Wing City Town Square

She smiled confidently as he admitted to her catching him up on his game plan. Her eyes lit upon the invitation of his. But she composed herself quickly and gave him a look that she didn't quite trust his offer. She had heard that once before only to be set up. "Maybe I can't out gun you. You look like you've had more experience than me with a gun. But some of the others who have set me up just to mock me I could have probably out gunned at least a few of them. Of course not all of them." She measured his appearance again, looking taken back by his laughter, before asking him. "Are you setting me up like the rest of them and wasting my time, if so I won't hesitate to go square with you. I'm not scared to die trying to save my own honor." She gave him a determined expression. A soft smirk coveted her expression as his confidence in his own abilities made her laugh softly. "I mean no disrespect Mister, but your confidence is truly inspiring." She slid her gun back in it's bag after unloading it. A soft sigh escaped her pursed lips as a soft breeze blew her bangs across her face again.

Kyle wonders into the Town Square. The usual place he goes to kill some time. As he walks through the square, he notices two people talking about something. One of which places a gun into her bag. "If only I could hide my gun that easily" Kyle thinks to himself, acknowledging the large rifle he carries around strapped to his back. It doesn't matter, a lot of stuff happens in Wing City. The female was probably threatening that guy. Kyle doesn't really care about things that happen around him, he just notices and keeps in the back of his mind. Just in case things happen and it can be used as a tactical advantage.

More sirens sound as firefighters and the police drive through the city to the building Kyle blew up. The light of the fire is still visible, even under the cloud of smoke and the distance it is from the square. "Maybe i should've been more subtle when blowing up government meetings..." Kyle thinks, he won't change how he goes through his terrorism. It was just a though of regret everyone gets.

Kyle walks to a bench, not far from the couple he noticed. He sits down on the bench, removing his rifle as he does. Otherwise he won't be able to sit, the gun is simply too big. He places the rifle next to him, leaning against the bench. At first he attempts to think about things but he is too intrigued in the couple in front of him, so he decides to watch their actions. Taking into account everything that happens.

"Aw shit no," Kyle answered with a smirk. One of his hands dropped down to the side, open-palmed to the air with a small glow coming from the node there. "Not setting you up. Just statin' that I can always get more gun if I need to outgun." A white glow appeared, warping and changing shape until it became a close replica to her USP. But he heard the sirens and tilted his head down, then shrugged. "Yeah, but we like, shouldn't kill people when cops are around and shit. They might blame us for whatever that smoke is in the distance. And I'm not a terrorist, just a gun." He used the gun to scratch his nose (just showing how poor his gun control was) and looking off to the side.

Kyle sits, surprised at what he just saw. That is an amazing power, better than his sound manipulation.
Then he remembers, he rigged a fire truck with explosives. Kyle activates the eyepiece hidden under his hair, small pipes unfounded in front of his uncovered eye and a blue screen appears.
After a bit of scanning, Kyle realised that the fire truck is already at the burning building. "More fun" He speaks to himself, a sound of a button press escapes Kyles pocket. Causing a series of small explosions follows by one massive one. A piece of the fire truck is made visible from the town square as it is thrown into the air.

"It's boring here, I think i'll go for a drink..." Kyle speaks to himself with a sigh. Plus he wants to get away from all this trouble he has caused. Just in case.

He stands up, grabs his rifle and places the strap over one shoulder and under the other arm. He then walks off towards The Penance Tavern.

