Chapter Three~ Showtime
A/N: So, there's a part in here that is going to need your imagination, kay? So, when you see just bold, like this, it's the Spine. When it looks like this, it's Lorra. And when it looks like this, it's both. Right, back to the story.
A week after the incident, Spine walked out of his room to find Walter Manor suspiciously quiet. Rabbit and Hatchworth were thus far nowhere to be found. Perhaps they were hiding. They did that sometimes. Annie, Peter A. Walter VI's mother was coming down the hall from the opposite direction. As they neared each other, he tipped his hat.
"Mrs. Walter, good morning."
"Oh, good morning, Spine. How are you today?" The greying blonde woman smiled.
"Wonderful. I was wondering, you wouldn't happen to know where everyone is, would you?"
"Hmm," she put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "I haven't seen anyone except for Peter so far this morning, but I thought I heard music from the kitchen. Have you checked there?"
"Not yet. Thanks." The two smiled at each other, then went on their own ways. The trek down to the kitchen might have been a confusing on if he hadn't been living there for years, with the many twisting halls and flights of stairs.
He thought back to the first morning that Lorra had awoken as their new manager. Spine had found her wandering the hallways, poking her head in and out of doors, with an extremely confused look on her face. Chuckling, the bot remembered how he had unintentionally snuck up on her. When he had asked what she was looking for, the poor woman screamed and smacked her face against the doorway she was looking through; her glasses had ended up on the floor with a broken arm and cracked lense. Now, Lorra was extremely near-sighted, so without her glasses she couldn't see much more than a giant blob of black and silver in front of her. For whatever reason, her brain (which had not yet been sharpened by the human fuel that is coffee) did not register what little it could see. The following moment consisted of her cursing at him and asking him if his mother had ever told him it wasn't nice to sneak up on people as she dropped to the ground to try to find her glasses. The whole scene struck him as funny, as it reminded him of the T.V. show Scooby-Doo where the orange clad Velma did something very similar...minus the foul words. Lorra had just found the wire spectacles and was holding them up against her face when he responded that he didn't really have a mother. When the woman heard his voice, she froze, glasses falling from her fingers and back to the floor. Spine remembered how he had chuckled at her and picked them up for her, then helped her stand up. After she finally got over her case of being star-struck, she immediately apologized and tried to take the hurtful words back. Spine had simply held up his hand and told her that it was perfectly fine, as it was his fault that she had been hurt. And been hurt she had. The resounding thud of her face meeting the door jam had created a bruise across the right side of her cheek and jaw. He apologized for scaring her, and with a gentle hand, led her to the kitchen to get some ice for the blooming discoloration.
That had been the beginning of the odd friendship between human and robot. Spine smiled to himself as he turned the corner towards the kitchen and heard the music that Annie had been talking about. He also found Steve, Rabbit and Hatchworth on either side of the door listening in wonder. He came closer. "What are you three doing?" All of them turned around long enough to shush him and then went back to listening. From within, he could hear the song, but was surprised to hear another voice belting out along with it. Spine ducked his head around the edge, and was greeted with a most amazing sight.
"Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?" Lorra sang into a whisk, leaning into it. "Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need." They all watched in amusement as she put a hand dramatically on her forehead and bent backwards over the table. The piano faded off, then she jumped up and started spinning around the room. "I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from the fight! I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero til the morning light! He's gotta be sure, and it's gotta be soon, and he's gotta be larger than life!" She was really into it, occasionally standing in place to mix something in a large bowl on the counter, adding eggs or other ingredients as she went.
"The Spine!" Rabbit whisper-shouted at him. "We should re-re-really get her to sing with us."
"She already said no, Rabbit." He admonished.
"A-a-and? C'mon, Spine, it'll be great!"
Steve pulled one of his hands out from under his arm and raised it. "If my opinion is worth anything in this, I think it's a great idea."
"What are all of you doing hovering out here?" Lorra's grandmother appeared as if out of nowhere. Inside the kitchen, the song changed. They heard a faint squeal as Spine's voice came over the speaker singing the cover he had done of the singer Rihanna.
"Palms rise to the universe, as the moon shines on me. Feel the warmth we'll never die. We're like diamonds in the sky. You're a shooting star, I see, a vision of ecstasy." Her voice deepened to match the one on the stereo, "When you hold me, I'm alive, we're," It went back to her usual tone, "like diamonds in the sky."
