Hewwo!

( @Alk - That was fast, you commented like 5 seconds after I posted. XD)

(Should I repost here?)

(Sneak sneak eue)

(Yeah, if you guys already replied in the other room, please copypaste them here, since I can't access the other room to see them.)

(Gotcha!)
@Xeno/Rad
Euterpe's ears flattened when she heard that Shepherd had been hit. She didn't want to go out in the open yet, the police intimidated her. She had seen people dressed in strange uniforms before, and generally they weren't nice, as Shepherd had explained once to her. //Did they take him?//

All while this was happening, Euterpe had dropped Marco, who was now behind Stal. He began to bark at Arc as if he too was lecturing him.

(Ok.)
{Dianne looks at Stal with slight animosity}

Dianne: "He speaks the truth. What, would you have preferred he leave the boy in the street to die in order to get to your insignificant gig?"

@Alk/Xeno

Stal's anger dissipated somewhat when he realised what had happened. 'No, of course not,' he said, icy-blue eyes fixing onto Dianne for a moment. 'I'm glad he stopped to help. I just wish he had a dam.ned phone so he could've told us what was happening.'

'Believe me, getting a phone is going to be my number-one priority after this,' said Arc ruefully, scratching the back of his head.

'So, is the guy alright?' Stal asked.

'I think so. He got taken to the hospital, but I don't think he has any serious injuries. He probably just got knocked out cold. I'm guessing we missed the gig?'

Stal shrugged. 'Yeah. Well, I left Pyre, Loch and Gray at the bar with some other band, and I think they were planning to do some songs together for fun... But yes, we missed our chance to perform tonight.'

Shepherd awoke not being able to remember what had happened. His head hurt bad though.
He scanned his surroundings a bit confused as to why how he had gotten there.
Hopping out of bed he went to open the door but it seemed to have been locked.
(Wait do you think they cleaned him? I don't know how hospitals work lol, I wonder if they took his old clothes and stuff.)

(I feel like they probably would've changed him into a hospital gown or something when they examined him for injuries, so he probably wouldn't still be wearing the same clothes as when he got hit. Not an expert though. XD)

(Oo yea, where do you think they took his clothes, he's probably going to want his stuff back lol)

(Yeah, they would take his clothes. It's standard operating procedure for hospitals.)

{Dianne just gave a confused look.}
Dianne: "Wait, they had phones? Why didn't you just borrow mine, and save yourself a haranguing?"

(He'll probably have a doctor/nurse come in and explain what happened and stuff - does somebody else wanna control any hospital NPCs for me? XD)

(I'll give it a shot if no one's opposed. :/)

(Lmao hospital NPCs,
I'll make a go for it if no one else can. :P)

@Xeno

'I don't even know their numbers,' said Arc, looking faintly embarrassed. 'I wouldn't have been able to call them even if I borrowed a phone.'

Stal looked unimpressed (which seemed to be his default facial expression) and looked at Dianne. 'Who are you, by the way?'

( @Alk go for it.)
{Dianne looked Stal over momentarily, before offering her hand.}

Dianne: "My name is Dianne. I'm the owner of The Serpent's Tomb."

( @Xeno sure!)

@Xeno/Alk

Stal looked exasperated by the gesture - being a four-legged dragon, he didn't really see the point of handshakes. Nonetheless, he reached up to grasp Dianne's hand with his clawed paw. 'The Serpent's Tomb? I've heard a lot about your place. It's supposed to be a pretty good music venue... Anyway, I'm Stal, lead singer of rock/metal band The Plague. Arc's our drummer.'

Meanwhile, Arc had noticed Marco barking at him and was looking around curiously to see if the strange dragoness was also lurking around somewhere. He spotted her on the sidelines and decided to call out. 'Hey, everything's fine. Your friend's going to be OK.'

{Dianne shook his claw briefly before glancing at Marco and Euterpe.}

Dianne: "Yes, Arc here has informed me of your...musical talents. We were just on our way to meet the entire group. I generally won't give any bands a chance until I've seen them for myself."

( @Alk, wait, am I the doctor or are you?)

@Xeno

'Huh, really? Well, I don't have a problem with that,' said Stal gruffly, because he was pretty certain that his band was good enough to be allowed in the Serpent's Tomb. 'Let's all head back to the Crow's Eye and meet up with the others, then. Hopefully /before/ Loch gets drunk, because then you probably won't take her seriously at all...' He muttered the last part scornfully under his breath.