Lyna looks to the replica of her USP with a smile. "Fancy lil' trick there." She watches the man with the rifle with her peripheral vision. "Looks like we've become an intriguing pair to watch." She closes her eyes and sighs. Having just heard an explosion and smelling smoke, she couldn't help but wonder if the strange man had anything to do with whatever was on fire. She could careless what the man did considering it had nothing to do with her. She turned her attention back to her companion before her, keeping her guard up in case the man decided to pull a stupid move and head for them with police near by. "I agree, they do tend to be party crashers don't they?" She said mockingly as she heard sirens from another fire truck head towards the pillar of smoke. Her attention jerked to the fire truck piece flying in the air for a moment, just long enough to ensure she was in no danger of it coming this way. " I agree and seems some one has indeed made one hell of a firework show. A bit sloppy, don't you agree? I never accused you of being a terrorist, that's not my style either. Just a girl with a gun who loves to play gunslinger is all." She smiles softly to him. "I am honestly relieved though that you are not like the rest of the fools." She smiled to him with a slight flirtatious look in her eyes. "I always was a sucker for a man with a guy. So how does up and coming talent try out for this talent show of yours?" She inquired stepping closer to him so she could keep a closer eye on the other man easier without being obvious. After a few she was relieved to see him leave, something about him just didn't feel right. "So what you say to finding some other place away from all the fireworks and party crashers to have a drink and chat about this talent becoming a real piece of work?" Her voice was playful, but was trying to hide some of her determination and eagerness, probably not to much avail for a veteran assassin who can pick up on small behaviors and such from experiencing them.

The destruction going on didn't seem to phase Kyle, in fact it seemed to make him smile. He loved nothing more than a bit of collateral, and always tried to get some in with his missions. It was why he was usually sent on high priority, low stealth jobs. "Actually this is about as much as my usual party," he commented on the pillar of smoke and explosions. But on the comment of joining he had to lean in slightly and ask; "My place or yours?" Kyle was not a clever man, and was having a hard time figuring out if she was interested in him or in his work, so he went with the cocky assumption she was after him.

A large white van with a trailer pulled up to the curb. The outside of the vehicle was decorated with a variety of designs surrounding a calligraphic The Enoch Echoes. A bearded man in a button-down shirt and blue jeans emerged from the sliding door. White and blue tassels dangled from his belt loops. He stroked the tip of his beard as he scanned his surroundings through a pair of dark shades.

"Oi, let's get the gear set up over there!" he pointed at the wooden stage that was set up in the square. "Help me get this trailer open..."

He hopped out of the van and briskly walked towards the trailer. Aaron looked at the square. It was fairly empty, but once the tunes started flowing the crowd was sure to swell. Three more people appeared from the van. Nathan was tall and lanky, and he favored one leg as he walked. The man looked at the square and frowned.

"Man, are we entertaining ghosts or something?" he said as he pulled a guitar and trumpet case from the trailer." I know this is Wing City and all, but still..."

A stout black man followed Nathan. Marty's stride bounced with the beat playing through his earbuds. He pulled out a fabric guitar case, swung it over his shoulder, and grabbed a bulky trombone case in the other hand.

A slender brunette snickered at her larger friend's strut. She was dressed in a white blouse and skinny jeans that accented her slight curves. A small flute case dangled from her hand. Becca's other hand was wrapped around the crutch of an elbow.

The elbow belonged to Jacob, a man clad in a simple pair of blue-jeans, red t-shirt, and leather jacket. His white tennis-shoes scrunched the grass beneath his feet. Four sets of blue and white threaded tassels dangled from his belt loops. The man gripped a long white cane in his left hand and slowly passed it in front of his feet like a radar, while his right was guided by the other woman.

"Alright..." Aaron pondered as he stroked his beard. "We can put the drums right there, the microphone there, they keyboard there... Marty, what'dya think? Marty? Marty!"

"Eh? Wha'?" Marty pulled out an earbud. "Oh, right. Yo' jus' handle yer singin' stuff. Let me handle the equipment." he patted Aaron's shoulder.

The group slid their cases up on the stage and walked back to the trailer. Jacob, on the other hand, cautiously made his way onto the stage. He sat on the floor and waited for the others to get back.

The band members worked busily to set up the microphones, keyboard, and guitar stands. Marty heaved and shoved the amps to their proper place and quickly strung out the cables. Aaron and Nathan set up the acoustic drum set around Jacob, who now sat on a circular wheeled stool. Becca busily clicked away at the buttons of her large double-keyboard.

Once the drums were set up, Jacob glided his hands over the individual pieces. "Let's see... That's the snare. Oh, here's the high hat. Nate, can you move over this crash a tad. Thanks. Where's the kick - Ah here it is! Where my sticks at?"

