Jyn bit his lip as he set up another chair around the fire pit. It was late in the evening and soon the others would congregate towards the warm fire that crackled defiantly in the dark. He eyed the cooler full of liquor and sighed. “I suppose we could all use the break,” he muttered.
Kell heard, however. “I think it’s a good thing for Reya and Adrian. A night together as a group is just what they need. They’ve been rather anti-social since the instruments arrived. It’s nice that their minds are preoccupied, but a little bit of change to their routine would do them wonders. I’m surprised you’re not more against this.”
“I’m not a total hard-ass, contrary to popular belief. The others have been taking their jobs more seriously – which is great – but I can tell that their fatigue is building. I can’t afford to let morale drop any further if I want them to keep doing their jobs properly. I’d prefer it if they didn’t get piss drunk, but I think I can let it slide. This time.”
“It’s good that you’re thinking about the team again,” Kell said.
“I never stopped,” Jyn replied, more harshly than intended. “It’s the others that need the reminder that we’re still on duty. I’ve been doing my job the entire time. Why don’t the others see that?” It had been beyond frustrating to make the others take their work seriously and he was reaching the end of his patience.
“We all handled the outcome of the mission differently. Some of us were more affected than others. We’re all frayed from what we’ve discovered. Tonight will be a good opportunity to blow off some steam.”
“If it hadn’t been for Adrian, we’d all be able to relax. Instead, we’re stuck here.”
“We’d still be at the facility if we hadn’t found Adrian. Discovering him has let us be with Reya when she needs us the most. In a twisted way, he’s the reason she’s not alone.”
Jyn’s face darkened. “He’s also the reason she got hurt to begin with.”
Kell was about to respond when the doors to the back porch opened. Tassie, Beor and Eimir walked out, dressed in sweaters and long pants to keep the night chill at bay. “We’ll talk about this later,” he promised, throwing Jyn a pointed look.
The others sat in the chairs, forming a ring around the fire while Jyn and Kell made one last run to get the last of them. Once finished, they took a seat as well, leaving three chairs untouched for the people still inside.
Beor cracked open the cooler and started passing out drinks. Tassie eagerly took hers and popped the cap; she was the first one to begin drinking. Kell frowned at her behaviour and took a small sip of his drink once he opened it.
The conversation remained on light topics as the group waited for the others to arrive. Some time later, they emerged from the house, Adrian holding a data slate and Reya holding an amp. Rann shut the door behind them. They took up the remaining chairs, with Reya and Adrian sitting next to one another.
Reya asked Beor for the hard stuff, which earned her a raised brow. He didn’t say anything as he complied with her request but shot Kell a worried glance after handing off the bottle. She didn’t notice as she inspected the label on what she’d been handed. It wasn’t the same liquor as the previous time. The one she had now tasted like tree nuts and honey. “I think you’ll like this one,” she told Adrian.
“Is it as strong as the last one?” he asked. His last experience with what passed for hard liquor on Verilia had left quite the impression. He wanted to know what he was getting into before trying this one. Reya’s laugh when he’d taken that first sip made it worth it to him, even if the experience had been less than pleasant. It had been something wonderful to hear.
“Not quite. This one doesn’t have the same kick. It’s much smoother. I promise.” She held up her hand and crossed her fingers. Adrian had shown her what it signified in his culture, and she hoped she was using it correctly now.
Adrian broke out into a huge grin. “That’s not quite how you use that. It’s used to mean you hope something goes well. Or that you’re lying.”
“I thought I had it,” Reya said, bummed.
“You were very close,” he said warmly. “I appreciate the effort. You’ll get it next time, I’m sure of it.” He watched as she opened the bottle and took a long drink. And then another. And another. Adrian might have been worried had he not been planning on having more himself. A noticeably emptier bottle was passed along to him.
“That hit the spot,” she said with a grin while he inspected the bottle’s label. Her face flushed a deeper shade of purple as the alcohol made its way through her system. Noticing Adrian take his time before drinking sparked her curiosity. “What are you doing?” She’d expected him to immediately start drinking, not spend time reading.
“I was checking to see if there was any history written on the label like the other drinks I’ve had before. I like learning more about your culture – even if it’s only about a distillery.”
