Yeah, I definitely took 'a few more hours' to finish this, but hey, at least it's ready now!
[X]That's interesting
[X]...I'll have to buy a new one.
10 people have voted
[X]That's weird
[X]...I'll have to buy a new one.
1 people have voted
[X]That's interesting
[X]...Let's rebuild it.
1 people have voted
"I...I see."
Your voice doesn't break, you keep your composure. You're a big girl - you can manage that, at least.
Your free hand still curls into a fist at your side.
In theory, one could say that an instrument is little more than a tool to make music - if it can no longer work it has outlived its usefulness, and should get no more regard than a dry battery.
You've never been
that cynical, though - so it hurts. It was - it still is, your first instrument. Old, third hand, sure - but it was the closest thing to a piano you had at home, something you could play everyday, your introduction to the world of synths and their many sounds.
You are going to miss it.
Because
yes, you could try and restore it, and
yes, if you give the shopkeep enough time and money she could probably make it work better than new but... what then?
You'd still be running around - maybe even performing - with a decade-old third hand instrument, wondering if maybe spending that money on something newer
and keeping your old keyboard as it was would have been better.
It's an important piece of your past, sure - but the Hibiki of a week ago probably wouldn't have decided to form a band after jamming with two strangers in a music shop, either.
Might as well turn that page.
You slowly unclench your fist.
"...I'll probably have to buy a new one, then," you say, meeting the middle-aged woman's eyes. If you took a long time to answer, she doesn't mention it. "And keep this one as-is. Sounds like the sensible thing to do."
"Very well," the owner nods. "I imagine you will need some time to pick a replacement so I'll just ring up the repair bill for this right now," she says, walking back behind the counter. "If you need any assistance, feel free to ask me or Uzawa-kun. I'm sure she will will be more than willing to help."
"Yes, I probably will, thank you." You silently hand her the money (not as much as you expected, to be honest - though whether it's due to sympathy or just competitive pricing you cannot say), bow, and head for the exit.
"For what is worth," the woman adds as you reach the door. "I find one's instruments to be much like pets. The first one is always special, but in time one comes to treasure each of them in their own way."
At the tram stop near the store, school bag in hand and instrument case on your shoulders, you take a moment to breathe in the cool afternoon air.
Then, you allow yourself a deep, tremulous sigh.
This hasn't exactly been the best day ever.
One more thing.
Picking up your phone and unlocking it with a swipe, you search your contacts.
There it is: 'CiRCLE'. You're glad you had the presence of mind to ask Marina-san for the studio's number. A quick tap, and you press the phone against you ear.
"Hello, this is CiRCLE Live House and Studio," someone picks up after almost five rings, words rushed as if to make up for the lost time.
"Tsukishima Marina speaking. How can I help you?"
"Marina-san? Uh, good evening" you start, not really sure what to say, exactly - you've never booked a live house, before. "It's Saotome-san. I, well, I talked with you two days ago about booking a slot for practice?"
"Uhmmm...Ah, yes, Hibiki-chan, right? - weren't you trying to find someone to play with?"
"Yes, that's me. And I managed? We're just three people for now, is that enough for the band discount?"
"Ah, yes it is. Congratulations!" you can't see Marina's face right now, but she sounds fairly impressed. Then her voice turns more business-like:
"We're really busy this weekend but there should still be some space - please wait a sec." you hear a faint clack then some muffled conversation
"Ok, I have the logbook right here, did you have a day in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking either Friday or Sunday afternoon."
"Well, we do have some space on Friday - it's the very last free slot. I'll keep it for you, but you probably should come and sign on it as soon as you can, since people are booking slots like crazy today."
"Ah, I see," you hum in thought, pulling the phone away from your ear for a moment to look at the time - then you glance at the tram timetable. Luckily, there's more than enough for a quick trip to CiRCLE before going home.
"I can be there in five, ten at most."
"Great! I'll be waiting, then. See you later, Hibiki-chan."
"Later, Marina-san. Than-"
The call abruptly drops with a click. Huh, she must be
really busy.
...you should probably hurry, too.
