unholyterror | Unsolicited Introductions

Continued from here

Of course, Jake had not warned Davy, or Jerry, or any of City Charms or anyone else that he was bringing people backstage. He could apologize later if there were problems with it. He did get caught up with Niko though and then had to rush to get ready and down to the venue. He pulls up on his chopped out motorcycle right behind the black car. He can see that security is talking to them and pulls the bike around the car.

"They're with me." Jake calls over the sound of both the car and the rumble of the motorcycle. He's obvious, even in the dimly lit parking lot. Not many people look like Jake. Tall, white streaks in his hair, fangs, and all the leather. The motorcycle was iconic too for the red and silver bats painted on the tank.

Security does give pause and then waves the black car to park in the lot. They could park relatively close to the door in the back, clear by the light and exit sign above it. Jake was throwing around his family ties right now which was fine. That was a big part of any entertainment career. It was all about who you knew and were associated with at the end of the day.

He pulled up on the other side of the car and got off the bike. Walking over to greet Dee, and he assumed his partner, while trying to push his unruly hair into some sort of controlled mess.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: Jerry's Bar and Club
Current Music: "Mean Man" - W.A.S.P.

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"My cousin plays ten instruments and can sing." Mikkel was boasting on Rik's behalf because he knew his cousin never would. He deserved it.

Mikkel looked to Syn for the question and the other blonde shrugged before replying. "I don't know anyone else's schedule. Maybe ask Tom?"

Mikkel nodded. They could easily find out from Tom or Robert. They kept track of all of that.

"Rekker's out there." Mikkel mentioned because the ginger had brought him down to the venue.

"Isn't Missy a promoter or a manager or something?" Joey asked the others.

"Did she come down with them?" Syn asked now that he was finally happy with his hair. No one really knew and it showed that they were young and didn't keep track of these things as much as Dee did. None of them realized what this kind of name dropping might do to others either. While they were all chatting, Jake came back with the usual bar fare, wings and loaded fries, as well as a bottle of tequila and a pitcher of beer with glasses.

This was very much worthy of bragging, Jay would agree with Mikkel wholeheartedly. “I doubt I’ll find myself in Denmark anytime soon, so now you’re just teasing me. Which ones?”

Dee was paying closer attention to the names of those who were here, or perhaps would be here. Before the night was over, he needed to find someone named Tom. And also someone named Missy. Possibly someone by the name of Rekker too. (That wasn’t the same Rekker in the assault case, was it? Probably not.) If Jake or one of the others didn’t introduce him, at least he could mention Joey or Syn.

Getting your foot in the door was hard. And most doors, Dee had learned the hard way, are very, very heavy.

Edited Date: 2023-10-19 05:04 pm (UTC)

Mikkel had to stop and think what all Rik could play. "Rik's in LA." That was the first thing out of his mouth. " Um.. piano, harp, guitar, bass, drums, violin, cello... um flute.. harp guitar.. pan flute.. I think Vars was teaching him the Hardanger. And he's starting the saxophone."

Mikkel had to really think and he had forgotten to count. That list sounded right though. Syn butted in a little excited. "Saxophone is fun to play."

Syn wasn't very good yet but he was taking lessons. Sam was looking around and to his band members. "Is Davy ready?"

Joey shrugged and Syn rolled his eyes. "If Sven has lured him off again I'm kicking his Swedish ass."

Mikkel started to giggle because the idea of Syn, who was very thin, taking on Sven and all his muscles was funny.

Well, if Rik and Vars was local, then that was another couple of introductions that would need to be made.

"A hardanger fiddle?" Jay asked, completely captivated. "I've always wanted to learn that. I wasn't aware there was anyone in the state who taught it."

Dee took a wing from the offered plate.

Neither of them had ever played the saxophone. Or anything like it. When you combined playing with blowing, it had nothing to do with an instrument... Dee was primarily a singer, but was a fairly decent pianist. He could write for far more insturments than he could play. Jay's primary love was and will always be the violin. But give him a guitar and he could easily hold his own.

"Vars isn't a teacher." Mikkel meant professional teacher though the man would teach friends everything he knew if he could. "He's from Norway and my cousin's bassist."

Once Dee took food the two blondes on the couch also started eating. Sam and Mikkel ate more food than most people despite being thin. Joey had forgotten about drinks and poured out beers for everyone.

"Is Vars that punk?" Jake asked curiously because he was still learning everyone and it wasn't going so well. Too many new people, too fast, but Mikkel nodded a yes. "He's out there with Rekker talking something about fighting styles."

