When he arrived at the nightclub, most of the parking slots were already full, which surprised him a bit.
He always travelled with the windows down –unless it was raining- so as he got closer he could hear the music and the laughter coming from inside the closed doors, the dulled notes of a famous Jazz song familiar to his ears.
He carefully slid into his reserved spot, aligning his car perfectly and checking a few times before sliding out of the driving seat; he kept his bag on the seat in the back, so he carefully picked it up before clicking the car shut.
The ‘Midnight’ was not a huge nightclub, all things considered, nor was it really famous, but stylish enough to be pleasant; he had worked there for years now, one of the many artists who went there on their free time, performing in front of faceless strangers.
Tavros Nitram, 12 sweeps old, had moved to the big city when he was six with his best friend; both of them had found their small niche, satisfied with the change, and had settled there, neither willing to go back.
As he moved to the back entrance, Tavros caught the eyes of a few familiar patrons –habitual clients of the ‘Midnight’– and hesitantly waved at them, lips twitching into a nervous smile.
Even though he was an artist and performed in front of a crowd, he still found it hard to interact with people on a daily basis; the bartender of the ‘Midnight’ always used that to make fun of him, but it was just a good-natured jab, and Tavros never took offense. Still, being alone on the stage, lights low enough that the rest of the world disappeared behind that veil of darkness, blurred away… it was different. He didn’t have to feel self-conscious about anything –there was just him and his music.
Tavros was an artist, and he enjoyed playing, and that was enough.
The inside of the ‘Midnight’ was packed full; it wasn’t even a weekend night, so the sight was somewhat unexpected, and Tavros felt a small lurch of anxiety hit his bloodpusher as he manoeuvred his way through the crowd and towards the bar.
“Hey Tavvy, you look totes good!” the woman behind the counter turned around, smiling and sliding a shot of gin towards one of the men waiting there. “Ready for your performance?” her cheeks were slightly flushed, sign she had already tapped onto her reserves of martini.
Licking his lips nervously, Tavros vaguely pointed at the unusual crowd. “What’s with, uuh, all this people, today, Roxy?”
The bartender shrugged, “dunno,” she admitted. “Gotta ask Jakey in the back, he’ll sure know! Go and make ‘em swoon!”
While still anxious, Roxy’s warm behaviour always had the ability to cheer him up; if she wasn’t already taken, Tavros would have asked her to fill his pale quadrant slot, but he had been on the receiving end of one too many drunken speeches about her best friend, so he never brought the subject up.
Leaving the counter, Tavros shifted to the backstage, noticing that the song had come to an end, followed by applauses; there was only one more artist scheduled before his turn arrived, and Tavros quickly went to the dressing room.
Another one of the workers was there, observing the various artists with a pleased expression; the moment he saw Tavros walking towards him, he smiled brightly at him and waved him close.
“Tavros, old chap, I was waiting for you,” eyes darting around, he pulled him even closer. “I have brilliant news for you!”
“Uhhh, what is it, Jake?” fidgeting a bit Tavros glanced towards the stage; Dirk was slowly making his way up, dragging his creepy puppet with him for his performance. Tavros hastily looked away –Lil Cal always kind of scared him.
“There’s going to be a big shot tonight, yes sir,” Jake was still smiling brightly at him. “Some sort of big name, Janey assured me”.
Jane was Jake’s long lost sister –Tavros didn’t really know the details, it was a bit too complex and when Jake started recounting the story it made his thinkpan hurt– and she was the sole heir of the infamous Betty Crocker corporation.
She was also one of the four founders of the ‘Midnight’, together with Roxy, Dirk and Jake, and all the artists had to be accepted by all of them before being allowed to perform.
Dirk was the one who hunted new artists down, Roxy was responsible for the public relations –despite her drinking habits, she was perfect for that– Jake worked overnight to make sure everything was spotless and followed the right schedule, and Jane was the one who kept the whole place together.
At Jake’s words, Tavros felt his throat constrict. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.
“Uh, Jake, when you say, er, big name, how big is it, exactly?”
Jake chuckled. “Real big, my old pal, that’s why there’s all this crowd of people tonight. All the performers are hoping for a chance, but we are not allowed to say who this mystery person is,” it was clear Jake was happy to be part of the whole secret. “It might be your one chance too, no sweat!”
“Uh, that’s not really, I mean…” a bit flustered, Tavros pushed the other away and fumbled a bit with his bag. “Not many, uuuh, chances this, big guy, will find my music good enough, really”.
Jake threw him an exasperated glare. “Man, you ought to shove it and show your guts, Tavros. You are good. Just do your best out there, and don’t bag out, understood?”
Cheeks colouring brown, Tavros nodded quickly and made his way to get his things ready.
