Sail Away
Chapter 2 - Liquid Undulations
-zczczcz-
"Tonii Stranza"
Cloud barely batted an eye as the man sitting on the far side of the room let out a loud whoop and bounded over to the door where the bands assistant was waiting to take him through. A sigh left soft lips as he thought about how long the day had been. Of the two hundred people that originally filled the room, only he remained. That said, many of that number were only there to support friends and family, meaning roughly fifty people were actually there to audition. With the light outside the window rapidly fading, the silent blond was loosing patience. Another huff escaped. Sometimes he hated having a surname that started with a letter so late in the alphabet. Glancing about the near empty room yet again, Cloud let his eyes rest on the table at the head of the room. It had become apparent very soon after he and Zack had arrived the auditions weren't being held publicly like he'd thought, instead the table was where those auditioning put down their details and were given some sheet music to look over. They were left with implicit instructions about what the band was looking for and how long the decision process could take, which was a disheartening few weeks. Cloud hadn't made a fuss as his life was put onto a single piece of paper and a wad of paper handed back to him; didn't say a word as he found his own corner in the crowded room. Ignored the rest of the world as fingers caressed familiar strings, calling forth the melody he was required to learn.
After a few hours the number of those auditioning had dwindled down to almost nothing. Closing cerulean eyes, Cloud thought that it was rather boring reading the same thing over and over again. His typically solitary nature restrained him from making idle chit-chat, although there was one point where the soft-spoken blond had to hold back a laugh. A boisterous bleach-blonde girl, who had spent the last few hours boasting of her apparent skills to anyone who would listen, had been a pain in the ass while Cloud had been trying to practice. Once she'd seen him, sitting there quietly plucking at the strings, she'd made a beeline for him and spent the next half-hour trying to engage him in some form of conversation. His saviour appeared in the form of the band's assistant who called out the loud girl's turn. Barely a minute had passed before she burst through the door, absolutely hysterical. She left rather quickly, and safe to say, few were sad to see her go. Now that he was alone, Cloud allowed himself to laugh at the poor girls expense. A small smile still tugging at his lips, he decided that it was a good a time as any to go through the song one more time.
Halfway through his second run-through of the main refrain, the assistant came back into the room.
"Cloud Strife"
Acknowledging the petite girl with a nod, he packed up his instrument and followed her through the door.
-zczczcz-
Raven hair shifted as a sleeping figure murmured unintelligibly in his sleep. A sigh sounded from the tall leather wrapped man seated beside him. Barely refraining from reaching out to pet the mop of spikes, Sephiroth allowed his mind to wander toward the younger man. Zack always looked beautiful in the haze of sleep, when he wasn't putting up his happy front trying to please everyone. It had been a long day but they had finally reached the end of the list. Ms. Kisaragi had gone to retrieve the last applicant, someone by the name of Cloud Strife. The name triggered something and a memory surfaced, only made a few hours ago. When Zack first began to drift off, he recalled the request of the sleeping man.
"Hey Seph?" A sound akin to acknowledgement passed through pout lips, although no further movements were made. "Would you wake me when a guy called Cloud comes through please? I wanna hear him play."
Sephiroth had been confused about the request but agreed to wake him when the violinist came through. Making the connection between the name and the memory, the silver-haired male reached over to the youth, cuffing Zack over the back of the head.
Coming to with a surprised yelp, Zack almost fell off his chair. About to turn around and demand an explanation from the man next to him, he paused mid turn when he hear Yuffie announcing the next person to audition. Instead, he righted himself keeping his eyes glued to the doorway. A soft "Thanks Seph," barely heard
"Cloud Strife, playing 'Liquid'."
The bouncy girl, whom Cloud finally noticed as having an obsession with dressing like a ninja, skipped over to the corner of the room and dropped into a vacant chair. Poised on the edge of her seat, Yuffie stared unabashed at the silent blond. She had walked in just as the bar hit its crescendo and had been frozen there for almost a whole minute before she could bring herself to interrupt Cloud. After having heard him practising, there was no way she was missing the show.
-zczczcz-
Cloud glanced around the room, taking in the different faces that met his eyes. Zack was perched between a rather tall man with long silver hair and a piercing green stare, and a guy with vibrant red hair cut at different lengths and tied back in a pony-tail. A pair of flight goggles nestled in the vivacious locks. Cerulean met violet and a smile tugged at both faces, one much more pronounced than the other.
"Hey Spike! Long time no see, huh?"
Cloud shook his head, still smiling and allowed a huff of laughter to escape. "I guess you could say that." Pausing for a moment, he added "What do you want me to do?"
The silver haired man chose this moment to speak up. "You were given a song to rehearse, yes?" Soft spikes bounced as Cloud nodded. "Play it for us. Feel free to interpret it anyway you like."
