Tough Yet Astonished

- Sunday, Noonish -

Another day, but an important one, at that. Today, Sex Bob-Omb was playing at Lee's Palace, which was a pretty big deal to everyone, especially Stephen. But for now, you decided to go for lunch at the Ristorante.

You ordered a plate of lasagna, as per usual, and began eating. You weren't the only one here, as you heard three familiar voices. Envy, Todd, and Lynette. You quickly put on your hoodie and tried to avoid attention, and quietly listened in.

"Well, that was excellent. You ordered dessert, right?" Envy asked.

"Yeah, just a little gelato." Todd confirmed.

"That's like a fruit ice, right? You can keep it. Ugh, veganism." Envy groaned. "I'll be in the little girls' room."

"Have fun." Todd said, as Envy walked off.

"She doesn't know what gelato is?" Lynette asked.

"Nope." Todd shook his head.

"It has milk, right?" Lynette questioned.

"And eggs." Todd added.

"You're a credit to the vegans, Todd." Lynette sarcastically complimented.

"You know what? I'm a rock star. I do what I want." Todd said. "It's just once in a while, you know? I'm gonna live a little. It's not hurting anyone! And who's gonna know?"

"I know who. That's me." You thought to yourself as you got a mouthful of lasagna.

"You're incorrigible." Lynette scolded.

"I don't know the meaning of the word." Todd smirked, and something told you that he, indeed, did not.

And then you heard kissing, turned around, and to your surprise, Todd and Lynette were making out. Wasn't Todd supposed to be dating Envy? Oh, ohohohoho!

"Holy shit." You whispered, grinning at the situation. "What did I just witness? Tod and Lynette? While he's dating Envy? Oh boy, I just found out something I wasn't supposed to..."

Congratulations, you now bear the knowledge of a secret relationship between Todd and Lynette, behind the back of Envy. This is juicy! But how to use it? In your mind, there were two ways this could go...

- Keep your mouth shut

Are you really that petty as to use someone's secret relationship as leverage to get what you want? You're not like that... Maybe this time, it's best to play nice, and keep this a secret.

- Tell Envy

You may have no interest in getting revenge on her, but you are interested in the chaos this will unleash. If she finds out that her boyfriend and best friend are hooking up, that could lead to some serious drama!

"...I'm definitely locking this in the vault." You decided, not wanting to get involved.

With that said, you returned your attention to your lasagna, and resumed eating. Once you'd finished your meal, you paid for your food and left, leaving Todd and Lynette's secret affair undisclosed. You had other things to worry about.

+ Good Karma!

- Also Sunday, but 2pm -

"What's up, party people?" You announced as you entered Wallace's house. "Y/N's in the house."

"Oh, hey Y/N." Ramona greeted, turning around to face you.

You noticed Ramona was now sporting a new color of hair, completely blue. "Nice. Blue looks good on you."

"Thanks." Ramona smiled. "I change my hair like every three weeks."

"I wish I could change something about my appearance. I've been wearing these clothes since... Well, ever." You sighed, plopping down on the couch.

"Maybe it's a phase and you'll both grow out of it." Wallace suggested.

"We'll see." Ramona smirked.

"Maybe after I rank up again." You added.

"Is that your natural hair color?" Scott asked Ramona.

"What? No. Maybe. I guess it could be." She answered.

- NOTE: This was funnier in the black & white comics -

"Are you really that upset over my hair?" Ramona questioned.

"I'm just... I can't believe you got a haircut when I've been needing one for weeks!" Scott complained.

"And never once shutting the hell up about it, either." Wallace muttered.

"But for real, I've bordered on cutting your hair using glass." You added, remembering Scott's whining. "The power, not an actual shard of glass, I should clarify."

"Dude, there's like half a dozen hairdressers on St. Clair within ten minutes walk of your front door." Ramona said.

"What? Really?" Scott questioned.

"Don't listen to her, Scott. She notices things." Wallace commented,

"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked, crossing your arms.

"Look, do you want me to cut your hair?" Ramona asked, annoyed. "I have scissors in my bag. I'll cut your damn hair."

"You would? I... I... Oh my god!" Scott, with stars in his eyes, said.

- And then time passed -

"So did Envy ever- Okay, wait, can we stop using her precious little nickname? What's her actual nickname?" Ramona asked as she finished off cutting Scott's hair.

