It's Showtime! [Malfrost & Candentia]

[candentia]

"It's showtime! Are you ready?" Grin in place, the crowd went wild as Risette struck her customary victory pose, microphone in hand. The lights were flickering on and off, swinging wildly, and then she brought the mic up to her mouth as the music kicked in. Club Escapade was full to the ceiling with her fans. She'd gotten a lot of them since returning to the life of an idol after Inaba, and after her show had gotten cancelled way back then, she'd always promised to come back and make up for it. Now that she knew what had caused that blackout in the first place, it was even more important that she kept her promise.

Rise danced, jumped, moved her arms and hips, getting the crowd pumped. The backup band wasn't too shabby, at all, either. By the end of the set she was sweaty, exhausted, but thrumming with exuberant energy. Someone shouted 'we love you Risette!" and she laughed, winking, and caught sight of a familiarly tousled head of hair that she hadn't seen in -- Gosh, forever. Her lips made a perfect moue, but she couldn't simply call out his name like that. The crowd would totally freak out.

Instead she took her bow and went off stage, snagging a security guard as she did so, whispering, "Hey, you see that cute boy in the back next to the door? Bring him backstage in a bit."

She definitely needed a shower first.

 

[Malfrost]

Ken watched the show from the back of the club with a small smile on his face. He wasn't much of a partyer or club-goer, but when he heard Risette was going to be the main attraction tonight, all the Shadows in Tarturus would have been unable to keep him away.

He was a senior as Gekkokan High now, and he had met Rise a few years ago. He formed a crush on her almost at once. She was so charming, funny and down to earth, all of which were qualities that appealed to him. Not to mention the fact that she was downright stunning. He blushed slightly as he watched Rise dance and sing on stage. He was of that age now where suggestive thought were entering his mind and he certainly had a few about the idol on stage.

He could have sworn he saw her wink at him, directly at him. Did she remember him after so long? That would be news to him. As the show ended and Rise left, Ken lingered around, wondering if he should try to talk to her in anyway. He let out a sigh as he decided against it and got ready to leave, but then a guard pulled him aside and told him Rise wanted to see him backstage.

He stammered out an affirmative and the guard escorted backstage to wait outside Rise's dressing room. He could hear the running of of the shower and his blush intensified. Knowing that one of the most, if not the most beautiful girl in existence was showering not far away was enough to make the young man aroused.

 

[candentia]

Years of show business had taught Rise some important lessons and tricks. One of which was the enviable skill of being able to strip, jump into a shower, and be pulling back into a dress by the time the knock on the door came, respectfully requesting entrance. She wiggled, hopped, trying to get the dang zipper on her back to fully slide upwards, something that, sadly, she hadn't mastered just yet on her own. She huffed in frustration, turned around in the mirror and focused.

"Hold on a sec, not dressed yet!" That zipper was going down. Or rather, up. The young woman sucked in her breath and then with a sudden pull, managed to get the stubborn thing to slide upwards, teeth interlocking. Good. Excellent. Despite the fact that she hadn't even had time to twist her hair into the habitual ponytails everyone knew she wore, and was still barefoot, she was quick to the door, hand on the doorknob and almost standing on her tiptoes out of anticipation.

Security probably thought it was weird. She sometimes asked for fans to be brought backstage, but never just a single fan, and never a guy. Goodness only knew what sort of thoughts were going behind their stoic expressions but Rise didn't give a flying fig. Ken was special. Ken was like her, and there were far too few Persona users in the world to not keep track of one another.

Of course, the last time she'd seen him, he'd been, what, fifteen? Rise tugged at the doorknob and pulled it open, stepping backwards since it swung inwards. The smile that lit up her face was genuine. She was sincerely glad to see the boy.

In typical Rise fashion, she didn't stop there.

"Ken!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him in her version of a bear hug. "Oh my gosh, you were not someone I expected to run into at this club. Gosh, are you even--" She shut her mouth, about to ask if he was even legally allowed in, realizing the security guard was still standing by discreetly, listening in. Whoops. Couldn't blow Ken's cover, right?

 

[Malfrost]

When Ken heard Rise call out from behind the door, his curiosity only continued to grow. Knowing that only a door separated him from a nearly nude Rise was enough to make his arousal noticeable enough to the guard. He could feel the stern glare of the guard from under his shade, but he chose to ignore it. Ken wasn't normally like this, he was normally the exactly opposite. He was a lot like Akihiko was in high school. He could literally get with almost any girl in his school if he wanted to because of his popularity as a soccer ace. He chose not to though, because he knew those girls only liked him on a superficial level.

With Rise, it was something different. They had something much deeper that connected them, the power of Persona. They had both been through so much, and even though they hadn't experienced it together, it gave them a bond few other people could understand.

Ken was in nervous contemplation that he didn't notice the door open and he didn't notice Rise's presence until the idol had him wrapped firmly in her arms. He was caught completely off guard, his face flushing ten shades of red as he did his best to will away his erection before Rise noticed it rubbing up against her lovely rear.

He returned Rise's hug with a smile though and took in the warmth of her embrace. He could smell the soap and shampoo on her body and hair and it smelled lovely. As she spoke about seeing him, he let out a small chuckle as he withdrew from the embrace to talk to her.

"Its great to see you again too, Rise." His smile was wide and his blush very apparent. When they last met, he had still yet to hit his true growth period and thus was fairly shorter then Rise. Now however, he was a full head and a half taller then her.

"Well...this isn't my normal type of place...but when I heard my favorite idol of all time was preforming here...I cancelled all my other plans to come watch her." He gave her a small wink that he didn't even realize was flirtatious in nature. It was meant to come off more as a joke, but due to his intonation, it would most likely come off a lot differently to Rise.

