thefarshore | Deux ♔ Heaven’s BBS ♔ Video

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Deux ♔ Heaven’s BBS ♔ Video

[ I. Sparkling Knight ]

Posted: June 21
From: Anonymous

[ It’s the most peculiar thing. Without anyone’s willing it, or any clicks on the thread topic, a window pops up on the BBS of its own accord.

At first, there’s just static. Then, a countdown, grainy and jittery on the screen:

Followed by…darkness. Pure, unadulterated darkness, for several seconds more. The darkness lingers, undisturbed and silent, for several seconds, and is interrupted only by - a voice. It’s not yelling, it’s not whispering. It’s simply speaking, as if you and it are sharing an intimate moment together. It’s a sultry, deep voice. Regal, too. ]

Stellar nurseries. Cradles in the darkness of forsaken galaxies. Nestled to their bosom, a single gleam is born.

[ A flicker of golden light flashes in the center of the screen, then twinkles out. ]

To this world deprived of true radiance - appearing, lo, now on stage.

[ A trail of purple sparkles and rose petals streams through the darkness. ]

A new era dawns.

[ Lights up! Music up, immediately - the ringing of bells, the sounding of trumpets.

And the show begins. ]

Watch on YouTube

[ Lyrics are here. ]

[ When the performance is finished, the lights go down again, replaced by a sign written in ornate letters, with a sunburst in the corner: CELEPARA TALENT AGENCY, by SHIKYOIN HIBIKI. NOW SCOUTING.

And then the video switches itself off. But don’t worry. As Hibiki's very first boon to the world as a god, it's listed on a message board.

You can watch it as many times as you want. ]

[ II. Private to Natsuru, Felicia, & Maria - From Apollo ]

[ Hibiki’s sitting at a desk with a laurel pattern on a door behind her. She’s got her crown of golden laurels tucked behind her ears, too, except instead of wearing her usual purple jacket and trousers, she’s wearing a business suit. ]

Senou Natsuru. Felicia. [ A pause. ] Maria Cadenzavna Eve.

I have something to discuss with all of you. Please accept my invitation.

[ And Hibiki sends along a little attachment. It’s a purple envelope with a pink heart on it that shows you a fancy invitation if you click on it. Apparently she wants you all to stop by this afternoon.

Also, since the “paper” the invitation appears on is monogrammed, it looks like Hibiki took the time to program this herself. ]

I await your presence.

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It would be my pleasure.

[ Said to put them both at ease. Hibiki comes out from behind the desk to lead them into the hallway, not taking her eyes from them for a moment. Interesting. They're - familial, almost. Maria Cadenzavna Eve, every inch the mother her name portends...

This will be a diverting competition.

If either of them, especially Natsuru, catches her looking at them, she'll smile that Private Smile. This way, please. ]

[Though Maria had been planning to stay for this much anyway, Natsuru's obvious eagerness for her to do so on top of that gets her a somewhat indulgent smile.]

Of course. I'm not so rude that I'd walk out just with that. [There's no reason not to observe niceties even if they will be with opposing agencies from this point on. And, of course, it serves to show her the kind of relationship Natsuru and Hibiki have.

Hibiki's polite answer gets an incline of the head from Maria, appreciative that she isn't making a big deal out of the refusal. As soon as they start heading anywhere, Maria will follow willingly.]

[Natsuru is positively dazzled by Hibiki. That much should be obvious, whether or not Maria picks up on the fact that it's a full-blown crush. She still doesn't want to force Maria into anything, but she's so thrilled that her god is willing to stay and visit!

Her smile holds, while she happily follows along with Hibiki. Occasionally, she'll glance around at the temple, taking in the sights. The novelty of this place hasn't worn off for her quite yet, although it's growing more and more familiar.

She blushes when her eyes meet Hibiki's, and she catches that smile.]

Um, had you not met each other before? I thought, since you're both idols and you've been here a while already, you'd at least have met...

[It's still not quite sinking in that she's an idol now too. She doesn't have the experience to match them yet, but it's been made as official as it can get for now.]

Destiny has intertwined our paths on a few occasions.

[ That smile gets flashed briefly at Maria to indicate how enjoyable those occasions had been.

She holds open the next door, as well. ] Help yourselves.

[ Someone has blabbed, Maria. That, or Hibiki is an uncannily lucky guesser. ~~(It's the latter.)~~

There is a full buffet of fancy food in here. ]

[As they walk, Maria looks around the temple as well, though with a much less impressed air than Natsuru. She's definitely not outright cold about it, but there's somewhat of an attitude of having seen greater things than this. Then again, when one's business involves relics and their hiding places, that does lead to some interesting locations being turned up. Compared to those, the temple seems a little overdone.

