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ourmuse-s · 3 years

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Luisa Fischer

Writing About Music

Professor Loughridge

Due Feb. 28. 2021

Artist Interview

Eph See on Finding Her Sound, Balance and the Music Industry

This past week I had the chance to have a FaceTime interview with Felisha Cabral, otherwise known by her stage name Eph See. A third year Music student, Eph See has been making a name for herself around the Northeastern campus, with tracks such as “Field Recordings”, “Body” and “April”. We sat down together (virtually) to talk about the singer-songwriter’s processes, past and upcoming projects, as well as what it’s like to be a female and non-binary artist in the music industry.

When and how did you first start getting into music?

Music… I feel like every artist says this but music has always been a pretty prominent part of my life. Yeah, I remember doing theatre and choir and stuff since like elementary school and it just continued and continued. I did that throughout middle and high school as well but it wasn’t until I got to high school… we had something that was called Jazz Combo - we never really played jazz - but it was like rock band essentially and I was a vocalist for it and that got me into performing and I was like ugh it’s so cool to be able to you know sing all these songs in front of audiences and stuff even though it was like friends and family… but I really liked that. And then I started writing my own music seriously probably around freshman year of high school. I was a very musical person. If someone said something like a line that was stuck in my head I would just start singing it… I was definitely that kid. But yeah, I remember writing my first song ever ever, that I performed, when I was I think ten or eleven years old? And it was at summer camp and I got all the counselors to sing it with me as well as my backup singers. Oh my God it was sooo dramatic, but that’s the first thing I remember, like writing a song and performing it for people... and I guess here I am now!

What’s the first song you remember writing and really liking?

Okay that’s easy! That was a song I wrote at fifteen called “The Shelf”. It’s a song about unrequited love but someone that always comes back to you, I guess, because you’re there. And the whole premise is like “I’ll just stick to being another book you put back on the shelf and take down when you want”. I was fifteen, I don’t know what I was thinking… Like what was I feeling, what was I going through?

It’s funny that a high school crush as a fifteen year old can turn into a song like that…Did you ever end up recording it?

No. But I did perform it in front of my grade. That was the second time I performed an original song just me and my guitar and I performed it at school. I was like… pretty bold back then, which is kind of cool but also looking back at it I felt bold but during the performance I was so nervous.

Do you still get nervous when you’re performing today?

Oh yeah, all the time, but I think it’s just because I care. I want to do well and I want to connect. It’s less so about looking good or not messing up now… that used to be my fear. But now it’s, you know, what did I write this song for? To help other people and to help myself. And if I can do that well, I care a lot about it and when you care a lot about something, that can become nerves.

Yeah that makes a lot of sense… It’s funny because you seem like you’re a real natural at it.

Thank you! It definitely took time. But that’s another thing I forgot to mention, I did acapella for a while and that was a lot of performing very consistently.

And probably a lot of pressure too.

Oh yeah, especially with some of the crowds that we got. We did like a competition too, I remember my first year second semester in that group, we did do a competition and that was… terrifying. But we won and the feeling after that was insane.

Do you think you like performing in group settings (like with Acapella) more or when it’s just you and your music?

Mmmmmm… That’s a great question.

I love performing my own stuff, but I always love being with other people. I know for me community is such a big thing and I love people that I can create with consistently. Maybe it’s just me but it’s easier for me to create and be vulnerable with people that I trust and if I’ve worked with you a lot then we have built that sense of trust. I’ve always - still do - wanted to be in a band and everything, so I definitely see myself being someone who has a touring band that stays pretty consistent or people that I make music or write with pretty consistently. Or even if I work with a producer I’m probably going to keep my circle pretty small and just work with the same people.

Are you looking to form a band or have you taken any action to start one?

I haven’t… you’re calling me out… I think for me it’s just that some things should come together organically and I have tried posting on NeuGigs because I wanted specifically a band of women or non-gender conforming people because I already have to work with so many cis white men and it’s just not the vibe anymore. So definitely non-men, or non-men of color that I relate to more and I’m able to be more vulnerable and open and free with those kinds of people and that’s what I want out of my experience with a band. So, I definitely could do more to find those people but…

But I feel like you’re doing really well as a solo artist right now too.

Yeah. Yeah, that’s true too. I just found this band the other day called Hard Car Kids and I was like wow these voices all sound so familiar. Then I realized they were a bunch of little artists that I listen to who are friends and they made a band so I was like ugh that’d be sick. Something like that.

That’s so true, I love it when bands are all solo artists or have their own side projects. That way you can see different sides to each of them and sometimes the music they make as a band vs the music they make on their own is so different.

Yeah, I think it definitely allows for artists to have more creativity. Because you’ll find that everyone will tell you “Stick to one genre so you can be more marketable!”. With this one producer I’m working with right now, I’ve made six different songs… none of them sound anything like each other. But I think that it’s so good to get that stuff out because that’s kind of what writer’s block is. When you’re not allowing yourself to get everything out or only letting certain things out then of course you’re gonna have blockages because you’re not fully allowing yourself to create. I found that’s what I was going through a little while ago, and then we [producer + Eph See] started working together and now it just comes more naturally because I’m like okay anything that comes out I’m gonna let come out. Instead of only releasing things that would be good as singles because that just kills your creativity.

That’s so true. I think that you have to write some bad songs or ones you don’t love to eventually get to the ones that you’re really excited about. You have to lay the groundwork and get everything you’re feeling out into the world so you can move on and then get the songs you love.

I could talk all day about the pressure that capitalism puts on artists. Like only releasing “good” music… what is that? Good to who? What is the criteria? You know we can’t all write “Driver’s License” so. And when you look back, this is something I went through in quarantine, you know early shut-down - I was forced into a lot of alone time and I’m living alone now - well I don’t want to say forced because I benefited from it. But going through that and having to really see who I am when I’m not trying to be somebody for somebody else has reflected in my music. It’s gotten more honest. Instead of just writing about love all the time - because what is that? - I’ve been writing more about things like childhood and growing up, self expression and exploration.

Especially as a femme artist everyone expects you to write about love and heartbreak. But, there’s so much more to me than that. So I definitely had to let go of the pressure to only release like billboard charting songs because I want to look back at my discography and see growth. You know what I mean? And it’s not that my songs are bad now, but there’s going to be an evolution when you look at my discography. Like Ariana Grande’s Yours Truly and Positions sound nothing alike but they’re still great and I love being able to see her trajectory.

And to see how an artist grows after a couple projects.

And life! Like life changes you and that’s the whole point!

Exactly! Because sometimes you are in the mood to write a love song but… that’s not all there is to life.

There’s so much more.

And because it’s the main topic of most songs, especially for female artists, I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in that.

Right.

You recently came out with “Body” on Spotify, but do you have any other recent projects you’ve put out?

So “Body” was my latest Spotify release, but in December on New Year’s Eve I released a song called “April” on Soundcloud. Sometimes I just like to put stuff on Soundcloud… not as much as I should probably. One of my songs on there, “The Things I used to care about seem to stupid now”, has started to gain likes and plays again which is really cool to see.

