Survival Of The Fittest

((Coleen Reagan, continued from some intermittent events))

She pulled anxiously at her skirt.

No matter how many times she tugged or adjusted, something just didn't seem to sit right. Logically, she knew everything was fine with her clothing. Her mind just had to manifest something wrong physically to explain why something just wasn't working emotionally.

I'm supposed to be here. I was invited.

So it was true; Cameron had invited Coleen to her house to meet up with her band. It was a strange request. At least, Coleen figured it to be somewhat strange at the time. After their bumping into each other at Cheryl's, Coleen invited Cameron and Enza to last Thursday's performance of Fiddler on the Roof. She had been expecting to foster an interest in theatre and, just maybe, wanted to show off to somebody other than her circle of friends in the theatre program. Instead, it led her here, standing awkwardly at another girl's doorstep, wondering if she really should knock on that door.

Her hand decided for her, knuckles rapping slightly, timidly.

Shoot shoot shoot, that wasn't loud enough. She'll never hear me. I'm going to be outside forever like an idiot.

She knocked harder.

Crap, it's only been like... two seconds! They're going to think I'm a weirdo! You're acting like a weirdo! Shoot shoot shoot! OoooooooOOOOoooooh...

Coleen squinted her eyes shut.

((Cameron Herrig continued from The Black River))

Cameron had been gently strumming on her guitar when there was a knock on the door of the house. The band were already in her basement for a regular jam/practice session, whatever people liked to call what they did when they got together...besides a mess. It was a good mess though, a mess of ideas, some workable, some not. But having a tornado of ideas was better than no ideas.

That was when she heard a knock on the door. She thought she had heard something. "Alright guys I'll be back in a sec, got a surprise for you all." Heading up and out of the basement Cameron was glad that for once her parents were both out. They tended to kill the atmosphere whenever they were around, just with the uncomfortable silences and general awkwardness. They had stopped arguing as much at least; Cameron guessed she was glad of that.

Padding down the hallway in her bare feet Cameron felt a tingle of excitement. She was going to introduce Coleen to the rest of the band. After going to the other girl's show Cameron had fallen in love with her singing. It had an amazing sound to it that Cameron thought was unique. She was certain the others were going to be as enamored with it as she was. All Coleen had to do was sing like she did on stage and they'd have a fix to the biggest problem in the band.

Cameron opened the door the door with a grin. "Welcome to where I keep my madness," She cocked her head to one side. "Don't look so nervous, we don't eat people." She waved Coleen inside. "Come on, we're in the basement." Cameron grinned again. "It's where the magic happens."

Grabbing Coleen by the hand, Cameron practically dragged her down to the basement.

"Oh!"

Coleen jumped just a little bit when the door opened. Cameron almost immediately called her out on being so nervous, which was to be expected. It seemed to be offset by her usual brand of vibrant... friendliness, maybe? Cameron wasn't what Coleen would describe as a sweet girl but she was nice enough. 'Chill', maybe. Seemed like a good word.

Coleen stepped through the doorway, took a second or two to look around, and was about to remark on Cameron's... unique description for her hand when a hand clamped down over her wrist and began excitedly walking away with its owner.

"O-Oh, okay!" Coleen said, having to go with the flow, taking stuttering steps after Cameron. She caught up near the basement door, using the railing so she wouldn't fall down like a putz and take Cam with her.

((Vanessa Stone continued from Pitches))

Vanessa was horizontal, sank into the couch with her feet resting on the table, her boots appetisingly placed right next to the chips. She was fiddling with her guitar, strumming a tune that didn't really go anywhere, as she waited for Cameron to return.

Cams was pretty excited about the new gal she wanted to introduce, whoever it was. Vanessa had been pretty spaced out when she'd brought it up, if she'd brought it up, but it was whatever. Cams had good taste, and although she thought PC had a pretty killer line-up already, she trusted her BFF enough to know a good opportunity when she saw it.

Well, as long as Cams idea wasn't like, a banjo player or something. There was being experimental, and then there was maintaining the band's image. Maybe it was a new keyboardist? No harm in having one of those around full time, she reckoned.

So it was that Vanessa didn't really have any presumptions about what to expect when Coleen was finally pulled down into the basement, not that Vanessa could remember her name. Yeah, it wasn't the first time she'd seen Coleen (she stuck out, obviously), but the two hadn't really had any reason to talk much in the past.

