The next few days were pretty calm for Cyrielle. Julie had to settle a few things at the office and do interviews for the new hires, so she had left Cyrielle with a newly bought camera and the instruction to record guitar covers. Her days always started with a good breakfast in her open kitchen, admiring the view out the windows, then she would do her skincare routine, dress up, and record one or two covers on her couch, in the morning’s sunlight. After that, she would work on new outfits in her atelier, and go outside while covering her face when she realized she needed something. Julie always told her off for this, saying that it was dangerous, but due to the nature of french people, it was rare for anyone to recognize her through her disguise and come to talk.

  In that way, she had started filling her atelier. First, a good PC with a music composition software, paired with a digital piano, a microphone, and a few other pieces of equipment, on a rge wooden desk. Then, another workstation with a sewing and embroidery machine, and a dressing on the side, as well as a shelf to store her fabrics. It was still a bit empty, but Cyrielle was slowly filling the walls with design drawings and music sheets.

  It was her resting pce, her little bubble of creativity. She never knew she needed something like this until now, but every time she entered this room, she felt instantly rexed.

  -Brrr Brrr

  Cyrielle took out her phone. It was a message from Coline.

  [Coline Fntier : Hello Mademoiselle Cyrielle ! Because of the video on social media, people keep asking me to do photoshoots on horseback ! You probably received those offers too, right ? No, I’m sure you were too busy to check. Well, to sum up, I really wanted to do it with you and they said they will pay me big time if I succeed in bringing you here. Oops, I wasn’t supposed to say that !]

  Even by text, she was unbearably talkative. In short, there was a photoshoot for a luxury brand at the Versailles castle, and the idea was to pose on a horse. They had thought of Cyrielle and Coline as the models, because of the viral video of the two women in the riding css, but they couldn’t contact Mademoiselle Cyrielle, and had asked Coline to do so. It was a photoshoot that was going to be published overseas, since the luxury brand was popur all around the globe, which meant international fame and a big hefty fee, something Cyrielle would never refuse. She may be quite well-off now, but she still hadn’t exited her ‘homeless girl’ mindset.

  She called Julie to expin the situation, who immediately accepted, calling Cyrielle ‘her goddess who always brought work on her own’. With that settled and the contacts of the staff handed over, Cyrielle sat in front of her computer. She had already composed a few songs, even recording the melody guides, and each was absolutely fantastic. But she was facing a big wall.

  ‘I can’t write good lyrics, it sucks so much !’

  She had tried a few times, but having songs this good, enhanced by her abilities, with average lyrics, made the difference too visible.

  ‘Even if I send that to a lyricist, I’m sure none could produce good results. My songs are that perfect.’

  It wasn’t an exaggeration, just a fact.

  After trying to write again, and realizing she had absolutely no talent for it, she got up and walked around her atelier, her patience running thin.

  ‘Why aren’t you useful in this situation ?! I’m trying very hard over here ! Normally if I work on something that much, shouldn’t I gain the ability ?’

  Remembering that, after all this time sketching outfits and interior designs, she still didn’t have a drawing ability, she sighed in frustration.

  ‘You never make sense, it’s always so random… Thinking about making sense, what was it about the category ?’

  Cyrielle called forth ‘Path knowledge’, trying to distract herself from the irritation. Immediately, the game-like window popped up.

  [{Cyrielle Laporte}

  Age : 24 (Birthday on 5th of march)

  Status : Timid stroll

  {Abilities}

  [Music : Singing, Guitar, Composing, Piano], Home and Attire design, Handicraft, Refinement, Stage presence, Studying, Sewing, Makeup art, Modeling, Horseback riding

  {Gifts}

  Better skin, Mind and body linked, Moderately better hair, Fortitude, Moderately better nails

  {Characteristics}

  Aura : 79

  Visuals : 55

  Movements : 27

  Impact : 77

  Overall rate : B+]

  A lot of things had changed, starting from her age, the change in her abilities, the dispy of the gifts, all her characteristics that had gotten better, but most of all, her overall rate had changed from B to B+. Cyrielle didn’t know exactly what difference it made, but it probably meant she had gotten better and more famous. What she really wanted to see, however, was the new category.

  ‘Dispy ‘Music’.’

  [{Music}

  Category containing : Singing, Guitar, Composing, Piano

  Effect : Boosts all abilities in the category. Increases instrument learning speed.]

  ‘Ok, I get it, I’m better at music in general and I can learn new instrument abilities by myself. But how does it make sense that I can’t write good lyrics even though I have an enhanced version of composing ? Are lyrics not included ?’

