2025-03-22 - Music Madness

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: You ever just...

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: Really really really really want to play a show? Like more than for what we do for work?

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: Like specifically on the ferry?

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: Maybe I had too much soda this week...

[TXT to Ty] Lennox: Sometimes. I mean, sometimes I feel like just busting ou tan instrument and playing wherever.

[TXT to Ty] Lennox: But yeah, I think it'd be cool to just do a random show on the ferry. I've been thinking about that all morning for some reason.

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: You were literally thinking of the ferry too?!

[TXT to Lennox] Ty: What the heeeeeck okay meet you at the terminal?

[TXT to Ty] Lennox: Yeah. I dunno why but for whatever reason, the idea of just busting out some tunes on a boat has been rattling around inside my head and I can't shake it.

[TXT to Ty] Lennox: Alright! Meet you there!

It's late evening with the street lamps just turning on when Ty arrives at the ferry terminal on Crescent Island. He's in a comfortable hoodie and jeans and he's got his acoustic guitar strapped to his back. He's ready for whatever this compulsion is nudging him towards.

Lennox does not have an instrument with him since he's heading over from an early shift over at Spider Walk. He is dressed in his usual bartender fare, all black with a white shirt and a pair of suspenders. These are grey with little black bats on them. With the weather warming, he has only a light jacket thrown on over it.

He arrives on the ferry and waves to Ty from the boat, waiting for him to get on and join him. He's busked before, but never on a moving boat. For whatever reason, the idea has a definite appeal tonight.

Ty grins up at Lennox as the ferry arrives. He steps aside to let some of the crowd of employees to disembark, then he hops aboard. He's also busked, but never on a moving boat. This seems like a very specific and very random itch to scratch. Making his way over to Lennox, he pushes his guitar aside just enough to give him a little hug and a peck on the cheek.

"If this is a weird magic side effect thing, I don't wanna know." He wiggles his fingers a little.

Lennox grins as he waits for Ty to board the ferry, and when he leans in, winds an arm round his waist to pull him in close, returning that peck on the cheek with one of his own. "What?" he asks, curiously, looking Ty over. "What side-effect?"

Then he nods over toward an empty spot toward the back of the ferry up against where the helm is. There's plenty of room for them to set up with a little space around them before the benches for seating start.

"Just like an overall side-effect? Like because of all the stuff going on. I dunno, I'm just saying. You ever get an itch like this before?" Since Lennox has been here considerably longer. Either way, Ty's reaching for his guitar and tugging it forward. There's a jitteriness to his movements, like he's already struggling to keep himself in control.

He follows the nod, shuffling yonder to the empty spot with plenty of room to show off. "What do you want to sing? I'll back you up even though I feel like we're in dire need of a drummer."

Lennox shakes his head and says, "Not.. really. I guess not." He hadn't really thought about it all that much up until this very moment. "But I also didn't huff any of that stuff in the book store or anything." He'd heard about the plants growing rampant in there and the scents that seemed to make people high. Once they are settled where they're going to perform and people are settling into their seats at the ferry, he glances around. "You think anything weird's going to happen?"

What does he want to sing? He ponders for a moment and then says, "Let's do.. 21 Guns. Green Day?" with a questioning glance to see if Ty is in. Then he laughs, "Can you imagine dragging drums up here? I mean, I guess we could... if we knew a drummer who could get down here before we come back around." In about an hour.

"I didn't huff anything either. That I know of. Unless it was like fine particulates carried on the breeze..." Ty makes an innocent face like he didn't just drop some epidemiology shit. "I spend too much free time on YouTube," he explains as if that'll soften the strangeness. There's a little shrug paired with a shake of his head. "Naaaah it's just music. Music's safe." Confidently said even though he has NO idea.

The music choice gets him look down at his guitar. "Yeahyeah, I gotchu." He starts messing around with the chords, finding the right progression until he properly gets going on the ballad. "I'd have to be the electric set for sure," he says brightly over the music. "Or maybe just the snare, yeah? Too bad." As any time Ty starts playing, his whole body sways along with him.