"Seriously, doesn't she get enough of you three following you around all the time?" Jenna scoffed before pushing past them into the room. "Good morning, sweetie." Lorra squeaked and the music suddenly faded out.
"Hey, Grandma. I'm making a Dutch Baby. Just like you and Mom used to make for school."
"Yummy. I'm sure it'll be great." Jenna got herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table to watch her granddaughter work. "So, how'd you sleep."
"Good, for once. I actually went to bed at a reasonable time last night. It might have helped that Bitty didn't come wake me up this morning, which is weird. They must have already been in rehearsal."
"Do robots need rehearsal?"
"Well, yeah. They gotta make sure that all their stuff works. Steve needs to get all the audio and tech stuff matched up with the setlist. Mike and Matt need to practice as well. Not to mention, yours truly." She gestured to herself with the spatula, grinning.
"And what exactly do you do?" Jenna raised a speculative eyebrow.
"I make sure the outfits hold out. And the upgrades. Mr. Walter wants to put a new faceplate on Rabbit. Thing is, it's gonna be made of porcelain, so we have to make sure that it's not gonna crack while she sings." The older lady didn't seem impressed. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Bull. It's never nothing when you make that face, Grandma."
Jenna sighed, leaning forward. "I just think you could be doing so much more."
"Not this again!" Lorra threw her hands up. "We've been through this a hundred times!"
"Yes, and we will no doubt go over it a hundred times more before you get it into your flighty brain. Lorra, honey, where exactly do you think this is going to take you? You have a degree. In a great subject. You could go to law school. I know for a fact that you'd make a wonderful lawyer."
The younger woman rolled her eyes as she put the breakfast pastry in the oven. "I don't want to be a lawyer. That's your niche, not mine."
"Right, and what's your 'niche' again, sweetie? Oh, that's right, music. You tried that once, remember? That stupid radio DJ gig you had. Music isn't going to get you anywhere in life, especially when you can't even sing in front of people."
"I can, too. I just don't. And I did great with the radio. I left because I couldn't handle the other DJ harrassing me constantly. Besides, I'm doing good here, Grandma. Mr. Walter has given me a lot of responsibility dealing with the bots, but it's paying off. I make good money, I get to travel. And I get to be around music and...and robots, for crying out loud! There are people who would kill to be where I am."
"Then let them. These people are all crazy."
"I like crazy. That's why I studied Psychology, that's why I took this job. Grandma, I love it here. I love the bots, and the crew, and the Walters. This is my home."
"Your home is back in Colorado with the rest of your family, Lorra."
"Family?" Lorra spat. The sound startled the three robots and one human standing outside, as none of them had ever heard such a tone coming from their friend's mouth. "You mean the piles of half-brothers and sisters that remind me every day that my mysteriously absent biological father chose other women over me and Mom?" Spine's forehead plate whirred as his brows crinkled. Lorra had told them that she never knew her biological father. "Or do you mean the cousins that have nothing to do with me because their parents all found out your side of the family dabbles in magic? Of course, your side of the family meaning, you, me, Mom, and Great Grandma Janine. You know, Mom doesn't even talk to me anymore? Every time I try to call, she ignores the call."
"Honey, your mother is going through a really rough time right now. James just lost his job at the factory, and your sister hasn't been doing well in school-"
"And? I'm her daughter!"
"Thing's aren't that simple, sweetie."
"I needed her. I needed you. And both of you were too centered on your own selves that you couldn't even pick up the phone and just talk to me." Both of them fell silent, neither looking at the other. After a few minutes, Lorra took a deep, shaky breath and swept her hair back. "There's a couple more minutes on breakfast. Take it out when the timer beeps." With that, she hurried away from her grandmother. When she rounded the corner, she ran straight into a very tall, very hard chest. "Get out of my way."
"Lorra? What's wrong?" Spine asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I said get out of my way!" The human slapped his hands away, looking up at him in frustration. Everyone present was surprised to see tears in her eyes, but none more so that the silver bot right in front of her.
"Lorra," he said softly.
"Not now, Spine. Please, just...not now." No one else noticed how her chin quivered as she turned away and all but ran back up the stairs.
Outraged, Spine straightened up and stalked into the kitchen. "What the hell was that?"
"Mr. Spine, you really shouldn't eavesdrop, it's not very nice."
