OK, lots of ground to cover here.
I'm sorry this took so long to update. The only real excuse I have is that I've had very little free time the last few months, and what time I have had to write hasn't been syncing up with my desire or mood to write. I can find time, but all I do is sit and stare at a blank page. Nothing comes out right. I've gone back and deleted whole pages the next day because it wasn't salvageable.
I can't try to force it and I won't update or release something until I'm happy with it.
But! I hope the length of this update makes up for it.
The first part of Electric Daisies was 9 pages. This second part is
nearly 20. I am finally happy with it
Good news though. I did write plenty of other scenes when I simply couldn't find the words to write this one, so now that Act 1 is over, it should go by more quickly since I'm not trying to shoehorn in any extraneous plot. I'm not saying that I'm going to be updating once a week, but I shouldn't go months between them either.
I also don't think other chapters will be quite as long as this, but I don't know yet. Several scenes I've already written are this long.
About this chapter: Music is a big part of my writing, and there are always songs that fit the mood of my characters or the scenes I'm trying to portray. It always helps to listen to that song or songs when I write. This chapter was inspired by the Lindsey Sterling song
“Electric Daisy Violin” since I had a few people ask me about it and guess correctly.
The song that Saki and Chisato play together is
this.
So here it is, the end of Electric Daisies and Act 1.
Act 1: Life Expectancy
Scene 3: Electric Daisies (Part 2)
Saki and I continue down the path towards what appears to be the largest food stall, dodging people moving in the other direction. I can tell we're getting closer from the smells permeating the air and the increasing number of people we see carrying plates of food.
“How about this one?” I say, stopping in front of the first one we come to. The large variety of signs advertise all different types of traditional and fair-exclusive foods at what look to be decent prices.
“Looks good to me,” Saki agrees. The two of us find what appears to be the back of the line and park ourselves in it.
“So about today,” I ask, idly craning my neck around the people in front of us to scan the menus, “Is it the whole band that's playing today or is it just a few people?”
“We're all doing a few songs together first, then a few people are doing their own thing.”
“Oh? Are you doing anything like that?”
“Yep.” She smiles. “Chisato and I are doing a piece we've worked on before.”
I realize that while I know Saki plays the violin, I've never seen Chisato with a case that holds her own instrument, or even what that instrument would be.
“Really? What does she play?”
“Chisato plays the piano. Well, not today, obviously. We drag the keyboard out for that.”
“Oh thank god. I thought you were going to ask me to move a piano next.”
“Only at the end of the year. That thing's a bitch to move but we do it for the concert we put on. Makes it more authentic, I guess. At least it's on wheels...” Saki's voice trails off, her focus returning back to the menu as we move up in line.
I recognize a familiar face behind the stall, in an intense discussion with another student. Well, maybe not technically a
face as it's turned away from me, but there's no mistaking that blonde hair and black ribbon.
“This must be Lilly's booth,” I mention to Saki.
“Oh wow, if this is 3-2's booth, they really outdid themselves this year,” Saki replies, giving the size of the booth another appreciative glance. “This is twice as big as the one they had last year.”
“Maybe they combined it this year with another class like yours did?” I ponder aloud, stepping forward again as the person in front of us wanders off with a bowl of soup.
“Could be,” Saki mutters as we find ourselves at the front of the line. Lilly turns in our direction to address us without stepping up to the order window.
“I apologize, I'll be with you in a moment,” she says, her voice a little ragged to anyone who knows her well enough to pick up on it. Otherwise, she's putting up a very good front to hide that things most likely aren't going as expected. She’s counting off on her fingers, her eyebrows knitting in concentration.
Finally, she turns back towards us.
“How can I help you?” she asks in her usual pleasant, if strained, tone.
“Hey Lilly,” I say, both as a way of greeting and a way to let her know it's me. Her face lights up in mild surprise.
“Hisao?” she questions tentatively.
“Yep, it's me. You okay? You look like there's something wrong.”
Her shoulders slump. “There was a mixup with our order. We're a lot more popular this year than I thought we would be and somehow it looks like we only ended up with half of what we needed. We might run out at this rate.”
“Ouch,” Saki says. “We have the opposite problem. I think we ended up with too much.”
Lily recognizes the voice as Saki and turns to address her. “Hello, Saki. Nothing ever does go perfect at these things, do they?” she mumbles in resignation.
“I don't know, can you cook fish? We have way more than we need of those. Hisao can bring over a bucket if you need it.”
