11147/Atomic Rave at Monkey Heaven

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Atomic Rave at Monkey Heaven
Date of Scene: 13 May 2022
Location: Monkey Heaven Records
Synopsis: Kim receives a phone call at Monkey Heaven and discovers that it's about a special delivery. Before she knows it, she finds herself hosting not one, but two supers at once. Bloody Tears are released, and the whole thing ends up in a Downward Spiral. All in all, a pretty nice afternoon.
Cast of Characters: Kim Hayes, Ray Palmer, Naria Shepard




Kim Hayes has posed:
    'Monkey Heaven Records' isn't the trendiest independent record shop in the neighbourhood. Far from it. The logo of a grinning monkey with wings, harp and a vinyl record for a halo is eyecatching enough - especially after being defaced by rebellious local artists finding the imagery insensitive given the recent history of New York City, even though the store and its logo have been around for decades at this point.

    As aforementioned, it's not a trendy store - in fact, some might classify it as 'struggling' if it were occupying more prime real estate than the out-of-the-way street it sits on. Instead, it relies primarily on repeat customers, mostly dedicated audiophiles who trade and purchase used music media. The store does have a reputation for stocking a very eclectic selection - just about anything you could ask for. It's not a great business to be in in the modern era, but Monkey Heaven is tenacious and a credit to its owner's ethos of diligence, customer service, and musical knowledge.

    Not that Kim Hayes should be mistaken for that owner. She's half the owner's age and never been a Francis Black impersonator. She's kicked back behind the counter, playing some game on her phone, while Smash Mouth's Astro Lounge album plays over the speakers, the mellow track 'Waste' just drawing to a close. When the next track starts, the words come over the system:

    o/~ Somebody once told me - o/~

    Before the next line can come through, Kim has already skipped to the next song on reflex with a sigh.

    <<Why do you always skip that one?>>

    "Well, like, remember that guy I told he'd like Crazy Frog? That was like, my second choice."

    *RIIING*

    <<Augh!>>

    Kim lets the phone ring.

    *RIIING*

    <<Make it stop!>>

    Kim rolls her eyes as the tenant in her head drives her to show some sense of responsibility, reaching for the phone and picking up the receiver to answer with all the warmth of an automated messaging service.

    "Monkey Heaven Records, thanks for giving us a spin. How can I help you?"

Ray Palmer has posed:
The phone behaves oddly. There's a ticking like a metronome (which it is) and then abruptly a tiny glowing orb shoots out of the receiver and bounces on the desk. After a moment the tiny mite glows and enlarges into a six inch tall man in a red and blue costume, a few orbs orbit him like an electron system (in comic books anyway), then fades. He blinks owlishly at Kim, from behind her sneaker.

"Uhm, hi. This is a long shot but... this isn't Ivy Town Connecticut, is it?"

Naria Shepard has posed:
It must be the day for glowing lights to fill the air, at least if the streak of neon tracing across the city was anything to go by. This one however didn't turn into a tiny person or a tall man standing in costume...instead the sight of Rave exiting her superspeed rush revealed the young woman with her bright blue neon locks and that miniskirt, she looked like she was headed for her namesake as she stepped through the doorway into the record store.

She was a musician herself after all, and inspiration was always work seeking. Of course, she came to blink a little and look between the pair at the sight of the Atom. "Huh..."

Kim Hayes has posed:
    A low-key guitar-driven ska tune plays over the shop's PA system as the listless clerk answers the phone.

    I see you floating by me
    I see a beautiful face
    It's pointed straight up towards the smog o/~

    Kim looks a bit bemused when the phone starts to tick.

    "Ugh, I hate auto-whatever-"

    She blinks and almost drops the phone - fortunately saved by her lack of reflexes - when the orb shoots out of the receiver and ends up bouncing off around to land at her foot.

    "Shit. Did I take too much...?"

    <<I see it too. It's real. ...Perfect size for eating.>>

    Kim blinks a couple of times and forces on a smile, failing her best to not look like an idiot.

    "No, dude, this is Monkey Heaven. We, uh, usually don't let customers behind the counter..."

    She lifts a foot carefully and balances unsteadily on it for fear of stepping on the tiny man.

