Checking out the studio (Ray)

Hachiro would send a message to Ray with an address to a place that the charity group would be loaned for their practices and the like. It was a medium sized room with double doors, serving as a fire escape, so they could fit a piano or larger instruments in it to say the very least. There were four white pillars that acted as the support, it was large enough to fit at least one hundred people. The white tile floors wouldn't get stained in case someone had to empty a spit valve. The place was very white, but it made the room seem bigger. Whoever bought this part of the building, but that seemed to be taking awhile.

Hachiro was friends with the owner who agreed to let them stay here and practice until he sold it. Of course, they could not be in here all the time, but for a good chunk of it. After any showings of course, but it was quite nice of the owner to do. Hachiro told him it was for a charity band, and that seemed to persuade him alone. For now the adult would lean against the pillar with his guitar in hand strumming a few chords while he waited for his most dedicated associate to come along.

Ray had actually been lounging at home when he got the message from Hachiro. He had to admit it surprised him a bit, as he didn't expect the older man to arrange something as quick as he had. Ray had no qualms about it though, as he wasn't busy at all. Besides, the sooner, the faster they'd be able to determine whether it can actually work or not. As that would be a good thing to know, even if only for time management. It took him a little while to find the mentioned building, even if he lived in these parts. Not that he didn't know his stuff, but he honestly didn't remember every single building in San Malarus by heart. But he found it nevertheless.

After taking a look around the whitish building, he would spot Hachiro leaning against one of the pillars, already playing some sort of tune. ''Practicing already?'', he would as casually as he approached the man. To be honest, he wasn't as much curious, as it being a conversation starter. Not the best one, but Ray didn't feel like bothering with anything fancy. What would be the point anyway? It isn't like they were here to do fancy talk.

Hachiro would stop practicing when Ray would start the conversation would a causal starter. The older man would shake his head, "Not really, just strummin' on the guitar like I usually do." He would reply as he set it down by the pillar, and then gestured to the room around him. Indicating for Ray to look around a bit before answering his next question, "Well what do you think? We got this place for free for certain hours, and days. I talked to the owner, and he said as long as he don't break anything or practice during any showings we could use it for as long as we want. He's a bit of a philanthropist, so he was sympathetic to our cause." Granted, he was also a little drunk, but not to any extravagant point where he would make incredibly stupid decisions.

It was evident Hachiro was a bit proud of himself for negotiating the space for free with very little restrictions. Granted, he wanted a second opinion on it, and seeing how Ray seemed more motivated than some of the rest made it an easy choice of who to bring to this place. Since Ray was a fellow musician he hoped that the white-haired singer would be able to give me a decent discussion the acoustics and the like sounded in here. They didn't have shells or fancy equipment, but they had a fairly large space to work with at least. Also it wasn't outside so they didn't have to worry about the rain or the heat for the most part, and their sound would be contained in this room. Though Hachiro had a subtler objective to bringing Ray here, he wanted to check something out....chances are he was wrong, but it wouldn't hurt to try and figure it out.

''I see...'', Ray would mutter when Hachiro said he wasn't exactly practicing. Though it did appear so from a more distant point. When the older man started gesturing around, he would take it and look, though there wasn't too much to see. Well, there were a few pillars and lots of white. True enough, it wasn't like anything fancy was needed, at least Ray didn't believe so. Unless Hachiro was planning something big that might require special equipment. Which he sincerely doubted this early on. There were only two of them anyway, and that was not nearly enough for anything detailed. ''Considering you say you've gotten this for free, then it is pretty decent. There is enough space, and it isn't like we'll need much else for now. In any case it's still better than having to pay for a place, that might not even be as good as this.'', he would answer the inquiry with a light shrug. What else was there to say about a room? So far it looked fine, so there was not much lead to go on yet.

''That being said, did you plan anything for today already? Or is this meeting only to check out the place? I'm in no rush, just curious if there's anything more we'll be doing today.'', he would ask after a while. Ray was pretty much free for today, so he wouldn't mind whichever, but it was still better to know what was in store before it began. He didn't feel like beating around the bush and trying to figure out an answer on his own, so asking was the natural option. Actually, Hachiro would probably speak of the matter himself either way, if he did indeed have anything planned in advance. Not that looking at a white room wasn't pleasant, but Ray figured that wasn't the only thing he was called here for. Or it would be rather strange, so to say.

