Day 1- Asher/Dominic/Lavinia [An Unexpected Offer]

[Lavinia Sinclair]

To the sound of water drip-drip-dripping in the still steaming shower of a tourbus that wasn't hers, Lavinia Sinclair dried her hair with a towel and thought about the previous night. It had finally happened: she had hooked up with Arnold, something they'd both hinted at before but had always hesitated actually going through with. Until late the other night, when Lavinia had bumped into him quite accidentally after parting ways with Danny and Kendra and lingering reservations had flown out of the window. Where that left them now she wasn't sure; Arnold hadn't exactly given the impression of being after anything steady, and frankly Lavinia didn't know if she'd even want such a thing. Her relationships had a way of becoming complicated sooner or later; maybe it was better to take it for what it was and leave it at that.

There was a brief gust of cool air as the door opened which raised goosebumps on Lavinia's exposed skin; someone had just joined her in the tiny shower room, and she didn't have to turn around to know who it was: the appreciative grunt which followed said it all.

“Morning”, she called out as she aimed a quick glance over her shoulder- Arnold was naked save for a towel wrapped around his hips- but right at that moment a demanding buzz erupted from the cluttered surface of the built-in counter at her side, followed a moment later by a most familiar ringtone that told Lavinia exactly who was calling: Dominic. At that hour? Something must be going on.

“I gotta take this”, she told Arnold whose arms had found their way around her waist and was purring a protest into her ear. It tickled, not to mention that the flimsy towel which separated them did little to disguise what was on the young man's mind, drawing an amused chuckle from Lavinia as she playfully nudged him away and lifted the phone to her ear with a nonchalant:

“What's up?”

What was up turned out to be quite the unexpected surprise: if she understood Nicky correctly, Marcy Noble, their manager, had called a meeting backstage to discuss the possibility of replacing one of the main bands scheduled to play that day and wanted to see them asap. Holy shit! were the first words to cross Lavinia's mind as the thrill of excitement climbed up her spine: if this was the case, it could be epic....

“Yeah yeah see you in twenty!” she ended and replaced the phone on the counter, turning to Arnold with an expression of incipient glee. She told him the deal.

“Lucky bastards”, he quipped without rancour and dropped the towel from his waist, ready to step into the shower. “Guess you won't be joining me, then?”

“Some other time”, Lavinia replied with a wink and leaned in for a quick kiss as he began dressing herself: since she hadn't had the chance to get a fresh set of clothing it was the same outfit from the other night, but at least she was now clean and sweat-free. Not for very long, probably. Twenty minutes later, she was standing at the gate leading backstage brandishing her pass, and moments after she was striding across a wide corridor at the end of which she could already spot Marcy, standing in wait. Lavinia gave a holler and waved.

[Asher Kingsley]

"Ughh..."

A low, guttural groan of protest filtered out into the humid air in a small tent, somewhere on the camping grounds. Asher Kingsley, lead singer of Deus Ex Machina, had just awoken, and found that he would have much rather not: It was another one of those mornings...

Why didn't he ever learn? How many nights of partying had he had over the years, where the next morning, he woke up feeling like shit, just because he hadn't taken heed of what kind of alcohol he'd knocked back the night before? Wine and hard liquor just didn't mix; that, he'd learned the hard way. Several times over. One would think it would actually stick in his memory one of these days. But no. Surrounded by good and merrily drunk company, and with a scantily clad little lady pressing herself ever closer to him and making her desire to rip his clothes off no secret, the thought of what he was actually drinking tended to go out the window. And he woke up the next morning, with a hangover.
why didn't he ever learn?

"Fuck...", he muttered to himself where he lay, tangled partly in some ratty old blanket, and partly with the shapely limbs of last night's lover, the blonde who'd been all over him since he'd first set foot in the V.I.P. lounge, and who was now still sleeping next to him.

Or so he thought. If not entirely awake, she was at the very least merely slumbering, because at the sound of his grunt, there followed one of a yawn close to his ear, and the arm resting heavily over his bare chest retreated, just enough for her hand to replace it, and run a languid caress over the taut ripples of his abdomen.

Though while he wasn't wearing a shirt, he was still mostly clothed. He could feel it, without having to open his eyes to that godforsaken light, tinted slightly green by the canvas of the tent. If memory served, he and what's-her-name had been in too much of a hurry last night to shed their clothing, and so he was still wearing both pants and boots. Not that it did all that much to help him feel any better, since it only added to the feeling of being all hot, sweaty and clammy. He felt downright nasty, and pure common sense told him, even through the slight haze in his mind and the little hammer incessantly pounding away at his skull from the inside, that he probably didn't smell any better either. Layers of sweat, both old and new, mixed with vapours of the previous night's drinking binge, left to mix and prosper over a few hours in a small tent, usually didn't make for the most delightful of fragrances. The urge to shower was overwhelming.

Fairly unconcerned with whether he stirred her too awake or not, after first having spent a minute or so adjusting to the light as well as the invisible iron band around his head, Asher sat up, and ran a hand through his dark hair, to get it out of his face. A quick scan around the cramped space revealed his shirt to his right, where it had been tossed aside and forgotten about, until now, and from where he now grabbed it.

"I gotta go", he grunted over his shoulder as he started moving over to the opening of the tent, to zip it open.