"I thought you were here to make sure she was happy, not try to make her upset?" By now, the other three had joined them as well.
"It's not my fault she gets defensive every time I talk to her about anything even remotely serious. Blame her mother for that." Jenna shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "You have to understand, she can't stay here."
"And why not?" Steve asked, crossing his arms. "Lorra likes it here, we like having her here. Nothing much you can do to change her mind about something like that. So, why are you trying to make her leave us?"
"Because I don't think she's cut out to deal with all of you maniacs." Behind her, the timer dinged. The red-head got up and pulled the puff pastry out of oven. "Breakfast is ready. One of these days, Lorra is going to see that she can't handle you people. And when she does, I'm going to be at home, ready to welcome her back with open arms."
All of the bots (and the human) bristled at the woman's words. "You c-c-can't make her leave us. Not if sh-sh-she doesn't want to."
"You're right, I can't. She has to see it for herself."
"You are a horrible woman." Spine said, green eyes darkening. "You've seen the way she is with us, the way she smiles and laughs and interacts. Maybe if you came to our show, you would see how happy she is to work with us. She's our friend, and we are not giving her up that easily, Mrs. Marborne."
"Whatever you say, Mr. Spine. I'm supposed to leave the day before, but I suppose I can get a later flight. Just don't be surprised when the shoe drops and she runs off." With that, Jenna stood up and left the room with a plate of food.
"The Spine," Hatchworth spoke up, "We have to do the new show idea now. Otherwise, she might just leave."
"Yeah, but you said she might not want to." Steve pointed out.
"So, we-we-we don't tell her it's happening. Just get her out there. Surely she'd do something if we push her out."
"Maybe." The human tech nodded. "But, she won't know what to do. I can give her cues and pointers if you can get a headset on her. What were you wanting her to do? Let me check it out and see what kind of setup I can throw together."
Spine put a hand on his chin, thinking. His luminous eyes roved over the kitchen as if it could give him the answers. After a moment, his eyes fell on the stereo and his face broke into a grin. "I know just the one."
)0(
"Rabbit, why do I have to dress up? It's not as if anyone is going to see me from backstage." Lorra flopped on her bed as the automaton rifled through her closet.
"Be-be-because, it's the six month anniversary of the day you started working with us!" Rabbit exclaimed, turning around with an article of clothing in each hand. She started holding them up towards the woman, trying to see which one would look best.
"Your point? It's just a day. If you really want to do something for me, bake me a cake or something." Holding up a finger, she stopped the bot. "On second thought, don't do that. We don't need the kitchen being blown up."
"Oh, y-y-ye of little faith." She glitched, picking out another top. "Do you not have a-a-any stuff like what we wear?"
"Um...not really."
A little bit of steam escaped the pink-haired robot's vents, showing her frustration. In a flash, she was across the room grabbing Lorra's hand and hauling her up. "Come on. I might have something you can wear."
"Bitty, none of your clothes are going to fit me!" She said as she was dragged down the hall. "You're taller and wider than I am, and all your stuff is modified specifically for you. I should know, I'm the one that fixes them." The statement made the bot stop in the middle of the hallway.
"Fine, then..." Rabbit's mismatched blue and green eyes stared at her for a moment. With a jolt, she started running down the hall again, still towing Lorra along. "Spiiiiiiiine!" She yelled. "Hey, Spine!" Lorra nearly fell going down the stairs as Rabbit continued to tug and pull on her wrist. "Spine, where are you?!"
"I'm right here, Rabbit. What is it?" The bot in question stepped out of the library.
"Lorra doesn't have an outfit for the show next week and none of my stuff will fit her!"
One of his eyebrows rose. "And you're bringing this to me...why?"
"Do you ha-ha-have anything she can borrow?" Both of them looked at her in confusion.
"Bitty." Lorra shook her head. When Rabbit looked at her, she sighed. "I wouldn't fit any of Spine's stuff either. He's too tall and skinny. And don't go yelling for Hatchy next. I doubt his clothes will work. It's no big deal, I'll just wear the same stuff I normally do."
"No, no, no. That won't do at all." Spine told her. "Come on, I'm sure we can find something for you. We can fix something up. Come on." With a hand on her back, he guided them both back to the stairs. Down three more flights, and they were at the entrance to yet another hall. "Welcome, ladies, to the Walter Family's personal tailor."
