fandomhigh | Music Appreciation, Tuesday, Period 2

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Music Appreciation, Tuesday, Period 2

Students filing into the music room today would be greeted to the sight of two very different looking teachers, one clad in a superbly tailored and tasteful blue plaid three-piece and the other wearing more leather than was probably strictly necessary, even for a man who was on fire under all of those wrappings.

They would also be met with what was presumably pizza, though Jonothon seemed to be giving it a side-eye as he started to speak.

//Right. Er. Hello students, and welcome to Music Appreciation, which is more or less what it says on the tin. Dr. Lecter and myself - I'm Jono, though I suppose I'll answer to Professor Starsmore if you insist - will be spending this summer term giving you all a crash-course in different genres of music from different eras. Mostly what this means is that we sit around for half the summer listening to and talking about different songs, composers, and bands, what might have influenced them, what about each piece grabs your interest or turns you off… that sort of thing.//

Clearly Jono had put a lot of thought into this spiel.

"As you might have guessed," Hannibal picked up, "the two of us have very different tastes in music." And a lot of other things. "My experience has for the most part been in traditional forms of music - orchestral, opera, and some gagaku, which is Japanese music for those of you who may not be familiar with it." Which would be most of them, Hannibal, thanks. "I'm not terribly familiar with most of the popular music of today."

//Which, of course, is where I come in,// Jono supplied. //I personally prefer modern alternative and grunge, but I'm familiar with practically anything that comes through my shop - I run the Groovy Tunes in town - so I'll be the one introducing you lot to everything from Pearl Jam to Patsy Cline. Modern folk, rock, rap...// He gave Hannibal a wry glance. //It's certainly not for everybody, but hopefully some of you will appreciate it all the same.//

"I also have some knowledge of modern experimental music," Hannibal added. He chuckled. "Which is also not for everybody, but perhaps we will try it." If anyone decided they really loved theremin.

"For today, I believe introductions are traditional. Let's go around the room, and if everybody would please tell us your name, why you're taking this class, and something about your favorite type of music. Also, if you play an instrument, I'm curious to know. Beginning myself, I am Doctor Hannibal Lecter, I am teaching this class because I have enjoyed sharing music with Mr. Starsmore, and I prefer western orchestral music. I play the harpsichord and piano and the theremin."

//And I'm Jono Starsmore, teaching this class because I want an excuse to make Dr. Lecter here listen to Nirvana,// Jono added, though there was a light, teasing note in his voice as he said so. //As I said before, I've got a preference toward alternative and grunge, but a soft spot for Pearl Jam especially. And I mostly just stick to guitar. Electric, usually.//

Hannibal was smirking a bit at Jono's proclamation, mostly because he hadn't yet actually heard Nirvana. Spoiler: he probably wouldn't like them much. He nodded to the first student. "Now you."

[Open!]

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Cecil waited with a bit of trepidation until after everybody, even Dr. Lecter, had left. (He got a bit of an eyebrow lift from the doctor, but it was sort of obvious he wanted to talk to just Jono, so.)

Then he took out the cassette he had in his bag and fiddled with it while he listened to Jono play. Because he excelled at stalling.

At least Jono was going to make this quick, once he realized that Cecil was still waiting in the room. A quick go at the beginning of Pearl Jam's Daughter, and then he was glancing up at Cecil curiously.

//Something I can help you with, mate?//

"I...um." Cecil was torn between smashing the stupid thing like he'd wanted to since he listened to it, throwing it at Jono and running, and leaving now and pretend he'd never heard it. He fiddled with the tape some more, winding the little wheels back and forth. "I brought the...thing."

//The recording you mentioned?// Jono looked at it for a moment, and then nodded a little. //Did you want us to give it a listen, then? See what I can make of it?//

He remembered how distressed Cecil had seemed to be in the park last night, and given the circumstances, he really couldn't blame him. If listening to the tape could help somehow, of course Jonothon would do it.

"If...I mean, maybe?" Cecil really didn't ever want to hear it agin, but if Jono could make any sense of it, then maybe it'd help?

Jono considered Cecil carefully for a moment before setting his guitar down, flicking off the amp, and making his way over to rest a hand on his shoulder.

//You don't need to listen to it again if you're not ready to, mate. Want to talk to me about it a little before deciding if you want me to?//

Cecil smiled up gratefully at Jono, taking a bit of support from that hand.

"I don't...it's mostly not bad, I guess. Except for the not remembering part. It was all just interesting and weird, until...maybe you could listen to the end on your own?" He really didn't want to hear that part again.

//I can do that, mate. I've got a tape deck floating around back home, if you don't mind taking it with me.//

He didn't figure this was the sort of thing Cecil wanted people overhearing in the halls.

//Is there any of it that you remember? A glimmer, at all?//

"I...um. Well, it talks a lot about my brother. Being stupid over breakfast, and saying I'd never make it in radio, and..." Cecil shrugged.

//And that last thing that you don't want to listen to again,// Jono supplied helpfully. //But are any of those actually things that you remember doing? At all?//

"I don't remember ever having a brother!" Cecil answered helplessly.

Jono's brow furrowed a little in concern.

//What are the odds that this tape is fake, I wonder?//

He'd have to listen to it several times, to see if he could notice anything that sounded like audio splicing in there anywhere. More than just turning a tape deck on and off...

But knowing Night Vale, he was already pretty certain that he wouldn't.

"It was in my closet with a bunch of my other things from high school. The first time, I mean," Cecil answered. "And it sounds just like me. And it describes the radio station right. I don't really remember much about my internship, but it seems accurate."

Yeah, it was a pretty low chance.

Dammit, Night Vale.

//Well...// Jono waved at one of the seats. //Take a seat, let me know when you're ready to give it another listen? I can't say much else about it unless I know what it is you've heard.//

Cecil nodded and sat down, holding the tape out for Jono.

Jono accepted the tape, looking for a moment between it and Cecil, and then reached for the nearby tape deck, slipping it in and pressing play.

Aware that this tape was a sensitive subject for Cecil, he managed not to look terribly amused at the young, perky voice that started to play. And once the ridiculous singing began and everything went to static, he found himself raising an eyebrow and looking back up at Cecil again.

//Well, that's odd.//

"It may not be the best fight song, but it's not that bad!" Cecil protested. "Definitely better than Desert Bluffs'."

//I had been talking about the radio interference, but now that you've mentioned the song itself...//

It was a pretty ridiculous song, Cecil. Just accept it.

"Well, what was yours?" Cecil asked stubbornly.

It was high school! It was supposed to be faintly ridiculous, to prepare you for the indignities of grown-up life!

//We... didn't actually have one.//

Go Gremlins?

//The school still doesn't, if I remember correctly. Or have you heard one here that nobody's let me know about?//

"Oh, you only went here?" Cecil shrugged. Yes, Cecil, most people only had one childhood. "I haven't heard one, no. But we should make one!"

//Here, and then a school that couldn't be bothered back in Massachusetts,// Jono replied with a shrug. //Are you stuck on the topic of the song because you don't want to keep listening, Cecil?//

He could sympathize.

He was getting a slightly blank look at that, because...no? It just wasn't like Cecil rambled any less when he was nervous.

"We can keep listening." The whole brother thing and whatnot wasn't even that worrying or creepy out of context. It was the end that made him panic.

//Right, good. Just tell me when you need us to stop, then.//

Not that Jono thought for an instant that Cecil would keep an urgent thought to himself if suddenly it crossed his mind, granted.

//So... seeing things.//

Cecil shrugged. "I don't see things like that now, and I'm on the radio all the time."

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