bangingthe_hellouttayou | Shout At The Devil! [Halloween Party] Band members and friends invited

Shout At The Devil! [Halloween Party] Band members and friends invited

Zack had decided that he wanted to do something for Halloween now that he'd gotten his new costume and being a Spider-Man fan he'd gone for a Spider-Punk costume straight from his comics. He'd gotten it at a local comic store down on the Strip and couldn't wait to show Damien because he knew the Dog didn't have comics or anything fun back in Hunger City. Zack now pleased that he'd arranged a Halloween Party for the band members, their friends and family to attend inside the communal area of the apartments. It was the biggest space and there was a bar all stocked up with spooky drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike.

It would be a blast!

There were even spooky snacks with crisps and chips shaped like bats, ghosts and pumpkins. There were even actual pumpkins on a table for those who wished to carve a pumpkin alone or with friends. Zack had tried to make it accessible for all, those who wished to party and get drunk and those who wanted to do non-boozy activities too.

As for costumes---they were optional but preferred.

"Ok, I think that's it. Everyone should be arriving soon."

Zack looking around the room and hoping everyone would like what he had set-up with help from some of the others of course.

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He held onto her for a moment, but soon let go. Once he was standing, Dee was fairly steady on his feet.

“Yes, a custom violin.” The mention definitely perked Jay up. He tucked the chair out of the way where it would safe. “We were still debating whether to go with a skull shape or a flame shape, but it sounds like he’s been working on it since we last spoke.”

“Both would look fantastic on stage one day.” Dee encouraged.

He began to walk inside the common room to see what was going on. He was a bit slow, and carefully deliberate in his steps, so it wouldn’t be difficult to catch up.

Dee liked the excitement. "A long time ago he made me a bat shaped bass."

Dee would walk with them and giggled. "You don't know Rekker. I'm sure Bjorn and the kids hand to drag him out of the workshop."

Jack picked up on the conversation when Dee mentioned the kids. "They didn't give him too much trouble?"

Dee patted Jack's arm with a mischievous grin. "You might not get them back."

“Now, that I need to see.” Jay was impressed. “I have one of his custom guitars that I bought at a charity auction a few years ago. Still, hands down, one of the best I’ve ever played.”

Dee chuckled, fake-whispering, “He bought it to impress a guy.”

“Yeah. You.”

“I didn’t say it didn’t work.” He grinned mischievously. “You used it on the Prophet demo too.”

“It has such a rich sound. You can really hear the craftsmanship.” He bragged about it again.

Speaking of kids, a bunch of them were currently up to their elbows in pumpkin guts. The pumpkin carving table that Zack had set up was already a popular attraction.

"I can bring it from the house. Joe has one of his custom flame basses." Dee mentioned since Joe was here at the apartments and adored that custom bass.

Dee giggled. "Rekker's first guitar was made to impress a lady." Missy's favorite guitar was still that one that Rekker made all those years ago. "Missy still plays it on stage."

The bassist listened and nodded. "Rekker started making guitars because he was upset about the depth and richness of the guitars." Dee saw the kids and knew Rekker wasn't far away. For all of his unruly, aggressive chaos the ginger was born to be a father. "He takes forever on them."

“oh, I bet that one sounds as beautiful as it looks.” Jay replied. He was very much a fan of Rekker’s work, and the more examples people gave him, the more adamant he was about getting at least one custom violin from the man. Maybe two… He didn’t mind waiting. “Good things take time to make.”

He nudged Dee playfully. “And see, I’m not the only one.”

Dee smirked. Jay clearly made an impression. And it had yet to fade.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you pulled it out at our wedding.” He added.

“No, no, no… well, maybe the reception.”

"Rekker gets superstitious about the guitars. He stopped making that one years ago. Kept telling us the bass wasn't ready and then he went at it like a fever dream last fall." Dee explained. She could appreciate the spiritual aspect that Rekker applied to the instruments he made, talked about them, sometimes, like they were people.

She started to giggle. "Rekker spoils people rotten. Is that what Jay does too?"

