Chapter Five
The Main Room
Leo was seated comfortably on a chair in his bands rehearsal room, slowly strumming his guitar. His eyes were closed as he fine tuned his plan to get more information on Dethklok.
"You're getting so fast." Alvin said, clapping his hands. Leo peeked open an eye, watching as Kyrie energetically pounded her drum set. Over the past few days her drumming had become more tolerable, and she was managing to keep pace with the rest of the band. Leo was slightly interested in why she was making so much progress, but didn't care enough to ask.
As she rounded her drums a final time, Leo decided on his plan and rose from his seat. "Not bad, Zuzu." He said, setting his guitar against the wall.
She smiled at him, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Thanks! I've been practicing."
"I noticed, you're really improving." Leo tried to sound as sincere as possible, "You know what? I think we all are. With all this progress we're making we'll rock at our first opening. We should celebrate."
"How?" both Alvin and Kyrie were curious.
His innocent smile turned cynical, "We should go hang out in the Main Room here."
"No." The look on Alvin's face was serious, "We aren't allowed in there, it's against the contract."
"Stop being such a pussy and live a little Al." Leo folded his arms and looked over at Kyrie, "Zuzu went against the contract too and look at her, she's BFF's with the creepy chef now."
Kyrie looked down at her drum set, it wasn't all fun and games in the eerie kitchen. Jean-Pierre demanded a lot from her, and she was quickly learning that it was very different from cooking at home. Failure to follow his exact directions would mean disappointing Dethklok, and more importantly, disappointing Skwisgaar. She frowned, glancing over at Alvin who had the same intense look on his face.
"You can go, but Kyrie and I are staying here." he said, she nodded in agreement.
"God." Leo said in an irritated tone. As he tried to think of a new tactic to convince them to tag along, Alvin's phone rang.
"Hello?" he asked. Leo watched as his friends face lit up, and he quickly covered the phones receiver, "It's Emily, guys I have to take this call." Kyrie giggled as Alvin ran out the room, eagerly chatting up his girlfriend.
Leo grinned impishly, he only needed one person to serve as a distraction. "Zuzu…" she looked over at him as he advanced towards her, "Come on, don't be a tight wad like Al. It's lots of games in the Main Room, and a hot tub, and load's of TV's. You'll find something you like."
"I dunno…" Kyrie said looking towards the door, wishing Alvin would return and save her. "Al said it's a bad idea."
"Don't worry about him." Leo said, putting his charm on the younger girl. "You know, Skwisgaar hangs out in there all the time, can you imagine hanging out in the same place he does?"
His grin widened as she started to consider this, he had convinced her to join the band using the same methods. "Well…" she paused a moment, "What if they're in there?"
"They're out right now, won't be back for a while." He said as he headed out the door. Kyrie remained in her seat, debating on whether or not she should follow him. She felt something press against her leg, and reached down feeling the outline of her locket through her blue jeans. She smiled to herself, slipping her drumsticks into her back pocket and dashing after Leo.
They silently made their way to the Main Room of the house, Kyrie keeping a lookout for Roadies, or worse, Charles. Leo glanced down at her as she looked around in a panic, "Relax."
"What if someone sees us?" she said worriedly. "I don't want to get into trouble, like, what if they make us leave? Or get us in legal trouble? Or make us—"
Leo shrugged, "Then we deal with it then, but if it's not happening now then don't worry about it." She looked up at him with large, childlike eyes,
"You are brave."
"Brave?" he chuckled, Alvin would have called him an idiot. "Yea, I guess I am." They stopped in front of a large, dull metal door. She felt both nervous and excited, waiting anxiously for the door to open. "Kyrie."
She was shocked, it was the first time he had ever called her by her name, "Yes?"
He placed his hand on the door and smiled, "I'm glad to have you in my band ."
She starred at him, unsure of how to respond. 'That's the nicest thing I think he's ever said to me…' she thought to herself. After an awkward pause she finally smiled back at him, and he pushed open the doors of the Main Room.
Her eyes went wide at the spectacle before her eyes, it was far more luxurious than Leo had made it seem. The room was dark and 'metal' like the rest of the house, but was also full of various electronics. A variety of televisions were suspended from the walls and ceiling, with arcade machines to the right and a computer atop a black desk to the left.
"It's so amazing!" Kyrie gasped, running around the room to play with everything.
Leo shook his head as she bounced around the room, smiling to himself. He reached up, activating a camera disguised as decorations on his black t-shirt. "I am glad you're in my band." He said to himself as he quietly shut the door, "You are the perfect, dimwitted distraction."
Kyrie rubbed her nose as the foul smells of the room finally hit her. "Gross…" she kicked an empty bottle out of her way, wondering why the room was so filthy. She curiously eyed the group of arcade games, when the DDR machine caught her attention. She hopped on it, sifting through the death metal to find a familiar song.
