A few days passed with no further word on the topic, and no teasing from the rest of the band confirmed Toki kept his word about staying quiet. Skwisgaar didn't see him again until summoned to a band meeting where, even through yawns and heavy eyelids, they managed to exchange smiles as form of hello.

Charles cleared his throat at the head of the table. "This should be fairly quick, before I let you all go your own way. Crystal Mountain sent me a message late last evening that they'd like to see a new album from you by next spring."

"Spring?" Nathan frowned. "That's only a winter away."

"Not this coming spring, the one after that."

"We gaht aaaaaages." Pickles grinned crookedly. "Don' werry so much, Charlie."

"It's not my concern. Not yet, anyway. Although, I do have to say that the last year was, uh, poorly spent."

"Hey, we did a lot of fucking shows, all right?" Nathan pointed out. "Moscow, Kabul, Dallas, Bwunos Airis—"

"Buenosch Airesch," Murderface corrected his pronunciation.

"My point is that we've been busy. So don't tell us we've just been slacking like a bunch of dumb fucks."

"I'm speaking exclusively about the studio. Do you have any demos to show for your work in there?"

The band remained silent.

"You have plenty of head's up, so just start thinking about it, okay? Don't throw your work away so hastily."

Nathan cracked the first beer when the five of them relocated to the hot tub. "Who does he think he is, telling us when and how to do our work? As I recall, we're his bosses. Am I right in saying that, Pickles?"

"Yeeuh," he agreed. "We hired 'm, so thet's how thet werks."

"The way we work worksch. Would we have all thisch schit if we did it the way the label wantsch usch to?"

"You would, either way." Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You don't do anything."

"Fuck you, I'm important to thisch band! Only an asschole like you wouldn't realize that!"

"Prove it." Nathan turned his attention to the TV, cue for Murderface to trail off into a series of incomprehensible yet spirited mutterings.

Skwisgaar paid him no mind, running through his scales. While the others watched some dildo fix his car exclusively with duct tape, he glanced at Toki infrequently enough to avoid notice. Had he done anything with the knowledge bestowed? Thought about it? A few questions of his own had cropped up. Considering that the subjects of his lecture exposed the utter depths of a human being, Skwisgaar barely knew Toki at all after living with him for eight years. He didn't know any of these guys. Pickles, Murderface, and Nathan, he was content to keep that distance with, but his pre-existing preoccupations with Toki made him naturally curious.

Skwisgaar peered across the way a little too long, finally drawing pale blue eyes in his direction. Although he told himself to fake a chance meeting and redirect to the TV, he couldn't do it. Like the staring contests Toki challenged Skwisgaar to one incredibly boring afternoon, nothing beyond a natural blink could break the spell. He eventually forced himself to back down, certain he couldn't triumph.

"Well, I's enough of a prune for nows, I t'ink." Skwisgaar announced his departure. He hadn't even settled on the edge of his bed to further practice when a knock came at the door. "Who ams it?"

"Toki. Can I comes in?"

"Ja, shore." Skwisgaar leisurely reviewed his work so far on the newest solo he composed while Toki made himself comfortable on the corner chair. "Dids you need somet'ing in particlars?"

"Nots really. Just tireds of sitting with them."

"You t'inks I goings to be more fun?"

Toki watched his fingers fly over the frets. "You's a good pal."

"Uhh, okays." Skwisgaar shrugged and kept on playing. Many an afternoon dissipated like this. At first he really didn't care to be watched so closely, but it became normal after enough years. Sometimes Toki just sought out company, in whatever form that came. Sometimes it was easier not to talk.

"Is okay that I ask you advice on things?"

"Things like what?"

"Like what we talks about before."

Skwisgaar suppressed the instinctive straightening of his spine, not wanting to appear too eager. "Shores."

"If I wanted to try thing with a guy, how I goes about doing it? How you finds that guy in you stable what comes up here sometimes?"

Fingers gradually speeding up, Skwisgaar pressed his lips together. Some ugly monster inside him tossed in its sleep, excitement immediately forgotten. "You wants to fuck around wit' a guy?"

"You saids it a good thing to experiments, and I never does anything with one before. I wants to give it a shot, sees if I like it."

"Well. . ." Skwisgaar chewed briefly on his bottom lip. "It amn't easy. I gots lucky. He used to be de klokateer what cleans my room."

"How he goes from that to this?"

"I tolds him to sucks my dick and he dids."

Toki frowned. "I trieds that once and I just gots a slap."

"Sees what I mean? It am all abouts chance. I coulds has easily got slaps too."

"That sucks." Toki crossed his arms and slunk more in his chair. "Does Charles organsize you stable? Maybe I ask him. Ugh, but I don'ts really want to talks to him about any of this. . ."

"Ja, woulds be unsbarrassing." In reality, Charles remained professional when Skwisgaar summoned the guts to alert him of his stable's most recent addition, way back when. "Maybes you should t'ink a bits closer to home."

"Oh!" Toki's head snapped up. "Cans I borrow you slut, then?"

"No you can'ts borrow my slut!" Dumb dildo! That was his first thought? "Is mine."

"Fines," Toki conceded. "Whats you mean then, closers to home?"

"Just a suggestions. I don'ts mean not'ing by it."

"Whatsever, then. I thoughts you would help me."

"What make you t'ink I a wizards about finding men to fools around wit'? I onlies find de one. Don'ts you t'ink I woulds has a lots more dan dat, if I coulds?"

"Ugh, this is stupids. Looks at us, sittings around like a couple of homos with nothing goods to put us dick in. We's the biggest band in the whole fuckings world! How cans we not get what we wants?" Toki lamented. "Why it so hards? Evens the wimmins, they come in likes, 'oh! does anything to me!', then they gets all mad when you push they head down or something! What's the deal with that? They saids I could!"

Skwisgaar shifted where he sat. So Toki did conduct himself like that. Ugh, why couldn't he just get the hint? Skwisgaar couldn't come out and say it unless Toki at least indicated interest. 'Close to home' means down the fucking hallway, dildo! "Mostlies dey t'ink you just gonnas do a quick hump and dey can leaves. Dey don'ts really want anys more dan dat."

"Then why says it? Is stupid!"

Unable to resist, Skwisgaar feigned mild interest while he dove back into his scales. "So you likes bossing dem arounds, huh?"

"Is not like I's telling them does this, does that. Sometimes is just funs to sees them listen."

"Likes to what kind of t'ing?"

"Like sucks my dick or take off you clothes. Or I pins them down. I can'ts ever do any mores than that before they gets pissy or makes me feel bad because they apparentlys didn'ts want it like that, so how woulds I know?"

Skwisgaar could almost laugh at Toki's frustration. Not because it existed, but that it existed too within him. Thank fucking Odin a guitar sat in his lap. He couldn't give himself away more obviously, otherwise. All Toki had to do was give Skwisgaar one look and he'd be there, head between his legs, or naked and pliant beneath him. For once Skwisgaar missed Toki's crude nature. One offhand reference to some primal act could give way to a lot more, with the proper guidance.

Toki pouted. "You're sure I can'ts borrow you slut?"

"No!" Any hint of a good mood diminished from Skwisgaar. He shouldn't be jealous, having nothing explicitly to do with Toki's sex life, but damn it, that didn't mean he was going to help him look elsewhere! "Just goes to bed and sleeps it off. Maybes you feel better in the mornings."

"Whatevers, like it ever work before." Hands in his pockets, Toki sulked out of the room. As soon as his footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Skwisgaar leapt up to lock his door. Toki could do whatever he wanted; Skwisgaar already decided his course of action.