The Worm [Mission]

Mission Link

Jamie liked this town. Truly, she did. It was a nice town, with nice people. Well, nice when they were not so afraid and distrusting of her, at least. Small town, weary of outsiders, and her and her band had been sticking around awhile. Sure, there had not really been an uptick of crime since their arrival or anything, but...

But what the absolute fuck. This karaoke night was so obnoxious. Jamie had forgotten it was tonight, or she would have gotten dinner earlier. Or just bought some stuff from the market to eat raw, even! Seriously, it was always the EXACT SAME PEOPLE going up to sing the EXACT SAME SONGS, and they were all so drunk that they butchered the entire thing.

Jamie took a deep breath, and pounded her head against the table a single time. Quietly, so as not to disturb the people sitting near her.

She failed.

"Hey," one of them said. A big looking guy. Probably did some form of physical labor. "Do you dislike our singing??" The drunken slur in his voice was, unfortunately, painfully obvious. Jamie really did not want to deal with this, but she had a feeling that that was not an option.

"Not... especially. It's always the same songs. I have no idea how the band does it. They do not SOUND drunk, so how can they stand the repetition?" She had turned slowly towards the man, who was starting to stand up out of his chair. Jamie sat up straight, arms on the edge of the table as he walked over towards her.

However, he stopped about a foot away from her table, and folded his arms. A smug grim grew across his face. "500 ryo you can't sing better than them."

"..You are betting on my singing? I have... never even sung in the village. What if I am amazing?"

"Then you get my 500 and whatever the prize for this week is." Jamie blinked a few times, and then sighed.

"Sure, whatever."

Smiling smugly, the man went back to his table and sat down, though did not take his eyes off of Jamie. For her part, she walked up towards the stage area, where someone was singing an off key song about... turnip harvests?

It did not take long for Jamie to write her name down on the ledger to get a turn of her own.

Here Jamie was, signing up to sing a song.

WHAT THE FUCK WOULD SHE SING!?

She was not like... a horrible singer, but like...

She wasn't that great either!

___________________

Ok. I need to calm down.

First, I need a song I know the lyrics to really well. And that the band can play.

Good glory I do not know the music styles here. I have no idea what half the songs they are singing are, and the half I do are certainly not ones I know well!

Ok. Options. Do I have other options?

I could just... fail and accept that I'm out 500 ryo.

What about... I could...

Oh. So, I could choose a song that I can tell them how to play? That could work. That... that may be the best idea even!

...Ok but, complication.

Now I need a song that I know the lyrics AND music too.

Something simple, something with only one or two tunes to it.

...

...

___________________

Jamie practically slammed the table in excitement when the idea hit her.

A CHILDREN'S TUNE!

...Ok, another issue though. What children's tune did she know enough of to sing properly, and would be long enough to really be recognized?

...The worm.

___________________

When night falls
You will see
When night falls it
comes for thee

You can hear it
creeping slowly
You can feel it
on your skin

You can try to
run and escape it
You can try to
get. Away.

When night falls
You will see
When night falls it
comes for thee

You won't know where
it has gone to
when you lose track of it
in your haste

You can flee
You can scream
It. Won't matter.
You're already gone

When night falls
You will see
When night falls it
comes for thee

The terror comes out at night
You will run in fright
It's. Too late.
You're already gone.

When night falls
You will see
It's. Too late.
You're already gone.

___________________

Jamie went over the lyrics a few times in her head. She was so intent about it, she almost missed her time to be called up. She basically awoke out of a stupor with a jump at the calling of her name. It was wild!

Such was the life of Jamie, as she currently lived it. She would have to go up and sing now.

Oh glory it was really happening. Oh fuck.

Singing wasn't THAT bad. Jamie was OK, and she was NOT drunk. That was her big advantage.

She had had a few drinks, but she could take alcohol, and the last two drinks had been simple sodas (perhaps the guy making the bet had thought they were more alcoholic drinks?)

Either way, Jamie was feeling pretty OK about the singing part.

The actual hard part was getting the band to play the music. The Worm was kind of a newer song, dreamt up by some insane person in the underground metropolis she used to, and hopefully would some day soon, call home.

And it was no simple that was likely to be used in some other song, like the alphabet song and twinkle twinkle little star.

No, Jamie had to actually describe the song, more or less.

When called, she walked to the corner of the room that was the "stage" and looked to the four musicians. She asked if they knew The Worm, and when they shook their heads no, she sighed and looked towards the drummer. She told him to alternate base and snare, and made those simple beatbox sounds most people know how to make in a crude emulation of beat.

Then she looked to the pianist and asked him to play a few chords in a... "worried way, like the song is trying to run away and escape."

It all worked out. The song worked out.

Jamie won. And walked away with a chunk of change.

(exit)
[1050 words, mission complete]
21 stats
mission rewards
2100 words to Hallwalker