Groovy Tunes, Friday

[rebelseekspizza]

Second shift. Still too freaking early; Dante had rolled out of bed, thrown on some clothes, and blearily marched over here with a cup of something that was more sugar than anything else. Whatever weirdness was happening on the island hadn't become obvious to him yet - he hadn't talked to anyone.

Well, he hadn't noticed the weirdness happening to him; the in-store stereo was another thing completely. It didn't matter what CDs he fed into the system, they all came out as something else. Usually depressing stuff. How many times could a guy hear Sia's 'Chandelier' without losing it?

Apparently Dante was about to find out today.

Eventually he stuck his headphones on and put on his phone playlist instead-- which flicked to Skunk Anansie and would not let up.

There was just no winning today.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[good_for_six]

After her class had finished, Isabela found herself in the doorway of the shop. "Dante, it's been far too long since we've had sex!" Beat. "Huh, usually I'm not that blunt."

Working up to things with innuendo was fun.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Sorry, my brain's been kinda busy. I don't like it," Dante said.

Pause.

"Huh."

[good_for_six]

"I have been worried about you, but I'm not good with that kind of thing even if you did want to talk about it, so focusing on the sex seemed better."

Well, shit.

"Fuck, the island's being weird and uncomfortable again."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante liked to keep his response more concise.

Which was to say...

"What the fuck?"

[good_for_six]

Stupid island ruining her booty call.

"I just wanted to flirt, and probably have sex n the back room," Isabela said plaintively.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Those are good plans, though I kinda like this job and I lost half my reasons to want to piss off Starsmore," Dante said.

He pulled a face. "Okay, for that, I'm... going to say that we are definitely having sex in the back room but we probably won't."

[good_for_six]

"I'm not that much of an exhibitionist, so I wasn't planning on letting your boss find out," Isabela said. "Unless this is permanent which is a terrifying possibility."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I think he used to live here," Dante said, shruggng.

Uncomfortably.

"You think we can shut this up if we find an alley somewhere?"

Classy.

[good_for_six]

"Ew." Isabela didn't have much shame, but sleeping in a teacher's bed was gross.

"It's hard to talk with other people's bits in your mouth."

[thewrathofkaan]

Rule 53 in Roscoe's rules of flirting: when you got invited to bug a guy at work and listen to his music, you said yes. That was just how it went.

He strolled in around early afternoon, took note of the music, and announced, "This song is fucking depressing."

Well. That was more blunt than he had meant to be. Normally he'd just make a joke.

[[SP?]]

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's all the stupid stereo wants to play. I think this place is haunted," Dante said.

And then pulled a face. Not because he'd said anything weird, mind you, but because talking to anyone was a terrible idea today.

[[ SP is good! ]]

[thewrathofkaan]

"Oh, it better not be. I hate being scared," Roscoe said at once.

He frowned. That was weird.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I don't think most people love that," Dante said. He eyed the stereo again. "Don't think I'm going to be playing any samples for you today, which sucks. I coulda used the distraction."

[thewrathofkaan]

"Yeah, I wanted to judge your taste," Roscoe said. That was actually a fairly normal comment for him. "Distraction from what?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"The enormous shitpile that is my life," Dante said. Beat. "Why the fuck did I come in to work today?"

Oh, right. Because he hadn't realized.

[thewrathofkaan]

"Hey, I can think of a couple good things in your life," Roscoe said with a lopsided smirk. "You wanna ditch and go out? Promise to be a good drinking buddy."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Hanging out with anyone's the last thing I want to do on a day where I can't stop saying shit," Dante said.

He frowned.

Harsher than he planned, yep.

[smilestopscars]

Ezra had no idea anything weird was happening or that he should've been here in a ping days ago. He was merely bored as he traipsed in.

"Hello there."

[rebelseekspizza]

After the past two conversations, Dante was absolutely fucking sure something weird was going on, but stubbornness compelled him not to make a run for it.

He'd just tugged the stereo's power cord out when Ezra came in. Looked over his shoulder.

"Hey, Ez. What's up?"

If Ezra was here for a hook-up, too, Dante was giving up.

[smilestopscars]

"Just thought I'd drop by to see how weird things are now."

That was not what he'd meant to say. He paused, and looked quizzical, ever so briefly.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Really weird," Dante said, "But at least half just because the island's being a fucking asshole right now."

At least that was true?

[smilestopscars]

"... How?"

He had a decent enough guess already.

[rebelseekspizza]

"People blurting out whatever's in their heads, I guess?" Dante said. He gave a helpless shrug. "I'm trying not to let it freak me the fuck out, because fuck that."

Sliiiightly more honest than he'd been gunning for.

[smilestopscars]

"Well, I'm already uncomfortable," Ezra announced, and it was hard to tell whether he'd fully meant to or not. He was, after all, tricksy. He wrinkled his nose. "This seems like stellarly unfair play from the island."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Yeah, you're telling me," Dante said, pulling a face. "Especially since I was hoping you and me could go back to ignoring all the bullshit for the next couple of months."