Festival Day 4: Life on the Road

…

Link and Line were happy to discover that late night flatus wars were not the standard among the Sokka-Rokka Band, giving them at least one restful night at the bread box hotel. It was probably a result of the combination of work the band had had to put into getting Link and Line ready for the previous evening's performance and the performance itself. The following morning, the band actually took an hour to wander about the main street. Link's first impression was that they were helping themselves to some well-deserved festival food using the proceeds that Jekka had passed on to Lukka. Then Pokka explained that, in order to measure their popularity, they wander the streets looking for people who recognize them. He quickly corrected Line's suggestion that it was the same reason why the band has become used to sleeping outside so much; that was simply their lack of funds.

The comments were good. Link was especially glad to hear some praise directed toward himself and Line. They also listened to some of the patrons express confusion as to why the band had added a pair of ten-year-olds (causing both boys to flash irritated looks; no one seemed to realize that Link was eleven while Line was twelve) wearing Skyriders' attire. The other band members described them as guest players, although it hardly explained why both boys were wearing blue tunics. Lukka tried to explain them as a "gimmick". However, Lukka's reply was often met with more questions, to which he would quickly glance up at the sky while exclaiming "Oh, look, a flying turtle" to distract the people he was talking to and then quickly grab the boys and hustle them down the street. Once would have been funny, but distracting people like this ten times made Link and Line wonder why he would not come up with a different response. It would leave their arms hurting less.

Link and Line mostly followed the band around, buying treats for themselves here and there. They restricted their spending to whenever the band was buying food. When the band was buying ingredients for dinner, the boys bought them a large sausage and snuck it into one of the bags Kookka was carrying. Kookka caught them, but the wink he gave indicated that he would let it slide. After all, the band rarely had the opportunity to eat meat.

Probably one of the more surprising aspects of the band was Kookka disappearing for a few minutes and then returning to the group with a pharmacy bag. They discovered, after returning to the venue, that the medicine was for Trikky. Naturally, they were caught staring at the exchange. So, while he was preparing the sausage for cooking, he called the boys over and explained that Trikky always looked sick because she was sick. Neither boy could remember what the illness was (shrouded as it had been in doctor jargon that neither understood), but it left her in a weakened state and prone to fainting if she moved around too much. The medicine he had brought for her was supposed to help her move about without fainting or vomiting, but being able to buy the medicine was such a problem that Trikky had no choice but to limit her activity.

The band feasted on sandwiches early that evening so they could squeeze in some practice before the night's performance. This included Lukka guiding Link through the blues harp once again since Link still had trouble remembering the songs. To Link's surprise, the band's boss, Jekka, showed up to watch the practice. This made both boys nervous, knowing that they had to play up abilities that they had only had two days to build. Jekka seemed to be interested in the entire band, not just him and Line.

Then Jekka approached Link after Lukka left him to practice.

Jekka was not particularly intimidating. Well, not any more than other adults Link knew. He was a tall man with short, sandy-blond hair and a faint wisp of a moustache. He had dressed in a plain, white shirt and blue slacks, giving him the appearance of a street vendor rather than a band manager (although Link's only other reference for a band manager was the Sokka-Rokka Band's previous manager). He appeared friendly as he approached Link with a grin on his face. This still left Link nervous; what was he supposed to say if Jekka started asking questions?

"You boys aren't musicians, are ya."

It was not a question. Jekka sounded so certain that there was nothing in his soft statement that even suggested doubt. Link sat stunned for a moment. Then he looked around at the rest of the band. No one was close enough to have heard it; Lukka, the closest, was in the middle of the room on his way over to Spakky and Line. The room was filled with instruments being tuned, drowning out any sort of conversation that was not nearby.

Jekka chuckled, drawing Link's attention back. "Do yourself a favor and don't ever pick up card games, kiddo," he told Link.

Link glanced around again. Then he set the blues harp on his lap. "You can tell?" he asked.

"Well, I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't gotta my doubts," Jekka replied. "But Lukka suddenly pickin' up two boys after the airship ride out here? And they dress like airmen? C'mooooon, I think ya'd know how bad a liar Lukka is."

"We can play instruments," Link said, pointing to the blues harp.

Jekka nodded. "I can see that," he replied. "But I can tell you two just started; no one joins a band unless they already know how to play an instrument."

Link paused, trying to decide if he could cover this up before trouble started. However, he felt that Jekka knew enough that anything he attempted to say would only build more lies Link could never keep up with. So, he lowered his gaze. "Are you gonna make us leave?" he asked, his tone worried.

"Nah, probably not," Jekka told him in a dismissive voice. "Though I would buy the story."

Link blinked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Jekka rolled his eyes. "Why'd Lukka pick ya boys up?"

"Oh. Our… our captain doesn't want us to come back to the ship. We got in a fight with one of our crewmates, and he doesn't want us near him. We spent most of the year avoiding him, but he finally told us we couldn't embark during the festival."

