[IC] Contracted - Dead Hopes and Dreams

[22ice22]

"What ladies? The cute ones of course. After all they can't keep their hands off me," Søren replied with a tone and look on his face that made it basically impossible to tell if he was kidding or not. Slapping on a small grin Søren hopped in the van. Settling in the back of the van he placed Nete next to him and looked at Parker as the vehicle started. With a poor imitation of an aristocrat he called out, "Now onwards to the residence chaffuer,"

---

Following Parker and Petra in, Søren ignored their conversation and walked to his room, talking quietly to his bass as he did so. "I'm sorry, but no more playing for a while my fingers hurt a bit and Parker and I have company. For now, I'll just leave you in my room, though I hope while I'm in there these break the weird awkward sexual tension thing, I mean come on."

Opening the door to his room he walked in set Nete down on his bed, grabbed a sketch book and a few pencils, then walked out. Joining the rest of the group he sat by the table and began to sketch out a basic design for his business card. Finishing the rough sketch as Matt began to choke he set it down and went to grab a piece of the pizza. "This pizza must be pretty good if you're getting all choked up over it Matt," Søren called out teasingly as he took a bite. Before he could swallow though he heard Matt say the words free and Born of Osiris. "Wait free free? Or free as in opening for the concert, or free as in being on their street crew... or... or," Søren rapidly asked jumping to his feet, before a look of doom fell over his face. "Wait you said this weekend. Oh come on! I just bought a ticket for the show earlier today. What kind of sick joke is this, you bastard?" he lamented as fell to his knees and threw his arms towards the heavens, letting out a long strecthed out, "Why?"

Slowly returning to his previous sitting posistion Søren looked at Matt, "To answer your question I'd say hell yeah free concert, well sort of. Oh well my fault." Shrugging He just took another bite of pizza and leaned back in his seat.

[Orchestratic]

After getting the cups placed on the table next to the pizza boxes, Parker turned to take a seat in his chair before shaking his head and laughing at the Doberman in his seat. He took a seat on the arm of the chair instead, lightly scratching Crocell's side.

"Well, at least all the GOOD types of pizza are here," he teased Petra after Matt broke the news about her missing mac-and-cheese pizza. Opposite of Parker across the coffee table, he eyed Søren's sketchbook before rolling his eyes with a smile. He knew Søren well enough to know he wasn't actually going to get the cards and was just being goofy (after all, he barely had enough money to keep up living here in Hollywood), but it was still funny to him that he took quite a liking to being called 'The Guitar Whisperer'. Parker opened his mouth to say something to him about it but was interrupted by what Parker assumed had to be a choking fit from Matt, but soon made a second hypothesis when he saw Matt rinsing out his nostrils in the kitchen sink, causing a laugh of disbelief to force it's way from his throat before turning around to grab his own slice of pizza and laugh in agreement with Søren's joke. "You alright, there, chief?" He turned and approached Matt to lay his free hand on his back, patting it lightly, not expecting Matt to answer through his apparent nostril-crisis.

When Matt returned to his seat, Parker followed and began to pour himself some root beer in the cup in front of him, cocking an eyebrow in Matt's direction. Søren's vocalized thoughts left Parker wondering some of the same things, then causing him to roll his eyes before telling him to quiet down and stop being an idiot. With an aggravated sigh at his best friend, he turned his attentions back toward his most recent friend. "I'm wondering how as well, but luckily I'm doing so in a less ridiculous manner," he continued, referring to Søren's idiocy. "So, what's the catch?"

[Leviathan]

“Of course they don’t have underground pizza, why would they? It’s all mainstream pizza these days.” She frowned and folded her arms in a pout, which did not last long as she dove into a different pizza box to grab a cheesy slice. Her hands folded the ends of the meal together before taking a bite, and she was content though still visibly irked by the missing mac and cheese. Within a matter of minutes the grub had vanished and she downed the soda pop in two swigs like a boss. Petra ate oddly fast for a female but appreciated every bite because in the past she had gone without. This stemmed her OCD about not wasting food to an almost annoying degree.

