Radar Love is Alive

(We're back at it again, folks. So, I'm going to use lyrics from three different songs, for this. The first come from the Doobie Brother's classic "China Grove," Where I'll use the last part of the song. The bulk will come from the second song Golden Earring's classic "Radar Love," a bloody excellent song to blast in the car, on a back road where there's no speed cameras or cops to stop you for not paying attention to your speedo. Obviously, I don't advocate speeding. I'm just saying, sometimes you get caught up in a moment and don't pay attention to certain things. It happens. The last song is "Alive" by Pearl Jam. It's a great song, from the one of the greats of Grunge. I'm listening to the acoustic version from Pearl Jam's MTV Unplugged album.)

The Nakano's had sat on a grassy hillock, at the back of the Beach Park in Arbora, where The Wilderness had been playing for the best part of an hour, now. Mostly, they've enjoyed what they've heard, even if they haven't heard of bands they were covering, the atmosphere from the crowd is so infectious, they can't help but move to the beat, even if was just slight shoulder movements and foot tapping.

"This song is called China Grove, right?" Ichika asks, raising her voice a little, so her sisters can hear her. Miku nods at her, while Ichika goes to her phone, finding the original song on a streaming app. "Done." She says to herself as she adds it to a personal playlist, like she has with a few songs she's heard today, going back to enjoying the music.

["But every day there's a new thing comin', the ways of an oriental view
The sheriff and his buddies, with their samurai swords
You can even hear the music at night!
And though it's a part of the lone star state, people don't seem to care
They just keep on lookin' to the east!"]
Lee sang this as he was strumming his cherry red guitar, that he picked up after the last song they played, Ballroom Blitz, had finished. He looked over to Mike, who stood on a pedal and made his own guitar wail, for a solo, while Franky was bopping his head as he hit his drums, occasionally looking up at Davey on his bass stands in place and sways his head back and forth, flicking his hair in the process. Meanwhile, Ally put his guitar down, at the end of the last song, in favour of playing his keyboard, for this song. And he's enjoying himself, immensely. The whole band is.

["Talkin' 'bout the China grove!

Whoa!
Oh, China grove!"]

Lee and crew bring the rock song to its final notes and close it off. "Thank you!" Lee calls into his microphone. The crowd cheer and applaud. The Quintuplets smile and wave, as they clap and yell. Lee puts his guitar on a stand next to the amps and walks back to his microphone, as Franky counts the boys in by clapping his drum sticks together four times. Three ascending notes. Then, three descending notes. Followed by five more, and three more at a slower pace. Franky starts playing a beat, gently tapping the drum skin, at first, adding a little more force to increase the volume, gradually.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this will be our last song. Thank you all for coming out." Lee says, as he took his microphone stand in one hand, as the crowd reacts with a mixture of cheers and requests for one more song. He walks over to the drums. "On the drum kit, give it up, for Mister Franky Anderson!" The crowd applauds and cheers, as Franky plays an energetic drum roll, before going back to the rhythm he was originally playing, while Lee stood between Mike and Davey. "Right here, we've got Davey Drummond on the bass, and on the guitar is Mikey T.!" He called out, as they took a bow, with Davey picking his bass strings. "And on the guitar and keyboard, the consummate professional, the one and only Ally Mackie!" Ally gave a peace sign, which Nino reciprocated from the back of the crowd. "My name's Lee Helmsley And this song is by Golden Earring…"

[I've been drivin' all night, my hands wet on the wheel

There's a voice in my head that drives my heel

It's my baby callin', sayin', "I need you here"

And it's a half past four and I'm shiftin' gear]

Itsuki smiled, as she bopped her head to the beat. Thinking about how Lee had put a little bit of trust in her, even if he barely knew her. It was vastly different, compared to Uesugi. Their first meeting was just him insulting her. It was a nice change.

[When she is lonely, and the longing gets too much

She sends a cable, coming in from above

Don't need no phone at all

We've got a thing that's called radar love

We've got a wave in the air

Radar love]

"Come on!" Yotsuba called out, taking Itsuki's and Miku's hands and dragging them into the crowd. Nino sighs, as Ichika laughed, following their sisters. The five of them made their way to the front, so they could enjoy their friend's performance. Yotsuba let out a loud, long cheer, which catches Mikey's attention, who nods down to the quintuplets from the stage.

