Ciao, Sing enthusiasts! Hope you're all doing okay!
Thought I'd mix up the Steff Pearce Series formula this time around by giving her some bonding moments with the other characters, starting with everyone's favourite soulful gorilla and kooky lizard.
Not even sweet and bubbly Steff is immune to some Moon Theatre Troupe shenanigans! Hope you guys enjoy!
Steff ascended the stairs up to the Moon Theatre's office, taking in the melodious sounds around her.
Now that his beloved business was up and running again, Buster had wasted no time in cooking up a plan for their first musical variety show. And preparations were now well underway, everybody practicing their songs either in their individual dressing rooms or the rehearsal spaces. The skunk had opted to take a quick breather to get a refill from the water dispenser upstairs. Opening the office door, she was immediately greeted by Johnny's tender playing on the piano; he was a full-on master now. Miss Crawly was seated beside him on a stool, her eyes closed in a seemingly blissful state.
Steff gingerly made her way over to the water dispenser so as not to disturb them. But before she had the chance to refill her empty cup, a discordant piano note suddenly filled the room, sending the elderly lizard tumbling to the floor with a startled yelp.
"Ugh, I always mess that part up." Johnny groaned before he noticed the commotion. "Whoa, are you alright?" Putting her cup down, Steff raced over to help Johnny gently pull her back on her feet.
"Oh, it's that song, Johnny. Takes me back to dancing and romancing." Miss Crawly replied, holding his finger as she hobbled around in a slow twirl. Clasping her hands together, a nostalgic smile stretched across her lips. "Oh, to be young again."
"Aw, come on, Miss Crawly, it's never too late for romance." Johnny said kindly. Steff grinned to herself as she thought back to her own reignited crush on Ash that had blossomed into something more; someone as caring as Miss Crawly definitely deserved a special someone in her life too.
"Speaking from experience, Johnny's absolutely right." She said, gently patting the lizard's shoulder. "You've still got a chance to find love."
Thinking for a second, Johnny proposed a solution. "Have you heard of online dating?"
"Online… no, wh-what's that?" Miss Crawly asked.
"It's meeting others over the Internet who are looking for love, chatting with them and planning a date together." The gorilla explained, pointing at the old-fashioned computer near the window.
"Yeah, lots of people around your age do it." Steff said as the lizard's eye widened with interest. "I remember my grandma gave it a shot once."
"How about it, Miss Crawly?" Johnny got up from his piano stool, gesturing toward the office desk. "Wanna give it a go?"
"For all you know, the one for you could be online right now." The skunk added in a sing-song voice, gently nudging her with her elbow. The two of them waited with bated breath as Miss Crawly pondered to herself.
"Oh, well..." A smile finally lit up her scaly cheeks. "I don't see why not. Let's try it."
In no time at all, Johnny, Steff and Miss Crawly were all sat at the computer. After a few minutes of searching, partially due to its slow loading time, they finally managed to look up Wrinkled Romance, the most popular online dating website for seniors. The homepage seemed promising enough, a photo of a bull and goat gazing lovingly at each other on a beach filling the screen, along with a slogan along the bottom: Seniors dating seniors, before it's too late!
"First, we've got to make your profile." Johnny said, clicking on the Create new account option. "What are your hobbies?"
"Oh, let's see now. I look after the plants, and..."
"Uh-huh." As Miss Crawly tended to a nearby plant with water from a teacup, Steff and Johnny took turns typing her responses.
"Uhh, I like bowling..."
"Cool."
"I like sandwiches..." The skunk raised an eyebrow slightly before typing that down.
"Okay."
"And… oh, moonbathing."
"Moonbathing?" Johnny and Steff asked in unison.
"Oh, yes, it's like sunbathing but at night." Miss Crawly put her cup down before pushing around the skin on her face into a smile. "Wonderful for the skin."
"Well… alright then." The skunk shrugged; whatever helped her find common ground with a possible reptilian partner. "Now all we need is a profile picture." Taking her phone out of her dress pocket, Steff promptly snapped a photo of the lizard. Another minute of slow loading later, it was uploaded to her new profile.
"Okay... Don't worry if it takes, y'know, a little while for someone to respon…" A chime from the computer interrupted the gorilla. "What?"
Leaning forward in shock, Johnny and Steff both stared at the numerous accounts immediately responding to Miss Crawly's new profile.
"Wow, look!" He exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
"Oh, my! Looks like the old gal's still got it." The aged lizard said, leaning her elbow on the desk confidently before slipping and falling. Wincing, Steff quickly helped her back up.
"Okay, now the next step is chatting with these matches, discussing personal interests and all that." She rambled eagerly. "If you find enough common ground with one or any of them, you can arrange a date together! And if that goes well... woo-woooo! Love Central!"