"Bumble Bee!" she cheered, Dance Dance Revolution was one thing she knew she was at least decent at.
"Are you ready?!" the machine shouted, she nodded excitedly.
Sweet little bumble bee
I know what you want from me
Dub-di-dub-i duh-dah-dah
Dub-di-dub-i duh-dah-dah
Sweet little bumble bee
More than just a fantasy.
She looked as if she were gliding over the controls, almost never missing a step. Years of intense 'training' after school had molded her into a very talented player. Due to the loud music of the machine, she didn't hear the rattling at the door, or Dethklok enter the room with shopping bags in hand. They starred at her, surprised to find someone else in their entertainment area.
"What the hells she doings on my game?" Toki asked, an irritated look on his face.
Kyrie ducked down, hitting the up arrow and then spun around to hit the down arrow when she noticed them there. She stiffened in her awkward pose, as panicked thoughts raced through her mind, and fell backwards onto the ground.
"Game Over." the machine shouted.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Nathan asked, she looked at them from the ground. They hadn't made any attempt to enter the room, as if her presence had contaminated their area.
She quickly sat up, "I'm sorry, just, Leo said that—" she looked around the room, Leo was nowhere to be found. "He…Leo, he said that…"
"That dildo-licker said what?" Murderface asked, his harsh tone frightened the girl.
She sniffled, trying to fight back tears. "I'm sorry, please don't be angry."
Skwisgaar let out an exasperated sigh and walked into the room, heading for a couch, "These bags is heavy, I don't have's time to fuss with cry's baby's. Either get the hells out or stops' crying."
Kyrie was speechless, she opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Everything she read, everything she knew, everything regarding her beloved Skwisgaar did not point to this type of behavior. Where was the sweet gentleman she fantasized about? She wanted to run away but her legs wouldn't move, so she covered her face in her hands, in an attempt to hide her tears.
"That was brutal." Nathan said, seeming a little sad. His reaction had more to do with the fact that she was a girl crying than with Kyrie herself.
Skwisgaar shrugged his shoulders, dropping his bags onto the floor and flopping onto a black couch with red cushions. Toki and Murderface followed his lead, plopping down onto sofa's while she cried on the other side of the room.
Pickles shook his head, wondering why they would be so cold to the person providing him with liquor. He set down his bag, and stood beside her, "Aw, com'on, don't cry." He said, attempting to cheer up her up, "Skwisgaar's just joking."
"No I's not." Skwisgaar quietly retorted, flipping through a guitar magazine.
"Yea, don't cry Zoom Zoom." Nathan said, standing next to Pickles, "I bet it's not your fault you're a crybaby."
Kyrie made a strange sound and then buried her face in her knees, crying harder. Pickles sighed, "Not helpful, Nathan."
Nathan frowned, trying to think of something that would quickly fix the situation. "You can stay in here if you want, we don't mind." his band mates glared daggers at him.
"You really don't mind?" she asked, sniffling.
"Ah…" Pickles frowned, it was to late to ask her to leave now, "Sure, yea. You can hang out here if you want to. Now no more crying."
She dried her tears with the bottom of her shirt, unintentionally revealing her midriff to the band, "I promise not to be in your way, and I won't bother you, or anything!" she smiled cheerfully up at them, making Nathan and Pickles cringe.
'Too happy…' Pickles thought to himself. Now that Nathan had given her permission to be in the Main Room, he reluctantly realized that now he would have to see Kyrie when he went to relax there, when he ate, when he wanted alcohol, and when he was giving her lessons. He sighed, lifting his shopping bag off the ground and dragging his feet to a couch. He didn't want to divide his time with anyone, especially not someone as peppy or cheerful as she was.
"Thank you." Kyrie said to Nathan, who walked away from her without another word once she stopped crying. She stood off to the side by herself, while the band went about it's own activities as if she were not there. Nathan emptied a bag full of watched onto the table and began smashing them, while Toki tossed random store bought goods into the fireplace. Murderface was examining a new knife, and Pickles relaxed on a sofa, drinking liquor out of a container he had disguised as iced tea.
Kyrie's eyes wandered to Skwisgaar, who continued looking through his magazine.'He couldn't have possibly meant those mean things.' she thought to herself, deciding that the bags must of just been heavy and that had irritated him. She smiled, satisfied with that explanation and stepped back onto the DDR machine.
"Oh no's you's not." Toki said, stomping towards her. "That's mines don't touch."
She frowned, stepping away from the machine, "Toki don't be like that." Pickles said from the couch.
"Yea's, share with your little girlfriend." Skwisgaar smugly added. Kyrie was stunned, unable to rationalize the statement.
"That's it!" Toki shouted, clenching his fists. "I'ves had it with this goil! I hads to do's so much to be able to hangs out in here with yous guys when I first came heres, all she does is cry and she's in. It's not's fair!!"
