Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 17, 2018 23:53:03 GMT
Weiss tried not to be so nervous, although that was easier said than done. This was her first charity concert, and she wanted it to go well. All the money she earned tonight would go towards the orphanage that Polly ran. She felt it was fitting, since that was where she’d gotten this idea in the first place. Her parents had tried contacting her once since the announcement about the concert had gone up, but Aunt Sarah had told them to fuck off and that was that. Gestures like that usually made Weiss smile, but tonight, she wanted to do something a little different. Family members and friends had done plenty of talking on her part when it came to her parents. They told them how much they’d screwed up, how their actions had had a lasting negative effect on Weiss, etc. And she was grateful for all that. But this time, she wanted to tell them herself how she felt. And what better way to do that than through song?
Weiss let out a breath before taking a quick peek from behind the curtain. The stage was in an outside venue, and it looked like tonight’s weather would be perfect. Nearly every seat was filled though, and that made her a bit jittery. It looked like a lot of people were interested in this new development and wanted to see what Weiss was up to now that she’d left her parents. Some equipment had even been set up to livestream the event in the hopes of getting more people’s attention. This was one of the biggest things Weiss had ever done, and the hugeness of it all was finally starting to hit her.
“Here, you should drink this. You look a little flushed.”
Weiss turned around. Omar gave her a smile before handing her an ice-cold bottle of water.
“Thanks.” Weiss gulped the water down, and she did feel a bit better after getting something chilled inside her.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Omar assured her. “We’ve been practicing for weeks, and you’ve nailed every song.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Weiss said, looking back out at the crowd. “I’m representing Polly’s orphanage. I don’t want to let her down. And if this doesn’t go well, it’ll be harder to convince people to donate the next time I do this.” She let out a breath. “I’m making a statement with this performance. I want to be sure it’s a good one.”
“Don’t worry, it will be,” Omar said. “People who have been getting stepped on and treated like crap for ages will be glad to know someone like you is going to help them. And you’ll be making a lot of rich jerks angry, so that should be amusing.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. “Yeah. I’m not going to back out now. A certain friend of mine once used music to talk about how someone hurt him. I’d like to do the same.”
She and Omar shared a knowing smile. If Omar could use music to show how he felt after being abused for so long, she could too. Although at the time, Omar had just done one song to explain how he felt. Weiss had a whole concert dedicated to it. But, she felt like it was what she needed. It was time she stopped hiding behind other people and say for herself how she felt about her parents.
“Omar, Weiss!”
The two turned their heads. It was Sinbad, drum sticks in hand.
“Everything’s all set up. We’re ready to go when you are.”
Weiss let out one more breath before saying “Okay. Let’s go.”
With a determined look in her eye, she headed over to the middle of the stage. Omar’s smile broadened. Weiss had been this closed off little flower when he’d first met her. Now, she was finally opening up and blooming. And he couldn’t be prouder.
Weiss focused on her breathing as the lights went dark and an announcer started talking. Weiss had given him everything he needed to say, about Polly’s orphanage and how she hoped everyone in the audience would show support. It was hard to focus on the words though. They seemed dim, like the announcer was talking from far away. She knew that was just her nerves acting up, but she still felt startled when suddenly there was clapping and the curtain started to rise. She was momentarily blinded by the stage lights, but once her vision cleared, she could see everyone’s surprised reactions.
For most of her life, Weiss had made public appearances wearing the most fashionable dress her parents could get her. Whatever was in style at the time, her family had wanted her to wear it so she could make a good first impression. That was what most of her wardrobe had been for a while. For this concert however, she decided to blend in and go with the punk look Omar’s band usually had. And seeing a little rich girl dressed in a black T-shirt, ripped jeans, and converse shoes was kind of shocking for the audience.
Weiss got frightened, but only for a moment. After scanning the crowd, she saw her brother. And unlike most of the audience, instead of being surprised, he was smiling. That smile made Weiss’s nervousness melt away. With a grin, she turned to Omar and nodded. With her confidence back, she took the microphone and let Omar and the rest of the band handle the instrumental intro before coming in with her voice.
