The Band is with Me
AU. As a favor to an old friend, Rinoa is hired to photograph the debut album of the up and coming rock group, Absolute Lore. There she meets the quiet and enigmatic drummer named Squall, and Rinoa quickly learns that musicians are truly the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures.
A/N: Just so you know, rather than the cities being in different countries like in the game, I made them fairly close to each other. For example (since I am US-based) Galbadia would be considered similar to a large city like Los Angeles/Hollywood, Balamb would be a beach city like Santa Monica or Ventura or Venice, Esthar would be like New York, Timber like Boston, etc.
"We could just use one of Zell's paintings for the cover."
"And perhaps he could even come up with a background to put the song lyrics on," Quistis offered, nodding to herself in agreement with Irvine's previous statement. "I think he'd get a kick out of it, graphic design is definitely his other talent."
Zell started scrolling through the photo gallery on his phone. "What kind of look are we going for? Something minimalistic, something dark, abstract maybe?" He hadn't painted in nearly a year—he had been too busy with the increase of clients at his gym and his busier-by-the-day schedule with the band—but he still had quite the collection of his art on hand.
Selphie rolled her eyes as she listened to the band members discuss their album design. "You are all idiots," she said. "No one buys CD's anymore, no one's going to look at the little pamphlet to look up the lyrics. They'll just look it up online."
"Ouch," winced Zell, setting his phone down onto the table. "So ruthless."
"It's the truth," Selphie argued. "You guys have a band page on social media, use that. Your followers are going to look more at your social media page than they are at a CD case because they'll be able to download the music off your web page. You guys should really know this."
Zell looked over to Squall who was still leaning back in his chair with his boots atop the table. "What do you think?"
"She does have a point," he mused, absently twirling a drum stick between his fingers. "When was the last time any of you bought a CD?"
The room fell silent as they all actually tried to think of the last CD they had bought. "Ok, point made," Irvine finally said. He stretched his arms overhead and groaned at the sweet pop that sounded from his shoulders. "So then," he said to Selphie. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Well, your web page needs some work and I think Zell would be able to whip up something aesthetically pleasing. However, I think that more focus should be on your social media page, after all, everyone is on it now and you'll be able to see more of your followers and their feedback. You guys are starting to get more of a following now, you need to start paying more attention." Selphie pulled out her laptop and quickly typed in the link. "Look at this comment," she said, tapping a nail delicately on the screen.
Music sounds great, can't wait to hear more! Let's see some band pictures!
Selphie turned to Irvine and proudly smiled. "The only pictures you have of you guys are from that back yard gig you did at Nida's party a few months ago."
"I thought we had a lot of great pictures from that night," Quistis commented.
"Yeah, from cell phones. No matter what some people think, cell phone cameras are not real cameras. As a band that is getting its name out there you need professional photographs." Selphie scrolled through the photographs in question. Even though the quality of cell phone cameras had most definitely improved over the last several years, no amount of filters or cropping or tilt shift could ever amount to the talent of a true photographer.
She came across what could have been a great photograph of Irvine possessively cradling his mic-stand as he released a powerful and earth shattering scream…but the would be cell phone photographer decided to take the shot with the halo light right behind Irvine, causing a harsh shadow to be cast over his entire face. The photograph had potential, but a great photographer would have known where to stand, where to have taken the shot from, would have known how to utilize all of the light fixtures that were in place.
"Alright, well do you have a photographer in mind?" Zell asked. "We're kind of on a budget." They weren't exactly famous, known of, yes, but not famous. They did have a following that consisted of more than just friends and friends of friends and family members. So far only two songs of theirs had made it onto the local hard rock station. They had become very well known to all the hot venues of Galbadia and the neighboring cities. Despite all that, not all of their gigs were paid shows. Most of the time they got paid in free beer or two free drinks each at the bar, and of course some exposure.
