(no subject)
After Tyler and Enzo left...
"Now, to business," Kumatora says, going back into the room and closing the door. "I just finished explaining everything to the band members."
Lucas turns and gives a big smile to Duster.
Or rather, Lucky.
"Tonda Gossa," Lucky says. "Who are you?"
"He's the one I was talking about just now, Duster," Kumatora says. "You two know each other."
Lucky turns from Lucas to Kumatora and goes, "Duster? It's true that I don't even remember my real name but I've lived my life as Lucky for years now."
"Okay," Kumatora says. "All right, Lucky. I hate to ask but could you tell him everything you remember, too?"
Lucky pauses for a moment before he turns to Lucas and says, "Yeah, all right. I can definitely tell that something very important is taking place here... I had absolutely no memory whatsoever from before I came to Club Titiboo. I had no idea who I was, where I came from, or where I was going. But for some reason, I was clutching a strange egg with great care. I didn't know where I was going yet I continued to walk desperately. All I knew was that the egg was really important for some reason. I knew I absolutely HAD to keep it safe... So I looked for a place to hide it. And then, after walking and walking, I buried the egg inside a big dirt clod in a valley, where I knew no one would ever find it. I still know where it is. I haven't forgotten. You go up a cliff near a giant waterfall and..."
After a moment of thinking, Kumatora pipes up with, "...Unknown Valley! That's it, Duster! The egg we all worked so hard to protect is there! Let's go there right now!"
Another pause where Lucky looks unsure.
"...But am I really Duster? If I am this 'Duster' person, that means I'll have to leave the band... Right? Duster or Lucky... One of them will cease to exist after today... Right?! If it turns out I'm Duster, what happens to the DCMC? But if I continue to live as Lucky, then what was that egg thing all about? What should I do?! I just can't decide..."
Lucas could feel his heart go out to Duster. And Lucky. It's a difficult thing to give up the life you know and there would be repercussions no matter what his friend chose. He kind of wished that his friend could be both Duster and Lucky. He wonders if the other members of DCMC feel the same way he does.
"...of course you can't," the keyboardist, Shimmy Zmizz says. "All you can do is ask destiny."
"Yeah," Baccio, the drummer, adds. "If destiny decides it, I'll say goodbye to you with a smile on my face."
"Destiny, huh..." OJ says. "Yeah, let's ask destiny. We have a way... The same thing we've always done whenever we weren't sure what to do."
Lucky turns to OJ and asks, "...Stone-Sheet-Clippers, huh?"
"Huh?" Lucas asks as well, turning and walking to OJ.
OJ nods and says, "Yup. This Lucas fellow will play Stone-Sheet-Clippers with us. If he beats all five of us in a row, you'll go. But if he loses even once, you'll stay in the DCMC and keep on playing the bass. How's that sound?"
"Five in a row, huh..." Lucky muses. "I'm cool with that. You there," he says, addressing Lucas. "You're okay with that, right?"
A brief moment before he firmly nods and says, "Yes. I'll do it."
"Okay, well, we're ready to begin when you are," OJ tells Lucas.
************************
Four hands later and Lucas can't believe that he's winning so far.
Though he's starting to think that Kumatora's convinced the band of something. Aside from Lucky, who isn't really sure if he wants to win or not, and OJ, who hasn't played yet, the other members of the band have been talking about their own strategies and what usually happens when they play Stone-Sheet-Clippers with each other.
"You ready?" OJ asks.
"Yes," Lucas answers.
OJ briefly turns and says, "If I win this, Lucky will stay in the DCMC. If you win, Lucky will go with you. Lucky... You cool with that?"
Lucky says, "I wanna trust in destiny. If it's my destiny to go, then I'm sure he'll win. And if it's not my destiny, he'll lose and I'll stay here. ...It's as simple as that."
OJ pauses for a moment and says, "Okay then."
He then leans to Lucas and quietly says, "Lucas. Do 'clippers'."
"Huh?" Lucas whispers back.
"I'm gonna do 'sheet'," OJ answers back, still quiet. He then straightens back up and says, "Tonda Gossa! All right, here we go!"
"Stone, sheet, clippers! Ready! Set! Go!" they both shout and throw their hands.
Lucky takes a step forward to see the results.
"I see," OJ says, smiling at Lucas. "So this is destiny. I guess Lucky probably is this Duster guy after all." He then turns to Lucky and says, "Go! Don't worry about anything else at all!"
"I think Duster hid the egg in the Unknown Valley," Kumatora says, getting them back on track after the intense series of Stone-Sheet-Clippers. "Which means I have no reason to stay here anymore, either. All right! Time to get outta these girl clothes! Thanks for everything, guys. Take care, now!"