"Uh... Nat. Natalie." Scott answered. "She stopped liking it, though. Then she stopped liking me."

"You never did give me the backstory to that, by the way." You noted. "I could use some lore dump, man."

"Maybe on later chapters." Scott simply replied, making you roll your eyes.

- Yep, still Sunday, it's 5:30pm -

"Check out my rad haircut! Totally ready for the show!" Scott said, showing off his new look at Stephen's house.

"Yeah... great." Stephen replied.

"That's a haircut? You got a haircut?" Kim asked.

"It looks fresh, man. You look ready." You commented, giving a thumbs up.

"Thank you! See, I'm not the only one that thinks that. Thanks, Y/N." Scott thanked, grateful for your opinion.

"Anyway... So, we're really gonna do this?" Stephen asked.

"Don't have second thoughts now, dude! This is a massive opportunity for us!" You exclaimed, pumping a fist.

"C'mon, yeah! It'll be fun. This is like, our moment." Scott agreed, sharing your same hype.

"A moment that will live in horrible infamy forever-" Kim paused as she saw you shiver.

"S-sorry... that second-to-last word is my trigger." You apologized, shaking your head. "Ahem. But, yeah. This is our shot! And we're going to make the most of it."

"Then it's settled!" Scott cheered.

"Yeah, I guess. Why not? It's not like I have a reputation to uphold." Kim shrugged.

"It's... erg. I dunno, I'm worried." Stephen groaned as he laid his head on the table.

"This moment could be the best time of our lives." Scott said, trying to persuade his band mate.

"Or the worst." Stephen muttered.

"Or the worst." Kim agreed.

"No, Scott's right. This is not just a moment, it's a defining moment." You chimed in, agreeing with Scott. "This is the point where the tide turns for the band. For the better. For us."

"Yeah, but the thing about moments is, they come and then they pass. And nothing is ever the same." Stephen countered, sitting up straight.

"That's true. But this? This isn't just a moment. This is our life. Your life. And what we're doing is part of the band's history." You tried to persuade. "Think about it, dude. We've come so far. And, I'll admit, there have been ups and downs, but it's all led up to here. Our shining moment. And you want to just give it up?"

"You have no idea how much is at stake for me." Stephen mumbled, looking down.

"Of course I do. You know why? Because we've been through the same things. We're friends, dude. We're a team." You assured, smiling at him. "You think I'm not stressed about this? Of course I am! I'm scared, too..."

"But I'm not going to let you give up, because when you're in the game, and you have a chance at victory, you can't just roll over and quit." You continued. "This is it. Our time. We have a chance to be big, to be something great. So why not take it?"

"I..." Stephen paused, thinking to himself.

"Come on, dude. You're the leader, and we're here because of you. This band, this band is your dream. Dream I won't see die. Not when I can do something to stop it." You spoke, standing up. "It's all or nothing now. This is the climax, man. The pinnacle. The finale."

"The ending of an era." Stephen added.

"No, the start of an era." You corrected, smirking. "Sex Bob-Omb's era. We're gonna go out there, and show everyone who we are, and what we're made of. We'll show them we're not just some indie band. We're real musicians. Well, you are, I'm just visual effects, but you get my point!"

"Keep talking, Y/N! I'm actually starting to get hype for this!" Scott grinned, pumped up.

"You're a legend, man. And this is only the beginning. It's time to step up from just writing songs... to write history." You said, trying your best to inspire him. "If you're still scared, that's fine. Because I'm right here beside you, and we're gonna do this together every step of the way."

"...Alright." Stephen nodded, standing up. "Fuck it. We're doing this. This is the night we go for broke."

"Now you're talking!" Scott cheered.

"Let's give the audience the show of a lifetime." You smirked. "Because we are Sex Bob-Omb... and we will BLOW... THAT... JOINT!"

"It's funny, because it can also be seen as an innuendo." Kim remarked.

"There are no accidents. I knew what I was doing." You winked.

"Alright. Let's get to work, then." Stephen nodded, determined.

"Oh, by the way, I invited a few friends, hope that's not a problem. I wanted them to hear our music live." You mentioned.

"Considering you're cool with everyone, it should be fine." Stephen assured.

- Lee's Palace, that night -

Outside, you were dressed in your usual outfit, not much to say there. You were waiting outside the club, hoping that your special guests show up. Luckily, they did. Oh, people were gonna be surprised to see who was with you.

