VISIONS I HAD BURIED UNDERGROUND / RETURNING TO ABUSE US

[pecsonpecs]

open krieg rp post.

Comments

[pecsonpecs]

Yeah. You wanna start a list on the way?

[He stands up and starts to head out of the trailer, standing aside once he's back on the ground.]

...I imagine I'll be doing most of the cooking, but I'm open to requests.

[gunslingerqueen]

I don't want to set this place on fire, so I'm gonna say that's for the best.

[She is sorry to put the responsibility on him but if they eat out or something she'll pay!]

I'll eat anything as long as it's not blinking back at me! Bloody and a little raw not counting.

[With a little grin she follows and practically hops out of the trailer.] At least you can trust me to drive responsibly!

[And often, hopefully, one of the more boring parts of being a musician was being driven everywhere, never getting behind the wheel herself.]

[pecsonpecs]

Good, we're on the same page.

[It means he can maintain his ridiculous diet without any complaints from the rest of the party.]

In that case... [Krieg holds out his keys to Noriko.] You want to give her a spin?

[gunslingerqueen]

Yes!

[Those keys disappear so quickly that she might create mid-air sparks.]

Just tell me where to go! [While she unlocks the truck and gets herself up in the driver's seat. If there's a saying about short people and really big cars then it's incredibly fitting in that moment. Not that it'll get in her way, while Krieg joins her she adjusts the seat so she can see everything properly and they can go.

This is like mid-Christmas for her.]

[pecsonpecs]

[Given the huge difference in their sizes, she'll end up taking a lot more time adjusting the seat than it takes him to program the address of his former condo into the GPS on the dashboard.

A few minutes into the drive, he asks:]

So, what do you think? About the truck.

[It's a nice, but not brand-new, model. It's got a few miles on it but it's in great shape, and perhaps most importantly?

Climate control.

Still, it's the first time he's bought a vehicle on his own, so he has very little confidence in whether or not it was a wise choice or not. All he knows is that he's saved money by not buying a brand new one, but did he save enough?]

[gunslingerqueen]

Reliable brand, purrs beautifully, and there's no problem with the trailer.

[It's a good choice! She doesn't pick up on any lack of confidence, though, it's an honest opinion.]

She'll last for years, and might as well be part of the band.

[Duo. Group. Whatever, man. The car is nice.]

Can we name her Desdemona?!

[Don't let her name shit, Krieg, it's a horrible idea.]

[pecsonpecs]

Sure.

[Sorry, man. Krieg is big into Shakespeare and does not exactly have a history free from bad decisions.]

--Shit. What are we gonna call ourselves?

[gunslingerqueen]

[His favorite skillet will be named something like 'Pickle' and he will only have himself to blame.

But wow does he have a point.][So eloquent. Much grace.] Well. That's.

[...]

I have no idea.

[pecsonpecs]

We have time to think about it, I guess. Maybe we should find out what kind of music we make together before we decide on a name anyway.

[gunslingerqueen]

[She goes unnaturally quiet at that, there's something on her mind and she doesn't want it to come out negatively.]

We'll be able to, right?

[Musical chemistry was a thing, sometimes it was there, sometimes it wasn't. The idea that it might not exist between is weirdly terrifying. She'd considered the idea of playing manager, sure, but to not pitch in with anything, and to always push down that part of herself would be horrible.]

[pecsonpecs]

...won't know until we try.

[He gets what she's trying to get at, but to be fair:]

It can't be any worse than the nonsense I had to put up with in my old band. Gaige and I got along great, but some of the others...I still wonder how we managed to work things out.

[Probably because they had to under duress.]

[gunslingerqueen]

I'd have never guessed it was that bad.

[But then that's the magic of corporate hounds, AKA managers. It was their job to help make everything appear copasthetic even if they were all falling apart at the seams.] We do what we have to do in the moment, I guess.

[It's not as if she'd always been on the same wavelength as her ex-bandmates, but for the most part she had learned to become more ... Submissive about the whole thing. She hadn't been there to express any part of herself, that right belonged to everyone else - she was the eponymous little sister, a troublemaker with a gorgeous voice.]

If that's our basis for comparison then you're definitely right.

[pecsonpecs]

We never had arguments, per se, but everyone had a different idea what sounded best and we couldn't find a compromise. Usually I just stepped back because I don't like fighting with the team.

The fantasy theme was cool for a while, but eventually I wanted something else. A harder punch, more artistic lyric choices, more melody, less static rhythm...I wanted to deviate from the formula. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the band were fine people, but my tastes changed and it was getting frustrating to have to bite my tongue.

So I guess I'm back in an experimental phase.

