Chapter Text
Alright, just one final check before the shift starts.
Two cerulean, likable eyes looked back at him, a slight frown gracing his brows as he observed himself closely in the mirror of the staff room. He noticed a few wrinkles on his vest and pants, so he reached up and smoothed them out with his hands as good as possible. His light-green cotton shirt felt soft and clean against his skin, his flat hat securely fixed over his curly, blonde locks. A single, annoying strand peeked out just above his forehead, awkwardly winding around the rim of his cap and pointing towards the ceiling but he was used to that by now. There was no point in trying to fix it as stubborn as his hair often proved to be. Green straightened up to his full height, flashing himself a warm, welcoming smile, the same kind of smile he would give his guests later, and felt positively encouraged. Yes, his confidence was on just the right spot. Today would be a good day, or at least that was what his feeling was trying to convince him into believing. Nevertheless, with his newfound spirits, nothing could ruin his allover up-swinging mood.
Releasing a content sigh, Green retreated from his reflection and left the staff room, cheerfully hopping along to the tune of the band rehearsing in the saloon while making his way back to the bar. The melody was foreign to his ears, very vivid and rousing compared to the rather somber songs most bands had been playing lately. It pulled him along almost immediately, infusing his feet with moving urges and making him tap along to the rhythm unintentionally. A new band in town? Most likely. Surely the pub would be flowing over from dancing people tonight. Such catchy tunes, nobody would want to miss out on a chance to shake a leg to them.
Reaching the main room, Green stopped halfway into the door, woody and waxy odors along the slight traces of alcohol vapors gently hugging his nostrils and he let his gaze wander to the stage to the left to take a closer look at the musicians that would entertain the coming guest tonight. A rather small band this time, just five people. Four of them formed the backing with a saxophonist, a trumpeter, a bassist, and a pianist. The beautiful lady in the front with her iconic blue pixie cut sang the vocals. She wasn’t such an unfamiliar face. In fact, she was the famous Nayru. They said her voice was a delight to listen to, unlike any other female vocalist out there these days, very elegant and mature. Judging by the small sample that was currently playing, the assertions proved to be true. She sang really well, her presence astonishing like performing on stage was as simple as breathing to her. The way she moved, the way she smiled while singing, a glowing star shining its brightest as soon as the first sound emitted from her tongue – she was born for this. Green understood why people spoke so fondly of her and why she was loved by everyone.
Must have been pretty expensive hiring her. I wonder what kind of fee she normally gets…
Having seen his fill, for now, Green pushed himself off the doorframe and proceeded on to the bar, a slight bounce creeping into his gait with the infectious music drumming against his ears. Cremia, the bar owner, watched him, smirking, as he got closer, polishing the glasses. She always had such a funky way of dressing, proper business attire as she liked to call it. Still, her fiery redhead was spot on again despite the length. A rather weird sight, considering that most women cut them down as short as possible nowadays.
“I see you’re already enjoying the musical interlude,” Cremia mused, handing Green another clean cloth to help her polish. Green took it gladly, shrugging nonchalantly while taking his spot next to the chipper lady.
“What? Are you telling me you don’t like it?” he replied in disbelief. “It’s the best band we had in a long time!”
“I agree,” came a curt, shy giggle in return, her long skirt brushing his shins as she turned and restocked the glass cabinets. “It’s really hard finding good bands around here. The last one was terrible! I swear, if that phony, who recommended them to me, shows up again, I’ll send him packing!”
“I’ll gladly kick his butt for the acoustic abuse if you want me to. Not even the booze made that shit bearable.”
They exchanged a burst of quick, hearty laughter while Cremia returned to the counter, rolling her eyes in empathy. “Please, I insist!” Reaching down, she opened a small drawer under the sink, taking a pair of keys from it. “I’ll go check on the beer kegs. I promised the musicians free drinks, so could you get a bottle of good wine and some water from the back and bring it to their room? I asked my sister to make some snacks, too. She should be bringing them along really soon.”
“Said and done!”
