let's all get up and dance to a song

[acahellyeah]

WHO: ANDY BERNARD and KATURIAN KATURIAN
WHERE: NOHoPE.
WHEN: Saturday, during visiting hours.
WARNINGS: Nothing, probably.
SUMMARY: Andy delivers Katurian a song.
FORMAT: Para?

Comments

[afeatherpillow]

Katurian had been reading 1984. Edward had given it to him with enough of a wink wink, nudge nudge that a part of him was terrified of opening it. He considered giving it to one of the orderlies to throw out with the trash. He considered tearing its pages out and flushing them, one by one, down his toilet. But he read it.

It was curiosity, maybe. Or a blind confidence that he could beat Edward's game. He took notes in it, underlining every passage he deemed relevant, every instance of the word book or write or existence. There was a message for him, certainly, sprinkled in the spaces between the letters, a message so strong he could feel it boxing his ears. When the nurses asked him what he was doing, scribbling like that, he told them it was a writer thing.

When Andy came in, he was doing just that.

He closed the book slowly, tucking the pen inside like a bookmark. He saw the flowers and gave a drained, somewhat bewildered laugh.

"Are you sure you're in the right place?"

[acahellyeah]

Andy watched Katurian writing in his book for a moment, eyebrows crinkling slightly; he'd seen people at Cornell writing in their books too, though he himself had never understood the purpose of it. Why ruin the thing? And who wants to take notes on their own time anyway? Whatever; that Kennedy had said this guy was insane.

He smiled when prompted, and swished his hand as if whatever invisible package he was delivering had been signed, and set the flowers down. "Of course. Andrew Bernard -- you can call me Bernard the Bard. I deliver musical telegrams." He pulled a card from his pocket and pushed it toward Katurian; on it was transcribed Bernard the Bard, the song title (Jig Saw Puzzle, by the Rolling Stones), and the sender. Listed for that last was simply 'BIG BROTHER'.

"It's from your brother. And I hope you like it, because I have a strict no returns policy."

gioafsaf that icon

[afeatherpillow]

Katurian looked at the card. Looked at the book on his bed. Looked at the card.

Oh.

"My brother," he said flatly. He took the card in his hands. He was relieved he had seen it first; for all his eccentricities, Michal wouldn't sign anything 'BIG BROTHER,' and he doubted he even knew who the Rolling Stones were. Katurian barely did, their government being what it was. Which left one person, really, who would have sent it to him.

All the color drained out of his face.

"Do you have to sing it?" With his emotions dampened by the sedatives, he sounded more like a teenager resenting a round of 'happy birthday.' He didn't want to be rude to Andy. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, albeit... perky.

it was from the new episode and i had to.

[acahellyeah]

"Yeah!" Andy said, eyebrows raising. "Of course I do. It isn't a singing telegram if I don't sing." The duh was implied, but not spoken. He didn't go on to clarify the sender, either -- he figured anonymity was generally important, even if Big Brother was probably some kind of inside joke.

He cleared his throat, oblivious or perhaps just ignoring Katurian's near-objection.

"There's a tramp sittin' on my doo-oorstep,
Tryin' to waste his tiiiime,
With his methylated sand-wich,
He's a walking clothesline--"

Andy's voice wasn't unpleasant -- good tonal range, aided by his hand, though he did tend to hold the high notes. Once, in the middle of the song, he took a ten second break to catch his breath. His face was flushed when he neared the finish, forehead sweaty: seven minutes was a long time.

"Well?" He asked, out of breath but smiling. "What'd you think?"