Jekka gave him a concerned look. "He fire ya?"

Link shrugged and said, "That's the thing; we don't really know. He hasn't really said so, but… we're kinda stuck without a place to stay. We don't have enough money on us to rent a room for very long."

"Did you explain all this to Lukka?"

Link started scratching the back of his head. "I think we did? I know we told him we weren't allowed to go back to our ship, but I can't remember if we said why."

Jekka nodded. Then he put on a confused look before asking, "Outta curiosity… what was the fight about?"

Link groaned and covered his eyes with a hand. "One of our engineers got mad after we shaved and polished his head."

Jekka let a burst of laughter escape his lips. "What?" he asked, his expression clearly amused.

"Last year, we got sent out to pick up a guy, but we had to go from bar to bar looking for him. He… got really drunk and started doing a bunch of stupid things. He asked us not to tell the rest of the crew, but Line told anyway, so he got mad and stole our uniforms. We had to wear dresses on duty, and he took pictographs of us. So, as revenge, we shaved and polished his head in his sleep. He put up the pictographs of us during movie night. We got into an argument, and Line and I attacked him. We got our pay docked and put on shore duty for three months. The… engineer got fired. Chronic discipline problem, I think the captain said."

Jekka had been nodding his head as he listened to Link's story. "Tough times," he mumbled. Then, in a clearer voice, he said, "I don't see ya boys bein' much trouble, but you oughta get backka your ship. I feel ya still got a job there."

Link heaved a sigh. "Maybe, but I wish the captain would at least say so…" He shook his head. "Don't worry. We won't impose on you any longer than we have to."

"'Impose'?" Jekka repeated with an air of humor. "Kiddo, I'd sooner see ya off so you don't gotta suffer like them." He waved a hand around to indicate the band. "This isn't a life for kids. Airships aren't, either, but you at least understand those. That's where ya belong."

"Yes, sir…"

…

Link tried not to think about the conversation with Jekka while he practiced, but he had to admit that what he had said made sense. Link and Line had not been outright fired even if Alfonzo avoided them like a disease. And, although Jekka had said otherwise, Link felt that trying to stay with the band would just be a strain on what little funds the band could get their hands on. They would have to stretch the food more, and Trikky might have even more trouble getting her medicine. As happy as they were to play music, Link was beginning to see that things were not nearly so easy for them. Link did not tell anyone else about his conversation with Jekka, although no one really thought to ask even though Link would have been straightforward. He decided to say something to Lukka after their evening performance.

The amphitheatre sported a larger crowd than the previous evening. The band played a different set of music from before as well, and Pokka told Link to sit aside for the songs that he did not play for. Line remained on-stage, taking cues from Spakky to lead the crowd's clapping with some songs and adding some extra flair to Spakky's drums. Once the band struck up songs that Link could play to, Link kept his eyes closed so he did not have to look at the crowd. This was something he had realized he could do after the previous night, finding that he did not even have to see the crowd as long as he focused on playing the blues harp and maintaining time with the rest of the band. Of course, Talukka occasionally had to reach out and tug him away from Spakky's drum kit before he could trip over it. Both Link and Line were exhausted, and Link's lips hurt after playing long into the night. The band, however, seemed to be even more ragged-looking as the evening went on. Somewhere after sunset, the band members started switching out and resting while the group continued. The music also seemed to mellow as well, and Link wondered if there was something wrong that he was not noticing.

Then, the night shifted back into a short but lively performance that the entire band jumped into. Link felt his own fatigue lift upon adding some harmonica music to the song that his and Line's antics had inspired last year. That particular song ended the evening for the performance. The band all stood up and bowed at the same time before Lukka thanked the crowd and wished them a good night. Someone drew the curtains on the amphitheatre, and Link could hear everyone suddenly heave a collective sigh.

Talukka stood up from the piano and walked to the front of the group. "Well, boys and gals, that's it for this place," she told them. "Let's start packin' everythin' away."

"We just got done with all that," Line whined as the band members started hefting instruments towards the backstage doors. "Don't we get to rest first?"

"No time, kiddo," Pokka told him as he stopped to adjust a hold on a pair of guitars.

Line heaved a sigh and asked, "Why not?"

"We have to get to bed early," Gorkka said as he shouldered a cello case. "Early trip in the morning."

Link saw Trikky leaning over to pick up a worn violin bow and quickly stepped over to her to grab it instead. "Where are you guys going?" he asked Trikky.

"Thicket Island," Trikky answered. "A friend we know has offered us payment for playing at an event that he is hosting. Unfortunately, we have to be there in the morning to make sure our regular instruments are ready."

Link stared at her in bewilderment. He mostly could not believe how she could so easily talk about having to travel tomorrow. She had sweat covering her collar where her robe left her skin bare. Even though the stage was darker with the curtains closed, he could see that the front of her robe was soaked grey from sweat. And, in spite of the light, she seemed paler than usual. She reached out and gently took the bow from his hands, and he could see hand quivering.

