Planet of the Dinosaurs: The Science: The Musical - [Open]

[optimistickey]

Characters: Sora, Riku, Roxas and Liz, but open to others who want to watch/comment in a separate subthread
Content: A group of four puts on a skit to raise some spirits both on and off the ship!
Location: The top deck
Time of Day: Evening
Warnings: Absolute silliness


Sora was pretty pleased with their setup, considering the fact that they didn't have any of their usual art supplies available, and had made do with flowers, grasses and mud. True, their signage and painted trees were pretty messy (some of it was even still dripping), but at least you could read what everything was. Namine and Aqua had done a pretty good job for all of it. And they'd also managed to whip up some pretty good costumes for Riku, Roxas and Liz.

As for himself, Sora had dug out a scientist's lab coat from the theatical deck before it had been shut, which was a lucky break...and the groucho glasses he'd already had in his pocket. With that setup and his already-wild hair, he didn't have to work that hard to pull off a parody of Dr. Forrester.

"Welcome, everyone!" He addressed the couple of Cambots hovering nearby, which he knew would be addressing the rest of the Satellite and those on earth, too. He'd at least picked up a bit of how the Bots did their theatrics. "We're going to explain to you the amazing process of evolution in people, and in dinosaurs!"

Comments

[verygassy]

There is someone else there, but she is in the back, in the shadows. After what happened, she wasn't sure if being up front was the best idea. Especially with Sora leading the charge. So she is in the far other corner, watching quietly.

Though, that doesn't mean the people doing the skit can't notice her.

[thirteenth_brat]

All things considered, this was... probably going to be every bit as messed up as Roxas was expecting. At least Roxas hadn't ended up as a dinosaur. That didn't look to be a particularly comfortable costume at all. And 'costume' was a term being used very, very loosely. He did have to give credit where it was do, though, given what they had to work with.

He wasn't sure he liked playing a scientist (or something resembling one) either, but it seemed like the lesser of two evils. So he sucked it up and tried his best to play along, "We even have some visual aids for you!"

It had only just started and he already knew that having to act like an idiot grated on his nerves big time. The best he could do was tell himself there was a very good reason they were doing this and even if it was aggravating, it would (hopefully) be worth it.

[halfdarkened]

Visual aids. That was the cue. From backstage (or rather, behind their crude set) came a dramatic strum from a guitar before Riku emerged. ...A less-than-thrilled looking Riku. He was slouched over, nearly dragging his guitar on the ground, and it was easy to see why.

Riku's hair had been slicked not with grease like the rest of the week, but with mud, making almost a mohawk, but intended to look like a feathered crest. Tree sap had been applied to his face to use as an adhesive for flower petals which extended into his hair, giving the attempted illusion of feathers and scales. Twigs had been tied to his fingers and shoes, including a big sharp stick applied to each shoe to imitate a sickle claw. His white shirt and light-colored pants was patterned with mud stripes, and the sleeves carefully shredded and tied to look like long wing feathers. A knotted sheet stuck out of the back of his pants and dragged on the floor as a tail.

He sighed, putting his guitar down and assuming a more saurian posture. VelociRiku leaned over, pulling his arms to the sides and stood on his toes. He had one more thing to do, still, and he didn't really want to. This whole thing was frustrating. ...And his face itched, and he couldn't scratch. The sheet down the back of his pants wasn't comfortable either.

Annoyed, the Riku-Raptor looked over at Sora, appeared briefly thoughtful, took a few steps over to him, and took a deep breath.

"RRROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRR!!!!!!!"

That was MUCH more satisfying than roaring at the audience. Riku returned to his side of the stage for his next cue.

[optimistickey]

Sora was pretty pleased that he'd actually convinced Riku to dress up as the dinosaur, especially considering they didn't have access to their usual costumes, and had to make do with making them out of the most basic of materials.

And then Riku delivered his cue. Okay, that was...pretty loud. And right in his ear. Sora leaned over away from Riku's roar, and shot him back a challenging look.

He continued with his faux-scientific spiel. "As you can see, the dinosaur is a simple and loud creature. It is covered in stripes and feathers to help make it look cool, which makes up for the fact that it has a teeny little pea brain. That teeny little brain would not help it when it comes to evolution!"

[thirteenth_brat]

Well, Roxas had come into this with reservations. He still had them, but Riku's part made it all worth. It was a bit difficult to keep from laughing. He managed somehow, but he was pretty sure he was going to go and laugh himself silly when this was done.

