In a moment of weakness I removed both the Binding and the Silence. Bressa was quick to step back on the soapbox and talk about how Princess Miles had no right to play her music. I vaguely believe I heard her say something about how the princess was not only without a cape but also without pants and she had BOTH. We entered The Band Cave which was located in the downtown area of The Land of the Low Brass. This was my attempt at creating my own Bat Cave or Fortress of solitude. Unfortunately, without high-tech equipment, a car that for whatever reason attracted women even though no one is supposed to know your true identity, or even any messages from a far away planet it didn't quite measure up. The fact that we had to pay an expensive rent every month didn't help give it a very magical feeling either. It had several music posters and not a tape recorder but a C.D. player (about as high tech as we got.) Bressa also had . Bressa had also devoted an entire wall to Lord of the Rings. I'd fought her over that stupid wall for so long. Unable to convince her that it didn't belong in The Band Cave I added a Buffy wall in rebellion. So our Band Cave came off more as a college dorm then a super hero headquarters.
"Can you believe we're going back to band class after all this time? Last time we were there was when this all started," I recalled.
Bressa finally relinquished her death grip on the soapbox, "Hey, I think I feel a flashback coming on!" With her tape player she played a short song that was perfect for the reminiscing spirit.
4 years previous:
Second year at the Future Instrumentalists of Bandtopia training school, better known as F.I.B. Bressa and I were so excited to get back into the band spirit. You know, back when we were still gun-ho, rosy-cheeked, and eager to learn. Bressa had decided that her destiny was to be a band instructor even though Barisaxes were traditionally supposed to become comedians. I on the other hand was musing over how Bandtopia didn't really need knights so there was no reason to study so hard on my trombone to become one. Mobley was over in the corner, intensely discussing something with a serious looking drummer. Probably a member of parliament, drummers being the sly politician that they were.
Neither Bressa or me noticed this at the time. We were far too busy admiring the shine of our brassy instruments. Mocking the princess who was surrounded by his many suitors all hoping to be king one day like Mobes. Staring fearfully over at a creepy, long-haired baritone who was giving the class a look that read something along the lines of, 'One day I'll kill you all.' If only we knew what was coming next...
"You two!" Mobley yelled from across the room pointing at me and Bressa who were now debating the importance of slide oil.
"Us..." I asked cautiously looking over to make sure my friend hadn't broken anything.
"Yes you, come here!" we followed him into his office. "I'm afraid we have a problem...there has been an increased threat to Bandtopia. We're not sure what it is or who, but it's there and we have to stop it."
"Um, King Mobes...we? Who is we exactly." I asked, afraid I already knew the answer.
"Oh," he laughed, "My apologies! Did I say we? I meant you two, I can't take time out of my schedule to take care of that." Mobes waved his hand absently.
"What?" Bressa stared in shock at him, "But...but...we're still in training!"
"Don't worry about that," Mobley insisted, "Do you think super heros get there by hard work! No, they are given their powers. I will give you everything you need to do your job."
"So...your throwing us out of sixth grade band class?" I asked with disbelief.
"Don't think of it as being thrown out. Think of it as being...pushed out of the nest." Mobley said is a voice that indicated he thought he was sharing great wisdom with us.
"W-w-well, push someone else out of the nest! We don't want to be pushed out of the nest, we are perfectly happy in the nest!" I looked at Bressa who nodded wide-eyed in agreement.
"Don't worry about it! Don't worry about a thing! It will work out, just you watch. I don't make the rules...well, actually I do but I like the rules, and we need two new super heros." Mobley said with the same bright smile as if he was explaining a basic concept of music.
Handing me a big, black bag he waved us towards the door, "Go on now, you're interrupting my class."
Bressa and I stood outside the door for a moment is shock at what had just happened. From within we heard Princess Miles complaining, "But your highness! I'm older and better then they are! I've been playing longer then they have."
"Now, now Miles. That is not a job for a proper young princess to do, you should stay here and finish your training." said King Mobes seriously.
Taking a few steps down the hall, unsure of what exactly we should do next. Mobes hadn't told us what we were supposed to do and the big black bag was sort of heavy. "Maybe it wont be that bad!" I said with my special brand of optimism.
The walk down the hall was epic, growing excitement about all the opportunities it opened up, "We can get matching costumes! And a Band Mobile." I said.
"Yeah!" Bressa bounced up and down, "And we can name everything in illiterations and make horrible puns!"
There was a large wooden structure in the middle of the hallway, we both stopped to observe it, "My trombone senses are tingling." I informed her.
Bressa and I cautiously approached the wooden structure and found a tall blonde flute pounding a nail into the wood. Me and Bressa exchanged looks. Bressa was the first to take a stab at the situation, "Hey, what'cha doin'?"
"Building a bunker." she said sharply as if that was the stupidest question she had ever heard.
"Shouldn't you be in band class?" I asked politely.
The blonde flutist waved her hand at me absently, "Not important, I have to build this bunker. Of upmost importance."
"Um, okay, good luck at that." I said turning around.
"You don't think she's a threat?" Bressa looked concerned because even in exile she was the Queen of Brown Nosing.
"Um, not to band kind. Let's go outside and find someone who needs help."
5 Minutes Later:
Two flutes skated by together playing a romantic and charming melody on their instruments with little birds following them. Bressa and I watched them go by the park bench we'd staked out. "Know what bothers me about flutes?" I asked.
"The fact that their instruments are SO tiny and their fingers move so quickly?"
"Besides that."
"What's that Stormy?"
"They have this sort of control over animals. I mean if a trombone and a flute both fall into a river who do you think a dog for instance would come rescue? The flute!"
Bressa nodded in what I assumed was agreement. "I feel like I'm skipping band class. We should do something band related!"
"Okay," I agreed, "Let's look in the bag he gave us. The Band Bag!" I exclaimed, beginning a long line of bad puns and jokes.
Opening it up I found a vast collection of instruments. "Look at this," I said in awe, "A Trombone of Truth, A Baritone of Binding, A Clarinet of Chaos. Oh! And a susaphone of silence! I have a feeling that one will come in handy."
"Oh please, you'd never do that to me," Bressa said with a laugh, looking in excitement at the new arsenal we had. "Look a Barisax!" she reached for it.
"Um, Bressa, don't you think that you should find out what it does before you use it." I asked but I was too late, she blew into it with a very loud and fierce note. And...a nearby store blew up. My eyes widened. Not good, way not good. Two trumpets began to walk towards us clothed in the police uniforms that trumpets were famous for. Even worse.
7 Minutes Later (not 6, not 8, just 7):
Bressa and I sat in the Bandtopia prison, in a giant instrument cabinent with bars on the opening. We both were staring at the wall, well we had made our first mistake.
"Well, this is wonderful." I sighed, "All of fourteen minutes doing this and we already landed ourselves in prison for destroying public property."
"Yeah, but it was pretty cool when that barisax blew up that building." Bressa said with a shrug.
"Oh, yeah."
Present:
Both of us sighed wistfully at the memory, just as the tape ran out too, "It was pretty convenient how Mobley 'forgot' about us for a few days." Bressa said in a slightly bitter tone.
"Bressa, if I'd just employed us and they did that I never would have come and got us." I told her, only half joking.
"Ah, to be young again."
Suddenly there was the blast of music from outside, a saxophone playing a grand fanfare. That meant that someone important must be approaching. Bressa stiffened though because she knew EXACTLY who was playing the fanfare.