"Mmm", came the blonde's reply in a contented murmur, as she extended her whole, luscious body into a morning stretch, but then sounded completely alert when adding: "Okay."

Clearly she had done this groupie/rock star thing before, because she said only that. She didn't ask if she'd get to see him later, or whether he'd call, or anything else to suggest she was hanging on to illusions which he would only end up shattering. She recognized it for what it was; a one-night stand, which even though it had been really hot, wasn't likely to ever happen again. Thank God. The last thing Asher was in the mood for now, was having to ease himself out of the grip of some clingy broad, so that he could be on his way. The only thing he had to ease himself out of, was the tent, which, with it's rather low and modest opening, was an enterprise that had the fairly tall young man stumbling to his feet once he made it outside. There, the merciless sun hit him square in the face with it's golden rays, and made him wince and lift his arm to shield his sensitive eyes, so that he could look around.

Boy, things sure looked different in daylight, didn't they? And in sober condition. Where the hell was he? And, more importantly, how the hell did he get from there to the backstage area?

He'd only just barely begun scanning the complete disarray of tents, vans, caravans and people surrounding him, in search of some landmark that would help him figure out which direction to go, when his cell phone went off in his front pocket, thus putting a temporary end to his efforts. Shoving his hand into his pocket to retrieve the noisy device, he glanced down at the display to check who was calling, before pressing the button and bringing the phone to his right ear, while jamming his finger into his left one, to block out the buzz of music and voices around him.

"What?"

"Asher?", came the voice of Marcy, the band's manager, on the other end.

"Yeah."

"Great, listen, I need to see you guys a.s.a.p.. Abomination Parade have just cancelled their show, and the organisers are looking for someone to fill their spot. Can you all meet me behind the Apollo stage, five minutes ago?"

At first, there was only silence, as Asher struggled to comprehend what she had just said. Abomination Parade had cancelled, and Deus Ex Machina might get to replace them? On a stage that was probably twice as big as any other they had ever played before, with everything that entailed?

"Asher?"

Marcy's stressed voice cut through his momentary paralysis.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here", Asher snapped to. "I'm on my way."

"Will you tell the others?"

"They're not here."

"Where are you?"

"On the camp grounds."

"Alright, I'll call Nicky. See you in a few."

With that, they hung up, and Asher was just about to return the cell phone to his pocket, still in a bit of a daze from the news, when he realized he had a bunch of text and voice mail messages waiting; messages he'd ignored the previous night, when he'd been... otherwise engaged, so to speak. The first one was from Kendra, his little sister, which wouldn't have been all too much of a surprise (even though they barely stayed in touch these days), if it hadn't been for the fact that it announced her presence here, at the Syrinx Festival. What the...? Asher hadn't had a clue that she was planning to go. Sure, it was fairly close to home, but he'd assumed she'd be busy with her own life. But here she was, and apparently, she wasn't all too thrilled about his complete lack of replies, judging by the rest of the messages she'd left him in her efforts to get in touch.

Having read the last one, asking him to text her when he was free, Asher did just that; he texted her back a request to meet him by the south entrance of the camping grounds. It was one of the few landmarks he managed to spot in his search for them; a big hand painted sign, a couple of hundred yards away, announcing in big red letters: "South Entrance". It didn't matter that he technically wasn't free, since he had a band meeting to get to, he couldn't just go and simply ignore his sister. Not intentionally, anyway.

A few minutes later, consisting of zigzagging between the closely scattered tents and vans, and a confirmation text from Kendra, Asher stood waiting by the aforementioned entrance. And for once, he kept his gaze down; partly as a way of escaping the bright sunlight as best he could - God, he missed his sunglasses - and partly as a way of avoiding being recognized by possible fans. Had they seen him, the rest of the band would have probably started looking to the sky for flying pigs, but the fact of the matter was that Asher, in his grimy and hung over state, really wasn't in the mood for dealing with people he didn't know. Declaring their undying adoration or not. Therefore, he didn't see Kendra separate herself from the flow of people trickling through the entrance, until she was just a few feet away. But when he did spot her, a small smile appeared on his lips. She looked just like he remembered her, even though it had been quite a while since they last saw each other.

"Hey", he drawled, and opened his arms to welcome her into a quick hug. "Didn't know you were gonna be here. Why didn't you say anything?"

Kendra returned the smile as well as the hug with a cheerful "Hello", before taking a step back and looking him up and down, almost as if assessing him.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise", she said.

Though despite the lingering smile, Asher couldn't help but to notice the way a flicker of uncertainty worked itself into it. And even if he would have missed it, there was something in Kendra's tone when next she continued, that would have alerted him of her waning confidence.

"I didn't know you wanted to keep me a secret though, sorry."

At that, Asher's brows sank into a slight furrow.

"What do you mean?", he asked.

"Well apparently Lavinia, and the rest of your bandmates for that matter, had no idea I even existed", Kendra explained with a bit of a grin. "You should have seen the look on Lavinia's face! It was priceless!"

Although having said that, her smile then faded, and she turned a bit more serious, as a hint of uncertainty crept into the look in her eyes.

"Is there some reason you didn't tell them anything? Were... Were you really trying to forget me?"

Having followed her change in mood, by giving an amused smile at her description of Lavinia's reaction, and then acknowledging the cross-over to a more serious matter, Asher ended up giving another smile, although this time a far more dismissive one.

