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 3: All, But One
Siegfried's excitement never left him. That day he had two band auditions and he was seeing his old friend, Sophitia, so he barely got any sleep the night before due to his excitement. As he sat down at his table dressed in his attire of a black shirt and torn jeans, and eating a bowl of frosted corn flakes of some brand name, he was just getting ready. Heck, he got up at seven thirty a.m. which was abnormally early for him.
At noon, the guy named Kilik was coming over to try out to play drums in the band. Then at around one, Yun-seong was coming to try out with hopes of playing guitar in the band. Finally, He was seeing Sophitia at three to rekindle a friendship, and invite her to join his band. Now the time was eight forty, so he had a little time to spare as he finished his cereal, so he was more than happy to play his new guitar through his new amps while he waited.
As he took his cord and plugged his Schecter guitar into his VHT amps he started playing a song he just recently wrote and hoped to play in his new band… Too bad he forgot that that day was Sunday and Hilde was still asleep before he started playing.
He realized it when Hilde slammed her door opened and with her eyes staring at him through her messed up hair, he could tell she was on the verged of killing him. "Siegfried…" She said angrily to him still in her black pajamas. "It's Sunday!!!!"
What could he say to make it better? He had to think of something and fast. "… My bad." Not the best choice of words, and he could tell by the angry look on her face. "I forgot due to my excitement about today!" He said in fear that she would beat him to a pulp, because he wouldn't fight back because she was a woman.
She did remember everything that was going on involving the band and Sophitia, so she calmed down a little bit. "Alright, I'll let it slide this time. Just remember next time, okay?" She was also excited about today. She was actually surprised she slept for that long. "I'm going to go get ready to take a shower." She said walking towards the bathroom.
"Okay, Hilde. Oh and why did you call Yun-seong a kid? He's as old as you are." Siegfried asked his roommate. He thought that was weird because she was eighteen, the same age Yun-seong said he was.
"He sounded younger." Hilde replied looking back at Siegfried. "I thought he was younger than I was." With that she closed the bathroom door behind her.
Typical Hilde; jumped to conclusions about someone she met over the phone. She did the same thing to him. Thought he was in his early twenties (around twenty or twenty-one to be exact) when they spoke on the phone, well it was a close guess though because he was twenty-three when they first met.
Anyways, he still had plenty of time to practice his guitar while he waited for Kilik and Yun-seong to arrive for their auditions, so that's exactly what he did.
-
Time seemed to fly while he was playing his guitar, because shortly after he started, Hilde finished showering and joined him with her bass. And it didn't seem long after that that they heard a knock on the door.
"That must be Kilik." Siegfried said looking at the clock. It was almost noon, so he was a little early. But Siegfried saw two people when he opened the door, the first had medium brown hair and was wearing a black button up work shirt with a pair of faded jeans and work boots, while the other man had his black hair gelled up in a way that look somehow similar to Elvis Presley, except not as neat, and he was wearing a white leather vest over a black t-shirt along with a pair of white pants with black chains and black work boots.
He couldn't tell which one was Kilik since they both looked Asian, so he didn't really bother guessing. "Welcome, which one of you is Kilik?" He asked curiously.
"He's Kilik." The man with the gelled up hair said pointing to the other man. "I'm Maxi, we spoke on the phone." He held out his hand to Siegfried for him to shake it.
Siegfried grabbed his hand to shake it and noticed that the man that Maxi said was Kilik was looking around not really paying attention. 'That's right, he isn't very social.' Siegfried thought to himself remembering what Maxi told him on the phone.
When Siegfried and Maxi separated their hands, Siegfried turned his head to look at Kilik. "So you're Kilik, huh?"
"Huh? Yeah." Kilik said finally looking at him.
"Where are your drums?" Siegfried asked since he didn't expect him to just come here and not play.
"We've got them out in our car." Maxi answered for Kilik. "We just wanted to meet you first."
Well, at least they were excited about this; Siegfried was looking forward to this audition. "Well, go get you're drums and then we'll talk."
"That's fair enough." Kilik said looking away and walking over to a Volkswagen bus.
It amazed Siegfried how shy Kilik was; it was reminding him of Amy. If Kilik was a lefty like Amy that would just scare him.
"You'll have to forgive him." Maxi said rubbing his head meaning his embarrassed. "When I told you he's not very social, it was a bit of an exaggeration."
