Encore (Pregame 2 LA, Storage) [Expecting/Open]

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

With music blasting from her vidphone Mei launched full bore into playing. She had managed to adjust the pitch of a few "drums" closer to normal and she even found a couple of metal barrel lids that were thin enough to serve as budget cymbals.

"1, 2, 3, 4!"

System Of A Down - Chop Suey!

[Alison Rodríguez]

There was a number of things Alison expected from a storage area. She expected boxes, perhaps some deliveries or things being packed away.

What she didn't expect? Drums being played - and while some might just think it was noise, to a musician she could tell drums being played, even if it didn't sound exactly like an actual kit. She even knew the song well!

She slipped into the room, still wearing her black button-up short sleeved shirt with a denim jacket and matching skirt (and the glasses! Important part) and peeked around to see who was playing. Not interrupting, just tapping along and listening. Resisting singing. Reeeeeeeeeally trying to resist singing.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

The song ended.

"THANK YOU CAPELLA!" She half screamed while banging her sticks together. Taking a sip of water she asked the presumably empty room. "Any requests?" Then started adjusting one of the symbols.

[Alison Rodríguez]

Alison looked around, then turned back with an amused smile on her face and her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Ever done Rock and Roll? Super old classic with a hell of a drum solo. You did good by the way, didn't know we had drummers."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

She looked up in shock, certain that she was about to get yelled at by Captain Kaala. But when she looked up she f didn't recognize the person, but she did, but didn't.

"Umm, hello. Sorry if my playing bothered you. There isn't space for me to keep a real kit so I have to make do if I want to practice. Please don't report me, I'll stop."

Why does she look so familiar? I thought I had met everyone on the ship by now but I know I haven't met her yet...

"I'm Mei-Ling, I don't think we've met." She said standing.

[Alison Rodríguez]

"Bothered me? I'm just happy to hear someone playing music! Felt like everyone out here is lacking any musical bones in them" Alison laughed, shaking her head "so feel free to keep playing! Nice to meet you Mei-Ling, I'm Alison Rodríguez. You did a good job putting together a drumkit, except for the symbols not really being the right materials for the hit I thought it was a real kit when I heard it."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Oh. My. God.

For a moment she was struck dumb, unable to even open her mouth to gawk. When she finally found her voice again all she could say was.

"You're not supposed to be here!"

She shook her head and regained some sense.

"I mean, you-you're Alice! You're Blood-fuelled Engine! Holy shit! Wha-what are you doing here? We're about to drop into a warzone. Holy shit we need to get you out of here."

She nearly tripped over her drumkit in a rush to get out from behind it.

What the fuck is going on!

[Alison Rodríguez]

"Wha?"

Alison just looked confused at that, but realised what was going to happen before it did and quickly put her hands up.

"No! Nonononono I'm part of the Angels! I'm working! I am supposed to be here, and while warzones aren't my usual stage I'm working here too! I swear. Estoy siendo serio!"

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

She stopped suddenly, somehow more confused then she had been.

"Wha-what? Work here? You are who I think you are right or have the cleaning product fumes finally gotten to me? You're an Obsidian Angel? How is that possible? GalaxyBeat just reported a rumor you were going back on tour soon to debut an album you've been working on in secret. You're a Merc now?"

[Alison Rodríguez]

"Yes I am that Alice. No the tour rumour isn't true, although we were working on an album for a bit. Yes I'm a merc now, well at least for a short while. Money is better than the awful way I was paid before and I get my name even further out than just the worlds I was in now. Seemed smart, especially as I'm a wiz on a computer too. I did most of the stage show work you know" Alison grinned "good to meet a fan!"

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"It is an HONOR to meet you."

She looked down at the pile of buckets she had been banging on and turned red with embarrassment.

"Thanks for listening to me, I know it isn't great, there just isn't the room for me to keep a real kit. I've been think about giving up my room to a kit and sleeping down here but even then no one wants to hear that in the crew quarters, it's not like Alex playing guitar softly.

You must be part of the bridge crew then then, you're a sensors operator I'm guessing? I haven't ever gone up to the bridge."

[Alison Rodríguez]

"The music was good, the equipment wasn't the best" Alison said with a smile "really, if you can play that well on scraps you'd rock it on a real kit. There's a guitarist too? Could form a band at this rate!"

She nodded at the question.