"Oh, come on", he said, "don't be silly. Of course not. And besides", he added with a twinkle in his eyes, while motioning with his head to suggest they'd start walking, "it's not like I ever could, even if I tried. It's just that...

He hesitated for a moment, as if reflecting briefly on what exactly it was that had kept him from sharing the details of his family with his band mates.

"My business is my business, you know?", he concluded at length as they walked along the paved path towards the nearest backstage gate. "They don't need to know every little shit detail about me."

That was an answer that seemed to reassure his little sister, at least somewhat, and in part even amuse her, judging by the bright smile lighting up her face at his claim regarding not being able to forget her. It had been a rather long time since they hung out the way they'd used to, but it would seem the jovial sibling vibe was still alive and kicking.

"Yeah thats true...", Kendra said with a small nod, apparently reflecting on similar matters, "and we haven't really talked much lately in the past few years."

Though instead of leading them into the awkward conversation pitfall that such a comment might have made, she changed the subject a bit, before it was at risk of happening.

"So. um, stupid question but how've you been?"

It was a change of topic she didn't have to prompt twice; Asher followed her lead, thankful to leave the other matter behind. Not because it was awkward, but because of the risk that it would get awkward, with them grazing the fact that they had started loosing touch a bit, and quite possibly feeling they had to try and explain why. And in his current state, with the headache of his hangover still pestering him, getting into the more sensitive areas of their relationship wasn't a very good idea.

"Oh, I've been great", he thus said with casual shrug of his shoulders. "Working mostly. It's been pretty intense, what with writing music, recording, promoting and touring and all."

Though as much as he preferred to stick to the current subject, an idea occurred to him, and he interrupted himself, in favor of making a small detour in the conversation;

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have an aspirin or something? My head's killin' me."

A moment later, he could have kicked himself, when the look on Kendra's face changed from another smile, to that of obvious concern, and realizing what was about to come:

"You've been drinking too much again, right?", his sister said, although she did still reach into her bag to rummage around therein, and produce a couple of pills. "You'd think someone as smart as you would learn sooner or later Asher."

She only meant well, Asher did realize that, on some level. But bad habits were a hard thing to shake, especially those who weren't actions as much as they were reactions, and the stern motherly tone of her voice stirred something within him; his old defensive streak, born back when he'd been a scourge on his family, and unreceptive to their concern and criticism. A small crease appeared in between his eyebrows, and ill-restrained impatience stained his voice when he snapped;

"Geez, relax. You make it sound like I'm a lush or something."

Taking the pills she held out for him, he tossed them into his mouth, and swallowed them with the help of a quick cocking of his head. It happened in a matter of only seconds, though those seconds were enough for him to gain control of his temper, and so when next he spoke, the annoyance in his voice wasn't as prominent as before;

"It's not because of how much I drink", he said, having decided that instead of making things between them even more tense by getting defensive, he could explain and at least give her the chance to not jump to any further conclusions. "It's because of what I drink. I mixed wine with rum and vodka. Bad idea."

He was, however, still not particularly interested in delving deeper into the matter, and so decided it was his turn to change the subject. With a sideways glance at Kendra, and a tiny smile in an attempt to lighten the mood again, he continued;

"What about you? What've you been up to?"

Thankfully, Kendra accepted the shift, although not without first commenting;

"Ah, thanks for the tip, Ill try and avoid that mix", she said with a laugh, before rolling her eyes as part of her response to his actual question. "School, as always. I cant wait to get out of there. Im so tired of all the drama and the idiots that can't pull their own weight. And, good God, guys are crazy! Theres no way we're the same species!"

Older brother that he was, with his older brother DNA intact despite the troubles in their past, Asher's reaction to that statement was a given;

"Anyone I should want to beat up?", he asked with a slight grin.

"Right now?", Kendra laughed. "Nope, Im good! Ive been trying to avoid guys... or well romantic relationships with them lately at least", she added, after which the expression on her face turned a little more thoughtful when her eyes locked on the nearing backstage area gate, almost as though the sight of it took her thoughts down a particular route.

And sure enough;

"Have you met Dominic's brother Daniel yet?"

Looking at her, and wondering a bit to himself just what Dominic and his brother had to do with it, Asher shook his head.

"Why, is he here? No, I haven't met him."

However, it didn't take him longer than that to connect the dots, and his eyes narrowed in semi-joking suspicion.

"Why do you ask?", he wanted to know. "If he's anything like Dominic, stay away. Seriously."

Semi-joking suspicion, because he wasn't just joking. There were elements of genuine foreboding stirring in his gut. Though Kendra seemed to think he was mostly kidding around;

"Thanks for the advice", she said with a joking gesture of heeding his warning, "but I dont think they're that similar. From what I hear Dominic is troubble and overly social, he sounds like fun though. Daniel seems alot more reserved, but he's still a pretty cool guy."

Towards the end, however, it seemed she had gotten to thinking that he might not be just kidding after all, because her voice shrank ever so slightly in tentative caution, as if expecting him to not take all too kindly to her words. Which he didn't; a slight, partial frown darted across his features at her comment about Dominic sounding like fun, as though he was thinking a great deal, but keeping it to himself.

