Chapter 46: Rocking and Rolling
Lo, It is I, The Draigg! I will write, and you will read. To keep my beginning notes brief, you should know that Monty Oum owns RWBY, and that I don't own any of the songs I put into this story. Now, with the legal stuff over with, let's rock out!
"Okay, everyone! We're going to take an intermission! Be sure to support your school snack bar in the meantime!", Weiss announced to the crowd. It had been a little over an hour, between talking to the audience and singing. Although her new found enthusiasm wasn't breaking, her body was starting to feel stressed. Plus, the work group needed this intermission to set up the next batch of songs and to re-calibrate the lights.
So, with the crowd's cheers fading away as she walked away, Weiss entered the backstage area. Ruby followed her, since she stayed on stage with her, banging on the tambourine in rhythm to the songs she sung.
The backstage was a rushing blur of activity. Nora and Pyrrha were busy resetting lighting switches, and Ren was loading up the upcoming songs onto the soundboard from his scroll. Velvet and Jaune were hunched over the binder that had the program in it, preparing for the next part of the concert. And finally, Blake was trying to do some last minute coaching to Yang to correctly pronounce some of the words in the foreign pop song.
And so, as one could tell, this production was in full swing.
Weiss, not bothering to speak to anyone, made for the nearest chair and slumped into it. Ruby decided to sit on a nearby crate.
"So… wow.", was all Ruby had to say so far.
"I know.", Weiss agreed, slowly nodding. Even though the show wasn't over yet, the heady feeling of pride and accomplishment was already lingering in their hearts.
Jaune, looking up from the program, decided to walk over to where the pair was sitting. Taking an iced coffee and an energy drink from an ice chest Yang had brought earlier, he handed the beverages over to Weiss and Ruby.
Weiss snatched the beverage out of Jaune's hand and chugged it down in heavy gulps. Manners didn't matter to her when she had an entire other half of a music show to finish. Ruby, who had arrived on stage a little later, instead slurped her can of Abomination energy drink.
"Okay, you guys are doing great out there. Here.", Jaune said, offing the two a pair of small earpieces. Weiss and Ruby took them and put them in their respective ears.
"These'll connect you to me directly.", he explained, tapping the headset he was wearing on his head.
"Why didn't you give us these earlier?", Ruby asked between sips.
Jaune's mask of authority slipped a little as he said, "Well… in my excitement to start, I kinda, sorta, forgot to.". He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
Weiss could only give a slight glare from above the coffee can currently affixed to her mouth. Well, while she couldn't exactly blame him (this show was exciting for everyone), she couldn't help but still feel a little annoyed.
Ruby, accepting what Jaune had said, simply turned on the device in her ear.
"Now, can I talk to you on this?", she asked.
"No. It doesn't have a microphone, so you'll only be able to receive stuff from my headset.", Jaune explained further.
"Oh.", Ruby replied, before tending to her drink again.
"I'll talk to you only if we have to. It wouldn't be a good time for chit-chat during the show, right?", Jaune finished explaining. Ruby nodded in agreement.
By now, Weiss had drained the rest of her coffee. Relaxing in the chair, she demanded, "Another one, please.". Complying, Jaune grabbed another one and handed it to her. Weiss took it and began to greedily drink the caffeinated beverage. She needed to fill her body with artificial energy. Weiss couldn't power her muscles with just pride and dreams.
"Good luck out there.", Jaune said, wishing them luck. With that, he then turned around and walked back over to Velvet, ready to go over the program again.
Ruby and Weiss sat in silence, watching all the action that was going on back stage. They didn't really have anything to say, really. All they wanted to do was soak in the atmosphere of the show. And for the duration of the intermission, they did just that.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Weiss was ready to walk back out on stage.
As she faced the curtain, she heard Jaune's voice chirp in her ear, "Hey, is thing working? Nod if it is.".
Weiss nodded, just like she was instructed.
"Good, good.", crackled Jaune's voice in her earpiece, "Now remember, Ruby isn't going to join you, since we don't have another duet on the program. But, she'll be back out for the finale. Just hold out until then.".