...But it’s actually so true like the things I used to care about do seem so stupid now. But I wrote that last March so it’s about to come up on its one year anniversary and I still feel that way so I think it’s a song that will definitely age well with time which makes me very proud. In the comments there’s people really relating to it and that’s what makes me really happy because I think that was one of the most honest songs I’ve ever written. And it wasn’t easy to write because it was very vulnerable but it just shows that it’s worth it because I feel like the more vulnerable you are, the more people are drawn to it. It gives other people permission to feel that as well and to go that deep.

That’s a really good way of putting it. So how did you go about writing a song that’s really and intimate and how did you come up with the idea for that song specifically?

So that song was kind of funny because I just tweeted “I feel like writing an indie song right now” and people were like “well don’t just not do it then”. So then I did! I wrote it in like six hours. Wrote it, recorded it, produced it, mixed it all in six hours and then just posted it to SoundCloud and… Wow I’m actually getting kind of, I don’t want to say emotional but the way it all happened was so just on a whim and it’s the most streamed song on my SoundCloud. I just had a guitar riff that I played and then it just kind of flowed. But the first line is “lately I’ve been feeling like my past self is slowly peeling away” so I was dealing with a lot of identity issues. Two years ago in November I had what people would call a mental breakdown and it was really scary but needed. I think sometimes people think about mental breakdowns in a very nutcase kind of way but what a mental breakdown really is is the way you’ve been living your life or viewing the world or viewing yourself… your soul is just like “this is not it anymore and we can’t go on thinking about life like this or acting like this or being like this”. So then it’s like okay, purge, total recall, burn it all to the ground. You feel really raw for a bit but then slowly you start to reevaluate and piece things together in a way that fits better.

… That’s a bar. I’m gonna write that down. “Piece things together in a way that fits better”.

That’s another thing, I have a lyric dump so I just put anything there.

On your phone and on your laptop?

Mhm *as she’s typing away*

A lot of my songs are just like stitches from my lyric dump.

So, do you think that [“the things I used to care about seem so stupid now”] is your favorite song, or what would you say is your favorite song you’ve released?

Hmmm… Yeah!

I think… ooh… that’s a really good question. I think it’s the most authentic and most cathartic song that I have released but “Field Recordings” was probably my favorite writing process and releasing process.

I definitely want to release more music but I also have to honor the fact that I’m very much in my own winter season right now. But spring is coming. My life follows the seasons. Fall is all about releasing what you don’t need. Winter is, humans don’t hibernate, but I feel like… well let me not generalize. I don’t hibernate but in the winter time the world is telling me to slow down. Because when spring comes and you’re gonna have all these ideas and all of this stuff that you’re gonna want to do but you need to recharge first. And then summer is like, okay, bask in all the glory!

I get a lot of sunlight from my windows, like so much natural light in my apartment, as well as the view of the moon right outside my window.

I feel like that’s very on brand for you.

Oh my God, it is!

I was thinking about it yesterday and the universe really snapped. But yeah, I have all of these windows, just drinking tea, and I felt like a cat that just sprawls out in the sun. I was trying to get the sunlight all over my body, like my back and I was thinking how these parts of my skin have not felt the sun for so long so I need to soak it all in while I can. But spring is coming!

Do you have any songs on the backburner that you’re planning on releasing anytime soon?

Yeah. It’s about getting into recording and stuff but I’ve been working with the producer that I’ve really enjoyed working with. The only thing is my writing has been all over the place, in all different genres. So I might just set the precedent for anyone who listens to my music that if you listen to me you’re gonna get seven different things at once. And that’s okay. I know there’s a lot of people out there who listen to all different kinds of music. So it may not be as marketable, but I can be your one stop shop!

I also hate the idea of having to make only one type or genre of music. I feel like artists should just be able to write and go with how they’re feeling, and do a bunch of different things.

Yeah and you should be able to! There’s so much emphasis on marketability but how cool would it be to look at it in a different way like you do so much let’s show that. Because that will draw so many people to you. I just think sometimes marketing is really backwards.

Sometimes it feels like nowadays music is just based on how marketable it is.

I feel like there were people in the past that I’ve worked with and before I even wrote the song we were discussing marketing tactics. And that just made me not want to write the song because it gives you so much anxiety like this has to complete this and do this and that before it’s even, you know, been born. And I think again, with the whole killing an artist’s creativity, I do think there’s a beauty in wanting to do what you love as your job. I think everyone who wants to make music should be able to do that and survive. But there’s this whole system like you’re either a superstar and you’re rich or you’re starving.

And that alone, that fear, of putting all your work and energy and time and love into a project and not receiving anything from it… it’s criminal in my opinion. It doesn’t just kill your creativity. It kills your will and your love for music. That’s what I was just going through. I was focusing so much on release, release, release that I was like I don’t even want to do this anymore. Do I even want to do music? That’s so crazy. Music will always be part of my life, but that mindset made me question it.

So when you’re writing your music, are there any artists who influence you the most?

I grew up listening to all different kinds of music so let me look at my playlist… There’s an artist that I just discovered. I was scrolling through Tik Tok and they were singing and it was so beautiful. They’re name is Leith Ross, let me text it to you. I’ll actually text you the track, because it’s so good. But basically I’ve been listening to a lot of artists where their music is more conversational or more personal and raw. So even if I don’t directly relate to that experience, hearing them talk about what they’ve been going through, again is that idea of it’s okay to feel this and if this is what you’re going through, you’re not the only one.

I feel like you hear so much of this idea of I partied until 3am last night and now I don’t remember my name! Or I have all this money and I don’t know what to do with it! And in this world, especially right now, it’s just not relatable and it can give people an unrealistic world view and then they get dissatisfied with their own lives like “I’m not clubbing on a Tuesday night so I must be doing something wrong”. But I’ve seen this kind of revolution, of people romanticizing mondanity and the little things in life. And we’re shifting from instagram baddie culture to just I am who I am and I love that. I’m just in my little house, cooking my little things, but life is great! So that’s what I’ve been drifting towards.

Lizzie McAlpine is a really great example of that, and obviously I listen to songs like SZA and Frank Ocean, Chloe and Hally I’ve been listening to a lot. Also a lot of Arlo Parks and Hayley Williams also just dropped an album. So that’s what I’ve been listening to now, but if you want to make this a point then I can literally bop to almost anything. I would say expect country, but I like Kacey Muscgraves. But yeah, I listen to a lot. I think listening to a lot of music helps me write better music.

What’s the best advice that you’ve been given as an artist or do you have any advice that you would give a smaller or DIY artist just starting out?

I think it’s what we’ve been talking about.

It’s good to remember that just because you’re not famous now does not mean you’re not deserving of love and praise. Sometimes it’s just about the right person hearing your music and maybe not every song is meant to have a billion streams but I guarantee you, the right people will find it. And maybe someone who is really struggling heard your song and it made life a little more okay. We never know, but I think it’s better to think about it that way. Because the fact that you’re creating at all is really cool. Nobody can make what you make, so it’s like your duty to create.

