Scenario:Cecile - The Name of That Song

The Name of That Song

Driven by Nobiyo to recall the emotions that led her onto the path of a musician, Cecile heads to a place she holds dear in her heart with the help of the crew.

---

(Captain) and company once again visit the concert hall to watch the orchestra rehearse.

The crew and Narita watch the proceedings from the auditorium seats.

Novei: All right, let's give it our all today, everyone.

Cecile: (Ugh, my head hurts. I should've gone to bed earlier...)

Augusta: (Haha, yesterday was a blast!)

Robertina: (Ouch, my muscles are still sore. I must've strained myself...)

Pamela: (All that practice came in handy and I'll show it today!)

Nobiyo appears before the orchestra members.

Novei: Good morning.

Nobiyo: Morning.

Novei: We've finished warming up. We can begin at any moment.

Nobiyo: Good, thanks.

Nobiyo stands on the podium, and after taking a long look at all the faces onstage, begins speaking.

Nobiyo: All of you seated here today possess extraordinary talent.

Nobiyo: You were chosen because you are the cream of the crop.

Nobiyo: But you know, music is a strange thing. Even if the performance is awful, it can still touch the hearts of the listeners.

Nobiyo: Why do you think that is?

Nobiyo gazes into the eyes of each member in the orchestra.

Nobiyo: It all comes down to emotion. There's emotion in every beat of music, and that is what touches us.

Nobiyo: I believe that when it all comes together as an unrelenting cascade of emotion...

Nobiyo: That is when the most sublime of music is born.

Nobiyo: Which is why I'm going to ask you all to try to remember the emotions that led you on to the path of a musician.

Nobiyo: I want you all to seize the emotions that exist in each and every one of you, and create the most magnificent music you possibly can.

An ineffable silence fills the concert hall.

Nobiyo: I'm sorry to throw this on you so soon before the tour.

Nobiyo: But I get the feeling this is precisely what we're in need of right now.

Novei: ...

Augusta: ...

Robertina: ...

Pamela: ...

Cecile: ...

Nobiyo: Well, that's it for today's rehearsal.

Nobiyo: Narita, I'll leave the rest to you.

Narita: Of course!

Nobiyo bows to (Captain) and company on his way out.

Nobiyo: I'm sorry to drag you guys into this, but...

Nobiyo: If it's not too much to ask, will you support them in this endeavor?

(Captain) nods reassuringly.

Nobiyo: Thank you.

Nobiyo continues his way out of the concert hall.

The orchestra members are bewildered at the sudden development.

Novei: ...

Narita: I'll send everyone further details as we go on, but you're dismissed for now.

Narita: And I need the section leaders to gather backstage.

Novei: Okay, let's clear the stage!

A weighty atmosphere fills the room backstage as the section leaders enter.

Novei: The emotions we felt when we first decided to pursue this path?

Cecile: So basically, we just have to remember and seize whatever that was?

Cecile: Seems like a hassle, but we'll just have to step it up.

Augusta: I'll have to visit my parents at their shop.

Pamela: I want to see what my parents think too...

Cecile: So you two are going to see your parents. Come to think of it, I got into music through my family too...

Robertina: Then I'm going to go meet the gods.

Cecile: The gods? What's that supposed to mean?

Robertina: Heehee, I just need to meet the tuba god.

Robertina speaks with a fearless smile.

Cecile: Heh, I dunno about that. It sounds like something you'd say though.

Cecile: As for me, I suppose I'll be taking a trip back to the countryside.

Cecile: I'm sure you've got a plan, Novei.

Novei: Yes, there's a place I'll have to visit too. Thank you, Cecile.

Cecile: Nah, I didn't do anything special.

Cecile: It's just that I'd hate it if I wasn't able to help any of you succeed.

Cecile: Here's the deal: failure is not an option. Always get back up if you fall. That's what I believe.

Cecile: It's all-or-nothing, girls.

The others smile at Cecile's little motivational speech.

Meanwhile, an apologetic Narita appears before the crew.

Narita: I hate to ask for so many favors, but I have to stay here to handle preparations for the concert tour.

Narita: (Captain), would it be possible for you to help the girls on their journey?

Vyrn: You bet! We travel everywhere and we'll have no trouble getting them around!

Novei: Thank you so much, (Captain).

Lyria: Let's go then, (Captain)!

The crew accompanies the girls on their journey.

Cecile: (How I got into music, huh?)

Vyrn: I think I might've had the wrong idea about you, Cecile.

Cecile: Hm? What's that supposed to mean?

Vyrn: You're surprisingly considerate about your friends.

Cecile: Eh?

Lyria: The way you spoke up and encouraged everyone shows how much you care about them all!

