Griffith, a small town in the middle of New South Wales, Australia. It doesn't have a lot going for it, but it's not a terrible place either. Generally just a fairly quiet place where not a lot happens. There's one high school, one McDonald's, and only the one music store. If you've lived here your whole life, the chances are that you know at least half of the relatively small population. Most kids leave after graduating high school, to find bigger better things out in the world. But some stay, preferring to keep to the quiet comfort that Appleford provides. Or maybe they just haven't figured out what they want to do yet. It's not a bad place to try to figure that out.

Marcus sighed heavily, running a hand through his messy brown hair, leaning against a wall with his eyes flitting back and forth in front of him, seemingly waiting for someone, or something. He stood outside of Griffith's one rehearsal studio, which was conveniently located next to the music store that his dad worked at. He'd put an add out all around town, looking for musicians for a new project. "BAND WANTED. Guitarist/Vocalist looking for musicians to play music. Doesn't matter what, just want to play." It was very vague, but it was true. Marcus had played music since he could hold a guitar, always singing, playing and writing. He had never found the right people to form a band with though, so he was hoping that this time would be different.

He'd heard back from a few people about his add, and had arranged a jam to get to know the potential band-mates, and to see who would fit with him, musically and personality wise. He'd borrowed all of his dad's gear, two guitar amps, a drum kit, a bass amp, a keyboard and a PA to run mics through, and set it up in one of the rooms of the rehearsal studio. He also set up a table with a bunch of snacks, and a mini-fridge full of beer, hoping to earn some brownie points. But for now, he stood outside the studio, waiting and hoping for people to show up.

---

Today was an incredible day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the flowers danced in the wind. Among the splendor, in Griffith, a young woman could be seen careening down a sidewalk with rollerblades on her feet, a violin case on her back, and two grocery bags in hand. Honestly, it was a miracle that Elle hasn't hurt herself or someone else gliding around with those things on her feet.

Anyone who saw her probably at first wondered what she was doing out and about. It wasn't a holiday, and she had been to the library last week. Some could possibly conjecture that the violin case and the recent news of someone starting a band combined had something to do with it, but it's not like they could stop her and ask. Luckily there was no one on the same sidewalks as her as she sped along or they were paying enough attention to move. Unluckily there was no one in front of her to help her slow down. However, as she neared her destination, Elle spied a lone figure thankfully in her path. As she neared the person, she called out, "Heyyyyy!" Elle then waited a moment for the person to look up at her and she yelled, "HELP PLEASE!" Hopefully he or someone else nearby would notice the girl and could help her stop.

---

Groggy, Charlotte rubbed her eyes as she looked around an unfamiliar room, her eyes looked down to an unfamiliar over sized band shirt, and the most frightening of them all- she looked to her left to a very unfamiliar face. The strange man let out a guttural snore, the drool stains covering his maroon colored pillowcase. A look of disgust swept across Lottie's face as she slipped quietly from the bed. Her petite body sneaking across the floor with ease as she gathered her belongings. She slipped on her bra, underwear, and a pair of light colored daisy dukes, next. The man in the bed began to wake, his voice surprisingly strong for waking from what seemed like a coma, "Hey! That's my shirt." Charlotte's round hazel eyes opened in shock as she opened the door to the apartment, "Mine now!" she called, as she ran out of the apartment as fast as her legs could carry her.

Wild.

Getting far enough from the building, Lottie looked around to find her location. She was born and raised in Griffith, so it didn't take long to find out where she was in the scheme of the small town. The one and only Mcdonalds was in view, the golden arches a beacon for the next move. As she walked across the street she checked her pockets for any money, recovering a crumbled blue TEN dollar bill a bright smile came across her face, "Bless you sweet Banjo Paterson." she cooed, as she walked into the heavily air conditioned fast food place. A few minutes later she had a burger, fries, and drink in hand as she took a table away from the windows and chowed down her food.

While eating, Charlotte looked on her phone, a large crack down the front as she swiped away notifications and checked out text messages and missed calls from her grandmother and mother alike. Calling her home phone number she left a message on the answering machine, "It's Charlotte- sorry for not calling, slept over at uh...um...Lisa's! Going to go check out this possible gig today. Love you." she hung up quickly, as she finished off her food. Afterwards, she cleaned up her table and walked out the door quickly as to not be found by the strange man, just in case he really was attached to the shirt she had stole.

The rehearsal studio wasn't too far, but it would be quite a trip with just legs as transportation.

Marcus Ainsworth

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Nervously tapping his foot on the pavement, Marcus stared at the screen of his phone, absently scrolling through facebook, not really paying attention to any of the posts, just using it as something to do to keep his hands and eyes busy. He was beginning to worry that no one was going to show up, and he had wasted the day on a pipe dream. He attempted not to let those thoughts gain any traction, but they were there, at the back of his mind. Hey, at least I'd get the case of beer to myself... He thought to himself with a slight snicker. Just as he was about to go inside to grab one of those beers, he was pulled from his thoughts by some shouting coming from down the street, and getting closer.

