Every seat is filled in Shepherd's Bush Empire, apart from those taking a quick break between shows -- ten minutes -- to get refills on beer and visit the necessaries. The old BBC theater is packed and the murmur of the crowd, the babbling Babel of nearly three-thousand, puts on its own kind of show. Excitement. Anticipation. The people in the higher seats start clapping, the drumbeat rhythmic call of next show, next show, as others are hurrying back and forth to get back to their seats.
     The New Tomorrows are already packing up, but they exchange handshakes in the back with the next band on the list. A couple of quiet words. Yeah, we're gonna stay and check it out. Hey, Barry, pop the bonnet on the Focus, let's try to sell a shirt or two.
     In the darkness of off-stage to on-stage, Reggie and Billy are plugging in and getting in position. The violinists make their last, quick tunes, and Balthazar Davies gives the last check on the keyboards, the last check on the guitar that he'll occasionally use. He doesn't say anything at all now, anything at all. He doesn't see the crowd, just the tangle of shadows in the theater. But he looks to Loki, looks to Reggie, to Billy, Yayoi and Yana and he smiles.
     Are you ready?
     He grins and bounces, sharing a quick laugh with a group up front.

     In the back of the theater, conveniently located near the beer, Davydd ap Owain takes a seat, grinning fondly to the slightly older man sitting next to him. Iowerth ap Davydd leans in and hands him a drink. They won't have to get up for refills. It's good to be the king.

     Loki snaps his attention back to the rest of the band, from where he's been standing, gaze distant, fingers drumming out rhythms on the side of his leg. He's been doing a lot of that staring into the distance lately. But it's not interfering with his drumming, so there's nothing wrong with a drummer who spends a lot of time in his own head.
     He quirks a brief smile back at Balthazar, and takes his drumsticks in hand. A quick spin-and-swap of each to get the feel for them--he doesn't do stick-tricks in play, only here in the dark--and he looks off towards the waiting crowd.
     Ready as I'm going to get, with all this noise.

     The air is crowded with excitement, anticipation, the chatter that so frequently goes with that, nervousness behind stage for the next group preparing -- no matter how much one practices, nerves are part of the experience -- and a wave of Come on already. There is also, faintly, pride and love coming from somewhere...

     There is one girl in the third row who is not budging from her seat. It isn't that she paid so much for it (though arguably flying in from America could be counted towards the cost) as that she's sure if she gets up, somebody will pinch her seat and then where will she be? Pissed off, that's where. Madison Elaine West sits tall and proud at five feet four inches (and a half).
     One Jimmy Choo slipper swings daintily, her auburn hair wrapped up in Pippi Longstocking pigtails that dangle wildly and are tied at the ends with lavender bows. She wears a confection of pale primrose-pink silk and taffeta, the sort of gown a lady might have worn to a tea party a hundred years ago. It's worn over a lavender and lace corset, the lace foaming up gently to just peek at the neckline. She's left off the hat in deference to the actual nature of the event, but it's definitely a direct answer and response to the outfits the band wears on stage.
     "They'll be up any minute," Maddie hisses to Alexa. Who needs help making friends? All it took was making contact online, and she could have had twenty girls with her instead of just one. She grins, a wide flash of beautifully white American teeth before she returns to swinging her foot, her attention fixated on the stage.

     Come on, already. Come on...
     Balthazar takes his guitar and steps into the microphone. It's one girl, it's all girls, and the stage lights and music starts in unison.
     "One - two - three - four!"
     "Did I always know the right words to say..."
     "And all the games the big kids play..."
     "First kiss..."
     "First fuck..."
     "First day of school..."
     "First time I learned to break the rules..."
     It's fast paced, playful, loud and everyone on the floor recognizes it and dances. And the lead singer looks to the audience, one girl, all girls, one spot, all seats, and he radiates. They're in their suits and sneakers and playing their guitars (and drums and violins), doing anything but standing still.
     "I'm an instant,"
     "I'm a moment..."
     "I'm a hundred thousand years..."
     "I'm nothing more than who I am right now..."
     "Would we even know the difference,"
     "If we woke up starting here,"
     "You're nothing more than who you are right now..."

     In the back of the theater, two old kings go a bit wide eyed and look a bit surprised, two sets of copper eyebrows rising...

     The drum track here is a snappy beat, and there's not a tap of it out of place when Loki plays. This place is loud, but the music is louder, and there's nothing on this earth that he's going to let distract him when there's music to be made.

     Maddie grins with a fierce sort of triumph - and anticipation. For the moment, she's focused on the music, bouncing in her seat and shaking her pigtails back out of her face as she stares up at the stage. She waves to Loki, knowing full well the odds of him spotting her, let alone recognizing her, let alone noticing her with what he's doing is slim to none. And then, she focuses her considerable energy entirely on Balthazar.
     I know what I want, Mister Davies. I want you. And I'm going to have you, whether you know it or not...
     If I can just shake my sister out of your head...

