Scrap is Love, Scrap is Life

23 - Just call me Reen - Affiliated with Mamono Island

[darcymacdowell-blog]

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“You mean to say you don’t own one?” Darcy exclaimed, drawing his hands back to his sides, he scanned her face for any signs of discomfort but found none. “Excuse my forwardness,” he cowered once more, lowering his gaze. “I mean, it’s not good to assume, we just met and you don’t look like you’re bothered by the rain at all so I wouldn’t doubt you if you didn’t own one but still, it’s quite surprising considering the amount of rain I’ve seen since I’ve gotten on the island…” 

Darcy curled his hands into fists, willing his mouth to stop running itself. His eyes lifted to the skies at the woman’s comment, eyeing the great span of gray that stretched itself across the entire sky. Darcy shook his head and convinced himself to try and apologize by offering a nice gesture. With his eyes squeezed tight he raised his head to the height of his companion. “Um, I don’t mean to be rude or anything like that, but is your jacket waterproofed?” He uncurled one of his hands to point at the garment, “It’s quite nice and I’m sure you would hate for it to get stained or for it to go stiff… We can probably find you an umbrella and probably somewhere you can take your coat so that it doesn’t get ruined in the main street. We are already wet anyway, might as well take a walk, ey?” He laughed dryly. 

[reenxylora-blog]

Reen laughed a little, shaking her head, “It’s fine, I’ve had people ask me more forward questions than that before on first meetings, though it’s best if we didn’t get in to those. Like I said though not having an umbrella doesn’t bother me very much.” She considered for a moment, “I waterproof my jacket pretty regularly since I don’t have an umbrella, though I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get one even if I don’t use, just in case I run into someone like you again.”

Wiping the stream of water from her eyes, Reen continued, “I suppose it would be nice to find someplace warm to sit out of the rain.” Looking back down at the red-head she wondered if his slight shaking was due to the cold from the rain. Better to get him somewhere inside before he got a cold, scratch that, a bad cold. He was bound to have caught one already at this point.

Looking back in the direction of the main town Reen asked, “Do you know of any place that has good umbrellas? I don’t know the town very well yet, so I’ll let you lead the way”

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Air Guitar ((Open))

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

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“Did she really not know about the hassle that is the mail system on this island before moving here. Pfft,” She thought covering her smirk with her hand as she listened to the other woman complain about the inconvience. It wasn’t quite as bad as she was making though if she was honest… 

Dagmar had started tuning out of the conversation when Reen brought up brands again as all the little names meant close to nothing but was immediately drawn back in when the words band mate were brought up. While Screaming Possum hadn’t always been a one person act desperate times had called for desperate measures. “Are you offering to join? I thought you said you didn’t play guitar. Though I guess that doesn’t rule out you being able to sing. I haven’t had anyone ask to join since Elek…huh.” For once Dagmar was at a complete loss of words. 

[reenxylora-blog]

Reen looked away with a halfhearted smile that probably more closely resembled a grimace.

“Well I mean, I’m probably not the best person to help you out. I’ve never really been too good on a stage, and you would be surprised how many bands use unconventional instruments in their bands. I’ve bounced around with some pretty weird shit. Once, I ran with a metal band that used a xylophone.” Shrugging, she continued, “Unless you need something like that, which I doubt since you look like a traditionalist, or someone else for vocals, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be a very good help.”

Looking back over at Dagmar, she gave here a sheepish look. “To be honest I wasn’t really trying to offer help. I mean not that I would be opposed to helping if you need it or anything.” Reen panicked on the inside Oh man I probably sounded really rude, oh geez, oh man.

[darcymacdowell-blog]

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“Oh,” Darcy thought out loud. The only thing he had registered when he bumped into the woman was her muscular structure so he was caught off guard when he looked up and was met with not an angry face, but with a friendly giggle and a smile that made his nerves calm down a bit. The ginger pointlessly wiped his hands on his pants, which were now completely saturated with rain from standing still for a little too long in the rain. At least his sweat rubbed off on the thick jean material and made his palms less sticky. He smiled back at the stranger as best he could, embarrassment from the situation threading itself into his face in the form of a blush and the inward pull of his eyebrows. Offering a sweat and rain covered hand to the stranger across from him his lips trembled as he mumbled, “I’m really sorry– I mean Darcy, my name’s Darcy.“

His nervousness was starting to slip out again, at least the sweat in his armpits could probably be excused for rain. “Uh, yeah there’s barely anyone out without an umbrella when the days get like this…” Darcy explained, while raising his free hand to scratch at the back of his neck. His nervousness got the best of him as he began to ramble, “but I’m too stubborn to bring an umbrella with me, I always think the weather might clear up just this time, ya know? How come you don’t have one either?”