"So you hung out with Lav and Daniel last night then?", he simply asked instead, noting that despite her comment, it didn't sound as if she'd had all too much to do with the guy he would hate the most to see his little sister fall for. "Not with Nicky?"

"Yeah, Nicky was trying to get a hold of some girl, Lauren or something like that", Kendra said with a casual shrug, which was promptly followed by a slight snort from Asher. "I was looking for you so I went to the bus and they were there, we ended up having dinner together."

However, even though Asher didn't like the implications of that dreamy smile on her lips as she seemed to think back on the previous evening and the company in which she had apparently spent it, knowing she hadn't gotten all too close to Dominic and his horn dog ways, was good enough for him. So to that, he gave only a curt nod along with an acceptive "Alright", seemingly satisfied with the answer.



Knowing he couldn't afford to delay any longer, lest the rest of the band, and Marcy especially, would end up pissed at him for keeping them all waiting and maybe missing the chance of a lifetime, Asher and Kendra parted ways once they were backstage and started nearing the Apollo stage, where Asher could see the others had already gathered.

"Sorry", he said as he reached the small group, pretending not to see the smirking glances aimed at his appearance, making it obvious that his band mates knew exactly what he'd been up to during the night. "I was way over at the other end."

Though what end, and of what area, he didn't say.

[Dominic de Vere]

In Deus Ex Machina's tour bus, all was quiet, with only the gentle sprinkle of water wafting through the silence from the tiny bathroom where Shane was taking his morning shower, mixed with the occasional faint snore rising from underneath the covers of Leon's bunk. Next to it, both Lavinia's and Asher's beds remained untouched and unoccupied, though on their other side rested their exact, rumpled opposite; Dominic's bunk, in a complete jumble of sheets, covers, clothes, and two lethargic bodies. Sound asleep, with Dominic snoozing so very peacefully into the nook of Lara's neck, exhausted by the emotional and eventually physical intensity of last night: After the complete and utter rollercoaster that he and Lara had been through, he'd finally gotten to be with her, the way he'd yearned for so long, in what had started out a wild and raw hunger for sex, a deep and carnal craving for her body, but which had gradually turned into passionate lovemaking. In the aftermath of all the craziness, the two of them had made up, many times over, and over a period of time that had seen Shane and Leon barred from entering the bus for several hours. Dominic hadn't cared; at that point in time, all that had existed was him and Lara, and their love for each other. Nothing else had mattered, and it had been only once everything had gone quiet in the bus, and the two had fallen asleep with Dominic's arms wrapped tightly around Lara's body, that his band mates had dared to sneak inside.

The number of hours of rest since then hadn't been many, and Dominic would have happily spent quite a few more sleeping, and probably another one or two of doing... other things. It didn't matter how much passion had filled the hours before he'd gone to sleep the night before; waking up to find himself laying next to Lara would usually stir his hunger for her all over again, and a morning tryst between the two wasn't unheard of. Though today, fate had other plans for him. Even though he at first wasn't particularly inclined to take part in them. When somewhere in the distance, far far away from the grasp of his awareness, a melody started playing, it merely merged with his dream and became a part of it, a background noise. Not even when someone shook him by the arm, and Lara's voice drifted into his dream, telling him his phone was ringing, was he particularly tempted to open his eyes and leave the pleasant slumber behind. But, when seconds later, Leon hurled a plastic cup at him, he was no longer left a choice in the matter.

"Whaaaat?", he groaned into his pillow.

"Answer your goddamned phone", Leon grunted from his bed.

Another groan sounded from Dominic, in protest at the very thought of moving as much as an inch, and he ended up simply dropping his arm to the floor, to randomly feel around for his phone. In the meantime, the melody reached the end and stopped playing, only to start all over again as the caller refused to hang up, and eventually, amazingly, Dominic's hand did brush against the device, grabbed it, and brought it to his ear.

"Mmmm...", he mumbled into the receiver.

"Dominic, are you awake?"

"Mmmm..."

"Are you clear, are you listening?"

The only answer that the caller - Marcy Noble - got, was the sound of a big yawn.

"Nicky, wake up!", she shouted sharply in the young man's ear. "This is important."

With her voice tearing rudely through his semi-slumber, Dominic slowly opened his eyes, to blink a few times before closing them again, although now awake.

"I'm here", he muttered, far from amused by the brusque treatment. "Stop yelling."

Though Marcy had neither time for nor interest in showing any sympathy. She remained completely unapologetic, and instead pressed on:

"I'm calling a meeting with the band. Abomination Parade have cancelled their gig, and the organisers are looking for a replacement."

Now that, however, certainly got young Dominic de Vere's attention. In an instant, his eyes flew open, and his grasp of the cell phone tightened.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm pushing for you guys", Marcy kept going, "but we need to meet first. So get your butt in gear, tell the others - I've already talked to Asher - and meet me behind the Apollo stage, NOW."

"We're on our way", Dominic blurted quickly, before hanging up.

Wasting no time, he then turned his head towards the aisle of the bus, and shouted, just as Shane stepped out of the bathroom;

"Guys, we gotta hustle! Marcy wants to meet about a gig. It's huge!"

As was to be expected, it was a statement that drew quite a few questions from the lips of the other band members, but Dominic ignored them, and instead turned back to Lara, excitement having overtaken the previous drowsiness in his blue eyes.

"Marcy's trying to score us this really big gig, today, on the biggest stage. I... I gotta go!"