"Oh, well, thank you so much, you two." Miss Crawly replied with a smile, Johnny helping her onto the computer chair. "You've both been a huge help. I think I'll handle this part now."
"Well good luck, Miss Crawly." said the gorilla. "Just shout if you need us." While the scaly senior turned her attention to the screen, Johnny and Steff made their way back to their individual practice sessions.
"Miss Crawly discovering the love of her life after spending so long yearning." The skunk let out a dreamy sigh. "How romantic is that?"
"Yeah, sounds pretty familiar." Johnny chuckled softly, making Steff blush under her fur before taking his seat back at the piano. "Here's hoping she finds that someone." As he went back to quietly playing the keys, Steff finally refilled her cup and headed back downstairs to her dressing room.
Miss Crawly remained glued to the computer screen for the whole afternoon, chatting away with her various matches. By the time rehearsal was nearing its end, she had managed to organise a couple of dates, the first one being that same evening much to Steff's delight. While the lizard fumbled about in her office deciding what to wear, Johnny and Steff talked on the staircase.
"Can you believe this?" The skunk could hardly contain herself. "Miss Crawly's only had that account for a couple of hours and already landed dates with three guys!"
"Yeah, I'm really happy for her." Johnny replied, leaning against the handrail with a smile. "One of them's bound to be the one she's been waiting for."
"Ooh, this is so cute!" Steff bounced on her toes. "We've gotta see how this goes!"
"Yeah, we…" The gorilla's words died in his mouth as he realised what Steff had just said, his eyes popping open. "Wait, what? You mean, follow her? Steff, I really don't think we should interfere with Miss Crawly's dates." Steff's jaw dropped open in a long offended gasp, drawing a hand to her chest.
"Johnny Margeson, we are not gonna be interfering. We'll just be observing from a reasonable distance. To see how they all play out." Leaning over the handrail, the skunk spied the costume crate stashed underneath the staircase. A crafty smile crossed her face.
"And I know just how to do it covertly."
Steff had promptly called Les Calmars to book a table that same evening, a few minutes before Miss Crawly and her date were due. By some miracle, she had actually succeeded and, true to her word, dragged Johnny along for the two of them entered the restaurant, both in disguise. If one could even call it that.
The two of them had traded their regular outfits for some costumes borrowed from the Moon Theatre. And they were the most outlandish amalgam of clothes, wigs and glasses. Johnny had been saddled with a dark blue suit with a large pompadour wig and a pair of John Lemming glasses, while Steff has chosen a pink puff sleeve dress and a ginger wig that looked like it was plucked straight out of the 1950s.
"I don't know why I let you drag me into this. This is such a bad idea." Johnny itched underneath his hairpiece as they both took their seats.
"Relax, we're in disguise." Steff said, adjusting her red pointed glasses. "And besides, a moustache looks pretty good on you. You should think about growing a real one."
Glancing down at the fake moustache the skunk had stuck to his lip before they'd arrived, Johnny let out a quiet sigh of annoyance; this was going to be a long evening.
At that moment, the two teens noticed Miss Crawly in her normal clothes joined by her date, an unshaven and rather rotund sheep, both making their way to their table nearest the squid tank. As they sat and looked at their menus, Steff took the time to hastily order two soups for her and Johnny. For the most part, Miss Crawly and the sheep spent their time simply gazing into each other's eyes as they waited for their order.
When their two steaming bowls arrived, the teens quietly ate spoonfuls of soup while occasionally stealing a glance at the two lovebirds. The gorilla turned his head slightly to look over at them.
"Johnny, quit acting suspicious!" The skunk whispered sharply before hiding her face behind a large newspaper. Johnny blinked at her in disbelief.
"I'm acting suspi-? You're hiding behind a paper in a fancy restaurant!"
At the table across from them, a large variety of plates were finally brought to Miss Crawly and the sheep. As they quietly continued eating, Steff and Johnny both watched in disgust out of the corner of their eye as the sheep gorged himself on the entire buffet. Miss Crawly, meanwhile, only got a miniscule slice of cake. The whole table was wiped clean in less than five minutes. The sheep even had the gall to make the waiter hand Miss Crawly the bill. By the time she tore her shocked gaze away from the total amount listed, her date had fled the restaurant.
"That total jerk! First not sharing any of the food and then sticking her with the bill?" Steff fumed under her breath before angrily shovelling another spoonful of soup into her mouth.
"I guess he was after a free meal rather than a relationship." Johnny replied, looking just as sickened. "That is not on."
"No, it's not." Steff slumped back in her seat, an aggravated sigh escaping her throat. The two of them watched as Miss Crawly half-heartedly paid the penguin waiter before taking her leave. "Let's hope her next date is more of a gentleman."
