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The Gift

Daniel's Storyline, Chapter 4.2

copyright comidacomida 2018

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 sided with Herne. "Come on, Kon... he obviously knows what he's doing. What else can you play instead?"

Kon stared at me for a long moment without a word. Still staring, he slowly rotated his guitar around in his grasp and when it made a complete circuit, the color had changed and it had gained (or lost? I'm still not sure) a string. "Fine. I'll play Rhythm Guitar."

That was a little confusing. "Doesn't lead guitar do rhythm?"

Aiden was more than happy to correct me. "Sometimes, but not always. You know, a lot of famous bands from the past had three guitarists. The Beatles, for example, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or Bruce Springsteen. Primus or Iron Maiden if you want contemporary traditional rock... and then there's--"

Kon cut him off. "We get the idea. Three guitarists. I'll do Rhythm."

With that argument settled with surprising ease, I made my way out of the house and to the car where I loaded up my guitar in the back. Each spirit joined me and, despite there being barely enough room for four humans in my Honda, all five of us seemed to fit just fine. There was some minor arguments over who'd get the front seat but at Talapus' suggestion, they settled it with a quick series of Rock, Paper, Scissors with the winner being the one who got the most wins; the Coyote won both of his rounds.

Talapus took the front seat while Kon sat behind me, Herne took the rear seat behind Talapus, and Aiden sat between the Fox and Elk. As we pulled out of the drive way, the Fox made a surprised sound, and then noted "Hey! Are you cos-playing as Haida from Aggretsuko?"

Kon snorted. " I wore a striped shirt and leather jacket a long time before that anime... they probably stole the look from me."

Aiden didn't relent. "With black jeans and boots?"

There was a slight pause and then Kon countered with "There. Is that better?"

The Bat was even more animated. "Now you're wearing what he wears to work!"

The Yokai continued to downplay it. "It's just a white shirt and red tie. It's not like that's copyrighted or anything. Geez."

Although I hadn't seen the anime Aiden referenced I think I remembered seeing some pics online about it. "Isn't that a hyena guy?"

The Bat nodded in my rearview. "Yeah... and Kon's dressed up just like him."

By that time it was obvious that the Fox was messing with Aiden. "Well I'm not a Hyena, so I any resemblance is merely circumstantial."

The discussion turned into a full blown argument that, at least, seemed to be friendly. It didn't take Aiden long to realize that Kon was poking fun at him, and at that point the Bat resolved to find a night when all five of us would sit down and watch Season 1 of that anime show. Kon responded that he thought it was a bad idea because not everyone liked anime, at which point Aiden actually threw out some statistics. "It may seem like the anime industry has a niche audience but, in fact, it has fans all across the world, including here in the United States."

The Fox smirked, "Okay, sure, but--"

The Bat talked right over him. "Over $16 billion is generated on an annual basis by publishers, developers, animators, and other creative artists involved in the anime industry and it's distributed through TV, movies, videos, music, and pachinko machines."

Rather than help calm the discussion I could tell that Talapus only wanted to complicate things as he smirked, calling over his shoulder "What's a pachinko machine?"

I then listened to the Bat's explanation of the device which, from what I gathered, was a kind of gambling machine used in Japan like the US uses slot machines. Beyond that, I have no idea since I was busy driving and wasn't really that interested. When we finally arrived at my chosen objective, a music bar called 'The Sound Stage', I was more than ready to get out of the car. Herne, who was the only member of the Spirit group not involved in the discussion (which had transitioned into global game playing and gambling parlors), walked around the car and waited for me as I opened the door and got out.

He waited until I'd got my guitar from the back and he walked in beside me even as the other three were moving to catch up. The Elk waited for me to enter through the door first and followed in behind. "So... have you considered what we will be playing tonight? Do you have a specific musical genre in mind?"

Talapus called from behind "Anime intro songs?"

The suggestion got Kon and Aiden started all over again; I sighed. Rather than provide a response, I had a quick interaction with the lady at the counter. "I'd like a full ensemble room please. Two hours."

She glanced around at the empty lobby. "For... just you, or will others be coming in to join you later?'

I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Realizing that Kon and/or Talapus must have rubbed off on me some I offered a smile to the lady and she rolled her eyes, smiling back as she handed me a key. "Room six down the right hall. In case this is your first time there's a set of instructions on the wall to the right as you enter. Button to your left is the intercom in case you want to order anything."

Having been to The Sound Stage a few times I knew my way around enough that I didn't have to really pay much attention to her statements. I nodded regardless and finished her intro for her. "I'll get a ten minute announcement when I'm almost out of time. Yeah. Sure. Got it. Thanks."

With nothing else between me and a relaxing evening of musical expression I made my way down the hall, opened room six, and let myself in. The spirits followed, each spreading out as they chose their preferred spot. I sniffed the air, but Aiden beat me to the announcement. "Hmm... smells like someone had onion rings or something in here."

Talapus countered. "Smells more like a cheeseburger with onion straws on it."

I put in my two cents. "Chicken strips and fries... probably with some kind of onion powdery fry seasoning."

Talapus shook his head. "Nope. Meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes, parmesan broccoli, and two diet colas."

That was a pretty specific, and I found it hard to believe he would have such a refined guess. "Really? What makes you say that?"

The Coyote pulled out his lap drums and gave them a shake, turning them into a full size drum set before he motioned to a small strip of paper sitting on one of the stools. "They left their receipt behind."

Herne hadn't spent any time taking part in the guessing game so the first note played in the room came from him; it was a clear pluck of a string and it caught my attention, sending a little shiver of excitement up my spine. I was about to have a jam session with a group of Spirits and I couldn't have been more excited.

It didn't take me long to set up my guitar and I plugged everything into place using the equipment that the business supplied. True, I had my own, but why bother bringing it if what they had was high quality and reliable? With that in mind, I looked around at the spirits all readying their own instruments and I--