[The radio's playin' some forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
The road has got me hypnotized
And I'm speedin' into a nude sunrise]

Lee was midway through the second verse, when he spotted the Quints, and smiled. He was surprised they came up to the front. Pleasantly surprised, of course. He looked down at them, saw them smiling back up at him and the band. It put a new found spring in his step, which he used to move around the stage a little more, grabbing his Mic stand again and walking to the edge of the stage, singing just a little louder. The affected the rest of the band, too. Franky hit his drums a little harder. Davey would add some slaps on his bass. Mike's guitar and Ally's keyboard ring out louder and clearer.

[When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all
We've got a thing that's called a radar love
We've got a line in the sky
Radar love]
Itsuki's lips smiled wider, her hips and shoulders began to move with the music. Nino was next, followed by Yotsuba, who shows way more exuberance than the first two. Ichika was next. Finally, Miku began to move as well. They all joined in with Lee when they heard chorus. Lee, Mike, and Davey were near the front of the stage and heard them all when they called out in song to them. From there, a nearly three-minute-long instrumental piece, including guitar, bass, keyboard, and drum solos. The volume picks up a little, as Lee struts back and forth across the stage. He's having the time of his life. Mike and Davey notice this and go back-to-back while nodding along to Franky's drums.

And then the song comes down to just Franky's drums, for a moment, before Davey to pick it all up again. Lee confidently walks back over to his mic, taking his leather jacket off and looking to the Quints. "Catch!" He shouts just loud enough for them to hear, before throwing it down to them. Itsuki catches it and wraps it around her shoulders, sticking his tongue out at him, playfully. Lee winked back as he walked back to his microphone, clapping his hands together above his head to every hit of Franky's snare, as does Ally. The small crowd attending the show join in with the pair, cheering the band on.

[No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool, now gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars go down real slow, woah
And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong"
And the newsman sang his same song
Oh, one more radar lover gone]

Lee stopped clapping and took a hold of his mic stand and walked to the edge of the stage, crouching down and looked towards the Quintuplets as he sang the lyrics of the third verse. Ichika's swaying her hips to the rhythm, as is Nino. Miku is, shyly, trying to stay in the middle of her sisters. Yotsuba's arms are in the air, cheering away. Itsuki is smiling and moving ever so slightly from side to side, with her hands in front of her, smiling up at the frontman. She's still thinking about their short conversation in his car, as well as what he told her over breakfast. About his house that he said he inherited being renovated, having to stay in the same hotel as herself and her sisters until that's done. In Itsuki's mind, Lee's down on his luck. And yet, he keeps on going with life, wearing a smile on his face. She'll question him about that, at some point.

[When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all
We've got a thing that's called radar love
We've got a line in the sky
We've got a thing that's called radar love
We've got a thing that's called
Radar love]
Itsuki sang the loudest of the five, as the band lead into the final chorus, with Yotsuba not too far behind her. Lee turns to the rest of the band and nodded at them, and they bring the song to an energetic close. "Thank you very much, everyone!" he calls out to the crowd. "Enjoy the rest of the Red Highway festival. Get loud for the rest of the bands, they all rock, too!" He picks up his mic stand, as Franky gives a final roll on his snare. The bad all hit one final note, as the frontman slams is mic stand into the stage. "We'll see you all again soon!" Lee says as the members of The Wilderness start packing up their gear.

Ichika walks up between Yotsuba and Itsuki, putting her arms over their shoulders, as Nino and Miku went round to the side of the stage. "Ready to go?" The eldest quintuplet said to the two youngest. They both nod, and walk together to the side of the stage, where Davey greets them, with two of guitar cases.

"Hey ladies." Davey said with a smile, looking at Ichika as he passed between them, heading towards the van. "How was the show?" He asked, looking at the van with confusion and frustration, realising his hands are full and he can't get to the keys to open the van.

Ichika smiled as she walked with him. "I think it's safe to say we all had fun." She replied with a giggle, taking a hold of one of the cases for him. Watching Davey load his cases in, a question entered her mind. "Why do you perform?" She asked, tipping her head to the left, slightly.

Davey snickered a little. "That's an easy answer, I do it for them." He responded, simply, with a smile on his face. Ichika looked back at the crowd for a second and then turned back to face Davey. "No, not them. Well, yes, them too… but, no, I meant those guys." He informed her, pointing at his bandmates. "Those guys. My friends. They love music as much as I do, for one. But the other thing as they'd do anything for me. And I'd do anything for them."

Ichika's heart almost skipped a beat, as she listened. She couldn't help but think of her sisters, with his words. "They're like your brothers, in a way… That's cool." She said with a smile, which grew when Davey smirked and winked back at her. There little conversation was interrupted by Mike and Franky bringing their drums back to the van.

