fandomtownies | Groovy Tunes, Tuesday

It takes courage

Ella was on a walk through town, looking for nothing in particular, when she decided to stop in at a store she had never before entered. The music coming from the shop's doorway was interesting, and she figured she might do well to learn more about this world's music.

She brightened when she saw who was working there. "Alice? Hello!"

"Ella!" Alice beamed. "Do come in! I've lost track of everyone since we came back from the cabins; I must ask you where your room is. How have you been?"

She gestured vaguely to the store around her. "Has anyone told you about the music disks yet?"

"I've been well. I'm in 210, with Turtle," Ella said. "Where are you?"

She looked at the CDs. "I've seen them, but not used them."

"Five-eleven," she smiled. "My roommate is named Francine, she's very nice, and luckily she isn't allergic to Dinah. I should have had to change rooms, at that point."

Alice looked up to the overhead speakers, as though somehow she could see the music coming out of them. "Isn't it amazing? I came in here to rhapsodize and ended an employee. I've been carefully working my way through all the music I've missed. I call it research, so it sounds less like I'm being paid to play disks."

(Edited because mun is idiot and can't remember own character's room number)

Edited 2008-06-03 23:21 (UTC)

"I almost wish I was allergic," Ella mused. "Turtle's boyfriend's dog is this hideous pink drooly ... thing. He was there yesterday."

"I've never seen a pink dog," Alice mused. "Is the drool pink, as well? Could you claim an allergy to the dog? Give yourself a rash by some manner, begin sneezing loudly when it clambers about?"

"The drool is drool-colored," Ella said thoughtfully. "Though I didn't collect a sample to examine it."

"If it's in our room too often, I might take to drawing a rash on myself with paint. Though Turtle doesn't much care for it either." She frowned. "I'm not sure how it got to our room from Jeff's, now that I think of it."

"I recommend not examining the drool too closely," Alice laughed. "I'm willing to assist with rash-painting, should it come to that. If Turtle isn't fond of the dog either, she might help. It would be handy having an excuse of that variety. 'No, you see, my roommate is allergic. Please take your strange pink dog back.'"

"I'll bring that up to her, should I find the beast in our room again," Ella laughed. "I can fake-sneeze well, too." She demonstrated. "A-a-ah-k'choo!"

"Bless you," Alice said, a mock-serious look on her face. "I shall find you some tissues immediately. How cruel it is for Turtle's friend to make you suffer so."

Ella giggled. "I know, boys can be so inconsiderate."

Then remembering her original purpose, she idly picked up a few CD cases, tilting them to watch the light shine off the wrapper. "Tell me more about these discs of music."

"Apparently," Alice said, drawing herself up properly and narrating things she only barely understood, "they can capture sound on those discs and play it back again, but only if you've both parts, the disc and the player. Some of the discs are duplicates, but I've no idea how they get the person to sit and be recorded that many times. That, however, isn't my concern. What is my concern is that people come into the store and purchase these little disks. It's somewhat addictive, I've got a few myself. I'm considering getting this one, I think I like it. It's odd, and not in keeping with the others I have, but perhaps that's why I like it."

She whisked off to the rows, a grin playing around her lips. "Here. Select anything, anything at all, something that looks interesting, and we'll put it in the player and see what it sounds like. It's a bit like a game."

Ella blinked, trying to process the barrage of information. "It is odd," the girl agreed, concentrating on the woman wailing on the sound system. She sounded different, certainly, yet somehow intriguing. "All of it, I mean, the discs as well as the singer. What is she called?"

She went rummaging through a CD bin, plucking out a disc (http://www.amazon.com/Clouds-Joni-Mitchell/dp/B000002KOJ). "I like her eyes," she explained shyly.

Edited 2008-06-04 02:20 (UTC)

"I'm afraid I can't pronounce her name," Alice admitted, flushing. "I can show you the disc. It starts with a B and then a J and I've no idea what sort of sounds those make together. The future seems to have new letter-clumps entirely."

She took the disc, examining it, and smiled. "Let's find out if her eyes match the music."

Back up to the counter, where the CD player sat, and she was finally learning that lifting the lid and switching discs wasn't going to break or ruin anything horribly expensive or irreplaceable.

The soft guitar strings of Tin Angel tiptoed out into the store, followed by a melancholy voice.

Alice wasn't certain if this was a disc she would have bought for herself, but it was a bit like looking at a watercolor painting, beautiful and somehow hypnotic.

"I think it does match her eyes," she decided.

"Buh-juh," Ella sounded out. It's not an easy name to say, is it?"

Then she went silent, listening to the music. "She sounds sad, doesn't she? Sad, but almost ... naked, in her sadness. Like she's not ashamed of feeling so."