Oh well, that's what nicknames were for.

"Scarface? That's who you were talking about?"

(Brady Kim Floyd - Start)

He was quietly leaning over his mobile phone, smiling softly as he typed out a text message to a certain special somebody. He had spent most of his time being silent, reading the news and posting on his social media accounts.

He wasn't really anxious to meet Coleen, but he looked up from his position on his chair and glanced up as Vanessa pulled his attention to the new arrival.

He recognised her face, but he hadn't really talked to Coleen before. He craned his head slightly to get a better look at her as he waited for Cameron to introduce her. He glanced at Vanessa as she spoke up, frowning as he heard the nickname she used, he disapproved quietly.

"Maybe we should start with introductions." He put his mobile away, trying to smile politely as he stood up from his seat.

Cameron nodded at Vanessa's question, a big grin plastered across her face. "Yep. Coleen, this is Peyote Coyote." She threw her free arm out in an expansive gesture of the three people in front of them. "There's Vanessa, our lead guitarist and current vocalist. Brady our drummer slash token guy and BB who is the bassist." She pointed to each of her friends in turn as she told Coleen their names, and then turned her finger towards herself. "And I'm the rhythm guitarist known as Cameron."

Honestly the reaction to Coleen wasn't earth-shattering. It was lacklustre, but Cameron couldn't blame the others. They hadn't actually heard Coleen sing. So they had no idea what she was capable of. That was why Cameron had to sell Coleen to them. If she didn't they'd never agree to let Coleen join the band and then the band would never be able to breakthrough to the next level. Peyote Coyote was a good band and somewhat well-known on the local scene but they were never the band people turned up to see. It was more like a pleasant surprise for the crowd whenever they were booked.

Granted they had a small section of regular fans that were really into their stuff, which was the part Cameron found the coolest. The core group of fans that showed up to see them. Not one of the bands they were supporting but to actually see Peyote Coyote. Cameron tried to go near them whenever she ended up near the front of the crowd but some nights it was easier than others.

"Basically we chill out here, or in the desert, and come up with ideas, jam or just listen to music." Cameron let go of Coleen's hand so the other girl had the freedom to move again. "It's awesome." She said, her pride seeping into her voice.

Meeting new people was always something of an awkward experience, yet Cameron had a fashion of making it seem so casual, so lah-zay-dah. Coleen truly appreciated this quality in her and, to a point, already considered Cameron a friend. With her efforts, it wouldn't be too long before...

"Scarface? That's who you were talking about?"

Coleen chomped down on her lip and tucked her chin, letting her hair fall over the side of her face until she was absolutely sure EVERYTHING to do with the left hemisphere was good and gone. Cameron didn't say anything to the girl in response. For a moment Coleen wanted to protest this but... well, no, maybe it was best that it went unaddressed. The quicker that whole ordeal was swept under the rug, the quicker everybody could move on. It was possible that they could still all be friends, even the girl who just identified her by her disfiguration.

Cameron identified BB, probably the only person in the basement that Coleen had never seen for any decent period of time, as the band's bassist. She was surprised to learn that Brady was the drummer, looking his way once or twice and recognizing him as 'pretty cute', but never thinking about him beyond that. Vanessa was probably the one that Coleen knew best... and, of course, she was the one that had to go and say that. Surely she didn't do so out of cruelty; it was just how this band, this group, treated things... all without a care and such. With all that said, it was going to make things a little awkward how she was the girl Coleen was supposed to replace as the singer. Well, she still had lead guitar, right?

"I-It sounds awesome," Coleen nervously said with a smile. "... Wait. Hold on a second. The desert?"

Vanessa instantly picked up on Coleen's embarrassment over the nickname that had been used, though Coleen wasn't exactly making that difficult to do. A wave of awkwardness washed over her when she realised that, no, maybe not everyone wanted to be recognised by their messed up face.

She chose not to say anything, however, as Cameron went around doing introductions, though she offered a nod when she was pointed to. If Coleen had an issue with it, then she'd apologise immediately, but she wasn't about to make a scene if Coleen didn't. Just call it a social fuck-up this time, and move on. Maybe Coleen already had.