"Rowe, good to see you. How do I look?" Matthew asked. showcasing what he called a "cocktail attire" outfit.

"You look good, but... talk about a fashion statement." You remarked, seeing his red shirt and black jacket.

"W-well, eheh... I-I, uh... y'know, um... th-the whole thing is that I'm..." Matthew stammered, flustered.

"Relax, dude. You look amazing. And call me Wyenn." You assured, giving him a smile and turning to your other guest. "And Lucas, you look great as well."

"I look great in everything." Lucas boasted, wearing his usual black leather jacket, white shirt, and jeans.

"Of course you do. Now, prepare for a badass entry into the palace." You declared, taking out your sunglasses.

"Don't have to ask me twice." Matthew said, doing the same.

"Let's party." Lucas agreed, also putting on shades.

And then you walked in, all eyes fell on you. Mostly because of Lucas, since he's famous and stuff. Now, though? You convinced him to work at the Second Cup. You'll save the details for later, but for now, like he said, let's party.

"So... these are who you invited." Stephen sighed.

"Unexpected, I know. But we're not enemies. They're gonna learn to get over Ramona, and I'm gonna help them." You explained. "Starting by including them in hanging out with us."

"Okay, you do what you gotta do, Y/N." Stephen shrugged. "Good luck."

"Thanks." You replied as the three of you split to do your own things, report back later.

You roamed around the place, saying hi to everyone. Figuring you should regroup with Sex Bob-Omb's members, you decided to check up on everyone. Stephen already seemed quite satisfied, so that left Scott and Kim.

And Scott was already in your proximity, so you might as well. "Hey, Scott." You waved, then turned to the others who were also with him. "Wallace, Stacy, Comeau?"

"Evening." Wallace smirked, taking a sip of his beer.

"Hey, Wyenn." Stacey greeted, waving back.

"'Sup, Y/N." Comeau simply replied.

"You guys are so early!" Scott exclaimed, looking toward the non-existent watch on his wrist.

"Yeah, we thought we'd get ahead on the drinking." Wallace explained, gesturing toward the table with beers.

"Not looking forward to Envy and her entourage's arrival, huh?" You guessed.

"Not one bit." Wallace confirmed.

"Hey, guys, did you know that I hate her? Envy Adams? I hate her." Stacey stated.

"Like, really, really?" You asked, tilting your head.

"Yeah, like really, really." She nodded.

"I did not know that." Scott sarcastically noted.

"Dude, I'm so serious." Stacey replied.

"Hey, Scotty, Wyenn, check out my ring." Comeau spoke, showing you both a ring with a skull inside a transparent orb.

"Ssscotttt..." The ring's skull whispered.

"Um... that's totally crazy. Did you get it from a box of evil Cracker Jacks?" Scott questioned, actually a bit concerned.

"I got it from the future." Comeau explained, grinning. You weren't sure he was lying, but he sounded so convinced he might as well be saying the truth.

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask... Are you ready to go out on stage and leave this place in flames from our sheer awesomeness?" You asked Scott, and Stacey perked up at that.

"Are you gonna make her look bad? Is your show gonna rock ultimate?" Stacey asked, interested.

"You better believe our show is gonna rock ultimate!" Scott declared as he put his fist on his chest in a proud manner.

"We'll make sure this day is one where we can all be proud of." You nodded.

"Woo! Get 'em!" Stacey cheered.

Well, Scott was pumped, you figured. Who to check up on next? Ah, right, Kim. But first, some drinks.

"Hey, Wyenn. I'm getting drinks, do you want some?" Scott offered.

"So I'll have to pay for them? Sure, I planned on it anyway." You agreed, amused.

And then the two of you took off to the bar, or that's what it was at first, because Ramona was clearly in a situation with Sandra and Monique, the former being kind of a ditz and the latter being kind of a bitch.

"Hey, Ramona. We're going for drinks." Scott casually said.

"My treat." You added.

"I was just leaving anyway." Ramona replied, standing up and heading over to the two of you. Once far enough, she whispered, "Thanks for the save. Everyone in this town is bitches, apparently."

"Everyone is bitches, yeah." Scott shrugged.

"Not you, though." Ramona added as she looked at you.

"Aw, thanks." You smiled, blushing slightly. Then, you arrived at the bar. "Now, what's your poison?"

"Uh... two gin & tonics. Doubles." Scott ordered.

"Whoa, daddy! I thought you didn't drink!" Ramona joked, impressed.