Hachiro nodded a bit when, Ray appeared to approve of the room. At least his right hand man approved of his decision to hold practice. That was one item off the agenda, then Raynar would ask if there was anything else he had planned today. He would nod two more things actually, "Yes, actually I wanted to know what times you would be available to practice or play throughout the week. I have a piece of paper and pen that you can use." He would produce those items. On the piece of paper would be a days made in brackets, and time from 8 a.m to 6 p.m in regards to availability. "Just leave a check by times that work for you, and when you have around an hour free or so." The older man would explain, and produce another sheet of paper from within his coat pocket.

That sheet of paper had several song names or artists on it, from jazz to rock, to blues, and various other genres, "Once you're done with that write down some songs or an album that you would like to play. Hopefully, I can cover most everyone tastes and we can have a fairly wide range of songs so something for everyone, or so I hope."

''Alright, let me see..'' Ray would nod at Hachiro, studying the first paper for a bit. Well, that wasn't too hard. He generally tended to have time as long as he was not in school. Which, sadly was most of mornings and such during the weekdays, but aside from those times, he rarely had anything specific planned. At least for now, and it wasn't like he knew how much time he'd have in the future, even if he decided to...'Nah, that shouldn't be too much of a hold up..' Hopefully. Besides, he could probably do that practically anytime, so it shoudln't interfere too much.

On the second subject, he would shrug slightly. ''I am not really that picky. I think for now we can leave that be. Unless it's something outrageous, I should be able to acommodate anyway.'' Ray wasn't really the type to pick out certain songs. He was used to mostly working with what he was asked to do, and he sort of got used to that trend in any of his old jobs he did. He didn't have much of a problem even if it was a song he didn't particularly like. ''That aside, have you been looking for other people since then? Unless you were too busy of course.'', he would ask casually, wondering if Hachiro had made any progress on that note. Honestly, he wasn't too interested in the answer, but it would probably be a good thing to know.

Hachiro would wait patiently allow Raynar all the time he would need to study the papers. When he was done, he would nod approvingly. Fortunately, it appeared as though the singer had a lot of time after school hours. Excellent, that would work well with the other people who had agreed to join the band. As for the second topic as a choice for songs, Raynar would say that anything would be fine so long as it wasn't outrageous, "Well I certainly hope none of the songs are outrageous, otherwise we wouldn't get any donations, but it is good to know you are flexible." He would say folding the papers and stuffing them back in his pockets.

While he was doing that Raynar would ask if he was looking for more people. He would nod, "Yeah fairly successful, I got Ryan who can play the piano, Angela who can play the violin, Brad can play various percussion instruments. So I'd say we got enough to start a band, granted I'm not sure what songs we would play yet, but there is bound to be something." He would say glancing over the recommended songs, each person had chosen a song that was at least somewhat flexible...he just hoped he could find decent songs that people would like to hear. He would think before changing topics, well here was the very subtle question he was hoping to get a certain answer out of.

"Say Raynar bit of an odd question, but I'm just curious. Back when I was your age, comic books were a big thing, and like most science fiction stories they always involved something about an alternate reality. Have you seen any really cool ones, in either T.V shows, books, or even conversations? If, so what did they look like? I remember in the ones back then there was still a bit of Cold War imagery in them, I assume at least that has changed."

''Well, being picky in this kind of business rarely helps matters.'' Ray would throw back in a rather carefree tone when Hachiro mentioned it was a good thing that he was willing to go for almost anything. It was possible to work out, but being too hung on a certain style usually made it harder, moreso in a situation like this one, when you were supposed to work with practical strangers. If everyone were to be stubborn and say they would only play their thing, the result might as well end up them finding out there was nothing they would all agree on. Now that would be rather unpleasant. Sort of. Ray was used to working solo, so he probably wouldn't get upset over it, but Hachiro seemed to really be hoping for something. The man most likely wouldn't enjoy his planning turning to waste. Truth to be told, there sure was some stuff he would prefer, but for now he would settle with this, until he had the chance to scope out whether it was worth giving an honest opinion from his side.

Hachiro continued forth, explaining how many people he managed to snag meanwhile, and Ray had to admit the older didn't actually do bad at it. Then again, he figured it was already a habit, that he usually expected less than he got. While he could not be considered a pessimist, he often looked at things from the less pleasing perception. Made it easier to not be dissapointed later. ''You sure found a lot in such an amount of time. What remains to see is, if we can all work together.'' Well, sometimes people just didn't get along, and if that were to come up, teamwork may not be as easy as it should. Ray wasn't going to worry about that much though. He would see when the time came. Simple as that.