Hexed usually poked playfully, and at this point it came naturally to her as part of saying that she liked someone's company. "Maybe that is why he wants the violin? It's a better instrument for a wedding."

“I wouldn’t say rotten…” Jay blushed.

“The first year we were dating, he’d invite me over to his townhouse for a home-cooked dinner, let me stay the night, make me breakfast in the morning and still manage to sneak a little love note for me to find in one of my pockets… Usually in A major.”

“Many composers have used that key when writing about seeing one's beloved again when parting.”

So, yes. The answer was yes. A fucking adorable yes.

“Well, we are thinking about doing a first duet… rather than a first dance. Piano and violin.” Dee added. She may have been poking playfully, but they’d thought about it pretty seriously. “…I’m a horrible dancer.”

"Yeah." Dee shook her head at Jay while laughing at his not rotten comment.

"Rekker and Bjorn fought their first week. The hell if I know what happened between that and the spoiling."

Dee nodded. "It would make the wedding unique." It was truly an interesting ideal.

Oh, the story of how Jay and Dee met was quite the doozy. Even though they didn't start dating until about six months later. They really did hit it off fairly quickly, their passions for music aligning in such beautiful harmony.

"We're still... looking for the right venue..." Dee admitted.

"Which is likely going to have to be out of the country. You know how it is here." Jay added, and speaking of spoiling someone rotten, couldn't help but add, "He's worth it, though."

Dee nodded. She'd heard the same thing from both Rekker and Mick about having to go somewhere else.

"Rekker might have ideas." She mentioned sympathetically. "I know the Scandinavian countries allow marriage." And there were plenty of Scandinavians here.

“Scandinavian countries, you say?” Jay hummed. That could definitely be an option. “Europe has such a rich history in classical music. I haven’t been since I was a kid.”

He’d fallen in love with the violin on an early trip to Austria, but unfortunately, had never gone back. He’d applied to a few conservatories, but wasn’t quite good enough for admission. It was part of what led him to focusing on medicine and music at the same time.

“I’ve never even been on a plane before…” Dee laughed. He’d driven from Ohio to LA fueled more on rage than actual fuel, but that was about the extent of his travel history.

“Would you like to?”

“I’d go anywhere with you. Fuck, I’d go to Mars if the martians would let us get married.”

Dee nodded and then smiled. "Have you met Rik yet?"

The idea of a rock band in love with classical music brought the young man to mind. She'd seen him play an electric harp on the stage and it had been wild.

"You will." Dee encouraged. "World tours put you on planes so much you'll be tired of them and want a car back."

They both shook their heads.

“But everyone speaks very highly of him. A master of at least nine instruments, if I remember what everyone has said.”

“… at least.” Dee nodded.

No doubt about it, they would definitely become fast friends with Rik.

“World tour?” Dee couldn’t believe he was thinking about the possibility of that AND a wedding. He definitely had stars in his eyes when he added, “No… I don’t think I could ever get tired of that…”

A tour bus, maybe. Living out of his car for seven months wasn’t exactly a vacation. But busses were probably infinitely more comfortable than an old compact Chevy.

"He's here." Dee smiled. "I don't think he's one to introduce himself."

She knew Rik was shy and often kept to himself, especially on nights when things would get crazy. That was, unless he was with someone pulling pranks.

She giggled. "I'll check back in 15 years. I used to think the same when I was younger." They had all gotten to a point where constant traveling and touring was making them crazy. Maybe they wouldn't but most did eventually.

That Dee had no idea how long 15 years sounded to this Dee. It was an unfathomable number.

Jay noticed the stunned silence and leaned in, whispering, “that’s possible, you know.”

“…I still have trouble believing it.”

“You have time.” He stressed, lovingly.

The encouragement probably sounded cryptic to anyone who didn’t know his story. If she asked, he would explain, though. She seemed a good person. Hell, a lot of the people they’d met in the last few weeks did.

“You do that.” He challenged, actually grinning. “Check back in 15 years.”

