Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mio was born on a stormy night some nineteen (nearly twenty now) years ago. Her mothers aren’t shy about talking about it, mentioning the way she took her first breath with a crack of thunder. A sign of strong lungs, Mum would say.

And her lungs were strong. There was a reason she was a track star for her first two years in high school. But only the first two. It was hard to stay one when you collapsed, your heart screaming in pain. Hard to stay one when your mothers take you to the doctor and you find out you have a weak heart.

It was a miracle she hadn’t had a heart attack by now, they told her. She needed to be more careful, or she could get seriously hurt at best. Dead at worst. That meant no more strenuous physical activity, no more track and field.

No more sports in general. Better find something else to do. Like music -- put those strong lungs of hers to use even when sitting.

“We can play the flute together,” Miyabi, one of her friends, offered upon hearing the news. “I’m not always the best at learning my part, but maybe if we’re both playing it’ll be easier!”

Mio had asked her to simply leave her alone, at the time. She still didn’t want to admit her body was giving out on her before she even turned eighteen. Didn’t want to admit music was a second best to her.

But eventually, she picked up the flute and joined Miyabi. Decided to do something rather than just waste away. Find some way to leave her mark on the world. The first concert after she joins, seeing the tears in Mum and Mom’s eyes… She guesses this may be the way to do it.

She’s behind a lot of other musicians, starting so late into high school… But she’ll continue, she decided that well enough. Into college and beyond, if possible. Even if there isn’t much left for her after college.

(She just gets the feeling she may not last long after, with a heart like this.)

But at least for now, she decided to make the most of the life she had. Moving in with Miyabi and Sena for college was the first step. Living away from her mothers was a good start, even if it took a year into college to make it a reality.

Now all she had to do was make the most of what time she had left. Going through classes and making friends, wherever she could. Trying to leave her own mark on the world, no matter how small.

There’s Sena and Miyabi, of course, but there’s more than that. Teach and Ghondor and most recently Taion. Someone from her philosophy class, who she just so happened to have lunch with once.

Sena usually joined her for lunch, since they were both free around the same time, but she had been making up a test that day after the flu knocked her out for a week. Taion had been quiet at first, but when Mio got talking about their current project, he sure opened up. 

“You would do well in a philosophy major,” he said. “Are you sure about pursuing music instead?”

“I’m sure,” Mio replied with a smile. “I think I can make more of an impact with my music than by just thinking, don’t worry about it.”

“Hm,” he adjusted his glasses. “Suit yourself.”

--

Noah was born exactly eighteen years ago on a stormy day. His mothers sometimes talked about it, the way he took his first breath with a boom of thunder. Strong lungs, just like Mum, Mother would say.

And he put them to good use. From a young age, he took an interest in music. Flutes, specifically. One orchestra with Mother and Mum had been all it took to awaken the interest in his mind. From there, it was simply practice.

He joined band the moment it became a choice in school, though he was already ahead of a good amount of the class. Learned what he could every year, on top of a private tutor Mum got set up for him.

By the time he was out of high school, he was probably the best Keves High had to offer. Not that his friends really got the whole flute thing. At least, not why he was so passionate about this in particular.

“You sure you can make money off of that?” Eunie would ask when he mentioned his planned major. “What real use is it gonna be?”

He pointed out plenty of people made amazing money off music, and that wasn’t even his goal. He was doing what he loved, just like she was by planning on going into pre-med. That made her shrug, but he was sure she still didn’t quite get it.

Lanz didn’t seem to get it, but he didn’t seem to get the college thing, either. He was planning to go to trade school instead, work as a mentor to a kid from Keves High in his free time. He didn’t see the point in spending more time studying…

That was fine, though. The three of them still found a nice apartment they could afford and were renting it together. Mwamba, their ex-upperclassman, stayed with them, too. With the four of them, it was almost too easy to afford.

A nice touch, since Noah didn’t exactly have a job right now. And oh, he would hate asking Mother or Mum for money to help out paying for it. He would rather just use his saved funds and find a job when it comes to it.

Zeon, another childhood friend of his, suggested he check out the Mall. Despite the less than creative name, they usually had plenty of openings for college and high school students looking for work.

“Avoid the food court, though,” Zeon had said, making a face. “That Ashera works there. She does her job well, but there’s a reason she can’t keep any coworkers.”

“Besides Lanz,” Noah pointed out, remembering the gushing he often heard when Lanz got off his shifts. 

“Lanz is a giant meathead,” Zeon would shoot back, and all Noah could do was shrug himself.

“Fair enough,” he said after a moment. “What about the clothing store Eunie works at?”

“She’s always complaining about that Gray fellow she works with, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

He nodded and decided that, for now, he would put off the job search. He had a few months worth of rent left. He had time to really think about where he wanted to get a job, surely. He would take his time with it.

