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Play Me Our Song; Reserved
Topic Started: Sep 27 2009, 10:17 PM (15,003 Views)
lucier
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si vis pacem, para bellum
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
It was probably much too soon for Isaac to push for a drink, although it had been promised to him. Sort of. But he was not the type of person to press on because of luck and pure chance, he was conniving, and he wanted to be sure of what he was doing. And he knew too much of what he was doing, which...worried Matthias. He crossed his arms and watched his friend pack up.

"You're insane." Matthias said flatly, "Aren't you going to talk to him?"

"To who? Pearce?" Isaac swung his case easily over one shoulder, "Nah, I have to let it sink in first. I'm not an idiot, you know. Come on."

And later that night, as Matthias sat outside the door listening to Isaac play, he rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Don't you think you're trying a bit too hard, Isaac?"

The words echoed a little too loudly in his own ears, which meant Isaac had stopped playing. He'd been whaling away on Paginini's La Companella for the last hour with expert precision. The trills still rang in his ears from a few seconds before. They had a day off tomorrow, and still Isaac was...

The door abruptly opened, and Matthias almost fell over.

"You'd try hard for six thousand bucks," Isaac tapped his violin again his knee and smirked.

Okay, that looked like the normal Isaac, maybe Matthias was really worried for nothing.

"I might call him up for a drink tomorrow, it's been a week already..." Besides, on a day off, they were on equal grounds, and Pearce still technically owed him a drink.
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Joshua had left with the warning that Rei should keep an eye out and keep his priorities straight, leaving the conductor to gather his things together and wait for everyone to leave. Isaac didn’t even glance at him, which worried him all the more.

What the hell was inspiring this? It sure as hell couldn’t have been the lecture he gave, which made him think of a moment before his brows stop furrowing in confusion. Perhaps he was getting laid?


A few hours later, after finally hailing a cab Rei was in their usual bar, hand on his hip as he stormed toward David, not surprised that the other three men were all there.

“Hand it over.”

“Just be sure to read that bad boy aloud,” Nick chirped, his words followed by the signature smoke. He didn’t even have to offer a cigarette to the conductor, who pulled one out himself and took a deep breath before going back to the topic at hand.

“Whatever. David, hand it over,” Rei scolded, ignoring the nervous laugh that went through the group as the letter was slowly handed to him. Silence took over shortly after as it was opened, the envelope falling no the floor as the contents were looked at.

“‘Don’t stop playing, it’s not your fault,’? That’s it?” Rei asked, his grip on the paper shaking as he reread the simple line. “This is all she had to say to me?”

“...Told you so.”

“Shut up Nick,” Leroy snapped, grabbing the letter and reading it to himself. “Well...its definitely something she would do. She always hated writing, you know? You two were similar in that sense,” he spoke, though his words sounded forced.

Ah. Shit…

“...Did she leave you a letter?” Rei asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

“I was her husband. Off course she left me a damn letter...it told me that if I sat and cried all day, she’d curse me with erectile dysfunction. Then she told me to buy a theatre and be able to listen to music every night,” he responded, taking a sip of his drink. “But more importantly, what are you gonna do now?”

“You gonna play?” David asked, slowly taking back the letter and putting it back into the envelope.

“...Speaking of play,” Rei started, switching the topic quite naturally. “You know that brat, Langley? You wouldn’t believe what happened today…”
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lucier
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[ *  *  *  *  * ]
"This new you is a little scary." Matthias admitted as he poured Isaac a shot of whiskey. "Are you always like that when you're after someone?"

"I usually have people chase me, but if you must, no. You've never seen me go after anyone." Isaac raised the glass to his lips, "So yeah, I guess I get a little bit scary."

"A little?" Matthias' brow twitched. "it's a little more than a little, Isaac."

Then Isaac was quiet again, "But I have to do this, this way, you know, playing, it's the only way, he'll never like me for...me. It's just the way I play. That bugs me." And it did, more than he'd like to admit.

"You sound like you really like Pearce," Matthias said.

"Hell, no. That's just the liquor talking, pour me another."

--

It was around eleven o' clock when Isaac woke up, he played half an hour in his sleepwear just to goad himself into thinking that he'd be productive for the rest of the day. And for now, he did have Joshua Bell's backing, that he was free to go after Pearce how he wished. He was staring at his phone when Matthias came out of the shower.

"You serious about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be, serious?" Isaac quirked a brow at him, "Besides, I like to be a little bit more romantic than senselessly jumping him in the closet..." And the worst thing...well, he'd get rejected, and he'd start from scratch. That was all. Isaac was a bit of an optimist in his own way. He dialed and waited.
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“That kids trouble, I say you let me at ‘im,” Nick concluded after Rei had summarized his day at work. “No, you heard me. If Joshua says that a brat is up to something, he’s fucking up to something.”

