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Spot On Change of Plans copyright 2014 comidacomida

The next days at WAG Records passed just as quickly as the first. Casey continued to learn more about the process of music production and it blew his mind discovering just how much went into it. He was shown all around the recording studio, met a large number of the technicians, and spent countless hours with Jae and Chuck going over more songs than he could count. The Dalmatian knew a good number of the songs either by having heard them or by passing familiarity with pop culture reference. Toward the end of the week, however, Jae kept insisting that Chuck run through some songs with the Dalmatian that were completely unfamiliar... and he found out why that was.

It was Wednesday afternoon, a few hours until they were going to call it quits, and Chuck had Casey in the recording studio. Jae was on the other side of the glass from the Dog arguing with the producer. The speaker was off so Casey couldn't really tell what it was they were arguing about but eventually the woman pressed the transmit button followed by a button on the electric keyboard she had with her. "KC... match this note for me."

Casey knew immediately that it was going to be at the top of his range but he went for it. He aimed for an 'ahhh' twice but had to change it to an 'eeeeeeee' in order to hit it, and even then it didn't exactly sound all that pleasant to him. Blushing, his ears drooped. "That's a little high."

Chuck hrumphed on the other side of the glass. "It's too high."

Jae was not moved in the least and she ignored the producer, keeping her focus on the Dog. "Try falsetto."

Casey did as was requested and it took him two tries before he could match it. Chuck didn't bother looking at Jae but the Dalmatian had to hide his smirk at one very powerful 'I told you so' face. She looked back toward Casey and smirked. "Stick with the falsetto, and try that note again with the word 'sex'."

The Dog's ears exploded in warmth as he felt them blushing like crazy. Regardless, he cleared his throat and tried the note again, hitting it in falsetto on the first try, with a little bit of flair. "Ssssex."

Jae immediately registered a positive response to his extra panache but Chuck frowned. "One note, KC... a quick, half-beat note."

Casey snug the word again and got a nod of approval from both humans. Jae picked a few loose pages out of a folder and announced definitively, "I told you."

Chuck called after her as she joined Casey into the recording booth. "We'll do a trial run. That's all I'm promising."

If the woman was paying the producer any attention she certainly didn't show it. She set one page on the stand in front of herself and slid one onto Casey's music tray. The Dog wasn't sure whether she was speaking to him or to Chuck when she stated simply. "We'll run through the chorus to get a feel for it."

The Dalmatian took a moment to look over what she had presented to him; he had no idea what he was looking at. "Jae... I... uh... I don't know this song."

It was Chuck who answered, thumb on the speaker button. "That's because this song hasn't released yet, KC."

Jae flashed the Dog a smile. "This is going to be one of my next singles. It's featuring on the album WAG is releasing this summer."

Casey's ears went up in surprise. "You mean, this is a new song?"

Despite the obvious answer, Jae smiled and provided it. "Yes... and it's a solo song, but I've been wanting to test it as a duet for awhile... I just haven't had the right partner yet. Your lines are underlined in blue-- mine are in red."

The Dog scanned the music in front of him, pointing to the word 'sex' with a single digit. "And... right here? It's underlined in both."

Her smile widened. "We both sing that part, KC... sex is always better with two people."

Chuck didn't seem to appreciate the humor, or, perhaps he was just interested in moving forward with the task at hand. "I'll run through the instrumental once so you can get a better understanding of the song's key and tempo. After that, how do you want to go forward, Jae?"

She was immediately all business too. "Once with the instrumental. I'll run through the chorus solo. After that KC can try the full solo. Once he's ready we'll try it together."

With no extra time to get ready, Casey picked up his head set and put one of the ear pieces against his right ear, leaving his left one uncovered. "Okay... ready."

Chuck started up the music and right away Casey could tell it had a pop-rock-R&B-dance-fusion feel; he could imagine a song like that making ample use of an auto-tuner for a rave edit version. All in all, the song had a distinctive beat, and he he managed to get his foot tapping and head bobbing in time with the chorus. As the producer cut the music Jae glanced toward Casey with an inquiring glance as if to ask his opinion. He wagged his tail. "Wow... this is... pretty cool."

They ran through the song again, this time with Jae singing, and Casey followed along on the sheet in front of him. "How am I supposed to tell you how I feel now? How am I supposed to taste all that life can bring? What am I supposed to say with my heart beating so loud? I don't know what to say. Don't know what to do. Don't know how to explain what I want from you. Sometimes, it feels, like everything's so right. Tell me how can I explain what I need tonight? It's what I need. It's what I want. It's everything between us... it's ah! ah! ah! ah! Sex!"

By the time Jae had finished the chorus Casey felt his heart beating faster, and not just because it was almost his turn to try; she had a way with her voice that almost made the song come across as sex itself. He committed his parts of the song to memory, analyzing how Jae had sung them and when she looked his way he nodded. "Okay... ready."

