ic Teenage Dream [OPEN]

[Thevshi]

Riverside

Freedom City, New Jersey

Friday March 15, 2024. 9:20 PM

 

Located in Riverside, Midnight Hour was Freedom City's only underage nightclub. As such, it was often a popular spot for high school students and younger college students unable to get into twenty-one and over establishments. Tonight, the club was particularly crowded for the live performance of the band Multiplicity, which had an ever growing social media presence in the last two months. Tickets for the venue had been sold out for weeks, and the club was packed to capacity with people.

 

In the crowd were several students from Claremont Academy, as the lead singer, Bernadette O'Connell, was a senior at the school (and the other members of the band were alumni of the school as well). The Irish teen had provided free tickets for any of her fellow students that had wanted to attend.

 

Backstage, Bernadette was waiting with the other members of her band for the start of their set. The Irish teen was wearing a red and black plaid skirt, a white dress shirt with a red tie, over which she wore a black leather jacket. Two of the redhead’s duplicates stood a short distance away, both wearing jeans and long sleeve T-shirts, one had on a brunette wig, the other a blonde wig, which, together with the shadows toward the back of the stage would help conceal that the backup singers looked very similar to the lead singer.

 

Standing nearby was the lead guitarist, Summer Sands, who was dressed in black jeans and long sleeve T-shirt. As was often the case, Summer was focused on last minute adjustments to her guitar and was blocking out most everything else in preparation for the show.

 

The other two members of the band, Mark (the drummer) and John (the base player), were standing where they had a partial view of the stage and the some of the crowd gathered in the club. "Wow, looks like a full house." Mark commented.

 

Bernadette walked over and glanced out a grin coming to her face. "I told ya that Neko could help increase boost engagement an' get us noticed." She glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Almost time fer us ta get out there."

[Poncho]

Michael had been very excited to go see Bernie's band. It had been about a month since the whole thing with the vaction that had turned to a far more terrible situation, and he had mostly recovered. He was ready to get back to being a regular student, and he'd spent the intervening time looking very forward to Bernie's concert. 

 

His relationship with Sam, however, was still a little bit rocky. She was still mad about missing out on the vacation, even after Michael had explained the whole thing with them ending up split up and trapped in time, but she was still mad. So Michael had been trying to make it up to her for awhile.

 

This is why things were how they were.

 

Michael had gotten a large, circular couch seat in Midnight Hour specifically set up for the Claremont students; it had a little placard on it specifically calling that out, giving all the students a meeting place to find each other in between wherever they ended up going in the club. It had a good view of the stage for when Bernie came out, as well. Michael himself was sitting in it in one of the most relaxed outfits he had; a t-shirt and jeans and sneakers, but they were still well taken care of. He almost looked half asleep, despite the fact that he was sitting in a very active club, with his eyes half closed. Sitting next to him was another Claremont student; his friend Sam who he had came to Claremont with. A hispanic girl with streaks of red underlight in her hair, wearing a skirt and long-sleeved blouse, Sam was a tall, attractive girl who was currently sitting next to Michael and playing on her phone. 

 

"Why did we get here so early anyway?" She asked Michael as she looked around at the busy club. They had actually been here for at least a little bit, making sure they get the seat in question.

 

"Because I want to be helpful for Bernie and the rest of the students, plus it means we get these nice seats." He explained, looking around a bit to see if any other students were here and ready for the concert. "Hopefully the others show up."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 
 

Iris didn't want to be here at first. Daniel had dragged her out here once more. They had both gotten tickets from Bernadette and he had been estatic. This was their first time going to see a band live after all! They also got to support a friend as well so that was always a positive in his books. So Daniel had spent the days leading up to this event badgering Iris until she relented. 

 

Both twins were wearing their casual outfits. Iris had a tank top, jacket and jeans whereas Daniel had a pair of sweat pants on and a white t-shirt. They would arrive together and look around the Nightclub, Iris wanted to shrink away, she didn't mind small crowds but this was a lot of people. So she held her brother's hand and allowed him to lead her towards the couch reserved for the Students...

