The Start Of Something Big

Participants:

adel_icon.gif delilah_icon.gif elaine_icon.gif quinn_icon.gif sable_icon.gif

Also featuring:

royce_icon.gif baby-walter_icon.gif

Scene Title The Start Of Something Big
Synopsis Robyn Quinn and company go to pick up the beginning of a legacy.
Date February 4, 2011

A Van driving through Jersey


Snow is a bitch, sometimes. For as much as Robyn Quinn loves it, it always seems to pick the worst times to become a legitimate hazard, and after last year's winter snowpocalypse (to which this didn't even begin to compare, regardless of what clever name people attempt to attach to it), she was just sick of the white stuff falling from the sky.

So when it keeps them from leaving when originally planned for their trip to Jersey, Quinn begins to hate it just a little more. New Year's Resolution: Befriend a pyrokinetic, never worry about snow again.

But here they are now, a van full of friends and musicians making their way towards the first steps of stardom - for one of them, at least, though they've all been involved in one form or another, either though lending instruments or by providing support. Both of which are equally important to Quinn, and both of which makes everyone in the van that Friday afternoon more than just friends.

They are comrades in musical arms, as she thinks Sable might put it.

That, however, doesn't mean it's been an easy ride.

"Sable, start singin' that song again," Quinn replies, unbuckled as she looks over the back of her seat at where Sable and Delilah sit, grinning. "I don't have an issue with throwin' someone out a movin' vehicle," she teases, shaking her head. Because really, anyone singing The Song That Never Ends deserves death, right?"

From the front of the bus, a brown haired man, same age as Quinn, laughs and rolls his eyes. "We're almost there. If you're going to throw someone out, wait until the way back, okay? At least then they can't catch up to us before we head on again." The GPS chimes up, telling them to turn right now. The van veers, Quinn yelping as she slides into Elaine.

Yep, it's been that kind of day.

As Quinn is suddenly slid more into her, Elaine laughs, looping an arm around Quinn gently. "If you wanted to get close, you could've just said so," she teases, lightly, pointedly glancing towards the front of the bus. Nothing strange about that. "I'm surprised you can keep still, Quinn. If I had a CD I'd be bouncing off the walls. Then again, I probably wouldn't nearly be as excited as you cause it's not like I'm working on or planning a CD or something."

It was a hard choice, Quinn. Sable could have favored listening to music, or even singing a real song, but instead she sacrificed her own aesthetic enjoyment for the sole purpose of irritating you. Really, you ought to be flattered. Really!

"Really?" Sable replies, grin wide and toothy, innocent as only the unrepentant can look, "hell, I could hitch on back. Got m'self a workin' thumb, don't I?" Okay, no, Sable, you would fucking freeze to death.

"You wanna play somethin' then, f'r us t' ride in on? Or we gonna keep the air, like, pristine? 'cause, like, y'all gotta know what we're listenin' t' th' whole way back," she lifts a hand, pointing like a pistol, and 'shoots' Quinn, one eye closed, the other squinting, yellow, along the sight of her thumb, "I'm gonna be at th' first fuckin' spin of yer release. I'ma tell interviewers 'bout this day, gal."

The good thing about vans is that you can stuff as many people as you can into them. While this probably is not the case, it is still a big van, and Delilah was able to fit the car seat into the back with them. He's incidentally able to also be looking out of the back window as things roll past. And also see Dee tilting and making faces at these driving skills.

"I swear if you take that talking box seriously one more time, I'm going to punch my way up there to the driver's seat." And that, folks, is totally serious. Delilah is dressed warmly enough for the afternoon, and sitting in the back seems to have made her a bit too cozy. If it wasn't for that winding a moment ago, Dee could have just fallen asleep. But now she is wide awake. And yelling. Sort of.

"But the box is so cool, it totally knows where we're supposed to be going," Adel pipes up in an excited and oddly impressed manner. GPS may be common in many newer cars, but she seems to be very impressed by them, no matter what the red head at her side says. "How long do you think it'll be til cars drive themselves?" she asks, as she leans to look at it from where she is, which means she's practically leaning over Walter.

