Uli Donovan (_silence) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-11-18 02:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-22 |
There's a green one and a pink one
Who: Uli and Graham
Where: Their parents' home
When: 11AM
Uli had been on an emotional roller coaster as of late, and she knew it had to do with her brother. Maybe he was getting into some kind of trouble, but she felt like she couldn't control her empathy much, which she knew was the obvious reason. She was getting constant flickers of feelings from all over, but Graham never turned off. She couldn't tell when her brother happened to fall asleep, but she always knew when he was trying. The pinprick of annoyance had been clear in her mind for the past couple of days since she'd first welcomed him back into her life. Graham never could sleep with light bothering him. Maybe she would see a doctor. First, she would have to find out if there were doctors for people like her. Could somebody else examine your psychic abilities and know if there was something wrong if you weren't uncontrollably whipping objects at people with your mind?
Or maybe, just maybe, Uli needed to vary her routine. Seeing Graham had been the first thing out of place in her life in a couple of years. She knew that it was pathetic, that she needed to get out and do things, so she was doing just that. The short black hair was tied up in as much a ponytail as she could manage, and she was wearing a long blue apron over one of her favorite, billowy violet dresses. It wasn't the bookstore like she'd done the other day, or the diner. Today it was the front lawn and some chrysanthemums. Uli had spent most of the morning uprooting a patch of dead grass in front of the house only to find that it was untillable. Then it was back to the store for soil and a hose attachment of Miracle Gro. She was muddy, her shins and bare feet covered in dirt, but she was happy.
The chrysanthemum was attributed to positivity and cheerfulness in America, and she was definitely happy to be lining them up in rows while they were in full bloom. She would miss them come the fall, but that was still a good couple of months away. Standing, Uli smoothed out her dress through the apron, lest she get it even more dirty, and lay back on the grass to look at her handiwork. Imagining the look on her parents' faces when they realized that this meant that she was somewhere other than work or at home, sitting there silently, made her laugh out loud. Even better, imagining Graham's "what-the-fuck" face with a lit cigarette in his hand. Hrm, if only she had some way to contact him, she'd show him her new garden and make him plant a flower.
And in all honesty, Graham actually planned on visiting Uli that morning, lit cigarette in hand and all. Well, his face was relatively normal, but then again he was focusing on driving and focusing on the road. The visit to their parents' place was completely unplanned. He never called his kid sister ahead of time and decided to simply show up unannounced. Their parents weren't home - shit, when were they ever home? - and it made for a good reason to stop on by.
As much as Graham wanted to see his little sister again, he was heading on out there for one purpose in mind, and that was his small collection of guitar amplifiers and effects units. Back in high school the music department had wanted to trash them in order to bring in the new equipment, but Graham offered to take them off their hands instead of throwing them into the garbage. He still remembered the teachers giving him an odd look when he asked for some equipment that was circa the 60s or 70s, but Graham absolutely adored them. It wasn't a clean, crisp sound at all, and that was why he loved them. The harsh, unclean sound they produced was exactly what Graham wanted whenever he was playing the guitar. Sadly he wasn't able to take them to college. Or jail. Or on the road with him for the past four years. He prayed that they were still in his old room and that Uli kept them strictly for sentimental purposes.
Approaching the small lot that he used to call home, he spotted Uli out in the front. Laughing. And she wonders why mom thought she was going to pull a Carrie on prom. Jesus fucking christ. Graham parked the Chevelle, killed the engine, and hopped on out. While taking a slow drag from his clove, Graham walked towards Uli, finally showing his "what the fuck are you doing?" face. About time anyways. Once he pulled the cigarette away and exhaled the smoke, he cocked his head to the side and called out to his sister.
"So when the fuck did you start gardening?" Apparently now.