There was that name again. Rekker. Talking about fighting styles with a self-proclaimed punk? Maybe it was the same man that was in all over the news, but he really didn't want to ask.

Instead, he just glanced up at his fiance, and patted him gently on the leg. "Sounds like a conversation best left... uninterrupted."

"Anyone is a teacher if they're sharing what they know." Jay added, taking one of the offered beers. "Thanks."

Dee decided to pass on the drinks for now. If it wasn't obvious, he was kind of a lightweight.

Mikkel shrugged. "We can. They're probably talking training."

Mikkel hung around both men sometimes. For an older man, like Rekker, to make him feel safe after his past with older men, the Dane had no fear of Rekker or his notorious anger.

Syn laughed. "At least he isn't teaching them to make firebombs."

Joey and Jake both looked confused and mildly interested. They could be be troublemakers, especially Jake. Syn noticed Dee pass on the beer and brought over one of the unopened water bottles for him. They could get more from Jerry later.

Dee took the water, but couldn't hide the shock on his face. "Firebombs?"

Even Jay kind of stopped at that one. As a nurse, he knew that could get bad quickly. "Thank goodness for small miracles?"

"He's a punk." Mikkel shrugged. "And follows the teaching of Fenrir. What do you expect?" To Mikkel this all made complete sense to him. Maybe that was from knowing Vars and Viktor together?

Joey started laughing. "Miracles. Jake hasn't bitten anyone either."

Jake shoved Joey off the table on to the floor for that one because he knew exactly what the bassist was teasing him about.

Syn knew to ignore the two who would probably soon be in some kind of boyish fight. "When we're done eating we can go out and find Davy."

Dee didn't know much about Nordic cultures. Or about making trouble, apparently, if firebombs and the like didn't even cause this group to bat an eye. It made things like streaking and skinny dipping look pretty lame.

Jay wrapped an arms around his partner when the shoving started. It was protective, but subtle.

"We'll join you." he volunteered. "Get a good seat for the show before it gets too crowded to push a wheelchair anywhere."

Mikkel knew that protectiveness because Sigurd did that to him too when people got too close. It wasn't for the same reasons, the Dane imagined, but it looked the same. Enough that it made him feel shy.

Jake gave Joey a hard shove so he could get a word in without it being cut off by the play fighting. "The band booth?"

Joey stopped too. "Oh, yeah." He agreed. There was an elevated booth to the side, by the sound board, that bands often sat at. It had railings to keep people away and a ramp because it was also where some of the equipment was taken to the stage. They could easily toss the chairs on the non-booth side for the wheelchair or maybe Dee would sit in the booth. Either way, it was a good option and the waitresses came to that area for drink and food orders.

"So, we're going out now?" Syn stood up and straightened his outfit. It would be better before things got busy. Doors didn't even open for another half hour.

Jay finished the rest of his beer, glancing over at the lighthearted wrestling match every so often.

Dee took a few more fries, and in return, left a few cubes containing his recording balls on the coffee table. Not knowing if they'd get backstage again after the show, he might not have another chance. If anyone wanted one, they were welcome to one.

When Syn decided to head out, Jay helped Dee to his feet. He took a couple of unsteady steps before his legs refused to cooperate and Jay caught him.

"Easy there."

"I'm fine..." Dee nodded weakly. He looked over at Syn, who was already waiting by the door. "Can you... bring the chair over, please?"

Sam and Mikkel were already up and ready to go, Mikkel carrying the rest of the plate fo fries along.

Syn nodded and brought the chair over. All of them had helped with Davy's mom. She was basically all of their mom's now too.

Jake smiled at the 'I'm fine.'. "You remind me of Jan." And it was said with affection but he had seen her do this kind of thing more than once.

There was a time that Dee would have forced himself to his feet, if only to prove that he could. Jay had been with him through all of that, and feeling his partner relax in his arms, to trust him that completely, was its own special kind of love.

“Jan?” Dee asked as Jay helped him get situated.

The others had started to file out to head ti the bar but Jake and Syn hung back with Dee and Jay.

"My aunt. She's a stubborn woman when shes not feeling well." Jake was just as bad though Davy was the one that was even more like Jan than he was.

“I know someone named Jan who fits that description too.” Dee chuckled. “I’d consider myself luck to be compared to her.”

He rubbed his legs gently. What was left of his muscles ached. It had been a long day, and he’d been out and about for most of it, definitely pushing himself too hard. But he wasn’t about to call it a night. He had a good feeling that this was going to be one of those nights that could change the course of his life forever - and finally get The Prophet off the ground.