She looks down at the baby and smiles, waving her fingers at him. "Do you think cars that drive themselves is the first step to an inevitable robot apocolypse?" Is she talking to the baby, or the people who can actually respond. Hard to tell.

"That talking box is keeping us from getting stranded in the snow," Royce notes with a grin up into the rearview mirror, tapping at the device that sits on the windshield and announces once again that they need to turn. This time, however, he takes it much more gently. If this is for Delilah's benefit, he doesn't say so.

"They make cards that park and brake themselves now, I think? I remember seein' that in a commercial or somethin', who knows." Quinn shrugs, leaning against the tall redhead next to her. "Royce's van sucks, so I can't play my mp3 player, an' the only CD- I'm not sure everyone here wants t' listen t' Swedish pop, so we'll make do for now!" She giggles, turning back around and sitting down in her seat. "I'm gonna feel like Oprah handin' these CDs out t' you guys." Even if she's pretty sure most of the people in the car have heard it all by now.

"Pleeease, I don't want to get stranded in the snow. The talking box is our friend. Good talking box. Don't worry, we like you." Elaine speaks to the GPS in a soothing tone, then peers over towards Quinn again. "No, no! Put in the Swedish pop. I haven't learned that one yet, and if you give me a couple of songs, I can teach you guys what it means in English!"

"Aw, no, wait, wasn't there a half decent Swedish pop album got released not so long 'go?" Sable inquires, to herself as much as to Quinn and the others, eyes swinging up to consult the disorganized mess of her memory. "Shit, but I jus' don' get int' pop 's much as I'd like. I like things a bit rough, know what I mean?" Adel is addressed even as Sable thumbs towards Elaine, indicating her. "When th' showdown comes, th' sweet talkers like her'll survive. Us folks that yell at coffee makers 'n' computers… we won't stand a goddamn chance."

"'course, looks like th' leader 'f th' resistance is right here…" Sable says, casting a smirk over at Delilah, "y'all got some personal history with that there gadget? Sounds like bad blood t' me. 'r… bad oil 'r whatever."
"I hate autonomous technology, thanks. Unless its gonna give me a footrub or something. Like on Wall-E, you know?" Delilah is quite clear about this. "I just use Google maps, I can read directions on my own. I don't need someone that sounds like my schoolteacher reading them to me… nothing personal." She glances up at Adel and leans back a bit as the other girl leans in to waggle her fingers. Dee glances up a second time to address the van. "I- uh- well."

"I'm not allowed to talk about robot apocalypses. Magnes made me promise." In that case, it is probably best she not say anything else about that. Walter, in the meantime, directs his attention away from passing sky and onto the hand there in front of him, reaching up with an awkwardly flexing hand to see if he can touch it. His expression seems intent. Hmmmmmm.

"Magnes knows about an inevitable robot apocolypse!?" Adel chirps out in surprise, as if that's all she heard, not the part about how she's not allowed to talk about it. One can just imagine her suddenly hopping on Magnes and drilling him for information, in an excited way. All smiles and happiness. Or so she often seems to radiate. It may or may not be something to disguise her other emotions.

"I think you'll all survive just fine. Women are resourceful. I bet you'll all stand atop the piles of dead robots and go screw you, robot…maker…person." She giggles, patting Walter on the top of his head. "Isn't that right little foxface."

"No robot apocalypses," Quinn replies with a shake of her head. "I like technology too much t' think about it. If somethin' like that has t' happen, let it be waya fter I'm dead. Then I don't have t' worry about it, an' I can laugh at people form up in heaven." She smirks, half turning as she wraps arms around Elaine, kissing her on the cheek. "No one's getting stranded in the snow. I didn't bring the right boots for it, if nothin' else. An' if we do, we'll just make ROyce go find help while us women stay warm in here. Looking over to Adel, the Irishwoman smiles. "Magnes knows about an inevitable lot of apocalypses. Let's hope he's not on t' somethin-"

