Esperwen- And then an epic/crack story of about 10 chapters was born/plotted out! I can never do one-shots...except that one one-shot fill, but whatever...
First rehearsal
"I am not so sure about this..."
"What?"
"Maybe I should not do this."
"You can't back out now! You said you could play!"
"Yes, but that was before you showed me those old recordings. You did not tell me I was replacing a musical god."
Sitting on the curb outside an old music studio, waiting for the other members of Assassin's Creed to arrive, Ezio tried not to sigh when he heard that; Leonardo had a point. The artist was replacing the best guitar player Ezio had ever known, after all. And not just electric guitar; the night before, Ezio had shown Leonardo some old videos of the genius playing on an acoustic guitar, the bass, and even a short number on a sitar. Whatever instrument he touched, Altair managed to make it scream, wail or seduce with such emotion and skill, that of course Leonardo couldn't help but feel overwhelmed that he was supposed to take Altair's place.
"How do you expect me to measure up to..." Leonardo motioned with his arms vaguely, words escaping him, "...to him?"
"You don't have to match his skills," Ezio shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant to put his new friend at ease, "Just do his songs justice; that's all."
"I am not sure if I can!" Leonardo insisted, fiddling with the handle of his guitar case, "Did you hear that riff in his song, 'Leap of Faith'? The way he played it...it was so breathtaking it brought tears to my eyes! The only tears I have ever induced were those of pain."
"Leonardo, amico mio, you are over-thinking this," the vocalist smirked, patting his friend on the shoulder, "I had you play for him last week, remember? Altair approved of you, and I have seen him turn down musicians that have their own bands, now. He must really see something in you."
"Really? Who did he turn down?" Leonardo asked, skeptically.
"Let's see..." Ezio rubbed his chin before raising a finger for each name, "There was Manfredo, Duccio, Il Lupo...he hated Hellequin, for some reason..."
"Hellequin?" the humble guitarist was aghast, "He turned down Hellequin?"
"Si, Leo, and he chose you," Ezio nodded with a reassuring smile, "So relax. He wants you to be a part of Assassin's Creed."
The blonde nodded slowly, adjusting the red cap in his hair self-consciously, but he wasn't convinced. Altair could have had Hellequin on his band? Maybe he was just terrible at scouting talent.
"It is a shame about his accident," Leonardo mumbled, more to himself than to Ezio, "Then he could play for himself."
"I know," Ezio sighed, watching Leonardo scrutinize his own left ring-finger, "She always did say he had a golden left hand..."
"'She'?" Leonardo echoed, looking at his friend curiously, "Who said that?"
"Ah, nothing!" Ezio waved the issue off quickly, shaking his head, "Forget I said anything. ...and don't ask Altair about her, either," he added sternly.
"Ask about who?"
"Exactly."
The two friends shared a smile, and Ezio changed the subject, talking about lighter things. He had considered telling Leonardo about their band's past before, especially when Altair had accepted him into the group. But it didn't seem right to talk about her, yet. That was something that Altair would have to tell their new band member about on his own time. And, considering the way that the brooding man still felt, that story would be a long time in coming.
Some time passed, and Ezio frowned when he looked at his watch. It was more than half an hour after the group had planned to start their practice. The others were late.
"Do you think they forgot?" Leonardo asked, also noting the time.
"Not a chance," Ezio shook his head confidently, "When you want something this badly for this long, you can't forget."
The model considered calling the other two band members for a moment, when a thought occurred to him. With a groan, Ezio got up from the curb, brushed himself off, and strode over to the front door of the run-down studio, Leonardo watching him the whole time. Reaching out, he tugged on the handle of the front door, experimentally.
It opened with ease.
Ezio breathed in deep.
"...Fuuuuuu-" Ezio growled, prolonging the syllable as Leonardo scrambled to get up.
"It's open? I tested it when I got here; it was locked!" the guitarist said, remembering that he had arrived at the studio first.
"-uuuuuuuuuu-" the singer only frowned, holding the door open so his friend could carry his guitar and amp into the building without any hassle.
As Leonardo entered the first dimly lit hallway, he could hear the sounds of a rapid drum solo, and a bass guitar being tuned in another room. Someone was already inside.
"-uuuuuuuuuuuu-" sounded a little louder, probably fuelled by irritation.
Ezio led the way, taking the heavy amp as he passed Leonardo and walking brusquely towards the end of the hall. He was fast enough that Leonardo had to hurry to keep up, holding his guitar case close to his body so he wouldn't overbalance. They made a left, then a quick right, and then Ezio burst through the first door that they came to on their left.
