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Footage taken from the observation deck, shortly after the earlier argument between Chris and Tony. Rick and Keith explore, but both are as yet, unwilling to test the glass-floored main bubble, choosing to remain on the firmer-feeling metal catwalk that rings it.
“D'you think that you could do a pullup on these?” Rick jokes, rattling the rickety railing.
Keith shrugs. “I could try, they don’t look too… secure, though.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to try,” Rick says jokingly. “I'd fall and go straight through that glass floor.”
Keith laughs and responds, “That wouldn’t be a fun clean up. You know, if I were a younger man, I probably wouldn’t have hesitated trying out that railing!”
Jon appears through the doorway behind them, moving with his customary spring in his step but somehow so quietly that when Rick turns he startles: “Ah, Jon! Didn't hear you come in.”
“Sorry,” Jon says sheepishly. “Didn't mean to startle you.”
“Rick should get his hearing checked, right Jon?” Keith teases, nudging Rick’s arm. “Don’t worry, I heard you come in.”
“Nice to know I shouldn't try to sneak up on you,” Jon laughs. “What are you two doing down here?” He leans over the railing, and without waiting for an answer to his original question adds: “D'you think I could go down there?”
“Be my guest,” Rick mutters, looking down at the glass floor. “It’s kinda freaking me out.”
“But it's so beautiful!” Jon says, enthusiasm sparking a bright smile on his face. “Keith, d'you want to come?”
“Sure, because it seems like Rick is being a wuss,” he replied, with a smile, and nudging Rick again. “I’ve done worse!”
Jon laughs, and almost bounces down the also-rickety stairs that creak alarmingly under his exuberant steps. Rather carelessly he reaches to take Keith's hand, as if to lead him. Rick leans over the observation deck, watching them descend.
“If that starts cracking, I'm not going to save you,” he warns jokingly. Keith makes a face at him but Jon almost seems not to have heard.
“The stars are so beautiful,” he muses happily, letting go of Keith's hand so as to turn to look all around him, looking into the vast expanse with an expression of overjoyed awe.
Keith also takes a moment to soak in the sight, before starting to creep slowly, silently behind Jon, going in to jumpscare him with a yell and grabbing his shoulders.
Jon lets out a yelp of surprise, startling easily until he hears how hard Keith is laughing. “My God, Jon, you scare so easily! I’m not used to it!”
“Well, I wasn’t expecting it, you ass, of course you scared me!” Jon says, but can’t keep his own laugh from spilling out.
“Yeah, Keith,” Rick calls down from the observation deck, “I know it was different with Greg but in Yes we didn’t go around trying to give each other heart attacks!”
“Ricky,” Jon chastises, “you shouldn’t be joking about heart attacks, of all people!”
“Also, I don’t believe you for a minute, Rick! What about that scuffle between Chris and Bill when you first joined?” Keith says, crossing his arms triumphantly, and looking up at Rick.
“Well, that’s different,” Rick explains. “Chris had that one coming.”
“Well, maybe I did too,” Jon jokes. “Getting too… starry-eyed, you might say. Can you blame me though? Anyway, Keith I thought I’d ask you-- Would you be willing to maybe play with me at some point? I’ve had some ideas for songs that it’d be simply lovely to hear your input on.”
Keith blushes a little. “Oh, Jon, I’m flattered, really…” he starts, genuinely, before switching to a teasing tone, “but, you know, I’m on holiday, and I don’t want to make anyone jealous!”
Jon’s face falls slightly before he realizes that Keith is joking, which earns him a playful punch on the shoulder. “You devil, you broke my heart for a second,” he says lightly. “When else could I manage to corner you into working with me but here? You’ve escaped me every other time!”
Rick feigns shock and horror, “Jon! Am I not good enough for you anymore? You’re choosing my best friend over me?”
“Sorry, Rick, guess I’m stealing your job! You can go work with Greg, when we get back!”
Rick throws up his hands in mock horror. “Why don’t you just kill me now, it’d be more merciful.”
“You’ll survive!” Keith calls back up, before turning to Jon. “Anyway, what sort of musical ideas do you have in mind? Do you have a score or a chord chart or something you could show me?”
Jon makes a face. “Well… Actually nothing written… yet, I think. That’s part of what I was looking for your help on.”
“Oh,” Keith says softly, obviously surprised. “Well… uh… that’s alright! What do you have? Do you at least know the instrumentation you want to use, or even what key you want to write in…?” He starts digging out his journal, in the hopes to write down notes.
“Keith,” Rick says, taking pity on him. “Jon really doesn’t write much down, save for the lyrics. He’s probably hoping to play, or to sing for you, or something. That’s what he always did with us anyways.”
“Oh…Well, alright then. Do you want to sing for me, then?” Keith asks, tentatively.
Jon smiles, and starts to sing a wordless melody, his high, soaring voice filling the starlit bubble. Keith, face intent, scribbles down what he hears. Rick just smiles, listening with evident enjoyment.
“Well, okay, from what I can hear from your melody, it appears to be mostly based in D major, although… well, there were points where I couldn’t tell if you were intentionally singing a G#, which would be borrowing from… Well, it doesn’t really matter. It’s going to be in D,” Keith states, analyzing his notes. “You do know what a major scale is, right?”
“Keith,” Jon drawls, pulling his name out into a gently joking complaint. “I’ve been making music for almost thirty years, of course I know what a major scale is.”
“Well, I didn’t want to assume anything!” He replied with a laugh. “Anyway, D is an easy key to write in, especially for a rock band. I’m assuming this is for the band, anyway. You don’t seem to be very interested in writing… I don’t know… a concerto, a quartet, or a sonata anytime soon?”
“You never know,” Jon shrugs. “Might be fun sometime.” Keith makes a face at him and he hastens to clarify: “Yes, this is for the band. Still, you’re giving me ideas now.”
Keith looks deep in thought for a moment, and then asks, “Do you know where they put the instruments? This… well, I mean I can write away from the piano, but it’d be easier right now if I had one in front of me.”
“I think it was in the storage, past the cafeteria!” Jon says cheerfully, taking Keith’s hand again. “C’mon, let’s go see!”
“Oh, here you all are!” Chris calls, poking his head through the doorway. “It’s dinner, I thought I’d call us all together for our first dinner on this ship, y’know. It’s some kind of special occasion, I think.”
“Oh good, it’s about time,” Rick says. “I’m bloody starving.”
“Rick, we just had curry,” Keith teases. “Are you ever not hungry?”
“It’s one of my greatest charms,” Rick replies. “Come on, you two, or I’ll eat it all and there’ll be nothing left for you.”