     The energy is kinetic. It is sunlight on the lawn. It is golden with the buzz of bees and the heat of the sun. It's contagious and it affects the crowd from front to back and side to side. Even those who came for the headlining band, Ready Set 1-2-3 Go!, are in motion, laughing with their seat mates.
     The rebellious playfulness of the first song transitions to a raucous rendition of an old familiar tune.
     "Got a good reason for taking the easy way out..."
     "Got a good reason for taking the easy way out, now..."
     "She was a day tripper, one way ticket, yeah..."
     "It took me so long to find out, and I found out..."
     Balthazar plays the opening riff, but it's Billy that keeps it going, Balthazar taking over the mic, guitar around his back. He scans the audience, grinning as he looks from side to side and sings the male anthem to Girls Who Don't Care:
     "She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there..."
     "She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there, now..."
     "She was a day tripper, one way ticket, yeah!"
     "It took me so long to find out, and I found out..."
     Reggie turns to Loki, waggling his eyebrows as the bass and drums are the leaders here -- well, more than usual. The Beatles were smooth. Oxford Comma turns the song on its head, giving it a youthful exuberance to a song older than half the band combined.

     Loki catches Reggie's look, with a thin smile of his own that belies the sheer energy he's pouring into playing the drums. He's going to need a drink and possibly a nap after this whole set's played through, the rate he's going, but good music deserves heart and soul.
     And it's even easier to get into the groove when the entire room is radiating that energy right back at the band. It's almost as good as a shot of espresso for keeping everything in that bright kinetic blur of rhythm external and internal. Creepy, but useful.

     Oooh, Gilly, if you could hear this... I hope your ears are burning. It's a somewhat spiteful thought, and she tosses her head again, then aims a sunny smile at the stage. Maddie laughs, sparkling as she jumps to her feet, dancing in place with rapid, kaleidoscope motion. Come on, Mister Davies. I'm what you want now...

     Daytripper ends with a roar of applause, with various shouts and such, and Balthazar grins, twisting out of the guitar's grasp -- a dark-garbed stagehand puts it in its stand and runs off stage -- and looking to the crowd. "Evening, everyone. I trust you're all having a good time."
     Billy gives a quick riff on the electric guitar.
     "...We are at any rate. We are thrilled to be playing our first gig here at the Bush. We have a few for you tonight...and for those of you who'd like to take us home? Our EP's available in the front..."
     "I love you....!" comes a girl's voice from somewhere in the middle of the hall.
     Balthazar grins and looks her way. "I love you too, mom. Thanks for coming."
     Twisting to look back, he gives the sign to his band. Reggie leads the count as Balthazar takes the mic off the stand. The sound is sudden, rolling quick like U2 on amphetamines. Balthazar walks along the edge of the stage, looking like he's liable to jump to the first three rows.
     "What would you say..."
     "If I said I could make it all better?"
     "What did you say?"
     "Did you say that you'd let me?"
     "You'll have to consider it..."

     Davydd glances to Iowerth and grins. "He's cheeky. I like him. So... this is what happens when a bit of a fairy marries a Persian angel. Who knew it'd be the reincarnation of rock and roll..."
     Iowerth chuckles, leaning in toward his father who looks like his slightly younger brother or maybe a closely related cousin. "I really had no idea. Where is mom, anyway? She should be here to see this. She finally got what she wanted..."

     The pause between songs was long enough for Loki to grab a quick swig from the bottle of water by the drum set, and then it's back to the sticks for the next song. Being the guy in the band who gets to sit through the whole performance doesn't actually mean he's investing any less energy in the work of making music.
     And it is work, whatever Dad might say. You'd think a man who gives as much as he does to the arts would get that.

     In the front row, of course. Where else would she be? Of course, at the moment, she isn't a she...
     With a wicked grin that could be Gwilym's own, Fionn slouches in a front row seat, basking in the music and the energy. I'm right here, darling, the voice that drawls is unmistakably Fiona's, and yet not. It's a couple octaves too low. Just watching my adorable grandson make the girls all get wet in their seats. I could just pinch his cheeks!
     He's in punk-prep perfection, jeans and a butterfly collar shirt, hair spiky and mussed and golden heart of oak blonde. The boots are black leather with lots of silver buckles, and the necklace around his throat is more of a collar than a necklace. On one hand, a brilliant pink diamond flashes...

     He doesn't miss a beat -- the man's a professional. Though for someone in the first three rows, there's a wink. All of the energy of the past week is given out, distributed in party favors. It isn't anger; it's just intensity.
     "Chasing you down the hall..."
     "Are you trying to lose my letter, girl?"
     "Setting me up for a fall."
     "Are you going to trip me anyway?"
     Hampshireton Hideaway, another crowd favorite, suddenly morphs into The Knack. Reggie and Loki, Billy and even Yayoi and Yana crank it up a notch or two or twelve. Balthazar moves from stage left to stage right and all points in between. He kicks off sparks in other worlds and in between.
     "She's your adolescent dream,"
     "Schoolboy stuff, a sticky sweet romance..."
     "And she makes you want to scream,"
     "Wishing you could get inside her pants."
     However exuberant the crowd was before, that line gets a scream...
     "...So, you fantasize away..."
     "And while you're squeezing her, you thought you heard her saying..."
     "Good girls don't,"
     "Good girls don't,"
     "She'll be tellin' you,"
     "Good girls don't, but I do."