He looked to the sides at the guards and let out a nervous chuckle. "Ummmm, would it be alright if I came inside to talk with you? If you are busy though, I understand. I don't want to impose." He rubbed the back of his head meekly. Deep down he was still the slightly meek and humble boy Rise had met years in the past. He was gotten better at asserting himself, but around Rise he couldn't help but revert slightly.

 

[candentia]

"Aww, you've turned into a charmer!" Rise threw her head back and laughed, finger pressed against the side of her cheek as she stepped back to regard him fully, taking into account the difference that only a handful of years could bring to a teenage boy. Goodness, it was hard to remember sometimes that she wasn't much older, despite having led vastly different lives. Was he doing good? She hoped so, he'd always struck her a sweet kid. Strong, too. Loss and fear had scored him deep from an early age, and unlike the relatively happy and joyful ending of her own adventures in Inaba, Ken's team had suffered greater losses.

Frankly, the thought of senpai dying made a knot build in her throat, despite the fact that she'd gotten over her doomed crush on him a long time ago. He was perfectly happy with Marie and, while fully confident of herself and her worth, Rise had to admit that going up against a rather scary goddess wasn't her idea of a good time. Besides, she wasn't the kind to butt in where she wasn't wanted. They made a cute couple, anyway.

But that wasn't the only loss Ken had suffered. Remembering that softened the grin on her face, slightly, before she nodded, once, and ushered him inside the messy and cramped dressing room that the club had set aside for her. Rise lifted her eyebrows at the security detail and wagged a finger at them. "Don't go telling manager about this! Or I'll know who snitched." She could give a good stink eye with the best of them, but sweetness worked better with the security detail. Men tended to do what she wanted when they thought she was simply a sweet bimbo. So Rise smiled at them, put her finger back over her lips in the universal 'shhh, secret' gesture and then closed the door, firmly.

"Go ahead, take a seat. I know it's a bit crowded, but, well, I don't think this place was ever really designed with a dressing room in mind." There were racks of clothing, none of it hers, since all her things were in the open suitcase in the corner, the shoes she'd worn on stage resting casually next to it. There was a shower stall, with a wraparound piece of plastic, water still beading the clear material.

Lastly but not least was the boduir for makeup, and a separate loveseat that had seen better days, but was still comfortable. She sat on one end, and patted the free spot, reminded of the day she'd been fifteen and the Investigation Team had played the King's Game. Oh, that had been so much fun... even if she felt foolish in hindsight for getting drunk off nothing.

"Sit, let's chat. I have nowhere to be tonight, I just owed the owner this favor, and had time off, so I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone?" Her chatter was bright, cheerful, and though she'd noticed the deepening blush on his face, she made no comment. She didn't want to embarrass him.

Well, not too much.

 

[Malfrost]

Ken was thankful to be allowed into the room, despite how cramped it was. He was eager to get away from the death glare the guard was giving him. As Rise convinced the guards not the tattle, he chuckled lightly. He was amazed at what a good actress she was. He knew that whole ditsy routine was just an act, but she pulled it off so perfectly at times.

"Thank you for having me...it's really nice to see you again, Rise." He smiled brightly, truly happy to see someone he considered to be a good friend again. He didn't really have time to make many friends in high school. He was friends with his soccer team, but when he wasn't playing soccer or studying, he was normally helping the Shadow Operatives out in someway. It was his way of honoring Makoto's sacrifice. He gave up his life to seal Nyx, he wasn't going to let that sacrifice go to waste. He lived everyday to the fullest and did what he could to help others.

He sat down on the loveseat next to her; it was so small that their shoulders were brushing up against each other when he sat down. The contact caused his blush to linger as he tried to speak without stammering or sounding to nervous.

"So, how have you been lately? I bet the idol business keeps you pretty busy, huh? I bet it makes you miss the laid back times of high school." He laughed and stuck his tongue out in a slightly teasing manner as he seemed to almost flaunt the fact that he was still in high school. He was normally so mature, but he felt like he could be more like himself around Rise.

"Are you going to be in town longer...?" Ken asked her after he finished laughing, his voice more serious and composed. He looked Rise in the eyes, his eyes seemed to hold an inner courage as he got ready to speak the words he wanted to say. He moved his hand over Rise's and squeezed it gently, hoping she wouldn't take offensive to the gesture.

"Because....I want to spend as much time with you as possible, Rise!" He blurted out nervously like a pre-pubescent boy confessing his love to the girl her liked. "I know its going to sound stupid and you have people from you team you care more about most likely but...ever since I first met you...I've had a big crush on you...I know you think most guys my age do...but its different." He calmed himself as he he spoke more firmly now.

"Most guys just like you because of your looks and how you act on stage...I won't lie by saying I'm not attracted to you physically...because I am...you are extremely beautiful after all..." Ken admitted shyly as he looked away for a moment, the red tint returning to his cheeks.

"But...when we first met and we all talked...I saw the real you...someone who deeply cares about other people and their problems. Someone who struggled to find their real self and realized that sometimes...yourself isn't just one single aspect or personality...but multiple aspects. Learning to accept that makes you so mature and I really liked you for that....Learning to live life with determination and to its fullest...I see you do that every time you preform...and that is what I think makes you truly beautiful, Rise..." Ken finished with a smile before he finally let out a sigh and withdrew his hand from hers as he rubbed the back of his head meekly.

"Sorry...but I promised myself and Shinjiro-san that I would confess my feelings for you if I ever saw you again...I can't picture what Shinjiro-san would be yelling at me if I broke that promise." He laughed meekly as he referenced his dead friend, the one who taught him how to live his life...the friend that gave his life for him, and the friend who's memory he cherished and honored.

((I hope I am doing alright so far XD))