#(theo; sing us a song you're the piano man)
Text
No Stronger Words
Bijoux looked over to her left with a casual glance. She again stopped cold at the sight of the Mew, still feeling a bit nervous at the sight. She swore she was working on it; he'd just talked to her a few days ago! She had to get better at not treating him like he was unapproachable. But his question... her ears wilted with dread.
"Aww... mister Lucifer, did you really have to notice that detail of all things?" she mumbled, her tail swaying in rhythm to try and calm herself. "Man... Mom was right; you really are an incredible listener if you brought that one up. But, I guess it won't hurt to tell you about it. I mean, it already happened; it's not like Mom is going to get me in any more trouble if more Pokemon know about what I did during last spring's talent show. She can't ground me again... I hope."
She blushed hotly. "It's a bit of a long story, but I mean, considering how much Mom and I have talked to you already, I can only guess you're used to us being overly chatty, so... at least I warned you, but still."
(Fair warning: loooooooooong text post beneath cut.))
"And now, for our final performance here at Undella High's senior talent show, performing as a solo singing act…"
Bijoux stood quietly behind the curtains in her high school auditorium, wearing a flourishing red dress that stretched entirely over her taurbody. She shifted nervously on her four feet as a spectacled Lucario in a tuxedo outside spoke, looking over at an anthro Flareon in a tank top and jeans standing next to her. The fire-type gave her a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs-up gesture, before the voice outside called out her name.
"Bijoux Aniseed!"
Scattered, polite applause peppered around the auditorium, with several parents and attendees not readily recognising the Cinccino-taur as she stepped out. Several, of course, save for a Shaymin-Leafeon taur hybrid clad in a loose, purple dress who clapped far more supportively than others. Scattered glances came the hybrid's way, but she didn't care one bit, continuing to support her daughter's appearance on the stage.
"Thank you, Mr. Hallen…" Bijoux began, nervously taking the microphone from the tuxedo-clad Lucario into her hands. "Um... before I begin, I'd like to thank a few Pokemon for their assistance in helping me record the backing track for my performance. After over a year of working with them on fine-tuning the melodies and several attempts recording, I would be remiss in not mentioning their help.
"Firstly, I want to thank Fiamma, for her help in mixing, as well as her guitar sounds. Evie, for her violin tracks and for coordinating meeting times and places, as well as backing vocals. Britton, for his piano performances, and assistance in helping transcribe the sheet music for everyone. Theo, for his drums and percussion work. Ms. Lime, for allowing us to use the school band instruments and recording hall for the final sessions. Mx. Perriman, for accepting my act into the show and putting me at the end so I'd have time to work up the confidence to go through with it."
Bijoux paused, as a couple of voices rang out in impatience and throats cleared. "And of course, I have one more thank-you, the most vital one of all. Admittedly, I'm… not used to singing solo; I'm better at singing in the group choirs…" She nodded curtly. "But I promised my Mom I would give it a shot, way back when my transitions began, as I worked to match the voice I heard, to the one I wanted to hear."
A spotlight shone over the hybrid taur, who waved curtly toward the turning audience as Bijoux continued. "She believes in me, has always pushed me to improve. And many of her words, the songs she has sung for me, for others... I wanted to bring this joy to everyone. So I chose... a very special song, to share tonight. One that, in essence, has spent all of high school in production, between long days, weekends away in hiding. I could only think of one song that would be fitting for a night like tonight. A song she sang so many times, that it would be a dishonour to not choose it."
"Bijoux, honey..." The Lucario tapped his wrist, gesturing his head toward the audience.
"R-right... um, sorry." The younger taur composed herself with a nervous tap of her forepaws. "So this is it. The solo I promised you, Mom. The one I promised myself, four years later, but better than never."
Bijoux's left arm raised to the air, the cue that she was at long last about to perform. There was a brief silence, and the click of a button, the recording playback beginning with a slow tap of drumsticks, setting a slow, deliberate tempo. A somber piano melody began to play in the air, accompanied by the soft sound of violin strings being bowed, and the intermittent chords of a guitar to form the full backing. Bijoux opened her muzzle for the first time a few seconds into the instrumental intro.
Yeah, yeah….
Bijoux's voice was soft, and yet carried an emotional weight behind it. Shaky, but genuine. Her facial expressions became more confident, and gentle percussion kept the tempo as the main portions of the song began to play.
It seems like yesterday when I said, "I do"
And after all this time
My heart still burns for you
If you don't know by now that you're my only one
Then take a look inside me
And watch my heartstrings come undone
"Wait…" Loki's ears drooped as the words began to spill from Bijoux's muzzle. She could feel herself getting nervous; she'd heard this song before. Countless times, in fact, but it had always been in her own voice. And it had always been in one place… the purple dogwood in her home. It hadn't always been as tall, nor as vibrant, as she recalled from the first time she sang it, but it was unmistakably the same plant. Loki's mind began to race as she recalled the song itself, and to whom she had addressed the lyrics: her first husband, Shijima.