"I understand," Siegfried said almost smiling because of how pathetic Maxi was looking. "I teach guitar to a young girl the acts a lot like him." He had to mention Amy, because he couldn't help but think of that anti-social red head at that time.
"Cool," Maxi said looking back up at Siegfried. "I've got to help Kilik with his drums. He only brought part of his set, but it's still more than a hand full." Maxi left Siegfried with a wave of his left hand and walked to where Kilik was.
Siegfried just watched as the two friends pulled out what looked like a four piece drum set. Well, Maxi said he only brought part of his set, so that should only be his necessities for the try-out. He just left his thought as that and left the door open so they wouldn't have any trouble getting in with Kilik's drums.
Although, Hilde had a little problem with him leaving the door open. "Siegfried, The door?!" She said thinking he forgot or something.
"I left it open on purpose." He replied to her making her stare at him in shook. "Kilik and his friend are bringing in part of his drum set to try-out for the band." His explanation helped her to calm down and relax.
"Oh, good." She said with a sigh of relief. "I thought you forgot to shut the door again." She stood up from her spot on the couch on walked over into her room. "I'm going to make myself more presentable. If they ask, tell them I'll be out in a minute."
She looks fine though… He'll never understand the way women are, even by living with one. Well, Siegfried still has quit a ways to go before ever understanding what goes on in Hilde's or any woman's mind.
Aw well, when he saw Kilik with a snare and a tom drum, and Maxi behind him with a bass drum and a cymbal with a few stands, he forgot about his woman problems.
"I thought I just heard a woman's voice." Maxi said as he handed the bass drum to Kilik.
"Yeah, that was my roommate, Hilde." Siegfried said calmly standing up. "She's in her room getting dressed or something." He didn't really know what she meant by making herself more presentable. "Either way, she said she'll be out in a minute."
"Oh, I see…" Kilik said putting together his drum set. Siegfried noticed that it said Yamaha on the bass drum, so they must be the ones that make his drums of choice. Dang they make everything then. "Is she also in the band?"
"Yes, she plays bass." Siegfried replied thinking that that was the most he has heard Kilik say.
"Yeah, he has his moments where he remembers that he has a pair." Maxi said meaning it as a joke. "Anyways, I'm going to go move the car closer to the building. It was hard enough to get those drums here where it's parked now." Maxi said walking out of the apartment and shutting the door behind him and leaving Kilik and Siegfried alone.
"So, tell me a bit your drum set." Siegfried said trying to get Kilik to open up a little bit.
"Well…" Kilik said as he was putting his drum set together. "My drums are made by Yamaha, as you can tell by the logo on the bass drum… and I'm sorry, I'm really not used to doing this." He admitted just as Hilde entered the room with a different white shirt on. That was her way of being more presentable?
"Oh, so you're Kilik." Hilde said holding her right hand out to him. "I'm Hilde, Siegfried's roommate and the band's bassist."
"Oh…" He grabbed her right hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."
"Well, back to where you guys were." She said sitting next to Siegfried on the couch.
"Well… Anyways, I use Evans drum heads to protect my drums from my sticks …" Kilik said trying to explain his drum set the best way he could as he place his drum heads on the snare and tom drums. "And all my cymbals are made by Zildjian. I only brought one, but I have a few at home and that's not including my double cymbal."
"Not a bad set up." Siegfried said, although he didn't know much about drums due to his lack of relationship with any drummers. "What about your music background?"
"Oh…" Kilik said thinking of something to say. "I play about everything thanks to my friendship with Maxi and love for Rock and Metal and my relationship with a girl named Xianghua and her love for Blues and Punk… So I've been able to learn all these drumming styles from bands from Metallica to Clapton to Jimmy Eat World."
Neither Siegfried nor Hilde expected that information, because he looked like a straight up rocker. "Not bad, we could use a versatile player. How about we test you in your skill now?"
"Alright… What do you want to hear?" Kilik asked before they heard a knock at the door.
Siegfried stood up from his set to go answer the door. "I'll go get it." He figured it was Maxi since he only left to move his van. His guess was correct, and there Maxi was holding a cushioned drumming stool and a drum pedal as he opened the door.
"We forgot these." Maxi said plainly as he welcomed himself into Siegfried's home. "Kilik can't play without these." He said placing the pedal behind the bass drum and the stool behind the entire drum kit. "Alright, you guys are ready." Of course, he didn't leave without noticing Hilde sitting on the couch and completely ignoring him. "Siegfried is that your roommate? Isn't she a little young?" Maxi just had to mention age…
Of course that angered Hilde, but she expressed it with words, not actions. "Watch it Elvis," She said making fun of his hair and looking right at him. "You're getting a little too close to the middle age era."
