(Plot) The Audition

"Thank you, it seems the districts have big plans in motion this year doesn't it?! and now the last of the District leaders" the announcer called out as the light came back to them "And now the Leaders of the EDM District Everyone please lets make some noise for the BRACE 5!!..."







As she announced their names the members rolled into the light on Rollerblade styled Treads on their feet, skidding to a stop and ether waving or in the case of Anya giving a little curtsy. and Commander Brakket came in on a large Mobile Stage that hovered in and he gave a salute which all the other members gave the crowd as well before he started to talk.

"HELLOOOOO SEMIBREVE!!!!! And welcome to the Audition! Where we can find new talent to help the growing city, and come together once more to enjoy the company of the other districts! We have a few updates for your Power producing EDM district!" he said before pointing to one of the members of the Brace 5

Anya rolled forward on her Treads and gave a curtsy "We have already started construction and refurbishment on several new Hab complexes, to house those in our growing District, of course they will be made available with all needed amenities as well, construction and furnishing should be done in two weeks time. she then gave a salute and rolled back into place.

Brakket then pointed to another member of the 5 seeming to be swaying to a music only he could hear, or more likely a music that was being filtered out so everyone could hear the announcements and some of the Brace 5 seemed to be swaying to it as well.

Marie easily the largest one there, rolled forward and waved shyly "Umm.. we also have several new care facilities opening up, as requested by the people of the district to make it easier to get care if required, as well as new doctors and nurses to work in such places, all the needed equipment has already been acquired from our friends from the Classical district, and those care facilities will be up and running in a weeks time...t...thank you" she then rolled back into line.

once more Brakket pointed to another member as the lights on his body starts to pulse to the filtered out music, at the same time a notification came up on the screen for those watching outside that read "The music being played by Commander Brakket has been filtered out so viewers may hear the announcements, the unfiltered music itself will be available for free at the Waddle-deepot's scatted around this event"

this time Viviann rolled forward and gave a sharp salute before speaking "There have been more incidents at the Norther Border, I will not sugar coat it, demon numbers have been increasing, however they are nowhere near levels that even come close to threatening the defenses in place, The Pacekeepers are still easily able to hold the line and in fact we have managed to expand the Northern Barrier to take more unused land we are in the process of extending the defense network to encompass the new area before we begin development, A steady advance is needed to ensure the safety and integrity of our currently standing defenses" she then saluted once more and rolled back into line.

Brekket seemed to be working the mobile stage controls likely messing with the sound balance and mix as he pointed to another member of the group. a wide shot showed that the people inside the arena where clearly Enjoying the music being used however.

Herriette rolled up next and saluted before she started to speak "Interior security has improved, as we have gained a great deal of medical and basic security personnel, other services are also being bolstered by new members, and social order is maintaining stable levels, Our Constantly growing District is handling the increased population quite well and more projects are planned for further renovation of damaged structures still in our zone for conversion into usable buildings or to be demolished in a controlled manner to make why for new more secure structures" with that she nodded and rolled back into place.

The colors on Brakket then started to pulse faster, though one would notice the colors seemed to change depending on which member was talking, apparently he was likely also changing the music to match them? He then pointed to the last member.

Isabelle Rolled forward and placed her large cannon down resting it like a walking staff and gave a salute,a kind motherly smile on her face "We have been increasing in overall population with over a thousand new people being added to our population in this past quarter alone, and with the added infrastructure that will be in place soon we hope to have even more become part of our happy family" with that she rolled back into place.

Finally Brakket spoke up "And finally We have more power plants coming to life in the next week, fully staffed and producing power, ready to fill all the power cells the City needs.. Hey hey hey.. Classical.. Metal.. you may need to step up production with the rate we are going.. we got four count 'em FOUR new powerplants coming on line this week and we have more being refurbished as we speak! on top of a few factories we found in the district, soon enough we might be able to start our own small manufacturing.. that means more jobs and more people, which means perhaps even more helping hands on the border to take back even more Untouched land or even.. that's right everyone Maybe even move further into the ruins of the city in the north!"

The announcements of the Brace 5 and their manager seemed to cause reactions from the other district heads, even if they were not in the full spotlight they could be seen, some muttering among each other, or looking outright stunned by the progress, especially Octavia seemingly both astonished and perhaps angered? and one of the members of Heavy Marcato, The elder Swiff giving the Brace 5 a thumbs up while his bandmates seemed to be arguing over something.

The Brace 5 and their Manager all gave a salute and slowly rolled out of the spotlight.

The announcer back in the light looked quite astonished as well at the massive news drop from the EDM district but seemed to collect her self enough to realize she was up once more "Umm.. oh... uh... Th..thank you Brace 5! everyone it seems the EDM District is taking some Great strides forward doesn't it?!" she said clearly trying to get the same level of energy back.