"Right here Jake!" Marty shouted as he pulled the pair of Vic Firth wooden drumsticks from his back pocket. He set them in Jacob's waiting hand.

"Alright, tuning and sound check everybody!" Aaron called out to the rest of the band. Becca assembled her flute and blew across the instrument. Marty, Aaron, and Nathan each took turns giving their guitars a few strums as the messed with the strings. Jacob worked with a trumpet and saxophone.

"You're a little sharp, Becca. Marty, pull out a bit. Nate, I think you need a little more valve lubricant." Jacob called out to the individual members. His blindness had a few advantages - like increased focus in his other senses.

"Check... Check... One two check." Aaron chanted into the microphone.

It was an odd appearance for one so powerful to visit those who were so out of tune with the living essence of the world that few would have hardly believed that it was the puppet master himself who took to the cities town square. Bigsby stood before the group as he looked up at them upon their stage just to move his massive hat up a bit so his eyes could see them better. "It appears that time has distorted once more. I recall myself walking up the steps of the temple and then suddenly now I am here." The elderly man began to mutter to himself as his gnarled fingers clenched his staff a bit tightly as if he was deep in thought. It was true the time in the multiverse was convoluted but this was a bit silly.

As the rest of the band did their pre-show routine, Jacob decided to do some warm ups. His stick bounced on the snare like a trampoline. Despite being blind, he knew exactly where ever piece was. The drummer broke into a pulsating drum roll that filled the stage with the distinct buzz of the snares rattling against the bottom of the drum. He tapped the bass at his feet with a precise rhythmic beat.

Da-dun... Da-dun... Da da da-duh-thump.

His hands bounced to a large tom that rumbled like thunder with the bass. Jacob's wrists rose and fell like waves with the accented beats. The blind drummer's sticks ricocheted into the crash and rye cymbals, forming a complex and hair raising rhythm.

Jacob's sticks moved in a blur across the drum set as the crowd began to gather. They flipped and bounced over each other as he went down the toms. He stuck his tongue out as he concentrated on the opening cadence. A steady series of triplets resonated from the bass guitar as Marty joined in.

"Good evening ladies an' gentlemen!" Aaron's voice bellowed from the amp. We are the Enoch Echoes. I'm Aaron, that's Jacob and Marty. Next to me is Nathan and on the keyboard we have the lovely Rebecca. Tonight we have a good set planned, so I hope you enjoy the show... Welcome to the first stop of our Holiday Tour!"

"Now... Are you guys ready for some rock and roll?! Hahahahaha!" he raised his fist into the air as Jacob broke into a quick rhythm of snare and cymbals. He flammed the toms as Nathan and Marty joined with their electric and bass guitars. The band drove into a grooving rock rhythm reminiscent of big hair, spandex, and leopard print pants.

"'Tis been a long tiiiime since I rock an' roooolllll..." Aaron sang into the microphone with a sharp snark voice. "'Tis been a long time since I did the Strooolllll... Ohh lemme get it back. Lemme get it back. Lemme get it back, baby, where I come frooommmmm... It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long time..."

"Been a long lonelylonelylonelylonely lonely tiiimme..." Nathan continued the verse. "Yes it has."

The crowd cheered and screamed as the musicians played their instruments like madmen attempting to please the old beings who turned the world from day to night. It was with this that Bigsby lost himself in thought as he stood in the middle of the chaos wondering why he felt as if he was someplace else right now. The feeling of himself casting spells in another frame of the world he stood in now rippled across the mana pool he kept locked away in his tower and the smell of dusty old tomes filled his nose but he knew that he was hear and listening to this music from a bygone era long distant and only remembered for its better times.

"The Multidimensional Conversion theory is correct I see. Or at least I assume as such. This feeling however is very different from what I know I am experiencing in other places right now; however, I cannot seem to shake this feeling as if some archaic spell is about to tare through my very soul at any moment now. The elderly wizard began to mumble a bit more before recalling that something had to be amiss in this area in order to prove himself right once again of his theory. Quickly the wizard looked across the sea of chanting people only to spot a lone figure off in the distance covered in shadow and then that his orb that sat atop of his staff was missing. "So it has begun. I suppose releasing that evil is the only way for me to move on with my work."