Chapter Text

“We should go out tonight, Mimi!” Sena’s voice is nearly a whine as Mio pulls her cat-themed headphones from her head. “Midterms are right around the corner and I’m freaking out.”

“Have you asked Miyabi?” Mio asks, glancing back at the music theory video she was watching.

“She says she has a study group tonight,” Sena replies. “So I was hoping you’d come out with me. Apparently they’re putting on a really intense show at that theater downtown.”

“Is an intense show really gonna help you stop freaking out?” Mio asks, an eyebrow raised. “Last time this happened was your high school finals and you couldn’t sleep leading up to it because we went to see that horror movie at the Mall.”

“It’s a different kind of intense,” Sena replies. “Besides, I’ve heard the orchestra for this show is insanely good. It’d be doing yourself a disservice to miss out on it.”

Mio looks back at the screen and then back at Sena. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit stressed out too, but she needed to stay on top of her studies… Then again, if the music really was that good, maybe she could chalk it up to some unassigned studying…

Mio drums her fingers against the desk. “By the theater downtown, you mean Origin Theater, right?”

“Yup!” Sena nods. “Apparently it’s a tragedy about starcrossed lovers, it’s been moving everyone whose seen it to tears! Well… mostly everyone.”

Mio raises an eyebrow. “Mostly?”

“Ghondor said it was a load of… crock,” Sena replies, clearly changing out one word for another. “Said I shouldn’t waste my time, but I’m so curious!”

“Alright, alright.” Mio puts her headphones on the desk and stands up, stretching. “Let’s go, then. Sounds like you need some enrichment before you go crazy.”

“Yay!” Sena squeals, jumping into Mio’s arms and giving her a hug. “Thank you so much, Mimi! You won’t regret it!”

--

“I didn’t take you to be the type to go out leading up to midterms, Mio,” Taion’s voice makes the woman jump a bit higher than she would like as she and Sena make for her car. “You seemed the studious type.”

“Mimi and I are going to Origin Theater to see the show,” Sena is quick to say. “The music is supposed to be spectacular, so she’s gonna try and study it while we’re there!”

“I see,” Taion looks between the two. “I assume this is Sena, the roommate you mentioned?”

“That’s right,” Mio nods. “She’s been really stressed out about midterms, so we’re seeing this show for my studies and her relaxation.”

“Ohhh, this must be Taion!” Sena grins. “Thanks for eating lunch with Mimi when I can’t! I would hate for her to get lonely.”

“Hmph,” Taion looks away. “She’s just an entertaining conversational partner, that’s all.”

“Well, if that’s the case, do you want to come with us to the show?” Sena asks innocently a smile on her face. “I asked our other roommate but she was busy with a study group tonight, so we have room for one more!”

“You’re asking me to come along?” Taion asks, eyes widening for a moment.

“Sure, why not?” Sena replies. “A friend of Mimi’s is a friend of mine!”

Taion regains his composure and lets out a breath Mio hadn’t realized he’s been holding. “Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose I can make some time for it. I’ve heard it’s got quite some interesting religious symbolism, it could be useful to deconstruct that for my own studies.”

“See? You and Mimi can study together and I can get some of this midterms tension out,” Sena grabs Mio by the hand, reaching for Taion with her other. “Come on! Let’s go!”

--

“You keep looking at that flier,” Lanz peeks over Noah’s shoulder and the smaller man nearly hits him in the face for it. “Whoa! Easy there! Just wondering what’s up!”

“Lanz, sorry, you scared me…” Noah sighs and looks back at the flier in his hands. “There’s a show with some of the best orchestral music they’ve ever had going on at Origin Theater right now, apparently. I guess it sort of… caught my eye.”

Lanz hums and nods. “You planning on going to see it, then?”

“I was considering it,” Noah looks over at him. “I invited Mwamba, but he had a study group to get to. Do you think you’d like to come along?”

“Why not?” Lanz stretches, hands ending up behind his head as usual. “Not like I’ve got those midterms to worry about. Can’t stick around long after the show if you wanna try and interview all the flute players, though. Got a mentorship thing tomorrow.”

“That’s fine,” Noah nods and starts for the door, putting his shoes on. “How does that go anyway?”

“Valdi’s a weird kid, Noah,” Lanz replies, following after him. “But a good kid. Wants to show me his newest robotics project, calling it Mechafriend, I think.”

“Aw, he really looks up to you!” Noah smiles at Lanz as the bigger of the two closes the door behind them. “I was honestly worried the two of you would just bounce off each other, like you and Riku.”

“Valdi is way less annoying that Riku!” Lanz shoots back. “Besides, he’s just a kid. Hard to hate ‘im for having hobbies he loves, right?”

“You’re not wrong, but wow,” Noah chuckles. “You’ve really matured. Maybe this mentorship program was good for you.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

--

“Hey you two!” The car that pulls up next to Noah and Lanz is a familiar one, as is the voice. “A bit late to be walking towards downtown, innit?”