With those bad memories aside Petra managed to look over to her band mate at the exact moment a slice of meat soared into Matt’s nostril, and she burst out into laughter that made Crocell bark in a startled manner. “You ok there smooth criminal?” She asked jokingly and watched the goofball return to his seat after a rinse, and scroll though his cell in awe. The sneaky red haired guitarist had been waiting for a victim to sit beside her, and as soon as the vocalist plopped back down to get comfy Petra placed her legs onto his lap. “Rub my feet Matt, they don’t smell much. I promise.” She placed both thumbs and index fingers together over her head to make a halo, and smiled angelically. It was a rule that only Petra was aware of almost all the time but his mention of Born of Osiris quickly caught her off guard. She arched a brow at Søren’s kooky display for a moment before narrowing her eyes at Matt, contemplating what he had just said. Petra absolutely adored that band and contained all excitement figuring this information too good to be true. “I am eager to know the catch as well.”

[RawrEspada4]

"Guys, guys where's the trust," Matt said, a sly smile spreading across "No catch... at least I don't think so... Catch's are normally downsides right?" Letting the sentence hang in the air he leaned forward, over Petra's feet and grabbed another slice of pizza. Leaning back on the couch he began to munch on his pizza, well aware that the rest of the band was waiting for him to tell them how he got them into the show. After about two minutes of what was pretty much silence with the band staring at him Matt let out an overly exasperated sigh "Okay guys, I'll spill. Jake (drummer of TNC) from Tomorrow Never Comes just texted me. TNC was supposed to open up the show but Jake and Alex (Alex is the bassist, they are brothers) have to head up to Washington, something happened with their parents and with half of TNC unavailable Jake wanted to know if we were interested in taking their opener slot... I have a message saying yes ready to go all I need is your guys' say," As he talked Matt unlocked his phone and stared at the confirmation message itching to hit the send button. "I mean there's no reason to say no, right? The only real downside is that the flyer has TNC's name on it rather than ours."

[22ice22]

With a hand clasped over his heart and a pained look on his face Søren looked over at Parker, "Ridiculous? Me? I am deeply offended, and I thought we were friends." Turning to look at Matt as the singer began to explain Søren's face took on a much more serious look. After their singer finished speaking, Søren sat there for a moment his eyes burning with excitment in complete contrast to his still serious face.

"This is a really good oppurtunity, so I have to say yes, even if the circumstances around it aren't great. I hope whatever it is with TNC will be fine," he stated calmly, " If we do take this gig though we need to figure out our set list, which means we need to know our stage time and everything. Also, we might want to try to burn a shit ton of CDs for any possible fans. So like I said I'm in." Tilting his head Søren looked towards Petra and Parker, wwaiting for their opinions. Even if he was pretty sure what it was going to be.

[Orchestratic]

Eying Petra's feet on Matt's lap, Parker took a drink. It was foolish for him to be bothered by something so innocent, especially considering there was nothing left between the guitarist and himself, but Parker had always been a slave to his emotions which caused many overreactions and inner wars between said emotions and his common sense. This would often lead to outbursts, as it would with anyone with such a short fuse, For a few years now, though, he had been able to keep it under control, around his friends especially.

Taking a sip of his Root Beer, he moved his hard stare elsewhere towards Søren and his dramatic act of faux betrayal, moving the cup away long enough for a small chuckle at his best friend's joking act. Shaking his head and continuing his drink, his eyes opened wide as they trained on Matt, the issue with Petra barely tugging at his mind now. As Matt spoke, Parker had to keep stifling his own interruptions from his excitement until finally he had his chance to speak. "Um, hell yes?!" He said excitedly, thankful that no pizza spewed from his mouth just as his words did. "This is a huge opportunity for us!" He was practically spilling his drink now. Looking over to Søren, he quickly agreed. "Yes, yes! Hopefully people will want to buy our CDs..." He paused for a moment. "Even if they don't exactly have proper covers." He laughed to himself, still entirely too excited. He looked to Petra with sparkling eyes, remembering all their talks about this exact kind of opportunity. He could only hoped she'd be excited as he was.

[Leviathan]

Petra sat quiet unlike her fellow band mates who were elated; did they even receive the same news? Her contemplative russet colored hues downcast upon a discolored bruise on her leg that she received from sleepwalking a couple of nights ago. Her expression not pleased in the slightest though she scanned about the room one last time at the hopeful faces of the band, and tried to relax a bit…and not sound like a total bitch while raining on their parade. She cleared her throat before speaking, a clear sign that her dialogue would not be pleasant.

