"My name is Moriyasu."
"And the band?"
"MEMENTO. Latin alphabet, all capitals."
"Huh." The manager chuckled, "Oh, I get it. Clever."
He didn't mention that MEMENTO could only really hold two members: mysterious prodigy 'Moriyasu' and his college friend 'Akira'. Everyone else either couldn't commit to the schedule, couldn't handle the constant flow of shows and tours and impulse gigs, or held certain... creative differences. 'Leadership' of the band was a big one. It came as quite a shock that Moriyasu, the guitarist and backing vocalist, was the one who had creative control over the whole project. Akira, the lead singer, was at least thankful that the workload had been shifted, but too many people found them a little too hard to work with.
This was a one-night gig, at least, so there wasn't much need to get all that acquainted with the band's short, yet sordid history. The two stand-ins had been the ones to recommend this place, after all, though Akira seemed hesitant to take their advice. Said it was probably tied to organised crime in the area; I mean, why else would they be willing to take a chance on a band like MEMENTO? Moriyasu had to admit, the manager was skeeving him out a bit- but, unlike his friend, he wasn't one to back down from a good show.
"So, how much?"
"Twenty thousand."
"Fifty."
"Thirty."
"Come on."
He saw Akira grimace in the corner of his eye.
[font size="1"]"Mori, don't bargain with this guy; you don't know what he-"[/font]
"Forty, then." The manager smiled, extending a hand, "That's my final offer."
"We'll take it."
They shook, though the smile on the manager's face lingered for a little longer than Moriyasu would've liked. Gold teeth. Scarred gums. Akira took that as his cue to leave, and was followed shortly after, prompting a hailstorm of whispered complaints.
"You're insane. You're fucking insane- you know that, right?"
"Twenty thousand yen is not enough for all four of us." He shrugged, "Besides, he clearly had the money to spare. He was the one who went higher in the end, not-"
"He has the money to spare, dumbshit, because he's a fucking-" Akira checked over his shoulder before continuing, "He's a fucking criminal, that's why. You know that. Fucking hell, Mori..."
"It worked, didn't it?"
He opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Moriyasu was right- it did work. Somehow, some fucking how, his little deal had gone through.
"Fucking- whatever, man." He sighed, "It starts at nine, right? I'll meet you guys at eight- [font size="1"]if you haven't been fucking shot first...[/font]"
"And the band?"
"MEMENTO. Latin alphabet, all capitals."
"Huh." The manager chuckled, "Oh, I get it. Clever."
He didn't mention that MEMENTO could only really hold two members: mysterious prodigy 'Moriyasu' and his college friend 'Akira'. Everyone else either couldn't commit to the schedule, couldn't handle the constant flow of shows and tours and impulse gigs, or held certain... creative differences. 'Leadership' of the band was a big one. It came as quite a shock that Moriyasu, the guitarist and backing vocalist, was the one who had creative control over the whole project. Akira, the lead singer, was at least thankful that the workload had been shifted, but too many people found them a little too hard to work with.
This was a one-night gig, at least, so there wasn't much need to get all that acquainted with the band's short, yet sordid history. The two stand-ins had been the ones to recommend this place, after all, though Akira seemed hesitant to take their advice. Said it was probably tied to organised crime in the area; I mean, why else would they be willing to take a chance on a band like MEMENTO? Moriyasu had to admit, the manager was skeeving him out a bit- but, unlike his friend, he wasn't one to back down from a good show.
"So, how much?"
"Twenty thousand."
"Fifty."
"Thirty."
"Come on."
He saw Akira grimace in the corner of his eye.
[font size="1"]"Mori, don't bargain with this guy; you don't know what he-"[/font]
"Forty, then." The manager smiled, extending a hand, "That's my final offer."
"We'll take it."
They shook, though the smile on the manager's face lingered for a little longer than Moriyasu would've liked. Gold teeth. Scarred gums. Akira took that as his cue to leave, and was followed shortly after, prompting a hailstorm of whispered complaints.
"You're insane. You're fucking insane- you know that, right?"
"Twenty thousand yen is not enough for all four of us." He shrugged, "Besides, he clearly had the money to spare. He was the one who went higher in the end, not-"
"He has the money to spare, dumbshit, because he's a fucking-" Akira checked over his shoulder before continuing, "He's a fucking criminal, that's why. You know that. Fucking hell, Mori..."
"It worked, didn't it?"
He opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Moriyasu was right- it did work. Somehow, some fucking how, his little deal had gone through.
"Fucking- whatever, man." He sighed, "It starts at nine, right? I'll meet you guys at eight- [font size="1"]if you haven't been fucking shot first...[/font]"