Rei rolled his eyes, taking a sip of scotch. “But what is he up to?”

“Does it matter?”

All three rolled their eyes, as Leroy decided it was time for the voice of reason to step in.
“Well, there are three options,” he started, putting down his glass as he heard a hush fall on their table.”One. He’s dating or after someone who he wants to impress. Two. You’re a better talker than you give yourself credit and he’s finally practicing and we’re just all overreacting.”

There was a pause, as if the conversation was over.

“What about three?” David asked.

“...Or three,” he started before pointing at Rei. “It has to do with you.”


The night had left on a cheery note of news on David’s learning to become a professor of music, along with other various good topics that had appeared right after ‘point three’.

It was worrying that he was somehow involved. Not likely but worrying. Perhaps he should just tell the whole story and get the boys interest over and done with so things could get back to normal. It had been a week of change he wasn’t quite used to.

He’d finished revisions at around ten and made himself breakfast, which was debatable, as all he had to do was heat up water and pour it over the instant oatmeal. Just as he finished eating and was putting away the dishes, the phone rang.

He raised a brow. Rei certainly hadn’t been expecting a call and certainly not before noon. So he picked up the phone, albeit hesitantly, and raised it to his ear.

“Hello? Rei speaking.”
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lucier
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[ *  *  *  *  * ]
"He'll just hang up on you when he finds out it's you." Matthias pointed out, throwing a towel over his wet head and sinking down on the couch across from him. "You haven't been exactly enduring lately...or, ever." He was quiet for a moment, so...maybe Isaac was determined to take out Pearce for a drink...even if he died trying.

Isaac too, was maybe stubborn to a fault in his own way. It was a trait that was going to do either one, or both of them in...one day.

Isaac was about to say something else to that when he realized the other end of the phone had come alive. Pearce had...picked up. He suddenly wasn't sure what to say, but he finally cleared his throat.

"Hey, it's Isaac, before you ask, I'm Langley's better half." That was a neutral opener, and it stil had enough of an Isaac-esque flair to it, he thought.

"Can I call in for my congratulatory drink? You said so yourself, you know." That day after he had been fully scolded. And he had gotten better, so it wasn't like he was calling on a totally baseless reason. He wished Matthias would stop smirking.
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Rei was a bit surprised to say the least when he heard the males voice on the phone identify himself. How in the world did he get this number? He didn’t ask as the answer came moments later. He always gave his number to concertmasters when the change was finalized. It would have been dumb to ask.

The words seemed to throw the suspicion on a new Isaac out the window, letting Rei sit with the knowledge that the other was most likely getting laid and trying to impress their significant other.

“Charming,” he spoke dryly, remembering his own mistake the day before. “Though ‘better half’ is debatable.”

It almost sounded like a joke, but he didn’t treat it as such, going on immediately to the topic at hand.

“...You want to go out for a drink?” He asked, needing to reassure himself. “If its the free drinks, I can just give you the money. I highly doubt its for my company. What do you really want Langley?”

Calling for drinks his ass. Rei had a clear memory of Isaac establishing the saying that he had a baton up his ass, not to mention many ice comments he had received. It wasn’t likely at all the other wanted his company, which meant an ulterior motive. He just had to figure out what it was.
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lucier
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Ow. That actually...sort of hurt. Isaac was glad that Matthias couldn't hear the other half of the phone conversation. But two could play the game. Isaac wasn't completely rusty.

"Okay, I amend that statement, Isaac is trying to become Langley's better half, that's the operative word, here. Although it flatters me that you think he's at least a little bit charming." Or maybe Pearce was pulling his leg. That wouldn't be so surprising.

Okay, so it was a big stretch, but Isaac could bullshit charmingly as much as the next person. "C'mon, Pearce, I'm at least willing to attempt to believe the fact that you might be only like that when you're holding a baton. That stick is cursed and does strange and evil things to people." And in Pearce's case, maybe that was true...to a point.

"What's the fun of drinking by myself, then? I'm not one of those people who'll just go to a bar to hit on people...and Matthias doesn't drink during the day."

("You fucking liar.")

Isaac was quiet for a moment, "...And that's a really strange to ask someone when they especially call you for a drink." But it was so like Pearce to say something like that.
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Hmm, an interesting reply. Rei couldn’t wonder if that statement hurt the violinists pride. Best pretend he didn’t notice. “The lesser of two evils is always more charming than its former,” he spoke, leaning against his counter as he smiled.

Their words were light, almost as if they were teasing one another. It was a thought that made him move on completely. “I feel honored that you insult my choice of weapon and assume I put on the effort just to fool an entire orchestra that I’m this way.”