“What you’re saying is that we’re filling in for a band but the fans don’t know it? Yeah, doesn't sound like anything bad could happen at all. Booed off stage, a riot, beer bottles lobbed at our heads…” Her tone sounding extremely sarcastic while she smirked imagining the chaos. A light laugh could be heard while she restlessly combed a few fingers through her gleaming dyed tresses. “So, I think that set list is the least of our problems Søren.”

Zippered heels were placed on the ground before bringing her cup into the kitchen for some water. This gig was going to be a disaster and she would be the one saying I told you so. After her quick fill of water she returned to the group and folded both arms in a reluctant manner. “I like a challenge…let’s do it.” Her eyes rolled from defeat knowing good and well that she’d follow this group of trouble makers to the ends of the earth…or an apocalypse. Her smile could not be contained any longer and she sat back down. “We have a lot of work to do...” Her gaze lingered on the drummer for a moment before reaching for another slice of pizza.

[Orchestratic]

Parker continued to watch Petra until she spoke, expecting the negativity that did in fact come from her. He had known her long enough to interpret her body language, and something about this didn't make her happy. When she finally came out with it, After she finished, the light laugh he was so familiar with made the statement seem so much less serious. He looked between the two boys with a raised eyebrow as Petra proceeded into the kitchen for their opinions. He certainly see it as the train wreck it the guitarist saw it as. "As the opening band to the main act, I doubt too many people will be disappointed. Besides, these sorts of things happen all the time; a microphone-explanation by a stage host about the unavoidable absence of TNC and we're golden." Parker truly believed that he was right, but he also knew he had a knack for being wrong.

"'A lot' hardly covers it," he responded, referring to their workload to prepare for the show. Feeling the stress build up from all of the things waiting ahead, Parker's hands idly slipped into his pocket to three bottle-free orange pills which he quickly and discretely slipped into his mouth with his next bite of pizza. He wanted to feel all this would turn out alright, but he was never too invested in his intuitions.

[RawrEspada4]

As soon as Petra returned and gave it her go ahead Matt slammed the send button. "Petra, I think you worry too much, TNC has already let there facebook followers know that they can't be there and that it's a family emergency, so it's not like the TNC fans are going to hate us or anything.... at least not the real fans... but Pet there's always gonna be haters, and what's a few beer bottles to The Harbingers?". Matt let his optimism seep into the room, he was ready for the show and he wanted the others to know that their frontman was ready to show the world what The Harbingers were made of.

Grabbing another piece of pizza he leaned back on the couch "Although Petra is right guys, we do have quite a bit of work to do over the next few days. Solidify a set list, burn about a hundred or so copies of our EP and of course rehearse the setlist... which itself poses a problem because the show is Saturday and we don't have another rehearsal scheduled till Monday night.... Maybe we could meet early Saturday? Or I could see if we could get the studio late tomorrow night..." The more he talked the more his confidence and optimism cracked. They had TWO days to prepare for a show with a band as huge as Born of Osiris. Determined not to let his worry show he let his voice trail off and began to focus more heavily on his pizza. After all the pizza was now and the show was Saturday, one thing at a time.

[Leviathan]

“You misunderstand me Matt; I am not worried in the least.” She said with an air of confidence just before sinking her pearly white teeth into the delicious pizza. After finishing all but the crust she flung the scrap to Crocell who caught it instantly within his maw. She rarely fed him junk food but he had been especially good today and deserved a little something yummy. Petra crossed her legs in a pretzel and stretched her arms toward the ceiling nonchalantly while listening to the band-mates collaboration. No matter what issues or repercussions her friends were willing to accept them graciously and she respected them for that.

As the conversation pressed on Matt’s rambling became apparent and the impish guitarist began smirking from amusement. Clearly, he had been speaking about himself on the worried part. “I am free whenever you guys decide to make shit happen. Either day works just fine.” Everyone could make their own schedules at Voltic, and as an apprentice she could work with anyone at the shop. She received very little pay as it was so staying from open to close was usually the way to go anyway, and she did not mind. Hopefully this show would propel them to greater heights so she could begin cashing in; the gods knew she needed every cent.

