"Concert Auditions. Second Floor, 2B" (IC)

[N/A]

"Ah, yes, it seems that...things have returned to normal, and calm has descended upon my loft. Excellent! I'm just going to have another daiquiri, and then-" As she approached the pitcher in the ice bucket, she saw the young firebrand from moments before pouring herself a large alcoholic beverage. Happy to be able to hide her flustered state beneath a paternal veneer, she put her hands on her hips and scowled.

"Miss 'Z', was it? What exactly do you think your doing?"

Zoe looked up at Estelle quizzically, empty glass in one hand, pitcher in the other. [bg=#0000BF]"...Pouring myself a drink. Why, want one? Oh, wait, was this supposed to be B-Y-O-B? I just thought, with the spread out there, that this was open to the public, too. Wait, you're gonna drink all this by yourself? Sprak, Woman, you are hardcore."[/bg] Zoe grinned and nodded approvingly.

Zoe vanished, reappearing directly in front of Estelle holding two glasses, now full. She held one out to Estelle, which a lock of her hair reached out, wrapped around like a tentacle, and coolly withdrew. Then Zoe balled her empty hand into a fist and held it out to Estelle. [bg=#0000BF]"You look like the 'classy dame' kinda girl who'll wanna make a toast to something, but first, you must bump this."[/bg]

[Heritage]

[bg=#0000BF]"You look like the 'classy dame' kinda girl who'll wanna make a toast to something, but first, you must bump this."[/bg]

For a few moments, Estelle just stared at the girl's outstretched fist, then she met her gaze and smiled sweetly. "Well, first of all, Z, I don't fist bump. And second of all-" A tendril of hair shot out with surprising speed to snatch the glass out of the teen's hand. "I do not allow underage drinking in my home. Now, can I get you a juice or soda?"

She turned back to look at the lovely Divine, and with a smile offered her the drink via hair extension.

[Moira Morley]

Moira watched the scene from afar. Watching Zoe was fun. her being quite the cutie didn't hurt matters either. She hoped that Zoe grew up well. The whole love thing is something she'd have to get a handle on, but who has their priorities straight at sixteen anyway? She got closer to the scene. Estelle, now, was something to watch. The hair was intriguing, but she herself was hot. Moira slowly walked towards the scene like a moth to a flame. by the time she was at the kitchen border, she received a drink! Moira smiled and mouthed a "[divine]thank you[/divine]" with a wink.

[N/A]

"Well, first of all, Z, I don't fist bump. And second of all-" A tendril of hair shot out with surprising speed to snatch the glass out of the teen's hand. "I do not allow underage drinking in my home. Now, can I get you a juice or soda?"

Zoe's jaw dropped open a little, a skeptical look in her eyes. [bg=#0000BF]"You gotta be farking kidding me. Are you for real?"[/bg]

[bg=#0000BF]"Wow, Lady. You obviously don't spend a lot of time around musicians. And you obviously haven't spent much time around Eddie Ozan, either, if you expect people to be in the same room with him sober."[/bg] She rolled her eyes. [bg=#0000BF]"Whatever. Nah, I'll help myself. Just let me know when I'm up."[/bg] She walked back out into the living room, muttering [bg=#0000BF]"...'ll probably wanna get hammered after this's over anyway...wouldn't have to deal with this After School Special sprak in Europe..."[/bg]

[Heritage]

Moira smiled and mouthed a "[divine]thank you[/divine]" with a wink.

The blonde superheroine smiled back and mouthed a 'you're welcome'; in all honesty, she was finding it increasing difficult to keep her eyes off of her, and she could tell her heart rate was increasing just a tad, though a deep swig of her daiquiri cooled her off a bit.

[bg=#0000BF]"You gotta be farking kidding me. Are you for real?"[/bg]

[bg=#0000BF]"Wow, Lady. You obviously don't spend a lot of time around musicians. And you obviously haven't spent much time around Eddie Ozan, either, if you expect people to be in the same room with him sober."[/bg]

Estelle sighed deeply and shook her head; clearly the girl's parents had spoiled her rotten. Probably spent every summer across the Atlantic drunk and dancing on tabletops. Turning back to the rest of the musicians and various superpeople, she clapped her hands loudly and raised her voice.