Lennox chuckles and says, "Welp, if we've been spored, then I guess we should enjoy our final moments of freedom before the mushrooms take over our brains." But he's very clearly entertained. Leaning over, he bumps his shoulder lightly against Ty's with a sidelong grin.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of them finding a drummer on this short notice who can grab an electric set and join them doesn't seem like it's in the cards. So instead, they get to playing right there on the boat with what they've got -- a guitar and Lennox's voice. He sways a little along with Ty and begins to belt out the song. It's good that he can project because he doesn't have a mic with him.

"Do you know what's worth fighting for? When it's not worth dyin' for. Does it take your breath away and you feel yourself suffocating?" he sings, swaying along with Ty. "Does the pain weigh out the pride? And you look for a place to hide. Did someone break your heart inside. You're in ruins.."

People start to turn around to watch them, a little surprised at the impromptu show.

"Here's to our new shiitake overlords." Ty bubbles out into a fit of giggles as he sways a bit and comes right back to dump Lennox's shoulder lightly in return.

He stands right next to the taller man, side by side, fulfilling this impromptu itchiness that's either spore-brain or something else entirely. As he strums, he hums a back up melody to compliment Lennox's voice. As his own is naturally higher, he takes the upper harmonies while Lennox takes the lower. At the chorus, he belts out with him-- "One, twenty-one guuuuuuns. Lay down your aaaaaarms. Give up the fight."

He'd be more nervous if he didn't do this for a living.

If they weren't both performers already, it might be a little more awkward. But since both of them perform fairly regularly, at least it sounds good, even if it would sound better with drums, or a full band, or even a microphone to amplify his singing. But Lennox doesn't seem to care. He's having fun singing there with Ty playing next to him.

Grinning broadly, he belts out the chorus along with Ty. The audience, just other employees heading off to Spellbound for their shifts or to an evening's entertainment, get into it. Those who know the lyrics begin to sing along. Those who don't just sort of sway in their seats along with them.

"Your faith walks on broken glass. And the hangover doesn't pass. Nothing's ever built to last. You're in ruins.."

It's a strange little concert on the ferry, out on the darkness of the lake.

Sometimes the evening's entertainment is just two people performing right on the ferry. They probably should have put something out for tips. Whoops.

Ty bops side to side on the beat, then takes a little walkabout as he tends to do during jam sessions. He likes to be on the move in general since the Balcony doesn't give him much space to roam. He waves his hand about, goading the ferry-goers into singing or at least swaying if they're not already. He does a half loop then ambles back towards Lennox and takes his spot next to him.

"One, twenty-one guns. Throw up your aaaaaarms. Into the skyyyyy. You and I."

It didn't even occur to Lennox to put something out for tips. He was far too caught up in the idea of just getting out there and singing for the heck of it. He grins over at Ty as he goes on walkabout along the aisle of the ferry. He sort of stays in that same little clear spot that they'd started in, but he does drift back and forth from one side to the other as he sings.

As the song draws to a close, there's a smattering of applause here and there from those who were paying attention and listening. Then Lennox grins over at TY and asks, "Want to do another one? Anything you like..."

Ty holds up an arm during the applause, head dipping gratefully. He glances sidelong at Lennox and catches that grin of his. Anything you like... It's dangerous enough on its own. This is the kind of trolls we're talking about. But the compulsion isn't driving his musical prank impulse, instead asking for another ballad.

He strums rapidly at his guitar before slowing it right back down, giving his guitar a little lift in the process for the drama. "And I'd give up forever to touch you 'cause I know that you feel me somehow. You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be and I don't wanna go home right now..."

"And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life. And sooner or later it's over. I just don't wanna miss you tonight. And I don't want the world to see me, cuz I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am," Lennox picks up the lyrics where Ty leaves off, though when he sings, he's looking at Ty, not the audience on the ferry that is watching them. There's a little crooked smile on his lips as he sings. He's definitely singing to Ty more than he is with him at the moment.

Ty should be playing to the audience that's now so kindly belting along with the 90s banger but...he's altogether too wrapped up watching Lennox sing to him. The impromptu's shifted in favor of playing to Lennox now, strumming out the iconic chords and stepping closer until there's enough room for the guitar and that's about it. His grins stretches wide as he trails off on the singing for a bit to enjoy this serenading. Then of course he tips his head back to belt out the all encompassing line of, "When everything feels like the movies, yeah, you bleed just to know you're aliiiiiiiive."

