everyone_takes | [Britta and Miranda]

[Britta and Miranda]

As far as Kate was concerned, this was the best idea ever.

True, she was no longer drunk and she was sure Britta was sober by now, too, but that didn’t mean the ideas they’d had on New Year’s Eve weren’t totally genius. Her conviction that this was brilliant was only confirmed by the fact that Miranda had been all over the idea of a glam rock band and, really, with two other girls interested, the only thing Kate could do was find pictures for Miranda to look at and spend a few weeks collecting the best costumes she could wrangle out of the clothes box. They could figure out who would wear what later, but Kate felt certain she’d collected a nice variety.

“Okay, so,” she was saying to Miranda as they headed toward Britta’s place. “I brought some books so you can look at pictures and I even found a few records, although I don’t know what good that’ll do us, since I don’t exactly have a record player...”

She doubted Britta had one either, but maybe they could find something in the Compound later.

“Now, I didn’t exactly tell Britta about the whole glam rock side of this,” she continued. “But I’m sure she’ll be into it. How can you not be into it, right? The costumes are just too great to forget about.”

And it would be fun, which was really the only thing Kate was interested in. It was another persona to hide behind, another distraction to help herself forget that she missed her mom and dad more and more every day. It would be good to just completely throw herself into something ridiculous so she could not think about it.

“Britta?” she called as they neared her hut. “Hey, I brought someone for you to meet.”

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It wasn't long before Britta forced herself to get up, but it seemed like an embarrassingly long time to her. She was just trying to get through this manual on taking care of goats (although Pierce hadn't died yet, so that had to count for something), but it was really kind of boring. She set it aside finally, heading over to the door and leaning against the frame after she opened it, the goat bleating from where he'd been tied to one of the posts the house rested on.

"Hey," she said, smiling. Company had to be better than reading about goats. "Come on in. Who's this?"

Meeting new people is something that Miranda is rapidly getting used to. Everyone here is a stranger, to this place and most to each other. There is nothing to fear from them, not truly. It does not hurt that she loves the chance, the brush of first impressions.

Still there is a bit of nervousness that she cannot quite get over, despite how much she trusts Kate. "Nice to meet you," she blurts out at the sight of the young woman, before remembering that she has gotten the order all wrong. "I mean, mine name is Miranda."

Kate inclined her head toward Miranda when she introduced herself, then she grinned. "Miranda, meet Britta. And... her goat." She had no idea that Britta had a goat and was now looking at the animal with interest, wondering if they could find a costume for it to wear.

Although it'd probably just chew a microphone wire or something and electrocute itself.

"I also brought clothes," she added, holding them up. "It's all part of a really excellent plan."

Britta waved a hand toward the goat and shrugged. "Yeah, that's Pierce," she said, then grinned again. "Come on, come on in, I wanna hear about this plan." She ushered them in, stepping back, not sure what Kate could possibly have found in the clothes box to be excited about. Still, she didn't have all that many friends even here and it was nice to be someone somebody came to with excellent plans that were probably actually excellent. She glanced at Miranda, belated confusion setting in. "'Mine name is'?"

Miranda feels a bit caught despite the fact that she has done nothing wrong. Confusion knits her brow and she stares at the older woman. There is something that she has missed but she cannot recall what it was.

"Aye, mine? It belongs to me and no one else?" she offers as she enters the hut. There is much she wants to ask, namely about the goat but she shall wait until Kate shares what needs to be said. "Tis quite a fantastic plan, what little of it I know."

Dumping the clothes on the floor, Kate turned and nodded. "Okay, so a little while back, Miranda and I were in the basement, looking through the box and she found a pair of sweet sunglasses that reminded me of glam rock bands."

Grinning, she looked at Britta and said, "We were totally drunk, but remember on New Year's Eve, when we decided we should be in a band? I figured that having an extra member would be kind of perfect."

At the time, it had seemed like the best idea ever. Now, Britta was lucid enough to realize she didn't play any instruments or sing.

She wasn't necessarily about to let that get in the way.

"An extra member, definitely," she said, nodding, although she wasn't sure how much the whole Jane Austen ye olde English thing added to the glam rock vibe. Whatever, a band needed people and it would set them apart. From the other glam rock bands on the island. Of which there were none. She let that train of thought go. "This place needs more music and we are just the women to give it to them."

It does seem to be a little odd, but Miranda is too distracted by the newness of the whole thing to truly mind. Clasping her hands in front of her, she looks at Britta and Kate in turn.

"I must confess something before we do go any further. I am afraid that I would be a very sorry member of your band, for I cannot sing nor play any instrument." Chewing on her bottom lip, she wonders if this fact is going to ruin what fun they could be having.

