Twisted Wonderland Book 5: A Beauitful Tyrant

Chapter 50: The Big Audition

After the meeting, Briar and the others are at the vendors outside of the Coliseum. There are many different vendors and stalls full of food, drinks, and all kinds of souvenirs.

Grim looks around in excitement, "Ooh, ooh! Grim! Look at all these food stalls!"

"Normally I would complain about you when it comes to food, but yeah. I could go for a snack myself," Jasper says.

"Look Briar, there are souvenirs and they have Vil and Negie's pictures on it," Sereia says.

"You're right. Those two are famous celebrities," Briar says.

Then says, "Still, how about we go see the Purple Stage instead? Since Tanzanite and I are managers, and I'll be performing there with the others, I like to see what the stage is like

Grim however, replies, "Booo! Why ya gotta start carin' about bein' a manager NOW, of all times?"

"Briar is also performing in the show too. Besides, I wanna see the stage," Sereia says.

"I'm curious to see what the stage is like," Tanzanite says.

Suddenly, Grim begins to explore around the vendors, "They got funnel cakes! Hot dogs! Corn dogs! You name it, they fry it and serve it!"

With that, Grim dashes off to check out the food.

"Grim!" Sereia calls out.

"Boy is he helpless," Briar says.

"We can go check out the stage and then we'll get something to eat," Jasper says.

Sometime later, the group arrived at the special stage, known as the Purple Stage. They see a larger screen with Night Raven College students working on the stage and other essentials.

Grim is amazed, "Whoa! It's the same ol' coliseum, but with a big stage set up."

"That's a lot of students working on the stage," Jasper says.

Suddenly, they hear Ruggie's voice, "Keep going, keep going... Stop! Okay, Jack, put the pole down right there."

"Got it," Jack answers, and casts his magic, "Precision control with levitation magic sure isn't easy."

Just then, Leona says, Hey, I told you to put colored labels on the affiliate seats! Get it done."

"Yessir! Sorry, sir!" Three Night Raven College students answer.

Grim notices, "Ain't that the Savanaclaw crew over there?"

"You're right. It's Jack, Ruggie, and Leona," Briar says.

Then Grim calls out, " Heyyy!"

Ruggie turns to see Briar and the others walking towards them, "Well, if it isn't the Ramshackle cubs. Here to chip in with setup? Shyee hee hee." as he lets out a snicker.

"I thought you guys were managers for Ace and Deuce's group," Jack says.

"They're doin' their last big SDC push now, so they kicked us out before we could get underfoot," Grim answers.

"Not entirely true," Briar says.

"Well, Vil wants Briar to be back later for a costume change and session before the rehearsal too," Sereia says.

Then Grim asks, "So, did you guys put this whole stage together?"

"Yeah. The arts clubs had to do all the maintenance and management work during the Spelldrive tournament," Leona says, "So now we're trading off. The sports clubs get all the grunt work this time around."

Then Jack says, "The Track Club and Spelldrive Club are in charge of constructing the Purple Stage."

"I didn't know it was student-built. Don't you normally hire construction companies for that...?" Briar replies.

Then Ruggie explains, It's a big event, but the culture fair is still a school function. Some parts we do leave to professionals, but these things are meant to be put together by students. You can think of it as...hands-on learning."

Suddenly, Riddle walks over and says, "Chatting on the clock? You must be quite confident in your progress setting up. I trust work is proceeding on schedule?

Jack quickly turns to see Riddle and Trey, "R-Riddle, sir! Hello, sir."

"Well, well. A visit from the management committee chairman himself. Surprised you'd deign to roll around in the dirt with us peons," Leona says.

"We know how hard you've been working all morning. Here—have some warm drinks, courtesy of the committee," Trey says.

Then Ruggie says, "Ooh, you couldn't have timed that any better! Doing all this setup outdoors has me freezing from my head to the tip of my tail. I'll gladly take you up on that offer!

Riddle turns to Leona and asks, "Leona, how goes the construction?"

"Right on schedule with nothing to report, as you can see," Leona answers, "We'll run through some basic lighting and sound checks, then we'll be standing by for the noon rehearsal."

"Excellent," Riddle says. "The Purple Stage will be where the Song & Dance Championship takes place. The whole world will be watching it. I want a full final check with a thorough eye for detail. The safety of every entrant is paramount."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," Leona says, sounding annoyed.

"For sure! We're gettin' easy marks—uh, I mean, guests from all over the world," Ruggie says with a grin on his face

"You're one to speak of trouble. Hmph..." Riddle says with a scoff.

Then Jack says, "I'm being very careful to make sure no backstage slip-ups cause any other problems.

"Glad to hear it. I'm counting on you. That takes care of the last leg of our three-stage tour, right, Riddle?" Trey says.

"Yes. All that's left is to check on the exhibit booths and break rooms," Riddle says, "The festival will open to the general public at 11 a.m. I'll have to be on constant lookout for fights and rule violations."

Riddle turns to Briar and says, "Briar. We're going to take a walk around the campus. If you're curious about the exhibits, you and the others are welcome to join us."

"I'd be happy to," Briar says with a smile.

"Then I'll let the rest of you get back to work," Riddle says to Jack and the others

"Yessir!" Jack answers.

Then turns to Briar and the others, "Briar, see you and the others around. Epel gave me a ticket to the SDC, so I'll be there today. Tell him he'd better not embarrass himself in front of me.

"Sure. Can do," Grim says.