It was fairly obvious Sora's next line was meant to get even for the roar and Roxas couldn't quite help running with it. "So, if the tiny pea brain isn't doing anything for their evolution, what is?"

[halfdarkened]

Oh. Great. He's modifying his lines. But that was fair, Riku'd changed how he'd delivered his... Auditory Assault. But after "simple" was supplemented with comments about brain size, Riku glared at Sora. It was bad enough he had to be in this skit, and worse still that he had to have THIS part and wear THIS outfit.

And then there was Roxas's comment. What is? Well, that called for a demonstration. Riku took two casual (and upright) steps towards Roxas and reached back to get his tail tip, though it truthfully was simply a sheet...

With that, he took it by the end and by the middle, and with a single deft movement, suddenly towel-whipped Roxas, aiming for his stomach. THAT's what's going for evolution.

[optimistickey]

Sora winced when Riku gave his answer in the form of a towel-whipping at Roxas. Ouuch, that probably didn't feel too great. But still, the show had to go on, even as they made it up as they went. "Their brute strength obviously!" Sora answered Roxas once it looked like his Nobody had recovered a bit.

"But the facts of science are, brains are a lot better for evolution, so eventually the dinosaurs had to go an entirely different route." He looked back towards Riku, and the guitar that he still had. "Maybe this dinosaur can also demonstrate with a SONG about how they evolved!"

[thirteenth_brat]

Well that hurt. It was a good thing Riku wasn't aiming lower. They might have had to go to some time of break if that was the case. As it was, he did need a moment to recover. Done right, a towel snap could be fairly painful.

"... I see." Roxas had taken a moment to think of a line or two to follow, but lost them when Sora suggesting a song about the dinosaurs' evolution, "Uhh..."

'Crap, don't crack up, don'tcrackup...' Somehow, he didn't crack up, but he wanted to. He supposed he felt a little sympathy for Riku here. How exactly had he let Sora rope him into this?

Maybe he'd get an explanation later but, for now, a line, "That sounds like it might be informative AND entertaining."

[halfdarkened]

As far as aim, Riku considered it, but this served as a decent warning shot. It was also fortunate for Roxas because with those comments, Riku's sympathy would have been lacking and he might've insisted that the "show must go on." Sora's initial comment earned him a glare, and a twist of his own "tail" as a threat that he could get whipped too.

Riku grumbled when Sora suggested the song. "Can and WILL are two different things," he muttered. Originally they'd planned for them all to sing this at some point in their impromptu skit, but apparently that'd been changed, and there wasn't much he could do about it. Grouchily he picked up the guitar again and began to play. His voice was mediocre, but at least his guitar skills were good.

"Many years ago
when the earth was much younger,
there were no human beings around.
When the dinosaurs walked the ground
shook with thunder.
It was a terrible sound.

What happened to the dinosaurs?
How did they grow?
Were they stronger, quite bold, or sharp as I've been told?
I guess you soon will know, know, know, know!
I guess you soon will know!

Many were quite large,
very quick or much stronger.
They needed more than being just buff.
When the dinosaurs knew their stuff
they lived longer.
Smartness just wasn’t so rough

What happened to the dinosaurs?
How did they grow?
Were they stronger, quite bold, or sharp as I've been told?
I guess you soon will know, know, know, know!
I guess you soon will know!

Since dinos had brains
It was a revolution.
They’d grown superior and advanced.
When the dinosaurs wore the pants
in evolution, (Riku shot a look at the other two)
Humans hadn’t a chance

That happened to the dinosaurs!
Now can I go?
They were stronger, quite bold, and sharp I've been told!
I guess that you now know, know, know, know!
Man, this is really low."

[optimistickey]

Sora almost didn't expect Riku to actually go ahead and sing a song. But it looked like being "on stage" as it were could really make all the difference for him...as such things usually did! It sounded a little similar to some song they'd heard when they were both little kids, but the lyrics were slightly...modified.

Sora very nearly burst out laughing at the song, just because it was so completely silly, and having Riku sing it made it even better. "Uhh, yes! Now we do know, thank you, Mr. Rikuraptor!"

And was it just him, or was there a bit of color coming back to Riku's face now?

[thirteenth_brat]

Roxas wasn't really sure what to make of this. He hadn't expected Riku to sing either. He may, however, have had an easier time keeping a straight face than Sora did. It was at least partially because he didn't want to get towel snapped again. His next line might still get him in trouble, but they were basically improvising now anyway.

