Sea A Stage

“Water orbs hardly give us a good idea of what’s going to be shown,” Goe remarked after John relayed what he had Observed.

“It does mean the show’s got a splash zone,” Aeolia joked.

“I was thinking more of something involving hydromancy of some sort,” John said. “A performance with some elegant water bending type thing.”

Goe let out a snort. “I think this isn’t the venue for something artsy like that. The other show’s going to feature a dancefloor with everyone moshing while the magic mist she makes fills their heads with whatever story Soundwave wants to tell them.”

“S-sounds like something I’m going to sit out,” Lita meekly remarked.

“I think artsy is more my speed too,” John agreed. “If nothing else, it’ll be less crowded.”

“Still think I’ll try to get into Soundwave’s show,” Goe said.

“Put me down for that too,” Tok quickly added as Tamia nodded to signal her desire to attend.

‘Oh, I wonder what that’s about,’ Senka thought with a knowing tone.

‘Let’s not step into their business, okay?’ John implored. ‘I don't think we're qualified to help, or at least not qualified for a slower developing sort of thing.’

‘I will refrain from any unsolicited advice,’ Senka promised. ‘Sadly, we don't have the childhood friend turned lover trope in our cadre.’

John didn't let the sour thoughts in. He had plenty of good things now to offset his lonely past. It was time to focus on the future, the immediate issue being the night’s entertainment.

“Still going to take the gamble with the other show,” John said. “It’ll bug me if I don’t find out what those orbs were exactly for.”

“I think getting mashed together as an expected part of the experience is a little too much for me,” Senka added.

“Um, I think I’ll go with t-them,” Lita stuttered out.

“Us too,” Teri answered for herself and Kiera.

“I’m curious just what sort of things this Soundwave is doing,” Verida said.

“Me too,” Estelle chimed in. “Though I’m more curious about the how of it all.”

“I thought tonight was about taking time off of work?” Aeolia snarked.

“What can I say?” Estelle shrugged. “When you’re doing something you love, you never work a day in your life.”

“Well, music was never really my thing, so if there’s something else to do, besides getting drunk, I’d be down to give that a look,” Aeolia said.

“Didn’t you say there was something of a fighting ring?” Tok asked Goe.

“It wasn’t a fighting ring,” Goe responded with a fond sigh. “It’s more like an axe throwing set up, just with a lot more weapon options.”

“That does sound more my speed.” Aeolia grinned, wings flexing. “Maybe I’ll grab Beth and have a throw off.”

“Make sure to tell Vivian and Anita of what else is going on,” Senka said as Aeolia shifted to her natural size and began to fly off.

“Will do,” Aeolia called back as she went.

“Okay, think that covers everyone,” John remarked. “And now we just have to wait for the shows to start.”

“I think that’s going to come sooner rather than later,” Tamia noted. “I’ve seen a number of staff moving around with a purpose. Seems like they’re getting ready to throw open the doors.”

“Then we should make sure to get spots near them,” Goe pressed. “I’m sure Aeolia will get to the others quickly enough that if they’re going to join either group, they can do so with enough time.”

John nodded. Aeolia was fast enough to pull that off, assuming Beth, Anita and Vivian hadn’t gotten pulled into anything. Still, John quickly summoned his phone and sent Vivian a text about Aeolia’s approach and the reason.

“Why didn’t we think about doing that before?” Senka wondered.

“Aeolia was too quick on the draw to grab them herself,” John answered. “And I think with all the comings and goings we’ve done in the last month, we’re more primed to do the leg work over just using the phone.”

“Plus, I can’t imagine one could hear their phone going off on the dance floor,” Senka added. “Best to have someone actually find them than roll the dice on noticing there was a message.”

“Yeah, but Vivian’s on top of things,” John said, flashing the spirit his phone, where the redhead had sent a thumbs up picture.

“That’s our girl.” Senka grinned. “Probably had it in her hand from the start.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her,” Teri said with a smile.

The doors to the minor, possibly water themed, show opened not long after Vivian rejoined them. Beth had, as predicted, gone with Aeolia to the throwing range and Anita elected to join the others for Soundwave’s show.

