Chapter Text
Steward310 (Today at 6:30pm)
Heeeeeeey!!!
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 6:34pm)
Hey you! Finally home?
Steward310 (Today at 6:36pm)
Yeah, cheerleader practice was suuuuuper hard today x_x
Dunno how coach expects us to survive the game this weekend if we’re all sore! D:
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 6:38pm)
Oh no! Was it coach Yunaka again?
Steward310 (Today at 6:40pm)
Yuuuuup, she’s a real killer DX
Don’t say that to her though, she’ll kick you out of the squad!
She gets like, really weirded out and defensive, dunno why.
ANYWAY, look at what my mom got for me today!!!!
[image attached]
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 6:53pm)
Aww, those are some really cute clothes! That hat is so adorable!
I bet it looks amazing on you ;)
Steward310 (Today at 6:56pm)
asdfghjkjhgfdsa MAYBE???
yEAH I LOVE IT
Whoops XP
Anyway
I wanna hear about your day! What did YOU do today?
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 7:05pm)
Nothing special really, I had singing practice earlier myself. I think I’m getting more comfortable with my voice.
Steward310 (Today at 7:07pm)
AHH! That’s awesome!!!!
Can we do a video call?
I wanna hear it so bad!
Pretty please???
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 7:13pm)
Maybe one day when I’m fully confident in my singing I will! ;)
Steward310 (Today at 7:15pm)
I can’t wait! I bet your singing voice is super awesome and you’ll be a SUPER famous singer one day :D
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 7:20pm)
XD
I doubt it. I’m honestly not sure I could handle the spotlight anyway.
Steward310 (Today at 7:21pm)
If you do I’ll be in the front row cheering for you at your number one fan :DDD
SleepingBeauty1017 (Today at 7:25pm)
Haha, thanks, I’ll look forward to that XD
~~~~~~~~~~
St. Lythos’ concert stadium was packed to the brim as the crowd shouted and cheered amongst themselves. The security staff were overloaded as they bolted up and down the aisles doing last minute ticket checks; they clearly weren’t expecting such a massive turnout this evening. The anticipation for the show to begin was at an all time high.
Framme stood in the front row, practically glued to her brother Clanne as they struggled and pushed to claim their territory among the crowd. She had been lucky enough to nab a front row ticket after pulling an all-nighter, repeatedly mashing the refresh key on the band’s website until the ticket offerings finally opened up. She had been preparing herself for this moment when the band announced their next tour destination would be Somniel, the largest city in St. Lythos.
Not only that, but she also happened to be the one lucky winner to receive a backstage pass from a contest she entered.
After an excruciatingly long two weeks of waiting, Framme had her front row spot to see her favorite band, and to see her.
Taking the stage for tonight’s performance was the 3 year old rock band ‘The Defenders of Elyos’, on their first tour this year after they exploded in popularity upon the release of their hit single, “I Can’t Believe I Missed That 90% Hit.” The band itself was composed of 5 members, coming together from the 5 different regions of Elyos. They went by unique stage names, referring to themselves as princes and princesses of their region. Standing at the helm as the lead singer was the Divine Dragon. According to articles written by the band’s managers their aliases were inspired by some ancient Elyosian history.
Alfred, the Crown Prince of Firene; a somewhat flamboyant musclehead as well as the band’s guitarist. Ever since the band’s popularity skyrocketed he has been the face of several muscle stimulant ads and many gym sponsorships. Rumors say he exercises 18 hours a day with his security guards Boucheron and Etie.
Diamant, the Crown Prince of Brodia; favored by many men and women alike for his tall and well toned body. He serves as the band’s drummer, he is described as having a “warrior’s fury” when it comes to playing the drums, but when off the stage he is known to be rather calm and serious. A few online articles have mentioned he spends most of his free time caring for his younger brother, Alcryst, who is struggling with severe depression.
Timerra, the Crown Princess of Solm; she brings a more bright and cheerful presence to the group with her Solmnic heritage. Tabloids have mentioned she was originally supposed to be the lead singer, but her singing was so awful that the managers practically begged her to step down. Now she takes up the role of keyboard player and main songwriter. She still sings in her free time, but it’s mostly just a fun pastime for her. One night, some hikers taking a trip found her camping with her guards, Panette and Merrin, who were all singing around some meat roasting over a fire. They uploaded several videos of the bizarre event online.
