[closed] music brings people together!

[flamberge]

Who: Emil Fiedler, Karl Aurion
When: 3/15
Where: Music store
What: Two guys, one t-shirt.

[Ah, the weekend. Finally a day or two without too much to do and no giant snakes rampaging through the city. Nothing makes a day better than that. Well, maybe a few things would. One such thing happens to be taking a trip to a music store and browsing around.

Karl appears oddly relaxed as he browses around the shop. Being around music and potentially picking out some cds (old school yes but whatever) or some shirts or hell even an Ozzy Osbourne can opener feels oddly soothing. It makes his sci-fi soap opera of a life momentarily seem normal. Just a normal 43 year old guy with a midlife crisis, nothing special. Spotting an old Van Halen album not only gains a sense of nostalgia but adds onto the midlife crisis. Karl makes a face. Damn, he'd been 13 when that came out. He's 43 now.

......

Thoughts about tattoos pop up as Karl walks over to shirt display on the wall. Hmm that one Disturbed t-shirt has a good design to it. Last one too AND on sale. Why not? Good gear for the next concert he goes to. Without sparing a second thought to the purchase or that anything might get in the way between him and his shirt, he reaches to grab it.]

Comments

[abhero]

Emil has a stack of classical music CDs. He always loved classical music; he was also always really embarrassed by it. In his mind it crossed the line from being old school to being a nerd with a granny’s taste and while Emil didn’t care about most things people thought of him, this one he certainly did. In fact, this was the first time he entered a store for this purpose - usually he’d ask his family to do it for him or just get in online.

But now that he can do magic with it, things were different. He isn’t being a dork, he’s practicing his skills!

Still, he can’t help but feel a little embarrassed this many CDs. He may know it’s for a great cause, but other people don’t. So in order to make himself feel less of a nerd, he reaches out for a Disturbed t-shirt, only to find out someone else’s hand trying to snatch it right under his nose.

This won’t do. His hand lashes out and practically slams the thing.]

Back off, I saw it first -

[When he looks up and sees who exactly his competition is, he scowls. Seriously??]

Ugh. Are you stealing from students?

[flamberge]

[At the same time that his hand grabs the fabric, another hand does the exact same thing. Normally, someone else wanting the shirt would have made Karl let them have it, but not with the attitude in that voice.

Wait, that voice. His eye finally fall on the person after the same shirt and a displeased frown forms. Of all the people in all the world it had to be this kid. Lady Luck loathes him, it's official. That frown becomes significantly more annoyed upon getting called a thief.]

Stealing implies something belongs to someone. This shirt is still hanging on the rack and unpaid for.

[And getting paid for by the pseudo-teacher cause nope not letting go. Not at school means not having to play nice.]

[abhero]

[Not at school also means Emil makes zero effort to watch his tongue. Bratty teenage sass, full steam ahead.]

Well I got dibs ‘cause I saw it first and grabbed it first. [Or not. It happened too fast. But he’s almost sure!] So spiritually and morally speaking, it belongs to me.

[He gives the shirt a slight tug - not actually trying to yank it back (yet), just making a point. The point being that Karl has to let the damn thing go.]

[flamberge]

How unfortunate for you that I'm not a spiritual man and care little for the spiritual needs of others.

[Adult sass and bratty sass collide. Which will be triumphant! Answer: they'll both probably end up looking like silly kids.]

And anyone with morals, or even an ounce of common sense, would not accuse someone of stealing something simply because they want the same item and instead would opt to ask nicely for it.

[The nicely comes out a tad not nicely. Mr teacher be not amused. And a tug comes from Karl's end too, one very clearly saying NOT LETTING GO THAT EASY.]

[abhero]

[That’s why Emil doesn’t like this teacher - he has an answer for everything. And now he’s scolding for not being polite, like Emil is still in kindergarten (he’s not, he isn’t mature enough for that).

Time to try a different strategy.]

Look at you, having a stupid fight over a t-shirt. I mean I’m sixteen, but what’s your excuse?

[Okay, insulting Karl isn’t really going to help, but giving up or asking nicely isn't an option and besides, Emil is annoyed. He wants to be annoying right back.]

You’re a teacher. act your age.

[Another tug. With both hands. This is only going to escalate.]

[flamberge]

[Insulting him succeeds in two things happening: first, the narrowing of his eyes and second, his grip on that shirt tightening. His instinct to not have trusted the kid during their last encounter had been dead on. Good and innocent had to be the least accurate words to describe Emil.]

As a teacher, it is my duty to educate young minds inside and outside of the classroom. Teaching a sixteen year old manners that ought to have been learned by age six is a part of that thankless, but necessary duty.

[Best way to insult someone without getting in trouble? Insult them in a way that cannot be called an insult. This is truly the one and only lesson necessary to learn in life.]

