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The lusus in the shark tank had been terrifying, there was no getting around that, and while the ring of fire had seemed considerably less so at first, she'd spent most of her time near it fearing the moment someone might bump into that convenient little button it had. She'd managed to get some idea of the things contestants would be able to do to prove themselves though, and passed it on here and there where she could get up the courage to speak to the older trolls.

Now that the competitors were all going out on stage, she had the sudden, sinking feeling that she hadn't done enough. She couldn't afford for all these teens and adults to think badly of her, there was no way Peapop could protect her from all of them. She had to do something, then, to make the show even better for the audience, so all the competitors would score even better!

She hurried around the props, trying to find some last minute way to help, and finally saw a crate of fireworks, likely left over from the fireworks event also going on. Could she set off a few? Light things up while they did their feats? Generally she wasn't...fond of the things, too explosiony for her nerves, but weighed against what the contestants could do to her, it seemed the less dangerous route still.

She quickly worked her way over to the crate, yelping as a barrel was knocked over by her passing, and then ran back towards the back of the stage to set up the fireworks. As soon as they were set up, she lit the fuse and stood to run back out of sight. She slipped and nearly fell on the way though, and as the fireworks hissed towards eruption behind her, realized she'd possibly made a terrible mistake.

Oil spread across the floor from the barrel she'd toppled, flowing out across the stage. Gripped by an altogether new fear, she fled.

Okay, so the meat and eggs were a bit of a dead end. Oh well. (An apron-only cooking section was totally a missed opportunity.) At any rate, there was one last step to take: set the atmosphere. There were a lot of options, some of which might be more fitting for a more audacious troll. Ultimately, Dairah wanted to make sure everyone had a good time, performers and audience alike. Her decision was to get the performers psyched and improve the atmosphere for the audience. She zipped around from person to person, giving thumbs-up gestures and cheery "Good luck!"s to make sure everyone had their heart warmed before they went out to compete. Furthermore, she turned up the volume on some of the speakers to ensure that the audience would be able to hear the announcements and any quips delivered by the performers.

That seemed to be all she could do in terms of prep for now; all she would be able to do was watch the show. Hopefully everyone would have a great time!

((Guo does a firework!))

(Wallas's fireworks...)

Mahmud kept laughing, and Mera admittedly started to wonder if he was breaking down from nerves. Perhaps it was too late in the competition to recover from the pressure. She did all she could. Troubling. But she kept her mouth shut as she considered her options for the competition. Soon, Mahmud seemed to be bouncing back, even commenting on the choices she was clearly about to make.

"Yes," the tealblood said, regarding the tassels with a serious look. "I think I can make it work. Confidence is half the battle." She started to put them on.

"Judging the sanity of a contest that you are unfamiliar with is a hasty action. I would advise against it." Mera was direct, firm, but also focused on spraying her perfume. No eye contact to really drive the point home. But perhaps that would be too much.

Mahmud did bring up a good point, though, at the end. It was always possible there would be more. "With something like sparklers, I would be surprised if that was it. They probably expect a runway walk at the least and an entire performance at the most. I suppose we'll soon find out." She paused. "Though, hopefully no insects with cutlery. That may be a bit much."

Not long after, it appeared to be curtain call. Trolls were being ushered to the stage, and it was clear there were props to use during the show. "Good luck," was all she had to say before it was her turn.

Multiple kids raced around to see what was up. As Wander lingered at her spaces, she found...nothing, really. Disappointing. More disappointment! There had to be more she could do. Something that didn't feel so lackluster. But this wasn't the place to mope.

More importantly, the event was just about to start! Crowds were forming and everything. For a second, with her up above and the audience below, she could nearly pretend they were there for her. Wander knew it was silly, but it felt a little nice. And maybe before the competition truly started, she could do something she had some idea about. More braveness like Sonnie and Cynril. Like what she did for Odette.

In a moment of courage, the orangeblood dropped into a cartwheel which then rolled into a split. She froze in the pose, arms raised. She shot some pyrotechnics from her hands all razzle-dazzle-like. This, if anything, could really do a something.

Static Charge


Static was heartbroken. Yesterday he had only managed to get one firework to work properly, and tonight the very first one he tried sizzled and died. He felt himself duying inside just a bit. He wanted to see lights! Flashes! Explosions! All the things he had always wanted in life and finally had a chance to grasp were coming down. No fireworks westerday, no fireworks tonight, the blueblood considered just lying down and being done for the night. Except he couldn't stay outside on the floor during the day, that was suicide. No, he would just have to accept this unfortunate event and move on...

P... paint sealant?! It smelled horrible, and Keionx had a bad feeling that it would sting equally horribly, and she did not want it on her skin.

Keionx cringed away from the drone, and probably could have fought it if she wanted to. But frankly, she had already gone very far in tincturing and tormenting her sweet, sweet skin. Her scars were there for the world to see, exposed beneath skimpy cloth, and they shone with oil and makeup.

Seriously, the drone said, you should do this. It took look at their haunted eyes, and only one, to make Keionx cave a lot faster than she normally might have. "F-fine, but... be gentle...!" she said, turning away.

It was honestly not that bad.

Finally, it was time to go out. Keionx's helpful, helpful thinkpan flashed back to the other time she had been on a Bloodfest stage, showing herself to the judges like this. The horror of that moment. The smell of musclebeast puke... She nearly wanted to puke herself, but she didn't.

She'd go out there, and she'd shine. Quite literally.