Nathan crushed another watch under his boot, "Sounds like you're jealous."
"Jealous!? I'm not's jealous of some stupid goil!!" he shouted enraged, "I don'ts needs this! Screw you ALL off!!" he glared at Kyrie a final time, and then stormed out of the room.
The rest of the band didn't seem to mind the outburst, but Kyrie had endured enough for the day. "I need to excuse myself, thank you for letting me join you guys in here." She politely said, leaving the room.
Outside the main room she leaned against the wall, trying to understand everything that had just happened. There was a possibility that Alvin was right about Skwisgaar, and now it seemed that the rhythm guitarist couldn't stand her either? She sighed, sliding her fingers through her hair. "And where is Leo?" she wondered out loud.
Kyrie pulled out her phone to text him when she noticed the date in bold white letters. She quickly forgot her troubles and squealed with delight, "It's almost time!!"
x - x - x - x - x - x - x
Leo stealthily made his way around Mordhaus, trying to find things which would be useful to General Crozier. He had snapped a few pictures of a dining hall, as well as the Main Room where he had deserted Kyrie. He was searching for more relevant information, but had trouble finding his way around the house.
"This place is like a fucking maze." He grumbled, stepping into an elevator. Leo looked at the various floor levels, unsure of where any of them led, and then randomly chose M8. He grew confused as the odd choice of elevator music blared at him through dark red speakers. "Didn't expect such cheesy music…" he muttered to himself.
When the elevator finally stopped Leo cautiously poked his head out, two Roadies were patrolling the hall with shotguns in hand. When they turned down another hall he quickly jumped out, pressing the tiny black button in his palm to take pictures. He was a little surprised by what he saw, although the rest of the house looked like a dungeon, this actually appeared to be one.
"Morbid as hell." He said, moving to get a picture of the cells.
Inside the first cell was a dirty teenage boy. He had bruises on his arms and legs, and dried blood matted his short blond hair. Leo snapped a few pictures, figuring the General would find torture information useful. The boy looked sadly up at Leo,
"Please help me…" he said in a raspy voice.
Leo starred at him, devoid of emotion, "Why?"
"All I did was download one song, now I'm trapped here…please help, the guards will be back soon."
Leo snapped another picture, "Where's the recording studio?"
"The what?" the boy asked, rattling the chains which bound him, "Recording studio? It's no time for that, hurry before they come back, please, I'm begging you! I need you!!"
"Tough luck kid." Was all Leo said before returning to the elevator to avoid being caught.
"I'll give you anything! Whatever you want!!" the boy shouted.
The elevator doors shut and Leo pulled out a black communicator from his pocket, quickly forgetting the boy. The screen on the communicator blinked a moment, then an image of General Crozier appeared. "Did you get the pictures?" Leo asked, "Some juicy stuff, huh?"
"Where are the pictures of the recording studio? Or information about the tour?" the General asked, unimpressed by Leo's efforts.
"I can't find it, all I found was what I sent you. Can't you use the dungeon shit or something?"
"We are already fully aware of that." The General said in an irritated tone, "Stick to getting information I ask for."
"I can't find anything else." Leo spat, the elevator came to a stop, "I need a map or something."
"I'll have one sent to you. Don't report back to me until you have the information I requested." The General's image disappeared, and Leo growled, shoving the communicator back into his pocket.
x - x - x - x - x - x - x
Alvin hummed happily to himself, packing one of his smaller suitcases while Kyrie buzzed around him. "It's so much different here than I thought it would be, it doesn't feel like anyone likes me."
"Stop worrying so much about whether people like you or not." He said, folding a shirt, "They don't matter, just focus on your drumming for the tour."
"But Skwisgaar was so mean!" she whined, "You know that's the only reason I even came here, what am I supposed to do if he is like you said? I don't think I could handle that."
Alvin placed the shirt into his suitcase, "The chef likes you, doesn't he?"
"Well…I think so. But that's just one person…"
"You're really nice to the Roadies too, they all seem to like you. Don't be so down about it, at least people here like you." He folded another shirt.
Kyrie sighed, understanding Alvin's point. If she did not remain at Mordhaus it would mean returning home, where things would be far worse. "I guess…" she sat on his bed and quietly watched as he finished packing, "How long will you be gone?"
He smiled and closed his suitcase, "Just a few days, Leo said he understands, I can't wait to see her!"
She nodded sadly, "Tell Emily I said hi..."
Alvin sighed, "I'm sorry I have to miss tomorrow, Kyrie. I just rarely get to see her since she went off to college, and I—"
"No, no!" Kyrie jumped up, "It's fine Al, I understand completely and I hope you have lots of fun and you guys can bond and stuff! I know you miss her a lot and I really-really understand."
