Chapter 4: Coming to You Live
The Bardic Inspiration tour starts
“I don’t think I can do this.”
Cato paces back and forth behind the stage, wringing his hands. The heavy black and green boots accentuate every step with a dull thud as the speed starts to pick up. Virtue closes their eyes to push down their annoyance.
They grab Cato’s elbow and force him to stop. He looks at them with surprised eyes, then quickly looks away. Virtue tugs him around so that he’s facing them.
“A few things. One, you’re here anyways, so you have to do this. No backing out. Two, you’ll be fine. And three, you’re going to ruin the look if you pace to the point of sweating.” Virtue gestures to Cato as a whole at the last point.
And they’re very serious about point three. It wasn’t easy getting a last minute creation for Cato’s inaugural concert, but they managed to get it just in time and damn it they’re not putting all that effort down the drain.
The custom neon green lightning design on the boots, the black jeans with handmade goldenrod patches sewn in the same bright green, and the dark green vest with accents of gold.
The colors were Airael’s idea, “He’s new and shiny, green and gold work very well to say that. And black because he’s moody, like an emo teenager or some shit like that.” Making those colors neon was, as it always is, Gemini’s hand.
Absinthe hits Virtue’s shoulder. “You’re the worst at this.” She chastises, and gently removes Virtue’s hand from Cato. “Look, dude, it’s going to be terrifying the first few times, but you’re not alone. So even if you want to literally show your ass to the crowd and stare at Gem the whole time, we got you. Or stare at my new ‘do.” She dramatically flips her newly dyed, newly shaved bright blue undercut over to the side and strikes a pose. “Since, y’know, I’m the best looking person on the stage.”
“Arguable!” Airael yells from further backstage. Cato huffs out a laugh, and Absinthe stands back up in a more relaxed position.
“But seriously.” She puts a hand on Cato’s shoulder, and smiles kindly. “We’re here to help you. Rae, Gem, and I are all used to this live show environment, even if the touring part’s gonna be new. You’re new to all of it, and we want to support you however we can. Okay?”
Cato’s face breaks into a small smile, and he nods. “Okay.”
“Good.” She squeezes his shoulder, and turns back to Virtue. “You’re the worst at this.”
“And you’re not.”
Absinthe sighs, shakes her head, and leaves to find the rest of her band. Virtue looks back at Cato, who’s staring at the space Absinthe once filled.
“Do me a favor, kid.” They say as they grab his guitar. They shove it in front of him, making him look into their eyes, startled. “Don’t get starstruck with your own bandmate.”
Cato’s face turns from awed, to afraid, to confused faster than Virtue ever thought possible. “If you say so.” He shrugs, and takes the guitar. “You’re the boss.”
He runs off in the same direction as Absinthe, and Virtue laughs under their breath once he’s out of earshot. Virtue’s not the boss, just the manager. He’ll figure it out eventually, they just hope he’s not too close to the sun when he does.
Overall, the first concert’s pretty good. Cato finally figures out how to fit the groove by song three, and looks much more relaxed by the end. And the reception to him replacing Michael was pretty good, from what Virtue saw while at the merch table.
The lead band, Moneyz, is pretty good too. Good group of people, which Virtue had made sure of when setting up this whole tour in the first place. Once the venue had emptied of people and all the sound set up had been safely put away, and instruments secured in the van they’d be taking across the country, Moneyz invited Bardic Inspiration to a diner for some food and relaxation.
When everyone got their drinks and figured out their order, Moneyz frontman, Lim, leans in towards Virtue. “I’ve never seen a band manager so involved in the actual band itself.”
“We’re not a very typical band setup.” Virtue leans in as well. “They make all the music, and produce it. I do everything else.”
“And sometimes they play the fiddle.” Absinthe adds absently as she sips on her coffee, then returns to the conversation she was having with Gemini and the Moneyz’s drummer.
Lim hums. “Fiddle, ey?”
They shrug. “I learned some violin in high school. They’re technically the same instrument without the bridge.”
Lim hums again and leans in closer. “So how good are you, Virtue?”
Virtue sits back and clutches their mug close to their chest. “I’m not going to join your entourage. Get another fiddler.”
Lim groans and flings backwards into the cushioned seat. “I wasn’t asking for you to join, just to play on this tour with us.”
Virtue glances at the rest of the band. Even though everyone seems to be talking to someone else, Absinthe’s shoulders tense, and Cato’s eyes flick to the side where Virtue is sitting for half a moment.
“Only for the tour.” Virtue says. “And I get paid $300 at the end.”
“You’re underselling.” Lim narrows Lim’s eyes.
“I’m not meant to be a commodity for the stage. The 300 is for making me be one.”
“You got a deal.” Lim holds out a hand. Virtue grabs it, and they both give one firm shake before retreating back to their drinks.
Virtue falls back into their silent observation as Lim turns and starts a conversation with their lead guitarist Emen. In general Moneyz seems to have a good rapport with one another. The drummer Kuovi, while not the most bright, is incredibly earnest and clearly the emotional heart of the group. Emen is the primary songwriter and the lead guitarist, and his ingenuity shows even when just talking to others. The bassist, Shanty, is the youngest by far, just turning 18 a few weeks ago, but she has a lot of spirit and spunk for someone her small stature. And Lim, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and frontman of it all, terrifies Virtue.
While Kuovi’s enthusiasm melts all but the coldest of hearts, and the creative twist of Emen’s speech can get most to open up, Lim is the only one who truly understands how to manipulate a conversation to Lim’s benefit.
There’s the slightest hesitation before every sentence, a brief breath to make sure the just right words have been selected and put together in the just right order to get what Lim wants. If it wasn’t for their old obsession with speech and behavior patterns, they probably wouldn’t have even noticed. They didn’t even notice until watching Lim talk to Gemini and get her to soften up just a little on Kuovi.
At least Emen, for all his charm and suave words, was just a flirt.
Food comes, and is enjoyed, and then everyone says their goodnights. Virtue herds their band towards the van, Lim does the same, and when they make eye contact, Lim smiles.