...Once they got closer, the twins would see Michael with a new girl they haven't met before. At the sight of their friend, Iris calmed down a little and let go of Daniel's hand, and the duo sat down on the couch next to each other.

"Hello!" They greeted at the same time.

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Being the singer's boyfriend does have it advantages, like being able to show up backstage. He has been hanging out while Multiplicity gets ready, doing his best to either help out or stay out of the way. Sure, he might be busy with all his own projects, but he'd feel bad if he didn't show up to support Bernie and the rest of them. He might not be close friends with the rest of the band yet, but they're on friendly terms, at least.

 

"Just imagine them in their underwear, Mark," Charlie quips, leaned against a wall at the moment. He's dressed in his usual style, a black dress shirt and pants with a bright red tie, which is tied very loosely. "You guys got this, don't worry." 

 

He hadn't exactly let them know who he was, even if a few of them might have seen him around Claremont.

[Avenger Assembled]

A cat breezed right past Charlie, hard at work. "It is time to smile!" Neko was in full kawaii promoter mode, wearing a blue bodysuit under a red and gold kimono, her ladybug following her everywhere she went. She stepped right into the middle of Multiplicity, throwing her arms around shoulders and pulling everyone into camera range for the group selfie. "Everyone say 'Big bucks!" Red flashed a light as she displayed a 150-million-yen smile of her own before stepping back to study the band. "Are you ready?" she asked seriously. "I have arranged everything as we planned," she added, "but the show is up. to. you," she went on, with a seriousness that belied her feline appearance. 

 

"Hello, friends!" said Owain as he pulled up a seat next to Sam and Michael. He was looking quite relaxed; having traded in his usual Claremont outfit for a tanktop bearing a Progress pride banner with a gold cross on it. "This will be quite a show, eh?" 

[Tiffany Korta]

Madame Raven

After so long overseas it was weird for Callie that here she was considered underage when it came to drinking, but like a lot of things she had to get used to such things now she was back in the States.

 

"I hope everyone's decent back here..." she popped her head around the changing room door, looking through her fingers "I probably shouldn't be back here, so I bought these..." she stepped around the door and offered up a dozen black roses.

 

She'd managed to get hold of the band's t-shirt which she was wearing along with long shorts over a pair of tights and wearing some Ichio boots.

 

"Hi Charlie, sorry I've not been returning calls, got a little distracted for a couple of years..." she looked at the others before adding "...and I'm being rude, I'm Callie Sen please to meet you all!"

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Mark had smiled at Charlie's suggestion for getting over any nerves of facing the crowd before he was pulled over to the group selfie by Neko.

 

While the main members of the band were gathered around the cat-girl, Bernadette’s duplicate in the blonde wig looked over to Charlie. "So, think this will work?" She asked. The other duplicate in the brunette wig gave her a look. "Like he isn' able ta recognize us despite the wigs." She said with a grin.

 

Bernadette gave a big smile next to Neko as Red took some pictures. The redhead’s roommate had certainly thrown herself into helping the band with their marketing, and it was paying off. Not just in the show tonight, but the opportunity they had next week, which was going to have them flying to Japan!

 

"Don' worry, we got it." The Irish teen replied with a grin. She then turned as the newcomer arrived, someone that knew Charlie.

 

"Well, thank you." Bernadette said as she took the offered roses. "I'm Bernadette." She then gestured over to the other members of the band, "Summer, Mark an’ John."

 

Summer regarded Callie a moment. "I remember you from when I was at Claremont." She said as she placed the other young woman's face.

[Ari]

Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters

 

Owain felt a sudden bump against the circular sofa, followed by a sheepish "Whoops! Sorry, man, my bad." 