Dee didn't know about the health concerns but she knew the tone. It was one they all had used around Rekker when thinking about the future when his hopelessness took hold.

"If Rekker can make it twenty five, you can do 15." She encouraged too. There was an understanding just existing around someone who thought they had limited time and might actually have limited time. "I'm holding you to having experienced at least a small international tour."

Dee had a motherly quality even if she was rougher and on the punk side.

“Maybe… maybe now…” he smiled, squeezing Jay gently.

He didn’t have that option before. He wouldn’t, and couldn’t, take it. When he left home at 18, he knew he only had about seven years to live his entire life. A tight timeframe to learn everything he needed to know about how to write music, how to perform, to actually start a band, record an album, tour the world, make all his dreams come true… It was hard to stop counting down.

“Oh, I don’t want to settle for a small one…” he smiled.

"You remind me of Rekker." Dee mentioned to Dee with all the affection she held for her long time, if tumultuous, partner in crime and fellow ginger.

"Do you want to meet Rik?" Dee asked but maybe they had people here they knew and wanted to catch up with.

“Oh, we’d love to.” Jay answered immediately, prompting a chuckle from his partner.

“…We’d like to meet everybody… eventually.”

Though, with the number of people that kept showing up from every direction, he might not have brought enough recording balls.

"I haven't even had time to sit down and talk to everyone yet." Dee knew everyone in passing but sitting down and getting to know them, she hadn't done that with everyone yet.

Dee led them across the room and into the side room where there was an office of sorts. Rik was sitting there with a guitar in his lap and a flute on the table. He's writing music because unlike the others he's still in school and rarely drinks. Still, he didn't want to lock himself in his apartment away from everyone either.

"Rik?" Dee knows to speak quietly so not to startle the Dane. It was easy enough to do. Rik looked up and pulled off his headphones.

They followed, albeit at a bit slower pace. Fortunately, the small room wasn’t very far, and Dee had yet to tire himself out.

They both waited politely in the doorway while she got Rik’s attention. Dee knew the setup well. Headphones on, notebook out, instruments close by. Rik was obviously hard at work. Dee was trained first on piano, and typically had a keyboard beside him when he was working a composition, but it was largely the same.

Dee stayed at their pace.

"You can come in." Rik replied, in his heavy Danish accent, as he took off his headphones and set them on the table. "I should take a break."

Rik had been working long enough that he needed to rub his eyes. Once they entered the room they will notice Rik's signature 18-string Razor guitar in a stand beside him.

Dee took the opportunity to sit down. He held out a thin hand. “We’re very pleased to meet you. We’ve heard a lot about you…”

Dee introduced himself, stage name and all, as well as his fiancé - who had obviously noticed said 18-string guitar and had suddenly lost the words to do it himself.

“Wow…” Jay couldn’t take his eyes off the instrument.

Dee laughed. “I hope we’re not… disturbing something.”

Rik is a bit high strung, which may come through in the handhsake, but he has a natural innocent, kindness in his presence too. The Dane isn't used to introduction with fukk stage names but follows suit.

"Razor Rik Soeren of the Hammers." His eyes moved from Dee to Jay and then his guitar. While he might share some, this was not one. He let go of Dee's hand to address Jay's reaction.

"Her name is Idunn." A name the guitar got from the apple red color and the fact that Rik followed Bragi, Indunn's husband.

Rik shook his head. "I'm writing for my spring recital." Rik still had two semesters of schooling before he was free and two more recitals. This one was harp, flute and drums. Though Rik isn't writing anything very classical. If one classified it then it was probably somewhere between traditional Nordic music and folk metal but the school had told him to be creative so that was what he was doing.

“…she’s beautiful.” Jay said dreamily. Of course, he respected the instrument and its owner enough to keep his hands to himself.

Dee couldn’t help but chuckle, and he quipped, “It’s not cheating if it’s a musical instrument.”

Jay was a sucker for anything with strings.

“Oh, you’re studying music composition?” Dee perked up. He remembered from the City Charms show that Mikkel said Rik was local. At least, that’s how he interpreted it. “…CalArts?”

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