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Apr. 19th, 2025 at 7:28 PM
[A few hours of open road makes for easygoing fun. It's great to be traveling again, and the feeling of Chrissy leaning up against his back, holding on tight while he whips ahead on a wide-open freeway through the pitch black of night is like nothing else. The last time they were racing up and down this freeway, they were on the way to go burn a bunch of people's lives down - but now that's hours back, back with the rest of the city. They've left the lights and have nothing to look at but the pavement in Johnnie's headlight, the glimpses of stars shining weakly through hazy clouds, and occasionally an oncoming car.
Johnnie hasn't exactly been trying to tune in to his senses or abilities or whatever it is he has - he's just been cruising, letting the night go by, enjoying their plunge northward without a care or a thought. So it is deeply irritating when the pavement quickly fades to a well-worn dirt track that almost tosses him and Chrissy to the ground, and it takes all of his skills to get the front wheel under control and to slow down before they hit a rock that really might launch them into the nearest alfalfa field. Or whatever it is that's here, whenever they've found themselves. Somewhere pre-freeway. Boo.
But there are a few lights ahead, and he did need a stop to pee, so, fuck it.]
Well, shit. Y'know, I dunno exactly where we are. Last sign said San Jose was still fuckin' hours off. You good? That was kinda shaky.
[As long as this dirt road stays packed, they can drive it, but it's going to be slow. Good thing they're almost to somewhere.]
Johnnie hasn't exactly been trying to tune in to his senses or abilities or whatever it is he has - he's just been cruising, letting the night go by, enjoying their plunge northward without a care or a thought. So it is deeply irritating when the pavement quickly fades to a well-worn dirt track that almost tosses him and Chrissy to the ground, and it takes all of his skills to get the front wheel under control and to slow down before they hit a rock that really might launch them into the nearest alfalfa field. Or whatever it is that's here, whenever they've found themselves. Somewhere pre-freeway. Boo.
But there are a few lights ahead, and he did need a stop to pee, so, fuck it.]
Well, shit. Y'know, I dunno exactly where we are. Last sign said San Jose was still fuckin' hours off. You good? That was kinda shaky.
[As long as this dirt road stays packed, they can drive it, but it's going to be slow. Good thing they're almost to somewhere.]
Comments
There's a lot of things she could say, but for once she feels that maybe the best things don't need to be said. He can feel that she's there for him, and hopefully he can sense how happy and proud she is to be getting to hear this alongside him. If they had room to get the album home, she'd buy it. But that would probably be against some time travel rule they don't know about. This is different than burning down an entire town. It's bringing some's future back to their past, and forcing it into their present.]
The Phantom Riders are still around, even this far in the future.
[Maybe not actively playing music in this year, but their albums still are getting played and they still have fans. That's basically getting to live forever in some ways.
Her head turns so she can kiss at his ear after whispering that to him, and she gives him a squeeze before pulling away and letting him have some space to process that. Not much makes him emotional, but she can see how this probably would.]
But. But. He still can't take it as any kind of assurance. The future isn't set in stone, surely. Here they're finding one version of things, a world that could happen. He could go home and everything could change the very next day.
Still.]
Pretty fuckin' good, huh? Man. Who woulda thought.
[He's mostly just talking to himself, and maybe to Chrissy too, but the shop manager speaks up as he rests his elbows on the countertop by his phone.]
Yeah, this one's pretty good. I like the one before this best, I think, but this one's really got some good tunes. Those guys always got us dancing out there.
[Goddamn though it is fucking weird to have some old dude reminiscing about the band as the rock music of his childhood. So fucking strange. Johnnie shakes off whatever that feeling is and carries on, handing that ukulele back to Chrissy.]
You should get that little thing, that'll be easy to carry around. Real easy to learn, too. I could teach ya some of these tunes on it.
[Consider that little thing sold. It's not expensive, and it looks like fun to learn. Just playing around a little strumming the strings right now makes her grin. She can play some Phantom Riders light, Hawaiian style. It'll be fun for everybody.]
Okay, we'll get it. It would be fun for you to teach me!
[The guy behind the counter smiles as he watches them, more charmed that two young people are so into old music from his youth than anything. These two were raised right, good kids.]
Tell you what. I think I've got a little case and a book to teach you how to play some stuff. I'll throw those in no additional charge.
[Chrissy grins and nods, and goes to put the ukulele beside her skip it. That camp stove and little pot were left somewhere, so she goes off in search of those next.]
