Chapter 6: Stop Thinking and Start Doing

“Oh I like you~”

“Um, Ashura? What exactly are we doing right now?”

‘Don't ask me, ask her.’

Adora and Ashura held a silent conversation as they followed behind the blonde girl. She had the bluenette hold some of her belongings as they went around the school doing menial tasks. As Adora woke up, she was equally confused with her partner on the purpose of this trip.

“S-She's not messing with us, is she?”

‘I hope not. Imma get real pissed if she is.’

“And here we are, darling! Where I needed us to be!” Elzette gestured towards the gymnasium, currently devoid of any people. “We shall begin your training here!”

“...Oi, Drills.”

“Hm?”

“We could've been here 20 minutes ago. This was two doors down from your classroom.” Ashura's irritation was prevalent on her face, sharp teeth gritting hard as she held a tense smile. “Don’t tell me we did all that walking around for nothing!”

“But of course not, silly!” Elzette laughed haughtily. “All of our little escapades were absolutely necessary. Getting the equipment from the Combatica tracks, the tomes from the Arcana students, getting the stands from Class 3-C, getting the newest make-up from my friend Tatiana-”

“That all sounds like useless junk! Especially the make-up! What the hell are we actually doing with all of this?!”

“They were all gathered together for THIS, darling!” With a resounding melody from her viola, Elzette caused all the items she and Ashura procured to lift themselves up and float into the air. The rockstar duo watched in awe as the objects danced and twirled throughout the gymnasium before situating themselves into various different positions. Once that was all said and done, the random assortment of items had turned themselves into a makeshift audience.

“Whoa…” “Incredible…”

“And now, for the finishing touch!” With an elegant final stroke, the mannequins all rose to life, the chattering of an inanimate crowd shocking Adora and Ashura. Elzette hummed to herself with a job well done. “There we are, a full practice crowd. And the center of the gym is your stage. The floor is yours, my dear.”

Ashura grinned at the sight, only to notice Adora standing back. She looked scared, her legs shaking as she refused to walk forward with him. He rolled his eyes and mentally nudged her.

‘Come on, we don’t got all day.’

“I-I don’t know, even if th-they’re not real, Miss Elzette is. A-And I don’t want to disappoint her…”

“You’re overthinking things again, Adora.” Ashura whispered, making Adora perk up a bit. “You got your winning ticket, right here.” The rockstar pulled out her notebook, showing her spirit partner. “These are all your words here, I’m just gonna belt ‘em out at her. And then, we’ll get my guitar!”

“Y-Yeah, but-”

“No buts! I’m going up!” Ashura laughed brashly before walking up onto the stage. “Alright Elzette, you wanted to hear me sing? Then open your goddamn ears!”

The blonde girl sat alongside her makeshift crowd as Ashura began to sing. The tomboy’s heavy-handed way of performing riled up the inanimate spectators. Every verse boomed with the authority of a rockstar amping up his crowd, bringing them to the climax of the act. Elzette even found herself bobbing her head to the rhythm of Ashura’s song, getting caught up in his movements. And as his song winded down, Ashura growled out his final lines, ending the song in a rough yet satisfying tune.

“Haah… haah… how was that, Drills?”

“Ah! Marvelous! Simply marvelous, darling~!” Elzette stood and clapped, prompting her mannequins to do the same. “However, there was something I thought was odd with your performance there, if you do not mind me telling.”

“Nah, shoot.”

“That song… was not written for you to sing, wasn’t it?”

The room fell silent as Ashura froze onstage. Deep sapphire eyes glared daggers into cool emerald orbs. A tense showdown between the two girls began mentally, neither giving ground. Eventually, Ashura clicked her tongue in irritation before letting her arms drop to her sides.

“...No, this wasn’t for me. I chose a random song from my notebook and sang it. Sue me.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, dearest. However, you must be able to find a song that resonates with you. It cannot be any old song you feel like would sound nice. Now then,” Elzette walked up and snatched the notebook from Ashura’s hand, eliciting a small ‘hey!’ “Let us see what lies in here that would fit well with you, my little Miss Rockett.”

“AAAAHHH!!! SHETOOKTHEBOOKSHETOOKTHEBOOKSHETOOKTHEBOOK-”

‘Addy, now’s not the fuckin’ time!’ Ashura grit her teeth, eyeing Elzette carefully. She knew how much that notebook means to Adora, and if something happens to it, she’ll bust that broad’s mouth wide open. The drill-haired girl hummed to herself as she flipped through the pages, trying to find a song worthy of being played for her. Eventually, she stopped and handed back the book to Ashura, letting Adora let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the page Ashura was staring at and let out a surprised gasp.

