Chapter 163: Spirit Orchestra, Part Seven

"Holy crap," Rin said, an astonished expression firmly on her face as she looked at the stage while the crowd slowly filed out of the theatre, once the concert was done. "She's got some pipes."

"Pipes? Where?"

"I-It's an expression, just means she can sing well."

"Oh, I agree!" Xhez exclaimed as she turned around and looked back out onto the stage. A wide smile and a gleam in her bright, blue eyes appeared on her face as she watched her friend speak with her bandmates. Even from all the way up here, Xhez could see a few drops of sweat rolling down the side of the woman's face. Xhez felt how much June had pushed herself for the sake of this event, and now, her aura seemed so radiant. Literally, Xhez could feel her spirit and it was empowered thanks to this.

"Maybe someday I could do something like this," Xhez muttered as Rin stood beside her, leaning onto the railing just like she was doing. "If I master the power my voice wields."

"Hm. Maybe next time we get out of the city, if we're allowed to just walk through the woods or something, we can take some time to have you sing for a bit. Really test out all of the things your voice can do," Rin suggested.

"I would like that," Xhez replied, looking back at the adventurer. The two of them just smiled at each other for a moment before Rin made a face as though she had just remembered something.

"You should probably head backstage," Rin suggested. "June might want to hear your thoughts and stuff."

"Ah, you are right! Come on, let's let her know how amazing that was!"

"I..."

Rin didn't get to finish, however, as Xhez all but dragged her downstairs. They made their way through the cramped, dimly lit halls and ended up back behind the curtains. All of the humans nearby, most of which Xhez had seen before but some of which she hadn't, were all smiles. June herself held a grin on her face as she spoke to the others before she noticed Xhez standing there.

As soon as she did, she said something to her friends and quickly walked over to her.

"That was incredible!" Xhez stated before she even arrived. June giggled at that, her cheeks turning a faint red.

"I'm glad you liked it," she replied. Her eyes went to Rin then and she gave her a smile as well before asking, "did you?"

"Yeah," Rin replied casually, though she kept her arms crossed across her chest. "You're an amazing singer. I love your energy."  Then, she took a step back. "Xhez," she said, looking at the sprite, "I'll, ehm... wait for you outside. Same way we came in."

"Hm? Do you have to go?" Xhez asked. She wondered if maybe Rin thought she didn't want her there for some reason.

"I just wanna get some fresh air," Rin replied. "Again, thanks for the show and the behind-the-scenes look."

"Thank you for attending it," June responded and Rin soon exited. That left just the sprite and the singer to talk, as others chatted in the background. June tilted her head toward a nearby hall and asked, "how about we find somewhere more private?"

"Uh, sure," Xhez replied.

[Are humans really that uncomfortable around each other? Why do we have to go away from everyone too?]

Xhez received her answer quickly enough. As she followed June, the singer quickly pulled her into a nearby empty room that only had a table at the center with a few chairs around it and some half-eaten food sitting on it.

Almost as soon as the door closed, June moved up and pressed her lips against Xhez's own. It was a firm, long kiss that ended with June pulling away and giving an almost relieved sigh.

"Ah, thanks for that," June said.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to get another taste of those lips before I leave," she said with a wink. "Unfortunately, I will be going a little sooner than I originally thought."

That just added to Xhez's confusion. The disappointment on her face must have been evident as June elaborated before Xhez could even ask.

"I know, I know," the woman said with a tone that let Xhez know she didn't like it either. "But, we ended up booking another show at a village to the east. We have to leave tonight if we want to make it in time."

"Do you have to go?" Xhez asked and June laughed.

"Yes," she replied, leaving no room for discussion. "If I say I'm going to be somewhere at a specific time, then I will do everything in my power to be there on time. However..." She trailed off, as she put her hands on Xhez's shoulders. "I might be able to spare an hour or two in a little bit if you want to come by my hotel again. That's all I can give you. Does that sound good?"

"Yes, of course," Xhez replied with a nod. "I wish I could spend more time with you, though."

"Well, sweetheart," June said, reaching up and caressing her cheek, "maybe we'll see each other again in the future. If we do, I'll hold you to that."

---

{June}

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After a short make-out session, Xhez left the theatre with the promise that June would see her again later, if only for a short time. The thought of that woman never failed to make her feel a little warmer. The positive energy that she often injected into June's mood was almost addictive. For now, however, June set that aside. She had to check in with her bandmates.

She walked back to where the others were, finding a few people speaking with them that she didn't know.

[Fans?] She wondered.

The strangers looked like a couple. A woman with silver hair and dark eyes that nearly looked red. The man next to her was beastborn, with a pair of wolf ears on his head. Both of them were wearing some fairly flashy outfits, with the woman wearing a glittering red dress and the man wearing a black suit.

June put on her most polite smile possible and walked up to Ross, who noticed her coming and turned toward her.

"Ah, there she is, you can just ask her," Ross said.

"Ask me what?"

"June, this is-" Ross went to introduce her but the woman walked toward June and stretched a hand out, cutting him off.

"Greetings," she said with an expression that was confident but also polite. "My name's Olivia. This is my husband, Nox. We're big fans of yours."

[Really?] June wondered. 

The woman gave her a look up and down that felt very analytical. There was something about how her overall demeanor that didn't seem too genuine to June's eyes and ears, but, then again, they had only just met. 

"I'm flattered," she replied, shaking the woman's hand. Ross looked back and forth between the two of them, though his eyes remained on Olivia for a few seconds before he said:

"The two of them were just telling us about a potential gig. I told them you're the one who makes all the decisions, though."

"I'm not."

"You kind of are," Ross shrugged. Olivia started talking again in the middle of his sentence.

"Yes, I have a bit of an offer for you." As she said that, June brought her eyes back up to her. "Have you heard of a small town called Alteria?"

"Um, yes," June nodded slowly as she searched her memories. "Vaguely, though. It's one of the few places I haven't been to. It's southeast, right?"

"Indeed," the woman replied. "We'd like it if you could go and perform a few songs for our club. We'll pay you well, of course."

[This is moving a bit fast... I'm kind of caught off-guard here.]

"Uh... Who, or what is your club exactly?" June asked, raising a brow, struggling to keep up.

"Just a group of friends," Olivia replied. Then, she gave a subtle smirk. "Here, a little bit of coin in advance so you know I'm serious," she added, before pulling out a single platinum varol and throwing it in the air, toward June. June's eyes bulged out of their sockets when she saw that thing fall into her hands.

"What?" That was all June could manage to say.

"I gave your partners a way for you to send me a letter if you're interested in the offer. Just know, there's more where that came from if you're willing to do a show for us."

"I..." June could barely process what was happening. Before she could even respond, the woman placed another coin in her hands.

This one, however, didn't seem like money. It carried a symbol of a crescent moon with another sphere inside of it, covered in spikes connecting it to the moon outside.

"If you do choose to perform for us, then hold onto this thing," Olivia said. "If you don't, feel free to throw it away. You'll need it to get into our club, though. Thank you for your time."

"W-Wait..."

Just like that, however, Olivia gestured at her husband and the two of them all but disappeared in a flash with how quickly they walked out of that place. June was left staring down at two coins in her hands, one of which held an absurd amount of value, and the other being one she hadn't seen before.

"... Well, that was something," Ross said. "Pretty fucking weird, personally. I say we go back to that whorehouse in Dren and spend the plat there. What do you think?"

June laughed.

"Maybe."

[What the hell was all of that about?]

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