Chapter Text
Tenna stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Both dinner and breakfast the following morning were skipped. He didn't want to emerge from the cocoon of duvet and misery that he was wrapped up in, and had full intentions to stay in bed all day... Unfortunately, while he had thrown his phone out of the way, he did have it connected to his headset. It startled him enough to pull on a mask and answer like everything was okay.
"Good morning, you're through to Ant Tenna!"
"Tenna! Thank Heavens! You're okay!" It was Lanino. The reassurance of a familiar voice allowed the host to curl back up. "Elnina and I have been trying to get in touch. No one's seen you since lunch time yesterday. Are you alright?"
"I'm a little under the weather, that's all. Go on ahead without me. Things will be okay."
"I'll be at your door in five minutes. I'm not leaving you up there alone." The phone clicked off. Tenna sighed as he pulled the duvet closer. As much as he cherished his two friends, they were equally stubborn about certain things.
Exactly five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Tenna had opted to keep the duvet wrapped around him when he moved to open the door. Lanino was dressed and ready for the day, but he was holding a croissant and an apple. Immediately, his expression dropped to one of pity.
"I haven't seen you this low since Spamton dumped you. Did something happen with him? Did he say anything? Do anything?"
"No… No. He just… Moved on. He's a parent now. He has a family of his own…"
"Tenna… I'm so sorry." Lanino stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"I just want something good to happen this week. I feel like everything is falling apart…" Tenna returned to the bed. This time, he chose to sit on the edge of it.
"I do have something that might lift your spirits." Placing the apple and croissant beside Tenna, Lanino shrugged off his rucksack to pull out some pages. "Yesterday's broadcast was a success. Folks online have rallied behind the new hosts. Ramb even forwarded me some emails that have come in over the week. This is proof that you're right. The audience have really enjoyed the series this week."
"But it isn't them who can save us…"
"I know. But even if we shut down, we've given the audience something memorable this week!"
Tenna pulling his legs in to curl into a ball was the clue Lanino needed to realise he had said the wrong thing.
When Lanino finally got through to Tenna, he and Elnina had been waiting in the lobby. He hurried off to find something for their friend to eat, while Elnina would gather everyone and start the meeting. As the rest of the crew made their way to the small room, the hotel’s front door opening caught her eye. A short figure with dark hair and a black flannel brushed off some snow and made their way to the reception to deliver some postcards.
"Spamton!" The Addison flinched at the shout from the TV star. He only had a split second to turn before he was pulled into a hug.
"Hi Elnina… Long t-time no see…"
"I'm so glad you're okay!" She squeezed him tight before letting go. "I know things have been crazy this week but I'd love to have a chance to properly catch up with you. I've missed having my bestie around."
"Sorry that I… N-never reached out. A lot has happened…"
"Don't worry! You're here now, and that's the best news for me. Oh! I had to get a new number. Here!" She pulled out a business card out of her wallet and handed it to him. "Text me when you can and we can arrange something in the new year!"
"I'd like that… There's a lot to catch up on." He adjusted his bag, but the smile faded. "Elnina? How is T-T..Tenna? We were t-talking over coffee yesterday but he left in a low mood."
"Lanino's gone to check on him. No one's seen him since yesterday afternoon. Did something happen?"
Spamton looked down. "I don't know. I thought it was going okay. I was t-telling him what happened to me - I’ll explain another t-time. But then, he d-decided something and… Used a call from Kishi as an excuse to leave. But I should go. Have t-to keep delivering cards."
"Spamton?" The Addison had only stepped away when he turned back around to Elnina. "You don't hate him, right?"
"... No. I don't."
As Elnina entered the meeting room, she realised the crew had set up their own agenda and pushed the chairs back. Battat was pinning up the last photograph and moved away to let the crew examine and compare the different pages.
"Battat?" Her amused voice caught the attention of the green Pippins, "What's all this?"
