((if you haven't heard "That Thing You Do" before, check it out on YouTube or Amazon, free on both.))

Today was not exactly part of Louis' master plan of getting Rialyn to notice him. He was just a bit bored of the normal concerts. It would hopefully prove to be fun, and doing it in this park meant that it had at least a chance of the other Fae coming across them. Even Sabine had been a little excited by the idea, and said it sounded like it could be fun.

He glanced around the small park and noted the presence of their Storm Demon guards that were scattered around. It was the perfect day for this surprise concert. The sky was blue and clear of all but the fluffiest looking clouds. It was warm but not hot, with a light breeze. And there were people in the park and in the street in front of them, but not too many people.

Sabine and Diana were waiting nearby. Sabine had a portable synthesizer so she could follow him or stay with Diana as she chose. They were all currently under invisibility and notice-me-not charms, just waiting for the guards to decide it was secure enough. Finally, the closest one nodded in their direction and they dropped the charms that hid them from view.

Immediately, Louis strummed his guitar, jumped up on a bench and started to sing.

"You
Doing that thing you do
Breakin' my heart into a million pieces
Like you always do
And you
Don't mean to be cruel
You never even knew about the heartache
I've been going through"

(That Thing You Do by The Wonders/Adam Schlesinger)

He could hear Sabine and Diana joining in, as the first heads started to turn their way. This was another new song, and he admitted to himself that it fit almost perfectly the situation he was in with the red-haired Fae.

As people began to come towards him, he jumped down off the bench and danced off to the side where Sabine joined him. He twirled her into the dance, a mischievous smile on his face. He sang to her as if she were the one he was singing about, hoping that Rialyn was watching from somewhere and would feel more of the curiosity and intrigue from the masquerade, instead of the disdain he had presented so far. But even if he wasn't, this was one of the things Louis lived for. Working the crowd and feeling the high of performing.

As they danced, they weaved through the park, luring more people towards them with the magnetic pull of their music and vibrant energy. He played up to the crowd, strutting like a king amongst his subjects, feeding off their enthusiasm while always keeping a watchful eye out for trouble. His heart pounded in his chest with every song he sang, every dance move he executed, every smile he shared. He was putting his heart and soul on display for the world to see. If the Fae was out there somewhere, even he couldn't be indifferent while listening to this performance.

As he slipped into a particularly upbeat part of the song, he took Sabine by the arm and twirled her around before sliding into a knee slide, guitar extended in the air, his voice reaching out to everyone. It was a move he had done countless times before on stage, but never like this, never with such raw emotion and genuine hope for someone's attention.

As the song reached its climax, he sprung up from the ground, spinning around to face his audience. Ignoring the wild applause and shouts he smoothly started the next song they had all decided on. It was slower than the first one, but just as upbeat and full of feeling. Sabine moved to flank him again, just as his voice rose into a spectacular solo, fingers dancing across the guitar strings like he was born to do this. He let his music fill the park, echoing off the trees, bouncing off the cobblestones. His voice blended perfectly with the accompaniment, rising and falling in harmony with Sabine's synthesizer and Diana's small drum set.

And then he saw him. Rialyn was leaning on the back of a bench on the far side of the park, watching him with an unreadable expression. His heart thudded painfully in his chest but he didn't miss a beat, finishing his solo with a flourish before launching into the next verse of the song.

His fingertips danced over the strings, drawing out a melody that echoed the rush of blood in his ears. He sang the next verse with an intensity borne of desire and determination, hoping to reach his Pretty One through the lyrics.

His songs had always laid his soul bare, but the feeling had never been so intense as now, under the red eyes of the other Fae. Those eyes were slightly narrowed, his expression contemplative. As this song too, came to an end, the crowd was going wild. The Storm Demon guards had to set up a barrier spell to keep them back, but there was still a good amount of space for That Band to use.

The third song was supposed to be one of their older love ballads. With him and Sabine singing together as a pair of star crossed lovers. As Diana started up a soft drumbeat for the song, the siblings moved together once more. Facing each other so their tattoos were on display to the crowd, and gazing fake adoringly into each others eyes. Sabine's throaty contralto perfectly in harmony with his light tenor.