     Davydd waggles his brows and leans in toward his regal son. "Oh, she's here. She's up front. I didn't want him to look out and see my face. Besides which, that's where all the screaming girls are. Your mother'd have a fit if I were up there basking in the nubile glow of it all..."
     Iowerth rolls his eyes. Duw. He makes the same face he's made around his father for the past forty years.

     It's like being part of a machine. A loud, musical machine... Loki keeps up with the music and his part in it as if the crowd's not there. The energy feedback is buzzing through his head, but at the end of the day it's just like practice. Slotting into the machine and making it work exactly the way it should.

     Damn straight... Fionn smirks and blows the various members of the band kisses. He's very pretty, just a little bit sharp, with a sly smile that suggests just a slight edge of potential violence. He smiles with saccharine sweetness at the girl next to him, then licks his index finger to draw a one on the air.

     Two rows back, Maddie's unaware. She doesn't scream when the others do, but the warmth rushes into her cheeks, and she smiles and bites at her lower lip. She looks down at her cleavage, at the lace fluttering there, and rests two fingertips just in the valley there, thoughtfully before she looks up. I don't know how the hell I'm going to be patient about this. I guess I'll find a way...

     The band is tight, well practiced, they don't get opportunities like this based on looks alone. Good Girls Don't ends crisply and to an eruption of applause and shouting. No cigarette lighters, of course. It's a theater after all.
     There is a longer break between this song and the next, and as the lights are lowered to indicate a change in tempo, Balthazar looks out to the crowd, smiling at the mic. "Thank you, everyone. I would like to recognize the players here tonight. There's Reggie on bass, Loki back there on drums, of course you all know Prince Billy from his many bar debts," he twists to point them out. "Give them a round," and while the crowd does that, Balthazar steals a quick sip of water as he heads to the nearby keyboard. "This song isn't ours, I wish it were." He houses the mic in the stand by the keyboard and adjusts it as he settles down. "But hopefully Maddie'll forgive me. Hello, Maddie," he gives a grin in the general direction of center stage, down front somewhere.
     For a moment, there is only bass, light drum and keyboard, the lights on Billy go dark, and Loki is bathed in purple. The song is slow, a ballad:
     "Just a perfect day,"
     "Drink Sangria in the park,"
     "And then later, when it gets dark,"
     "We go home..."
     And now, the violins enter...
     "Just a perfect day,"
     "Feed animals in the zoo,"
     "Then later, a movie, too,"
     "And then home."
     And now everyone:
     "Oh it's such a perfect day,"
     "I'm glad I spent it with you."
     "Oh such a perfect day,"
     "You just keep me hanging on,"
     "You just keep me hanging on..."

     Maddie drops into her seat as if she's been shot at point blank range. Her eyes go wide and enormous, and the shade of pink she goes clashes almost, but not quite entirely, with her tea gown. She's frozen for a moment, then brings a hand quickly up to her mouth, biting on the knuckle of her index finger. She's bright-eyed and shocked and grinning like a lunatic.
     Alexis is grabbing her arm and squealing in her ear...
     Oh. My. GOD....

     There's an old joke: "How do you get the drummer to play quietly? Put sheet music in front of him." Loki's heard it, of course, and usually wondered if the people who make those jokes have never met drummers who played in orchestras. There are conductors out there who can hear the difference between piano and pianissimo over the sound of two dozen forte violins, and he's played under at least one of them.
     Eyes on his kit, and the drumsticks tap away, blending right in with what a song like that needs.

     Davydd and Iowerth glance at one another. Who's Maddie?
     Wasn't her name Gillian? Iowerth chuckles at his son and shakes his head. "Duw, you could have warned me," he says to his father.
     Davydd winks and tussles one of his shoulders. "But then I'd have missed all the fun. Children are pure joy and heartache, son."

     Maddie? Fionn is bright-eyed mischief incarnate, twisting round in his seat. He looks around for who Maddie might be, sly smile canting wicked. Oh, this is going to be so much FUN...

     He is an accomplished piano player -- it's genetic. As the bridge softens back to the keyboard, bass and light drum, Balthazar looks from his band, turning on his seat to look at the audience as he sings:
     "Just a perfect day,"
     "Problems all left alone,"
     "Weekenders on our own."
     "It's such fun."
     And again, the violins...
     "Just a perfect day,"
     "You made me forget myself."
     "I thought I was someone else,"
     "Someone good."
     And, again, everyone. Balthazar stands -- sitting still is not really an option...
     "Oh it's such a perfect day,
     "I'm glad I spent it with you."
     "Oh such a perfect day,"
     "You just keep me hanging on,"
     "You just keep me hanging on."
     The piano solo is joined by violins for two measures:
     "You're going to reap just what you sow,"
     "You're going to reap just what you sow..."
     The house goes dark for another set, as the crowd cheers through the end of the Velvet Underground's Perfect Day.
     Balthazar leans in toward the drummer in the darkness, nodding to him and Reggie to start the beat for the final song.
     The crowd recognizes this one -- more than even the last one, famous though it was. This one is new. Lady 52.