"Hello, everyone and welcome! I must apologize for the chaos you've all no doubt been experiencing, but I must admit this is the first time I've done this sort of thing. For those who don't know me, my name is Doctor Estelle de Havilland, and I welcome you to my home!"

She sighed and took a deep breath; so far so good! She did her best to keep the lovely Divine just in the corner of her peripheral vision, to minimize distractions.

Goodness, what a feeling!

"The reason you're all here, other than a love of music, is to raise both money for and awareness of the amazing inequality of educational opportunities that exist in this country. I have founded a charitable foundation with two focuses. First, to create a college fund for Freedom City students pursuing degrees in the arts and sciences, and second, to donate funds to elementary and secondary schools in the city's poorest neighborhoods, again with a focus on the arts, including musical programs, and the sciences."

This was going quite well! Estelle was feeling the return of her usual confidence; however, unbeknownst to her, or at least to her conscious mind, a small tendril of hair had loosened itself from her braid and was extending down the back of her leg, inching closer and closer to where Divine was standing, just a few feet away.

"To raise money for this foundation, to add to the start-up capital I've used to prime the pot, as it were, we will be presenting a concert in the Liberty Dome in late August. I've already signed several local bands, such as Albion, Crossbones and Madman Finale, and they are eager to participate, but to really push this show over the top, I'd like several of Freedom's heroes to perform on stage, either together as a sort of 'supergroup', if you'll forgive the appalling pun, or as solo performers."

At this point, the golden tentacle gently but firmly wrapped itself around the goddess's toned ankle; the sensation sent a jolt through Estelle's body, which she attempted to disguise with enthusiasm as she loudly clapped her hands and rubbed them eagerly together.

"So before we go any farther, uh, who is most comfortable performing solo?"

Don't look at her don't look at her why can't I let go? :shock: :oops:

[Fox]

Dragonfly opened her mouth to speak up, but choked on her words as she spied the friendly bit of hair. She froze for a moment that seemed like an age as every normally rampaging, whispering thread and train of thought in her head came to a screeching halt and was replaced by...other things.

She coughed, turning a little pink. Forcing her gaze away - even if she couldn't do the same to her imagination - she tried again. "Don't...have much experience playing with other people. Learn quickly, though. Probably best solo, but available if anyone needs an extra set of hands, too."

[Moira Morley]

Poor Zoe. Though it was Doctor de Havilland's home, so Moira wasn't about to dispute the hostess's decision. Besides, the good doctor seemed to be playing it up to her, and Moira knew where her bread was buttered. She drank the drink as the golden blonde gather the group together in one area to speak with them. That was pretty tasty. She listened to the coordinator as she drank her drink when all of a sudden she felt fely something silky rubbing the lower part oher leg. A quick glance down revealed that the cute hostess had stealthy intentions. Not that Moira minded. She was quite enjoying it. Maybe later they could have a talk. When silky haired coordinator asked for volunteers, she was about to step up when she realized that she couldn't actually move without tripping herself or her secret admirer. Not that she minded. This was quite enjoyable.

[OmegaPlatinum]

"Oh hey man." Warren said as he shook his hand. "Nice to see you again. You look much better than last time." He said with a smile.

"Hah, yeah. I forgot about the whole 'exploding engine' thing after the guy threw me. I didn't think it'd do that much damage, but I was right next to it."

He laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his head, the memory of the injury still fresh in his mind. "My dad had to work on me all day to fix that mess up. I'm glad you guys were able to take care of that situation without me though."

At this point, the golden tentacle gently but firmly wrapped itself around the goddess's toned ankle; the sensation sent a jolt through Estelle's body, which she attempted to disguise with enthusiasm as she loudly clapped her hands and rubbed them eagerly together.

Kurt let out a small laugh at what just happened, turning a bit red in the face at the "enthusiasm." "Heh, I probably wouldn't do so well solo. A vibraphone wouldn't fit in a rock concert, so that leaves me with drumming for any band that needs it." He went back to his spot and recreated his drum kit. "Let's go people! Forget the drama! I wanna make some music!" He smirked with his fist in the air wrapped around his drumsticks.