#ephsee #artistinterview #music #musicindustry

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burndownthehousetonight · 7 years

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((I just finished up an RP with @tinyredartist! It finished a lot quicker than I expected, but we were both updating fairly rapidly, so I guess I shouldn’t be TOO surprised. Anyways, just a mostly serious little story about Manic and Aria being turds :D Hope you enjoy!))

It wasn’t a long drive away from his house, that ‘felecidades’ place, or whatever it was called. It was maybe an hour from where he lived, nothing he couldn’t manage. And his concern wasn’t regarding the bar itself not usually hosting musical acts. He didn’t need good acoustics to play well, his music was good enough on it’s own, and from what he’d seen, all of the other musicians they called in to play back-up for him were very talented.

No, his concern came from the streets he drove down. He was certain he’d been here before, many moons before with Scourge. It was strange, returning to a place he didn’t even know he remembered, even if it was only in vague splashes.

He parked his van in front of the bar, stepping out with his guitar. There were a couple scarce buildings he could almost swear he would remember, but there was one he was certain he hadn’t seen before. Thankfully, it was the bar he was entering, “Dasvidania.” In spite of the comfortable location, the vague familiarity filled him with a dread he couldn’t shake.

Inside the bar, a stage was set upon against a back wall, providing all seated patrons with a view. A crocodile, a bat and a cheetah looked to be setting up and a tiger was messing around with wires that connected to a speaker. Behind the bar, a red panda took inventory with a clipboard, reorganizing bottles and such.

Oddly enough, Aria seemed to be the only one who noticed the musician enter, perking up from where she had ducked behind a table to clean a spill. She tossed the wet rag away and with surprising force, pounded on the counter of the bar. The sound itself shook the bottles on the wall a bit. It was almost as if she was knocking… Maybe someone was upstairs? There was a second floor to the place after all, but no visible staircase.

“Hi Manic! The boss will be down in just a second. Here, lemme show you where you can store your guitar case.” The short female motioned for the other to follow her towards the stage. Manic's initial shock at a stranger knowing his name quickly melted as soon as he realized who she was. "Alright, sweet, uh... Aria," he said, reading her name tag. The walk to where the rest of the instrument cases had been left wasn't long, and in a fluid motion, he slipped the guitar strap around his neck. The tiger instinctively searched around for the right wire as he saw Manic pull out one more instrument that needed to be set up. Manic walked on stage, giving a greeting and some kind of hand motion to greet each of his temporary backup. The tiger plugged him in, and spoke about if they practiced certain songs and technical details, nothing that sounded too interesting. He turned around on the stage... and looked around. There was no sign of a boss anywhere. The next time Aria walked by, he motioned her over. "Uh... lemme guess, he's the same guy I talked to on the phone?" He joked, careful to make sure he wasn't nearby. "His voice really gritty and kind of muppet-y?" “You’re good to go.” The tiger patted Manic on the shoulder.

“Kyle! Keyboard is acting up! ” The cheetah called and the male started cursing under his breath as he walked off.

Arias ears perked as Manic waved her down, bouncing up onstage to provide assistance. She seemed confused for a few seconds at his statement until something clicked and she giggled. “Our boss is a lady. And she was losing her voice when she called you which is why she sounded masculine. She should be coming right about now.”

Suddenly the wall that the red panda was doing inventory on swung open to reveal a hidden staircase and a bat. She made her way over to the stage and looked up at the two of them.

“You must be Manic I assume? ” The bat had a thick Russian accent, and her demeanor was cold. What a stark contrast to the bubbly girl who stood beside him. Manic silently decided to keep the muppet voice comment to himself. "Yeah, in the flesh." He said, holding his arm out for a handshake. "I just got here, like, a few minutes ago, nice to meet you." She hadn't said anything else to him, but just from the way she stood, it felt like he had already done several things wrong and disgraced her bloodline for generations to come. But she wasn't berating him, and she accepted the greeting. He had a tendency to come across people who gave off those vibes. "Alright, so this band says they've got all of the sheet music I sent down," he explained. "Uh, I know we already went over the set list, but do you want us to make any more changes? You said there are gonna be a lot of people tonight, I just wanna be sure." She looked at the hand, clearly thinking a handshake was below her. Regardless she briefly shook his hand.

“I have no specific criteria at this time. You’d be best to run through your act before the people arrive. Aria, call me when the guests show up.” Without a goodbye to Manic she returned to the upstairs.

“Don’t be too offended if she’s rather cold. She’s not a people person. The first guests will be arriving at 8, so you have time to run though your songs. Need anything else? ” The red head asked, eager to help out where she could.

She had another lightbulb moment. “Oh! Do you have business cards or CDs? We could always sell those at the bar. Boss would take a bit of the money but it would be some extra cash and exposure for you! ” Manic laughed. "You read my mind. Yeah, just lemme hop outta here real quick, I have a whole stack of them in my van. Just a sec." Without specifying what 'them' referred to, Manic hurried out the door, returning after maybe a minute with a stack of CDs, even in custom printed jewel cases. He put them down on the bar. "Yeah, don't worry about any fee or whatever, that's just normal. Hey, thanks, mate." He gave her a nod and a smirk before heading back to the stage. Manic jumped back on stage, speaking with some of the people he was going to be playing with as he tuned his guitar. "Alright, you guys think we should try 'Here's Your Card' to start sound test? I think... ..." With a few nods, the four got into their positions, the tiger at the soundboard as they got ready for their practice number. What started as a mostly imbalanced set of volumes soon balanced out into a mid tempo rock song with a large amount of emphasis on the rhythm guitar. It had a surprisingly smooth groove to it. Manic had turned around to face the other band members, the four exchanging glances and nods to indicate small changes of some kind or another. Aria took the CDs when he handed them over and put them behind the counter, safe from drink spillage. She inspected the case, reading any song titles and looking for a price to put on them. She made note to ask Manic what he was asking for them. She sat next to the tiger as he worked, foot tapping to the beat.

People on the street stopped to listen to the tune, several really enjoying them.

Aria got up and put a sign on the door, a generic poster that one would usually fill out with the name of the bad and the details of times and such. Below the text, she added that CDs were available for purchase inside.

The set eventually finished and the small audience clapped, clearly having enjoyed the music.

“Hey Manic, before we open I wanted to ask, how much do I charge for one of those CDs? ” Manic was surprised by the clapping. He gave a grin and a wave to the small audience passing by, before Aria came up and asked her question. "Oh, shoot, I, uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "Usually, it just depends on how fancy a place I'm playing at. How about, like... fifteen bucks? That sounds good." There was a beat, before he interrupted himself. "Oh, right! You know these guys are their own band, right?" He pointed his thumb at the other people he was practicing with. "I think they've got some CDs of their own. That right?" He called back. "Yep, one sec." The crocodile responded, walking towards where the instrument cases were kept. As they waited, Manic leaned towards Aria with a mischievous smile. "Okay, so I'm not drinking now, but I gotta ask for after the show. What's the girliest, frilliest drink y'all've got? I live for those messes." “Yeah. They play for us all the time.” She answered his question and took an arm full of CDs from the crocodile. They charged more for their CDs, probably because they had to pay vocalists, so Aria put up a sign that CDs were $20. The custom cases - labeled as “deluxe custom artwork"- would go for more.