The second date the next evening seemed more promising.
Miss Crawly was accompanied to the Three Rings Nightclub by a rather handsome bull who Steff was sure she had seen working at the bank before. They were both dressed appropriately too, the bull in a snappy blue suit whilst the old lizard was wearing a shimmering pink dress, topped off with a large matching feather hat and a ruffle boa. The two of them chatted at the bar near the dance floor, unaware of the two teenagers discretely watching with two orange juices from one of the upper level tables. And once again, they were both adorned in silly disguises, Steff being the only one who looked comfortable in her pink shutter shades and a silver dress coated in sequins.
"Steff, we look bloody ridiculous!" Johnny squinted at the disco lights through his pink-tinted glasses with fake diamonds decorating the rims. The blonde mullet and fringe jacket didn't put him at ease either.
"Speak for yourself, I am rocking this look." replied the skunk, flicking a lock of her boisterous Cher wig with a proud smile before going back to spectating. Rolling his eyes, Johnny reluctantly followed suite.
The bull appeared to have offered Miss Crawly a dance, judging from the way he tore off his suit to reveal a flashy silk dance outfit, complete with a rose held in his teeth. It started out well enough until her date got really into the music. Poor Miss Crawly quickly found herself being twirled and tossed around like a rag doll. Finally the bull flung her into the air and carried on dancing as if nothing had happened, quickly joined by many other clubgoers.
Meanwhile Miss Crawly was left hanging from the chandelier up above. Surveying the situation, Steff and Johnny glanced at one another anxiously.
"Okay, I think let's interfere just this once." The skunk finally said. Nodding, Johnny stood up and reached out his arm over the hand rail. When he couldn't quite reach the chandelier without the risk of falling, Steff latched onto it while he held onto her tail. The gorilla then gently pulled Miss Crawly closer, Steff wincing all the while, until he could finally reach her. Scooping the lizard up with his free arm, he leaned back and set her down on their table.
"Oh, thank you so much, young man." Miss Crawly said while Johnny quickly grabbed Steff's waist with both hands and pulled her back to safety. As Steff smoothed out her tail, the gorilla put on his best attempt at an American accent.
"Are you alright, Miss Cr..." He quickly stopped himself. "Uh, Miss?"
"Oh, yes, I'm okay." With a little help from Steff, who gave Johnny a dumbfounded stare, Miss Crawly clambered down from the table. She then squinted at the pair of them. "You know, you two seem very familiar..."
Steff's mind raced. They couldn't risk Miss Crawly catching them in the act. Her eyes darting around in a panic, Steff did the only thing she could think of in that moment:
Imitate an accent too.
"Oh, uh, non. Non, you must have us confused with someone else, mademoiselle. I'm, uh, Cosette. And zis is my boyfriend, uh... Gary. I-I suppose ve just have zose kind of faces, oui?" She fought the urge to facepalm at how barely French she sounded. Johnny didn't. Miraculously, the elderly lizard seemed to accept her ludicrous accent.
"Oh, well thanks again for helping me down." She said, albeit while giving a sad smile. "You two have a nice evening."
"No problem, Miss. Well take care!" Johnny hastily replied before making a quick getaway before she risked seeing through their act. Deciding Miss Crawly deserved a compliment after that fiasco, Steff made one last comment before following him.
"Oh, and j'adore your dress, by the way! Magnifique!" The two speedily pushed their way through the crowds of dancing patrons, down the stairs and toward the nearest exit. All the way, they argued under their breath.
"What the bloody hell was that?"
"Hey, I panicked! I'm not an improviser!"
"No kidding, that didn't sound remotely French!"
"Oh, well that was a great Ameri-cahn accent you pulled off back there. Very authentic."
Wow, Ash's sarcasm is rubbing off on me. Steff thought as she and Johnny finally made it out the doors, ignoring the stares from folks walking past.
"Make that two duds in a row." She said disappointedly, taking off her shutter shades.
"Well third time's the charm." Johnny sighed. "Hopefully."
After the madness of the club, a quiet date at the movies was very much welcomed.
The audience for the newest summer rom-com was nearly packed to the brim. Way in the back row, Steff and Johnny watched Miss Crawly and her third potential partner, a smartly-dressed snake, in the front seats. They honestly found the movie rather boring, Steff beginning to wonder why its Rotten Produce percentage was so high. But Miss Crawly and her date seemed to be enjoying it well enough.
The gorilla, wearing a brown afro and a pair of oversized nerd glasses, quickly turned his attention back to the screen when Miss Crawly briefly looked behind her. Hearing a rustle to his left, Johnny's face dropped in exasperation.
