✅🎊✂️ Hypnosis Won't Take Me There!! [alternative cut]

Chapter 532: The Gift that Keeps Being Given

"Now, if we're going to be less serious, I think we need to change the subject. That one can wait until it's ready."

Adi just nodded. Her smile was back, and with Toni beside her on the couch it could almost be as if nothing had changed. For a moment it could have been just how it used to be; except that Adi had somehow managed to get right through high school without ever visiting one of her best friends at home. So this was more like how it should have been, if she'd been a little less antisocial. Still, a good feeling.

"So... I know it's not much, but I hope you like it." She took the package from the table, and handed it carefully to Adi. It was long and slim, and she could almost tell from the size what it was. But she already had a bass guitar, even if she'd become a baby before she had an opportunity to play it properly. Had Toni given her another, maybe an acoustic one so that her lack of an amp wouldn't make so much difference?

She carefully peeled back the wrapping paper, which was a metallic one with a pattern of yellow and gold leaves. It was seasonal at least, although she wasn't quite sure what the gift was for. Her birthday had been almost six months before, and they were still months away from Christmas. Did you give gifts to celebrate the leaves turning now, or was this just Toni finding any excuse to bring them closer together.

When she saw the case, Adi knew what it was. The same case she had opened on her birthday, slightly scuffed at the corners and decorated with a handful of stickers from tour locations. Althea Johanssen's guitar, sold when the band fell apart and rescued by Toni from a local music shop. A gift from Adi's idol, that meant more than any top-of-the-line new model possibly could.

She opened the case, and saw just the instrument she expected. But something was different. It had been cleaned, carefully and with care. The chrome shone, but the stickers weren't damaged. The strings had been replaced, and a quick tap with the fingers of one hand told her that it had been recently tuned. A loose screw on the bridge had been tightened or replaced. The scratches on the pickguard had been cleaned, all the dust in them removed, but no attempt had been made to restore the finish to how it might have looked when it was new. Some specialists might have wanted to replace every damaged or worn component, but Toni must have found someone who knew that Adi wanted this instrument as much for its history as for its sound. All the scars were still there, telling a hundred stories. Adi knew some of them, while others had never been revealed to the public.

"I could have had it cleaned up before your birthday. But you were here every day, and I didn't have time on my own to research how to do it properly. This is the gift I should have given you."

When Adi explored the rest of the case, she found that the assortment of papers that had been there before – a long expired warranty, a pass to get into some venue, and a scatter of handwritten notes – had been supplemented by a slim sheaf of papers. Music for some songs that Franklin's Muse had deserved to be more famous for. Not just the big songs, but a couple of Adi's favourite album tracks too.

"Thank you," she whispered, too quiet for Toni to even hear. And then she put the instrument back on the coffee table and leaned closer, embracing Toni to convey more gratitude than words could ever manage.

"Now, should I try playing for you?"

Toni nodded, and Adi fished out one more thing from the bottom of the case. There was an adapter in there, a tiny piece of electronics that claimed it would let her play with any speaker, rather than needing to find a decent amp. She hooked the strap on her instrument, and hooked up all the cables to connect it to the TV's sound system. She was nervous now, but in a way that promised the next few minutes would be something to remember for the rest of her life. She flipped through the sheet music and quickly found 'Cradle of Sacred Dreams', which had always been one of her favourite tracks. And perhaps more importantly, it allowed the bass to carry the melody, even giving a couple of solos, so it should be recognisable without needing the rest of the band.

She hesitated for a second. But there was nobody but Toni to see her, and she was already smiling. No pressure, she wouldn't mind if the performance was good or not. She just wanted to see Adi have fun. So Adi stretched her shoulders, lowered her hands to the instrument, and with just a little self-consciousness she began to play.

For a second she wondered if she had chosen the wrong music, and if she should have found something to better fit the mood. Something more romantic, and less melancholy. But after a few seconds she felt the music taking all her cares away. There was nothing to think about but the next note, and the way the music made her feel. By the time the first solo ended, she could discard her inhibitions and start singing. She couldn't imitate the throaty growl of Tomas Gattac's voice, or match Althea's high notes, but when they sang together for the chorus she put all her feelings into the words, and she didn't care how good she sounded.

It was a beautiful song, and right now that was all that mattered. She was a part of the music, no emotions could detract from that, and when she finished she was glad to see that there was genuine amazement behind her friend's applause.