Ivy, the Crown Princess of Elusia; a somber woman with a love for goth fashion. She has become a popular lesbian icon, and recently confirmed in an article that she is in a relationship with the band’s lead singer. Her appearance might give off an aura of regality and seriousness, but eyewitness accounts say she’s actually rather clumsy, both in her words and her actions. Some even say she turns pale and runs away screaming at the mere mention of ghosts.
Last but not least, the celebrity crush that brought Framme to this concert in the first place. She enjoyed the music, sure, but nothing in the world could compare to…
Her.
Alear, the Divine Dragon; the lead singer who grew up in a quiet religious community in St. Lythos. She has a mysterious aura about her, to the point where not even the most relentless of celebrity chasers can dig up much on her. What was known about her, however, was her strange, yet strikingly beautiful appearance. Sporting hair so long it nearly touches the ground; dyed in a half-and-half deep blue and red coloring with colored eye contacts to match. Complimenting her appearance was her angelic voice with a seemingly infinite amount of ranges.
Given the sheer amount of Alear centric posters, figurines, shirts and other merch strewn around her room, to say Framme was smitten would be an understatement.
Fog machines and pyrotechnics suddenly erupted from the stage, followed by a gathering of spotlights that took aim directly at the center of the stage.
From beneath the stage the band finally rose from a motorized platform, the audience cheering loud enough to shake the earth itself. The band stood proud and tall, their instruments at the ready to dazzle the gathering before them.
“CAN WE GET SOME HOWLS FOR THE DEFENDERS OF ELYOS TONIIIIIIIIIGHT,” boomed over the stadium speakers. Framme and the rest of the crowd unleashed mighty howls, a cheer popularized by one of the band’s sponsors. It was odd for sure, but it was one of the things that made the Defenders of Elyos all the more special.
The fog machines stopped as the pyrotechnics unleashed one last sparkling display. The entire stadium shook as the crowd went wild for the band’s opening song.
“I'm gonna put this game down in a bit,
I'm so mad; I thought I had it!
This is some grade-A bullshit,
I can't believe I missed that 90% HIIIIIIIIIIIT!!”
She was mesmerized watching Alear dance and pose with the mic in her hand. Framme had her eyes locked on Alear the entire time as she screamed and cheered with all her might, hoping some of her affection would reach her idol. Through what can only be described as divine luck, her efforts seemed to be rewarded as, for the briefest of moments, she caught Alear looking directly at her.
And she winked.
Framme let out a shrill gasp and grabbed her brother by the collar, shaking him wildly with excitement.
“THE DIVINE DRAGON LOOKED AT ME! RIGHT AT ME!”
“WhOa, ThAt’s AwEsOmE fRaMmE,” Clanne shouted as his sister shook him to and fro.
She released her brother and screamed again. She couldn’t believe it. Her idol, her crush, winked at her! Right at her! There was no mistaking it, they had somehow built a connection right then and there, and Framme’s heart was fit to burst.
The concert seemed to go by like a whirlwind after that. In the span of 2 hours the band played through their entire album “Emblems of Fire," and a few of their other popular songs such as “Burn My Heart Like A Bolganone,” and “Mend Me, Warp Me, Rescue Me.”
Framme’s ears were ringing loudly from the sheer amount of noise, but she didn’t care in the slightest. She just had the night of her life, and with her backstage pass she had more to go.
“Thank you everyone for coming tonight, we can’t express enough how much we love our amazing fanbase,” the Divine Dragon said over the mic as the rest of the band members waved the crowd off and retreated behind the stage, “we wouldn’t be where we are today without all your love and support. The concert might be over now, however, for one lucky fan the night will go on! Winner of our backstage pass, please meet us in the dressing rooms in 20 minutes, and make sure to have your pass visible for security. Thank you all, and as always, LET YOUR HOWLS BE HEARD AND WE'LL COME RUNNING, AS WE ARE THE DEFENDERS OF ELYOS!"
The crowd erupted in another wave of howls and cheers as Alear waved off into the backstage area. The stage lights dimmed as the regular stadium lighting came back on. Security were doing their best to usher everyone as orderly as possible though.