"Come on, paprika-nuts, move it." Franky calls out from behind Mike, who snorts, coughs, and then has a soft, quiet chuckle as he heads back to the stage, to help Franky move the rest of his drum kit.

Davey's response is a short, snappy sarcastic chuckle as he stepped out the back of the van, walking away over to Ichika. "And then there's moments like that, when I remember one of the many reasons those boys are my family." He said, shaking his head and exhaling sharply, as he walked past Ichika and the van. Ichika giggled and followed him.

Franky looked on, curiously, as his friend and the eldest quintuplet walked off, presumably to Davey's car. "Hey Mikey…" He said to his friend, slowly, as he slips another drum into its case. "You think anything's going on there? Davey and Ichika, I mean." He added.

Mikey placed a drum into a case and stood up, grabbing another one as he looked on at Davey. "What? No…" He responded. Franky looked to him and grabbed the handle of his case in both hands, curiously, like he needs his friend to expand on what he just said. Which, Mikey does. "Well, for one, they just met. I'd be surprised if there was anything going between those two, after on conversation, if that." He explained. "And two, these girls aren't going to be here, forever."

"Besides that, even if there was, there sure isn't now…" Ally added as he joined them, guitar cases in hand. "Not after you called him paprika-nuts!" He pointed out. Franky let out a slight chuckle and went back to the stage to help Lee and Ally move their gear. The process took about thirty minutes to get it all into the van. "Right, folks. What's the plan now?" He then asked. Davey came over to the van, hearing that question being asked.

Lee smiled, before drinking some water from a bottle, thinking about what to do. "That's some family, you've got there." Ichika says to him as she walks past him, patting his shoulder. Lee nods and chuckles, as he walks over to his Italian sports car, slipping his mic case into the glove box. The Nakano girls are nice, he thinks to himself. It's easy to tell Davey's been talking to Ichika, but it's also obvious that Ichika paid attention. Which is nice.

"So, what's the plan now, everyone?" Yotsuba asked the group, as the last instrument was loaded into the van and Franky closed the back doors. There was a long, awkward silence while the boys did some thinking. It's four in the afternoon, so it's a bit late to drive anywhere. That said, it's too early to call it quits for the night.

"Well, do you guys remember when we did this last year? We did an acoustic performance at Aunt Gennie's hotel?" Mike asked his friends. Lee nodded with a smile. He remembers, all too well. At one point, he said it was the best performance the band ever put on. And the crowd really appreciated it, and they got to play some songs they wouldn't normally cover, like Summer of Sixty-Nine, Come Together and Mrs. Robinson. "Wanna do that again?"

Lee nodded once and grinned. "Sure. Nothing like an improv acoustic performance to close out the night. Gives us a chance to flex our musical chops." He said with a small, quiet, short laugh as he walked over to his car. "Are you coming with me again, Itsuki?" Itsuki was about to step forward, but Nino shook her head and walked over to Lee's car.

"No offense, sister, but it's my turn to ride in the nice sports car." Nino says with a slight smile. Not that she hated riding in the van, of course, but the little red Alfa belonging to Lee did catch her eye, earlier. "Ready to go, Lee?" The dark-pink haired quintuplet asked the man, who shrugged and got into the driver's side. He was a little surprised, and a little suspicious as to why the one Nakano who's barely said a word to him is now riding in his car, but it's not a huge issue. He waves to the guys and then drives off.

Itsuki looks annoyed, as the Lee and Nino drove off. She was hoping to hear Lee's story. Then again, she does think to herself that, maybe, it's still a little too soon for that. As she looks around, she can see Ichika has gotten into the van with Franky, while Miku jumps in the German sports car with Ally. "Yotsuba, you wanna ride with me?" Davey asks Yotsuba, who nods and practically skips over to Davey's Japanese vehicle. Davey nods at Itsuki, who waves back and walks over to Mike's muscle car.

Mike smiles as he gets into the car, noting how disappointed she looked. "Is Nino always like that? Just deciding what she wants, when she wants, regardless of what anyone else wants?" He asked, as he turned the key and revs the engine. Itsuki turns to look at him, looking more confused than anything else. "Don't get me wrong, I don't know you or your sisters. So, if I'm way off the mark, or overstepping a boundary, feel free to tell me off. I was just wondering why you looked a little miffed when Lee drove off."

