Charles Patricius

While debauchery took place and evolved in two separate locations, the final evolution of Dreameater's concert this night took place as well. He had second, third, and even fourth thoughts about this being the final song of the evening. In the end, he believed his audience would not leave downtrodden as a result of the message, but instead... that the majority would leave looking forward. Dreams were fleeting and not always pleasant, but another dream would always come. Such was the message he could leave them with. First, though... a bit of stretching was necessary one last time.

"I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A NIGHTMAAARE~♪
AND IT'S NOT GOING AWAAAAA-AAAAY~♫
I'M BURIED UNDER THE BROKEN DREAMS, I DON'T KNOW WHO TO BLAAAME~♫
I'M IN A NEVER ENDING NIGHTMAAAAARE~♪
I KNOW I'M GOING INSAAAAAAAAAAANE~♫
AND WHEN I'M UNDER THE CUUUURTAIN CALL, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO SAAAAVE~♫
There's nothing left to save~♫"

Sex was one thing, music was another. And right now, 50,000 people in a single place were enjoying music as if they were a single entity. They were enjoying well, understanding the nature of the Dreameater's nightmare. Of course, many had a nightmare or two in their lives, but this sort of living nightmare. This lucid dreaming which wasn't exactly what one wanted to experience, this was something truly understood by those whose lives weren't exactly what they appeared. Just the same, one Iino Miko could hear the absolute crazy changes in pitch in the voice of Dreameater. And more so than most, she was deeply attuned to those changes in frequency. His voice was one she knew, almost better than her own and hearing those changes in tone and melody were enjoyable but also, nerve wracking for reasons she likely couldn't explain to anyone.

But it wouldn't go on forever. No eventually it was over and all the crowd would be left cheering, changing and some moved even to tears. The artist knowna s Dreameater touched many hearts of various types every time he opened his mouth. And today, 50,000 would be showing their appreciation. Including a small quartet of young women rather close to the stage who were cheering as the song reached its final round. Even the girl known as Iino Miko couldn't do anything but express herself as his song found its conclusion.

By the time his final song of the night reached its end, Dreameater plucked his guitar strings only a few more times. Soon enough, he was exhaling deeply as the lighting slowly became normal enough for audience members to find their paths around. Dreameater needed a few additional moments to catch his breath after so many consecutive performances, but... it was all over for the next week. A dream ended on the note of a nightmare, but that was also fleeting. "Gomen, minna. It's time to wake up now," he said as light returned and special effects faded away.

At long last, he was putting his guitar away. The audience was to be addressed once more, though not in the form of song. As cheers spread across the stadium, Dreameater raised both hands to wave and promote eventual calmness. "Thanks to all of you again for dreaming with me tonight. I wanna give special thanks to you three down front for hanging out and lending a hand. When you go out into the waking world, don't forget to keep dreaming. And maybe... come share them with me again someday. You guys were great! If anyone's going to EraCon next week, I'll be doing some smaller shows there before my next one here. Dream with me again soon!" And with that, Dreameater bid the crowd farewell before descending via the stage's center platform just as he'd arrived.

And with only a few more strums, the Dreameater concert had ended. It was quite the somber moment but the crowd was still excited. Even when they were told it was time to wake, many just felt a sense of satisfaction along with a tinge of emptiness which made them hunger for the next show. And soon enough they'd be addressed again. This time without music to accompany it. It would seem that Dreameater would be doing a series of smaller concerts leading up to his next appearance at this very venue. Moreover, it would be announced that he'd be appearing at EraCon. He also thanked the trio who'd helped him this evening, Kaguya smirked and Ai looked sheepish but both seemed amused, "He really doesn't have to thank us," claimed Ai and Miko could only shrug. "Iia, that's just the way he is. You'll probably understand a bit better in a few~" claimed Shutara who knew of all that. She also knew about the convention, after all, it was why she was in this place to begin with. It was almost lost news for Kaguya until she remembered the earlier debacle with Miko's parents which seemed so far away now. "Oh, Mi-chan is that the one your parents were talking about?" asked Kaguya. "Hai, I saw some posters up for it while I was out the first day... I assume we'll be attending at least a bit... given what everyone in the group is like," Miko mentioned. "Sign me up!~" Ai claimed. As they watched the lad man walk off stage. Shutara took a bit of a lead motioning towards the other girls after he walked off. "Come on, I'll take ya' back..." she offered the trio of girls. Kaguya and Ai began walking and so did Miko... while the crowd took in new news.