“If you have an interest in our history, I could teach you about it sometime,” Reya clapped. After all of the learning she was doing about music, having something she could give back to him made her ecstatic.
Seeing the twinkle in her eyes at the prospect of teaching him something new made Adrian smile softly. “I’d love that.” A tentative sniff of the liquor made his eyes widen. “This smells really good.” Taking a chance, he took a swig. “And it somehow tastes even better!”
“I’m glad you like it. It’s the good stuff, that’s for sure.”
Adrian frowned. “Is it ok for just the two of us to drink this bottle? Won’t the others want some?”
“It’s fine,” Beor spoke up. “We have more of the stuff. You guys can have that one all to yourselves.” To prove his point, he dug around in the cooler and revealed another bottle identical to the one Adrian was holding. “We picked up extra after learning that it takes quite a bit to get you drunk. Since we weren’t sure how much you’d actually drink, we made sure to get a lot.”
“The General was ok with that?”
“She didn’t particularly care. She knows that we don’t drink regularly and didn’t seem worried when we explained why we wanted so much.”
Reya’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the catch?” She was certain there was an ulterior motive behind allowing her soldiers have access to so much alcohol. There was no way the General would stand for her soldiers getting sloshed while they were on active duty for something so important.
“We have to report back how much Adrian drinks,” Beor said awkwardly. “Not an exact amount, though.” He waved his hands in front of him to try and downplay the situation.
“They want more data on Adrian? Must everything be an experiment?” Reya was about to continue her rant when a hand on her lap gave her pause.
“They already know I eat and drink more than normal,” Adrian said. “I’m not too worried about them learning a bit more about this. It’s not something I can hide. I would have appreciated knowing this caveat beforehand, though.” Adrian shot Beor a glare, causing him to squirm.
“We’re telling you now, aren’t we?” Jyn said. “If you’re fine with it, what’s the problem?”
“Being part of a secret experiment is the problem” Adrian said harshly. “The only reason I’m fine with it is because it’s for something so minor that I know you won’t be able to accurately gauge. You have no way of knowing how much I’m actually drinking in the dark.”
“Not everything we do is an experiment!” Jyn said in exasperation. “Can’t you just enjoy the nice evening without making it all about you?”
“Getting him drunk to report the specifics sounds like an experiment to me,” Reya cut in. “You’re just after admitting that you need to report Adrian’s intake.” She reached for the bottle Adrian was holding. He surrendered it without a fuss and watched her take another drink. When she returned it, an oddity caught his eye. At first, he’d thought the bottle to be blue. Now that it was emptier, he could see that wasn’t the case. The bottle itself was clear. He held it up to the fire light to be sure and wondered if the drink was naturally that colour or dyed.
Reya and Jyn continued to argue over technicalities, neither one of them coming to an agreement. While they spoke, Adrian put the bottle to his lips and had a large amount. It was half empty when he put it down. It would take much more to get him drunk, so he held onto the bottle while he waited for the effects of the alcohol to kick in, hoping he wouldn’t have to wait too long.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
The conversation grew increasingly heated until Tassie interrupted and asked why one of the amps had been brought out. The argument stopped while Reya replied. “It’s so that we can show you the song Adrian recorded!” The harsh tone she’d been using with Jyn vanished without a trace as her excitement took over. “You all need to listen to it. It’s really good,” she gushed.
“Is that what you were working on all day?”
“Not all day, but it is the reason we came out so late.”
Beor breathed a sigh of relief now that the budding quarrel no longer dominated the atmosphere. It was uncomfortable, watching his friends fight openly. “Can we listen to it?” He’d heard bits and pieces of the song as it was being recorded, but since it was only one instrument at a time, he never got to hear what the final version sounded like.
“My data slate is already connected to the amp. All we need to do is turn it on and we’re ready to go.” Reya leaned over her chair and took care of that for him. She flashed him a thumbs up when everything was all set. Adrian received a chorus of affirmatives when he asked if the others were ready to listen. The night grew quiet once more as the others waited, unsure of what to expect.
They’d all heard Adrian sing once before and had already been impressed. The instruments he played made sounds that none of the group had ever heard before. Rann smirked, already knowing what their reactions would be.
Adrian started the song.