Itsuki then looked down at her hands on her lap and slightly shook her head. "I was just hoping to get to know Lee, better. So, of course, Nino had to try and find out more before me…" She says, with a slightly saddened tone. She couldn't help but be annoyed at her sister, in this moment. Naturally, Mike smirked in a very goofy way, seeing a way to silently imply that Itsuki might have feelings for his friend. Itsuki say this and pouted at him. "Not like that, you dork!" She let out, loudly, which caused a slight chuckle from Mike. Itsuki then sighed and looked out the window, looking at the evening sun slowly setting across the horizon. "Lee was talking about something, on the drive over to the show, but then he stopped, saying he'd tell me more, once he knew me a little better."

Mike sighed, as he turned the car, following Lee's car closely. "Lee's a man of his word. If he told you that you'd be the first to know, you'll still be the first to know." He replied, gauging Itsuki's response. Itsuki simply nods and looks out the window, watching the waves of the sea. She is worried about the man. Why, though? She only just met him today. She's not entirely sure what's going on with herself. All she hopes is that Nino isn't giving Lee too much of a hard time.

Nino, like Itsuki, was sitting silently in the passenger seat, while Lee took them back to the hotel. Lee was still confused by her. Why choose to ride with him, and not say anything? "Did you want to have a conversation, Nino? Did you enjoy the show?" He inquired.

"Yeah, it was fun." She replied with a smile, before letting out a long sigh. "Sorry. About giving you a hard time this morning." She added. It's easy to tell she was being sincere, outside of her tone of voice. Her body language, in Lee's eyes, was one of discomfort. The cause of that could be the seats in his car, of course, but he thinks otherwise. "I'm too blunt, for my own good. Instead of finding the right way to say what's on my mind, I just take the most direct approach. And I don't really think about how the other person might be feeling in that moment. Or, if anything might be hurting them?" She said, hoping that the man might open up to her.

"Kinda like Ally, then." Lee replied, easing the car into a short corner. Nino looked round from the window to see him smiling as he watched where he was driving. A red light stopped them in their tracks. "Don't worry, Nino. I've kind of grown accustomed to that kind of talk, having spent years with Mister Mackie. You two are very alike." He added, killing time before the lights turned amber, then green. The little sporty Alfa Romeo purred to life, as it slowly accelerated. A small curve formed on his passenger's face, more relieved to hear Lee say that, than anything else. "Point is, it'll take more than being blunt and getting to the point to get under my skin. That, and I already promised Itsuki what's going on with me."

Nino giggled at that, and then smiled, slyly. "Oh? And do you have a thing for my little sister?" She asked, in a rather mocking tone. "You know, she is the youngest of us Nakano. We have to make sure you're absolutely perfect for our little sister." She added, trying to unnerve Lee.

To Nino's surprise, Lee looked at her with confidence, as they pulled up to the café. "No." he said with confidence. Nino smirked and side-eyed him. "… No?" Lee than repeated, with a curious upward inflection in his voice, wondering why Nino is giving him that look. Does she want Lee to date Itsuki? That would be pretty fast, considering they only just met a few hours ago. Is this a trap? It has to be. She won't catch Lee out today. "No. I barely know your Itsuki."

Nino looking satisfied with that answer, walks passed Lee and heads back into the hotel. "Good answer. You're smart." She says, watching as Franky, with Ichika, parks the van in front of Lee's car. As Nino walks in, she looks back at Lee through the window of the building, a sad and concerned expression crossing her face. Before anyone notices, she briskly walks into the elevator.

"Where did Nino go, Lee? Have you upset her?" Ichika asked, with a big smile on her face and a small giggle. Lee just shakes his head and laughs a little bit, Franky following just behind. Truthfully, He understands why Ichika asked that question. Nino took Itsuki's place, to see if he was planning on hurting Itsuki. He isn't of course, he just doesn't think his past is a conversation that people just getting to know each other should know about. From an outsider's perspective, however, it sounds like he has something shady that he's trying to hide.

"Great show, Lee!" Came the cherry voice of Yotsuba. He didn't even hear Davey's car pass him. As the ginger passes him by, she holds her hand out, which he high five's as she passes. He then looks over at Davey and see's the bassist leaning against his Alfa, Arms folded against his sternum, a rather serious look on his face. Lee knows that look, anywhere.

"Those girls are nice." Davey starts. Lee knows the conversation, at this point. He should talk to Itsuki, sooner rather than later, so they don't think what he's holding back is some kind of crime. "I know, man, I know… They probably don't think you've harassed a woman in a pervy way, or they don't think you've killed someone… Yeah, we've had this conversation before, a hundred times. And you're right, brother. Those girls probably don't think you're evil." He continues, before noticing Ally pull up with Miku.

