A Taste of Candor

Chapter 28

~Declan

Whereas the Paiges' mansion was positioned in a neighborhood sorta off to the side of Silverport, close enough to the buzz activity but far enough away to keep its peace, Chip's apartment was right in the middle of it all. The six units of the complex he lived in were hemmed in on one side by a grocery or liquor store on one side (I couldn't tell which), and a fitness center on the other. And across the street, a variety of shops seemed to call to anyone happening to glance out the units' front windows.

Chip's apartment had been the spot we'd chosen to have our first test rehearsal, and I could appreciate how much shorter of a walk I had to get there. Just a few minutes, and I stood knocking at the front door. I could only hope I'd remembered his unit number correctly, or otherwise this would turn pretty embarrassing.

Sure enough, Chip swung the door open with one hand while gnawing at a chicken drumstick in the other. His actual drumsticks were in his back pocket as usual.

"Morning." Chip mumbled around the chicken, "Or is it afternoon?"

"Doesn't matter." I replied, "Good to see you."

"You too. Set your stuff down wherever."

When I stepped into the apartment, I came to the realization Chip's decor was no more lavish than mine. The only difference was that I cleaned my place. His living room looked cozy enough, but a blanket of crumbs covered the couch cushions, for instance, and his coffee table was stained from spills he apparently hadn't completely cleaned up before they dried. About the only clean thing in the room was his broom.

Despite it being dirty, I sat down on the couch and started unpacking my horn. Meanwhile, Chip ripped the last bite of meat off his drumstick and headed for the kitchen. Glancing across the rest of the room, I spotted a piano that must have been his own, judging by how dirty the casing was. Beside that was Chip's drum set, and further down, a bass lay on its side, with a guitar propped up on the wall as well.

Then Madden emerged from the kitchen alongside a guy I didn't know. The second man stood about a head taller than Madden, but given Madden's stature, that wasn't much of a feat. He also carried a jolly demeanor about him, a wide smile spreading almost to the borders of his patchy, graying beard. He sported the belly of someone who ate like Chip, but without Chip's metabolism.

"Hey Deck." Madden greeted with a grin, motioning his companion to approach me. "This is my roommate, Raiden."

I frowned for a second. Raiden was a common name where I was from, a pretty distinctly Candorian name. Yet this guy was clearly a local from around here.

"Raiden, huh?"" I said, standing up to shake his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"You too. I'll bet you're confused about my name."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little intrigued."

Raiden let out a hearty laugh. "I grew up in this small town on the border, and you can probably tell my childhood was a long time ago."

I smirked. "I was under that impression; no offense."

"None taken. Well, when I was growing up, neither Candor nor Lymaria even really bothered enforcing the border except in certain spots. We had Candorians crossing over for dinner, and we'd do the same. My parents weren't all that creative, so they just picked a name for me they heard a lot and liked, so ... Raiden."

"That's interesting. Must have been a very different time."

"Very different. They've probably cleared out that town by now, seeing as the current administration would see that as 'too dangerous'. Either that, or it's heavily occupied by troops to keep an eye on the scary Candorians on the other side."

"We're quite frightening specimens." Madden jested, taking a seat at the piano. He squinted down at it and grabbed a rag to start wiping down the keys.

"Horrifying to look at, as well!" Raiden exclaimed, "Where did you drop your color?"

"Must have cut it off with my wolfish fur."

Our hearty laughter at Madden's remark was cut short by a rap on the door. Chip came hustling out of the kitchen, and now, he held a chicken wing in his hand. After peeking through the peephole, he swung the door open.

"Rudy!" Chip greeted the newcomer, "C'mon in."

"Say anything about the mess, and he'll kick you out." Madden called from the piano bench, earning a chuckle from the other side of the door.

When Rudy stepped fully into the apartment with his alto sax case strapped to his back, we all greeted him, and he said his hellos back. Rudy wore a floral shirt with short sleeves that hugged his biceps well and fit snugly over his overall slim but muscular form. In every way, his appearance contrasted Raiden's, from his physique to his clean-shaven face, to the more subdued expression in his eyes.

"Nice to actually meet you, finally." Rudy remarked as he sat down beside me to unpack his smaller saxophone. "Declan, right?"

"That's me. Nice to meet you, Rudy."

"We've been hovering just outside each others' circle for a while, it feels like."

I laughed. "Right? We both auditioned for the guild—did you get in, by the way?"

"I did. That's how Mr. Justice found me. Turns out I got hired because he'd just let you go."

"I always run into you just after getting let go from somewhere, crazy."

A subtle smile crossed Rudy's thin face. "You should get let go more often."

"I guess so."

It wasn't long before Rudy finished putting his alto together, and after clamping a reed onto his mouthpiece, he started warming up. Once again, I found myself admiring his sound, so clean and crisp, with fluid lines that flowed without any obstruction. He made the alto sing the sweetest of songs, with the sweetest of sounds.

Madden had been staring at Rudy with awe, and when he stopped, his eyes shifted to me. "Get out, Deck. We don't need you anymore."

I chuckled. "Understandable; have a nice day."

Rudy shook his head. "I don't know about all that; from what I remember, this guy has the biggest sound I've heard someone get out of of a tenor."

"You flatter me."

"No, but seriously, play something."

I shrugged and played the first bit of the melody to "O Wanderer Far From Home", which seemed to give Rudy the biggest smile. He shook his head and made a motion as if he were putting his alto away and packing up. I failed my attempt not to laugh, which broke up my sound and made me stop.

"You're over-exaggerating." I said with a chuckle.

"Maybe a bit, but that's one hell of a sound you've got there. You can go places with that."

"Well, in that case, let's get moving."

So with that, Chip took his seat at the drums, and after a moment's hesitation to decide whether to pick up the bass or guitar, Raiden chose the former. The five of us briefly debated what song to play for starters, eliminating some of them based on the fact one or a few of us didn't know it. Finally, we settled on an old classic called "You Watch Me".

When Rudy and I started playing the melody line in unison, but octaves apart, I couldn't help but close my eyes in enjoyment. Our sounds blended together were just great, candy for the ears. In that moment, I knew we'd be able to make this endeavor work out.