[Semi-open] Hellkitten

Hm..I suppose I am behaving rather rashly, then but something would of had to have caused me to do something like that...

Best to leave it alone for now.

I hardly end up giving the kiss much thought. My achievements come second to the behavior of others as well as my relationship with them.

It's a good thing I wasn't knocked out by someone that easily-she had me worried for a moment!

"Then you have my apologies, miss Hatsuhara."

I bend over and offer my hand.

"May I help you up?"

"Thank you for correctly filling me in, Hawke."

"No beef mon brah."

I hazard a guess that Satoshi has already offered his hand, so I grasp blindly until I find it and allow mself to be pulled up. As I'm pulled towards his body I lean in close and whisper "Thanks, sweetie." and blow a small kiss in his ear.

Being a female sure does have its advantages sometimes.

"Do you guys wanna jam a bit? Is there any instruments in here we can use?"

I blush with a surprised face and then look away.

Lord almighty, there is no way in Hell I was smooth enough to deserve that. She's got to be pulling my leg.

"There is everything from a piano to a xylophone in here when it comes to percussion and string instruments. However, for obvious reasons that's the only types they have."

"So, what song did you want my help on again, Hawke? You think Kuriko here can help with either a guitar or piano or something?"

"Aww no guitar?" I say with a pout

"Guess I'll use the piano. And the song was "The Lost Song" by the glorious CAT EMPIRE. Lead by none other than Hellcat Hawke... I mean, er.. Tiberius' da-... um.." I trail off, not wanting to reopen old wounds again.

TACTFUL AS EVER M'GIRL.

"Ah-yeah, that's right."

I take out my phone and put in a head phone to remind myself of what it sounds like since I just downloaded it before coming here.

"I'm generally excited about this-give me a bit. I will have to do improv since I'm generally new to the sound but I should be alright as long as I can memorize the structure of it."

"It's a good'un... would you mind escorting me to the piano?"

"No problem."

I wrap my arm around her's and walk her over.

"Careful here. The seat is right next to you."

I help her on and lift up the piano's cover. Afterward turning it on and then quickly playing the first line of the chorus of 'U.N. Owen Was Her?'

"Yep, all ready to go."

I go to my stick bag and take out a pair of drum sticks with clanking noises between the entirety of my mallets and sticks.

After that I go over and sit at the set, doing a quick paradiddle on the snare and then playing a quick beat.

"Alright, I should be all good."

Sitting down on the piano seat, I run my fingers on the keys, locating the middle C. I play a few quick scales to warm up, then jump right into a piano rendition of Forget Her by Jeff Buckley. The piano is played a couple of octaves higher than the guitar is to match Kuri's soft voice, which is a mezzo-soprano.

While this town is busy sleeping,
all the noises died away.
I walk the streets to stop my wepeing,
cause he'll never change his ways.

But don't fool yourself,
he was heartbreak from the moment that you met him
My heart feels so still,
as I try try to find the will to forget him somehow

I think I've forgotten him now.

His love, was a rose pale and dying,
dropping his petals on girls unknown.
All full of wine the world before him,
or sober with no place to go.

But don't fool yourself,
he was heartbreak from the moment that you met him
My heart is frozen still
as I try try to find the will to forget him somehow

He's somewhere out the right now.

I then go into an improvised version of the guitar solo on the piano.

Over the top of the solo, I begin singing again:

Oh my tears are falling down as i try to forget
His love was a joke from the day that we met
All of the words all of the girls
All of my pain when i think back to when
Remember his hair as it shone in the sun
The smell of the bed when i knew what he'd done
Tell yourself over and over you won't ever need him again.

But don't fool yourself
He was heartache from the moment that you met him
Oh my heart is frozen still
As i try to find the will to forget him somehow
He's out there somewhere now

Oh
He was heartache from the day that i first met him
My heart is frozen still
As i try to find the will to forget you somehow
Cause i know you're somewhere out there right now


[For referance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO0svGjVEP8]

As I play the last note, I lift my head from it's bowed position and smile: "So, am I in?"

