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“This next song is one I wrote when I was crushing on a friend.” Laila grinned.
She glanced between the two guys who had arrived on stage and were setting up. They gave her a hand gesture that meant they still needed a moment, so she continued speaking to the crowd.
“It’s a song I wrote while I was lamenting over feeling unloved, feeling desperate for more love. This wasn’t due to my crush, but actually due to my abusive ex. I wrote this for catharsis.”
Her fellow singers indicated with a nod that they were ready, and the audience of New Hope City dwellers watched with anticipation.
Laila grinned and started DJing. Her and the two other singers started vocalising and pumping up the club.
Even during ❄ cold and lonely sleepless nights 💤
I feel like tonight’s the night 🌙 I can finally say goodbye 👋
Feel my heart💓 it’s beating ↑↑↑faster↑↑↑ now
Can you even see 👀 when you don’t know which way you’re going?
But it’s too late ⏰, I’ll play the game 💋, cause I can’t hide through all my feelings showing 👅
Getting caught up in the moment, can you feel me lose control? 🎮
SEN👏SA👏TION; there’s no use in ⭐ pretending ⭐
SEN👏SA👏TION; hey, can you feel it ↑↑↑rising↑↑↑?
SEN👏SA👏TION; cause i’m ❌ not ❌ comprehending
Why we weren’t like this from the beginning? ⬅️
SEN👏SA👏TION; ❋extraordinary❋ feeling
Good 〰️ vibrations 〰️ from you got me reeling 🎣
I don’t care 🤷 whatever happens to me
Just take me away from here and save me ✔️
Falling ⬇️ deeper ⬇️ for you baby👶
Even though I’ve gotten used to this by now 😞
It’s bitter and sweet 🍬 but seems like this thing we have between us is
Slowly falling ⬇️ right apart
I ❌ hate ❌ leaving things the way they are so please indulge me 💦💦
Enter into this situation with a level-headed way of 🤔 thinking 🤔
SEN👏SA👏TION; this pleasure’s nothing guilty 😜
SEN👏SA👏TION; I don’t need any pity 🚫
SEN👏SA👏TION; ↑↑↑ ramp up the difficulty ↑↑↑
If this is what they all call reality 💭
SEN👏SA👏TION; we’re ❌ breaking all conventions ❌ 👁️
Watch me now; 👁️ hey can you feel the tension?
Going far beyond ➡️ your expectations
Coming back to you ⬅️ like an addiction
Give me all of your 👀 attention 👀
I ❤️ will 💛 keep 💚 on 💙 loving 💜 you 💖 with 💕 each 💗 and ❤️ every 💛 bit 💚 of 💙 me 💜
SEN👏SA👏TION; with nothing left unspoken 🙊
SEN👏SA👏TION; it’s out there in the open 👐
SEN👏SA👏TION; I know the risks I’ve taken 🚫
Can you even start to understand them? 🤔
SEN👏SA👏TION; cause there’s no point in stopping 🛑
History; it’s really truly starting 🌟
I’ll show you a ✨ miracle, ✨ my darling
Watch out cause a brand new age is dawning 🌅
SEN👏SA👏TION; there’s no use in ⭐ pretending ⭐
SEN👏SA👏TION; hey, can you feel it ↑↑↑rising↑↑↑?
SEN👏SA👏TION; cause i’m ❌ not ❌ comprehending
Why we weren’t like this from the beginning? ⬅️
SEN👏SA👏TION; ❋extraordinary❋ feeling
Good 〰️ vibrations 〰️ from you got me reeling 🎣
I don’t care 🤷 whatever happens to me
Just take me away from here and save me ✔️
Falling ⬇️ deeper ⬇️ for you maybe
Never let me go now baby 👶
Everyone in the club had danced to the utter bop. It was praxis after a successful Judgement Hour mission that Laila put on a show for her friends. Alistair, Vincent, Klara, Sia, Thorn, and even Adamantine were here too.