Suddenly, the young man's enthusiasm knew no bounds, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed to reach down for his underwear, soon followed by his pants. Though despite having risen from the bed at that point, and hurrying back and forth to do everything seemingly at once - getting dressed, putting on his precious eyeliner and trying to fix his even more precious hair - he still kept returning to Lara every time he happened to be close enough for a small detour, to lean down and steal a kiss or two, often turning into several more, before continuing on with his frenzied running around. The only time he ever really paused, was when giving Lavinia a quick call, during which he was in such a hurry to pour it all out, that he kept tripping over his words in all the excitement. Though knowing him the way she did, she managed to decipher his rapid ramblings and get the gist of the message, and quickly confirmed that she too was on her way to meet up with the rest of them. Conversation done, and being the "organizationally challenged" young man that he claimed to be, Dominic then tossed his cell phone on the nearest bed without really thinking, once again preoccupied with his hair, which of course ended up resulting in a frantic search for said device when just a minute later, he realized he really didn't have time for his usual procedure.

"Damn!", he cursed, and with a dejected gesture gave up on his hair, and instead snatched up his emergency plan; a black beanie with the words "bad hair day" printed on it in white letters. And then, when feeling his pockets in search of his cell phone and not finding it, added: "Double damn!"

"It's there", commented Shane dryly, and pointed at the phone on Asher's bunk, used to his friend's minor search rampages.

Dominic's head snapped around to look, and he lit up with a relieved smile.

"Thanks man!"

Beanie and cell phone then in place, he left the tour bus, following closely behind the older boys, though not without having once again rushed back to Lara for a kiss, and a quick "Love you".

"Okay, let's go!", he then shouted as he was on his way out of the bus again, even though he was the last of the boys to exit.


(((ooc: Hope it works. If not, you know where to find me.)))

[Lavinia Sinclair]

One by one the members of Deus Ex Machina congregated backstage in a cleared area just behind Apollo, all wearing similarly eager expressions. The quintet may not always see eye to eye on all matters but this was one that found them in unanimous agreement: what had just sailed into their lap could be a major career opportunity, the show to trump all shows and secure their place among the hottest rock sensations. They had only to play their cards right, and quick.

Marcy, who had been on the phone with one of the organizers for the past five minutes nodded impatiently when Asher approached and delivered a quick apology together with the reason for his lateness, but did not comment on it. Lavinia however took a moment to glance at the general state of dishevelment he found himself in, nothing also that much like herself, Asher was wearing the exact same clothes from the previous night. In their circle that really meant only one thing, prompting a slight, knowing smirk on Lavinia's part. She would have said something as well had Dominic, Shane and Leon not chosen that exact same moment to make their appearance; a brief snort greeted the sight of Nicky's beanie, and various nods were exchanged. There were signs of tiredness visible on his face -on everyone's faces, really- but he looked very much upbeat which had to mean things with Lara had not been a disaster. Well, good for them.

The band had time to exchange only the briefest of greetings when Marcy put down her phone and turned to them with an enterprising look on her face. The tall and very thin 40-something woman glowed with shared enthusiasm.

“All right you guys, here's the deal! They've approached two bands so far, us and Ambient Bliss on a first come, first served basis. Bliss are taking their sweet time with it so if you guys want this you'll have to make up your minds right now! You have, uhh, little over 3 hours to get ready if you do. So...are you in?”

Lavinia, who could feel her heart rate spike as Marcy spoke, glanced meaningfully from the manager to her band mates and back.

“Do you really have to ask? Duh...right, guys?!”

---

((ooc: Likewise, I hope it works. I have little actual knowledge of the technicalities of such matters so I went with my imagination, let me know if anything needs changing.))

[Dominic de Vere]

Over the years, there hadn't been many mornings that had seen Dominic de Vere in a voluntary rush to get somewhere. Involuntary ones, such as the kind caused by oversleeping or running late from having to first search for clothes, keys and the like, those were fairly common, but to actually have the young man willingly neglect even his precious appearance in order to get somewhere as fast as possible, was a true rarity. And after having first appeared to become a casually lazy one, filled with nothing but exactly the things he felt like doing, this morning was turning into one such rarity.

Dominic just couldn't get to the summoned band meeting fast enough. He had been really looking forward to that lazy morning, curled up in his bunk with Lara, cuddling and making up for lost time, and then spending the rest of the day with her and Daniel, checking out the festival and the bands playing, but Marcy's words over the phone had kick-started his ever smoldering ambition, his hunger for a successful, blossoming career. It would seem that checking out the other bands play, along with Lara and Daniel, wouldn't happen... because Deus Ex Machina might be one of the bands playing! On the biggest stage, instead of one of the biggest bands booked for the festival! It was the chance of a lifetime! Risky, and scary to the point of making his heart race and his knees tremble, but with the chance of being so, so rewarding. Abomination Parade's fanbase at the festival was a huge one, and they would surely be very disappointed about the cancellation, and just might take it out on the replacements. But if Deus Ex Machina could appeal to them, and win their approval... The attention and publicity it would bring! Deus might already be on the rise, but a major boost like that sure wouldn't hurt!

"So", Shane said as he, Dominic and Leon hurried towards the backstage area gate, "you gonna tell us what this 'huge gig' is all about, or are we gonna have to keep guessing?"

