Derren and Tom, the inseparable ones. That's the stage name they use. And it suits them perfectly, because it's literal. They can't be apart, they never have been able to be. They are father and son. Both are singers, which is quite unique. They haven't sung on a large or professional scale; they've always been limited by various circumstances. They are theater singers, and that's the only place they're known. In the industry, their names are completely unknown; they're invisible.
They've been singing in theater since Derren was a child. But before entering the theater, what they always wanted was to sing professionally and make themselves known to the world. Things changed when Tom lost his wife, Eloina, Derren's mother. Even then, he was too young to understand the changes that would bring to his life in the future. Eloina was the one who most wanted to be a singer; she was the one who most motivated everyone at home. When she died, that strength to pursue their shared dream was lost.
At least she managed to plant the seed of singing in her home, but her death changed them forever. They fell into a deep depression that robbed them of their desire to be professional singers. However, they didn't want to abandon music altogether. That's how they came to the theater; it allowed them to sing without the exposure of the big stages, which they no longer had the motivation to go to without Eloina. This theater wasn't what it seemed; it was almost a literal prison that stole their time and talent.
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The theater was unique because it wasn't in a fixed location; it was mobile. It was part of a traveling circus that moved from town to town, setting up its tent in each one. One of the acts involved singing, and that's where Derren and Tom, inseparable, performed. Derren grew up there, singing alongside his father. He didn't know it until he was older, but his father never left because of his depression. The theater was a prison because it exploited their talent; they were both excellent singers. They were paid a pittance, enough to buy the basics, but not enough to keep them dependent on singing in the show. It was a way to prevent them from leaving.
And that wasn't the worst of it, not at all. Derren and Tom lived in a small tent behind the stage; they didn't have a house or any property. Since the tent was constantly moving from town to town, they literally lived inside the theater. Indeed, it was a prison; they had to live there, sing only there, and to make matters worse, Tom never left because of his depression over Eloina's death, forcing Derren to live in those conditions throughout his childhood, without friends, without anything. Singing was worthless to them; it was just entertainment for the listeners. They were prisoners.
When Derren was old enough to understand everything, he cried a lot, for he had lost so much along this long road. His father didn't know how to manage his life, and now he even had a drinking problem. It was impossible to live a dignified life under those circumstances. Derren pressured his father to leave the theater and build a real career together, but he refused. He wouldn't leave. Even though he was his father and he loved him dearly, he couldn't go on like this. For the first time, the inseparable couple were separated, because Derren was leaving.
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Of course, Tom tried to stop him, telling him they had something good together, but those words were empty. He hadn't proven anything to him in all those years, and the other couldn't condemn his life to the same thing just for being together, for a lack of decision that had been postponed time and time again. He left the theater, with nothing, no money, no friends, but free. It was incredibly difficult for him to reintegrate into society. Derren started singing as a street musician; he wasn't going to beg. When he earned enough, he rented an apartment. He saved more money and wrote his first songs.
These songs were very popular and eventually led him to fame. Later, he achieved the recognition he never had and became successful. He deeply regretted the time lost in that dirty theater. Now he's growing up, while his father continues to waste away in that musical prison—a prison nonetheless. Despite everything, he hopes to be reunited with the future, to form the inseparable pair again, but free. He doesn't know how he'll do it, because his father is stuck in the past, but he'll try; at least he's free now.
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