The Entity of Survival wasn’t too into large crowds, but he was absolutely Laila’s biggest fan and had made it clear he wanted to attend every single one of Laila’s shows.
She loved that he was unconditionally supportive like that.
Everyone close to her knew who the song was about — including the aforementioned crush. There was no drama about it. It was just simple common knowledge. Adamantine, her lover, understood and had no ill will, jealousy or insecurities.
As the song drew to a close, Laila asked the audience to thank her fellow performers.
“There’s something so energizing about unrealised love!” Laila grinned as everyone hollered. “I can’t hear you!”
The crowd roared.
Laila never tired of being an idol. It wasn’t the same as before the Apocalypse, where idols were dehumanized and commodified and objectified. Instead, she was treated as one of their own, respected, asked for tips on how to realise their own dreams of becoming a musician.
It was actually about the music, and actually about the emotion, and actually about the sanctity of giving and receiving performance art.
And they all understood her boundaries, too.
The rest of the show went on without a hitch. Adamantine found her backstage and swept her up into a big hug.
“Wah! Adam, I’m all gross and sweaty!” Laila laughed as he spun her around.
“Don’t care. You were amazing, baby.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Laila bit her lip and grinned up at him shyly. “Wah… Thank you…”
Alistair burst into the room through the open door with Vincent following at a more steady pace.
“Laila! That was incredible! I loved all your songs! You truly have a talent for music. Idolmaxxing for real…” Alistair hugged her.
She laughed and hugged her friend back tightly. “I see no one cares that I desperately need a shower.”
“Girl of course not, so do I.” Alistair squeezed her in the hug once more before holding her by the shoulders with his hands. “I’m proud of you. You’ve come such a long way since you first got to New Hope City.”
Laila beamed. “Thank you, Alistair.”
“Seconded.” Vincent stepped up to come level with Alistair. “You’re visibly more comfortable with everyone now. It’s good to see.”
Laila grinned at Vincent, and then threw her arms around him in a hug. Vincent gave a puppy yelp in surprise, but didn’t hesitate to return the hug.
Laila and Vincent hadn’t always gotten along. They hadn’t not gotten along, but Laila had been insecure about Vincent and Alistair’s very obvious pining for a long time. They’d played chess with each other’s mutations; Laila with hearing Worldsongs and Vincent with his werewolf senses.
Now that she’d confessed and realised Alistair very much loved in an anarchist, devoted, holistic way, she’d understood her romantic feelings had stemmed from finding someone who would give her the time of day after Elias Jackson.
It’s not that it wasn’t real — it’s just that she knew she didn’t have to be desperate for love with Alistair. She didn’t need to beg for anything with her. Because he would give it. They would give her what she asked for.
If anything, being friends with Alistair was far better than being partners with Elias Jackson had ever been.
Adamantine gave a soft chuckle as Alistair snapped pictures of Laila and Vincent hugging.
“What the fuck.” Vincent deadpanned. “Faggot.”
Alistair poked her tongue out at him as she gleefully inspected the photos.
Laila giggled and let Vincent go. “You guys probably have things to do… Don’t let me keep you. Adam and I have a dinner date. Breakfast date? Food date. We’re getting food.”
Vincent smirked and Alistair laughed and waved them off.
“Don’t let us keep you, lovebirds. We lost track of Juniper and need to find her anyway. Who knows what trouble she’s causing right now.” Alistair’s eyes widened comically.
Laila giggled again as Alistair and Vincent waved and left the room.
“They’re so silly.” She said to Adamantine.
“Mmm. It’s why you all get along.” Adamantine ran a hand through her short curls.
“True. So true. What are you feeling like for food?”
“Breakfast food. I need some bacon in me stat.”
“Ohh… bacon… Just let me go clean up first. Then we can go hunting.”
Laila skipped off to shower, happier than she’d ever been, in love and loved and safe.