Shepherd jumped back as he saw the handle twitch. The door open and a nurse walked in. "What are you doing out of bed?" She scowled.
Shepherd baffled by her demeanor asked what was going on. She kept the explanation short and sweet. "You're lucky that there were peoples there to help. Such a stupid boy running out into the road like that."

"If you ask me it's like you were asking to get killed now get back in bed!" She said firmly.

"Uh, yea,,, do you know when I can leave? And where are my clothes." He asked.

"You'll get your things once everything has been assessed." She muttered, and after that she gave him something for the pain then left. Though she didn't leave until he was back in bed.

(You can take over if you like, you might have a better idea on how to handle them. gdbffv)

(Pff, I love grumpy doctor characters. XD)

@Xeno/Rad
Euterpe just glared at Dianne and Arcfire while Marco continued barking. She seemed to have been reserving some judgment on the situation.
Marco gave up after he realized they weren't giving him the attention he wanted, and turned to run back towards the dragoness.

(Someone's gotta lecture him, lol :P
Grumpy doctor characters are great x'D )

( @Alk, I'll control a doctor. How's that?)

Dianne: "Very well, lead the way."

(Sure! You gonna comment next or do you want me to do something with Shepherd first? Maybe he tries to climb out the window lol)

@Xeno/Alk

Stal immediately set off, not sparing Euterpe a glance as he left. 'OK, while we're walking there, let me give you a quick rundown of my band members. You've met me and Arc, but we also have three other people. First, there's Gray, our bass guitarist. He's really good, but not social whatsoever.'

Arc lingered for a moment, eyeing Marco and Euterpe. 'Err... sorry, guess we have to go... I'm sure your friend will be fine.' Awkwardly, he hurried off in pursuit of Stal and Dianne.

( @Alk Lol yea, do that.)

{Dianne looked back at the dragoness and her dog as she walked.}

Dianne: "Your friend should be at the East Caelum General Hospital. You should probably go check on him."

@Xeno
As soon as the nurse left Shepherd hopped out bed and headed for the window. If he could jusr sneek to a lower level and get his things quickly then he could work on reuniting with Euterpe and hopefully find Marco.

@Xeno/Rad
Euterpe frowned. "Do you know what roads I should take? I'm not familiar with this land."

{As Shep approached the window, a doctor entered the room, looking at a clipboard.}

Doctor: "Ok, kid, looking at this, you took a-Hey! Get away from there! Do you want to get hurt again?"

Shepherd cringed for a moment before jumping away from the window. "Uh, no no! I was,,, just getting some fresh air??? It's stuffy in here sir."

* @Xeno

{Dianne turns back and speaks to Euterpe again effectively holding up the group.}

Dianne: "Walk up the street, and take a right at the first intersection you get to. Keep walking down that street until you see a tall building with a red cross. Got that, hon'?"

"Yeah, right."

{The doctor replies grumpily.}

"Get back into bed, boy. Now, look, you got hit by a car and we're uncertain of the extent of the damage you've sustained. However, given how active you are, I think you're going to be ok."

@Xeno/Alk

Stal stopped a little way ahead of Dianne, clearly impatient and wanting to reach their destination, but also not really wanting that strange dragoness to be lost without directions. He knew how confusing Caelum City could be to those who were unfamiliar with it.

@Xeno
"Um alright, I feel fine though can I go now? You really don't have to worry about me." Shepherd said assuringly.

@Xeno/Rad

"Yeah,, I think... Th-thank you." She barely managed the last part, talking to strangers wasn't really her thing. She felt better about it when Shepherd was around.
Shortly after that she bounded up the street, but came back to pick up Marco who was attempting to follow Dianne and the others.

(I'm probably going to wait until I can get Draco to reply again before letting Stal and Dianne reach the bar, since I want to progress with the little thing happening in there first. So they'll just have to have a long walk there. XD)

@Xeno

As soon as Euterpe was gone, Stal continued walking. 'Where was I? Oh yeah, I was just talking about the rest of the band...'

(alrighty )

(Sorry, I had to make dinner, and now I’m eating dinner. I’ll reply soon.)