Uli sat straight up, a little bit scared. She wasn't expecting this. At least not anytime soon, but there Graham was, with his classic face on as he asked her the question. She got to her feet, feeling even shorter without shoes on her feet. But wow, it all felt so nice to experience. Uli waved her hand down to the flowers and gave a curtsie, something entirely like her. She wasn't this extroverted at any time, and she would definitely have to calm herself before Graham thought she was smoking what he was. That cigarette didn't smell all that bad anyway.
"About the same time that you rose from bed this morning. I think the expression is something akin to not being too old to try something new. Contradictory to the caveat about the old dogs." She stared at him, same blank facial expression as always. So the first day he had arrived was news to her, and she figured it was to let her know that he was back in town. Today could be anything. She didn't have any off-the-wall things to say in regards to his arrival. "Plant one with me."
"Wait, excuse me?" Graham fluttered his eyes, still trying to wrap his head around the whole concept she was gardening. Since he was out of bed that morning? Graham couldn't even remember when he woke up that morning. Either way, it was a shitty night's sleep as always, and it was apparent from the dark circles under his eyes. He was still a bit tired as well, and not entirely in the mood to plant something, but it was for his kid sister, so why the hell not? Then again, it had been raining off and on the whole day. And Graham thought it was a brilliant idea to wear an all white attire.
"I know you like doing shit at your own pace and all, Uli, but don't you think now is not the time to be experimenting with gardening? I mean, fuck, it's going to pour on us any second." She probably didn't mind if it was down pouring, but Graham did, and it wasn't simply the fact that he was wearing white, either. The fire elemental in him absolutely loathed the water and preferred to keep dry at all times. Damn weather.
"You're right. Besides, the king doesn't wait for a pleasant day to attack, he rides upon his enemies when it is favorable for him." She watched her older brother almost squirm with the thought of getting wet. It was pleasant to say the least. Uli turned, stepping around the gardening supplies and walked up to the front door. One hand opened it and the other ushered him inside. There were certain things to know about Graham if you were his sister, and those were A) Don't get him wet, and B) Don't get him wet because he'll get mad and throw a couple more fucks than needed in his sentences. The way that her bangs moved across her forward were telling him to move his butt if he was serious.
"There is something in the house that you've come for. Bridal consultants often have to go through their entire stock before they please a customer. Which means that it's entirely my job to find it. If it's something you owned then we're in luck." His room was entirely the way that he'd left it, to a t. Things he'd left on the ground, or on the desk were still there. She didn't let anybody touch his room. It was a homage to him like most parents kept, except Uli style.
Graham was close on her heels when she headed towards the door. Last thing he needed was for several raindrops to fall on his head, thus causing him to freak out. Why he absolutely couldn't stand water was beyond him, but all he knew was that being inside the house as opposed to outside was far more preferable. "Are we now?" Graham arched an eyebrow about hearing they were in luck. Here he had figured that his parents tossed out anything he used to own once he left, but apparently Uli was determined to keep anything that belonged to him. It was touching knowing that his kid sister still cared about him..
"Well, first off-" Once the door was closed, Graham snuck up behind here and pulled her into an affectionate hug. It had been awhile since he had seen her, thus she required the embrace. After holding her for a bit, Graham leaned in to kiss the top of her head, then proceeded to ruffle her hair with a grin. "How are you doing? Aside from the gardening bullshit. Everything well on your end?" Of course Graham didn't know about her roller coaster of emotions, all thanks to him. He didn't realize that his unstable emotions at Heme or with Adelle or Amelia or Rigby or anybody would come back to haunt his sister. And if he did know, Graham probably would have felt miserable, thus making Uli miserable. Strange how that worked out.
At first, Uli returned the hug, letting her hands encircle his waist and squeezing. Then he gave her a kiss and she half smiled at him. Emotions came to her, yes, but showing them herself wasn't one of her strong suits. Wearing a blue apron over a purple dress with one dangly earring of rainbow tinsle, and the other a seashell, not that she was good at. She tried to duck out of the way his hand when he came in to ruffle her hair but was unsuccessful and a few strays fell from her ponytail. She shoved him away playfully, and gave him the best stern look she could imagine.