"Yeah, we go out in the desert and get inspired by all kinds of shit." She answered for Cameron, getting up off the sofa and stretching out a little. She'd been lying there for almost an hour now. "I drive us out there, we hang around and practice or talk about music or whatever; it's a pretty kickass way to spend the day."

She approached the two, giving Coleen a friendly smile in the hopes of disarming any lingering tension. If offense had been taken over the nickname, then it needed to be fixed before it got worse. She wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, after all.

"So, what do you play, Coleen?"

((BB Gunnerson continued from The First Mistake))

BB was sitting off to one side on the floor, busy tuning her bass, when the new girl came in. Everyone started talking louder which made it pretty hard to make out the notes since she had her amp dialed way down low. She didn't really like leaving this sort of thing half done, but when introductions went around she at least looked up and said, "Hey," and gave a nod. She was allowed to be cool and reserved if she felt like it—she was, after all, the bass player.

Coleen wasn't someone BB really knew well. Sure, BB had seen the girl around school. She was pretty hard not to remember, with how her face was jacked up, but the novelty wore after about the third time glimpsing her. She was here now and that was pretty cool. As long as she was going to make some music with them or sit off to the side and not be a nuisance while they were making music and save any goofing around or making out with band members or whatever until practice was done or at least on pause, her presence was fine. BB was pretty sure Coleen was supposed to contribute today or something but hadn't paid that much attention; when the information had been imparted to her she'd been busy trying to explain who Scott Walker was and why anyone should still give a fuck.

Vanessa made a bit of a faux pas with her nickname for Coleen, but it wasn't like BB had never said anything dumb to a new acquaintance. Vanessa had her heart in the right place, mostly, just not always her tongue. It didn't seem like Coleen was going to turn around and walk right back out, so all was still good. Vanessa even took a shot at redeeming herself by asking what Coleen played. That was a line of discussion BB could get behind.

"And what sort of stuff do you like to listen to?" she asked, looking up from her bass for a second before turning the peg to tighten her A string.

Cameron mimed smoking a joint as Vanessa explained what they did in the desert. "Gives you a killer tan too." She muttered, moving over to one side and leaning against the stairs. So far things were going well; no one had immediately decided Coleen couldn't be there which was always great.

Then Vanessa asked what instrument Coleen played, and BB asked what music she liked. They were the standard questions people got asked. General music stuff. It was a good way of gauging people though, especially asking what they liked to listen to. It helped give you an idea of their personality. Obviously it didn't tell you everything about their personality but you could make some assumptions. Now that Cameron thought about it she didn't know what style of music Coleen actually liked either. It seemed like a pretty big thing to forget to ask...especially since she was asking Coleen to join her band. That was alright though, she could find out a long with the others. It would be a fun surprise.

"And what's your favorite dinosaur?" Cameron looked at the others and shrugged. "Just while we're asking questions."

"Inspi- ... o-oooooh..."

Here she was feeling like a prude, because Coleen wasn't exactly the kind to get herself mixed up in drugs. Maybe they wouldn't force her to do any? She sincerely hoped so, because Cameron certainly seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't force her to get mixed up in anything they didn't want to. The allure of spending time with a brand new group of friends and maybe even making something productive out of it was too much to bear, and she'd hate for anything to ruin that.

"Okay, um, l-lots of questions," Coleen said, punctuating her sentence with a half-staged giggle in order to show she wasn't really all that stressed out. Just, so many new people and meeting them all at once could be a bit of a strain. In a few minutes the novelty of her being the new girl would wear out, she prayed, and she could be right on that couch or in a comfy chair or... gosh, somewhere, relaxing and talking about music. "How about I answer those in reverse order?"

Coleen pointed a finger on each hand at Cameron. "Pterodactyl," she told her, then switched the direction to BB. Her fingers hung in pause. "I, uh... musical stuff. You know, like... some opera, stage numbers. Also like some soft rock, maybe a little pop... um... but I want to expand!" She added that last bit as her one uncovered eye desperately read BB's face. "I'll listen to anything you want to subject me to. Absolutely anything. O-Open mind and all that!"

Finally she turned back to Vanessa, trying to wear her friendliest smile. What was it that Vanessa did again?

Ooooooh shit, I really hope Cam talked about this...

"I'm, uh... I'm a singer," Coleen said meekly.