[abhero]

[Karl's answer only eggs Emil's on. First, the narrowing of the eyes means he got a reaction, as minor as it may be. He needs to push more. Second, he must return the snide remark - it's the opening serve of an insult volleyball.]

I don’t remember manners being part of the curriculum. Our school isn’t an English all-girls boarding school, it’s not duty as much as it’s you doing extra job without even getting paid for it.

[A light shrug. He thinks he’s so smart right now, Karl can probably see the smug aura.]

But hey, it you’re that dedicated - how about a lesson in being the bigger person? You can teach me that by letting the shirt go.

[flamberge]

[Smug aura gets a very unimpressed snort in return. Oh please, kid. His cat can hash out better insults. Gotta love teenagers: think they're being so great when all they really are is being annoying.]

I'll happily give such a lesson, along with an additional one on believable acting given your lackluster display at the high school, once you pass this one on proper manners. As of this present moment, you're unfortunately en route to a F.

[So very unfortunate! It fills Karl's heart with the greatest agony to watch a student do this poorly. Though really, not being able to even say please is so many levels of sad. Not enough for releasing the shirt out of pity, though.]

[abhero]

Lacklus - huh?

[He looks a confused for a moment, then scowls deeper.]

You mean last month? What display, I wasn’t ACTING!

[Yes, he knows Karl doesn’t buy it, not one bit, but Emil’s version is that GREAT INJUSTICE was done and he will stick to it till the end of time. And the offended tone? Completely genuine this time. He’s a good actor, how can Karl diss his talent like that!

One last indignant huff, and he settles on a more neutral expression, like he’s trying really hard not be annoyed.]

Okay, neither of us is gonna let go so. What now.

[If it were any other person, Emil would’ve ripped the thing of their grasp long ago, maybe shove them off if they were stubborn about it. But even he isn’t stupid enough to start it with a teacher.]

[flamberge]

[An unimpressed hmph comes at that. Not acting like a good, huh? Then why the sudden bad kid act OUTSIDE the classroom?

He'll drop it for no if only to spare himself the headache arguing would likely cause. Not worth it, not on a weekend.]

Either we can stand here looking like fools for as long as it takes for one us to become bored or you can ask nicely and I'll let go.

[Really. If the kid says please GENUINELY then he'll let go and then they could both go on their merry way. None of that superior acting, though.]

[abhero]

[He doesn’t want to say “please”, but he also doesn’t want to keep standing there. Oh, the agony of choice.]

Fine. Please let go, it’s a nice day outside and I’m getting hungry.

[Begrudgingly. Just having to ask makes him feel like he lost something. But he at least uttered the word “please”?]

[flamberge]

[Worst attempt at politeness ever. Terrible. So very terrible. 2/10. A please is a please and a deal is a deal, though.]

Considering you said please so convincingly, very well. The shirt is yours.

[And thus the battle of the t-shirt comes to end with Karl letting go of it. See what a good teacher he is, being true to his word and teaching lessons even outside school!!]

[abhero]

[Victory!! Emil accepts his triumph with the utmost grace - just kidding, here’s that smug teen aura again. It takes him approximately two seconds to forget Karl forced a “please” out of him like a kindergarten teacher, because haha he has the shirt.]

Heh! I guess you didn’t want it all that much.

[flamberge]

It's a t-shirt. I can always purchase another.

[Said super matter-of-factish despite how annoying that smugness is. One shirt being snagged from under his nose will not ruin his day! So have your shirt, Emil, along with your... Wait, what CDs are those? As soon as Karl takes notice of the cover, his eyebrow shoots up.]

You listen to classical music?

[abhero]

[Uh-oh, caught with a stack old people music, how embarrassing. The CDs don’t seem to have much in common except they’re all music that has some story behind it, like ballets and operas. Not exactly what you’d expect from your average sixteen year old.]

What if I do?

[flamberge]

It's just surprising seeing someone your age listening to that.

[REALLY surprising. Even Karl doesn't really listen to classical music. HIS MOTHER, who's like 65 by now, doesn't even listen to that. Bratty kid listening to refined stuff? MADNESS.]

[abhero]

I can’t help it if other people my age have no taste.

[Emil obviously can’t show he’s embarrassed. The solution? Music snobbery. He’s not a dork, everyone else just suck.]

[flamberge]

No, I suppose not.

[No commentary on musical taste being subjective gets made because, as luck would have it, Karl's phone picks that moment to vibrate. Ah, work calling him in on a weekend to hunt down some paperwork that had gotten turned in the prior day. Wonderful. A sigh leaves him as he shoves his phone back in his pocket.]

If only your taste in music would reflect in your behavior.

[Aka if only you could be refined and cultured instead of a brat. On this lovely little note, he turns and starts to walk off.]

[abhero]

[Emil huffs and rolls his eyes.]

Psh. Whatever.

[He picks up his stack of totally superior music, the shirt he so rightfully won and heads off to pay.

But not before he makes a bratty face at Karl, proving his point.]