"-UUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!" Ezio finally yelled, pointing at the two men already in the room.
There was a tense silence. At first, none of the four moved. Then, the drummer in the room continued practicing the complicated but somehow steady beat he had been working on, and the bassist played a walk-down on his instrument as if he had never been interrupted. Had he not recognized the man sitting at the drum kit, Leonardo would have assumed they had entered the wrong room.
"...You have excellent lungs."
Leonardo had to break the tension, and said the first thing that came to mind. As soon as he did, he felt foolish.
"Grazie," Ezio grunted, taking a few steps deeper into the practice room and putting the guitar amplifier down.
"About time you got here," the bassist said, a somewhat malicious smile on his face, "I was beginning to think you were lost."
"Dammit, Malik! You snuck in through the back?"
"It's not sneaking if you have the key."
"Figli di puttana!"
Ignoring the ensuing argument between his band mates, Leonardo nodded to the drummer, almost bowing in his enthusiasm.
"It is good to see you again, Altair," he said, almost shyly; their leader was intimidating on his own, and it didn't help that Leonardo was now in awe of his musical skills, too.
"Safety and peace, Leonardo," Altair nodded back, the slight head tilt in complete contrast to the artist's greeting, "I trust you are well."
That was a statement, not a question. Leonardo nodded again, then began setting up his guitar, edging around the arguing singer and bassist to retrieve his amp. Their yelling match soon devolved into a scuffle to see who could punch the other in the face first; Ezio adjusted his ponytail and the guitar player flipped his bass so it lay across his back before they lunged at each other. Leonardo hadn't been sure what to expect when he'd joined the Creed, but if anything, he had thought it would be a bit less chaotic. With a yelp, he found himself needing to dodge an electric tuner that had been thrown.
"Guys!" Altair barked, when he saw the device narrowly miss Leonardo's face, "Enough! You've gone too far!"
"He started it," Ezio protested, making one last swipe at Malik before letting the front of his t-shirt go.
"Your own fault for not having the presence of mind to call or check the damned door," was the bassist's annoyed retort.
"I checked the door," Leonardo said quietly, as he jacked his guitar and turned the amp on, "It was locked."
"You must have been very early, then," Altair said, coolly practicing a drum roll as he spoke, "Malik unlocked it about fifteen minutes before we planned to start. Which reminds me," Altair drummed a few beats before hitting the crash and then pointing with his drumstick to the man the artist hadn't recognized, "Leonardo, allow me to introduce to you Malik Al-Sayf, my oldest friend. Sadly, he has no skills or talents but for map-making, which nobody cares about, anymore. He is in my eternal debt for allowing him to join my band."
"Fool, I'm the best bassist you've ever heard," Malik growled, but with a much friendlier smile than when he had been laughing at Ezio. He extended his hand toward Leonardo, "Nice to meet you. You must be good, if this idiot is willing to let you play."
"I try," Leonardo said humbly, shaking his hand, "I...I will try to measure up to him."
"You can dream," both drummer and bassist said at the same time.
Interestingly, rather than feel put down, Leonardo got the impression that he had been let in on an inside joke. Smiling, he experimentally strummed his guitar, then, frowning at the inconsistencies he heard, began tuning it.
"You don't need a tuner?" Malik asked, adjusting his glove as he watched his new acquaintance closely.
"Ah, no..." was the quiet answer, Why is he wearing a glove on his left hand?
"He has perfect pitch," Ezio spoke up, finally starting to set up his microphone, "I told you that, already."
"I must not have been listening; I find your voice irritating, after all," Malik shrugged, and added before Ezio could reply, "You don't need a mic. Nobody needs to hear you."
"Might as well practice using it, doing some tricks with it," Ezio grinned, "Our first gig is next week, after all."
Twiinnnngg...!
All present turned to Leonardo when the string he had been tuning suddenly went wildly sharp. He was round-eyed as he looked first at Ezio, then Malik, and finally Altair.
"We play next week?" he gaped when his leader nodded stoically, "So soon? I-I thought that...but we haven't even...I had no idea that we would start so soon!"
"Ezio didn't tell you?" Malik frowned, "We have to play as much as possible. The Eden nominees are going to be announced in two months."
"The Eden...!"
Leonardo lost his voice, at that. His arms fell away from his guitar, and he stared at Ezio, stunned. Everything was happening so much faster than he expected.
The Eden Music Awards were the most prestigious things that any new band could hope for. In the first year of a band's lifetime, they were eligible for an award. As every musician knew, if a band won a Piece of Eden, it basically guaranteed them a future in the music business for at least ten years, which was an accomplishment, considering how some bands turned out.