[22ice22]

Listening closely to the other Harbinger's worries, Søren found a small frown forming on his face. None of their worries were things that he had overlooked, but in all reality he had hoped the others would be more positive and confident. After the others finished voicing their concerns Søren spoke. "Okay, now that we have that out of the way lets look at the bright side. We. Will. Be. Opening. For. Born. Of. Osiris." Glancing at the others he continued to speak, "I mean, so what if we aren't who some are expecting. We are a damn awesome band in my opinion, and even if things don't go great, we still get in to the concert for free and we might even have a chance to talk to them."

Grabbing another slice of pizza he leaned back in his seat and let his eyes wander over his bandmates. He could tell Parker was excited, yet a little stressed. As far as Søren could tell Petra seemed confident and reserved, but he thought he could tell she was excited, or at least he hoped. Matt was easily the easiest to figure out he also seemed to be nervous and excited. That was good, after all if everyone is excited then they would all be trying their best. Taking a quick drink of his beverage Søren looked at Petra with small smile, "Even if things do turn out bad at least they will remember us."

[Orchestratic]

Parker smiled as he took a seat on the floor in front of the chair that was stolen by his favorite four-legged companion, the excitement still painted on his face. "You're damn right they'll remember us," he said, smiling toward his best friend. "I pride myself on being hard to forget." He grabbed another piece of pizza with a chuckle, leaning back against the chair, stretching his long legs on the floor under the coffee table. The thought did hang on him, though, tainting his excitement slightly; much was to be done in a matter of two days. Staring forward, he began to think out loud toward the group. "Matt's right, we need to get on this. Division of labor. Matt, please do check about getting the studio tomorrow night. Søren, you should probably copy the EPs, as our favorite little promoter... unless you'd rather do it, Petra," he nodded in her direction, taking his eyes off the table for a fraction of a second to look her way, then returning them. "Whichever of you does not should help me with creating the set list and fixing the trailer's broken straps; I think it has a flat, as well..." He took a deep breath and sighed it out, trying to relax the load he suddenly felt atop their collective shoulders. "This will be big for us in a big way..."

Eyes still placed on the spot on the coffee table as he listed the effort that needed to be done in a single day without fail, he became a bit unnerved. If the gig were to go right, tomorrow needed to go perfectly. He finished his pizza and handed his crust back to Crocell, forgetting to ask Petra if it was okay as he closed his eyes tight with his other hand on his face - as he always did when he was trying to focus - and began mentally organizing a set list.

---

The next day was more of a daze to Parker, as he had to struggle to keep his mind in Friday and out of Saturday before it came. Once he managed to do that, though, he could do nothing but panic; the day really did have to go off without a hitch to make sure tomorrow did as well. Tomorrow was all too important.

Parker's alarm had blared him into reality at 7:00 AM Friday morning, ripping him from a dream about the concert. He imaged the entire gang would have had similar dreams that night considering the weight of the event. "Weight" really was the perfect word for it, as the gig tomorrow had a heavy presence that was there since Matt had hit "send". This was the biggest gig Parker had been apart of, and he assumed the rest of them held that same track record. When noon rolled around, Parker figured it was safe to assume Petra was awake and called her before heading off to pick her up on their way to the studio and the trailer, which Parker kept in a spot behind the studio with permission from the owner. Once he and Petra arrived to fix the trailer, Parker saw he was right about the tire being flat and decided it'd be best to start there. It was tedious work fixing broken straps and the tire, taking several hours out of the day. Parker found it nice spending time with Petra alone, as well, although uncomfortable at times; they hadn't been alone much in awhile.

After all the daylight had been burned out, Parker suggested they go back to see if Søren was home so he could help them with the set list, and Parker would cook them something to eat. He was determined to make them something really good before their big show, and so he invited Matt over as well through text, not knowing if he'd be too busy to show up or not. Although they didn't have much to eat in the house they had enough for homemade lasagna, which Parker thoroughly enjoyed making anyway.

