Tillo Lando March 14th,20XX

The bass of the music shook the room as the group danced. They were all in the costumes, but Joyce had made adjustments to them so Archer wouldn't stand out too much.

They were all black, but the styles varied with each member.

Destia shared a size with the girl that had broken her foot, so she'd just taken the costume. It was a sheer off-shoulder shawl that flowed to the middle of her chest but exposed her midriff. That was paired with high pants that covered all but a single strip of skin. She had a crop top underneath it that fought for every inch of skin it could cover.

While she didn't look uncomfortable, I could tell Joyce wanted to say to her, yet again, that she could switch out the crop top for something longer.

Archer had on a frilly design that stretched up into a ruffle neck and was sleeveless. Its body looked like the longer version of Destia's cropped top, but it was tucked into a pair of shorts that brushed past his knees and made him look younger than usual. He was littered with accessories, and the overall effect made him look like an older Eva. While he didn't really look 'like a girl', he was pretty enough that being surrounded by the other girls would influence the judgment call of people who didn't know him.

The others had variations of the frilly, dark clothing, but they wore different lengths of skirts or dresses.

It was fascinating to see how a single pattern could be adjusted into so many different styles, but it was even more fascinating to see how these fussy designs could also be functional and let the five dancers move around so vigorously.

The most drastic costume changes had to be the flashy eye masks Joyce had brought in when Destia had asked if there was any way she wouldn't be recognized after this. Although it had been Destia's idea, Archer had pushed for it so much that Joyce had gone above and beyond for the fifteen-year-old's first personal request.

Destia had dyed her black hair to an ashy brown to further seal her disguise and had added extensions, so it freely flowed down her back and around as she flung her head around to match the choreography. It was only a shade or two lighter than her skin, but when paired with her heavy makeup and dark clothing, it made her look more like an idol than ever.

Archer had used a coloured wax to make his hair into a dark purple and had Lena, the last of the group members to arrive, put makeup on him.

Lena was a girl in her early twenties with dark pink hair who quickly adjusted to the changes in the lineup and, after having a teary reunion with Cherry and Tenzin, had doubled down and practiced even harder. Maybe it was because Joyce had immediately deposited a large amount into her bank account, or because this was really her dream all along, but she looked the happiest as she danced and performed, even if we were the only audience.

They all took turns singing their parts, and while Destia tried her best and pulled it off, Archer's voice took me back. Of course, I'd known he could sing, but I hadn't expected him to sound that good even while doing the equivalent of sprinting a marathon.

Cherry's voice wasn't as pretty as Archer's or as diligent as Tenzin's, but it was clear, and she had taken the most addictive parts of the song, which made it easy to sing along. Lena was a good singer, but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it, and she focused more on getting the intense choreography right.

Joyce let out a yelp as Archer climbed onto a crouching Destia and Lena's back and flipped off it.

There was another section where Cherry did a cartwheel, and Tenzin jumped over her rolling body into the subsequent choreographed formation.

They looked relaxed as they pulled off these stunts, but it was shocking to those of us who hadn't really seen them before. Even though I'd watched the music videos a few times and Eva had made me watch the dance videos, it looked like they had taken advantage of Destia's insane athleticism and Archer's lighter bodyweight to exaggerate the stunts they could pull.

Eva's eyes shone as her new favourite group performed directly in front of her, and her small hands hung on tight to the poster she'd had them sign. The eight-year-old had also made an embarrassed Archer and Destia sign a poster, but it had been kept separate from the ones with the 'real members'. Apparently, Joyce would take her to meet the other two that were in the hospital to finish the set.

Still, the original plan had been to have the choreographer, who stood to the side of the dancing group and watched them with eagle eyes, take the place of one of the missing members. I wondered how it had turned out to have either Destia and Archer fill in a space that didn't really need to be filled.

Ahh, if Kaja and I hadn't messed up so badly we would have been able to help, and maybe Joyce and Aaron would be looking at us with as much pride as they were looking at Archer and Destia.

It wasn't like I particularly thought Kaja and I would have done a better job than those two, but Destia and Archer were so amazing already. Whether it was with their powers or just generally in their personalities. Even if they hadn't been able to do this, I was sure that they would have been able to impress those two in some other way.

It was ridiculous that a situation that was so perfect for Kaja and I to step up just passed by, and there was nothing we could do about it. We only had about four more days of rest before we could be back to fully operational, but I so wished my leg would have healed ages ago.

The song wrapped up, and the five idols panted heavily but kept their positions until the choreographer clapped loudly. Save for Destia, they all fell to the ground in an exhausted heap. Destia stumbled over to her bag and brought out three chocolate bars and an energy drink.

I could see the choreographer's jaw tense as she was tempted to scold Destia for breaking a diet, but a glare from Joyce made her back down. Once she'd confirmed that the choreographer wouldn't bother Destia anymore, Joyce stepped forward and clapped brightly.

Her phone buzzed loudly with a text and made her slow her approach to her younger sister. She lifted the screen to her face, and her smile faltered and threatened to be replaced by a scary expression I hadn't seen for a while, but she quickly repressed it and smiled brightly again.

"You all did amazing. You should all go to the spa downstairs and get ready for the performance tomorrow. Remember to hand over your costumes to Annora so they can get laundered properly."

Joyce quickly shared a look with Aaron, and then the two left the room with determined strides.

They clearly had something to handle, but it wasn't anything fun going off the grim looks on their faces.