"I'm the tech expert. Brought in for my knowledge on computers, as well as drones. Might even know a bit about explosions from my shows as well! What about yourself Mei? I've only been part of the angels a few months so haven't met everyone."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

With most of the shock gone she stepped forward and extended a hand.

"I'm a pilot. SGT. Mei-Ling Zhou, callsign "Goo" head of the second scout lance "Owls". It truly is a pleasure to meet you.

Man this is a trip. Sorry, you are probably really tired of gawking fans. Yeah we have a few amateur musicians on board but we have yet to get together and play anything together, mostly because I don't have a real kit. I keep waiting for someone to come in here and yell at me for doing this.

So how are you liking it here, is this going to be your first battle?"

[Alison Rodríguez]

Alison shook the hand.

"Mucho gusto Mei-Ling. Do you prefer Mei, Mei-Ling or Goo? I never get tired of fans, there is nothing more important to me than people who enjoy my work" she smiled at that "and if anyone comes in to yell at you for music tell me and I'll yell at them for denying creativity! It's important in every world. I need to meet the other musicians also, do you know them?"

She nodded at the question.

"First battle, although I've been doing mercenary work for the last year. More comms and tech, although it was quite fun to learn about demolition. I could bring those skills to the stage with me" she laughed.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"First battle, cool you excited? You aren't going to see much unfortunately but I am sure the brass will find a use for your skills. I will warn you, you need to have an iron stomach in this work because you will see things that are very unpleasant. I've been doing this for a while but when I started...I threw up in my cockpit after my first kill and couldn't sleep for months thinking about the morality of it all. Hopefully you never have to deal with that but if you do come and find me.

As far as music goes you wanna find Alex Kovac, leader of The Penguins. There may be other musically inclined people here but Alex I know for sure plays guitar though I doubt either of us are up to your standards; no offense to Alex."

She lowered her head and laughed a bit.

"One of my dreams is to be in a band. I don't plan on doing this forever and when I retire I always wanted to find a small garage band to play in. Playing in dingy bars and living out of van kinda stuff, nothing huge. While I don't think the life of a musician is easy by any means I think it would be a welcome change of pace from all of this before I start my career in earnest."

[Alison Rodríguez]

"I've seen death before. Kinda. Someone got crushed in a mosh pit and I heard they died later. That shook me up a bit, but I'm not a fighter so I don't expect to be actually killing people. I'll be sat at a computer on the comms giving you expert fighters all the info to wrap this war up swiftly. Maybe a bit of virtual warfare for me instead!"

Alison smiled.

"Thank you though. And playing in a band? How small do you imagine? I'm assuming fun playing for friends rather than on a stage. Music is uh...well, it depends. It can be very loud, and require a lot of work. There's a lot of expectations, and you have to give it your all or people just verbally torture you. When everything is perfect though, and you have a whole audience of thousands eating out of your hand following your every word..."

She sighed.

"It's the most incredible feeling in the world."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I can only imagine but my dreams aren't that big. Just some small gigs with maybe a hundred people max, I'm not trying to compete with you for the top of the charts or anything. My future is in the arena but before I do that I really wanna know if I all my practice at this has amounted to anything. Plus groupies." She said with a predatory grin.

[Alison Rodríguez]

"Might not be able to help ya unless I go under cover. Names are a pull after all" Alison laughed "keep practicing and I'll keep telling you how you're doing. I didn't join the Angels to form a band or anything but I'll take any playing I can get. Oh and trust me the groupies are highly overrated. Well, maybe not highly. The stalkerish ones are far worse, and even the slightly clingy ones can cause a lot of issues."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Mei looked shocked.

"Oh no I'm not trying to rope you into anything at all. Performing with you would be kinda cheating anyway, I'm just hoping for some smaller venues; like a hundred people max. I just wanna see if I can do it, if all the practice has been worth a damn. But if you ever wanna jam here I am SOOOOOO down for that. And uh, maybe you wouldn't mind signing the BfE commemorative drumhead I have hanging on my wall? I has Rex's sig on it but it's just stamped on, if I could get you to sign it I would probably be buried with the thing."

She said letting her fangirl out a bit too far.

[Alison Rodríguez]

"Ok ok, you're likely right" Alison nodded "I'll just support you from afar then! And hell, we're in a warzone. Get through this and I could get Rex to sign it if you want, he owes me a favour or two still. Or I'll sign it, whichever works."

She motioned to the drumset.

"Gonna give it one more run?"