Stardom:

Reaction to Bone Dance's new sound was quite a shock to the band. They played one, somewhat-edgy and unsure recital in a goth bar in Plymouth, and were astonished when the normally-sedate patrons were visibly moved. Even more shocking was seeing some of those same, black-clad patrons in a more "upscale" establishment, a few nights later, braving the stares and laughter just to hear more of their music.

Word traveled fast that the band had something special, and before they knew it their previously "reasonable" audiences were being replaced by standing room only. It got to the point where they had to play outside the Freeholds, rather than in them, just to be able to accommodate everyone who showed up. And where before they were happy to play for a few dollars, a meal and maybe a bed, they were now being showered with praise, goods and multiple offers to doss down for the night.

The reason for the newfound attention was fairly obvious: Johnny's flute. It had the fans on the edge of their seats, and they couldn't get enough of that sound, as eerie and disturbing as it was. Larry might have been nervous and timid, but Johnny Bedlam was a master of knowing how to work the crowd, and was quite in his element on stage, next to his love.

This lop-sided adoration caused a little rivalry at first, as Stuart felt that he and Peter were being upstaged by quite a bit. And they were, too, but Peter tried to cheer him up by saying that it was his compositions for that flute that were being played. Seen in that light, he had as much of a hand in it as Johnny, surely?

{And while that thought didn't save the day, peace was finally had, courtesy of an unlikely source. Johnny - in an increasingly-rare moment of Larry-like behavior - bought Stuart a good, imposing pair of Doc Martens. Even if they were, and still are, too heavy for Stuart to wear, he appreciated the gesture, and the grumbling stopped.}

The adoration wasn't the only problem, though - before long, Johnny's attitude caused external tensions. Whenever he met people from the Dreaming, he always copped an attitude, and spent most of the time looking over his shoulder, as though he were highly uncomfortable in their presence. There was even one time when he grabbed some Sidhe, and might have killed him, but then let him go and walked away, never offering an explanation for his behavior {much less an apology}

Peter had to do a lot of covering-up and apologizing for his bandmate's behavior in order to avoid repercussion, but the assault on a Sidhe was a last straw. He reminded Janet of her duties in this matter, and demanded that she keep him calm. She said she would at least keep him from doing anything rash to fellow members of the Dreaming, but she couldn't stop him from wanting to protect her. Peter had a few choice words to say about that notion, but he wisely kept them between himself and Stuart.

But even the bad whispers about their flute-player couldn't keep people away from what came out of the flute. And it wasn't more than a year after Johnny first took to the stage that reporters came sniffing around Bone Dance's concerts for a story.

They got one, too: the rather brash fellow from NME - who also coined the name "Chamberpunk" - made the mistake of asking Janet a few rude questions. She started to freak out, at which point Johnny arrived and told the fellow where he could put his pen. And when the fellow wouldn't back down, Johnny threw down, and the other guy left the bar with a flute-shaped dent in the back of his head.

Of course, this was photographed. Peter was enraged, at first, but calmed down when he realized that if Johnny hadn't been the one to thrash the fellow, it might well have been him. And while he wasn't very happy to have Johnny going after fellow members of the Dreaming, having someone there to keep the press at bay - and keep them from asking some very intrusive questions - wasn't such a bad thing after all. It allowed them to get publicity without being caught in lies or uncomfortable truths, and would bring more people in to hear them. And that was what was really important.

That in mind, Peter arranged to have a show recorded by a Knocker of his acquaintance, and allowed him to press the CD and sell it without any royalties to the band - save for a favor down the road, if need be. He also arranged for someone else to make a copy of "The Staircase" for select radio stations, knowing that would draw even more people in.

{In truth, he hates the original song. But he went along with Stuart's plan to do it, anyway, much for the same reason he lets Johnny beat up mortal reporters. A good entertainer has to play to his audience, if only to get them in and play with their expectations, so the occasional trick isn't a bad thing...}

And that is, more or less, how the band has come to be known. They refuse to appear on video or television, and will only be interviewed - for print - in a group, with Peter doing most of the talking. They've had favorable reviews of their CD, and many well-heeled critics have praised their approach. But no one's sure what to make of the band, itself, much less it's surly flautist; As a band, Bone Dance wears a dark veil of mystery about them at all times, and they seem to like it that way.s