Midway into the chorus of the unfamiliar song to me I get back up and rush into my stick bag, bringing back over light yarn mallets.

In the parts I feel call for a suspended cymbal role I answer with one.

I simply cannot leave a piece of music that I can add to go without adding to it. It's never been my style to.

At the end of the song I have a smile on my face.

"I didn't know you sing as well. It was quite good."

"I wont argue if you join in for this. Tiberius?"

I don't even remember that I told him before I wanted to see how good Kuriko is.

Smiling, Hawke nods.

"Yeah. You're good."

He turns around.

Can I stand her incessant wailing about my dad..? I'm sure she'll stop...

"Reckon you can play a part for The Lost Song?" He says with a smile.

"Hmm... gimme a sec... Satoshi, can you switch the voice on the keyboard to synth-org?"

After Satoshi obliges [ERMERGERD GODMODDING] I play around for a few seconds, playing random sections of the song until I come up with the solid piano section. It took a few seconds, but I remember the song well after the countless times I've listened to it.

"Do you want some sort of backing vocals Hawkey-babes?" I say, putting on a cheeky grin.

"Hang on, hang on. Have you heard this version? It's hard to find if you don't own an original LP."

Hawke takes his phone out and plays them a different version of the song, which was more recent but largely unknown which they released on a second album.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUri06j5hWE]

I listen for a few seconds, with no apparent difference turning up. Then the structure of the song is completely blown out of the water.

"Woah. they don't call it the lost song for nothing eh? I've never heard it and I'm pretty sure I'm their biggest fan... Do you have a copy that I can steal? I mean, er... borrow. I like this one, but I'm not sure. The piano is certainly more interesting, but... Y'know. Nostalgia."

'Hawkey-babes??'

I briefly and quietly shudder.

"hhuhuhuhhh.."*inhale*

I listen to the song a bit before commenting.

"I was never too huge on cymbals but I work very well with them when it comes to sound quality regardless."

"I'm also missing a china cymbal for the part as well, the set here isn't too diverse since it's a school's."

"As for that light drum part around a minute and a half into the song, there aren't any drums that sound like that here it seems, but is it fine if I just use a marching snare in place?"

"The instrument is a bit louder but it's a similar in sound. I could play it piano or pianissimo but it wouldn't be AS soft as the original instrument used for the song."

"Generally, again, the song is workable for me if I can have some room to expand on possibilities."

"Well, we aren't performing it, are we? It's our own take. Doesn't have to be exactly right."

Hawke was a strong disbeliever in rigidly following pre-determined paths, if you didn't have a personal flair in something it was pointless trying.

Sweet, I love putting my own flair on my covers.

"Aright, sweet."

I walk to a shelf on the far side of the room with some different drums and percussion equipment. After picking out a marching snare I come back, set up the stand for it to fit my needs and then play a little something on it.

(No space= roll. Dash= 16th notes. Space= 8th notes. %=repeat. := position to repeat to.)

..........^.............^
*:rrllrrll R-l-r-l r-l-r-l-r-l-r
%
%
(Right and left stick at the same time.)
l l l-l l-l
r r r-r r-r*

"Alright, I should be good."

"You ready? 1, 2, 1 2 3 4"
Kuriko starts with the run up the piano, and Hawke begins playing the soft bass part, with Satoshi playing his drum beat.

Oh, I had nine lives...

I'm passionately playing on the cymbals.

Following only but my heart. Taking advantage of the different varying dynamics of the song's essence.

Really getting into it. My face shows not a hint of forced concentration.

The face of someone living the music more than playing.

Like a different person from a few seconds ago.

As a natural side effect, I begin to make overly-exaggerated movements between parts I play, helping me to play exactly on beat.

"Yet another successful song... this band thing really is coming together 'Toshi."

"Damn straight, bredduh."

I look over at Kuriko who seems to have enjoyed herself.

"Hey,-"

Time to appeal to her emotions like a true performer does.

"-how would you like to be with Tiberius more often?"

Motherfucker.

"Heh, oh Satoshi, you crazy!" I rub the back of my neck in nervousness and laugh, almost manically.

"Jumping the gun a bit, bud."