Summary:

Nozel and Vanessa meet

Notes:

Super excited.
I think my age will show a bit with the music choices
oh well

Chapter 2: I Don't Give a Damn about My Reputation

To: NozelSilva

From: ArrestingDarkWeaveBand

Subject: YamiChar Wedding Music Meetup!

Hey, Nozel Silva,

This is Vanessa Enoteca, Yami and Char's friend. Char said that you'll be helping me with the wedding music. Just wanted to know when you were free so we can meet up and come up with a plan.

I usually have late nights, but I totally can get up in the morning if that's more your speed.

Hope to hear from you,
Vanessa

Nozel stared at the email far longer than it was necessary, as it was a short and to the point message. He knew that Charlotte was getting one of her non-orchestra friends to help with the music for her wedding to Yami Sukehiro, but he honestly thought he was going to wind up doing the whole thing himself. Vanessa seemed cheerful and chill and he couldn't deal well with chipper people. Nozel had regret agreeing to do this favor for Charlotte. He was awkward at best with new people and he came off as kind of an asshole, as Yami told him to his face the first time they had met.

He wrinkled his nose in distaste. He didn't understand why Charlotte just couldn't just do what every other bride does and have the traditional Wedding March play at the ceremony and then have a "DJ" with a playlist made on Spotify. But no, Charlotte wanted original music for her wedding to Yami. And Yami had foolishly agreed.

Though, Nozel thought, it was nice that Yami was actually in love with Charlotte and wanted to do things to make her happy. Charlotte was the heir to her family's fortune. She was beautiful, skilled and talented, and so there were way too many people who tried to date her for the money. As a childhood friend, Nozel didn't want Charlotte to get hurt. He had been especially wary when she first brought Yami around to meet Nozel, Fuegoleon and the rest of their friends. Hence, the poor first impressions between Yami and himself.

Personally, Nozel can't stand Yami, but he made Charlotte happy.

"What's with the face, Big Brother," asked Noelle, his youngest sister, entering his home office without knocking as usual. Noelle was the spitting image of their beloved mother. (Their mother was currently traveling the world as a treat for her birthday).

"I'm not making a face," replied Nozel.

"Right," she said, sarcastically. "You're making the face when you interact with Mr. Yami or someone else you don't like."

She came over to the desk and peered over at his computer. "Hey, it's Miss Vanessa! She's pretty cool. I think you'll like her. Her band's music is a bop, let me tell you."

"Ah, so you've met," said Nozel.

"Yeah, back when I went with Mimosa to go spy on Kirsch's new boyfriend, way before Mr. Yami and Miss Charlotte even met," said Noelle, grinning.

Nozel stared at his sister in horror. "Are you two the reason why Charlotte met Yami?"

Noelle laughed, which meant that Nozel was about to hear the truth that Charlotte, his sister and his cousin should have told him before. She explained, "I mean, the Black Bulls, Black Meteorite and the Arresting Dark Weave bands tend to do shows in the same clubs. Zora is friends with members of all three bands. And Mimosa got a bit tipsy so, of course, I called Charlotte, since Nebra didn't answer her phone and Leo was still performing with Black Meteorite."

"I can't still ground you, can I," Nozel inquired, sighing the sigh of a beleaguered older brother and older cousin to a bunch of ragamuffins.

"Being that it was two years ago when I was eighteen and I'm twenty now, and Mom says you aren't allowed to even try anymore, no, no, you can't," said Noelle, cheerfully.

Nozel rubbed his forehead and decided to let it go. Letting things go was better for his mental health, as his therapist said. Nozel asked, "Help me write a response?"

"Sure."

To: ArrestingDarkWeaveBand
From: NozelSilva

RE: Subject: YamiChar Wedding Music Meetup!

See earlier message

Miss Vanessa Enoteca,

I have orchestra practice on Wed-Thurs-Fri with Sat-Sun being performances. I'm open on Mon-Tues. Morning is a preferred time, but afternoons are fine as well. Shall we meet at the Vermillion Recording Studio? I believe that your band records there as you are acquainted with my Vermillion cousins. How about 11am this Monday?

Regards,

Nozel Silva.

To: NozelSilva
From: ArrestingDarkWeaveBand

See earlier messages

Yea, sounds great, see u there!

-Vanessa

Messages to Charlotte Roselei:

N: I'm not buying you a wedding present.

C: Yeah, sure, you're not.

N: I can feel an ulcer forming already.

C: Drama king

N: No present!

C: Politeness dictates that you will buy me and Yami a wedding present. That and your mother would eviscerate you if you didn't.

N: I hate that you're right.

Monday came too quickly.

Nozel entered the lobby of the Vermillion Recording House. He had suggested the Vermillion Recording House instead of the Silva Recording House. After all, Nozel's dad was always there at the Silva Recording Studio and he didn't want to field questions from him. And if his dad told his mom that Nozel was meeting a woman, his mom would get ideas.

The Vermillion Recording House had a flame motif design and it was just so tacky. He often said it to Fuegoleon's face. His cousin (really, they were second cousins) was a great musician, but a decorator he was not. Then again, Fuegoleon, Mereoleona and Leo often said that the Silva Recording House felt like a sterile doctor's office.