 

The cause, a dark-skinned, and powerfully-built boy with a shaved head, what the squire now knew to be a Hawai'ian accent and well-fitted black suit, smiled awkwardly down at the other boy as he turned more fully sideways to maneuver through the dense seating. Close behind were two girls, one tanned, dark-eyed and dark-haired in a way that reminded him of a visitation to Arthur's court from Rome, in a floor-length black dress lined with gems that flashed like stars; the other girl was Black, almost as dark as the boy, but with braided kinky hair dyed red and green to match the diamond patterns on her jacket and skirt. Both smiled politely and murmured apologies as they settled around a neighbouring table, a placard declaring it to be reserved for "St. Isidore's North Bay Preparatory."  

 

"Are you fans too?" asked the girl in the starry dress, talking to the Claremont table in general but looking curiously between Iris and Sam, "I just heard about Multiplicity last month, but I love their drummer! I'm Adele, he's Justin and she's Merry," she added, gesturing to her two friends before beaming hopefully at the Claremont students, "what are your names?"

"Careful, Butterfly di Pisa," the girl identified as 'Merry' smiled a little more thinly, "we don't wanna advertise how little we get outta school."

"To be fair M.J.,  for all we know they might have it even harder than us," Justin pointed out mildly, easing into the sofa like he was worried about falling in. 

[Thunder King]

Ryan had gotten distracted. He was always getting distracted. He was seeing live music. He loved live music. Even if it wasn't entirely his preferred genre, he still loved music of all kinds.

 

"Hey guys, took me a minute." He flashed a smile. "You must be Sam. Michael's mentioned you. Nice to meet you."

He settled into the seat and tried to relax. He was full of nervous energy. Bernadette was playing. She was a good musician.

 

"This should be a hell of a show." 

That's when he noticed the other kids. "Hey everyone, name's Ryan. Sorry for being rude."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 

"Hello Owain!" The twins said to their knightly friend as he arrived, it seemed that more people were coming in, thank god. Now Iris could feel a little less awkward, even if there were new faces here. Daniel would turn to Sam with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Daniel and that's my sister Iris!" He gestured over to the identical looking young woman sitting next to him. She seemed to be watching people come in and would raise an eyebrow at the students from a different academy. 

The boy was wearing a suit and the women were clad in dresses. She looked at them then at her own clothes and suddenly felt a little underdressed. Her attention was soon caught by Adele and she blushed softly for a moment, the other did look stunning in that outfit. "O-Oh umm...well this is my first time hearing them, we know a couple of the band members though haha...umm...the name's Iris, that's Daniel." Her eyes shifted to her brother whom was busy waving at Ryan.

"Hello Ryan!" The male twin smiled.

[Poncho]

"Goodness, look at all the people." Michael said cheerfully. "Welcome, welcome." he was acting like he was host of the party or something. He smiled at Owain, then waved to the others, including the Twins. The whole while, Sam looked at each one carefully. It was the first time, possibly ever, that Michael was not the most well dressed person at a party. He did finally seem awake though.

 

"Oh, yeah. The lead singer's my sports buddy at school." He said to the three new kids; that wasn't even a lie, but it was definitely something that could sound like a lie. "Me and Owain's both actually!" he grinned and patted Owain on the shoulder. "This guy's got a heck of an arm, and he can dance past any Defensive Line." He laughed. Sam gave a pretty disinterested look at Michael talking up Owain like that before turning to Ryan. "Oh, and I'm Michael Adon. I work at Sampson's Sodas, here's my card." he said, reaching over to the other table and placing a handful of the lime green cards that promised 50% off onto it for the other students to take. Meanwhile, Sam turned to Ryan and offered a little wave.

"Well hello, Ryan. It's wonderful to finally meet you. I hope he's told you nice things." she said. Her demeanor was not really the same style of cheerful as Michael; she could be talkative in her own way, but she wasn't the centerpiece of the party. Still, she smiled at Ryan.

 

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Charlie is genuiely surprised when Callie shows up out of nowhere, so much that he almost forget to grin at Bernie's two duplicates in wigs as they look at him. Only almost. He gives them a quick grin, then turns to Callie, stretching his arms out.

 

"Callie!" He sounds excited as he approaches. "It's been ages!" 