     Even the drummer's allowed to have favorite songs on the playlist. Loki drops into the introductory beat line for his, intent on the drums through the wave of crowd response. And it's not really fair that Gillian's not here to hear it this time.
     Maddie sits back down in her seat, folding her hands primly in her lap. She won't withhold applause for the band, but she's damned if she's going to cheer for Gillian, even by proxy...

     Hmm. I'm going to have to twit the Old Man about this... he never wrote any songs explicitly for me... Fionn smirks to himself, leaning back and relaxing jauntily. He winks at Balthazar. Grandson mine... I'm so pinning you down later to ask about this 'Maddie'...

     The song is high-energy, with the playful rebellion that marks their signature sound. It's noble kids on holiday; it's the trust fund set tossing water balloons from penthouses. The restraint of Perfect Day has been tossed out the window. Balthazar moves across the stage, putting himself out in the audience -- like he's jogging up the corridors. It's all energy, and it beams off him and in his smile.
     And he has to smile. The song's a hit:
     "She twirls her hair,"
     "...and makes me guess..."
     "...the names and schemes..."
     "...of long dead kings..."
     "I follow her,"
     "...and I confess..."
     "...to stupidly..."
     "...enjoying tests..."
     If there were pyrotechnics, they'd be blazing. If there were fireworks, they'd be grazing the ceiling. The lights and the sound explode, and all that energy moves over the crowd in a wave.
     "She quizzes me..."
     "...I quiz her back..."
     "She sips her drink..."
     "...and I lose track..."
     "She twirls her beads..."
     "I'm on my knees..."
     "You're too good..."
     "Lady Fifty-Two..."

     There's no encores for the opening acts. When it's done, it's done. The lights go black when the song stops, coming back on to let the boys wave goodbye. It's another intermission for the crowd. But there's no intermission for the band. Taking his guitar, pocketing a pick, finishing his water, Balthazar approaches the edge of the stage as the stage lights go dark again. Hello, Nainie...wherever you are... He unplugs himself as the Reggie, Yayoi, Yana and Billy take off individual instruments and as the stage crew removes the keyboard.
     A quick text is sent to someone on the third row: Hi. Come around the side and I'll get you backstage.
     Balthazar heads stage right to set his guitar aside and go out for a second round of stuff. "Great show, great job," he says to Reggie, to Loki, to Yayoi and Yana and to Billy. "Great, great, great. I need a pint in the worst way."

     Nainie yourself, Fionn's wicked amusement is audible in the sent message. Going to let me and your father and grandfather backstage, or would we be cramping your style? If so, we'll just go have drinks and I'll work on compiling a list of all the questions I have for you.
     Such as ... who's Maddie ...

     Maddie sits up like a lightning bolt as her phone begins to vibrate in her purse. She snatches it up, eyes dancing as she turns to Alexis, who gasps and nods vigorously as the phone's held up. The two girls hurry out of their seats as if bitten by rattlesnakes...

     Loki flexes his fingers, drumsticks already stowed away with the kit. "A pint, or a change of clothing." His shirt's damp with sweat, not enough to show but enough to send him into the mild irritation of being...untidy. "Good show. With a good audience." He's already drifting to the side, looking for a quiet spot to get some breathing space without going so far he's abandoning the company of the people he knows.

     Sure, come around the side, stage right. Wait. Father's here? He didn't know the High King was going to make an appearance. Balthazar heads down the side of the stage, pausing to smile and shake hands with one of the promoters. Pints are on their way.
     She's a friend. It is sent out with the finality of: She's a friend and that's all. That's all you need to worry about anyway.
     Balthazar rakes a hand through his short red-brown hair, recently cut. It sticks up here and there, but it's impossible to wreck. He glances back to Loki as the rest of the group heads backstage. "Or both. That's the only trouble with the suits. It was a great crowd. I won't sleep for days. Maddie's coming round, and some of my family. You going to hang out for a bit?"

     Two large, bronze-headed men work their way through the crowd toward the stage area as the rest of the crowd goes about getting new pints and returning to their seats.

     A little twitch at the cuff of the suit jacket, and Loki gives up on it. "I was planning on it, at least through the next band," he says towards Balthazar. "A whole family thing? That explains..." He shrugs off that thought, interrupting himself with, "I ought to send my father an invite, the next time he's in the city long enough to make it to a show."

     We'll see. Fionn is as sly as anything as he slinks towards the two men heading to the side. The blond tousled hair is instantly recognizable to anyone - well. Anyone who's seen him before.

     Maddie makes her way towards the back, primrose gown rustling with inimitable feminine energy as she does so. She is practically bouncing. She tells Alexis, "I should've baked cookies. I didn't expect this! I don't know what to do!"
     Alexis is shorter, a black girl with skin the color of coffee with a little too much cream in, slightly crooked teeth and a wide, easy-going smile. She's not dressed up at all - black jeans, a white blouse, and a red windbreaker are good enough for her. "It'll be fine, girl! Just don't bounce at him so much," she laughs. "You might make him seasick..."