Weiss flashed a thumbs up gesture before she exited the backstage area.
Stepping onto the bright stage, Weiss was greeted with applause once more. From what she could see, the snack bar had racked up quite a profit. A lot of people now were eating food purchased from the snack bar. Cedric was going to make it out like a bandit after this show.
"Hey, everyone!", Weiss cried into the microphone, her enthusiastic tone crawling back out. She waved to the audience, who cheered and waved back in response.
"We're back! Did you miss me? Let me hear you!", she continued, trying to hype the crowd back up.
"WOOOOOO!", the crowd yelled in response.
"I can't hear you! Do you have any noise left? Do you have any noise?!", Weiss pressed further. She succeeded in stirring up the crowd, since they roared louder in response.
"You guys are the best! Okay, let's hit it!", Weiss said, ready to start the next song.
The lights moved around on stage, putting it in a light green light. Weiss was quite literally in the limelight right now. As she clapped above her head, pumping up the crowd, the lights faded into a bright yellow color. Weiss began to sing, keeping her voice a pitch higher than normal.
"Why try, I know why/This feeling inside me says it's time I was gone
Clear head, new life ahead/It's time I was king now not just one more pawn"
"Fly by night, away from here/Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend"
"Moon rise, thoughtful eyes/Staring back at me from the window beside
No fright, or hindsight/Leaving behind that empty feeling inside"
"Fly by night, away from here/Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend"
"Fly by night, away from here/Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend"
Weiss played air guitar between verses. Sure, it was dorky, even to her, but the audience seemed to like it. It was fun, so it didn't matter how dumb it looked.
"Start a new chapter/I find what I'm after
Is changing every day/The change of a season
Is enough of a reason/To want to get away"
"Quiet and pensive/My thoughts apprehensive
The hours drift away/Leaving my homeland
Playing a lone hand/My life begins today"
Weiss' pitch went even higher as she sung the last two verses of the song. It was a good thing she had a lot of experience in singing, otherwise her voice would have cracked by now. Even then, she still had a hard time keeping her voice smooth.
"Fly by night, away from here/Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend"
"Fly by night, away from here/Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend/My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend"
As Weiss belted the last line, the crowd erupted in cheers. There was nothing like a classic rock song to get the audience craving for more. However, before they could digest the song completely, the track of another song began.
The plan was transition from that rock song into something a bit mellower. So, the lights dimmed a little lower, and the brighter ones focused on Weiss standing still, in the center of the stage.
Tapping her foot to the melody, Weiss began to sing another song.
"Call you up in the middle of the night/Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning/I was a key that could use a little turning"
"So tired that I couldn't even sleep/So many secrets I couldn't keep
Promised myself I wouldn't weep/One more promise I couldn't keep"
"It seems no one can help me now/I'm in too deep
There's no way out/This time I have really led myself astray"
Since the lights weren't focused on the audience, the crowd took the opportunity to provide their own light. They were waving their brightly lit scrolls, illuminating the entire crowd in bright, slightly blue light.
"Runaway train never going back/Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere/Somehow I'm neither here nor there"
"Can you help me remember how to smile/Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded/Life's mystery seems so faded"
"I can go where no one else can go/I know what no one else knows
Here I am just drownin' in the rain/With a ticket for a runaway train"
"Everything is cut and dry/Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don't believe it"
"Runaway train never going back/Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere/Somehow I'm neither here nor there"
"Bought a ticket for a runaway train/Like a madman laughin' at the rain
Little out of touch, little insane/Just easier than dealing with the pain"
Weiss slumped down on her knees as she put more passion into her voice. She was told to do it during practice. Ruby thought it would add emphasis to her performance. Weiss thought it was hammier than Professor Port's average lunch, but it was Ruby's show, after all.
"Runaway train never comin' back/Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere/Somehow I'm neither here nor there"
"Runaway train never comin' back/Runaway train tearin' up the track
Runaway train burnin' in my veins/Runaway but it always seems the same"
Weiss slumped forward, hamming up her acting. The idea was to make it look like her passionate singing had drained her energy. Ruby sure did like her dramatic performances, all right.