Quinn is cut off as Royce makes an announcement from the from the driver's seat. "We're here!" he proclaims, and imemdiately after, a robotic female voice likewise announces "ARRIVING AT… DESTINATION ON LEFT"

"I think leaving a car full of women would be a bad idea. Plus Walter would be watching. He can chaperone," Elaine says, smiling. She peers back towards Adel and the baby-she-can't-see. "Foxface is a cute nickname. Does he really seem like a fox, though? I guess cause he's got the ginger going on. And it's better than calling him an orangutan…" She pauses. "But yeah, don't get Magnes started talking about conspiracy theories. You know he used to make people take out their cell phone batteries before going inside? And he unplugs things with internet connections to keep spies out."

"Like hell there's gonna be 'n expedition I don' go on," Sable says, squinting fiercely at Quinn, "I call dibs on heroic-type rescue missions. Royce, y'all c'n be my loyal fuckin' sidekick if y'd like. Y'all seem cool," she flashes the bassist a grin. Because he was so desperate for her approval, she's sure.

Of course, it won't come to that, it would seem. Sable peers out the window, getting a look at what this 'destination' so-called really looks like. She's got icons in her mind, images of stages, sound booths, studios and stadiums, even, but the real nitty gritty of creation… that's outside the boundaries of her vision. Though she's happy to expand it.

"Magnes thinks he knows about a lot of things, darling." Delilah laughs to Adel now, pausing to glance up at Royce. "See? I don't need shit tellin' me what I already know." Duh. The redhead in the back seat leans into it again now, chuckling at Adel's nickname. "Same color hair and everything. Eileen even gave him a little stuffed one before he was born, but I think that was less knowing and more of the being English thing."

"He is totally a foxface. Not a weaselface at all are you," Adel says, touching him on the end of the nose and then finally sitting back to stop hovering over him. Poor guy is gonna grow up surrounded by women talking babytalk at him, cause she certainly was. "A stuffed fox? That sounds so adorable. I had a stuffed animal growing up. It was a stuffed cow. I don't know who gave it to me, but I loved it. It was so squishy— but I lost it when I was like… six or something. But I remember how squishy it was. I called her Bò Bò."

Royce's announcement doesn't really seem to click with Quinn immediately even when brings the van to a stop, she's too busy being distracted by other women - such is the story of her life, sometimes. "You'd be disappointed in my Swedish pop anyway, Elaine, it's all in English," she replies with a laugh, before looking to Delilah, then Adel wiht a smile. "Ygraine has the biggest, cutest stuffed penguin either. It's adorable. Makes me want one too. I never really-"

"We're here!" is repeated by the bespecaled, shaggy haired Royce, unbuckling his seatbelt as her turns back to look at the women behind him. "Cease your womanly gossip!"

There's no warning as Quinn hears that and sudenly bolts up and to the door, barely managing not to knock Elaine from the seat they shared herself. The Irishwoman will be distracted no longer, the door thrown open and her disappearing on the otehrside. They've arrived at- well, it doesn't look like one might think of when someone says factory or processingly plant, not in the classic sense, but the large building they've come to a stop at certianly looks like more than an innocuous office building, and Quinn is bounding towards a door that says "Pick Up."

In the front seat, Royce sighs, opening his door and climbing out. "She could at least shut the door. I'm going to go help her so she doesn't trip and break the entire order."

"Bò Bò?" Elaine laughs, a grin on her features. "That's an adorable name. Did you name her or did someone else? I don't think I was much into stuffed animals. But I had a blanket that I could never get rid of. Stayed on my bed until… well, until I didn't have a bed any longer. It was blue and green and it looked like the ocean. Well, it was colored like the ocean but sometimes I thought it was stars." The baby gets another look in his direction. "Well, he's already doomed to a zoo full of animal names, now, I think."

Her gaze shifts to Quinn as she manages to keep from being knocked unconscious by the frenzy that is Quinn rushing to her true love. Her gaze directs to Royce. "Please. I'll never hear the end of her moping around the flat if they're all broken."