Next in line...Hachiro actually categorized his question well. It was odd indeed. Completely off topic, and rather unexpected from a man his age. Okay, Ray didn't know how old exactly his companion was, but fiction stories so randomly? Ridiculoussness involved aside, he would listen, if only because he did like poking his nose in, and who wouldn't be curious as to why would that be brought up in the first place, right? ....Alternate realities, eh? A rather peculiar subject to bring up if he were to say. Was the man trying to get at something? Hmm...''To be actually honest, I'm rather interested as to why are you asking about something like this....'', he would state at first, silver eyes looking to the side thoughtfully. He wasn't too sure how he wanted to answer this question. He did not spend his time reading fictional junk, so he couldn't just talk his way out smartly. Which left him one other option, unless he chose to flat out lie and say he had no idea and blame it on low imagination or something. Oh, he so could, and it was rather tempting, but he had a nagging feeling Hachiro's sudden curiosity about something so terribly unrelated to what they were here for had a reason behind it. Of course, that could mean many things, both good and bad. He was intrigued, right, but that still didn't mean he was going to give a straight answer yet. Not unless he knew it was justified. ''But, since you're asking...One thing is for sure, Cold War is pretty much outdated, as you say. It wouldn't even make you want to chance going there, if that was the first thing of it you saw. Still, what would one find cool? I'd say it depends more on if the person has the guts to check it out. Really, what difference does it make whether you see a ruined city or a rainy field, other than it being an eyecandy for the viewer? I've never really believed the scenery was the importance in these things...which is why I generally avoid all those shiny stories these days.'', he would speak in a neutral tone, taking the topic in his own way. Tough, he did feel a bit silly talking about things like these...this was a strange progression for a meeting that was supposed to be about musical stuff...

Hachiro would nod toward Raynar about the comment about being picky, not to mention those who were picky didn't truly understand how good they had life. The others seemed fairly flexible, so hopefully everyone would do fairly well. Of course it would be a bit awkward, but wasn't every encounter with new people? Sure, everyone tries to avoid it, but that was a simple fact. Things are often awkward between a bunch of strangers to say the very least. He was sure, they would be able to work something out. In fact he had an idea of a song the group might enjoy quite a bit. He just hoped Angela would be able to pick up a vocal part, it was a rather sad song, but at the same time it was very moving. Hopefully others would agree quite a bit....hopefully. After all the goal was something that they all enjoyed and hopefully most of the other people would enjoy as well.

Raynar would say all that was left to discover is that if everyone could work together, "Yeah, but I the people I recruited all seemed fairly easy going, Angela was actually excited to do it. She had a long history of volunteer work, so I guess she would be up for a charity the band. The other two I know a little bit, but they said they were interested so it should all go fairly well." He was trying to take an objective approach to it, as not to be disappointed should it all fail. This was one of his bigger projects, instead of his personal side project to try and challenge people. If it didn't work out, it wouldn't be the first thing, surely something else would work out. Maybe he would have more success with his personal project of challenging people and make them understand how good they had it.

Hachiro's interests would peak a bit when Raynar mentioned that he was interested about the sudden change of topic, "What's wrong with me trying to figure out how the world has changed so much." He would say offering the younger man a shrug, granted it was a temporary dismissal as they were trying to feel each other out a bit. Sure it may seem a bit weird of a topic change, but Raynar's answer told him a little bit. Why would he be interested in such a thing, since it was evident his taste was in music and not reading? It was that unknown motive of interest, which Raynar that did not disclose that gave Hachiro the impression he was on the right track. He had a nibble, now he just had to coax it a bit more out of Raynar. The young man told him the Cold War imagery and setting was pretty much outdated. Furthermore, he would mention that he wasn't one for scenery and that what was considered cool. The wanderer would chuckle a bit, "Hmm, looks like I was right in assuming that imagery was gone. I figured the Cold War was something others would rather not remember, I was just curious if it was mentioned still. That and I saw a music video for a song called "Utopia", it's a beautiful song. Anyways, it's about a woman who steps into an alternate reality of a city where everything is perfect, but questions why does it always rain in Utopia. Ever seen anything like that before? I was actually thinking it could be a song that our group could sing." The hint was in there, and it was only a little subtle. He made it blatantly obvious, the question was, did Raynar know or did he not?