[reenxylora-blog]

Shaking Darcy’s hand she was a little startled when he asked why she didn’t have an umbrella. The weather had never really bothered her in particular, and if anything she rather enjoyed the rain on her scales when she could feel it. She had simply been worried about this poor man’s health and had not considered that he might in fact return the question.

“I, uh, don’t have an umbrella.” She said with a sheepish smile, scratching her collarbone lightly. “I just kinda never thought I’d need one. I’ve got some pretty thick skin I guess you could say.” She laughed a little inwardly at her own joke, “The rain has never really bothered me. I guess moving here could be considered a good move on my part huh?”

Looking up to see how dark the clouds were, she raised her left hand to shield her eyes from the downpour. “Well, with clouds this dark this should just be a short storm anyway. I’ve never seen weather this dark last for very long, but then again I haven’t lived on the island long enough to figure out the weather patterns here.” Reen said giving a small shrug. “I was hoping I’d be further into town by now though.”

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Air Guitar ((Open))

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

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Basking in the attention, she smiled as the other woman began to catch on to the topic. Despite the island having a decent population for a teeny island, there wasn’t many Mamonians who liked live music let alone actually cared about the brands and how they performed. Dagmar began rubbing her shoulder to try to hide how nervous she felt about showing off. It wasn’t like she ever actually took lessons, just what Nathaniel had shown her months ago and what she could scour off the internet. 

“It’s just a uh. Epiphone I think is the brand. My friend gave it to me so I never learned the model. I’m actually a drummer but when you have to be a one man band you can’t be choosy,” she explained slowly taking the guitar out and carefully turning it about. “And I guess it’s fine now that I finally got the new strings put on it. Can you believe it took them three months to ship out here?!”

[reenxylora-blog]

Reen winced as she heard how long the shipping time was just for some new guitar strings. She hated to think about how long it would take for custom parts to ship without having the authority to rush the shipment.

“Man, three months? That’s ridiculous! I hope it doesn’t always take that long for things to get here. It’s gotta suck for all the retail stores around here.” She shook her head a bit. “I’m hoping to set up a shop around here soon, so something like that could be a bit worrying for business. I have heard that Epiphone is a good brand though, that’s my acoustic is, and I think it’s a Hummingbird if memory serves me right. Say, why don’t you have any band mates? Doing all that work alone has to be frustrating sometimes.”

On second thought, Reen realized she probably did not want to ask that question, as she probably sounded like she was offering to help perform. She was most certainly not a performer, but she didn’t know if she would be able to no if she was asked. She did still want to learn how to play guitar, but knowing how easily she could break the strings made her hesitate, especially if it really took three months to ship them.

[pomozmioddychac]

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Air Guitar ((Open))

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

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While Dagmar was still feeling annoyed at the whole situation regarding her guitar and having to put up with some rando, seeing Reen squirm awkwardly trying to talk to her was almost worth it. It was bad habit, she could at least acknowledge that, but there’s was just something about seeing how little words and gestures it could take to set someone off. Like if I ask about her height she’ll probably get uncomfortable… Or maybe about… The train of thought was interrupted as soon as Reen brought up her mechanical skills.

“Finallllyyy someone asks. While there’s plenty of amateurs photographers on this island, I’m not one of them. My bag just has my guitar, which isn’t a great model or anything so I have an odd collection of effect pedals to make up for it. And of course there’s the little travel amp I managed to stuff in here. I would have brought my bass instead but it got sorta. Uh wrecked ha,” Dagmar said as they opened the bag up to reveal the the neck of the guitar.

[reenxylora-blog]

“Oh cool!” Reen said, trying to get a better look at the neck to see if she could make out the brand and model.

