Redemption
Summery: Siegfried left his old band to try and start a new life. Upon finding out he'll never be able to get music out of his system he now starts a new band with a new look and new gear. But how long will it be until his old band comes back to haunt him?
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur and never will.
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Chapter 2: New Gear, New Look, New Start
As Siegfried and Hilde drove in his van they listened to another one of her CDs. The strange thing was; he didn't know the band he was listening to as she drove. They must've been knew or something, but they sounded a little bit like Staind, except for they didn't use as much distortion and the vocalist was different.
"Who are these guys?" Siegfried asked Hilde referring to the band.
"This band? They're called Cold." Hilde explained as she kept her eyes on the road. "I just got into their newer stuff because they started out as more Nu Metal then switched over to Alternative Hardcore Rock."
"That's a good call." He said nodding his head. Even after all his time doing Metal, he could never get into Nu Metal, although Raphael was a big fan of Korn.
"Come to think of it… You're doing the same thing." Hilde said confusing Siegfried a little. "You weren't playing Nu Metal, but it was still Metal and now you're going with me to get new gear to start a new genre."
She was right, but there was a difference. "The difference is that I'm starting from square one." He said looking out the window and noticing they were heading towards Seattle, the biggest city that was closest to them. "Wait! Why are we going to Seattle?"
"That's where my store of choice is, why?" Hilde asked him.
'I thought I told her I don't like the city.' He thought to himself. To be honest, he was terrified of any big city. He knew though he would have to get over his fear eventually in order to fulfill his dream. "It's nothing…" He said to her nervously.
As he saw the large buildings and all the people walking around, on thing popped into his mind. 'Holy Crap! This is going to be hard!' He really didn't like the city. He lived outside Seattle for a reason.
Okay, he needed to think of something else before he got car sick… He looked over at Hilde and noticed that she dressed almost the same way he did. The difference was she wore red shirts that almost matched her hair and her jeans were only faded, not ripped like his were. 'Come to think of it, was she even wearing a bra- Whoa!? Back up! What am I thinking?!' He couldn't think stuff like that about Hilde!
It wasn't that she wasn't attractive. It was the fact that she was practically his sister. His recent thought just sent a shiver down his spine. Right now, he'd rather be car sick.
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They reached the shopped and Siegfried saw that it wasn't a big store, so he felt a little better, but he still didn't like the sight of everything else.
"I know you don't like the sight of the city, but you can deal with it for a little bit right?" Hilde said remembering that he told her about his fear of the city. "I could tell you wear shivering from the sight of all this." Well, that's what she thought he was shivering from. Too bad she was way off on that one.
But, he was never going to tell her why he shivered. "…Yeah." He said agreeing with her and lying at the same time.
"Whatever follow me, Siegfried." Hilde said rolling her eyes.
As they walked into the store… Siegfried noticed a lot of guitars, basses, and even amps he didn't recognize. He wasn't shallow with gear or anything, he just mainly focused on gear that only worked for Metal back then, and now he was going for something a little more flexible.
"Hilde!" said the blonde girl at the register who was wearing a blue tank top and a pair of jeans. "It's been awhile. You're Schecter and Genz-Benz working?"
"They're both working fine, Lynette." Hilde said to the girl calling her by her name. "I'm still a happy customer. That's actually why I'm here." She looked over at Siegfried who was just eyeing a bunch of different guitars. "You have any lefty Schecter guitars? My friend is looking to make a purchase today."
Hilde noticed that Lynette was thinking that over and looking at the guitars. "Hmm… I think the only one I've got is the baritone."
"I'll ask him about it then." Hilde said walking away from Lynette and towards Siegfried. "Hey, Siegfried?"
Siegfried though was ignoring Hilde, because he was intrigued by all the different guitars. Hollow bodies, solid bodies, V-shapes, explorers, they were all something to be admired.
"Siegfried!!" It was a little embarrassing that she had to yell to catch his attention.
"Yeah, what?" He asked looking at her with full attention now.
"They only have lefty from Schecter and it's a baritone. You still want to try it out?" She wasn't sure if he even knew about baritone guitars or not, so she just wanted to check with him before looking for it.
"Yeah, I want to check it out. There is no difference except neck length and tuning." He didn't know many brands of guitars, but he knew a lot about guitars and their parts. "I think I know where it is too."