Lennox leans in as well and continues to sing, joining Ty in the belting of that iconic line along with half of the ferry at this point. By the time that the song is winding toward a close, he's leaning in to wind an arm around Ty and pull him in close, guitar bedamned, and dips down to kiss him right there on the ferry in front of everyone watching. That has nothing to do with the compulsion at all, at least not one that isn't entirely just Lennox being Lennox and in love with Ty. There's plenty of applause, both for the song and for the kiss, by the time that he straightens up, laughing. Shouts of "Encore!" go up as they can begin to see the lights of Spellbound island coming up in the distance.

Ty's strumming cuts off the minute Lennox pulls him close, fully choosing to grab onto the front of the other man's jacket instead of continuing on with the song. He hums contentedly into the kiss as the crowd fades away for a split second. They're the only two on this boat for all he's concerned. He lets the moment unfold slowly, the kiss lingering until Lennox straightens up. Ty's left looking up at him, dazed and grinning like an idiot. It's only now that the applause filters back in and a smattering of red appears on his cheeks. "I can't believe we just did all that," he murmurs at Lennox. Sure. NOW he's shy.

Lennox is grinning too as the applause floods back in and the color touches Ty's cheeks. He does still enjoy making him blush. He probably will never stop enjoying making him blush. "I can," he says with a little laugh. "Shall we give them one more for the road?" Before they hop off at Spellbound in the next ten or fifteen minutes. He doesn't let go of Ty for now or give him room to even play the guitar, not until their finale song is decided, anyway.

The flush spreads a bit further when Lennox doesn't let go or give Ty room to get another song going. "Mmmmm okay," he giggles softly, nose scrunched up as he tries to ignore the constant hoots and hollers coming from the ferry-goers. "But you need to pick something ASAP or I'm going to explode."

Lennox laughs and then steps back from Ty to let him gain his composure as he begins to sing a little Blues Traveler, "It doesn't matter what I say, so long as I sing with inflection, that makes you feel what I convey, some inner truth or vast reflection, But I've said nothing so far, and I can keep it up as long as it takes, And it don't matter who you are. If I'm doing' my job, it's your resolve that breaks.." It seems that we're going to hang about in the nineties for now.

As with most Blues Traveler songs, there are a lot of lyrics and Ty knows about one-fourth of them. He does, however, squint a bit as he gets the chord progression close enough to the original song. What he lacks in remembering every single note he makes up for with enthusiasm, swaying side to side and shimmying up next to Lennox. "Sing it baby!" he whoops loudly in appreciation. Can't go wrong with the 90s, honestly. Nothing but bangers that whole decade.

Lennox, on the other hand, knows every word to the song, even the particularly fast bit which he manages to belt out without a hitch. It sounds a little odd, perhaps, coming from him since his voice is deeper and not given to the twang that the bluesy song is sung in, but he does a pretty decent job anyway. It's more that he's just having fun singing a fun song that gets people's toes tapping and swaying along, their spirits up as the ferry eventually pulls into the dock. And when it does, there's another round of applause for the pair of them.

"So," Lennox laughs after their performance is over. "Do you feel like doing that again on the way back? Or do you want to do anything on the island? Or should we just head back home." He chuckles. "Not going to ile, that was kind of fun. I'd do it again." He pauses. "Maybe not tonight. But sometime."

Ty is completely shocked for most of that. He's beyond delighted, tickled goddamn pink at Lennox winding and twisting around the lyrics even in his deeper register. It's good on its own without even having to be considered a carbon copy cover. The twang is literally not missed. Ty continues to strum out the melody until they finally dock, hitting the last couple notes with a flourish ala Bard style. Can't end without fancy fretwork.

He lets his guitar hang from the strap as he leans sideways into Lennox. "Oh we are SO doing that another time. Like. My fingers are still itchy." Holding them up, "See?" There's nothing really to see other than Ty grinning through them. "Nah let's head home and grab some burgers." His smile then twists a little wicked. "You're making me hungry."

Maybe not exactly for burgers.