interstellar90210 | The brighter the candle the faster it burns...

                                                                             A Star Falls

The sudden and tragic suicide of Virgo star Naomi Rivers shocked the music community yesterday, robbing it of one of it's brightest talents. Miss Rivers had been hosting a lavish holiday party for music insiders from both Virgo Entertainment and Pride Records at her mansion. It wasn't until the party was winding down that she was found dead in her room. According to the police report, the star overdosed on a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills. A suicide note was reportedly found next to her body, but the authorities have refused to release the contents at this time.

Many of us still remember the starlet's meteoric rise to fame. Her first hit single was topping the charts less than a year after she signed on with Virgo Entertainment. Since then the singer has released one hit after another and her brilliant career seemed untouchable. But they say the brightest stars are the quickest to burn. Insiders close to her have said that Miss Rivers had been increasingly depressed and distant over the past few months. The pressures of stardom were clearly weighing her down. Friends of the singer hoped that her recent enthusiasm for her Solstice party was a positive sign. In hindsight however, several of the star's closest confidants wondered if she was 'trying to go out with a bang.'

Fans are understandably devastated by this tragedy, and the Naomi Rivers official fan club has organized a candlelight vigil in her honor. A statement from Virgo Entertainment reassures devoted fans that her unreleased songs will be made available in a special collection sometime early next year.

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[He raises a skeptical eyebrow when she promise to answer three of those question. Although it turns out she has a good point about Mr. Blanche not seeing them as threats. So maybe they aren't being watched as closely as he feared. However....]

But why does he want us to perform? This can't all be about money.

[It may sound like he's being difficult, but that was actually only half pessimism. Because now she's got him really thinking about their situation instead of just being depressed about it.]

And you said to communicate with each other, but how do we know what's safe to talk about?

[He may not be watching their every move but he's probably watching some of them.]

[Better thinking than anything else right now, as far as she's concerned.]

That's a good question... And something I think it would benefit all of us to figure out. [With the things they'd done at that party, how valuable was money really?] And I think 'when' is more the worry when it comes to this...

But you're always welcome at our penthouse. It won't be odd at all, considering how I am. I'll make sure you can talk about whatever you want there.

[She's is the woman who dragged a bunch of people to a Label wide lunch her first month of being in the penthouse, after all.]

Whatever he wants from us, he wants more of it than Lesedi has.

[And vice versa. That much was obvious from their conversation that night. And while he does appreciate the open invitation...]

You don't think the penthouses are bugged? I mean, if Mr. Blanche wanted to keep tabs on us, that seems like the easiest way.

Ah... So you thought that too.

[Optimistic, because the other person who had that train of thought...]

Doctor had the same idea. He spent a whole night tearing our penthouse apart trying to see if there was anything, and then putting everything back again. He said he didn't find anything...

He didn't?

[Tsuna frowns. That's convenient. Unfortunately it's alittle too convenient for his pessimism to readily accept.]

But why? He would've had every chance to do it, and most of our time is spent there so... why would he just miss an opportunity like that?

...He doesn't trust our manager. Angel.

Does anyone trust their managers at this point?

[The whole operation is beyond suspicious.]

Unlikely.

But I think that's what- or who rather- he's using rather than bugging our rooms. He might think that's all he needs.

...Not that anyone should be reckless, of course.

Maybe. But our manager barely pays any attention to us. He really only cares about how well our albums are selling.

[But he supposes it's possible that the managers were assigned to watch the bands and Mr. Darzi just slacks off.]

Either way, we'll just have to be careful.

I'm sure we can do more than he thinks we can, however. It'll just take a little bit of time to figure out everything. We're all shaken up, after all.

That's an understatement.

[He wouldn't use the phrase 'shaken up.' More like terrified.]

Um...

[He glances around, to make sure no one is close enough to hear him and then lowers his voice anyway.]

These weird... vision things that people keep having... do you think we should try to avoid them or...?

[Try to trigger more? He'd been talking with Nia about just that a few days before, or he never would have thought of it. Tsuna thinks avoiding them is better, but he's curious what she'll say.]

[Ah, yes. They would get to this eventually, wouldn't they? Luce rubs at her knuckles idly, thinking.]

At the party... For the first time, one of the visions I saw was... frightening, I suppose. [Just not for the reasons some might think.] I've never lacked confidence, but this makes me uncertain of myself. Of the kind of person I am and can be.

Despite that, I want to see more of them. They feel like a puzzle I haven't figured out yet, and, once I have enough pieces, I feel like I'll see something important. Other visions I've had before have made me feel like that. A sense of duty, or a feeling like I'd met people I'd been wanting to see for so long that I was elated at finally getting to experience being with them. Things like that.

I can't make decisions for anyone else, but if I ever have the choice to experience them, even with the chance that it might be frightening.... I would take it. I want to see what all the pieces form together.

Besides... [She looks back to Tsuna with a smile.] I have a feeling that Blanche and anyone else higher up the foodchain doesn't want us to see them. That just makes me want them all the more.

They do feel a little bit like a puzzle. Like if you could see enough of them the whole picture would make sense.

[Why do other people have such an easy time being brave about stuff like this? Tsuna is almost as terrified of the visions as he is of Mr. Blanche.]

But... I also think it's going to be a one way street. Once you have the whole picture, you can't really unsee it. So isn't it possible that you might regret it once you have?

Maybe.

[There's no doubt about that.]

But... I want to believe that the people I see sometimes are worth it. [Leaning back, she sighs.] Have you ever felt like that? That there are people you were always supposed to meet, and you'd do so much for them?

I...

[Yes. That orange haired girl. That strange boy he'd been yelling at. The increasingly obvious hole in his life where someone important, someone who could help him, give him advice, should be.

But he's sticking with denial right now. There's no guarantee those people are even real. ~~He knows they are. The denial is strong in this one.~~]

Not really...

[That doesn't seem true... But Luce lets it lie. A sigh escapes her, and she smiles again softly.]

Then perhaps it's hard to explain. The only thing I can do is keep moving forward and hope for the best.

[He looks away, unable to meet her eyes when he isn't being completely honest with her. Interestingly, it's easier to lie to himself than it is to lie to Luce. So he sticks with that. He's silent for a few moments, then speaks up again.]

Umm, Luce? I hope you find them. The people you're supposed to meet...

If they're real and here too... Yes. I hope I find them too.

[Pushing herself up, she smiles down to him and ruffles his hair.]

Remember that my door is still open to you, alright, Tsuna? In case you want to talk about anything. [She feels like there's a lot.]

I... I will. Thanks.

[He will. Eventually. He's not ready yet, but once he is Luce will probably be the first person he goes to for advice.]

The brighter the candle the faster it burns...

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