Opening Night

[Cyber Connect Corporation]

The karaoke guild is laid out like a restaurant with a stage at the end opposite the door. The round tables are covered with red cloths and there are a set of red satin curtains pulled to either side of the stage. The walls are brick and the stage is a fine polished hardwood. There is a single microphone on stage. The lighting is dark and most of the ambient light in the room comes from a candle on each table that looks like it is on the verge of drowning itself, but they never go out. The chairs are made of a dark mahogany and the seats are a red silk pulled over soft cushions. Each table has room for 4 and against the left wall there are semicircular booths that can seat as many as 8 people. On the far left is a bar, behind which is a grunty standing on a stool. He is dressed in a full tux and speaks in a refined manner.

PC Members:
~Storm Sheppard
~XIII

Users with guest keys:

[Storm Sheppard]

Hello everybody, and welcome to the Karaoke guild on this wonderful Friday evening. I am your host, Storm Shepard, and will be starting the night off for you fine people. For those of you who don’t appreciate the more lovey dovey oldies, I suggest a drink from our esteemed bartender. Storm Shepard said into the mike from the main stage, opening his hand to gesture to the bar. The tux clad grunty behind the bar gave a slight bow, cleaning a glass with a pristine white towel.

Indeed lord Storm Sheppard, quite. This evening we have a special on Mango Juice, quite. Please enjoy, quite. The well refined grunty said while the spotlight momentarily shifted to his little stool. The light came back over to the main stage where Storm Sheppard was waiting with an all together different appearance. Instead of the bright red and gold vest he usually wore, here was a white button-up shirt and suspenders. The suspenders held up some well ironed dark brown pants that reached all the way down to the glossy black shoes. His lightning like eyes and brilliant white Mohawk still gleamed in the stage light, but his overly exaggerated smile was replaced with a simple heart felt grin.

I’d like to dedicate this little number to all of the beautiful Harvest Clerics out there. He said in a soothing deep tone that he nearly whispered into the mike.


L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please dont break it
Love was made for me and you

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please dont break it
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you


Love

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed that. It’s an old tune, but I’ll always love it like I love you fine people here tonight. With a strange blue light, the attire he had worn for the duration of the song vanished, replaced by his usual flashy dress. He even had his ludicrously over extended grin back across his face, and he took the mike in his hand one last time. Next time I’ll play something METAL He growled in a deep and angry voice. But for now I’m going to have a mango juice. Barkeep! Don’t forget the umbrella! He yelled, leaping from the stage and barreling down to the bar through the crowd.

[XIII]

At the bar, XIII had already worked her way through a few glasses of Mango Juice by the time Storm Sheppard was finished his song.
Normally XIII would grab a drink or two offline as well, drinking in time with her character, just enjoying the music. But not tonight, because tonight was Friday night.

RL, Friday night was the only time her sister could be counted on to be too busy partying to come home. XIII could sing her heart out and not get caught.

Tonight she refrained from drinking anything offline. Her voice (and possibly mind) got shot when she drank, so she settled for nervously tapping the bar top.

She quickly hid her face when she saw Storm Sheppard barreling toward the bar. There was, after all, no need for him to see how nervous she was. She wished that she could steal a bit of his confidence.

'Maybe he's not nervous because he knows this is just a game.'

XIII sighed and sipped from her glass, still tapping the bar.

'Just two more songs, then I'm up.'

XIII downed the rest of her mango juice.

[Storm Sheppard]

Storm Sheppard sipped from his drink with the practiced inpatients of a five year old(More or less just slurping the whole drink down) while tapping the bar to the beat of the person who sung on stage at the moment. The song was some sort of rock-techno-pop thing that he hadn't heard before and was drinking it in with as much inpatients as his mango juice. While he wasn't the biggest fan of pop, the tune did catch his fancy in the more 'techno' and 'rock' bits. He signaled for another mango juice and turned on his stool to look at the stage. The person on stage was dancing in a very jagged and robotic manner that was becoming popular again since it's introduction a few decades back. Storm Sheppard looked to his right to see some long, dark purple hair on what he could surmise to be a magic class of some sort. She looked more Shadow-Warlock than Harvest Cleric, but he knew a few Clerics to enjoy some darker colour schemes. When his mango juice materialized into existence he slid it down the bar in front of her and leaned back on the bar.