Framme, however, was trembling, she could hardly contain her excitement. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for; the moment to be in person with the one she was madly in love with. Standing next to her, talking to her, basking in her glory. No matter what Alear did, she always looked cool doing it.
She couldn’t wait anymore. She grabbed her brother’s hand and made a mad dash for the backstage dressing rooms.
“Framme! Slow down, it hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet,” he cried in vain as Framme only seemed to speed up even more.
“I don’t care, I can’t wait anymore,” shouted Framme, her voice shaking and several octaves higher than usual, “I want to see her so bad!”
Clanne couldn’t help but giggle. He knew all about his sister’s crush, and while he knew they would realistically never end up together, he still supported her anyway. He followed her with a big smile on his face, as he was excited to meet his favorite band members himself.
When they arrived at the backstage area there was already a massive crowd of people, fans and paparazzi alike, crowded around the dressing room door as the two guards tried their best to keep everyone in order. Every second was interrupted by blinding camera flashes that never seemed to end.
The two guards, a tall, brown haired muscular man who looked like he was about to cry from the pressure, and a short, orange haired woman who was clearly frustrated.
“Okay people, who the hell has the ACTUAL backstage pass,” the woman growled, “I can spot a fake when I see it so don’t even try it!”
Framme, with Clanne in tow, shoved her way through the barricade of people before finally presenting her pass to the guards. She got a good look at their name badges now that she was close. The tall man was “Boucheron,” and the shorter woman was “Etie.”
“Me! I do!” She flashed her pass to the guards who looked at it and smiled.
“Finally… *sniff,* glad that’s over…” the taller guard muttered, turning his head away. The crowd groaned and muttered jealous remarks to the sibling pair. Framme didn’t care one bit, they weren’t what was important here.
Etie knocked on the door and peeked her head in, likely announcing the pass winner had arrived. She shut the door, looked back at Framme and smiled.
“Okay kid, you can come on in.”
Framme and Clanne jumped and squealed loudly and then raced for the door, only to have the taller guard block them with his hand.
“Hold on there, only one person is allowed inside. I’m really sorry about this, but you’ll have to decide between the two of you.”
The twins’ flinched in surprise before glancing at each other glumly.
“But… he’s my brother, we’re together,” squeaked Framme. She desperately wanted this, and while she was technically the one who won the pass, she didn’t want Clanne to miss out on this opportunity as well. He was also a massive fan of the band, as well as the Divine Dragon herself, however he spent more time appreciating her music rather than drooling over her like his sister did.
“Sorry kid,” Etie said grimly, “if we let one friend and family in, then everybody would be a “friend and family” in order to gain unauthorized access. The pass is good for one, so only one gets in. That’s just how it is.”
Framme groaned, but then felt a soft hand on her shoulder. It was Clanne’s, who looked at her and shrugged.
“It’s okay Framme, you go on ahead,” he said with a soft smile, “I know how excited you’ve been for this, and you are technically the pass winner. So please, go on ahead.”
“But,” Framme started, but Clanne shook his head.
“It’s okay sis, really. Go ahead. Just be sure to tell me all about it, okay?” He gave her a wink and a thumbs up, which made Framme giggle.
“Okay okay, alright. You’re the best, Clanne,” Framme said, giving Clanne a one armed hug. The crowd behind them let out a combination of “awws” and frustrated “get on with it” groans. She turned her attention back to the guards.
“Guess I’m the one going in then!”
“Right,” Etie nodded, taking Framme’s pass, “You get 30 minutes. No recordings, no pictures, have fun kid.”
Framme took her phone out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Clanne before dashing into the room like a streak of lightning. More camera flashes lit up the hallway as Etie quickly shut the door behind her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alear wiped the sweat off of her brow as she entered the backstage area with the other band members. The dressing room was surprisingly small, it only had 3 changing rooms and one long bar in front of a mirror that was just as long across the wall. Two doors stood on opposite ends of the room. A tall, burly man with graying hair stood by the door, with the name “Vander” plastered on his security badge guarded the hallway entrance, and a man of equal stature named “Mauvier” guarded the back entrance. They were Alear’s personal security guards tonight.