Aria seemed giddy at his question. "Oh, I love making those drinks! They’re so much fun! And don’t worry, I’ll whip up something special for ya. Any flavor requests? ”

For how talented Manic was as a musician, Aria was just as good with her alcohol. After all, it had been 13 years of seeing drinks mixed daily, she just came up with them on the fly. And for this particular consumer, she was thinking of tinting the drink green and selling it as a one night special. "Honestly, as long as I can't taste the alcohol, I'm gonna love it," Manic confessed. "It just- The more ridiculous it looks and tastes, the better, you get me?" He stood up, saying one more thing before turning back to the band. "And don't lemme get drunk before the show," he joked. Sound check wasn't just another soundcheck for them, it was making sure they had certain harmonies and more difficult sections down pat. It seemed like Manic was humming along instead of actually singing - 'gotta leave the big reveal for the show', he'd tell the other members. It was easy to tell from the keyboard setting and the basslines that Manic's music was very 80s inspired, a strange contrast to the more traditional garage rock songs his accompanying band typically played. There was an odd harmony between the two styles played, that shouldn't have worked as it did. The sign on the door was flipped over to 'open.' Manic looked at his phone. Sure enough, an hour had already passed, and they're more than gone overboard with their soundcheck. Of course, they still had an hour left before their set, but it was still a shock. "Alright, I'mma just grab a water," Manic said to his other band members before hopping off the stage, over towards Aria. As she reached to grab him a water, he spoke quietly. "You sure these are the right people?" Manic asked. The bar crowd looked rough, to say the least. Aria mock saluted the green hedgehog, starting to mix up a cocktail or two. She tested out her own drinks and made notes until she perfected the specialty. Now if only she could think of a name for it on the specials board. She settled for the title of one of Manics albums and wrote it on the board. She mixed her boss a drink, shaking the components to the beat before serving it.

When asked, Aria set the glass on the counter and nodded. "Yup. This is the usual crowd.” Someone ordered the new special and she mixed it for them quickly, doing a few party tricks like flipping bottles and balancing some on her nose. Manic stood where he was for a moment, sipping his water as he watched Aria pull off her multitude of impressive tricks. She eventually ended the display with a bright green drink. According to the sign behind her, it was named... "Over◆Drive?" Manic asked, clearly a little flattered. "Ah, man, you didn't have to name it that." He was actually blushing a little. "Man, I'm gonna look like such a diva, ain't I?" He asked, certainly not broken up about the idea. He kept watching the crowds. Maybe he was spoiled on playing bars in his home city, because he wasn't expecting this crowd. He wasn't going to complain, but the last times he'd ever been to really sleazy bars were years ago. It was oddly comfortable. In a filthy, unsafe kind of way, but still comfortable. He'd been to many bars like this before, although he'd never played one like this. He turned back towards the stage, and all of the band members had walked off, clearly waiting until it was closer to their set time to worry about final details. So he sat down where he was. "Hey, you mind if I ask you something kind of stupid?" He couldn't help but ask. "So like, why's there a secret superhero staircase behind the bar? Why not, like, a normal staircase? Is she secretly a superhero or summat?" "We have a motto here. Divas sell drinks. Trust me this one has been going faster than I can make them, which is fast.”

As she mixed another signature drink, she scanned the bar. The crowd was a mix of couples, alcoholics, college kids from frats and sororities, and several people who seemed just as nervous as him. Aria tucked the tip from a patron away as she listened to Manics question. It made her laugh, and several patrons smiled and laughed too. Drunk off their asses.

“No silly. She lives upstairs. It’s dangerous to have an open stairway so only the tenders and the boss have keys. You couldn’t pay me to go up there, but I could if I had to, which I do.” "Okay, if you say so," he teased. "You stick with your answer, I'll stick with mine." Manic just sat back as he watched around the bar, spotting the other band members in their little clique at a table near the stage. As more and more people arrived for the night, Manic began growing more at ease. Maybe those rougher faces simply came in early? Yeah, this was more the kind of crowd he was used to. He carried on at the bar for a bit, cracking a few dumb jokes and having one drink - very light, just so it wouldn't mess with his playing, of course. He would head to the stage or talk with the band members here and there to pass the time, but there was something off. Nothing he could place, but something very slightly off. Not as a bad premonition, but more a vague discomfort he couldn't quite place. Maybe- No, it wasn't his nerves. He was used to this, he could do this. So then, what was he getting nervous about? Aria and the other staff seemed to feel that nervousness too. Everything was on edge and the girl’s eyes darted around the crowd. No one unusual, just far more packed than she’d ever seen it.

"Word spreads fast. This is a huge crowd for this place. The boss even had to call in bouncers.” She motioned to two rhinos at the door, guarding it. When Manic left to go chat with his temporary band mates, Aria snuck a shot of vodka for herself.

Soon it was time for the band to start playing. Aria pulled out a little stool and sat down to watch the opening song. Giving the musicians a thumbs up for encouragement. Manic gave her a nod as he saw the thumbs up. He tapped the mic three times, before speaking. "What's up, everybody? I'm Manic Automatic, this is my first time playing here, and these dudes behind me are The Fourth Degree." One of them made a 'whoo!' in response to hearing their band's name called. "Alright, let's skip all this talking nonsense!" He started with a simple riff from the rhythm guitar, minimal instrumentation as he put focus on his vocals. "Go get our epitaths engraved And we'll explore this whole new age Brick and mortar turned to gold Under butchered steel and atomic roads" It was no wonder Manic didn't sing while practicing earlier. It was clear that, while his guitar playing was fairly good, his vocal skills were where most of his training went. It was penetrating and distinct, not to mention powerful. He sang through strange descriptions of a decrepit, yet oddly romanticized time as he seemed to give his body entirely to the rhythm. The bar was pumping with the music and the crowd responded well to it. A few less than sober people dancing around. For Aria it was lovely to listen to as she mixed drinks to the beat. His voice was wonderful. The CDs sold out like hot cakes and several people were put on a waiting list. It was a lot of money being thrown at her. Quite frankly, she felt like a stripper.

A friend of hers came in, taking a seat behind her, invisible to Manic. His green quills long and pulled back in a ponytail. He ordered a signature drink and gulped it down fast. The music was good and he tapped his foot to the beat. It was an interesting show for Manic to perform. It was clear that the band who was playing wasn't just another set of musician. There was a kind of unspoken bond between the three, and Manic was having fun trying to find a fay to fit into that rhythm the three held together. The night and show drew on, cycling through various songs from the two bands. Loving lyrics and angsty chords, from pop to rock and anywhere between... ...Explosive sounds and subtle vocals, whole swathes of emotions and subjects... It was easy to watch the energy flow through Manic more and more as they played. Performances always ended too soon for him, but they could never be long enough for his tastes. He couldn't help it. He was a born performer. But as with all shows, he found himself belting out his final number, letting out every syllable with all of his newfound excitement. The end of the number brought the crowd, Aria included, to a standing ovation for the group. Several people hooted and hollered. Aria clapped, happy that her new friend had been so well received. As Manic and the band started to go offstage, Aria started mixing drinks for the four, on the house of course.

