Location: End's Beach
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 07.09.1994
Weather: Clear Skies
About half an hour and one sound-check later, things were finally ready for the closing act of the beach party. All the students of the First Class of Pinefall High, all 29 of them, had gathered around the makeshift wooden stage standing atop the stand, with speakers and amplifiers flanking it. Guitar and bass pedals had been set to the right and left respectively, while the Casio keyboard stood a little further to the side and the drum set kept the rear. Mr. Hatou, as boisterous as ever, was working as the master of ceremonies, loudly explaining to everyone what they already knew: that some of the students of their class had decided to 'grace' them with a musical act and that they should be cheered for as loudly as possible in order to show gratitude.
On the stage, the atmosphere was tense... at least for some. While Inacio Ilusăo looked as calm as ever, calmly doing some last-minute tuning on his guitar, and while Kean Loinnir lazily twirled around his drum sticks, ready to get this show on the road... Pyry Leijonamieli looked somewhat green in face, gripping his old blues harmonica rather tightly. Even if the boy had been in front of thousands of people before, this was clearly not his element. And therefore, his nervousness was clearly showing... thought it might have also been because he personally knew most of the people in the audience.
"You can do it, guys!" A sudden holler broke the air, as Ubon Sĕeklęun pumped the air with her fist. "Break a leg! And even if you screw it up, we're not gonna mind, for realsies!"
That elicited laughter and agreeing nods from most of the audience... and seemed to ease the tension on the stage a little bit. At least Pyry seemed to be able to breath in and out and thus calm his nerves, though it remained to be seen if it helped Hisa Momoi or Vier Wolff any.
Still, the show had to go on, even if the players were ready or not. The sun had already set and the light of the stars and the moon showered upon the stage. The two bamboo torches sticking from the ground, along with the great light of the bonfire, gave the beach a somewhat mystic atmosphere, almost magical in nature.
The murmurs and whispers of the crowd died down as Pyry finally grabbed the mic, taking a good long look at each of his brothers-and-sisters-in-arms on the stage, and getting an affirmative nod from Inacio. They were ready. At least they were as ready as they could be.
And so the lanky boy began talking.
"So... Hi guys," Pyry said, and flashed an awkward grin. "I'm not much of a talker, so I'm just gonna say this: I heard this song on the radio as I was driving to the Helsinki Airport to get to over here and board that tuna can of a bus we all rode yesterday, and it stuck to my head. I even had to record it on the fly, just so I could hear it again. Almost missed my flight because of that. Anyways... This song is something that kinda hit me, in a good way, and so Inacio and I decided we should play it for you guys. You know, as thank you for getting in on this crazy school year with us and to... I dunno, remember to keep it real? You'll understand when you hear the song... unless I botch up the lyrics. Not my main language, after all. Anyway... here goes nothing, guys."
He took a step back and readied his harmonica. Inacio strummed a melodious note from his guitar and the beach got all quiet, with nothing but the crackling of wood in the bonfire to interrupt it. It seemed that nobody dared even breathe for a few seconds as the makeshift band on the makeshift stage prepared...
... And then Kean raised his drum sticks.
"One, two, three, four..." the boy quietly gave everyone the tempo...
------------ And the music started.
The guitar and the bass came alive as the drums started their slow beat, weaving a melody that sounded both rustic and familiar, almost classical, in their style. At the same time under the fingers of Hisa Momoi the keys of the piano joined in in an improvised tune that carried just above the drums, giving the song a completely new layer very fitting of a live performance. Suddenly, as if mimicking that piano melody, the blues harmonica of Pyry started screaming a vibrant tune, intertwining with it and livening the whole song up with a nostalgic sound of blues and folk.
And as the melody turned back to the start, Pyry moved closer to the mic and started singing.
"It doesn't matter what I say~! So long as I sing with in~flection. That makes you feel I'll convey. Some inner truth or vast reflection!"
Inacio grinned as the amateur-yet-fitting rough voice of the boy filled the night air and did a little switch-up with his guitar, bridging his melody to fit the actual words and mimic their cadence. He took walking to the stage, setting himself up near Vier and nodded to the girl, his message clear: they were handling the actual tune of the song with perfect accuracy, even if there was a hiccup here and there. It was alright to improvise and have some fun.
"But I've said nothing so far! And I can keep it up for as lo~ong as it takes. And it don't matter who you are. If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks!"
With those lyrics Kean shifted up his drum-beat and brought the song to the chorus, his surprisingly powerful strikes echoing from the drum-skin like ticking of the metronome.
"Because the hook brings you back! I ain't tellin' you no lie! The hook brings you back! On that you can rely!
It wasn't just the voice of Pyry Leijonamieli this time. Voices of both Vier and Inacio joined in the on the backing vocals, a notch below Pyry's pitch and elongating the words to stay just a bit longer, almost like an echo. It was a neat effect, and as the accompanying piano jolted alive during the chorus, it made the melody that much richer.