To a rhythm as alien as his heartbeat, music poured out from the small, unassuming amp. Deep, rich bass lines shook everybody as they wove between the higher, melodic chorus and refrains. The lilting notes of an electric guitar cut through the melody, stunning those who’d never heard the instrument before.
All the while, Adrian’s voice rang out in a beautiful baritone, complimenting the accompaniment. The effect was magnified when he harmonized with himself. His audience listened, entranced. They understood none of it, but that didn’t matter. All too soon, the song was over.
The campfire was the only sound to fill the silence that reigned. “By the gods,” Tassie said, breaking the spell that held everybody captive. “That was,” she trailed off. “I’ve never heard anything like it before. That was amazing.” The others nodded in agreement.
Adrian, for his part, could only smile. “I told you last time that you were missing so much without the instruments. This is only a small part of what I can do. My last little piece of home,” he said wistfully. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He bounced back quickly, not ready to ruin the moment. “I’ll be forever grateful to your military for having taken the time to reproduce my instruments.”
Reya reached over and grabbed his hand. She gave it a squeeze, which he returned. “I was also shocked when I heard it, and I saw it get recorded.”
“Will you record more songs?” Beor inquired. If Adrian could continue to provide music of the same quality, he would be more than happy to have it play around the house.
“That’s the plan,” Adrian replied. “I wish I could show you what the original sounded like, but you’ll have to settle for my voice instead.”
“Do you have any other songs for us?”
“Recorded like the one I just played? No. But I could go get some guitars and play more songs if you’d like. There’d only be one instrument, but that should be enough.”
“I’d love that,” Reya said before anybody else could get a word in edgewise. Standing up, she turned around and grabbed Adrian’s hands. “Let’s go get the instruments,” she said as she pulled him up out of his chair. Her excitement brought a smile to Rann’s face. It had been so long since she’d seen so much life in Reya and would do anything to keep her that way.
Jyn’s face soured and he looked like he was about to interject but was cut off by Kell. “That sounds like an excellent idea. You’ve been learning too, haven’t you, Reya? Would you care to show us?”
“I’m not that good yet,” she said bashfully. “Adrian’s much better than I am. I don’t really know any songs.”
“Nonsense,” Adrian said. “You’re much better than you give yourself credit for. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody learn as fast as you.”
The honesty in his voice brought a beaming smile to Reya’s face. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely. Now come on, let’s go get those instruments and get set up.” Together, the pair stumbled towards the house, intent on showing their friends what they could do.
Once the door to the house shut behind the couple, Jyn spoke up. “Do we really have to listen to them play music for the rest of the night? I thought we’d talk about other things.”
Kell gave Jyn a level stare. “Yes. You’ve seen how upbeat and excited they are by the prospect. I don’t care what it is that makes them feel this way, I want them to keep feeling positive emotions. It’s far better than having them dwell on what happened. It might seem like an inconvenience to you, but to them it’s important. Let them have their moment. It won’t take up the entire evening and it’ll make both of them happy.”
“Fine,” Jyn grumbled.
“The same goes for the rest of you,” Kell said, addressing the others.
“No complaints from me,” Eimir said, motioning for Beor to hand him another drink. “I liked the song. I’m curious to see what else they’re going to play for us.”
“He speaks!” Beor said dramatically as he dug around in the cooler. “At long last. I feel like we’ve barely seen you lately.” Flourishing a beer, he handed it over.
“Somebody has to take over the night shift. If it’s just me, then the rest of you get to have a normal schedule. It’s not fun, but it is what it is. I appreciate it when you guys take over so I can get some sunlight.”
“We should adjust the schedule to make it fairer,” Jyn said. “It shouldn’t have to be just you who’s sacrificing sleep to guard us.”
“We can sort something out later,” Eimir said. The door to the house opened and Reya and Adrian walked out. Reya had a long, black case in her hand while Adrian had two. They rejoined the group and set the instruments down next to their chairs.
With great care, Reya opened her case and withdrew a sleek, black bass. She slung the strap over her shoulder and set her fingers on the rich, chocolate, wooden neck. Silver dots along the wood caught the firelight and glinted as she got settled.