Having been too caught up in his own ponderings as well as his running around to get himself dressed, Dominic had forgotten all about telling Shane and Leon what the band meeting was supposed to be about, and neither of them had been able to catch enough of his call to Lavinia, to be able to piece together something they dared to believe. Now, however, with Shane's reminder and following a quick "Oh yeah, sorry!", Dominic launched himself into what ended up being part explanation, part excited rant about the few details their manager had divulged to him. Still, what he did have to tell had the other two young men immediately sharing in his enthusiasm, and it was a thoroughly exhilarated trio that ended up arriving behind the Apollo stage, to find Lavinia and Marcy already waiting. And with Asher getting there only a minute later, the band was soon finally gathered, and eagerly waiting for Marcy to get off the phone, and share the full story. In the meantime, Dominic couldn't help but to note that not only had Asher clearly hooked up with that chick from last night (or at least found himself another willing partner), but that Lavinia had apparently gotten some action as well, judging by the fact that much like Asher, she was still wearing last night's outfit. Usually, the untouched state of their beds in the tour bus would have been enough to tip him off, but with Marcy's call having been what had woken him up, and the frantic state it had sent him into, he hadn't even reflected on it. Until now, that his band mates' appearance had him putting two and two together, and flashing them both a smirk in appreciative acknowledgement of their respective achievements. He would have gone on to probe Lavinia about it, as he couldn't help but wonder who the lucky guy had been, but just as he was about to open his mouth, Marcy ended her call, and lowered the phone to look at her - hopefully - five rising stars.

"All right you guys", she started matter-of-factly, but with her own excitement clearly showing on her face, "here's the deal! They've approached two bands so far, us and Ambient Bliss on a first come, first served basis. Bliss are taking their sweet time with it so if you guys want this you'll have to make up your minds right now! You have, uhh, little over 3 hours to get ready if you do. So... are you in?"

Usually, when it came to important matters regarding their music or their career, most of the members of Deus Ex Machina could communicate through looks alone. Spending so much time with one another as they did - working together for months on end, sharing cramped spaces such as the studio and the tour bus, and sometimes feeling as though they lived on top of one another - often a mere glance would be enough to confirm that they were all thinking the same thing, or that one or more of them was feeling hesitant, or downright disagreeing. This time, although still exchanged, no such glances were needed. In the small circle they had formed, the zeal practically radiated off of each of them, and when Lavinia made herself the first one to speak, she did so by expressing pretty much what was going through the head of all of them:

"Do you really have to ask?", she said, as if the answer was all kinds of obvious... which, frankly, it was: "Duh... right, guys?!"

"Yeah!", Dominic chimed in, nodding eagerly and gesturing at Marcy to hurry, as though as few more seconds would make or break the entire thing. "We're in, we're in! Call them back!"

With two such impassioned reactions, and the other three boys seconding them, there was no doubt about the band's willingness to step up to the plate, and so without any further ado, Marcy reached back into her purse to retrieve her cell phone once more. Before long, she had the organizers back on the line, to let them know that Deus Ex Machina were indeed interested, and deeply honored by the offer. While the five young musicians then waited anxiously, hanging on to their manager's every word to try and interpret what was being said on the other end, Marcy started going over details, even stating terms and fees, but since neither of quintet knew what might end up being a deal breaker, it wasn't until the words "Alright, it's a deal, I will be by within the hour to sign the contract" made it over her lips, that they gave a cheer in unison, knowing only then that the gig was theirs.

"Holy crap!", Dominic said when a few seconds later, the small chorus of "Yes!" and "Alright!"'s died down, and it all started sinking in for real. "We've got some serious work to do. We can't just go out there and let rip the same set we're gonna play tomorrow. This is Abomination's crowd, they're not gonna like this. We gotta... We gotta win them over. Shit..."

For a moment, the magnitude of what lay only three hours ahead of them seemed to overwhelm him, and silenced his minor rant. But only ever so briefly. With the thoughts swooshing through his head at lightening speed, he soon started back up;

"Oooh, oooh, I know!", he burbled as an idea suddenly hit him. "We should cover one of their songs! As a tribute, a gesture! If we do that, and are clever about it, it won't matter if we suck; they can't hate us for paying homage to their favorite band. Right?"

Though while Dominic was clearly convinced about the brilliance of his own plan, and Shane seemed to be easing into agreement with him, Asher turned out to be far less easily won over, and instead remained a bit more careful and hesitant, for the time being.

"Well...", the singer started thoughtfully, not really with the intention to object, since it was a fairly good idea, but rather with the intention to bring to light the possible kinks of the plan.

Though that was as far as he got. Dominic, although beginning to gradually calm down, cut him off before he got any further, too busy listening to the ideas battling it out inside his own head, to hear those of someone else;

"We should totally do 'Watch Me Fall'", he said eagerly, and looked at the others in search of agreement. "It's such a great song, and it's easy enough to just kind of jam through it. What do you guys think?"

"'Watch Me Fall'?", Asher said, not particularly amused with having been interrupted, but too used to it these days to get angry or all too annoyed. "Don't think I know the lyrics on that one."

Dominic shot him a look. He didn't know the lyrics? In what way was that even remotely a problem? He knew perfectly well, as did the others, that Dominic had a past as lead singer in his previous bands.