Nodding her consent, Cremia stuffed her cloth into the waistband of her apron, slipped past him, and disappeared in the backroom, the clattering of her shoes against the wooden floor slowly fading away from the further she went down the basement. Meanwhile, Green decided to finish the last few glasses and shifted his eyes back to the band, watching them practice to compensate for the dullness of this rather uneventful task. They just finished their song and Nayru exhaled lightly into the microphone, collecting herself.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said pleased, facing the rest of the band behind her. There was something oddly elven-like to the way she spoke, incredibly tender and graceful. She would make for a great actress too. “Alright boys, I would say we’ll try ‘It’s Unanimous Now’ again and we should be good to go. Blue-.“ Her gaze laid upon the pianist, a young male around his early twenties. He appeared rather roughed up around the edges with his simple choice in clothing and the way his messy, nut-blonde hair stuck out from underneath his hat. Somehow, he didn’t fit into this group’s constellation. As his name fell, he turned smoothly on his stool, raising a brow to a questioning, almost annoyed look. His facial features were sharp, eyes bright, and stark in color, brimming with a deep ocean-blue that could speak volumes of stories, yet the meaning behind them remained to be a mystery. Truthfully, he was really handsome. “I know you like to go fancy with your piano play but maybe keep it down a little this time, will you? I don’t want you overpowering the vocals.”
“People seemed to like it a lot last time,” Blue replied in his defense, casually leaning back against the piano in his back with his long legs stretched out, arms crossing loosely in front of his chest. “Or at least, I didn’t hear anyone complain. Did you?”
“No, but it distracts a lot from the actual song. I need to focus on the lyrics and I can’t do that with all these rousing melodies of yours. Just do a little less, alright?” The way she said it was sweet and innocent but for a reason, it seemed to tick the pianist off by a big shot and he flared his nostrils under a fiery breath.
“Yeah, whatever…” More annoyed than before, Blue turned back to his keys, sighing exasperatedly. On the other side of the stage, the scrawny man with his double bass leaned over with a taunting grin stretching across his seven-day stubble, eyeing Blue’s backside with a playful glint in his eyes.
“Aw, is Johnny-raw pissed because he doesn’t get to show off?” The trumpeter, as well as the saxophonist, joined in into the bass players amused laughter, delighting in the way the younger member of their group immediately tensed up. However, the rather friendly joke was taken a little too personally and Blue squared his shoulders, turning to the bassist and the rest like a wall of fire, voice raised.
“Shut up, you old farts! You should be thanking me that this band hasn’t gone to ruins yet!”
“Boys, please! Be nice,” Nayru interfered quickly, trying to avoid any further conflicts. “You can discuss this another time. Let’s just finish the rehearsal for now.” A last few acidic gazes were exchanged before all of them eventually retreated and went back to their instruments. Green didn’t miss the hilarious expression Blue drew as he fully faced the piano, showing his intense displeasure for the ignorance of his band members, and nearly caught himself giggling at the display but stopped himself just in time, not wanting to draw any attention on him.
Poor guy, he thought to himself, shaking his head softly. He just wants to shine, too. I wonder if he’s that good. Reaching out for the next glass, he noticed the pianist meeting his eyes briefly, his bothered mien dropping to something softer, an awkward, almost uncomfortable smile touching his lips as if he wanted to tell him: “Old men these days… just awful” and, to be honest, Green could relate and returned the look with an empathic, understanding smile of his own. Gathering some courage from it, Blue put his attention back on the keys and began snapping his fingers, setting the pace of the next song before, one by one, all the members joined back in, creating a smooth, fast swing.
“Green!” Nearly drowned out by the music, Green received the faint shout-out from Cremia in the basement. “Can you give me a hand with the beer kegs?”
“Coming!” he called back, finishing the last glass and throwing his drying cloth on the counter. Before leaving, he took one last glance at the pianist, effortlessly hitting the keys, but also fairly bored as well. Maybe, he should ask him for an encore later, just to lighten up the mood a little. Perhaps, he would appreciate it. With that thought in mind, Green disappeared into the back as well. There was still a lot to do before the first guests would arrive.
-
Three hours later, the small pub was bursting from dancing, drinking, and cheering people. The show was great, it was loud and crowded, the air thick with cigarette fumes and alcohol vapors and everyone was having a good time. Green was operating at full stretch, refilling beer after beer and scotch after scotch, all while trying to coordinate around Cremia and her little sister behind the bar. It was hard to keep his thoughts together with so many glasses to deal with, so many heads to recognize and so many orders flying past his head. The house was at its fullest in a long time but with Nayru being the centerpiece of tonight’s show, it wasn’t all that surprising. Words about her appearance must have spread like a wildfire in town. It felt like the entire residents tried to fit into this small pub. When this shift was over, the cash tills would ring wildly, that was for certain. So, despite all the stress, Green remained cheerful the whole time, flashing each new guest a bright smile when handing over their beverages. How could he possibly lose his spirits with such an infectious positivity running through the crowd and the great music playing in the background? No, the good mood still wasn’t wearing thin.
