NaNoWriMo - Part 1

The Blind Serenade

“Sir, I do think it is time for you to wake up now.” A blond haired boy spoke with such a soft tone to his voice. No way could he ever give an order to the man in bed, the man being his master. In other words, how he spoke made it sound like it was rather a request, one that someone could brush aside without another thought; and that's just what the sleeper did, brush the youngster's request aside with a simple grunt. The man atop the mattress tightened his grips to the sheets, pulling them over his head as he rolled himself to the other side of the bed, away from the noise that came from within his room. It was as clear as day now that the stubborn man wasn't going to listen to the blond. Another tactic came into consideration, the young boy leaned on the edge of the king sized bed, taking hold of the sheets his master clung to and tugged it constantly. Along side the irritable tugging was the young butler's whining. “Wake up. Wake up, up, up.” He was call out in all sorts of kiddish tones.
The disgruntled sleeper just curled up more tightly into his sheets, trying to block the noise as best as he possibly could. Soon, the boy gave up and just huffed, arms crossed in disappointment. The daily routine normally worked, but occasionally he would be a brick. Today was one of those days it would take a woman to get him out of bed. A woman the old geezer knew well. The butler turned towards the door of his master's room, running to it, then swinging it open and calling for this particular individual. By now, he was unafraid of “disrupting the peace” of this mansion type complex, since there was no peace in this place to begin with. It was naturally noisy the majority of the time, even at night when people are supposedly sleeping. Not long after the deafening call, there were loud stomps that echoed throughout the halls. Closer and closer these sounds came, and the more louder they got, the more you can hear the annoyance in them. It was an impatient pace, possible anger mixed within it as well. Once the tapping had stopped, the door closed behind the lovely woman. Well, maybe lovely wasn't the right word to use, considering she had a few rough bloodstains along the edges of her clothes.
“You still haven't woken him up yet?” Ask the woman, expressing her disappointment in the butler with a brief glare.
“I have not, Melody.” The young boy stated. He didn't call her by “madame” or “my lady” because she was about the same level as he in ranks, so it was appropriate for him to call her by her first.
“You must be doing it all wrong then. Step aside.” She pushed him aside forcefully and marching to the edge of the bed where the sleeper rested. The woman didn't even attempt to pull the covers off of him, although she did give him a light tap on the rump to show that she was ready to yell at any time. Course, the old man didn't respond all to well, just winced a little by her tap. “Jazz. Wake up! It's late in the afternoon and this is the third time in a row you have slept in. You butler for the gods sake can't even wake you up anymore. He has to call my ass to wake your ass up every time now, and frankly I am tired of him having to always scream my name. If you are going to have a mission at night, please next time tell your butler or something so he doesn't have to freak out. Oh the gods, are you even listening to me? Jazz?” She wailed, her hands slamming against the edge of the bed in tight fists out of pure rage. “Wake up you blind buffoon!”
Arising from the covers came the old man, Jazz. This hair all curled up in all directions, his eyes were all baggy even if they were closed at this very moment. His hair protruded out of his body, his scruff was beginning to look like a beard, hair started to grow out of his neck, oh god what a horrible sight this was. Disgusting out of bed moment, this is possibly the few worst experiences she could ever have in his room. Melody couldn't help but look away, then having to look back because she had to see his expression. Was he angry at her for being so loud and irate, or was he rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal? The bed headed Sasquatch was grinning, all teeth at full bloom. This meant he was irritated, but not angered by the fact she got enraged. That was a relief, but she knew there was a speech to be followed by this lofty smile of his.
“Melody, Melody, Melody. I know that you know that I have sensitive ears, correct? We have also established my lack of sight as well, am I wrong? Now, put those two together and keep those in mind while you ponder about my situation.” A small silence filled the room, both subordinates held their breath and nothing appeared to move. The tension in the air was suffocating enough, so holding their breath wasn't going to be any different. Jazz gave them this quiet moment to think. A moment was a moment though, so it didn't last long. “My sensitive ears are very sensitive, as you already know. Let me reiterate. My ability to hear is so sharp, to the point where I can hear a persons heart beat and eavesdrop on people eight rooms away from mine, doors closed and all. They also have the ability to block dangerously loud noises from committing homicide on precious drums, but I will still be able to hear the bickering of the obnoxious being. In other words, I have the ability to tune out, tune in, block out people completely, and adjust people's volume. However, none of this applies when I am sleeping, or trying to at least. I am a lucky man that I am. My hearing powers work like a normal mans would when I am asleep. Meaning, the range my ears normally could expand out to depletes.”
