text: Scully blew out the last somber notes to a nostaljazz love song. Nostaljazz was the music of the day, a mixture of somber yet upbeat music that reminisced about the days long past, when the world was whole. Scully was good at performing it too, but he wasn’t sure how he did it. He had no lips, no lungs. All he was, was bone. Bone and green ligature. The audience applauded Scully and his bandmates, though most of the cheering was aimed at their singer Sophia. She was the “Skin” in Skin &amp; Bones, their band. She was a beautiful young woman, with red hair, and a red dress. Their drummer, as well as their everything else, was a boxy robot named Ampersand, he played everything except the saxophone. Scully was their sax player. The applause died down, and Sophia took a bow before handing the spotlight to Scully with a dramatic wave of her hands. “Thank you everyone! The world ended, but we’re still here, and will be every night after sunset! Thank you!” No one bat an eye at Scully, the skeleton in a three piece suit. He was a common sight around these parts. Which was a welcome reprieve from the usual frightened screaming he received in other places. Sophia, as always, was the first to leave the stage. She sashayed down the two steps off the stage, ignoring her admirers on her way upstairs to their apartment. Scully and Ampersand made for the bar to hang around, and maybe join in on a game of nuclear poker if any tables got going. “Not a fan of people, your singer,” said Buddy. Buddy was the owner of the bar, and its sole bartender. He was a mean looking S.O.B with a friendly demeanor. Scully liked him. “Some people prefer their own company,” said Scully. In response Ampersand let out a melancholy whirring, and sunk his head. “The robot seems to think different,” said Buddy. “Discretion Amp,” said Scully, shaking his head at the robot. Turning back to buddy he said, “She’s... not comfortable around men,” the words came out like they were walking on a tightrope, and buddy got the message. “Oh,” said Buddy, who flushed just a bit. “Yeah, ‘oh’,” said Scully. “Well, she seems fine around you and the robot.” “We’re hardly men though, are we Buddy?” “You’re dickless Skully, but you’re still a man. The robot identifies as one, far as I can tell.” Ampersand made his arms out like broad shoulders and “puffed” out his chest in agreement. “Hmm,” mumbled Scully, “What’s your point?” "My point is there’s two men she feels safe with, and that goes double for you. I have a way of reading folks, clocking them. She likes you, Skully.” “Hmm,” he mumbled again. Buddy let the subject drop, feeling as if maybe he’d pried too much to begin with, but Scully let the thought bounce around in his head. A game of nuclear poker later, and he’d decided to take a different kind of bet. He got up from the card table and went upstairs to the band’s apartment, leaving Ampersand, who was on a hot streak, behind. When he opened the door he found Sophia, still in her red dress, sitting on a leather chaise lounge, staring longingly at the full moon outside. “Hey,” said Scully. “Hey,” said Sophia, her wistful gaze turning to him. “Whadja up to?” “Reminiscing about the past.” “Nostaljazz” She nodded. Little diamonds formed around her eyes, and dropped down her red cheeks. This was only the second time he’d seen her cry. The first was in the alley where they met, when the walking skeleton had scared off some bad men. “Do you think it’ll ever go back to how it was before?” Scully took a seat on the matching ottoman near the chaise. He wasn’t sure they were talking about the state of the world just then. “It’ll never be as it was, but it’ll heal,” he said, willing his skull and empty sockets to appear consolatory. More diamonds. Scully had always been moved by Sophia’s singing. It was powerful. Now he understood exactly why. Nostaljazz was about looking back, wondering if it would ever be the same, just as she wondered about herself. “You really think so?” “I know so.” He wanted nothing more than to hold her in that moment, to tell her it was going to be okay. He didn’t though. If Buddy was wrong about how she felt, it could mean the death of their friendship. Worst possible outcome, she would never feel safe around him either. Maybe it was better to leave well enough alone. He got up, and made for the door. “Come down with me and Amp sometime, Sophia,” he said looking back. “Scully.” He stopped dead in his tracks. “Yeah?” he asked, not looking back. “Stay,” she said, then added, “please.” “Sure.” He went to sit back down on the ottoman, but she motioned him to sit beside her on the chaise. She wrapped an arm around his, and laid her head on his boney shoulder. She was warm. He couldn’t remember the last time he allowed himself to be intimate in any way. Sometime before, he thought, when he had muscles, and hair, when he had something to offer someone besides cold dry bones. “It‘s not the first time I’ve had to ask you to stay.” “Hmm.” “You almost left me back then too.” “You were frightened of me as much as the bastards that ran off.” “Maybe I was, at first.” She squeezed the long bone of his arm. “But I felt safer with you around. I didn’t know who you were, but you came running when you heard a screaming woman in a dangerous part of town.” “I did what anyone would do.” “No, not anyone would. Not alone, not like that.” He didn’t know what to say. He had just gone into that alley, not knowing what was happening. He just knew someone needed help, and he was close enough to answer the call. She tugged on his chin, and looked deep into his eyes. He didn’t move, he didn’t dare dream. Didn’t dare to presume. Anything else now would be taking advantage of a woman in distress., but Sophia didn’t slow. She kept staring longingly into his eyes. *Don’t* he thought, but she closed her eyes, and puckered her lips. Something told him it wasn’t right, that she was too good for him, that she was too vulnerable, but he didn’t move to stop her. Her lips had just grazed his boney grin when the door burst open, and Sophia jumped her head back in surprise, but still held onto his arm. It was Ampersand. He rolled into their apartment playing a brassy drumroll with a victory trumpet on his speakers. He had cleaned out the other people at the table and was carrying two bags full of lady luck gifted money. He waved the bags in the air, ecstatic, when he noticed the other two sharing the chaise lounge. Scully wasn’t sure if he'd seen the kiss, but Ampersand was frozen still while staring at them. Sophia was the first to break the ice. “Nice haul, Amp,” she said. Ampersand nodded his head, and made a happy whirring noise. The robot looked quizzically at the bags of money then. “He doesn’t know what to spend it on,” said Scully with a chuckle. “I could go for a drink,” said Sophia. “Feel like buying me a drink Amp?” The robot nodded enthusiastically and strolled back down the stairs. “You’re really coming down?” asked Scully. “Why not,” she said, smiling at him. The trio took spots back at the bar. Sophia was the only one of them that could actually drink, but Buddy joined them and drank along with her. She never let go of Scully’s arm.