“Here you go, Sirs! Two doubles!” With a skillful push, Green sent two whiskey glasses sliding across the bar, right into the two men’s hands, who ordered them. “Enjoy!”
“Thank you, young sport!” one of the men replied, lifting his glass at him in a silent toast, which Green countered with a brief nod before heading back to his spot. A small group of women started collecting at the bar, giggling and gossiping, constantly keeping their eyes on the stage. Wise choice, the view on the stage from the bar was by far the best in the pub. They were rather modest and asked for some wine, which Green poured them with great pleasure, all while listening to their conversation.
“Nayru looks stunning in that dress. I wonder who her tailor is. I would die for this dress!”
“I need to know how she gets this cute, little wave in her hair. I can never get my hair to sit like that.”
“This headband is so good on her! Why can I never find such pretty accessories?”
Women.., came the slightly annoying thought, accompanied by a roll of his eyes, as Green placed three clean glasses on the bar top, generously filling them with some low-quality red wine.
“By the way, does she have a new pianist? I’ve never seen him around here before.”
As the topic switched over to Blue, Green looked up curiously, suddenly not feeling as bothered by their useless babbling as only a second ago.
“I think she does! My my, such a gallant, young man! He is the finest eye candy. Look at him with his shirt open wide.”
“Indeed. I wonder if Nayru has a thing for him. Maybe that’s why she hired him in the first place. I’ll be betting that he plays her pieces on the piano all the time.”
“Never! He is way too young for that! Or does she have a thing for younger men?”
There was a loud, shocked gasp. “No way!”
… gross. Now, he wished that he hadn’t listened too closely. What were people thinking? He could only shake his head, focusing on not spilling wine all over the counter and finished filling the last glass before carefully pushing them over to the small group. “Alright, ladies! Enjoy your treats!” Not losing a single word of gratitude, the women took their glasses and left, leaving Green behind, rather irritated. Stuck up chicks… His eyes followed them back to the dancing floor until they disappeared within the shifting maze of spinning and turning pairs, out of his system, taking the sourness on his tongue away almost immediately.
A long sigh left him, the wine bottle still in his hand, and the currently playing song came to an end. The guests applauded loudly for the band, eagerly awaiting the next song but to their disappointment, a short break was announced instead and the musicians left the stage – except for Blue. He stayed for a short moment longer, rolling his wrists and gently massaging his palms to release some strain from his hands and waited until the rest of the band members had completely disappeared in the back.
Green watched him curiously, unintentionally so, and quickly noticed that he had changed into his evening attire. Nothing too crazy, it was still fairly modest compared to the flashy, glittery dress Nayru wore. Just a simple, clean, blue shirt with a few buttons undone to reveal a nice, firm chest, over a sheer black pair of suit pants, pulled up by uniform suspenders. The hat was still the same but fitted in well nonetheless. Very simplistic but the rough edge was still shining through. It almost seemed like he was purposely trying to dissociate himself from the group but why?
How weird… Eventually, Blue rose to his full height and, instead of following his band, went in the opposite direction, where the main entrance was. Is he- not getting along with the band?
“Excuse me!” Suddenly, Cremia’s voice sounded close to his left ear. Green startled, pulling away from his thoughts and eyed the woman next to him with a slightly baffled look.
“Y-yes?”
“Do you still need the wine?” His gaze followed Cremia’s arm, which was pointing at the bottle he was still holding for no particular reason.
“Oh! No, I don’t.” Quickly putting on a sheepish smile, he handed the vessel over, pretending like his slightly absent demeanor wasn’t even there. “Sorry!” Cremia took the bottle with a playful roll of her eyes before turning and refilling someone’s empty glass. Then, his eyes flicked back to where Blue was just heading a few seconds ago and just passed the exact moment he slipped outside the pub, his tall silhouette throwing shades against the window as he walked by. Or maybe he just needs some fresh air. Strangely, Green felt incredibly tempted to follow and talk to him. He was- interesting to say the least. Somehow, he had caught his curiosity, enough to awake the feeling in him that he wanted to get to know the rugged pianist better. But wouldn’t it be weird to just walk after him and randomly start a conversation?