[quotemyname]

Eddie could hear the argument between Zoe and Estelle coming from the other room. He took a certain satisfaction in hearing her get scolded. He was the one with the fake ID, but he at least didn't feel it necessary to put that to use when at someone else's house. Especially not for an event like this. Eddie's expression was smug as Zoe walked back into the room. Realizing he would easily catch another comment from her for that, he quickly killed the expression and turned his attention back to their host. He knew the speed at which her eyes worked, though, so it was a pretty safe bet that Zoe had seen him.

Eddie noticed that something was a miss with Estelle as she made her speech, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. He decided to let it go for now, and instead concentrate on the performance. "Normally, I wouldn't come out for something like this. I have my own band, and really don't want to waltz in here and take someone's spot that doesn't otherwise have a chance to perform. But I will say this: ODK should be back on the east coast in august. Would you be opposed to us making your concert in Freedom City the last stop on our tour? Long as it's okay with Warren, here, that is. We can use our spots tonight to showcase what we can do."

[Gizmo]

Focused though he was on the buffet, Jack did notice de Havilland letting her hair down, so to speak, and much more obviously the scientist's hasty attempt to cover her own surprise. Fortunately, the fencer had a considerably easier time keeping his amusement off of his own face. He sympathized with Estelle; Moira tended to have that sort of effect on people, unfortunately. Similarly, he didn't make any move to acknowledge the brief dust up in the kitchen. Their hostess had dealt with the situation handily. Breakdown's exaggeratedly humble speech caused him to finally quirk an eyebrow, however. "'ODK'? What, are you guys supposed to be a big deal or something?"

[N/A]

This was going quite well! Estelle was feeling the return of her usual confidence; however, unbeknownst to her, or at least to her conscious mind, a small tendril of hair had loosened itself from her braid and was extending down the back of her leg, inching closer and closer to where Divine was standing, just a few feet away.

At this point, the golden tentacle gently but firmly wrapped itself around the goddess's toned ankle; the sensation sent a jolt through Estelle's body, which she attempted to disguise with enthusiasm as she loudly clapped her hands and rubbed them eagerly together.

Zoe spied the errant strand of hair as she glanced at that area of the floor for the hundredth time that second. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, started glancing back and forth between Estelle and Moira, and raised an eyebrow skeptically. [bg=#0000BF]Well well well. Look who just lost the right to judge me about anything, ever. Feeling her up right in front of everybody? Classy.[/bg]

"So before we go any farther, uh, who is most comfortable performing solo?"

Zoe raised her hand nonchalantly. [bg=#0000BF]"Check. Hired gun, lone wolf, flying solo, and doing just fine."[/bg] She fought the urge to smirk smugly at Eddie. [bg=#0000BF]"Better than fine. Razor."[/bg]

"Heh, I probably wouldn't do so well solo. A vibraphone wouldn't fit in a rock concert, so that leaves me with drumming for any band that needs it."

[bg=#0000BF]"Yo!"[/bg] Zoe raised her hand again. [bg=#0000BF]"If it's just me and my guitar, I'll live. But I could use some drummer backup if you're looking for holes to fill."[/bg]

[alderwitch]

Talya made her way into the kitchen and back out with drinks in hand, skirting around the various heroes with graceful ease on her clicking heels. She didn't feel the need to drink in social groups generally but it did give one something to do with their hands during awkward situations, and this looked to have several awkward situations rising up. She returned to the small cluster of adults and silently held out the glass of scotch for Ace to take. It might have been decades since they'd last been anything like an item but she knew his tastes hadn't changed much.

"I brought you water," she said politely to the angel, "I wasn't sure if you drank but rather to be safe than sorry. You seem terribly difficult to offend but it would be a shame to waste good wine."

With her glass held loosely she watched the ego jockeying with one arched brow and the tendril of hair sneaking along the ground with an amused raised eyebrow before she hid the smile behind the rim of her glass. "Well, at least there should be plenty of entertainment."

[Heritage]

This had never happened before; her newly animated hair had always done exactly what she wanted it to, not one strand ever out of its proper place. So why in the name of all that's holy could she not get this one tendril to let go? At the very least, she was fairly sure no one had noticed, or if they had, they were at least decent enough not to show it. Returning to the question at hand, Estelle decided to leave the troublesome fibers alone for now.

