Beastars; An Educated Passion

Chapter 3: The Temptation of Sobriety

Artemis drove. He wasn't sure where initially but after pulling into Nickelrose's parking spaces, he sat there. Staring at nothing in particular as he rubbed the dull pain in his elbow from the blood taking.

"Fuck it."

He mumbled, throwing open the drivers side door he got out. Slamming the door closed behind him as he walked toward the music building. The buildings lower floors are full of classrooms, but not one person seems to care about the massive individual walking the halls as Artemis heads to the top floor where he throws both doors open. All he wanted to do was scream down a microphone. Walking into the recording room, he couldn't even take in the dramatic one day change as he pushed his personal USB stick into the slot. Loading up a backing track he had in mind he pressed record, walked into the booth, closed the door and pulled the headset on.

"I'MMMMMMMM SORRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

He grabbed the mic arm, holding it as if it might run away from his venting. The scream is visceral, like a thousand voices releasing their rage and regret in an instant. He closes his eyes, the music flowing into his ear drums as he grits his teeth.

"Fuck"

He leans back the guitar kicked in. He felt it in his chest. Tapping his foot his tail started to swish back and forth. Then the music dipped, an acoustic piece kicked in.

"One Day, the Shadows will engulf my heart"

He adlibbed it. Some parts were a little touchy and on occasion he broke the flow with a poorly timed word... But it was raw. It was emotional. It was Ashen. It was His.

He sat down in the booth. Whipping the sweat that had built up on his brow off.

"Not gone that hard in a while."

He mumbles. Having slipped the headset off he looks at it. It was a new wrap around design. The kind that could be adjusted to ear size, location and shape. The band around the back and across the top made it very stable. He put it back as he walked back out of the booth. Sitting down instead in front of the instruments. He stopped the recording, and listening back to it he edited it. Made it sound more presentable. He hadn't even tested the set up before he recorded on it so it was a bit all over the place. But it was something to focus on as he leveled the volumes. Cut some parts that were beyond fixing. Then after one last listen back he hit process.

"Guess I'll go get a coffee."

He mumbles, standing up he turns around and walks back out of the building. Different classes were taking place now.

Walking into the main building, Jesse wasn't behind her desk. He heads toward the faculty room. Knowing full well where it was. He remembers being dragged in there for one thing or another. Walking in, the entire room is empty. Which surprises him. He always remembers their being a teacher or two in here prepping or having a coffee in the middle of a free period. He shrugged as he walked over to the coffee machine and almost immediately recoiled from it. The Machine was covered in old coffee, caked on over years of not being cleaned. He grabbed a rag from one of the drawers and used it to open the machine.

"Oh you poor machine."

He mumbled to himself. This thing hadn't been cleaned in years. Caked coffee grinds, dirty water and stale milk littered the inside of the machine.

"Whoever's been drinking this they should probably visit a doctor."

He tuts, closing it. The whole thing was beyond saving. Pulling out his phone he rolled his eyes once more.

"I could just go out to get coffee. But fuck that."

He pulls up his Bamazon account, and within seconds he has a new coffee machine ordered. He proceeds to take his jacket off, rolling up his sleeves he removes the old machine. Taking it outside to the trash and tossing it in. His phone vibrates.