Sold Out!

[Methos]

There was a day and age when Methos would have done little preparation for a concert. There was also a day and age when Methos was young and spry and not age worn - or worn from having a child. He loved Chris who was happily hanging out in his dressing room with Bradley and Kay. The little one wasn't quite so little anymore. The past two years had shown much progress in the growing of a little boy from a toddler they had adopted.

Troy and Bev were in the arena setting up - doing their thing with this new fathomed magic he'd known about for a few years now. The world was just finding out. Methos was half tempted to bring Troy up on stage and preform some of his spectacular scenes with the crowd but he wasn't sure it would be well received. And Troy wasn't exactly a showman. It had taken Methos months of cajoling to get Troy to do the pyrotechnics from backstage.

Bev on the other hand took little to convince - she was a music major and knew exactly what Methos had been looking for. It was the perfect team. But did he want to tell the world? That was his big question.

But he had had to put that aside when it came time to warm up. Dancing and singing might look easy, but it hardly was. Methos had to warm up his voice and his body before even stepping foot on the stage. And both were getting more difficult with age.

And that wasn't even the icing on the cake - he still had to pick an outfit for the night. He was looking for something to be proud of - something that said the world was changing and with it so was Methos. He even planned on debuting a new single - he hadn't told Bradley yet or Kay for that matter. But the band knew his plans - everyone but his fans and the two closest to him. Methos loved to surprise people.

The show tonight was sold out - it had sold out quickly. Kay said there was some sort of glitch in the system and a couple dozen VIP tickets got oversold. Really wasn't that big of a deal. The more the merrier Methos thought... and he was Methos at the moment - Adam was still wishing he was in bed with his husband and son waking up from an excellent nights rest in a great city and a great hotel. But tonight was about Methos - and he didn't regret it one once. He loved to be him.

[Jay Carpenter]

Yep. Moscow was everything Danjou said it would be. That is, boring as hell. He was in the one place in the whole world Jay thought he'd never see. But so far, the best part of Moscow had been the airport. Everything since then had been the inside of a car or the house of the former french ambassador. That's not to say it all wasn't a welcome change from Africa. Sleeping in an actual bed with an actual pillow was likely to make the return to ground all the harder of a transition, but might as well take it while you can.

So when the word loaded on his duty app that he had leave until 0900 tomorrow, Jay was estatic. He changed into civilian clothes, a black v-neck t shirt, jeans, and threw on his favorite jacket, a green, alpha industries military jacket, and practically bolted out the door.

First instinct was to call Natalie. The note she snuck him the last time they were together burned holes in his pockets. He was in the middle of sending her a message when something popped up on his Wallet, a message from Danjou's assistant.

'If you want one.' was all it read.

He nipped out of the way of a gaggle of pedestrians on the sidewalk and opened the rest.

Concert tickets? The hell?

He stood there blinking at the digital stub. Again, never in his life did he think he would have a shot at going to a Methos concert. Let alone in Moscow.

"Oh I am definitely going to this."
He grinned and slipped the Wallet into one of the secure pockets lining his jacket, turned up the collar to brace the wind against the back of his neck, and trudged into the night.

[Jay Carpenter]

The concert was sold out. The arena was absolute chaos outside. Jay pushed his way through hawkers and was pretty sure he may have been offered a million dollars for his ticket at one point by a girl that looked about fourteen and definitely shouldn't have that kind of money, but by the stern look of the private security guard at her shoulder, Jay wondered if she had been exaggerating or not. He gave the guy a nod and waved her off, hands up where the guard could see him. "Shouldn't you be at home doing homework or something?'
He asked of her, as he carefully disentangled the pre-teen from clutching at his arm. She practically sniffed and turned elsewhere. The guard turned as well, and neither saw when Jay walked into the shoulder of a hulky beast of a man.

With bright red dyed hair and powdered white face, he looked like a clown, or maybe a goth clown, as his lips were almost tinted black and the eyes rimmed with some sort of makeup. The man down right snarled. Jay, immediately aware of the trajectory of the man's hands, quickly put space between them and nodded. "Relax, buddy. Just an accident. If you're hard up, that girl was offering a fortune for a ticket,"
he laughed.