"That's okay", he thus said with a casual shrug. "I could do it."

However, that was a comment, and more importantly an overall attitude, that stirred the singer's vexation, and his eyes clearly darkened with resentment, as did his voice:

"I'll learn", he stated pointedly, establishing his rock solid determination to not let that little brat outmaneuver him any further than he already had by being such an attention whore.


(((ooc: I went with some artistic license here as well, since I have no clue how these kinds of deals are made. )))

[Lavinia Sinclair]

Amidst whooping and cheering, a deadening quiet seemed to have taken residency inside Lavinia's head, tuning out all other sound. On the other hand, she could clearly hear the blood pounding in her temples as well as feel it throbbing in her gut as the realization began to sink in: the biggest gig of her career, of everyone's careers, had just landed in their lap.

As opportunities went, this was golden, perhaps unique in a lifetime; artists cancelling a performance did happen every now and then, but for Deus Ex Machina to be asked to replace one of the biggest bands on show was one of those one in a thousand chances, if not more. They oughtn't expect such a stroke of luck to come their way again anytime soon, which meant they simply couldn't afford to screw it up. As far as it could boost their popularity, it could also become a heavy blow to their image if they failed to entice the crowd or just plain old put on a bad show, a thought which didn't occur to Lavinia alone.

“Holy crap!” Dominic exclaimed in the aftermath, "We've got some serious work to do. We can't just go out there and let rip the same set we're gonna play tomorrow. This is Abomination's crowd, they're not gonna like this. We gotta... We gotta win them over. Shit..."

Shit, indeed. A good chunk of that day's crowd would be waiting for the Parade, some of them having bought a ticket to see them specifically, and wasn't likely to react well to the news that their favourite band wouldn't show up. There would be disappointment, anger, and without doubt the impulse to take it out on the replacements, especially if they ended up giving a show recycled from their usual routine. No, they couldn't do that; not to mention, it would be unfair towards their own fans, who awaited them the following day and expected Deus to give them their best. Then what to do? Lavinia was momentarily stumped for ideas, but unlike her Dominic suddenly piped up with a plan:

"Oooh, oooh, I know! We should cover one of their songs! As a tribute, a gesture! If we do that, and are clever about it, it won't matter if we suck; they can't hate us for paying homage to their favorite band. Right?"

Reactions reverberated throughout the group like a ripple effect: some were in immediate agreement, others – like Asher – still had reservations; Lavinia was somewhere in between. The idea was good – but it wasn't going to be as simple as Dominic put it next:

"We should totally do 'Watch Me Fall' . It's such a great song, and it's easy enough to just kind of jam through it. What do you guys think?"

"'Watch Me Fall'?", Asher retorted before anyone else could chime in, perhaps to make sure nobody could interrupt him again "Don't think I know the lyrics on that one."

It proved the wrong answer, at least as far as Dominic was concerned.

"That's okay", he said breezily enough but not before shooting his bandmate a tell-tale look "I could do it."

Uh-oh.

It was a thought which simultaneously crossed everyone's minds as their gazes were drawn to the pair, sensing an Asher/Dominic "moment" about to unfold. Most of the times Lavinia, Shane and Leon treated them with amused indulgence but this time they really couldn't afford even a minor schism, not when they all needed to be on the same page and squeeze every last drop of creativity out of one another.

"I'll learn", Asher stated firmly, clearly unwilling to yield to Dominic and before the situation had a chance to escalate any further, Lavinia stepped right in:

"You'll have to, and quick", she told him, her gaze roaming around to encompass each of her bandmates. "Nicky's idea could save the day here, but we can't half-ass it; they'll be pissed enough as it is. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to sound like we mean it, or they'll boo us right off the stage. If we manage a positive first response...then we actually have a chance of winning them over."

[Asher Kingsley]

One of Asher's biggest pet peeves, one of the things that could really annoy him, was a particular person. A person named Dominic de Vere. Also known as God's gift to the universe, if he himself was to be believed. No one loved that arrogant little brat more than he himself did, and the concept of being in a band, where everyone played their own part, and left it to the others to play theirs, often seemed to be entirely lost on him. Asher had a very distinct opinion of how things within a band ought to work, and Dominic had a way of turning it all upside down. Mainly by intruding on what Asher considered to be his territory, as the lead singer. Note the "lead" in the term? Yeah, Dominic didn't seem to get that part. Instead, he kept challenging it, by hogging the lime light, whether on stage or off. If Asher was trying to establish a connection with the crowd, Dominic would more often than not decide to do the same at the exact same time. If Asher was bantering with the crowd in between songs, Dominic would play little riffs on his guitar. Rarely loud enough to drown out Asher's voice, but more like a reminder to everyone that he was there too. As if he'd ever given them a chance to forget it in the first place. Then there were the band interviews, during which Dominic would babble on and on about whatever, with his usual exuberance, so that those a little more mellow would have to struggle to get a word in edgeways. And now, as if all that other stuff wasn't enough, he thought he could just swoop in and take on Asher's part, as the singer of this band? For what might be the thing that would make their modest career skyrocket? Oh, hell no. Over Asher's cold, dead body. He might accept a lot of Dominic's antics, but this was where he drew the line.