With an exhilarated grin, Pyry began the next verse, almost like telling a joke of some sort that only he could get. Perhaps it was what he had been talking about relating to the song, or something else, but whatever it was it remained for only him to know.
"There is something amiss! I am being insincere! In fact I don't mean any of this! Still my confession draws you near!"
In the audience, heads were bopping and bodies were swaying slowly to the tune. Ubon Sĕeklęun, leaning her arms to shoulders of both Sakura Tsukioka and John Dove, swung her head from side-to-side to the beat. Souma Nubatama, standing to the side of the main group, kept his arms folded but that enigmatic smile on his face stayed. Travis Gagnon had, strangely enough, sat on the sand next to Gabi Bahkauv who watched the stage transfixed, mouth little agape. Caleb Montjoy had perhaps started sketching the whole event... but his pen had stopped moving for a good while now. Near the back, Hwan Bin was messing with a cigarette lighter, snapping it open and shut, yet he listened intently.
"To confuse the issue I re~fer! To familiar heroes from lo~ong ago!"
Next to Alexstrasza, still holding her hand, Cesarina Feroce bopped up and down on the spot to the rhythm, big smile on her face. Alex Terrot seemed somewhat bothered by the fact that Ramia Ramalsaqr was trying to get her join her odd dance, foreign in its movement. Aleen King, on the other hand, brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled in cheer of Vier, startling Subaru Iburi next to her who had gazed at the musical act with sparkling wonder in her eyes. Even Mercedes West, who was standing next to Lucille and Colt, while seemingly indifferent to the whole thing, kept tapping her foot against the sand like she thought nobody saw it.
"No matter how much Peter loved he~er! What made the Pan refuse to grow~!"
And outside the light of the torches and the bonfire, Xylia Pheme sat on the sand, hugging her knees and staring at everyone else with that burning gaze of hers.
"Was that the ho~ok brings you ba~ack! I ain't tellin' you no lie~! The hook brings you ba~ack! On that you can rely!"
Suddenly, the melody took a dip as the guitar, the bass, the piano and the drum returned the very basic beat of the song. At the same time, Pyry Leijonamieli jumped a little backwards and brought forth his blues harmonica once more. From there started a harmonica solo that soared across the stage, over the crowd and into the beach behind them. It crashed against the waves, overpowering them for a moment, and then shot towards the moon where it danced across the night sky with stars as its partners. There was primal fury in that solo, played with all the strength in the lungs of an amateur who did it for just the joy of music.
Laughing under his breath, quietly enough that only Hisa Momoi could hear it, Kean added in a marching-band fill that picked up the pace even more, sweat dropping from his brow in droplets. For a moment the two of them had their gazes connect and the silver-haired boy nodded for her, encouraging Hisa to add her own flourish to this moment - the high-point of the song. Hearing this momentary increase in speed, Inacio grinned wildly and intertwined the melody with few strums of flamenco-like passion, setting himself up next to Vier once more and adjusting his playing to hit the movement of the girl, making them appear as mirror images for a moment.
And then it was over. The harmonica solo stopped. Pyry Leijonamieli had only one half of a second to inhale, to prepare, and as the song once again took its basic form...
... His lips began to move rapidly.
"Suck it in, suck it in, suck it in, if you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn!
Make a desperate move or else you'll win!
And then begin to see, what you're doing to me!
This MTV is not for free!
It's so PC it's killing me!
So desperately I sing to thee of love!
Sure! But also rage and hate and pain and fear of self!
And I can't keep these feeling on the shelf!
I've tried! Well, no, in fact I lied!
Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside to hide, or slide!
I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride till until I've died!
And only then shall I abide by this tide of catchy little tunes!
Of hip three minute ditties!
I wanna bust all your balloons, I wanna burn of all your cities to the ground!
I've found, I will not mess around unless I play! Then hey!
I will go on all day!
Hear what I say, I have a prayer to pray, that's really all this was!
And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck, I don't rely on luck, because---!"
And just when you thought it was safe to breathe again and that the song had reached its absolute apex, all the instruments came alive for one final crescendo that seemed to have no end.
Meanwhile, Pyry's voice broke momentarily, but it just made it all sound even more powerful.
"The ho~ok brings you back! I ain't tellin' you no lie!"
Thus, for the final stretch of the song, it was not only Pyry's voice, but that of all the teens on the stage, that could be heard singing out loud and clear, having been swept up by the hypnotizing music.
"The ho~ok! On that you can rely~!"
As unassuming as it had come, this song that had been played for all of the people of the First Class faded away, leaving behind just the echoes of the bass, the piano, the drums, the guitar and the harmonica...
... Then, just a five seconds later, the audience broke into furious applause, led by the friends that you had made during these scant few days.
And on the stage, sweat on their faces and grins on their faces, Pyry, Inacio and Kean turned to look at Hisa, Vier and each other, grateful and excited and just for a moment, all their hearts beating to the same tune.
[SCENE END /// Move to NEXT Phase!]
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Originally Posted by Elise