"I'm putting my findings out for all to see. Tenna sent me a message yesterday, but didn't reply to anything I sent. So that makes me think that everything's pulling him down. If we can figure out who the writer is, then that might be something good." He led her toward the large corkboard. “I’ve gathered screenshots of the different notes to see whether we can gather any clues. Trouble is, the writer kept themselves under wraps.”
“So how are you going to figure it out?”
“We work backwards! We rule out potential candidates, then make a list of everyone who has spent time with Tenna since arriving here. But first: raise your hand if you’re responsible for this!” Battat spun to address the crew.
No one reacted. Eventually Jongler, the Zapper, raised his hand.
“Eh, I don’t tink any of us has been writing dese. No one’s gone out on der own, right?”
“Right! Because if it were any of us, that’d be wrong. Like… I know Tenna’s not been the best boss, but he hasn’t been the worst. He doesn’t deserve to be tricked by anyone.” To Elnina’s relief, Battat’s comment brought a murmur of agreement from everyone in the room. “So we can rule out the florist and the librarian -”
“Wait, why the librarian? She’s the only one outside of the crew who knew we were going there!” Skye argued.
By the time Lanino entered with a withdrawn Tenna, the crew are caught up in the debate of the letters and the clues that they give. The entire conversation screeched to a halt at the sight of the late arrivals.
Tenna mustered a smile and gave a half-wave. “Don’t mind me. I’m going to observe from the back. Carry on with your…” He paused to peer at the board, “... Conversation? Have you plans for today?”
“They’ve that already figured out, I promise.” Elnina’s bright smile was enough of a reassurance for Tenna to sit at the back of the room with the printed records from Lanino.
Once Tenna was settled and had tuned them out, the conversation flared back to life. Everyone could see how tired Tenna was getting of the games. Added with the stress of the studio, it was little wonder he was so downtrodden. The crew made an unspoken agreement to keep the end of the ‘meeting’ light-hearted, with Battat jokingly suggesting that they should keep a vigil on the Mailbox and pounce suspicious characters to see their handwriting.
Eventually, Tenna put the notes into his pocket and quietly crossed the room. Printed versions of all the postcards received from the mystery writer were on display for all to see. Battat had helpfully labelled each of the prints to give a chronological timeline. The star had never taken the time to compare them as a collective group, and as he did, something stuck out like a sore thumb. He approached the board and pulled down the first postcard.
“Boss?”
“The writing… It’s fake.” Tenna’s voice was soft as he placed it beside the most recent card. “Look at the difference. No one’s writing changes that much. Even if you’re rushing, you keep some sort of consistency. Look how much the writing has slanted over the week. Someone is holding the pen at a different angle and can’t maintain it.” He moved back to allow others to examine this detail.
“So what does it mean?”
“It means that you’ll never find the truth until the culprit confesses. No one will recognise a fake handwriting.” A smile formed on his screen, though it was tinged with sadness. “I appreciate the time and effort you are all putting into helping solve this mystery, but I am starting to suspect it may be a lost cause. If a postcard comes today, we shall not investigate it further. I think it may be best to lay the case to rest.”
After all, Tenna knew he didn’t want some stranger he still knew nothing about. He wanted Spamton, and that would never happen.
With the new teams still in place, Tenna was relieved that he would not be in front of the camera. He knew he wouldn’t be able to work to his best potential when all he wanted to do was go back to bed. Fortunately, Skye’s excited rambling about their plan for filming today proved to be a welcome distraction. They had spoken to a teacher in the library yesterday and had been able to make an arrangement so they could follow one of the classes who was taking part in the park’s concert that evening.
The plan was interrupted by a small wave from the owner of the hotel.
“Postcard, Mr Tenna!”
For the first time all week, his stomach sank at that simple message. But with a camera on him and an act to play, he pulled on a wide smile as he collected it. “Thank you! Shall we see what our mysterious friend has to say today?”
The photograph was one that focused on the Ferris Wheel. He forced himself to flip the card over.
"Dear Mr Tenna,
You lift my heart to new heights with each day. Whenever I see you, I cannot stop smiling. I feel like I am walking on air.