"Hey, I'm only twenty-eight!" Maxi said trying hard not to tackle the girl that made fun of his hair style.
"Hilde!" Siegfried said to Hilde letting her know that she went too far with the insults. "Can we get back to the try out?!" He asked sitting back on the couch. He never really liked having contention or any arguing around him. It just reminded him of how he was back in Nightmare.
"Whatever." Hilde said rolling her eyes and looking back at Kilik. "How about we play a song in the stereo, you listen to it first, then you try to play along with it when we play it again." It seemed like a good idea. She never auditioned a drummer before, so she didn't know how it really worked.
"Sounds like a good idea…" Kilik said shyly not sure about the song of choice.
Hilde thought for a moment, and then stood up from her spot on the couch. "You know the band Shinedown?" She asked him. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know them since they are a newer band.
"Yes." Kilik said sitting in his stool and pulling out a pair of drum sticks from his right boot.
Hilde was a little surprised to know that, but decided to let that thought pass and just go on with the try out. "I'm going to play their song, Devour. If you can play it right off the bat, go ahead."
She turned on the stereo and switched the CD drive. As the song started playing, Siegfried, Hilde, and Maxi all noticed that Kilik was playing along perfectly with the drums in the song. Although, it wasn't just the fact that he was matching the song, his eyes were closed the entire time and he kept a straight face while he played. Siegfried's jaw just dropped. Kilik may have social issues, but he was a great drummer and Siegfried wanted him in the band.
When the song ended, Kilik but his drum sticks back in his boot and opened his eyes. "How was that?" He asked calmly as if nothing has happened at all.
'How can he be so calm?' Hilde thought after seeing him play drums like he did.
"That was amazing!" Siegfried said quickly standing up from his seat in excitement.
"Well, I could do more… If I had my full drum set." Kilik said scratching the back of his head like he was nervous.
"You're in." Siegfried said causing the shy Kilik to stare at him in shock. "We need a drummer like you. You're versatile, talented, and you know a lot of different styles of music. We don't come across musicians like that everyday. You still up for it?"
"… Yes." Kilik said going back to his shy nature, but still sitting at his drums. "But, can I ask one question?"
"Go ahead." Siegfried replied out of curiosity since Kilik hasn't asked anything at all during the try out or the interview.
"Are we going to practice here?" Kilik asked standing up from his stool. "No offense, but this isn't a very big apartment."
Siegfried and Hilde turned and stared at each other. Neither of them thought about that. They usually did practice alone at their apartment all the time, but a full band was different. Not only was lack of room an issue, but the landlord and their neighbors could complain and have them kicked out of the apartment complex, then they'd really be in trouble.
"Well um…" Siegfried was at a loss of words this time. He really didn't know what to tell the drummer.
"Our house isn't far away." Maxi said out of nowhere as he sat on one of the kitchen chairs that he brought into the living room when no one was paying attention. "Kilik was going to bring up that you guys could practice there, since I'm busy with my band and Xianghua works during the day." He said a mouthful to let them know of not only his plans, but also the plans of someone else that Kilik also mentioned and seemed to live with them also.
"That is what I was going to say…" Kilik admitted. "Just in fewer words." He said as he continued to stand in behind his drums.
Siegfried and Hilde glanced at each other thinking the same thing. That would be perfect! "Thanks for letting us use your house." Hilde said with a smile and standing up from her spot on the couch. "Just keep in mind we like to practice long and hard."
"You know that came out wrong, right?" Maxi said thinking of something else.
-
The time has passed and Kilik and Maxi have finally left. Siegfried wanted to chat a little more with them, but Maxi was started to anger Hilde so they just exchanged phone numbers and Kilik told them their address for band practice when they're a full band.
Now the next thing was to wait for Yun-seong… Siegfried was a little excited to meet another guitarist, since he never played with a second guitarist in a band before. Back in Nightmare he was the only guitarist and he dubbed over some songs to make it sound like there were two guitarists.
When they heard a knock at the door, Siegfried rushed to answer it. When he first looked through the peak hole he was excited, but when he saw a teenager with spiked red hair, wearing black jean shorts and a white muscle shirt and black Converse shoes, his excitement slowly faded. But he saw the guitar case and combo amp, so this kid must be Yun-seong. He also saw he had some kind of Asian blood in him, so this must be the guy.