They sang of the bittersweet pain of love unreturned, a theme that quietly plucked at Louis' heartstrings. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the lyrics wash over him and wash through him, filling every part of his being. It was a song that he had sung countless times before, but never had it felt quite like this. As if every word were a secret whisper to Rialyn, an unspoken plea for recognition.

The song rose in intensity, their voices intertwining like desperate lovers – beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. The crowd swayed and sighed, drawn into their performance. Louis opened his eyes to find his Pretty One was gone. Nothing showed that the other Fae had ever been there at all. Somehow in that brief moment, Rialyn had left without a trace.

As the final word of the song left his lips, silence fell across the park. The crowd held its collective breath; even the breeze seemed to pause as the last note hummed in the air. A tightness formed in his chest, drawing his breath thin. Then, applause erupted from the audience, snapping him out of his daze. He flashed his stage smile, his heart pounding in his chest at a rhythm that was too fast.

Cheers were intermingled with whistles and even some sobbing as the crowd gave an impromptu standing ovation. That Band had touched their hearts deeply today; they'd sung of unrequited love with such intensity that every listener felt the pain echo in their own chests.

Jumping into their next song before the crowd could regain its full composure. Sabine joined him, their pleas of the heart transitioning smoothly into an upbeat rocker that had the crowd bouncing again.

Had he failed? Music was the one thing that had always come so easily to him. Learning to work the crowd, flirt and tease had been harder at first. But by now it was second nature. He almost frowned, but remembered he was in the middle of a performance. He wouldn't give up. But now was not the time to dwell. He'd stick with The Plan, today had never been part of the Plan in the first place. Just a potential help if anything.

As this song came to a close, Sabine faded back to Diana again as Louis captured the crowd's attention with ease.

"That's all for today folks," Louis winked at the crowd as he took a bow along with Sabine and Diana. The cheers grew louder as did the applause.

The Storm Demon guards moved to surround them, and swiftly linked hands or grabbed onto Diana's drum set, before they were all whisked away by Storm back to Lady Dumisa's residence.

Louis sank down onto the marble floor. The post-concert high was ebbing away leaving him drained and slightly disappointed. The performance had been flawless but it almost would have been better if he hadn't noticed Rialyn was there. The hope, only to have him vanish...

"Great job out there," Diana praised as she packed away her drum set.

"Really though, you were on fire," Sabine added, setting aside her synthesizer with a sigh and a stretch.

"I felt it too," Louis confessed, looking at his hands as if they were strangers. The comment was whispered, almost to himself alone.

Every note he had sung, every chord he had struck had been drenched in a longing he'd never known before speaking to Rialyn, a maelstrom of emotions that threatened to swallow him whole. It was a strange feeling, almost alien to him, contradicting the essence of his flamboyant nature. He was a rock star - he was supposed to be the one who left others yearning, not the other way around.

Yet here he was, sitting on a cold marble floor, his heart aching like it had been pierced by an arrow of indifference. It should frighten him. He still believed he wasn't under a spell, but he couldn't imagine why he was so fixated. He blinked away the intrusive thoughts, forcing himself to respond to Sabine's comment with a chuckle.

"Yeah well, when aren't we?" He tossed his head and laid a hand over his heat. "We're That Band, and we aren't one of the hottest rock bands in the Realm for nothing." Winking at them as though they were fans and not band mates, he chuckled and leaned back on his elbows. "That was fun. We should do more surprise concerts."

Sabine chuckled, rolling her eyes as she retrieved a drink from the nearby table. "You're a maniac, little brother. We nearly started a riot today. You know what the Council said about those."

Louis shrugged nonchalantly, his showman's grin belying the thoughtful look in his eyes, "What's life without a bit of danger?"

Diana snorted, packing away the last of her drum sticks. "You'd be the first to run if actual danger showed up."

Louis laughed, shaking his head as he stood up and stretched. "Only if it didn't have good fashion sense," he winked at Diana who rolled her eyes.

With friendly banter lacing the air, they each carried on with their tasks before retiring for the night. Louis found himself alone in his room - save for the echoes of music and laughter still dancing in his ears.