Only the feeling of your hand in mine
can ground me."
The writing was a slanted mess. There were even some mistakes. It was impossible to unsee how ‘fake’ it was after comparing the other letters. However, he couldn’t say any of this on the camera. All he could do was smile and pretend that this was the highlight of his day.
“It appears that it isn’t just me who feels like their head is in the clouds. How can I possibly keep on solid ground when there are so many exciting things happening at the Festival today? There is a special concert that we have permission to broadcast and share with all of you! Be sure to tune in for that later!”
The camera clicked off. Unlike other days, Tenna’s team wasn’t the last to leave. Elnina raced over to hug him.
"I don't think I can do this much longer..."
Shortly after that, the smaller crew met the class outside the hotel as arranged. Their excitement at being on TV was just the boost that Tenna needed. It was the ideal distraction as he spent time signing autographs and giving children advice on how to do their very best when performing later in the day. He even offered to give feedback on their rehearsal once they went to the park.
On their way, they passed the Ferris Wheel. Pluey and the camera were following the teacher, who was telling Skye about the song choices for their performance. It allowed Tenna an opportunity to stand in front of the attraction and look around.
No one was there, aside from him.
The children’s rehearsal went very well. Tenna’s only recommendations were related to their positions and use of the space, rather than their actual performance. In fact, he went as far as dramatically lamenting that it was such a shame that they were all far too young, otherwise he would hire each and every one of them in a flash!
Two rather witty children gleefully offered to drop out of school for that chance, which brought out a burst of genuine laughter from Tenna.
While the children were briefly brought to the playground as a reward before going back to class, Tenna sat on a bench to properly review the statistics of the previous episode, Like Lanino had said that morning, the support was there, and maybe stronger than it had been in previous days.
The Festival was getting good coverage. Viewership retention was high, and Lanino said that the discussion on social media was still going strong. They were doing everything right, so then how were they still failing? Why could Kishi not see the merits of TV made for the locality rather than for the entire country? Why were they so opposed to leaving them alone?
A tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. Skye stood in front of him with a cup of coffee.
“Thank you… Actually, Skye? Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Uh, sure, Boss. Is everything okay?” They obediently sat on the bench beside him.
“I’ve been thinking. In the new year, once things settle down… How would you like the opportunity to continue hosting a show like this? I think having eyes on the ground to show what is happening around the region is a great way to spread information and show what talents and events can be found on any given week.”
“W-what? Really?”
“It wouldn’t just be you. I would like to propose the same offer to the others. Maybe a show two or three nights a week, depending on how many things are happening, perhaps? I’ve watched how you’ve been handling yourself, and you have a wonderful conversational skill and a great sense of curiosity. I think they can work together to help show the audience something new.” His hands shifted to take in the warmth of the takeaway cup as he continued, “Of course, you don’t have to make a decision right now. There’s a lot of work to do before a show can be put on air, but I do think you would do a wonderful job.”
“I would be so honoured, sir!”
“Wonderful! Now, you hurry on. I’m sure there’s still plenty to do today!” He waved Skye off once they hopped onto their feet and raced off, presumably to share the news with someone else.
It wouldn't magically solve the problem, but maybe this week was a sign for Tenna to relax his hold over the Studio. He had dedicated most of his adult life to building it up and ensuring it would thrive. Maybe it was time to fully trust his team. Spamton was right: they were important. They helped make the Studio what it was today. They were why the lights were perfect, or why the scheduling never missed a beat. They issued the schedules to the papers, arranged the guests, built the sets, brought the warmth to the set every single day.
The Town was more than the Festival.
The Studio was more than Tenna.
If they were given the second chance, Tenna would turn everything around. He would take on a mentor role and help the next generation flourish. He would let others take the lead and encourage their ideas. There was a chance to hire interns, or work better with the media class in the local college. Without those blinkers he had worn for years limiting him, the possibilities were endless for the first time.
And maybe he would take Lanino up on the idea of helping him book a vacation.