Alear clapped her hands excitedly. “Great show tonight everyone, I think we really blew them away!”
The other 4 band members gave their own cheers.
“I’m surprised we got such a massive turnout,” exclaimed Timerra, in the process of undoing her hair, “the biggest we’ve had so far!”
Alfred fiddled with his guitar before carefully settling it into its case. “You’re telling me, I almost couldn’t even hear myself playing over all the howling!”
They took a bit of time unwinding and putting their instruments away before sitting at the bar and cleaning off the makeup and other costume bits.
“Hey Alear, I wanted to talk to you about something,” said Timerra, trying to take off some earrings but getting stuck, “ah, shit…”
Alear smiled as she stepped over, reaching over to try and help Timerra with her earring situation. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’d be up for some advice, ouch!” Alear ended up tugging a bit on the earring which nearly caused Timerra to jerk her head.
“Ahh! Sorry, sorry! Umm, yeah, I’m always up for critique!”
“Great! I was just gonna say you gotta move around a bit more on stage, girl! As the singer, everyone’s gonna have their eyes on you. You’re the one out in front after all!”
Alear finally managed to get the earring unstuck, handing it to a thankful Timerra as she set it into her jewelry case.
“I know, I know,” Alear sighed, “it’s the nerves mostly. I’m still not used to having all of those eyes on me. I did toss out a wink at some point though.”
Timerra giggled, “That’s cute, maybe to go along with it you could-”
“Enough!”
Both girls jumped at the voice booming behind them, turning around to see Ivy glaring sternly at Timerra before walking up to Alear and taking her arm.
“You were perfectly fine dear,” she cooed, slowly stroking her fingers up and down Alear’s arm and still glaring at Timerra, “some people around here need to keep to themselves.”
“U-umm… Ivy, she was only giving me some advice-”
“Advice you didn’t ask for nor need,” Ivy fumed, “you were perfect out there, divine even. Like a deity roaming the very stage itself.”
Timerra rolled her eyes, a move that drew Ivy’s attention back to her.
“And you,” Ivy growled, “I heard plenty of foul notes from you tonight. Perhaps instead of treating my beloved like a piece of eye candy you could actually pay attention to what you’re doing, hmm?”
“How can I not see her when she’s right in front of all of us,” Timerra shot back, “and oh, you wanna talk about my mistakes? How about when I caught your clumsy ass stumbling over some wires during the 5th song?”
Alear stood red in the face as the two girls continued to bicker back and forth. Diamant and Alfred tried to distract themselves with whatever small task they could. This isn’t the first time Ivy had been at someone’s throat for criticizing her girlfriend. She was extremely possessive of Alear, almost to the point where it seemed like she worshipped the very ground Alear walked on.
Vander appeared to have had enough and cleared his throat loudly, managing to grab everyone’s attention.
“Girls, please, pull yourselves together,” he said sternly, “the backstage pass winner will be here any moment, so try to make yourselves presentable.”
A knock at the door came as if on cue, followed by Etie poking her head inside. Bright camera flashes and shouting filled nearly every corner of the room.
“Look alive, sending the pass winner inside in a couple minutes,” she announced, then cocked her eyebrow at Timerra and Ivy, “finish whatever the hell this is and get ready, alright?”
Etie quickly shut the door on the prying eyes of the crowd. Ivy and Timerra glared through each other one final time before standing down.
“Just… mind your own business, alright?” Ivy muttered before letting go of Alear’s arm.
Timerra was still having none of it. “I’ll mind my own business when you stop being so damn possessive of your girlfriend!”
Ivy’s expression darkened once more, “You loathsome-!”
“Please, please! Stop! Just stop!” Alear cried, jumping between them and pushing them apart. “For ONCE can we please stop trying to kill each other and make ourselves presentable for the fan? They’ll be here any second!”
Ivy closed her eyes and sighed, “Yes… I may have taken things a bit too far. Please excuse me, my darling.” She bowed her head and retreated to the other side of the room.
“Alear… you gotta talk to her,” Timerra grimaced, “tell her to stop doing all this weird shit, and being so controlling.”
