Chapter Text
Colin approached the building with trepidation. He didn’t know why he had agreed to do this. After Donnington he had been quite ready to give it all up. He could just about hide his scar with his dress shirt at the bank but a button up dress shirt wasn’t very fitting for metal so he’d taken to wearing scarves to hide it. Every time he looked at it he was reminded of that fucking ordeal. And yet, and yet, somehow, Vim had managed to convince him to try again. Well, Vim had convinced Spider to talk him into coming back. Apparently the whole Donnington fiasco had made someone think it would be worth it. Someone with money, and Vim liked money.
When Colin saw Sally standing by the entrance talking to someone he felt a little better. She was attached to Vim like Velcro but very often managed to diffuse tense situations around them. Spider had told him that she’d started to act almost like an agent, dealing with talking to everyone, so maybe they’d actually walk away with something this time. It sure as shit sounded like better prospects than letting Vim handle it.
“Oh, hey Colin!” Sally said cheerfully when she saw him. “Just go inside, they’re waiting.”
“Hey, Sally,” Colin replied. Hesitated for a moment trying to think of something else to say but couldn’t find anything so he just went inside.
“What the hell is that?” Vim said when Colin appeared in the room.
“What is what?”
“That shit you got around your neck,” Vim sneered and prodded Colin in the chest where the wolfs head pendant peeked out from beneath the scarf.
“It’s just a necklace, Vim. Can I not just wear a necklace?”
“Looks stupid.”
“Well, have you looked in the fucking mirror, Vim?”
“Look, guys, can we get through five minutes without fighting,” Den tried.
“Mind your own fucking business, Den,” Vim spat at him.
Colin decided not to agitate Vim and tried to manoeuvre over across the room to Spider who stood in a corner sipping a beer. “Vim is extra pissy today,” he whispered.
Spider chuckled. “Yeah,” he whispered back. “He got pissed because Sally wouldn’t let him talk to the interviewer first.”
“Ah…”
Just then Sally and the interviewer entered.
“All right, boys,” the interviewer said. “Shall we do this?”
Spider went over to the others but Colin stayed back. The moment he saw a chance Vim started ranting and talking bullshit. Den and Spider lapped it up, poking in a word here and there. Colin felt increasingly uneasy. He couldn’t put his finger on it what it was exactly but he almost felt like the wolfs head necklace was whispering something to him and the scar on his neck hurt.
“So, Colin, you don’t have anything to say?”
“Huh?” Colin looked up and saw all of them staring at him.
“Are you okay, Colin?” Sally asked.
Colin tried to shrug nonchalantly. “Dunno, just not feeling very talkative today.” As he said it he realised he’d not felt talkative since Donnington. Through his head ran hundreds of memories of people telling him to shut the fuck up, both amicably and with animosity, but he never felt like talking any more. It’s as if not being able to for a month had completely turned off his will to speak.
“He’s being all mysterious and shit,” Spider said and laughed heartily.
Vim grimaced and Den followed suit.
“Well…” Colin said and shrugged again. Vim could have all his damn spirituality and communing with the dead, he would never have mysterious. Vim Fuego was about as mysterious as a door knob. No, Colin Grigson would have mysterious. And right then and there he decided that if there was ever going to be another interview he would one up Vim to the rafters and try to convince Altair to join him. It would be such sweet revenge for all the times he shoved him to the side and pushed him out of the way at gigs, interviews, hell just walking down the street Vim would try to take up all the space. Well, not any more. It was time for Colin Grigson to claim his place on this stage.