"Actually…" Selphie clicked over to her personal social media page and scrolled through her newsfeed. "I actually just saw a post of an old friend saying that she was moving back here to Deling and she is phenomenal." She ran her tongue over her teeth as she tried to find the post. "Ah! There it is!"
Rinoa Heartilly
Yesterday at 8:15 a.m.
Get ready Deling, I will be inside you soon ;)
Accompanying the post was a quick cell phone picture of a boarding pass with the large and bold words of Deling Airport printed across the top along with Rinoa's name and seat number. Beneath the picture were a few comments from her friends that exclaimed how much they would miss her and that they wished her safe travels.
"This is her personal page," Selphie said. Rinoa clearly kept her personal page very private. Her profile picture was a photograph of her, shot from behind, laying on her belly as she aimed her camera towards a lighthouse in the distance. The only photos she posted were linked from her photography page and were only of her subjects in question, hardly any were candid shots of herself. Even her profile page simply stated:
Rinoa Heartilly
March 3rd, 25 years old
Photographer (Fashion, conceptual, portrait, interior/real estate, documentary)
Selphie moved the little arrow and filtered through Rinoa's page to find the link she wanted. "Here's the page where she has all of her photography. Take a look!"
Quistis and Zell scooted Selphie out of the way while they perused this girl's social media page. Squall lowered his feet from the table and strode to the fridge to grab a water bottle before he made his way over to the laptop.
"Pretty impressive," Zell admitted, his eyes lingering on the image of a woman with satiny ebony skin holding a stark white steer head skull in front of her nude body. "The contrast of the colors," he murmured. "It's beautiful."
Quistis scrolled to the next photo, an image of a young girl dressed as a fairy happily twirling and dancing in a field while thunder clouds loomed overhead. "And she can capture action," she said, her eyes traveling over the movements of the little girl's dress and fabric wings. "She could even photograph a show of ours."
"Not bad," Squall said as he looked at the next photo that displayed the black and white silhouette of a pregnant woman wading thigh deep in a tide pool. "Her usage of lighting is extraordinary."
"How do you know this girl?" Irvine asked. The next few photographs were of the inside of some sort of art gallery. They included shots of portraits, paintings, artifacts, and people looking at said items.
"She and I went to the Deling campus of the Estharian College of the Arts together," Selphie explained. "She went for photography and I went for sculpting. We had a few classes together, mostly just art theory." Selphie blushed and sheepishly tucked a strand of golden brown hair behind her ear. "I've actually modeled for her a few times, actually…"
"I'll say you have!" Zell exclaimed with his blue eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
The sudden outburst forced Selphie to snap her head towards the computer screen, her jaw dropping and the color draining from her face as she saw the new image that was displayed. It was from one of her modeling sessions with Rinoa where Rinoa had said that she wanted to experiment with some new bath bombs. It was shot from a downward angle—Selphie remembered how Rinoa strategically balanced herself with one foot of the top of the toilet and the other foot on a stepstool—and left very little to the imagination. The bath bomb turned the bath water into swirls of glittering pinks and purples with little touches of blue, very reminiscent of a stargazed galaxy. Selphie lay beneath the water, one leg extended to rest upon the edge of the clawed-foot tub, the other bent so all that was seen was a naked knee. Her torso was exposed above the water level, her arms covering her breasts while she playfully nibbled on one finger and looked directly up into the camera.
The caption beneath the sultry photo read: Bath bombs + naked lady = best photoshoot EVER!
"Selphie!" Quistis cried, her mouth open in a large grin. "Look at those 'come fuck me now' eyes! I never knew you had it in you!" She gave Selphie a light-hearted nudge to the shoulder. "You little vixen you!"
Irvine simply blinked, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared at the beautiful photograph of the petite minx beside him. "How come I have never seen this till now?" he demanded. "E-mail her, tell her I want ten copies."
"Irvine!" Selphie squealed.
"One life-sized, preferably," he said as he snaked an arm around Selphie's waist and gnawed noisily at her chin. "I'm going to hang it on the ceiling right above my bed," he told her. "That way when you ride me I can have two of you looking at me."