[gunslingerqueen]

Bite it enough and it might just fall out.

[It really does seem that the more they delve into it, the more it seems as if there's a bigger reason for ending up together. It's a big, overwhelming feeling that she can barely wrap her head around, it remains somewhat out of reach, but it's also nice.]

I have to get used to being able to say anything at all, so if nothing else we're on the same general page.

[Somehow she doesn't doubt that if nothing else they can find some form of a middle ground. She'd hate it if he kept himself quiet just for the sake of agreeing, after all.]

[pecsonpecs]

[It's something like that, isn't it? Cosmic forces or something or other--or maybe just a case of 'you don't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need'.

He turns to watch her instead of the passing atmosphere.]

Why don't you try making something all on your own, from the ground up? Once you get stuck or need a fresh pair of eyes, we can look at it together.

[gunslingerqueen]

Mostly because it's going to be really stupid, I'd almost bet money on it.

[It's important to remember that she came from a bad that possessed and incredibly talented, well studied musician on top of a very well seasoned one. She's pretty used to her ideas going a little unheard, leading to a significant lack of confidence. Since she's usually brimming with it, the look doesn't really suit her.

And she knows that being scared isn't a reason to not try, too.]

I mean, just don't laugh at it. I'm good with constructive criticism, though.

[pecsonpecs]

[He coughs out the word "bullshit" under his breath at her first comment.]

I won't laugh at anything you make, Iko, I promise. Unless you made it to be laughed at.

[...they're not going to make comedy albums, are they?]

[gunslingerqueen]

[She briefly sticks her tongue out at him for that, but she can't even refrain from grinning through that.]

Alright. It's only right to try, then.

[UH definitely no on the comedy album, she's not actually that funny to begin with.] I forgot to ask, where does your sister live? [Namely how far off was it?]

[pecsonpecs]

Las Vegas. She's a choreographer and lead dancer for shows on the main strip.

[Beat.]

Did I mention they believe their second kid was a failure too?

[The irony.]

[gunslingerqueen]

You didn't, but they're already dead as wrong about their first born, it's only right that they're wrong about the second one, too.

[Being a choreographer sounded like fun! And incredibly difficult work, all things considered!]

I mean, I'm not going to be disrespectful, but let's just say your parents and I won't ever get along. In part because, as your partner, I'm gonna be your biggest cheerleader.

[There's no room for that bitter negativity shit, okay. There's enough of it that's produced natural, dealing with anything extra is just unnecessary.]

[pecsonpecs]

Heh. I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not something you need to worry about. I don't know where they live these days; they're dead to me. Hell, they might actually be dead, and I wouldn't know.

I'm sure we would have come out as disappointments if we became anything less than a priest and a nun. Neither of those jobs have anything to do with making music or dancing.

[Strictly speaking, anyway.]

[gunslingerqueen]

Well, your sister could always come up with a really epic dance number involving habits, and I'm more than sure I can come up with creepy lyrics regarding the hopelessness and blind faith of religion! So we can classify ourselves as a creative success if nothing else!

[And that's her silver lining about the whole thing!]

This it?

[The GPS says so!]

[pecsonpecs]

Hah! You're a terrible enabler-type, aren't you?

[Ugh, are they here already?]

Yeah...

[He steps out of the truck when they park, taking a moment to psyche himself up before they go in.]

Hopefully this will be short.

[And up the elevator they go, back up to the penthouse suite that has a view they'll likely not see the likes of for the forseeable future.

And what's there?

Less then a dozen sets of clothing, and they're all for lounging around. A single mask--the one he already had when he signed on--is all thats left for props.]

You've got to be kidding.

[gunslingerqueen]

A filthy enabler.

[And hopefully it will be short, but while he psyches himself up she ... Tries to be vaguely more realistic. It's probably not going to go that well at all, so she absorbs the sun a little and follows him along. She dances a little in place in the elevator. When they get there ... It's actually worse than she thought it would be.]

Hey, [She rests her hand on his arm gently, squeezes if he doesn't shove her off.] like I said, we can always go shopping.

[That's not the point, it's not the actual clothes so much as how vicious the whole thing is, how sudden and cold - she knows that, but they can't do anything about what's already happened.]

[pecsonpecs]

[Yeah, that's pretty much it. That and the only pair of street clothes to his name are the ones he's currently wearing.

He sighs.] I was just hoping we'd be able to get out of town today.

[Krieg picks up the mask and looks it over thoughtfully. It still means a lot to him, but his tastes and identity have developed so much since the first time he put it on...he wants to keep it, even though he doesn't think he'll wear it again.

Oh well.

He gathers up what's left behind and lets out a large exhale.]

I guess I this is it.