Sharp Teeth - Sleep Token/Vessel FF

Chapter IV

I went straight to the hotel bar and found Jace sitting with two men and three women. He saw me and waved his hand, inviting me in.

"You really came! Everyone, this is Ava, our new photographer. By the way, she's way cooler than Alan! Ava, this is everyone."

"Hey, nice to meet you all." I said, smiling nervously and waiting for them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Archie, I help Jace take care of the instruments. Nice to meet you!" He gave me a strong handshake.

The other man offered his hand right away.

"And I'm Lewis, the one responsible for the lights!"

"Ava is a beautiful name! I'm Calliope and these are Hera and Briggite. We're the backing vocals, and the fans call us Espera."

"Or Vesseletes!" Jace said, laughing.

"Shut it, Jace. You know we hate that name. We love Vessel but we are our own thing." Hera raised her voice and I could swear she sounded like an angel, or at least what I believe an angel's voice would sound like.

I was still trying to memorize all their names when the name Vessel came out of Hera's mouth. That startled me, and I thought it was my cue to start asking away.

"Speaking of Vessel, why doesn't he speak during the concert like other singers?"

"It's all part of the roleplay, you know. Plus, it gets harder for the fans to find out who they are." Lewis said with conviction.

"I also noticed they vanished after the concert ended, why is that? Do they want to stay anonymous even from the staff?"

"Here's a thing you must know if you're gonna keep working with us: do as you're told and don't ask stupid questions." Brigitte wasn't very fond of me, I guess. But I didn't take it personally.

"Oh, sorry. I was just trying to understand them. Usually, the bands ask me for some backstage content and I was confused when I tried to reach out to them and didn't find anyone."

"Don't be sorry, Brigitte is not on her best day today. Sore throat, you know." Calliope tried to excuse her friend's bad mood, giving her a serious stare after she called my questions stupid.

We were interrupted by an impatient Jace.

"Let's start drinking, shall we? Here are today's rules: The last one to finish their drink will pay the next round. Shots don't count!"

They had rules for drinking? And how wasted did they want to get anyway? I wasn't that strong and I could only drink two or three drinks tops before getting drunk and doing things I would regret the next morning. Jace seemed to notice my worried face.

"Are you afraid you'll have to pay all rounds, Ava? Come on, I'll pay for your first drink as a welcome gift."

"Jace is paying for the rookie's drink! That's news to me." Lewis said out loud, making Jace blush.

As expected, I drank my enormous glass of Gin and Tonic more slowly than the rest of them and had to pay for the next round. They were nice and didn't order expensive drinks. I ordered an Old Fashioned just to make sure I didn't have to pay another round. Whiskey was my go-to distilled beverage when I wanted to loosen a little, and I needed it after the tense workday I had. I ordered a bottle of water to help me not get super drunk super fast.

That didn't help much though. As soon as I finished drinking the Old Fashioned, I started to feel funny. Drunk. Definitely drunk. "Put yourself together, Ava. You still need to discover a few things about these weird people", I spoke to myself mentally. But all my brain could afford was to listen to them telling funny stories about previous tours.

"Let's call it a night, guys. I'm gonna get back to my room now, or else I won't wake up tomorrow." I said, leaving the table.

Jace surprised me, holding my hand so I couldn't leave.

"Do you need company tonight, Ava?"

"You don't quit, do you?"

"Never." He smiled and let me go.

I stormed out of the bar before Jace came up with another annoying idea to hook up with me.

The bed wanted me and I wanted it back. As I was undressing, I heard a noise coming from the door.

Knock knock.

I opened it but there was no one there.

Knock knock.

I noticed the noise was coming from the window. I was on the 10th floor, could be night birds. I opened the curtains just to see Vessel staring at me through the glass. He was floating, wearing the same clothes and mask he did on stage. As his eyes pierced my soul, he smiled and approached the glass. This could not be real. I opened the window, hoping it would prove me delusional.