“That was awesome Manic! You have such a great voice! And boys you were excellent! Now you all need to go get more CDs if you have them, cause I’ve got a back order list longer than I am tall!” A bit of a joke, seeing as she was barely up to the green hedgehogs chin, and the shortest person in the room. Manic was about to thank her when she brought up the CDs. "Wha-Back order, seriously?" Manic said, surprised by how good the reception was. He shared a surprised glance with the crocodile, and the two immediately darted out to grab more CDs. Manic wasn't prepared for much of a backorder, but he did have some CDs on hand, just in case the merch table were to run out. He huddled them in his arms and walked back in to a few more cheers and excited shouts. He plopped them down on the bar again, not really sure what else to do with them. And by the time he'd come back, his drink was finished. "Aw, man, dude, you're amazing." He said, picking up the drink happily and slurping down something that was surprisingly well crafted for something Manic drank. He was used to just burst of strong flavor, not subtlety or any assemblence of competence. The pleasant surprise was plainly visible on his face. Aria had more money thrown at her in the exchange for a CD and looked over at Manic and Scourge, laughing. The money jar had filled and the bar had emptied a fair amount, more like a normal night now. Aria was still cracking out drinks, lining up rainbow shots for a few guests.

“She is very talented. She’s been doing this since before we met. Very few people can create something this good on the spot. ” Scourge turned to look at Manic as he spoke and tapped the bar. Aria slid him another drink. The drink slid down the bar, but Manic didn't react as it passed his hands. He hadn't noticed the green hedgehog before. It was another Scourge, no doubt. All he could do was stare. He remembered... he remembered ANOTHER night at this bar. It wasn't a special night, it wasn't even that good of a night. Him and his old boyfriend went out for some drinks, chatted a bit, there was nothing of note that happened, but he remembered it in a disturbing amount of detail. The texture of the bartop, the flavor, the way he spoke. For some bizarre reason, seeing a Scourge triggered a perfectly bland memory that carried years of damage simply by existing. His glare was far too long and horrified. He stared at Scourge, before his glare drifted further, as though he was staring straight through Scourge and towards infinity. Scourges ears twitched, at first confused and then dismissive. Making an assumption about the horrified look. “Yeah yeah, evil bad guy, my alternate wronged you in some way, you hate my guts etc etc etc. Save it kiddo. I’ve heard all that jazz before.” Another swing of the drink.

Aria noticed Manic next, walking over and waving her hand in front of his eyes. “Manic? Maaaaanic? Anyone in there? ” The concern in her voice was evident. The strange voices swirled through his mind, until he finally pulled away from petrification, yet never leaving terror. "S-Sorry, dude," Manic said, fumbling his way out of his seat. He was nowhere near as collected as he'd acted on stage. Hell, nowhere near as collected as he acted moments before. "I just... I just remembered something I've gotta do." Neither of them bought this for a moment, but Manic was gone. Straight out the bar entrance, towards his van, but not inside. He leaned against the door opposite the bar entrance, both hands cupped over his mouth as he breathed heavily. He'd met Scourges before. And this one was right, he usually hated their guts. Seeing one in a specific location like this was different. Seeing one in such a place to make him remember his old boyfriend was completely different. He was still reeling, and wasn't sure when it was going to stop. He stood for much longer than he thought he did, still wondering what to do... and then he heard footsteps. There were plenty of footsteps he heard that evening, but these ones were definitely coming right towards him. Funny, they didn't sound like men's boots... In his daze, he didn’t hear Aria call after him, or call for the other bartender to take over as she ducked out of the bar. No one else saw them, but Scourge was filled with guilt. He ordered a bottle of the strong stuff and chugged it. If he didn’t hate himself before he sure did now.

The footsteps belonged to Aria, her heels clicking as they met concrete. She called out again, having switched from her bubbly personality to a more maternal mode. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. “Manic? Manic Honey are you okay? ” Manic was shocked when he saw Aria, but quickly calmed down. He did his best to put on a nervous smile and gave a few nervous laughs, failing to convince either of them. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, turning down his energy for once. "I just... I wasn't expecting to see a Scourge here." He put his hand on his forehead and laughed. "I just don't- we never get along that well, trust me." He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "Hey, I get this is gonna be- this is gonna be a really dumb question." She looked way too young to have worked at this bar that far back, and she wouldn't remember one of countless guests having one of countless private conversations. "Do you remember... like, have you met any other Scourges at this place before?" "I understand, but you’re not fine Manic. You should sit down. I can ask him to leave if you’d like.” Ahe kept close in case he dropped like a stone, and sat him down next to her on the curb.

Aria shook her head. “It’s not a dumb question. We get very few here, not including that guy. Most get kicked out for being too grabby or rough… If you’re looking for a specific one I can probably remember them if you tell me something about who they were with or what unique features they have.” He was relieved to hear her mention the other Scourges. "Nah, this is his bar, isn't it?" He looked down at the pavement. "I ain't gonna ask someone to leave for just.. existing!" He said, letting out a more genuine laugh this time. "He just reminded me of someone else I know." He rested his chin on the back of his hand. "But this one I mean wasn't really grabby or anything, he would have been calmer. I would've been with him, and I kind of stopped him from beating up most people. He had this bit of wire wrapped around like a ring, and he was actually pretty good at singing?" He looked back at the curb, and started messing around with his hands. "This is a really long shot, but... If you saw him recently... like, this last year recently, he would have been-" He twirled his hands around, thinking of the right words. "His hands were kind of- He wouldn't have had two of his fingers." "If you’re sure. ” The laugh made her feel better. Manic seemed to be returning to somewhat normalcy. As he explained she scrunched her nose up in thought. “Hmm… I think I remember you two… You were sitting at that table at the front right? I’m sorry Manic. He doesn’t sound like any of the ones walking through here. Was he your boyfriend?” All the clues and subtle hints he was dropping lead to that logical conclusion. She gently pasted him on the shoulder to comfort him. Manic didn't say anything, he simply smiled. "Yeah," he said nostalgically. "I know there are tons of Scourge's, but most of em are just asses. But he was different. Very, very different..." He tilted his head to look at Aria. She seemed surprisingly calm in spite of everything he just did. "Who are you?" It was asked as though they'd never met before. "I mean, you're fun, you're kind, you're good at your job... That's rare to find," he said. He still didn't know what to think of that other Scourge, but he knew that he was fine with this young woman. "Or is that just a bartender's job?" She smiled as he recounted his memories of his lover. Quite frankly she could listen to people talk about their loved ones all day. That sparkle in their eyes gave her a glimpse into their thoughts. The question was met with confusion until he elaborated.