He ran through the chorus once but Jae was not satisfied. She gave him a few pointers and had him do it again... then again. Finally, on the fourth take she was content, and they moved on to singing it as a duet. The song went through with each singing a line; Jae started then Casey had the second line, Jae the third, and on and on until they took turns with the 'ah's, and then, they each sang the final word in unison; Casey sang it in falsetto.

Chuck was very direct in his assessment. "I guess it could work."

The studio work continued for the rest of the evening and through the first portion of the following day. By the time lunch rolled around Casey had Chuck all to himself as the producer started going over the rough plan of future activities he was lining up for the Dalmatian. "The concert season is starting up soon, and that means WAG Records is going to be having some live performances on the national level. Right now we're looking into some options for opening acts.. and you're one of those options."

Casey had trouble wrapping his head around that information. "You mean... like... on stage? Singing?"

The Producer's cell started ringing and he picked it up, but not before saying. "Yea."

The implications bounced around in Casey's head as he considered just what that meant; in just a few months he would be performing in front of huge groups of people. Either Chuck and Jae had a lot of faith in him, or else he was too convenient an option for WAG Records to pass up. Either way, he couldn't really object to the thought. He hadn't ever considered being a professional singer but there were a LOT of benefits to falling into the right kind of lifestyle.

His musings came to a stop when Chuck hung up his cell. "So... opening for a few summer concerts this year and if everything goes well when Jae starts her next tour you'll do some duets with her."

The Dalmatian froze. "Duets? With Jae?"

Chuck stood up and slipped his cell back into his front shirt pocket. "If you're joining Jae on stage that's a safe bet, yea."

"Isn't that going a little fast? I mean... I haven't even--"

The Human raised a hand to stop him. "This is Jae's next year's schedule we're talking about-- it's still a ways out."

Casey felt an immediate sense of relief; he didn't mind a little adventure and the thought of singing a duet with such a music icon would certainly fit the bill, but, at the same time he wasn't wholly confident that he was ready for it... not to mention the fact that he knew Mein Hund was going to need him for their up-and-coming marketing campaign. He was so stuck in his thoughts he almost didn't notice Chuck heading out the door. "So... uh... Chuck? Are we going back to the recording room?"

The Producer shook his head. "Nah... I have a meeting here in a few. Jae should be back soon and she'll take it from here."

Jae, as it turned out, did not return 'soon'. Casey found himself hanging out in the Green Room passing time with his mind running a mile a minute about everything he'd learned concerning the plans WAG had for him. A lot of it seemed surreal, and more than a little imposing. Regardless, if this was his chance he planned on seizing it. Jae obviously saw something in him so he would make it a point to see it in himself.

He was so caught up in his thoughts Angus' greeting surprised him. "Yo, Dog."

It took a moment for Casey's brain to switch from obsessing about his situation to being capable of coherent communication but when it did the Dalmatian raised a paw to offer a casual wave. "Hey, Angus."

The big black Mastiff took step closer and clasped the waving paw in one of his own like a high-five then pulled Casey toward him before embracing him in a sideways bro-hug. "So... we heard you were in the recording studio with Jae today...."

Casey blushed a little at the hug, but weathered it. His ears raised at the mention of the song practice. "Uh... who's 'we'?"

The huge Dog grinned in reply, finally letting him go. "Well... just about everyone, I think. Ned was doin' some work next door to ya and he has a pretty big fuckin' muzzle for such a small Dog."

The Dalmatian took a seat on the sofa with which he'd become quite familiar. "Chuck said not to make anything out of it yet... they're just trying to figure out what I can handle."

A voice speaking up from the doorway cut the conversation short. "Quite a bit, I'm willing to bet."

Angus' tail started right away as he moved over to give Tyler the slobberiest kiss Casey had ever seen from a two legged Dog; the Human didn't seem to mind at least. Once the two were properly reunited the black furred Dog glanced back toward Casey. "So... you didn't say why you were hangin' out here, KC. Shouldn't you be hunting down Chuck?"

The Dalmatian shook his head. "No... he said he had something to take care of. I'm waiting for Jae."

The Mastiff's ears raised. "Jae? Uh... she left for Heathrow about an hour ago, Dog."

"HEATHROW?!?

Angus nodded. "Yea... you know... the airport? I didn't hear too much 'bout it but it sounded like a pretty sudden thing. I bet it's some problem with scheduling or something with that concert series she has comin' up in Europe."

Casey hung his head. "Chuck said to wait here for her."

The Mastiff shrugged, "Gonna be waiting a hell of a long time if you're waiting for Jae. That's like a 14 hour flight from LAX."

Tyler reached up and rested a hand on Angus' shoulder. "Maybe you should go find the guy in charge and see what he wants you doing. We can always give you a lift somewhere."

Angus' tail started wagging immediately. "Sure! Come on, KC... we can go find Chuck and see what he has to say. You okay waiting here for us, Ty?"

The Human took a seat in the padded arm chair and reached for a magazine seated on the nearby coffee table. "Sure... I'll just get caught up on my reading about--" he paused, looking at what he'd randomly picked up, "...what Oprah thinks of-- oh god... maybe not."