"Me neither," Kate said with a grin, picking through the clothes. She liked singing -- even had a music video floating out there on the internet to prove it -- but that didn't necessarily mean she was good. And instruments had always been a little beyond her.

"But we can learn," she added. "There are classes at the school and it's way more important that we come up with awesome rock personas first."

"I can't play either," Britta confessed, patting Miranda's arm. "But Kate's right, we'll learn, and half of rock is in the attitude anyway. Attitude and love of music, and we totally can do that." She had no idea what her rock persona would be yet, but that seemed like something where it should be made up on the fly anyway, true to her instincts, not planned and pulled apart like the music industry would do. That would just cheapen the experience.

This is more than a little cheering and her smile returns just as bright as it had been before. There is a strange camaraderie that she cherishes despite feeling as if she is on uneven footing. It gets better with each passing day.

"Alright. That does sound like the more interesting part. Is there any point where you think that we should start?" Miranda glances from Britta to Kate. "Or do we just dive straight in?"

Kate shrugged, not having thought it out this far, then said, "Well, we need a name, right? Once we have a name, then we'll know exactly what kind of band we are." She was sure in some world were musicians were serious and hated the whole industry and only played all ages shows in basement bars, they would be cringing at her reasoning, but this was different. The island was different.

"So... we're three hot girls with costumes who can't play instruments," she continued, trying not to laugh as she said it. It might be fun, but it was kind of crazy, too. "What do you call a band like that?"

"Other than 'awesome'?" Britta asked, then proceeded to consider this seriously. "I don't know. A lot of bands' names don't even make sense. You could pretty much just pick random words off a page and string 'em together and make a cool name." True, she wasn't sure she really respected any band that didn't think about the implications of their name, but this was for fun and after the way Kate put it, being overly picky seemed ludicrous. She still wanted something cool, though.

"We are minstrels without a tun, a song without a chorus. Whatever it is that we do call ourselves shall be perfect. I do believe that," Miranda says with far more confidence than she actually feels. It takes her a moment to translate all Britta and Kate say, as if she is doing translations without a base knowledge but she believes that she understands. They are three pretty women without musical talent. There is no need to pretend to be anything other than that.

"I think Miranda should pick the name," Kate said after a moment, considering everything that had just been said. "I mean, man, the way you speak it just sounds like you picked the perfect words and stuck them together." She'd said this before, but she still couldn't get over how much it sounded like a poem whenever Miranda said something.

"Even just like, a song without a chorus. That sounds so pretty." At least their name could sound pretty, even if their music ended up being less than stellar.

"No, I like it," Britta said, nodding. "It's totally rock and roll. No uniform repetition, just the individual verse." Kate had a definite point, and it sounded like a solution to who would write the lyrics, too, though she would brush them up herself to keep them from being too flowery or something. With a start like this, she had a feeling they were really going places, even if it was just the island stage. Not that having an audience or popularity mattered.

“Truly?” Miranda feels another wave of subtle embarrassment, blushing slightly. It is a complement that is kindly made but when coupled with the strange pressure of making up a name seems a bit much. She shall do it, for both Kate and Britta seem to be in agreement that it ought to be her. She simply wishes that she comes up with something that is not utterly terrible. There truly ought to be visible rules for such things, but if there are she knows them not. Pulling a slight face as she considers it, she idly fidgets with the hem of her shirt. “We could use that or perhaps something like Brilliant Bright Things or some such? Are they meant to have a theme to them?”

Kate really wasn't sure if there should be a theme or not, she'd never named a band before, but she liked the sound of that, too. "Brilliant Bright Things," she repeated, considering. It sounded pretty, like almost everything Miranda said and she looked at Britta for a second opinion.

"I like it," she said honestly. "It sounds just like what we are."

Which was totally not arrogant, because it was true.

Britta pursed her lips, considering it. It sounded sort of girly and not necessarily in the awesome feminist way, but maybe the fact she was thinking that was anti-feminist in itself, because since when was girly a bad thing and anyway they were all girls, so where was the problem with that anyway? She wasn't going to say something was too girly, because she had nothing against girly things, girly things were awesome. "It's a little redundant, though," she said instead. "Brilliant bright? I like the idea, but do we need both words? Although I don't know, that's kind of indie, it could work."

"What's indie?"

There it is, happening again. She's missed something which seems to happen more often when Britta talks than when Kate does, but Miranda isn't one to place the blame with either. "We could change it? It doesn't have to be used. It just sort of popped into my head?"

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she quickly looked at both of the blonde women.

"It's like, independent," Kate answered. "Like when people go off and do music and stuff without funding. At least, I think that's what it is." Beyond dancing, she'd never had a whole lot of experience in the arts and even her mom's paintings didn't really count as knowing anything.

"We can all totally think on it and come back with some suggestions," she said.