"Well… I don’t… I don’t know for sure. But for a brief synopsis I’m just a deeply traumatized overachiever who cares and drinks far too much.” Manic grinned and slapped her on the back. "Ain't we all," Manic said, genuinely enjoying himself once more. "Trust me, if anyone's gonna get what that's like, it's Manic the hergherg." He didn't get up from his spot, comfortable sitting on some filthy curb. "I didn't even remember this place, it was so long ago. I guess seeing a Scourge just..." He looked down. "I wasn't expecting anything like that. Tonight's been a great night, I didn't think a Scourge would show up out of nowhere like that." He faced Aria. "So, is he one of the terrible Scourges?" He asked, half joking. When Manic said hergherg it got her laughing, covering her mouth. The laugh dozes down as he resumed talking and she propped her arm up on her leg to hold her head up.

"Life does surprise us sometimes… And the only terrible thing he’s really done is making shitty puns. A crime in and of itself.” "If that's a crime, I'm like public enemy numbers one through ten over here." He smarmed out of his mouth. "Ah, well, at least you don't have to-" He laughed to himself. "Y'all already know what Scourges do, I don't need to explain it. You've already dealt with all that!" Manic looked behind him, back towards the bar. Then he started to stand up. "I think I've gotta head back, I haven't really- I still need to thank those guys for playing with me. Besides, I've got a technicolor drink to drown in." The implication of why he actually wanted to head back were obvious, even if he didn't want to say it out loud. "Sure we can go in. Feeling better?” Aria got up herself and offered Manic a hand to get up.

Aria and Manic made their way through the small crowd of people and Aria returned to back of the counter. Scourge was red faced from the alcohol, but seemed to be more put together than some of the other patrons. “Hey man… I’m sorry. What I said was rude.” Manic still wasn't sure what to make of Scourge. He drank from his glass while looking at him, then away, then back at him. Yeah, he was certainly gruff, but not quite AS gruff. He didn't have acres of scars and damaged skin like some of the truly awful ones. He'd met enough Scourges to know he should have kept his distance. But instead, he approached the situation by faking some kind of casual behavior and using his old fallback - stupid, out of place humor. "You sure you're a Scourge?" He joked, putting his glass down on the counter and smiling nervously. "Shouldn't you be cussing me out for that or punching me in the face? Probably both?" Through his nerves, his tone made it clear not a single word he was saying was serious. Scourge chuckled and smirked at the other. "Nah. Unlike those other guys I don’t usually punch people for no reason.”

He motioned that the seat next to him was open for Manic to sit down and Aria kept an eye on them both, for Manics sake.

“You’re a good musician, by the way.” Manic trepedatiously sat next to Scourge, but feeling a little more comfortable as they went. "Thanks, mate," he said, pointing his thumb behind his back as the side of the stage. "But I can't take all the credit, those guys are some awesome musicians." Aria was darting her eyes over from time to time, and Manic had just started to notice. Was this simple curiosity, or was it for his protection? He took another gulp of his drink, which he was beginning to really enjoy. "Sorry about freaking out like that." He laughed a bit. He'd gotten to the point where he was barely calm enough to act convincingly calm. "Don't exactly have a great record with Scourges, you kind of got that exactly right." He breathed deep. Aria was more than nice, and clearly level headed. If she could trust this Scourge... "Don’t worry about freaking out. At least you didn’t hit me. I had a dude shank me once because he thought I was someone else. Not pleasant.” He caught Arias glances over at them and chuckled. “You’ve awoken Mama Bear. She’s gonna be checking up on you to make sure you’re okay all night.”

From across the bar there were the sound of tables and chairs being moved. And some yelling. Arias attention was drawn away from the two. Manic turned towards the back of the bar. It seemed like the bat who was playing with him earlier was getting into a pretty heated argument with some guy who'd had far too many. "I'll just deal with that as it comes," Manic said as he turned back towards the bar. He had to be extra cautious here that this wasn't some kind of ruse, but he was at least... enjoying himself. It was only a little, though still genuine enjoyment. "You think I don't know about getting messed up for doing nothing?" He gave a smile, a badly chipped tooth clearly visible. "But I don't really hang out around people with too many shivs." He quickly held his chin between two fingers, like he was thinking. "I guess that would be any number of shivs." He was as comfortable as he was going to get. He felt like he could relax around him, but there was still a thin film of dread suffocating their encounter. Why was he enjoying this at all? "Ouch. That looks like it hurt. And you’re right, any positive number of shivs on a person is bad. ” he winced a bit as he imagined the pain the poor kid must have felt. Having finished his drink he turned to see Aria's attention drawn by the fight. She had to stand on a box to see over the crowd, straining.

“Ten bucks says Aria jumps the bar to get those two separated,” he wagered to no one in particular and one of the other patrons slapped down a ten. Manic turned back to look at the large crowd of people standing around the quickly escalating fight. He couldn't hear much of what was being said, but they were definitely passionate enough about whatever it was to get to screaming. "I think they said something about him," Manic joked. "Some kind of hothead, or summat? Guess I ain't too surprised." He immediately was surprised as the sound of a bottle shattering, followed by a chorus of 'ooohs' in all exclamations, ranging from deeply concerned to excited. He couldn't hear exactly what either of them were saying, but he heard someone yell, 'bring it!' Judging by the chanting of the crowd, it was unfortunately too late to stop any kind of a fight. Manic clutched at his drink in grim interest. And over the bar counter Aria went, jumping into the crowd and squeezing her way to the fight itself, security not too far behind. The boys lost sight of her. Scourge collected his money and smirked.

A bottle was smashed and someone got hit with a chair. The band member, nursing a bloody nose, got to the bar and received an iced tag to help clean the blood. The grunts from a struggle could still be heard. As well as a scream.

Scourge was up in a second, moving towards and into the crowd. Leaving Manic behind to follow if he pleased. Manic looked over at the bat nursing his wounds, and then at Scourge making his way through the crowd towards the fight. He hesitated for a moment, before jumping out of his chair. "Wait, Scourge!" He couldn't hear him yell that over the noise of the bar, so Manic would have to keep him out of the danger zone by force. He rushed towards Scourge, which wasn't an easy feat. He had to keep track of him specifically through the crowds of people, and somehow ignore the sounds of bodies being thrown around and the sound of wood smacking against flesh. But he found his way towards Scourge, who was watching on at one particular struggle. It appears that the drunken man who was yelling at the bat had not only punched his adversary, but was now being waylaid on by the crocodile. Scourge seemed to be enjoying the show for the few moments he'd seen it before Manic rushed up to try and stop him from getting beaten up, and before the cheetah and aria simultaneously pulled him away from the struggle. "Holy-!" It was all Manic could say, both in shock to what was happening, and in shock of the fact he was trying to stop a Scourge from being hurt. Aria dragged Manic's ass back to a chair and left the cheetah to keep him out of danger. Looking for a quick solution, she grabbed a the chalkboard menu and motioned for Manic to cover his ears.

She extended her claws, three identical steal blades extending from the space between her knuckles. Bracing herself, she scraped them along the chalkboard in an ear splitting screech. Most of the fighters stopped to cover their ears. The bats in the room wincing in pain. Even the brute and crocodile were holding their heads.

Scourge took the opportunity to knock the drunk man out and once it was safe, Aria stopped. People shot a lot of death glares at air and their former opponents. Many just flipped their chairs right way round and went back to drinking.