She gave him a soft smile and said, "Yes, I do not seem to be in the condition to travel. That is the advantage of airships; I can always rest on the way."

Link felt worried, and he thought he might drive himself into a panic just feeling his heart beat against his chest. Then it occurred to him that the beating was not his chest. He turned to realize that Spakky, sitting at his partially disassembled drum kit, was softly striking a heartbeat on his bass drum. When Link aimed an irritated glare at him, he responded with a toothy smile before standing and gathering some of his kit's pieces. "Are you gonna be okay?" Link asked Trikky.

"If I would so easily let myself fall to illness, I could not do this in the first place," she told him. "I will be fine."

Link wanted to talk more, but Trikky started walking away. He glanced down at the blues harp in his hand. Then, after eying a pair of drums that Spakky had not grabbed, he pocketed the blues harp and picked up the snare drum. He carried it with both hands as carefully as possible as he started across the stage.

"Airman!"

Link jumped in surprise and quickly spun around to see Captain Alfonzo marching across the stage after him, his boots echoing across the amphitheatre. Link was frozen in place; that shout was one of anger, the kind Link had seen whenever he and Line had done something stupid.

Alfonzo stopped short of stomping his way through Link. Link quickly set the snare drum to one side and snapped himself to attention, back straight and arms at his sides. The captain gave him a hard glare, and Link thought he saw some color in his cheeks. After a quick glance around the stage, Alfonzo let his posture relax with a heavy sigh. "I… suppose you've been punished enough," he said with what Link took to be irritation, although Link could not be sure what he was irritated about. "Look, forget the letter. I expect you and Line to report to me tomorrow morning."

"A-aye aye, sir," Link replied.

Alfonzo flipped a hand back and forth before he could say, "Go… get back to your friends here."

"Aye, sir," Link replied. Alfonzo turned on his heel and started back across the stage. Link reached for the snare drum, but then he stopped and called out, "Captain?"

"What is it, Airman?" Alfonzo asked as he came to a halt and twisted to look at him.

"How-how did you find us?"

Alfonzo drew in a breath and turned completely to Link. "Word of mouth, mostly," he said. "Lieutenant Greg said a couple airmen from the Sailwind were talking about a pair of boys dressed like us playing here last night. He told me about it, and…" He heaved a sigh. "… I knew it had to be you two. Much as I hate to say it, I thought you two were opting for a career change."

Link offered a small shrug. "Well… when we read your letter… we couldn't tell if we were fired or not."

"Well, you're not," Alfonzo said with a sudden shift to irate. "Report to me tomorrow, or you will be."

Link immediately snapped to attention again. "A-aye, sir!" he replied on reflex.

Alfonzo looked as if he wanted to say more, but his hesitation only lasted a few seconds. He turned around and continued his walk toward the front corner of the stage.

Link picked up the snare drum and turned around. At the same time, he saw the Sokka-Rokka Band spreading out in front of the backstage door. Link approached them and came to a stop in front of Lukka.

"Who was that?" Lukka asked, pointing his chin behind Link.

"That was our captain," Link answered.

"Stuffy kinda guy, isn't he?" Pokka said. Line snorted in response.

"Yeah, I guess so," Link said. "I guess Jekka was right; he didn't fire us. I guess he just wanted us outta the way."

"Jekka was right?" Lukka asked, his eyes growing big. "You mean he busted us?"

"Yeah—why did we agree'a let Lukka do the singin'?" Gorkka asked.

"You mean other than singin' Jekka'a sleep?" Pokka asked.

Gorkka tilted his head to look at Lukka. "And what made you think Jekka'd buy us findin' them in a lifeboat?"

"What?" Lukka replied in a defensive tone. "Airships gotta lifeboats, don't they?"

"No!" half of the band, as well as Line, hollered at him. Lukka raised his arms in a dismissive show of defeat.

"Well, at least you boys gotta a place'a go home'a," Talukka said.

"Yeah," Pea said with a nod. "It ain't much comin' with us. We'd care, but we gotta our own difficulties."

"You gonna stay with us one more night?" Gorkka asked.

Link shook his head. "No, we should probably go back to the ship," he said. He showed them the snare drum in his hand. "We'll still help you put stuff away, though."

"Well, we don't gotta much left," Pokka said as Lukka, Talukka, and Pea stepped around him. "It was fun, though. If we see ya boys again, you boys gotta come back. We'll show ya boys some more notes."

Line shrugged and told him, "Sounds like fun."

"C'mon, folks," Gorkka said, waving a hand as he turned back to the door. "We gotta stuff'a do."

Link was about to follow the rest of the group through the doors. Then he noticed that Trikky was still standing to the right, her eyes cast across the stage. Link stopped and glanced backward in an attempt to follow her line of sight. Then he asked, "Are you all right?"

She turned to him and gave him a soft smile. "Yes," she said. "I am. And I am glad to see that you are as well."

Link blinked in stupidity at her as she pushed aside the backstage door.