The Eden Awards were different from all other awards. When the winners were announced, there was no fancy show to broadcast some Sunday evening for the whole world to see. The Edens were never about popularity, or mainstream hype. Everything was about quality music, and the faceless way whoever was in charge of the Edens handled things only added to the awards' prestige. When the results were given out, the music community found out online or through newspapers through anonymous sources, and the winners would find the award waiting on their doorstep, with a congratulatory notice. It was, as a certain bartender once put it, "Very ninja. Very cool." Only the best of musicians, like Altair and Malik (and allegedly, Ezio) wanted an Eden.
And Assassin's Creed was apparently aiming for the titles that would be awarded in only about six months.
"I...I suppose that's possible," Leonardo said slowly, thinking out loud, "We could win one of them..."
There were four Pieces of Eden, Leonardo knew. The Shroud was awarded to the group who made the best music video of the year. The Sword was given to the best song, and the Staff was the award given for best album.
"If I can get the riff in 'Leap of Faith' down, we could probably get the Sword," the artist nodded to himself.
"The Sword? You're aiming for the Sword?" Malik scoffed, then gave Ezio a scathing glance, "You really didn't tell him anything, did you?"
"...no!" Leonardo breathed, as realization dawned on him.
There was only one Piece of Eden that left its counterparts behind by far. The award that was given to the best all-around band; the one that would guarantee the winners record deals, fame, prestige...basically setting them as stars in the music community for life.
"You...really...?" he said haltingly, as if afraid to say it out loud.
Assassin's Creed didn't just want an Eden.
They wanted the Apple.
But...that's impossible! Leonardo thought wildly, There isn't enough time!
"Yes," Ezio nodded, when he saw that his friend understood.
"We want the Apple of Eden, Leonardo," Altair said, voicing everyone in the room's thoughts. He smirked at the shell-shocked expression on the older man's face, then added confidently, "And believe me, we're going to get it."
"But...we haven't even...!"
"Leo."
The artist's eyes finally came back into focus at the sound of Ezio's voice. Looking over at his friend, he saw a slight smirk quirking the corner of his scarred mouth, but his eyes were reassuring, rather than teasing.
"Why did you want to join our band?" the singer asked, "Remind me."
Leonardo shifted his feet uncomfortably. It was one thing to think a dream, and another to say it out loud. But he knew he had to speak; Malik was looking at him like an outsider, again.
"...To spread knowledge," the guitarist said quietly, his eyes downcast, "Your songs tell the truth of the world, reveal the rotting of the system, and urge people to ask questions and think for themselves. To become allied to such as cause and open people's eyes this way..." Leonardo looked up at Ezio again, who he saw was now smiling approvingly, "I would love to be part of that."
"If what you say is true, you must see that winning the Apple is the best thing for us to do," Malik smirked, sliding his bass off his back and into his hands, again, the 'outsider' look gone from his eyes, "Trust Altair. He has a terrible sense of direction, but with music, he's always right. He wouldn't suggest the Apple if he didn't think we could do it; he's long since outgrown rushing into foolhardy decisions," Malik's eyes seemed to darken at that, for a moment, but his tone was light as he continued, "And he wouldn't have let you join if he didn't think you could help us get there. If he thinks we can win this is so short a time, we will win this."
The blond nodded slowly, running a hand along his guitar strings before glancing up at Altair. The man had a strange look on his face; whether it was amusement or agreement, Leonardo couldn't quite tell. He was a stern man, the artist could tell, with a no-nonsense and focused attitude. And he was also the man who had written those haunting songs Ezio had shown him. Altair had the drive, and the talent. Maybe they really could get the Apple of Eden...
"Are you ready to join us, Leonardo da Vinci?"
Hesitating only a second, the guitarist nodded confidently. The drummer smirked.
"Good. Then let's get started. Show me your 'Leap of Faith'."
Esperwen- I actually had this chapter ready a week ago, but for some reason my file wouldn't upload. OH WELL, it works now!
I like how there are at least 8 references to the game, in this chapter. Also, yes, I did just elude to Leonardo being initiated into "following the Creed" by doing a "Leap of Faith." 8D (I am both fanboying and fangirling at the same time... Fanboys freak out over the nerdy, technical part of things, and fangirls SQUEE.)
Dude, I have to finish my Naruto fanfics...some of them aren't even half bad...maybe when I reread the original series...it's been kinda sucky, lately...
Ok, time to write chapter 3...