"It does match her eyes."

"Good on her, then, if she's unashamed of her sadness," Alice nodded. "That's a feat few can boast, embracing one's feelings and expressing them dramatically."

Including herself, but that was far more personal than Ella might care to hear while discovering music in the store.

"I would say that you should get this, but I'm not sure if you have one of the player-devices, and a disc without one is really only useful as a light-reflector."

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Murdock grinned from the doorway.

Alice laughed. "If one were inclined to assign blame, one might note that I work here, and you chose to enter the premises," she smiled. "Therefore any meeting of ours must not lay at my feet. Is my music impertinent again?"

Murdock swept his hat off, and bowed a little. "I bow to your logic, oh wise one. Indeed my feet seem to carry me of their own accord." He pointed down at his sneakers, "So's totally your fault."

He bounded the rest of the way in, sticking his hat back on. "Nope, not at all. Though I'm not sure if I understand what this chick is saying. Is that even English?"

"I've no idea," Alice laughed. "Her name is something unpronounceable as well, but the music is cheery and offbeat. I think I'm growing fond of it. I suppose one could get away with music saying horribly improper things, if no one could understand one."

"That does make sense. Can't get all bent out of shape if you dunno what they're saying." He listened to it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think that's my cup of tea, darlin'. Sorry."

She smiled at that. "It's quite all right. The wonderful bit about having a store this size is that there's far more music in here. If it's bothering you, I can change the disc, there are plenty left in the Bs that I haven't sampled yet."

"Ain't no problem. You don't have to change it just for me. But..." he glanced at the discs, "I have to go find a few things." He turned back and winked at her, "I got someone to give dancin' lessons to."

"You do?" she asked. "Are there dancing lessons here, in town? Or are these lessons more of a private nature? You mustn't mind me, I'm horribly impertinent. Everybody says so."

He thought for a moment. "I don't think so. There was some kind of dancing class going on, but I think that had fighting too. Like combative dancin' or something," he shrugged. "I don't know of any place in town that offers such neither." He eyed her a minute, "Are you interested in learnin'?"

He grinned at her, "You ain't impertinent. I've met much rowdier folks. Heck, I probably have a couple in my class."

"I ask questions that are none of my concern. Curiosity killed the cat, but the Red Queen saw to that herself. Don't worry, he's fine now." She waved off her nonsense. "Follow me, please. What sorts of music are you looking for? What sort of dancing is it to be?"

She was headed back towards the section of vinyls, the larger plastic disks with the grooves on them.

"Uh, hey Alice? I finally figured out the cd things. Took me a bit, but I got there. Those are still good and all, but...what I'd like to do is have a bit of variety without having to lug around tons of records," he smirked a little. "Besides, I hardly doubt I can go touting a record player to some places."

He cocked his head slightly at her, brows creasing a little, "The queen killed your cat? And then he got better? Must be an impressive kitty if he can do all that. You can ask all the questions you want, they don't bother me none."

"All right then, and I thank you," she said, nodding with a faint smile. "The Cat isn't really my cat. She did, and he did; she's horrible, but she's no more, and he's all right now. I hope I can see him again. Dinah's my cat, she's seated over there." She pointed to the fluffy cat bed where Dinah was settling in. "Having a job where one can bring one's cat is a particular joy. You could introduce yourself, if you'd like; she's hesitant towards new persons, but warms up rather quickly. Though the mice never cared to hear that."

The CDs, then, she wandered back to those racks. "Is there a difference, between these and those?" she asked, looking back at the vinyl. "Besides the sizing, I mean. Different songs or sounds?"

"I hope you see him again too," he smiled. "Dinah's a pretty name. I don't have a cat, I just have Billy. He's a dog. Nobody can see him, since he's invisible and all."

While she headed back to the cds, Murdock headed over to Dinah and held his fingers out for her to sniff at. "Oh sure, there's a difference. At least in sound. The records skip and pop sometimes, once in a while they get a scratchy sound to 'em. Those cds don't seem to do that. But I don't think they have different songs. They're pretty much the same albums. Newer stuff like," he pointed up at the speakers, "probably ain't on a record. But older stuff, sure. Those Beatles," he glanced back at her, "I'll bet you'll find every single Beatles album on both things."

Dinah sniffed at his fingers curiously, uncertain, but he seemed friendly. She rubbed her whiskers against his hands; there, now he would smell like her. More reassuring that way.

"Why do they have both, if the larger ones scratch and pop and so on?" Alice asked. "Chad said something about purists, but I've no idea what the Church has to do with any of these recordings."

Still very Victorian.

Murdock scratched between Dinah's ears and at the back of her neck. Cats seemed to like that sort of thing.

