Twisted Wonderland

Audition Competing

"Myah, I'm starvin'!" Grim complains as you walk into the cafeteria. "It feels like we gotta wait YEARS for lunchtime to roll around on days with morning P.E."

Ace rolls his eyes. "What's P.E. got to do with anything? You're always hungry."

By the bulletin board, many students gather around.

"Huh. There's a crowd gathering near that wall. Let's see." Deuce leads your group through the crowd and spots a large poster. "Song & Dance Championship... Now accepting auditions. Oh, that's the music showcase event at the culture fair."

"I see it on TV every year. Never knew the competitors on there had to audition, though." Ace reads the poster. "Dancers! Singers! Come one, come all! This is your shot at the big time! Outshine the rest and be a star! If the team representing your school makes it to the final round... Each member will receive a share of the fifty thousand thaumark prize."

Everyone's eyes widen. "Fifty thousand?"

"That's right!"

Jumping, you whirl around and see the Headmage behind you. "Isn't it just a fabulous prize?"

You place a hand to your racing heart. "Geez. You scared me."

Act rolls his eyes. "I know it's a running gag at this point, but could you PLEASE stop popping up out of nowhere, headmage?"

"Oh, I beg your pardon." Crowley puts a hand to his chest. "I never meant to frighten you."

Uh huh. Sure.

Crowley continues. "There's a reason this Song & Dance Championship has such a tantalizing pot up for grabs. There are a number of businesses sponsoring it, you see. SDC is nothing like the Pop Music Club contests you're used to."

The Headmage waves a hand. "The finalists get swamped with offers from all manner of entertainment agencies and labels. It's entirely possible to rocket from obscurity to the ranks of the top artists in the land. This isn't merely a matter of school pride, it's a high-stakes music battle with the entrants' future success or failure riding on the outcome. And if we want to attract more elites, we need a sufficiently enticing prize."

"Ah, I get you." Ace nods. "If the sponsors can net a star that lets them basically print money... Fifty thousand thaumarks is a small price to pay."

"With fifty grand, I could load up on fancy three-thaumark canned tuna!" Grim throws his paws in the air.

"Hold on. It says that the prize is split amongst the team." Deuce holds up his fingers as he counts. "So if there was a four-member group, each member would get, uhhh... fifty divided by four... Ten... Thirteen..."

"It'd be 12,500 thaumarks." Ace finishes for him. "Which would net you over four thousand cans of premium tuna."

"Daaang! Four thousand!" Grim pats his paw against your leg. "Ooh, ooh! Y/N!I want in on this competition!"

"Can you even eat four thousand cans?" You ask.

Ace scoffs. "This is Grim we're talking about here."

"Some schools select representatives from their Choral and Pop Music Clubs." Crowley explains. "But here at Night Raven College, we scout talent from the entire student body via audition."

Deuce grins. "So you gotta duke it out and claw your way to the top!"

"Of course, the most serious students have been preparing or this since last year..." Crowley adds. "But as I see it, everyone always has the right to dream of stardom. Well? What do you think? Aren't I so very kind? Anyone has the right to audition, as long as they are currently enrolled here. I, for one, simply cannot wait to see who will represent us this year!"

You watch as Crowley walks away. "Man, that guy needs a bell."

Ace looks back to the poster. "The audition song is 'Piece of My World.' To apply, contact Rook Hunt in Class 3-A." Ace grins. "This sounds rad, actually! I figured we sports clubs would be stuck doing all the heavy lifting behind the scenes, but I guess not! You guys wanna give this a whirl? If we make it in, we'll be excused from all the back-breaking work of putting the venue together. Sounds like a win-win to me."

Deuce brings a hand to his chin. "If we won, the extra income would make a HUGE difference in my family's quality of life... But hold on. I'm decent at athletics, but I've never danced or sung before."

"Piece of My World was a crazy popular song last year." Ace waves him off. "There're tons of Magicam tutorial videos that go over how to do the dance moves and stuff. If the moves are simple enough, we could get those down pat in no time."

"Myah!" Grim looks to you. "You've been browsin' Magicam a lot ever since you went in that phone date with Cater! Okay, I'm gonna practice for my audition!"

You bring a hand to stifle your giggles. "Your dancing will definitely catch interest, one way or another."

Deuce shakes his head. "Count me out. I don't think I'd pass the screening even if I tried."

"Aw, you're no fun." Ace complains.

"For one thing, I don't think it's appropriate to audition on a lark when you're not serious about gunning for the top spot." Deuce folds his arms.

Ace rolls his eyes. "It's just an audition. You don't have to take it so seriously."

Deuce chuckles. "For another thing, you guys will need a shoulder to cry on when you completely bomb it."

"Nice burn." You laugh.

Deuce smiles to you. "Why thank you."

"Hey, don't act like that's a given!" Ace replies indignantly. "I'll pass, just you watch!"

"Yeah!" Grim agrees. "That prize money and the ensuing tuna are as good as mine!"

"Sure, whatever you say." Deuce's eyes widen slightly when he notices the time. "Oh, we have Potionology next period, right? I'm on class duty today. I need to go get the lab and equipment prepped soon. I don't have time to stand around chatting. Let's go ahead and order our lunch."

Grim nods. "I second that! I'm still hungry over here!"