The band, Lucas, and Boney watch as she takes a glance around the room and then barrels out of the door, shouting, "Outta my way, dammit!" to the bodyguards in the hallway. The sounds of pummeling can be heard.
"Lucky..." OJ says. "No, Duster, I guess. You were the greatest bass player ever. I'm gonna miss you, man."
OJ then walked over to Baccio, Zmizz, and Magic, leaving Duster, Lucas, and Boney on the other side of the room.
"I hope we meet again someday," OJ tells them. He then walks out of the room.
"I'm sure we will," Magic adds, following OJ out.
"Don't go forgetting the time you spent with us now," Zmizz says before taking his leave as well. "You dig?"
"...Lucky," Baccio says, taking a step towards Duster before leaving.
Duster then walks, Lucas recognizing his limp, and says, "I still don't remember anything but I'll come with you guys anyway."
"Thank you," Lucas says, smiling at his friend.
"Okay!" Duster says, smiling back, though he's not entirely sure why. "Let's go!"
The three walk out of the room. The only ones in the hallway are the bodyguards, both in pretty bad shape, and Kumatora back in her normal clothes.
"I took care of the bodyguards," she says. "Let's go!"
They go down the hall, heading towards the lobby just as the club has been cleared out. As they reach the doors to the main hall, Duster stops and looks.
"What is it?" Kumatora asks.
But then they can hear the music.
"...There's someone on the stage," Duster answers.
Kumatora and Lucas look at each other.
"Let's give him a moment," she says.
Lucas nods and the three head for the door while Duster listens to his bandmates sing.
Bon voyage, amigo
Oh, guy in the sky, please grant a gift to our friend who's about to set out...
How much time we wasted laughing together...
But, guy in the sky, oh, how we loved that wasted time and those helpless smiles...
Bon voyage
Bon voyage, amigo
"Tonda Gossa..." Duster says on his side of the door, sure that he couldn't bear to open it. "Thanks, guys..."
He then took off his afro, left it in front of the double doors, and went outside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he tells the group outside. "Okay, let's go."
"Let's go!" Kumatora says. "To the Unknown Valley!"
Lucas goes up a bit further to catch up with Enzo and Tyler. It's here that he sends the pigeon to Wess, letting him know that he's found Duster.
"Now, to business," Kumatora says, going back into the room and closing the door. "I just finished explaining everything to the band members."
Lucas turns and gives a big smile to Duster.
Or rather, Lucky.
"Tonda Gossa," Lucky says. "Who are you?"
"He's the one I was talking about just now, Duster," Kumatora says. "You two know each other."
Lucky turns from Lucas to Kumatora and goes, "Duster? It's true that I don't even remember my real name but I've lived my life as Lucky for years now."
"Okay," Kumatora says. "All right, Lucky. I hate to ask but could you tell him everything you remember, too?"
Lucky pauses for a moment before he turns to Lucas and says, "Yeah, all right. I can definitely tell that something very important is taking place here... I had absolutely no memory whatsoever from before I came to Club Titiboo. I had no idea who I was, where I came from, or where I was going. But for some reason, I was clutching a strange egg with great care. I didn't know where I was going yet I continued to walk desperately. All I knew was that the egg was really important for some reason. I knew I absolutely HAD to keep it safe... So I looked for a place to hide it. And then, after walking and walking, I buried the egg inside a big dirt clod in a valley, where I knew no one would ever find it. I still know where it is. I haven't forgotten. You go up a cliff near a giant waterfall and..."
After a moment of thinking, Kumatora pipes up with, "...Unknown Valley! That's it, Duster! The egg we all worked so hard to protect is there! Let's go there right now!"
Another pause where Lucky looks unsure.
"...But am I really Duster? If I am this 'Duster' person, that means I'll have to leave the band... Right? Duster or Lucky... One of them will cease to exist after today... Right?! If it turns out I'm Duster, what happens to the DCMC? But if I continue to live as Lucky, then what was that egg thing all about? What should I do?! I just can't decide..."
Lucas could feel his heart go out to Duster. And Lucky. It's a difficult thing to give up the life you know and there would be repercussions no matter what his friend chose. He kind of wished that his friend could be both Duster and Lucky. He wonders if the other members of DCMC feel the same way he does.
"...of course you can't," the keyboardist, Shimmy Zmizz says. "All you can do is ask destiny."
"Yeah," Baccio, the drummer, adds. "If destiny decides it, I'll say goodbye to you with a smile on my face."