It was a lefty, so it wasn't that hard to find. All he had to do as see if it the electronics were on the opposite side. There it was, with the word 'Schecter' on the headstock in plain view. He also noticed that it was gloss black colored, and a double cut solid body. All in all, it was a beautiful guitar.
He picked it up and started strumming it a few times and could tell it was really in tune.
"It's the Schecter C-1 EX Baritone Blackjack." Hilde said to him referring to the guitar's name.
'Another mouth full.' Siegfried thought to himself. But, he didn't care, he really liked it as he switched from strumming to finger picking. He didn't even care that it didn't have tremolo like his older models did. "I want to hear this guitar in an amp."
"The VHT Pittbull Fifty CL amp half stack is plugged in." Lynette said over hearing Siegfried and Hilde and catching their attention. "You want a cable and a pick?"
"Sure, thanks." Siegfried said finishing his finger picking on the guitar. "I use medium point six picks." He told her referring to the size of the guitar pick that he uses. The mediums always seemed to give him a well balance for rhythm and soloing, so it was common since for him to use them.
"Alright, no problem." Lynette said grabbing a cable and a pick for Siegfried to use to play the guitar. She was smiling the entire time she handed him the pick and the cable. It seemed she was really anxious to hear him play. "Just plug it up and turn it on." She told him referring to the amp.
He turned it on and as he strummed a few chords on the Schecter, he was really impressed by how low of a tone he was getting from this guitar. It really was no wonder some people play baritone guitars and it was exactly what he wanted.
It wasn't just the guitar though. He really liked the amp head he was using at that time. As he turned the knobs around a bit, he noticed the versatility it had and how amazing it sounded. 'The VHT Pittbull Fifty CL…' He thought looking at the price tag for the amp head and then at the price tag for the 4x12 cabinet that went with it. 'I wonder if I can get two cabinets with the head.'
He looked at the price tag for the guitar too. Hm, he had more than enough from selling his old gear, perfect. "Hey, Excuse me, but can I get another cabinet with this half stack." He asked the girl Hilde called Lynette.
"Yeah, no problem, we've got another in storage that could with them." Lynette explained to him smiling. "Are you planning on making a purchase today then?"
"Yes." Siegfried said standing up with the Schecter C-1 EX Baritone Blackjack in his right hand. "The VHT Pittbull Fifty CL amp head with two 4x12 cabinets and this Schecter guitar, that's it."
Lynette and Hilde both just stared at him with shock. Hilde was shocked at the fact that he was really going to buy both a guitar and an amp. Lynette was shocked that he would be carrying that much money. "Are you serious?" Lynette asked him. Hilde was just quiet waiting for Siegfried's next move.
"Yes, I can pay for it all right now." Siegfried explained to her as he pulled out his wallet. "Oh, and I want a hard shell case for the Schecter."
"That comes free!!" Lynette explained to him. It came in with the guitar, so they decided not to charge extra for the guitar. "Thank you very much for your purchases!" She said with a big smile.
It seemed to Siegfried that it's been awhile since they that store had such a big order. He figured that because she was extremely happy after she was shocked.
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As they drove out of Seattle… Siegfried felt pretty good about his new gear. Even though he used hundred watt amp heads before and his new one had fifty watts, it still had just as much of a punch.
Hilde still couldn't believe he bought all that in one stop. "I'm glad you found the right gear, but did you have to do that?" Hilde asked him still looking at the road as she drove. "Seriously, she's going to tell her sisters and they might expect you to go back and buy more. It happened to me." She remembered it happening shortly after she got her bass and amps from that store.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." Said Siegfried calmly. "I could just buy my strings and picks from them from now on to keep them off my back." That's how he kept most guitar shops from the past from bugging him.
"That might work…" Hilde had her doubts, but she never heard Siegfried get calls from a guitar store like she has gotten about any updated items that she would be interested in like they did to her. "So what are we going to do now?"
"Well, if you're still interested in joining the band, I need to see what you can do." Siegfried said to his roommate and best friend. He turned around from looking at his new gear to look at her. This time being serious and not like last time. "Then we need to set up a few posters around town in order to find a drummer and probably another guitarist." He thought another guitarist would be a good idea for the band since most bands that were in the Alternative Hardcore Rock genre had two guitarists and he was limited on what he could do as far as guitar playing.