"We s'pposed t' give chase, or give her, like, a private moment?" Sable asks, the comment meant to be serious as well as smartass, a dual purpose comment. She huddles her shoulders as the cold air leaks into the van, gaseous osmosis invading their once cozy pocket. "Y'all go th' fuck on in, chum. How much help she gonna need anyhow?" Please, please don't tell Sable she has to leave the car. She's from Georgia, and her aversion to the northeasterly cold has set back in with a vengeance now that she's not roughing it. Adaptation cuts both ways.

"Bah, let her have a good trip." Delilah is so helpful. Walter giggles at being poked, just like a Pillsbury boy. It's a good thing that he likes most everyone still- time will come when he learns that not everyone is as awesome as mom is. "All boys are destined to be weasels, Adel. Mine will just be better at it." Hence, a fox. Haha, so clever. Delilah leans forward to get a look at where Quinn went, hesitating in unbuckling.

"Should we all get out and help, or should we be in here to hold the boxes when they bring them back?" Delilah translates the Sable-ese.

"No, I didn't name her that, my— " Adel starts, then stops, looking out the window as if suddenly distracted, and remembering it's time to undo belt and get out of van. Which she starts doing as she continues. "She was brown. I used to say she was a milk chocolate cow. Cause, I though milk chocolate came from brown cows and all, not just adding chocolate to milk." For a moment she seems to be rambling, but then she grins down at Walter again, sparked by Dee, as she gets the belt off and can hop out of the van. She doesn't go far, because she's watching the mom and her baby, "I bet he will be a better boy. Better than most at least. Do you need any help?"

Royce walks his way around the car, coming back to the open door, standing just a bit away from Adel. "I don't think it's a moment until the boxes are opened," he replies with a laugh, taking a moment to pull off and start cleaning his glasses. He lingers for a moment, and even as he's letting out a sigh and turning back towards the building, Quinn's already walking out with boxes in arms - four of them, most of them small and manageable - except the larger one she has her arms wrapped around.

She doesn't stop until she's practically pushing her way back past Royce and Adel, plopping the boxes down in front of her, door still open. "Somebody better have a knife, box cutter, key, somethin'!" she explaims, a hand held out as if waiting for the implament. "Right stat now!" she adds, clearly thinking she has that phrase more correct than she really does.

"Aw, she's brown? There was an amusing poem about a red cow that I read once because it was… I dunno, realistic? Half of the poem was just about how the cow chewed and chewed and chewed and swallowed," Elaine says, glancing at Adel with a smile before she looks back towards Quinn and how excited she is. She offers her keys forward to Quinn. "Do the honors." She fishes in her pocket for her camera, turning into the movie-mode as she holds it up. "This is gonna be like that Nintendo kid. I bet she's gonna squeal."

Quinn's gonna be all like Audrey Hepburn with an unlit cigarette at a party, only with blades instead of flames. Even as Elaine is offering up her keys, Sable is pawing at one of the larger pockets in her jacket, digging in and pulling out her knife. Her eyes cut over to Elaine, who go there first. She gives a huff. "Guess makes sense f'r keys t' open things…" she admits grudgingly, yielding to first and most poetic, palming the folded knife and slipping it back into her pocket. "Jus' hurry, gal! Frozen chicks here no tunes!"
Delilah can afford to squeeze around to get a better look, but right now Walter is still within arm's reach. He is fine in inspecting his fingers, and doesn't mind Dee slipping out of view. "Thanks, Adel. I sure hope you're right."

"Niiintendo sixty-fouuuuuuur…" Delilah mimics the slow-mo version a bit for Elaine's sake. She totally knew what she meant! "Send me a copy, I want to freeze frame between expressions and macro her." It will be pretty awesome, sounds like.

"The best Christmas present I ever got was a guitar," Adel says with a smile, slipping in for a good view, and bouncing a little on her toes as she watches. Not because she's cold, or just not, but because she's excited, for what it means.

