Waving a Net pt.5
"For the next concert!!", Kuroi shouted lifting his martini up in the air.
The other two memebers of <black:ice> and Raven lifted his drinks too, Dark a whiskey, Death a vodka and Raven a gin, and the four of them drank a toast for the next concert.
Dark turned to Raven and poked his nose. "You are like the fourth member of <black:ice>, I think the next time we’ll bring you to the photo sessions"
"And to the concerts", Death added. "The fans should know you better, not just as the purple one getting drunk with us"
Raven drank a long swig from his gin and smiled. "Well, guys, maybe you can find a new instrument I can play…"
"BUT OF COURSE", Dark shouted, his perception of the volume of his voice a bit distorted after the fourth whiskey. Death’s pat on his neck made him aware that he was maybe a bit too loud, so he lowered as he followed. "How didn’t I think about it before?", he frowned, "Well, I have thought of it before, of course, but just forgot about it. Maybe it’s because of the joints. For example, I though about it that day when…"
"Are you going to say it or do we have to listen to your whole life before?", Death kicked his neck again.
"Yeah, well, what I was saying is that", he downed his whiskey before going on, "Raven can join us"
Raven blinked. "How many whiskeys you already had?"
"No, I’m serious", Dark tried to take off his voice the funny tone which made some consonants longer, unmistakeable sign that he had had too many. "I mean, you taught me how to play the bass, didn’t you?"
"Yes, I did", Raven agreed, "But that was long ago, at school…"
"Shut up", Dark’s own hand closed his mouth, "It was just a rhetorical question". He picked up another whiskey from the bar. "If Raven plays the bass with us, then I’ll have my hands free and’ll be able to run about and be closer to the fans, don’tcha think?"
Death placed a finger over his lips, his usual pose when he was thinking about something important. "For me it’s ok, I agree with Dark". The finger left his place and went back to the vodka glass, which was about to get empty. "Do you also agree, little redhead?", he asked Kuroi, who in the meanwhile had taken the last cigarette out of his packet, lit it and started looking for another coin.
"I agree", he said, the cigarette hanging from his lips as he spoke, and he headed towards the tobacco machine. "I’ve always wondered how it’d be to have Raven with us up there on the stage", he shouted to make himself understood among the loud crowd as he fighted with the machine, who had taken the coin and didn’t want to spit the cigarettes.
"Wait a moment", Dark ordered and disappeared for a moment. When he reappeared, he was carrying with some difficulties his own refilled whiskey glass together with other three containing vodka, martini and gin. "Hey guys, let’s toast Raven, our new mate!"
"But he’s always been our mate", Death pointed out, remembering their days at school and high school.
Dark looked angrily at the purple-haired guitarist, "I meant the new BANDmate, stupid plum!"
"Ok, ok", Kuroi reentered the conversation by taking his martini out of Dark’s staggering hands and opening his new Marlboro, "Let’s toast him!!"
"Hum, guys…", Raven tried to make the others aware that he still was there, "does any of you wonder about what I have to say?"
Dark looked at him and frowned. "Don’t even dare to tell me you’re gonna say no!"
"Are you??", Death and Kuroi shouted at the same time.
Raven closed his eyes and held his new gin solemnly as his three mates stared at him with wide open eyes. After a few seconds which seemed an eternity to the former three memebers of <black:ice>, Raven’s lips curved on a smile and a shout came out of his throat: "Of course not!!!"
"Heee, you bastard!", Dark kicked his ass with his black boot, "You really scared me!"
"Yeah", Death added, "You made me believe you don’t like us!"
"Soooo let’s drink!!!", Kuroi shouted, his glass already high, the martini inside dangerously approaching the border and threatening to wet their heads.
"Hey, wait a moment!", a voice said, his owner trying to make his way through the crowd. "We also wanna participate!"
"Terry!", Raven cried as he jumped on his old friend, a wave of his gin falling over the brown haired footballer. "How come you’re here and you didn’t tell me?"
Terry looked at the gin spot on his grey t-shirt and playfully pushed Raven so that a part of his drink fell also over the purple string shirt he was wearing. "I wasn’t planning to come", he said.
A second figure managed to get to the group throughout the crowd, a tall guy with short blue hair and eyes of an ocean blue who looked at them as if he were looking at ghosts and whose mouth drooped to the floor.
Kuroi approached him smiling until just a few centimetres separated their faces. "And you are…", he said.
Shion tried to come back to life after having been frozen at the sight of his heroes in front of them. "I –I’m Shion", he muttered.
"Shion", Dark repeated, "Interesting…"
"I met him today on a football match", Terry explained, "and…", he paused for a moment, as if doubting to speak further.
"And…?", Raven helped him to go on.
"And…", he licked his lips and smiled, "Well, we’re starting our own band in the next days"
Shion blinked repeteadly and opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out of it.
"Waaaaaaah!!", Raven screamed. "Our little footballer is finally gonna follow our way!"
"Let’s toast them both!", Kuroi suggested.
Dark agreed, "Yeah, let’s do it. For Raven, the new member of <black:ice>, and for Terry and… uhm…"
"Shion", Death remembered. "For them both", he lifted his glass again, "who are going to be our little brothers!"
Kuroi appeared with two more martinis and gave them to both Terry and Shion, "Dunno your favourite drinks, so I just brought my favourite one", a smile brightened up his face, covered with thick red make up.
Shion held his glass and turned his face towards Terry, who widened his smile and winked at him. "You vocals and guitars", he said, "me bass. We’ll find some drummer", he lifted his glass to join the others and made a sign to Shion in order to do the same. "Later we’ll talk about the name, ok?"
Shion also smiled and lifted his glass with renewed strenght. "For us all!!", he shouted.
"For us all!!!", the other five guys repeated and downed their drinks.