Chapter 19:Lights.Camera.Action!!!

Tucker and Armyn stood face-to-face, the surprise evident on both their faces.

Ruby, who had been watching the exchange with interest, finally spoke up. "Do you know this booth crasher, Tucker?"

Before Tucker could respond, Armyn jumped in. "Know him? Me and Tucker have been at the hop since birth!" He declared dramatically, waving his arms like a theatrical villain.

"We fought off gangs in diapers, wrestled with alligators during nap time, and even played rugby with a team of rabid raccoons. It's been a wild ride, really."

Amythyst, who had been listening with growing scepticism, turned to Tucker for the actual truth. "Is that true, Tucker?"

Tucker chuckled, shaking his head. "Not quite. We met a few weeks back at a club. Hit it off over a few drinks and became friends. Haven't seen him since, but we've been texting now and then."

Armyn wasn't deterred. "Exactly! And don't forget the time we had to save the president's pet llama from a gang of pickpocketing squirrels. That was a close one."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Pickpocketing squirrels? HA! Your fucking hilarious...if you didn't understand the first time, I was being sarcastic. "

"Sigh, such harsh critics, yes doll I got it."

"Don't Fucking call me Doll!!!" Ruby growled while Amethyst tried calming her sister down.

Tucker sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, Armyn, enough with the tall tales. Why are you here, and why do you look like you're on the run?"

Armyn grinned sheepishly. "I got these VIP tickets from some imp outside the stadium. Thought I'd use them to catch the show, but then I used a toilet I wasn't supposed to. Turns out it was a restricted area, and now security's after me for not paying."

Ruby burst out laughing. "You got chased by security for using the wrong toilet?"

"Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go," Armyn defended, holding up his hands. "Besides, who knew that VIP meant Very Important Piss? Those signs are misleading."

Tucker couldn't help but laugh. "All right, you can stay. But no more causing trouble, got it?"

Armyn saluted dramatically. "Yes, sir! No more unauthorized bathroom breaks, I promise."

As they settled into their seats, Tucker glanced up at the sky where a blimp was partially hidden in the clouds.

That's where Hammerstein was, an infamous loan shark Tucker had fought a few months ago. He'd saved Valentina from him and saw her kill him, but somehow, he was still alive.

Tucker could sense a power source accumulating above. It wasn't quite at dangerous levels yet, but from what that underling had told him, it might not be long before it was.

The concert would end in a few hours, and with Verosika being the last act, he guessed that's when they would hit and destroy the concert, killing everyone.

"Well, that's not going to happen," Tucker muttered to himself. Not to mention the innocent de...not to mention the demons but Valentina's possible new recruit would be in danger.

....

In another part of the stadium, Blitzo, Verosika's boyfriend and bodyguard, was supposed to be keeping an eye out from the rafters.

Instead, he was sneaking into her dressing room. He rummaged through her bag, found her purse, and took all her cash and credit cards.

"Mya hee, mya ha!!!" Blitzo froze but hearing the voice, but calmed down when it dissappear.

Blitzo smiled, excited for those horse riding lessons tomorrow." Hehe!! Don't worry Daddy's coming."

He decided to head back to the motel he and Verosika were staying at and leave while she was busy.

As he was leaving, he couldn't help but glance back, wondering if what he was doing was right." Na..she wouldn't care."

Ignoring his conscience, he ran away, never looking back twice.

....

Back in the stadium, Armyn was regaling Ruby and Amythyst with another one of his outlandish stories.

"So there we were, stranded in the middle of the Demonic rainforest, with nothing but a toothpick and a rubber band. Tucker, being the genius he is, fashioned a slingshot and took down a wild Demonic boar for dinner."

Ruby snorted. "A slingshot and a wild boar? Come on, you expect us to believe that?"

Armyn shrugged. "Believe what you want. All I know is we ate well that night."

Tucker sighed. "We went camping in a game simulation. Armyn got lost and found his way back just in time for dinner. No wild boars or slingshots involved."

Armyn pouted. "You're no fun, Tucker."

Tucker grinned.

The conversation was interrupted by a loud cheer from the crowd as the next act took the stage.

Tucker's mind, however, was still on the blimp hidden in the clouds. He needed a plan.

"Hey, Armyn," Tucker said, leaning in. "How good are you at sneaking around?"

Armyn's eyes lit up. "Oh, you know me, sneaky as a ninja."

"Great," Tucker said. "I need you to help me with something."

Armyn nodded eagerly. "Anything for my best buddy."

Tucker explained his plan, and Armyn listened intently, nodding along.

After sharing his plan, Tucker looked at Armyn expectantly. Armyn's grin widened, practically splitting his face in two. "I'm in, buddy."

As they finalized their strategy, Tucker glanced up at the blimp once more.

The concert continued, the music booming and the crowd cheering.

The hellhound twins were left out of the loop. Tucker had only met them today, and he didn't want to disturb their time. They deserved to enjoy the concert.

Hours passed, and the concert built to its climax. There were only two acts left:

Verosika and another band that was currently halfway through their performance.

Tucker glanced at Armyn and nodded. Armyn returned the gesture with a mischievous grin.

They made their excuses to leave, each using different distractions to slip away unnoticed. Tucker disappeared in a flash, leaving only a few leaves behind.

Meanwhile, Armyn had already pilfered an ID card from a careless worker. He made his way to the lighting booth where all the music lighting and effects were controlled.

The place was a mess, with some workers napping and others playing Tetris or Minesweeper.

...

Backstage, Verosika took slow, measured breaths. This was her moment. She was going to show the world who she was and prove to Blitzo how much she loved him.

Everything was going to be perfect. She glanced at the tattoo on her shoulder that read "Blitzo" with a red heart around it, feeling a surge of excitement.

She walked forward with a confident strut, surrounded by imps who were busy micing her up and giving last-minute touches to her outfit.

This would certainly be a night to remember for a lot of people.

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An imp began the countdown.

Ten. Both Ruby and Amethyst were eagerly staring at the stage, though they were wondering why Armyn and Tucker weren't back yet.

Nine. Valentina, back in her tower in the Pride Ring, munched on bacon popcorn while her robot, Fizzie, tried to put out a fire in the kitchen.

Eight. Blitzo, having successfully robbed Verosika, was now out of the stadium, packing his stuff at the motel.

Seven. The crowd chanted Verosika's name, their voices rising higher and higher.

Six. An imp demon cried, realizing only those with Ultra VIP passes got free hotdogs.

Five. Children, lovers, and fans cheered, all decked out in Verosika merchandise, waving banners and flashing lights.

Four. Luna, a hellhound in an orphanage, punched another hellhound for disturbing her while she tuned into the concert on her phone.

Three. Verosika took a deep breath, her smile never leaving her face, bewitching everyone, as she was slowly lifted to the stage.

Two. Armyn, having knocked out all the employees with carisoprodol – where he got it from remained a mystery – stood by.

One. The lights shut down, plunging the stadium into pitch black.

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High above, a figure draped in black with a onyx fox mask looked up, his slitted eyes glowing ominously red.

He growled, bending the metal beneath him as he leapt into the sky. A beam of light pierced the clouds, illuminating him and the sky.

Zero. Back in the lighting booth, Armyn, now wide-eyed and grinning maniacally, shouted,

"It's showtime! Lights, camera, action!"