“That’s…”

“This song here, I believe, will draw out your talent. Do you trust me, Miss Adora Rockett?”

“Well sure, I-” Ashura then shut his mouth, contemplating his next words. Hearing Adora’s reaction made it clear to him: This wasn’t his stage. He did a small glance at his co-host before smiling. Without saying a word, he manually swapped places with Adora, letting her take the reins once more. Her eyes shifted back to ruby as they filled with anxiety, but Ashura came beside her and gave her a thumbs up. She gulped down the last bit of nervousness as she returned to the blonde girl. “I can. Thank you, Miss Elzette.”

x-x-x-x-x

Elzette watched as the fiery Rockett girl transformed back into her previous self before her very eyes. She couldn’t place a finger on it, but something was definitely off with her demeanor. Nevertheless, the ruby-eyed girl now held a firm determination in her eyes, and Elzette could hardly contain her excitement.

She took her spot into the crowd once more as she motioned for Adora to go back onstage. The girl shakily yet bravely made her way up, taking deep breaths. Hoisting her notebook onto a makeshift stand, she cleared her throat. Elzette could see the beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, her anxious nature clawing its way forth once more. Before she could cast a calming charm, she heard Adora mutter to herself “Don’t think, just do it.”

And just like that, her worry vanished; before her was now a confident blue-haired girl raring to go. Adora began to sing from her heart, preaching with a vastly different tone from her previous infliction. As she sang, Elzette could feel the emotions of wishing to lash out against the world, yet the fear beneath it all of not wanting to stand out for it. Adora’s soul ached for a chance to be heard properly, to be seen; but her feelings prevented it. Yet despite it all, Elzette began to take notice; the song’s tempo was rising.

The doubts and insecurities Adora held were slowly melting away as she continued to belt out chorus after chorus. Each verse rang out with a louder cry that screamed “I am here! Witness me!” There, the blonde girl noticed something odd. With her eyes glued shut, Adora was mimicking an odd gesture, like she was strumming an imaginary instrument. Despite that, she could hear the melody of it. It thrashed violently in direct opposition to Adora’s softer voice. But Elzette could not help but clap along in tune with it, alongside her fake audience. The two conflicting personalities somehow managed to create a harmonic melody that amplified the other.

Adora’s eyes flared to life once more as she rose up, the invisible instrument in her arms rising with her. She let out a powerful cry, her eyes flashing between ruby and sapphire. And Elzette gasped in awe as she saw a radiant light materialize in the girl’s hand. Where an imaginary instrument once aligned itself, there manifested the strangest thing she has ever seen.

A slab of indigo steel appeared in the girl’s hands, with it being hoisted by a long metal shaft; akin to a wooden string instrument. The base of the instrument was adorned with black, jagged stripes, and its shape reminded the blonde girl of a dog’s maw.

With one final flourish, Adora swung her arm down, strumming the strange instrument. It released an electrifying howl, the shockwave blowing back some of the mannequins. Elzette sat in utter disbelief at the display, watching the panting bluenette lean against her Focus. Adora smiled back at Elzette, sweat pouring off her forehead.

“How… was that…?”

“Mon…Mon…” Adora cringed away, afraid to hear the next word out of her mouth. It sounds like she was about to say Monst- “MON DIEU!” Eh?

“Magnificent, oh simply magnificent my dear! That tune, your words, the rhythm! EVERYTHING!!! It all spoke to me, and I must say I was speechless the whole time!”

“O-Oh! Uh-um… thank you!”

“And look at this!” Elzette ran up and hoisted up Adora’s hands, letting her take a good look at the object. “You summoned it! Your very own Muse’s Focus! Do you understand what this means, Miss Rockett?!”

“I-I… yeah, I do,” Adora’s eyes watered heavily. She couldn’t believe it, she had finally taken the first step forward. And for the first time in a long time, she let out a true, wide smile. “I’m finally a Muse!”

“Congratulations, darling! Oh, what a joyous occasion~! Ah, I almost forgot the most important part!”

“What is it, Miss Elzette?”

“The name, silly! What shall we call your… hmm, what is it anyways?”