(Dinner good nom nom)

(It's fine, I'm going to bed now so I'm not gonna reply for a few hours anyway. XD)

(Yeah, so, the Stella I mentioned is already a character of mine. I’m going to make a simplified ref for her with an updated description.)

(Nice! That'll be cool to see :eyes:)

@Alk
{Dianne chuckles when Euterpe retrieves Marco. She then follows Stal listening intently.}

Doctor: "It's my job to worry..."

{He grumbles.}

Doctor: "We need to make sure you don't have a concussion. I can't legally discharge you until then."

( @Xeno - Ooh nice! I'm looking forward to seeing it.)

Stal continued to walk briskly along, lost in thought about his band. 'OK, so, we also have Loch, our electric guitarist. She's a pain in the a.ss and she'll probably be drunk when we get there, but she's OK. And then we have Pyre, our keyboard player. He's... hard to describe. But he's good at his job.'

Stal paused to think.

'Anyway, that's all of them. Hopefully you'll consider us good enough to play at your place.'

(Booo, I have to walk to class soon >:Y But I have time to reply rn)
@Xeno
Shepherd frowned but conceded, considering he didn't have much of a choice. "Oh alright.... How long will that be?"

{Dianne smiles slightly.}

Dianne: “Honestly, I just check to make sure bands that come in aren’t absolute degenerates. You’d be surprised how many people we used to get demanding a show, taking questionable substances, and harassing the staff.”

@Alk
“It’ll be quicker if you behave.”

{The doctor says grumpily.}

“Although, I need to ask you some questions. When you were found unconscious, nobody knew your name, or where your parents were. Can you tell me either of those things? Why is a kid like yourself alone in the streets?”

@Xeno

Stal snorted. 'Yeah, heard of bands like that. We see them sometimes in the Crow's Eye and other places that obviously don't have such strict regulations. Glad to hear that you actually check the people who come in.'

Dianne: “Hey, I’m trying to run a respectable establishment here. I can’t let low lives and miscreants have their run of the place, know what I’m saying? I’m glad to hear that your band isn’t going to be a problem.”

@Xeno
Shepherd almost choked at that amount of questions. He didn't know what to tell the doctor, or even if it was a good idea to say the full truth.
"I'm a foreigner from overseas, there was a storm-and well you can guess the rest." It wasn't quite a lie, they had experienced a few storms before arriving to Caelum, he just left the end up to interpretation.
Shepherd felt kind of bad lying to the doctor, they seemed nice, but there was no knowing what would follow next exactly. He just hoped the doctor wouldn't pressure him for more answers.

@Xeno

'Yeah, my people can be rowdy sometimes, but that's what you'd expect from a rock band. I won't let them go overboard... What bands have you had at your place recently?'

Stal considered every other band in Caelum to be his competition. All of them were fighting for fame in the city, and he wanted to rise above them all. If he was actually going to play at the Serpent's Tomb, then he wanted to know what bands the crowd there was used to seeing. He wanted to know what he was up against.

{The doctor raised a brow at this explanation.}

“Hold on, you’re from overseas? What country? On what boat did you arrive? Do you have any identification? Do your parents know you’re here?”

(Hmm I think I need more characters in this, I need people who aren't all part of the same group. XD)

(Lol, well, that didn’t go your way, did it, Shep?)

( @Radiant Should I just make up some band names?)

( @Xeno - Yeah sure, there are tons of bands in the city so you can just make up as many random names as you want.)

(There's also a few NPC bands I already thought up, so I'll drop their names here once I can find the list I wrote for them all.)

( @Radiant Ok, thanks.)

{Dianne took a moment to remember, looking to the sky in thought.}

Dianne: “Well...Stella mostly handles this stuff, but off the top of my head...Pentakill, Velocirazor, Tenfold Prophets, and...Deluge, I think they were called...Yeah, the genres we have are heavily rock, metal, and blues.”

(He's screwed lol x'D)

( @Alk Lol, XD)

Shepherd swallowed and was silent for a moment. "Lost it all at sea sir, and no I'm not sure they do, I can't recall the name of the ship either... I didn't think it'd be important."

(For a moment I feaked, I thought colors devoured my comment lmao)

@Xeno

A hint of concern flickered across Stal's face, though he tried to hide it. //Damn, some of those guys are pretty popular in certain areas... And barely anyone knows who we are yet.// But maybe, he thought, this was a golden opportunity to change that. Maybe if The Plague performed there, they would catch the eye of hundreds... but he couldn't stop the feeling of doubt creeping up on him.