Selphie laughed and shoved him aside. "I'll e-mail her," she said. "But I can't promise anything. I haven't seen her in over three years. I don't even know why she's moved back, I thought she had a pretty decent job in Timber." She clicked onto the link that opened up a new message.
S.T: Heeeeeeeey girl! I saw that you're back in Deling? What a coincidence because I am also in Deling! Give me a call, we must catch up! Xoxoxoxoxox Selphie
Selphie attached her new cell phone number to the bottom of the message. "I'll see if I can meet up with her sometime and I'll let her know that you guys are interested in hiring her for a small photoshoot."
"Sounds good," said Zell. "Let's get lunch. Some place with napkins so we can shove them up Irvine's nose to stop that nose bleed from Selphie's photo."
They went to the nearest diner and ordered their usual of an extra-large supreme pizza and refillable jug of beer. Selphie was on her second slice when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Hang on," she said, setting the phone flat onto the table. "Oh! She's responded!"
R.H: OHMYGOD! HOW ARE YOU?! I just got back in yesterday =)
S.T: How was Timber?
R.H: It was AMAZING! But I really missed being home. Plus a friend of mine is opening up his own studio soon and is going to need a few new photographers =)
S.T: Nice! When is that?
R.H: Not for another month. I'm taking a much needed vacation! Plus I need to get settled into my new place, get new furniture, blah blah etc. How have you been?! It's been too long!
S.T: It really has! I've been good, I'm the assistant to this woman who runs her own pottery class. Got myself a rock star boyfriend, you know, no big deal =P
R.H: Ooh la la! Do tell =)
The two began an even longer conversation about how Selphie had met Irvine and the rest of the band, how she and Irvine had been together for a little over a year, and how much Irvine loved the infamous bathtub photograph.
R.H: Can't blame him, that picture is AWESOME! Though I'm sure he'd want to see the ones that I didn't post.
S.T: Well yeah those are a tad more risqué!
Irvine peeked over Selphie's shoulder to see her phone's screen. "There were more?" he balked.
Selphie shot him a look. "Oh please, what photographer takes one photo?"
"I need to meet this woman," Irvine stated. "I need to see her entire portfolio. I don't care if we have to pay her double!"
Quistis nearly choked on her beer with laughter. "You would!"
S.T: Hey, what are you doing right now?
R.H: Unpacking. Needing a break. What are YOU doing? =D
S.T: I am plotting to steal you from unpacking.
R.H: Yay!
Selphie finished her slice and tapped Irvine on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go meet up with her," she said with her mouth full. As she swallowed she reached for her wallet.
Irvine took hold of her hand and gave her palm a gentle kiss. "Don't worry babe," he said with his charming smile. "I got you. We're gonna head back to Zell's after."
Quistis took a look at the skinny gold watch around her wrist. "Not me," she said. "I told Faith that I'd cover her shift tonight. I need to shower and change real quick." She reached into her purse and grabbed out her share of the bill. "See you guys at the next practice, keep me updated with Selphie's friend." She waved her fingers at the group and exited.
Selphie waved off Quistis and looked back at the phone that continued buzzing. "Rinoa just texted me directions to her apartment." She swiped the screen slowly as she read through the message. "Nice! It's actually not that far from here." She stood from her seat and leaned in to give Irvine a kiss. "I'll catch up with you later?"
He nodded and affectionately stroked her waist. "You're gonna walk?"
"Yeah, it's on 6th Avenue," she told him, pointing in the general direction. "You know, across from the convenient store. Fifteen minute walk, tops."
Irvine shrugged as he mentally walked himself to the store in question. "Alright," he said. "Let me know when you get there."