I know I promised you forever
Is there no stronger word I can use?
To reassure you when the storm
Is raging outside
You're my safest place to hide
There was the Houndoom yet again. Shijima's face appeared in Loki's mind, clear as day. The perfect purple of his eyes, the clarity of the scar running just above his nose. The horns that curled back behind perpetually tilted-back ears. It had been centuries since he last breathed, and yet… like clockwork, the words formed him as though he had just stepped out of heaven, staring directly into her eyes. A hesitant glance at first… bashful, reciprocating the clear love in Loki's face, but without his own visage betraying the silent, stoic nature he had carried for everyone else. And then began the first instance of the chorus.
Can you see me, here I am
I need you like I needed you then
When I feel like giving up
I climb inside your heart and still find
(You're my)
Loki's muzzle began to mouth the words along with the backing vocals. She knew the song better than anyone could have ever guessed, a sign that worried her even more while the melodies continued.
You're my safest place to hide
Bijoux's voice confidently projected through the airspace at this line. And as Loki looked back at Shijima, she saw his fur begin to take on a slightly greyed shade, the effects of time weathering the memories she held of the Houndoom's appearance. Family members disappeared from the mental photo album, new ones appeared, but the three constants remained… Shijima, Loki… and the slowly blooming dogwood behind them. Tempered glances from the fire dog began to wither, to soften, with the taur's hands brushing over his fur, her muzzle mouthing an echo of the words Bijoux was singing.
You see colours no one else can see
In every breath you hear a symphony
You understand me like nobody can
I feel my soul unfolding
Like a flower blooming
Bijoux's voice grew more melodic and soft on this verse. An ease and warmth was evident now; she had begun to find her element at long last. Meanwhile, in Loki's mindspace, Shijima became obscured by falling purple leaves, and as each one fluttered past the Houndoom, the dog's eyes slowly began to lid tiredly, a few more patches of grey fur continuing to spread along his coat. An already-tucked tail drooped even more, his stance growing less steady. He leaned against Loki's body, and the hybrid taur began to feel a familiar warmth against her lower half, despite Shijima's memories… being just that. And as Bijoux's voice soothingly trilled out the line about 'a flower blooming,' it began to smell like a thousand Gracideas had fluttered open right around the pair.
When this whole world gets too crazy, yeah…
And there's nowhere left to go
(Nowhere left to go)
Small murmurs of concern and astonishment began surrounding Loki, the rest of the audience around her clearly beginning to smell both the Gracidea flower along her flank, and the heavier lavender scents indicating the grass type's happiness and strong emotional state. Not to mention, the shock that this girl, someone who had barely been part of the backdrop for most of her high school life, was out here performing as though she had belonged the entire time.
I know you give me sanctuary
You're the only truth I know
You're the road back home
A few Pokemon here and there began to look at the taur, whose gaze toward Bijoux had now morphed into a confusing mixture of betrayal and pride. At this point, Loki's memories of Shijima had taken a backseat to simply taking in Bijoux's voice, which now enveloped the whole auditorium like a giant electric blanket. She felt her eyes tearing up listening to the words that had been forming such vivid sensations around her.
Can you see me, here I am (here I am)
Standing here where I've always been (I've always been)
And when words are not enough
I climb inside your heart and still find
(You're my) You're my safest place to hide
'Words are not enough.' Loki remembered that all too well about Shijima. Often times, the two would be able to say more with body language and touch than they ever could using speech, or even the most elegant prose that the taur could ever conjure. Words could never possibly have been enough to accurately reflect how deeply the two had loved one another, and it would have sometimes felt like an insult to even make the attempt. In fact…
My safest place to hide
Speaking of touch, she once again felt a warm brush against her tauric body, seeing a familiar paw in her mind. A black-furred canine paw… Shijima had reached himself gently out to touch her, and the familiar sensation of his pawpads against her body had returned Loki to the trance-like world of her memories. The melody became mostly just the piano and some quiet violin backing on the next verse, almost trance-like in its continued effects.
I know I promised you forever
There's no stronger word I can use
To reassure you when the storm
Is raging outside
You're my safest place to hide
The paw shook lightly against her, seeming to struggle to simply stay off the ground, weathered and weighed down by the years of life. And yet… the once stone-faced canine's muzzle… formed into a warm, heart-tugging smile. His head, much as it struggled… craned into the taur's hand, giving her fingers a slow, deliberate lick.
Oh!