Suddenly, there was a loud clunk on the counter as someone smashed his beer tumbler down. The scruffy man asked Cremia for another one, which gave Green an idea. So, he pulled out a bottle of their best scotch from the cabinet and poured a nice drink over an ice cube to make it look fancy. Bringing over a drink seemed like enough of an excuse to leave his post and engage in a conversation for a while, wasn’t it? Even so, Romani just jumped in to help keep the customers' glasses filled. His absence should be tolerated then.
“I’ll be right back!”
Picking up the beverage and simply assuming that Cremia or either her sister had heard him, Green made his way over to the main entrance, swiftly maneuvering around the tables and chairs and people. Since no one was dancing right now, it proved to be fairly easy to do and he reached the door without further complications. Heading outside, a clear night sky greeted him, the stars bright, the moon in full shine. The air was cool and refreshing against his lungs, soothingly shooing away the haze of cigarette fumes and heavy smells of sweat and perfume. His gaze wandered around in search of the pianist. Maybe he also headed down to the shore nearby but he was nowhere to be found at first sight. Side alleyway, maybe? For privacy matters? Taking that into consideration, he turned right, following the path in a casual stroll until he reached the first junction. He craned his head slightly, peeking around the corner and scanned the alleyway briefly.
Indeed, there he was, resting his back against the wall of the nearby building and taking a long pull from his cigarette. His silhouette was alighted by a small cone of warm yellow, shadows winding around his body, where the lights didn’t reach. Smoke emitted from his mouth and nose, creeping along the shape of his lips and chin and collected to thick mist circling his head. There was something dreamy to the way he looked up into the sky, his iris swallowing the shine of the stars greedily like he wanted to collect ideas from it, ideas for that still shapeless thing playing before his inner eye. Was it a new melody? A new song? Whatever it was that captivated him, that made him seem so cool and untouchable almost, he still didn’t lack a single bit of his roughness. He wasn’t a smooth guy. That was for sure. Yet, he still managed to maintain such a stunning aura, gallant as the ladies at the bar had said it. It was oddly fascinating to watch him but this was not what Green had come for.
Releasing a sigh, Green moved on, approaching him confidently. He was halfway into the alleyway as his presence was perceived and Blue turned his head slowly, eyeing him with a questioning look while bringing the cigarette back up to his lips.
“Hey,” Green said, slowing down his gate a bit, but still approaching the other, unimpeded. “I thought, you might want a drink.”
“Hm?” Rather confused, Blue’s eyes flicked down to the glass in Green’s hand, examining it in a leery manner, blowing another cloud of cigarette mist into the air. “We didn’t order scotch as far as I’m concerned.”
“It’s on the house.”
“Oh?” With a kind smile Green stretched his arm out, offering him the beverage, which Blue took gladly with a surprised, but pleased grin. “Can’t say no to that, can I?” With the glass in hand, he raised the vessel just slightly, making a silent toast to Green to show his appreciation. “Thank you very much!” Shortly after, the rim of the glass touched his lips, wetting them just slightly with a little bit of the strong liquor, giving it a quick taste first. While lowering the drink again, he licked his lips, not missing a single droplet, and studied the flavor precisely until eventually, a satisfying hum buzzed in his throat. He liked it. “That’s a really good scotch. I hope you didn’t go to expenses pouring that drink for me.”
Green smiled happily in return and decided to give Blue some company by leaning himself against the wall right next to him, folding his hands behind his back. “It’s not a big deal, really. Today’s tip should make up for it.”
“If you say so.” Blue tossed the glass smoothly in his hand, watching the light-brown, silky liquid clinging beautifully to the walls and swirl around the ice cube before tilting his head and taking another sip, this time a bigger one. He inhaled deeply, delighting in the aromatic vapors of the drink. His expression was content, fulfilled. He enjoyed a good scotch, it seemed. “Are you having a good time so far? Enjoying the show?”
“Yes,” Green agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “The music is great. You guys know how to raise the spirits.”
“Do we? Oh well…” Blue uttered, wordlessly offering Green his cigarette. He wasn’t much of a heavy smoker but appreciated some tobacco now and then. So, he decided to embrace Blue’s generosity and took it, taking a long pull for himself before handing it back, feeling himself relax as the smoke left a little prickle in the back of his throat. Blue smiled warmly in reaction, dapping the access ash from the tip of his cigarette. “Honestly, I believe people only enjoy it so much because it’s Nayru. Just put any other talented musician on stage singing the same song and people won’t be nearly as impressed as if it was her.”