"It's been a long time since the book of looooove..." the song continued. "I can't count the tears of a life with no loooove.... Oh carry me back! Carry me back! Carry me baaack..... baby, where I come froooommm... woooaahhhh."

"It's been a long time - a long time - a long time..." Nathan joined in with Aaron. "Been a long lonelylonelylonely lonely tiiiime... Ooooohwwaaaaahhhooooooo... OoohwaaaAAAAHOOOOO!"

Aaron broke into a guitar solo with a steady drum rhythm in the background. His fingers danced across the frets as Jacob and Marty filled the background with a steady rhythm.

Gabrielle continued down the sidewalk, trying to figure out which direction she needed to go in order to find the mysterious address that some unknown number had given her. Why she was so interested in it wasn’t clear to her, but it wasn’t like the sixteen-year-old had anything else to do. Both hands remained shoved deep into the pockets of her blue metallic jacket and she scowled at anyone that came near her, though the hatred in her eyes was mostly covered up by brunette bangs. She really wasn’t even sure why she was even checking out the text, but deep down she knew it was due to false hope. She wanted to believe that the message earlier was really from her sister and that this message was also from Renée. But, logic made it hard to completely and truly have hope.

“Oh, NeNe… why did you have to go and leave me…?”

It wasn’t long before she started to hear loud music and she glanced around in confusion. At some point during her walking, she had managed to make her way to the town square and apparently there was a concert of some kind going on. Shoving through the crowd, she started to move beyond the concert and continue to the address, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to stand and listen for a few minutes. Making her way closer to the stage, Gabby tilted her head, watching one of the band members doing a guitar solo. They weren’t half bad.

Aaron's hands flowed over his guitar like water over river rocks. A wide grin spread over Marty's face while he strummed his bass guitar. Meanwhile, Jacob gave order to the quick guitar picks with a fast rhythm of snare, high-hat, and bass. His sticks blurred in the sparkling light from the brass cymbals. Rebecca joined the melody with her keyboard. The music rose and fell like the tide as each member added their own element to the famous song.

"AAAHHHhhhh - Seems so long since we walked in the moonliiiiigh'... Makin' vows that jus' can't work riiight.... Oh open your arms, open your arms, open your arms..."

"Baby, let my love come runnin' in!" Aaron and Nathan sang in unison. "'Tis been a long time, been a long time... Been a long lonelylonelylonely lonely lonely tiiiiime..."

The music fell into a rocky blues rhythm between the keyboard, guitar, and drums.

"Thaaank yoouuu, Wing City!" Aaron called out to the crowd. "I hope you all are having a good evening. Welcome to the first stop on our Holiday Tour. I'm Aaron and we... are the Enoch Echoes!

As the song drifted away, a calm rhythm of Marty's bass guitar and Jacob's drums filled the silence.

"Well here we are. Another year - another season of food, family, and friends. Whether you're Jew, Christain, or none of the above, we hope you have a good time in this season of miracles. Do you believe in miracles? Because we sure do..."

Jacob's tempo slowed to a steady beat of snare and bass as Becca and Nathan joined with their keyboard and guitar. It bounced with a smooth reggae groove as Aaron bobbed his head with a grin.

"Oooohhhhh.... yeayeayeaaahhhhh...... Pamayahoh-ahohhhhh..... Just livin' in da miracle, candles are my vehicle. Eight nights.. gonna shine invincible, no longer be divisible, born through the struggle!... Keep on movin' through all this hustle!"

"Head up head down through all of da bustle," Nathan picked up the quick verse. "in Wing City gonna flex ya muscle! Look so down... Look so puzzled... Huddle 'round ya fire through all da rubble! Bound to stumble an' fall, but my strength comes not from man at all... Bound to stumble and fall, but my strength comes not from man at all!"

"Do you believe in miracles?" the two singers joined together. "Am I hearing you?! Am I seeing you?!... Eight nights and eight lights and these rites keep me right. Bless me to the highest height with your miracle!"

