I stay to chat," the synth player declared, cutting off the professor mid-sentence as his patience finally evaporated from his simmering, silent rage. The outburst startled both Edge as Sebastian took off down the hallway without waiting for his "girlfriend" whom he was supposedly giving a ride to the concert. Andi laughed nervously at the abrupt departure and dismissed herself from Edge's presence before she trotted after him.

"Hey, don't leave me behind!" she hissed once they were out of the other man's earshot. "I think this plan is going to work really well!"

Sebastian ignored her presence, emphasizing his disdain by opting not to prop the door open for her as he exited the building. "You lied and said we're dating and you sure as hell didn't ask me about it beforehand," he reminded the freshman. "So yeah, I'm gonna leave you behind."

"Playing along just this once won't hurt anything!" The auburn-haired woman reached out to grab his sleeve, but Sebastian dodged, familiar with her clingy tactics. Andi tried again. "We can 'break up' at the concert if it really bothers you!"

Finally, Sebastian whirled around to antagonize his persistent pest and she stared up at him wide-eyed as he glowered down at her. "Look, Andi," he growled in frustration. "Since we're friends and all," he spat sarcastically, "I'm sure you get how annoying it is for some random girl to keep following me for advice on seducing some old professor who's probably already married and has kids her age."

"Jay's not married and doesn't have any kids," Andi shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know you think it's weird to be into older guys, but I'm not a homewrecker." Her jet-black eyes scanned him over with a look of disdain. "I guess you're not as close to him as I thought."

Sebastian threw up his arms in frustration, causing the chains around his neck to jingle. "Then why the hell did you tell him we're dating if you're trying to get with him?"

"Most professors don't want to meet a young, female student 'out in the wild' because of all the potential drama." Agitated, Andi lit a cigarette and leaned on a stone retaining wall behind her. She inhaled deeply and breathed out her anxiety. The freshman elaborated on her plan. "I'm not a threat if I'm already dating someone else," the auburn-haired woman explained, taking another drag of her cig. "It's totally normal for professors to go support their students in their extracurriculars outside the classroom and it's not a big deal to meet a total snack like me when my boyfriend is around, right?"

Sebastian could not believe his ears. "You're crazy, you know that?" he scoffed, closing the gap between him and his motorcycle. "I'm not taking you to the concert."

Andi's face twisted with resentment at Sebastian's words, but he did not give her the time to form a rebuttal. Instead, he continued to berate her. "And it would be fucking weird to give a ride to some random stalker to meet with my actual girlfriend!" Sebastian shook his head, "The whole situation is fucked up. Even if I told her the truth, it would sound like a lie."

After a few moments, Andi flicked the ashes from the end of her cigarette. It was as if she had flipped a switch to compose herself and as she lifted her head to gaze up at Sebastian, her mouth drew back in a smirk that conveyed an irritating mixture of both coyness and self-satisfaction. "Oh, so you're afraid of making your inflatable girlfriend jealous?" she snickered, clearly disbelieving his excuses, and declining to address the insults he flung at her.

But when Sebastian swung his leg over his motorcycle and started the engine to leave as he flipped her the bird. Andi immediately changed her haughty tune, dropping her cigarette in a panic. "Fine! I get it, I'm sorry!" she shouted desperately, waving at him frantically to stop. "I'll take the bus, just tell me where to go!"

Leah collected the warm sheets of poster paper from the printer that Gunther had kindly hauled out onto the service counter, gently tapping the stack against the flat wooden surface of the help desk before tucking them into her messenger bag. She recently completed several sculptures and determined now was a good time to try an art exhibition here in Pelican Town. She made arrangements with Shane this morning, who did not know what kind of permits might be required for such an event but assured the redhead that since he was mayor now his hand-written approval would have to do for now should anyone - Lewis - try to stir up a fuss about it.

Shane expressed concern that the art show was awfully close to the Stardew Valley Fair and that some tourists might not want to make the trek out to Pelican Town two consecutive weekends. "Not to be a downer," the recovering alcoholic grimaced, "but you're also an unknown artist as far as I know, so don't set your heart on the kind of turnout we get for the fair. We'll all come out to support you, but I'm not sure how many out-of-towners will show up."