 

Keep up the pretenses. It's not like everyone there knows that he's Stormcrow, even if the former Claremonters might recognize him as Nevermore. 

 

"I went on a bit of a sabbatical myself. The boss man needed help with something, and that turned out to be a whole thing that just took forever." He turns to Bernie and the band with a wide grin, gesturing towards Callie. "Callie's pretty much family. Even if its been a long while."

[Avenger Assembled]

When he caught sight of the comely fellow in the other group - and the name of their school, Owain decided to "shoot his shot" as the saying went. He looked over at the table where the other students sat. "Ah, St. Isidore!" he exclaimed. "A fine patron for a school, eh?" He beamed at the Hawaiian-looking boy, then looked at the others. "Owain Celliwig, a pleasure to meet you all." To his friends, he added, "St. Isidore saved much ancient learning when the age of darkness closed over Hispania. Even the Arabs revered him as a sage and scholar." Rather hard on the Jews, of course, but there's no reason to bring that up right now. "Your pardon, I am a bit of a medieval - nut! Hahaha!" he added cheerfully. "What do you - all like to do?"  

[Tiffany Korta]

Madame Raven

Callie looked at Summer's, a weird coincidence with the name, trying to remember if they'd had any bad experiences. She didn't remember any, but best to assume the worst here!

 

"I was a bit of a loner back at Claremont, was working through some things. You could say that a part of me is still there..." she smiled inwardly at her own joke before giving her attention back to Charlie

 

"Was off the grid a lot, but I got a bit of news here and there, we should grab a coffee and catch up real soon..." she paused before adding "Aw, come here you big lummox!" she gave Charlie a big friend hug before stepping back

 

"Remember he's like a big brother to me..." she grinned, not wanting to cause any tension or trouble here "... besides he's really not my type!"

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Summer smiled at Callie as the other girl mentioned being something of a loner while at Claremont. "I was hardly Miss Popularity." The guitarist said. "Band geek." She said with a grin. "I love playing, but really don't like the spotlight. That's why we have Bernie, she doesn't mind being the main focus of attention."

 

"Hard ta be in the background when I'm doin' all the singin'." Bernadette replied with a grin.

 

When Charlie mentioned Callie being like "family," the redhead had an idea what that meant, but did not comment, seeing as it was not something to talk about around the other members of the band.

[Kaede Kimura]

Blue Bolt

 

Vueriz had wanted to hang out with the others, but the reality of the situation was that she stood out 'like a sore thumb' (She had been learning human phrases) and with the exception of Baz the rest of them had secret identities to protect. Instead she had talked with Bernadette and had gotten a backstage pass. To pay her teammate back for her kindness she had taken it upon herself to check through the sound system to make sure there would be no issues. She had been pleased to find none, even when she had gone under the stage. 

 

So, crawling out she dusted off her lilac crop top and was about to do the same for her ratty jean shorts (they'd been normal when she got them, but she cut them short and left a precise distance from her roommate overnight to get the worn look just right) before she looked up to see two black haired humans she didn't recognize talking to Bernadette, Neko and the band. There was no way they hadn't seen her. She froze for a long moment, except for her tail which writhed like a snake, and a rising purple flush that was slowly creeping above her mask.

 

"Expletive." She was once again censored by her translator, thinking fast. How could she play this to avoid spoiling Bernadette and Neko's identities. Her eyes flicked to the others, before giving off an uncertain laugh. "This isn't a field of corn in the middle of nowhere! Teleporters am I right? What's the point of all those crop circles if it can't even use them to target your arrival properly?" Silently she thanked Consuelo for asking her about the crop circles, even if that had been a really weird conversation. 

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

"Sure, we'll do that. Got lots of news," Charlie responds, while he returns the hug to Callie. Now Callie's her own big story, but he'll save that one for Bernie for another time.

 

Letting go, he gestures towards Bernie and the rest of the band. 

 

"You're gonna love them, they're great. I mean, I do have a certain preference for the singer, but y'know, they're all really good."