[22ice22]

Groggily sitting up Søren snatched the devilish device that had disturbed his slumber from its' spot by his bed, and pushed a few keys effectively silencing the annoying beeping. Dropping his phone next to him on his bed he swung his legs over the side of the bed as he went to get up. Setting his foot down he bumped a stack of CDs and they tumbled into an untidy pile. With a sigh he bent sown to straigthen the stack. As Søren did so he paused to look at them, and every single had The Harbingers hastily scrawled across the top. They were the very CDs he had spent all of his day the day before burning after work. With the notice of that detail it all came back to Søren and he instantly snapped from still in the haze of sleep to fully awake and amped.

With the EPs now gathered in his hands Søren leapt to action. Hastily he got dressed and made sure he had his stuff for the concert ready. His adrenaline was pumping already and he didn't even know how long they had until the show, it could be hours or minutes for all he knew. Slipping on shoes he rushed out of his room and slammed into Parker's bedroom door. "Parker! Dude, its concert day! We get to play for people today!" Søren shouted as he repeatedly pecked on his best friend's door. Not waiting for any repsonse at all he opened the door and flipped the light on. Glancing at the form of his friend he continued to boisterously exude words, "We get to open for Born of Osris today! I wonder how many people will want one of our EPs!? I hope a lot. I made like 214 of them." All while he was talking he was watching the unmoving form of Parker. Approaching Parker he called out, "Are you even listening? Or at least getting up? Because if not I shall resort to a different less polite way to awaken you." As he finished Søren grinned slightly as he thought about the less polite way, oh how he hoped Parker wouldn't get up.

[RawrEspada4]

Having pizza with the Harbingers was some of the most fun that Matt had had in a while. He didn’t get back to his loft until almost 3 in the morning and basically crashed as soon as he got to his room. He woke up a little after eleven the next morning and immediately called Revelation Studios before he even rolled out of his bed. He managed to book the studio from 1pm-5pm Saturday before the show, giving them a two hour window after rehearsal to load up and get to the venue, and maybe grab a bite to eat. After that he had a quick shift at the Denny’s from 12pm to 6pm. Getting off work he checked his phone as headed out the door to his Vespa, seeing two text messages he clicked the first open. It was from Parker and said “Sweet (in reply to being told they had the studio space before the show). I just finished making some lasagna, feel free to come over Petra and Søren will be there.” Matt smiled as he read the message, the Harbingers, however short a time they had been together was feeling more and more like a family. Typing a quick reply Matt sent Parker a simple “Lemme grab a shower, cya in 20” and keyed open the second msg that he had received while at work. Looking at his screen his face froze in shock, if someone had been standing over his shoulder it wouldn’t have made quite so much since why he seemed so horrified, appalled even, by the message on his phone’s screen. “Heard you are playing with Born of Osiris tomorrow night, can’t wait to see you ;) –Tori” was all that the message held but as Matt slid the phone into his pocket he couldn’t tell if the world was crashing down or soaring up.

He made it to Parker’s a little later than promised, but made it all the same. As the band laughed and hung and enjoyed the wonderful lasagna Parker had made Matt stayed mostly silent and reserved, his mind occupied with his own thoughts. He knew the others could tell but he hoped for the most part that they wrote it off as nerves for the show tomorrow, but mostly he just thought one single sentence, one that basically became a mantra as he drove back to his loft and laid down to sleep ”Why now?”. The thought ate at him as he laid in bed toying with his phone wondering if he should reply, eventually drifting into dreams filled with music and the reawakened pain of heartache.

[Leviathan]

It was close to noon and the flame haired girl had slept the day away, luckily Voltic did not need her assistance since she was still an apprentice after all. Petra sat pretzel legged on the bed across from a focused Crocell who joined in as she strummed along to a song she had written awhile back. After a while the words became non important and she began to howl along with the kooky Doberman until Amplifier by The Octopus played on her cell phone. She had not changed that ringtone since Parker and she had dated so long ago. The song could certainly use an update but the memories behind those lyrics still lingered. After being notified of his arrival they headed over to the busted trailer. They exchanged a bit of small talk while making sure everything was up to par, and his company was a bonus while working through the tough workload. Feelings of disappointment arose when the day ended but fortunately Parker decided to make supper for the group.Crocell and Petra joked around with Matt and Søren,..mostly Matt since Søren remained his typical laid back self. Everyone seemed to enjoy the homemade dinner and company.