Jay pointed at the back of the preteen's head. The red head swiveled and started to walk toward her like he actually considered selling his ticket. Jay shrugged and headed for the gates. At least he didn't get in a fist fight in the parking lot. That was one victory so far. Hate to have to deal with that kind of paperwork later. Nor stand around and keep the hulking hot head contained until police showed up. This was suppose to be his night off dammit.

Sure as shit, the ticket was legit. He was inside soon enough and walking the perimeter. Soon enough, he had a beer in one hand and a bag of popcorn in the other. Corn fed Iowa boy and all that. And pushed his way toward his seat. Fourth row. Damn. Maybe his ticket was worth a million bucks.

[Sage]

Nox had spent a few hours talking with his friend. He had made enough food to feed an army while he did it. He just kept on making food like he was nervous. He never looked completely at ease but he felt better. Sage only wished he could help. But he had an idea - he knew from Nox's play list he liked Methos and while the concert was sold out - Sage knew how to fix that.

And that was what he did. But he didn't just give it to his friends, he sent a few VIP passes to Jacques men and women on leave with him. They deserved it. He sent a few out to random people who already had tickets too. Methos was always the more the merrier so he knew the rockstar wouldn't mind. And Sage was certain he wouldn't get caught. He was a lot better than Bryan.

He had 5 tickets. He was gonna drag Cruz along too, so it didn't look like he was doing Nox a favor. The man needed to relax. Nightmares shouldn't be permanent like he'd found his friends to be.

Sage had to convince Cruz to come. But he seemed amendable once he realized where they were sitting and it was free. However, Elyse didn't want to go. She gave Sage a vague reason. Nox didn't really seam to care, one way or another if his girlfriend went. It was odd. Sage shrugged it off while he got ready in his room. It might even be fun with just the two of them, though Cruz was coming too.

Sage knocked on Nox's door. "Hurry up."

[Nox]

The last time Nox had gone to a Methos concert he'd come home and his Dad had shaved his head. There was a lot more to it than that, but Nox didn't really think about it too much. For some reason he'd had strange dreams since Sage told him about the concert. Weird things that felt like memories, but Nox didn't really remember them.

But it didn't matter he wasn't going dressed like that. He pulled on a pair of jeans and normal t-shirt. Nothing to stand out. Nothing to look like something his father had hated.

Sage knocked on the door. "Come on in."
Elyse didn't want to go she said something about training or not sleeping or something. She didn't want to go - he didn't care. He'd had plenty of things to think about the least of which was why his girlfriend didn't want to come. Aria's news. The fact that she knew he knew Dane. Dane's desire to duel.

All Nox wanted was a day to be normal and Sage provided that. It wasn't a day but a night out anyway. They had an extra VIP ticket, not that No wanted to sell it but they could. Sage said he'd just give it away.

Sage came in in just a simple garb and Nox was thankful for that. "Cruz is ready. You good? We are going to miss the train."


Nox nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. A memory of doing the same thing with another pair of hazel eyes staring at him "Sure Jaden."


Nox shook his head and the memories faded and his hacker friend just stared at him in confusion. "I'm ready, let's go."


We went to the arena. It was large and there were a lot of people milling around and waiting to get inside. Nox noticed a red headed man lingering around. He looked at Nox with bright blue eyes and Nox shivered. He didn't like that look. Why the fuck did everything have to be about monsters.

Sage tapped him on the shoulder and they moved around to the side where the VIP passes could get in. They didn't have front row tickets which Nox liked.. Craning his neck to see the whole stage sucked. Fourth row was pretty good. He was impressed. Sage had done well.

They were still a little early, well plenty early. Nox bought a beer and Sage lead them to their seats. The arena was pretty filled already. Nox sat in the first of their available seats, he noticed a teenage girl a few rows in front of them. The man he'd seen earlier was right there with her. Damn... Things were getting creepier by the minute.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. There were several glowing weaves placed strategically around the arena. Nox was looking around in awe. He tried to figure out what the weaves did. Where the a hazard? Part of the show?

