Josie leads Firefly to the room off the stage that some of the performers use as a warm-up room. Firefly sees a number of cupboards in the room as well as some hooks for coats. Another door leads out to the main room. Josie walks to one of the cupboards and opens the door to show where the violin is stored and pulls out an old violin case. The case is battered leather perhaps even genuine. The initials L. R. are embossed on the top, but otherwise there is nothing to indicate ownership. Josie turns and hands you the case. He shrugs and smiles. "An old drifter used to pop in here a number of years ago. Maybe six or eight times a year. He was really good with this and treated it much better than he treated himself. Of course, any real musician would do exactly the same. Last time in, he was pretty frail. He could not do as many sets as he used to. I think he was sick. I did not see him leave the last time, but he must have known he was going to die and left the violin here because he knew I would take care of it. Been years and no one has been in for it and no one else has been here that can play it. If you can play it and want it, you can have it. I can even give you the name of a good string man who should be able to help you out in getting it up to the condition it should be in." With that, Josie smiles and leaves the room and you can finish tuning the old violin.
When you go out to the main room to play, Yelena is standing near the door you walk through, her sax in her hand. "Decker girl want jam? Yelena play with?" The two of you can play a bit and Yelena gives you plenty of time to go solo. The Ork drummer wanders back onto the stage after a while and looks for your nod to join you. His easy back beat gives you something else to play against and for a while you lose yourself in the music, forgetting your shyness and even your revenge. The music can be everything, can fix anything. You stretch the instrument to more than it was. Not just you and not just the instrument but both combined. But the instrument reaches the end of what it can do as you feel the D string begin to give and realize that the bow is reaching its limit. You stop to a roar of appreciation from the crowd, and deservedly so.
You turn to thank the drummer and see a Keeb with a guitar and a human at the piano as well. All of them acknowledge your thanks and make to leave the stage. Josie steps up and stops you, motioning for you to stand with him. He calls out to the floor and announces your name, and you get even more applause. After he lets you go, he calls to Yelena, who is packing her sax in its case. Turning to the crowd, Josie says, "My good friend is packing her instrument for the night. Now, many of you are familiar with her song and I am sure that no one wants to let her go without playing it for us." The people at the tables begin standing and calling out to Yelena, who remains bowed over her instrument case for a minute before straightening with the sax in her hands. The crowd goes silent, waiting as one as Yelena moves to the front center of the stage.
Putting her lips to the instrument, Yelena begins to play softly, running through a number of riffs and making herself part of the instrument. And it is more than just music, it is MUSIC, full of heart and soul and she puts everything she is into the playing of it. It had been His song, then Their song, and now it was Her song, and Yelena plays it better than he ever had, even better than they ever had during the years they were together. Subaru can drag her attention from the song enough to see that everyone else in the room is standing, watching, listening. Few eyes are dry as the music stirs emotions and feelings some of the people here have buried deep. The crowd moves closer to the stage as if to hear better and ganger is standing shoulder to shoulder with rival gangers, hated enemies, and not noticing. A large Troll up front raises a right fist in a show of the near-universal symbol of unity, followed by another and another until the room is filled with people making the gesture. Yelena's eyes are closed and her face is as tear streaked as anyone's as she plays the final notes and lowers the sax. She stands silent for a moment then raises her right fist into the air before walking back to place the instrument in its case. Turning, she sees that the people have not moved and returns to the front of the stage. She opens her mouth twice to say something, but nothing comes out. Finally, she is able to softly give thanks and her words seem to break the spell.
People begin to return to their seats and Yelena comes to the booth and sits. She seems drained and washed out as she idly picks at the remains of her dinner. Suddenly, she seems to recover and looks at the other two. "Decker girl play well. Yelena impressed. Crowd like. But maybe should leave. Get ready mission. What think?"
