[center][img]https://imgur.com/l26x4si.png[/img]
[color=f49ac2]❣ Tennis Court - Lorde ❣[/color]
[h3][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9diBNW4j7M]➳[/url][/h3][/center]
[hr]

As she arrived at the performing arts center, Mieke was experiencing a manageable level of anxiety. Her mind was still full of potential ways the situation could blow up spectacularly, but those were a soft background presence rather than a screeching alarm. Her relative calmness was largely due to what she had spent most of the day doing.

[center][h3]➳ ➳ ➳[/h3][/center]

The fact that she had unconsciously summoned her stand the day before had bothered her. Just because she was freaking out, she could have hurt people by accident. And, well, she was going to watch the same performers who inadvertently made that happen, so she had to make sure it didn't this time. Naturally, she had to practice.

Since she wasn’t about to traumatize herself again, she focused on figuring out how to make her stand appear on purpose. It was a good thing she was alone in her motel room while she did it, though because the entire affair was ridiculous.

She tried yoga, meditation, clenching all her muscles and making [i]“HHHNNNNGGGGG”[/i] noises, but it was only after she flopped back onto the bed in defeat that she finally managed it. She felt feathery wings around her, and opened her eyes to see her stand’s face looking down at her.

[color=f49ac2]“Oh, hey there.”[/color]

Her stand made a [color=fff79a]“chirrp”[/color] sound in response.

[color=f49ac2]“It’s weird that I don’t have anything to call you, right?”[/color]

[color=fff79a]“Chirrp.”[/color]

[color=f49ac2]“Well, what do you want to be called?”[/color]

[color=fff79a]“Chirrp.”[/color]

[color=f49ac2]“I’ll— I’ll keep thinking.”[/color]

[center][h3]➳ ➳ ➳[/h3][/center]

She hadn’t gotten any further on the name idea, but she had at least gotten a handle on summoning her stand. She was at least confident that if things went south, she could do the first step well. The crowd had her on edge, though; in busy environments she was always afraid of getting lost.

She gladly accepted the lanyard from Leonard and stowed it in her bag, trying to stifle the nervous jitter in her hands. She wondered if the performer she talked to earlier would recognize her. She had no idea if that would be a good thing or a bad thing [i](probably more on the bad end; she was always the kind of person who would hide when she saw any old classmates in public)[/i].

[color=f49ac2]“So, do you think we should go talk to them before or after the show?”[/color]