So, Hachiro was convinced the people he had reqruited were fairly nice. Well, Ray didnt have much to say on that. He was not the one to assume until he met people in person. Trust wasn't something he liked to give away without a care, and he wasn't about to do so even now. ''Sounds fair. However, I'd still rather wait for an actual meet up to make a conclusion.'', he would say in a neutral tone. He did not label people bad out of blue either, he just liked to know what he was on first. If someone had to get tricked or anything, he prefered to be the one doing it, rather than being on the recieving end.

When the older said that he was simply trying to figure out how the world changed, Ray would only give him a slightly deadpan look. Out of all things they could be doing now, and the man brings up something like this. This wasn't very amusing. Why not just go look and figure yourself? But no, pop a weirdo question was a much better idea apparently. Then again, there seemed to be a reason for this, right? When Hachiro gave his response, he would stay quiet for a moment. Was he trying to puzzle him or something? Although, they were apparently back to songs, if nothing else. But something about it.....This was a bit unusual of him, but for reasons he realized he actually found the man's words funny. Which also meant he ended up giving a short laugh. Dear. ''Well, for one I have heard of the song, though I haven't watched this video for it. An interesting premise if I am to say. Still, I am having troubles correlating 'Utopia' to an alternate reality to be honest. Rainy ones might be pretty, but it's rarely as peaceful as it seems.....but, concerning this, your unnatural interest in this makes me think you're trying to poke around something. Should I be worried?'', he would respond eventually, after calming down his sudden amusement. Towards the end, he would give Hachiro a questioning look. Ray wasn't sure he liked where this was going, and he figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Because, this was definitely random enough that he didn't think it was uncalled of him to be a bit suspicious. And he sort of was. Once again, he didn't trust as easily as some, and a game of subtle tag did not help making him change his mind in the least.

Hachiro would nod at Raynar's response to finding rather nice people, he was a smart kid to say the very least. "That's really smart of you, not drawing your conclusions till you meet them. Hold on to that skill, it can keep you out of really bad spots and pinches." Hopefully Raynar would remember this wisdom from someone who had been around a lot longer than him. Damn, he was just sounding really old now, he wasn't fifty yet....was he? Regardless, it seems as though his words did not have the intended affect due to the deadpan look he gave. A little bratty perhaps, but nothing to really flip out on him.

He was surprised when Raynar had heard of the song, then again....what did he expect from a practicing musician. Philosophical discussion aside, it seemed as though Raynar caught on to the fact that he was poking around something. Well he supposed poking around the bush wasn't going to get him a straight answer. In fact it got him a short laugh, odd, but didn't everyone have their little quirks?"Should you be worried? I can't imagine why you would to be honest. I wouldn't go through all the work of getting you involved in the band if I planned to harm you. Seems kinda stupid, doesn't it? Though you're right, I'm poking around something. You seem them don't you? The portals around here leading to the city where it always rain." It was the fact that Raynar knew he was poking around something, and the fact that he asked if he should be worried. That made Hachiro stop beating around the bush, and just get straight to it. He wanted to hint toward it a bit more, but he figured Raynar would either call him insane or now know what he was talking about. Judging from his reaction, and his concern about the topic it seemed to indicate Raynar knew something about it at least. In fact...wasn't a ruined city one of the places in the Penecia area...granted he somewhat loathed to visit Penecia.

''Not really a skill, I'd say. Just a habit I've developed.'' Ray would say indifferently when Hachiro seemed actually sorta happy that he reacted that way. Hm, this man was a bit strange at times. Ray honestly had trouble puzzling him out at times. But, life was full of complications either way, so he hadn't expected anything too easy in the first place. Still, he did prefer knowing on what grounds he stood, but he supposed this would do for now. It wasn't as horrible as it could have been.

Well, at least the man figured something out. Beating around the bush rarely worked well with Ray, as he had the inclination to not respond straightly unless he was asked a straight question. Even then it was questionable. Mainly if it was something that was too probing. He did not like giving out information about himself just like that, and he was likely no not be nice in case someone kept insisting. This time, he was rather glad they were getting to the point finally though, so he was not as irritated about being prodded around, though it still somewhat unsettled him......But, now he knew what this was about for sure. It was a slightly surprising revelation, even if he had suspected something along those lines for the past few minutes. The question was, why was Hachiro so sure about it? ''Maybe because it seemed like you were trying to get at something, and trust me that does not always evoke a nice feeling.'', he would shrug lightly, as he gave a shirt explanation as to why worry. That was not the full truth, but the man would have to contend himself with that for now. ''As for the portals.....Would it mean anything specific if I said yes?'', he would ask simply, as if it was mere small talk, keeping a neutral expression. Almost like a poker face, if one were to compare it to anything. Yes, he figured if the man kept prodding he'd have to go out with it for real, but if nothing else, he'd rather know the reasons for it. For one, what did Hachiro know about this, and why was he asking him especially? Ray did not enjoy being fooled around with.

