Day 53: Music Room

[rocksthecourt]

Well, if it wasn't his favorite time of the week. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Of course in this case, distance makes Klavier feel like an abused, neglected animal who was only now being allowed a taste of actual food. These people were such savages. It was still absolutely absurd that they were allowed access to this room so

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[for_a_song]

After the day he'd had, Gren was looking forward to some time in the music room. And then he'd seen the announcement on the bulletin board and was simultaneously intrigued and skeptical as to how enjoyable this time would actually turn out to be. Whoever'd written that music... well. Maybe he could offer them a little help in that department later. At the very least, it would be interesting to see how they pulled this off. The variety of instruments on offer was not what one would call spectacular, and certainly not the sort of thing suited to a band with a name like 'sex-bob-omn

[shorttank]

Leela had seen the... very enthusiastic note on the board about the band, and she was curious. It was nice that someone was trying to make the best of being here. Besides, she had a weakness for classical music after spending so much time with Fry. She wondered if they'd have harpsichords and beatboxes and other weird, twenty-first-century instruments.

It looked like they were still in the sorting-things-out stage when Leela and Betty reached the room. No harpsichords, unfortunately. Leela spotted Gren, who seemed to have had the same idea she did, and grinned as she went over to him. "Hey! Mind if I join you?"

[for_a_song]

Gren smiled back when he saw a familiar face. He'd enjoyed his conversation with Leela the other day, so it was nice to see her again. "No, not a bit," he replied, gesturing to the empty seat next to him. The relative quiet of the room was momentarily pierced by the sound of very face electric guitar and he winced a little. "Come to watch the try-outs?"

The girl plinking away at the keyboard had managed to get it set to sound like an actual piano again and was playing some little tune... not with great skill, but not so bad as to be painful, either. Aside from the keyboard, though, he had no idea what they were intending to use as instruments. Spirit or no, he didn't expect it to be a very successful venture. Possibly comical, yes, but successful, no.

[shorttank]

Leela sat down. "Yeah. People from all kinds of crazy worlds, trying to play music together? I'll be pretty impressed if they end up with music at all." They had what looked like some sort of tiny guitar, and bongos. Was this music room designed for little kids? She wouldn't have been too surprised, what with the level of stupidity places like the game room seemed to assume on the patients' part.

"How've you been?" she asked Gren. "Settling in okay? No more zombie cats?" They'd both been pretty new last time she'd talked to him, and it seemed strange to think anyone could get used to the hospital. But expecting everything to be totally weird was something Leela had a lot of practice at. It almost felt more normal than normal would be.

[for_a_song]

"At the very least," he replied, watching the would-be-band prepare, "it should be entertaining." And maybe they'd manage something, if not exactly the rock band he suspected the poster writer was aiming for. Not too many rock bands using a ukulele out there, really. It might go okay with those bongo drums, though.

"No more zombie cats," he affirmed. "My arm's been healing up pretty well, too." So far as how he was actually doing went... well. There were a lot of things he didn't want to get into, especially not with Leela. Mostly because she was friendly, he enjoyed talking with her, and he didn't want to weigh all that down with the things he'd had to deal with. Last night had been hard, and he still wasn't ready to deal with it. Easier to push it away for the time being. "How about you? Things going okay?"

[shorttank]

"Except for how something crazy happens every single night, pretty okay." Leela still hadn't run into any zombies, unless you counted poor Guybrush's semi-zombie-looking shadow, and she didn't. It had just looked like that to mess with him, she figured.

She still wondered how many eyes her own would have had. Not so much that she was in a big hurry to find out, though. She thought about the theories she and Taura had been toying with about that whole mess. If Taura was onto something (and she probably was; she was really smart), there was still a lot Leela didn't understand about it. "I know this might be a touchy subject, but did you run into any evil doubles last night?

[for_a_song]

"Unfortunately, I don't think we're ever going to get a break from the after-hours excitement," he replied. Granted, some nights were less eventful than others, but nothing ever seemed normal. He had to wonder how those who'd been here longer put up with it. A few days in, and he was already exhausted. He didn't want to think about what sort of shape he'd be in by this time next week, if things kept up the way they had been.

He was pretty sure the smile vanished from his face for an instant when Leela asked about the 'evil doubles.' "Not evil, really," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "Just a little unpleasant." The shadow hadn't pointed out anything he didn't already know, after all. Nothing that wasn't the truth. It just hadn't been particularly kind in doing so.