"Normally, I wouldn't come out for something like this. I have my own band, and really don't want to waltz in here and take someone's spot that doesn't otherwise have a chance to perform. But I will say this: ODK should be back on the east coast in august. Would you be opposed to us making your concert in Freedom City the last stop on our tour? Long as it's okay with Warren, here, that is. We can use our spots tonight to showcase what we can do."

The blonde superheroine smiled and gave Eddie a thumbs up.

"Excellent! If you have a demo tape, or rather some MP3's I could listen to later, I'd really appreciate it. I'll make sure to give you my email address before you go, but I'd still like to hear you today, if that's alright."

The golden serpent began to coil around Divine's leg, slowly wrapping itself around her calf as it crept upward. Estelle flicked her eyes towards the stupendous redhead and smiled nervously.

This is a dream, a nightmare! Sure, parts of it are pleasant, like the feel of her skin beneath my strands, but I need to wake up now!

With tremendous force of will, Gossamer forced the tendril to retreat back into the braid, which then twisted itself so tight that it audibly creaked, like the rigging on a storm-tossed sailboat.

[bg=#0000BF]"If it's just me and my guitar, I'll live. But I could use some drummer backup if you're looking for holes to fill."[/bg]

Feeling much better, but still a bit flush in the face, Estelle took a step towards Zoe while gesturing towards Kurt.

"Well, why don't the two of you perform for us right now, just drums and guitar? That's a nice way to get started! Is there something you can both play?"

[Darksider42]

"'ODK'? What, are you guys supposed to be a big deal or something?"

"Octopus Dropkick." Warren said with a shrug. "You play one performance where everyone starts calling you the next Metallica or Dream Theater, beat up The Maestro and the green man party crashing the same performance and suddenly Tour offers start pouring in and Myspace groups start to form on the basis wanting to have our children. Warren explained to Jack of all Blades. He wasn't exactly bragging mind you. Warren pretty much swore off Social networking sites as soon as he started seeing comments about Eddie.

"Mind you, this is all happening waaaay too fast for my taste." He added in a whisper he directed towards the Swordsman. "And yeah Eddie, I don't mind. Would be a good way to end the tour. Assuming we don't get anymore gate crashers, it should be great." Note to self, get working on those Automated security bots, Human security is inadequate against metahuman threats.

[quotemyname]

Eddie leaned over in the stool and opened up the messenger bag that sat next to him. He pulled out a miniature iPod and tossed it through the air towards Estelle. "Ask and ye shall receive." He told her. "Most of the songs we've written are on there. And those things are a dime a dozen, these days, so I don't really expect it back. Just make sure you buy the album when it comes out" He winked at her.

[OmegaPlatinum]

"Yo!" Zoe raised her hand again. "If it's just me and my guitar, I'll live. But I could use some drummer backup if you're looking for holes to fill."

"Sure, kid." He smiled and twirled his drumsticks in his fingers, thinking about the events that had transpired just a few moments ago between her and Breakdown. "I may not be as skilled as some of you... what were they calling you, 'Clearmount' kids? But I think you'll like what you hear. The Energy drums give a bit of a unique sound."

"Well, why don't the two of you perform for us right now, just drums and guitar? That's a nice way to get started! Is there something you can both play?"

"I'm sure there's something we can play." Kurt reaches into his pocket and grabs his mp3 player. He tosses it over to Zoe. "Pick a song, any song!"

[N/A]

Feeling much better, but still a bit flush in the face, Estelle took a step towards Zoe while gesturing towards Kurt. "Well, why don't the two of you perform for us right now, just drums and guitar? That's a nice way to get started! Is there something you can both play?"

Zoe jumped to her feet and cracked her knuckles. [bg=#0000BF]"Sure. Let's do this."[/bg] She slung her Z-shaped guitar back over her shoulder and disappeared, reappearing an eyeblink later next to Kurt.

"I'm sure there's something we can play." Kurt reaches into his pocket and grabs his mp3 player. He tosses it over to Zoe. "Pick a song, any song!"

Zoe tossed it right back to him. [bg=#0000BF]"I already got one in mind. And if you don't know it, then we can't play together. Ever."[/bg] She grinned and slapped Kurt on the back as she walked past him. [bg=#0000BF]"Try ta keep up, Sparky."[/bg]

For a moment, it appeared as though Zoe was in two places at once. Then, a half-second later, the Zoe who still stood next to Kurt faded away, revealing itself to be merely a visual echo. The "real" Zoe was the one now standing on the stage in front of the center microphone stand with her guitar already plugged into the amp.