A habit huh? Hachiro wished that he had that habit before he went to Africa, and he was forced to face people who were often times going to stab you in the back more than one would like to admit. You were going to get food out of an exchange? Nope, you will get a knife pressed to your throat though, enjoy your constellation prize. Granted, not everyone there was that bad, but when people are forced against a hardship they cannot overcome they get desperate and act desperate.

Evidently, Raynar was quite upset with how he tried to poke around the issue rather than just come straight out with it. Well better not to evoke a nice feeling then to come off like some insane lunatic, or at least that was Hachiro's approach to it. If Raynar thought he was crazy, then he might not work with him on any project. It was a thought that he would contemplate while Raynar asked his question. Would it mean anything specific if he said, "yes". So he wasn't saying "yes", but Hachiro had the feeling he would have to tread very carefully on these grounds. "Well it would mean that I was right to ask you about them, and that you might be an expert on the matter. As I have no idea, and I'm not keen going alone to find out." He would say, and it was the truth. Hachiro wasn't stupid, if you were going to roll anywhere supernatural he would rather have a wingman. Humans, he could predict somewhat and try to outmaneuver. Supernatural beings that grant you power? He ain't going to deal with that alone or what is in their world alone. He had wandered alone for a long time, but this alternate dimension had him concerned at the very least.

...Wait, so this meant Hachiro knew that those portals existed, but wanted assistance in checking them out. Which suggested the man did not know anything more than that. Ray found that a bit strange. If one could see the portals, it meant they had some power. This would mean the older somehow got it without even seeing a part of the alternate worlds up close yet. That was new. Ray had not known this was possible until now. Maybe he'll have to look into it later. It was something worth poking his nose into.

The problem was, how to respond to this inquiry. Lying about it at this point would be lame, which meant he'd have to go out with it. Even though he was still none the wiser why did Hachiro go for him like this. Ray knew he did not display his powers in any way, so why would the older man assume he knew? That, was still quite the mystery to him. ''In other words, you want an ally, right?'', he would respond in a somewhat curious tone, after a while of silent pondering over the other's words. He would give Hachiro a rather questioning look afterwards. ''One things keeps escaping me still. Why, out of all people did you choose me to ask about this? Was there any reason for you to make such a decision? Unless I'm mistaken, I don't look any less ordinary than anyone else.'' If there was anything bothering him, it was that. He was really wondering weter there was an actual reason behind it, or the man simply made a blind pick. Which would still be baffling. He was risking being called a fool, was he not? On the other hand, Ray realized that he had not given Hachiro a solid answer yet, but honestly he didn't think it was hard to assume what his answer was if he was asking these things. And if not, he figured the older would just try to confirm again. Whichever. At least he wouldn't have to actually say it straight if the other managed to get it. He wasn't a fan of telling complete truths aloud.

Upon hearing the word "ally", Hachiro would pause for a moment. His lack of trust in humans was kicking in, he had "allies" before and they stabbed him in the back. However, Raynar exhibited a sort of caution that Hachiro could appreciate. Chances are Raynar wasn't going to do anything without really thinking it through, which means that if Raynar were to betray him...it would at least be very thought out and not extremely sudden. Well, he had the most favorable situation in front of him, and he'd hate to bring it up only to decline the offer. In fact that would make him come off like a complete moron, so it was better to answer, "Yes, an ally. When I wandered around the world I would try to travel with at least one other person, so we could at least watch each other's backs. I was thinking that doing the same here wouldn't be a bad idea, or so I had hoped. I'm looking for an ally who might know a bit more about those worlds than I do."

When Raynar asked what made him pick the singer out, Hachiro would only chuckle a bit, "I take it you wouldn't believe me if I said, I flipped a coin? To be honest, it was a little of a feeling, or a lucky guess. Course if I was wrong I expected you to call me an idiot or something along those lines. However, the other alternative would be to go into those places alone and wind up not coming back out. I'd rather take my chances being called insane than I would being dead. You only live once, and I have no intentions of dying so soon." Risk dying in an unknown world like some kind of dumb fool? Heck, no that wasn't his style or his plan. He had survived this long and seen some awful things, not to mention how he got his powers. The wanderer had no intentions of surviving this long, only to die because he didn't take a small risk.