Talon was filled with elation as he strummed the strings of his guitar; he felt the music reverberating through every vein in his body. It was an emotion he had never before experienced, and he was certain of his exceptional performance. The beach was alive with the soothing sound of the waves, and his guitar playing was like a majestic, harmonious melody that sailed through the air. He felt more alive and vibrant than ever before, and he was sure he could reach a higher level of performance.
He was attempting to play the guitar solo from the song Stairway to Paradise, something he had never mastered well before. But this time, his hands were steady as he flawlessly played it.
[Happy, Host?]
"Yes..." Talon breathed. "This is incredible."
[Then, reach even greater heights.]
"I will," he said firmly. "Without a doubt."
As he strummed his guitar, passersby were mesmerized by the captivating melodies. Despite having no knowledge of the complexity of the piece, they could still appreciate the beauty of the music. It was almost as if the one playing the guitar was completely overtaken by the emotion of the music, and their attention was immediately drawn to him.
"Who is he?" they whispered among themselves. "A busker?"
Despite their awe, they eventually continued on their way, not wanting to stay and watch for too long. "I don't have any money to give him," one of them said.
"Is it good or just an average performance?" some commented as they passed by.
"I want to hear more of his music, but I don't want to pay for it. I think I'll just move a bit away," one of them said.
Talon was aware that his guitar skills were not yet on par with those who were already highly proficient in the instrument, but he could sense that his skills had developed rapidly.
[There are four ranks for each skill, Host.]
[Beginner, Advanced, Expert, and Master. Each of these has ten levels. You can assume your guitar skills are based on the score you have.]
"So 21 points, I'm at the beginning of an Expert rank?" he asked.
[Yes.]
"Got it," Talon said.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "I'll find a crowd worthy of this music."
He had certainly demonstrated that he had made tremendous strides in his guitar playing, and his next objective was to ensure that he could complete his quest to gain the attention of 500 people when he performed live. He was determined to find a way to accomplish this goal, though he knew that it wouldn't happen tonight. He was eager for the following day to come.
***
Alice frowned as she passed by the living room and glanced at the CCTV monitor. She saw Talon quickly going through the hallway, leaving the apartment.
"Where did he go?" she wondered.
It was the end of November, and though there was no snow yet, the night air was icy cold, and it had just rained, making the temperature drop even lower. And yet, Talon had gone out with just his worn-out jacket.
Alice stepped out of her room and headed down the stairs to the first floor, where she saw Marlo, who resided next to Talon's room. She approached him.
"Marlo, do you know where Talon went?" she asked.
At first, Marlo felt immense joy when Alice walked up to him as he was disposing of the garbage outside his room. But his joy was replaced by confusion when she asked him about Talon.
Marlo had been harboring strong feelings for Alice for a while now; she was an absolute sight to behold. Her perfect body shape, delicate and smooth skin, and the charm she could exude in an instant could easily pass her off as a celebrity.
To top it off, she was from a well-off family who owned this apartment and another apartment in the city. However, Marlo was rather upset since he knew that Alice and Talon had been spending quite a bit of time together.
Her preoccupation with Talon ignited a spark of jealousy. "Why does she care so much about him?" he thought bitterly.
"I guess he has basically given up on his life," Marlo replied, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Look, it's the middle of the night, and it's freezing cold outside, and he's out here without even a proper coat on. It takes someone with no common sense to do something like this."
Marlo attempted to make Alice detest Talon, revealing how terrible of a person he was.
"I believe he ran away because he could not pay the rent. We should report him to the police. I am certain he has made a critical blunder by going out at this hour of the night; he will have nowhere to conceal himself," he said, with a faint smile on his face.
However, Alice had an expression of worry, especially as she was the last person to talk with Talon. She thought this might be her fault, too.
She exclaimed, firmly gripping Marlo's hand, not giving him any other choice but to follow her, "We have to find Talon, Marlo!"
Marlo quickly put on his jacket as he responded, "Wait...."
Alice and Marlo, wearing thick jackets, came out of the apartment and stood confusedly on the side of the road.
"Where did he go?" Alice asked frantically. "Do you have any idea where he went?"
"I'm not sure... maybe to the beach? To end his life?" Marlo suggested.
"Were you serious when you said that, Marlo?" she inquired.
"I really don't know," he replied.
Alice then shook her head and began sprinting towards the beach.
They sprinted along the shoreline of the beach, desperately looking for Talon. Alice was incredibly anxious, for the night air had become bitterly cold, and she could not imagine anyone venturing out without a warm jacket.
Then, Alice saw a figure in the distance, standing on the bridge and advancing towards the railing as if he was about to jump into the water.
"Is that Talon?" she asked, but Marlo stayed quiet and started running after her.
As Alice got closer, she could see that it was indeed Talon. When he turned around and saw her, she couldn't contain her worry and ran to him.
"Talon, what were you thinking?!" She held onto his arms as she spoke.
"Alice, what's going on?" he asked, confusion in his voice.
"You must think your life is worth nothing if you wanted to end it like that!" she said sternly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking perplexed.
Alice let out a sigh and shook her head.
"You really don't understand the severity of the situation, do you? What else would someone think about going to the beach at this time of night? You want to end your life, right? Do you know how stupid you are? The police could accuse me of being the reason this happened," she said again with emphasis.
Talon then turned for a moment towards Marlo, who seemed to be staring intently at him. He looked back at Alice and tried to answer more calmly.
"Alice, I went to this place because I wanted to play guitar. I'm not doing what you think," he confirmed.
Alice eyed him skeptically. "Playing guitar in the middle of the night like this? With a tattered jacket and temperatures this low?" she asked.
"Yes... actually, I'm used to living on the streets, so I'm used to enduring temperatures like this," he reiterated.
Alice replied in a quiet voice, "Okay... Let's go back then."
Talon nodded in agreement, and as they began to walk, he glanced at Alice from behind. Marlo, on the other hand, kept his hands tightly clenched, with feelings of anger surging through his heart. It seemed as if he was about to take it out on Talon at any moment.
The next morning, as the city awoke, Talon set out with his guitar, determined to captivate a larger audience. He chose the bustling city station, teeming with the morning crowd. It was the perfect stage for his quest.
But as he prepared to leave, Alice's voice halted him. "Talon, you still haven't answered my offer," she said, her tone laced with a mix of frustration and concern. "Stop playing the guitar. You won't be able to move on with your life if you continue on this path."