Playing On Heart Strings - Tokio Hotel

Chapter 6: Rammstein?

Tour life was something different. The Lagom Ethics bus was quite nice and comfortable. The band went from Stockholm, to Malmö, to Gothenburg and then to Uppsala. All together they did 7 shows in Sweden alone. 

Next would be Norway. Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim was concluded in 8 shows, as Oslo got 2 extra shows. They were in the middle of their Denmark leg of the tour. They were just finished with their 2nd show in Copenhagen, before getting ready to move to the next location. Aarhus was next.

Maya finished packing her bags, and knocked on the bathroom door. She and Carlo shared a hotel room, two single beds, with a small bathroom. Some things had changed... Carlo, Sigmund and Oscar had been introduced to alcohol. Maya was only 15 but Oscar had just turned 16, while Carlo and Sigmund were 17. She understood it wasn't too weird for people their age to drink and party. The thing that rubbed her the wrong way, was the fact they did it quite often.

"Are you okay, Carlo?" She called out. Carlo had been there since 5 am that morning. She suspected he hadn't been able to sleep. Suddenly, one could her Carlo stand up and slowly open the door. He looked horrible. Messy hair, panda eyes and skin was basically white as paper. "No... I'm so sick..." He said, rubbing his eyes. Maya felt bad for him. 

"Anything you need?" Carl thought for a moment. "Well... There is some pills in my jacket to calm down my stomach for the bus ride... But I left it in my jacket. Oh no, it's in Oscar and Sigmund's room." He sighed. Carlo suddenly turned even paler and quickly turned around to throw up in the toilet. Maya didn't want that sound the whole bus ride. "I'll grab them." She sighed. Before Carlo could say anything, she left the room.

Maya knew they normally continued their parties in the other hotel room. She appreciated them respecting her wish to not be bothered. When she reached Oscar and Sigmund's room, she knocked harshly on it. "Open up! I need Carlo's jacket." She said loudly. Nobody answered. Maya sighed, and was about to pound on the door. Suddenly it opened. It wasn't who she expected it to be. It was a girl.

Maya stiffened. The girl looked a bit older than herself, with long, brown hair and green eyes. She only wore a t-shirt. The girl suddenly smiled and her whole face lit up. "Oh my god! You're Maya?! THE Maya?" She shrieked. Maya just nodded. She looked into the room. "Yes... What's your name? And what are you doing here?" Maya asked, trying to seem calm and hide her surprise. 

The girl stepped aside. "I'm Lisa! I can't believe you just asked me that... I am a big fan! You're so cool with your guitar. My best friend Jonathan, was hoping you would come to the party yesterday! He really wanted to meet you, if you know what I mean." Lisa said while giggling. Maya only smiled slightly.

She walked slowly, and found Oscar in his bed. He looked so bad. Maya looked into the bathroom, but couldn't spot Sigmund. "Oh! You're looking for Sigmund? He went out hours ago! I thought he was in your room!" Maya felt a bit overwhelmed by this Lisa. 

She pushed Oscar, and shook him. "Time to get ready princess." Maya said while smirking. Oscar rolled over. Maya kept shaking him. "Please Maya! I feel like crap! Leave me be..." He complained. Maya felt a bit angry, and annoyed. "You have a guest here... She seems very awake. Maybe you should make sure she gets home safe..." Maya said, while crossing her arms. Lisa walked up to her.

"Well, I wouldn't complain to join you instead... Maybe Carlo would like to come along.'' Lisa said while touching Maya's arm seductively. Before anyone could notice Maya's shock and uneasiness, Oscar looked at them. Right before Lisa touched Maya's cheek, Oscar quickly rose from bed. Luckily he was wearing underwear. 

"No way." he said and pulled Maya to the other side of the room. "Get out. I will take care of... Her." he said and simply nodded towards Lisa. Maybe touring with 3 teenage boys had changed her a bit, but she found the scenario a bit humorous. Carlo suddenly opened the door. He saw Maya stand with Oscar, and the brunette. Luckily, Lisa didn't hear the door open. Maya took advantage of the situation, and the sudden audience.