[shorttank]

"We don't have to talk about it. I was just curious. A friend of mine had some interesting theories about that whole mess." And Taura had aksed Leela if she'd killed anyone, and made her think that might have been part of why people saw the shadows. She really couldn't imagine Gren hurting anyone on purpose, and it was partly to try to cheer him up that she went on. "I think some of it was to make us feel bad." Evil-Guybrush had said things Leela was sure had already been bothering the good one. "But the thing about that is, it only works on people who're good enough to wish there were things they'd done better."

She gave him a little smile, and shrugged, turning her attention, for the moment, to the musicians. Some of them looked so young. Leela would remind Franziska to add 'depriving spiky-haired kids of a proper education' to her list of charges.

[for_a_song]

Gren shook his head a little. It was okay, really. He wasn't doing a very good job of ignoring it all the way he wanted to, but as far as ugly truths went, the tales his shadow had to tell weren't exactly cataclysmic. He had bigger secrets in his life, after all. "I'm sure you're right about that," he replied. "Although it seems a little counterproductive." What was the point in trying to guilt those who already felt bad about things? And given the nature of some of those announcements last night, he got the sneaking suspicion that things hadn't gone the way they were supposed to.

Over in their makeshift stage area, the would-be band still seemed to be debating how to start things off. "I just hope we don't get a repeat performance tonight." He'd deal with it, but it would be easier if he could avoid that mess again.

[shorttank]

"Oh, I think they like a little more variety in messing with us than that," Leela said. "Maybe tonight, the place'll turn into one of those cheesy retro bars, only you won't be able to get a bartender's attention to get a drink, and the only thing anyone'll be able to find on the karaoke machine will be the one song they hate the most." She laughed. That would be hell, though. Almost a week without a drink for her, more for other people, who surely would've liked one as much as Leela would right about now.

"My friend's theory was that we weren't the real targets of all that, anyway. She thought Jill and Marc were." It made more sense the more Leela thought about it. Why pick that night, if not because Landel had caught Jill? It was the obvious way it had been different from other nights at first.

[for_a_song]

Gren laughed. "You know, I don't think I'd mind if they changed the place into a bar for the evening. Even a bad one. I might feel almost at home." He'd spent a large portion in of his adult life in one bar or another, although he was a part of the entertainment more often than he was an actual customer. "Somehow, I doubt we'll get that lucky." It was a nice thought, anyway.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that, but maybe your friend is right." Things had certainly been very strange, both last night and today. Whatever had happened last night seemed to be having a lasting effect on more than just the patient population this time around. "But I'm not sure if that makes me feel better, or just worries me more." After all, the only thing worse than being captive to the whims of someone else, was being captive to the whims of someone who didn't even have complete control over what was going on.

[shorttank]

"At least we know we're not alone? Someone out there's fighting against Landel, too, and they've got him worried enough that he'd do something like that to try to stop them." Leela hoped that was true, anyway. It was also entirely possible, even probable, that the head doctor was just that kind of jerkwad.

"The only part of that town I've seen is the hippie shop, but isn't there a bar too? One of these nights, we should go on a search and rescue mission for the poor booze they're keeping captive there." Even more on the plus side than unguarded alcohol, it seemed unlikely anyone would be manning a karaoke machine there. Leela had added that to her version of a bar in hell mostly because the memory of 'Lola' being butchered still made her wince.

[for_a_song]

"Yeah, it's always good to have some help on the outside." Of course, Gren wasn't entirely sure that was the case--it was also possible that it was all a part of the elaborate mindgame going on in this place. He hoped the help was genuine, though. That meant someone else knew what was going on here, which made it more likely they'd eventually manage to get out of this place.

"I don't know. I've only seen the inside of an antique shop of some sort. A town without a bar would seem a little incomplete, though." Sure, it was a totally frivolous plan, and there was the minor issue that a bar raid would constitute theft from people who might not have anything to do what was going on here, but it was a fun thought to entertain. "I'm definitely going to need a drink if I'm going to be stuck here much longer."

[shorttank]

"Sounds like a plan. Sort of. A plan to make a plan." Leela smiled. Maybe soon, they wouldn't even have to sneak to the bar, if she and Taura made some progress. Wouldn't that mean they'd all go home, though? She wasn't quite clear on how that would work. They'd probably have time for a farewell party first.

Betty was starting to get that look that meant she was about to round Leela up and move her along. Too bad the band hadn't gotten very far. "I definitely need a drink already.

"Looks like it's almost dinner time. Take care tonight, okay?"