“Wait, what?” I start to protest. Before I can finish my objection, I hear Lilly laughing.
“Thank you for the offer, but sadly, I don't think that would work. What we could
really use is some more of our classmates that said they would be here. Ms. Miyagi went off to try to find them but hasn't had much luck.”
“We'll keep an eye out for any that we see,” I assure her. “Would smaller portions help out with the shortage problem?”
Lilly frowns in disappointment. “I suppose that will have to do for now. The day isn't over yet, however.” With a quick start, she suddenly realizes what she's supposed to be doing. “Oh, I'm so sorry! What can I get for the two of you?”
Crap, I forgot about the food. I quickly offer to let Saki choose first, using it as a cover to buy time while I make a frantic last glance at the board to reach a decision.
“Can I have two yakitori and a bowl of miso soup?” Saki asks, staring at the board hungrily. “Actually, make that three yakitori.”
“Three?” I ask.
“What? I haven't eaten today. Or most of yesterday.”
“I'll just have a bowl of soup too,” I say, reaching to pull out my wallet. Saki stops me with a quick touch of her fingertips to my wrist.
“I'll take care of it. You helped set up the stage, so I owe you.”
“You sure?” I hesitate.
“Yeah, absolutely. It's the least I can do.”
“Well then,” I say, grinning. “I think I want to try the yakitori too.”
Saki rolls her eyes and gives an exaggerated sigh of frustration. I only laugh as she hands the money to Lilly.
Lilly takes only a moment to expertly count out the coins with her fingertips, placing each one in a designated slot in the cash box behind the counter they've set up. She counts out the change in a similar fashion, then holds it out in her hand expectantly. Saki lightly brushes the bottom of it with her own, signaling Lilly to gently drop the coins into her palm.
It's such a fluid exchange that I find myself staring at it with my full attention, realizing I would have had no idea what would have been socially acceptable in that situation, or how I would have handled being either of them at that moment.
Just that simple interaction that I or anyone else would take for granted becomes a fascinating ritual to observe.
“It will be a few minutes,” Lilly says, breaking the spell. “I'll let you know when it's ready.”
“No problem, we'll be off to the side,” I answer, moving with Saki out of the way so the people behind us have a chance to place their order. Saki sits down on the edge of a low wall behind the stand in the shade, sagging visibly as she takes out a deep breath. She really
is tired.
“You sure you're gonna be okay?” I prod, sitting down next to her.
“I'll be better once I get some food in me,” she reassures me. She brushes that stubborn lock of hair out of her eyes again, her watch glinting as it catches a ray of sunlight peeking through the foliage.
We sit for a few minutes, just watching the festival as it passes around us, enjoying the immediate tranquility that surrounds our little bubble. Having been so caught up in the preparations for the festival all week, it's nice to be able to sit down for a second and actually enjoy it. The guests seem to be enjoying it as well, and the sight of a few patrons greedily devouring their food makes my stomach rumble in anticipation. I close my eyes and let it all wash over me; the sounds, the smells, the feeling of a slight breeze over my skin...
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear Lilly call out our names. “Two miso soups and four yakitori?”
“Thank you,” I say, jumping up so Saki doesn't have to. I quickly move over to the side of the stall where Lilly has our food set aside and ready for us. It looks and smells delicious, and I make sure to tell her so.
“I hope you two enjoy it,” she says, with genuine enthusiasm. “Can you make sure to bring the bowls back later?”
“Sure thing,” I say, placing the plate of chicken on top of a bowl and performing a balancing act with the items in my hands. “Try to take a break if you can. You look like you're working really hard.”
Lilly gives a small smile at my words. “I'll try, if I get a chance. Thank you for your concern.”
I turn away and make my way back to where Saki and I are sitting. She looks up expectantly as I delicately place the food down between us.
“It looks good,” I say, bringing the soup up to my mouth for a taste. The broth is a little saltier than I'm used to, but the flavor doesn't disappoint.
“It better be,” Saki growls, her words muffled by the bite she’s already managed to take. “I paid for it after all.”
I laugh. “Oh please,
you're going to lecture
me on taking advantage of others?”
“No, but I'm still going to scowl at you anyway,” she says, leveling a menacing glare at me that has absolutely zero malice behind it. The fact that there's a skewer of grilled chicken hanging out of the corner of her mouth makes the image even more comical.