“I used to want to dabble in guitar, but I never got into it so now I just have an old acoustic gathering dust in my house.” Looking back up to Dagmar’s face she asked, “So what kind of guitar is it? Surely it can’t be that bad unless something is wrong with the port for the amp? I mean I’m assuming it’s electric since you mentioned the effect pedals and whatnot.”

She took note of the fact that Dagmar had seemed to relax a tad when she had brought up what she had in the bag, and decided that it must be because she was very passionate about music. Reen could understand, as she often found herself in a similar situation whenever someone brought up any projects that she was working on. Robotics in particular could really kick her into high gear. I guess it’s a good thing they don’t have any reason to bring up anything like that. I wouldn’t want to destroy this person’s impression of me by going on a rant about the benefits of a lightweight carbon fiber frame..... She mused.

[reenxylora-blog]

Shout at my muse to see how they respond:

"I shouldn’t be in love with you!"

"It’s not fair!"

"I could kill you right now!"

"Knock it off!"

"Screw you!"

"You’re a complete moron!"

"I love this song!"

"Bring that here!"

"I hate you!"

"I’m pissed off!"

"Make me!"

"I wish you’d never been born!"

"I bought ice cream!"

"Kiss my ass!"

"Shut up!"

"I can’t do it anymore!"

"Take me home!"

"Just kiss me already!

"I can't be in love with you!"

"I can't believe this!"

"Piss off!"

"I wish things were that simple!"

"I love you!"

"Jump off a bridge!"

"You’re so hot!"

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Air Guitar ((Open))

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Dagmar was temporarily startled when the stranger spoke to her. Sure she saw them pass by a minute earlier with their bike through the corner of her eye but she had realized they had doubled back to this particular spot. God I hope no one ever complains about me being unusually tall again because this chick is just ridiculous, Dagmar thought looking up the person in front of them. And of course they want to sit right next to me. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and tugged it closer to give the stranger room. 

“Hi yes sure feel free to make yourself at home right here on the best bench in Mamono Park,” Dagmar said with no small amount of snark. “I’m Dagmar and you must be new. At least I hope so. Though you’re hardly the weirdest thing on this island. Oh and don’t touch my bag, I can’t afford to fix any more damage to the gear right now.” She added as the tall woman sat down on the bench. 

[reenxylora-blog]

She knew it. Reen had known this person was in a foul mood, and yet she just had to go and disturb their not so peaceful people watching. Well, more like people glaring.

She scratched the back of her neck nervously, not really wanting to make the situation worse. Looking straight ahead she thought that maybe she should introduce herself since the other women had done so.

“My name’s Reen, and don’t worry, if I happen to damage any gear that you have, I’ll be happy to fix it for free.” She gave a bit of a smile, trying to relax back into the seat a bit more so that she could get a good position in the sun. “I can fix just about anything if you ever need it. What kind of gear is it anyway? Can’t imagine there are too many things that you’d want to bring to a park besides camera equipment, but that bag looks like it has more than that in it.”

Reen had chosen to ignore the smart-mouthed comment about this bench being the best, for now at least. If it came down too it, she wouldn’t be afraid to be snarky right back.

[silvaris]

Brotherswater Path by Mark Littlejohn

[superbnature]

Haifoss Iceland by etienneruff

[dagmariusdrummeren-blog]

Air Guitar ((Open))

Toting all of her whole guitar set up had seemed reasonable when she first thought up the idea. It collapsed down to what could fill her hiking bag with ease, so obviously it was a sign to bring it out to the park and plug it in at one of the pavilion. Dagmar couldn’t think of why else you’d need outlets in the middle of a park so yet again another sign that she should do it. Not to mention she had just finished another song for her album. Today seemed to be full of encouraging signs to take a leap forward into unknown.

That is until she realized that she remembered the wrong park. Now she was toting around a bag of practically useless junk because without something to plug the amp into, there would be no proper sound. Of course this would happen on her one day off in two weeks. Carefully, but dramatically dropping the heavy bag on the park bench, she soon joined it as she scowled to anyone and anything passing by.

[reenxylora-blog]

As Reen stood up from her motorcycle, she carefully removed her helmet, making sure none of her piercings got caught on the inside. That always seemed to happen no matter how careful she was, and it annoyed her beyond belief. Setting her helmet down, she removed her gloves and double-checked to make sure her bike was locked, experimentally attempting to pull the handlebars before she was satisfied that it was not going anywhere.

