Servamp: In Our Next Life

The Concert (I)

Lawless was already regretting agreeing to this.

It felt too much like when he'd traveled the world with... him. When he spent so much of his time in concert halls, listening to the beautiful music and watching that angelic figure onstage.

...ah well.

At least this guy was a violinist not a pianist. Made it slightly easier to sit here and make sure the guy Masaaki had described didn't show up.

A clash of metal and footsteps made him turn from the musician.

The audience that wasn't the eves and servamps had leaped to their feet, pink eyes glowing, revealing all sorts of weapons.

Lawless groaned. He muttered, "You gotta be-"

"DAMMIT!!" Masaaki yelled. He looked at the rest of the group to check they were on the same page before he pulled the staff Doubt Doubt had lended him out of his jacket. "THIS WHOLE CONCERT WAS A TRAP!!"

"...what the-"

"STAY THERE AND FOCUS ON DODGING ENGEL-SAN WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS!!" Masaaki yelled.

Engel hesitated, then closed his eyes and continued to play his violin.

Music calmed him.

And in this situation he needed all the calm he could get.

He could hear the fight beginning below the stage. As he heard the shouts and yells of Masaaki and all those other people'd been with him, he tightened his grip on the violin bow, pressing it into the strings harder so that he could hear the faintest squeak in the music.

But he didn't care.

His patience was running by the minute. A crease was growing in his forehead, his eyes screwing shut.

He knew he'd been in this situation before. Onstage trying to play an instrument while screans and sounds of a struggle played below him. Some faint memory that surprise surprise, was giving him a major headache.

"You were too noisy during my performance you damn rat. I'll kill you."

"I was just teaching these rude vampires to be a good audience! What's wrong? Where's your gratitude?"

"Die."

As if that voice had been a command, Engel dropped his violin.

"Fuck..." he muttered, stumbling backwards. "Fuck- fucking hell... I'm performing I can't- not now-"

YOUR AUDIENCE IS MADE OF DEMONS YOU DAMN IDIOT!!

A voice rang sharp and loud through Engel's head.

The voice that appeared every single time he approached a piano.

The voice that sometimes came with his worst headaches.

"Shut. Up," Engel snarled. "Not now..."

I WON'T SHUT UP- HYDE'S HERE!! CAN'T YOU SEE THE SHIT RAT- CAN'T YOU RECOGNIZE HIM?! GO TO HIM!!

"I can't-"

"ENGEL-SAN LOOK OUT!!"

GO TO HIM NOW- BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE DAMMIT!!

"I said not now!! I'm performing you damn asshole I can't-"

"What's wrong... Todoroki?"

"FUCK OFF!!"

Engel threw the first thing he picked up at the man who was now floating inches above the stage.