Murdersphere Mosaic [ManXMan] [BoyXBoy]

Chapter 4 Part 2 "Sing Out Louise!"

Klesean sits down across from me. "I thought he was running a scam, but you are really freshly culled." She laughs. "Rikkard's crazier than I thought. Of course, that's why he's Lotus' Grand Programmer."

Klesean steadies herself, thoughts lining up. "We only have a few days to get you ready. It may not be enough time to get you up to speed."

"Well, lets start with what I should not say." I reply. "I may be able to vamp around my inexperience, unless you can find some way to distract the Audience."

She looks at me, and says. "Actually, I think I have an idea. Would you feel slighted if you went last?"

I shake my head. "No. Is it something I should be insulted about?"

Klesean shrugs. "Some Talent demand, and in come cases, rightfully, that their contributions be recognized before those they consider less deserving. I just wanted to make sure. Well, I will order lunch and snacks and some displays. We have a lot of work to do."

Over the next four days, I am given crash courses in game show etiquette. We spend a lot of time on forbidden topics; namely any pre-culling past knowledge I've retained, including music unless the music in question exists on a show. I give her a list of songs I remember liking, and after a day or so, a smaller list is returned to me of the songs that are present here, and what Talents they are credited to.

I am also sent for image reconstruction. But, to their consternation, they cannot perform any plastic surgery. They have to settle for trimming my hair and eyebrows and trying out different cosmetic palettes.

To mollify them, Klesean lets them perform comical cleaning sketches: flamethrowers, breaking blades on my skin, and general comedy about my jack-johnson.

"It will be good humor footage to splice into your introduction." She says and brightens. "See, that's another definition of 'splice'."

"You still haven't told me what a thunderslug is." I reply.

"You don't need to know." Klesan says. "It will just get in the way of your immersion."

"So... what is the verdict for my image?" I ask.

"It has gotten out that you are going to Imagineering Consolidated." She begins. "So, the staff decided to obscure your actual appearance as much as possible: contacts, lots of make up, stylishly over-the-top wig."

I raise my eyebrows.

At the expression she says. "Imagineering would actually prefer you did not do the show."

"Well, what was said?" I reply.

"Do you not want to do the award show?" She asked. I could not quite identify her tone, but her thoughts were confused.

"What is the advantage in doing it?" I reply. "Are there contractual obligations binding me to it?"

"No contractual obligations." She replies.

"And, will it earn me any gifts?" I continue. "I had a few shining moments, and how would that compare to getting on Imagineering's good side?"

"You, are a coward." She replies.

"If no one is supposed to recognize me, but you're going to use footage that fully exposes my face, then the entire circus is going to be a teeth-achingly pointless exercise!" I snap. "Tell the Audience I already found a project and am getting prepared. Its not like I even have a fanbase to disappoint."

"We released your scene with Titus." She says flatly. "We blurred his face, but that was all."

"You realize that just proves my point even more." I say. "Unless you're going to make my show frock some like..." It takes me a few moments to wrack my brain to string together the connections. "There I remember. Unless you're going to do something bizarre and artistic like Leigh Bowery, then it's just shuck'n and jiv'n, which will decreases the acceptance of the product all around. I know it makes me less receptive to see a performer go all twee and plastic.