Siegfried opened the door and the young man looked right at him. "You must be Yun-seong." Siegfried said calmly with a slight smile. He really needed to work on smiling sometimes.
"Yep, you're Siegfried, right?" Yun-seong asked just out of curiosity. "The guy I spoke with one the phone?"
"Yeah, that's me." Siegfried said standing aside from the door way to let him in.
"Nice to meet you." Yun-seong said and walking into the apartment accepting Siegfried's invitation. Siegfried noticed that Yun-seong was looking around his apartment with interest. "This is a nice place."
"Yeah, you could say that." Siegfried said following Yun-seong into the living room. "Oh, there's an outlet for your amp behind the entertainment center." He said pointing to the entertainment center that held the television and everything that went with it.
"Oh, thanks." Yun-seong said putting down his combo amp and guitar case. "I couldn't bring my stack because there wasn't enough room in my car, but my combo is practically the same." He explained looking behind the entertainment center for the outlet.
Siegfried noticed that his combo amp was a Randall amp. "Is that a Randall MTS Combo?" Siegfried asked out of curiosity. He heard good things about them and if it really was one this kid might have a pretty good set up.
"Huh?" Yun-seong wasn't paying attention at first since he found the outlet and finished plugging his amp in. "Oh, yeah. That's the RM50CB amp. My amp head is also a fifty watt and it has the same modules and it's the same color. I just think Randall makes really nice amps."
"Not bad," Siegfried said sitting down. "What about your guitar?"
Yun-seong didn't say anything; instead he just opened his guitar case and pulled out his guitar. Siegfried noticed it was kind of a single cut body, with a gloss black color and gold hardware, but he noticed that it said Schecter on the headstock.
"Is that a…" Siegfried couldn't really believe that Yun-seong was also a Schecter player.
"This is a Schecter Tempest Custom." Yun-seong said smiling and putting a white strap on it. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"I'm more surprised that you play a Schecter guitar, because I play one too." Siegfried said pointing to his Schecter C-1 Baritone Blackjack that was sitting on its stand behind the couch. "Our bassist also plays a Schecter."
"Wow, talk about coincidence." Yun-seong said strapping his guitar around his neck. "So, that'll make this a Schecter band if I make the cut."
"Yeah, although, you're the only one that's called." Siegfried admitted as Hilde entered the room. "Oh, this is Hilde, our bassist and my roommate." Siegfried said introducing Hilde to Yun-seong.
"Hi." Hilde said kindly and sat next to Siegfried.
"Wait, aren't you the one who called me a kid." Yun-seong asked with suspicion.
Hilde felt a little bad about it since he was her age, and she liked his body too. "Yeah, my bad. You sounded younger on the phone."
"I get that a lot. I forgive you, this time." Yun-seong said being a little convinced, but not fully. "Anyways, you want to interview me first, or should I play first?" He asked both of them just confused and wondering if he should plug his guitar into his amp now or later.
"Tell us about your full rig, then your music background." Hilde said before Siegfried got the chance to answer. "After you can plug it you guitar into your amp and fire it up."
"Alright well…" Yun-seong said thinking of something to say. "This is my only guitar, my Schecter Tempest Custom, with Ernie Ball strings. I play it through Randall MTS amps. I brought my combo today, but I own a full stack with a fifty watt head and four by twelve cabinets, and with its famous changing modules I chose two that work for my specific sound." He said leaning down and pointing at his amp. "Since the fifty watt combo and head carries two modules, I chose the Plexi for all my clean tones. It gives me a good seventies and eighties rock sound and that is what I've been wanting for quit some time, and even some Marshall amps haven't been able to provide that for me. And I chose the Treadplate for all my heavier rock tones. It has a good distortion sound to it and it sounds great for soloing, and to finish my rig I have a Line 6 POD Live multi effects pedal that I use whenever I feel the need for a little delay or any other effect is needed."
"Not a bad set-up," Siegfried said nodding. He was impressed with this kid's gear. Okay, Siegfried thought of him as a kid, only because he was in his mid twenties. "So, what about your music background, Yun-seong?"
"Oh, where do I start?" Yun-seong had a look on his face that seemed like he was thinking. "Okay, well ever since I went to the orphanage-."
"Wait, you're an orphan?!?!" Hilde asked out loud full of shock. She never expected someone like him to be an orphan, he didn't act depressed or anything.