Kay, so Coleen was nervous. Fine, no big deal, meeting people wasn't always easy for everybody, and better that she be a little on edge than acting like she already owned the place. If Cams was trying to bring someone like that into the circle, there would be some serious eyebrow raising going on. Being a little eager to please was much better, by comparison.

Coleen's preferred style of music did little to wow Vanessa, though.  From what she was hearing Coleen was just into preppy artsy stuff, rather than anything that really stuck with you. Hopefully she wasn't a drama geek looking to look a little bit edgier by moving in on the Coyote's cred, because if she was then she was going find herself in way over her head as soon as they started getting really real.

Whatever, at least she said she was open to new stuff. Again, better to want to get along than say that she was deciding on the band's new direction.

She had to wonder, though: where had Cams found Coleen? Couldn't have bumped into her after a gig: Vanessa doubted that Coleen stuck around longer than five minutes at a house party, much less been to the other spots they played at. So what, had Cams been hanging around theatres when she wasn't looking?

Actually, she was probably better off if that was the case. School had done a great job of killing her interest in drama and plays and all that shit after the fortieth deconstruction of Shakespeare's work, so she wouldn't complain if she'd been spared sitting through two hours of "Wherefore art thou Romeo".

So, all that left was Coleen's weapon of choice on the stage, which was her voice, apparently, since she was a singer.


Wait, what?

"Sweet," BB said. "That's pretty legit. I've got some stuff you may like. Do you know Scott Walker?"

She was just being nice when complimenting the girl's taste, really, but she smiled like she meant it. Soft rock was about as close as you could get to the bottom of the barrel when it came to music that was even vaguely cool. Pop was vague enough to encompass early Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Skrillex, but it probably meant whatever fad all everyone was riding at the moment. In BB's experience the only people into theatre music were actors and people who listened to no music except theatre music. Opera held potential, though. And, hey, even though Coleen probably had absolutely no clue who Scott Walker was, he just so happened to land at the nexus of pop, soft rock, and theatrical music, with a helping of operatic vocals in his recent stuff. Funny how things worked out.

Of course what BB was really looking forward to was taking Coleen up on her offer to listen to absolutely anything. The rest of the band had learned not to offer that sort of blank check by now.

So far everything seemed to be going pretty well. It was nice that the newcomer was taking everything slow and easing into their group; nothing was more obnoxious than someone inserting themselves into an ongoing project without respect and messing up the delicate creative balance. Peyote Coyote wasn't big enough to have its own Yoko Ono yet.

Things were going really well. That fact alone was something of a surprise to Cameron. It wasn't a secret that to be in a band you needed to have a big personality; you were going out on stage to perform after all. Surprisingly though everyone was taking to Coleen well, even the fact that she was a singer hadn't caused any drama. Cameron suppressed a grin, everything was going perfectly.

"Giving BB free reign to suggest music? That's a mistake." She shook her head in mock disappointment. "One day people will learn that's an awful idea." Without moving from where she was Cameron pointed to a stack of CD's that were located near BB. "Over there we've got some albums by Kylesa, Witch Mountain, The Sword, Baroness and Mastodon. It's just something I threw together after hearing you sing." She shrugged. "You can take them home to listen to, get an idea of the style we play. Also our demo tape is in there somewhere." Cameron scratched her chin idly as she thought. "I think there are also some videos on Facebook and YouTube as well."

Cameron shrugged and laughed. "I dunno, I didn't organise this well."

"O-Oh my," Coleen stammered, though laughter was splashed in with her words. There was an awful lot to take in even in the small environment that was Cameron's basement. Her eyes settled on the stack of CDs that Cameron had pointed to before, trying to remember as many of the band names as had been rattled off. Witch Mountain, Mastodon... something... the rest became a jumble in her head, but she stepped over to the pile and began idly sifting through.

"Really though, um, I don't mind. I know I have a lot of catching up to do to get up to you guys. I haven't heard of Scott Walker either," Coleen added, picking up one of the CDs that she was to listen to as though it were her homework. It was marked 'The Sword'. "I know these are supposed to give me an idea about your style, but since you mention it... um, I could give the mix tape a listen. Do you want me to emulate the vocals too or...?"

She trailed off, standing up and looking over the group with clasped hands.

"I'm, u-uh, super glad that you considered me for this, by the way. I won't let you down."