"Good morning." Charlton greeted as the four occupants of the room turned towards his direction when he entered.
"Morning Charlton, you're just on time. Everyone, please greet Lord Charlton Daniel. You will be working with him from now on." Edward instructed which made the 3 other men stand up to give Charlton a bow.
"Please, no need for such formality." Charlton said with a smile. Although his position warrants him such greeting, he felt like there was no need for it specially since they will be working together for at least a year. Aside from that, he would also want to hear their honest input and opinion if there are any improvements they can suggest in the future.
Edward chuckled with Charlton's modesty. "Anyway, let me make an introduction, Charlton, these are Jerome, Willy, and Richmond. Guys, do introduce yourselves."
Since Charlton has shown some friendliness, the three were able to relax a little. They have experienced working for some nobles before and most of the time, they were very snobbish, looking down on people like them.
"I am Richmond Starkey, age 25. Mainly, I play the drums. I can also play other instruments but my skills there are only intermediate. It's an honor to be working with you from now on Lord Daniel." The man nearest him began sounding respectful and friendly at the same time.
"Just call me Charlton, Richmond. By the way, are you by chance related to the Starkey's whose family has produced knights for generations?" Charlton asked.
"How can I dare?" Richmond answered regarding calling Charlton by name. Although they were in a professional field, he was still their superior.
Edward knowing their awkwardness winked at Charlton, "You can call him Producer Daniel instead."
Charlton understanding the implication of Edward's words said, "Yes, that will also do."
Richmond nodded, "Then, Producer Daniel, to answer your question, yes, you are correct. However, in my generation only my cousin, Sir Richard Starkey, has been knighted. The rest, like me, has tried their luck on other fields." Richmond answered.
Charlton nodded his head. "I see. It's good to hear that."
Anyway, the next person started introducing himself, "I am Jerome Lennon, 23. Mainly, I'm a pianist, but I can also play other instruments if needed. Producer Daniel, I will be in your care from now on."
Charlton smiled. He was younger than them, so it felt a little strange to hear those words, but he let it go. It was indeed true that as the producer he will be taking lead.
"I am Willy Harrison, 23, a guitarist. I can also play other string instruments, but not like I handle the guitar. It is my honor to work with you Producer Daniel."
Charlton nodded his head in acknowledgement. "It is also a pleasure to meet the three of you. Today, I will be asking you to play a song which I already prepared the sheet music on in advance. However, I am not very familiar with preparing the percussion notations for the drums. In any case, can you three have a go with it first? If you have ways to improve it, then also do give it a try."
"Can we look through it first?" Richmond asked, he along with the other two understood that Charlton was trying to gauge their skills.
"Of course, here." Charlton said as he handed them the sheet music.
Since they have nothing to do but wait, Edward suggested, "While they are looking through that, Charlton, would you mind heading to my office with me? I need to hand you the documents we discussed about in our meeting last week."
"Alright." He replied.
--
"These just arrived yesterday. I didn't send them to you immediately since you were coming here today." Edward explained as he handed Charlton the 4 envelopes.
"No problem. Thank you." Charlton replied as he sifted through them.
"Those came from Thomas, Alexander, Lucas, and Ben. On the other hand, Howard and Scott will be sending theirs before Wednesday next week, or so I have been informed. Anyway, this is already the second one Lucas sent, how did you find the initial draft he sent you? If you don't mind me asking."
Charlton shook his head, "The draft was fine, only that I have some questions and matters I needed clarifications on. If what he sent now have addressed all those issues, then I would have no problem signing with him tomorrow."
"You're really heading to Normandy tomorrow? That's 3 hours journey from here, so from your school, it would be like 4-4.5 hours travel? Then again, I really think he needs the help. By the way, what do you think of the 3 guys I selected?"
"I can't say much yet as I haven't heard their output. However, based on the impression they gave me earlier, it seems like they would be pleasant to work with."
"Fair enough. Though I specifically selected them not only because they have the skills and experiences, but also, because of their clean background. Now, moving on another topic, though we haven't signed the contract yet, I want to inform you of the list I have with me regarding the people who are in line for you to work with. Is that fine with you?"
"I don't mind. Please, go ahead."
Edward took out a document from his drawer and handed it to Charlton. "Those in that list were the ones I shortlisted based on the works they submitted. I can also give you a copy of their sheet music and mind you, Serena's work truly made a difference. Almost all of them were trying to imitate her style. Anyway, you can look through it and try to choose who you wish to work with first."
Charlton looked through the list having 2 columns. On the left were 30 names, and on the right were the title of their song. There were names that he recognized and names he didn't. At the same time, he sifted through the sheet music.
--
TBC