Selphie walked into the apartment complex and looked for the signs that announced the West Lot. She glanced down at the directions on her phone. In the West Lot. Fourth building on the right hand side #24B. It was a nice complex, quiet and clean despite being right off of a main road. Selphie found the staircase that led to an apartment unit with its door wide open and music blaring through. As she made her way up the stairs Selphie placed the music as a classic ACDC song. She had definitely found Rinoa's apartment. Selphie grinned as she remembered Rinoa always blasting 1980's metal in her dorm room.
Approaching the door, Selphie gently knocked on the open door. "Rinoa? It's Selphie!"
"Selphie!" Rinoa's face popped up from behind a stack of cardboard boxes, her long black hair piled up on the top of her head in a ridiculously messy bun. She smiled brightly as she stood to her feet and made a mad dash for the other girl.
The two crashed into each other with tight hugs and gales of laughter. "You want a beer?" Rinoa turned towards the kitchen and grabbed two bottles from the fridge. She nicked off the top with her key ring and handed the bottle to Selphie. "Holy shit it has been like…what, three years?"
"Something like that!" Selphie took a swig and sat down on the cream colored carpet of the living room. "Is this seriously all that you brought from Timber?" she asked, her eyes wide as she counted four cardboard boxes, one large and beat up duffle bag, and three suitcases.
Rinoa sat down cross-legged and leaned against the wall. "Well, all the furniture at my old apartment mostly belonged to my roommate," she said. "Caraway's giving me some of the old furniture from the house."
Selphie winced at Rinoa's use of her father's last name. For as long as the two had known each other, there was always some sort of tension between Rinoa and her father. Selphie never knew the exact reason, knew only that it had started while Rinoa was still in high school. She even went as far as to legally change her name from Caraway to Heartilly, her mother's maiden name, when she turned eighteen. "You and your dad still…?" She made a scowl and gestured with her hand.
Rinoa shrugged and drank her beer. "Not really, we've resolved most of our issues. I'm just so used to calling him Caraway that calling him "Dad" would just seem…odd. When he picked me up from the airport yesterday he said something stupid and I was like "Yeah, whatever, Dad," and he looked at me like I was insane." A giggle bubbled from her lips and she arched a brow. "It was just so foreign."
"Do you even have a bed?"
"Yeah, Caraway set it up for me last night. He's coming by tomorrow with the couches and my old dresser. Basically, I'm getting my old childhood bedroom furniture and the furniture from the den."
Selphie smiled. "It's something!"
Rinoa nodded and polished off her beer. She stood to her feet and adjusted her jean shorts that had ridden up from her sitting position. "You want another?" When Selphie accepted Rinoa went back into the kitchen. "Tell me more about this hot rock star boyfriend of yours!" she said when she returned with two more bottles.
"Ugh, Rinoa he is just so…" Selphie threw her head back as she searched for the words. "God I am just so head over heels for him! He makes me laugh and when he holds me I seriously just feel safe and warm. He's got these eyes that are just a spectacular color of blue and lips that are just to die for and long, gorgeous, stupidly sexy hair that I just can't stop pulling!" Selphie reached for her phone and showed Rinoa her wallpaper. It was her and Irvine at the amusement park a few weeks prior. Irvine had been pretending that he was a zombie and was thus gnawing on Selphie's cheek while she tried not to drop her cotton candy.
"Good god you guys are disgustingly adorable," Rinoa said.
"Yeah, we get that a lot," Selphie giggled as she tucked away her phone. "What about you? Did you have anyone special in Timber?"
Rinoa shook her head. "Nah, I was seeing this one guy for a little while about a year ago when I was working a job in Esthar but…" She shrugged. "You know how it is. Shit happens." Rinoa groaned and slithered down the wall so that she lay flat on her back. "Even though I am so excited to have a vacation a month seems like way too long to not be working! I feel like after a week I'll already be going stir crazy with boredom."
Selphie's ears perked up and she crawled over to where Rinoa's head rested on the floor. "Oh really? Well…if you're up to it, I have a proposition for you?"
Rinoa turned her face toward Selphie and narrowed her eyes in intrigue. "Is that so? I love propositions. Tell me."