Nozel looked around the lobby to find Vanessa, who he had seen a picture of on Noelle's Instagram, but he didn't see her there yet. He sighed and walked to the counter to speak to Randall, who was stuck on desk duty. His cousin Fuegoleon's college roommate and fellow musician Randall had a disgruntled look on his face. Manning the desk in a recording studio was a pain.

"Is Vanessa Enoteca here yet," Nozel asked Randall.

"Good to see you too, Nozel," said Randall, sarcastically. "But Miss Vanessa ain't here yet. She's often fashionably late. But you can go up to the room that she reserved and wait there."

Nozel asked, "What room?"

"Recording Room 3," said Randall. "Go on up."

Nozel nodded. He took the elevator up. He visited enough to know where to go. There were a dozen recording rooms, but rooms 1 and 3 were the smaller ones. It made sense to use them if it was only two people working. He entered the room.

There was a couch with a coffee table in front of it on one side of the wall. The mixing console, the audio workstation and so forth were right in front of the glass window that let you see into the actual recording booth. He sat on the couch and took out his binder. As he was a bit of a control freak, he had an idea of what kind of songs they needed, so he'd need to see what Vanessa thought.

It was 11:01am when Vanessa burst into the room. "Made it! Hey, you must be Nozel. I'm Vanessa Enoteca, nice to meet you. Wow, you really look similar to Noelle!"

"Hello," said Nozel, getting up to shake her hand.

Vanessa smiled and shook his hand enthusiastically. She wore jeans, a pink-yellow-orange tye-dye t-shirt and carried a pink and bedazzled small backpack. Her purple hair was up in a messy bun. She looked like she just got up out of bed or didn't even go to sleep.

Nozel knew better than to judge someone without getting to know them better. His mother would read him a long lecture if he did. He asked, clearing his throat, "So, where do you want to start?"

Vanessa pulled out some wrinkled and battered papers from her small backpack. "Well, I figured we can ballpark how many songs we're gonna need first? And then figure out when we can meet up." She plopped herself on the couch, so Nozel joined her, sitting like a gentleman.

"Right," said Nozel, awkwardly.

There was silence for far too many seconds for Nozel's liking until Vanessa broke it.

She suggested, "Well, I was thinking that the Bridesmaids should walk down with Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks" and since Charlotte's mother wanted to go super traditional, the bride processional can be Wagner's "Here Comes the Bride" or Mendelssohn's "Wedding March.""

"I was thinking along the same lines," said Nozel, trying not to be impressed. He had a reputation. "For Handel, I thought that "the Overture'' would be plenty of time to get the bridesmaids down the aisle and I think if we pair it with Mendelssohn, it'll flow really well."

Vanessa's eyes lit up in excitement. "I like it. Full orchestra or piano?"

"We'll do full orchestra. Everyone loves Charlotte, so we'll pre-record them in time," said Nozel. He already got permission from Julius Novachrono to get the entire orchestra on board to record outside of regular practice.

"Well, that's the easy part," said Vanessa.

Since Nozel was passionate about music and Vanessa was far more personable than him, the conversation flowed after the first bit of awkwardness. They had both agreed that remixes of pop songs would pad the playlist since the reception was gonna be hours long. But "The First Dance'' and the "Father and Daughter Dance" along with five other songs were gonna be originals.

They had six months to come up with seven songs and that was easier said than done. Their schedules were very opposite, but Mondays seemed to be the day that was the best day to meet up.

As they headed out of the recording room to leave the Vermillion Recording House. "So, how did you and Char meet," asked Vanessa, conversationally, on the way to the elevator.

"We're childhood friends," said Nozel. "She's like another sister to me."

"Oh, that explains Yami's face when your name was mentioned," said Vanessa, grinning. "Guess you and Yami don't get along, huh?"

"Understatement," said Nozel, blankly. "How'd you meet Yami?"

"I was singing in the subway and he recruited me for the Black Bulls," said Vanessa, fondly. "Course, I quickly knew that I wanted my own band. Love Yami and Finral, but our styles just don't mesh."

Nozel had heard the Black Bulls' music and it was very…metal and screaming. He winced at the memory, as they entered the elevator.

"From your expression, I take it that you're not a fan of the Black Bulls," said Vanessa, laughing.

"The instrument playing is superb," stated Nozel.

"Way to be diplomatic," replied Vanessa.

They fell into another awkward silence.

The elevator dipped and they stepped off back in the lobby. Nozel nodded at Vanessa. "I must go. I'll see you next Monday."

"Bye," Vanessa said.

He sat in his office and had Spotify open on his phone as he looked for Arresting Dark Weave. Nozel wanted to know how Vanessa sang, which he should have looked up before they met but didn't think that she'd be as competent as she was with all sorts of music.

There were covers so he clicked on the first one.

A cover of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "Bad Reputation" echoed throughout his office.

"I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
Oh no, not me
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
An' I'm only doin' good
While I'm havin' fun"

Nozel smiled.

~to be continued

Notes:

Let me know what you think! No chapter in Jan, but will be back in Feb!