"Well, it's a special occasion." Scott smirked.

"You know, you're right. I'll take a Blue Hawaiian Cocktail." You added, sliding over some money to the bartender.

Moments later, you both had your drinks. "Please to enjoy." Scott said, handing his other gin tonic to Ramona.

"Wow... everything I thought I knew was wrong." Ramona stated.

"To a good night!" You declared, raising your glass.

"A good night!" Scott and Ramona repeated, the three of you clinking your glasses.

Scott chugged his drink in one go, while you and Ramona were just sipping on the straws. No, back to checking on Kim. Luckily, Scott and Ramona were also going that way, so you could tag along.

"Yellooo!" You called out.

"Yo." Kim waved, turning around.

"You guys came to see these assholes twice?" Scott asked, confused as he saw Hollie and Joseph were there, too.

"Uh... no, we came to see you." Hollie corrected.

"I put them in our guestlist, doof." Kim replied, rolling her eyes.

"Good to see I wasn't the only one who brought a few more numbers to the audience." You commented.

"I came for Todd Ingram and Todd Ingram alone." Joseph remarked, sounding annoyed.

"I used to date him." Ramona casually said as she sipped her drink.

"Crazy how your exes one to three are in this very club, Ramona." You added.

"Hold on, what?" Ramona paused, surprised.

"Oh... right. I didn't tell you." You realized. "Sorry. But they're cool with me, so you have nothing to worry about."

"If you say so..." Ramona nodded, looking away.

"Okay, talk amongst yourselves. I gotta go check something." Scott announced, walking off.

"Hey... did you really have a date last night, or what?" Ramona asked Kim.

"Huh? Oh no... I was at home in my room all night." Kim confessed. "Scrapbooking. And eating pizza."

"So I was right after all." You smirked.

"What about you, Y/N? Got a date?" Ramona questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really big on the whole dating scene. But if someone did ask me out at the right time, I guess I'd give it a shot, yes." You shrugged. "Why'd you wanna know?"

"Just curious." Ramona quickly replied.

"Wake up! Prepare to have your minds obliterated by... The Boys! And Crash!" Luke announced as he and the band arrived at the stage.

"Looks like Crash & the Boys had a hostile takeover." Kim pointed out.

"I just remembered! Knives is waiting for me outside and could arrive at any moment! Be right back!" You recalled, sprinting out of the palace.

As you made your way toward the door that'd lead outside, you came to a halt as you heard a convo between Scott and Envy.

Wouldn't be the first time today that you heard convos you weren't supposed to hear involving Envy, but might as well.

You put your ear against the door, and listened...

"Hey, Scott."

"Hey! Envy! H-hi!"

"Hey, I had an idea."

"What was that?"

"I thought maybe we could talk like normal people. Like it used to be."

"How can I talk to you like a normal person? Look at you!"

"Oh, yeah... Nicolas went a little overboard today. Nicolas, he's my stylist. He's waiting for me, actually. I was just heading back to my room to get ready for the show."

"You should probably just do that. It's getting late."

"So you don't want to talk like normal people?"

"Nat..."

"Yes?"

"Did we ever talk like normal people?"

"Ha. That's the last time you'll get away with calling me that, Pilgrim."

Seems everything was over. Time to meet up with Knives. "Wyenn?" Scott asked. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? Is something wrong? Is the world ending?" You quickly responded.

"Nevermind." Scott shook his head as he left.

You were a convincing enough liar, when you wanted to be. So you left and went out. After standing against the wall for a good while or two, Knives finally arrived. "Hey, Knives." You greeted.

"Hey, Wyenn!" She replied, walking over to you. "Sorry I was late, I was looking for something!"

"Oh, really? What'd you look for?" You questioned, curious.

"Well..." Knives trailed off as she held her arms behind her back. Then, she brought them forward, revealing she had chains just like the one on your wrist. Except, she had one for each arm.

"So, taking more of my style, huh? I'm flattered." You smirked, impressed. "Just as an accessory, or are you planning to learn how to fight with those?"

"Kinda both. Chains as weapons are just so cool!" Knives replied, excited.

"And you're right, they are." You chuckled. "C'mon, let's go inside."

"Right!" Knives nodded.

As the two of you went in, you could hear Crash and the Boys... or rather, the Boys and Crash playing a song. It wasn't bad, but it was lacking something. Wait, where are their instruments? Eh, that'll probably be explained later.