“Eunie,” Lanz crosses his arms. “Shouldn’t you be studying right about now?”

“I was heading back to the apartment to do just that when I saw you two,” Eunie replies. “Your turn to answer a question, Lanz.”

“There’s a show Noah wants to see and I’m sorta like his escort,” Lanz replies. “You’re probably too busy with all that medical mumbo jumbo to come along--”

“And let you two go on a date without me?” Eunie teases, grinning. “How cold!”

“If we were really dating I would lie and make it sound unappealing to get you off our backs!” Lanz shoots back. “I just figured that anatomy test of yours is gonna rock your world if you don’t study every night.”

“I could manage taking one night off, besides,” Eunie pops the passenger side door open. “I can give you two a ride, if you let me come along.”

“We’d be happy to have you along if you think you can swing it, Eunie!” Noah slides into the passenger seat, closing the door as Lanz clambers into the back. “Lanz was just worried about your school work.”

“I’ll believe that when he worries more about his trade school,” Eunie rolls her eyes, but Noah can see the smile on her face. “Alright, if you were heading downtown, it’s Origin Theater we’re looking for, right?”

“On the nose,” Noah nods.

“Buckle up, then,” Eunie turns the car around in her usual less than safe fashion. “Don’t want all the tickets to sell out!”

--

Mio is crying by the end of the show, harder than even Sena. And Sena is outright bawling into Taion’s scarf while the man tries his best to awkwardly comfort her. She wipes away her own tears and looks away from the stage.

Of all the things to catch her eye as she wipes enough tears away to see more than blurs, it’s someone from her music theory class. Noah, she thinks his name is. Went to Keves High, rather than Agnus like her. Avoided him because of that fact.

But here he was, crying just as hard as she was while the big guy next to hum rubbed his back. She turns her gaze away before he can see her looking, but the image is burned into her brain. Someone else deeply moved by the performance.

“Mimiiiiii,” Sena cries out as they make their way to the exit. “That was… was so beautiful! ”

“It sure was, Sena…” Mio wipes more tears away. “I felt so bad for Maya. She tried so hard, all she wanted was a little more time with Nathaniel…”

“I know, right?!” Sena lets out a little sniffle. “I couldn’t believe it just ended like that. With her dying in his arms…”

“It was quite tragic, though I suppose it was billed as such based on the fliers and pamphlets,” Taion says, a small sniffle giving away his real feelings on it all. “More importantly, Mio. Do you think you can really drive like that?”

“I don’t know,” she replies honestly. “Do you have your license? It might be better for you to drive us.”

“I do, in fact, have my license,” Taion puffs out his chest just a bit at that. “Allow me--”

“Ah,” an unfamiliar voice makes the three pause. “It is always such a marvel to see the way Z’s stories touch the hearts of the youth. Truly, I envy his talents.”

Mio is the first to spot the man talking. He’s big, intimidating. His hair reminds her of Uncle Malos a bit, if Uncle Malos was balding, that is. His eyes are cold, devoid of any real emotion.

He’s unsettling and Mio feels her hair standing on end.

“Do you… need something?” She asks tentatively.

“Indeed, I am here to pass on an invitation of the highest honor,” he says, spreading his arms out. “One would be a fool not to accept.”

Mio glances at Taion and Sena, giving them a tentative nod to run if things got… messy.. “...What is this invitation, then…?”

--

“C’mon, Noah. No more tears, alright?” Lanz pats his back once again as they walk towards the exit of the theater. “You and Eunie’ve cried about this enough, don’t ya think?”

“You’re just too much of a meathead to get it,” Eunie sniffles, kicking Lanz in the back of the leg. “Maybe if you actually thought about the ending, you’d get why it was so tragic! Right Noah?”

Noah, however, is a bit too lost in thought to even hear Eunie. He had noticed a woman from his music theory class was in the audience, too. She’d seemed just as affected as he was by the story. Feeling it just as personally as he did…

Or maybe, just maybe, he was projecting. He really didn’t know for sure.

“Noah! Earth to Noah!” Eunie waves a hand in front of his face and he jumps. “Are you even listening?”

“Oh, sorry,” he replies. “I was just thinking about the show. It was incredibly moving. It made me feel like I was Nathaniel at times!”

“Wow, you really liked it, mate!” Lanz whistles. “Fair enough, I suppose. Not big on tragedies, myself.”

“Yeah, that much is obvious,” Noah pauses when a woman other than Eunie speaks. “The other two, though? They really get it. Guess you need more than one braincell to get Z’s art.”

“Hey!” Lanz turns and the others do in turn.

There’s a small woman, hand on her hip, watching them. Her hair is messy, covering one of her eyes and what seemed to be a scar on the side of her face. She looks tired, like she hasn’t slept in a while… And yet, she stands with a confidence that’s rare to see.

