Pitch blackness surrounded Ravess. Who held her violin to her chest in a vulnerable display. Her hair was long, straightened, and plaited into a tail that sat on her shoulder and dangled down her chest. She looked around the nothingness until the black quickly banished itself from her immediate vicinity, as a spotlight nearly blinded her; sounding out a loud clunk. The spotlight illuminated with clear detail a six foot circle around her. Parts of this light dimly lit her surroundings, too. To her sides, she saw curtains, pulled back to the sides of the stage she so suddenly became aware of. She looked ahead of her and found the seats were all filled. Ravess quickly fixed her gaze to the violin in her hands, before looking back out to the crowd. Taking in a breath, Ravess pulled the violin to her neck and started to play. As she played, she noticed the spotlight was not the only source of light on stage, soon the floor illuminated from behind her. It glowed a blue-ish hue, and quickly unnerved the already flustered Ravess. She played a quick lick to pause the piece, before reaching behind her, grasping a hair piece from the base of her plaits. She slowly peeled it from her hair, eventually freeing it. Holding it in her hand, She found it to be a blue-ish purple band made of smooth stones, held together by a string that was fed through a hole drilled through the middle of each stone. seeing the band again made Ravess' hand tremble. This trembling did not stop her from lowering the band from her face, showing the crowd once again.
All of the members of the crowd stayed sat still, but now their individual eyes glowed a dull blue. Every member of the crowd. Every seat. All blue, and all still. Ravess yelped, although the voice, despite very much being there, was silent. Upon her yelp's soundless voicing, the eyes all glowed brighter. The members of the crowd began to rise from their seats, and started to float closer to the stage. The spotlight slowly began to illuminate the crowd members, who all took shape of the creature from Aquinos' waters. the frilled mowhawks, the gills on the sides of their necks, all the creatures bore identical looks; and they all closed in on Ravess. As each row reached the stage, they would raise their arms, with hands reaching out, ready to grab Ravess. She backed away, and upon reaching the wall, let out silent screams as the creatures closed in.
Ravess jumped awake. Her body stiffened in such rapid motion she almost leapt from her bed. She let out a muffled yelp as she jolted. The harsh movement causing the bunk bed to creak and shake. Wide awake, she laid in bed with panicked, laborious breaths. She looked over to the rest of the room, and found the morning sun flooding in, and the boys' bunk opposite empty. Resolving herself to a proper wake up, Ravess pulled some breath into her lungs, and slid down from the top bunk, and onto the floor below.
Ravess' feet hit the floor with a loud thud, and caused enough noise to wake the unsuspecting Leila on the bottom bunk. Leila awoke with a loud, deep inhale that Ravess overheard. 'You slept in, too, it seems. Come on, let's get some breakfast in. We need it today' Ravess spoke, with as much clarity as possible. She walkes across the creaky floor, and reached into her bag, pulling a pair of blank, flat soled shoes out. She quickly slipped them on and left the room, calling out to Leila as she did so. 'Don't sleep in too long'
Leila rolled from her side to her back. Pulling her arms from under the covers and flopping them on top. Almost immediately after her arms hit her duvet covered legs, her eyes widened in a confused way. She brought her right arm back up to her head, and her left arm to hold it in place.
Leila noticed that her wrist was now adorned with a band that she did not wear when she went to sleep.
The band was of blue-ish purple stones, bound by string fed through drilled holes in the middle of each stone. Leila studied the band, twiddling the stones along the string for a little bit before being flooded with the memories of her sneaking out in the night, of being spotted by Triton, of reaching the rocks, and of the creature that arose from the depths. Finally realising what she held in her possession, Leila pulled a dizzied smile. Finally awake enough, Leila rolled out of bed, and walked out to the window, bending down to reach a bag on the floor, pressed against the wall underneath the window. From inside the bag, she pulled out her clothes for the day.