Aria was quick to put the chalkboard down and put her hands and claws under hot water, extremely uncomfortable. Scourge walked up to Manic. “You okay?” Manic simply stared at Scourge, but this time, it wasn't a terrified glare. It was entirely, completely confused. Emotions melded with inebriation in perfect time to keep Manic baffled for a strangely long time. "Y-yeah, dude," he finally uttered. He watched Scourge as he sat down, still trying to think clearly. For once, after the fighting had ceased, Manic was the one who wasn't dealing with some kind of an injury. Aria was nursing her hands under the tap, Scourge wiping a bit of blood off of his jacket.Manic just took another long sip from his drink, nearing the bottom of the glass as he watched Scourge. "Dude, you barely know me. Why are you asking if I'm fine?" Scourge sipped at his drink, ears twitching slightly as he listened to the others question. He answered with a shrug.

“I thought you got hit cause there’s a little blood on your cheek. Besides it’s common decency.” He tapped the side of his face to indicate where some blood had hit Manic and gave him a paper towel.

Aria finished hurting her wounds and went over to the boys, claws still out and skin rubbed red. “You two okay?” "Yeah, I think we're good," Manic said, trying to shake off the last shreds of confusion. "What were they even fighting about, anyways?" The band had warned him many times that their bassist tended to get all political, but Manic didn't listen. And now here he was, still holding his large ears from the sound of the chalkboard and nursing a bloody, hopefully not broken nose. "That blade thing was sweet, though. I-" This was the first time he looked at her hands, noticing her red skin. "Dude, are you sure YOU'RE alright!? Look at your hands, they look like they got burnt!" The crocodile was checking his band mates nose, scolding him quietly. All the bat could do was whimper as the croc poked and prodded at his nose.

Aria glanced over there, upset with herself. “I feel bad for putting that guy in pain…. And let’s just say some slurs were thrown.” she glanced down at her hands and giggled. “I’m fine. Hot water plus scrubbing makes the area red and the skin is tender so I can’t put these back in for a bit. And I’m glad you think this is cool.” Aria beamed at him, seemingly prideful

Of course she briefly left to go give the bat a shot of the hard alcohol so he wouldn’t feel pain as the crocodile set his nose. "If you say so," Manic said still a little skeptical as Aria walked back to help the bat stop squirming in pain. When she was out of earshot, Manic faced Scourge again. "S-She's got wolverine claws?" He said, in disbelief. "I thought she was just a nice chick. Hm." He took the last swig of his drink, letting the news sink in. "You think you'd be used to people having special powers the billionth time you see some special power, and then someone comes in who can summon lasers and keytar solos from nowhere. It's all kind of weird." He kept a close eye on the bat getting his nose tended to. By the looks of it, his nose was barely broken, maybe just fractured. Still, it wasn't anything he'd want to deal with himself. Finally thinking he had a moment where no one was listening, he turned towards Scourge again, putting on a nervous grin. "Hey, if I ever say anything really stupid or prejudiced about you being a Scourge or anything, don't be afraid to break my own nose," he said, half joking. "Trust me, it's gonna happen at some point." He stuck out his tongue in a joking grin, trying to lighten the mood a bit in the tense post-brawl atmosphere. Scourge raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about lasers but Aria isn’t just claws. She’s got all sorts of tricks. Her brother too, except he’s an asshole. But you didn’t here that from me,” he whispered.

Aria meanwhile was cleaning the claws off with a rag, like one would polish a metal surface. She also mixed herself another signature drink.

Scourge shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Most of the time they’re true and I’m just an exception. Doesn’t bug me… Not to be up in your business and all, but I’m sorry if my alternate hurt you.” Manic laughed lightly. "What're you apologizing for? It ain't like Scourge's are a hive mind, you didn't do anything." He gave Scourge a firm slap on the back. "You're fine, dude." The moment was just a bit too chummy for him to be completely comfortable. But for a few moments, he stopped thinking about the fact he was talking to a Scourge. No, he wasn't another Scourge, just Scourge. They weren't a hive mind, and he knew that. He had to try and change the way he thought about them. "Besides, the ones who've 'hurt' me have more just been vaguely dickish." He grinned. "Now, you wanna find a hivemind of assholes, look for a Finitevus. If you can find the ones that don't, like, eat babies or anything, and you screw with them? Their reactions are priceless." “Yeah well I feel guilty- ” The slap cut of his sentence with a quiet yelp of pain. Not like the slap was hard, but like the area was sensitive.

“Yeah uh… Could you not do that maybe?” He sounded out of breath. From the little bit of his jacket that was undone, Manic thought he saw a white shirt. Upon closer inspection they were white bandages, wrapping around the others torso. Looks like manic had hit an injury.

Oops. "Holy- Oh my gosh, dude, I'm so sorry!" He said, leaning away from Scourge a bit. "I didn't mean to! You alright?" He clearly wasn't too concerned about it. Maybe it had been there for a while, and wasn't sensitive enough to be too worrying. Maybe he'd had so much to drink that he couldn't feel too much pain. "Aagh, god!" The same clearly couldn't be said for the bassist, who seemed to just finish having his nose set in place and bandaged. "Hold on a moment, I'mma make sure he isn't too messed up," He said, standing up. He couldn't help but ask a slightly awkward question. "Uh, you think you'll need anything for your back?" “Yeah yeah, I’m fine. It’s an old wound with a bad infection, that’s all. I’ll be fine.” Scourge motioned for Manic to go check on the bassist. Aria gave him a shot of the hard stuff as well.

The bat whimpered, evidently in a lot of pain. The crocodile seemed angry but concerned. The cheetah had been busy making sure the drunk guy stayed down, but walked over at about the same time as Manic.

“Dante. What the hell happened? ” The cheetah asked, leaning on the bar. The bat looked away. Ashamed of himself.

“He called me the f word. I’m sorry guys, I know I shouldn’t have gotten angry…” His ears flicked down and the crocodile patted his shoulder.

“No apology needed. Frankly it’s not that idiots business who you’re with.” "Well, why's he still in here?" Manic spoke up out of nowhere, catching most of their attention. It seemed finding out what happened was finally enough to get him invested. "He punched you in the face and he's being an ass. Hell, isn't being drunk good enough normally-" He sighed. "I guess you can't really toss some unconscious dude outside. Maybe we just go all 'Weekend at Bernies,' give him some sunglasses and hope no one notices?" He joked desperately, mostly out of instinct. "Maybe roll him downhill on a gurney, bet on how far he goes?" He stopped with the references and looked up at Dante. Bat noses weren't known for being small, so the swelling was very obvious. "You want us to call a doctor, or summat?" “I for one like that plan, lets go with that,” Aria insisted and the crocodile shook his head, causing her to pout. “No, we would just get in trouble. Aria maybe you should wrap him home?”

She placed a bag of ice on Dante’s nose. “I can’t do it when he’s unconscious. He needs to be actively thinking.”

Scourge got up and winced as he walked over. “Dante can go to the hospital in an ambulance and I’ll call the cops to take this idiot out to the cells for a day or two.”