"Yes, my parent died when I was two." Yun-seong said with a straight face which amazed both Siegfried and Hilde. "Anyways, when I was seven the foster father their recommended that I learn to play a musical instrument, so I started learning classical guitar on a nylon string acoustic. Then, by the time I was twelve I was getting tired of classical and wanted to play rock. So, I was introduce to a man named Hwang who not only taught me to play rock and helped me get rid of my Korean accent, but he also got me my first electric guitar, which was a Epiphone Les Paul Special II with a practice amp."
"Hwang sounds like a nice guy." Hilde said interrupting Yun-seong again.
"Well, he was also from Korea and felt bad for me." Yun-seong explained. "Although the lessons were good, I was learning a lot of older songs from bands like The Cars, ACDC, and even The Beatles." He said the last part with a little distaste in his mouth. "I wanted to learn other stuff, music that was more distorted that I was into by the time I was fifteen, and when I asked him about bands like Soundgarden, he told me that it was hurtful to the ears and I was better off learning that on my own. So, with the money I had from working at a factory warehouse and all that, I was able to replace my guitar and amp and I quit those lessons, but I do jam with Hwang. And the rig I have is what I've been using since I was eighteen."
"Interesting…" Siegfried said really impressed by Yun-seong background. He went from classical, to classic rock, to just rock in general. A background that was very unlike Siegfried's, he just went straight from rock to metal.
Hilde wasn't surprised by most things, especially the fact that he work at a warehouse. He had the muscular body to prove it. Wait! What was she thinking? Oh, forget it. She can think that way; he wasn't a brother figure or anything like Siegfried. Well, that was thinking a little too far, nevermind.
"Okay, Yun-seong. What are you going to play?" Siegfried asked since they finished everything else in Yun-seong audition.
Yun-seong excitingly got his guitar cable from his guitar case. "Since I'm trying out for rhythm, I decided to do a more rhythm base song." He said plugging the cable into his guitar and then into his combo amp. "I'm going to play Last Resort from Papa Roach." He said pulling a pick out of his pocket. "Oh, I forgot to mention, I used medium point six picks. They are very even picks and they don't break or wear out as often."
"I use the same size picks." Siegfried said thinking that it was quit the coincidence that he came in.
But Yun-seong ignored his comment as he started playing the opened riff to Last Resort. Siegfried was amazed by how solid Yun-seong's playing was. It seemed like he wasn't playing attention to anything else going on at that moment. Hilde listened the entire time as well and they both knew that he was just what they needed. With a glance at each other and a nod, they showed that they really did agree.
"Alright, you can stop." Siegfried said to Yun-seong knowing that he already played the parts that were going to be repeated.
Yun-seong did stop after hearing that, even though Hilde expected him to continue. "So, how did I do?"
"You're in." Siegfried said standing up. "Do you have any questions?"
"I have two actually," Yun-seong said turning off his amp. "The first one is if we're practicing here?"
Why did Siegfried have a feeling he would ask that? "Don't worry about that, our drummer have a place for us to practice." Siegfried said assuring Yun-seong. "We just need to know where your orphanage is."
"That involves the second question…" Yun-seong said lowering his head. "Since I'm eighteen, I've got six months to find a place to live or I'm going to live with Hwang out in Seattle…"
"You can stay here with us." Hilde said shock both Yun-seong and Siegfried.
"What!?!?!?" They both asked at the same time. Yun-seong excited, Siegfried wondering where Hilde was planning on putting him.
"Yeah, you could sleep on the floor until we get you at least a mattress, because the only room in here is mine and Siegfried sleeps on the couch." Hilde said explain their sleeping arrangements. "Really, we can't have a band member living in Seattle. Siegfried is terrified of big cities."
She had to mention his phobia of big cities. Of all things, she didn't mention it when Kilik and Maxi were there.
"Are you sure? I mean…" Yun-seong really wasn't sure how to take that invitation. "I'll need to get my amps and stuff."
"Siegfried's amps are right over there." Hilde said pointed at Siegfried VHT amp stack. "How about it?"
"Do I need to do anything? Really I can't cook or anything." Yun-seong said a little frightened at that time.
Siegfried decided he wasn't going to fight it and just go with it. "You just need to know how to clean up after yourself and pay at least part of the rent." He figured that was a fair deal. "We'll take care of all the food and stuff."
Well, Yun-seong couldn't fight back after that offer. "Alright, I guess I will."
Hilde was more than happy to welcome him with a hug. "Welcome to our home then."