He frowned suddenly.

“And what do you mean by ‘like that’?” He didn’t sound insulted but rather...amused. He wondered if his smile was somehow making its way through the phone.

“So am I to assume that after Derringer, of all people, I happen to be your back up plan?”

It was an entirely strange concept, to have a violinist in his orchestra call him up and ask for a drink. He wasn’t quite sure to respond and without the visual of who he was talking to, it was making the whole thing very difficult for him.

“It’s also especially strange to call someone for a drink when a week prior you would have cheered to the idea of my resignation as your conductor. See my point?”

He shook his head, deciding that it might just be a lost cause to argue. “I’m a busy man Langley. Where and when do you want to go?” Besides, what was the worst that could happen?
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lucier
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"Like that...as in...not have a baton up your ass." Isaac said readily, and Matthias looked like he was choking again, "I might have coined that phrase, but in my quest to be a better person, I'm willing to refute my statement, see?" Besides, wasn't it tiring to have something up your ass all the time? How did he live with himself? "I wasn't trying to be insulting, you just haven't been around me long enough to think that I'm funny yet. I assure you I can be quite witty. It's the English in me."

Matthias was laughing so hard that he had fallen off the couch. Serves him right. But anyway, he was holding on his own quite well, Pearce hadn't hung up on him yet. That only pointed to a multitude of future good signs.

"I never said I wanted you to resign, and even if Matthias did drink during the day, I wouldn't trust him at a bar, would have still called you. I can only stand Patricia for so many hours in a day." Isaac was quick to correct him, just...that you shouldn't prove my coined phrase right all the time. That's all. You're a good conductor, and I've sat under plenty, so trust me, I'm not being biased trying to win you over or anything..." (hell he wasn't.)

Wait. Rewind, Pearce was agreeing? Isaac's eyes widened, instead of a smart alecky comment about how it was a national holiday and Pearce couldn't be a busy man even if he tried...

"One o' clock at the Western Rivera? It's off of the corner of Broadway and Third, there's also a couple of nice restaurants there, maybe we can grab lunch?"

So now Isaac had elevated from a drink to lunch? Matthias would get mad at him later.
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Well, while Isaac wasn’t winning any points for flattery, it was interesting how honest the violinist was being. “Quest to be a better person? Is that why you came to rehearsal with numb fingers?” It would certainly explain a few things, though he couldn’t quite figure out the why aspect to the problem. “And I’m quite used to your witty behavior Langley. I deal with your sarcasm on a daily basis.”

Rei seemed to be wrong on the flattery aspect though, raising a brow as he turned on his coffee machine. “So your list of friends include two fellow violinists and a back up is your conductor. If you have such a lovely sense of humor, why don’t you have more friends?” He asked, his tone light as the distinguished ping echoed.

However, it seemed their drinks were changing to a whole new set of plans. “...Lunch? What happened to drinks?” He couldn’t help but ask.

It wasn’t everyday Rei received a phone call from someone in the Phil. Especially Isaac, a series of events that was making him quite worried.

“...I’ll make a deal with you Langley,” he started, picking up his mug of coffee as he took a slow sip from it before continuing.

“You tell me what inspired this ‘change’ and meeting with myself and I’ll humor you by going.”
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lucier
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"Wit's different from sarcasm, you appreciate wit, eventually, sarcasm gets on your nerves. I mean, you're not English at all, so obviously it'd take you longer. Numb fingers is me applying myself." Isaac pointed out, and then he fell quiet again, he needed to spin this just right. It couldn't be the truth, and it couldn't be a lie either. As he couldn't lie. Isaac rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, as if the ceiling had answers.

His list of friends included two violinists and his backup was his conductor. Eh...ow. Pearce was pushing all of his buttons today. "Do you seriously have to put it like that? They're the three people I know that can hold their liquor and not be a complete embarrassment when I take them out. I've got friends in London and a few exes, but it...seems a bit impractical for them just to fly over for a drink, yes?"

Or maybe sometimes, Isaac could be a little too honest, but if Pearce knew more, maybe he could see that Isaac really meant no harm.

"It's not good to drink on an empty stomach, so...lunch and drinks." As if this was a given. "I buy you lunch, you pay for my drinks, it's not like I'm a leech."

But then Isaac fell quiet again.

"So...I can't just be a shallow person and suddenly have a change of heart? You actually thought I was deep." He laughed, "Thanks, I guess. But I have no epic epiphany to give you. If you want, just think of it as concertmaster and conductor bonding. Or...it's my way of semi-apologizing for coining the phrase that you have a baton up your ass...that's all."
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Rei almost laughed, a breath of surrender leaving him. He’d play along just for today. “While the rest of your statement is valid, you’ve never seen me drink and have no way of knowing how I hold my liquor.”