"And last but not least, the head of the Central District, and the leader of Tempo!!!!" she called as a woman slowly walked into the spot light.


The Woman only had a light smile on her face and gave the smallest of waves "Greetings members of the city, to pacekeepers and civilians, to Emergency workers and the great producers who have some to trade their wares on this wonderful day" he voice was clear but business like as she spoke, practiced, paced, and even.

"Today is another Audition, and we hope to find many more people who may join the ranks of Tempo as Pacekeepers. To help protect the city and all those living in it regardless of district, I hope to see many people audition, and by the roster we have I have no doubt that we will find many willing to take on the task if they are found to have the talent, and it pleases me to see returning names to the roster, it is always good to see those not giving up on their determination to help the city and it's people, to those new welcome we hope for good things from you but do not fret if you do not get chosen, it does not mean you have no talent, it simply means you must work on that talent to mature it, and make it stronger." she stopped a moment to let those words sink in.

"Those returning they can tell you that you are never barred from trying again, and in fact we ENCOURAGE you to try again even if you fail. To those returning, welcome back, We hope for great things from you, but if you should fail once more we hope you will continue to improve yourselves and come back next year, so we may see your growth, and may watch your talent grow till you are selected" She nodded as the crowed cheered and waited for it to die down a bit before continuing.

"We have had a good year here in Central, and by the sounds of the news from the districts things are improving across the city, that means improvements for all of you, and that means increased prosperity for all citizens of the city regardless of their district..."

"Central has remained stable, as the starting point of the city we are the main hub that connects us all, we hold this task sacred, the major pacekeepers training base and barracks are located here as well as many of the backup systems should any of the districts require them, and so we have worked to improve those systems, the back up power supplies and food stores have been expanded, their capacities more then doubled, the barracks and training ground as well have seen renovations and updatings to better respond and deal with new demons that have appeared at times, We have even created a new transport for our Pacekeepers should the need arise to rapidly move large numbers of them to any given location or district, we have continued to work on improving the safety and support that we provide to the other districts, and we have started to restructure new buildings on the outskirts of central to house and serve the people of the district"

She then gave a bow and stood back up with that business smile on her face "Now then We will take a bit of time to set up the stage for the auditions, take your time to enjoy the musical performances till the auditions start, for those of you who have signed up for having an audition, we will call you when you need to start getting ready, so expect a runner to approach you so we don't have to interrupt the ongoing performances" she smiled as she and the other district leaders stepped off stage and a band started to set up for their set.

Their discussion took a tur- No not a turn. A nosedive into the awkward territory. Tommy would not drop the subject of the Anti Shadow Weapons. And while Cherry did want to step in and defend both Helvetica along with the ASSW's. It was not fair to keep them from singing. And yet, at the same time, she could not really find herself being able to fully argue with him. He did raise a good point, after all she, Sena, Shouhei and everybody else here probably worked hard all of their life in order to become a pacekeeper. It was just like how some people got born here without doing anything and people on the outside, people like HER, had to steal, damn others to their death, and struggle tooth and tail to be allowed in. THAT wasn't fair. ASSW's just dowloading this skills was not fair but neither was keeping them from entering, they were people too, Cherry was sure of that. What could she say here? She did not agree with Tommy but........ At the same time...... She did agree with some of it. So instead of commenting on it. Cherry just kept silent. A slightly somber look on her face.

Even the advice that Tommy and Sena gave was met by a tiny nod of her head. Her mind still elsewere. Lance finally actually talking to her did put a small smile on her face though. "Heh. Your french could use a little work. But it's nice to see you here." She greeted. Lightly waving at him before once again Cherry listened to the leaders of the city. Her eyebrow raising as each of the women seemed to be wearing a more skimpy outfit then the other, which was odd, seeing as the first two were very well dressed. Was the arena hot or something? Humming softly, the only real reaction frim the teenager being soft tapping on the ground along with the beat and a soft scwol when they brought up more demons cropping up. Hopefully from this day foward she'd be able to fix this. At the very least, the city is still growing.

Once all the leaders made their statements, Cherry looked back at the group. "Well then, I guess it is almost time for the fun to begin, no?"

"People like me? How quaint. Almost sounded disappointed even...." Finishing his coffee and food, Tommy put them in the garbage and wiped his mouth, paying attention to the final bits of the presentation. The EDM district leaders showed up, as well as a few news. "The northern border is a hot topic, some people state that they are downplaying the current events there. You would think that the demon issue would be a thing of the past with how much we advanced, but it's as natural as the animal kingdom I bet. People should have the right to feel safe, pop culture is actually what takes our mind off of this. " More or less the powerplant being created was good news. "More powerplants means more jobs. It won't be a low-skill endeavor, but anyone being able to contribute to the longevity of the city by managing them is just as important as the artists here as well. " Finally what caught Tommy's attention was the small speech of encouragement from Nota Staff. He said nothing about that bit, but he did look to Cherry and the others.