"I'll learn", he rumbled darkly in response to Dominic's brazen suggestion.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd memorized lyrics on really short notice. He'd done it in fifteen minutes once, so for Dominic to just assume he wouldn't be able to do it in three whole hours, really rubbed him the wrong way. As did Dominic's eagerness to step in and fill his shoes, completely unwarranted. If Asher didn't know any better, he would have thought Dominic was looking to take over once and for all; to render Asher's presence in the band obsolete, and lead it himself.

As usual, the brewing argument didn't go unnoticed by the others. They knew of the friction between the singer and the guitarist, they were very well familiar with it even, though they usually thought it best to stayed out of it.
Not this time.

"You'll have to, and quick", Lavinia cut in before Dominic would have a chance to add something snarky as per his usual style, yet she still managed to draw a slight glower from Asher.

He'd just said he'd do it. And he would. Why the hell were they all acting like it was such a big deal? It wasn't brain surgery, or rocket science. He would handle it just fine. The problem, and the thing that they ought to be focusing on, was pulling off their parts along with him, as a band. To sound like a well-oiled machinery, despite never before having played the song, and despite having had only a couple of hours to prepare.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone in realizing that, because that was the part that Lavinia next moved on to;

"Nicky's idea could save the day here", she said as her serious gaze roamed the faces of her band mates, "but we can't half-ass it; they'll be pissed enough as it is. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to sound like we mean it, or they'll boo us right off the stage. If we manage a positive first response... then we actually have a chance of winning them over."

Personally, Asher very much doubted that the first response would be a positive one. Some of Abomination Parade's fans were bound to be determined to hate the replacements, whoever they were, and so winning them over would be impossible in some cases, and require quite a bit of work in others. Few would go gaga over Deus Ex Machina just because they happened to play a Parade cover. Especially if they didn't go about it the right way;

"Yeah, well, we can't just plain plagiarize it", he pointed out somewhat dryly, feeling for a moment as though he was the only one not getting all religious about Dominic the Saviour's oh-so-brilliant plan. "We gotta add our own touch. We'll need to rehearse."

Much to his surprise, Dominic was the first to agree, by nodding his full consent.

"There's no place to plug in our gear though", the guitarist then said, "so we'll have to rehearse acoustically. But can we do that in like an hour or something? I really gotta get hold of Danny, tell him the big news."

"Why?", Leon asked, apparently feeling, much like the others, that every second was precious, should they get their set in order before the show. "Can't you just call him?"

For a moment, Dominic hesitated, as though contemplating it, but ended up shaking his head.

"Nah, I really should tell him in person", he said and, upon seeing the expressions on the other band members' faces and realizing they all misunderstood, thinking they knew what he was talking about when they couldn't possibly, added; "Oh, I'm not talking about the gig."

That comment seemed to be initially difficult for them to grasp - what other big news could there possibly be, than them having gotten the chance of a lifetime? - and Shane's brows sank into a deep, confused furrow.

"What do you mean?"

The center of attention, with all eyes on him, Dominic couldn't help but to light up with a beaming smile, as he delivered the news;

"I'm getting married. And I'm gonna be a dad."

You could have heard a pin drop.

[Lavinia Sinclair]

First impressions were important. This held true for most situations, and introducing a band to the public for the first time was no different. That initial murmur as the curtains were lifted, the spark which lit up the crowd at the sound of those first guitar riffs could mean a lot to the success of a performance. Of course, matters were far more complicated than that, and it wasn't at all unknown for a band to be able to recapture a reluctant public and draw them into their show, but the fact remained it generally was easier to build upon even a somewhat positive reaction than turn a mostly negative one around.

Mentioning it to her band mates, Lavinia didn't imagine they would be so incredibly lucky as to avoid some fair negativity from Abomination's crowd, no matter what they did. It was a given, especially at first while the feeling of disappointment was fresh and the temptation to take it out on the replacements greatest; no, what they ought to aim for was some approval. Feelings tended to transverse a crowd during a performance, and as long as the animosity wasn't overwhelming, they had a chance to cling on to what approval they did muster, and perpetuate it. Theoretically. Lavinia was well aware that in practice things were likely to be far less straightforward, and simply playing the cover well wasn't the same thing as playing it the right way. Much like Asher went on to point out:

"Yeah, well, we can't just plain plagiarize it", he said. "We gotta add our own touch. We'll need to rehearse."

Nobody argued with that, least of all Lavinia. She was just about to agree to Dominic's suggestion that they began rehearsing acoustically as soon as possible when he delivered a rather unexpected follow up. Lavinia frowned in unison with the rest of her bandmates at his apparent eagerness to find Danny in person, considering they couldn't exactly afford wasting any time right then...surely it could wait? He was going to get the good news soon enough. But then, the light of understanding shone across Nicky's features along with what was clearly, undeniably, an enthusiastic grin as he dropped the bomb on his friends:

"I'm getting married. And I'm gonna be a dad."

The silence was utterly deafening. For a few moments, thoughts of the upcoming gig vanished from Lavinia's mind who could simply gawk at Dominic, feeling her mouth beginning to ease open. What? No seriously: what?!

“Dude...whoa.” was the only comment she could muster.

“Yeah...um..congrats!” Leon chimed in, having recovered a little quicker.

“Yeah man, congrats!” Shane added, giving Dominic a hearty pat on the back “But dude, some kind of warning would've been nice, I could hear the sound of my jaw dropping!”