The Gift
Daniel's Storyline, Chapter 4.1
copyright comidacomida 2018
After finally getting a night to myself without a Spirit popping up or insisting on some of my time I felt a lot better. Given how far we'd all come I was actually really optimistic and the following morning I actually resolved to thank them in a meaningful and specific way: we were all going to head on a guys-night-out. Originally I'd planned on just heading down the street and catching a movie at the theater where I worked-- after all, I got admission at half price and the four of them didn't need tickets. In the end, fate had something else planned.
Just after 10 the phone called and it was the mechanic; they FINALLY had my car fixed. My first order of business was to go get my car, which I did with a full accompaniment of four spirits. Aiden finally seemed to get the joke about the 'Accord' reference when he saw my Honda. "HA! A Civic! Not an Accord!"
I rolled my eyes. "Right."
The mechanic didn't take the my statement all that well; he'd just got finished telling me that I had an oil change coming up in 300 miles and apparently he was a stickler for oil changes. He made it a point of putting a post-it note up in the upper right-hand corner of my windshield next to the oil change reminder sticker already there. He then went on to reiterate "It costs a lot less to change your oil than it does to change your engine."
Promising to get my oil change on time I paid for the repairs with my credit card, took my car keys, and hit the road; all four spirits fit in with me but the back seat looked particularly cramped for Aiden, who was sandwiched in between Talapus and Kon. Herne, who had taken the front seat, seemed disinterested in the back-seat conditions as he regarded me. "Plans have changed for tonight?"
It was as much a statement as it was a question, but I treated it as the second. "Yeah. Tonight we're going out, and not to the theater."
I could see Talapus' ears go up in the rear view and he called forward "Rock Out Cafe?"
Every time I almost forgot that the Coyote had lived with me for longer than I knew he said something that reminded me otherwise. Regardless, I was too excited to bother lingering on that fact and I just nodded. "Yeah... Rock Out Cafe."
Kon scowled, obviously confused; he didn't like being confused apparently. "What'd a 'Rock Out Cafe'?"
The answer came from Aiden. "Oh! Yeah! It's that place over on Pacific were you can rent a room with amps and speakers and stuff and jam with your friends!"
The Fox's voice was flat. "So... it's like a private karaoke bar..."
Aiden corrected him "It's for musicians-- musical instruments and everything, but, sure, singing too! They'll even let you record digital tracks and send them to yourself via email or downloaded onto a flash drive."
Talapus seemed a little more upbeat. "Sounds like fun."
Herne kept his own council but I saw a quiet, reserved nod from him. Taking that as a good sign I nodded too. "Okay-- that's settled! I'm gonna swing by home first and pick up my guitar. Man... I haven't been there in like, a month!"
The Stag glanced my way. "And yet you have not bothered playing your guitar at the apartment? Why could you not practice there?"
I sighed, turning into the parking lot of my apartment complex. "Cuz the walls are paper thin. Neighbors complain and I'm not the kind of ass-hat that Dave was so I try not to bug people with noise."
The Coyote let out a soft 'aww'. "But music is not noise."
He was preaching to the choir. "I know, right?"
Back in the apartment I went about getting my guitar and all of the peripherals into the case. I had to explain things to the Spirits since it would be our first time going. "This is something we can all do together--" I stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Spirits might not have any musical talent. "--uh... assuming you guys know how to play... something? Anything? Anyone?"
Talapus sat down on the edge of the coffee table and a pair of what looked like a pair of deer-hide-and-wood drums appeared on his lap, resting across his legs on a plank that connected them. "I can play drums."
Aiden seemed taken aback. "Those are... uh-- sure. Those are drums, but I'm not sure they'd be right for... you know... modern music."
Talapus' grin returned full-force as he reached across the distance and pulled Aiden's shades off his face, donning them himself as he sat back and, at some point I hadn't realized, his little hand drums had turned into a full on trap set. Before anyone could say anything, the Coyote was jamming his way through an unbelievably complex set. At first I was worried that the neighbors would complain but after a second of concern I realized that, assuming the drums were spirit nobody would be able to hear them other than me.
The Bat seemed to appreciate the drum solo and gave Talapus a thumbs up. "Wow. Yeah. That's wicked. I guess in that case I'll take keyboard."
Just as one had with the Coyote, a keyboard with stand appeared for Aiden and he quickly picked out a few chords before launching into what I thought I recognized as an 80's synth rock song but he ended it abruptly before I could remember specifically which one it was. He smiled at me. "Guess I still got it."
Rather than praise, Aiden was mostly ignored by Kon, who addressed me as a bass guitar appeared on a strap around his neck. "I guess I'll do rhythm guitar since Herne will probably want a penny whistle or recorder or pan flute or something archaic like--"
The Fox's words got caught in his muzzle as some epic shredding cut him off. All eyes went to Herne, who worked his bass with such surreal skill it was almost hard to believe that it only had four strings. At one point it almost sounded like he was able to conjure up two separate sounds from it at once. i don't know how long his solo performance lasted but as it came to an end all I could say was "...damn."
The other three spirits seemed as honestly surprised as I felt and, for a long moment nobody had anything to say. Eventually Kon managed to summon up enough will to counter with "Yeah? Well I called it first."
The Elk seemed unaffected by the statement. "We could compare skill if you wish."
The Yokai huffed. "This isn't a CONTEST... it's about having fun, and being edged out of something I already volunteered to do isn't fun."
Aiden seemed almost reverent. "Wow, Herne... how can you even DO something like that? Have you been studying guitar long?"
Herne chuckled, offering a wink at me as he explained to the Bat. "I am the essence of masculinity, young one. I embody all that makes those who seek the company of a real man weak in the knees, and more than a few Humans lust after musicians."
Kon rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well lead guitar usually gets twice as much booty."
The Elk nodded his antlered head in deference to me. "Perhaps, but I do not wish to take the spotlight from our band leader."
The Fox didn't let up. "Because he called it first. Right! And I called Bass before you did so I should get to play it."
The arguments were starting up again and I really just wanted a nice relaxing evening. Taking a deep breath, I--
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