Chapter Text
Mary Lorde, the purple-haired patrol leader of Team Musketeer looked down at her very full daily planner. Born from the pile of crumpled notes in front of her in their manager's conference room, it showed the team's busy schedule. A commercial shoot for Venus Candy, a press conference and showcase for BRC, a promo for the Gold Star Fund... Schooling, rehearsals, appearances for smaller sponsors... With all those details and more, the pages had a lot of colored blocks filling them, even with the Wednesday Evening Break. And the blank space on Saturday after school that Mary had fought tooth and nail for.
Speaking of...
“So, Mary,” Amber casually noted. “What's so important about next Saturday?”
Mary smiled bashfully as she reached into her bag and produced invitations to everyone at the table.
“To celebrate our new contracts – and to thank you for your hospitality during our visits, we're holding a barbecue for you and your families!” Everyone eagerly reviewed the details.
“Ooooh! Trampoline!” exclaimed Amber.
“We know where Amber is going to spend some time,” noted Mercy. She then looked closer. “Nice menu – do you want us to bring anything?”
“You don't have to. But if there's anything you want or need to have, bring it!”
“Great!” replied Amber. “Aunt Kass makes some killer stuffed grape leaves!”
Mercy raised an eyebrow to pose a question. “Featuring the Return of the Original 'Lords of Thunder'?”
Even through her dark skin, you could tell Mary was blushing. “Daddy played in bands to help pay for college. The Lords of Thunder had a minor hit back in the day. They get together and play now and then.”
“Ohhhh. This is gonna be good,” cracked Amber. She brightened. “Hey – maybe I could add some guitar?”
The question took Mary by surprise. “I wasn't thinking of us playing,” she replied.
Mercy perked up. “We could play the songs we cut from the set!”
“It might be the last time for a while we get to play for fun,” added Amber, smiling.
Mary turned to Hope, who indicated that she was fine with the idea.
Mary thought about it, then shrugged. “Okay. You may be right, Amber. I'll check with Daddy,” she said. Everyone started picking up to leave.
Amber looked at her teammates eagerly as they were leaving. “Speakin' of freedom, our schedule doesn't start 'til tomorrow. Howabout hittin' the mall?”
Mary nodded enthusiastically. “Let me call my parents!” The others nodded in agreement and Mary, Mercy and Hope performed their check-ins from the reception desk phone. The quartet waved goodbye to their manager and they headed off to Northfalls Arcade. Mercy took the lead and, predictably, the first stop was at Girardi's Music.
Entering the store, Mary noticed the reactions of her teammates as they paused at the doorway. “What's wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing wrong. Busy,” replied Hope. “Never seen this number of customers here at this time.”
“Huh,” Mary started, but the rest of her reply was never to be heard as one of the shoppers cried out, “It's them!” and in seconds, the customers converged on the team.
The tumult summoned the proprietors, Renata and Paul, from the back. With the help of the sales assistants already on the floor, they managed to pry the Musketeers loose and led them safely behind the parapets of the sales counter. After autographs and photographs settled the crowd down, the Girardis escorted the Musketeers into the workroom.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” said Renata. “What brings you here?”
“Our first check!” quipped Amber as she scanned the contents of the workshop. “I was looking... for...” She trailed off as her attention was caught by an item on a nearby workbench.
Renata smiled as Paul went to the object of Amber's attention. He held up a left-handed electric-blue guitar, the body shaped like a lightning bolt. Everyone admired the craftsmanship. Paul nodded at Amber. “Wanna try it?”
Amber could only nod, so Paul prepared the instrument and handed it to the waiting girl. She started with some scales, then played “Alison Road”. She finished with a sigh and regarded the instrument fondly.
“I know it isn't Gia,” admitted Renata. “But how did it play?”
“Nice,” replied Amber. “Action's better than Gia's. And she's begun that intermittent buzz again. I was lucky it didn't happen during the show, but she's done it in the last couple of practices.” She looked up. “How much?”
“It's a prototype for our own brand of guitar. We would like you to try it out. If you like it, you could endorse it, and we could call it something like 'The Portia',” replied Renata.
“Well, it would have to be a 'Signature Series', then,” Amber declared as she reached for a marker. Renata handed one over with a sheet of stencil paper and Amber produced a rather florid “Portia”.
Renata looked over the signature, pleased, sizing up where it would go on the guitar body. “We'll get this on quickly; it'll be ready in a couple of days! We'll include a case, extra strings, a stand designed to hold it. And bring Gia around. We'll see about hunting down that buzz and kill it!”
Amber tried one more time. “It must have been expensive to make! I can afford it, now!”
“I know you can – or, at least, that's what I've heard, anyway,” Renata rejoined, her smile getting even broader. “Instrument companies supply their spokespeople product all the time in exchange for their endorsements! And you have already led more business to us, so we're hoping you can lead even more!”
Amber knew when she was licked. “Well, okay. Now that I've got something to use while she's gone, I can leave Gia with you so you can work on her proper!”
Renata nodded, then turned to the rest of the group. “Is there anyone else we can help?”
Mercy hesitantly raised her hand. “I can afford to pay, now. I've set aside...,” she ventured.
Renata waved her protest away, “We're proud to be your instrument provider! What were you thinking of?”
Mercy capitulated as well. “I want to replace the Fender Rhodes with a more compact keyboard. It'll be less work for Hope's brothers, and it won't cut me off from the rest of the girls once it's gone from our set up. I'd like a keyboard that could fit on top of the Hammond.”
“We could replace the Hammond,” the shopkeeper teased.
Mercy was shocked at the blasphemy. “NO!” Then, she caught the sly smile and realized that the suggestion had not been serious. “Heh. Been thinking about the Yamaha CK series. Those keyboards have a broad range of piano and synthesizer settings. I'll be more versatile.”
Renata nodded then retrieved several models of the line while Paul brought their best salesperson, Liam, to talk to Mary. Meanwhile, the guitar maker took out some plans to show Hope a bass guitar design.
“So,” Liam, “do you need a new drum set?”
“No,” replied Mary. “Daddy got me a new set, and I don't think he got them here,” she added ruefully.
“Well, that's fine,” acknowledged the young man. “Could you use new heads?”
Mary brightened. “Yeah!” They quickly found the required accessories. Liam then offered to supply her with fresh heads before each show, to lessen the chance of one breaking during performance. He finished with the instruction that if she were in the market for any add-ons to her kit, let him know.
One of the other assistants then poked their head into the workshop. “I guess word's gone out. There're more people in the shop.”
Renata frowned. “We can get you girls out the back.”
“Yeah,” Mary replied, “But how are all those people going to react?” She sighed. “Let's go out and say, 'Hi!'” She looked up at the assistant. “How many?”
“Three dozen, about.”
“Jeez,” said Amber. “I was hopin' we'd get to Leonora's tonight, but that tram is gonna pass.”
Mary shrugged. “The price we pay, I guess. Let's go!”
It took the rest of the time before curfew, but they managed to take care of the fans at the store.