(no subject)

[x-dazzler.livejournal.com]

In which Jono is temporarily distracted from his Angsting hobby...

Jono had set out with some half-formed idea of possibly doing something, but had ended up wandering the hallways as usual. He wondered if it was some subconscious thing when he found himself at the Music room door, hand half-raised to open it.

A faint noise to his left drew his attention, and he turned to see Alison with a guitar case in hand, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Afternoon, Jono," she nodded at him, patiently waiting for him to open the door as he'd started too.

He hesitated for a moment more, then opened the door and stepped aside to allow Alison in.

She smiled faintly in thanks and entered the room, then turned to look over her shoulder with a neutral expression. "Coming?"

Jono looked around, shrugged and stepped in after her, closing the door after him. "What now."

"You played well on Wednesday," she comments, walking over to the other side of the room, leaning her guitar case against the wall. "We haven't had the chance to speak since then though. What did you think of it?"

"It was," he starts and frowns, the last word coming out like he doesn't want to admit it, "fun."

"Playing should be," is the mild reply, as she looks at her hands, stretching them out and inspecting them. "That's part of what makes it easier to learn. When it's fun." She looks up again, tilting her head to the side slightly.

He leans against the wall by the door, looking down at his feet. "I thought I'd never want to play again."

She looks out the window, a briefly pained look flitting across her features - remembering a time where she thought she'd never be able to play again. "Sometimes," she murmurs, loud enough so he can hear, "we just need a little reminder. A nudge, so we can remember what it's meant to be like."

"Yeah," he admits slowly. "I suppose so." Then he glances up at her, brown eyes reflecting the light from his chest. "And you can still sing. Even if you are a... mutant."

A soft smile is etched on her lips as she turns to look at him, and she nods. "And play. And write. And share that with others." She takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, eyes darkening slightly. "Thank you helping to remind me," she says gravely. "I'd forgotten for a while there."

Jono raises an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I reminded anyone of anything good."

"Well, now you know," is the matter of fact response. She gets back to her feet and after a moment's consideration, picks up the guitar case and sets on the desk. Flipping it open she takes out the same guitar she played on Wednesday - a silver Fender. "Since I'm here to play," she chuckles, patting the guitar before starting to lift it out of the case, "would you like to hear anything in particular? Or maybe join in?" She tilts her head towards Ziggy, leaning in its stand nearby.

He raises his shoulders in a shrug again, not moving from his spot. "You could sing something," he ventures after a moment.

She nods, sitting down and setting up the guitar, hooking it up to the amp and fiddling with the settings briefly. "What would you like to hear, then?"

"Why?" she asks, wanting to hear that from him directly rather than guessing.

"David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust," and if he could, he would be smiling self-deprecatingly right now. "I can't sing it myself anymore." He picks up the guitar from the stand.

Setting the Fender solidly in her lap, she gives him a faint smile. "I can sing. And you can play." She waits, hoping he'll take her up on the invitation.

"Do you know the words," he turns to her with Ziggy in his hands.

"Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly," she hums, tapping her fingers on the flat side of the Fender rhythmically, before giving him a broad smile. "You betcha."