While a concert came to an end, another ending was happening. In a hospital room, a young brown haired woman was cuddled up with a young man and the end of a certain show was playing through its final moments as well. She'd gotten rather comfortable in her position and across the bed were several empty chip packets, pocky boxes and several finished cans of drinks as well. The snacking they'd done was quite intense but given they were watching a show called 'Campfire Cooking...' it could hardly be said that it wasn't worth what was happening. The girl finally sat up, careful of the lad beside her and grinned. "So, what did you think?~" she asked finally, wondering if their tastes were aligned enough for her to weasel her way into another visit for another showing.

With the concert at its end and the audible crowd growing more silent by the moment, Dreameater gradually made his way backstage through that floor latch. A few discrete connectors for wires were removed along the way, and his guitar was handed off to one of many who assembled the stadium. In due time, he'd be in a large dressing room discarding his hooded jacket and clearing his throat repeatedly. He seemed quite elated after the show; every breath exhaled was one of relief. "Whew! Hell of a show tonight. Wonder how I'll top it? Maybe I'll try something more soprano next time. . ." he mused while sitting down in front of a line of vanity mirrors.

Meanwhile, a hospital room was becoming more silent... and then a bit louder. A certain grumbling occurred once one Ichinose Chizaru sat up, stemming from the stomach of Akira. It seemed all snacks and drinks had long since been consumed, yet still he looked at an empty bag of chips longingly. Well... there were a couple of distractions floating around, apart from the show that had now ended. He very well couldn't go around commenting on those, however; the show itself was a topic of discussion presently. "Ano... I think I ate more than a share of the snacks. They made everything look so appetizing! I mean, the show itself was cool, funny and wholesome, but... it makes me want so much food. And I'm stuck here with gross mystery jello!"

Dreameater disappeared into the same latch he'd come out of, meanwhile that quartet of girls had taken the long way around. Shutara was familiar enough with these sorts of venues to be able to lead everyone here towards the backstage area in such a way as to avoid the now dispersing crowds and have them knocking on the door only a few moments after he settled in. Kaguya, Ai and Miko were walking around together with Shutara as she casually chatted with everyone. "So, you two enjoy your first dream? It's always awesome but that first show is always something special, right, Miko-chan?" asked Shutara happily. "Hai, the first one is always an experience. Though every one I've been to has also always been extraordinary," Miko mentioned happily. "Of course, it was great. I only expected to go to a concert today," Kaguya mentioned. "I must be super lucky!~" she said in a teasing way, expecting cheeky commentary from Miko, but Ai started talking instead. "Oh, yeah, I figured I'd be enforcing some strictness but you two made it pretty easy on me today... and the show was great and I got to see some of the people I was always most excited about in my favorite stories!~" Ai shared as well. And all of this was stated as they walked up to the dressing room door and knocked. Of course, Miko had been oddly quiet as they walked up the hall. It was presumable that she was simply listening happily and trudging along... but... after speaking, Miko had drifted slowly to the back of the group and by the time they'd turned down the hall... she'd gotten distracted, but by what? Well, one supposed they'd figure it out whenever they noticed she was missing.

At the same time, an audibly hungry guy in a hospital was being teasingly laughed at by Chizuru. She couldn't help but giggle at the lad as he seemed most uncomfortable. Still she'd received quite the favorable reaction about her choice in show which was... vindicating at the end of the day. "I know right? The show was one of my favorites, but I ended up trying to make quite a few of those dishes after I marathoned it," she claimed happily. "Hehe!~ Surely the green stuff can't actually be that bad... but as one wouldn't want to displease the obvious monster hiding in your stomach... how about you give me an idea of what you like and I'll smuggle you in something good tomorrow when I stop by?" she offered easily enough. Chizuru had a multi-layered plan to get in good with the lad currently recuperating and her mom once told her feeding men was a good way to win them over. She'd add it to her arsenal if she needed to as she had a goal in mind and it was... Kurusu Akira.

