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Arthur Black was sitting on the couch trying to tune his guitar, but his perpetually-indecisive roommate has decided that this week she is a singer again.
"Come on, Art, I'm a good singer!" Suzy pleads with big eyes and a bigger wave.
"Suze. That is not the thing that worries me, Suze," Arthur says as he sets down his guitar to the side, "The thing that worries me is that this week you want to sing and the next you'll be back to sculpture. Or painting. Or found-object collages. Or interpretive-freaking-dance!"
"Interpretive dance is silly, Art, why would I do that? And anyway, you know you want to try some of the vocals you wrote ♫ for ♫ high ♫ voices! ♫"
That's two things Arthur is not good at refusing: chances to show off and requests from Susanna Blue. The look he gives back, though, is definitely a scowl. Not a smirk at all. "One of these days, you're going to wear out your welcome... with everyone but me. OK, show up to tonight's practice a little after we start, I'll bring the guys around."
"Yay! You're still the best, Art." She really is happy, that hug was only about a third tackle.
Practice comes and goes, and the rest of No Rainbows goes along with Suzy's request. Arthur isn't explicitly in charge, but he's a big personality and the group started out of bluegrass jam sessions he organized, so they're used to following his lead. And her voice is pretty good.
A couple nights later, they are all setting up in the back of an Atlanta restaurant. Suzy's helping Arthur set up the amps while there's still space to move things around near the stage while the other three tune up.
"Come on, Art, I'm a good singer!" Suzy pleads with big eyes and a bigger wave.
"Suze. That is not the thing that worries me, Suze," Arthur says as he sets down his guitar to the side, "The thing that worries me is that this week you want to sing and the next you'll be back to sculpture. Or painting. Or found-object collages. Or interpretive-freaking-dance!"
"Interpretive dance is silly, Art, why would I do that? And anyway, you know you want to try some of the vocals you wrote ♫ for ♫ high ♫ voices! ♫"
That's two things Arthur is not good at refusing: chances to show off and requests from Susanna Blue. The look he gives back, though, is definitely a scowl. Not a smirk at all. "One of these days, you're going to wear out your welcome... with everyone but me. OK, show up to tonight's practice a little after we start, I'll bring the guys around."
"Yay! You're still the best, Art." She really is happy, that hug was only about a third tackle.
Practice comes and goes, and the rest of No Rainbows goes along with Suzy's request. Arthur isn't explicitly in charge, but he's a big personality and the group started out of bluegrass jam sessions he organized, so they're used to following his lead. And her voice is pretty good.
A couple nights later, they are all setting up in the back of an Atlanta restaurant. Suzy's helping Arthur set up the amps while there's still space to move things around near the stage while the other three tune up.
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Date: 2014-10-28 07:16 am (UTC)And with that, he's up and moving. Through the lobby doors, up the stairs, check the hallway, and... door. It's closed. Is that a good sign? He thinks it's a good sign.
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Date: 2014-11-03 06:00 am (UTC)She keeps an eye out, like he asked, and counts sheep in her head. Wave soon, please, boooored.
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Date: 2014-11-04 06:18 am (UTC)He slides open the balcony door and waves toward the parking lot.
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Date: 2014-11-05 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 05:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 05:43 am (UTC)"I'll take these downstairs. You keep packing, you know where you keep things, I'll start ferrying things to the car."
She heads downstairs. How full is the back of the van? There may be some trunk tetris.
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Date: 2014-11-05 05:52 am (UTC)Arthur finishes his message sending (it's all pretty vague) and shuts the laptop. Now to get a bunch of clothes and cash in a bag. Pack, pack, pack.
(He hasn't relocked the door behind him. And he's not looking toward it at all.)
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Date: 2014-11-05 06:10 am (UTC)In the hallway, two men appear. They may be recognizable from the group of four in the restaurant.
They enter the apartment, pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked and even more pleasantly surprised to find it occupied. "Well, isn't this convenient," the taller one says, almost cheerfully. "Two birds, one stone. We were going to look for you when we finished up here, and you've gone and saved us the trouble."
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Date: 2014-11-05 08:28 am (UTC)He turns around, fists clenched. "No, save me some trouble. Where'd you take Suzy?"
(This probably isn't a very good decision either. Not that he's remotely thinking about that right now.)
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Date: 2014-11-12 02:32 am (UTC)The other man looks sour. An observant person might notice a hastily bandaged wrap around his arm. Suzy was not an easy prisoner. "This time, you get the hard part," he tells his friend. "I'm going to go grab their laptops." He heads for the nearest bedroom.
The first man sighs, squares his shoulders, and pulls out what looks like a taser. "You could make this easy," he suggests. "Not struggle. Tell me what you two were planning with your little band."
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Date: 2014-11-13 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 11:08 pm (UTC)Is this pure bravado? Probably. It's not like Arthur knows what he can do any better than this other guy does.
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Date: 2014-11-17 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-17 11:21 pm (UTC)Erica might not have gotten involved, honestly. She thought about running, just for a second. But she wasn't all that quiet about coming into the room, and if the suited guy had spotted her, she gives herself better odds with Art than without him. So, she grabbed the nearest object (an empty guitar case, as it happens) and slams it over the suited man's head.
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Date: 2014-11-17 11:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-18 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-18 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-18 02:23 am (UTC)He steps out into the main room quietly, and carefully makes his way toward the back of the apartment. His brain decides that this is a good time to quote Loony Toons. "Be vewwy qwwiet, I'm hunting sweatews!"
Brain. Shut up, brain. I have more important things to worry about. Like how does a taser work, anyway?
Arthur goes into the hall, shocky ends pointed away from user.
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Date: 2014-11-18 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-18 02:40 am (UTC)Arthur darts forward, sticks the taser to the back of the man's neck and pushes the button.
BZZZT!
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Date: 2014-11-18 02:43 am (UTC)That, as it turns out, is enough to knock him out.
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Date: 2014-11-18 02:52 am (UTC)Lesse, there should be some in the hall closet? One frantic search later: yes, there was. It's tiger-striped, black and hot pink. Why? Who knows. Anyway, bring it back to Erica.
"K, here's the tape. Oh, and I'm not going to say your name in front of them, just in case. They probably have mine already, but we might want to avoid it."
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Date: 2014-11-18 03:34 am (UTC)"Yeah, point. Thanks." She thinks about the name problem. Well, now's a good time to get used to a new first name if ever there was one. Her fake ID has a fake last name, of course, but she didn't think she could adjust fast enough to a fake first name. But now that she's being hunted by people more motivated, less deterred by large cities, better equipped, and noticeably less friendly than her parents, she'll just- get over it. Somehow. Fake first name it is.
(She's encountered people less friendly than her parents, now there's a horrifying thought all by itself.)
"How about Morgan?" she suggests, rather facetiously. "You'll need some name for me. And you should pick one, too, you probably don't want to introduce yourself to people as-" just in case, just in case, don't say his name, don't say what they're doing or where they're going, "-the same name they know you by, after this."
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Date: 2014-11-18 03:54 am (UTC)He checks that this guy is safely gagged, then continues "K, let me do the same to the other guy before he comes to. With the rag, that's a good extra. Thoughts on what we do with them afterward? I doubt they'd stay put in a prison for long."
Then he goes and gags the other guy, and lugs him back to the same room.
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