Weiss could see the audience members change over the course of the concert. While at first they’d been surprised, and a little confused, they were soon won over by the performance. They cheered and clapped more loudly after every song. The lyrics gave them an insight into everything Weiss had been through, and she sang them with all the emotions that had raged inside her over the years.
“‘Cause I was raised up, to be admired, to be noticed. But when you’re withdrawn, it’s the closest thing to assault in all eyes are on you.”
“ I’ve become so numb, I can’t feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. By becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you.”
“Picture, picture, smile for the picture. Pose with your brother. Won’t you be a good sister? Everyone thinks that we’re perfect. Please don’t let them look through the curtain.”
“I’m a marionette, just a marionette, pull the string. I’m a marionette, everybody’s pet, just as long as I sing. I’m a marionette, see my pirouette, round and round. I’m a marionette, I’m a marionette, just a silly old clown.”
Weiss laid bare everything she’d gone through, and her response to it all was a metaphorical middle finger in her parents’ direction. They had done this to her, but she wouldn’t let it stop her. Not now, not ever. Her final sung words spoke of hope, hope for her, and hope for her future.
“I will not surrender, this life is mine.”
The instruments and Weiss’s voice came together, and their last notes echoed through the venue. There was a heavy silence for a moment, almost as if everyone was processing the whole thing. Then, the thunderous applause came. Weiss stepped back, feeling like she might get knocked over by the sound. Then she started to smile, and smile, and couldn’t stop smiling. She smiled as she bowed and the curtain closed. She smiled as she and the rest of the band hugged each other and laughed and congratulated each other. She smiled when Riku found her and swept her up into a big hug. She smiled when she heard that a lot of money had been donated, and that it was expected to rise thanks to people tuning into the livestream. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy.
“Check it out. You’re already trending on the city’s Twitter page.”
Riku showed Weiss the screen of his phone over breakfast the next morning. Weiss had to smile when she saw how Bellerouge’s twitter page had spoken positively about the event, and judging by the amount of retweets it got, a lot of people agreed.
“I know. Isn’t it exciting?” Weiss said before drinking some orange juice. “Omar’s still calculating how much money was donated. Some was donated before-hand, but a lot of it was sent as the concert was going on thanks to the livestream.”
“How’s Polly reacting to all this?” Riku asked.
“She’s over the moon,” Weiss replied. “She practically screamed over the phone, she was so excited. She’s already coming up with ways to help the kids through the donations.” She paused for a moment before adding “I kinda feel like screaming myself. This is huge.”
“You did a great debut,” Riku said with a smile. “You’ve gotten people’s attention and they’re starting to support your cause. You keep this up, you’ll do this city a lot of good.”
That made Weiss happy. This was only the first step towards her goal of becoming the Voodoo Queen and really helping this city. She knew she still had a long way to go, but seeing the success of this concert made her feel optimistic about future ones.
“Jeez, not again.”
Weiss looked up at the sound of Riku’s muttering. He was frowning and looking at his phone.
“What is it?”
“Mom and Dad,” Riku replied with a sigh. “Looks like they tuned into the livestream for your concert. And they know you were kinda making jabs at them with your songs.”
“Oh.” Weiss hadn’t expected them to find out that fast. She wondered why they’d watched her concert in the first place. Were they just morbidly curious about their daughter?
“I’ll tell them to back off,” Riku continued. “If they didn’t want you talking about this stuff, maybe they should have changed how they treated you. What you sing about is your business.”
“No.”
“Huh?” Riku looked up, surprised at Weiss’s interjection.
“I’ll tell them that. In fact…” Weiss downed the rest of her orange juice before standing up. “I’ll talk to them face-to-face.”
“Weiss, are you sure?” Riku looked at his sister with concern. “You know Aunt Sarah and I don’t mind talking to them for you. We’re happy to do it.”
“I know. I just…it’s time I told them how I feel myself,” Weiss replied. “That’s what my concert was all about. I don’t want to hide anymore.”
Riku saw the determined look in his sister’s eye and knew she wasn’t about to back down from this. If she was ready to confront her parents, maybe she was farther along in her recover than he’d thought.
“Okay. At least let me drive you there though. I’ll be right outside in the car if you need me.”