“She is rather famous, so I guess that makes sense,” Green pondered, slightly bugged by the bitterness that bled into the other’s speech. He couldn’t stop feeling that Blue wasn’t on good terms with the band, for whatever reason. “Aren’t you going to join the others?” Blue looked back at him quizzically. “In the backroom, I mean. Like, don’t you want to stick around and discuss the next songs or something?”
“Ah.” There was some hesitation as the other intended to answer but before that, the cigarette was back on his lips, using it as an excuse to think his next words over carefully. “They- don’t need me for that kind of stuff.” He wanted to take another pull right after but quickly noticed that there was just the cotton stub left and with a quick flip of his hand, it went flying against the opposite house wall, accompanied by a long, stressed sigh. “I know all the songs and Nayru usually leaves it up to me how I do the backing. Makes it pretty much pointless to stick around and listen to their annoying rambling. I’d rather be here and- switch off for a bit.” There was clearly frustration bottled up in there, Green could sense it by that bothered frown inhering his features, the way he squared his shoulders and how hurriedly he raised his glass again, draining another big sip to rinse off the tension.
“It’s- not any of my business but-.“ Blue’s eyes were back on him, unnervingly neutral looking, though Green felt that he was very irritated. It made him nervous since he wasn’t able to fully estimate what reaction was going to follow. “I have a feeling you’re not getting along with the others.” This statement made the other raise a brow first, seemingly not having foreseen it, but then his mien turned into something somber. Supposedly, Green had struck a sensitive nerve there.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he explained, eyes cast down to his drink, studying it absently. “Nayru is a great singer. I like working for her. She is kind and considerate and pays me well, but it’s- just not the same. She always has her shows well sorted out and there is never much space for changes and improvement. I’m always restricted to this backing position. I’ll never get the chance to play a solo or anything fancy, something I want, you know? And then, there are those old farts, who think that they’re better than me because they have much more experience in the business. It sucks… feels like I’m wasting my fucking time.
Green slowly nodded in consent, understanding the issue the other seemed to have. His ambition didn’t quite coincide with the band’s ideas. He wanted to be more than just the shadow of a famous singer. A frustrating thing indeed. “If you are unhappy with the band, why don’t you just leave? Nothing is keeping you there, or is it?”
“I was thinking about that already.” Trailing off for a second, Blue used the moment to raise his glass again, this time chucking the entire remnants with one go. He drew a face in displeasure, disliking the strong afterburn, and shook his head vigorously to get rid of it. “The problem is, it’s difficult to gain a foothold in this business as a soloist and if you aren’t famous, the fee is awfully bad. It’s not even enough to pay rent, nor even buy food. That’s not a life I want to live.”
“How about joining another band?” Green suggested carefully.
“Believe me, I’ve played with so many different bands by now. None of them ever really did it for me. It’s all the same. Be the backing, keep the band on rhythm, add a few, nice tunes here and there to spice things up. That’s it.” There was a long, irritated sigh. “I guess good pianists are just highly underrated these days.” That was a difficult situation, which Green didn’t know if he could make a decision that easily. The music business was hard. It was easy money-making if you could play an instrument but without a good status, it wasn’t very lucrative. It was just like he said. Musicians were poor fellows that couldn’t even afford the simplest of things. Someone like Nayru however, with a name and status in society, would never have to worry about anything but even she was only so little without her music and her band. That felt so wrong somehow. “I guess, I’m gonna stick with them for a while, collect some savings, see a couple of new places, and then, I’ll go look for something else, search for new opportunities.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Their gazes met again and despite the slight gloom and uncertainty swaying between them, Blue smiled, faintly, but he smiled like a big weight was lifted off his shoulders. Then, he raised his arm, checking the time on his watch.
“I better head back inside,” Blue said, exhaling as he pushed himself off the wall. “The show must go on.” He handed the empty glass back for Green to take it. “Thanks for the talk, and the drink of course. I appreciate it.” Slowly, Green took the glass from his hands and watched on, as he slipped past him and walked back to the pub. It just occurred to him, as the other disappeared behind the corner, that he hadn’t even told him his name. Did it even matter? He was only one of the so many people Blue met every single day. What did one name more do for him? Most likely, he would forget it anyway, out of sight, out of mind.
…
That sounded more painful than it actually should. Green truly wondered: Would he ever see him again? Play piano in the Little Meadow? With another band? Or maybe alone? However this was going to happen, the truth was, for some odd reason-
He kind of wished, he would.