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Nothing stood out as odd about the concert beforehand.
HUNTR/X was doing a world tour. Certainly not their first and, if all went well, not their last. When Bobby was in the planning phase, he got contacted by a potential venue in Cleveland, Ohio. A private girls' school which apparently had quite a large number of HUNTR/X fans.
This school wouldn’t be able to boast being the largest stop on the tour, but they were prepared to convert their sports stadium into a concert hall for the night and Cleveland was a large enough city to be worth a concert. It helped that the school was able to give them a detailed plan for how they would make use of the proceeds to fund educational activities, and they were offering a metal band created by some of the students as an opener. They were also willing to be flexible with dates since they normally didn’t host concerts at all and were offering to shuffle things around.
Bobby was hesitant, but Zoey liked the idea of a stop near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Mira gave the potential opener a listen and proclaimed them “pretty good,” and Rumi was able to see the constrained enthusiasm in the proposal. All three of the girls argued that someone at the school was clearly a big fan, and they were fine with performing the occasional smaller gig for a heartfelt crowd. It was also something that could give them some good press, especially if they were able to mark it as a charity concert. So, the Joyce Summers Memorial School for Girls was added to the tour schedule.
When they arrived at the venue, they were a little surprised to find that the school hadn’t contracted out for some of the typical venue functions. Administrative staff, stagehands, security, etc. were all being handled by the students and staff. But these girls and young women seemed to be quick learners and passionate about the concert going well, so HUNTR/X rolled with the unusual flow.
They did pause slightly at how many of the volunteer staff asked them to sign scabbards, knives, and various other weapons. Being politely asked for some autographs by venue staff, when it wouldn’t disrupt their preparations, was something HUNTR/X was quite used to. They also weren’t that unfamiliar with fans showing up to concerts with mock weapons, since they often ended up incorporating their actual weapons into their performances. However, the sheer amount of weapons here was unusual, and as people familiar with the actual use of such weapons, HUNTR/X got the feeling like many of these fans weren’t holding mock weapons.
But, while the Honmoon felt weak in Cleveland in general, it felt rock solid at the school and seemed to almost swirl in excitement. So, HUNTR/X focused on getting ready for the stage: Rumi did her normal vocal warm-ups, Zoey worked her way through the lyrics, Mira stretched while headbanging to the opening band’s cover of “Raining Blood,” and all three of them scarfed down thousands of Calories.
When HUNTR/X took the stage, their performance started like a fairly normal concert. They opened with “How It’s Done” and then segued into their new track “What It Sounds Like” to the cheering adoration of the crowd. Also, much like a typical concert, they saw demons starting to creep their way into the crowd as they worked through the set list.
HUNTR/X started to weave their choreography through the crowd to make their way to the demons, but they were surprised when the security volunteers stepped up and removed the demons. The demons began to flood into the venue in greater and greater numbers, so HUNTR/X jumped into the fray to protect their fans.
But the demons didn’t find the audience to be easy prey. As they poured into the stadium in greater and greater numbers, the fans fought back. Just as much as HUNTR/X kept singing while they entered the fight, their fans kept singing along while they fought. It was as though the whole thing was a part of the show, and fighting was just how they danced to the music.
The opening band even got involved, using their instruments as weapons. The drummer started beating the demons with her drumsticks and occasionally stabbing them. The guitarists showed off how their electric guitars didn’t just look like axes as decoration, but could carve through demons without even losing their tuning. The bassist even subbed in for Zoey when she got tangled with some demon during a song where she was supposed to have a rap solo.
The demons started retreating, though not all of them made it out. Some demons found themselves trapped as crowds of teenage girls started impromptu mosh pits and pummeled the demons into dust while HUNTR/X finished their set. They finished the concert exhausted but with massive grins as they looked out on a crowd of girls who sang and danced as they waved their weapons and smiled through the cuts and bruises earned from the fight.
After the concert, the head of the school stopped by their dressing room to talk to them.
“Buffy Summers,” she introduced herself as she offered a hand to shake.
“Summers? As in Joyce Summers?” Rumi asked as she returned the handshake.
“My mom,” Buffy confirmed. “When we founded the school, she felt too important to forget.”
Rumi nodded. She didn’t remember her own mother, but did her best to carry on the woman’s legacy.
“The concert went well?” Buffy asked. “I’ll admit that it’s not my normal style of music, but the girls love you.”
“Yeah,” Rumi confirmed. “The crowd was very…energetic.”
“The demons didn’t cause too much trouble?”
Rumi blinked while she stared at Buffy. “Demons?”
“Yeah, I was hoping they’d be smart enough to give it a rest, but…” Buffy shrugged.
“You’re not… surprised?” Mira asked.
“Of course not,” Buffy said with a smirk. “It’s why you’re here after all.”
“Because you have demon problems?” Zoey asked.
“No…well, yes, but it’s handled.” Buffy waved her hand at the building around them. “This is a school for demon hunters. Demons attack sometimes, but we’re used to that. It’s a lot better here than in Sunnydale.”
Zoey’s eyes grew wide. “You’re from Sunnydale?”
Rumi and Zoey frowned. “Sunnydale?”
“The town fell into a sinkhole around when I was born,” Zoey explained. “It wasn’t that far from Burbank.”
“It was a Hellmouth,” Buffy explained. “A place where the wall between this world and the demon world is particularly weak. Someone tried to open it up, and collapsing the town was the only way to seal it. There’s another one here, in Cleveland, but we’ve got a solid handle on it. I think putting your stage over it helped tighten the locks.”
“This wasn’t just a concert,” Rumi said.
“Well,” Buffy said, “the girls are fond of your music. Demon hunters that are proper celebrities, and not just in demonic circles. You’re an inspiration to them.”
“But even without that,” Mira said, “performing here was just as important as when we’re in Seoul.”
“We can handle it without you,” Buffy said, “but a bit of help never hurts. I’m glad it went well.”
When Bobby checked on his girls later, he wasn’t sure what to make of their stunned looks, but he gave them a big smile and thumbs up. “I think that went well.”
“Yeah,” Rumi said in a monotone.
“Good energy in the crowd,” Bobby continued, “and the charity angle is playing well on social media.”
“Mm-hmm,” Mira said.
Bobby frowned. “If something didn’t feel right, let me know. We can call this a one-time thing.”
“No!” shouted Zoey as she shot to her feet.
“We have to…” Rumi started to say before she trailed off.
“Every world tour,” Mira said. “We’re stopping here.”
Zoey nodded enthusiastically. “Not just Cleveland, here. This venue.”
“This concert was important,” Rumi explained. “Whatever you have to do, this is a regular stop.”
Bobby smiled. “Okay! That won’t be a problem. They bent over backward to get us here, so it shouldn’t be hard to get them to play ball again.”