But Leah was determined to strike while the iron was hot. Most people her age did not make plans months in advance, so she figured advertising a week ahead of time would be good enough. Not so far ahead in the future that planning a day trip would be daunting, but not so close to the date that people will have already made plans. It was a risk, but the artist hoped that this art fair would get her name out there by hanging posters in ZuZu City while she was there for the concert. What was the worst that could possibly happen?

As Leah headed toward the exit, she caught sight of movement in her peripheral vision and saw Penny sitting with Jas at the large table in the center of the common space. She resolved to speak to the schoolteacher and try to get on friendlier terms with Penny. Elliott was clearly getting closer to the brunette lately and Leah supposed it would be a good idea to get to engage in casual conversation with the woman to whom her best friend was writing poems of "admiration," even if he was too chicken to recite them in Penny's presence.

"Hey, Penny!" Leah greeted the brunette with a broad grin. The teacher mirrored the gesture and waved in reply, keeping her voice low.

"Good afternoon, Leah," Penny echoed the sentiment as the redhead approached the table that served as her classroom. "We're just wrapping up our last lesson for the day." Jas seemed a little shy around Leah, so the visitor to the tutoring session resolved to break the ice and concentrate her efforts on the little girl for a moment.

"What are you working on, Jas?" Leah bent down slightly to view the student's work on the table.

Jas practically radiated with delight at the prospect of having someone other than her teacher admiring her work. "Miss Penny is teaching me how to write letters to people!" she informed the artist, holding up a small pile of brightly colored paper with handwritten notes drawn with meticulous care. If Leah did not know any better, she would have sworn that Jas was trying to impress the adults with her neat handwriting, so she took the bait willingly.

"You write so well, Jas!" Leah complimented the child, who took to the kind words like a fish to water. It was fortunate that it was the truth because the sculptor was a terrible liar and she swore children could sense when the adults around them were insincere. "Your style is cute and legible."

The black-haired girl giggled. "I've been practicing," she confessed with a slight tinge to her cheeks. Leah spotted that most of the letters were addressed to Shane and Marnie, but there were also a few to be delivered to a "Prince Elliott" on the beach. Leah hid her chuckles behind her hand but conveyed her approval.

"I'm sure everyone will love your letters," Leah guaranteed the girl. She returned her focus to Penny. "So, are you going to the concert in ZuZu City tonight?"

Penny nodded in confirmation. "Sam and I have been friends for a long time," she informed Leah. "He asked me to come, and I promised I would go to support him, even if I'm not the type to usually listen to rock music." The brunette smiled shyly. "Even if things haven't gone the way I always imagined they would someday, I'm glad Sam is happy and working hard to make his own dreams come true."

Speaking of dreams coming true… Leah considered mischievously. Things have been moving at a glacial pace with these two. The redhead decided her best friend and the local schoolteacher might need a little nudge in the right direction. "You should definitely hang out with Elliott and I at the concert," Leah insisted, extending the invitation earnestly.

"Oh!" Penny's features tinged as red as Leah's hair as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "I would like that." Her emerald eyes glanced up at Leah as her lips stretched slightly upward. "Thank you."

Leah waved her hand to casually dismiss Penny's gratitude. "Don't mention it, the more the merrier!" The sculptor noticed that Jas was becoming impatient with the adults in the room having a conversation without her. "I better get going, I shouldn't disrupt class any longer," Leah informed the brunette. "See you later!"

After helping load the storage compartments under the bus with their gear, Sam and Abigail approached Violet to give her a status update. "Well, our gear's loaded already…" the blond guitarist informed their vocalist. "Looks like everything's set. Sebastian should meet us there."

"So, I guess that means it's time to go, huh?" the farmer responded, her heartbeat accelerating as the whole situation became more real to her.

Abigail beamed. "Hell yeah, it does!" Sam hopped up with excitement. "Alright, everyone…" he hollered, getting everyone's attention, "let's get on the bus!"

It seemed all of Pelican Town would be attending the concert, except for George and Evelyn who claimed it would go on "well past their bedtime" and opted to have a quiet night at home. It was odd seeing Pam in a clean uniform, smiling without a frothy pint in her hand, but Violet figured it was a good sign.

"Keep your asses in your seat," the recently hired driver reminded the villagers, "and I'll get you all there safely." Pam smirked. "Now let's get outta here!" she pulled the lever to close the doors as the bus lurched forward and onto the open road.