"What about a vocalist?" Hilde had to ask because he failed to mention that they needed a vocalist. "Hate to say it, but neither of us have the vocal range for a lead singer position." She said thinking it would be best to remind him that. It wasn't that they couldn't sing; they just didn't have much of a range for a lead. They were best off doing back up or not singing at all.
"Don't worry, I know someone." Siegfried explained calmly looking out the window. "An old friend I was planning on getting back into touch with anyways." He was planning on getting back in touch with this person after he left Nightmare because he's been friends with that person since high school and they lost contact because of his attitude in Nightmare.
"… I'll take your word for it, but let's do one more thing." Hilde said grabbing a bit of his hair with her right hand. "We should cut this." She did have a license in cosmetology, so she could cut his hair down to any style he wanted.
"I was hoping you could cut it soon, if you weren't busy." He said getting his hair back from her grip. "Maybe you could cut it down to a style that could still cover my eyes, but not be down past my neck."
"… I've got just the style for you."
-
Even thought he was used to having long hair, he was relieved to have it cut short and Hilde gave him the perfect haircut in his opinion. She cut the top down a little past his ears and the rest of it shorter than that, so it was still a little in his face, but he felt lighter than ever. After losing all that hair, he felt twenty pounds lighter. (AN: SC4 2P outfit haircut in case you were confused.)
Hilde had to admit that he looked better with shorter hair. Heck, she was now wondering why she didn't cut his hair earlier. But, now was the time to for her to try out for his new band, and now was the perfect time to get his attention as he sat on the couch playing his new Schecter C-1 EX Baritone Blackjack through his effects board and his new VHT amps.
"Hey Siegfried," Hilde said sitting by her door getting his attention. "I would like to try out now if you're available."
Siegfried was personally waiting for her to ask him about that. He was going to ask her himself, but he wanted to her what his new guitar would sound like with some effects to it. "Alright, let's hear it." He said putting his guitar in its case and standing up.
"Wait here." Hilde said with a smirk as she walked into her room. She never let him into her room, for some weird reason. She just seemed to like her privacy more than he did. Whatever her reason, he didn't have to wait long for her to return with her bass and a six by ten amp cabinet with an amp head on top.
"Tell me about your gear." Siegfried said out of curiosity, because he's never seen either bass or amp set before.
"Well, my bass is a Schecter 004 series, natural color and with a rosewood fretboard." She said giving him a full view of her bass. "It has an Ash body and a bolt on neck, so it feels like a Fender. The pickups on it though are Schecter Active/Passive humbuckers, so it gives a darker, more modern rock sound than a Fender." She finished giving him the full explanation on her bass. "And this is a Genz Benz GBE 1200 bass amp head," She said tapping her amp head. "And I play it through my Genz Benz GB 610T-XB2 cabinet."
"Okay, explain how you play it then." Siegfried was also curious about the way she played bass too, because Raphael finger picked and he knew someone else at one point in his life that used picks on bass like he did on guitar.
"Well," She said pulling a pick out of her pocket. "I use a heavy one millimeter pick. I gives me a heavier tone than if I use my fingers and it works well with Alternative Hardcore Rock." She mentioned that to convince him to give her a chance to try.
He was convinced though, by her gear and her style. "Alright, what song are you going to play?"
"I'm going to do the bass solo in the verse of Self-Esteem from the Offspring." Hilde said catching Siegfried off guard. The Offspring was a punk band, but that was a good bass riff.
As she played it, Siegfried was shocked by her accuracy and the way everything sounded. She was really an amazing bassist.
When she finished she saw his reaction and smiled at him. "I know I used a punk song, but am I in?"
"You are in!" Siegfried replied to her. "The only bassist as good as you is Raphael." She and Raphael had different styles, but when it came to level of rhythm, they were equals.
"Well, I'm honored to finally start a band with you." She smiled and moved her bass back over to her side. Now one more thing bothered her… "How are we going to find other members?"
"I'll call my old friend tonight." Siegfried said standing up, but no longer smiling. "I'm not sure about other members."
"…" Suddenly Hilde had an idea. "I'll set up some posters around town with own phone number and I'll put something up on my Myspace page."
"What the hell could we get through Myspace?!" Siegfried personally never liked Myspace, or any of those social websites. He just found those kinds of things as a waste of time.
"I've got friends who can pass it on and friends I don't even know in real life." Hilde explained to him on how it could work. "You should get a page and find out how it really works."