She put her hands in her pockets and chuckled. "Too bad... Maybe next time Lisa?" She says, while gazing at Lisa, giving her a small wink. Oscar's jaw dropped, so did Carlos. Lisa giggled and just nodded her head, clearly in awe. Maya gave her a small wave before pushing Carlo's head out and closed the door behind her. 

"What the-." Carlo began. "Yeah, I know. It was so funny!" She said while losing all composure she had. Carlo joined her laughing. "Did you remember to bring my jacket?" He asked when they got back to the room. Maya gasped, before looking at him. They looked at eachother. "Well... I can't go back now! That wouldn't be as cool." Maya said jokingly, and Carlo started laughing again. This would become tradition for Maya, to try to seduce whatever girl Oscar would bring with him to his hotel room, mostly to entertain her fellow band members.

After Maya meeting Oscar's 'friend', she decided to join some of the festivities after their concerts. She didn't go as hard as her band mates. Carlo and Sigmund only went crazy a couple nights in the week, but Oscar was at it. He loved the attention, and especially the girls. When it was known Maya was spotted in the after-parties, Lagom Ethic's male fans seemed more interested in attending them. 

Maya had a scary experience with a guy who was 20 years old, who tried to get it on with her. After that, Sigmund and Carlo worked together to keep her safe. Maya never got drunk, only had some light stuff to join the mood. She felt like a burden, but Carlo and Sigmund assured her they thought it was more fun to have her join, than to get drunk every night like Oscar. She appreciated their kindness, and her joining the boys even made Oscar drink less...

Lagom Ethics just finished their show in one of the last cities in Denmark, when they were called into a company meeting. Maya didn't like the sound of it, as they got the CEO, Erling and other company representatives to fly out from Stockholm. Luckily, the boys had enough common sense to not show up to this meeting drunk or hungover. 

The band had to get up early, at 6 am, to fit the meeting in their busy tour schedule. Sigmund was there first, and waved to Maya when she came to the place they agreed to meet Lukas. A couple minutes later, Oscar and Carlo showed up. Maya noticed it had been a while since the band looked so... Awake? Sober? Whatever.

Lukas came soon after, and got them into a van. The weather outside was rainy. Maya was excited to move to the next city, as she loved riding the bus when it was raining. They got shown into a conference room in a nearby hotel. "Why couldn't they just do a conference room in the hotel they were staying at?" Oscar said. Maya actually agreed for once. Sigmund just shaked his head, showing his feeling that he sometimes thought these music people lacked a couple brain cells. When they got into the conference room, Lena, Erling and other representatives they knew were there. After pleasantries, they got to the point.

"Okay kids! You all know you guys have taken Scandinavia and the UK by storm. Quite the accomplishment! We are already planning your next album. Anyway! We're struggling to reach out to the rest of Europe... And we think we have found a solution." Erling began. This piqued the band's interest. They didn't quite understand why the rest of Europe was a bit more hesitant to their music. 

Erling continued. "We are planning to do a coop-tour with another band. They are very popular in Germany, Austria and even France. They are around the same age, and play rock as well! They will bring you guys into their fandom in Europe, and you will bring them to Scandinavia and the UK. We have talked to their representatives, and we are thinking about concerts in Moscow, London, Paris and more of the biggest cities in Europe. What do you guys think?" Not that their opinion would matter, but they were quite curious. They looked at each other, and Sigmund took the lead. 

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we like the opportunity. The tour would be longer than planned?" He asked. Lukas nodded, obviously already aware of the whole deal. "Yes. If the tour is successful, we might do another one after a couple years. But that is far from decided." He says. Carlo nodded slowly. "Alright! When do we get to meet them? When does the tour start?" He asked while throwing a hand through the air after each question. Erling chuckled. 

"Eager yeah? Well. We will wrap up Denmark and you guys get 2 weeks to 'rest'. Then! We're off on the new tour. And you will meet them after your last concert in Denmark, in Berlin." He explained. They all nodded, understanding the change in schedule. Maya felt one question was still burning in her mind. Oscar shared her thoughts. "So? Who is this german rock band? Rammstein?" He asked while laughing. He earned a laugh from everyone else. Erling shaked his head. "No, unfortunately." He began. "They're called 'Tokio Hotel'."