The Park, Friday Morning

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante found himself coming here a lot.

He didn't want to leave Kathy behind this soon after everything, so he and Anders couldn't go home to Limbo City - even as the oppressive air on the island started to settle on top of him again. There were the dreams, full of feathers and red hair, and his own memories of the weekend playing havoc with him.

Even reconciling with Ezra had its own stresses.

Playing music helped.

He made his way down to the park for the third time in a row, acoustic guitar in hand. Sat down in the grass, not far from the ducks, and put the guitar over his knee. Most of the music he'd normally play on electric wouldn't work on acoustic, so he played different stuff: covers of 00s rock music, Foo Fighters, A Perfect Circle, whatever.

He could get lost in it for a while. It was the only thing in his life right now that let him.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka had noticed that Kathy wasn't around, that something was wrong, and then that Kathy was back and something was wrong.

Radio had made it pretty hard to not notice.

But, in Alluka fashion, she'd noticed and then pretended she hadn't noticed, because that was... well, that was about all she could do, was the thing.

And she still couldn't really do anything, but she hoped that Dante wouldn't mind her settling herself on the grass not far from him, just listening, with her bunny in her lap.

He could stay lost if he wanted to. She... she was just going to sit here. That was fine, right?

[rebelseekspizza]

Of course she could.

She even got a smile from Dante as she did, in fact. Having someone here he cared about that he didn't currently have some complicated shit going on with?

Shit, he would've begged her to stay if she hadn't.

"You any good at singing, 'Luka?" he asked her. Eventually, a song later.

[that_oldsaying]

"I've never really tried," she said, smiling back at him. "So, so I don't know?"

She'd sung to her toys, but they weren't exactly good judges of that sort of thing.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You wanna give it a shot?" Dante asked. "What kinda music do you like?"

[that_oldsaying]

She looked a little surprised at being put on the spot with a question like that.

"Um, I like dramatic songs," she admitted. "With the big feel to them?"

Alluka was not good at the whole musical genres thing.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante thought about it.

"What, like Aerosmith and stuff?" he asked. Beat. "You don't have to sing, I can just play something for you."

[that_oldsaying]

"Okay," she said, looking a bit relieved. "Um, I like Usher? Like, Black Black Heart?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Oh wow," Dante said, with a blink and a laugh. "I know... almost nothing about Usher."

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka laughed, a bubbly, surprised sound.

"You don't?" And she knew something he didn't? "Then you should play something you do know. I'll like it because you're playing it."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You could always put the song on for me if you've got it in your phone," Dante said, grinning. "Who knows? Maybe I can pick up some of it."

[that_oldsaying]

"Oh! That's true!" She dug out her phone. "Did, did you want Usher? Or something I like to sing along with?"

Given a moment to get over her surprise at being asked, Alluka thought that maybe it wouldn't be bad to sing for Dante.

He wouldn't laugh at her, if she was bad.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Whatever you want," Dante said easily. "Just gimme something that'll make you smile."

[that_oldsaying]

"I like singing to this, though I don't know what all the words mean," she said, after a moment of thinking about what to sing. "It's Japanese, and I first heard it when I visited Ringo's family ages ago."

The song wasn't going to sound it's best coming from her phone, but before she lost her nerve, she hit play and sang along.

[That is, in fact, Alluka's voice actress singing. :) ]

[smilestopscars]

Ezra was finally on his way off the island. It was time, as they said. He'd gone too J,GoB for a breakfast of champions - coffee and pastries - and now he was on his way through the park, with the intention of catching a portal home from the causeway.

Of course, he heard the music long before he saw Dante.

This time, he walked across the grass a little less like a ghost, but whether Dante would hear it over the music was anyone's guess. He still announced his presence by ruffling Dante's hair like the jerk that he was.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Asshole," Dante said affectionately, as soon as Ezra's fingers found his scalp.

He probably wouldn't have been able to sell it as a real insult even without the tone; he was smiling.

[smilestopscars]

Ezra was too. Fancy that.

"Oh, you love it," he scoffed as he gave some of Dante's hair a tug before letting go.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You heading out soon?" Dante asked, lowering the neck of the guitar onto his leg.

[smilestopscars]

"Yes." But not right this second, as evidenced by how he sat down. "Need to check in with my despairing Currant people for an adequate time before I drive up to Boston."

God, he missed driving.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Gotta make sure they're hydrated right after all those tears they've been crying, right?" Dante teased.

[smilestopscars]

"I think they're theorizing that I must've lost a limb or be horribly disfigured to not have come home yet," Ezra drawled over his takeaway coffee. "I need to set them straight."

Beat.

"Ish."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Maybe we should draw the tiniest scar on your forehead," Dante mused. "Just to make 'em sweat it."

[smilestopscars]

"That sounds like it might jeopardize my evening plans," Ezra replied with a thoughtful tilt of his head. Which he then shook. "I only want an acceptable amount of fussing."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Fake bruise?" Dante mused. "... Muss your hair?"

Funny. Before yesterday this conversation would've felt evasive, now he felt relaxed, happy to go along with the rhythm of it.

It was weird what clearing the air could do.

[smilestopscars]

"That's the only acceptable one, really."

He was very particular about how he looked.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante thought about it.

Then reached out and mussed his hair.