|
|
Post by zuyuri on Aug 24, 2023 0:41:23 GMT
Summer was coming to an end, which meant the biggest beach party was coming underway. Teens from all over Metropolis were flocking to the shore. Most of them were in bathing suits, eager to take a dip in the water. Others were covered up. Two young women met both sides of that spectrum.
“Thanks for coming to fix the sound equipment, Zelle,” Dorothea beamed to her friend. She adjusted her black sunhat, the magenta flowers making a match to her long sarong over her black and pink bikini. Classic, but stylish. She was more than just a pretty girl after all.
Zelda, on the other hand, was more modest. No bikini or bathing suit here. Just a simple green and white bandeau dress. “Fresh air does one good. Besides, I know you’d be moping about how dull the party would be without music. Also, it was a good exercise in my powers. People can be so neglectful of certain cords. It’s all about how you carry them.”
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 24, 2023 23:56:15 GMT
Throwing parties at Hero High always came with risks of getting caught. The kids in charge always tried to keep it on the down-low. But outside the school, they could be a bit more noisy and free, and Spike always enjoyed the change in pace. Some rich kid in town was throwing a bash while her parents were out of town and it seemed like nearly every teen in the area had flocked to it. No music was coming from the speakers, but people seemed to be having fun so far. Spike had been asked to supply some booze along with some shrooms to liven things up a bit. A good amount of kids were already in the water, but Spike wasn't about to go near there. He just had on jeans and a T-shirt, his hands loaded with cases of beer. The sight of him brought cheers from some of the party goers. They knew things would get good if Spike showed up. The speakers finally kicked in, generic pop music playing. Kids whooped and either got into a big group to dance or started chugging contests, seeing who could chug beer down the fastest. Spike looked towards the speakers and saw one face he'd expected to see, and another a little more surprising. "Hey, it's the siren and the bookworm!" he called out.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Aug 25, 2023 1:14:17 GMT
“Spike!”
Dorothea waved back to her new friend enthusiastically. However next to her, Zelda folded her arms with an expression that looked like she smelled something awful.
And of course leave it to Spike to bring on the party. He was carrying beer. Not as sneaky as his vodka flask from the Halloween party, but given they weren’t on campus grounds, Dorothea completely understood his need to get something bigger and stronger. She left Zelda by the tech to greet Spike properly, not just a simple wave.
“Geez, did you raid the Crow Bar’s refrigerator?”
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 28, 2023 23:44:37 GMT
"Maybe," Spike replied with a laugh. The place did have a reputation for making sales under the radar. So far they hadn't been caught, and Spike was sure rowdy teenagers wanted it to stay that way. "Want one?" he asked, holding one out to Dorothea. "I'm surprised you got Bookworm out to a bash like this. I haven't seen a party this wild since spring break." With no adult supervision around, kids were taking full advantage of the opportunity to run wild.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Aug 29, 2023 0:19:01 GMT
“Absolutely.”
So, she was drinking slightly underage. Big whoop. Zelda was too much of a goody two shoes to say anything, or even drink with them, and besides, she was a one and done drinker when it came to something as heavy as beer. She accepted Spike’s offer and opened it effortlessly, taking a swig and humming her approval of the taste.
“I’m only sticking around because my recharge power has too long of a cooldown,” Zelda said dryly. “She needed my help with the music, I came because that’s what friends do.”
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 31, 2023 0:26:09 GMT
Dorothea eagerly accepted a drink while Zelda replied a little more coldly. She seemed as rigid as a stick. "Well, you've certainly got things hopping again," Spike said, gesturing to the growing group of dancers. "Even if this playlist does seem to mostly consist of the top 40." No doubt the host wanted the catchiest music to liven things up. Spike doubted he could get Dorothea to change the tunes a second time like she had at the Halloween dance. But he didn't mind. He was just here to unwind and let loose, which Zelda seemed to need a little help doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Sept 1, 2023 3:30:57 GMT
The two young women looked at each other silently. Spike’s criticism of the choice of music was to be expected. Dorothea cracked her drink open and took a swig of it, uncertain what could be said without the aide of alcohol.
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Zelda muttered. “The music is being chosen by an electronic playlist.”
“And it wasn’t my first pick,” Dorothea said. “Music was playing when I arrived, so I decided to just…blend in. Though it does make me realize how some artists have withstood time.”
“Of course you’d bd pointing out the artsy nature of it all,” Zelda huffed with an eye roll.