    When the customer bell above the door rings to signal Rave's arrival, Kim looks up, still balancing on one foot with her arms drifting to either side, compensating back and forth for imbalance. "Oh, hi, welcome to Monkey Heaven. Can I help you with... uh... anything?"

    She peeks down past her shoe again to make sure that the possible hallucination is still there.

    "You see the tiny person too, right?"

Ray Palmer has posed:
Atom hops onto the desk again. "I'm the Atom. I am not a hallucination. You'd think people would be less cynical, we were just swarmed by those so-called angels. Sorry for startling you... you can put your foot down now. Thank you for your concern. Oh hello!" The last is directed toward Rave... who he feels he should recognize from somewhere. He turns back to Kim and asks, as long as I'm here... where's the Nine Inch Nails section?" He looks around, makes a note to stay on the counters and not run around the floor.

Naria Shepard has posed:
"Oh huh!" Rave blinks, leaning forwards and tilting her head to the side as she looks down at the Atom...and then promptly takes a step back, hand coming to hold her skirt in place for that lower perspective before looking back up to Kim. "Yeah...I think either that's one of the heroes I think I've seen before, or it's a teeny tiny villain who could double as a cereal mascot."

Gaze lifting, she'd honestly seen stranger and instead looks up to smile at Kim. "I...was actually hoping to find a classic soundtracks to an old videogame or two...I have an idea I want to sample for."

Kim Hayes has posed:
    "Oh, I'm just like... this kinda thing has happened to me before, but not like... for real, you know?"

    The languorous brunette seems to relax as she's freed to slouch back onto both feet again. She steps up to the counter and leans against it.

    "Yeah, it's just under N in the Rock section, close to Nirvana."

    She points a sleeve to indicate the sizeable 'rock' catalogue, before turning to Rave.

    "Oh, yeah, we've got a few of those in the soundtrack section. There's a separate rack for Games, 'cause I convinced Franz that game soundtracks and movie soundtracks are totally different vibes. Oh, that reminds me -"

    Kim turns back to Atom. She's looking a little more animated now - in the way a zombie might look more animated when it's detected living flesh to feed on.

    "You looking for something specific, or you a Reznor fan in general? 'Cause I know we've got Gone Girl and Social Network in the soundtracks section..." She scratches her head through her hoodie sleeve as she turns to point, "...and Soul in the Disney/Pixar bin."

    She turns to Rave, looking curious: "What kinds of games are you into?"

Ray Palmer has posed:
Atom nod nods. "Definitely a Reznor fan. I want a recording of Hurt by him to compare to Cash's version. I won't call it a cover because Reznor insists Hurt is now Cash's song." He leaps into the air and glides over to 'N', much like a falling leaf. "I'm not big on country western but, you gotta appreciate Cash." He starts humming 'Ghost Riders in the Sky'. You probably couldn't get him out of a karaoke bar with a tractor.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Oooh! A music afficienado, Rave looked downright excited, but she wasn't one to interupt...okay, she was. But instead there was a little flash of light and a little fading trail of neon from where she'd been a moment ago and Rave was standing by the records, thumbing through them and giving a little thoughtful 'hmm' before she zips back to Kim and the Atom's position.

"I was actually looking for something specific," she admits, grinning lightly. "Have you ever heard the song 'Bloody tears' from the Castlevania soundtrack? I kinda want to use something like that for a halloween piece...:

Kim Hayes has posed:
    "Yeah, I mean, Cash did a pretty sweet cover. I'm not gonna lie, I did hear that one first. They're both good. We've got the two-thousand-eight vinyl of Downward Spiral if you want," Kim suggests to Atom. "It's a pretty good copy - some people had problems with noise on the reissue, but I've never had any problems with that one."

    She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly in regards to country music: "Hey, I don't judge, man. Even I like some country. I mean, like, Garth Brooks, Cash..."

    She counts out on her fingers as she begins listing, but seems to get stuck after the second.

    "...anyway..."

    Kim's eyelashes flutter as she realizes that Rave isn't where she was until she is again.

    "Oh, sweet. I love Castlevania, even though I suck at it. Is there like, a particular version you want? I'm guessing the one from one, two and three? I think we've got the two-thousand-seventeen vinyl of Simon's Quest in on reserve, but - it could totally be freed up."