"Yes, that was informative and entertaining. But, it seems like the dinosaurs are still pretty mean." Yes, he was thinking of the red mark he probably had from that towel snap.

He also noticed the color. By participating in the skit, Riku was definitely being defiant. He was uncomfortable in more ways than one and Roxas had been wondering if discomfort factor in somehow. Or rather, comfort zones and leaving them.

Still, Riku singing a silly song about dinosaur evolution was something Roxas would probably never forget...

[halfdarkened]

Honestly Riku almost hadn't done it. That being said, both Sora and Roxas where going to get it later, though what was going to be done, he didn't know. But SOMETHING would be done.

At Roxas's comment, Riku grabbed his "tail" and swung it around. Well, if he had to sing a song, talking wasn't breaking character, was it?

"You bet we were. We had to survive dealing with those annoying little mammals. Maybe there's a song about how they survived? Surely some MAMMALS could perform that."

Post performance

[halfdarkened]

The first thing Riku did was to grab a towel and clean the mud off his face and hair. There was only modest success, as much of it had dried already, and anything short of a shower would do an excellent job of ripping his hair out. He chipped away at some on his arms, grimacing slightly as it pulled the finer hairs of his arm.

But at least it was over. A little of his color had been restored in the process, but it was a shame it was at the cost of a good bit of his dignity.

Re: Post performance

[colorbymemory]

Some might say a little returned color was worth the loss of some dignity. Namine had certainly been happy to see it coming back to him over the course of the skit. Though she also felt a little guilty for thinking it was funny when he was obviously so uncomfortable.

So maybe the damp washcloth she brought him when it was over was as much to make up for that as much simply wanting to help a little. "Good job, Riku."

[OOC: She'll hug him in the next tag or so from her. Thought working up to it might be better. ^^;;;]

Re: Post performance

[halfdarkened]

If Riku knew she had actually found it funny, he might have felt a little better. Then again, he wouldn't have gotten as much color in return.

Riku brightened slightly at the compliment from her. "Thanks." He gladly took the washcloth from her, cleaning off his face and arms. It looked like he was relieved to even get that much off himself. "I doubt this skit would have gone anywhere at all if it weren't for your work on the background and costumes. I knew you were the best bet at making this work, but you did better than I thought you could."

[OOC: Oh, no worries, that makes sense!]

Re: Post performance

[colorbymemory]

Every cloud had their silver lining, so to speak. Namine should have known he'd known she wasn't really laughing to be mean.

"You're welcome." The compliment made her blush, though it still only showed as a very slight pink with how little color she had back herself. "I did what I could, it wasn't that much. You all did just as much work as I did."

[halfdarkened]

"Then if we all together did as much work as you did, and what you did wasn't that much, then, man... I was slacking." He smirks, placing a hand on her arm. "It was a team effort, then. But what you did was a lot of work. Thanks for that." Even if it meant painting mud on him. Because likely, he'd let no one else do that.

[colorbymemory]

Her remark hadn't been meant that way, and Namine frowned thoughtfully as she tried to come up with a response...then she realized he was teasing her. Sighing, she returned his smirk with a smile. "You're welcome."

The hand on her arm gave her an idea. It wasn't something she'd normally feel comfortable doing with so many other people around, but this seemed to be a week for new things. So she carefully wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug.

[halfdarkened]

Teasing. Riku did that. Well, he did when he felt comfortable around someone.

He paused and blinked down at her, looking a little baffled as he was hugged. Riku didn't hug. It wasn't his thing. He didn't hug back. It wasn't his thing either. The last hug he'd received was from Sora. It was awkward. But this was from Namine. This was different. It felt... good. And is heart skipped a beat or two.

Riku didn't blush. It wasn't his thing. But he did now. It showed as a muted pink, but the color became more saturated, racing just ahead of the rest of his color returning.

Riku didn't hug. It wasn't his thing. But he'd hug her.

After a moment's hesitation, Riku slowly wrapped his arms around her in return. A moment more, and he lowered his face, his cheek held gently to the side of her head. Yeah, that felt okay. This really didn't feel bad at all...

A soft smile appeared on his face.

[colorbymemory]

Normally, Namine didn't hug either. She wasn't used to a lot of physical contact, and it didn't come naturally. She knew other people that felt what she and Riku felt for each other did, though, and trying new things seemed to be the them for this week, so she'd taken a chance.