Nonetheless, when Hibiki answers Natsuru's question for her, Maria nods a little in agreement.]

We've met a few times before, yes. It's been interesting. [That is definitely one word for it.

Walking past Hibiki and through the held-open door, Maria pauses briefly at the sight of the open buffet. She really shouldn't be letting herself go like that in front of other people...but it has also been a while since she's done it at all.]

...That's quite a spread. [She still sounds entirely composed about the matter, though.]

[Natsuru is oblivious to Maria's attitude towards this place. Or, if she's not, she finds it completely understandable that someone like Maria would be less dazzled by such things. She thought Maria's temple was equally impressive in its own way, before living there sort of dulled her reactions. This place has not lost its novelty, but its connection to Hibiki is the main thing. She still blushes and glances away shyly almost every time her eyes meet their host's.

Natsuru's more obviously surprised at the buffet, as well. Her eyes widen, and she even clasps her hands together.]

Wow! You had all of this prepared...?

[She is stunned! This is really going the extra mile for 'refreshments' after inviting them to join her agency!]

It's the least I could do.

[ Hibiki picks up a plate herself, and a napkin. Look! She even knows how to use salad tongs! Herself! (Ando would shed a proud tear.) ]

Please, enjoy to your hearts' content.

[ And have as much as you like, is the implication. Should either of you have large appetites. You've already both been found worthy, so there's no further judgment here. ]

[While Maria is still keeping a bit of an eye on how Natsuru and Hibiki interact here, at the invitation, she gives a slight bow out of politeness.]

Thank you. [Without further hesitation, she picks up a plate herself and starts moving around the table, handling the various utensils and food with expected finesse.

That also goes for her plate, because even though Maria doesn't seem to have quite noticed how much she's picking up, that pile of food is starting to get improbably high.]

Thank you...

[Her own expression of gratitude is, of course, tinted with the modesty of a girl who truly does not believe that she's worthy of the attention Hibiki keeps giving her. Presumably, she's also already aware of how Maria's appetite could get, and doesn't think anything of Hibiki noticing such a thing.

For Natsuru's part, her portions are a little more controlled. She eats a pretty normal amount for a girl her height and build, though she seems to go for a few more sweets than one might expect for someone so slender. She had never gotten around to having any of the snacks in the room Hibiki set up for her, so she's probably having some similar things now too.]

Oh, and thank you for... everything else too, Hibiki-sama! You didn't have to set up that whole room just for me to wait in...

[Did Maria know about that yet? Because she's going to now.]

[ ...Watching Maria, Hibiki's getting flashbacks to how Lux first caught her eye. The ladies here all have such - robust appetites.

With that in mind, she selects a pastry for Natsuru and places it on the girl's plate for her, smiling. Careful to always meet Natsuru's eyes. ] Not just to wait. That room is yours to use as you wish.

[ A slight tilt of her head. ] After all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other, won't we?

[ Natsuru is getting the full light show. This is the sort of thing mothers usually warn their daughters about. ]

[While Maria does try to keep her appetite to herself when she can, it's a lot harder when she's living with someone, so Natsuru probably has seen bits and pieces of it come through. For the moment, though, she seems to have reached the limits of what her plate can reasonably hold, and instead chooses to sit down for the moment, pick up some utensils and start working her way through it all.

As she does, she eyes Natsuru and Hibiki's exchange with a certain attentive air to her. It does seem like Hibiki's been treating Natsuru well, judging by how Natsuru's acting around her, but she'd like to be entirely sure of that herself.

It's a bit of a shameless display from Hibiki, as far as Maria's concerned, but for the most part, she just looks amused. Natsuru could probably use more of this kind of attention.]

Just don't forget the way home.

[Mothers usually warn their daughters, but Natsuru wouldn't remember even if hers did. Of course Hibiki selected one of her favorites for her, something that she'd eyed furtively for perhaps half of a second before deciding that taking more in front of Hibiki would be too embarrassing. Now, though, she's only blushing because her eyes and Hibiki's never leave each other through the whole exchange.]

Ah... yeah.

[It's like she's just realizing how much time she's probably agreed to spend with Hibiki. And she is not upset about this development at all.

Maria's comment, on the other hand, makes that light flush in her cheeks turn a deep red as she snaps out of it a little. That's right... she's not alone with Hibiki here. She only felt that way for a few seconds just now! It's those eyes...]

O-Of course! I definitely won't be gone too much!