[Ari]

Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters

 

On 3/3/2024 at 5:35 PM, Dracostern said:

"O-Oh umm...well this is my first time hearing them, we know a couple of the band members though haha...umm...the name's Iris, that's Daniel."

"Michael, Ryan, Sam, Owain, Daniel, Iris, It's wonderful to meet you! After the show, maybe you can introduce me!" Adele politely accepted and distributed the discount cards, looking at them with the fascination of a truly new thing. She grinned happily at the twins, the gems on her dress seeming to shine brighter to match her. Glancing down at herself she laughed self-consciously, "I know I'm maybe overdoing it, but at school we have to wear the uniform all year 'round. I got this last year, and this is the first chance I've had to wear it! Or to meet, well, anyone new."

 

23 hours ago, Avenger Assembled said:

"Owain Celliwig, a pleasure to meet you all." To his friends, he added, "St. Isidore saved much ancient learning when the age of darkness closed over Hispania. Even the Arabs revered him as a sage and scholar.

Your pardon, I am a bit of a medieval - nut! Hahaha! 

What do you - all like to do?" 

 

"Sports" said both Merry and Justin at once, sharing a quick fist-bump, Justin shifting around to better give the other boy an admiring look. "That cross ain't just for show, huh? Glad to meet a real Catholic around here, felt like a jerk when I had to tell the faculty the big statue they'd had for over a hundred years was of the wrong Spanish St. Isidore. I mean, patron of the ploughman's not a bad choice. Especially not for Bay Prep, they keep us busy in and out of the classroom."

 

"I"m on the regular and robot soccer teams, di Pisa's first love is martial arts, and this fine specimen's into swimming...and everything else." Merry patted Justin on a powerful shoulder. "The Heroes and Rayguns have been after this guy since before his voice changed."

 

Coughing meaningfully and shooting Merry a polite but firm raised eyebrow, Justin said "By the way, Owain? uh...like we said, we don't get out much, but we're getting a spring break this year. Good performance in the...competitions, y'know? So uh...after the concert, if you have any ideas of what else we can, y'know, do for fun, that'd be sweet."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 
 

Iris was a more introverted then her brother was, though that has changed a tiny bit over time it was still very much an aspect of her character. Because of this she was confused at how attentive Adele seemed to be to her, though this would not show on her slightly flustered yet more stoic face. The Psychic nodded her head. "Well we can see, no promises that you'd get to meet them Ms Adele." However both this conversation and the one that Owain was having close by flagged a few things to her. It seemed as though these St. Isidore students were from a more conservative school(?). 

 

"I am curious, can you tell me a little bit about your school?"

 

While she was speaking, however, Iris seemed to be having a mental conversation with Daniel.

 

"Did you hear Merry? These people seem to be meta humans."

 

"I know Iris, but is that really a bad thing?"

 

"I'm not sure...but it is something interesting to note."

 

The good thing about both of the twins being psychic was that they could communicate with each other without being noticed...unless there was another psychic in the room.

 

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko /Owain

 

Neko's eyes flicked over to Blue Bolt and she moved quickly, her kimono blocking sight of her diminutive alien classmate. She bent low and smiled respectfully at her, unfolding her hands to reveal a tiny version of Blue Bolt that looked perfectly human, albeit with the strong jaw and short limbs that Blue Bolt associated with the few humans she had met who were actually her size. She raised a questioning eyebrow and made as if to pull the disguise over the small alien's head. Given the chance, she was able to make an illusory covering for the other girl that made her appear a perfectly normal, albeit perfectly small human. 

 

Vaguely aware that he was blushing profusely, Owain said, "Y-yes, I've been known to toss around the old - pigskin myself, but my favorite sport is saber fencing. There's nothing quite like taking out your blade and testing your strength and metal against another's - mettle." He thought desperately of what another boy might like to do for fun, decided it was probably not magic or horse-racing, and said, "My friends and I could - show you around town? They have lived here many a year and they know - many things!" Was he sweating? Maybe just a little... 