     "You should. You get comps. You might as well use them," Balthazar chuckles. "Ah, just a handful. My father's here. A couple of cousins." Cousins. Not grandparents. There's only so much he can stretch reality and keep any sort of plausibility for the ...average audience.
     Balthazar sees Maddie approaching in pink. He takes a moment for all of that, then raises his hand to give a little Here I am.

     And then he recognizes Fionn. Nainie? Wearing new clothes for the show, I see. What does grandfather think? Balthazar smiles a little, giving the blond a nod.
     "Ah, thank you," Balthazar brightens as he is handed a couple of pints. He turns, offering one to Loki.

     "He'd love the Beatles covers. And say nice things about the whole show, whatever he thought." Loki takes a look at approaching family, if with a small rock back on his heels as he restrains the urge to back away from them all. Extended family's such a strange concept. Why do people bother keeping track of relatives as distant as cousins, anyway?
     The pint's enough to keep him pinned. Can't grab a drink and flee. "Thanks."

     He puts up with it because he loves me. You should rather ask what your older brother thinks. Fionn's smile is wicked impudence made flesh. He slouches towards Davydd and Iowerth, giving them a mocking smile. "Uncles," he tells them, with a sarcastic bow.
     Put it on my tab, I'll pay for it later...

     Maddie is not so restrained. She charges for Balthazar, smile wide and vivid and delighted, her pigtails already beginning to work their way free. It's only Alexis' restraining influence that keeps her from tackling Balthazar; she comes to a halt about four feet away. "You were incredible," she declares, shaking her hair back from her face. "That was totally, totally awesome. Oh! This is Alexis, a friend of mine, by the way," she adds casually, then peering around. "Where's Loki? Loki!"
     She spots Loki, and charges him. Loki will not be so fortunate in remaining untackled...

     Loki gets a fleeting look of panicked oh no before he has the presence of mind to just lift his pint out of the way of Maddie's approach. He'll wear sweaty clothes through the evening if that's what it takes, but damned if he's going to wear his drink for the sake of someone else's enthusiasm.

     Iowerth is chuckling and shaking his head as he makes his way to get in line to see his boy. There is a pink flurry ahead of him. He glances between Davydd and ...his ... nephew. You are so beautifully weird.
     Davydd is rolling his eyes. Woman, you make me crazy. I don't want to see you as a boy. This is going to make what I do to you later unnecessarily awkward...

     Balthazar was turning to Loki, to respond about his father, when there's a Maddie on the threshold. And an Alexis. Balthazar bobs his head, "Thank you, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed. It's good to see you. Alexis, hi, Balthazar Davies," he reaches forward to shake her hand as Maddie pushes past and heads for Loki. He chuckles. "Excuse me a moment," he says to them all and he heads to meet his family as the headliners begin to step on stage.
     "We should move backstage. We're about to be blown out of the corridor." He gives the taller, older red-haired man a hug. "This is a surprise, da. Thanks for coming." He murmurs grandda to Davydd with a hug. And he offers his hand to Fionn for a shake. "Cousin." He smirks a bit. "Come on back... we will probably head to the house after. It's just up the street. We need to load up and we'd like to catch a bit of Ready, Set."
     Iowerth hugs his son, vigorously patting him on the back. "That was brilliant..."

     And yet, you both adore me anyway, 'Fionn' retorts with a smug tone clearly audible. Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair until it's time to leave. He smirks, looking around with a finger hooked up idly under his collar. The cool grey-blue eyes take in everyone and everything.
     He smiles at his 'cousin', shaking Balthazar's hand just like a punk, going through convoluted gyrations that only someone under the age of thirty could follow. "You should've called me," Fionn tells him. "I've got contacts, y'know. So." Sly eyes look around. "How long's my leash, cousin Balthazar?"

     Maddie is airborn, launching herself at Loki. It's only that she's wearing a dress that keeps her from glomming on like a limpet; instead, she swings round by his neck with both arms around him. "It's soooo good to see you," she gushes. "It's been forever! By the way, you're coming to Oahu. Pres is gonna pay for it." Blue eyes turn angelically up at him. "He wants you to room with him. You don't mind, do you?"
     The West women...

     Loki staggers back a step at the impact. Athletic type he is not, especially when he's already tired from a full set. "He's--but--" Loki gives up without much of a fight. It's even worse than arguing with Gillian, in some ways. And at least she's not trying to put braids in my hair anymore. "Only if I can fit the trip into the band schedule. I'm not going to miss practice to go surfing."

     He is partially distracted. He hears Oahu but he tries not to eavesdrop (completely). He glances to the girls briefly and then back to his ...cousin, father and... uncle. "Would it matter if I told you?" Balthazar wonders with a slight smile. "I know... I was planning on asking you for your little book of managers and press people. There is a local promoter who wanted us for this. Reggie and I have been doing most of the legwork so additional contacts would be very helpful."
     Leash? Are you asking my permission to do something despicable? Balthazar doesn't answer -- nice dodge and parry. He would just as soon not call anymore attention to her than she is drawing to herself.

