Chapter Text
The sound of music came blaring out from the little warehouse. The guitarist rocked out a solo, his rather reserved demeanor shattering as his hands flew down the neck of the guitar, head bobbing to the beat of their song. The bassist followed the guitarist's lead, standing back to back with him as he supported the other's sound. Tossing his red hair back, the bassist turned to the pianist, goading her to keep up.
The pianist rose to the challenge, her small frame being put to good use as she spun quickly. Her fingers ran nimbly across the keyboard keys, freestyling a quick descending melody down the keys before gliding across the knobs and pads of the orbal synthesizer behind her.
The drummer hit out a rapid beat, drumsticks slamming down, sweat trickling as she alternated between the different drums before her.
The four of them created a fast groove, a synergy of mish-mashed notes and sounds that gelled and melted together, beating on the metal warehouse walls. The guitarist grinned, enjoying the feeling of their music swelling and rising along the climax.
Feet tapping a constant rhythm on the bass drum, the drummer let loose a final rally of quick beats, twirling one stick in her hand as she relished in the last chords of the song - and bam - her drum sticks hovered in mid air at the last crash - a signal for the end.
Silence. The sound of their music faded out into the night. The soft waves of the lakeshore crashing against the harbor creeped back into the silence as the four band members caught their breath. A gentle wind blew in from the open door, pushing it open with a soft creak. The air of the late night harbor was refreshing in the damp mustiness of the warehouse.
"Haha... That... that was great guys," The guitarist panted out, wiping the sweat away from his eyes.
"Indeed. We were better synced up this time," the pianist said, sitting back on the chair prepped beside her.
The drummer laughed, "this might actually work out after all."
"Might? C'mon, Madamous-elie, have some faith!" The bassist grinned out, heading to the drummer and mussing her head in jest. She protested with mock anger, shooing his hands away as she patted down long silver locks.
The guitarist smiled. It was almost time for their debut. All the months of practice, all the late nights holed up in that little warehouse, it was all coming together. "Randy, Elie, c'mon, let's do a short review," he called out.
"Got it, Lloyd!"
"Roger that, partner!"
The four of them gathered in the centre of the warehouse, water bottles in hand. Taking a swig of his drink, Lloyd sat down on the floor with a huff. The others followed suit.
"Let's see. That last round was good. Elie, your beat is as sharp as always. I think you can try being even more forceful towards the end though."
"I agree, let it crash with a great KA-BLAM! Right Lloyd?" Randy cut in.
Not the phrasing he would have used, but it did convey what he wanted. Lloyd nodded. "Exactly. I want your beat to be overpowering. Let it keep hammering down, we'll make sure not to get overwhelmed, so go all out."
"Got it, I'll go even harder next round," Elie said with a nod.
"Tio, good job on the synths, you've gotten better at the arpeggios. Keep it up."
The pianist nodded with a small smile, "Thanks."
"Randy," The bassist perked up at the mention of his name. Lloyd rolled his eyes fondly, he smacked the other on the head. "Stop baiting others so much, you're a bassist not a solo guitarist. If you go overboard with the theatrics you'll lose your timing."
Randy pouted, but before he could say anything, Lloyd continued, "nice support though, I can always count on you to back me up. I almost slipped up towards the end."
Randy grinned, "Of course, you can count on me!" Lloyd smiled, looking around at the three of them hunched around in a circle. They had come far indeed. The warehouse floor was dusty, the ceiling lights, old and dim, but this was their space, their home. Despite being a mish-mash of different characters from different backgrounds and walks of life, they had been practicing for a good 5 months now and had a sound that was purely theirs. The day of their 'battle' was near.
"Alright, let's go, one last round, and then we'll call it a day!"
"Aye!"
"Right!"
"Mm!"
The moon in Crossbell city shone bright over the little warehouse in the harbor as the sounds of their music echoed through the streets.