[XOTM] Cancelled? Think Again!

"What? Cancelled? No!" Akira reread the dry missive in disbelief. The Old Hr'havel Cistern was going to be an anchor of this tour. Its semi-subterranean architecture had acoustic properties that many performers, Akira among them, loved to take advantage of. But while the xero may have been looking forward to the venue, the people of B'haddu themselves had been looking forward to Tetsu. They weren't going to let this stop them.  Akira reached for their camera.

~~

"Concern that sustained sonic vibrations exceeding 105 decibels...blah, blah, blah...until a new architectural feasibility study of The Hr'ravel Historical Cistern System can be conducted...."

On the impromptu announcment slash promo,  Akira leaned forward through the text overlay displaying the cancellation message. "In other words, the preservationists and historians at the Old Cistern are worried that Tetsu is literally going to bring down the house. But as if I'd leave all of you in B'haddu out to dry in the sun. So what I'd like to know is..." They smirked. "...is your home strong enough for this?"

Akira hadn't played for house parties or semiprivate concerts in some years: it was nostalgic to drop by the night before or the morning of, to chat and make small-talk with the people who lived there and make a personal connection before the evening's...small..intimate..gathering...

...the evening when the admittedly large house had become jam-packed, stuffed-to-bursting, with guests.

Akira gave their host a dry look, oversized ears straight horizontal for emphasis. "A private birthday party. Really?"

. "I...might have bragged...a little...on my Timeline."

Akira's expression did not change.

"Look, I know we're not in violation of the fire code! My uncle works for public safety, I checked! We have a noise permit and everything...."

The xero's expression broke, they laughed and waved it off. "Look, if you wanted a block party, you should have just said so!"

The Korso trilled anxiously and clacked his beak, but didn't deny it.
~
The moon was bright, the air was brisk desert chill, and below the stars glittered a thousand-thousand sequins and lenticular dazzle and glow pips on the gear and regalia of those who had come to dance tonight.

"All right, neighbors, are you here to have a good time? Are you here to dance?"

The cheer that rippled out from the front yard to down the block was as fervent as any of Tetsu's formal venues. This was going to be a night to remember.

"Glad to hear it, glad to hear it..." The xero gently slid up the volume on one of their favorite loops to open with. "If you're watching or listening to this after the fact, future friends, don't worry, I'll be in town for a few days longer than planned."

"First, this one's a collaboration with one of my favorite local stars, JK Jerboah. You may have heard it before." If the scattered woops of excited recognition were any cue, the crowd had, indeed, heard this one before. Next followed the light tremors of hundreds of feet moving to dance in the streets as the strongly syncopated kick snaked into the ears of the block party. B'haddu's local music scene *loved* a complex bass line.

Along the edge of one line of buildings, Akira spotted a small group of partygoers distributing handmade stencils and cans of spray. Laughing, they faded in the vocal line of an anti-authoritarian classic. ("Can we say that we are free? / Our hands are bound and voices silent..")

B'haddu Public Safety was about to be reminded just why it was best to keep Tetsu's fans in one easy-to-monitor location for the evening.