     Davydd taps Fionn on the shoulder, "Your leash is short, and why are you asking him? He's not the one holding it," he's already laughing because he knows what's coming. And yes, that is his hand reaching up to block a shot at his privates.
     Iowerth smirks, giving his boy a last hug and patting his shoulder as he draws back a little.

     Pulling completely out of the embrace with his father, Balthazar glances to the stage. "We should go. We're about to get blown off the side stage. How about we meet at my place? I'm at 315 Uxbridge Road, just down the street a bit. We just need to finish packing up." He looks to Maddie, Alexis and Loki. There's a smile for Miss Exuberance. "Loki, you coming with? Girls," Balthazar looks to Maddie mostly. "You're welcome to come along. You're still catching up. It'll be easier to do that if you're not screaming at one another." Another glance to the stage, and Balthazar smiles, waving everyone to follow him backstage.
     Ready, Set, 1-2-3, Go! starts warming up, making last tunes. "Hey, great show, guys," they offer to the members of Oxford Comma.

     Fionn whirls, a fist aimed - but it's a feint, and instead a booted instep attacks Davydd's ankle. He smirks, gaze flashing. "Yeah, Old Man?" he taunts. "You and what army?" He's distracted from other mischief - for the moment.

     Alexis smiles the goodnatured, easygoing smile of someone who wouldn't even be here if it weren't for a random stroke of the universe's alignments. She tells Balthazar in an undertone, "You really made her day, you know. Mine, too. I think -" She cuts off, still smiling, as Maddie releases Loki and bounds back over.
     "Of course we'll come along," Maddie declares, shaking out her hair. There's lavender ribbons in one hand from where she's pulled them out of her pigtails, which have now been undone so that her hair falls into waves onto her shoulders. "We'll walk with Loki. And I have to invite you still, too, so!"
     Her chin comes up, and she smiles radiantly. And then she turns to attack Loki, waving the ribbons. "Loki! This color'd look faboo on you! Let me tie your hair back!"

     Loki's hands come up defensively. "Bad time for ribbons, Maddie." There is never a good time for ribbons. He shoots Balthazar a fast, desperate look just asking for a good excuse to flee decorative attacks by enthusiastic young women. "Let's get moving so that there's actually space to talk. Remind me in Oahu or something, okay?"

     Davydd grins, "Bonnie lad, I don't need an army." He looks to Balthazar and the kids. We should leave them be. Look at them. Besides, I've plans of m' own, you know. "I'll skip it, nephew," he shouts out to Balthazar as the band starts to play and Balthazar turns to head backstage. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Meet me at Davy's. I'll buy you a round. We'll talk later, right?"
     Iowerth smiles and lifts his voice: "I have to go too." I can't walk around in London long. I just wanted to be here, I wanted to see this for myself. I'm proud of you, Balthazar. How about you take a week or two off. Just ... relax. Enjoy yourself, son. I will take care of your schedule. Come see me soon, oes? We will talk more later. For now... you should enjoy your night and your friends. He reaches over, patting the young blond turk on the arm. "I have to head out, Fionn. I will see you later, right? Davydd," he grins at his own father. Who'd ever guess that?

     Balthazar looks between his family and the girls for a moment, then nods to those departing. "I'll see you later, thanks for coming!" he shouts back. He looks to Alexis, nodding. "Glad you are having a good time." He doesn't say anything to the making of Maddie's night. He just smiles a little and gestures backstage. "I'll see you there..."
     I'm so glad you were here, da. And...thanks for the time. I think I could use it actually. I will still come home. I don't think I could be away for months on end. But...thanks about the schedule. Balthazar gives a last wave to the group and disappears backstage.

     Fionn glowers at Davydd, then pouts sulkily, slinking off in Davydd's shadow. "See you," he answers Balthazar and Iowerth both. He flips people off over his shoulder, sauntering after one of his two 'uncles'. He makes rude faces at Davydd's back, then smirks again, looking blatantly and sexually smug. Plans of your own, mmmm? I just wonder what those might be...

     Alexis smiles as Maddie grabs Loki's arm in both hands, glomming onto his side and prattling cheerfully as the two girls bookend the drummer. "You guys were all great," Maddie tells Loki and anyone in earshot, bouncing him in the direction of the doors with corgi-like attentiveness. "So I can tell Pres you're coming, right? If the schedule matches up." She has a knowing smile, and she gives Balthazar's back a thoughtful look.
     "Let's get to the house. Will there be food? I'm hungry..."

     Loki lets himself be pulled along, because at least this way he's not being threatened with ribbons. I could hold out on having my life rescheduled again, but she'd just pull out the glittery barrettes until I gave in. "If the schedule matches up, yes, I'll be there. It's not like I hang around this city for the weather."
     It's a relief to get further from the crowd. Two bouncy teenage girls are much easier to deal with ricocheting through his head. "No, we're going to make you sit in a room with nothing but water and stare at the walls until someone orders in curry out of sheer desperation."