“Right. Thanks.” Even if Weiss wanted to talk to her parents on her own, a little support never hurt. Having Riku nearby would give her courage.
The drive over to the old LaFayette mansion was a quiet one. Weiss could see Riku glancing at her every so often. She tried not to be so anxious though. This would be just like her concert. She’d felt nervous in the beginning, but once she’d started singing, she’d felt a lot better. Maybe once she started talking to her parents, she’d feel more confident.
Riku pulled up to the front door, and some of Weiss’s memories of living in this place came back, good and bad. She remembered playing happily with Riku when they were little, or feeling so proud when she learned a new voodoo spell. But she also remembered her dad smacking her for back-talking him, or her mom yelling at her for saying something she deemed foolish at a party.
“Remember, if they start giving you crap, you don’t have to stay there,” Riku told her. “You can just come back to the car and I’ll drive away lickety-split.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Weiss said, more to reassure herself than her brother. She gave what she hoped was a confident smile before getting out of the car and walking up to the front door.
The sound of the door bell felt ominous to her, and she didn’t recognize the servant who opened the door and showed her in. Had her parents changed some of the staff members again? They had a habit of doing that. They sometimes fired people for dumb reasons.
“Weiss, how good of you to come.”
Weiss looked up at the sound of her mother’s voice. Despite the words being friendly ones, Ciri’s ice-cold tone didn’t make them sound very inviting. Jacques said nothing, but his eyes were cold as well. Weiss could tell they didn’t look the same since she last saw them. All the stress of lawyers and court cases had worn them down, and her concert probably hadn’t helped matters either.
“Should we move to the sitting room?” her mother continued. “Standing around in the hallway is hardly the place for conversation.”
“Actually, I’d like to talk here,” Weiss said, her voice sounding more timid than she wanted. Still, she wanted to be close to the front door in case she had to make a quick getaway.
Ciri sighed. “Fine.” The word came out short and sharp.
Jacques finally spoke at this point, and his voice had the same cold tone as his wife. “Do you have any idea how much grief you’ve caused us? First this whole custody thing, and now this? Do you know what you’ve done with this charity concert of yours?”
“I raised money for an orphanage,” Weiss replied, her need to defend Polly crowding out any nervousness she felt. “Is that so wrong? You used to do the same thing yourself, although the amount of money given wasn’t nearly as large.”
“Don’t play dumb, Weiss. You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Jacques snapped. “You practically shamed us in front of everyone who watched that concert last night. What little reputation we had left is falling apart.”
“Have you seen what’s been happening on social media?” Ciri asked. “More people now are calling us monsters and horrible people for how we raised you and Riku. We only did what was best for you two and you know it.”
“Did you?” Weiss asked, glaring at them coldly. And her parents actually recoiled slightly at the look she gave them. “Did you really have our best interests at heart? Or were you just concerned about your own image?”
“How dare you…” Jacques seemed too angry to form words.
“Don’t play dumb, Dad,” Weiss said, mimicking his words from before. “I’ll keep this short and simple. You and Mom treated me like shit. I’m not keeping silent about it anymore. And I’m going to be using my name and money for something worthwhile instead of just selfishly hoarding it away. I’m going to do all I can to become the next Voodoo Queen, so I can really give help to the people who need it.”
Jacques and Ciri gasped at that. The idea of the next Voodoo Queen not being in their control was something they didn’t even want to think about.
“You’ll never become the next Voodoo Queen,” Ciri sneered. “You know you’ll never have our support, or the support of any of the other big families in this city. You’ve turned your back on them and they’ll never forgive that.”
“Oh yeah?” Weiss challenged. “Watch me.”
And with that, she spun on her heel and marched right out the door. She heard her parents angrily protesting behind her, but she paid them no heed. She closed the door behind her, let out a breath, and finally smiled. And she was still smiling by the time she got into the passenger seat of Riku’s car.
“So…did everything go okay?” her brother asked.
“Mm-hmm,” Weiss replied, nodding. “I don’t think they’ll be bugging you, me, or anyone else for a while.”