The two Dogs grinned as the black man tossed the magazine back into the pile before pulling out his cell. "Just go figure out what's going on-- I'll check my email while I'm waiting."

Angus let out a little growly croon, "Good... saves you having to check it later tonight."

Tyler cracked a wry grin, "You know I never let email get in the way our Q.T."

The Mastiff was all wags as he led Casey out of the Green Room. "So... It's mid-afternoon, that means Chuck is either in his office or in the studio... let's check the studio first on our way to his office."

Casey followed Angus along since the Mastiff had a much better understanding of the producer's schedule. They went by the sound room first and, upon peeking in they realized it was empty. On their way to Chuck's office, the Dalmatian spoke up, "So... you and Tyler are pretty serious then, huh?"

Angus' tail started going again and his smile went from ear to ear, "Yea... figured it was pretty obvious. Glad to know I didn't develop any sense a subtlety."

The Dalmatian offered a smile, ears reddening. "So... uh... all that grief Ned gives you..."

The Mastiff shrugged, slowing as they neared a door clearly labeled C.GIFFORD and he responded before knocking. "Eh... Ned's a prick... and not the good kind. 'Sides, he's harmless and it helps him stroke his ego if he has something to bark about."

Chuck's familiar voice called from the other side of the door, "Yea? Come on in!"

Angus held the door open, letting the Dalmatian in first before following him. Casey waited for a moment, half expecting the big Mastiff to speak up but, when he didn't, the Dalmatian chose to take charge rather than stand there dumbly. "I heard Jae left for Heathrow?"

Chuck nodded, taking a sip of what smelled like coffee-mixed-with-whiskey from a mug on his desk. "Yea... problem with the merchandising and advertisement for her tour. It isn't backed by WAG Records but her contract allows her the flexibility. She left for LAX about an hour ago... why?"

Although Casey knew that Chuck was a busy guy the implications of Jae not being around were pretty clear... at least as far as the Dalmatian was concerned. "Jae was going to be driving me home."

The producer sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Well... I suppose Angus can take you... can't you, Angus?"

The Mastiff's ears raised. "Well, sure, Boss... but I think the problem is that Casey was stayin' with Jae."

Chuck grumbled, "Fuck... damn incompetent-- when Jae gets back she and I have to talk about what companies she trusts to handle her concert venues... she really needs--"

He fell silent when his cell went off. Glancing around his office, he spent a moment looking for it until he found it sitting right next to his hand on the desk. Sighing, he checked the display, held up a finger and answered the call. "Yea, I'm here."

Casey glanced over to Angus, whispering quietly, "Guess I didn't come up when Jae told him she had to leave."

Angus shrugged in response. "No biggie... if Chuck doesn't have any ideas I'm pretty sure Ty'd be cool having you stay with us... we got a guest room."

The producer snapped his fingers, motioning to the Mastiff as he covered the mic on the cell. "Perfect. Do that. See you tomorrow."

The two left the office, having obviously been dismissed as they heard Chuck continuing to talk to whomever had called, repeating his plight of Jae being off in England due to a SNAFU on the part of the local advertising and merchandising company. Casey smirked as he closed the door behind them. "They should just use AHB-- best marketing company out there."

Angus took the lead after that, returning to were Tyler was seated; he was off his phone and had a magazine in his lap. Looking up, the handsome black man closed it. "All set, A?"

The Mastiff shook his head. "Kinda got a problem, Ty..."

Tyler glanced between the two Dogs, eyes eventually coming back to rest on Angus. "Chuck not have a contingency plan or something?"

Casey folded his paws behind his back, shifting from foot to foot as the Burb Dog and Leasher exchanged glances. Angus eventually commented. "KC was staying with Jae, and she's gone... I figured maybe he could stay with us for tonight."

The Human raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin as his eyes went from Dog to Dog again. "So he's coming with us to dinner?"

Angus's head bobbled up and down in a nod, tail wagging. "I haven't met a Dog yet that doesn't like steak."

The Dalmatian spoke up at that, "I don't mind covering my own--"

Tyler didn't give Casey a chance to finish. "If he's coming with we'll probably have to skip the movie then."

The Mastiff continued nodding, tail picking up speed. "KC's a good Dog, Ty... have you seen his collar?"

The Human smirked. "I did notice... yea. And his Leasher's okay if he joins us?"

Casey cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I... uh... don't have a Leasher... uh... yet."

If Tyler paid him any mind it didn't show. The Human kept his eyes on Angus. "Tonight's our 'chocolate fudge' night, you know."

The Dalmatian did not miss the lewd glance Angus shot him before returning all of his attention to the Human. "Like I said... KC's a good Dog, Ty... I was thinking maybe some cookies and cream to go with the chocolate fudge."

The implication of the Human's smirk was unmistakable... and, suddenly, Casey had a feeling that Jae's trip was for the best. Tail wagging, the Dalmatian followed them out to the car.