The Enoch Echoes?

Gabrielle couldn’t help but arch a brow at the name. She had never heard them before, but that wasn’t really a surprise considering the young girl didn’t get out much. Actually, the more she thought about it, she did remember briefly seeing a piece of news concerning them on the television, but she didn’t recall much of it. Shrugging a little, she crossed both arms against her chest and listened to them continuing to sing. Was a Christmas tour that big of a thing? Apparently it was by the growing crowd that was slowly filling up the Square. She couldn’t help but wonder if her father was helping fund this whole thing. It would be typical of him to do something like this and not contact her.

Well, if this was concocted by my pops, hopefully they don’t recognize me as a LeBeau and call me up to the stage on his behalf…

Unable to help it, she snorted at the mention of food, family, and friends, realizing that the holiday this year was going to suck on a massive scale. It was at this moment that she comprehended just how much she truly missed not just her father, but her deceased mother and sister. Why did life have to be so unkind to her? Reaching a hand up, the brunette wiped a few tears away, wondering if she should bail and go back to trying to find the address. Did she believe in miracles? No.

“Miracles don’t exist!”

The music faded from the chorus and fell into a calm bouncing rhythm. Nathan and Marty plucked at their guitars while Jacob kept time with a funky beat of snare and bass.

"Against all odds drove on till tomorrow." Aaron continued the fast-paced song. "Wipe away your tears and your sorrow. Sunrise in the sky like an arrow. No need to worry. No need[/u] to cry! Light up yo mind no longa be blind - him who search' will find - leave yo problems behin', you'll shine like a fia in t' sky. What's the reason we're alive? [i]The reason we're alive..."

"Bound to stumble an' fall but my strength comes not from man at all... Bound to stumble an' fall but my strength comes not from man at all!"

"Do you belieeeeve in miraaacles?" the song fell into the chorus. "Am I hearing you?! Am I seeing you?!... Eight nights and eight lights. Do these rites keep me right. Bless me to the hiiiighest heights of your miracle!"

The lights of the stadium dimmed at the end of the chorus. The remaining spotlight centered on Aaron as he held the microphone with both hands. "Eight... is the number of infinityyyy... one more than whatchoo knooow hooooow to beeee...." Aaron spread his hand over the crowd. "And this is the light of festivity... when your broken heart yeeeearns to be freeee...."

The stadium lights flashed with Jacob and Nathan's escalating tempo as the music fell back into the chorus.

"Do you belieeeeve in miraaacles? Am I heeearing you?! Am I seeeeing you?!... Eight nights and eight lights. Do these rites keep me right?!. Bless me to the hiiiighest heights of your miracle!"

Apparently she was the only one that didn’t believe that miracles exist because the crowd was singing along with the group. Rolling her eyes, she shoved both hands inside of her pockets, twirling a couple of her cards idly. The urge to blow them up was pretty intense and it took the half-mutant a few minutes of deep breathing to keep from doing just that. Gabby was finally calm when the lights dimmed and she wondered what would happen if she accidentally threw a brick at one of the band members face. Would they stop singing about miracles? No, probably not and she’d probably end up in jail. That didn’t sound appealing to her and so, Gabrielle decided to leave the Square before she did something homicidal. Well, if she wasn’t surrounded and cramped into one spot, she would leave, but her luck sucked.

“Oh great, I can’t even get away from here… Stupid crowds.”

A few people nearby slammed into her and she couldn’t help but jab her elbow into their throats. Turning back as they fell to their knees, she sighed heavily. There were far too many people around and it made her extremely paranoid. What if someone was out there at that very moment plotting to kill her? The thought made her very antsy and the brunette wondered if perhaps the band was involved as well. What if they were hired to start playing in order to lure her out into the open? Gasping, she snapped her gaze up towards them, her flight or fight instincts kicking in hardcore. Her eyes slowly shifted from purplish-brown to bright red as they started to glow. Whatever had been the cause of her anger back at the stakeout apartment was taking over her once again and she growled under her breath.

“I knew they weren’t here just to sing songs… No, you can’t fool me…!”