'You ever had Red Giant at your place?' he asked offhandedly. Red Giant was one of the most popular rock bands in East Caelum at the moment, a rock band consisting of four vampires and one human.

{The doctor didn’t look convinced. He clicked his pen, in preparation to write.}

Doctor: “So, you mean to tell me that you were shipwrecked? And you cannot recall the name of your ship, country, or parents? Am I correct?”

{Dianne squinted in thought.}

Dianne: “Red Giant...sound vaguely familiar. I think so. Why do you ask?”

(I can't stop imagining Euterpe just... smashing through the hospital window to rescue Shep from this situation)

( @Radiant And just after I read that, Bad Moon Rising just came on my iPod lmao.)

@Xeno
"I'm not super familiar with the geography sir. I'm from a large northern island if that helps?" Shepherd avoid eye contact this time and tensed as the doctor began clicking the pen.

@Xeno

Stal shrugged, trying to appear cool and unconcerned.

'Eh, no reason. I just know they're a pretty popular band around here.' //And our biggest competition,// he thought viciously. Red Giant's style of music was similar to The Plague's, and they had WAY more fans. 'They've played nearly every venue in E.C., so I assumed they must've played at your place before.'

(Lol rip Shepherd fjgjg
And yea she might if she knew which room he was in.
But she's also very co-dependent on Shep, and is terrible at taking the initiative, err well at least. x'D
She also can't fly and possibly doesn't want to cause another stirr. I'm imagining her just sitting infront of the building with a very tensed scrunched up face lmao. xD )

(mmm dependent is probably the better word, poor Shep has to keep both her and his dog from breaking everything lol)

(RIP both Shepherd and Euterpe)

(I also just love how this doctor is completely throwing off Shep, it's funny. B)) )

(Where is Draco btw? :P
I wanna see band chaos >:D )

(I've been pestering her IRL to reply, she keeps forgetting about it. XD)

(lol, sibs always be forgetting their jobs kfbggyjf bc x'D)

{The doctor just looked bewildered.}

Doctor: “...C’mon, kid, no one’s that clueless. Why are you so reluctant to talk to me? I just want to help, but I can’t unless I have all the information.”

{Dianne looks right at Stal, picking up on his jealousy.}

Dianne: “Yeah, they’re popular, but they’re not exactly worldwide yet. Still, the patrons seem to like it.”

@Xeno
Shepherd bit his lip. "Yeah I guess so,,," This was getting old and this doctor was just way too nosey. There was another moment of silence before he spoke up again. "Uhm, you know it'd really help if you could let me go? Like I said I'm fine, they're won't be anymore running in the streets, I promise?" With that he gave the doctor an awkward smile.

@Xeno

'If they like Red Giant, then they'll like us too,' Stal growled. 'We put a ton of work into our stuff. We've only been together for a while, but we've already written twelve completely original songs, /and/ we do cover songs sometimes too. We have a lot of potential. We're just waiting for everyone to see it.'

(Listen to the man, he wants his songs heard.)

(He is very competitive
And a perfectionist
And terrified that he'll never be successful)

(Ohno :0000 )

(double ohno, my 3ds crashed rightbas I was about to save :(

{The doctor rubs his eyes in an exasperated manner. He then pulls up a chair and speaks to Shep in a dead serious tone.}

Doctor: "Look, kid, if you were a legal adult, you could walk out of here anytime you'd like. But, you being a minor and me being a mandated reporter, I can't legally let you go without a legal guardian. If you don't have one, then I'll need to get the police involved. If you're a refugee from another country, then I need to inform the proper organisations so you're not out starving and freezing in the street. So, if you really want to get out of here as soon as possible, I'm going to need your full cooperation. Do you understand?"

{Dianne just chuckles.}

Dianne: "Quite ambitious, aren't you? And jealous from the sound of it."

.: Ozzy nodded, not making any kind of vocal response. Bumble squealed and gave the ferret-man an uncomfortably tight hug, grinning up at him.

"You'll do great, Ozzy! You always do great!" she encouraged him. He gave her a small appreciative smile, patted her fluffy head, then gently pushed her off.

"I'll watch, then?" Terry spoke up, running his fingers through his wing-feathers. "Until Stal gets back..." :.