"But I didn't freak out or anything— then again I think mom wouldn't have let me, I might have broken it before ever getting to play my own guitar. That would have been a travesty. And this was before drum sets, obviously. My first drum set was a birthday present, when I was sixteen, though it was more like— " she waves her hands as if she can't quite describe it.

"Anyway! Robyn's big moment. I want a copy too!"

A middle finer is raised up and moved in an arc in from of Quinn, for all to see. Surly, they think better of her than to expect her to turn into a young child again just because she opens a package, right? Setting aside the smaller boxes, Quinn settles on the biggest one, staring at it for a moment like she's hoping it'll open on it's own. Elaine's keys are taken and- for whatever the reason, maybe it's the moment, Quinn makes a note of taking the redhead's hand and kissing the top of it, as if she's just been handed a sacred sword by someone of a higher class than herself. The keyring spins on her finger for a moment before settles on one, turning it downwards and driving it through the tape that holds the box closed. Down the top, across the sides, and unceremoniously the top pops open.

But that's not enough for Qunn, who practically rips the boxflaps off as se sets them aside - and she stares inside. 100 CD cases, arranged in several neat rows sit inside, and Quinn pulls one out, setting it on top of the others as the rest of the row clinks and shifts to make up for the missing CD. And there it is, staring up at her.

Glass_Wonderland-Front.jpg

There's a moment of silence before- the Irishwoman squeals like an excited girl, clapping her hands together repeatedly and enthusiastically

"I saw this Youtube video about this genius girl who played the cello, she's like, nine or something, and she plays all kinds of instruments, her dad started her on it because he's a jazz musician. Anyways, she was good at the piano and the violin, but as soon as she got her hands on the cello it was like… magic," Elaine says, looking to Adel. "That's the image in my head of your drums. Pure magic. Am I right?"

The redhead's gaze falls back on Quinn as the Irishwoman takes the keys and plants the kiss on her hand. There may or may not be a slight flush of color on Elaine's cheeks, though it's more than likely the cold. She holds the camera carefully, getting a closeup as Quinn opens the box, then zooms out so she can get a good look at Quinn's expression. "It'll never get any better than this, since it's the start of something big," she says, in lower tone. Then there's the squeal.

"Ha!" Elaine exclaims. "I told you she'd squeal!"

"Hon," Sable says, eyes cutting over to Elaine, "I dunno if yer right 'r wrong, but there's something to what yer sayin' there." Evidently Sable has taken Elaine's statement as some fragment of wisdom, possessing some resonance, meeting some criteria unknown to Sable herself. Her own expression is, thus, actually a little solemn. Of course, this can't last long. Quinn's squeal forces a smile to Sable's lips. "Congrats, honey," she says, flicking her bangs in a weird quasi-salute, "bet there's gonna be 'lot more where they came from, eh?"
"Hah! That's instant gold right there. Get those other boxes in here before she decides to open all of those too, will you?" Dee is laughing, but does not like idling in the cold, and especially not this kind of cold. Her hand waves at them to pass things inside the van. "I think we should play the first one she opens all the way home, don't you all?"

"Yeah, it was awesome— pure magic and my beating heart," Adel says with a smile that she shares with Elaine for a moment, as if trying to pass on a secret. It almost caused her to miss the squeal, and she looks back in time to catch the clapping and immediately shout out, "I do that too!"

And as if to prove it, she's hopping in place and clapping her hands and laughing. Cheerful, happy, infected with enthusiasm. One wouldn't know she'd been crying earlier this week when she found out one of her closest friends was trapped inside the dome.

The clapping is the sounf of skin on plastic, Quinn still holding the CD as she claps as squeals. It takes a good moment for her to finish, letting out a contented sigh as she climbs back up and into the van, pulling the case of CDs into her lap. "Holy fuckin' shit!" she exclaims, face still filled with wonderment as she stares down at the box. "Guys guys guys guys! I have an album. It is in my hands and not just burned at home or some shit. I- I-…"

She's actually tearing up a little, which has Royce shaking his head as he starts ack around to the front of the car. "Close that door, please? I think everyone's freezing."

