[open] And it's still so hard to be who you are

[mutedbackbeat]

Characters: Derrick and others
Location: woods
Time: late afternoon-evening when things start to get darker
Content: Derrick practices both his dancing and musical energy powers at the same time using speakers and light bulbs in the woods. Also, it's been a year since joining XI
Format: start with prose, go with either after
Warnings: Possible

Comments

[cnstructionzone]

[... Well, this is something you don't see every day. Surprisingly, she isn't going to interrupt the show just yet.]

[mutedbackbeat]

[Derrick hears the new melody approach, but the only acknowledgment there is to her presence is the absence of glowing spheres of energy near her and the lack of spheres going to the light bulbs near her. He doesn't want to risk shocking the newcomer.]

[Otherwise, he continues to dance.]

[cnstructionzone]

[Eventually she becomes bored and decides to speak out. Sans the glitch effect.]

Is the light thing normal when you dance, or...?

[mutedbackbeat]

[Now, Derrick turns his head toward the girl.]

Doesn't have to be. Mutation related.

[He's still dancing though.]

[supremeweek]

[Free light show, huh. Well, at least it looks like the kid learned something about rhythm since last time. Though something about it still doesn't look quite right to Franky. That won't stop him from bobbing obnoxiously over on the side.]

[mutedbackbeat]

[He continues dancing and practicing his powers when he hears his homeroom teacher approach.]

[Derrick thinks he has to rethink this whole practicing on campus thing. Hm... Just focus on the music and dance.]

[supremeweek]

[Franky seems content enough with doing his own dance for a minute or two, before finally calling out]

Built in dance party, huh? Not bad.

[mutedbackbeat]

Actually practicing.

[He tries to light four bulbs at once but only gets three to shine bright for a few seconds. The last needed more energy than he channeled toward it.]

[powyourhammer]

[ she was wandering the area out of boredom and came across this.

now she's just standing behind a tree in the general area, watching with wide eyes.

so pretty! ]

[mutedbackbeat]

[He really needs to rethinking this form of training...]

[Continues dancing, giving some attention to the new melody.]

[powyourhammer]

[ just going to keep watching.

tries to move a little closer, without interrupting him ...

... ]

A-Ah-!!

[ oops. she tripped. ]

[mutedbackbeat]

[spins around and channels some glowy things to the nearby light bulbs]

Are you okay?

[yaybottlecaps]

James hadn't been expecting a boy to be doing strange things with lightbulbs in the middle of the forest, but there he was, some red haired kid who was dancing to rock music, with little glowy things floating around him. The thief peered through the bushes, watching, Lulu floating next to him.

"Whoa," he muttered. "Look at that, Lulu."

"Lu?"

"Yeah. You know, I think he's lighting the lightbulbs with his powers. Isn't it pretty, Lulu?"

James turned to look at the purple mouse, only to find it wasn't next to him anymore.

"Huh?" Blinking in confusion, he looked back toward the clearing...

"AH! LULU!"

Lulu had flown up near one of the balls, floating around it curiously. "Lu?"

"...Oh no..."

[mutedbackbeat]

Derrick heard the two new melodies, one louder than the other, approach but again continued dancing. If he were to get any practice done, he'd have to not let the people finding him distract him.

Though, try as he might, it seemed impossible. During a turn, Derrick noticed the strange creature. Was this part of the animals that were running around earlier? It didn't seem the same.

Either way, Derrick channeled the energy way from the creature. "Uh, don't touch that. It'll shock you." Why did Derrick keep thinking that they would listen or answer him? "Goes for you too," he said to the other stranger.

[yaybottlecaps]

He knows I'm here! James thought in shock, but didn't leave the bushes yet. He watched, hissing for Lulu to come back, as the purple monster floated through the lights, ignoring Derrick's warning.

"Lu? Lu lu!"

Curiously, Lulu reached out one of its tails to one of the lights. Unhesitatingly, it came in contact with it.

"LULU!" gulped James, a little louder than his last hissing.

The light popped on Lulu's tail like a bubble.

"Lu?"

Lulu stared at its tail for a second, then giggled, its tiny paws covering its muzzle. It went after another light, hitting it with its nose this time.

They didn't hurt it.

[mutedbackbeat]

"No! Stop!" Derrick stumbled in his footwork and tried to reach out for "Lulu." However, he crashed to the ground. "Ngh!"

What Derrick expected to hear was Lulu crying out in pain, followed by a disruption in its melody, but... nothing. There was only laughter. Derrick pushed himself to a sitting position.

"... You didn't get hurt?" Was Lulu somehow a music empath?