“‘Sea Dragon’,” Lita read aloud as the staff began to unveil simple posters advertising the show.

“Fits the water theme,” Vivian remarked quietly, doing her best to keep any of the workers from catching on to their covertly gained knowledge. “Still not a lot to go on.”

“What was the vibe of the dance floor you guys went to?” Teri asked.

“It seemed like the sort of thing one thinks of when the words ‘club dance floor’ are said,” the redhead answered. “Music with a fast rhythm, everyone bumping into each other. Not really my idea of a good time while dancing, but Beth and Anita looked like they were having fun.”

“Hopefully this will be more to your liking,” Senka remarked. “Seems like there’ll be a bit more finesse to this if the poster is any indication.”

John glanced back at the poster. Beyond the name in a seagreen color near the top, a number of twisting streams of water flowed around it, all coming from a pool of water on the lower half. It did give the impression of there being something akin to those Chinese culture shows John saw commercials for every Chinese New Year.

“It d-does seem like there’s a bit more of an artistic flair,” Kiera noted. “A-and the people lining up seem a bit less, um, intense, compared to everyone going to the other side.”

John had to agree there. Most of the people heading for Soundwave’s show looked like they were ready to party, most wearing clothing of a more provocative bent, low cut tops, mini skirts, tight pants and shorts. The people joining them on the far side of the club were dressed a bit more conservatively, which meant slightly looser clothing overall. It was still a club in a society that had far looser morals than the mundane world and a lot more cultures intermixing.

When one could stand in line near a minotaur, cyclops and an elf with antlers growing from their head, one had to be a bit more open minded.

“What do you think the show’s going to be about, Lita?” Teri asked the cat girl.

“Um, I m-mean,” Lita sputtered, “I don’t know? Um, the name and the a-art makes me think that the water’s going to be moved around like dragons.”

“I can see that,” John remarked. “The coiling streams could be a sign of that. Don’t know how hydromancy could be a show on its own.”

“Probably has some musical accompaniment,” Vivian noted. “Making the water dance in time to that. I’m curious if this is going to be a standing show or if there’ll be seats?”

One of the workers nearby overheard them and offhandedly said, “It’s a sit down,” before hurrying off to continue his work.

“So something more about the show than jamming out to the music,” John remarked. “Good to know.”

“Looks like we’re likely to find out soon,” Senka said as doors to the hall were opened up. “The curtain’s about to rise.”

“How long have you been holding that one in?” Vivian asked as the modest crowd began to file in.

“Long enough.” Senka grinned back. Lita chuckled quietly at the banter.

The theater wasn’t all that large. A quick glance around gave John the impression that it could have fit only a few hundred people. The chamber was arrayed around a large semicircular stage, a curtain of some obscuring magic keeping what may have been on it unseen. With only a few dozen people so far filing in, they had their choice of seats.

“I really hope whoever’s performing doesn’t think the lack of people means there isn’t interest,” Kiera mumbled as they took a series of seats a few rows back from the front.

“Hard to say,” Vivian said. “It’s not like there was a lot of publicity about it. If I had to guess, this was a quickly put together show meant to handle the bleed off from people that couldn’t get into the other one. Whoever ‘Sea Dragon’ is has to know that.”

“Well, if it’s good, then word of mouth should bring in more for the next show,” John added. “I’m sure whoever it is has weighed all the factors.”

“Hopefully that is the case,” Teri said. “It seems like this could be their lucky break. Everyone around us seems a bit curious and I would hate for it to fall flat.”

“Um, how long until the show starts?” Lita asked.

“I can’t imagine long,” Teri answered, before she closed her eyes. John noticed her ears quivering slightly and he suspected she was sweeping the area for emotions relating to nervousness. “But I don’t think it will happen within the next few minutes.”

“Most of the time, the doors to a venue are opened at least thirty minutes before a show starts,” Vivian supplied. “Gives time for people cutting it close to show up and take their seats.”

“And then it’ll take a few minutes more because few people are on time,” Senka remarked dryly.

The time passed faster than John realized and the lights began to dim before he knew it. Teri stiffened for a moment before saying, "Definitely picking up nervousness now.”

“Guess it’s show time,” John muttered before he looked at the stage. “Break a leg.”