"Again with the newspaper?" He asked quietly. Steff, clad in a blue bob wig and gleaming star sunglasses, lowered the paper in front of her face.
"Shh, don't blow our cover." She murmured, stealing a glance at Miss Crawly before quickly hiding behind it again. Johnny could only groan under his breath before looking back at the front row. After a few minutes, he leaned over to Steff with an uneasy wince.
"Umm, it looks like he's constricting Miss Crawly." Lowering her newspaper, the skunk followed his gaze.
"Oh, he's not. He's just wrapping his tail around her in a tender and loving embra-" Her eyes widened at the sight of the lizard coiled from head to tail. "Oh, now he's constricting her."
Fortunately Miss Crawly freed herself before either of them could intervene. Biting down hard on the snake's tail, she then whacked him senseless with her purse. Pulling it over her shoulder, she left the dazed snake behind and stormed up the steps to the exit. As she went past their row and out the doors, Johnny and Steff noticed her frown slowly melt into a look of crushed disappointment.
"Oh, dear." Steff's heart sank. She quickly folded her paper and dropped it on the empty seat beside her. "Come on, let's go." Squeezing past the other moviegoers, the two teens quietly followed Miss Crawly out of the movie theatre.
The old lizard trudged away down the street, completely downhearted, her gaze only lowering further to the sidewalk as she passed other couples hand in hand. She supposed she just wasn't cut out for romance like the younger and luckier people were. Maybe she was fated to be alone for the reminder of her days.
Johnny and Steff watched her from the corner, the skunk's heart crumpling in her chest.
"Poor Miss Crawly." She sighed, replacing her star sunglasses with her regular ones. As much as he'd been against this spying plan, Johnny couldn't help feeling just as sad.
"Yeah, she really deserved just one good date."
Miss Crawly suddenly walked headfirst into a street lamp, her glass eye popping out from the impact. She gave chase as it rolled over the empty street and came to a stop under a parked blue car. Beside it, an long-nosed elderly lizard with a plaid shirt and overalls was fixing a string of decorate lights. Taking notice, he climbed down from his ladder and picked up the fake eye as Miss Crawly plodded over.
"I… I think this belongs to you." He said, holding it out to her kindly.
"Oh, yes. Thank you." Miss Crawly gave him a nod before turning to go, putting it back in with a tiny sigh. Clutching his tool satchel, the lizard gazed up at the moon beaming in the night sky.
"Beautiful night for moonbathing, don't you think?"
That caught Miss Crawly's attention. Looking back at him, the biggest smile slowly graced the corners of her mouth for the first time all week.
"Oh… yes. It's wonderful."
Johnny and Steff, both crouched behind a car, watched the two elderly reptiles hobble over to an empty bench on the boardwalk nearby. Opening a tanning mirror to share, they leaned back and soaked in the rays of the moon together. The teens smiled warmly from their hiding spot.
"I guess she found that one good date." Steff murmured, hand over her heart.
"Yep, she's got this one covered." Johnny replied with a grin.
The Moon Theatre seemed thankfully quiet when Steff and Johnny snuck back in that night.
There was no need for their disguises anymore now that Miss Crawly had finally had some luck in her quest for romance. Tiptoeing down the staircase, the gorilla pulled out the costume crate and began stuffing all his borrowed wigs and glasses back inside, Steff following suite. This was just too easy.
The backstage lights suddenly burst into life, coupled with a loud 'ahem'.
"AAH!" Steff shrieked in alarm, a green cloud instantly building around her and Johnny. Through the foul-smelling gas, they could make out Buster standing near the light switch at the top of the staircase, his eyebrow raised in disapproval.
"Oh! Uh, hi, Mr. Moon!" The skunk stammered, fanning her stench away with one hand. "Fancy seeing you here… in your own theatre. Where you live."
"L-Lovely evening, isn't it?" Johnny asked anxiously, leaning against the box in a faux-casual manner. The koala's stern look never wavered.
"And where have you two been?" He asked sternly. "With all those costumes?" Realising she was still wearing that ridiculous blue wig, Steff yanked it off and futilely hid it behind her back. The corners of hers and Johnny's mouth curled up into a pair of sheepish smiles.
"Uhh... observing from a reasonable distance?"
The pair of them were banned from the costume box for three weeks.
If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review explaining why. I love the feedback! Plus free content thrives on interaction and feedback.
If you noticed that I borrowed Johnny's last name from Matthew Margeson, the composer for two of Taron Egerton's movies (Rocketman and Kingsman: The Secret Service), as well as the references for Steff and Johnny's fake names, good on ya!
The movie Sing belongs to Illumination Entertainment. I only own my OC, Steff Pearce.