Howdy there! He called over the bustle of the techno beat. I haven't seen you perform yet, what can I expect? He said a little too loud as the music began to die down signaling the end of the performers' time on stage. He didn't seem to notice or care as he just kept looking at her with a big goofy smile on his face.

[XIII]

It was when XIII suddenly found another full glass of mango juice on the counter, one she didn't remember ordering, that she began to wonder if virtual mango juice had any other effects besides a slight hp gain, and slightly calming her nerves.
Hearing a voice over the beat of the song now being performed, she turned toward it, only then realizing that it was the one who had just performed, Storm Sheppard.
That would be him asking you a question. Answer it, moron.
It was strange how harsh Destiny's inner voice sounded at times. It was stranger how often that voice sounded a lot like XIII herself...

"...From me? Oh, just a soft little tune. Ever heard of Emily Bindiger? Almost no one has. I decided I'd try out something different. Usually I do opera. Sometimes I do some rock that I can sing along with, maybe some old pop tunes..."

XIII realized that she was rambling and began to nervously sip the mango juice in front of her again.
So I'll just start pouring my heart out to anyone that gives me mango juice? No wonder I love this guild's grunty so much.
Then again, I was answering his question, wasn't I? Besides, this is a guild, not like the rest of the game. I'm allowed to relax here...aren't I?

On stage the next performer came up. This time it was a dance macabre who was singing while playing a piano that materialized out of nowhere. The song was in another language that XIII didn't understand at all, but it was still a really nice song, or at least it was from what XIII could tell. When the song wound down he got a standing applause from most of the audience.
XIII finished the mango juice that had been given to her got up, walking toward the stage. She turned back toward Storm Sheppard as she walked.

"Thanks for the juice. Wish me luck!"

She continued to make her way toward the stage quickly, not wanting too much time to pass before the end of the last act and the beginning of her own.

After a little pushing she managed to get on stage. Once up she took full advantage of the temporary costume change that being on stage allowed you, and instead of her usual suit, she wore a white, short, sleeveless summer dress with a purple trim that matched her hair. On her head was a large white flower. How it managed to stay on the left side of her head where there was no hair was a mystery to everyone.
Instead of her enormous boots, she wore little white pumps.

With this outfit, she almost looked respectable.

Here I go!

In the background an acoustic guitar began to play a slow melody, setting a calm mood, which was completely at odds with the butterflies warring to burst through XIII's stomach.

And as the intro ended, in a soft breathy voice she began to sing.

Shine bright morning light
Now in the air the spring is coming
Sweet blowing wind
Singing down the hills and valleys
Keep your eyes on me
Now we're on the edge of hell
Dear my love, sweet morning light
Wait for me, you've gone much farther, too far

She sang through the verse again before the song came to an end. She was delighted to hear a few claps afterward, and gave a little curtsy before she could stop herself

Oh, whatever. I don't have to be a tough girl right now. Besides, there aren't any customers in here.

"Thank you! I'm here every Friday night if you want to hear me again. Just warning you all though, you don't want to hear me after I've been drinking anything but the juice that our grunty serves!"

XIII stepped off the stage, her outfit fading back to normal as she walked, making her way back to the bar, where her beloved mango juice waited.

Offline, Destiny took her headset off for a moment, listening carefully to see whether or not her sister had come in. When silence greeted her, she grinned and put her headset back on.

XIII grinned as she thought to herself, Another successful Friday night. Maybe next week I'll do some opera again...