Music began low once the lights dropped to zero, a haunting string section in deep tones. The notes then climbed higher as a golden light began to shine on the stage, the black veil fading to reveal orbs of water hovering a few feet in the air.

Then, a melodious female voice began to sing in a language John didn’t know. It was a hauntingly beautiful sound, conveying the emotions of sorrow without the need for comprehension. The water bubbled as the singing grew louder, the smooth surface of the orbs rippling as the sound struck them.

Then, the orbs burst open, their contents flowing through the air over the stage like the tide, before they began to coil into two serpent-like shapes. As they took form, the water shimmered in time with the singing, texture and color forming on the water, turning the clear liquid into something that looked solid and draconic.

The serpent-like dragons flew over the stage, dancing to the song of the unseen ‘Sea Dragon’. The two dragons swept over the center of the stage, coiling in a helix pattern climbing to nearly touch the ceiling before they lost cohesion, color and texture, raining down like a curtain falling before crashing a half foot above the stage’s surface, flowing out and parting, revealing the star of the show.

Sea Dragon as she was advertised was a young woman, with flowing silver hair styled into twintails with teal tips. She wore a hot pink corset-like top with gold accents and tight black leather pants with strikingly white boots. The upper half of her face was covered in an ornate teal mask themed to an eastern dragon, with gold swirls and horns.

She continued to sing, her arms stretched out in a wide Y shape, and the water began to spin around her, twisting streams lightly caressing her bare arms. In their wake, green scales bloomed on her skin before the water rushed out to the sides and up above, melding back into twin Chinese dragons, complete with colors matching Sea Dragon’s: green, teal, pink, silver and gold.

In time with the flying dragons above, Sea Dragon danced as she sang. John didn’t know much about pop music, but he figured it was what modern artists did. As he watched, something began to gnaw at him. A sense of vague familiarity began to plague his mind as he watched her perform. But every time he got close, the thought slipped away, like sand through his fingers.

‘I’m having the same feeling,’ Senka confided. ‘I feel like we know her, but trying to put a name to the face makes us forget.’

‘Some kind of anonymity spell?’ John wondered. ‘How strong and thorough could it be?’

‘Do you want to break it?’ Senka asked.

‘It’ll bug me if we don’t,’ he answered honestly. Even before the increases to his Intelligence, he would have wanted to puzzle it out. And with them, he was sure he could puzzle it out.

‘Senka, try not to think about who she is,’ John thought. ‘I want to see if you’re affected by whatever magic this is when it hits me.’

‘Sure, I’ll watch you be the guinea pig,’ she tittered.

With Senka watching his metaphysical back, John began to think. He knew directly trying to place her features would blank his mind, so he tried to identify her in a round about way. Did he know anyone who could sing…

‘John, you okay?’ Senka’s voice cut into his thoughts and John shook his head. ‘You went a bit fuzzy.’

‘Must have been following a good lead,’ he responded. ‘Can’t remember what I was thinking about though.’

‘It seems like it’s folly to keep trying,’ Senka remarked. ‘Just sit back and enjoy the show.’

‘I guess I can think about it later,’ John relented. ‘And we can see if this brain block is something permanent or limited to proximity.’

He relaxed in his seat and went back to focusing on the show, mainly on the dragons. Her dancing was enticing, but he was a bit more focused on the display of magic. One dragon rose up towards the ceiling, coiling into a disk shape, while its twin flew around their summoner. In time with a sudden frenetic shift in the speed of Sea Dragon’s singing and the instrumental accompaniment, that dragon shot up and crashed into the other.

The coiled dragon fractured into rain, falling with dramatic slowness. The whole display reminded John of how they escaped Detreye’s sewers…

Realization hit John like a hammer and whatever magic Barbara was using to hide her identity was unable to prevent him from connecting the dots. Her hairstyle, general figure, the sound of her voice, even with only a small sample size he had of that, sound based magic, it all fell into place. The color to her hair and the scales were new, but given how standoffish she was, he doubted she would have shown them that if it was something she could have a few weeks ago.

And given how attached she was to Aria, the rest of Argent Echo had to be around.

‘Not how I expected to have a reunion with them.’