Violet observed that while Abigail was doing her best to distract her boyfriend with conversation, Sam was starting to show signs of pre-show jitters. He gulped conspicuously. "I'm starting to get really nervous," he confessed. The debuting singer was not sure if she should be relieved that their uber-extroverted leader displayed any sense of performance anxiety or if that made her feel worse. Violet, who sat beside Penny and across from Leah and Elliott, did her best to keep her mind busy with word vomit, even if her stories about office shenanigans involving Medium Phalanges were only funny to the drones at Joja Corp.

As the enormous vehicle grinded to a halt, Sam did his best to direct the passengers. "Okay, everyone! We're here," he announced as Pam opened the bus doors to let the villagers out to unload the equipment for the show. "Please exit out the front and if you're able to help carry anything, we'd really appreciate it. Thank you all for coming tonight and I hope you have a great time!"

The venue was a tiny urban park, tucked away between two towering, brick apartment buildings. Litter was strewn about here and there, likely from previous concerts. Violet wished it was not so dirty, but maybe that was part of the appeal for some. The stage itself was decently sized: a concrete base with a wooden structure overhead to keep the rain off the electrical equipment in case of inclement weather. The pillars holding up the sturdy awning were carved up with couples' names encapsulated in hearts of various sizes, as well as several band names that the farmer did not recognize. Likely others who made their debut here, hoping to make it big.

Abigail began to set up her drums on the back left of the stage with Sebastian back right to make room for their lead guitarist and vocals closer to the audience.

Sam looked like he was about to crawl out of his own skin as the concert attendees began to gather on the lawn. It was dusk now and people were starting to really trickle in from the street when they noticed that live music was about to play. There was still plenty of standing room, but Violet also felt a fluttering in her chest when she realized there were more people in the crowd than just her friends in Pelican Town.

Abigail finally got the last of her drum setup the way she liked it before she huddled together with Sam and Violet near the backside of the stage. "Where's Sebastian?" the drummer wondered out loud. "He should be here by now."

Violet pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her dark wash jeans. "He didn't text that he'd be late," she shared with the other two band members. "But I think I got his synth plugged into all the right things."

"I can check it out," Sam offered, but as he did, the trio heard the rumble of a motorcycle from the road nearby. The blond visibly relaxed as he beckoned their synth player. "Hey, fam! Can you check your setup to make sure everything's up to snuff? We're supposed to start in five."

After parking his vehicle, Sebastian sprinted over to the stage and quickly did as Sam suggested. "You guys did great, sorry I'm late…" His dark eyes rested on Violet, noticing her for the first time since he arrived.

Violet felt the heat in her cheeks, and she imagined both she and her boyfriend had matching faces at that moment. "Violet, you look…" Sebastian stumbled, trying to find the right words as his mind went blank.

"Y-you look different!" Violet countered, faring only marginally better. Her usual nervous ranting took over. "But good different!" she backpedaled. "Not that your normal look is bad, but this is also a good look for you and it's nice to change things up once and a -"

Sebastian took her by the shoulders and pressed his lips against hers gently. "I get what you're saying…" he assured Violet before kissing her once more, as if her touch grounded the thoughts that threatened to float away in the fog of infatuation. "You look pretty. And like, really sexy."

Abigail rolled her eyes at the couple. "Alright, love birds! It's time to rock 'n' roll!" she yelled, parting the two as she shoved past them to get to her drums.

Taking his cue, Sam stepped up to the microphone to make their introductions. "Hi, everyone," the blond welcomed the crowd and their conversations faded into silence as they all focused on the stage. Sam inhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. "We're from Pelican Town…" he began, his voice shaking. "Er… and we're the 'Part-time Pantheon.' Our opening here is called 'Goblin Destroyer.'" The musician slipped the strap of his electric guitar over his head and onto his shoulder. "Here we go…" He stepped back from the mic and motioned for Violet to take his place.

Abigail set the beat on her hi-hat, eyeing her boyfriend from behind. Violet flashed an encouraging smile to her bandmates even though her introverted nature screamed at her to flee stage left and hide in a dark corner somewhere. Sam nodded in acknowledgement as he closed his eyes and strummed out the first few bassy notes.