Cecile: Nuh-uh, you have it all wrong. If any one of them messes up, that makes me look bad too, so...

Vyrn: After all that talk about standing out yesterday, in the end you're just worried about your friends!

Cecile: Psh, whatever. It's not even worth arguing, so make what you will of it.

Cecile: I'll tell you this though: those girls are good, real good.

Lyria: (Teehee... Friendship is such a lovely thing.)

Vyrn: (Yep, it's always good to have friends.)

Cecile: Anyhow, there's a place I need to get to. Any chance you can take me there?

Vyrn: You bet! We'll take you anywhere you want!

Lyria: Of course! Right, (Captain)?

(Captain) gives a reassuring nod.

Cecile: Heheh, I'm counting on you, (Captain).

The crew sets a course for Cecile's destination.

The Name of That Song: Scene 2

Cecile and the crew arrive at a jazz bar in a snowy city—a nostalgic place she once visited with her now-divorced parents. When a pianist there hands Cecile a musical score left behind by her father, she is wrought by emotion as she promises to show him up someday.

---

The crew makes landfall in a snowy city.

Cecile: Whoooa! Y'all feel that chill? It's a freezin'!

Vyrn: (Huh?)

Cecile: Aww yeah, this totally brings back memories!

Vyrn: (Psst, Lyria! Is it just me, or is there something strange about Cecile?)

Lyria: (Now that you mention it, she usually doesn't talk like that...)

Cecile: Hm?

Cecile blushes when she notices the entire crew gawking at her.

Cecile: (Augh! I thought I stopped talking like this a long time ago! What's wrong with me?)

Vyrn: (Not like it'd be a problem for us either way, so let's just let it go, guys.)

Lyria: (Yeah, let's do that, (Captain)!)

Everyone in the crew agrees on that point without alarming Cecile.

Vyrn: So, Cecile, what are we doing here anyway?

Cecile: Hngh? Uh, umm, ahem...

Cecile: Okay... I've been here before with my parents.

Lyria: Aah, were you here on vacation?

Cecile: Kinda... We came here as part of a concert tour my parents were playing in.

Vyrn: Concert tour? So your parents were musicians too?

Cecile: That's right. My dad was a jazz trumpeter, and my mom was a classical pianist.

Cecile: My parents met in the same orchestra, got married, and boom—I was born.

Vyrn: I guess that makes you a pure-blooded musician through and through!

Cecile: Well, they did separate eventually though.

Lyria: Sorry to hear that...

A gloomy mood fills the air.

Cecile: It happened such a long time ago, so there's really nothing to worry about.

Cecile: Anyway, I have a lot of memories of this place... back when we were still a family.

Cecile looks around nostalgically.

Cecile: (Captain), let's go take a look at that place.

Filled with wonder, Cecile leads the crew inside.

What they find is a jazz bar outfitted with a stage for musical performances.

Cecile: Oh man, this brings back so many memories...

Vyrn: Is everything okay?

Cecile: My mom and dad once performed together here for an event.

Cecile: I was still a child at the time, but hearing them play on this stage made such an impression on me.

Cecile scrunches up her eyes as she waxes nostalgic.

Cecile: Everyone was having so much fun... I want to be like my parents were that day. That's what I'd always tell myself.

Cecile: How sweet it would be if I could play an instrument as freely as they did.

Cecile: That's why things kinda started out for me in this bar.

Lyria: Cecile...

Vyrn: I'm still really curious as to why you're so obsessed with standing out though.

Cecile: Ain't it obvious?

Cecile: My goal's to become the greatest trumpeter in the skies...

Cecile: And show up that rotten scumbag of a dad who threw me and Mom away.

Just then a rowdy customer is heard arguing with a waiter.

It turns out the customer is complaining about the live performance taking much too long to start.

Rowdy Customer: The heck's takin' ya so long? You have any idea how long I've been waitin'?

Rowdy Customer: I didn't pay the service fee just to be kept waitin'. Start the blasted show already!

Waiter: Sir, I apologize for the wait.

Waiter: But we're still waiting for the musician to arrive...

Rowdy Customer: Like I give a hoot! Gimme some tunes now!

Rowdy Customer: And, you, stop daydreamin' over there and play somethin' already for Pete's sake!

Pianist: Y-yes, of course!

Cecile looks on in disgust.

Cecile: Gosh, can't a woman enjoy a drink in peace?

Cecile gets up and barges onto the stage.

Cecile: If you want a performance that bad, then I'll just have to play a tune for you.

Rowdy Customer: Humph, what's a li'l girl like you know about jazz?

Cecile: Put a lid on it and just listen.

Waiter: M-miss, we can't—

Cecile: Oh, it'll be fine!
Hey, keep up with me, will you?

Pianist: Huh?

