Solo Time, all the time! [Solo Shadow Mission, The Musician]

Normally, Akui wouldn't even leave her dorm unless it was absolutely necessary, forget the academy itself, but today was different.

The academy was offering students the opportunity to follow and learn from willing persons that were at the top of their craft. Also known as 'shadowing' or 'being taken under someone's wing', this would give students a chance to 'learn a craft to survive upon once there is no longer a need to hunt.' The marketing attempt was to make students believe that some day, there will be no need for Hunters and Huntresses, alluding to potential peace and the annihilation of Grimm...but Akui knew it just meant when they were too old or injured to hunt anymore.

Still, one had caught her eye: That of a musician, named Musa Wilhelm. She was apparently rather popular, but she hadn't heard of her before...having two years of your life smothered in isolation and shame does that to you, and when she was heading her gang back in her home town, she was far away from Bellmuse and didn't really have time or a reason to keep up to date with musical trends between heists and rival wars.

Akui decided she would meet with this Musa Wilhelm, and although she didn't have any musical talent herself outside the piano (and she hadn't touched the keys of one in what seemed like an era), she figured she might be able to go ahead and learn something from the experience...and if not, maybe hear some decent newer music.

Akui returned to her dorm long enough to grab something from her closet real quick: a long metal slab, oval in shape. She then walked back and snatched the flyer for the directions, and walked out the academy doors. Once outside she set the slab down and pressed a button on it before letting it drop completely. It then gushed air out of the bottom to give it a bit of lift, about a foot or so off the ground. Akui jumped atop what was now clearly displayed as a hoverboard of some sort, her most recent prototype she was working on. This would be the perfect opportunity for a test drive, and she shifted her feet and took off into the distance, towards center of Bellmuse.

[385/1000]

It took her about ten minutes to reach the center of Bellmuse, and about another five minutes to reach the stage that was getting setup when she arrived. Akui noted that she was a bit disappointed in the speed of the prototype, as well as the fact that it kicked up a bit of a gust and bothered some locals on her way here. She hopped off it and let it lean against the stage, then walked up onto the stage and looked for the girl in the flyer, this Musa chick. She looked around for about ten minutes, but she was unable to find her. She decided to work her hoverboard: she noted that using air propulsion wasn't as effect as she had hoped, even if it was rather clean, and determined she may have to look into some magnetic properties. While she was jotting down some notes, she heard what sounded like a couple of guitar chords that then turned into rifts. She put away her notepad and turned the corner to investigate the noise, and when she turned she saw a chick who looked like the one in the flyer.

She approached her, and before saying anything, the chick came up to her and presented herself. 'Well well well, who do we have here?' Then she looked down and noticed the flyer in Akui's hand. 'Oh hey, you must be a fan! Of course you are! Why else would you be here! Well, say hello to the one and only Musa Wilhelm! I must say, I like the style your rocking, not many go for punkalicious anymore. So, what would you like to know about me? Maybe my awesome legacy? Or maybe secret information about my next album?'

Akui just stood there and waited for her to finish, and once she did Akui was about to respond when she spoke up again. 'I understand this is probably officially the best day of your life and that you are shocked you get to meet me, but you have to have something you want, right?'

Akui sighed, then looked her dead in the eye. 'Actually...I've never even heard of you until today...'


[753/1000]

The shock on Musa's face was more than rather apparent. 'WH-WH-WHAT?! Heh, you have to be joking, there is no way someone your age doesn't know who I am.' Musa kept waiting, starting at Akui, hoping she would admit the ruse was up...but Akui just continued to stare at her blankly.

'I don't get how this is even possible! I am the biggest rock star in recent history! Your whole demographic is my starting foundation! Have you been been living under a rock or something?!'

'...or something, indeed...close enough, I guess. Akui was just tuning her out. There was no point in getting all riled up over an egotistical fool like this chick.

Musa thought for a moment, then spoke up again. 'Well, this is a travesty, but a fixable one. You obvious came here to see me, and not only is this terrible for me, but more so for you: not being able to enjoy my amazing music, there is no way you've been in a worse dilemma than this! I will fix this by spending some of my precious time with you!'

Akui sighed, but she had an idea this was coming, thanks to the flyer. She just wanted to leave and go work on her hoverboard, but if she didn't humor this ego whackjob rocker chick, she wouldn't get paid, so she played along the rocker ran off and then peeked around the corner and beckoned her to follow.

When she rounded the corner, she entered a section of the stage that looked like a smorgasbord of instruments: a drumset or two, multiple different guitars. some other random instruments, and an electric keyboard off in the corner by itself.

