Bowfest '8X is about to get started, but there's one thing missing - the guitarist.
i made this post then my brain was like "write it"
Everything had been set up, Mr. Guitar had been tuned, and the band was ready. Almost. Alinivar had disappeared some time ago, and he still hadn’t returned. And the show was scheduled to start soon.
“Dude, if he’s not gonna show, he’s not gonna show!” Boson argued to Colonel Saturn. “And besides, didn’t he just pick the thing up?”
“Yes, but Alinivar good.” Colonel Saturn scolded. “He’s had enough practice, boing. He will do well.”
“Well we won’t know that until he gets here…” Zarbol looked over at the east end of Sataene and mumbled, “If he does…”
The Biggest and Hairiest Fan moaned about something not too far away, most likely about how long it was taking for the show to start.
After a few moments of thought, Colonel Saturn told Zarbol and Boson, “Wait here, ding. I go look for Alinivar.”
With that, he hopped over the fencing that split the crowd from the stage and ran deeper into Sataene. He poked around all the nooks and crannies he could find in the mook-populated part of town, but found no sign of the blue mook. A quick check where Elmadan’s palace was going to be also revealed nothing. The only other place Colonel could think of checking was Elmadan’s former base. After a quick chat with the nearby frog, he was there in front of the concrete building.
Colonel Saturn stood in front of the base for a few moments, deliberating where to check first. He eventually chose the back entrance - it was a little more discreet, and probably much gloomier.
Colonel Saturn’s judgement was correct - he soon found after entering the back entrance Alinivar sitting on the ground, his tentacles pulled up to his body. His eyes had gone a little red, too, and the one reason the colonel thought of as to why didn’t make him too happy.
Alinivar jumped as the door closed behind Colonel Saturn with a click. He looked at him, a look of fear entering his eyes.
“Colonel…? What… What are you doing here?” Alinivar asked, his voice quiet.
“Came to find you boing. Show starts soon, we need our guitarist!” Colonel Saturn said.
Alinivar looked down at the ground in front of him. All was silent for a few moments, before Colonel Saturn padded up to Alinivar and sat down beside him.
“You kay-o…?” Colonel Saturn softly asked.
“Uh, yeah, I’m all good… Just uh…” Alinivar paused for a moment before finishing, “...tired.”
Colonel Saturn’s brow furrowed with concern. “The adventuring has been hard, yes, but I no think that’s what bothering you. It kay-o to tell me. I won’t judge.”
Alinivar was silent for a couple of moments, and tears began to well in his eyes as his brow furrowed.
“It’s just,” he began, wiping the eye on his face, “I don’t wanna mess up. There’ll be so many people watching and they’ll… They’ll all see me mess up if I do… And, and… There’ll be so many people disappointed in me…”
He began to choke up as tears began to flow. “I don’t wanna mess up, Colonel! I don’t wanna make you guys look bad or disappoint everyone and make you not want to help me or-”
Colonel Saturn gently bumped his nose into Alinivar’s side to hopefully comfort him, and told him, “We won’t think badly of you if you do a slip-up. You forget that I’m im ‘til the end.” Colonel Saturn leaned into Alinivar a bit more to “hug” him, and added, “We start the show late this year for a reason. Just want to make sure you are prepared, boing. You will do fine.”
Alinivar smiled weakly, and murmured, “Thanks.” He wiped the eye on his face and lowered his eye stalks to wipe them, too.
Colonel Saturn levitated his hat off his head, whiskers twitching as he did so, and grabbed a bottle out of it, passing it to Alinivar.
“Here. Have lake water, zoom.”
Alinivar gratefully took the lake water and downed it all in one go. He handed the empty bottle back to Colonel Saturn, who put it back in his hat, then put his hat back on and stood back up.
As Alinivar stood up, Colonel Saturn asked, “Feel better now?”
Alinivar nodded.
“That good! Head back to stage now?”
“Yeah.”