not sure if i did the "dude, no stairway" joke yet or not

[inthirds]

WHO: Tom Bronson, Zelgadis
WHERE: Guitar store
WHEN: 12/11 daytimey
WARNINGS: MUSICAL INACCURACY? I know maybe like three actual chords on a guitar
SUMMARY: make friends with similar interests, cured-boy
FORMAT: no

Comments

[borntobewildcat]

This was the kind of weather that made Tom seriously consider spending the entire season as a werecat, because then at least he'd be warm. He'd lived in this City, well the New York flavor, and he'd still never quite gotten used to the cold. Still, he really couldn't go into most places if he was only fluffy and not... dressed, and he especially couldn't look at guitars without scratching them with his claws.

He'd never been to this store before, but he'd been thinking about getting back onto the music scene for a while now, ever since that day he was spontaneously sucked into a parade. He'd been wanting to play more, maybe even possibly play a gig again, but the way this place was, he never really knew what was coming, and stuff always got in the way.

Still, he finally had some time to himself for once, and he found himself standing at the entrance of this store, pulling a scarf down so that it didn't cover his face so much, and looking around.

[inthirds]

The puff of cold wind was lukewarm by the time it hit Zelgadis, but it was enough to tug him out of his self-absorbed task and look over his shoulder. Impulse, really. The person filling the doorway was nobody he'd ever recognized before - with good reason. How many millions of people were crammed in that city?

With less than half a head in tuning and fingers still giving the taut string another twist at the tuner, he wasn't able to catch the string unravel at the other end and snap up, flicking harmlessly at his face and causing him to jump with a fairly undignified sound. He remained frozen in place for seconds thereafter, both hands gripping the neck like it would come to life and bite him and big eyes gawking around until they locked on the still-bouncing coil of string freed from its space.

He had yet to become aware of how stupid he looked, but that wouldn't be long in passing.

[borntobewildcat]

He didn't hear the string snap so much as he heard it, but he was familiar with the sound, and when he looked to see what had happened and was met with the panicked expression of the guy holding his neck. Tom immediately assumed the worst, that the metal string had snapped and cut the guy's neck or something.

Without even thinking, he rushes over to check on the guy. "Are you okay?"

[inthirds]

Zelgadis didn't even blink right away; whether he realized he was addressed or not was hard to say. But for the record, he wasn't. The loud and unusual twang was still ringing in his ears seconds after the surprise. He couldn't just sit there forever, however, and his eyes did slowly raise, unblinking, to the unfamiliar face.

Huh? Who? Why did he look so troubled?

He blinked at last, the gears in his head starting to turn yet again.

Oh.

He remembered he ought to be mortified rather quickly, too; his face flushed underneath the scarf and the backs of his ears heated up. Fingers drummed quickly and once across the neck of the guitar to break the vice grip it was in as he began to fidget.

"Uh--" He stammered a little, head dropping to stare at the floor, then to the instrument that caused the problem. "I...Yeah, I think so. I don't know what I did..."

His voice trailed as his eyes followed the wavering, slightly-coiled string bouncing idly after all that motion. All that over a little string? It seemed pretty absurd.