#topstarred

Jirou was a wreck the moment she woke up that day, though one wouldn’t be able to tell thanks to Rin’s excellent makeup skills. She could barely sleep the night before, thinking only of the mistakes she could make and the failure she could be. Thoughts such as these were the plagues that limited Jirou to only an hour of sleep.

But she was still early that day, earlier by at least ninety minutes according to her watch. They had all agreed to be there an hour before just so they could practice, but this was a bit much even for Jirou. Normally Jirou was one of the first ones to practice, and today was no different. She had to be early today in case there were any issues she would have to worry about. With her extra time the girl decided to load up the gear into the band van, so they could get there quicker.

With time each of them arrived, some more prepared than others. Demyx was the last one and received an earful from Jirou, including a specific threat. “If I wasn’t so nervous and tired I would break your skull with your sitar.” She didn’t mean it of course, but it was still something worth considering.

“Okay everyone,” they were all piled in the van already, gear packed around them as she started to speak, “Today is the big day. Our first concert! We practiced like maniacs to get this far, and I’m proud of all of you. I’m not super great with words, but I want everyone to know that even if we mess up... I’ll still be proud, and happy to have met everyone.” She offered a confident smile, her exhaustion hidden within her excitement. “So let’s prove we’re amazing and rock the stage!” It was the last thing she said before the band went to set up their equipment.

***

It was easy to forget that this wasn’t some professional setup, but in fact just a festival with music included. Thankfully this wasn’t Jirou’s first appearance on a stage, so the band was able to prep the stage without any issues. Jirou did nearly trip over amp cords twice, but the first time Anda caught her, and the second time she caught herself. So Jirou wasn’t going to be running around too much today. Except to introduce the show, something she nearly forgot to do. The hero in training approached one of the mics, taking in a deep breath before speaking.

“Welcome everyone!” The crowd quieted down as her mic hit the speakers. “We are... Well, we haven’t really decided on a name for our band yet!" She laughs nervously. “I started this band on a whim a few weeks back when I wanted to have something to do with my free time. But as I started to get to know everyone, I realized that maybe this band could be more than just something to pass time! Maybe it could be something amazing. Every member of this band is important to me, and I hope you all start to care about them as we play. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy our song!” 

Jirou moved quickly back to her spot as everyone moved to their position. They had practiced this over and over, so she had full faith in all of them. She gave a nod to Anda and Yang, acknowledging that they would start the song.