[bg=#0000BF]"We're gonna go with some classic metal tonight. Something to separate the men and women from the boys and girls. Something epic."[/bg] Kurt (and most of the others in attendance) recognized the song from the first three notes: "Master of Puppets" by Metallica. Zoe's fingers danced along the strings, soon moving too fast to be seen as more than a blur. At some points, it appeared as though her arms had split in two, her hands pressing or strumming the strings in multiple places at once. Her singing voice was surprisingly low compared to her speaking voice, and more "melodic" than James Hefield's screaming. She banged her head in time with the drum beats during the chorus, sending her nearly waist-length flaming orange locks whipping through the air like a hurricane.

It was obvious why she chose this song - the guitars and drums were both fast, furious, and complex. And at eight and a half minutes, with a two-minute guitar solo in the middle, it was not a song to be undertaken lightly.

[bg=#0000BF]"End of passion play! Crumbling away! I'm your source of self-destruction!"

"Veins that pump with fear! Sucking darkest clear! Feed-ing on your death's construction!"

"Taste me you will see! More is all you need!"

"Dedicated to...how I'm killing youuu!"

"Come crawling FASTER! Obey your MASTER!"

"Your life burns FASTER! Obey your MASTER! MASTER!"

"Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings!"

"Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams!"

"Blinded by me, you can't see a thing!"

"Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream!"

"MASTER! MASTER!"

"Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you screeeeammm!"

"MASTER!"

"MASTER!"[/bg]

[OmegaPlatinum]

Kurt shook his head in amazement. Her speed was incredible... unbelievable. He's seen speedsters before, but nothing like her.

He put his MP3 player back in his pocket, "Will do, Speedy."

As for her song choice, he certainly wasn't expecting that, especially after her "classical" comment. Yes, Metallica is pretty memorable, but "classical?" When did Metal become Classical? He chalked it up to the uneducated generation and ignored it.

He looked at his drums and sticks, then at Zoe. She was serious. He started drumming simply. He played it by the book to start. As the song went on, he really got into it. His arms moved wildly as he struck each drum and each symbol with great precision. Midway through the song, Kurt lets go of the drumsticks, letting them seemingly move by themselves as he stretched his arms out, giving them a bit of a rest. He sipped on the drink he had brought with him, put it back down and joined back into the song, grabbing the drumsticks with a rather intense look on his face and continuing the song perfectly.

Going through his head, besides the music, I have to say, she's good. Very good. She's no James Hetfield, but then again, I'm no Lars Ulrich.

[Moira Morley]

Moira smiled and lightly bit her bottom lip, keeping her composure as the silky golden snake crawled up her leg. And in an instant it was gone. She wouldn't have called it freedom, there was happiness in that captivity, but she was able to move again. As the kids set up, she slowly but not obviously walked closer to Estelle while watching the performers set up and perform. "[divine]They're quite good, aren't they,[/divine]" she softly asked the the hostess while still watching them.

[Heritage]

"Ask and ye shall receive." He told her. "Most of the songs we've written are on there. And those things are a dime a dozen, these days, so I don't really expect it back. Just make sure you buy the album when it comes out"

A golden lasso snatched the player out of the air, and slid the iPod into Estelle's back pocket. "Thanks Eddie, and don't worry, I pay for all my music, since I have absolutely no excuse not to at this point."

As Zoe ripped into one of her favorite Metallica songs, the blonde heroine's head began to bob vigorously to the sound; she carefully put down her own guitar so she could better play along on air, her right leg pumping to Kurt's rhythm as her fingers worked the invisible fretboard. A humongous grin spread across her face as she marveled the young redhead's playing.

Many people, including both her parents, assumed Estelle's professed love of hard rock and metal was a mere rebellious affectation, but in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. It was times like this, when she could feel herself getting lost in the power of the music, that she truly felt the most alive.

"[divine]They're quite good, aren't they.[/divine]"

Gossamer turned to Divine, then brought her ear closer to the goddess to better hear her over the tortured chords. "What? Oh yeah, they're awesome, actually! She has amazing hands!"