Dirk’s performances never lasted long, but they were enough to scare the clients into silence; to be truthful, Dirk didn’t have reasons to do it –as the owner, he could find other things to do. Tavros had asked once, out of curiosity, but Dirk’s explanation had been layered with irony, until Tavros had given up trying to understand. He guessed the guy simply loved to parade his puppet around and scare people shitless, or something.
As he finished preparing his instrument, controlling everything a few times, the group who had been playing before Dirk rushed inside, most of them looking somewhat terrified.
Tavros could understand them –Lil Cal had that effect on everybody, no one ever got used to him.
They were a silent bunch, not speaking much but allowing their music to do all the talking, and they all had different interests; sometimes they fought in the backstage, but they always played their songs in perfect harmony.
They didn’t even have a name as a quartet, and everybody simply called them the Midnight Crew, as they had been there ever since the nightclub had opened.
“You next, trollboy?” the tallest one called out, voice a bit rough.
Tavros nodded, still feeling somewhat uneasy. “I’ll, uuuuh, be out in the back, for a few minutes, because, I need fresh air, so, uuh, see you later, perhaps,” he waved at them and took the door on the left, which lead to a small patio outside, with enough space to fit a few trashcans and a bench.
Usually performers went there to have a smoke in-between sketches, and Tavros wasn’t surprised to see someone was already occupying that space; what surprised him was that it wasn’t a familiar face at all.
“Uuuh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, at all, maybe I’ll just–” ready to go back inside, Tavros spun around, not wanting to disturb the stranger, but the other person waved one hand dismissively.
“Might as well join me,” he stated, taking a deep breath of his cigarette. “You smoke?” he added, pushing a small packet towards him.
“Uh, no, I think, it’s really bad for your health, and, well, I play so, it would be bad, for me…” he stuttered, feeling idiotic and promptly shutting up.
The stranger snorted, and through the dim lights coming from the door at his back, Tavros noticed that the guy was wearing a pair of shades, even if it was dark. His skin was really pale, and for a moment Tavros was entranced by the way he brought the cigarette to his mouth, one single, smooth movement.
From where he was standing, Tavros caught a glimpse of the stranger’s eyes, and had to restrain a gasp when he realised they were red.
“Are you, a rainbow drinker?” he asked before he could stop himself.
He regretted his words instantly and looked away, but the stranger simply snorted, his shoulders shaking in mirth. “I think you mean a vampire, bro, only you trolls can be rainbow drinkers, ya know”.
“Uh, yes, that was, what I meant to ask,” feeling silly, and wondering whether he should leave or not, Tavros risked a glance at the human again. He actually looked almost familiar, in a way, but… “You, are not, am I correct?”
“Blood tastes shit, believe me,” was the amused reply. “I’m Dirk’s bro,” he pointed a thumb towards the door. “Thought I could drop by and see what he’s up to”.
Tavros’ face brightened up. “I guess, you two do look, similar,” he commented diplomatically. “I’m Tavros Nitram,” he added afterwards, still smiling. Then he processed the information and frowned. “Shouldn’t you, I mean,” he tiled his head to the side. “Be there, to watch Dirk’s show?”
The stranger snorted again. “I have all the time I want to check up on him,” the words sounded a bit like he was making some sort of inside joke. When Tavros simply stared at him, the human huffed. “I thought Dirk had told everyone by now. If not him, then Lalonde…” he glanced up, although Tavros couldn’t be sure since the shades were covering his eyes, and licked his lips. “I’m a Time Hopper,” he finally admitted.
With a soft gasp, Tavros took a step closer. “You mean, you travel, through time? That is, fantastic! I always wanted, to be able to do that, too!”
Dirk’s brother chuckled. “It’s not that easy, really,” he tried to downplay it, but it was clear he was pleased by Tavros’ excitement. “It takes a lot of energy. The furthest back I go, the more tired I am when I get there”.
With a soft smile, Tavros pressed both hands on the railing of the patio and looked up at the small portion of sky he could see peeking from behind the tall buildings around them.
“It’s still, an awesome power, to have, really,” he assured. “I can only, uuuh, commune, with animals, and it’s a really, hmm, common trait for my blood colour”.
The human hummed softly. “We always like better what we don’t have,” he replied diplomatically. “I wouldn’t mind chatting with animals myself,” he added with a shrug. “Might be better at talking than a lot of people I know”.
Tavros found himself chuckling along with him.
They continued talking for a while, moving from subject to subject, and Tavros was surprised to realise how much he was enjoying the small talk, even losing track of time; Dirk’s brother liked to rap and even owned turntables, and surprisingly enough they found out they had a few friends in common.
Usually it wasn’t that easy for Tavros to get this friendly with strangers, but he guessed that since this was Dirk’s family, it was ok.