A brief jolt to reality at this interjection from Bijoux. A change of percussion melody played before the final chorus began, driving Loki's mind right back to the forest with Shijima…
Can you see me (See me)
Here I am (Here I am)
Standing here where I've always been (I've always been)
When I feel like giving up (oh oh)
I climb inside your heart and still find
(You're my) You're my safest place to hide
Loki's eyes let loose with a torrent of tears as she watched the dog's eyes close completely, feeling a crushing weight on her heart. A single song, just under five minute in length, had stretched her mind onto a conveyor belt of memories with Shijima, one that took her through over the six decades that she had spent nurturing, loving him… gaining his trust, earning the right to see him happy. To see that smile, that damn smile that had captivated her since the first time she'd ever seen it. To feel, yet again, a final gesture of love from him, puppeteered by a song that she first sang during one of the last days of the canine's original life. Even now, as the Houndoom lay still, a kind smile remained over his muzzle, a reflection that he had enjoyed the song even now, be it with a new voice… or be it from a distance immeasurable by mortal-kind. The idea that even now, Shijima had indeed climbed inside Loki's heart, and debatably her very soul as well. A perch that he would never leave, no matter how hard the taur had tried to deny, to suppress the pain of the physical departure…
You're my safest place to hide
Bijoux remained still once she had finished, the last guitar strums sounding afterward. It was the final line. The final reminder. One that Loki could hear in a chorus of three voices. Bijoux's had remained the most prominent, just as it had through the performance. Shijima's was there… a core, awoken memory, given that the dog had rarely sung, even alongside Loki. A rumbly, murmury singing voice, one that possibly nobody but the taur herself had ever heard.
And of course, Loki's own vocals rang out. Not just there, but in the auditorium, synchronised with Bijoux's, quietly enough to not disrupt the final moments, though strong enough to be heard by several audience members. A few gazes turned between the front where Bijoux stood, and the crying hybrid sitting next to them, obviously making mental connections. Were said connections accurate? Some, maybe; others, not as much.
And the applause began. It was an immediate tidal wave of emotion on display from everyone packed into the building, sweeping everyone into its path. One raucous roar of approval turned into many, and before anyone knew what hit them, the entire audience had stood to its feet, hooting and hollering, clapping as loudly as their voices, their bodies, could carry such sounds. Loki's tears continued to flow as though her eyes had become cascading waterfalls, but she was on all four of her paws, screaming as loudly as anyone else in that auditorium, if not moreso.
Bijoux only just now began to look up at the crowd who had broken the near-silence in a unanimous show of passion and gratitude for having heard the song. The voice that had carried a weight the Cinccino-taur could never have imagined, the lyrics that wove a story only one knew intimately, yet echoed sentiments felt by all those who had been there to listen.
The normal-type taur stood there in stunned, shell-shocked silence. Her eyes immediately drew themselves to her sobbing, applauding mother, her ears flattening ashamedly. She knew the song had been an important part of Loki's history, one that she had only heard her sing in what had been perceived privacy. Regret washed over her, halfway torn between feeling pride for finally performing solo vocals, and feeling shame for doing so with a song that she doubted Loki would have approved of her using. She felt the touch of several classmates who had rushed out to hug her and congratulate her, sinking into the forming mob of teens and eventually losing sight of her mom in the chaos. In fact, once she looked out into the audience when she got a good look once more... Loki was gone, entirely, having run out of the auditorium to attempt to compose herself.
The standing ovation lasted almost three minutes, and to Bijoux, it felt like an eternity. She was used to academic praise, to the accolades of the whole choir in a joined effort, to seeing others sing solos, but herself? She remembered the promise she made her mother when she had joined the choir, that no matter what, she would make one solo performance, one way or another. Now she had done it, but at what cost?
After everything had at long last settled to normalcy, Mr. Hallen returned to the stage next to Bijoux, closing out the show with a monologue while unseen judges tallied votes and made decisions. Finally, the Lucario began announcing awards for the evening, as a luxuriously-dressed Gothitelle woman passed him a sheet of paper. Several categories were brought up and then awared; top physical feats, instrumental performances, original acts, comedic routines and outstanding vocal renditions were recognised and presented with small trophies.
And at the end of it, the final category of 'top overall act' had been announced, with a giant trophy, easily three feet high, being brought out to go with it. Bijoux watched with shared pride as a Vespiquen accepted the top honours for best overall act, clapping for her just as others had clapped for her own performance. A final round of applause was given to all of the winners as they stood together. And finally, all of the acts joined in one last show of solidarity for a group bow, with a final standing ovation for the effort shown by every performer. With a closing quip, the show had ended, and everyone began to disperse.
About a half-hour had passed from the end of the show. Bijoux stood outside with the Flareon from earlier, talking nervously with her as the two swapped details of their performances. Neither girl had a trophy in their possession, though it didn't seem to sour the conversation, which included shared smiles, laughter and shrugs of the shoulders.