"Wooo..." Aaron panted as their second song drew to a close. "You're a great crowd tonight, Wing City! If you like our music, please leave a donation in the box on the side of the stage. All our profits are going to local charities. This was a tough year for Terra, but remember that it does no good to weep for the fallen. Instead we should weep for the families they left behind - all the orphans, widows, and homeless. This next song is a personal favorite of ours... It is a cry - a prayer - for peace - in the hope that one day our children can roam freely through the streets and nations will forget war..."

"One... Two... One two three four!"

A calm soothing string of chords emerged between the two guitarists, accented by a background resonance from the bass guitar. They strummed slowly and precisely across the strings.

"Ooooooahhyaaahhaaaa... Hamahalllaaaahaaa... One daayy... One dayy... Amalalaaa... One daayyyy" Aaron and Jacob sang and hummed into the microphones. Becca readied her violin behind them and formed the rhythm with a steady plucking from her bow.

"Sometimes I lay under t'e moon... An' thank God I'm breathin'!... Then I pray - don' take me soon... 'Cause I'm here for a reason!"

In a deft movement, Marty picked up his trombone and took over Becca's rhythm. Her free fingers danced across her keyboard with fluid-like movement.

"Sometimes in mah tears I drown..." Aaron and Nathan joined together. "But I nevah let it get me down... So when negativity surrounds... I. Know. Some. Day. It'll all. Turn around!

"Because..." Jacob joined with the drums. "All mah life I've been waitin' for - I've been prayin' for... for the people to saa-aayyy... That we don' wanna fight no more! There will be no more war! An' our children will plaa-ayyy..."

"One daaay!... One daaaay!... One daaaaayaaayy..."

"One daaay!... One daaaay!... One daaaaayaaayy..."

---

As the band flowed through the first verse, a gentle hand rested on Gabby's shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss..." said a voice. "Are you alright?"

A young man clad in an almond brown tunic and forest green trousers stood over her shoulder. An embroidered eagle was laid out across his chest. His gloved hand held a long wooden staff with the carved image of a resting falcon at the top. A dark brown satchel swung over his shoulder while a bright green wool-lined cloak flowed behind him. Curious hazel eyes looked down at the girl as slightly pointed ears twitched at the music surrounding them. A crimson runic tattoo glimmered with faint arcane energy across his face.

"You seem a little distressed," he said with a smile. "Need some help getting out of this crowd?"

Gabrielle was quickly losing her touch on reality and if something didn’t change quickly, she was going to completely lose it just like she did previously and this time Norrington wouldn’t be there to reel her in. The teenager was on the brink of insanity, an instability that was passed to her via her mother’s blood without her knowledge. In fact, if anyone was going to totally lose it, it should be her sister, not her, but apparently that just wasn’t the case. Both fists clenched against her sides and she fought to take in deep breaths in order to remain calm or as calm as one could be when they thought the world was out to get them.

Matters were made worse when the band indicated that they were playing for charity, but it wasn’t just that they were playing for a charity, it was what the charity was for. It struck a deep chord and now she wasn’t sure if she should start bawling or just blow up everything around her. Her jaw tightened as energy began to flow through her body, much like the music flowed around the crowd. Her hand was on the verge of dipping into her pocket in order to snatch a few cards when she felt a presence behind her. The touch of a hand upon her shoulder was more than the lithe female could handle and before she could even register what was going on, she was snatching for the arm attached to the hand in order to flip him over her shoulder if he didn’t move away from her, that is.

“DO NOT TOUCH ME!”

It took her a couple more minutes to register that there was an actual body attached to the arm despite that being logical. She stared hard at the stranger, trying to figure out if she knew him, if he was an enemy or a potential murderer. She narrowed her glowing red eyes towards the individual, taking in every inch of his being from the strange runic tattoo all the way to his foresty-type outfit. Her ears were ringing and she fought to actually hear his words and could only nod when he asked if she needed help out of the crowd. Her head was spinning and she knew there was a chance that she was about to faint or kill – one of the two.

