"a strange honor"

the-forgotten-stars‌:

Penny nodded, looking over the CD case with wonder. “Thank you, I’m… I can’t believe you found this,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been looking forever.

“But, um, okay,” she went on, glancing sheepishly back up at Lucy. “I’ll, um, be over here, if you happen to find anything else.” She made her way to the listening stations and settled in, eager to hear one of her favorite bands again for the first time in years.

Lucy was right, even at a listening glance this album had a grander sound—often some degree of orchestral backing along with the rock band elements. but even with that different flavor there was no denying that it was made by the same band Penny had seen.

meanwhile, Lucy flipped through another crate in the punk section, then switched to the crate of pre-owned albums, but came up empty-handed. she looked around the room, hands on her hips and deep in thought—and then she relaxed, and ducked back behind the counter and into a back office.

she emerged shortly after, and glanced towards Penny’s station—she didn’t want to interrupt, but it looked like she had good news.

the-forgotten-stars‌:

Penny followed uncertainly after, hands wringing around the strap of her bag. She was nearly ready to tell this woman to forget the whole thing; it was very possible that Mujeres de Plata didn’t have any music recorded at all, and even if they did what were the chances their album was here?

But when she produced an album from within the crate–a new name but definitely the same band she had seen live all those years ago–Penny’s eyes widened in shock. “You…oh my gosh,” she mumbled, staring in wonder at the album cover.

Lucy smiled and handed it to Penny. “You can cue this up at one of the listeners, if you’d like,” she said, gesturing to the row of stations with headphones. “They went more symphonic metal with this project, but it’s still definitely decidedly punk—symphonic punk, maybe?” she shook her head. “Anyway, you can give it a listen first, see if you like it. And I can take another look for one of their Mujeres records, if you’d like.”

Penny nodded, looking over the CD case with wonder. “Thank you, I’m… I can’t believe you found this,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been looking forever.

meanwhile, Lucy flipped through another crate in the punk section, then switched to the crate of pre-owned albums, but came up empty-handed. she looked around the room, hands on her hips and deep in thought—and then she relaxed, and ducked back behind the counter and into a back office.

the-forgotten-stars‌:

“Oh, gosh,” Penny mumbled, biting her lip again. “It was… I mean, it had to be…three, four years ago?” Could that really be right? Her year in Mexico felt like a lifetime ago…

“Huh.” she thought another moment, then hopped down from her stool and came out from behind the counter, making a beeline for the punk crates.

“I’ll have to double check for the Mujeres in the CDs,” she said as she flipped through records, “they haven’t released much, but they’ve performed a bunch. But they also shifted a bit about two years ago, and put out a record– ah!” she pulled one out—the cover featured the band members and read Palomas En Fuego. “They put this out a year and a half ago. Slightly different sound, angling a bit more epic, but it’s the same lineup and still the same energy.”

Penny followed uncertainly after, hands wringing around the strap of her bag. She was nearly ready to tell this woman to forget the whole thing; it was very possible that Mujeres de Plata didn’t have any music recorded at all, and even if they did what were the chances their album was here?

the-forgotten-stars‌:

“They were, um, like this underground punk sort of band?” Penny tried to explain. The fact that this woman might have actually heard of Mujeres de Plata was exciting, but Penny was trying not to get her hopes up. “But all women, which was…what I really liked about them.” 

she nodded. “When did you see them play, roughly?”

the-forgotten-stars‌:

Penny chewed her lip and stepped up to the counter, fishing for her phone in her shoulder bag. “I’m, um…I’m looking for this band, Mujeres de Plata?” she explained nervously. “I-I heard them play once when I was in Mexico and I can’t find them anywhere online, which is…um… I don’t know where else to look.”

“Mujeres de plata,” Lucy echoed thoughtfully. “The name sounds vaguely familiar. What sort of music was it?”

puckliminal‌:

“This does not solve the problem where I desperately want to turn her into a bird,” he muttered. 

“Immediately no, but it does read as more polite than turning her into a bird.”

she took a sip of tea, then considered her cup thoughtfully. “You’ve actually had a pretty good example for a while, Leo’s quite good at this sort of thing.”

puckliminal‌:

The only response to that which felt appropriate to Puck was a weary, drawn-out groan. He slumped forward, folding his arms on the tabletop and resting his chin on top of them. “That sound painfully dull.”

“You did ask,” she pointed out, taking up her tea.

puckliminal‌:

“And what if they don’t like talking about themselves? Or don’t like talking at all?” Puck asked. “She’s always so… nervous. I don’t know how to talk to people who are nervous. Not in a nice way, at least.”

“Recognizing that is good,” she assured him. “In those cases, I tend to ask more about things they’re interested in—I’m not always up to talking about myself, but I will talk about music ‘til an hour after the cows come home.”

puckliminal‌:

“I know she used to be fun, before we properly met,” he answered. “But then she went away for a while, and now she just hides in her room all the time.”

“Which leads to one of the big things mortal folks do instead of curses: learn about the other people, ask questions. People tend to like talking about themselves and things they like; and if they like the subject at hand, they’re more likely to be at least incrementally less boring.”

puckliminal‌:

“That’s exactly it.” His shoulders drooped. “How do mortals avoid cursing each other for being boring? What do you do instead?”

“First let me ask: other than the fact that she’s related to and lives with your wife, what do you know about your sister-in-law?”

puckliminal‌:

“She’s so boring.” Puck sat up, only to slouch down in his seat. “Every time she opens her mouth, every instinct in me clamors to turn her into a bird.”

“Weirdly specific as that instinct is, that’s not an option because that blows your cover and upsets your wife.”

puckliminal‌:

Everything about him seemed to wilt. “Yes.”

“Okay, great—do you know what you specifically need help with, or what’s proven trickiest?”

puckliminal‌:

Puck rolled his eyes. “She is my wife by the rules of the aos sidhe. Of course she knows.”

“Okay, good to know,” she said with a nod. “I’ve only known you were married at all for all of three hours, and you otherwise go to pretty great lengths to keep folks from knowing about that aspect, so I wasn’t sure how those two squared with each other.

“So you have to play nice with her sister. This is partly tricky because of this aspect which you can’t explain to this sister, but you still have to play nice to keep things good with Alastríona—do I understand that correctly?”

puckliminal‌:

He slouched forward, resting his chin on the tabletop and draping his arms loosely over his head. “Because she invited her sister to live with her, but doesn’t want her to know about us, and I can’t upset her or Alastríona will be upset with me. Again.”

“Like, doesn’t want her to know you’re married, or about–”

she paused. “Does Alastríona know about… your particular existential circumstances?”