Blankish Slates | Moonfall Vol. II

The Invitation

The unplanned hiatus is over! Basically, it was a combination of writer's block + low motivation, but I powered through. I also wrote a good chunk of the next two chapters already, so it's not like no work was done on the story.

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Buster clapped his hands together. "Great job everybody! Let's take a break. You earned it!"

Backstage at the Crystal Tower Theater filled with the chatter of relieved cast members. Before anyone could scatter, Buster pierced the area with a sharp whistle. Ms. Crawly rolled in a cart filled with sticky buns, cinnamon buns, donuts, and other baked goods glazed in cinnamon and sugar. The old lizard yelped as she was nearly mobbed by the hungry crowd.

"We've got a special treat for you today," Buster said, watching the cart get ransacked.

"I think my teeth are melting," Ash moaned after biting a cinnamon bun. "But it's so worth it." Nooshy followed her lead.

"Sweet, Moon-man!" The lynx swayed with an improvised dance as the sinfully sweet treat played at her taste buds. "You sprung for the good stuff! What's the occasion?"

"I just wanted to show my appreciation to everyone here considering the circumstances," Buster said, grabbing a sticky bun for himself before they were all gone. "Out of This World is on hiatus until we recast Porsha's role, but it warms my heart seeing you all stay so dedicated despite the uncertainty."

"Speaking of, where is Porsh?" Nooshy threw a few looks around as she finished off her cinnamon bun. "Ain't she supposed to be your intern? She's been scarce the past two days."

"About that... she's been dealing with her dad lately."

"Sounds like a full-time job in and of itself," Ash said.

Buster's chest buzzed. He grabbed his phone from within his suit jacket and read the message he just received from Porsha. The text said she'd just arrived with her dad and they were coming through the theater's hotel entrance.

"Good news," he announced. "She'll be here very shortly."

Buster hoped everyone was too busy gorging themselves on sweets to notice his nervous smile or how he shifted the anxious energy in his body from one heel to the other. His brain went into overdrive conjuring up a plan, a scheme, anything to deal with the potential disaster incoming. His answer came in the form of Darius. The yak barely finished cleaning the remains of the cinnamon bun with a moist towelette when Buster grabbed his wrist, pulled him aside, and uttered a sentence he never thought would leave his lips.

"Darius! I really need you right now."

Darius's surprise shifted into a conceited grin with the flick of his hair. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I do know I can pull off that alien costume and fill Porsha's role in—"

"What? No, that's not what I'm talking about! Porsha's on her way with her dad and they'll be here any minute."

"But... could have been me?"

"It couldn't. Sorry." Buster gave him a reassuring pat on the leg.

The yak's lips quivered in disappointment for a second before he said, "Wait, you said her dad? Jimmy Crystal is coming here?"

"I was thinking... when he gets back on his feet, he'll want to make a big splash in the entertainment world." Buster scurried out to the front stage and beckoned Darius to follow. "He'll need someone to headline his next big thing. Think about it, this could be your big opportunity."

Darius followed along as the koala waved his hand out over the empty theater seating, his imagination filling in the crowds, the cheers, the lights. His big breakout as the star of Crystal's comeback show.