As the crowd cheered and clapped, Weiss intentionally struggled to pull herself up.
"Oh man! I'm not sure I can go on! I'm not even sure you want even more!", Weiss said into her microphone, trying to keep the good mood flowing through the audience. She held her free hand to her chest, looking as if she was wounded.
The crowd cried for her to stand tall, getting louder by the minute. Clearly, they were enjoying the cheesy acting as well. Hey, why not go with it? It was a free concert, after all.
"You want me to keep going?! I can, just for you!", Weiss said, straightening her posture. The crowd cheered as she steadied herself.
"I'll keep going! Hit it!", Weiss shouted into the mic, signaling to start the next song.
Professor Ozpin was sitting in his office, looking out of his window. It was nice to have excessively large windows in his workspace. It gave him a nice view of the entire Beacon campus. So, as he was sipping from his mug, he was observing the concert happening below from his desk chair.
"So, what do you think, Glynda?", he asked offhandedly.
Professor Glynda Goodwitch was also in the office, standing next to Ozpin's desk.
"It seems like the crowd is enjoying it so far.", she observed, watching the lights shine across the stage and crowd.
"I meant your opinion.", clarified Ozpin.
Professor Goodwitch paused, trying to find the right words to express her thoughts. She didn't want her opinion to sound too blunt.
She sighed, and said, "Well, if the students and staff are enjoying it, I can't protest it. But, I also think those down there could use this time to be more productive instead.".
"Hmm.", Professor Ozpin mumbled in response. His vocalization was muffled by his mug.
"And you, sir?', Professor Goodwitch asked back.
"I think it's nice for the students to enjoy themselves while they can. Remember, they can't be like this forever.", he said, in an even tone.
It was a well-known fact that Professor Ozpin considered his job as a trainer of Hunters to be a necessary evil. If only the world was a forgiving place, he wouldn't be training young souls to kill and maim in the name of civilization's survival. He carried the guilt of many pointless deaths on his shoulders. So, when he saw people managing to find enjoyment in the time they had left, he supported it to his fullest extent. Why else would the student body be able to get away with so much?
"I know, Ozpin. I know.", Professor Goodwitch replied, her mood darkening a little. It really was a burden to know what they knew. It was a sad, but necessary reality.
However, her attention was snatched away when she noticed something off about Ozpin.
"Sir, would you like a refil?", she asked, noticing that his mug was completely empty.
"Oh? It's empty?", noticed Professor Ozpin, looking into his mug. In fact, he finished off his coffee about ten minutes ago. He just hadn't noticed, since he was more focused on the action below.
Professor Ozpin held out his mug to Professor Goodwitch, saying, "If you would be so kind.".
Trying not to grumble, Professor Goodwitch took the mug and headed out of the room to refill the mug. This wouldn't be the first time this had happened. In fact, it was a pretty common occurrence whenever Ozpin was deep in thought. He must have been thinking too much about the students to pay attention to his beverage.
As Glynda left the room, Ozpin slightly reclined in desk chair. He focused his eyes on the twinkling lights below. He didn't mind that this show had just sprung up seemingly overnight. In fact, he thought it was nice that the student body found some happiness in this bleak, desperate world called Remnant. Maybe someday, they could live in a world where they could do this without having to fear the darkness and unknown approaching on the horizon.
Goodwitch walked back into the room and placed the now filled mug on the desk. Standing next to Ozpin in his chair, she watched the concert unfold along with him. It certainly was something out of the ordinary. Might as well observe it in a responsible manner.
Both of them hoped for the best. It would be a shame if something went wrong during the show.
Man, it's just wild beats in this chapter! For your information (and so I don't get sued), the songs in this chapter are 'Fly By Night' by Rush, and 'Runaway Train' by Soul Asylum. Nothing can beat some good ol' rock! Remember to leave me some criticisms or compliments in the reviews section! This is The Draigg, signing off to rock out!