"I don't know if to congratulate you or pity you." Jake mentioned wirh amusement but it got a swat on the shoulder from Syn as he walked by out the door.

"Jan is a nice woman you piranha." Syn scolded him while waiting for Jay and Dee to make their way out into the hall. Since Jake was similar age to all of City Charms they acted more like siblings than friends.

"I'll ask you about that next time you come from classes." Jake shot back with a boyishly roguish grin.

“Oh, don’t you dare pity.” Dee crossed his arms. “My Jan is my vocal coach. I sought her out specifically because she has MS… I don’t have the same thing… but I needed someone to help me to keep my volume, pitch… all of that, for as long as possible.”

Dee had his priorities.

The only muscle that really mattered, he often joked, was the diaphragm. The heart was right up there, too, but he trusted Jay to keep that fluttering.

Jake started to giggle to the point he snorted a little. "Sutton? Jan Sutton?" Jake was so sure that was exactly who he was talking about. "Tell my aunt I'm sorry for being too busy to make it up to Bernadino this month to see her."

Syn was trying not to giggle while his grin got bigger and bigger.

“Yes.” Dee nodded energetically, though it might not have looked that energetic. “I found her through CalArts. They helped me set up private lessons… That’s your aunt?”

Suddenly, the realization struck. The last member of the City Charms, the one named Davy.

“Your guitarist… is the same Davy Sutton? Her son?”

He’d met him once or twice, he swore. But it had been years ago, back when he was still a student and could still generally walk everywhere under his own power. And, obviously, before Davy had joined City Charms.

"Yes, she's my dad's sister." Jake clarified as they started walking toward the bar.

Syn nodded. "Lead guitar and back up singer." On some songs Davy took the singing lead, especially when Syn was playing sax. "I've been taking lessons with her the past two years."

“I’ve been one of her students since before she used her home studio.” Dee smiled. “I’ve been to multiple City Charms shows. I’ve seen Davy on stage… probably a dozen times. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together.”

He had to laugh about that.

Granted, he’d seen him in old pictures more often than live. He’d probably seen a few old pictures of Jake in there too.

Jay laughed. “I swear, I’ve told you, at least, that they had the same last name.”

“Was I listening?” He laughed in reply. “Hang on… the Rekker you mentioned… He wouldn’t be the same Rekker that did all the charity work with Jan, would he?”

Dee hadn’t seen him since he left CalArts. He wondered if he was still making guitars.

If he had seen pictures of the family, then Dee probably knew what Lex, Jake's older brother, looked like as well. They spent time together like brothers, even now.

"Sutton is a common last name." Syn encouraged after hearing the oversight.

"That one." Jake asked while pointing as they stepped from the hall into the main bar. Rekker was there and there weren't too many 6 foot tall men with red hair to their waist. He's there with Davy looking over Davy's treasured black '78 Les Paul. There's a much shorter man with them in all leather with spiked white hair.

The others are out there drinking by the stage while talking to Jerry who is up on the stage with the people setting up.

Jay shook his head in a light-hearted way that roughly translated to, ‘I love you, but sometimes you really are oblivious.’

Granted, once Jay got a look at that guitar, just about anything somebody said would be going in one ear and out the other. Because it was stunning.

Dee, however, was far more focused on Rekker. (Which was nowhere near as common of a name as Sutton…) This was definitely the man he remembered.

As they approached, he called him out by name. “I haven’t seen you in years… the CalArts fundraisers? With Jan Sutton?”

Maybe he remembered him. Maybe he didn’t, but he’d probably remember the event.

Rekker was deep in conversation with Davy about how to refurbish his favorite guitar. Like Jay, guitars made Rekker oblivious to his surroundings, especially when working on them. Davy looks up first when he hears his mom's name. His eyes narrowing as he tries to figure out who these people are but he figures one of them is a student given how the one is staring at his guitar.

Rekker slowly comes around when he sees Davy staring at someone. Rekker's eyes narrow too but it's more a look of attempting to remember. "I have donated to a few."

Rekker didn't always remember faces that he didn't see repeatedly. Students at a university he visited maybe once or twice a year wasn't going to be someone he remembered without more information. "I'm doing one with Jan at the end of next month."

Which explained why Rekker knew Davy, even if the ginger knew Lex more than either of the other boys.

Vars was the one who stepped in for etiquette. He might be hard to understand for anyone not used to Scandinavian accents since his is thicker than most.

"Vars Hagan." He offered his hand and was keenly watching the exchange enough that he knew these people were aligned with some part of the music industry. "Bassist of the Hammers."