Adrian took out an acoustic guitar while Reya synced her instrument to the amp. He’d already tuned the instruments before bringing them outside, so they were all ready to be played. The others eyed the strange objects curiously, wondering what they sounded like.
“Which one’s the one that makes those low notes? Is it one of the ones you brought out with you?” Tassie asked.
“Mine’s the one that does that,” Reya said bashfully. An encouraging stare from Adrian gave her the confidence she needed to display her budding skills openly for the others to hear. She played several scales in succession and a simple, yet catchy beat.
Her playing was by no means excellent – she was a beginner after all – but the others were impressed all the same. They asked questions about the instrument, some of which Reya struggled to answer. Adrian jumped in and provided the explanations they were looking for when she drew a blank.
After fawning over Reya’s talent, the focus shifted to the similar-looking, yet different instrument Adrian was holding. He chuckled when asked about it and provided insight into how it worked, strumming along to highlight his points.
At Rann and Tassie’s request, he began playing in earnest. Each song increased in complexity the more he played. The difference between his and Reya’s skill level took group by surprise, even after having listened to the song he’d recorded.
“I think it would be more fun if both Reya and I played together,” Adrian said after his third song. Reya’s eyes widened. She didn’t have the confidence to be able to match him and knew she’d only drag him down while he played.
All eyes turned to Reya as they awaited her response. “I only know how to play one song!” She waved her hands in front of her to dissuade the others from their obviously high expectations of her. “The bassline isn’t even that impressive.”
“We’ve practiced plenty over the past few weeks. Have some confidence in yourself,” Adrian said, giving her an encouraging nudge. Reya bit her lip as she contemplated what to do. Tassie and Rann joined forces with Adrian and together they convinced her to at least give it a try.
“Fine,” Reya said, giving in. “But don’t expect anything too impressive.”
The duo took position and Adrian gave a countdown. On zero, the first notes made themselves heard. Neither Adrian’s nor Reya’s part was particularly complex and alone, neither one was impressive. When played at the same time, the sounds they created wove together to make something magical. For several minutes, they played an upbeat, catchy tune that was sure to get stuck in everyone’s heads.
Adrian’s voice rang out in the night once again, as he was the only one who knew the lyrics. Reya was determined to learn them properly one day, but for now she would have to content herself with the instrumental portion only. They finished and received a resounding applause from everyone. Even Jyn was impressed and admitted such when asked for his opinion.
“You were worried for nothing,” Rann said to Reya with a huge grin on her face. “That was great! It’s a shame you only know one song.”
“I’ll learn more soon enough,” Reya said, casting a shy, sidelong glance towards Adrian. “Hopefully.”
“I’d love nothing more than to teach you anything you want to learn,” Adrian said.
“What about the other instrument you brought out?” Beor asked. “Is it the same as the others or is it different?”
“Actually,” Adrian hummed, “if we play the song again, I can use it instead of this one to show you what it sounds like. The song wasn’t created with an electric guitar in mind, but I can improvise no problem.” An enthusiastic chorus of affirmatives rang out from all around the campfire. Chuckling, he put the guitar he was holding back in its case and took out the other one.
Reya and Adrian started playing anew. True to his word, the song didn’t sound the same as the first time they’d played it. When they finished, Tassie chittered excitedly about how the instrument worked, much to Eimir and Kell’s fascination.
The night of merriment continued, and more drinks were had all around. The well-stocked cooler steadily grew emptier the more time passed.
Hours flew by as the topic of conversation shifted from Adrian and Reya’s music to lighthearted topics. The alcohol worked overtime to keep dark thoughts out of everybody’s minds, as heavy topics were purposefully avoided, everybody having come to a silent agreement on the matter.
While the others were curious, they knew better than to spoil the evening by pressing Adrian for information about their newcomer who was set to arrive in less than a week. Those were problems for another day. Tonight was a time to rekindle broken bonds and forge deeper ones. Drunken laughter filled the air as stories and jokes were traded.
After months of living with them, Adrian was beginning to learn more about the people most important to Reya. The evening wore on and he once again found himself shut out of the conversation, having nothing to contribute to years’ worth of memories and fond moments. He sipped his drink in quiet contemplation as he watched Reya’s family get along with each other in ways that he couldn’t.
After all, he was still just a job to them. It would do him no good to forget that.