Dreameater seated himself and relaxed, as one tended to do after a long performance. He'd need to acquire a fresh cup of tea. Luckily, it had already become quite common for the young man to share a cup or two with someone who was now on her way. This time, however, she'd be joined by an entourage. It didn't take very long at all for a knock to occur upon the dressing room door. Once it did, he knew it was too soon for tea's arrival. Shutara really wasn't wasting any time today... or perhaps he finally had another backstage visitor? Time would tell as Dreameater spun his chair to face the door. "No need to be polite! Come in~♪"

While matters of politeness were spoken of elsewhere, Akira was left both satisfied and empty by the end of a single anime season. Though the series itself was a great thing to observe, he could not take solace in the emptiness of his own stomach ─ at least the way his mind processed it. It seemed Chizuru herself had become invested enough in the series to replicate some of its dishes in her free time after watching. Strange as that was, he couldn't pretend it wasn't on his list of thoughts as well. "I... probably would have done the same thing, honestly. If I had a working hand, I'd probably still try it," he admitted. As one could expect, Chizuru was already talking about visiting the next day. Could Akira turn down an alternative to hospital food? Well, he'd be a fool to do so... and though positioning was awkward, he certainly had nothing against her presence. "At this point, I'll take anything over the dreaded 'green' flavor. But what's the catch? It feels like you're going to expect something super crazy if I give you the go-ahead to visit again tomorrow. Aren't you already past visitation hours today?"

Upon making their way to the door of the room which was backstage, the group would knock. Both Kaguya and Ai were pretty excited and giddily clasping hands like the excited school girls that they were. Dreameater's words from inside would be met by Shutara who opened the door and ushered the other girls inside allowing them to slip in under her arm. "I wasn't being polite, I was making sure they didn't get swamped. I brought everyone else~" she claimed only to take back her words slightly noticing that the little brown haired girl wasn't sliding under her arm. "Or... not," she murmured softly her eyes traveling down the hall but Iino Miko was nowhere in sight. Where did she slip off to? "Thanks for having us, Mi-chan you have some explaining to do~" Kaguya said immediately only to turn and also notice the missing brunette. Ai also seemed to be excited and entered as well seemingly pleased about all of this "I am trying really hard not to fangirl here..." Ai admitted taking note of Kaguya's change in demeanor as well. It was quite exciting to be in such a place with this kind of talent and explanations were needed but it seemed they'd all be waiting on them a bit more. Iino Miko was wandering around inside this stadium attracted to some very specific kind of sound... almost aimlessly moving,

At the same time, a certain amount of excitement was being shared in the hospital room of Kurusu Akira. She mentioned her newfound cooking hobby to the lad and he claimed he would have developed one as well. "It's worth it whenever you get moving again. Those recipes are kind of exciting~" she claimed earnestly. Of course, it seemed that Akira was a bit more thoughtful then getting hit by a truck would imply. It seemed her open offer of food was something he would accept but he wanted to know the catch. He claimed she was likely already past visiting hours which was true, but she could always feign ignorance and apologize if she was caught slipping out of the hospital. "It is a bit late by hospital standards but you'd be surprised what you can get away with in certain situations~" she claimed with a devious little smirk. She moved herself a bit reaching for all those discarded food wrappers and cans willing to help him leave this place as clean as it was when she found it. "As for the catch there isn't one. I've been very honest with you about what my intentions are and I was serious about not pushing too hard," she claimed earnestly. "So no catch, really... just a hot meal and maybe another show, or help with your homework. Until you're healed up a bit more at least~" she said reaching over his lap, for a can which was just out of reach. She had to stretch quite a bit to do so.

The voice Dreameater first heard was Shutara's, as he could always expect. As for her knocking, it was allegedly for some others she'd brought along with her. Everyone wasn't so accurate, though. He watched one stand in the door, and two pass her by to enter. He would have expected a fourth in the total count, but the one he knew quite well was conveniently missing. "Hmm," he murmured, resisting the urge to sigh. Either way, the two he brought into an earlier performance were present; he'd be nothing but cordial. One was talking about fangirl behavior she was trying to avoid. As he stood to greet them properly, Dreameater shook his head. "Nothing to worry about. I've been in that position; I know it sucks to hold it all back. Hit me with whatever~" he advised, seeming to lack all concern for outrageous reactions.