My own yakitori is pretty damned tasty, I have to admit. Usually whenever I would get them they would be dried out or slathered in sauce to the point where you couldn't taste the meat, but whoever they have helping them cook these really knows what they're doing.
Saki makes a noise of approval as she tries her own soup, having finished one of her three skewers already. “Just as good as I remember,” she says, placing the bowl down to attack another piece of chicken.
“What about your fried food?”
“Oh, I'll get that later. Right now I just need the energy.”
The rest of the meal passes without incident with light conversation, both of us too focused on the food to do much more than eat. Afterward, I throw the plate and empty skewers in the trash, and drop the bowls off at Lilly's stall. I was going to thank her for how good it was, but she seems to have vanished. Maybe she finally was able to take a break.
Saki’s finished standing up, taking her cane in one hand and brushing off the back of her skirt with the other.
“How much time do we have?” I ask.
She glances around to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything, then looks at her watch again.
“We should have just enough time to head over there if we hurry.”
I nod and the two of us fall into lockstep again, turning towards the dormitories where the stage was set up yesterday. The crush of people here is as large as I've seen, this main thoroughfare between all of Yamaku's different buildings being shown off to parents and other guests. Saki moves a bit closer to me, pressing her side into mine. It's an innocent gesture designed to make as small a target as possible for the human torpedoes darting around us, but one I find myself welcoming.
After a few seconds we make our way through a particularly stubborn knot of people and Saki moves away from me...although not quite as far away as she was before. Then we come into view of the stage and all that is forgotten.
Chisato seems to have finished directing others to set up chairs; if I had to guess, there are a hundred or so out in front of the stage with an aisle running down the middle. Maybe a quarter of them are filled by people waiting for the next show to start, although it's just as likely some of them are sitting down to take a quick break from the activities of the day.
The stage itself has two rows of chairs on it, along with an equal number of sheet music stands. A keyboard is set up on one end, with various wires streaming from its base to somewhere out of sight.
Saki spots Chisato before I do, in the middle of a group of students milling around off to the left of the stage. Most all of them are carrying instruments of some kind, either in hand or in their cases. I see a few more violins, a big violin that some nagging memory tells me is a cello, several flutes or close enough to where I can't tell the difference, and other things I don't recognize.
“Where the hell were you?” Saki demands by way of greeting as soon as Chisato runs up to us, bowing apologetically.
“I'm sorry!” she says. “There was a problem with the sound system, it hasn't been working right all morning.”
“And you're the
only one who could fix it? I don't believe that for a second.”
I'm taken aback for an instant. I can tell Saki's genuinely angry, but just as soon as it flares up, she lets it go. There are other things for her to focus on right now and she knows it.
Chisato tries to placate her friend. “No, I'm not the only one, but I'm the best at it. I keep telling Ms. Sakamoto that we need a new setup but they're probably going to keep using this one until it melts.”
“Ugh, fine. But after this, you're going back to the booth if I have to drag you there myself. Is my violin here at least?”
Chisato moves over towards a bench where everyone has gathered, pulling out a black case. She turns back towards Saki, holding it out like a peace offering, but ready to use it like a shield at a moments notice.
Saki snatches it and sits down, wordlessly struggling with the closures.
“So...” I venture, my voice a bit awkward. “Just...find a seat anywhere?”
Chisato turns to me, acknowledging me for the first time. “Oh! Yes, sit anywhere. We're supposed to start in about ten minutes.”
Saki finally manages to snap open the case, looking up at me in triumph. “Hisao...are you going to stay and watch?”
The question kind of catches me off guard. I guess it was just assumed that I was going to stay, although I hadn't given it any active thought. Truth be told, I'm actually curious to hear Saki and the others play. I've never known too much about classical music, outside of attending the mandatory assemblies at my old school where the band would play something to close it out.
“Sure,” I say. “I saw how hard you were working all week, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.”
Her eyes brighten at my answer, and she moves the case onto the bench next to her. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Can you hold on to my cane for me? I would normally leave it here, but...” she says, her voice trailing off. I see the chaos around me as everyone is setting up their instruments, some nearly as large as they are. It could get very easy to lose something like a cane or have it buried under all the confusion.
“I can do that,” I reply, “but don't you need it for the stairs?”
“It's only a few steps. I'll be fine,” she says, holding the cane out to me. I nod and accept it from her. It's a bit heavier than I thought it would be, and very sturdy.
“I guess I'll see you after, then?” I ask.
(continued...)