She grins at them. “Took you long enough to notice me!”

“Well, we usually don’t pay attention to weirdos following us,” Eunie shoots back. “D’you want something or are you just doing that for the hell of it?”

“Oh, I want to talk with you, actually!” She claps her hands together and walks closer, specifically towards Noah. “Z told me to bring you this offer, so think long and hard about it before you decide, okay?”

It was hard to tell who Z exactly was, but based on what she said earlier… maybe the man behind the script? Maybe even more important than that, if he had an offer for people who came to see the show.

It has Noah curious, he admits. “Alright, what’s this offer, then?”

Chapter Text

The last thing Mio had been expecting when she took Sena to the show was a job offer, but here she is. Sitting in bed, staring at a nicely written letter asking for her assistance in running the ticket booth and snack center. 

Why this Z went about offering her a job in this manner, she doesn’t know. She knows Sena and Taion have already turned it down -- Taion works with his mentor Isurd in the library and Sena works at the local gym -- leaving just Mio thinking on it. The show she had seen had been utterly beautiful…

She sighs, wondering if it’s all a scheme. Draw suckers in with a good show then… kidnap them and kill them or hold them for ransom or something. Even the pay sounds way too good to be true.

…But a part of her tells her she needs to check it out. Just in case it is real. Or to record proof it’s fake and should be taken down. Something like that. Just a niggling feeling in the back of her mind telling her she needs to go see this Z in person.

Placing the letter on her nightstand, she shuts off her bedside lamp and curls up into bed. She supposes once midterms are over, she’ll go there and figure out what exactly’s going on here. Someone has to.

(And maybe, just maybe, she’s a little curious about the mind behind such a moving show…)

--

Noah lays in bed, a pit sitting in his stomach since that woman handed him a handwritten letter. Apparently, it was from the playwright of the show he had seen tonight -- Z. A handwritten job offer in letter form, to be more exact.

Most jobs just did this kind of thing digitally nowadays, or if they had applications open in person they wouldn’t randomly ask college kids about it. It was weird, but he couldn’t stop looking at the letter.

There was something wrong about this, about that Z if he thought this was normal. What was wrong, Noah didn’t know. And a piece of him? Well, a piece of him kind of wanted to find out what.

Mum would say he had always been a curious time. The type to want to understand the why behind any action, no matter how strange or dangerous. He wonders if that’s what it is -- that curiosity rearing its head again.

Well, the pay sounded nice. So if nothing else, he could work long enough for one paycheck to figure out what about the job wasn’t quite… right. Maybe poke the head of the people who owned the place, too.

(A piece of him would really like to poke the mind of Z, if only for the show he had written.)

--

“You’re Noah, right?” A simple question out of Mio’s mouth as the two sit in music theory, waiting for the professor to show.

“Hm? That’s right… and you’re Mio.” a simple reply in return. An awkward silence following it.

“You were… at Origin Theater the other night too, right?” An attempt to start a conversation again. “I thought I saw you in the audience, during curtain call.”

“Ah, yeah. I went to listen to the music, mostly,” a smaller pause. “But the show ended up gripping me. What about you?”

“Guess you could say I was in the same boat,” Mio replies.

“Funny that,” Noah looks towards the door, as if willing the professor to appear. “Anything… happen after the show? To you, I mean.”

“Hm?” Mio stiffens a bit. “Why do you ask?”

“Just… curious.” Noah refuses to meet her eyes. She shows little interest in trying to force the issue.

The professor finally shows up, a good fifteen minutes late. Both students curl into themselves and their studies for the lecture. The final question Noah asked hangs in the air between them, during it all.

Anything… happen after the show?

--

“A man approached me,” Mio says as she walks next to Noah down the hall of the building, towards the exit.

“Huh?” He raises an eyebrow.

“After the show, I mean. He approached me and gave me a handwritten letter from the playwright,” Mio explains. “Did that happen to you, too?”

“Oh,” Noah looks at his feet. Seems like he’ll be late to lunch with Eunie today. “Yes, but it was a woman who gave me the letter. Was it… a job offer for you, too?”

“Me and my friends,” Mio replies. “But the man seemed awfully focused on me. Like he knew only I would even think on it.”

“Yeah?” Noah comes to a stop, MIo does the same in turn. “Me too. It was like the letter was meant for me and my friends were just… tag alongs. That must sound crazy.”

“No, no,” Mio shakes her head. “I totally get it. I’m in the same boat as you.”

“But… Well, it must be a little crazy, right?” Noah asks. “Thinking this Z has an interest in us specifically. I wouldn’t consider myself interesting enough for that.”

Mio gives a nod, lips pressed into a firm line. “That’s true enough, I’m not exactly anyone special, either.”