"And to this day, Franky insists he didn't fall out of that tree. But how else did he end up neck-deep in a pile of leaves?!" Were all the boys heard from their friend and bandmate, as Ally and Miku exited the car. Miku laughed, probably louder than she normally would in her everyday life, before walking into the hotel. "Yeah, these girls are great. What are you two talking about?" Ally asked. Lee just breathes a heavy sigh, while Davey just rolled his eyes. Ally knew what that meant, right away. "Oh, of course. THAT conversation. The one where Lee Helmet-Head here just get's annoyed and stubborn, instead of just LISTENING to us, his FRIENDS, before insulting us and we don't speak for half a week, right?! THAT conversation?!" Ally asked, rather angrily. It was like a switch flipped in his mind, and his whole demeanour changed. "Yeah, I think I'll go inside, sit this one out because it's better for EVERYONE else, and help our friend Franky with the set list. Because this will probably be our LAST gig together!" he adds, quietly and sharply, before walking inside.

"That was dramatic." Lee added, before shaking his head. Deep down, he knew Ally was right. This chat, again, was bound to make one of them snap. That said, Lee figured Mikey or Franky would be the first to finally have enough. And it's not like he isn't upset or unphased by his friends' words. They actually cut really deep.

Davey shook his head, too. "Yeah. Almost unnecessarily dramatic. Don't worry, I'll talk it out with Ally. But we're not done, either." The bassist replied, getting off his friends' expensive car. "Look, to a certain extent, the man has a point. We'd by lying if we said we're all a little tired of having this conversation. But we'll continue to have this chat, until you find a way to help yourself. Even Ally, despite him being as stubborn as you, on this subject." Davey added, laughing a little. Even Lee laughed at that. Just in time too, as the loud exhaust of Mikey's American Muscle car slowly cruised passed them, with Itsuki smiling and waving from the window. Both Lee and Davey waved back at her, with Lee smiling at her on sight. Davey noticed that right away. "If she makes you do that, she's definitely then one to talk to."

Itsuki practically leaped out of the car, getting up to Lee. "Hey! Are you okay?" She asked, in a tone that was both happy and concerned. She knows her sister just a little too well. Lee just nodded his head, still trying to find some words inn his head. Itsuki breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that. "Oh, good. I was afraid Nino would annoy you or get under your skin. She doesn't mean to, of course."

"Yeah, I get it. She's a lot like Ally, that way. Like, a LOT like him" Lee spoke up, getting a laugh out of both Itsuki and Davey. "Look, Nino was fine. I think she's just concerned that her sister wants to get to know someone with something to hide. Can't really say I blame her." He added, looking at the redhead and smiling wide. Many thoughts went through his head, as his eyes wondered up to look at the sky. Can he really trust this girl? Outside of her being so friendly, and easy to talk to, she is a stranger. And Lee has previous experience with talking about his trauma to strangers. It didn't end too well. Once he snaps back to reality, he realises Istuki looks a little concerned. "Oh, sorry. Uh, why don't you head inside. I think your sisters are ready to get a bite to eat. We'll join you soon."

The youngest Quintuplet smiled brightly at him. "Okay! To be honest, I'm starving!" She says, before heading inside to sit with her sisters. They were all smiling at her. As were Mike, Ally, and Franky, who were all sitting at the table with them. "Lee and Davey will join us soon. So, what did you order for me?" She asked, which got everyone laughing.

"What do you mean? Food? Or dinner dresses for your date with Lee?" Ichika responded. While everyone else was laughing some more, Itsuki simply placed her hands on her hips and looked at her sister with a fed-up expression. "Sorry, Itsuki. I figured it would be easier to hear from me."

As Itsuki sat down, Lee and Davey walked in. The atmosphere at the table suddenly went very quiet. Uncomfortably quiet, in fact. Franky shook his head, as the waitresses served up burgers, hot dogs, battered fish and Haggis for Lee and Mike. "So, what were you guys all laughing about?" Davey asked. "We could hear you guy laughing from outside."

"Oh, you know, Itsuki asked what we ordered, Ichika asked if she meant date night dresses. You know, the usual brand of humour that comes when two people show interest in each other?" Yotsuba explained in detail. The only people not laughing were Itsuki, who just shook her head and continued eating her meal, And Lee, who smiled and rolled his eyes. "Oh look! They're not denying it!" Yotsuba added, loudly.

