Roberto and Sophia had lost count of how many rehearsals they had done over the past few hours. They had decided to use the club tree, so that they wouldn't be disturbed by any of their own tribe members, to practise their performance. The club looked so different during the day; it was empty, cool, and darker, a comfortable silence within it. They were standing on the empty stage, going over the verses, written on a palm leaf. The song had taken just under an hour to write - they had decided to go with something romantic yet not too flowery or over the top. Everyone loved a love song, but both of them weren't too sure as to whether this song was all that good.
"Okay, let's test our memories." Roberto said, looking at the palm leaf, frowning to himself. Uncertainty filled his voice. "Soph - recite the first verse...?" He spoke with an upward inflection, clearly questioning the song to himself. He glanced over the leaf, where Sophia was sitting on a branch that sat on the stage. She cleared her throat, and started to sing her line, somewhat awkwardly.
"Have you ever thought about someone, thought of them to be..." but then Sophia's voice faded. Roberto glanced up, and mouthed the words. But Sophia was shaking her head. "No, that's not it. This song just doesn't..." they stared at each other, unsure over whether to voice their opinions.
"...go." Roberto finished, and Sophia looked relieved that they were in agreement. "I know. I don't know what it is - I don't think it goes, either." He looked back at the leaf, almost embarrassed. "Ugh, my song-writing skills have hit a rock lately. I used to be so good, but now, the lyrics are just annoyingly bad. Stress, I think."
"Your lyrics? Have you seen mine? I'm terrible at song writing." Sophia groaned, getting up. "This is why I get my songs from others - I come up with the silliest rhymes. I mean, I borrowed our Beautiful Creatures song on my first solo, and 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You' came from Carla."
"That's it." Roberto snapped his wingtips. "How about we sing 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You?' I mean, it was so brilliant coming from you, I'm sure they won't mind hearing it again." Sophia blinked, with uncertainty.
"I don't know... I do love that song." Sophia was clearly tempted. "According to Carla, it was actually sung with a male human, as well as the lead female, so I think it could possibly work... and I haven't sung it for a few days, so I'm sure nobody will care that I already sung it. Okay, let's try it out."
Later
Roberto had 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You' on repeat in his mind, as he sat on a branch, lost in thought. He had just returned from countless rehearsals, and he was exhausted. Sophia had gone to check on Zenaida, leaving him to himself. He was distracted, worrying about messing up the song, but the other thing on his mind was Jespa. His hostile face was swarming in Roberto's mind like a mosquito who refused to fly off - Jespa had returned to his thoughts when they had entered the ravine, met with a cold, amber stare.
The skin of his back still hurt, from where Jespa had pushed him into the wall - the thorns had dug in, and he was sure they had pierced his skin in places. They were stinging, too, even now. Or maybe he was imagining that, since he was thinking about that disturbing incident over and over. He had told Jespa that he wasn't afraid of him, but in reality, Roberto was frightened of the unstable male. He understood why Sophia had been so secretive about the club - Jespa was a freak, and Roberto was concerned for Sophia's - and his own - safety. Roberto had attempted to tell Sophia, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just didn't want her to think he was trying to get rid of her brother.
"You look blue." Said a voice, as Mimi lighted down on the branch, to his surprise; he hadn't expected her to appear there.
"You think so?" Roberto asked, pointing at his wing, in an attempt at a joke. Mimi chuckled, before turning serious.
"Why the long face? You've been sitting there, looking miserable ever since you got there." Mimi sat down, wings crossed. "Allow me to guess - girl trouble?" Roberto looked up, in surprise. Mimi laughed. "I know the look. Whenever a guy worries about his lady friend, he wears that exact expression. Trust me, I had to see Eduardo with the same expression for days, when he met Tia..." once again, there was that air of sadness at the name of Jewel's mother. "Come on, what's going on in that head of yours?"
"It's not important, really..." Roberto tried to insist.
"I'm the tribe advisor, remember." Mimi reminded him. She looked at him, expectantly. "Enlighten me." Roberto hesitated for a moment, but then he realized how trapped he felt. He was empty of any ideas.
"It's not necessarily her. It's more her brother who's bothering me."