That made Riku gave a little smile. The car ride back to his apartment was quiet, much like the ride to the mansion. But the silence this time wasn’t nearly as heavy. Riku was proud of his sister, and Weiss was content. She’d finally stood up to her parents. That was more than enough reason for her to smile.
((Yes, I couldn't resist a RWBY reference. Bite me. XD Just wanted to wrap up this little plot. We can just say that this takes place after Riku and Sunshine's honeymoon.))
Weiss let out a breath before taking a quick peek from behind the curtain. The stage was in an outside venue, and it looked like tonight’s weather would be perfect. Nearly every seat was filled though, and that made her a bit jittery. It looked like a lot of people were interested in this new development and wanted to see what Weiss was up to now that she’d left her parents. Some equipment had even been set up to livestream the event in the hopes of getting more people’s attention. This was one of the biggest things Weiss had ever done, and the hugeness of it all was finally starting to hit her.
“Here, you should drink this. You look a little flushed.”
Weiss turned around. Omar gave her a smile before handing her an ice-cold bottle of water.
“Thanks.” Weiss gulped the water down, and she did feel a bit better after getting something chilled inside her.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Omar assured her. “We’ve been practicing for weeks, and you’ve nailed every song.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Weiss said, looking back out at the crowd. “I’m representing Polly’s orphanage. I don’t want to let her down. And if this doesn’t go well, it’ll be harder to convince people to donate the next time I do this.” She let out a breath. “I’m making a statement with this performance. I want to be sure it’s a good one.”
“Don’t worry, it will be,” Omar said. “People who have been getting stepped on and treated like crap for ages will be glad to know someone like you is going to help them. And you’ll be making a lot of rich jerks angry, so that should be amusing.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. “Yeah. I’m not going to back out now. A certain friend of mine once used music to talk about how someone hurt him. I’d like to do the same.”
She and Omar shared a knowing smile. If Omar could use music to show how he felt after being abused for so long, she could too. Although at the time, Omar had just done one song to explain how he felt. Weiss had a whole concert dedicated to it. But, she felt like it was what she needed. It was time she stopped hiding behind other people and say for herself how she felt about her parents.
“Omar, Weiss!”
The two turned their heads. It was Sinbad, drum sticks in hand.
“Everything’s all set up. We’re ready to go when you are.”
Weiss let out one more breath before saying “Okay. Let’s go.”
With a determined look in her eye, she headed over to the middle of the stage. Omar’s smile broadened. Weiss had been this closed off little flower when he’d first met her. Now, she was finally opening up and blooming. And he couldn’t be prouder.
Weiss focused on her breathing as the lights went dark and an announcer started talking. Weiss had given him everything he needed to say, about Polly’s orphanage and how she hoped everyone in the audience would show support. It was hard to focus on the words though. They seemed dim, like the announcer was talking from far away. She knew that was just her nerves acting up, but she still felt startled when suddenly there was clapping and the curtain started to rise. She was momentarily blinded by the stage lights, but once her vision cleared, she could see everyone’s surprised reactions.
For most of her life, Weiss had made public appearances wearing the most fashionable dress her parents could get her. Whatever was in style at the time, her family had wanted her to wear it so she could make a good first impression. That was what most of her wardrobe had been for a while. For this concert however, she decided to blend in and go with the punk look Omar’s band usually had. And seeing a little rich girl dressed in a black T-shirt, ripped jeans, and converse shoes was kind of shocking for the audience.
Weiss got frightened, but only for a moment. After scanning the crowd, she saw her brother. And unlike most of the audience, instead of being surprised, he was smiling. That smile made Weiss’s nervousness melt away. With a grin, she turned to Omar and nodded. With her confidence back, she took the microphone and let Omar and the rest of the band handle the instrumental intro before coming in with her voice.
Weiss could see the audience members change over the course of the concert. While at first they’d been surprised, and a little confused, they were soon won over by the performance. They cheered and clapped more loudly after every song. The lyrics gave them an insight into everything Weiss had been through, and she sang them with all the emotions that had raged inside her over the years.
“‘Cause I was raised up, to be admired, to be noticed. But when you’re withdrawn, it’s the closest thing to assault in all eyes are on you.”