Isaac did say he didn’t have friends who could drink in the afternoon, so perhaps he truly was going for a change of heart. It was a complicated idea that took him a moment to truly comprehend.

It didn’t help when the health card was pulled out. What ever happened to peanuts as the food for drinking? But he wasn’t exactly paying for the lunch either…

“It doesn’t have to be a deep reason Langley. I’m just asking why you had the change of heart, I don’t care how shallow the reason it may be. I’ve often seen great performers hitting their prime only because they wanted to sleep with a particularly attractive individual in the front row. Humor me and satisfy a former violinists curiosity.”

He couldn’t help but doubt the thought of bonding. It sounded strange, no matter how he spun it.

“...I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt Langley. I’ll see you at one.”
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lucier
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"You're Pearce," Isaac stated simply, "Probably the type of guy that can hold his liquor, if you prove me wrong, I'll just send you off in a taxi or something." But when the other said that violinists only hit their prime if they wanted to sleep with someone on the front row...wow, that had been a tad too close to home. He allowed himself a laugh, "O-kay, that's a bit too shallow. Besides, who would I sleep with? Not Matthias, not Patricia, not Gabrielle. The principal cellist...Trevor? He's cute, but I think he's involved--anyway, nope. But if you were insulnating that I'm somewhat attractive, thank you."

Matthias looked like he needed an ambulance. Isaac would call one for him later.

Part of him wanted to be his sarcastic, now witty self and ask if the conductor was included in the front row, but that would have been suicide.

"It just kind of sucks that you made it into Julliard prep and I was waitlisted, that's all." He changed tactics, maybe that was one of his more subconscious reasons, one that he didn't think too much about...but it was still a reason, right? "It ticks me off." Envy, like money and sex, was also a great reason for practice.

"Anyway...yeah, see you at one, you've better not stand me up." With that, Isaac hung up, feeling so ridiculously satisfied, almost like he'd had the greatest phone sex ever...except it wasn't.

He turned his attention to his friend, "Need me to call 911?"
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Rei himself thought for a moment exactly what the front row could be defined as but decided not to go there. The reasons of possible lust and jealousy for improvement were common and not worthy of arguing over. Who was to criticize the muse of talent?

If it made everyone play better, damn, Rei would personally fund the sin. Though in this case that wasn’t quite possible.

Their conversation ended and the conductor was left looking at the phone quite blankly and unsure of what to do. Had Isaac truly called him, under the pretense of drinks and getting a lunch out of him also? Not only that, but they had managed to have some sort of a decent conversation between one another?

He couldn’t help but reach for the coffee machine and switch it on for yet another mug, already considering the option of adding a bit of Brandy too it.


One came much sooner than he expected. As per usual, he arrived on the dot. Not early and most certainly not late, he came right on time as clocks struck the single digit number, leaving him to mull over the weather ever so slightly.

It was autumn. He always liked New York in the autumn because it was where he could wear a jacket and still be warm enough. It also led to winter, one of his favorite seasons merely because of the various memories of running out into the snow, wearing nothing but the thinest clothes, and playing for all the world to hear.

But that didn’t quite matter. All that did matter was questioning himself over and over again why he accepted the invitation.
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"I should open a Twitter account on this or something," Matthias said, after he had calmed down some. "Of course I'd make it private so Pearce can't get at it."

"Don't you dare, besides, if Pearce isn't net-savvy, he's probably got people." Isaac stared at his phone some more before pocketing it again. "...Besides, that just kills it. Are you going to stalk me on my date with him?"

Matthias' eyes buldged out of his head, "It's...a date?" It'd gone from a drink, to drink and lunch, to drink and lunch...date. Isaac shouldn't decide stuff like that on his own, it probably didn't suit too well with Pearce.

"It will be by the end of the day, and before you ask, yes, I'm that good."

"Is that an invitation for me to stalk you?"

In the end, Isaac arrived alone, leaving Matthias to ponder...a lot of things. Not the least of which was that Isaac was incredibly insane. He dressed casually on the formal side, since Pearce probably didn't appreciate torn t-shirt and faded jeans. So he went for a button down and kakhis. Not too dressy, but enough to imply that this wasn't just any...lunch and drink.

And as it were, Pearce was on the dot. Isaac was sort of in the mood for being early, and besides, it looked better. He walked over, raising a hand in greeting. "I was seriously half expecting you to stand me up." (And he was...Pearce probably wouldn't, but he was Isaac, that fact threw off all sorts of calculations.) "So..what would you like? The French place is good. So's the barbeque place..."
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