As Estelle shut here eyes and continued to rock her body to the music, her hair inevitably started to work itself loose from its confinement, unwilling to be left out of the fun. Now free and unfurled, the shimmering blonde mass was like a savage sea of gold, Gossamer's head-banging sending wild ripples throughout the strands. A long flat ribbon looped sinuously around Divine's waist, languidly resting like a belt just above her shapely hips. The sensation, the feel of the immense power that lay just beneath that soft skin hit Estelle like a bolt of lightening, and she rocked out even harder than before as she wept tears of pure joy. And she really didn't care who saw.

Life is truly wonderful, isn't it? :D

[Fox]

Dragonfly crossed her arms, listening to the music and watching Zoe's hands on the guitar. basic guitar mechanics not so complex - song less so - very fast - difficult to catch individual notes - examine slower simpler calmer playing later? - basic instruction - not my first choice in music - not bad, I suppose - not really my thing

Her foot was tapping despite herself, and little lights on her gauntlets insisted on lighting up and going out in time with the music. She frowned when she noted, but didn't try to stop it. possibly catchier than first anticipated

[Gizmo]

Over by the buffet table, a broad grin spread across Jack of all Blades' masked face and he flicked his wrist absently in time with the music. "Hot damn I love those kids," he confided in the spacey dirty blonde with the high tech accoutrements. "Spoiled as hell and oddly touchy but they do consistently bring it."

As Zoe finished her song and Jack broke out into enthusiastic, genuine applause, a glimmer of an idea began to form in his mind. Didn't look that hard, he mused, glancing sidelong at an electrical outlet on the wall of Doctor de Havilland's apartment's wall. Screw it, why not? A slight tug of his will brought a shock of lightning leaping from the outlet to his outstretched hand, instantly solidifying into a crackling rapier blade between he thumb and forefinger. A rolling motion brought his wrist around as a second razor thing pillar of energy appeared, then a third, forth and fifth, fanned between his knuckles like playing cards. Grasping the far ends in his free hand, the swashbuckler frowned slightly in concentration as he refined their form until a quintet of parallel lighting bolts rested in his grip. Looking up at the rest of the loft's occupants he grinned. "Heh, electric guitar."

He turned to Estelle. "Well, I'm not exactly one of the kid prodigies, Doc, but if it's for a good cause and all..."

Indicating a simple beat to Kurt with a rhythmic nodding of his head, he strummed the scintillating strings experimentally. The manipulated lightning provided a raw, booming sound, and a predatory smirk pulled at the corners of Jack's mouth as he began slamming out power chords. He lacked all of the technical skill of the young speedster, but it was hard to fault his enthusiasm as he rocked his entire lithe frame into the movement.

[groove]21914381[/groove]

Moving to the mic, he scanned the room, giving Talya a cocky wink and Ace a nod of acknowledgment.

• "When you saw her, across the club,
  "You're one lucky sonovagun!
  "Every boy in the room wanted her numb~er~er~er!"

The the tails of the fencer's bandanna mask flew wildly back and forth as he punctuated the lyrics with exaggerated body language. The voice itself was perhaps shouldn't have been surprising; Jack always spoke with a clear confidence that seemed to cut through the noise of a battlefield. Now, though, the young man was pushing himself past his usual wry baritone into a veritable wave of innate magnetism. A sudden slide brought him off the stage to land neatly between Moira and their hostess with a raised eyebrow.

• "No wasted time, with a girl that fine,
  "Do what you need to do to get lovin'!
  "Just keep your cool, tell yourself it's nothi~i~i~in'!"

An abrupt flip brought him sailing through the air back to the stage, greatcoat spreading out behind him as he launched back into the song without missing a beat. This time he cast a look toward Eddie.

• "She is easy on the eyes, take your time,
  "Bet it all, and let it ride!
  "I know for sure that it's cool when it's two active volcanoes!"

Sparing Zoe a quick look, Jack crouched slightly, building up momentum on his bizarre instrument.

• "Everybody knows love means nothin',
  "But when it clicks sometimes volcanoes get erruptin'...
  "She is easy on the eyes, take your time,
  "Bet it all, and let it ride!
  "I know for sure that it's cool when it's two active volcanoes!"