Cecile: And a one-two-three-four!

The next moment all eyes in the bar are fixed on Cecile as she begins playing a beautiful melody on the trumpet.

Waiter: Ah! What is this sound?

Unlike when she's performing with the orchestra, Cecile blows into the trumpet freely as if singing a song, going in whatever direction her heart takes her.

Pianist: Th-this is... Oh my...

The colorful tune Cecile unleashes fills the bar with a jubilant air.

The dazzling spectacle of her euphoric state as she becomes the embodiment of music is truly a sight to behold.

Rowdy Customer: How could a li'l girl like this be so good at jazz?

Cecile: (So far, so good... but I can kick it up an octave!)

Pianist: (This is incredible! I've never heard anything this good!)

Cecile: (Yo! Stop drifting off and get those keys moving!)

Pianist: (R-right!)

Cecile's impromptu set ends on a breathtakingly high note.

The bar is filled with unstinting applause and cheer for Cecile.

Vyrn: My jaw just dropped...

Lyria: Yeah, that was so good I don't even know what to say...

Cecile sports a playful grin as she returns to her seat among the crew.

Cecile: Well, how was it? I hope I didn't overdo it.

(Captain) tries to convey to Cecile every emotion felt during the performance.

Cecile: Ahahah... Was it that good? Glad to hear it.

Cecile: You know, it feels nice to get so much praise from you especially, (Captain).

Cecile takes a deep breath before ordering another gimlet.

The pianist from earlier walks up to the crew.

Pianist: Gimlet?

Pianist: Pardon my intrusion, but could you by any chance be...

Cecile can't hide her shock when the pianist utters her parent's names.

Pianist: I take it you're their daughter then?

Cecile: Yes...

Pianist: The truth is I'm...

It turns out this pianist once belonged to the same orchestra as Cecile's parents.

Pianist: What are the chances we'd meet like this, eh? I'm glad I continued on as a pianist.

Cecile: I don't remember much from back then...

Cecile: If you don't mind, I'd love to hear more about my parents.

Pianist: But of course!

The two get sentimental as they take a trip down memory lane.

Pianist: They were absolutely phenomenal, yet they always took sectional practices seriously.

Pianist: They could've gone places with their music... It really makes me wonder why those two chose our orchestra.

Cecile: But my dad eventually left the orchestra, leaving behind Mom and me to fend for ourselves...

Pianist: Your father is now a world-renowned jazz trumpeter.

Pianist: I have no idea why your father left the orchestra back then.

Pianist: It's impossible for a layman like me to even guess what goes on in the mind of a genius.

Pianist: But sometimes... you have to lose something in order to gain something.

Pianist: I can only guess that the world of music needed your father more than he loved his family.

Cecile: I'm sorry, but that's a poor excuse. He abandoned his family, pure and simple.

Pianist: Perhaps you're right. A layman like me can only guess.

Pianist: But consider this: did your mother ever blame your father?

Cecile: Well...

Cecile is at a loss for words.

Cecile: Mom never spoke much about him...

Pianist: I see... Wait, that reminds me...

The pianist gets up out of the seat.

Pianist: Our meeting here today is no coincidence. I have something for you.

The pianist brings Cecile a musical score from the back room.

Cecile brushes off the thin layer of dust covering it.

Cecile: Cecile?

Pianist: That's right. That's the name of the piece—it's dedicated to you.

Pianist: Your father wrote that while drinking a gimlet from that very counter.

Cecile: ...

Cecile shudders at the thought.

Lyria: Cecile?

Vyrn: Is everything all right?

Cecile: This pisses me off...

Pianist: Huh?

Cecile: Dammit, dammit, dammit,

dammit, dammit, dammit,

dammit, dammit, dammit!

Cecile: Ugh! Gimme a damn break!

Cecile is rendered speechless when she scans the music contained within the score.

Sealed within the staves and notes is a treasure trove of sublime melodies composed by a true master musician.

Cecile: I hate to admit it, but these chords and refrains are incredible. I've never seen a piece so off the wall.

Cecile: So he just ran off after writing this? Is this supposed to be some kind of one-way conversation?

Cecile: Seriously, what the hell... He's gonna have it coming the next time I see him.

Pianist: Hahaha. You're a bit too much yourself if you ask me.

Vyrn: That's the spirit, Cecile!

Lyria: Yeah! You go and show your father what you're made of!

Cecile: Oh, I'm gonna get him good!

Cecile: (It's all coming back to me now.)

Cecile: (This is how I felt when I first saw the joy in music and wanted to get payback for what Dad did to us.)

Cecile: (I chose classical music on purpose to walk a different path from him.)

Cecile: All right, I've cooled off a bit. Let's head back to the others, (Captain)!