Marcus couldn't help but panic a little when he saw the girl flying down the path on roller skates, apparently not knowing how to stop. She yelled out for help, which only panicked him more, thrusting the responsibility onto his relatively weak shoulders. "Oh god, oh god. oh god..." He mumbled to himself, frantically looking around for someone else who could help. Unfortunately, he was the only one close enough to help this girl come to a stop before possibly getting herself into some serious trouble. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a few moments before exhaling heavily, and stepping into the path of the speeding rollerskater, holding his arms out, attempting to grab her and bring her to a stop. "I've got ya!"

He didn't.

Marcus was never known for his physicality, and although he did succeed in stooping the girl, he didn't exactly do it stylishly. As they collided, the young man was crumpled by the force of the rollerskater, getting knocked directly onto his bony ass, with the girl probably landing on top of him, knocking all the air out of his chest. He gasped for air as he hit the pavement, his world spinning for a few moments before gaining his senses again. "Fuck... That didn't go well..." He groaned softly as he tried to catch his breath. His face suddenly changed in colour, resembling a ripe tomato, completely unsure what to do, which resulted in him just laying there for a few moments. "I... Uh... Are... Are you okay...?"

---

---

The song came in loud and clear through her helmet, though Calliope made sure to keep her eyes on the road. Her base guitar sat comfortably in its case on her back, and she rode the streets rather casually. Honestly, the thought of joining a band had been the furthest thing from her mind lately. She had been so focused on finishing her degree that when she first saw the ad, the idea just seemed like it'd be too time consuming. Only after taking it home and dwelling on it somewhat did she decide to give it a try. And after that she spent a good hour trying to decide what instrument to try. She had genuinely considered just going in with either a tambourine or a triangle, but upon further reflection she figured the safer bet would be a guitar. As to which one, she was pretty skilled at both, so it could've gone either way. So after flipping a coin, she had settled for the base guitar.

Can't go wrong with baselines and keeping the rhythm going.

As she came to a stop at the red light, she turned her music off since she was getting close to the place. Calliope had zero expectations for the other players, though the fact that the head honcho was a nervous type would have kept her expectations low. So long as there was a common love for music, she figured it'd turn out alright. Her calloused fingers tapped the handles as she waited for the light to change, though she nearly jumped out of her skin as she thought she heard a whizzing scream. She turned her head to look for the source, but said source had gone so fast that she missed it. Oh well. Seeing how gossipy this town was, she'd hear about it eventually.

Pulling up to the all-too familiar music store, she spotted a rather interesting sight of a pair of people on the ground. Parking her motorcycle, she made sure the kickstand was up as she dismounted. Pulling off her helmet, she noticed the violin case on the girl's back and frowned slightly. Go figure. It was probably coincidence, but the universe had a funny way of saying otherwise. She recognized them both; Marcus Ainsworth and Noelle Evans. The former from his father's music shop and the latter because her youngest brother often went to her sessions at the library.

Raising an eyebrow at the pair, Calliope placed a hand on her hip. "Here's hoping you don't feel the need to be that close to your band members," She couldn't help but quip.

---

---

God, she was late. Parveen was trying to peel her nephew off her arm frantically. "Gramma, I'm late, please come get Sunny!" She called up the stairs of the house, picking up her car keys with the arm that didn't have a two year old clinging to it. "Sunny, you're supposed to get off!" She wailed, before her grandmother came down the stairs and lifted the young boy away with a small chuckle, enticing him towards the living room with the promise of a game. And with that, Parveen was out the door, hopping in to the car and heading for the centre of town.
She swore quietly as she noticed a stain on her shirt, a smudge of Sunil's lunch interrupted the yellow-on-green pattern of her t-shirt, but it was too late to do anything about it. Instead, she turned up the music in the car until the bass was thrumming in her bones. She pulled the car around, parking up beside a motorcycle before going to the boot to get her gear out. She grabbed the guitar out, the battered flight case covered in stickers from her college days, and her laptop bag went over her shoulder before looking towards Marcus, her bosses' son. He was on the groubd, bright red, with a girl on rollerskates by him. Thank God Parveen had never been much of a sporty one, she was always too clumsy for that kind of thing.
"You okay down there?" She asked, striding towards them and offering her spare hand out to help them up off the ground. "I'm guessing that's not quite the first impression we were going for?" She teased gently, a smile crinkling her face pleasantly.

Cole rolled over onto his back and starred at ceiling in a unsuccessful attempt to will his hangover away. He hadn’t remembered bringing anyway back here last night but sure enough he woke up this morning to some girl sneaking out with his Misfits t-shirt. Wasn’t too bad though, last time he brought someone back here she’d ended up stealing a lot more than a t-shirt. He finally got out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom, found a bottle of aspirin, and washed a few down with an old stale beer that had been left on the counter. He smelled the shirt he was currently wearing and decided it was definitely time for a shower. He had a weird feeling like he was forgetting something but continued to ignore, he kind of had that feeling a lot. He then went on to fix his mohawk, using quite a bit of the cheap hair gel that kept it in place and it wasn’t until a good while later, while eating a bowl of cereal that he remembered what he was supposed to do today.