“Say, do you want to discuss this more?” The words escape Noah’s mouth before he can really think on them. “I’m free for a couple hours right now, so…”

“Oh, I have another class soon…” Mio thinks for a moment. “Meet me in the library, around fourteen hundred, if you can. We can talk then.”

Noah nods, as if that won’t mean skipping a class. “I’ll see you there, then.”

--

When Noah and Mio first meet up at the library, it’s a bit awkward. Mumbled hellos and finding a place to sit down. Mio pulls out a letter and hands it to Noah. He looks it over, wishing he had brought his own with him.

“This is almost the exact same as mine,” Noah mumbles. “But not enough so I would assume it’s just a set of printed letters.”

“That’s weird,” Mio grimaces. “Do they just… have these waiting around or were they written on the spot?”

“It’s neat enough I want to assume the former, but…” Noah grimaces in turn. “The only way to find out is to go.”

“This weekend, like the letter says, yeah?” Mio pauses. “Are you gonna go? See what it’s all about, I mean.”

“Yeah, I think I am.” Noah nods, there’s no reason to back away from his hunch now. “What about you?”

“I think I will, too,” Mio replies. “If something fishy is going on, we should figure it out, yeah?”

“You’re right.” Noah nods. “If you want, we can go together.”

“Oh,” Mio blinks. “Well, sure. Safety in numbers, right?”

“Right,” Noah pulls out a blank piece of paper and a pen. “If you want, we can meet up at my apartment building, it’s on the way there.”

“Sure, I’ll pick you up,” Mio nods. “How does seven sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” Noah hands her the sheet of paper and smiles. “I guess I’ll see you then, partner.”

Mio blinks again, but snorts as a follow up this time. “Sure, see you then, partner.”

Chapter Text

Noah wasn’t expecting Mio to pull up in a car, but he supposes he should have. Campus is quite a bit a ways away from Origin Theater, after all. Lanz would probably look at it as a great exercise, though…

“Hey,” he says, pushing those thoughts to the side for now. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

“You showed up at just the right time,” Mio replies with a smile. “You ready to go, then?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he says, toying with the pocket knife he has on him, just to be safe. “Let’s do this.”

Mio nods, eyes back on the road. She presses the gas and off they go. Towards this apparent job offer or whatever it really was behind the curtain. It was going to be an eventful day, either way.

He stares at the window, wonders what Mother would say. Probably something about a bit more caution than this, how he’s just like Mum was at that age. She would go in with only a pocket knife, the same as you. No wonder my hair went gray so young.

The tension in his shoulders eases some as he thinks about all that. He’ll just have to make sure to keep this trip to himself if he wants to make sure he doesn’t give himself more tension and stress by mentioning it…

“We’re here,” Mio says, turning the car off and pulling Noah from his thoughts.

“Alright,” Noah is quick to slide out of the car. “Let’s get in there, then.”

And hope they don’t end up regretting it.

--

Mio thinks about her mothers as they walk into Origin Theater. Would they do this or would someone have pulled them back? She guesses Aunt Pyra might if she was fronting rather than Mom…

But there was no one like Aunt Pyra here to stop this. So into the theater they go. It’s dark inside -- not too surprising, really. It didn’t exactly seem… open when they pulled up. If she had to guess…

She touches Noah’s arm, heading towards the entrance to the amphitheater. “Come on, let’s head to the stage. If anything’s happening right now, it’s probably some sort of rehearsal.”

“Ah, good thought,” Noah follows after as she pushes in.

There’s a few people here. It seems the lead actors for the next show, if Mio had to guess. They were deep in the middle of the scene, and only one woman seems to even notice them. She gives a little wave and Noah returns it.

The one who gave him his letter, then, maybe?

“Hey, make yourselves at home, take a seat!” She says, gesturing to the wide array of empty seats. “Z will be with you whenever he’s done watching this scene, probably. Maybe. Sometimes he makes the actors start from the top for no reason.”

“Okay, w-we don’t mind waiting…” Mio takes a seat and watches on. 

More people being around makes this scarier and more tolerable all at once. Noah seems to feel similarly as he slides into the seat next to her, a bit closer to the exit. He’s probably thinking in terms of fast getaways, but for Mio…

Well, if this was a way to capture and kill her, she wasn’t going to make it out one way or another.

--

Z was a man with long white hair, cascading down his back, with pieces of it perfectly hiding his face from Noah’s view whenever he tries to glance at him. On the one hand he can see, there’s long nails that almost remind him of claws, painted a deep purple. He seems focused on the rehearsal in front of him, not sparing a glance in their direction once since they walked in. 

Was this really the man who personally invited them to work here?

He looks at the stage, tries to focus on whatever the scene is, but it’s hard. He supposes he may be overthinking this all just a bit. No one is moving to cause harm at the moment, so maybe they just do things really weirdly here.

He glances at Mio and all she can do is shrug. He supposes they’re in the same unsure what to do from here boat. 