“What do you guys think? Dante? Manic?” Aria asked the other two boys. Manic shrugged. "Sounds pretty ace to me, but uh, ambulance bills are kind of huge." He turned towards the cheetah who was mostly sitting back and watching as everyone else spoke. "Could you drive him over, Detour? We can keep an eye on that drunk dude 'til the cops get here." The cheetah nodded. "Great, dude," Manic said. "Y'all just call us if something goes wrong, you have my number. You probably have most of our numbers." Manic and the crocodile turned to face the unconscious swan, drunk, slightly bruise, and propped up in a booth. "You really had a go at him, didn't you?" He turned back towards the bar, making a smug grin that slowly turned towards silly. "Well, we're sending someone down a hill on a gurney, and I'm not half drunk enough to do that yet," he joked. The bigger male laughed. “As much as I would like to I can’t afford to get sued.” From the background Aria made a small noise of disappointment. She walked over to the two.

“Can we at least draw dicks on his face? Or call an ambulance for him so he has to pay for it?” She suggested, clearly wanting to get some revenge. "We're calling the cops on him, I think we've already-" He could see the disappointment on her face. "Alright, fine. You can draw a donger or twelve." Manic, Scourge, and the guitarist faced the bar as they left Aria to her mischievous nonsense, occasionally taking peaks behind their backs. "Trust me, if I was up there, I wouldn't've stopped at just bruising him, but I guess he's a swan." He shook his head. "I mean, you guys ever piss off a wild swan? I don't wanna know what it's like fighting an anthro one." Aria, of course, used her artistic skill for evil. Drawing an almost life like dick on the swans head and face where he wouldn’t be able to see it until someone told him.

Scourge shook his head “Nah man. Canadian geese are devils. It’s like all the evil in Canadian people just drains into those hell birds.” When he turned to check on arias progress he scoffed.

“I swear… This kid’s an artist in all the wrong ways”

Aria's ears perked and she called out to Scourge. “Nothing says revenge like photorealistic dicks!” The proclamation caught the attention of a few confused bar goers with no context for what she just pronounced. Manic turned around and stared at the face, more than impressed with the level of realism achieved with permanent marker and spite. "Wh-" Manic uttered as Aria walked back. "How often do you do that to people? That is- That is not your first time drawing a pingas on someone's face." He looked back again for just a moment. "I mean, it's real impressive..." He faced Aria again. "Actually, I had this barber once who was a real good artist, and all he drew was women in real not safe for babby poses, you get me? I always wanted to sneak in and slap, like, really unflattering photos of people's heads over all of them." "Back up, you have a barber?" Manic turned to face the crocodile with a look of joking disdain. He made a mock sassy head motion just to have his ridiculous hair click together. “I’m an artist in my spare time and I see far too many dicks on a daily basis. And by far too many I mean any at all. Eventually I just started drawing them on passed out assholes. It’s a very handy skill when you get unwanted dick pics. Just a few scribbles and boom, I’ve already drawn a dick with a better future”

Scourge and Aria looked equally confused at the barber comment but shrugged it off.

“I mostly paint landscapes and still lifes though. But my sketches of people are getting better.” "No joke," Manic said with interest. He had to stop himself from jokingly asking any of the usual question that annoyed artists. "You're using your power well. Michaelangelo would be proud. He's an art boy, right?" The sirens could just barely be heard coming down the street. A few of the previous brawlers straightened their backs or brushed their hair back at the noise. Manic turned his head towards the swan one more time. "Uh, you think we should wipe that mess off before they come in to get him?" He didn't need to hear a 'no' to know the answer. Besides, he didn't really want to, either. “Yes. Michelangelo is an art boy.” Aria laughed and scourge stepped up to do the talking.

The cops came in and Scourge explained the situation, the fight and such. He left out the dick drawing details but since one of the cops called Aria by name in greeting, it was pretty obvious they knew it was her.

“Okay. We can’t charge him until he wakes up so we’ll just take him down to the station for his own safety. How's the kid who got punched looking?” The female cop asked the bartender.

“Iced his nose. A minor fracture at best but someone drove him to the hospital.” "I mean, a nose is kind of half of a bats face, so minor's all relative." The crocodile punches Manic in the arm. Manic knew it wasn't the nicest thing to say and grinning sheepishly. They watched as the two cops picked up the swan by his shoulders, and lead him out of the bar in a subconscious drunken walk cycle that more resembled a jelly-boned hobble through a pool of slime than any kind of normal leg movement. "Hm... Hey, Aria, how much alcohol's actually in that special drink, anyways?" He said, just a little bit tipsy. "You think I could handle one more and still drive home without committing ten crimes and starting two international incidents?" Aria thought about it seriously. “Not sure. I’m gonna err on the safe side and say you shouldn’t be driving at all tonight. But we can check!”

Aria pulled a breathalyzer out from a small shelf and washed the mouth piece. Offering it to manic.

Scourge paid his friend and got up. “Imma head home too. Nice meet you Manic. Bye Aria.” The Green male tossed a wrap ring and it opened in front of him. Manic seemed shocked to see him open a warp ring so casually. "Wait, I thought-! You sure, dude, zone hopping can get you in some real deep trouble." The glare told him that he already knew this. They all already knew this. "Uh... Alright, dude, see you later." Manic was still in shock for a brief moment, before pushing the breathalyzer back towards the two. "Don't worry, mate, I've- I've driven much more messed up than this." He was still a little confused, it seemed. "Hey, I'm gonna have to drive down a bunch more CDs, right? Either of you think you'd want to hang out sometime?"

“Lazy fucker. He lives like 2 minutes from here if he uses his speed. Why he warps, I’ll never know.” aria rolled her eyes and looked back concerned at Manic.

“Lemme see your eyes.” She inspected the other for signs of blatant intoxication and sighed. “Alright. You’re good to drive. But be careful… And yeah, I think hanging out would be fun! ”

The croc nodded as well. “I agree. The boys and I had more fun playing with you than with any other singer. Let us know anytime you need backup instrumentals” "Alright, sweet!" Manic said, reaching around for something to write on. He eventually decided on some napkins on the counter, pulling a marker out of his vest and scribbling down his phone number. "I'll probably drive up, like, saturday, so if you wanna do something stupid or find any hospital gurneys, y'all let me know!" He gave the rhythm guitarist a fist bump and a two-finger salute to Aria as he started the walk over to grab his guitar and case. It was kind of bittersweet that the night was ending, but it was a great night. His shows scarcely went this far above his expectations, he made some new friends, and now had a band he could call up if he ever wanted to jam with a group for once. As he drove back down the city streets, he couldn't help but keep thinking about Scourge. Not just the one he met at the bar, but his old Scourge. He didn't even remember this bar, and now he had vivid memories of two different fun nights with two completely different Scourges. He didn't have the first idea how different these Scourges actually were, but he would find out eventually. All he had to do was hope that getting chummy with Scourge wouldn't end up being a terrible mistake. He could only hope that the little scribble he put at the bottom of his note for Aria wouldn't come to bite him in the ass; "Tell Scourge the same thing I told you two."

#TinyRedArtist #Show's Over #Makin' Mischief #There's A Melody Playing

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