Smiling happily, the Irishwoman looks up and between her friends. "I want ever feckin' one a' you t' come here an' give me a hug right fuckin' now."

"Do we have to?" Elaine mock-whines as she can't hold back a grin, turning her camera off at last. She shoves it back into a pocket, moving to grab Quinn in a tight hug for a moment. "Okay, hugs. Then we stop freezing our asses off."

Sable tries to go for a hug, when she finds to her surprise that she's actually buckled in, something she never does. Ah right, Delilah's here. The war on bad habits continues. Sable fumbles with the buckle release, then scoots over to wrap her arms around Quinn, giving her a squeeze. "Real fuckin' proud, gal. Know no one more deservin' 'f success if every fuckin' way." She presses a kiss just above Quinn's temple, against her hair, before grinning. "Now I gotta rush t' catch up, hon. Can't have you headlinin' without me."

Delilah sighs a little out of something more sentimental, scooting out of her own buckle to lean up and give Quinn a rough squeeze after Sable leans away again. "She's not making that up, either, so don't let her get carried away with outgunning you." That's the last thing anyone needs, is a competitive Sable to deal with. "Congrats, Quinn." Another bit of a squeeze before Dee lets go.

Oh, hugs! Adel likes hugs. As soon as the hugs start, she hops over and wraps her arms around the two closest people, giggling despite the cold, with joy in her voice. "We're all proud of you. And we're all next." She says as she hops back out of the hug.

"We're all going to be the most primal rockstars that the country — nay the world has ever seen! They won't know what hit them. Music apocolypse is way better than robot apocolypse."

Quinn takes the hugs one by one, smiling as she spouts a few tears of joy. Royce climbs back into the driver's seat, looking back with a smile. He doesn't join in on the hugs - he knows when Quinn asks for hugs, she wants them from the women, in most cases.

"Thank you guys so much," she says quietly, smiling as she looks between each of them. "I love you guys so much, an' I couldn't've done this without you guys, you know. So… thanks. Wish Ygraine was ehre too. Stupid goddamn Dome, then I'd have pretty much everyone I want t' have close for this." And with that, she pulls out a CD, handing one to Elaine, then another, passed over to Adel…

Running her hands along the plastic of the CD case, Elaine smiles a bit. "Congratulations, Quinn. May there be many, many more of these trips in your future." She reaches a hand up to ruffle Quinn's hair affectionately, then looks around at those in the car. "I know the majority of us have heard these songs a million times already, but… I say we really do put it in. It's that much more satisfying. Plus we can sing along on the way back."

"Hell yeah, gal," Sable says, folding her arms as she reclines at an angle, blessedly free of constraining safety, "I gotta fuckin' learn th' back up vocals, don't I? This shit drops, y'all can't leave me out!"

Delilah is subtle. She leans over across to Sable to buckle her back in before they set off. Without actually saying anything. "Walter would enjoy it, and I need my practice. Pop one of those bad boys in, would you Royce?" She is very much on the same page as Elaine. "Can you siiiiign miiiiine~?"

Back in the van, Adel can no longer bounce around nearly as much as she did outside trying to keep warm, so she leans over and makes faces at Walter instead, until Dee's leaning toward Sable and asking that question. There's a sudden mischevious smile across her face, and a glitter in her eyes.

"Sign your CD or your boobs?"

There must be some sort of wavelength (which in and of itself is kinf of frightening) as Quinn turns to Delilah, CD in hand and held out to her with a glint in her eye and a devilish smirk on her face. "Your CD, or your boobs?" Unison, almost, if it wasn't for Quinn's dropped word. Still, she looks back at Adel and just starts laughing. "I love you guys so much!" She proclaims, drawing her legs up on to the seat so that she's taller than anyone else. "I'll do either one. FOr serious." She gives a wink over to Sable of all people, looking around for a marker. Her copy is popped open and handed up to Royace, another package opened to reveal a plaque with the CD mounted on it.

"Congratulations, guys. This is the start of something big."


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