Z raises a hand when Noah glances back his way, and the action on the stage stops. It’s eerie, how quickly the noises stop. How the actors seem to almost freeze in place, eyes moving towards the audience.

The lights are too bright for them to really see them, Noah tells himself. The eyes aren’t really on him, as much as it feels like they are. That’s what he has to tell himself to keep from feeling like wanting to crawl out of his own skin.

Z finally turns his head to look at them. His eyes look red.

“Well,” he says, voice being the least surprising thing about him so far. “It looks like the guests of honor have arrived.”

--

Mio sits up straight, a chill running down her spine when Z speaks. A piece of her screams she shouldn’t have come here, that it was folly to. That she should stand and run until her heart explodes in her chest.

Anything was better than being here.

“Guests of honor is a funny way to say potential hires,” Noah says, pulling her from her thoughts. “That… is what those letters meant, right?”

Z nods. “Though usually, we don’t get any bites.”

“Well, we were just too curious not to come,” Mio says, her voice sounded raspier than it should to her own ears. “I’m surprised an establishment like this even needs help.”

“It’s less a need and more of a want,” Z replies, gaze lazily drifting from one college student to the other. “Usually X and Y here can run the ticket booth and concessions well enough, but sometimes… I want to put on larger shows, ones in need of more actors. You’ll find they are quite talented on stage, you see.”

“But if they’re on stage, you need someone else manning the less artistic parts of the business,” Mio more states than asks.

Z nods. “You catch on quick, I like that in a potential employee.”

“Why us, though?” Noah asks, saving Mio from an awkward pause.

“Pure chance, really,” Z waves a hand in the air. “Just as it was pure chance you would follow up on the offer.”

“Is that why the pay is so good, then?” Mio asks. “Because it’s temporary.”

“If I hire the two of you, bigger and better shows will be possible,” Z chuckles. “Why would it be temporary when it could be a stepping block for the theater?”

“Fair enough,” Mio mumbles, shrinking back in her seat.

“Is there anything else the jobs would entail?” Noah asks. “Clean up or anything?”

“The actors and I are all expected to pitch in with the cleaning of the amphitheater and lobby, so it would be expected of you as well,” Z replies. “Other than that, your role is as simple as it sounds.”

“Almost sounds too good to be true,” Mio says.

“I’ve been told that often by potential hires, yes,” Z replies. “I suppose it is up to you, then. Would you like to peel back the layers and see how much truth there really is to the statement? Or would you rather decide it to be a lie here and now?”

Mio and Noah share a look. Seemed like it was time to make a choice.

Chapter Text

“Okay,” Mio finally says. “I… think I’ll take the job.”

She doesn’t know why she decides to take the job, but there’s such a tug that she just can’t ignore it. She wants to pull back the layers, see what’s really going on. Besides, it’s not like she wants to die without ever having worked.

“I’ll take it, too, if that’s okay,” Noah says. “I… could probably use the job.”

Z gives the faintest smile. “Good, good. Follow me, then, as we will draw up your contracts.”

He stands and something about the way he walks sends a shiver down Mio’s spine. It’s so ethereal, so unreal… But she stands and follows, Noah right behind her. She glances back. The two she supposes are X and Y are following after them, too. No room to really escape.

Soon, they make it to an old-fashioned office and Z takes a seat. Without knowing what else to do, she and Noah take the seats in front of the desk. It’s a bit shocking to her when Z actually pulls out a laptop and begins typing away.

“A basic contract should work, yes?” Z asks. “An agreement for your cooperation for, say, three shows? We can see how it works out from there.”

“That sounds fine,” Mio nods. “Any benefits we should know about besides the pay?”

“We have dental.”

Mio blinks. “Oh, good, you have dental.”

Z types away for a while and it’s quiet. She tries to ignore the fact Y is right behind her. Tries to ignore that X is right behind Noah. She can see from the corner of her eye that Noah is tense, gripping his pants. She can only imagine what he’s thinking.

She forces herself to focus on Z, on the scars on his face. They almost seem to glow, but she tells herself she’s imagining it. He just looks so much like a vampire or something that she’s imagining that there’s something inhuman about him.

No more old vampire movies when she can’t sleep for her, she supposes.

The sound of a printer startles her, and X snickers at the way she jumps. Mio just puts her head down and stares at the desk until Z slides two copies of a contract in front of each of them.

“Well, then,” he says. “Do let me know if these are alright by you.”

--

Noah is ready to get out of Origin Theater after signing the contract and Mio seems to feel the same. The girl is already out the door when something catches his eye, though, and he freezes. A man with blond hair and a familiar ponytail…

But that’s not possible, right? Because Crys died when Noah was fourteen. It’s not like he could be here, right? This theater is creepy, not haunted. He stares at the person, sees some of their face…

He can’t make out their features. They look so blurry. His heart feels like it’s in his throat. He tries to swallow it down to no avail. Tries to look away, but he can’t. He backs away, and hits into someone.