[Jay Carpenter]

Jay lounged in his seat while the preshow was set up. Folks filed in on either side, and he kept an eye out for guys that looked like they could handle themselves. There were two rich looking Russians in the row ahead of him, three seats to the left that gave him the stink eye as they passed. Jay grinned and lifted his glass in return. The two smirked, exchanged words in Russian, chuckled and spent the next ten minutes ignoring him.

Then there was an older guy, upper 50's, who would fit in at a biker bar. He wore leather head to toe, shaved his ead, tattoos, and Jay even gave the one on the back of his scalp a thorough examination since it was genuinely interesting.

But nobody looked like genuine threats. Oh they could do some damage definitely, and more so when tempers were lost or egos bruised, but the real danger was in someone like teenie bopper's body guard. Another one was standing near a pair of rich looking identical twin girls that had taken over the front row. The body guard had his own seat, but the hawk-like focus in his eye told Jay he had zero interest in the concert. He wore a suit, one that fit loose enough to conceal all kinds of weapons. Though most, of not all, of those had been confiscated at the gates. If he was anything like the private security Jay heard about in Moscow, like that Pervaya Ilenya company, his hands were just as dangerous as any edged weapon. Probably former military too. They had a look about them. Jay understood the temptation to join the private sector. So no judgement from him. In fact, he gave the idea merit last year when he suddenly found himself up shit creek without a paddle. That's how he knew of Pervaya, researching options. A few places tried to recruit him. But it had been the Legion where he found a home. Something about the cause made risking his life seem worthwhile. More than saving ritzy teenagers anyway. If he was going to die, dammit it would be for at least a half way decent reason.

So, he kept an eye on his surroundings but for the most part enjoyed the solitude of the overhead music, set up, and beer. In fact, he was tossing popcorn in his mouth when more guys joined his row.

He scoped them out like he had the others. First guy looked about half Jay's weight soaking wet, and about as tough as a drowned rat. They can bite, but nothing a good kick couldn't handle. Second guy looked scrappy. Kind of like a street tough bloke. But it wasn't his physique that caught Jay's attention, though he was definitely in the kind of shape to kick ass if he knew what he was doing.

It was the fact that he was sizing up their surroundings just like Jay. He saw the red head hulk, gathered surroundings, exits, entrances, threats, maybe even the vulnerable-apparently preteen girl managed to buy a ticket.

Jay followed his line of sight to the stage where he was fixated on something. Frowning, he reexamined it for himself. It all seemed normal. What was he seeing?

He pulled his feet off the chair in front of him, sat up, set the popcorn aside.

"Hey. What is it?"
He kicked a nod toward the stage, growing vaguely concerned.

[Nox]

Cruz saw what he was looking at, and he was watching Nox. Nox could feel his friend looking at him with concern. He didn't understand the weaves any better than he did. If he wanted to know what they were he'd have to get closer to see, but that wasn't likely to happen right now.

A man sitting next to him eating popcorn and lounging with his feet up sat up abruptly and leaned forward. He asked what was wrong. Nox lost in his own disecting of the weaves answered without thinking. "There is a lot of firepower up on stage. Not sure what it does or if it's dangerous. But the crew is side stepping it like they know it's there but they can't see it. I know they can't."


Nox looked at him and grinned. "I'm crazy. Don't mind me."
He winked leaning back against the chair and looked up at the aurora borealis that flitted across the ceiling and pointed up. "Let me guess, you see pretty lights, greens and blues mostly, a little pink mixed in."
Nox smiled as he explained. "I see a little more than that."
Nox sat forward again and hunched over. Nox called over his shoulder to Cruz. "Hey watch."
Nox wove the air and fire that made up the lights above. It was a pretty simple thing really. The small aurora borealis was only there for a moment. Sage was shaking his head. Cruz laughed. "Do you ever stop?"

Nox shook his head. "Whatever I can learn."