Perhaps the concern Dreameater lacked was all funneled into Akira elsewhere in the prefecture. He wondered what sort of madness Chizuru would pull if given too much clearance, but... he also wondered how much she'd pull in general. It was a difficult life, balancing perversions and propriety ─ especially given the state he'd been in since Chizuru decided to occupy his hospital bed for an anime marathon. How would she be getting away with the late visit? He'd wonder that only briefly as a slew of other thoughts flooded his mind. Moving on from those, Chizuru alleged there was no catch to her offer. The specification of not pushing too hard until he recovered, however, was ominous. "You know that doesn't make it seem like a non-catch. It sounds more like a loan offer─" he mused. In a matter of moments, there was one more thing to freak out about. Chizuru was stretching over his lap to grab a can, and that was quite the dangerous move. Not only was there a full tent pitched beneath the blanket, barely hidden by one lifted leg to throw off the shift... but there was also the fact that Akira couldn't keep himself from staring right under her outstretched arm, where he could clearly see the full roundness of her breasts casually hanging down. "Well uh... it's not an easy pick either way. I guess whatever you're most comfortable with? I'm uh... not that... picky. . ." he managed even in a distracted state.

Shutara for her part in this, knew a certain interaction was hoped for, and found it odd that Miko had managed to slip away from the rest of the group. The girl was known to be quite avoidant but she didn't seem disinterested when they were approaching. Oddly enough, even her own friends hadn't expected her disappearance. Though Ai, was far too enamored to notice with any urgency. The words of Dreameater about being a fan and understanding made the blonde lass feel a bit better, "Yay! That's such a relief... I am such a huge fan! I like really want pictures and all but do you two have any idea how cool you are?!~" she explained immediately. Shutara chuckled, "Oh? Didn't expect that kind of fan. I suppose you did say you liked Air Gear though, so it's to be expected. Get your fill, it's a rare opportunity~" she claimed seeming to have no problem proping herself up over the girl's shoulder so that they could snag a selfie together. The missing Miko was noted by Kaguya but she had something to say in response to that very open offer from Dreameater first, "Oya? That's pretty open~" she said in a teasing manner. "Careful you might end up trying to catch the unexpected~" she warned in a manner that was both flirty and teasing. "Meanwhile, Ai-nee we lost Mi-chan in transit. Some adult supervision you are. What happened to, 'I'm not letting you two out of my sight, you aren't allowed to travel alone'~" she said in the same teasing tone. Still she was a bit miffed that her own powers weren't what they had been before, she would have just prodded the other girl about her whereabouts directly. She still had some explaining to do after all, 'This is why she was tethered to me. No magic sucks!~' Kaguya thought opening and closing her hand and wondering what Miko was up to. At the same time though, Miko was finding herself nearby some restrooms at the far end of a walkway still following that unsettling feeling and gentle noise she recognized. Of course the clicking of her heels would come to a stop near the undercut of some steps in the arena. This area had all but cleared out but still, she heard something.

At the same time, there was a certain development happening in the hospital room that currently held two young people trying to navigate a new kind of situation. In the case of Chizuru she was certain of her own desires, but her aim in this case was to make sure that Akira found his way to the same sort of surety without falling into the trap of that annoyance he'd once dated. "Come on now, what's a loan between friends?~ Lighten up Kurusu-kun~" she claimed as she reached several object spread across his bed while stretching and showing off an awful lot of her body in the meantime. She didn't know if he was fully appcrediating it, but thought settling herself into his mind was a good thing to do. At the very least, the offer of food was accepted. He claimed not to be very picky and even seemed a little distracted, "Hai hai, I'll pick something nice then, and not green~" she claimed as if this made a difference. At the very least a few of those foods screamed comfort and warmth so it could be good. Even so, with all picked up she'd begun looking at the lad, still reaching randomly about the bed. Thinking there was something wrapped up in a bit of cover she reached for it, to find something...organic touching her hand through the cover.