[She laughs nervously, as if she knows Maria must be teasing her but she still can't help getting flustered over it. Now seems like a good time to nibble on that pastry, as if she can somehow hide her face behind it.]

[ ....the young ladies of interest here in Heaven certainly are no strangers to gastronomy.

Hibiki also smiles at Maria's joke - less because it's funny and more because she's pleased at her own performance - and breaks eye contact, taking pity on Natsuru. She can captivate the girl at will. Maintaining it consistently is unnecessary.

Besides, observing the interplay between her new rival and her new protege is more interesting. ] You two truly haven't performed together?

[ Natsuru's uncanny muscle memory continues to tug at her. Natsuru has danced before. Hibiki is sure of it, because Hibiki's assessments are always right. Any time she's wrong has just been due to a lack of information.

Fortunately, she usually knows everything. ]

[While teasing Natsuru is a little fun, Maria lets her have the reprieve of hiding in the pastry, instead returning her attention to her own food for a few moments with no more than a knowing smile on her face. While it is a bit sad that Natsuru's gone to the rival agency, it seems she and Hibiki have an interesting relationship already.

At Hibiki's question, she swallows her bite of food and shakes her head.] Sadly, no. Natsuru's confidence has been improving, but I think it's something like this that might give her the boost to really perform.

[Of course, Maria could have asked, but with her being in a position of power over Natsuru, it would've felt too much like pushing it to her.]

[Natsuru's eyes widen slightly at Maria's response. Her god had probably caught her singing to herself, or along with her idol music, a few times. But Maria had never let on if she'd ever considered that Natsuru would be able to actually perform.

A smile starts to form on her lips, shy and nervous but also excited. If Hibiki thinks she's worth spending time on, and even Maria believes she could really have the confidence and skill to perform, she can't possibly let herself be too modest.]

No... I'd like to, though.

[She blurts that out without thinking, and her smile turns slightly back towards embarrassment.]

I think... if I ever do perform, I'd want to share it with everyone close to me. If that's even possible...

[What with her and Maria being in rival agencies now, maybe it's not. But she doesn't exactly know how that works. All she knows is that if she's ever truly ready, she wants to share her performance with everyone she can. That includes everyone sharing the stage with her, and everyone in the audience.]

I guarantee you'll be heard.

[ The Smile For Natsuru is back. Calm, supportive, and utterly confident. Reality exists to bend itself to Shikyoin Hibiki's will, and that will is at your service, mademoiselle. ] By the world.

[ .......That will may not have interpreted Natsuru's request properly. ]

[Well, at the very least, Maria feels confident in the assumption that as long as Natsuru's success and her agency's success go hand-in-hand, Hibiki will at least take care of Natsuru. Outside of that, she's a little less sure, but she'll be keeping an eye on things even from a distance. It wouldn't do to just ignore what progress she might be making or what relationships she might be forging, even outside the issue of Hibiki's intent.

There's a very firm nod at the mention of wanting to be heard, though, and Maria smiles.]

That's what performances are for. Bring the audience into the experience with you.

[Hibiki's answer just makes her blush harder. 'Heard by the world' is a bit much! But she appreciates that Hibiki is trying to help her succeed...

Maria throwing in her own response is timely, in that moment where Natsuru is not sure whether to insist on being modest or accept that Hibiki has a grander view of things than Natsuru ever could. It calms and soothes her, and her smile grows more genuine. She seems pretty sure of herself now, for how nervous she could be.]

Yeah... I just want everyone else to enjoy it too.

Let's all make sure to thrill the audience.

[ Which is, incidentally, a challenge to Maria, too.

Bring it. She'll match you with unparalleled splendor. As well as....whatever Natsuru is capable of, this is partly an experiment to figure that out. She'd even almost said they should work to thrill the audience, but pff, Hibiki doesn't have to work at this, who do you think she is, she can pop off a couch after a near-death experience and perform a new Making Drama like it's nothing, she's got this. She's got this so overwhelmingly, Barry Goodman on his own wouldn't stand a chance.

Having Maria on the other side might actually be entertaining. ]

[Maria seems to read the challenge in Hibiki's tone, and raises her glass in a rather confident reply.] Naturally.

[After that moment, though, she shoots a softer smile at Natsuru. While the potential of Hibiki as a rival gives her something to stack up against, right now she's still more concerned with her own shinki's wellbeing and experiences stepping into the industry.] If you put your heart into it, the audience will respond. That's the nature of performance.

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Deux ♔ Heaven’s BBS ♔ Video

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wrap soon?

yeah that's cool w/ me

works for me too!

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