"Tailor?" Lorra looked at him oddly. "If you guys have a personal tailor, then what the hell am I doing everyday up in the Hall of Wardrobes?"
Rabbit and Spine laughed. "Where d-d-do you think all the clothing that you fix comes from?" Said the older bot. "Pete has all our stuff custom-om-om made, then you get to rep-pa-pair it when we mess it up."
The robots each took a hand and pulled her through the doorway. As they walked through the stacks of cloth and patterns, Lorra stared in awe. There were so many different bolts of cloth, most in black and red, but there were other ones too. Bright cremes and varying shades of blue, a few greens and pinks even. Rabbit let go of her hand, and Lorra ran it gently over a sheer purple pattern. On and on the shelves went, all the way up to the ceiling, and deeper into the room. It was like a whole building all on it's own. Lorra grinned.
"How did I not know about this place?" She breathed.
"You may have been with us a while, Lorra, but this house still has many secrets. Even we are constantly finding more and more rooms." Spine gestered between himself and Rabbit. Winking, the taller bot put a hand to his mouth and yelled, "Mr. Port?"
A small crash resounded from deeper in the room, accompanied by a yelp. After a few moments, grumbling reached their ears and a short, rotund man garbed in a dark green tunic shirt, black bell-bottoms, and coke bottle glasses came stalking out from behind a stack of cloth. "What did I tell you about yelling in my workshop, bot?!" He shook his fist at the three of them, which held a pair of huge scissors. Lorra stepped back involuntarily, bringing his beady, magnified eyes to her. "Oh, hello dear." His voice and demeanor seemed to change in that instance. His whole face softened with the smile that lit up the buggy orbs behind glass. "You must be the new band manager. Such a pleasure to meet you. Demetri Port, at your service." With the grace of a dancer, he swooped into a flamboyant bow. "What can I do for you today? It's not often I get a new customer."
"We need an outfi-fi-fit for Lorra." Rabbit clapped her hands. "Something pret-t-ty and lovely and perfect!"
Lorra rolled her eyes at the bot, though Demitri didn't seem fazed in the least. "Of course!" The woman tried to protest, but was firmly led back into the work area of the room. "Every girl deserves at least one princess moment. And, honey," he glanced her up and down once she was on the platform in the middle of the room, "something tells me you haven't had one."
Lorra looked down at her clothes, her usual jeans, tank top, and flannel. "What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Darling, absolutely nothing. But, you should have some occasion to dress up once in a while. Now!" He clapped his hand together once, turning to the robots. "What are we thinking? The usual? Or something a little more?"
"M-m-more!" Rabbit jumped excitedly up and down with her arms in the air. Her brother settled her with a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Perhaps something similar to ours would be fine, Mr. Port."
Demetri rolled his eyes, flipping his honey-colored bangs out of his eyes and studied the human before him. "I'm thinking a little longer in the front than Rabbit's dresses. Maybe a little less fuss with the decorations. You don't need much of anything to make you pretty, sweet pea."
"Thanks." She muttered.
"With your skin tone," the short man continued, "I don't know how well bright colors are going to go."
"Mr. Port, I thought we were going with the usual?" Spine leaned himself against a shelf, arms crossed.
"Eeeeh," he shrugged. "Just thinking of the alternatives. Not everyone looks so suave in black and red, Spine-o."
"I-I-I think Lorra-loo would look gr-gr-great in ANYTHING!" Rabbit exclaimed.
"Thank you, Bitty, but I really don't. Yellow, bright pink, and neon green are my sworn enemies." The human woman joked.
Demetri nodded along. "I believe it. But, that's alright. You certainly won't be wearing any bright colors. I think the usual will do just fine for you." And with that, he went about picking up this cloth or that, holding the different styles up for her approval. Rabbit had disappeared some time ago, having become bored of sitting there with nothing to do. Every once in a while, Spine would chime in. For instance, the moment Demetri grabbed a certain type of material, it was immediately pulled from his hands and tossed on the reject pile.
"Lorra can't wear that."
"What?!" She yelled, confused. "What the hell? Who are you to say what I can and can't wear?"
Spine just rolled his eyes. "You told me, remember?"
Lorra just looked at him like he was crazy. "The hell?"