Petra ended up crashing on the beaten up sofa at Parker and Søren’s place accidentally, and awoke to Crocell’s paw unintentionally digging into her neck. He was stretching and snorted his infamous snort while peering at his master with adorable chocolate hues. “Stinky breath.” Petra chuckled while closing the dog’s snout shut for a minute. She yawned before rising with a stretch upward toward the ceiling before casually walking into the bathroom. “Morning guys!” She shouted to whomever so happened to be awake while stealing a towel to hop into the shower. It would be nice to feel warm water on her skin for once since the motel’s water heater had not been fixed in over a month. The choices for shampoo and body wash were not particularly feminine. She shrugged at the thought of smelling like a fresh guy. Oh well…

[Orchestratic]

The familiar noise of his roommate was enough to shake Parker from his attempt to stay in the lovely reality that was the night before, yet he refused to move right away. The words "concert day" didn't seem to click in his mind as he lay motionless, sighing in an attempt to return to last night. It was only until Petra's voice rang through the paint-chipped walls that the reality sank in, causing him to set his head up from his unkempt bed. Petra being here meant it was all real, and today was the Harbinger's proving day. Slowly pushing himself up from his bed, he was soon nearly face to face with a mischievous Søren, seemingly ready to pounce for Parker's consequence. Rubbing the laziness from his eyes, he noticed the EPs his roommate had, and realized he had been so busy he hadn't even looked at them. "I'm awake, I'm up..." Parker said in surrender. "Nice amount of EPs; thanks for covering that," he continued as he stood and passed Søren, heading for the shower although just arriving when Petra was going in with a towel in hand. Nostalgic thoughts passed through his mind as he gave his crooked smile and waved her in. "I'll make us a quick breakfast," he mumbled as he passed toward the kitchen. The clock there showed it was 10:30, so they had a little time before the 1pm rehearsal Matt managed to book.

Using some green pepper's he hadn't used last night on the lasagna, Parker managed to whip up some classy omelets for everyone using what little ingredients they still had. He was sure to make up a fourth, wondering if Matt would show up before rehearsal. "Food's on!" Parker called through the small hall, leaving his own food to take his own turn in the shower, making sure to comment on how manly Petra smelled today after her own shower. Parker managed his shower at 11:20 AM, counting down the minutes until rehearsal. In the shower, he drummed his fingers along the walls and soaps, pumping himself up for their big day.

[RawrEspada4]

Matt woke sometime between ten and eleven in the morning and lay in bed staring at the ceiling. His thoughts swam through his head trying to contemplate how they had got to the point where they were already opening for a band like Born of Osiris. But at the same time he was basking in the thoughts of playing before a full crowd he was also dreading that the show also meant his reunion, even if it was only for a few minutes, with Tori. He hadn’t actually seen her since the day he started the self-destruction of Forever Unbound and he had only spoken to her in short texts thereafter. Sighing he rolled out of his bed and dragged himself to the shower. Taking a rather long shower Matt found himself drawn to the idea of meeting up with the band early, hell perhaps they could even grab the studio a little early. Exiting the shower with his mind focused on the single purpose of meeting up with his band as soon as possible he shaved and scrubbed his teeth clean, tied back his hair and grabbed his bag of clothes. He had planned his outfit for the show the night before and planned on rehearsing in a pair of gym shorts and an old Aeon to Oblivion shirt. Grabbing a mountain dew from his fridge he mentally made note to grab a new 12 pack on his way home and grabbed his phone and keys as he headed out the door, texting Parker and Søren to see if it was cool if he stopped by before the rehearsal.

[22ice22]

As Parker woke up, Søren felt his own smirk fade a bit. There went his chance to mess with his friend, but at least he was getting up, even if it was rather slowly. That was until they both heard Petra's voice ring out. Søren's smirk slowly began to grow again as he immediately began to think of all the ways he could tease the pair.