"Irvine's band, Absolute Lore, is in desperate need of classy, professionally done band photos. Seriously, like the only photos they have on their page are cell phone pictures from a house party a while ago."
"Oh, ew."
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. And…I actually already showed them your work and they are just in awe. So, if you're interested they would like to hire you."
Rinoa sat up, her teeth gently biting down on her bottom lip as she thought. A thousand different shoot ideas raced through her mind. There were so many different options and themes that she could play around with. "What kind of music do they play?"
"Rock. Not quite heavy metal but heavier than some of the bands that play on the radio."
"They any good?"
Selphie nodded with so much enthusiasm that her hair was a mere blur from the shaking. "Yes. Seriously, when they play you are still feeling it the night after—just like when you have really superb sex and your thighs are still burning and quaking."
"Are they hot?"
"Uh, hello! They are all gorgeous," Selphie sang, holding up her phone and pointing to the screen as evidence. "Irvine—who you've already seen is obviously the most handsome man ever carved out of delicious hunky man meat—is the singer but also does back up guitar. Quistis, this drop dead gorgeous tall blonde with legs that you could just climb, is the bassist. Zell, the lead guitarist, is a professional boxing instructor—nuff said. And the drummer Squall has these blue eyes that are so damn sharp they could just cut through steel like butter."
Rinoa grinned as she listened to the other girl describe the members of this band she wanted her to photograph. The offer was definitely intriguing. "You know what, I'll do it," Rinoa said. "Sounds like fun! Just give me a few days to get settled in and we'll schedule like a meet and greet so we can all decide what kind of photoshoot they want and a price."
Selphie's eyes grew wide and sparkly as she tried to contain the squeal of excitement that threatened to burst through her mouth. "Really? Ohmygod yay I am so excited that you said yes! I can't wait to tell them!"
Irvine's shoulders slumped as Zell once again shot a bullet through Irvine's pixelated head. "Goddammit," he muttered, his lips scowling as he watched his character drop down to his knees before dramatically collapsing into himself on the ground. "Don't do it, don't do it Zell—you fucker!" His face twisted into annoyance even further when Zell's character ran up to Irvine's fallen character and tea-bagged him.
Zell gave a loud and exaggerated laugh of triumph as he bounced on the couch. "I am undefeated!"
Irvine groaned and handed the controller to Squall who was sitting on the couch's arm. "Avenge me, my brother." Squall silently took hold of the controller and raced after Zell, his thumbs skillfully and quickly maneuvering the controller's buttons.
Irvine's phone beeped and he dug it out of his jeans. As he tapped into his messages he heard Zell scream, "Are you fucking kidding me? Where the fuck did you just come from? Goddammit—fuck you Squall."
Irvine glanced up in time to see the replay of Zell's character get stabbed in the ribs. "That's what you get for being a douche," chirped Irvine. "I knew you would avenge my death with honor," he said to Squall, grinning as he watched Squall continue to play with an emotionless expression plastered on his face, in complete gaming mode. Irvine's attention went back to his phone and he smiled when he saw that it was a picture message from Selphie.
S.T: Guess who got you bitches a photographer!
The picture was a slightly blurry snapshot of Selphie and a dark-haired girl. Selphie had one arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her close so that their cheeks touched. Selphie smiled brightly while the other girl had her lips pursed as if she were sending kisses.
He let out an amused grunt and held the phone out for them to see. "She's in," Irvine said. "Absolute Lore is about to have their first official photo shoot."
Zell glanced over and gave a quick nod after reading Selphie's message. "Nice," he said. He tilted his head in appreciation as he added a low whistle. "Goddamn…She'll be very nice to look at too."
Squall finally moved from his statuesque pose of balancing on the couch's arm to look at the photo on Irvine's phone. His brow lifted slightly at the sight of the pretty girl with rich black hair and pouty lips. "Yep," he agreed. "She definitely will be."