Alear gave her a pensive look, “You don’t think I’ve tried? Every time I try to bring it up she-”
Alear nearly jumped out of her skin as the door burst open, a figure flying into the room at top speed. “Have fun kid,” they heard Etie say before quickly shutting the door once more. Even Vander flinched at how quickly this new person magically appeared before them.
It was a girl, short in stature and with a thin frame. She wore her long hair in a single braid over her shoulder, adorned with several magenta ribbons and a magenta hoodie to match. She also sported a matching plaid cap and shorts with white, black, and tan coloring. Finishing off her look were a pair of brown boots and thigh length black stockings.
Her eyes twinkled and she clasped her hands together over her mouth, staring directly at Alear before letting out a squeal into her hands. After she got over her momentary shock, she practically jumped across the entire room dashing straight towards Alear.
“AHH! DIVINE DRAGON!”
Suddenly, the girl’s boot scuffed the carpet and got caught underneath a loose piece. She let out a sharp yelp as she lost her footing and toppled forward. Alear reacted quickly, leaping forward to catch the girl in her arms, saving her from a nasty faceplant. The girl clung to her shirt tightly and began to tremble. The other bandmates gathered around to see if she was okay.
“Whoa, are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere are you?” Alear inquired. Go figure their first backstage fan would nearly hurt themselves in this shabby dressing room. Alear held the girl tightly as she continued to shiver in her arms. She was getting worried, did the girl twist her ankle or something?
Instead, the girl… began giggling? She lifted her head up, a big giddy smile plastered on her face, her wide eyes sparkling as she stared at Alear.
“I can’t believe it,” she breathed, “the Divine Dragon just SAVED MY LIFE! AAAAHHHHH!!!”
She reached her arms up and around Alear’s neck, pulling her in for a tight hug. Alear gasped and blushed, letting out a nervous chuckle as she collapsed into the girl’s crushing hug. The other band members just glanced around each other before looking at Ivy. She stood perfectly still, staring blankly at the scene before her. They knew it was only a matter of time before she boiled over again.
Alear managed to free herself from the girl’s grasp and helped her up. The girl’s eyes seemed to still be glued on her.
“This NEEDS to go on the Divine Dragon fanclub front page,” the girl exclaimed, whipping out a pen and a small notepad from within her hoodie, “everyone’s gonna be soooooo jealous that I was saved by the one we all love and worship.”
Alear glanced off to the side, hearing an annoyed huff from Ivy’s direction. “Great, here we go,” came from Diamant, who covered his face with his palm.
Alear breathed out another nervous laugh, “Heh, umm, that’s-”
The girl scribbled furiously into her notepad. “Okay! Time for the interview, I need to get as much as I can for the fanclub, straight from the source!
What’s your favorite food?
What’s your hair-care routine?
What’s your favorite video game?
What’s your shoe size?
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WINKED AT ME ON STAGE?!”
Ivy’s body stiffened when the girl blurted out that question, and glared at her with a fire in her eyes. The girl continued to bombard Alear with questions like a gatling gun, rarely stopping to even take a breath. Alear’s head began to spin from the whirlwind of questions.
Eventually, Alear held her hand up in front of the girl, stopping her assault.
“Please I… I need a drink real quick,” she pleaded, “then we can continue, okay?” Alear really didn’t want to continue, but they were here to please the fans after all. Those 30 minutes seemed to go by at a snail’s pace.
The girl nodded her head and watched as Alear walked over to the travel bag she had left on the bar. Alear reached in and retrieved a small bottle of water, quickly guzzling down a few gulps. There was something about this girl, something that Alear couldn’t quite put her finger on. The way she acts, how she gets overly excited about everything, the constant stream of words, the way she dresses, it almost reminds her of someone she used to know. It’s almost as if…
The girl shrieked once again. “AHH! The Divine Dragon looks so cool drinking water,” she yelled, her voice quivering, “oh, I wish that water were ME!”
Alear choked at the sudden outburst, spitting water all over the bar.
What on Elyos did she just…
“Oh no…” Diamant mumbled, preparing himself for the inevitable. Alfred and Timerra glanced at each other and backed away from the impending line of fire.
“Alright, I think your time here is up,” Ivy announced, finally approaching the girl, “first you have the gall to put your filthy hands on my beloved, and now you decide it’s okay to say such strange things out loud?!”
