They're all...really looking at me... (Karaoke | Afternoon)

[Paying 3000 VC | +5 Courage]
[Consuming energy drink for extra afternoon slot]

outfit:

She'd bought a dress and some other accessories - one of her first times buying clothing for herself just to do it. She'd sent Cecil a text message that she'd be performing tonight. Hopefully he'd get it and he would show up to watch her as she likely embarrassed herself in front of all of these people. Thankfully, Nadia wasn't the only one who decided to wear something special tonight. Apparently that was something women did when they came here, or other bars too, probably, though Nadia had never been to one. In truth, the main area was overwhelming. She'd already had a few men offer her strange drinks, only to be batted away by any women nearby that happened to overhear. It was a little sad, because Nadia really did want to try the strange drink. Alcohol. She probably wasn't supposed to - well, she knew she wasn't supposed to. But there were lots of people around. No one would notice or care if she tried it right?

One of the women who had shooed off them men who'd offered her drinks had a glass of something light brown in front of her. Nadia eyed it curiously, and when the woman moved off to do Karaoke with one of her friends, she picked up the drink and took a much larger sip than she ought to have.

It burned going down, and made Nadia's head swim. It was a strangely exciting feeling, and she found herself taking another sip before the lady came back. The red-headed woman rose an eyebrow at Nadia, who gingerly set the drink back down with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I-I'll pay for it." Nadia offered.

The look on the woman's face was somewhere between scolding and amusement. "At least it was my drink, and not one of the ones those guys were offering you. Tell you what, you can finish that one, but I'm not giving you any more."

"Really? Thank you..." Nadia smiled, picking up the glass and sipping from it again as she headed toward the stairs for the stage. It was almost her turn.

This drink was magical. She could feel the edges of her nervousness soften, leaving only the excitement. There were only a few sips left in the glass when she set it down somewhere. She...wasn't really sure where she left it though. In any case, it was time to head up and do her song.

The view from the stage threatened to bring a twinge of her fear back. But as she always tried to, she pushed through it, forcing a smile onto her face. It was easier than she thought. Most people were going about their business - eating their snacks and drinking their drinks. With drinks like that who would want to pay attention to a tiny teen on a stage anyway?

There was a screen with the lyrics on it set up, but Nadia knew this song by heart. As the music started, eyes started gravitating toward the stage. The fuzziness in her stomach turned to fire, but she closed her eyes anyway, gripped the microphone, and started to sing.
Her voice was soft at first, and she was startled by the suddenness of her own voice coming from the speakers. It threatened to shut her down and send her fleeing off the stage in embarrassment. But people were watching her. They were looking at her, only seeing her. Now....she felt like she had to deliver something.

So she started tapping her feet a little bit, moving, little by little, with the music. It wasn't a dance, but just...using the stage. Moving around meeting eye contact with different people in the audience. Cecil was here. She wasn't sure when he'd arrived, but he was here. She saw him, and locked eyes with him right about the time she sang the line "I think I thought I saw you try."

She kept singing, and kept moving, and it began to feel much more natural. Like how it had felt when she was singing with Cecil in their little box. After all, these people were just like them. They weren't scary or judgemental, just people having a good time like she was. When she thought of it like that, she could allow herself to get more into it, even shaking her hips a little as the music picked up.

The audience got more and more involved as she sang too. By the time the song died down, They were All looking at her. all of them. In the silence that followed, she felt profoundly alive. It was like that feeling she felt when Cecil looked at her, the feeling of existing in a place that matters, only much bigger. It threatened to break through her chest. As the sounds of clapping echoed through the room, she bowed slightly, blushing and smiling more than she could take. "T-Thank you!"

No need for grade, but be sure to link accordingly to compendium.