"Ooph!" Crulamin grunted as he slammed into the concrete. "Woah... Didn't see that coming."

The half-elf attempted to rise to his feet as the band continued their song. He rubbed his head and looked down at the girl. Crulamin quirked his eyebrow as she nodded and stretched out his gloved hand for her to take.

"I don't like crowds either." he said. If she took his hand, the half-elf boy would help her up and lead them both through the crowd.

Bigsby suddenly snapped back into reality as his efforts elsewhere seemed to be in vain and with a strange gesture of his hand he was gone from sight and mind.

Gabrielle dug her hand into the pocket of her jacket, snatching three playing cards; a 3 of diamonds, 9 of spades, and a 9 of clubs. To most anyone looking, they appeared to be normal playing cards, but in her hands, they were had the potential of being completely dangerous. She didn’t even realize that at some point in time, she had managed to crouch down on the ground, the sounds of the music and crowd rushing over her head. It was becoming far too much and even as he held out her hand towards her, Gabby was subconsciously charging the cards. Ever since the deaths of her mother and supposed death of her sister, the young teenager had immense difficulties controlling her abilities gained through her father’s genes.

“Rrrr…”

There was enough sense in her to know that throwing the cards at the stage or into the audience would cause innocent deaths and injuries, but that sense was quickly disappearing. Finally taking his hand, she kept the glowing cards close to her, making sure not to touch anything or anyone with them. Of course, it would be only a few seconds longer before they discharged on their own and that could cause her hand to be blown off. That wasn’t a good thing either. Finally spotting an empty spot far enough from the crowd that no one should be hurt, Gabby threw the three cards towards the ground. The explosion wasn’t super loud and she hoped that no one would hear it nor notice it over the band’s music.

“…Get me out of here before I start killing…”

"You've been a great crowd tonight, Wing City" Nathan said as they finished their third song. "We're gonna take a ten minute break before playing our last two songs." Marty flipped a switch and a smooth blues song played through the speakers. The band set their instruments aside and walked backstage.

Meanwhile, Crulamin guided Gabrielle through the dense crowd. They weaved between the music enthusiasts, who conversed with each other as the ambient music played. After a minute they emerged from the edge of the crowd. Crulamin plopped onto a bench and rested his staff against the armrest

"I'm not a fan of crowded areas myself." he finally said. "Never even planned on going here... I was just walking along, heard the music, and thought it was interesting..."

When the band finally took a ten minute break, Gabrielle felt her head clearing just a little bit. Was it the music? Was it doing something wonky to her mind? Shaking her head, she kept a firm grasp on Crulamin as he moved her through the crowd. Thankfully he seemed to find his way through the people without much trouble. She removed her hand from his as he sat down on a nearby bench and she peered up at the sky with a sigh. The teenager was feeling a little bit better now that she wasn’t being all crammed in with people. Or was it because the music they were playing stopped? Of course, there was some kind of blues song playing, but it didn’t have the same type of pulse like the others.

“…Well, thanks. Wait! You said that you weren’t planning on coming here, but the music drew you in?! That… that means! Oh course!! The band is up to something suspicious! They’ve got to be! It’s the only explanation of how the crowd grew so large in such a quick time! When I first came here, there were barely anyone around, but before I knew it, the people flocked like mindless sheep to the barn to be sheared!”

She glanced back towards the stage and noticed that it was empty. She had exactly ten minutes to snoop before the band returned to their instruments. Taking off like a shot, she weaved between the talking people, leaping up onto the stage. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, so no one noticed her or at least she hoped that was the case. She picked up one of the guitars, peering at it closely. Was there some enchantment on it?

“Hmm…”

Gabrielle had long grown tired of investigating the instruments in the Town Square and suddenly remembered the address she was supposed to be looking for. Setting down the guitar, she glanced over towards the fellow that helped her out of the crowd and just nodded her head towards him out of respect. She also shouted out a quick thank you before leaping off the stage and heading down the street once more. She wasn’t quite sure where she was heading, but figured her gut instinct would lead her in the right direction. The blues that had been playing all but died out and she shoved both hands into her jacket pockets, sighing up at the sky.