"Hey gals!" You waved, spotting Kim and Ramona.

"Just in time for my backstory." Kim greeted. "As I was saying, I was obsessed with this guy, Simon."

"Putting his picture in your locked obsessed, or sacrificial pagan obsessed?" Ramona questioned.

"There's no universe I see Kim doing the latter." You shrugged, chuckling.

"And you're right, because it's the former." Kim confirmed, sighing.

"Okay, go on..." Ramona encouraged.

"It wasn't really happening. He went to another school. We kind of dated for a bit and it was kind of fizzling." Kim explained. "So then Scott showed up, and... yeah. In retrospect, he was kind of a dick. Simon. Well, Scott too, I guess."

"That's it?" Ramona asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"Yeah..." Kim nodded.

"Okay, Canadians are officially boring people." Ramona concluded.

"I moved down here last year and Scott was... well, exactly the same, but completely different. You know? Something happened to him." Knives commented.

"Wild guess, but I'm betting Envy. She's what happened." You remarked, crossing your arms.

"That unbelievable bitch." Ramona scowled.

"If it helps, she's not completely the Miss Perfect she's making herself out to be." You commented, and everyone seemed to turn to look at you.

"Care to elaborate, Wyenn?" Kim questioned, intrigued.

"I was gonna tell you what I knew, but..." You pointed toward a particular direction. "Look for yourself."

"Huh? What do you mean-" Ramona stopped as her gaze, as well as the others', followed the spot you signaled to.

Lo and behold, Todd and Lynette making out, just like earlier this morning in the Ristorante. On the positive side, you weren't the one who broke the news by telling them what you heard. They were probably gonna stare in that direction eventually.

"Grossss." Kim snarked, smiling.

"You'd think he'd improve with age..." Ramona mumbled.

"Ooooh, Envy Adams is getting cheated on!" Knives said, sounding like an elementary kid that had found some dirt on their classmate.

"I think it's time for another drink." Joseph, who just kinda arrived with Hollie, commented as he left toward the bar.

"Well, well. Look who's back. Feeling any better, guy?" Kim teased as Stephen joined the group.

"What is with this band? They've changed..." Stephen changed the subject. "Have you noticed they don't have any instruments? Where's all this amazing noise coming from?"

And yeah, The Boys and Crash were playing seemingly nothing, yet sound still came out. Weird. Were they Sound Conduits? If so, you just might have to shake their hand after the show.

"Magic, I'm guessing?" Kim theorized.

"Huh... I hadn't noticed. I wonder if they'll play an important role later this evening?" Ramona commented, thinking.

"That would imply a future beyond the next twenty minutes. Let's go, Kim, Wyenn." Stephen spoke, gesturing toward the two of you.

"Yeah, yeah." Kim sighed.

"On my way, boss." You said, stretching a bit before joining the crew.

"Oh, you guys are on now? Where's Scott been hiding, anyway?" Ramona questioned, looking around.

"He's probably back there getting ready. We have secret plans." Kim smirked. "Check you later, Rammy."

"Bye." You waved, as the two of you walked over to the rest of the band.

- In the Backstage -

"Well, how are we feeling, people?" You asked, approaching the others.

"About as ready as can be, I guess." Stephen shrugged.

"More confidence, dude. Come on!" Scott encouraged.

"Wyenn didn't give us a speech for nothing." Kim pointed out. "Also, why are you not dressing up?"

"Well, you're all dressed in black, and I've already got that covered, so..." You explained. "I'll be fine. Plus, I've got the colorful lights to compensate."

"Fair enough." Kim shrugged.

"Y/N. Neon." Stephen reminded, taking out a neon sign from his bag and plugging it in the wall's outlet.

"Right, thanks!" You replied, turning the sign on and absorbing the neon light. "Alright, full tank. I'm ready."

- KTHOK -

"What the hell was that?" You questioned, startled.

"I dunno, but if you wanna check it out, be our guest. We still need to get dressed." Stephen commented.

"I planned to. Catch you guys later." You said as you left backstage and back into the main area.

"Dude! Envy's fighting some hammer chick!" One of the audience members yelled.

"Whoa! Sweet!" Another added.

"What?!" You shouted, confused. And the comments didn't help.

"We love you, Envy!"

"More high kicks!"

"Get her, Envy!"

"Pull her hair and stuff!"

"Make out!"