The girl flinched, nearly dropping her notepad in surprise.
“H-huh? I-I was just-”
Ivy scowled. “Just nothing! Look around, you’ve made everyone in here uncomfortable with your inane babble.”
As rest of the members fidgeted nervously watching Ivy tear into the poor girl, Alear decided to come to her aid.
“Ivy, please, it’s no big deal-”
“Yes, it is. She’s clearly in love with you and I won’t stand to watch this farce any longer! She’s a pest and she needs to be gone from my sight!”
Ivy was fuming, nearly to the point where she looked like she was about to grab the girl by the collar and toss her out herself. The tension was building to the point where even Vander and Mauvier were on edge, ready to run in at a moment's notice and break up a fight.
Alear grabbed Ivy’s arm in an attempt to soothe her, “Ivy! Stop, please, can we just-”
The girl let out a sob as tears began to well up in her eyes and cascade down her cheeks. “No it’s okay… she’s right. I’m just being annoying. I was a complete and total idiot to think we had any sort of connection.. I promise to stay out of your hair from now on, your beautiful, flowing, perfect hair!”
The girl broke out into full on sobs as she turned around and bursted out the door. They heard Etie and Boucheron express their shock as the girl bolted past them.
“Framme? Framme, wait!” A boy cried as the girl rushed out the door, running after her. The crowd was left in stunned silence as the scene unfolded.
“Good riddance.” Ivy growled under her breath.
It took a few moments for the crowd to spring back to life, cameras flashing and tapes rolling. Shouts condemning the band for running off a fan and several questions wondering what happened were flying all over. Etie and Boucheron quickly blocked off the dressing room door as Vander slammed it and locked it from inside.
“Well, that’s just great, this crap is gonna be all over the news probably within the next hour,” complained Alfred. They had managed to do so well in avoiding any sort of controversies since the band started, and now that record was soon to be tarnished.
Alear put her hands on her face and sighed. How could things have nosedived so quickly on their first tour?
A gentle touch on her arm startled her. It was Ivy, looking quite somber.
“Are you okay, my love,” she purred softly, “I know that little harlot was driving you mad.”
Alear glared sharply at Ivy before snatching her arm away.
“What’s making me mad right now is you,” she snarled, “first you pick another fight with Timerra for offering me harmless advice, and now you borderline threaten a fan and chase them off! What do you have to say for yourself?”
Ivy’s eyes widened as her mouth fell open. “I-I was doing it for you… that girl, she was-”
“Overbearing, yes,” Alear snapped, cutting her off, “and sure, maybe she was a bit weird, but she was clearly just excited to meet us in person!”
Ivy’s expression morphed from shock to distaste. “No, she was here for you. She wanted you! She said you winked at her!”
“I didn’t, I just winked into the crowd! Maybe I happened to look at her, I don’t know!”
“Well, maybe you should cease that behavior, you’re clearly giving people the wrong idea. I can tell when someone has a schoolgirl crush and it was written all over that girl’s face.”
“Irony that’s somehow completely lost on her…” Timerra muttered under her breath.
Alear was on the verge of tears. She absolutely hated arguing, especially when it came to arguing with Ivy as they seemed to go in never ending circles.
“Ivy, we just chased off a fan. Our FIRST backstage fan! Do you have any idea what this means for us on future tours? What this means for our image?!”
Ivy huffed and crossed her arms. “Yes, it means no more insects weaseling their way back here to crawl all over my girlfriend.”
Alear looked as if she was about to say something, but instead she backed away with an angry sigh, letting her arms fall to her side.
“I-I can’t do this right now. I’m going to my trailer. Don’t bother me for the rest of the night.”
The atmosphere in the room completely deflated, Alear moved like a blur to the back door, somehow managing to push past Mauvier.
“I mean it, DON’T bother me!” She spat before violently slamming the door.
The back area of the stadium was fenced off with large electrified fences standing tall to stop people from climbing over. It was a little less than glamorous, but it did well enough to protect their trailers. Alear stormed to her trailer, ignoring the crowd of onlookers and paparazzi that had gathered outside the fence as they shouted at her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, nor did she care.
Upon entering her trailer, she quickly locked the door and collapsed onto her bed, where she spent the next several hours that night screaming into her pillow.