"Destiny, huh..." OJ says. "Yeah, let's ask destiny. We have a way... The same thing we've always done whenever we weren't sure what to do."
Lucky turns to OJ and asks, "...Stone-Sheet-Clippers, huh?"
"Huh?" Lucas asks as well, turning and walking to OJ.
OJ nods and says, "Yup. This Lucas fellow will play Stone-Sheet-Clippers with us. If he beats all five of us in a row, you'll go. But if he loses even once, you'll stay in the DCMC and keep on playing the bass. How's that sound?"
"Five in a row, huh..." Lucky muses. "I'm cool with that. You there," he says, addressing Lucas. "You're okay with that, right?"
A brief moment before he firmly nods and says, "Yes. I'll do it."
"Okay, well, we're ready to begin when you are," OJ tells Lucas.
************************
Four hands later and Lucas can't believe that he's winning so far.
Though he's starting to think that Kumatora's convinced the band of something. Aside from Lucky, who isn't really sure if he wants to win or not, and OJ, who hasn't played yet, the other members of the band have been talking about their own strategies and what usually happens when they play Stone-Sheet-Clippers with each other.
"You ready?" OJ asks.
"Yes," Lucas answers.
OJ briefly turns and says, "If I win this, Lucky will stay in the DCMC. If you win, Lucky will go with you. Lucky... You cool with that?"
Lucky says, "I wanna trust in destiny. If it's my destiny to go, then I'm sure he'll win. And if it's not my destiny, he'll lose and I'll stay here. ...It's as simple as that."
OJ pauses for a moment and says, "Okay then."
He then leans to Lucas and quietly says, "Lucas. Do 'clippers'."
"Huh?" Lucas whispers back.
"I'm gonna do 'sheet'," OJ answers back, still quiet. He then straightens back up and says, "Tonda Gossa! All right, here we go!"
"Stone, sheet, clippers! Ready! Set! Go!" they both shout and throw their hands.
Lucky takes a step forward to see the results.
"I see," OJ says, smiling at Lucas. "So this is destiny. I guess Lucky probably is this Duster guy after all." He then turns to Lucky and says, "Go! Don't worry about anything else at all!"
"I think Duster hid the egg in the Unknown Valley," Kumatora says, getting them back on track after the intense series of Stone-Sheet-Clippers. "Which means I have no reason to stay here anymore, either. All right! Time to get outta these girl clothes! Thanks for everything, guys. Take care, now!"
The band, Lucas, and Boney watch as she takes a glance around the room and then barrels out of the door, shouting, "Outta my way, dammit!" to the bodyguards in the hallway. The sounds of pummeling can be heard.
"Lucky..." OJ says. "No, Duster, I guess. You were the greatest bass player ever. I'm gonna miss you, man."
OJ then walked over to Baccio, Zmizz, and Magic, leaving Duster, Lucas, and Boney on the other side of the room.
"I hope we meet again someday," OJ tells them. He then walks out of the room.
"I'm sure we will," Magic adds, following OJ out.
"Don't go forgetting the time you spent with us now," Zmizz says before taking his leave as well. "You dig?"
"...Lucky," Baccio says, taking a step towards Duster before leaving.
Duster then walks, Lucas recognizing his limp, and says, "I still don't remember anything but I'll come with you guys anyway."
"Thank you," Lucas says, smiling at his friend.
"Okay!" Duster says, smiling back, though he's not entirely sure why. "Let's go!"
The three walk out of the room. The only ones in the hallway are the bodyguards, both in pretty bad shape, and Kumatora back in her normal clothes.
"I took care of the bodyguards," she says. "Let's go!"
They go down the hall, heading towards the lobby just as the club has been cleared out. As they reach the doors to the main hall, Duster stops and looks.
"What is it?" Kumatora asks.
But then they can hear the music.
"...There's someone on the stage," Duster answers.
Kumatora and Lucas look at each other.
"Let's give him a moment," she says.
Lucas nods and the three head for the door while Duster listens to his bandmates sing.
Bon voyage, amigo
Oh, guy in the sky, please grant a gift to our friend who's about to set out...
How much time we wasted laughing together...
But, guy in the sky, oh, how we loved that wasted time and those helpless smiles...
Bon voyage
Bon voyage, amigo
"Tonda Gossa..." Duster says on his side of the door, sure that he couldn't bear to open it. "Thanks, guys..."
He then took off his afro, left it in front of the double doors, and went outside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he tells the group outside. "Okay, let's go."
"Let's go!" Kumatora says. "To the Unknown Valley!"
Lucas goes up a bit further to catch up with Enzo and Tyler. It's here that he sends the pigeon to Wess, letting him know that he's found Duster.