“ I’ve become so numb, I can’t feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. By becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you.”
“Picture, picture, smile for the picture. Pose with your brother. Won’t you be a good sister? Everyone thinks that we’re perfect. Please don’t let them look through the curtain.”
“I’m a marionette, just a marionette, pull the string. I’m a marionette, everybody’s pet, just as long as I sing. I’m a marionette, see my pirouette, round and round. I’m a marionette, I’m a marionette, just a silly old clown.”
Weiss laid bare everything she’d gone through, and her response to it all was a metaphorical middle finger in her parents’ direction. They had done this to her, but she wouldn’t let it stop her. Not now, not ever. Her final sung words spoke of hope, hope for her, and hope for her future.
“I will not surrender, this life is mine.”
The instruments and Weiss’s voice came together, and their last notes echoed through the venue. There was a heavy silence for a moment, almost as if everyone was processing the whole thing. Then, the thunderous applause came. Weiss stepped back, feeling like she might get knocked over by the sound. Then she started to smile, and smile, and couldn’t stop smiling. She smiled as she bowed and the curtain closed. She smiled as she and the rest of the band hugged each other and laughed and congratulated each other. She smiled when Riku found her and swept her up into a big hug. She smiled when she heard that a lot of money had been donated, and that it was expected to rise thanks to people tuning into the livestream. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy.
“Check it out. You’re already trending on the city’s Twitter page.”
Riku showed Weiss the screen of his phone over breakfast the next morning. Weiss had to smile when she saw how Bellerouge’s twitter page had spoken positively about the event, and judging by the amount of retweets it got, a lot of people agreed.
“I know. Isn’t it exciting?” Weiss said before drinking some orange juice. “Omar’s still calculating how much money was donated. Some was donated before-hand, but a lot of it was sent as the concert was going on thanks to the livestream.”
“How’s Polly reacting to all this?” Riku asked.
“She’s over the moon,” Weiss replied. “She practically screamed over the phone, she was so excited. She’s already coming up with ways to help the kids through the donations.” She paused for a moment before adding “I kinda feel like screaming myself. This is huge.”
“You did a great debut,” Riku said with a smile. “You’ve gotten people’s attention and they’re starting to support your cause. You keep this up, you’ll do this city a lot of good.”
That made Weiss happy. This was only the first step towards her goal of becoming the Voodoo Queen and really helping this city. She knew she still had a long way to go, but seeing the success of this concert made her feel optimistic about future ones.
“Jeez, not again.”
Weiss looked up at the sound of Riku’s muttering. He was frowning and looking at his phone.
“What is it?”
“Mom and Dad,” Riku replied with a sigh. “Looks like they tuned into the livestream for your concert. And they know you were kinda making jabs at them with your songs.”
“Oh.” Weiss hadn’t expected them to find out that fast. She wondered why they’d watched her concert in the first place. Were they just morbidly curious about their daughter?
“I’ll tell them to back off,” Riku continued. “If they didn’t want you talking about this stuff, maybe they should have changed how they treated you. What you sing about is your business.”
“No.”
“Huh?” Riku looked up, surprised at Weiss’s interjection.
“I’ll tell them that. In fact…” Weiss downed the rest of her orange juice before standing up. “I’ll talk to them face-to-face.”
“Weiss, are you sure?” Riku looked at his sister with concern. “You know Aunt Sarah and I don’t mind talking to them for you. We’re happy to do it.”
“I know. I just…it’s time I told them how I feel myself,” Weiss replied. “That’s what my concert was all about. I don’t want to hide anymore.”
Riku saw the determined look in his sister’s eye and knew she wasn’t about to back down from this. If she was ready to confront her parents, maybe she was farther along in her recover than he’d thought.
“Okay. At least let me drive you there though. I’ll be right outside in the car if you need me.”
“Right. Thanks.” Even if Weiss wanted to talk to her parents on her own, a little support never hurt. Having Riku nearby would give her courage.
The drive over to the old LaFayette mansion was a quiet one. Weiss could see Riku glancing at her every so often. She tried not to be so anxious though. This would be just like her concert. She’d felt nervous in the beginning, but once she’d started singing, she’d felt a lot better. Maybe once she started talking to her parents, she’d feel more confident.