"For starters, you have the only computer in the apartment." Siegfried explained. She had a laptop that she kept in her room for work, but she never let Siegfried use it for anything in fear that he'll download porn or something. "Second of all, I hate social websites, you know that."
"Point well taken…" Hilde said in defeat. There really was no winning an argument when it came to Siegfried. "But, you call your friend and I'll take care of the rest." She finished talking to him and walked back into her room to put her gear away.
"Alright, I will."
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Shortly after… Hilde left with a flyer with there phone number and was going to the library to get it copied and hang them up around town. Luckily it didn't have neither his nor her name on it, because it could raise suspision about him, because some even some fans knew his name when he was in Nightmare.
He decided that now was the time to call his old friend since Hilde was gone. He grabbed the phone and dialed a numbered that he hoped was the right number. 'I hope she still lives there.' He thought putting the phone up to his ear.
He wanted to contact her as soon as he left the band anyways because he regretted losing his friendship with her more than anything, and the band was another reason to contact her. He remembered her singing in high school and she had a better voice than anyone else he knew.
As the phone rang he sat at his kitchen table and waited, hoping that she or someone close to her would pick up the phone. "Hello?" said a man on the other line.
Siegfried was a little caught off guard, but decided to ask for her anyway. "Hi, I'm look for Sophitia, is she there?"
"This is her husband. May I ask who this is?" Th man on the other line answered.
Her husband? Well Siegfried knew she would get married eventually. "This is and old friend of hers. My name's Siegfried."
"…I'll see if she wants to talk to you." The man said calmly.
Siegfried started tapping on his table as he waited, but he heard someone speaking on the other side. It was that man and a woman. "Honey, there's a man on the phone for you. He says his name is Siegfried and…"
"What?! Siegfried?! Give me that phone!!" He heard someone grabbing the phone or something similar to that as the woman said that. "Hello?! Siegfried?"
"Sophitia? Yes, this is Siegfried." He said with a smile. "It's been a long time hasn't it. I want to apologize before anything else, and I left Nightmare."
"I've been waiting for you to cal land tell that you left that demonic band for years." She said on the other line. "It's okay, God teaching his children to forgive others for he would do the same thing."
"You're still as religious as you were in High School. You still collect dolls of Greek Gods." He said jokingly.
"Hahaha, no." She said really laughing. "But, hey you want to get together tomorrow and meet my husband and kids."
"You have kids?" Siegfried asked in shock. She wasn't that much older than he was.
"Yes, don't worry their still very young." She replied cheerfully to him. "You want to come by at around three?"
"Three sounds good." He said as his grin grew.
"I'll see you then, bye."
"Bye." He said before he heard her hang up. He hung his phone as tears of joy flowed down his face. She forgave him and she was more than happy to get back into touch with him. The relief that came to him was unimaginable, because it's been five years since he ruined his friendship with her and she was able to forgive him after all that time has passed.
But, he knew not to ask her about the band just yet. He still needed to catch up with her and set things straight. If he rushed it, it could've left her thinking he was still part of his past life and didn't want anything to do with him.
Now all he had to do was wait for Hilde to return home from hanging up the flyers and see what happens next. But, he didn't expect the phone to ring out of no where and since it was right in front of him, he quickly whipped the tears from his face and answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello? I'm calling about this flyer that's right in front of my face right now?" A male voice on the other line said to him.
Wow, Hilde was face at putting those things up. "So, you're interested in joining the band?"
"Oh, not for me, for a friend of mine, he was too shy to call so I called for him."
What? Why would Siegfried let his friend in the band if he can't even call by himself? "Well, what instrument does he play?" Siegfried might as well find out, just incase he could use him.
"He plays drums, and just because he couldn't call you himself doesn't mean he's not a good drummer. He's just not very social."
"… Okay and what's his name?"
"His name's Kilik." That namesounded Chinese or something to Siegfried. "His parents were from China, but he doesn't have the accent, I promise. He's been through voice therapy."
"Is he close by, by any chance?" Siegfried wanted to talk to this Kilik person face to face, just to make sure he really wanted to be in the band.
"Yeah, he's right next to me." The man on the other line said with curiosity in his voice. "Why, you want to talk to him?"
"Yes, put him on the phone." Siegfried said calmly.