"Probably because cds didn't always used to be around. Like when I'm from. They were just starting to come out, but they were way expensive. Like only really rich folks could afford 'em. Records have been around for a long time. They were the first widely available mechanism to record sound. Probably why they wound up being called 'records'." He scritched Dinah some more for a minute. "Dunno about no purists. No idea why a religious following would have any concerns over records. Unless..." his chewed his lip in thought, "they have some doctrine against using cds?"

Dinah wriggled into the scritches. There, they could be proper friends now, he'd said hello nicely.

She seemed to be following his tale of technological progress. "So then, CDs are replacing records? I wonder if perhaps there are cults dedicated towards the use of records instead. Perhaps there's some ingredient in making them that goes against the teachings, or something like that. Were records ever mentioned in hymns? All of the hymns I know are too early for that sort of thing."

He kept scratching Dinah idly, paying more attention to Alice than the cat. "I reckon you could say that. First it was tapes, though 8-tracks were a total waste, and now cds apparently. I don't think it's anything they're made with. All they really are is plastic anyway. Maybe they have a thing about recording voices? Like some Indians do about gettin' their picture taken?"

He shook his head, "Naw, hymns came before records, though plenty of hymns have been recorded onto 'em. Heck, can probably find some right here in the store." He wandered back over to where Alice was and began flipping through the racks at J.

Wes figures it's about time he got to investigating how music had changed between his time and this one, and so here he is in the music store.

"Hey Alice!" he says, glad to see someone he actually recognises.

"Hello again, Wes," Alice said, performing a proper curtsy. "Have you come for music? They have amazing plastic discs. Unfortunately I can't help much with recommendations, unless you're looking for something in the As or early Bs."

"I'm trying to update my musical knowledge," Wes admits. "Which, again, is something that's changed for both of us and yet much more for you, because at least CDs have been invented by my time."

"I seem to precede a great number of things; wars and revolutions and gadgets and particularly, portable music," Alice nodded. "If you'd like a more thorough review of genre and sound, I recommend speaking with Chad, as he's very interested in that sort of thing. As for myself, I've started at the As and I'm listening to anything that strikes my interest. A-B-B-A was not my style at all, but A-C-slash-D-C rather was, surprisingly."

"ABBA and AC/DC?" Wes guesses. "They're both around where- or when- I'm from, though neither is the sort of music my father would approve of..." he looks contemplative for a second, almost like he's entertaining the idea that that alone would be reason enough to buy it.

His guesses would be right; Alice was still new to acronyms. "Do you wish to hear things your father approves of?" she asked, politely. And very much in earnest, for she had been an obedient child at times, when the whim struck her. "We seem to have all sorts of music. Or you can try things that would cause him to frown sternly at you, were he here. Luckily, he isn't, or at least I imagine he's not. Is your father on this island?"

Perhaps he taught, at the school.

"He's not here," Wes replies. "Which is probably a good thing, because he'd probably be pretty upset by... just about everything that happens in this place. Including the fact that it's supposed to be in Virginia but isn't, so much. He'd start grumbling about false advertising and demanding to talk to the school board and it really wouldn't be pretty." He pauses, thinking for a moment. "I think I'd like to try something he wouldn't approve of so much," he decides, finally.

"I'm still unclear on why we aren't in Virginia," she observed. "But I'm rather enjoying the island taking us on vacation this year. I'd never been to Greece before. Let's see, then. Things your father would disapprove of."

She headed towards the CD racks, mulling it over. "I have only really gotten into the As and Bs," she warned him. "There are probably far more improper things lurking ahead in the Gs and Hs. H seems like a good letter for rudeness, I think."

"Well, if you're going in order, maybe I should too," Wes says with a smile. "Much easier to keep track, that way."

Alice laughed. "We can have a shared journey of musical discovery," she said, eyes dancing. "I shall keep watch for things that your father might disapprove of. Now, let's see."

She flicked through the racks idly, pulling out a few selections: some AC/DC, some Aerosmith, perhaps A Perfect Circle. And that plain white covered album by the Beatles.

She flashed him a grin. "Let's see if any of this strikes your fancy."

Some of the band names were more familiar than others, especially that last.

"I've heard that one before," he says, indicating the Beatles album. "But the Beatles are never a bad choice."

"No, indeed, they aren't," she smiled. "Though I have discovered they're less appropriate to play during working hours than I had imagined. Rather forward innuendo and so on, about improper things that a young lady shouldn't know about. I hope you shan't be too shocked that I enjoy the music anyway."

She was considering that as her next purchase, despite the lewdness she'd been told it contained.

To enjoy it

The hardcore, and the gentle

The big time sensuality

Groovy Tunes, Tuesday

Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Re: Talk to Alice

Mod Your Shopping

Play with Dinah

OOC