FILL: Team Dave<3Karkat
---
When he arrived at the nightclub, most of the parking slots were already full, which surprised him a bit.
He always travelled with the windows down –unless it was raining- so as he got closer he could hear the music and the laughter coming from inside the closed doors, the dulled notes of a famous Jazz song familiar to his ears.
He carefully slid into his reserved spot, aligning his car perfectly and checking a few times before sliding out of the driving seat; he kept his bag on the seat in the back, so he carefully picked it up before clicking the car shut.
The ‘Midnight’ was not a huge nightclub, all things considered, nor was it really famous, but stylish enough to be pleasant; he had worked there for years now, one of the many artists who went there on their free time, performing in front of faceless strangers.
Tavros Nitram, 12 sweeps old, had moved to the big city when he was six with his best friend; both of them had found their small niche, satisfied with the change, and had settled there, neither willing to go back.
As he moved to the back entrance, Tavros caught the eyes of a few familiar patrons –habitual clients of the ‘Midnight’– and hesitantly waved at them, lips twitching into a nervous smile.
Even though he was an artist and performed in front of a crowd, he still found it hard to interact with people on a daily basis; the bartender of the ‘Midnight’ always used that to make fun of him, but it was just a good-natured jab, and Tavros never took offense. Still, being alone on the stage, lights low enough that the rest of the world disappeared behind that veil of darkness, blurred away… it was different. He didn’t have to feel self-conscious about anything –there was just him and his music.
Tavros was an artist, and he enjoyed playing, and that was enough.
The inside of the ‘Midnight’ was packed full; it wasn’t even a weekend night, so the sight was somewhat unexpected, and Tavros felt a small lurch of anxiety hit his bloodpusher as he manoeuvred his way through the crowd and towards the bar.
“Hey Tavvy, you look totes good!” the woman behind the counter turned around, smiling and sliding a shot of gin towards one of the men waiting there. “Ready for your performance?” her cheeks were slightly flushed, sign she had already tapped onto her reserves of martini.
Licking his lips nervously, Tavros vaguely pointed at the unusual crowd. “What’s with, uuh, all this people, today, Roxy?”
The bartender shrugged, “dunno,” she admitted. “Gotta ask Jakey in the back, he’ll sure know! Go and make ‘em swoon!”
While still anxious, Roxy’s warm behaviour always had the ability to cheer him up; if she wasn’t already taken, Tavros would have asked her to fill his pale quadrant slot, but he had been on the receiving end of one too many drunken speeches about her best friend, so he never brought the subject up.
Leaving the counter, Tavros shifted to the backstage, noticing that the song had come to an end, followed by applauses; there was only one more artist scheduled before his turn arrived, and Tavros quickly went to the dressing room.
Another one of the workers was there, observing the various artists with a pleased expression; the moment he saw Tavros walking towards him, he smiled brightly at him and waved him close.
“Tavros, old chap, I was waiting for you,” eyes darting around, he pulled him even closer. “I have brilliant news for you!”
“Uhhh, what is it, Jake?” fidgeting a bit Tavros glanced towards the stage; Dirk was slowly making his way up, dragging his creepy puppet with him for his performance. Tavros hastily looked away –Lil Cal always kind of scared him.
“There’s going to be a big shot tonight, yes sir,” Jake was still smiling brightly at him. “Some sort of big name, Janey assured me”.
Jane was Jake’s long lost sister –Tavros didn’t really know the details, it was a bit too complex and when Jake started recounting the story it made his thinkpan hurt– and she was the sole heir of the infamous Betty Crocker corporation.
She was also one of the four founders of the ‘Midnight’, together with Roxy, Dirk and Jake, and all the artists had to be accepted by all of them before being allowed to perform.
Dirk was the one who hunted new artists down, Roxy was responsible for the public relations –despite her drinking habits, she was perfect for that– Jake worked overnight to make sure everything was spotless and followed the right schedule, and Jane was the one who kept the whole place together.
At Jake’s words, Tavros felt his throat constrict. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.
“Uh, Jake, when you say, er, big name, how big is it, exactly?”
Jake chuckled. “Real big, my old pal, that’s why there’s all this crowd of people tonight. All the performers are hoping for a chance, but we are not allowed to say who this mystery person is,” it was clear Jake was happy to be part of the whole secret. “It might be your one chance too, no sweat!”
“Uh, that’s not really, I mean…” a bit flustered, Tavros pushed the other away and fumbled a bit with his bag. “Not many, uuuh, chances this, big guy, will find my music good enough, really”.
Jake threw him an exasperated glare. “Man, you ought to shove it and show your guts, Tavros. You are good. Just do your best out there, and don’t bag out, understood?”
Cheeks colouring brown, Tavros nodded quickly and made his way to get his things ready.