He smiled at her, pulling his suitcase off the bed and hugging her. "I'll make sure you get at least something." He pulled away and she nodded, trying to seem as happy as possible. They walked into the hall and he closed the door behind them, "Be good, Kyrie. Happy early birthday!"
"Thank you." She said softly, watching as he disappeared down the hall.
She bit her lower lip gently, making her way back to her room. "It's like this every year…" she bitterly muttered to herself. She was not angry at Alvin, merely disappointed it would be another year alone.
Inside her room she sat on the floor, resting her head on the side of the bed. The day had been very difficult, and in an hour she would need to be in the kitchen to assist Jean-Pierre with dinner. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling something soft hit her face.
Kyrie grabbed the plush item and held out her arms, examining it. "A teddy bear?" she asked, gazing at it's long, demonic tail. She raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment and then smiled brightly, "Aw Al!" she giggled, assuming this was what he meant when he said he would make sure she got something.
As she hugged the bear, a knock came at her door. "Who is it?" she asked, setting her new stuffed animal onto her bed.
"Pickles." The voice said. She cracked the door open and looked up at him. "I need more stuff."
"You drank it all that fast?" she asked in disbelief, opening the door the rest of the way. He nodded, "It's uhm…almost dinner, can't you wait?"
"I need booze now." He pouted, shaking the empty container towards her. Kyrie starred at him a moment, then broke out in giggles. He cocked an eyebrow, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing." she said, gaining control of her laughter, "It's just, you look so cute when you pout!"
"Cute?" he asked, sounding offended, "I aint cute. Metal. Dark. Brutal…not cute."
"You are too!" she said giggling more and heading towards the kitchen, "Even more so when you fight it.I'll get you more to drink, but I'm counting this as one lesson."
"What?!" he shouted, tagging along behind her, "It's just a little refill, and I owe you a lot of lessons already. Can't we just let this one slide?"
She folded her arms across her chest as they advanced down the hall, "Well, you still do owe me 18 lessons, I'm not counting the last one since you were drunk the entire time."
"But I sat there for like three hours doing that stuff with you Kyrie."
"It only took three hours because you were drunk." She said in an irritated tone. Pickles' drinking had seemed harmless to her at first, but once she realized the extent of which her new teacher drank, she quickly changed her mind. "It's gross to drink like that."
He shrugged his shoulders, "Com'on, it's gotta be something I can do so that this won't be another lesson."
Kyrie grew quiet, trying to think of something else he could provide her with besides lessons. She considered asking him to hang out with her tomorrow so she wouldn't be alone. She looked up at him, the smell of alcohol rapidly drowning her senses, and decided she did not want to spend the day with an alcoholic. She sighed, thinking about Dethklok's rhythm guitarist, maybe she would ask what the issue was with him? The notion of 'guitarist' triggered thoughts of him, filling her with sadness.
"Skwisgaar…" she softly whispered.
"You have a thing for 'em, huh?" Pickles asked. The question seemed to shock the girl, who quickly looked away to hide her blush.
"N, no! What gave you that crazy idea?!"
"You uh, just said his name." they stopped in front of the kitchen door and she quickly ducked inside to avoid answering the question. Pickles rested against the wall, playing with the empty container in his hand.
Kyrie returned a few minutes later, "This is all I could find, Jean-Pierre was in there so I had to be sneaky." She handed him a bottle of gin. "I won't ask for another lesson, just answer this question for me."
"Sure." He said with a nod, and then drank directly from the bottle.
"Is…is Skwisgaar really mean, like earlier?"
Pickles thought while he drank, unsure of how to respond. An honest answer may repeat the crying scene from earlier, and a lie would…well, "He's not the same." Was all he was able to say before Kyrie jumped on him, hugging him tightly. The bottle of gin slipped out of his grasp, shattering on the floor.
"Thank you so much Pickles, I just knew he wasn't really like that!" Pickles frowned, feeling uncomfortable and reluctantly patted her back as a friendly gesture.
Kyrie pulled away, the same giddy smile on her face. "I'll get you more to drink, free of charge!" she skipped happily back into the kitchen, and he starred at the door, still feeling a little awkward about the incident.
"That girl is so odd." he finally said with a grin, scratching the back of his head.
Notes : Kyrie's first encounter with Skwisgaar was not a pleasant one, poor her! It's kind of weird writing Toki in this as unkind (so far in the story...) because I'm so used to him being the opposite, hopefully he and Kyrie come to some sort of understanding soon. I'm always open to any idea's anyone may have or what they may like to see happen, slowly but surely this story is going to get somewhere! I made little eLouai doll edits of my OC's in this fanfic, going to post them in the next few chapters. Thanks Luna and Marner for the reviews, I really appreciate it. :D 'n for everyone else who may have stumbled onto this, please R&R!