'These are all the instruments that make up my glorious band! The most important ones are the ones I play of course, but there is one that's more important than the rest. Musa went over and picked up a guitar that was separated the rest, and came back and showed it to what would be her newest fan. It was not the one in the flyer, but a smaller one that was red and white, and a bit beaten up.

'This is my first guitar, given to me by my grandfather. It's obviously not an electric guitar, but it means the most to me, because he was the first person to encourage me to become the amazing person I am today. He got me this for my seventh birthday, and I've kept it every since, as it was not only my first instrument but also a token of appreciation and love from my first ever fan! I may have a ton of cool guitars, but this one is the one the matters most.' Musa then put it back in it's special place, and went over and picked up another guitar that was by itself. This one looked a bit futuristic, and had a bunch of extra doodads that Akui noted were not a part of the average electric guitar.

'You wanna know how I got famous?Besides the fact that I'm awesome, I also brought back something the people wanted: Rock music. No one has heard good mainstream rock music in years, but I brought it to the table. Once I built a decent fanbase, I accumulated the type of fans an artist really wants: those who love you for who you are and want you to succeed. That when I searched for my niche, and found it quickly: Punk Rock!
That is how I got where I am today, but to be honest, after four years people want something new. Well, I have a plan: this baby here is geared up to plug into the computer run by our techno goddess Big Baba, as well as all our newest equipment. We plan on merging Punk Rock with all types of electronic music across all the possible genres, and we will still be able to perform brand new songs live and make each performance unique. We aren't sure what to call this new genre, but so far what we have has surprised all of us with how great it is! We really feel we are onto something!'

Akui noted that Musa's eyes had lit up every since she began talking about music and her future with it. It seemed she was truly passionate about it, and Akui found a small amount of newly earned respect for her due to her branching out to create something new.

'That...actually sounds kinda cool. Do you have any examples of what that s*** is gonna jam like?'

'I only have a small sample, about half a minute, but there is a copy...you would HAVE to bring it back to me though...hey, how about this: technically you have backstage access to my concert tonight. How about I loan you the sample and a few albums, if you promise to come back before the concert tonight and give me some ideas of what to name the genre...I'll make sure if you give me something good, that you'll get your dues for it. Sound good?'

Akui decided that she was really only in on it to have another fan and the potential free marketing that came from it, but she wanted to hear this new musical creation in hopes of it being something grand. '...Seems fair, hook me up, sister.'

'Excellent! Now, these are copies of my previous albums, and this flash drive here holds the sampler. The concert starts at seven thirty-late, I know, but the fans love the light shows. Don't just run off with my stuff, okay?'

'I've never stolen anything I didn't deserve...I'll be back.' Akui then setup and boarded her hoverboard, and zoomed back to the academy. Upon arrival, she went straight to her dorm and started listening to the albums, deciding to judge the chick's previous music first. She listed to all three albums...and she thought they were pretty good: she was into heavier and darker music, but this upbeat variation of punk rock had it's own charm. However, when she put on the thirty-second sampler was when Akui was put into a state of musical ecstasy: the well-blended mix of punk-flavored guitar rifts and the electronic beats along with actual drums...it was astonishingly amazing! She listened to it over and over, and she was so caught up she nearly didn't get to the concert in time to drop off the sampler and albums.

'Everything was pretty okay, but that sampler...you have to perform the whole thing, and soon. I came up with a couple ideas, but most of them f****** sucked, outside of 'PDM'...I'm sure you understand what it stands for.'

'PDM...it's short, fits well, and best of all it kinda feels natural. Why didn't I think of that, it's perfect!' Akui had already prepared her hoverboard as Musa had been talking.

'WAIT! You have backstage access to the concert, where are you going?'

'...I'm not much for people...I would lose my f****** mind and wouldn't be able to jam to that epic s***.'

'Well...I do what you to enjoy my music...I guess if you're sure. You'll miss the concert debut of the new genre we're trying to achieve...'

'I've missed...much more important things...' Akui muttered as she hopped on her board with a rather somber look on her face.

'WAIT! Before you go, I have a question. Are you that gang lead-'

'I was, yes. We all have our own f****** dumbass ways of gaining fame.'

'Yeah, I guess so. Well, maybe I'll see you again, Dreadwalker. You'll understand if I don't advertise I got the name idea from you.'

Akui just gave her a slight smirk, then rode off towards the academy just as the first of the fans began to gather.

[2087/1000, Finished!]