Blinded by the stage lights, Violet could not see much beyond the first few rows of spectators. It helped to alleviate some of the stress. Inhaling deeply, the rookie singer sang out the first lines of their song. "Heroes foretold, descending into caverns old," Violet chanted fiercely into the microphone as Sebastian joined the guttural sound of Sam's guitar with his synthesizer. "The goblin horde waits…" Just pretend you're that badass druid from your last campaign, Violet told herself. You don't have to be afraid if you're not you for a little while. "With scimitars, red eyes aglow!"

"Their numbers are great!" Violet raised her free hand, clad in a studded fingerless biker glove, and lifted her fist like a general giving a motivational speech to her army. The pastel-haired vocalist felt empowered by the music reverberating through her chest. "But our strength is greater still!"

Violet beamed, spying Maru getting freaky with her dance moves near the front row, and the woman felt all the tension in her body being pushed out with the air in her lungs with each note she sang. "Clashing of blades, the wails of our countless foes!"

Sebastian shifted the feel, adding psychedelic sitar notes to Abigail's steady drumbeat. Violet ran a hand through her wavy hair and swayed to the music, singing in a much higher voice to harmonize with the synthesizer. She was getting into the music now and letting loose in a way she had not allowed herself before. "Now the taste of vict'ry feeds the flames, sparking fiery force and iron will!"

It felt incredible - exhilarating and terrifying, but Violet could not stop herself now. "All goblin droves come meet your fate! We are your harbingers of doom!" Sam sprang forward to stand beside her as the blond began his guitar solo. Head-banging violently to the music as his body slowly spun around, Sam's fingers became a blur as he accelerated his chord transitions at a finger-breaking pace. Sebastian then fused Sam's furious guitar playing seamlessly with a pre-recorded track of Abigail playing the flute. Channeling her inner Emily, Violet expressed herself by moving her body with reckless abandon. Banging her wavy head with the beat, her ponytail whipping around her face and the butterfly ornament in her hair fluttering wildly as if clinging to a flowering branch in a violent spring storm.

"Goblin King!" Violet bellowed into the mic as the sound of a police siren erupted from the synth. "It's time you met..."

While the siren blared, Violet crooned the name of the chief goblin deity, finishing their first song. "Maglubiyet!" Abigail, Sam, and Sebastian all played their respective instruments in unison to meld with Violet's voice, creating a blast like the roaring of a fireball. It was impressive in practice, but with the echo reverberating off the red brick walls, the destructive noise amplified to a deafening gust.

Violet turned her body to look back at Sebastian, the sweat dripping down her back from the hot stage lights. Her ears finally registered the cheers of the crowd as she shed her leather jacket and tossed it behind her. Sebastian clearly noticed the cut of her tank top and Violet smirked with newfound confidence. I'll have to thank Haley later… the farmer thought to herself, grabbing the mic to announce their next song. "Thanks for coming out tonight, everyone! Let's keep this show rolling," Violet responded to the applause. "This next one's called 'Living Darkness!'"

Just keep running, he urged his body onward, through the dense foliage and clawing branches. He lost track of how long he had been on the run. There was little time for sleep when being hunted so relentlessly. Why do they care so much about one goddamn soldier? Do the Gotorons really intend to leave no survivors?

Despite his desire to push forward, his body was giving into its limits. He had not eaten in days and worse yet, he hardly had any water and the climate here was humid, sapping away his body's much-needed moisture. The squared-jawed man stumbled over an ancient tree root and though he managed to get his feet under him before he fell, the corporal collapsed all the same.

His lungs burned as he gasped for air, trying to crawl through the muck to put any extra distance between himself and his pursuers. The blond grit his teeth as he heard shouting in an unfamiliar language closing in on him. Dammit, he cursed under his breath. No, I can't be caught now. I need to get home to Jodi and the boys… But Kent could no longer fight it. His world went black as he fell away from consciousness, shifting shadows filling his vision as the light disappeared from his world.

Author Note: I'll level with you all, readers. You know I try to be extra AF when it comes to including details from the game in this fic. I had a helluva time trying to write a song to go to that in-game "experimental noise rock" version of the concert cut scene music. I think it broke me a little, but luckily I've got plenty of super glue in my house for crafting projects.