diatu | Acapella [Adventure] OPEN

Where: a tavern in the city
When: evening after classes
Who: Tenn and other students (possibly including you)
What: moody artists

After classes let out, some students make their way to a cozy tavern in the city for a night of music and fun. Maybe you followed friends or were referred there. Either way, you’ve found a reasonably priced menu and pleasant entertainment in the lively establishment.

One table in particular has attracted a gaggle of Diatu students, including some of the more prominent variety. A cheery call of "Hey, you were dancing at the festival! Here to entertain us?" wins a smile from one of the Valhudor members.

"No, thank you, not tonight." Tenn raises his glass in graceful acknowledgment. Tonight is just to watch and learn.

The current singer on stage is a female soloist with a soft, breathy voice, until she surprises everyone by ending at a soprano. Under the claps and cheers afterwards, Tenn comments to a student beside him. "She has good breath control. She struggles on the high notes – that’s why her voice wavered at the end – but it is something she’ll develop with practice."

The applause slides down to regular chatter. While people return to their dinner conversation in the lull, a waiter breaks away to catch the singer’s eye and whisper something to her. Normally, Tenn would think little of it. But there’s a moment of hesitation on her face as she stares first at the waiter, then over his head to a group of people huddled in a corner by the stage. Their postures are rigid, expressions uneasy as two of the members gesture furiously at each other. The soloist schools her features back into pleasant smile and surprises the audience with an encore.

Tenn straightens, his glass coming down on the table with a firm clink. "What do they think they're doing?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kamala hadn't really planned to visit the tavern - she always thought of taverns as places to drink alcohol, specifically - but she kept hearing people mention it, and some of them appeared her age or younger, so she'd eventually gone to check it out. Finding herself seated across from Tenn had been a coincidence, as - had she seen him around school before - she didn't remember it. Although... The more her spoke, the more she felt she might know him, possibly from her Physics class.

It wasn't important, though, especially when he pointed out that something was amiss. Kamala looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about, and her brow was furrowed in concern when she looked back to Tenn.

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like things are okay, that's for sure. Do you think we should check it out?"

That was a side-effect of being a superhero in one's normal life. The idea of what was butting in and what wasn't became skewed.

Tenn shifts his gaze to the girl sitting across from him. He’s made a point of knowing who is in his classes but doesn't go out of his way to speak to every student. While her name escapes him, her appearance doesn't.

His eyes narrow in thought. Normally, he doesn't interfere in other groups. (With exceptions, but he’s not eager to be accused of excessive meddling again.) But the glimpses he's catching show the argument escalating, both artists caught up in their own world past their awareness of the audience. If it goes much further, they’ll disrupt the performance.

Tenn takes up his glass and slides out of his seat. Cheerfully, one of his table mates asks him to bring back any hot gossip.

"I don't intend to eavesdrop." Tenn curtly informs him. Then less curtly to Kamala, "But the problem may be as simple as requiring a wizard's assistance. There are two empty stools close, at the end of the bar. It won’t look conspicuous if we move there."

Kamala nods and rises to her feet. "That's a good idea. Hopefully we'll get an idea of what's going on," she says, as she heads toward the bar stools. She sits, legs crossed at the ankles, on the one at the very end - it only seems right that she be closer to the arguing group if things go wrong. After all, this was her idea.

Tenn follows, allowing her first choice for seating. Her selection has him hoping that his estimation of her not being a gossip monger was correct, but he can’t overthink it. It’s time to get to work.

As soon as he settles on the bar stool, Tenn begins to drum his fingernails against his glass in a restless motion. His eyes close, focusing his magic as he finds a steady rhythm. There’s a brief muffling of their surroundings, as the Fantastics spell dampens the sound of the group’s argument, isolating it from the volume of rest of the room.

“There. They can’t disturb the audience now.” Tenn opens his eyes. The downside of Fantastics, aside from being mere misdirection, is that he must actively maintain the spell. But now only the two of them can hear the squabble at full intensity.

“I was distracted, and you’re sitting closer. Can you make out what the problem is?” He heard repeated mentions of a woman's name, and now there’s something about style changes and a solo segment...?

Kamala struggles to make out the topic of debate among the group of musicians at first. Between the singer's performance and the general chatter in the tavern... Ah. But then Tenn casts the enchantment, and Kamala is quite impressed with the seeming ease of his spellwork.

She should be focusing, though, so she tunes back into the argument, which is now considerably easier to make out, although what she hears is a bit confusing, as two distinct issues seem to bleed into one another.

"Hmm, well, it sounds like they're arguing over how they should perform, but-" Kamala hesitates. "There's also a woman involved, and she's why one of them is so mad about the other's ideas, I think."

He observes the escalating tension from the group as she reports, but rather than looking relieved to have his question answered, Tenn’s expression drifts into icy detachment.

"Then they're jeopardizing their careers because of their personal lives." He’d seen his share of quarrels backstage at his parents' show club, and even in the broader entertainment world, but that sort of thing was never taken before the audience. It was an unspoken rule that such would be a death knell. Isn't that why dressing rooms existed - so they could have their petty fights in private?

"If they don't settle this soon, they'll be removed from tonight’s schedule." Having witnessed and even been in that position, the pain of it chafes him, surfacing in a slight grimace even while his tone remains objective. “The fact that the proprietors have already enlisted a stand-in is a bad sign. They won’t be allowed to perform here again if they refuse to take the stage, and they may be turned down at other establishments once word gets out.”

Kamala raises her eyebrows at that conclusion. She knows nothing of the entertainment business, but clearly, her companion does - and it seems he might even have some opinions on this.

"I guess it does look pretty bad," she says. After all, she doesn't see how they can get it together before the current performer's encore finishes. Still, if this was about their personal lives - creatively and otherwise - was it anyone else's place to step in?

She hadn't realized, though, just how much of an impact it could have on their work until Tenn makes his point. "We could've offered the owners a cover story if we knew about it earlier, but I think it's pretty clear now that they're just arguing." It was more of an idle thought than a suggestion, but she gives voice to it all the same.

"Yes. They are just arguing." Tenn shakes his head. There are times for a cover story, such as when a bandmate or staff member is indisposed. And if it was a mere technicality, he would step in. But is a lover's spat any of their business?

"Disagreements are normal. No one gets along all the time. That would be unreasonable to expect." His gaze shifts from the discordant group to the audience engaged in the singer’s dreamy ambiance. "But it is part of the job to overcome those differences and deliver a quality performance. That means having the strength to smile and take the stage even after you’ve fought... the resolve to put the audience first."

He returns to regarding his glass and maintaining his spell. "If someone were to rescue them now, they would never learn that."

Acapella [Adventure] OPEN

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I will apply for a roll here unless Kamala has an action in mind?