[Tiffany Korta]

Madame Raven

"Well you know my taste tends to go towards the classic, though the only musical instrument I can play is the tambourine! And I checked out a few of your tracks and I think you'll do great out there." she smiled reassuringly towards the band

 

Any further discussion of the music was briefly curtailed by the arrival of the new kid, a little bit of a surprise but school had prepared her for most of the strange events that she encountered on the almost daily.

 

"Claremont kid I'm guessing, the fact that you know Neko redikyatto seals thing really! I'm Callie and this is Charlie, and don't worry it's been a couple of years but we also went to the Academy!"

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette (and her duplicates) grinned when Charlie talked about having a particular bias. The other members of the band just laughed, until everyone’s attention shifted to Vueriz as she reappeared from underneath the stage.

 

"Don' worry Vueriz, everyone here is former Claremont." Bernadette said with a grin before she focused back on Callie.

 

"Thanks Callie," the redhead responded to her earlier comments about them doing well in the show. "Things have been pickin' up fer us, in very large part thanks ta Neko." She indicated her roommate as she walked over to glance out towards the stage.

"Almost time."

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Charlie greets Vueriz with a quick wave. She's... well, small, and blue, but honestly, he's seen weirder. 

 

"Think I saw some of the other students out there," Parker says, motioning with his head. "How about we go say hi so we're ready for the show?"

 

He'd particularly like to see how Michael is doing with his whole team idea.

[Poncho]

"Oh, a couple of sports guys, huh? We've got a few sports players ourselves. We don't really compete in the actual athletic associations so maybe we should get together and have a little game. Play some five on five sports or something? That might be fun." Michael said with a grin, trying to play wingman for Owain. "Me, Bernie, and Owain, we could find a couple of other people...figure out what to play and have a grand ol' time some weekend. Bring everyone out and have a picnic in the park or something even. Have a picnic, stuff like that." he suggested. He thought about it some more.

 

"There's also Ocean Heights Adventure Park; that place opens up in a few months, and it's always a hoot to head over there. It's always packed but you can still find cool stuff there." he noted. "That's probably a good place to kill an afternoon or two." He turned his attention to the next thing.

 

"What sort of martial arts do you study?"

Meanwhile, Sam had seemed to have gotten bored with this and sighed.

"I thought the band was playing. Come on." She whined before cupping her hands around her mouth and yelling.

 

"MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY! MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY! MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY!" She stomped her feet on the little round table that was supposed to be for drinks, her boots bouncing off the table to echo around the club. "MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY! MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY! MULT-TI-PLI-CI-TY!!" It was honestly amazing that this girl was friends with Michael, given how different they were acting.

[Ari]

Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters

 

On 3/5/2024 at 2:55 PM, Dracostern said:

"I am curious, can you tell me a little bit about your school?"

"Oh it's wonderful, don't mind my complaining," Adele assured Iris, "it's a bold red brick complex on 40 acres of green grass southwest of the nuclear plant. Everything's indoors, except the gardens and the harbour, and they teach us absolutely everything! Mathematics, literature, history, practical science, self-defence, even some criminal l-" 

"You'd better show us on a map after the show," Merry advised Michael, "we don't have phones, per school rules." Despite her best efforts, she smirked a little "Well, the new rules."

"I thought it was funny, M.J.," Justin said kindly. To the Claremont boys he added "I'm up for anything! Especially if we get to explore, I've heard all kinds of crazy ghost stories about Cla-"

Sam's outburst drowned out the rest of what Adele and Justin said, and while the starry girl looked annoyed, Justin and Merry were delighted.

"MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY!" Justin and Merry eagerly joined in Sam's chant, pounding their fists in time with Sam's table-stomping, "MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY!"

 

17 hours ago, Poncho said:

"What sort of martial arts do you study?"

Shooting her schoolmates an irritated look, Adele scooted over to the Claremont table where she went on pleasantly "I love boxing! Kickboxing's best, but the other's good too! What styles do you prefer?"