Cecile: (I'll surpass Dad in my own way.)

Cecile: (Heheh... How strange. The first thing that pops into my head is their faces...)

Cecile: (But back to business—the gals need me now more than ever, and I don't want to let them down.)

The trip proves worthwhile, allowing Cecile to come into contact with vestiges of her father and retrace her first musical steps.

Cecile now returns to her companions with newfound determination.

The Name of That Song: Scene 3

All members of the Sky Philharmonic Orchestra return from their mini-adventures just in time for opening day of the 100th anniversary concert tour. They each perform with renewed passion, signifying a rebirth of the orchestra.

---

It's a full house on the opening day of the Sky Philharmonic Orchestra's 100th anniversary concert tour.

Narita: We're about to start and our section leaders have not returned. This is unprecedented!

Nobiyo: Oh relax. It'll be fine, since it's those kids.

Narita: How can you say it's fine! There's only ten minutes left!

Nobiyo: If worst comes to worst, we'll just have to step in and keep the crowd entertained.

Narita: What? But we've never prepared for anything like that!

Nobiyo: Well, I did kind of lord it over them.

Nobiyo: It's only fair that I take some responsibility, you know?

Narita: Sigh, I just hope this doesn't backfire.

Nobiyo: Well then, shall we get in there and warm up the crowd with an impromptu act?

Narita: We have our hands full with conducting; how are we going to pull off an impromptu act!

Just as Nobiyo tries to drag Narita onstage, a clamor suddenly arises from the crowd.

The two look out into the audience to see the orchestra section leaders and the crew, out of breath, cutting across the auditorium seats.

Novei: Sorry, passing through!

Augusta: Hey, hey! Make way, please!

Robertina: Phew, I'm tired from running.

Augusta: How about I carry you there, Tina?

Robertina: No thanks. I'm not a kid, you know.

Pamela: Ah! Tina, you dropped your snacks!

Pamela: Eek!

Cecile: Pamela! Are you okay?

Cecile immediately lifts Pamela up in her arms.

Pamela: Thanks, Cecile...

Vyrn: Go, go, go, the stage is right there! We can do this!

Lyria: I wonder if it was okay for us to come along like this, (Captain).

(Captain) grabs her arm and leaps on to the stage.

Nobiyo: Hahaha, this is too good!

Nobiyo: It's as if we've already reached the crescendo!

Narita: Whew, talk about a close one! I guess I was worried for nothing.

The section leaders find their seats.

(Captain) and company spot Nobiyo and Narita on the stage wing and rush over to them.

Narita: (Captain)! How is everyone?

Lyria: They're ready to go!

Nobiyo: Haha, I could already tell from your faces!

Vyrn: They did their best out there! You'll hear it in their performances!

The crew has felt for themselves the emotions that led the section leaders down the path of music.

They wish for the audience to experience those very same emotions.

Nobiyo: Well, it looks like they've finished tuning. I'd better get up there.

Narita: We've kept the fans waiting long enough!

Narita: Go get 'em, Nobiyo!

Nobiyo: Well, let's get this show on the road!

A thunderous applause shakes the concert hall the moment Nobiyo appears onstage.

Narita looks on with admiration at the world-renowned Nobiyo.

Vyrn: Hey, Narita. Why did you decide to study under Nobiyo?

Narita: Hmm, well...

Narita chooses his words carefully.

Narita: I guess it's because Nobiyo is someone who truly believes music can change the world for the better.

Lyria: Hm, change the world with music...?

Narita: Yes. Anyone who's ever attended a performance conducted by Nobiyo would say the same thing.

Narita: Music transports us to another world—it takes us on an unforgettable journey that stays with us.

Narita: Even when we return to our normal lives, we find ourselves more optimistic than before.

Narita: It's almost like a magic spell that never wears off.

Lyria: How fantastic! He's like a wizard of music!

On stage, Nobiyo makes eye contact with each member of the orchestra.

Nobiyo: (Well then, are we ready to play the most incredible music the audience has ever heard?)

Novei: (Absolutely! Let's do this, everyone!)

Pamela: (I'm ready to go!)

Augusta: (100th anniversaries don't come all that often. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts!)

Robertina: (I'm gonna party all night with snacks when this is over.)

Cecile: (I was born ready! Let's totally knock their socks off!)

Nobiyo gets into position on the podium and checks with Novei.

Novei lets out a deep breath and begins playing at the exact moment Nobiyo begins waving his baton.

The entire orchestra begins playing in perfect unison, enveloping the audience in a glorious homophony.

The indescribably transcendent music stirs emotions deep within the audience.

Individual undertones from each member begin to stand out, filling the concert hall with a dreamlike quality.

On this day, the Sky Philharmonic Orchestra is reborn upon the stage.