Was this not enough information for the young woman? He had to make sure she got it all. “I, for one, cannot sleep with all the jabber in the halls. As well as my ability to sleep is hindered by my neighbors gurgles in bed. Thus, I must refer to physically blocking out all sound with sheets and pillows upon my bed. Yesterday, I even had to rely on paper.” His baggy eyes slowly opened, revealing the pure sclera eyes. Some thought he was a monster because of his demented eyes, not to mention his hair along most of his body helped emphasize it. However, it was something to get used to, because overall he was a sweet heart inside of that tough outer shell. Melody's heart began to pump faster as she stared into his soulless eyes, almost feeling bad he couldn't see her. At the same time, would he be the same with eyes? It was a question that wasn't ever going to be answered, not truthfully that is.
“I am sorry.” Melody took in a deep breath, her heart pounding a mile a minute out of nervousness. Would he forgive her?
“Don't be sorry. I am grateful you had woken me up, in a way.” His last words were more of an aside. “Just next time, don't yell. Please understand that I am not some ordinary business man, alright? I know that you know me as well as anyone else in this horrid building. Now go and do what you do best and boss the crap out of our fellow members, I'll meet with you shortly.” With a nod, he gave her permission to make leave. The woman's heart continued to pound, but her feet didn't move at the same pace it was running. Surprisingly enough, they were moving slower. “Oh, by the way,” the leader added, “don't kill yourself. Take a break before kicking the boys back to work. You're heart, as I hear it, is about to pop from your chest.”
“Ha, ha.” Melody sneered, her voice not so overjoyed by his remark. Good thing that old man was blind, or she would be more embarrassed that her cheeks were bright red. Her feet pattered against the floorboards, then there was a click, another couple steps, then a slam. She was gone, just like that. However, the old man could still hear her walking down the hall. Jazz grinned with delight, his eyes “focusing” on the blanket that rested on his lap.
“What's on today's agenda, Benny boy?” He asked the young butler.
“Today is your day to play at the tavern in Monotone City, sir.” Ben replied, watching his master crawl out of the sheets and hanging his feet over the edge of the mattress.
“Is that so? That's a surprise, last time I was there, I started a bar fight! I wonder why they would want me back.” The old man cackled, lifting his hand and scratching his chin without much thought. He obviously knew why they would want to see his ugly face again, he just liked to question their decision occasionally because he wished to know if there was something else making them call him back other than the usual. The real reason why anyone would wish to invite him back to a bar was because he is a good musician and a people person. That fantastic combination was cherished in these bars and taverns. Why? They were able to distract the drunkards with songs or words without getting killed, the majority of the time that is.
“A rhetorical question, sir?”The butler asked, trotting off to the closet which was only a few steps away from the foot of the bed. He swung the doors of the closet inwards, walking inside afterwards to look at all the wardrobes laid out for his owner. Most of the outfits were suits, and black and white, so there wasn't much variety to pick and choose from. The young blond decided to go with Jazz's normal look, a white button up, black khakis, and a dark suit jacket with pockets outside and inside of it; let's not forget a new pair of “under” shorts, along with a tie, his large brimmed hat, and his signature goggles. Ben carried these items out of the closet and tossed them on the bed, the spot next to the old man.
“You have learned quite well, Benny boy.” The dirty Sasquatch tilted his head too quickly, evidently his shoulder crammed into his left ear and popped the drum temporarily. What his first intentions were was to try and crack his neck, which ended up as a failure. Lifting his head again so it was linear with his body, he groaned at the pain in his ear.
“However, it seems you haven't learned at the same pace as I, sir.”