Nox looked back to the guy sitting next to him and smiled. "There is this up there, but I don't know what it does, it's just sitting there waiting. I'm going to assume it's something they know about, but I don't trust fireworks. There are way too many innocents here."



Edited by Nox, Jan 28 2017, 08:36 PM.

[Jay Carpenter]

Jay's face was blank. Probably a little dumbfounded, even. The guy explained but it made no earthly sense to Jay. He scratched his hair and looked at the fellows nearby like maybe they could translate to no avail.

Then their gazes were drawn to the ceiling. The lighting was cool, Jay gave it that. About the best tech he'd ever seen at a concert. If not ever seen, period.

But then the guy went quiet for a moment. His face darkened like he was concentrating or maybe like he was pissed off. A weird sort of look that made the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He'd seen that same look before.

A few moments later, lights identical to the stage tech shimmered above the man's palm. Jay didn't hear the laughter. His face drew down serious. His spine stiffened. But he met the man's smile with a thin one of his own. "You're one of those wizards I 've see-- heard about."
He changed the phrase at the last minute.

Well that was awkward. Jay looked at the other two in the guy's company, wondering if they were wizards also. "I know a guy thats a wizard too. Or whatever you call yourself? Your Ascendancy seems to call your kind gods."
He shrugged. Pretty much all the same to him.

[Sage]

The people in their general vicinity were people Sage had given tickets to. At least that's what he had hoped, but really it didn't matter. Seats were seats and the show was bound to be good.

Nox went first making everything was safe for Cruz. Not that he could keep him safe from everything. But that was how he made the money right? Sage doubted Cruz needed a babysitter with Dorian still a-okay with the Atharim. Nox too for the most part - or so Aria had said. No one knew their traitorness. Though Nox was hardly keeping his secret quiet when he absently answered the guy sitting next to him.

Sage was going to smack his friend, but Nox was a big boy and could handle himself.

He liked to show off. Cruz watched and Sage still wished he could see the things they did. Hell held be happy to have his computer to analyze things better, but no - Nox had taken that away a few days ago and had refused to give it back. Sage had pillaged his room looking for it. Not that Nox owned much of anything to disturb but he'd pillaged none-the-less.

But it was the man's reaction to Nox's use of his power. He called him a wizard. Sage burst into laughter. Uncontrollable, loud laughter that was the reception of annoyed looks. The image of Nox in robes and a pointed hat with a graying beard made Sage laugh even more.

"Dude!"
Sage chocked out. He elbowed Nox and tried to calm down. "You. Shall. Not. Pass."
Sage could so see Nox saying that - if ever watched TV that is. Cruz was chuckling next to him. He at least thought Sage was funny.

[Nox]

The curious man called him a wizard and it resulting in Nox covering his other ear as Sage burst into laughter. Nox turned to watch his friend lose his shit over a simple word. Nox had to admit it was kinda funny. He wasn't a wizard though, he wasn't anything but himself.

Sage quoted a movie but Nox didn't understand it much beyond it was a quote and Cruz was laughing as well. Nox rolled his yes. He elbowed Sage in the ribs and his laughter was caught off with an yelp "Ow. Nox, dammit."


"I didn't hit you that hard."
Sage was lifting hi shirt and there was a bruise blooming. "We are gonna have to talk to the doc about that. I didn't hit you that hard."


Sage sighed. "I know."


Nox turned back to the curious fellow again with a grin. "Don't mind them. I'm not a wizard though I guess that's how it could be described if you didn't know what it was."
Nox shrugged. He didn't want to tell the man about what he thought about the whole god thing. He wasn't one of them either. But it was what he believed. "It seems we are cropping up all over the place now. And Ascendancy's announcement isn't going to make it any easier to stay hidden."


"I suppose with the stuff up there. There is little to worry about the stuff up on stage."
Nox grinned. "Don't worry I'll protect all my squishy friends"


The lights started to dim and the aurora borealis looked brighter. The stage was dark and the music started slowly the show was about to begin. Nox took note of the man from earlier and turned his attention to the stage. He didn't like the dark and creepy people standing around. "So wish that dude didn't have to sit here."