That got Lee to laugh. It got Itsuki to look up from her meal and smirk. "Come on, Yotsuba… You immediately started speaking to the first guy who smiled in your direction. Are you sure you're not projecting?" The redhead said, turning the tables on the sporty ginger, suddenly everyone except for Yotsuba herself, Lee and Mike were laughing at her. Yotsuba just blushed in her seat and said nothing more, stuffing her face at record pace. Mike looked on, curiously, wondering how that turned so fast. And Lee just shook his head and smiled, before looking at Itsuki. She simply giggled, which the rocker found kind of cute, and went back to his dinner.

A few hours had passed. Franky, Ally, Davey and Mike had just finished setting up the stage for their next performance. The stage, in this case, is a raised area that normally has tables and chairs occupying the space. The band and the staff cleared the area, for their instruments and sound equipment. It was a little cramped, but it's all the space that The Trek need. Miku and Nino come down in the elevator to see a load of acoustic guitars in front of the drums. Miku saw Franky with a drink, looking at the stage, and walked over to him. "So, do you guys play the same songs with a different sound?" She asked shyly, looking up at him with a straight face.

The bald man looked at Miku with a small smile. "Mostly, yeah. Lee likes to play some more serious and broody stuff during acoustic sets, too. Not saying I don't, for the record, and neither does the rest of the guys. It's just a bit different for us." He replied. He could tell Miku was interested in his response. Whether that's because she genuinely interested in the music aspect, or just trying to get an idea of what she's in for tonight, is anyone's guess, in his mind. In any case, Franky smiles a little wider, and walks over to the stage, adjusting one of the amplifiers. "So, did you enjoy the show this afternoon?"

"I did!" The middle quint responded, happily. "I'm not normally a person that likes being in the middle of huge crowds. But your performance was so much fun, and so energetic, that I couldn't just on the grass at the back for the whole show." She further explained. Franky liked that answer, it was easy to see that from the expression on his face. Miku looks up at the stage once more, before turning her attention to the drummer. "You're saying you like playing these acoustic sets, for the record? Is there anything you want to say before you go up and perform?"

As she asks this, Lee, Ally, Mike and Davey take to the stage. Franky just shakes his head. "Nothing they haven't heard, before. These sets are fun, but there isn't usually a whole lot for me to do…" Franky mentioned with a shrug. "Anyway, it looks like we're about to start. Have fun, Miku!" The man followed up, hoping up the stage, behind his drums.

Davey chuckled, just loud enough to the band to hear. "So, you and Miku, huh?" He asked. Ally and Mike stifled their respective laughter, and Lee didn't even look their way. He was looking out at the crowd, which had grown to a good number of people for a pub gig. Specifically, however, Lee is looking at the Nakano's, who sat at the table nearest the stage. Itsuki waved up at him, and he returned that polite gesture in kind, with a smile and a wink. Meanwhile, Franky got behind his drums and shook his head. "Look…" Davey followed up. "It can't just be Seth and Itsuki at the tail end of the laughter. You had to see this coming." The bassist added, plucking his strings. Franky just laughed and nodded. He knew, all too well, that Davey was always going to hand out the ribs in an equal fashion.

"Alright, well… Welcome to The Brothock Inn, Hotel and Bar." Lee started, speaking into the microphone. "We are The Trek, we're happy to see you all… Are you all good?" He asked, to a few cheers and Woo's from around the room. "Excellent! That's what we like to hear. So, let's start with something laid back. Here's a little number from Pearl Jam."

["Son," she said, "have I got a little story for you
What you thought was your daddy was nothing but a
While you were sitting home alone at age thirteen
Your real daddy was dying
Sorry you didn't see him, but I'm glad we talked"]

Ally's Electro-Acoustic instrument rang out for the initial notes, Franky, Mike and Davey joined in, a few seconds later. Then Lee would begin to sing, looking out at the crowd. He can see people nodding their heads, tapping their feet on the ground, or tapping their fingers against the tables. Some are singing along with him, which is a good sign.

[Oh, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, I, oh I'm still alive
Hey, oh]
Going into the chorus, most the people in the bar are now singing loudly, and proudly. Ichika looks around, impressed by the noise coming around from all sides of her and her sisters. Nino, too, was taken aback by the chorus of people singing in unison. Miku, Yotsuba and Itsuki, however, are swaying with each other. The guys in the band can't help but smile as they play, looking down at them.

They continued to play, as the summer sun slowly started to set.