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 5, 2023 2:01:02 GMT
"I know, I know," Spike replied. "Didn't expect anything different." If he wanted heavy metal at a public place, his best bet was bars or underground clubs. Heck, he and his band performed at the Crow Bar fairly often. Granted, most of the crowd was drunk, but it was the only place that allowed their kind of music. "Not much beachy heavy metal anyway. Probably wouldn't have fit the vibe," he added.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Sept 5, 2023 2:32:19 GMT
Hardcore rock on a beach? That sounded like something that would play in a horror movie or a bad clashing a director would call “art”. As Dorothea finished another swig, she asked, “What would a steel drum in a heavy metal environment even sound like?”
“I think that’s called banging on a trash can, Dorothea. That or a toddler banging pots in a kitchen,” Zelda quipped.
Dorothea was about to correct Zelda about the instrument’s terminology, but something in the blonde’s eyes stopped her. It wasn’t like Zelda to make a joke, let alone seem so pleased with herself about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 7, 2023 1:41:36 GMT
Spike snickered. "That is one way of putting it," he said to Zelda. "You're secretly funny when you want to be." At least Zelda was smiling a little. Maybe she was actually starting to have a little fun. "At least it's got a good beat to dance to," he said, chugging the rest of his beer. "Come on Dorothea, let's show Zelda how it's done." Maybe if they got dancing, Zelda would join in.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Sept 8, 2023 3:52:15 GMT
Zelda’s mouth hung open in surprise. What? No, no, she couldn’t dance to any of this music. It was nothing like the classical playlists, Celtic Woman hits, or Celtic instrumentals she was always used to listening to. Yes, that could technically be danced along to, but her dancing left much to be desired. “What? I…”
Dorothea sighed. “Oh, cone on, Zelle. Counting to eight should be easy. That’s all dancing is.”
“But at different speeds!” Zelda objected.
Dorothea held up a finely manicured finger. “One second. I’ll be back.” She sauntered off to one of the kiddie pools filled with ice…or rather cold water with a few ice chips…and returned with a small white can. What she wasn’t going to Zelda was the sparkling water had, well, booze. She had this brand of spiked water before. The fruity flavoring was so strong, it hid the fact it was alcoholic She had never seen the blonde even touch drinks at a party. “Here. Can’t have you dehydrated.”
Zelda took the cab and studied the contents. Sparkling water? Well, it didn’t look tarnished. She opened the can and took one sip. It didn’t taste like alcohol. If anything, it was just a sweet peach tea. After one final sip, she put it down.
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 9, 2023 15:59:16 GMT
Spike expected Zelda to kind of put up a fight, but luckily, Dorothea was there to help give her a little push. After sipping a drink, Zelda seemed a little more willing to give dancing a try. "Come on Bookworm, it's just moving in rhythm to music," he said. "Don't some people say music is all math anyway?" People often used that argument when trying to convince others that music was just as important, say, football teams at highschools. If music did help with academic stuff though, Spike felt like he was the exception to the rule.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Sept 9, 2023 16:23:05 GMT
Dorothea took Zelda by the hand gently as Spike began the verbal coaxing. The hesitation was small before finally, she felt Zelda walking alongside her. The people crowding the dance floor didn’t leave much room for the trio to get in without turning then into a sandwich. That would scare Zelda am away for sure. A section in the dance floor nearest the corner caught Dorothea’s eye, and she guided Zelda to the spot.
“You got this, Zelda.” She stood in place, simply swaying in time to the music.
Zelda just stood there wordlessly as Dorothea and Spike tried to get her to dance. This was so different from the ballet and ballroom classes that she had taken. What exactly were people doing? Some of them didn’t even look like they were dancing so much as they were jumping around like untrained children. This was what people did to for fun? It was so loud, so unorganized.
Finally, Zelda tried to sway just Dorothea did. She was not as graceful as the singer. There was no rhythm to her motions. At least she was moving. In place. A
|
|
|
|
Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 15, 2023 0:08:18 GMT
Zelda needed a little more coaxing, but she eventually started swaying along to the music. She didn't seem 100% comfortable, but Spike still considered it a victory. "Whoo, there you go!" he cheered. "Not so bad, is it?" He had half a thought to see if maybe he could convince her to jump into the middle of the mosh pit, but he tossed the idea aside. That'd probably be too much.
|
|
|
|
Post by zuyuri on Sept 16, 2023 3:58:08 GMT
“I…I got it?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Dorothea wasn’t going to burst poor Zelda’s bubble and tell the truth that she had little to no control with her dancing. Heck, her motions showed she just couldn’t dance. Sure, there was something there, but it wasn’t exactly something that a choreographer would use. Maybe another style, but best not to scare this girl away from a beach party.
Maybe it was the praise, maybe it was the sugar from the drink kicking in, but suddenly Zelda didn’t care what people were looking at. She was amongst peers. She was with people her age and actually feeling something like joy. Zelda didn’t even like Spike, but hanging with him was preferable than strangers.
|
|