Today had seemed like a nice day fr a ride, so she had hopped onto her bike to see what she could find around town, stopping by at a small park that looked like the perfect spot to catch some small bits of sun. Sure she had some heat lamps that she could sprawl under at home, but nothing could beat the real deal. Looking around the park for a good place to sit, Reen noticed a rather disgruntled looking woman sitting on one of the park benches, and made a mental note to try to stay away from her today. Although after she couldn’t find any other place to sit she begrudgingly walked up to the shorter woman, trying her hardest not to look like she was being forced to eat a raw onion.

Upon reaching the stranger, Reen cleared her throat and asked, “Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?” Gesturing to the open spot on one side of the bench.

[reenxylora-blog]

Reen had been a little agitated lately. Moving to a foreign area and having no close neighbors can do that to you.

“At least the weather is fairly warm around here, maybe I should take a walk to take my mind off of things..” She said to no one in particular.

As Reen slipped on her brown leather jacket on top of her blue t-shirt she wondered whether she should go for a bike ride instead. The wind whipping past her while she rode at speeds of over 100 mph had always soothed her. Peering outside she saw the rain and decided against it, figuring that the wet roads wouldn’t provide enough traction for her to ride safely.

Stepping outside, she locked her door behind and started to walk down the sidewalk at a slow place, It didn’t matter where she ended up so long as she got out of her house for a bit, and maybe she could meet some new people while she was out…

[darcymacdowell-blog]

With a sigh, Darcy lowered his phone. Despite observing the island’s weather for the short while he had lived there, Darcy was too stubborn to take his umbrella with him as he went on his morning walk to the cafe to get his daily warm beverage, telling himself that maybe today the weather was going to be better and that the light drizzle wouldn’t get any worse. The weather wasn’t looking like it was going to get any better any time soon and he was stuck under a sheltering awning he had found himself under when the rain decided to pick up, less than halfway to his destination. The ginger had forgotten to charge his phone the night before but with the measly amount of charge he had left he looked the weather reports and with a defeated grunt the decision to walk back home as quickly as possible was made.

With clouds obscuring any clear sky that the eye could see, Darcy set his pace at an almost jog, keeping his head down so to keep his beard out of the weather. Puddles splashed underneath his feet as he sped past the stores and turned the street corner towards his apartment without glancing up to check for traffic on the sidewalk. The stranger he regrettably bumped into was a built woman who about half a foot short than him, which in no way made her less intimidating.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!” Darcy apologized in his thick accent. 

[reenxylora-blog]

Looking down, Reen was startled to find that she had bumped into someone, who was now... apologizing to her? She would never get used to receiving apologies, she thought, shaking her head. She made a mental note to ask him what he was doing outside in weather like this later, ignoring the voice in the back of her mind calling her a hypocrite.

“Oh, uh, no the fault is all mine, I should have been paying more attention. I just didn’t think anyone else would be silly enough to walk around in this storm.” She said with a soft laugh, trying to avoid scaring the poor boy off, as he already looked like he was on the verge of panic.

 Looking him up and down as she straightened her jacket Reen figured that if they were to both stumble into each other out in this rain she might as well introduce herself. If anything it would help her make sure that he was alright, knowing that she isn’t the softest person to ram your head into.

“My name is Reen.” She said while extending her arm to the man, with a wide grin.

“And you would be?”

[reenxylora-blog]

Reen had been a little agitated lately. Moving to a foreign area and having no close neighbors can do that to you.

“At least the weather is fairly warm around here, maybe I should take a walk to take my mind off of things..” She said to no one in particular.

As Reen slipped on her brown leather jacket on top of her blue t-shirt she wondered whether she should go for a bike ride instead. The wind whipping past her while she rode at speeds of over 100 mph had always soothed her. Peering outside she saw the rain and decided against it, figuring that the wet roads wouldn’t provide enough traction for her to ride safely.

Stepping outside, she locked her door behind and started to walk down the sidewalk at a slow place, It didn’t matter where she ended up so long as she got out of her house for a bit, and maybe she could meet some new people while she was out...

[itscrisp]

CBR250R