“Oh shut up and get me dressed, smart ass.” Jazz chuckled and slowly got to his feet, so the boy could get a full 360 turn around of him. The old man was a joker, and loved to tease people no matter their age, sex, or height. Though, he never went too far with his jokes, even if he did, he could pull the “I'm blind” card and run away scot free, normally that was the case. The sound of his butler shuffling through the fabrics was slightly overwhelming, to the point where his thoughts were cut off. Since Jazz was still trying to adjust to the volumes around him, noises were louder than usual., since he had to put some energy and effort into tuning down some unnecessary sounds. Waking up from sleep took a lot of effort, to be honest, especially for him.
“Alright, getting your shirt on first, 'kay?” The boy didn't wait for a response, poking the man by the side before helping Jazz's arms through the sleeves. After, came the buttoning, then the pants, which the old man pulled up his own fly out of common courtesy. Then was his suit jacket, which he was able to put on his own without the younger one's help. “I have your hat right here, the goggles are on top.” Jazz stood still while his butler straightened his tie, then placed the brimmed hat on top of his head. “There you go. All set, sir.”
“Thank you very much, Benny boy. You're always a pal.” Jazz snickered and patted the blond on the head, ruffling his hair roughly afterward out of habit. “Now, it's time for me to take my daily stroll before I get Mel to escort me to Monotone. Take care while I am gone, and don't have a party. I swear to god if I hear a party, I'll beat someone with their own skull.”
“That's not physically possible though.”
“I'll make it possible. You know it.” The old man gave a hardy laugh, a sly smirk upon his face as he took careful steps towards his end table that sat nicely next to his bed. He snatched the cartridge of cigarettes and stuffed it into one of the pockets before making his way for the door. While he did so, his butler watched with brows raised, stepping aside so he wasn't in his master's way. He examined carefully as this blind old man was able to find the door so easily, not to mention the knob. With a click, Jazz opened the door and was ready to make his leave. Course, he couldn't do it so soon, since the blond held him back for a moment with a brief question. A question that has been bothering Ben for quite some time now, ever since he started working here to be exact.
“How on earth do you get around?” Were the first few words to slip from the boy's mouth, the question was very vague because he was in a panic the man might leave before he could conjure up the courage to ask. His heart stopped the moment after he spew that question, eyes widening as he waited for Jazz to stop in his tracks. The sound of his heart pumping again came straight after the sight of his master staying at the door, not leaving quite yet. A sign of acknowledgement, a signal that the man was considering to answer. Maybe not honestly, but by the looks of it, he was going to answer.
“Rephrase it.” The old man told the boy.
“Rephrase what?” The butler asked, brows furrowed.
“Your question, silly.” He replied. Oh, the vague question the butler had asked earlier. Gods, he completely forgot to reiterate his thoughts in a more organized manner. A deep breath, then a long exhale while the youngster began to conjure up a clearer version of the question he had asked before.
“Right. Uh, sir. I just hoped to learn a little bit about you today. How do you manage to get around the house and streets blind? It's remarkable that you don't run into anything. I just wish to know is all, curiosity struck me.” A long paused followed the his words. There was an anxious twiddle in his fingers as time passed, a slight itch behind his ear that caused minor irritation, but he was too nervous to even reach back and relieve it. The air in the room was suffocating again, he didn't know how Jazz was going to respond. Angrily? Unlikely, knowing his personal he would either be more snarky with a response, happy to oblige and make clear of the boy's troubles, or make matters worse by striking his curiosity more.
“That's for me to know and for you to find out on your own spare time. Unless perchance I have a few ticks to spend and am willing to share my story. I'd rather not explain how I get around now however. The time it would take to explain this would be equivalent, if not more, to explaining my ability to hear heartbeats and people masturbating next door. Much time would go to waste, and as you already know, I don't like to waste time.” Jazz left the young boy with just that. Luckily, Ben saw this coming considering that it was one of the latter responses he had thought about earlier. His master triggered his curiosity more, which was probably going to keep him up all night if he thought to hard about it. This subject must be stored away until next time, or else he'll be in an analysis paralysis.
Ben let out a quiet sigh, knowing well that Jazz had heard him, then bowing towards his master. Truly there wasn't a need for a bow or gesture of any kind. Although it was a good habit to begin developing just in case he had to perform such acts to people of higher class than he. Once he was standing up straight again, the old man had vanished. The door was already closed as well. How strange, he didn't even make a sound either.