Page 12 of Rock Giant
Eloise laughed at him.“I’m in a soon to be muddy field that looks exactly the same as every other muddy field I’ve ever had the pleasure of occupying, how do you think?”
“Bloody awesome.”
“Bloody awesome,” she returned in a deadpan tone, before they both cracked smiles.
“And you E?”He winced even as he asked, afraid of the answer.That night, two years gone, was forever etched into his brain.The dark shadow of Xane’s body silhouetted against the night sky; her limp body cradled in his arms.The two of them soaked through and her as pale as if she’d been drained dry.An involuntary shiver tickled his spine.Hard not to recall how clammy she’d felt, or to hear the insistentdrip…drip…dripof the water.The noise had been due to the water falling off their clothes, but his brain, then and now, said otherwise.
She stuck her tongue out at him, before wrapping her tiny sprite-like form about his person again.Warm and very much alive.He was pleased to see she’d gone blonde again, and was rocking some colours, be they rather autumnal tones.In fact, she seemed to be leaning into the hedge witch aesthetics.It was different to what he’d grown used to, harkened back to a time before Black Halo, before the gothic aesthetics took over, when they were just kids, and he hadn’t felt like there were brambles between them.But she looked better for it, and that he liked.The last few times they’d met in person, she’d resembled a walking corpse, but there was a blush of colour in her cheeks now, and her smile was honest and broad.“I’m good, Paul.”
“Good.It’s fucking good to see you, E.”He gave her another squeeze, emotions still conflicted.
Eloise coughed.
Prompting him to amend his remark.“It’s fucking good to see both of you.”
“You’ve been missed.We thought you’d have made it to Mayfest at least, after you failed to show your face last Christmas.”
And there it was, the scrape of thorns and the reminder that he hadn’t been doing his duty.There’d just been such a lot on.Things to contend with; Spook’s disappearance, his return, and them then being holed up to record their latest album.
“You know how it is.”
“I do.You’re avoiding us.”
“As if.”
She gave him a stern look that said,ha, you don’t fool me, but at least she didn’t go all prosecuting lawyer on him and make him stage a defence.
Elspeth linked arms with him, prompting Eloise to claim his other arm, which wasn’t comfortable for any of them, given he was tall, and they were both titchy.He wriggled out of their holds and looped his arms around their shoulders instead.They all started strolling because standing still at a festival was never a good idea.Someone always asked you for something, offered you something, or else you sank up to your shins.Lyra saw them and shook her head.He guessed he was living up to the rock star stereotype, at least to an outside observer.The dew was barely dry, and he already had a girl on each arm.Shame that he had no intention of ever banging either of them.They were practically his sisters.
“How are they all, or shouldn’t I ask?”Elspeth ventured after a few paces.She didn’t look at the Black Halo bus parked behind them, but he knew who she was enquiring about.
“Why shouldn’t you ask?”While it was true that she hadn’t departed the band on the best of terms, they’d still been her friends, her family for years.“They’re good.Not gonna lie, things were rough for a while, but they’re good now.”The major turning point had come at the end of February, and then again as the Beltane fires burned.“It’s all become weirdly settled and domestic.”
“All coupled and throupled up, so I’ve heard.”
Precisely.He gave a nod.It was on the tip of his tongue to say that she’d started the settling down trend, but he didn’t want to bring a blight upon the moment by reminding her of her loss.She and Steve had been married barely five days before his tragic death, and this was the first time he’d seen her and thought she might eventually climb out from under the blanket of grief that had been smothering her ever since.
“At least you’re still reliably nomadic and unattached.”
He cocked a brow.
“Oh, come off it.Don’t try that shit with me, Paul Reed.I know you.And what would I do if you were pre-occupied with some other lass?”
“E, I love you, but…”
She cackled, and dug a pointy elbow into his middle, before straining onto tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek.He still had to lean forward obligingly for her to manage it.“I’m pulling your leg, mate, and you know it.Also, you need to shave.You’ve a chin like sandpaper.”She hooked her arm around his again, making it difficult for him to test his bristliness.
“Where we going?”he asked after a moment or two.They seemed to be steering him, subtly, but purposefully, towards the opposite end of the band enclosure.There were fewer big buses at this end of the field and more tents nestled between the trees.Numerous people nodded to them as they passed by.He recognised a lot of old-timers from his parent’s generation, which honestly was a little odd, this being a rock festival and his mum and dad traditional folkies.
He nodded at guys from a few other bands and exchanged a passing hand slap with Mikey Ruin of Wrath & Ruin who he’d met while touring with Ronnie the previous year.The bit that struck him as really odd were the number of young kids hanging around.Most of them on phones, a few kicking a ball around.He’d always toured with his parents, but that wasn’t usual.
“Where did all the kiddies come from?”he asked.
Eloise gave a tut.“Didn’t your mummy and daddy explain about the birds and bees to you?”
Honestly, they hadn’t.There’d never been a need.He’d been surrounded by people and animals his whole life.Seemed there was more than a little bit of domesticity going on outside of Black Halo too.Then again, the rock business wasn’t the same scene it’d been in the past.The rebelliousness of it largely quashed by the men in suits.It was all about bleeding as much money out of a song or artist as you could these days.The decline in the number of new bands coming through or even being signed being the most depressing indicator of that fact.The industry would rather deal with individual artists than bands, much easier to negotiate with one person than five guys with often contradictory views, and use samples, computers, and session musicians for the rest.
“They’re the result of getting laid.You remember what that is, right, big guy?”Elspeth said.