Do you want to get that little stove, Johnnie? It's not very big and I think we would probably use it a lot. [Aha. There it is. She pauses to pick up both items and head back to the counter.] Did you find anything you wanted though?
[She's curious if he's going to grab those Phantom Riders albums to bring back home.]
Nah. Well, maybe. Definitely get the stove. How much does that leave us with?
[The shopkeeper totals up the ukulele and the camping stove and pot.]
You still have thirty in credit.
[Shit, okay. Johnnie is having a hard time deciding - he doesn't really want to carry around a bunch of shit. He's just not the shopping type. The cash is more valuable to him - that and snacks, which this place won't have. He sifts through the stack of vinyls one more time, but he can't figure out a good way to bring any of them home, they're big enough they won't fit easily and there's risk of damage and anyway he's not taking the Phantom Riders ones back because he can't. He just can't fuck with fate like that, it feels wrong.]
I dunno. Wish I had a way to play shit on my bike.
[The guy drums his fingers on the counter, then nods toward the electronics display with its phones and its little music devices.]
I have a couple bluetooth speakers there. You just pair them with your phone, they work great. Then you have music on your bike, or anywhere you go.
[Johnnie shrugs, shaking his head with an awkward chuckle.]
Nah, I don't got a phone neither.
[The man raises an eyebrow. Johnnie feels like he's being assessed, but that's fair.]
Old school cool, huh? Well, you could do a speaker and one of these little old ipods. They don't sell well anymore, I'm kinda looking to get rid of them. Load one of those up with music and hook it up to the speaker and you don't need a phone. Though without a phone, I guess you'd still need a computer to load the music on. You've got one of those at home, right?
[She sounds shocked and confused that he'd be asking that. How in the world can anyone that isn't rich have one of those at home? If they're in a pawn shop getting money and scrounging up things to buy on store credit, they clearly aren't rich. She laughs a little and shakes her head.]
No, we don't really have much at home. Is that how you work that pink camera back there, though? You need a computer?
[He raises an eyebrow at that question. What kind of kids know the Phantom Riders but are clueless about technology? Chrissy tries to cover up how out of touch they are by moving the conversation right along.]
I do have a walkman though! And a lot of those old tapes? Is there a speaker we can plug that into?
[That he seems to be able to work with, and he holds up a hand as he comes out from behind the counter and goes over to the aisle where speakers are.]
Yeah, I got something that'll work for that. Just got to find it.
No, he swears he's not going to use this to influence Dale or the band, but man, it's cool to get a look at what the future might hold for them. Might. He's not going to assume any of this is guaranteed - and he keeps reminding himself of that, of how important it is to know that nothing is set in stone. One world's future might be nothing to do with his own.
The shopkeeper comes back with a little portable speaker with an aux cord and sets it down on the counter, quickly goes to lift the needle from the record, and then grabs one of the older iPods from the case next to the register.]
Here, you plug this speaker into your walkman just like I'm doing with this thing. Have a listen.
[He spins through the list of tracks and then picks one of his more modern favorites and hits play.
The speaker doesn't exactly have the best sound quality compared to that vinyl that had been playing but hell, Johnnie is still impressed that so much sound can come out of a small thing.]
Hey, that's great! Damn, babe, we gotta pick up more of your tapes, then we can play music anywhere! That thing runs on battery I guess?
[She likes getting to hear how the speaker works, and dances a little in place. Now that it's not as emotional for him, she feels a like it's okay to give him a hip bump and get him to do a little dance with her. It's playful and silly, there's no reason to get moving for real.]
Did you find anything you wanted?
[It feels like they're close to wrapping things up here. She found some things and there's about $30 left to spend. Maybe if they can't find a way to spend it all she can talk him into giving them that little bit extra in cash. He seems to like them, so she thinks she might have a shot.]
Me? I dunno. Kinda eyeing those knives but if that speaker's the rest of the thirty then I don't really need nothin' here.
[And with the total of camping gear, ukulele, and speaker - yeah, that amounts to a hundred, the guy tells them. The knives are nice but just not worth it - there will always be another pawn shop anyway, they have more they need to turn over. They got lucky here but they'll need to be smarter for the next one.
Anyway, Johnnie is ready to move on. Poking his nose into pawn shop corners is the least interesting thing he's intending on doing in this city. The Phantom Riders record was a shock, but it's time to get going.
They get a receipt printed up that lists out their store credit purchases, and Johnnie scoops up the camping stuff and nudges the door open.]
You got the rest of it, babe?