-
So, did you girls find anything about a bassist, btw?
eeeh shrug nope, sorry I asked around a bit in class
but the only bassists they know are those already in a band you know
I heard there's at least another but I didn't even get her name so
gonna ask around in the string section at the orchestra
if the violinists don't kill me with their smug I'll let you know
You have no idea 😑
Smuggest instruments, smuggest players
What about you? Found anything?
Well something yeah
I think asked around a bit at lunch
and at the club
turns out we have at least two bassists at school
free bassists I mean
Yeah
Hirano Izumi from 1D and Asato Haruka from 2C
Hirano-san is a beginner
seems she started playing only a few months ago
but they say she's pretty good
Asato-san actually has band experience
but people say she left her band early this year or something
point is, she's not in a band anymore
so...
😶
Ok
that's a lot
I feel kinda jealous
wait
I'm not done
I heard about someone in Haneoka too
Akishima-san
maybe she's the one you were talking about?
she's a third year
Uh
great
anything else I should know?
Dunno
heh
someone mixed up my question
thought I was asking about double bass players
turns out we have one in 2D
Higashi Fumiko do you know her?
Ah, Higashi-san
yes
I know her
yeah double bass
not really what we're looking for I think
still 3 bassists is a lot right Hibiki-chan?
yeah I'm here Yuki-san
I'm alright
Thanks for the info Suzuki-san
Uzawa-san gave me some names this morning but nothing more
the Haneoka girl's name is Shiori
so she's a third year?
have you met her Yuki-san?
heard of her
but I don't really know her
I see
I've actually met Asato-san two times myself
you did?
could have told me
I didn't know she was a bassist
not until this morning
anyway
I called circle
they say they have a slot open tomorrow afternoon
I'm going there to book it
they didn't let you book by phone?
I mean
this is the 21st century
they probably want to make sure we're going to use it
since they're really busy right now
imagine if someone booked and then didn't go
huh
that actually makes sense, I guess
anyway, just got there
You better tell us how it goes, Hibiki-chan!
yeah yeah I'll keep you posted
don't worry
Stepping into CiRCLE again gives you a strange sense of deja-vu: the same wooden furniture, floor to ceiling windows, the same posters on the warm white walls.
"...and I just said you can't go and give the studio to someone just because they're in a band, Marina-san! This is the second time in four days."
"I'm really sorry, Chou-chan, but they booked it a few minutes before you walked in."
There's even the same people arguing at the front desk-
Wait, seriously?
Almost stumbling in surprise, you do a double-take.
"P-please, Marina-san - I really really need a bit more time to go over this song!"
"Oh, come on! She just got out of a studio, I didn't get to practice all week! Please, Marina-san!"
On a second look, no, that's not
quite right.
The first girl is the same as the last time - you quickly recognize her by her dark grey hair and, frankly, by her temper (it seems like every time you spot her she's angry for some reason) - she waves her arms around as she speaks, the weirdly shaped case on her shoulders (a saxophone, maybe? some other kind of brass instrument?) swaying with the motion.
On the other hand the short, chin-length black hair and red eyes of the second girl seem somehow familiar - even if you're quite sure you've never met her before.
"Ah, well, Rimi-chan, you see..."
The name jolts your memory. ''Rimi-chan'... didn't Uzawa-sempai mention her just this morning? When listing all the bassists she knows? You kinda zoned out at some point so you probably missed a few details but she was from... Poppin'Party you think.
'Ah! Ichigaya-san's band!' You resist the urge to snap your fingers.
'Rimi-rin's the bassist', Toyama-san had said. Yeah, that's where you've seen her before - in a chibi-style portrait on her band's fliers. Sure enough, you can see a bass case at her side.
You take a few steps forward, then stop. What should you do? One one hand you don't want to get in the middle of an argument, on the other, you
do need to book that studio. And if people are already fighting over who gets studio time then you better hurry up.
"...my sister's birthday is next week, I need tuh get dis song- to get this song ready in time, Chou-san, and I c-can't practice it at home..." the bassist says with a soft voice and a determined expression - she's clearly uneasy, but unwilling to back down just yet.