After changing and taking a small sandwich with her for breakfast, Leila made her way to the theatre with her violin in her loose hand. The sun warmed her as the cool breeze tried to burrow inside her skin. The entire sensation of the morning overwhelmed the nerves on her skin with a slight numbness that coastal air so often would. Despite the numbness taking hold of her nerve endings, Leila found herself at a kind of peace. The aura of the Terra lifted her spirits and kept a smile on her face.
Entering the theatre, Leila, soaked in the morning sun, felt herself rushed with motivation. Rejuvinated from the night's rest. However much rest she had gotten, at least. She entered through the main doors, and travelled down the gangway. The theatre was already full of music. In particular, Rez and Stan practising the parts of the quintet's set where they would need to harmonise, both in consonance and disonance. Halfway to the stage, Leila could best feel and hear the bass strings of the two instruments. The consonance washed over her like a wind, rocked her like a wave. She could almost swear she felt air form a pocket between the back of her neck and the hair that normally covers it. Soon, Rez's cello would slide lower and lower, whilst Stan's bass held its note. The sliding strings made Leila's stomach seem to drop, leaving a pained, breathless gap in her chest. This gap would be forced to stay, too. As Rez's cello stayed in disonance. Rez would then repeat the slide in faster and faster intervals until jumping just above the note he held in consonance with Stan before. The released tension and freed grip on Leila left her gasping for air. She wondered to herself if this is really is what the crowd feels at their shows. The thought spun round her head as she felt her confidence truly renew.
Leila finally joined the stage, and found herself stood face to face with Ravess. With a slight smile, Ravess spoke out to the group. 'From the top, we will do a full loop of the set, without stoppage' Her voice softened as she focused on Leila. 'That also means you'll be playing this as a proper duet. If that's not too much to handle?'
Leila nodded, then shook her head at Ravess, before quietly replying 'It's only a rehearsal, but I do still hope to have this finally nailed' Hearing this made Ravess smirk. She noticed how Leila was in a much better mood today, and hoped it would shine through on her performance.
The quintet started their set the same as they did on Klockstoppia, on the harsh attack, building up and being joined by the violins for Ravess' leitmotif, before a small riff to carry over to the Storm Hawk's leitmotif. Then came the duet in question. Ravess let Leila take the lead, throwing pair of notes at Ravess, who responded by conpleting the triads that Leila had created. Ravess smiled in a shocked joy as Leila masterfully handled her part of the melody. Yet the joy would be shortlived, as Ravess spotted a band around Leila's wrist. The same band that she remembered from her dream. The same band she remembered from the last time she set foot on the Terra. It glowed a dull blue, which confirmed Ravess' suspicions. She pulled a more serious face of subdued anger, as the two harmonised and played both together, and against each other. Finally, the two reached their crescendo.
Silence fell as the two women locked eyes, and Ravess snapped her arm forward. Clasping Leila's wrist with a painfully strong grip. She held Leila from underneath the band and looked at her with a gaze of unyielding fire. Leila's composure immediately broke away, leaving her nervous and frightful. 'Ravess, I-I can explain, the band it's-'
'Get out' Ravess growled. The primal wrath under her quiet voice shook Leila further. She gently pulled her arm away and stepped back. 'You have been given a simple instruction, and willfully failed to follow it. There is no place for you here'
Hearing Ravess dismiss Leila so quickly after such a good rehearsal made the male members flinch. 'Ravess, you don't mean that' Lester insisted, in denial.
'Leave, Leila. Now' Ravess commanded, ignoring Lester.
Leila's eyebrows twitched as she desperately tried to grasp at anything in her mind that could possibly help. Yet the well of ideas in her mind was dry. Defeated, she dropped her arm to her side and started to walk off of the stage, and up the aisle to the exit. Ravess watched her with crossed arms and a piercing glare. Reaching the door, Leila tilted her head to the air, and drew in a deep breath to try and calm herself, but she could hardly hide the emotions brewing inside her.
Once Leila crossed the threshold and left the theatre, Ravess dropped her arms. 'I'm calling it for this morning' she told the remaining members. She then mumbled 'This is not what I need right now' and stormed backstage, causing Rez, Lester, and Stan to all look at each other in confusion.