"Sure, just wait a second." The man said before Siegfried heard some arguing on the other line between him and other man that was most likely Kilik. "Maxi I can't…" "You want to try out for this band right?" "… Right." "Then take the goddamn phone and talk to this guy!" Siegfried figure Kilik gave in to the other man that was apparently named Maxi and took the phone from him because he heard some one moving the phone around. "Hello… This is Kilik. I'm sorry about that, Maxi can be a little pushy at times." He said shyly to on the other line.
From the sound of things, this guy needed to get out more. "I just need to know one thing." Siegfried started. "I just need to know if you really want to become part of this band and are willing to commit to it at all times."
"… Yes, of course I am."
Siegfried decided to just give this guy a chance. He seemed nice and he might be a good drummer, even if he isn't social.
"My address is on the flyer. Write it down and come by at around noon for a try out." Siegfried said calmly to Kilik.
"Thank you for giving me this chance." Kilik said to him. "I hope to not disappoint you." With that Kilik hung up the phone on the other line.
Yep, that guy really needed to learn to socialize more. But Siegfried only cared about if he could beat on a drum set or not. They could take care of his social problem later.
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Siegfried later explained everything that happened at home while Hilde was away shortly after she returned. She was actually amazed that someone responded that quickly and that his old friend was a woman.
"So, why do want her to be the vocalist?" Hilde said with confusion, as she sat next to him on the couch. She wasn't expecting to have a female vocalist in a genre like Alternative Hardcore Rock, even though it was done before.
"She sings better than anyone else I know." Siegfried explained to her. "I remember her in high school doing covers on songs from the eighties and nailing them every single time. She even did Welcome to the Jungle from Guns n' Roses." He remembered that well, because that was the day before he dropped out of high school.
"Not bad, but I'm curious about something. What did you do to ruin your friendship with her?" Hilde was curious because Siegfried never even mentioned Sophitia to her before.
"I don't mean to sound cold, but I don't want to talk about it." Siegfried said to her looking away as if he found something interesting on the wall.
"Fair enough, it's none of my business." Hilde said just before the phone started to ring. They didn't expect it to ring at that time even though it was only five thirty. None the less, Hilde went to answer it. "Hello… Yes this is the number on the flyer… A rhythm guitarist?... We have a lead guitarist already, you want to ask him about it?... Just a second then. Hey Siegfried." Hilde said moving away from the phone to get Siegfried's attention.
"Yes?"
"There's a kid on the phone who wants to try out for a guitarist. You want to talk to him?" Hilde asked him offering him the phone. She felt the need to ask him, since she didn't know if he wanted a back-up guitarist or not.
"I'll talk to him." Siegfried said taking the phone from her and putting it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, for starters I'm eighteen, I'm not a kid." Said the voice on the other side. "Now, I was asking about the flyer and wondering if I could try out for at least a rhythm guitarist."
"We have an opening." Siegfried said into the phone. "But first, what's your name?"
"My name's Yun-seong, it's Korean. Yes, I had vocal therapy after my parents came into the country."
Hm, another Asian trying out for the band. Siegfried had to admit he was surprised. "Okay, and do you really want to become part of this band and are willing to commit to it at all times?"
"More than anything."
So far Siegfried really liked this kid. He seemed to be social and wanted to really be part of this band. The only thing was he didn't like being called kid. "Alright, I'll give you a try out. Can you come by with your gear at around one?"
"I'll be there, and thank you for this chance. Good-bye." With that, the guy hung up on the other line.
Siegfried hung up his phone as well and was rather excited about tomorrow. Meeting two people that could join his band, and coming face to face with Sophitia after so long. All he could do was smile and wait for tomorrow as he laid down on his couch.
Sadly, he left Hilde confused. "What? What's going on? Siegfried?!"
"I'm just in a good mood." Siegfried said closing his eyes.
"Whatever. Don't forget, you have to pay for dinner tonight." Hilde said reminding him that it was his night to order take-out. She sat down and put his head on her lap like she always did when they were either watching a movie, or just relaxing.
"Thanks for reminding me." He said opening his eyes. "You just ruined my good mood."
End of Chapter 2
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Author's Note: I was just bored with writing shorter chapters, so I decided to make this one longer than usual, even though the ending to it sucked. If you don't know much about guitar gear, VHT amps are expensive, that's why I went with a fifty watt head instead of a hundred watt head, even though they both sound great. What gear does Kilik and Yun-seong use? What will Sophitia say about the band? Find out in the next chapter.