Riku pulled up to the front door, and some of Weiss’s memories of living in this place came back, good and bad. She remembered playing happily with Riku when they were little, or feeling so proud when she learned a new voodoo spell. But she also remembered her dad smacking her for back-talking him, or her mom yelling at her for saying something she deemed foolish at a party.
“Remember, if they start giving you crap, you don’t have to stay there,” Riku told her. “You can just come back to the car and I’ll drive away lickety-split.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Weiss said, more to reassure herself than her brother. She gave what she hoped was a confident smile before getting out of the car and walking up to the front door.
The sound of the door bell felt ominous to her, and she didn’t recognize the servant who opened the door and showed her in. Had her parents changed some of the staff members again? They had a habit of doing that. They sometimes fired people for dumb reasons.
“Weiss, how good of you to come.”
Weiss looked up at the sound of her mother’s voice. Despite the words being friendly ones, Ciri’s ice-cold tone didn’t make them sound very inviting. Jacques said nothing, but his eyes were cold as well. Weiss could tell they didn’t look the same since she last saw them. All the stress of lawyers and court cases had worn them down, and her concert probably hadn’t helped matters either.
“Should we move to the sitting room?” her mother continued. “Standing around in the hallway is hardly the place for conversation.”
“Actually, I’d like to talk here,” Weiss said, her voice sounding more timid than she wanted. Still, she wanted to be close to the front door in case she had to make a quick getaway.
Ciri sighed. “Fine.” The word came out short and sharp.
Jacques finally spoke at this point, and his voice had the same cold tone as his wife. “Do you have any idea how much grief you’ve caused us? First this whole custody thing, and now this? Do you know what you’ve done with this charity concert of yours?”
“I raised money for an orphanage,” Weiss replied, her need to defend Polly crowding out any nervousness she felt. “Is that so wrong? You used to do the same thing yourself, although the amount of money given wasn’t nearly as large.”
“Don’t play dumb, Weiss. You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Jacques snapped. “You practically shamed us in front of everyone who watched that concert last night. What little reputation we had left is falling apart.”
“Have you seen what’s been happening on social media?” Ciri asked. “More people now are calling us monsters and horrible people for how we raised you and Riku. We only did what was best for you two and you know it.”
“Did you?” Weiss asked, glaring at them coldly. And her parents actually recoiled slightly at the look she gave them. “Did you really have our best interests at heart? Or were you just concerned about your own image?”
“How dare you…” Jacques seemed too angry to form words.
“Don’t play dumb, Dad,” Weiss said, mimicking his words from before. “I’ll keep this short and simple. You and Mom treated me like shit. I’m not keeping silent about it anymore. And I’m going to be using my name and money for something worthwhile instead of just selfishly hoarding it away. I’m going to do all I can to become the next Voodoo Queen, so I can really give help to the people who need it.”
Jacques and Ciri gasped at that. The idea of the next Voodoo Queen not being in their control was something they didn’t even want to think about.
“You’ll never become the next Voodoo Queen,” Ciri sneered. “You know you’ll never have our support, or the support of any of the other big families in this city. You’ve turned your back on them and they’ll never forgive that.”
“Oh yeah?” Weiss challenged. “Watch me.”
And with that, she spun on her heel and marched right out the door. She heard her parents angrily protesting behind her, but she paid them no heed. She closed the door behind her, let out a breath, and finally smiled. And she was still smiling by the time she got into the passenger seat of Riku’s car.
“So…did everything go okay?” her brother asked.
“Mm-hmm,” Weiss replied, nodding. “I don’t think they’ll be bugging you, me, or anyone else for a while.”
That made Riku gave a little smile. The car ride back to his apartment was quiet, much like the ride to the mansion. But the silence this time wasn’t nearly as heavy. Riku was proud of his sister, and Weiss was content. She’d finally stood up to her parents. That was more than enough reason for her to smile.
((Yes, I couldn't resist a RWBY reference. Bite me. XD Just wanted to wrap up this little plot. We can just say that this takes place after Riku and Sunshine's honeymoon.))
