A Musical Practice

[honokairo]

Who: The Love Live! Girls, anyone who lives at Hikawa Shrine, and anyone leaving and entering the shrine! And stalkers. There are stalkers.
What: Practice for performing on stage! Their first practice ever.
When: Sometime in the afternoon, after school is over.
Where: Hikawa Shrine, Union.
Summary: Honoka has finally managed to amass a group of people to get together as a little musical group to perform. They are going to try to practice together for the first time, and that could go any number of ways.

"Hello everyone!" She shouts once all the girls who she expected to come to practice arrive. "I wasn't sure where we could practice, but I'm so glad Rei let us come here and use the courtyard! So!"

She stands, feet at shoulder width, in front of the girls, looking determined as ever.

"We'll do some singing first! And after a little break, we'll try dancing! Someone will need to clap for us to keep time, but we can alternate who does that so everyone gets to practice dancing. And then! We can get something to eat when we're done! If there's someone you don't know, get to know them a little bit before we begin our practice!"

"Okay! Let's start!"

Comments

OTA

[nicocism]

[Nico hasn't joined this group, so she's not practicing with the other girls. In fact, she only showed up halfway through practice... to observe and criticize. So most of the time she's either staring and making it completely clear she's judging them or she's being a menace while correcting the more glaring issues she just can't let go.

Kara, her Murkow, is generally sighing over this sad display while Nico has to keep stoping Ruri, her Marill, from joining the dances.]

[cutiepanther]

[ Standing in front of the girls, Maki has had enough trying to work with them, while Nico just sits there watching them. It's so very clear to Maki just what Nico wants, she wants to sing and dance and become an idol, more so than even Maki or anyone else here. So it's just annoying to her, of all people, that Nico isn't being honest with herself or anyone else.

So she plans to fix that. And tease Nico at the same time. ]

Here, I'll teach you something I have never taught anyone else before. There's a special technique that will let you hit higher notes with barely any trouble at all. [ And so, speaking loudly enough to get Nico's attention, and talking about her known weakspot, Maki leans in to whisper to someone, Hanayo maybe, knowing it must kill Nico not to get that advice herself. ]

[nicocism]

[Of course Nico has been doing her best to give no appearance at all of paying any attention to Maki... while spending most of her time doing exactly that. So when Maki says something like that, she almost forgets herself and shouts out at her for not teaching her this earlier. She barely remembers to keep her mouth shut, just remembering to turn an ear her way... only to find Maki's whispering it. Why!

It's pretty easy to see her fuming away over where she was leaning against a tree]

[cutiepanther]

[ Maki whispers something about eating a healthy breakfast in the girl's ear, before standing up straight, a grin over her face. She's got zero poker face, she feels like she's got one up on Nico and it shows. ]

That's right that's all you have to do.

[ Pretty soon Maki's taken a step back from the other girls practicing, to take a sip of water, placed near Nico of course, picking up her bottle, and watching the other girl out of the corner of her eye to see what she does. ]

[nicocism]

[And seeing that face just... makes Nico even madder. SHE DOESN'T CARE IF MAKI'S DOING THIS ON PURPOSE, actually, no, that makes it even worse. Because now especially she can't give in to her]

S, so you're really enjoying getting to play teacher with them, huh?

[cutiepanther]

[ That's exactly what she knew would happen, it only makes Maki feel even better knowing she has Nico's attention. ...Why that makes her happy she doesn't know. ]

It's important to help people who can't afford the lessons that I got growing up. If they want to be a musical group, then they can't just pretend to sing, they have to learn.

[ Maki's just looking at Nico out of the corner of her eye still, waiting to see her response. ]

[nicocism]

Well, good for them! Though it's not like you're teaching anything that interesting...

[Yes say the opposite of what you mean, that is the cleverest ploy]

[cutiepanther]

..Are you sure you don't want to know the secret to hitting that high note?

[ There's just this giant grin on Maki's face. ]

[nicocism]

Wh-wh-why do you think I would need to hear something like that, huh!?

[BESIDES, YOU KNOW, HAVING SPENT HOURS PRACTICING WITH MAKI ABOUT THIS EXACT THING]

[cutiepanther]

You're always coming over to my house aren't you? Why else would you come over other than to learn?

[ There's no other reasons, right? ]

[nicocism]

I, I'm practicing, okay? Since you have a piano and rooms with such nice acoustics... it's not like I need you to teach me!

[This may be backfiring, Maki]

[cutiepanther]

W-Well if you don't need me to teach you then you don't have to come over all the time, right?!

[ Maki yells back at her, but she doesn't even know why. ]

[nicocism]

Well, if it's such a huge hassle for you, then maybe I won't!

[They are playing chicken and neither of them have steering wheels]

[unbalancedlove]

[Eh? Nico?

Practice is being quite intense and requiring all their attention, specially of rookies like Kotori herself, which leads to her not noticing the other girl's presence until she came closer to stop her Marrill. For better or worse the younger (?) girl's critique seems to have avoided this birdy girl.]

Nico?

[She calls for the other with a surprised tone of voice, stopping her steps. It's not like she was synchronized with the others in any case.]

[nicocism]

[She can't really criticize anyone when she can't control her own pokemon... so at the moment at least, she's too busy scooping Ruri up, just short of running into the girls]

Ah, Kotori! Sorry about this... she's so used to dance practice that well, when she saw all of you dancing...

[unbalancedlove]

[Nico herself caught Kotori's attention at first so once the twintailed girl speaks about somebody else it's when her attention recognizes the little Marrill. There is only one possible reaction when you show her a cute pokemon like that.]

She is so cute!

[Kotori reaches to (carefully!) poke Ruri's tail. So cute.]

Does she dance a lot then?

[nicocism]

[Ruri giggles and waves her arms at the tail poke, letting it bounce back at Kotori in response]

Well, yeah. I practice dancing with my pokemon every day, and she and Kara here have been with me the longest. [She reaches up to pat the Murkrow that's finally come to join them, landing on Nico's shoulder.]

[unbalancedlove]

[It bounces back! Kotori pokes it again, easily entertained. She still smiles to the Murkrow once she arrives though.]

Oh, really? I didn't know you liked this kind of thing. Do you want to join practice?

[nicocism]

[Ruri giggles, just as entertained as Kotori is with the game]

W, well, I do my own practice and it's not like I'm a part of your group or anything...

[unbalancedlove]

[They are not stopping anytime soon, are they? bouncy, bouncy.]

You are already here though.

[nicocism]

[...Nico tries not to pay attention, even if it is getting annoying.]

I'm just here to observe, okay? An idol has to know her competition!

[unbalancedlove]

Competition?

[That's a bit worrying, aren't all actors friends? they look so happy when working together!]

[nicocism]

Of course! If we're going to be idols or enter in the same contests... that makes us rivals!

[unbalancedlove]

[That makes sense but it's troubling.]

I'd rather work with Nico than be your rival though.

[nicocism]

W, well, I mean, it's not like we have to fight or anything, just... there can be friendly competitions!

[IT'S REALLY HARD TO RESIST THE BIRD]