Nodding, Cloud looked around the room for a good place to set up. Deciding where he was standing was a good a place as any, he set down his case and pulled out his violin. Once he was ready, he closed his eyes and sighed, before beginning to play.
Fluctuating from long drawn out chords to light and lively notes, Cloud played; eyes closed; losing himself in the music as he let it washed over him. As the final notes faded and the heavy silence became apparent, he opened his eyes. Sudden cheering permeated the room, erupting from the ninja girl and spreading to both Zack and the red-haired man.
"Wow, Spike! That was awesome! Always save the best for last, 'ey kid!"
With a soft smile appearing at Zack's overzealous comments, Cloud crouched and began to pack away his violin, paying no heed to the hushed conversation between the members of the band. When he had finished he stood and looked around the room properly, not having the luxury to do so before. Next to the door he had entered from stood a tall man that appeared to be of Wutaian background. He stood straight and alert, proud features framed by constrained raven hair and accentuated by a strange decorative mark in the centre of his forehead. Dark eyes looked out from under dark lashes, surveying everything and everyone in the area. Taking a guess, Cloud thought he must be the bands security.
Continuing his study of the room, blue eyes fell upon the assistant ninja girl. Short dark hair framed a cheerful face; dark eyes watched him with a mischievous twinkle. She flashed him a toothy grin, winking and giving him a thumbs up. With a slight quirking of lips, Cloud turned his attention elsewhere. Zack and the rest of the band had finished talking amongst themselves; instead they were watching him keenly. Blanching slightly under their combined scrutiny, Cloud turned his focus to the individuals seated at the table. Zack was grinning at him, the red-haired guy flashed him a cocky smirk, while the silver-haired man sat impassively offering no notion to what had just been discussed.
Zack leant forward in his seat, fingertips pressed together, still smiling and looking rather devious. For the first time in the audition, Cloud found himself feeling slightly anxious. Realising for the first time that he actually wanted to work with these people he swallowing thickly, Adams apple bobbing slightly as he tried not to let his turmoil show. Steeling himself, he turned his focus outward again, looking into the piercing gaze directed at him. If it was possible, Zack's grin widened as he opened his mouth to speak.
Cloud found himself holding his breath in anticipation. The tension in the room was getting to him.
"Welcome to SOLDIER, Cloud."
-zczczcz-
The breath he'd been holding left his lungs in a relieved sigh. He allowed a smile at the sound of the ninja girl's joyful catcalls. Her happiness was rather infectious.
As the group settled down, Cloud was briefed on what was expected of him, when and where they would meet for practice and the like. He also finally learned the names of the other band members and their associates. The red-head's name was Reno; he was the bands drummer but apparently was pretty good with a keyboard. The dark haired silent man with the interesting facial jewellery was Tseng; and he was, as Cloud had guessed, the bands security. The bubbly ninja girl's name was Yuffie; she was the bands assistant, she was the one who took care of everything for the band. And finally the silver-haired man was Sephiroth. He mostly played bass but could play just about any type of guitar, as could Zack. Zack was the lead guitarist and vocals but both Zack and Sephiroth wrote the music. They were all rather talented.
Time crept away steadily until it was nearing midnight as they said their final goodbyes. But not before Zack had pulled Cloud aside to congratulate him properly.
"You were great, Spike! I know I'm glad I knocked you down this morning, huh."
Cloud gave him a small smile in gratitude. Zack grinned and raised a hand to rub the back of his head in what appeared to be a nervous gesture. To Cloud, it looked rather…endearing.
"Listen, were going out for lunch tomorrow to do some planning for the concert. I was kinda hoping you would come. Though you kind of do need to come..."
Cloud laughed silently as he searched the vibrant violet eyes that seemed to be quite practised in the art of puppy eyes. Giving off a small sigh of defeat, he conceded to the raven haired man's wishes.
"Sure, just let me know when and where."
Pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen, Zack wrote down directions to the meeting place in his practically illegible scrawl, all the while giving Cloud a disarming grin. When he was done he ruffled Cloud's hair, laughing as it fell in the blond' boy's eyes.
"Well, Spike. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow. You need a ride home?"
Cloud felt a blush staining his cheeks for no apparent reason. He ducked his head and feigned straightening his hair in the hopes that Zack wouldn't notice.
"Err, no that's ok. I only live a few blocks down."
"Well if you're sure."
Cloud nodded and waved to the rest of the group as he left. A smile seemingly permanent on his lips.
-zczczcz-
As soon as he arrived back at his apartment, he stowed away his violin case. Barely managing to change into his pyjamas and crawl under the covers, Cloud was quickly overcome with the haze of sleep. The day felt like some sort of dream. Wondering if he'd never really left his bed that morning and none of the latter events had happened, his mind concluded that he had been lost to reality the moment violet eyes met his and smiled. Unable to handle any philosophical questions of the heart at such a late hour, Cloud snuggled further into the pillow.
He'd think about it in the morning.
-zczczcz-
TBC