”Shit.” He muttered, he was supposed to meet that Marcus guy for an audition. He looked over at his alarm clock which was blinking a 12:00 and clearly no help, he really needed to fix that sometime. He searched around a bit until he found his phone, he was very much late, and quickly threw on some clothes. Luckily the rehearsal studio wasn’t too far from his apartment, actually pretty much everything in town wasn’t too far; it was a pretty small town. He left his apartment, hopped on his bike, and grinned as the engine made a satisfying sound as it started up.

He parked near the studio and walked the rest of way until he spotted Marcus laying on the ground with a girl, and a couple of others gathered around. “Hey Marcus, you forming a band or a harem? Cause I’m only interested in the first one.” He asked grinning before offering out his hand to help them up.

---

It was most certainly not the most graceful of meetings but colliding at high speeds is definitely one way to make a lasting impression. Elle landed hard but at least someone had broken her fall. Sadly, it seemed as though he had not intended for things to go that way. Smiling to the out of breath boy, Apologies. I'm Elle. I heard a band was starting here. I brought snacks. Once she said that Elle frantically looked around realizing the grocery bags were not in her hands. The girl attempted to stand but without help, the lack of stable ground kept her from being able to stand. So, to deal with that issue she began taking off her rollerblades.

By the time she got her first rollerblade off another girl walked up to the two. Soon after a fourth person joined the little group upon the sidewalk. Elle took the girls hand and replied, I'm fine. Not sure about him. Are you also here about the band?" Once she stood up, Elle took off her other rollerblade and then set about to finding the snacks she brought. She then noticed one bag was under a nearby car. She went to get it as another person came. "Hello. I brought snacks cause I didn't know if we needed to bring anything." If one were to look in the bag it was just a bunch of nuts, fruits, and vegetables. It was fairly obvious that she wasn't a 'snack' person.

Parveen nodded as she helped the girl up, before offering her hand to Marcus in order to help him up as well while the girl went off to seek out her lost snacks. The new boy, the one with the rainbow hair (something Parveen would have adored but never dared to try on herself), made some comment about a harem. She pulled a face at the thought of it, and she shot a disapproving glance at him. She'd seen him around and she thought she remembered him being in the year above at school. His name still eluded her anyway.

"I'm hoping we're here for the band. I'm not sure if it's the most comfortable place to be trying... that." She wrinkled her nose, making the little jewel in her nose glint a little as her face moved, but then she eased back a little. She worried a little that she hadn't brought anything, but with a house as insanely full as hers, if she'd tried to bring a food-gift it would have been demolished as soon as she'd bought the ingredients. "I'm Parveen, by the way. Definitely not down for harem-ing."

Marcus Ainsworth

---

Marcus was blushing brightly as the group slowly started to form around him. What a first impression. He groaned softly as he accepted the two outstretched hands above him, standing with their help. He dusted off his clothes and chuckled nervously, looking around at the group that surrounded him. Decent turn out. "Uh, hey everyone... Talk about first impressions, huh?" He said with more uneasy laughter. "Definitely no harems here... Only music." His face was still bright red, but he seemed to brush most of the embarrassment off.

Marcus saw that the rollerblader who had collided with him, apparently named Elle, had started looking around for her bags of snacks. She'd found one, so he scanned around the area for the other, seeing that it had conveniently landed by the door of the rehearsal studio, with only half of it's contents strewn over the ground. He started to collect the snacks, putting them back into the bag. "Thanks Elle... It's okay though, I've got a bunch of snacks and some beers in the room I booked."

The long haired boy smiled slightly at the familiar, yet relatively unknown faces, before opening the door to the studio. "We're in the first room to the right. Go on in, help yourself to the snacks and beer, and claim your instruments. I have plenty of stuff set up in there." He stood there holding the door open as the rest of them started to funnel in, looking around the street one more time, keeping an eye out for anyone else who may be running a little late.

---

Running late wasn't out of the ordinary for Charlotte. If it wasn't something very important she would take her time, and this meeting wasn't anywhere near important to her. It wasn't because she wasn't passionate about music- but this was the fifth time that someone in this town had tried to create something without much traction. As she reached the building she noticed a man in the door, she waved at the man hoping to get his attention.

"Hey! Sorry i'm late." she called, doing a light jog to catch up to the door. She grinned, "You must be Marcus, I'm Charlotte- my friends called me Lottie." she squeezed past him in the door as she looked at everyone who had showed up. Some were semi familiar faces; seen at shows and around town considering they were all around the same age. But the most familiar was the boy from earlier.

"Fuck." she spurted out, realizing her mistake.