@Xeno

'I'm not jealous,' Stal growled. 'I'm just after the same thing every band in this dam.n city wants. Success and recognition.'

@Draco

'I'm sure he'll be back soon,' said Loch. 'Then you guys can perform properly and we'll watch.' She leapt out of her seat, pushing her empty drink glass away and hurrying towards the stage. 'Bill! We're playing for ten minutes before Clockwork Dove goes up!'

The bartender, Bill, just sighed and nodded.

Loch, Pyre and Gray climbed onto the stage and quickly set up their instruments, with Loch positioning herself in front of the microphone stand. 'Everyone doing good?' she called out, and several of the people watching them cheered. She grinned and glanced at Ozzy to see if he was ready. 'This song's called 'Amethyst Sunrise'.'

Dianne: “Ok, pal, whatever you say. “

{She says, sounding amused.}

“Let’s just go talk to your band, see how they are.}

@Xeno
Shepherd got quiet after the he realized talking would do no good. He started to fiddling with his fingers as he difted off into thought.

Just outside the building were Euterpe and Marco. The dragoness stood off the the side near some neatly arranged shrubbery. She stood there and squinted and the building, baffled on what to do.
Marco barked, revealing his impatients.
"Shut up! I'm thinking! No I don't think we can waltz right in there" Euterpe snapped.
Just then someone wandered out with a couple bags, most likely trash for the dumpster that sat near the hospital.

Euterpe grabbed Marco and rolled into an area where she couldn't be seen. She covered the muzzle of the dog so he wouldn't bark.
"Look see! That must be one of guards. They're everywhere see? We have to think about this careful." She said this with an unusually scrunched up face.

{After realizing that Shepherd wasn’t going to cooperate, the Doctor just sighs and stands.}

Doctor: “Well, if you won’t talk to me, this will take exponentially longer. Suit yourself, kid.”

(Oh yeah, just an fyi, I won’t be around Friday though Monday. I’m going on a field trip.

( @Xeno - Aw OK, I'll post a new room on Saturday anyway and we'll just continue through the week.)

@Xeno

Stal said nothing in response but quickened his pace, finally reaching the site of the Crow's Eye bar. It was a fairly large building, with the bar/music area on the ground floor and a small inn on the second floor where people could stay the night.

He stepped through the doors, squinting around suspiciously. '...Oh, well, there's the rest of my band,' he said, indicating the stage where Loch, Pyre and Gray were about to start playing with Ozzy. 'The ferret guy's apparently from some other band; they're hanging out with him.'

(I might be spotty too, got an exam friday so I'm going to be focusing on that mostly)

( @Alk - Good luck with the exam! :D
I expect most people to be getting busier now that it's not the holidays anymore, so we'll just make progress with this whenever we can, it's not a problem to me.)

{Dianne looked to the stage, squinting at the people about to play.}

Dianne: "He's from Clockwork Dove. I've heard about them. Never hosted 'em, I don't think."

@Xeno

Stal stepped further into the bar, finding a good place that wasn't too crowded to sit and watch the band. 'I'd never heard of them until tonight. That guy must have a lot of confidence, trying to play a song he's probably never even heard before.' Even though he was sort of praising Ozzy, his tone was reluctant. He might not know Clockwork Dove, but if they were any good, then he would consider them competition, like almost every other band.

{Dianne sat at the table with Stal, watching his band. She inconspicuously glanced over at the bartender, looking to see if she had been noticed. Being the owner of a rival bar, Dianne did not want to be recognized, especially when every other bar in the city was jealous of her exclusive liquors.}

(Ty! I hope it goes well :000 )

@Xeno

From up on the stage, only Gray had noticed Stal's presence; the dragonman nodded inconspicuously in greeting before returning his attention to the band.

Impatient as he waited for them to start playing, Stal slid a glance towards Dianne. 'You look shifty. Don't want the bartender to see you? That's probably a good idea,' he snorted. 'He wouldn't be happy. Some of his regular customers stopped coming here after they tried the so-called exclusive stuff your place sold. To say he's salty would be an understatement. Can't say I care about liquor myself.'

{Dianne just shrugs.}
Dianne: “Yeah, I’d rather he not notice me. Not that I’m afraid of him or anything, but I don’t think he’d take kindly to me taking a musical asset as well as his customer base. And I’d rather not have to cause a scene.”