Naria Shepard has posed:
"Sounds perfect!" Rave grins, watching the Atom's gliding trick and giving a little giggle lightly. "I think I once did a cover of a few lines of that one on a post before...but I...kinda sound a little different to Johnny Cash...which is probably a good thing."

Back to Kim and her hidden company, Rave's arms cross under her bust as she tilts her head to the side. "But yeah, Simon's quest sounds perfect. Castlevania 2's soundtrack with a little mixing and the like, the right costume...it'll make for the best halloween show."

Ray Palmer has posed:
Atom finds it a little difficult sorting through records at six inches height. Having full strength is actually a drawback, with tiny hands he might snap a record if he's careless. Suddenly there is a tiny cry of triumph. He carefully holds up a copy of Downward Spiral.

"Annnnnd I just remembered I have no money in this costume and I can't use my secret identity, it's secret. Dang. Could I maybe mail you cash?"

Kim Hayes has posed:
    Kim nods her head along with Rave as the other girl enthuses about 8-Bit.

    "Sure, just let me pop in the back. I know where it is."

    'The Back' isn't some daylight-burglar-friendly storage area - it's just a door behind the counter that apparently leads to something a little bigger than a janitor's closet where shelves store bags of CDs and records that have been placed on reserve by customers. She reaches up to a particularly full one labeled 'Kim,' flips through a few vinyl sleeves, and finds the right one - a cover in blue and yellow tones depicting an armoured man with a whip, surrounded by skeletons, with a grim reaper looming against a full moon behind a castle in the back.

    "Fifty dollars," she offers to Rave, holding it up for her to see before setting it on the counter. She turns to Atom, looking a bit shifty at the suggestion of mailing the money, her lips quirking into a half-frown as her posture tilts.

    "I dunno, we usually do reserve stuff if someone doesn't have the cash. If I let it go without cash up front, Franz will take it out of my wages..."

    <<Why don't you offer to let him keep it, then eat him if he doesn't pay?>>

    Kim lets out a hidden sigh before offering a smile.

    "...but, hey, I'll put up for it. I'm sure you're doing a public service and whatever. Call it an I-O-U."

    <<Don't forget to mention the eating.>>

    Kim's smile becomes slightly tighter.

Ray Palmer has posed:
Atom shrinks the record then hops over by the phone. "I'll be right back," he says hopping on buttons. "Mmm no metronome but the music playing should work. Don't hang up and I'll be right back!" He leaps into the speaker and vanishes.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Pockets weren't exactly massive in Rave's current outfit, but the bluenette makes to fish her debit card out of her skirt's inner pocket. Who really carried cash anymore? Poor Atom's plight had her giggling a little and shrugging her shoulders. "I guess there are some benefits to being 'out' with the whole hero thing, huh?"

Rave makes her payment, holding the record carefully to her chest and grinning at the woman who'd made the sale. "I'm Rave by the way...and I thought that was antman...but maybe not?"

Kim Hayes has posed:
    Well, the man is gone, and the record along with it. Kim looks a little uncomfortably down at the receiver.

    "Did I just get rob - look, can we not tell anybody about that, in case he doesn't come back?" the brunette requests of Rave as she turns back to process the transaction via standard debit machine.

    "He's The Atom, apparently. Or The Adam, but that sounds more like a social media guru," she says, leaning back over the counter on her elbows. "I don't usually do that kind of thing just 'cause someone has a costume, but - I mean, I woulda felt bad. That kinda thing must be hella awks. Oh, yeah -"

    Something seems to click suddenly in the clerk's addled brain. "I think I've heard of you. Couple of your fans come in here - you should come in and do some signings sometime."

    Which would mean extra work for Kim.

    "I mean, but only if you're not too busy. Or we could put up flyers - said you got a show on Halloween?"

    She starts counting something quietly on her fingers.

Naria Shepard has posed:
"I mean, I can keep an eye out for him...?" Rave offers before shrugging her bared shoulders and grinning a little. "I mean, if he's meant to be a superhero, then shoplifting vinyl is kinda...yeah.." she teases lightly before nodding her head at Kim's recognition and then tilting her head. "I mean, I usually do most of my promotion through social media...but that could be fun. And a signing? I don't think I've actually done anything like that aside from after a gig so..."

A moment of consideration, she's brought to blink out of it at the finger-counting.