Yun-seong on the other hand was a little confused on why she was hugging him.
-
After Yun-seong left to get the rest of his things… Siegfried felt the need to ask Hilde a few questions as the stool in there dining room/kitchen.
"Hilde, what was with the hug?" Siegfried felt the need to ask because she wouldn't let go of him after a minute.
"What? I can't hug guys?" Hilde said trying to act innocent.
"It's one thing to just hug and let go, it's another when you don't let go." Siegfried said reminding her even though he knew she remembered. "You also stared at him like he was a tenderloin steak or something."
"Okay fine, he was a total hotty!!" She admitted blushing in embarrassment. "I couldn't control myself! Did you see his arms?"
"I could see Hilde." Siegfried said shaking his head. "Just try to control yourself while he's living here, okay?" He said walking away towards the bathroom.
"You know you're not all purity yourself." Hilde said without the hint of embarrassment in her voice making Siegfried stop in his tracks. "I've seen you grab a girls butt before. Don't you dare deny it."
Good thing she couldn't see his face, because he went wide eyed to know that she saw him do that. He didn't even remember the last time he did that. Was it really that short while ago. Jeez, Hilde was like his sister. Reminded him of the worst moment at the worst time.
He had an hour and a half before going to see Sophitia, He wasn't ready yet! He had to change his clothes and clean up a bit. This wasn't a band try-out, he was going to see an old friend.
He quickly shacked off his embarrassment, grabbed some clothes and ran into the bathroom, with Hilde watching in confusion.
"Wow…" She said quietly to herself still standing up. "I've never seen him move so fast."
-
He was all clean and wearing a black button up work shirt over a white under shirt, a pair of faded jean, a black leather belt, and a small chain necklace. It wasn't the best outfit, but it was better that just the white t-shirt and the pants he was wearing earlier.
He even had some extra time to get there. Good thing he didn't see Hilde in the living room or kitchen. She must've gone to her room or something. This was the perfect time for him to go. They were close friends, but he wasn't in much of a mood after she brought up what he did in the past. Sadly, it reminded him of what he did to Sophitia.
But as he opened the door…
"Leaving now?" Hilde asked calmly as he say her outside the apartment.
"What are you doing out here Hilde?" Siegfried asked as he walked out.
"Just getting some air." She replied calmly. "I do this often either at work or when you're sleeping." She said leaning against the building.
Well, that does explain how he feels a draft every now and then. "I see… I'm sorry about waking you up this morning." He said finally being able to say something reasonable about that little incident.
"And I'm sorry about what I said after Yun-seong left." Hilde said knowing what that did to him. "I really shouldn't have brought that up, since you're still trying to redeem yourself."
"… Redeem myself hmm…" Siegfried couldn't help but think about those words for a minute. They just seemed to stand out. "It's okay. I guess we're even then."
"Whatever." Hilde said ignoring that last comment. "I'll stay here incase Yun-seong gets here before you. Go see your old friend. It's been a long time, right?" She asked standing straight and smiling at him.
"Right," He said smiling back at her. She really was like a sister him. "I'll try and make it back soon." He said walking towards his van.
"Take your time." Hilde said "I'll try to control myself around Yun-seong, don't worry." She said joking.
Siegfried chuckled at her last remark. Not only because he knew she was joking, but also she could control herself. Anyways, he waved back at her as he opened the driver's door to his van and looked back and saw her waving at him.
-
There he was… The house he remembered. It wasn't anything special, just a one story brick house. He remembered there also being a basement, but he wasn't sure what Sophitia was using it as now, since it was her and her family and not her parents.
He wasn't too sure how to approach her either. He hasn't been this nervous since his first gig with Nightmare. What would he say? What would he do? How would he approach her about the band? The first thing was to make sure he was forgiven for what he did in the past.
Anyways, he had to take the first step and get out of his van. As he climbed out of his van and walked down the stone walk way and towards the front door, he noticed someone walk out.
It was a woman who walked out of the door. Could that be her, or was he at the wrong house? She looked a little older than him, wearing a white dress and a pair of sandals. He also noticed her light brown hair was tide in a pony tail. All he really noticed… She was beautiful.
"Siegfried?" She said looking right at him. Yes, that was the voice on the phone. It was Sophitia. "Is that you?"
"Sophitia?" That was all he could say after seeing her for so long. She really is as beautiful as she he remembered. "I-I can't believe it."