"As she said, even if you fail today, this isn't the end. Don't give up, and show them what you are made of. "

After a few Minutes of acts performing on the main stage, and people milling about the Auditions started, some people got up and did their performances, some were very well received others, while they clearly lacked skill and practice they were encouraged to seek out that training and to do the practice and to return next year, There were some Harsh criticisms mostly from Octavia, but they were all valid, and she still encouraged people to do better. But as the day continued and the acts moved on the Festival continued around the group.

During this time The Waddle-doo food cart had started to get busy as people seemed to call it over and the small round spirits would pack up and move the little eatery over to where the largest groups were, until they eventually passed out of view of the group.

Eventually a Group of Waddle-dees waddled over with a Waddle-doo in the lead, all of them wearing hats and the Waddle-dee carrying tall flags so they wouldn't be missed in the crowd, Walking over to the group the Waddle-doo looked at a clipboard "Umm... I believe some of you are needed in the backstage area to prepare for your auditions" the little spirit said as it looked back to the group "We will guide you. please follow us" it said as he turned with the Waddle-dee and they started a steady pace hoping the group would follow.

The walk to the back stage was rather easy, the Waddle-dee and their flags able to part the crowds and guide the group, it also gave them a good look at the Grand hall that was used for the event, the inside was well ordered and though packed with people even in the halls, it was designed to hold so many people at once, movement even through a crowd inside the building was easy thanks to the large hallways and there being several easy paths, though if one didn't really know where things went it could be thought of as Labyrinthian, though helpful maps where placed on the walls every now and again making sure that someone couldn't get easily lost in the massive structure.

At last the escort group of Waddle-dees lead the group to the large backstage area, where they had rooms available and the Waddle-doo lead them to a room and gestured to it "Due to the amount of people participating in the Event we are unfortunately at the point where we have to ask you to share a staging room, but don't worry each staging room has several smaller changing rooms in it for privacy, this also means if you want anything like refreshments or the like before your turn We are able to provide it by sending it to the Staging room, please take your time to relax and change into any stage outfit you brought before the Inevitable event of standing in front of not only a great number of people from all over the City but the leaders of the districts themselves" The Waddle-doo said helpfully.

"If you want anything just tell Lucky!" the Waddle-doo finished as he opened the door for them by being lifted up by a group of Waddle-dee so he could reach the handle, inside sitting on a little seat in the corner was a Blue Waddle-dee with a golden star on him which singled it out as a special Waddle-dee, and it gave a friendly wave. "Please wait in here till you are called" the Waddle-doo added as the group of Waddle-dee left with it leaving the group with only Lucky with them in the room.

The room itself was well furnished, plush comfortable chairs and sofas, even futons to rest on if one needed to, some small games such as cards or board games to pass the time waiting if one wished, and a few things like mics and amps if one wanted to get some last minute practice in, and a large T.V. to allow them to continue to watch the Currently ongoing auditions. and of course Lucky the Waddle-dee happily sitting in the corner on a little seat made just for him.[/color]

"Animals aren't nearly as bad as demons." She could grasp what he was going for, hell on some level Cherry agreed with the man. But even comparing those things to animals rubbed her in a bad way. That was insulting to the whole animal kingdom! Those flithy creatures should not be compared to anything other then toxic waste, a thorn in the side of humanity and something to be taken out. But no matter. She would get the chance to unleash her anger in due time. I won't fail." Was her reply. Sheer confidence backed up her statement as she awaited her turn. Despite her words, she was a little nervous, even more so as she heard the harsher words from some of the judges. But she could not let it show. She had to take home the gold!

The walk there was mostly silent on her part. The doo's statement made her eyebrow twitch. That little prick was trying to throw them off their game wasn't it? Trying to get them nervous? Well, it was working but she would not give up so easy! Seeing as she had no costume to change into she took a seat and crossed her legs together, sighing softly as she took a deck of cards and grinning slightly upon seeing what it was. "Anybody wanna play go fish~?"

"Forgive me if it looks like I'm not taking it seriously. I'm here on a whim, being backstage like this as a performer can grant me access to something a little more exclusive as a reporter. You impress the right people and then you get to have conversations with individuals who would otherwise not have time for you. " He just wanted to give the others a disclaimer while they were in the room, a lot of things can be seen as a segway into something bigger. "Plus, we all have our different talents, each of our performances will be entirely different with us showcasing different things. I for one, am glad that I can share a room with future talent, I like enjoying things like this first hand. "

Sitting down on a nearby cushy chair near the table that Cherry was, Tommy would nod in response to the game invitation. "Sure, it would be a good game to calm the nerves. Who do you think is going to go first?"