With a mechanical sigh that left the scent of oil permeating the air, he picked the discarded bolt up and held it out to her. "Feel it." Skeptically, she reached out and ran her fingers over the fabric. Immediately, a shudder ripped through her. It was just that weird texture that made her cringe. There was something about certain fabrics that she couldn't handle. "You told me some time ago about your sensory overload."
Her eyes widened. Back when Lorra had first moved there, Peter had attempted to have her wear the same uniform as the Walter Worker Girls. That was another reason why she had refused. She couldn't handle it. "Sorry, Spine."
"It's alright." He put one hand on her shoulder, while throwing the bolt of cloth behind him. Lorra had to grin, as she and Spine were, at the moment, the same height. He seemed to realize this, too and started laughing. "Mr. Port, she's all yours." The bot said, stepping back with a slight bow. "I have some other things to attend to at the moment."
Lorra puffed at a lock of hair that had fallen in her face as he rounded the corner out of her sight. "Damn him."
"Yeah," Demetri said in a somewhat dreamy voice. "I tell you what, honey, if only he was human, I'd be all over that in a second." The woman's eye widened, surprised at him. "What? It's not exactly a secret that he's the hottest thing to ever walk this earth. Too bad he's a robot, eh?" Lorra chuckled, a bit uncomfortable, when he elbowed her. Demetri looked up from where he was measuring her legs, and gasped. "Oh. My. Gawd! You like him, don't you?"
"What?!" She gapped at him. "No...I mean, he's basically my best friend, so I...like him. But I don't like like him. God, I sound like a middle schooler."
"A little bit. You can't fool me, girly. I have a sixth sense. I know these things. You totally like him." She shot him a look, to which he held up his hands. "Don't worry, darling. Your secret's safe with me."
)0(
Lorra stood behind a piece of machinery backstage, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to ease the headache that had been building up all day. For most of the day before the performance, she had been on the run. It was currently 9 pm, and she had been going from 4 o'clock that morning. There was only so much coffee she could drink before she felt like her head was being beat in with a hammer. Grimacing, she tried not to scratch her head, as Camille and Chelsea had taken it upon themselves to do her hair up in tight braids that were twisted in on themselves, with a few tendrils just kind of hanging out around her face. And they had done her makeup, which she had fought tooth and nail about, but in the end...gave up. She would be so glad when this was all over and she could go home and shuck this whole appearance. Demetri had made good on his promise to make her look good. But, apparently looking good meant feeling horrible.
"Beauty is pain," he had said, forcing her into a pair of three inch heeled boots.
At least the corset she was wearing was mostly there for decoration. If she hadn't been able to breathe, she might have killed someone. As it was, she had spent most of the day in her normal clothes, but Rabbit had insisted she go get ready an hour previous. Right now, all she wanted was a bath hot enough to boil a lobster and some epsom salts for her aching muscles. Earlier in the evening, her grandmother had come back to see her and wish her luck. But, when she saw the outfit, she just shook her head with a grim look and muttering something about being assimilated.
"Beauty is pain, beauty is pain, beauty is pain," she repeated to herself.
"It shouldn't be." Spine's voice broke her out of her self-pitying moment. "Are you alright."
Plastering on a smile, she looked up at her friend. "I'm fine. I just have a headache is all. Got a lot on my mind. Anyway, what are you doing back here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to go on?"
"Eh, I've got a few minutes. I wanted to see how you were doing." Lorra took hold of the proffered metal hand and let him help her up. "Mr. Port did a good job. Especially for the time constraint we gave him."
Blood rushed to her cheeks. "I guess you have to be the best to work for Walter Robotics."
"That's right. Well, everything is set up. I think it's going to be another great show."
"Without a doubt," she said with a smile. "Go on, they're gonna be looking for you." Lorra pushed him towards the other side of the stage. The robot hesitated. "I'm fine, Spine. I promise. Go." With a hand on the brim of his hat, he gave a small bow and went back to his spot.
)0(
The bots were on a roll!
Song after song, skit after skit, the crowd went crazy for them. Lorra stood just behind the curtain, far enough that the audience wouldn't see her, but close enough that the robots could probably hear her singing along with the rest of the human fans in the room. They had just started "Saturday Night" when Camille ran up to her with something in her hand. She looked rather frantic, and pulled the younger woman away.
"Hey, Cam, what's wrong?"
"Steve needs to talk to you. Here," she thrust the device into her hand, then ran away.