He was expecting her to just walk closer and just offer a hand shake or something, but instead she ran to him and hugged him. After what he did to her, she was actually hugging him. He didn't even know what to do now. All he could think was hug her back. Sadly when he did, images of his past and what he did to her popped into his mind.
He quickly broke away from her the moment it happened.
"What's wrong?" She asked worried the moment she say his frightened face.
"I think it's a little too soon for hugs." He told her not wanting to tell her what he saw.
"I see…" She said nodding her head understanding his reason. "You're still in the process of redemption." She figured he was still making amends for his past, since he just recently left Nightmare.
"Yes… Redemption." He said looking straight at her. Redemption, redeem… Those words stuck out at him every time he heard them, and yet he didn't know why.
"Come on inside, Siegfried." Sophitia said breaking his train of thought. "I want you to meet my family." She said grabbing his hand and walking towards the door, practically dragging him with her.
"Alright, I'm coming." Siegfried said thinking that she treated him as if nothing has happened between them. How she was able to let go of the past so easily was something he'll need to learn for himself.
-
Her home looked about the same from what he remembered. A typical, family home, from the family photos to the dining room table that was bigger than his. Yep, she designed it like her parents did it.
"I didn't want to change it too much." Sophitia explained knowing what Siegfried was thinking. "You know, I still wanted the feeling of home like I had back in high school."
"You really haven't changed at all…" Siegfried said not joking. It amazed him how she was exactly how he remembered her.
"I'd like to think that I have." Sophitia replied to his comment. "Everyone has at least physical changes. I mean, you cut your hair since I last saw you." She said running her hand through his hair.
"I didn't like the length it was at." He said remembering that his hair was as long as Hilde's before he got it cut.
"It looks better." She said walking towards one of her pictures. "You got her at the right time. I just got home from church with my kids."
That's right; he remembered that she's very religious. "What about your husband?" He knew about her husband, of course he was the one that answered the phone.
"He stayed late for a priesthood meeting today. You know I'm Mormon, right?" She reminded him of her religion.
"Thanks for reminding me, I forgot." He said confessing that he forgot that of all things. "By the way, where are your kids?"
"They're taking naps right now." She said sitting down on the living room couch. "They are still little and sleep very often."
"I see…" He said looking at a picture of two little kids. It was a little boy and a baby girl. "Is this them?" He asked pointing to the picture.
"Yes. Their names are Pyrrha and Patroklos." Sophitia said calmly.
Was she serious? She was definitely still into Greek mythology. "You do know they're going to get a lot of crap for those names, right?"
"They have nicknames, Siegfried." She said a little annoyed by him. "And I'm still into Greek mythology, just not as much as my sister."
"Your sister?!" Come to think of it, he only knew Sophitia and her parents. He knew she had a younger brother, but she never met him.
"Oh, you never met her." Sophitia said leaning back. "She's a little younger than me, but she's living here at the moment." She said patting the seat next to her, hinting for him to sit next to her. "She's not here right now, but we turned the basement into an apartment for her."
So, that's what she did to the basement… Anyways, he took her invitation and sat next to her on her couch. It was actually a pretty nice woven couch, a lot nicer than his couch. "I see…" He said nodding his head. "Why were so able to forgive me so easily?" That has been bugging him since he called her the day before.
"Like I said before, God teaches to forgive others." Sophitia said with a gentle smile. He missed that gentle smile of hers. "If you can't forgive others, how can you expect to be forgiven?"
What she said made since to him, but he really doubts he could forgive himself for what he did. "Still, you have no idea, how much I regret…"
"Let's not talk about it." Sophitia said interrupting him. "But tell me how you've been doing."
"Well…"
-
He told her everything that has happened since they stopped talking. From meeting Hilde to leaving Nightmare, he didn't leave out any detail.
"Well, now that your career with Nightmare is over. What are you doing now?" Sophitia asked him with excitement.
"I'm sticking with my original Siegfried Schtauffen way." Siegfried said making fun of himself. "I'm forming a band with Hilde and a few other people."
"I remember the Siegfried Schtauffen way." Sophitia said remembering when he used to always say that. "You used to always say that in high school before you dropped out. 'Music before yourself.' That's what it is, right?"
"Yep, and so far we only need a vocalist…" He said feeling that now was the time to ask her seeing as they spoke for awhile. "Remember when you would sing solo in school all the time?"
