Sincerely Stockholm

Chapter Eight: Part II, Stalking in Stockholm

Blix calmly reached out to Dame's arm and said, "If you go back to London now, then definitely your brother has won." As Blix lightly pulled her arm towards him, Dame sat back down. "Dame, can't you see that you have the advantage?" Dame was very confused by Blix's statement. "He's been tracking my every move. How can I be in the dominant position here, Blix?" questioned Dame. "You know, and I now know that there is a tracking device in the tamagotchi. But Rupert doesn't know that we found it." Dame's frown then slowly turned to a grin as she mused, "I see where you're going with this Blix. We can send Rupert's paparazzi-for-hire on a wild goose chase! Then you and I can get my record going. That'll really fix my brother, the bastard." The vindictive tone was clearly off-putting to Blix. He then pondered, "Dame, I understand maybe having some fun with the paparazzi, and sending them aimlessly around Stockholm. But doing that to buy time so you can get your record out first before your brother's seems just as malicious." Dame just sneered and stated in an accusative tone, "Blix, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Blix then took a breath and mildly lamented, "That's the issue Dame. It's now all about the Rupert camp versus the Dame camp. Somewhere along the way, you two became so disconnected and spiteful that you have both forgotten that neither one of you would be where you are without the other." Dame was just stunned by Blix's perspective. Blix calmly continued, "I know that Rupert's tactics have seemed a bit juvenile. But don't you have any empathy for him?" Dame bit her lip and said, "Well I'm not sure what you mean." Blix then commented, "Don't you recall, as I was taking you through the record production process, you started to realize all the things Rupert needed to think about, worry about for the band?" Dame nodded in agreement as Blix continued, "He started the band a couple years before you even joined, and put in all the over and above work that you didn't need to worry about. And now he is sitting in London, having to start all over again, trying to find producers, while you are here in Stockholm, working on your first solo record backed by a major record label. I'd be a little upset too."

Dame sat silently for a moment and considered Blix's remarks, "Before I left DAME, I realized that the group, band, whatever you want to call it, was always going to be Rupert's. I guess I felt like I had helped him out enough, and could move on, creating my own sound, my own identity. But you're right... I kind of forgot that the vision for the band was always his, and the night I first sang for DAME was the night that we got a record deal. I didn't do any of the hard work leading up to that. I kind of came into the picture right at the perfect moment." Blix smiled as Dame queried, "What do you think I should do?" Blix then looked at Dame's knapsack and asked, "Do you have the hard drive from Elliott on you?" Dame replied, "No. It's at the Airbnb. Why? What are you thinking, Blix?" Blix just stood, pointed towards the door and stated, "Let's go back to your place and grab the drive. I'll tell you what I have in mind on the way there."

As the two walked back to Dame's flat, Blix outlined his scheme. He wanted Dame to spend the next three days touring around Stockholm with Brigitta, Agneta and the tamagotchi. This would give Blix a chance to completely get into the demos created by Rupert, Elliott, and Jules. Blix was going to produce their next record himself with Dame's help! Dame thought that this would be a brilliant idea, but wasn't sure how to present it to Rupert. As the pair entered the cottage, they immediately made their way up to Dame's makeshift composing station in her loft bedroom. As she drew open the blackout curtains, Dame asserted, "I can't just FaceTime Rupert and say, 'Hey bro, have a listen to your new record produced by my producer!' He has too much pride for that. There's got to be a way to do it in person." Blix nodded in agreement while averting his eyes away from the bright sunbeams filling the room. He then asked, "How would your brother react if your parents were there too?" Dame replied with a little trepidation, "Well, my parents don't like to get in the middle of the band drama. But they definitely continue to remind Rupert and I that we are brother and sister and should always behave in a respectful, reasonable and familial way. So if I was doing something genuinely nice for Rupert, my parents would definitely not put up with him being ungrateful or suspicious to my face. But what are you thinking though?" A huge grin filled Blix's face as he laid out his idea, "Next week is June 21st. You're going to invite your parents and Rupert and even Elliot, Jules, Roger to come over to Stockholm for some Summer Solstice celebrations. Because Rupert thinks that you think that the tamagotchi was a peace offering gift, then he should only assume that you are reciprocating with a kind of detente - a quick trip to Sweden." Dame grabbed the hard drive from her desk handing it to Blix and said, "I think he shouldn't suspect a thing. I'll text my mother now and get it all set up."