Groovy Tunes, Sunday

[furnaceface]

//But why?//

There was no reasoning with the stereo.

Jonothon knew this.

But this wasn't stopping him from practically begging it, two hours into his shift, to stop playing various children's recordings of I've Been Working On The Railroad. Over and over. Ad infinitum. It was starting to drive him bloody mad, and the stereo refused to be turned off, no matter what he did.

[OOC: Some days, I dislike living right beside a railyard. Ding ding ding ding. Open.]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had come in to play the drums, of course, like she had more than a handful of times over the past couple of weeks.

Except right now she was still standing in the doorway, frowning at the stereo. "What is this?"

Maybe the question should've been why, instead. Since, yes, she could hear what it was.

[furnaceface]

//It's a compelling argument for stereocide, is what it is,// Jono muttered, one eyelid twitching slightly. //It's been playing children's songs all day. Not just children's songs. This children's song. And. It. Won't. Stop.//

[okteiviakom]

"And it doesn't turn off?"

She'd worked here, so she knew that was probably a futile question.

But still.

[furnaceface]

//It isn't even plugged in,// Jono muttered.

Some days, unplugging it worked.

Other days, the stereo was going to play juvenile music about railroads until he threw it over the Causeway.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was tempted to go back to the apartment for her sword.

(No, of course she wasn't unarmed. She just didn't think the concealed blades on her were enough of a match for the stereo.)

Instead, she said, "Well, I'm going to the back. I don't think I'll be able to hear it anymore in a minute."

[furnaceface]

//Fair enough,// Jono replied, nodding his approval. //Maybe if you drum loudly enough, I won't have to hear it, either.//

Save him, Octavia. You were his only hope.

[okteiviakom]

"I can try."

At least she was very determined by nature? Or stubborn, even. She stalked off into the back.

A moment later, things got pretty loud, yes. It was the disjointed drumming of a beginner, of course. No finesse, and she was still just getting the hang of doing one thing with her left hand and another with her right one, but... She was definitely making progress.

Also, again: it was loud.

[furnaceface]

And really, at this point, that was the important part.

Jono listened to the drumming for a minute. And then a minute more. And then he nodded, took a seat, and settled in, intent on paying attention to that, rather than whatever it was the stereo was up to.

This would do.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Hey, Starsmore. What up?"

Hanging out with Ezra had taken the edge off of Dante's restlessness, but that, as it turned out, had been temporary.

So now he was left roaming around the island and bugging people.

[furnaceface]

//I'm about to fire the stereo out into the ocean,// Jono replied, a note of forced cheerfulness in his voice. //Beyond that? Not a hell of a lot, really.//

Allll the live-long daaaay...

//The excitement that is my life. Truly.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"You want me to punch the stereo?" Dante offered. "'Cause I can punch the stereo."

[furnaceface]

It was a bad idea.

It was a terrible idea.

//God yes.//

Jono was very, very done with this song, though.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged, walking over towards where the stereo was sitting, stretched his arm out...

... and punched clean through the stereo.

[furnaceface]

Jono blinked and stared for a moment.

And then blinked again.

And listened.

Silence.

//Oh thank god.//

He'd have to replace that at some point. Maybe leave its shattered remains out as an example to the next stereo.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You're welcome," Dante said brightly. "Thought that one was getting all fucked up."

[furnaceface]

//They're usually fine for a month or two, and then they start getting moody,// Jono complained. //I melted the last one to slag. It had it coming to it.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Can't even be that there's a curse on the store, because we have a new store," Dante said, pulling his hand out to inspect the pile of random parts that was now the stereo. "Fuckin' weird."

[furnaceface]

//I'm more inclined to blame the island than the store,// Jono admitted. //I might have to make it a personal mission to go around to other businesses around town to see if anyone else's equipment is acting up on them.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"But it's always the stereo," Dante pointed out. "None of the amps ever heat up or freak out."

[furnaceface]

//Well, not now that you've said that,// Jono replied. //Just wait. Next week they'll be making everything we play on them sound like it's being performed by chickens or something.//

[rebelseekspizza]

"Oh, don't say shit like that," Dante said, pulling a face. "I need those for the band."

[furnaceface]

//Not another word about chickens, then,// Jono said, faintly amused. //How is the band going these days, anyway?//

[rebelseekspizza]

"We got a drummer now," Dante offered. "Kathy might pitch in with more guitar... soon we might actually, like, play together."

[furnaceface]

//Not a bad step, with a band,// Jono said. There might have been a faint teasing note in there, somewhere. //Planning on using the stage here for that, then? I can help haul out whatever equipment you might need for that, if so.//

He was trying not to seem weirdly awkward about this. He'd heard a lot about Dante's adventures in rounding up band members from various people stopping in to the shop over the months, and had gradually become less and less certain about whether he was nosing in on something not meant for him.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante had never had anything approaching a plan here, just missing music - going to fucking alternate Baltimores just to get some of it out of his system - so badly he was dragging half the people his age he could find into it.

So he shrugged and said, "That might be cool. If you don't mind Octavia workin' out those anger issues on your drumset."

At least Dante was working out his own anger issues on his own guitar.