"Oh, That…" Sophitia said looking down. "Siegfried, I can't." Siegfried was confused and needed and explanation. "I've got two kids to take care of and I just opened a diner down town. I can't just make time to join some band with people I don't know. I'm sorry, Siegfried."
Siegfried looked down with a little shame, but he should've known better than to ask a mother of two. "I can't say I'm not upset." He admitted. "But I shouldn't have asked you. I should've known your plate was already full." He said standing up from his seat.
"Hey, you should come down to the diner for lunch tomorrow." She said standing up after him. "It'll do you better that take out or any thing else it looks like you've been eating." She said handing him a business card that was on her coffee table. "We'll give you a discount for being a friend of mine."
"Thanks." He was going to take her up on that offer. It's been awhile since he's had a decent meal. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that he has been there for a little more than an hour. "Well, it's been nice, but I've got to get going." He said getting a questionable look from Sophitia. "I've got to help some one move in with us. He's another member of the band."
"Oh," Sophitia said standing up also. "You will keep in touch, right?" She asked him.
"Of course I will." He said making his way towards the door. "I'll see you around Sophitia."
"Yeah, I'll see you too." She said walking over to him. "May I please give you a quick hug?"
"I'm not sure…" Siegfried didn't want to have another image of the past flash back into his mind.
"Well, how about a handshake instead?" She asked holding out her left hand.
"Alright." He said grabbing her hand and shaking it. He was relieved when he didn't have images of his past flash in his mind like when she hugged him. He just smiled at her when their hands separated.
"Drive safely, okay?" She told him remembering the way he used to drive when he first got his license.
"Don't worry, I'm careful now." He said assuring here. "I drive a big vehicle for more than one reason." He got that van of his at first mainly because he had a hard time driving a smaller car and keep going off the road. As he opened the front door to her house he looked back at her. "I'll be sure to come by again soon."
"Yes, do." She said inviting him. "I would like you to meet my family."
"I would like that too." He said walking out of the house and still looking back at her as she closed the door and he walked out to his van.
-
As he entered his own home… He noticed a couple new things were added to the living room. Things such as a bed mat on the floor in front of his couch, an amp from Randall stack next to his VHT amps, a small dresser in the corner and two guitars in hard shell cases over with the Randall amps, one electric and one acoustic.
From what Siegfried could tell; Yun-seong and Hilde must've already moved his things into the apartment, but where were they?
"Wow! You guys have some old movies." Said a voice coming from the other side of the wall. Siegfried could tell it was Yun-seong's voice from earlier.
"Yeah, Siegfried and I enjoy the classics, and we always end up finding them on a DVD somewhere." Said Hilde's voice in the same spot.
Why were they going through the movies? Siegfried was curious about that, but he walked around and saw them looking through the movies in the entertainment center. He got their attention by knocking on the top of the entertainment center.
"Wow, you're back earlier than I thought." Hilde said looking at him.
"What did you think we would do? She's married?" He said leaning against the entertainment center.
"Oh, well." Hilde said standing up and straightening her back. "So, any good news?" She asked mainly referring to the band.
"Well, good and bad." Siegfried said slightly looking down.
"Hilde told me about wanting this friend of yours as the vocalist." Yun-seong said standing up also and admitting that he knows about Sophitia. "Is she joining up or not?"
"I'm afraid not." Siegfried admitted. "She's taking care of her family and she just opened up a diner in town." He said pulling the business card out of his pocket. "By the way, she invited us to eat their tomorrow."
"So, we need to find a vocalist?" Yun-seong asked wondering if they still have someone in mind or if they need to go back to square one.
"Yes," Hilde said sitting down on the couch annoyed. "We got all that we needed, except a vocalist."
"Yep, all but one." Siegfried said plainly going into the kitchen. "Anyways, I'm going to heat up some left over Chinese food for dinner." He said changing the subject. "We'll worry about this tomorrow. Kilik's place isn't even ready until Wednesday." That time it was his turn for words of comfort.
"Yeah, we've got plenty of time." Hilde said agreeing with Siegfried.
Siegfried was ready to manage without Sophitia. He found everyone else he needed, but he still needed to find a vocalist and that was the hardest part. But, he was ready to take on this challenge. It wasn't going to stop him from fulfilling his dream.
End of chapter 3
-
Author's Note: Christmas, getting pulled over, writer's blocks… I hit a lot of distraction with this fic. This long chapter should make up for it. Anyways, time for my cliché questions… Who will be the vocalist now that Sophitia has turned them down? Find out in the next chapter.