against_all_trouble: (good)
[personal profile] against_all_trouble
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.

Date: 2014-10-02 05:32 am (UTC)
marrinikari: (lilac)
From: [personal profile] marrinikari
Meanwhile in the front of the restaurant, enters a group of men. Something about the group, the Authority and Gravitas with which they're walking, is screaming Important People. They're an odd sight here, that's for sure; rigid posture, nicely dressed, sticking firmly together like a nervous herd of some kind.

Except, they're not nervous. They clearly have A Purpose Here.

And right now, they'll be watching the show. Very, very closely.

Isn't it interesting?

Date: 2014-10-02 09:52 pm (UTC)
ladysunday: (Default)
From: [personal profile] ladysunday
Suzy notices even less. She's flowing with the music, eyes half-closed.

There's a beat or two between songs where she's creeped out, but then she's back to Being the Singer.

Date: 2014-10-03 05:56 am (UTC)
marrinikari: (Default)
From: [personal profile] marrinikari
The group seems- not content, they look too intense for that, but what might be called content in other circumstances- to wait for the show to be over. It shouldn't be long. Meanwhile, they'll just be sitting here.

Watching, and thinking.

Date: 2014-10-03 06:02 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (downcast)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
Erica is, for the most part, working in the kitchen. (It's where all the dirty dishes are, after all). But the few times she sees them, she's wary. They don't fit here. She doesn't like things that don't fit. Why are they here? What do they want?

She has a moment of panic, thinking is it me they're looking for, but attempts to calm herself. It's fine. They're watching the show. (Weirdly closely, but whatever.) They haven't looked at the kitchen. It's probably not related to her at all.

Not to her running away, or her- Things.

All the same, she's glad Suzy made that offer. She's stayed in this shelter before, but never at Suzy's. If Suzy doesn't bail on her- which, to be realistic, she very well might- it would make her that little bit harder to find

She keeps her head down. She gets her work done. And she stays as close to the door as she can. As soon as the show's over, she's talking to Suzy and going anywhere else.

Date: 2014-10-03 09:31 am (UTC)
ladysunday: (party)
From: [personal profile] ladysunday
Suzy doesn't get nearly as rattled. She's singing and it's great and so what if there's some obnoxious people being dull, this is The Best.

After a few hours of The Best, the room is starting to empty out and the restaurant's getting toward closing time. As the last bars finish, Suzy moves to the front of the stage with a big smile.

"I'm Suzy Blue and this was No Rainbows, check out our website for updates on future performances, love you all, good night!" she rattles out, going straight into a big bow.

Now, where was Erica?
Edited Date: 2014-10-03 09:31 am (UTC)

Date: 2014-10-07 03:37 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (surprised)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
Erica does not come in search of the band quite instantly. She gets her food and her money from the manager first. She packs the food up carefully in a bag, holds it so it won't spill (she only has so many clean outfits) and goes in search of Suzy.

Most of the people in the restaurant have left by now; it's closing time, no one's sticking around. There's one server left at the bar cleaning up for the night, but he's not paying any attention to the far side of the restaurant. The rest of the staff's in the kitchen in back, getting their free meals.

That leaves Suzy, Erica, the band (what's left of it, at least, a couple of the guys seem to be moving audio equipment into a van out back), and- the weird guys from earlier.

They beat Erica to the band. She slows to let them, in fact, and starts edging away from them as she approaches. As she's nearing the band, they reach Suzy, form a semi-circle around her, and with a couple wordless notes-





-fade into nothing.






Erica wants desperately to scream, but they were singing when they did that, she can't draw attention to herself-

She backs right into someone without even realizing she'd been backing up. "Oh god oh god oh god what the hell-"

Date: 2014-10-12 03:15 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (not good)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
"They sang her away," Erica babbles brokenly. "What did they- how did they- Oh god, oh god, if they're looking for singers-" her eyes open wide, panicked. "I have to go, what if they find me-"
Edited Date: 2014-10-14 01:46 am (UTC)

Date: 2014-10-14 01:55 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (downcast)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
She nods, rather frantically at first but slowly calmer. She is supposed to be better than this, she is supposed to stay calm and figure things out.

First step- get out.

"Yeah, I'm Erica. A ride- that sounds great. Thanks." She looks towards- where Suze was- shudders, pushes it down and looks back at Arthur. "Are you all set? Need help with your stuff?"

Generally anything she can do to help get them out of here as fast as possible?

Date: 2014-10-14 02:18 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (chatting)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
She snorts. "Understood is a strong word for it, but I'm always good for food." She eyes him warily. "So you never- saw anything, anything weird, happen? When Suze was singing?"

Date: 2014-10-14 02:32 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (surprised)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
"And don't we all wish we knew how they pulled that trick," Erica sighs. "It's probably related somehow, though, yeah."

A thought strikes her. "If you're right, though- about when you're singing, I mean- were they looking for you, then? If they just heard the effects and grabbed for the singer..."

Date: 2014-10-14 03:25 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (smiling)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
Comforting things to say to the nice boy buying her food. Comforting things to say. Hm. She's not very good at this, usually. "Well, if they were looking for you, they'll probably just let her go?" she tries.

This does not bode as well for him, but- being comforting. Right. She will leave that part out.

She occasionally glances over to see where the waitress is. She's curious about this "lost puppy" meal, contents thus far unspecified.

Date: 2014-10-14 03:44 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (thinking)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
Erica shrugs. "I don't actually know anything about Men in Black," she tells him. "My parents went for TV, not movies." TV being a convenient way to ignore a small child until it could Make Itself Useful, whereas movies required work or money to obtain.

She collects her coffee and pie. The coffee she sips slowly; the pie she scarfs down. You never know when the next free pie will be, after all.

"And I don't know anything about them. Scary dudes vanishing people who can 'sing'? I'd've been out the door the instant I saw them, if I knew."

She weighs pros and cons of being straightforward about the singing. She settles on "probably worth it". He already knows about it, he already knows about her, and he can do it too if he's to be believed. It's too complicated a setup to catch her, if that's the goal, the suits could've just snatched her outright. So- she'll be up front, for now. She could use someone to compare notes with. Imagine if she could do it on purpose.

"I can't do much. I just- destroyed a towel, once. Hard to miss. I just," she growls in frustration, "it's not reliable. All I know is I have to be singing, and it helps if I'm upset."

Date: 2014-10-18 07:28 pm (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (chatting)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
"I'll take your word for it on the love songs," she tells him with a grin.

She's... not going to mention blanking people, yet, she decides. If worst comes to worst, if this is some kind of trap- she needs to be able to do it to him, or at least not have him know she knows it.

She finishes her bite of pie and continues. "But, yeah. Creeps. Hell yes. But what do you do about creeps?"

Date: 2014-10-20 02:33 am (UTC)
sing_for_the_tears: (thinking)
From: [personal profile] sing_for_the_tears
"We could look online," Erica suggests thoughtfully. "See if there's anything about this, about them, about any of it." Her brain whirls. "We should do it at a library though, or something like that. Not your own computer, nothing we have to sign into, or we could give a fake name if we needed to. Maybe phrase it like we're looking for X-Files? And just click on relevant-looking things as well as the show links."

Erica is very, very used to hiding her secrets from her parents. She sees no reason not to be cautious about this too. Best case they're harder to find, worst case it's a trap and he already knows where she is, there's nothing to lose.

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against_all_trouble: (Default)
Arthur

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