Lorra looked down to see an earpiece and microphone pack. Confused, she put the earpiece in and attached the mic. "Steve?"
"Lorra! Great, Camille got to you in time."
"Yeah, in time for what? What's going on? Is there a problem with one of the bots? Because they look absolutely fine from where I'm standing."
"Yeah, no, everyone's great. Listen, I know you're probably gonna hate all of us after this. But, we all got together and decided to get you a gift. Sort of a 'thank's for sticking around so long' thing."
"Seriously? Dude, just wait until after the show. No need to worry about me while you're busy keeping everything up and running."
"Well, see, that's the thing. I keep everything going. And right now, you're a thing."
"What?" Lorra peaked from behind the curtain to look at the man at the back of the room at the soundboard. He was looking right towards her, giving her a thumbs up. "Steve, what's going on?"
"Don't hate me. It wasn't my idea."
Before she could ask him again, the song ended on stage. Rabbit began talking to the audience.
"Al-al-alrighty now, folks. We have a very special surprise for you. As some of you might know, we had anoth-th-ther friend join the Walter family." There was an eruption of cheers.
"She's a very important persons to us, and we would like to take this chance to ask her to come on stage with us." Hatchworth turned towards her and waved.
Lorra stared at them, then shook her head vigorously. "No. No, no, no, no! This is not happening right now!"
"'fraid so, friend." Steve chirped in her ear. "Don't worry. I'm gonna be here the whole time to give you direction."
"Steve..." She gulped as Rabbit and Hatchy came towards her.
"Yeah?"
"If I live through this. I'm going to kill all of you." The two bots grabbed her on either arm and led her on stage. The lights were so bright she couldn't see anyone in the audience, and so hot that she immediately started sweating in her many layers of clothes. Spine wrapped an arm around her once she was close enough.
Pulling his mic away from his mouth for a moment, he whispered out the side of his lips, "Just go with it. Steve and I are here. You know the song."
"Song?!" She stared at him. Luckily her mic wasn't on.
"Like Spine-o said, just go with it. We got you, girl."
"Now, most of you know that we had a new band manager." Spine's statement was greeted with cheers. "But, most of you don't know that this lovely lady," he pulled his arm from around her shoulders, only to take hold of her hand and place a kiss to the back of it. "Is more than just a manager. She is a seamstress," laughter, "a maid, and a cook." More laughs. Lorra had been staring at Spine with wide eyes. Now, she was staring at her shoes. "But, more important than all of that, Lorra Marborne is our friend." A slew of aww's met her ears as her head shot up. "She puts up with all of us on a daily basis, and never once has she complained, except when joking." His green eyes started glowing more as he smiled at her. "So, when we found out that she had an appreciation for music, we couldn't help but put together this little surprise for her. Everyone, give it up for our very good friend, Lorra."
The audience applauded and cheered and whistled. And Lorra just stood there wide-eyed. With a giggle, and a wave, she tried to make her way back to the wings, but was stopped by Spine's hand still in her's.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, slightly amused.
"Backstage."
His grin grew wider. "We're not done yet." To the crowd, he said, "We don't usually perform our covers, but I think that tonight is a special exception, don't you?" A chorus of yes's answered him. "Great!" He turned and nodded to the rest of the band behind him. A familiar intro riff began, and her eyes got even wider.
"No?!"
"Yes!" Steve yelled in her ear, making her flinch. "Listen, we heard you singing in the kitchen the other day. You know the lyrics. Alright. You know the parts where he usually gets higher, and you come in when you sing to the video?"
"Yeah..."
"Great, just do that. You got this, Lorra. Knock 'em dead."
Spine winked at her before going completely still, eyes closed. The crowd went silent, the tension in the air was stifling.
"Shine bright like a diamond...Shine bright like a diamond..."His eyes shot open and set on a space she couldn't see. "Find light in the beautiful sea, I chose to be happy. You and I, you and I. We're like diamonds in the sky. You're a shooting star, I see. A vision of ecstasy." The girls started screaming as he reached up to yank at his tie. Fuck, Lorra thought, he's getting naked on stage. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! "When you hold me, I'm alive. We're like diamonds in the sky. I knew that we'd become one right away. Oh, right away! At first sight, I saw the energy of sun rays." Looking to her, he nodded. FUCKING SHIT! "I saw the life inside of your eyes."
