Page 36 of Matthew

“Great job, Matt. Beautiful playing, beautiful singing, beautiful song! Let him hear it, folks. You can say you saw him get his start when he becomes too famous for the likes of this little club.”

Dipping his head so his hair fell over his face, Matt waved again and hurried off. Kom and his clanmates rushed to the back of the stage, unable to wait for him to join them so they could congratulate him.

“Can you believe it? They liked me!” The precious Martin was still slung at Matt’s waist, or Kom would have scooped him up to hug him.

“They didn’t like you. They loved you.” Masok was nearly shouting in his excitement.

“You were incredible,” Avir added.

“Perfect, Mattie.” Kom’s voice was subdued, but it was because emotion was trying to choke him into silence. “You owned the audience.”

Matt’s face shone. “It was easy when I got going. At first, I couldn’t remember what the hell I was supposed to play. Then I saw you guys and I hit a couple of notes, then…then it was okay. Really okay.”

“Hey, can I interrupt for a second?” Den of the Departed’s owner Solomon joined them. “Wow, that was…wow. Why haven’t I seen you here before? Have you just arrived on Kalquor?”

“A few weeks ago, yes. This was the first time I played for more than half a dozen people.” Matt beamed at him. “It’s so great of you to hold these open mic nights. Thanks for having me.”

“Yes, thank you. This is a huge deal for him,” Avir added. “And for us. We knew he was talented, but my mind is…what’s the saying? Exploded?”

Solomon laughed. “My mind is blown too. We get a few good singers in here, and occasionally I luck out finding a decent band to play a show or two. Matt, your one song beat all of them by a mile. Which brings me to why I came over. I can’t pay a lot, but if you’re just starting and want the experience, I’d love to have you perform on a regular basis until you’re too big for my little club. Maybe once a week?”

Matt’s jaw dropped. “You want to give me a regular gig?”

“You’d better believe it. Starting as soon as you’re willing.”

Kom wanted to yell at him to take it, to claim his glory, to shine as he was meant to. He nearly had to shove his fist in his own mouth to keep from doing so.

“A whole show.” Matt looked overwhelmed. “I don’t have any more original material ready to go. Maybe I could have three songs in a month…”

“Could you play covers until you’ve composed a set’s worth? My customers wouldn’t mind, especially stuff they know well enough to sing along with.” A pleading note crept into Solomon’s tone. “Man, the way you sing, you could recite the Royal Council’s roster and blow everyone away. Listen, I’ll add a percentage of alcohol sales to a base rate. You’re that damned amazing. I think you’d pack the place once word got out.”

“I could use backing tracks and play the guitar parts. I wanted to on the song I just sang, but I didn’t have time to record extra instruments yet. If I do covers, those tracks are available.” Matt glanced at the clan, his gaze settling on Kom. “What do you think?”

“Yes.” Kom answered immediately.

“It isn’t a large step? Maybe it’s too soon.” He wrung his hands, anxiety reappearing.

“You said it was easy as soon as you started to play,” Masok said. “Why wouldn’t it be the case performing several songs?”

“You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t try,” Avir advised. “You have to give yourself a chance.”

Matt hesitated despite their encouragement. Kom resisted the urge to shake him.

Come on, Mattie. This is what you were born for. It couldn’t have been more obvious to the Nobek. Though he wasn’t a philosophical or religious man, he was sure of it.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this…but yes. I’ll need a couple of weeks to put together a set, okay?”

“Sure.” Solomon beamed at him. “How does Sevenday sound to start? It’s a decent night numbers-wise, but not usually crowded. We can change it up to a busier night once you feel confident. Hey, I have to go back on stage for a sec. I’ll be right back.”

“All right.” Matt offered the clan a shaky smile as he grabbed his guitar case and put the Martin away. “Did that just happen? Is this for real?”

With the Martin safely stowed, Kom could finally grab him in the hug he’d been desperate to give, edging out Avir and Masok as they reached for Matt. “You did it, Mattie. You did it big.”

* * * *

Portion of Session 10 transcript

Subject: Matthew Larsen

---