When Riku hesitated, she almost pulled back to let him go and apologize if it had made him uncomfortable. He hugged her back before she could. After a moment of surprise on her part she relaxed to enjoy it, despite the blush that was becoming all the more clear as more of her color returned.

It was new, but not bad. She could get used to this.

[halfdarkened]

Riku stayed quiet a moment longer, simply taking in this alien sensation. His smile slowly widened and he closed his eyes, hugging her a little tighter. This was okay... This was definitely okay. If he stood here like this, not much could happen to her. He felt somewhere between being like a shield and a blanket. And if she made him feel this warm, he must be keeping her warm, too, with his arms wrapped around her like this.

This was very, very okay.

[colorbymemory]

Namine shifted slightly when his arms tightened around her. Not that she was trying to break his hold; just trying to get a little more comfortable. If it had been someone else, she may have minded, but this was Riku, so she was okay with staying like this for a while. Briefly the thought occurred to her that he might see this as a protective gesture on his part...but that was okay, too. She didn't mind.

[halfdarkened]

Eventually Riku pulled away with a contented smile as he looked down at her. He looked quite peaceful considering the uncomfortable experience he'd just gone through. After a moment, he finally spoke. "...Thanks for that." Evidently it was just what he needed, and he hadn't even known it.

His color palette couldn't be more proof of that. It did, however, show just how much he needed to get the mud out of his hair. For the moment, he was distracted.

[colorbymemory]

Well, they couldn't stay like that forever, no matter how nice it was. Namine looked rather contented herself, though her cheeks still had a hit of pink on them. "You're welcome." After getting a good look at him, and then checking herself, her smile widened. "I think we both needed it. Our colors are back."

Even if it did show up how messy both of them were, it was nice to be in color again. Not that she really saw the connection; it was tricky thinking of exactly how trying new things was helping the process along. That was a question for others, though. Namine was just happy to have some of the issue resolved.

[halfdarkened]

Riku looked himself over. "Hm. They are." He then found himself looking Namine over, finally focusing on her face. With a renewed smile he adds, "I don't think I ever realized how blue your eyes are." He craned his neck a little as he moved to stand beside her so that he could still look into her face.

Namine would feel a gentle touch to her back that would slowly slide to the opposite side of her. Riku had put an arm around Namine. And looked just fine with this.

Riku? Her cheeks are going to be permanently red if you keep this up.

[colorbymemory]

Well, now her blush was back in full force. Even if she knew he was just teasing, sometimes it was difficult to know how respond. She didn't think she could forget any of his colors even if she wanted to, but that was a little too serious for the moment. "They're just normal blue..."

The touch made her glance around. When she realized what he'd done, her blush didn't lessen any, but she didn't protest. In fact, she may have leaned into him slightly.

Don't encourage him, it'll become his new hobby. Seriously, he thinks she looks cuter this way.

[halfdarkened]

"They're just a pretty blue," he gently corrected. She was very modest. Maybe he'd have to brag for her sometimes. Somehow that seemed like it might be fun.

She leaned into him! His eyes widened slightly before his smile broadened. Riku looked down at her fondly. "We'd better get ourselves cleaned up. Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

*facepalms* Why does everybody think shy folk are cute when they blush?

[colorbymemory]

"Thank you." Namine ducked her head. Really, she might just have to learn how to tease back if he was going to keep this up. No fair for him to be the one doing it all the time. At least he wasn't laughing...

At his suggestion, she nodded and looked back up. "Okay."

She wasn't too messy herself, but she wasn't one to refuse the offer of assistance.

Who knows? But on Riku's end, it's proof she has a heart.

[halfdarkened]

But that was just it. Riku wasn't laughing because he wasn't teasing. He was being sincere. Her eyes really were pretty. Sometimes one has to lose something to learn they have it. In this case, Riku not seeing her in color brought her eyes to his attention.

Riku's offer had been in part because he was messy, and they'd hugged each other. As he began to walk her off, he kept his arm around her, but his free hand reached and took hers.

[colorbymemory]

True or not, if Riku started bragging for Namine, she probably would start blushing so much her cheeks turned red permanently. It wasn't that she didn't like the compliments. She just wasn't always that good at accepting them.

Even so, she wasn't that messy. Her clothes were a bit dusty, though, and she had a few smudges here and there. Still, she didn't protest his keeping his arm around her, and she accepted the offered hand willingly.