“Noah,” Z, it’s Z, putting his hands on Noah’s arms. “Are you quite alright?”

Noah looks up at Z, who looks down in turn. “I… I’m fine. Just thought I saw an old friend, is all.”

“Ah,” Z frowns. “Is that so? I doubt you know any of the staff. Other than Mio, of course.”

“Y-you’re probably right, given the friend I thought I saw…” He trails off and pulls himself away from Z. “Uh, I’ll be going now. See you on Friday.”

“Yes,” Z nods. “I look forward to seeing you then.”

Noah rushes out of the theater and finds Mio leaning against her car, an eyebrow raised. He rubs the back of his neck and tries to think of what to say. He should be cool, calm, collected. Like Uncle Dunban.

“Everything alright?” She asks.

“Just fine,” Noah replies. “Thought I saw someone I knew, but I was probably imagining it.”

Mio nods. “Well, ready to get going?”

“Yeah,” Noah nods in turn. “Let’s go.”

--

Mio makes it back to campus and decides to get breakfast at the dining hall for once. It was still early enough to, anyway. She starts towards it, humming to herself. She could use a big meal after that.

With a giant pile of food, she finds a seat, only for Ghondor of all people to come and slide into the seat across from her.

“Not used to seeing you around here during breakfast,” Ghondor says, digging into her own food. “Not used to seeing you pull into the parking lot so early, either.”

“Oh, I had something to do downtown today,” Mio says, trying to keep things vague. “I didn’t know you would pay attention.”

“You’re Sena’s bestie, aren’t ya?” Ghondor points at her with her fork. “Gotta keep an eye on you when she can’t!”

Given Sena is likely sleeping in, as it’s the weekend… Yeah, Mio supposes she can see that.

“Fair enough.”

“So, what did ya have to do?” Ghondor asks. “Something important?”

“I had a job interview,” Mio replies. “Nothing too special, but the pay is nice.”

“Oh? Got the job?”

“I did,” Mio nods. 

“Where’d ya interview at?” Ghondor’s voice lowers and Mio swallows hard. “Not Origin Theater, right?”

“Sena told you we went to see the show, then,” she says rather than answering.

“Sure did. Told me about the job offer, too,” Ghondor leans back. “Listen to me when I tell ya that place is no good! No pay is worth working for the Moebius family.”

“Moebius family?”

“They’re the ones running the place, ya dag!” Ghondor rolls her eyes. “The middle brother, Z, runs the place.”

“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind, then.” Mio turns back to her food. “Anyway, how have you and Sena been?”

“Don’t try to change the subject!”

“Finally dating or…?”

“Mio…!”

--

Noah walks in to the smell of food cooking. It smells too nice to be something Eunie or Lanz was making, but Mwamba was probably out with some friends… So who was cooking? He peeks around the corner and… Ah.

“Hi, Zeon, didn’t realize you were here.”

“Ah, Noah,” Zeon nods his way and goes back to whatever he was cooking. “Lanz needed some help with some inane project, and I ended up staying the night. I know none of you are quite… proficient at cooking, so I thought I would make breakfast.”

“Oh, thanks,” Noah smiles and slides into a stool at the counter. “One question, though.”

“Go ahead,” Zeon says, not looking away from the food.

“Did the project have something to do with wearing Lanz’s shirt?”

Zeon freezes, and Noah decides it’s about time someone mention the… clear tension of a sexual nature between them. Then again, if he was wearing Lanz’s shirt, maybe they dealt with the sexual part of it.

“...Go wake Eunie and Lanz, will you?” Zeon says, not even answering his question. “Breakfast should be ready soon.”

“Sure,” Noah smiles. “Maybe Lanz’ll be more willing to talk about why you’re in his shirt.”

Zeon turns to look at him, frown on his face. “And here I thought Lanz was the real brat.”

Noah shrugs and stands up. “Sorry, guess he’s rubbed off on me. Don’t worry, though. Im sure Eunie’ll be more understanding.”

Chapter Text

Mio is sitting in the library, watching Sena and Ghondor discussing some project for a shared class, when Miyabi sneaks up on her. She nearly yells, but somehow holds it in. Keeps it from spilling over, despite how much of a mess her brain has been.

“Mio!” Miyabi whispers as she sits next to her. “I heard you got a job!”

“I did, yeah,” Mio nods. “Who’d you hear from?”

“Ghondor and Sena mentioned it in passing earlier today,” Miyabi pulls out a textbook. “During our physical education class.”

“Oh,” Mio wishes she could actually take that with them. That she could be there and run and feel the breath in and out of her lungs and go as quickly as she wants. So she could -- so she could have been the one to tell Miyabi.

“I’ve heard the music at Origin Theater is amazing,” Miyabi smiles. “I’ll have to come and see some shows to support you.”