  She was one step away from punching her wall.

  ‘You know what ? I’ll learn it on my own, without your help !’

  Cyrielle walked to her PC and tied her hair in a ponytail. She would study the lyrics of all the music in the top 100 if she needed to.

  ***

  A week ter, it was the 30th of April and Cyrielle hadn’t learned anything.

  ‘I don’t understand, how can someone have their song in the top 100, but the lyrics are just ‘nanana’ and made up words ? It’s baffling…’

  Either she was really bad at writing lyrics, or the popur songs made absolutely no sense. Anyway, she didn’t have the time to worry about it, she was heading to a TV set. After entering the building with Julie, things were simir compared to Bil’s live stream, which helped Cyrielle rex a bit. She had a round of makeup, then a briefing with the staff, and was informed of the schedule. They would start with a bit of idle chat, then talk about her career and her rising fame, include a promotional segment, Cyrielle would sing one of her acoustic guitar covers, and it would end with a few questions submitted by the channel’s audience beforehand.

  “This whole part is filmed in advance, so it will probably appear on TV towards next month. Is everything alright with you, or do you want to make a change ?”

  Cyrielle elegantly nodded, while a staff member was equipping her with a microphone.

  “It seems good.”

  She appeared as stoic as ever, but her anxiety was slowly rising.

  ‘The set is so big, it’s two or three times the size of the live stream one ! Will I be ok ? Now that I remember that all of France will be able to see me, I’m getting nauseous… I talked about it to mom, so she will surely watch it with my little brother, right ?’

  The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Thankfully, ‘coolheadedness’ was doing its part.

  The host, a middle aged man with a charismatic face full of deep wrinkles, came to shake Cyrielle’s hand.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “All the same.”

  “Any subject to avoid ?”

  “No specution about my past, please, only facts about my career.”

  “Understood.”

  Their conversation may seem curt, but in fact they were both getting along pretty well. The man, whose name was Bernard Leroux, was a former actor who changed paths after realizing he didn’t like socializing and saying things in a roundabout way. Being a serious TV host suited him better, and meeting someone with the same personality was rare, but a welcome occurrence. The recording hadn’t started yet, but he already liked Mademoiselle Cyrielle.

  It took half an hour for the staff to get ready, and silence to come on set. The director checked the camera angles, and shouted :

  “We’ll start in 3… 2… 1…”

  Bernard Leroux started talking.

  “Welcome to ‘Meeting of a star’, today I am joined by Mademoiselle Cyrielle, the queen of issues that nobody can ignore. Good morning, Mademoiselle Cyrielle.”

  “Good morning.”

  “Singer, musician, model, designer, and now even equestrian, what else are you hiding from us ?”

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.”

  The show continued without a problem, Bernard and Cyrielle were very casual with each other and their chemistry was strangely good, for two elegant and direct people. After talking about her career and doing the promotional segment, Cyrielle took the guitar a staff member handed her, and started pying, singing one of the cover songs she had posted on her MyTube channel. She smoothly finished her performance and handed the guitar back to the staff. Bernard was appuding with unexpected energy.

  “Without even talking about your splendid voice and guitar pying skills, it’s amazing how everytime you sing, the lyrics seem to change into poetry. Is writing also one of your talents ?”

  Cyrielle smiled elegantly, but inside a lightbulb suddenly turned on in her brain.

  ‘Poetry ? Yes, well written lyrics are like rhythmic poetry following a melody ! I was going in the wrong direction ! If I want to learn how to write lyrics, I should learn how to write first !’

  After this sudden realization, blue characters appeared in front of her eyes.

  [Congratutions, you have acquired the ability ‘Lyrics creation’ without the help of Path of Destiny. ‘Lyrics creation’ gets enhanced by the ‘Music’ category. Path of Destiny rewards you by offering a gift.]

  “Well, it was meant to be a surprise, but in fact I am currently working on my first album. I have already composed a few songs that you will be able to hear at the World Music Day concert.”

  Bernard nodded, seemingly thinking ‘As expected’. But in a corner of the set, away from the cameras, someone was stunned, her eyes opened as wide as saucers. It was Julie.

  ‘What ? Another skill I didn’t know about ?!’

  AmbreaTaddy

  Some say it's a 'street' nguage, used by young people in quartiers (disadvantaged neighborhoods), but for most french people it absolutely doesn't make any sense. Even people from quartiers have come out to say they had no idea what the singer was saying, but the song is a bop so they don't care.