Britta wanted to correct Kate, but the truth was, it was just an adjective. She didn't know how better to explain it herself, just that she didn't think that was right. And yet it wasn't wrong either. "That's a good idea," she said, mostly because she didn't have a better one. "So what are we gonna do about music? Take classes?" That seemed like such a roundabout way to do it. Some of the greats had never had any formal training.

Taking a step nearer to the mess of things that Kate brought with her, Miranda pauses for a moment next to it before sitting on the floor. It might be rude to simply sit like this, but she cannot stand for much longer without beginning to fidget like some sort of madwoman.

"I do believe they offer courses in music. At least I do think so, but do most musicians not simply teach themselves after a small tutorial? I do not think they have apprenticeships for this sort of thing."

"I think we should teach ourselves," Kate decided, although she wasn't sure why. It just felt right. "I mean, we could get books and stuff and probably get some people on the island to give us pointers, but I think we can do it ourselves. We're all smart enough for that."

Reaching down, she pulled a pair of metallic leg warmers out of the pile of clothes and grinned. "Besides, it's more about the attitude."

"That there is some definite attitude," Britta said, nodding. "Wow. What is all this anyway?" She headed over to start nudging through the assortment of clothes, pulling out odds and ends and laughing, not sure if she was more horrified or delighted. It seemed an almost equal mix. She still wasn't sure where to get instruments, but if people could make a hit Broadway musical hitting trash cans, she figured they could burn that bridge when they got to it.

Now Miranda is definitely confused, for strange attire is something worn not acted upon. It doesn't last, for the more that she thinks of how the clothes to do make the person the more that she can understand how such things would be attitude. They speak of a boldness, a lack of questioning and a certain element of confidence that is likely crucial.

"Fabulous things," she says with a firm not picking up a bright pink pair of tights that almost hurt to look at. "Or horrifying ones. Or that which might be both."

"Fabulous," Kate insisted with a grin. "If we're gonna be glam rock, we have to go all out and really be glam rock. And glam rock is all about amazing costumes."

Plus, she thought it would just be a lot of fun.

"I got some records, too, so we can listen to some glam rock bands and like, take inspiration."

"Sounds like a plan," Britta said, crouching down to hold things up. She wasn't sure she could actually pull off these things. In fact, she suspected she would look stupid. However, she'd look stupid in a group and whatever her claims about being an individual, not caring about the opinions of others, this actually seemed more important than the concern about appearance. "We'll have to use the player in the compound, though, won't we?"

"Ooh. I should very much like to hear them. I am afraid that I do not know enough about rock music right now to tell all the various types apart."

It is something that she has no trouble admitting to. The people here have the advantage of her, having been raised with such music being common. Even if she had had access to minstrels and choirs, the music that she would have encountered is almost certainly nothing like this.

"Yeah, I didn't think about that until after I dragged them all here," Kate admitted. It was one of those things she wasn't quite over yet; the idea that not everyone had an iPod or some kind of music player just lying around in their home. Times like that, she sort of forgot where she was. "We should totally do that. Before or after we pick costumes?"

Costumes came after characters, she thought, and characters probably came after a name.

"Wait, no, before," Britta said firmly, glancing to Miranda. It supported the idea that Miranda was not of this time, a concept Britta didn't really know how to handle, but there was no reason that should be a hindrance if they put some music on before they made decisions. "Totally before, she needs to hear. I mean, maybe it's the inspiration we need."

Looking between the two blondes, Miranda has a moment of worry as she tries to figure out exactly how much further behind she is. Even if the music box is kind and gives such music over, will it live up to the expectations that she has begun to form or fall terribly flat? It does not matter much. All that matters is that they do make a good sport of it.

"Then we should try for before. Then we can go wholly into this venture and be the best that we can."

"Okay," Kate said, getting more excited. "Okay, let's do that. Should we do it now? I have a whole bunch of records." Some of them were from bands she'd never heard of before, but many of them were pretty famous. Or they'd been famous in her time and place, although she didn't think Miranda would know them at all.

"I found a whole box," she said, pulling some of them out to show the other two. "More vinyl than I think even my parents had."

"They are beautiful," said Britta. She loved vinyl, loved records way more than CDs, although she'd wound up with more CDs than not because record players were just vintage enough to be super expensive and they wouldn't, obviously, play on her Discman. "Yeah, let's do that. We can take care of the clothes after, let's just get these to the Compound."

Clasping her hands together, Miranda lets out a tiny squeal. The noise is almost involuntary but there is no better way to express her excitement than that. "Yes. Let us do head in that direction. Oh this is so wonderful. Such great fun." Getting to her feet once more, she holds out her arms in offering. "Do let me help carry. Tis the least that I can do."