“Oh, I’m not part of the orchestra or anything,” Mio shakes her head. “Me and the other guy, Noah from music theory, are going to run concessions and the ticket booth.”

She gasps. “A boy from Keves?”

“Yeah,” Mio nods. “He’s… actually pretty nice. We went together and both ended up getting the jobs.”

Miyabi hums. “Good, I was a bit worried, but… If he’s nice, I’m happy for you!”

“Thank you, Miyabi,” Mio smiles at her and looks at her own textbook. “Maybe I can introduce you sometime, if you want to come to one of the shows anyway. They’re actually pretty affordable.”

Makes her wonder how Z could afford to pay them so much. Ghondor had warned her the family wasn’t the type to trust… But she already has the job, right? She’ll have to make sure the money isn’t counterfeit.

“I’ll have to, and if you’re working concessions I’ll be sure to buy a lot of treats,” Miyabi giggles. “I’ll try to bring Sena along, too!”

“That sounds great, Miyabi!”

“I just hope I’ll have time between classes and my new internship.”

“I hope--” Mio blinks once, twice, three times. “Your what?!”

--

“You have an internship?!” Lanz’s exclamation is a bit too loud for Noah, whose currently sitting next to him. “First Noah gets a job and now this?”

Mwamba nods, a smile on his face. He’d been smiling since the moment he walked in the door. At first, it’d been unclear what was happening, but now? Apparently he had the internship of a lifetime -- paid, too!

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it either,” he finally says. “But this could be what I need! They can do hours around my classes, too!”

Eunie whistles. “Nice one, Mwamba! We get to meet your boss?”

“Not yet, but hopefully after I get settled in he’ll let me bring you all around,” Mwamba looks at Noah. “What about you, Noah? Are we getting a tour of the theater?”

“Probably not, the owner is a bit of an odd one,” Noah replies. “His shows are moving, though, so you can always come and see those. Say hi on your way to the amphitheater.”

“I was thinking about that, yeah!” He looks at Eunie. “Maybe you and I should find some dates. Lanz could bring Zeon along and it could be a triple date.”

Eunie laughs. “Bold of you to think Zeon wants to be seen with Lanz in public!”

“Hey!” Lanz snaps. “This ain’t about me, Eunie! Let’s focus on Mwamba and Noah, alright?”

Noah pats his arm, holding in a laugh. “I’ll see if I can get you guys some tickets to the next show, okay?”

The idea of asking Z for those was a bit scary, though better than asking X or Y… So he could at least try. Maybe not for six like Mwamba is suggesting, but at least three should be doable. Right? Right?

“That sounds great, but no worries if you can’t,” Mwamba assures. “I’ll be excited to see it, either way.”

Noah smiles. “Thanks, Mwamba.”

--

I want to die. 

Who are you? 

My soul isn’t allowed to rest. It’s not fair to you.

Not fair to me? I don’t even know who you are.

I cannot rest, even when my body no longer moves. I am sorry.

Why are you sorry? Why do I feel so… tired…?

Rest your soul, even if you body cannot. I’m sorry, Mio.

M…io…

I will play my part on the stage, and then, maybe we can both rest.

--

Get up.

What? Who’s there?

It’s not time for me to rest. Not while she’s still out there. I must meet her again.

Who are you? Who is her? 

Get up. My body is not able to do play its part. Yours will have to do.

My body will have to do…? I feel so… off…

Sleep, Noah. You will not remember this, and I will hold her in my arms again.

N… Noah…

We will play our parts, entertain him, and then, perhaps you’ll get a reward.

--

“Mimi?” Sena looks at her, eyebrow raised. “Where are you going? It’s late!”

“Ah,” she says, as if looking for rehearsed lines. “I just need some fresh air, Sena. Don’t worry about me.”

“Are you sure that’s all you need?” She squints. “You seem… sad.”

“I’m fine, just feeling a bit trapped after everything,” Mio says. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Sena.”

Out of the dorm, a deep breath sucked in, she finally allows herself to drop the mask, if only for a moment. She is not Mio, not anymore. The girl who owns this body is Mio now, is the person who should be here right now.

She is M, and she is only borrowing it for the time.

--

“Mate, ain’t it a bit late?” Lanz asks as Noah makes for the door. “You said you wanted to sleep early tonight, didn’t you?”

“I tried, but I couldn’t get to sleep,” Noah’s voice is more stilted than usual. “Fresh air should clear my mind.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Lanz asks. “I’m always here to lend an ear--”

“No, I want to be alone,” Noah snips the conversation short. “Don’t wait up for me, I’ll be back in when I am ready.”

Out into the hall, an empty smile coming to his face, he lets the mask fall. He is not Noah, not anymore. The boy who owns this body is Noah, as much as anyone can be Noah now. It is his body, but for now, it’s being used.

He is N, and he will see his Mio once again.