Following Parker out of the room, he went to the kitchen and waited for breakfast, while reorganizing the EP stack. By the time Soren had finished making sure that every single one was matched to the one below it Parker had finished cooking and walked off to take his shower. Begining to scarf down his omelet, he looked up at Petra when he saw her. With a inquisitive look he asked, "Soooo... slept on the couch, huh?" Not waiting for an answer Søren continued, "You know you probably could have crashed with Parker, I doubt he would have cared. In fact I think he might have welcomed it. After all the moment he heard your voice this morning he was up, and in more way than just one, if you understand what I mean." Ending his sentence with a mocking smirk on his face, he stood up and took his now empty plate to the sink, sparing a glance over his shoulder to catch a peek at Petra's reaction.

[Leviathan]

Petra purposely bumped into Parker who commented on the trace of macho soaps used to improvise during her morning shower. “Oops, so sorry. Not really.” She playfully smirked while striding past him haughtily into the kitchen to retrieve some delicious grub. The aroma of eggs and veggies lingering through the crumbling apartment interior made Crocell salivate, and the fiery haired guitarist pleasantly pleased. All contents were consumed with help from the trusty Doberman who graciously gobbled leftovers. Petra scratched the mutt underneath the chin before looking up to see Søren with a strange look splashed all over his face. She arched a brow readying for the campy humor that would most likely ensue, and sat back in the chair sipping on some dark roast coffee.

"You know you probably could have crashed with Parker, I doubt he would have cared. In fact I think he might have welcomed it. After all the moment he heard your voice this morning he was up, and in more way than just one, if you understand what I mean."

Petra did not bat an eyelash after the bass player said his piece, in fact, her face remained stoic while she held onto the porcelain cup. “That’s just natural morning physiology, nothing to do with me sweatheart.” Her voice replied nonchalantly to the smug twenty year old. She let her killjoy of a response linger in the air a moment before countering his taunt.

“Actually, speaking of which. Wasn't it your pretty face he saw first? Who’s to say he was excited to hear me? Talk about a true bromance but you two would look so cute together—if you understand what I mean.” The Greek remained ever so mellow and gradually looked up at Søren by the sink. Her bluish green eyes held a tint of impishness even though her face remained impassive. Pales lips were placed on the coffee cup to take another casual sip.

[Orchestratic]

Parker decided to take a shower that was just short of lengthy, allowing the hot water to relax him as much as possible for their big day. He could feel the muscles in his back and neck start to unwind from being in the heat and doing tedious work on the trailer the day before, causing sounds of relief and relaxation to sigh from deep within him. When he was finished, he stepped out onto the cold tile and stared at his blurred reflection in the foggy mirror. Even with the impaired visibility, his excited grin was still apparent as he dressed and brushed some of the water out of his hair. Before stepping out into the hall, Parker seemingly couldn't help but write "HARBINGERS" in large lettering on the mirror through the fog, then adding stick-figure illustrations of all of them playing their instruments on a tiny stage and chuckling to himself.

Parker walked into the kitchen while looking down at his phone, returning the message from Matt to tell him he'd already made breakfast for him, though he might have to reheat it. When he looked up from his phone, he couldn't help but feel like he had missed a joke at his expense. "Matt will be over soon, and then we'll head over to practice after we eat," Parker said through a smile before picking up his plate and eating a bite of his omelet while leaning against the counter.

---

After the band enjoyed their breakfast together, it was time for the Harbingers to rehearse. When Matt arrived, Parker invited him to ride over with the rest of them in his van since they would be going to the show right after practice, maybe eating on the way. "Bands should travel together," he had told Matt with a smile. Once on the road with whoever had joined him, Parker had to stop himself from speeding with excitement through the traffic; even simply getting to their practice was causing a natural high so vast that he didn't even notice the burning sensation in his nose that signaled his body was craving pills. Soon they arrived and quickly unloaded, getting everything into the familiar studio in a matter of minutes.

There were several breaks during the four hours of practice because the band wanted to make sure they wouldn't be exhausted for the show. When the clock ran out on their rehearsal time, Parker hooked the trailer to Jill and pulled it to the front of the studio for loading. Once everything was snug in it's place Parker took a seat on the back of the trailer, facing his bandmates. "So, what kind of food are you guys feeling for the way?" Parker asked with a pill in his mouth, swallowing it as he checked his phone for the time. "We have to be there in an hour and a half, but the show won't start for another two so we should be able to sit in on a meal if we make haste of it."