     The Rover was loaded -- and the conversation, too -- and then unpacked at the house, each band member taking an arm (or two) of something, an the girls, willing accomplices, carrying the bags of take-out. Someone said curry...
     The terrace flat is tidy enough considering one boy lives here full time and four others are here more than a bit frequently. It's not obsessively clean, but it's organized. It's decorated modern, with a 60s vintage sectional in the main living room. The kitchen's not overly large but it's big enough to serve as a staging area for vindaloo.
     Reggie sits in one of the large chairs, tuning the instruments for tomorrow's rehearsal. Billy's loading up a plate -- what else? -- and heading with food and a can of Boddington's from the icebox. Yayoi and Yana left -- they have class at the consortium in the morning. There is no way their parents would allow them to quit school, job or no job, fame or no fame.
     Balthazar removes his coat and the tie that goes with it and rakes his hand through red-brown hair. There is a smile on his face, hovering, constant. Tonight was a very good night. "Help yourselves to whatever. There's Boddington's in the fridge, if you care. There's some St. Croix water as well," his mouth twists a little. "Thanks for the tear down, Reg," he says, giving his mate a pat on the arm.
     "No worries," Reggie says thoughtfully as he sets the acoustic aside. "I think I'm going to pass on the dindin. Sarah wants me to come by."

     Purses and jackets are stripped off - Alexis has tagged along, and currently is sitting on the arm of a sofa, looking quiet and a little bit awkward and as if she's not quite sure how to fit in with this. Maddie is bouncing back and forth between Loki and Alexis, trying to be protective of her friend while carrying on an active conversation as they get settled.
     "-the time Pres got that enormous inflatable beach ball? We all took turns until we got it blown up, it took hours, and then Pres stuck it up under his shirt right when that bully tried to punch him and it burst. Well, Pres had a red chest like he'd done the biggest bellywhopper ever, and that bully got knocked ten feet away right at the feet of the lifeguard! He got made to spend the rest of the summer picking trash and jellyfish off the beach."
     Maddie finishes the story and turns to Balthazar. "If you have anything in your fridge, Alexis and I can cook for everybody," she announces cheerfully. Alexis' eyes go enormous.

     The suit jacket and tie have been discarded on the way in the door, and Loki's now in shirtsleeves and a scarf, finding himself a perch a little farther down the sofa from Alexis. She gets a quick, thin smile sideways, courtesy of someone who's familiar with awkward moments. He waves to Reggie in passing, watching people move through the room and trying to pin down some of the emotional slurry to individuals within.

     "I'll have to keep that in mind," Balthazar notes, unpacking the take-out. "Do you do a red curry? No one on this side of town seems to know how to manage..."
     "Or scones," Billy pipes up with a full mouth, a brief pause in his shoveling in. "The ones at the cafe are too dry..."
     Balthazar opens a Boddington's and takes a long swallow before using the can as a cooling device against his face. It's crisp outside, to be sure, but not enough to cool him off from the show.
     There are a pack of emotions at the heels of the group: elation, satisfaction, not a twinge of negativity to be found. Not even in the most recently morose captain of the band. He seems at ease with himself and with his company.
     For the first time tonight, Balthazar Davies can find a moment of reflection. And a moment for the sheer amount of pinkness in his living room. He smiles a little -- the smile remains. "No cooking tonight, but help yourselves, seriously. There's more than enough. Besides, Billy doesn't need to eat it all. You heading out, Reg?"
     Reggie is standing and nodding. "Yeah, I'm going to head to Sarah's. I'll see you guys later." He gives Billy a bit of a smack on the head, waves and smiles to the group on the sofa, and gives Balthazar a clap on the back as he heads out. Billy looks to the girls, his shaggy brown hair damp and limp. "As you can tell, we're not exactly the groupie boys. Well, they're not. I am." He laughs. "I'm going to head out too," he chirps, hopping off the chair as he shovels in the remainder of the food. "I'm going to give a listen to the Jacks in the warehouse district. They're playing at one. Night, girls!" Billy grins.

     "I can do scones if you have a scone pan. Otherwise, nope," Maddie answers cheerfully. "But I can make curry. We were stationed in the Indian Ocean for two years, from when I was eight until I was ten." She picks up her ribbons, tying her hair back firmly into a ponytail. "I wouldn't mind, really! But if you're sure..."
     Alexis smiles at that. "I can't cook," she admits frankly. "Can't even boil water." She gives Maddie an uncertain look - the sort of look that passes between girls in situations like these. "I think I'm going to head home too, Mads. It was lovely to see you, thanks ever so. And thanks for having me over," she adds gracefully to Balthazar, standing to pick up her jacket. "Maddie, call me in the morning, all right?"
     Maddie smiles widely and goes and sits next to - and a bit on - Loki. "Okay! Do you need a cab? We can call you one. It's not too late but you know, better safe than sorry..."

     "I can give you a ride, Lexie," Billy offers at the door. Okay, so everyone connected to this band gets an 'e' rhyming nickname at some point.
     Apart from the lead singer, apparently.

     Loki lifts a hand to wave to Alexis, too, though he's overly trapped to do much more than that. I am so glad Pres can't see this right now. He's keeping an eye on the deployment of ribbons, to date safely away from his hair. "Nice to meet you, Alexis. Come again to another show."