"Besides the flowers, there isn't a thing new. I will forever be a creature of habit. Like birds that fly south and return home on a later occasion." Uli stepped back and giggled at Graham. He was lucky to have hugged her from behind, and even luckier that she'd wiped her hands on the apron before touching him. That would've caused its own shitstorm. She lead the way back into his room, shuffling across timeworn carpet without a care in the world. The dirt would be welcome with the worn and faded flooring, and even if it wasn't, she was cleaning it so who gave a fuck. She flipped the light switch as she stepped inside the room.
Graham's eyes lit up upon seeing his old room after years. It had been untouched since he graduated high school. During his college years he stayed on campus even through break, primarily to stay the hell out of Scarlet Oak and crank out more classes. Even when he came back from prison, Graham barely had the chance to stay there, thanks to his parents. It looked like a stereotypical boy's room from the early 90s. The walls were covered in various posters for bands that probably weren't around anymore and there were still various textbooks ranging from all sorts of mathematical and scientific topics splayed out on the floors, bed, dresser, desk, everywhere. And everything was in the tri-colored palette of red, black, and white. Graham recalled his parents being livid when he painted the wooden furniture different colors to appease his sense. Oh well, it was his room.
"Holy fuck..." Stepping inside slowly, he eyed what he was looking for. In the corner was his set of amplifiers and effects units. It was quite the collection for someone who didn't have that much money, but seeing they were about to be tossed out by the school anyways, Graham couldn't help but swipe them. All of the equipment was stacked neatly in the space, consisting of a DigiTech Whammy WH-1, a MXR Micro-Amp, custom Electro-Harmonix Big Muff distortion/sustainer, a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb, and a 100-Watt Sears Silvertone 6x10 combo amplifiers. There was no way the Silvertones could fit into his car, but he could try. At least he had everything else that could be jammed into the Chevelle somehow.
Graham ran his hands over the equipment, picking up a light layer of dust on his fingertips. Had she been cleaning in here? The set would have been covered in cobwebs if she hadn't. Looking over his shoulder, Graham flashed her an immense grin. "I can't believe you kept these around! This is perfect!"
Uli stared at the equipment as Graham ran his hands over the various pieces lovingly. If anything, there was a sparse coating of dust around the room, but she didn't stay on of it as well as she would have liked to. She was just happy that he had found what he was looking for, and that it had only taken him mere seconds. Just from the look of all of it, it was a few decades old. For his sake, she hoped that it all still worked. Last thing he needed was to hook himself in and have them instantly fry.
"I wouldn't let them touch anything. Only a curator could assess the marvels at work in here. If you remember anything you left in here that you want, it's all in the same place." Well, some things couldn't stay, like his half empty trash can with the rotting banana peel in it. Other than perishable items like that, everything was there. The dark that Graham loved to sleep in made sure they everything was preserved in it's original color. From the physics textbook to the peeling corners of some of the posters, it was all intact. Their parents were lax when you got through their initial fight. "Do you need anything else?"
"No, just these." His eyes glanced around the room once more, wishing he could take all his books with him as well, if anything just for keepsakes, but he knew all too well that Uli would take good care of them. She had been so far and he couldn't thank her enough for it. "Is it ok if I swing by some time tomorrow to pick these up? I have a gig in Detroit tomorrow and I'd rather play with them then whatever fucking shit the lounge has to provide."
He straightened himself out and made his way on over to Uli, leaning against one of the poster covered walls. There might have been a few wires that weren't working here and there in the amps, but it was something Graham could easily tinker with. He was definitely smart enough to figure it out on his own, not to mention he loved putting his hands to work on something complicated like that.
