spellbinders | cheers to jingle bells!

Who: Chika, Riko, Ruby, Dia, and YOU!
Where: Around the center of Shehui.
When: Day 173
Open/Closed: Open!

[ if you’ve been walking around shehui the past few days, you’ve likely been passed a flyer by chika, riko, dia or ruby that seems to be advertising some sort of concert. as a matter of fact, that’s exactly what’s happening - the night before sunsu, the members of the school idol group aqours currently in the coven will be hosting their first live in a new world to celebrate the holiday season! that much is outlined on the flyer as a subtitle, along with cute designs and the date and time for the show. it’s all set out to be very exciting, so why not show up?

it’s a bit chilly on the night of the live, but comfortable enough that being dressed for the weather should be enough. glowsticks in orange, pink, red and magenta are complementary for all attendees, so feel free to take one as you enter the venue. there seems to be plenty of people interested in the idea of an idol performance - hopefully you’ve gotten a good space to watch!

the stage lights dim for a moment - when they brighten again, the idols in question have taken the stage in their own personalized festive costume. once they’ve taken position, the music for the first song begins. of course, there’s proper choreography to go right along with it, and although they may not be a full group, it’s a solid performance!

when the crowd has died down from their cheering after their final pose, the lights turn to them. ]

Hello everyone! We’re Aqours, a band of school idols from a high school known as Uranohoshi Girls High! It’s far, far away, but we’re still proud to represent our wonderful school. Sadly, there are only four out of nine of us here tonight, but… we’ll do our best, okay? Hanamaru-chan, Yoshiko-chan, You-chan, Mari-chan, and Kanan-chan… they’re all here with us in spirit. With that, let us introduce ourselves!

Good evening! My name is Riko Sakurauchi and I’m a second year student at Uranohoshi Girls High and a member of a school idol group Aqours. Thank you so much for coming and please enjoy the show!

G-G-Good evening! I-I’m Ruby Kurosawa, a first year at Uranohoshi Girls High... Um… I-I really hope you like the outfits I made for us today. I worked really hard on them... And because you came to support us here, I’ll do my Rubesty for you, too! Ehehe...

Good evening, everyone! Thank you for joining us tonight. I am Dia Kurosawa, a third year and the student council president at Uranohoshi Girls High. Though we are not able to be with our full group tonight, we appreciate your support!

Is everyone having a good evening? This is Chika Takami here, resident school idol, leader of Aqours and second year at Uranohoshi Girls High! We’re here to give you a great show tonight, so sing along with us, will you? Even if you don’t know the words, everyone can join in! This is a time to put all your worries behind you and have fun!

Get pumped! This is… Aquours!

[ the next two songs serve as a calming scene and a finale respectively, with a proper goodbye and thank you to the audience between them. it’s a little short as far as lives go, but there’s a parting promise to have more fun on stage in the future.

if you want to catch any of the girls specifically after the show, mention them in your top level! otherwise, feel free to mingle. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hm?

[ chika was dabbing at the sweat plastering her hair to her forehead with a handkerchief when she sees the little trinket roll on toward her. cocking her head to the side in curiosity, she crouches down to pick it up — and then she sees a2 hovering above her.

she's so pretty, is the first thing chika thinks. and she's so cool...

there are practically stars in her eyes when she stands up, clutching the pendant in hand. ]

E-Excuse me... Um, is this yours?

[ chika holds it out to her. ]

... Yeah. Thanks.

[ A2 crosses the short distance between them and takes the necklace, slipping it back into the pocket of her sweater. she's used to people staring at her, coven members and shehui citizens alike, so she doesn't think much of chika's star-struck expression.

there's an awkward little pause. she knows she should probably say something more. ]

It was good. [ the concert, she means. ] Looks like you practised a lot.

[ nailed it. ]

You really think so?

[ chika's smile widens into an enormous grin, eyes practically shining. ]

Th-thank you so much... ! We did! We worked really hard. Thank you so much for coming to see us!

What's your name, by the way? I already introduced myself up on stage, but I'm Chika.

[ there are a lot of emotions going on right now and admittedly, A2 feels vaguely out of place. she just threw out something, not having really thought about it, but chika looks like she just sang her praises. looks like she still has yet to be accustomed to humans. ]

... Sure. [ with all the hype that surrounded the concert, it was hard not to stop by at least. ] I'm A2.

A2?

[ chika blinks. ]

I've never heard a name like that before. Is it a nickname?

It's just my designation.

[ there's really not a big thing, but A2 has learned that majority of humans have some weird thing about anything that doesn't sound like a conventional name. the reactions she received have varied, some have taken it in stride, others have balked at it, insisted on calling her something else. either way, A2 doesn't particularly mind. ]

You can call me whatever you like, I don't really care. [ she rolls her shoulders a little, in something like a shrug. ] Someone called me Ada, once.

[ chika shakes her head and smiles. ]

If your name's A2, then I'll call you A2. It doesn't seem so complicated to me.

Maybe we can be friends!

[ her expression softens at the easy acceptance, looking away with a small huff of amusement. maybe it really doesn't have to be so complicated; she's already made some friends with humans, hasn't she? ]

Yeah. If you want. [ she shifts her weight, posture settling into something more relaxed as she considers chika. ] ... Are you new to the coven?

[ she thinks she would have remembered someone this bright and cheerful. then again, she doesn't hang around people much these days. ]

Yeah, I am. I just arrived here this month.

[ it's been hard for her to acclimate, and she wonders when a2 got here. if she left behind friends. if she had trouble acclimating. there's so much more she wants to know about this cool, mysterious woman. ]

We told ourselves we were putting on this live to cheer people up, but the truth is, I think I needed it to cheer up. It's been hard, adjusting to such a foreign city when you've only ever known one small town as home. A town I love with all my heart.

[ it has been... an experience. A2 wouldn't describe it as hard, so much as it is not something she's used to. being surrounded by people, making connections, reuniting with 9S and 2B -- it's reawakened bits of her that she had thought she buried, that had died along with the rest of her squadron. but maybe a part of her still longs for it, for the feeling of belonging and acceptance that she told herself that she no longer needed. ]

Nothing wrong with that. [ they may be very different from each other, but A2 thinks she can understand. ] You do what you need to keep going.

[ whether it's putting on a concert to cheer people up, or destroying every single machine. ]

[ chika beams up at her, relief clouding her expression. it feels good, to be validated in a sense. ]

What do you do, A2? Where are you from?

[ i was an android prototype created for the sole purpose of protecting humanity and destroy machines, but that ended up being a lie because humans were already extinct and all my teammates died while i was branded as a traitor and forced to wander the earth alone for three years.

hm. ]

... I'm from Earth. I worked in security.

[ technically not a lie. but she tries to turn it back on chika because she never really liked talking about herself anyway. ]

You said you attended Uranohoshi Girls High, [ she actually says uranohoshi pretty accurately, even though it comes out a little weird to her. ] Where's that at?

[ from earth? what an odd thing to point out. where else would she be from? ]

Well, of course you're from Earth! Uranohoshi Girls High is a school in Uchiura. Uchiura is a small, seaside town, so I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of it, but it's our one and only home. I love it there.

[ chika is both a bit surprised and a bit flattered, that such a cooler older woman seems interested in her (what she considers relatively simple) life. ]

cheers to jingle bells!

grips your shoulders

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