"Okay, really though, Legs, you were freakin' robbed…" the Eeveelution growled, shaking her head. "You literally had the entire auditorium on their feet by the end of that act, and they can't even give you a small category trophy for that? I swear, those judges had to have rigged the hell out of that vote, and if they ever show themselves I'll-"
"Fiamma, enough," Bijoux finally interjected. "I literally don't care about those trophies. And what, you don't think Evie earned her trophy? She's been singing solos in the choir since freshman year. I literally only just joined it this year and I've just blended into the background chorus on every performance. And she helped me out a ton with my own act when she could have just buzzed off and left us all stranded. She did just as well as I did with her own song, and even performed an instrument while she sang! That's basically two acts in one! All I did was sing to a recorded melody! You can't just ask judges to forget everyone else's act just because of a crowd's reaction to my own..."
"And why do you think they reacted like that, Legs!?" Fiamma's face formed into a grouchy pout, her arms folded in defiance. "Pity!? No, it's a talent show, not a talent season; if you get that kind of reaction and knock the audience dead like that you definitely deserve to walk out of there with some sort of recognition. Forget Evie; look at her over there gloating and strutting around with that giant trophy like she's queen bee! And you know what the bee really stands for!"
"I don't care," the taur repeated sternly. She didn't even cast a glance toward the Vespiquen on the other side of the hall, who was buzzing and humming proudly around a crowd of their fellow choir and band members, nor the golden trophy nearly fully obscuring her from a general view. "Evie earned it. I appreciate how passionate you are that I deserved something, but stop it. I didn't join this talent show to win; I joined it because I made a promise to myself and Mom that I would branch out and perform on my own..."
"Anyway. I didn't get any solos in choir... so this was my last best chance. No blending behind a choir, no group performances where I would be masked behind someone else's solos. Just me, a microphone, and my own voice, doing everything I could to prove that I could stand out on my own. I don't need some shiny trinket to tell me I succeeded."
"You're living in such a fantasy world!" Fiamma protested. "This isn't some movie where you get to shrug off something so blatantly wrong… you need to go back in there and demand some sort of explanation! Or see if Evie's mom was on the judging committee or something! There's no way you can just be so… so blah, about this!"
"Blah about what?"
Both girls' heads whipped toward the voice coming from behind them. Loki stood and looked at them with a piqued curiosity. Fiamma blushed upon seeing this, the Flareon darting away before the elder taur could ask a second time to receive a response.
"Mom, it's nothing; Fiamma was just-"
"Bijoux, quiet." Loki placed her hands squarely on Bijoux's shoulders, a piercing glare staring into the younger taur's eyes, tears welling and betraying the anger in her look. "Why did you sing that song? Of all the ones you could have chosen… why that? One of the most personal songs I have… one I never shared with anyone… you couldn't have thought I wanted it to leave Redolent Grove! And how? How did you even know it?"
Bijoux's ears folded, a hot pink hue dotting her freckled ears and cheeks. "I… I heard you singing it a few times. And… I liked it a lot. I just… every time I heard you sing it, I felt like I could see the love poured into your performances, the emotions, the vulnerability… the pride you felt singing it. The emotions and words resonated so much… and all that time we spent, singing together, you believing in me, I…"
Loki's gaze softened slightly, though the forming tears continued to dribble down her cheeks. "….and?"
Bijoux leaned her head upward into Loki's chin, bonking heavily into it as she felt a rush of emotion, a mixture of shame and love, but also determination. "…and I wanted to show just as much that I could tell a story through song just like you did… I know I should've picked a different one, but nothing else felt right… and all the work everyone did helping, I couldn't throw that away... I'm sorry…"
Loki once again erupted into sobs, wordlessly hugging the smaller Cinccino-taur to herself without caring who could (and did) see them. Several students, including the Vespiquen, peeked over with a growing interest, and then a heightened concern, as the two taurs embraced with shared tears and a blanket of emotions that wrapped them more deeply into their hug. Small murmurs cropped up here and there, but no one was laughing or mocking them; in fact, everyone appeared highly supportive of the pair. A realisation that Bijoux had sung something Loki so deeply treasured and carefully crafted, made its way into the crowd's collective minds.
"....Mom?" Bijoux finally interjected. "Mom..."
Loki shook her head softly, ears flattened as far as possible. "...we will be talking about this later," she whispered, turning herself away from Bijoux with a low, grumbly huff before looking around at the students (and now parents) gathered in the area. "What? I'm proud of my girl and everyone else. Never seen a parent cry proud tears for their kid? Your loss..." She darted out of the hallway (and school) with several angry growls, leaving behind a highly embarrassed Bijoux. The other Pokemon stared at the now beet-red blushing Cinccino-taur with conflicting mixtures of anger, support, and, in several cases, flat-out confusion...
(( @ask-no151 ))
((Song Credits: Safest Place to Hide, performed by the Backstreet Boys
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