"That's like asking if the sun rises and sets in the poles normally. I do my work here so it's guaranteed that I will be here. If not, I'm gardening." She let a slight smile take her lips, wondering what he would think about her continuous gardening. The chrysanthemums were beautiful, and not to mention lightly, they were purple. Uli wanted to see them in full bloom before the the fall and winter took them into hiding.
"The bard is playing for profit. It's about time." The shorter of the two, although just as pale, looked at her dirty feet. Toes wriggled about under the flowing fabric of the dress. Graham had been playing the guitar for a long time, and although he didn't sing, he was good at playing. Maybe there was something about this old equipment that would create a sound he couldn't get on newer things. Just like how an electric piano could never really be the same as an older, wooden one. Sometimes the way they were tuned lent a unique sound to the music. If anything, she knew that Graham's style wasn't mainstream. She was tempted to sneak to Detroit to see him perform, but she had her work to do, and flowers to tend.
"About time?" Graham had to stifle a laugh at that one. "The hell is that suppose to mean?" It had been a long time since he played around Uli, but he remembered her sitting around when they were younger and her being rather fascinated with his music. She was one of the few people with whom he had absolutely no qualms singing in front of either. As he walked closer to Uli, Graham broke out in song for her. "If you can hear a piano fall, you can hear me coming down the hall. And if I could just hear your pretty voice, then I don't think I need to see at all. Don't think I need to see at all."
Maybe that would make her smile a bit more. Sadly his guitars were out in the car, or else he would have played along with the lyrics. Either way, it got the point across that he was content with the fact Uli, compared to everyone else around, actually enjoyed Graham as a musician.
"You have a talent that I've always feared wouldn't exactly see the light of day." The song was beautiful, and had something that she thought could maybe be very well enhanced by the sounds of the equipment, if they were indeed working. Maybe old and faded, like a record being played on a tinny player. Or maybe like a it was all over playing memories. She wanted to here the whole thing now.
She smiled at him. Uli wanted him to be famous for something other than what he was known for. Especially in this town, where people remembered his name. Hell, every once in a while somebody looked at her weirdly at mention of the Donovan name. The town was small, and she would love to have Graham known for his musical talents instead of that horrible accident so many years ago. "I like the vocalization and rhythm."
Graham was completely under the impression that Uli was saying that only to cheer him up. So many countless times in which Graham recalled people shooting him odd looks or getting up and walking away whenever he broke out into song. He was definitely not American Idol material, but he fit far better off in something that was a mix of blues, punk, and country, but who the hell would make a band like that anyways? Shaking his head at Uli, he let out a massive sigh. "I swear, you and probably a few others are the only people who've said that, and I'm totally convinced that you're making that shit up."
He backed away from Uli, heading towards his bed to lie down on. Wow, even the sheets still had the faint smell of his natural scent. He lied there for a moment, resting until he looked back to his kid sister and continued singing for her, except he decided to start from the beginning. "Dead leaves and the dirty ground when I know you're not around. Shiny tops and soda pops when I hear your lips make a sound. When I hear your lips make a sound. Thirty notes in the mailbox will tell you that I'm coming home and I think I'm gonna stick around for a while so you're not alone. For a while so you're not alone."
They were like two children, well at least Uli felt like she was, just a bit. Standing there in a sloppy ponytail with mismatched clothes and dirt covering her limbs, while her brother sang his song. He never had to ask her to listen, she just did, and on top of that, she never faked interest. His song was his own, and even though it wasn't like anything else out there, it spoke volumes about their childhood and his own experience. It just came out in his voice. If other people liked his song, she felt like she could live vicariously through him. He was his own man.
Uli closed her eyes and leaned against the door frame. She was trying hard to imagine what the guitar would sound like with his lyrics. He loved to do his own thing so she doubted that she could get anywhere near close. Graham's little sister could imagine that he would make the guitar croon in its own way, something that she would have never heard without him. And then he would run it through this old equipment. She was thoroughly excited now, if her thin lipped smile didn't convey that, she didn't know what would.