"Just to clarify, this is Sophia and Jespa we're talking about, right?" Mimi interrupted, and he nodded. Mimi seemed to shiver. "No wonder. Jespa was always a problem child, and I don't think he grew out of it."
"That's an understatement. He's just... interfering." Roberto said, uncomfortably. "His behaviour is beyond unsettling. And he absolutely hates me."
"Hates you?" Mimi asked, initially surprised, before the surprise vanished. "Well, that's expected. He's never liked any of Sophia's male friends, let alone her boyfriends."
"Woah, woah, we're not..." he started to protest. Mimi rolled her blue eyes.
"Fine, you may not be in a formal relationship. But honey - you're living in the same tree, and I know what a male looks like when he's love. You look at Sophia in the same way Blu looks at Jewel. Somehow, you always have seemed like that, whenever I see you looking at Sophia. Only now, it's perhaps so much stronger." Mimi blinked with sympathy. "Anyway, your best bet is just to avoid him. Sooner or later, he'll just give up and leave you both alone." Roberto wanted to believe that Mimi was right, but he just couldn't. Zenaida was right - Jespa was desperate to ruin Sophia's happiness for a reason Roberto didn't know.
"Thanks, Mimi." Roberto said, and turned to go.
"Remember, the Festival of Stars is in a few days!" Mimi reminded him, and he recalled the leaf-lamp celebration.
"I will!" He promised, before flying off the branch, toward his hollow. Roberto was exhausted; maybe a quick nap would make his mind clearer, for later. But as Roberto landed on the sand outside the entrance, there was a slight commotion inside. The hasty scrabble of talons across the floor, and a frantic flapping of wings. Roberto paused. "Sophia?" He asked, with a frown, entering the hollow.
The nest was empty - nothing looked unusual. Maybe he had just been imagining the noise within it. Shrugging, Roberto made a beeline for his inviting nest, before a leaf caught his eye. It was sitting under a stone, with black scribbles. Looking closer, he realized that the scribbles was actually neat writing, presumably charcoal.
My mother personally asked me to stay around her tree, tonight - it's not my shift, but she thinks Jespa needs to have some time at home, since he's having one of his more 'touchy' episodes. Sorry, we'll have to go tomorrow night, instead. I'll let Vicky know later, and I'll see you before bed. Sorry - at least you have more time to practice your lines. Love, Sophia. 'Love, Sophia.' Roberto's heart warmed, before he frowned.
Had it been Sophia, leaving in a hurry? But then, why would she run away at the sound of him arriving back? Must've been my ears. Roberto was disappointed that tonight was called off, but at least he could go over the lines, like Sophia said in the note. The song was written out, tucked into a little hollow in the wall.
Pulling the lyrics leaf out of its gap, Roberto headed for his nest, before collapsing back into it like he always did - but then searing pain stabbed into his back. Roberto leapt up, with a shriek of pain and shock, scrabbling out of the nest. Yanking one free of his shoulder, Roberto spun round, feathers on end. Amongst the moss of his nest, little teeth poked out - green, small and sharp. Thorns pointed at every angle, sticking up from the moss, almost invisible against the green sea.
Heart thudding, Roberto seized the material, throwing it to the side, pricking his wings as he did; then he saw more thorns, sticking up from Sophia's nest, so he emptied that too. Hastily, he began pulling out all the thorns, heart in his throat. That was incredibly dangerous - how had he not seen the thorns, as he collected the nest material? How could he be so foolish?
But then he remembered the sound of someone making a hasty getaway. He thought it was just his ears, but now he wasn't so sure. Tiago loved to prank, but surely he would know that thorns in nests as a joke was bordering on being malicious. Besides, the wing flaps and steps had been far too heavy for a chick who was barely a few weeks old.
Roberto stared at the pile of thorns he had picked out - there were so many, it was no accident. This was deliberate. A flash of dark blue was snagged in the middle - the thorns strangled it, making it distorted and ragged. Gently, he pulled the feather out - one of the feathers from Sophia's nest. It seemed as though once he freed it, it returned to a smoother state. Gently straightening the feather out, Roberto shook his head. This was beyond abnormal.