Dirk’s performances never lasted long, but they were enough to scare the clients into silence; to be truthful, Dirk didn’t have reasons to do it –as the owner, he could find other things to do. Tavros had asked once, out of curiosity, but Dirk’s explanation had been layered with irony, until Tavros had given up trying to understand. He guessed the guy simply loved to parade his puppet around and scare people shitless, or something.
As he finished preparing his instrument, controlling everything a few times, the group who had been playing before Dirk rushed inside, most of them looking somewhat terrified.
Tavros could understand them –Lil Cal had that effect on everybody, no one ever got used to him.
They were a silent bunch, not speaking much but allowing their music to do all the talking, and they all had different interests; sometimes they fought in the backstage, but they always played their songs in perfect harmony.
They didn’t even have a name as a quartet, and everybody simply called them the Midnight Crew, as they had been there ever since the nightclub had opened.
“You next, trollboy?” the tallest one called out, voice a bit rough.
Tavros nodded, still feeling somewhat uneasy. “I’ll, uuuuh, be out in the back, for a few minutes, because, I need fresh air, so, uuh, see you later, perhaps,” he waved at them and took the door on the left, which lead to a small patio outside, with enough space to fit a few trashcans and a bench.
Usually performers went there to have a smoke in-between sketches, and Tavros wasn’t surprised to see someone was already occupying that space; what surprised him was that it wasn’t a familiar face at all.
“Uuuh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, at all, maybe I’ll just–” ready to go back inside, Tavros spun around, not wanting to disturb the stranger, but the other person waved one hand dismissively.
“Might as well join me,” he stated, taking a deep breath of his cigarette. “You smoke?” he added, pushing a small packet towards him.
“Uh, no, I think, it’s really bad for your health, and, well, I play so, it would be bad, for me…” he stuttered, feeling idiotic and promptly shutting up.
The stranger snorted, and through the dim lights coming from the door at his back, Tavros noticed that the guy was wearing a pair of shades, even if it was dark. His skin was really pale, and for a moment Tavros was entranced by the way he brought the cigarette to his mouth, one single, smooth movement.
From where he was standing, Tavros caught a glimpse of the stranger’s eyes, and had to restrain a gasp when he realised they were red.
“Are you, a rainbow drinker?” he asked before he could stop himself.
He regretted his words instantly and looked away, but the stranger simply snorted, his shoulders shaking in mirth. “I think you mean a vampire, bro, only you trolls can be rainbow drinkers, ya know”.
“Uh, yes, that was, what I meant to ask,” feeling silly, and wondering whether he should leave or not, Tavros risked a glance at the human again. He actually looked almost familiar, in a way, but… “You, are not, am I correct?”
“Blood tastes shit, believe me,” was the amused reply. “I’m Dirk’s bro,” he pointed a thumb towards the door. “Thought I could drop by and see what he’s up to”.
Tavros’ face brightened up. “I guess, you two do look, similar,” he commented diplomatically. “I’m Tavros Nitram,” he added afterwards, still smiling. Then he processed the information and frowned. “Shouldn’t you, I mean,” he tiled his head to the side. “Be there, to watch Dirk’s show?”
The stranger snorted again. “I have all the time I want to check up on him,” the words sounded a bit like he was making some sort of inside joke. When Tavros simply stared at him, the human huffed. “I thought Dirk had told everyone by now. If not him, then Lalonde…” he glanced up, although Tavros couldn’t be sure since the shades were covering his eyes, and licked his lips. “I’m a Time Hopper,” he finally admitted.
With a soft gasp, Tavros took a step closer. “You mean, you travel, through time? That is, fantastic! I always wanted, to be able to do that, too!”
Dirk’s brother chuckled. “It’s not that easy, really,” he tried to downplay it, but it was clear he was pleased by Tavros’ excitement. “It takes a lot of energy. The furthest back I go, the more tired I am when I get there”.
With a soft smile, Tavros pressed both hands on the railing of the patio and looked up at the small portion of sky he could see peeking from behind the tall buildings around them.
“It’s still, an awesome power, to have, really,” he assured. “I can only, uuuh, commune, with animals, and it’s a really, hmm, common trait for my blood colour”.
The human hummed softly. “We always like better what we don’t have,” he replied diplomatically. “I wouldn’t mind chatting with animals myself,” he added with a shrug. “Might be better at talking than a lot of people I know”.
Tavros found himself chuckling along with him.
They continued talking for a while, moving from subject to subject, and Tavros was surprised to realise how much he was enjoying the small talk, even losing track of time; Dirk’s brother liked to rap and even owned turntables, and surprisingly enough they found out they had a few friends in common.
Usually it wasn’t that easy for Tavros to get this friendly with strangers, but he guessed that since this was Dirk’s family, it was ok.