"They're totally heavy," Kate warned, but she was more than happy for the help, because they really were ridiculously heavy. "I never had anything like this back home. It was mostly just CDs and some tapes from like, the olden times or whatever."

Mostly Marshall had liked vinyl. It was more his thing, but the island hadn't given her an iPod. Gathering up a bunch of the records, she offered more of them to Miranda and Britta.

Britta took an armful and then went to hold the door open for them, grinning. "Right?" she said. "It was mostly CDs for me. I mean, I have all these cassettes, but, like, my cassette player's broken." And had been for a couple years now. She kept meaning to do something about that. It just would have involved more effort than seemed actually necessary. How often did she listen to her tapes anyway? Although if the player worked, maybe that would have happened more often. "Miranda, what did you listen to at home?"

There were a bit heavier than she had expected, not to mention something of an odd size and shape. It takes her a moment to adjust them in her arms but once she is certain that she has a good hold on them, she heads towards the door.

Britta's question causes her to pause, just for a moment at the threshold before walking through it and waiting for them on the other side. "We did not have music, not in any sort of recording. As a child, minstrels and musicians would play for us at court. I do suppose what sprites my mother did call forth played such a grand songs, but nothing that is like what is here."

Kate's eyebrows lifted at that, balancing the albums in her arms as they headed out. All this time she'd sort of suspected that Miranda was from a completely different world, but hearing her talk about sprites sort of confirmed it. Given all the weird stuff on the island, she didn't disbelieve it either.

"Sprites?" she asked, not sure what else to say. A part of her wanted to know more; the part that loved dressing up and pretending to be Princess Valhalla. The other part of her wanted to seem like more of an adult.

For her part, Britta very much wanted to be open-minded and accepting of wherever and whatever Miranda came from, especially since the way she spoke had made it clear already it was something else altogether, but she'd mostly figured that meant sometime a long, long time ago. The description, aside from the bit about court, mostly just made her suspect Miranda's mom was some kind of weird hippie, if they had hippies hundreds of years ago. "What was your mom?" she asked. "I mean, you know, that... uh... Sprites?"

"Aye, you know, creatures of the air, remnants of gods and magic half-past?" Miranda says, the confidence in her voice slowly draining away as she continued her thought. Chewing on her lower lip she looked at them both, feeling a bit ashamed for having brought it up at all. Though they had asked and she had simply answered. There was truly no retreating from it now.

"My mother was the former duchess of Milan and a gifted sorceress. They are simply things that she did call forth."

"Huh," Kate said, considering that. As mom things went, it was pretty cool instead of causing a ton of drama, like her mom thing did. The idea of anyone being able to call forth something really appealed to the part of her that loved to pretend. "My mom just has five different people living in her body."

And she didn't call anyone forth. They just came whenever it seemed like they'd be able to do the most damage.

It took all kinds, Britta supposed. The island brought everyone here, so as much as she still felt weird about the whole magic thing, she believed Miranda, too. It all sounded a hell of a lot more exciting than being here or being from Colorado either, and she really didn't want to go into specifics about her parents. "Sounds exciting," she offered up instead, glancing toward Miranda. "A sorceress and all. We don't even have those in our time, right, Kate?"

"Does she really?" Miranda asks, not thinking for a moment that it might not be the sort of thing to question. Five whole people in one body. That is stranger in a way that is utterly different from her own mother, but not in a way that Miranda sees anything wrong with.

"I can imagine that would get quite crowded." With a shrug, she smiles at Britta. "It is, but tis all I really know."

"Yep. I mean, nope, no sorceresses or anything in our time," Kate agreed with a shrug. "And, yeah, I guess it was crowded. I mean, the only ever came out one at a time, so I guess it was really only crowded for my mom." Although sometimes it had felt like there was way too many people living in that house, even with just the four of them.

Especially when Alice had come out. She could be such a complete bitch.

"Crowded enough anyway," Britta said, because whether it was just Kate's mom or not, it had to suck for everyone. With the Compound in sight, it occurred to her she had no idea how they'd get the door open, but they'd manage it when they were all the way up there.

"There aren't that many of them in mine either." Miranda feels the need to add, though the subject has passed. Her curiosity has turned in fulll to Kate's mother, who strikes her as being equally if not more fascinating than her own. "I suppose so. It could not have been easy for you," she adds with a thoughtful nod. It would be hard to keep track of who was whom and what they were up to. No way to tell. She would not care for it if she was her.

Kate considered that as they approached the Compound. When she'd first come to the island, she'd been super pissed at her mom and the newest alter and all the stupid shit her parents had put her through. But now, after so many months away, she missed them. She even missed Alice a little bit.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "She'd been that way my whole life. It was like having a way bigger family. I kinda miss her alters, too."

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[Britta and Miranda]

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