     Boddington in hand, Balthazar wanders out of the kitchen and into the living room, heading for the chair near the sofa -- no reason to crowd. "You're welcome, Alexis," he replies warmly, a glance to Billy. "Or we can call a cab. Either way, it's no trouble..."
     Cinnamon brown eyes shift their attention to Maddie as he takes a seat on the adjacent chair. She's seen the sofa before -- and him stretched out on it. He doesn't stop long to think about that day. Apart from the Napoleons.
     "I don't know that I've heard the story about the Indian Ocean," Balthazar mentions, glancing to Loki. "But you seem to travel an extraordinary amount, you Wests of America."

     Billy opens the door with a smile. "So...where to then?"

     Alexis looks relieved, smiling at Billy with a hint of darkening to her cheeks. "I'll accept a lift, absolutely. I live in Chelsea, if it isn't too far out of your way..."

     Maddie smiles widely as Alexis heads out the door with Billy. She shifts her bright blue gaze onto Balthazar, going briefly a little bit pink and shifting so that her feet are in Loki's lap and her bottom nestled in the slight gap between cushion and sofa arm. "Dad's a marine biologist, we sailed all over the place, depending on what he was studying with who at the time," she explains. "Lots of time on boats, all hands to the pump situations, pretty much. The Indian Ocean's pretty but really dangerous."

     Maddie's feet are accepted with the unruffled resignation of any older brother. Or cousin, maybe, as the metaphorical family relationships go. "The Indian Ocean was before I met your family, wasn't it?" Loki asks, wishing vaguely for another pint to wash out and blur some of the evening for him. It's not entirely comfortable to admit to himself just how comfortable everything feels right now. "I remember Pres telling me about one of the storms that swept through there."

     "Between the sharks and the pirates," Balthazar notes, "I would imagine so. I hear that there is a festival for Ganesh each year, where everyone paints themselves in wild, vivid colors and runs mad into the Bay of Bengal, turning the water into a painting. Did you see anything like that while you were there?"
     Balthazar sits back in the chair, long legs stretched out in front of him. He pries off his Converse as he looks to the friends on the sofa. You've managed to avoid the ribbons so far. Well done. He smiles at Loki and then looks back to Maddie.
     "I've always wanted to go to India. I have traveled to Istanbul and Morocco. But not India. So, your next stop is Oahu, right?"
     Cinnamon colored eyes shift toward Loki. "Don't worry about the time off. I think we all need a bit of a break. I know I do. I've cleared our calendar for about two weeks, so you should go and not worry about it. The gigs will be here when you get back..."

     "You should totally come with us!"
     There goes her calm, rational plan to persuade Balthazar, in a flurry of enthusiastic sincerity. She goes pink, rallying to try recovering. "I mean, it's going to be during spring break - mine and Pres', I mean. You guys don't have any gigs then, or not on your website, anyway. Gilly won't be coming," she adds loftily. "She's staying in Oxford to work through the break." There's a spike of spiteful resentment and simmering anger, quickly brushed aside in favor of more determined enthusiasm. "Anyway, it'd be fun. I could teach you to surf, if you wanted, and you and Loki can talk music when Pres and I geek about marine biology too much."
     She turns her appeal onto Loki, sitting up and tucking her legs under her so that she's kneeling. "Tell him, Loki," Maddie commands sternly. "He should totally come with us!" And she nods with martial rigor and sparkling eyes, ponytail bouncing. Among other bouncing bits.

     Loki's giving Balthazar a quiet look over Maddie's head--it's located somewhere in the junction of Beware the ribbons and They really should come with warning labels, shouldn't they?--when he's dragged back to the present with that request. And the bouncing Maddie.
     I'm not sure I can properly express how very bad this idea is. Of course, if I can't express it, there's no talking anyone out of it, so maybe I'm better off just preparing to cope.
     Besides, it's not my fault if Maddie is hitting on her sister's not-quite-ex, is it? Better than me hitting on Pres's little sister.
     "Sure, if he wants to," Loki says, halfway to a drawl. He shrugs a little twitchily. "But I don't think you need any of my help in being persuasive when you're going all force of nature on any poor soul on there."

     Balthazar looks back and forth a moment, his expression wondering and thoughtful. "Well... I wouldn't want to intrude on your plans." If Gillian were going there would be no question and only one answer: No. But without her?
     "I could use a bit of a get-away," and how. Of course, both of the present travelers know why. "Is that alright with you, I'm not elbowing my way in rudely, am I?" he wonders to Loki. There is Sure, come join us and then there is Sure! Come join us! The two are not the same.
     "I have cleared the decks, so there's really no reason not to unless it's going to create a wrinkle for you both."

     "Loki won't mind," Maddie says quickly, flopping across Loki's lap as if to prove the point. "He's a sweetie, and anyway, there's always room for one more! Don't buy a surfboard here, though," she instructs. "It's easy to get ripped off. We can get stuff in Oahu."
     That is settled, then. Maddie looks entirely too pleased, but the cheerful note of Yay! he's coming! drowns out any actual potential smugness before it can really exist. She rolls over onto her back, her spine across Loki's thighs. "It'll be fun, you'll see," she predicts. "It'll be even better. It'll be an adventure!"

Posted by rowan at March 22, 2009 07:01 PM