As he said eyes, she came in too. "So shine bright. Tonight." Lorra was much softer than him at her intro. In her ear, she heard Steve telling her to get louder and speak up. She almost didn't hear him over the fact that Spine was still getting undressed. To be fair, he only unbuttoned his vest and a few buttons on his shirt to expose part of his chest. All the while, looking back at her. "You and I. We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky.Eye to eye, so alive." She broke off. "We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky." The two sang the chorus, with her saying 'shine bright, tonight' and him singing the other part.
"Alright girly, it's time to strut your stuff. Your solo!" Steve said to her via the earpiece.
Holy shit. Ok, it's ok, forget the crowd, forget what you're doing, and just sing. Like in the shower, or the kitchen. Act it out, put yourself in the song.
"Palms rise to the universe," Her voice belted out, actually the exact tone of Spine's higher audience started screaming again. This time not for the practically naked Spine, but the excitement of hearing a new singer. "As the moon shines on me. Feel the warmth, we'll never die. We're like diamonds in the sky. You're a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy. When you hold me, I'm alive. We're like diamonds in the sky. At first sight, I felt the energy of sun rays." She forced herself to actually look at her best friend. Hard as it was, she managed to actually keep her eyes on his face. Sure, he was a robot, but P.A. Walter the first had done a damn fine job on him. "I saw the life inside of your eyes."
"So shine bright, tonight, you and I. We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky. Eye to eye, so alive. We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky." Another round of the chorus, and they came to the one Lorra had always split up in a funny way. Spine noticed her hesitance and winked.
"Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond. So shine bright, tonight. We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky."
The song ended, and Lorra could not believe that they were still clapping. Even Steve seemed to be totally surprised that she was able to actually do it...
Suddenly, she was surrounded in arms. Rabbit and Hatchworth both encircled her from the side/back, pushing her forward into Spine, who had been about to hug her as well.
"O-o-oh, my gosh! I can't beli-li-lieve it! You did amazing Lorra-loo!" The overzealous Rabbit yelled in her ear over Steve's voice in the same one.
"Yeah, I can't believe it either." She said with her face stuffed in the still exposed metal chest of the tall robot. She could feel his chest plates moving as his laugh rang out above her head.
"You did wonderfully, Lorra." He told her, tightening his arms around her. "Come on, we've got one more song to do to wrap up the show."
Lorra was led off stage by Rabbit, who was closest to the wings, still slightly out of it from the sheer joy still ringing throughout her body. The rest of the night went smoothly, and before she knew it, they were walking through the front door of Walter Mansion. Her grandmother had tried to talk to her, but realized that she was still so freaked out that she just patted her face and said goodnight. Rabbit and Hatchy looked to their brother for what to do. He just motioned his head for them to go on. Lorra jolted when Spine put his hand on her arm, and gave her a smile when she looked at him.
"Come on, let's get you to bed."
"I'm fine, buddy. I can get to my room by myself."
"I know you can. But this gives me a reason to talk to you."
"What are you up to now, you sneaky bot?"
He chuckled. "Nothing at all, Lorra."
It didn't take very long to get there. And neither of them said anything at all. At her door, she turned around to look at Spine. "This is me. Thanks, but I can take it from here. Don't need you undressing me and tucking me in for bed," she snorted, patting his elbow. "Night, Spine." Turning around, he stopped her with a slight pull on her arm.
"Lorra..."
"Hmm?"
"About tonight...you're not mad are you?"
A gentle smile touched her eyes. "Of course not, sweetie. I was a little upset at first, but I had fun, and it was a great experience. I never thought I'd ever get to do something like that. Thank you."
"I was glad to do it, Lorra. We all were. You do so much for us, and we never do anything at all for you. I just wanted to make sure you stick around for a while."
"You're not gonna get rid of me that easily, punk. I love it here, and I plan on staying for a while. At least until you guys get tired of me."
Spine chuckled softly. "We will never get tired of having you here." Leaning forward, she felt his cold metal lips press against her forehead. "Goodnight, Lorra." And then he walked away.
And from across the hallway, Jenna Marborne narrowed her eyes through the gap in her doorway blankets. This was not happening.
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A/N: And thank you so much for reading you guys, you have no idea how hard this stupid thing was to write. Anyway, love you, my dear reader. Drop me a line.
AcaciaDawn 105