Turning back to the room at large, Jack kicked one leg out as the chord progression changed. The true musicians in the audience realized that he was barely playing the electric strings at all, but was somehow willing them to create the sound he wanted as unconsciously as he was changing the pitch of his voice.

• "So it's comin' down tonight.
  "If you freeze you'll die of fright.
  "Don't forget she's probably thinking the same thi~i~i~ing!
  
  "Just lean in, do what you know!
  "You got this so keep your cool! Take it slow!
  "Don't! Want! Her believin' you get nothi~i~i~in'!
  
  "She is easy on the eyes, take your time,
  "Bet it all, and let it ride!
  "I know for sure that it's cool when it's two active volcanoes!"

The acrobat shifted into an instrumental solo, eying the crowd with a light-hearted glee tinged with a hint of challenge. Atop the stage he was a blur of royal blue, deep crimson and flashing light.

• "I know for sure that it's cool when it's two active volcanoes!
  "Two active volcanoes!
  "Blowin' all day and blowin' all night,
  "The pressure's to high to contain!"

With a final dramatic chord, Jack brought the performance to a close, beads of sweat apparent on his grinning face. Oh, yeah. Needed that.

[Avenger Assembled]

Freedom Angel stared. Was that good? I have no idea. Nothing in that song made any sense to me, or how he sang it... Everyone around him seemed very appreciative, though, so he started applauding. It's not a falsehood to appreciate something you didn't understand, he reminded himself when he felt a pang of Heavenly guilt. Look how sweaty he is, and how hard he worked! It's not right to deny him appreciation for all his efforts, even if I didn't understand the music he was playing. That's why I'm on this plane, so I can learn the ways of humanity even as I teach them the ways of Heaven. I can appreciate the performance, even if I didn't understand what he was performing. "Encore!"

[quotemyname]

An abrupt flip brought him sailing through the air back to the stage, greatcoat spreading out behind him as he launched back into the song without missing a beat. This time he cast a look toward Eddie.

"Woohoo!" Eddie answered the look by cheering Jack's performance.

As soon as the performance was over, Eddie was on his feet and clapping. "Hot Damn, Jack! Way to raise the bar!" Then he smirked and shot a sideways glance toward Warren. "Our turn." He said evenly, to build effect.

Eddie turned around, and pulled a long black case out from under the DJ table. He clicked open the latches and cracked it open, revealing his own guitar. The brand new instrument shined in the light of the apartment. If it had given off more light, you could have sworn it was made of solid gold.

Eddie quickly played a scale, making sure it had held the tuning he'd given it earlier. Satisfied, he turned to Warren, "You wanna lead us off? You know which song we talked about, right?"

Warren began playing the opening chords of Megadeath's Hangar 18, while Eddie positioned himself at the Mic.

[groove]21915238[/groove]

Eddie joined in playing a few bars into the song, and soon the two began trading off different sections of the song. Specifically wherever there were repeated sections that sounded similar that they could each put their own spin on. Where the song joined back together, so did they.

Eddie looked straight at Zoe as he began the first verse.

"Welcome to our fortress tall

Take some time to show you around

Impossible to break these walls

For you see the steel is much too strong

Computer banks to rule the world

Instruments to sight the stars"

Allowing his hands to leave his guitar briefly, he grasped the Mic with one hand and pointed at Jack with the other.

"Possibly I've seen too much

Hangar 18 I know too much"

During the next verse, he gave every one of the performers in the room their dues with as man looks, and salutes as he could.

"Foreign life forms inventory

Suspended state of cryogenics

Selective amnesia's the story

Believed foretold but who'd suspect

The military intelligence

Two words combined that can't make sense"

Then he called out the last verse as he truly began to concentrate on the upcoming solos,

"Possibly I've seen too much

Hangar 18 I know too much"

Megadeath had done it first, but Eddie Ozan had just done it better.

[Moira Morley]

Moira watched as Estelle enjoyed herself. This is what it was all about, enjoying yourself. Throwing your whole mind and body into the pursuit of happiness. And then the golden snake returned, this time around her waist.It felt wonderful. Moira could feel everything Estelle was doing It felt like being in a graceful storm. It took a lot of willpower to keep from taking her golden-haired beauty away from this place and somewhere more private. She moved along with her, though she hand never danced like this before she had enough to keep instep, close to her partner.