"Look, I said I got it,
but you can ask your band for help," the other girl shoots back. She isn't enjoying this either. In fact, she looks both upset and weary. "
I don't have that - and this is the only place close enough to school that I can-"
"Girls, please," Marina-san tries to stave off the argument. "I'm sure you both have your good reasons, but as I said, someone has already booked the studio for a band. You know I can't just cancel that," she pleads. "I'll try and make it up to you girls in the future but-" the manager trails off as she spots you. "Ah, Hibiki-chan, good evening!" she greets you as she waves you over. It's funny, you never knew a single gaze could convey
both relief
and dread at the same time. "You're here to sign on that practice slot you booked for your band, right?"
The way the two girls immediately lock onto you is unnerving.
"Uh, right," you confirm, taking a few more steps towards the front desk "tomorrow afternoon, so-"
"But you haven't signed yet, right?" the saxophonist - Chou-san if you heard right - cuts you off. "So it's not official yet. Look, could you give me your slot?
Please?" she all but whines, "it's been a
long week, and I'd really like to just play in peace for a bit."
"Hibiki...sempai? You're Saotome-san, right?" the bassist, Rimi, chimes in. "Kasumi-chan and Arisa-chan said they met you the other day. I-I don't want to steal your practice time," she all but squeaks, sounding genuinely sorry, "but there's a song I really need to finish soon and-"
"You just told Marina you were almost done," the other girl retorts, "I heard you."
"B-b-but there's so many details I have to go over and I need to make sure that..."
As the argument restarts in earnest you exchange a look with Marina-san, who looks as weary as you'd expect. You imagine that for her, this is a lose-lose situation. To be honest, you aren't happy either. On one hand, you hadn't meant to place these two girls in this situation, but on the other you really want to jam, and you don't want to disappoint Yuki-san and Suzuki-san, either. What should you do?
{Choose one}
[]Go ahead and book the Friday slot.
It may not be what Chou-san or Rimi-san are hoping for, but your band is counting on you to arrange a practice this weekend. Besides, Marina-san might not be terribly happy but she's right, rules are rules, this is the last free slot at CiRCLE and you booked first.
[]Reach a compromise.
Maybe there's a chance to salvage this situation. No one's going to be perfectly happy, but if you can arrange something...
-[]With whom?
-[]How? (The first idea that comes to mind is maybe splitting the time slot, but perhaps there are other solutions?)
[]Let it go.
Maybe you could just drop this and look elsewhere. You have no idea where you'd start looking, but if you managed to find another place -for tomorrow or Sunday afternoon- and these two reached a compromise then
everyone would be happy. Maybe, you're not sure how your bandmates would take it.
[]Serendipity (1 star point to unlock)
You decide to let it go and look for another place, but you needn't have worried - events, or perhaps fate, conspired to give you a place to practice. Someone in the band has an alternative - but why hasn't it come up before?
(if this option wins, a follow-up vote on how the Star Point is used will ensue)
[]Write-in
Ok, so. I took a good look at the feedback you guys gave me, especially that about choices and plot. I generally try to make sure each vote option and each dice roll leads to more plot (even if not overtly), but I realize that maybe this doesn't always come across as well as I'd like. In this update I tried to make sure you guys had many interesting choices, each with its own equally interesting plot opportunities, and that the choice between them wasn't obvious.
A big thanks to
@Andmeuths for spotting typos and clunky phrases, acting as a sounding board for my crazy ideas, discussing game mechanics and making sure the text of the vote options themselves was understandable rather than my usual cryptic mess
Given the multiple options and the presence of a star vote option, I'm placing a
8 hour moratorium on votes. The new standard
36 hour vote window will start after that.
A note on Star Points:
This is the first time you can unlock a vote option with Star Points, so let me explain them one more time: Star Point are, essentially, fate, luck or perhaps the power of
friendship music friendship between musicians. You will be able to use them to do a number of things, like solving a problem in a way that doesn't contradict established facts, or introducing new plot elements and opportunities.
They aren't 'backup lives' in the sense that I don't plan to place you in 'game over situations' you have to escape from (there can be setbacks, but life isn't a videogame) and even failures can open story opportunities. It's not even a currency to buy an 'enhanced plot': opportunities opened by using a star point are
different, but not objectively
better - that depends on your preferences.
It's important to note that Star Points are (and will remain) limited, but that you earn them by doing interesting stuff and resolving plot arcs. At their heart, they're meant to reward you, the questers, for your input - so when using it consider what is most fun
for you.
