Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it, sadly. Depending on date and exact content, everything in the Jem-verse is or was the property of Hasbro, Christy Marx, Sunbow, Integrity Toys and probably a few other companies or writers out there. No profit is being made from this (by me, anyway). As a side-note, it appears that the Jem-verse may actually overlap the Hasbro cartoon world(s) of G. I. Joe, The Inhumanoids and the Transformers, as apparently at least one character appeared in all four series.
Author's note: While I love the Jem-verse and I also enjoy well-done Jem fic, I can't seem to wrap my brain around writing for any of the main characters. So I chose very minor and undeveloped characters to play with. Please note that as regards the Limp Lizards, as far as I was able to find (I admit I do NOT own a copy of Christy Marx' 'The Jem Bible') no background information, including names, is ever specified. Hence if you have a different conception than what I present here – you are just as correct as I am. My assignment of roles and presumption of overlapping skills is based on the very few still shots of this band in the Jem universe; there are a couple of points where I'm not 100% sure who I'm seeing on drums, and as far as I can tell there is no one particular lead singer.
~~Recruited~~
"Will you hurry up?" Cassandra's voice was an urgent hiss. "Static Moss only know three songs. It's not going to take them long." She couldn't seem to sit still, toes tapping slightly to the beat of the pseudo-jazz riff that could be heard coming from the onstage band. As she fidgeted long strands of blond hair kept falling forward into her face.
Nandy made a noncommittal noise. The best way to deal with Cassie's irritation was to ignore it; after all it was just stage fright. She'd been like this since the high school talent contests. Which really weren't all that long ago anyway.
Tightening the G string on her guitar, Nandy flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Despite the fact that she'd had bangs cut, her sable hair still seemed to have a mind of its own. And it apparently liked to get tangled in guitar strings.
She murmured. "You okay Cassie? You sound a little stressed. It's just a gig." Actually that wasn't entirely true. It wasn't a gig in the sense that no one here tonight was actually getting paid. Café Coffee did a local band version of open mike the second and fourth Thursdays of every month. You had to sign up in advance, each band got about ten minutes to set up, could play up to four songs, original songs only, no covers. If either the setup time was too long, or the songs were too horrible, you would never again make the signup list.
Cassie shrugged, but the toe tapping increased in pace. She rested an elbow on the table and began coiling a strand of her blond hair around her index finger.
"So." Nandy dragged the word out into three syllables, knowing how annoying it would be. "Are you okay to take the lead on 'The Visit'?"
"Am I-" Cassie's expression went from annoyance to confusion to outright terror in the blink of an eye. She raised both her hands in protest, but clearly her mouth was suddenly too dry for any actual protest.
A gentle hand came from behind to offer Cassie a reassuring squeeze on the arm. Then brown hair draped over blond as Emma leaned forward to give her a one-armed hub from behind.
"Don't listen to her, Cassie. When you are ready, you let us know. Tonight I think that you and I will be fine singing it as a duet. I think it's sweeter that way anyway."
Cassie closed her eyes and leaned back into the hug. "Thanks," She murmured. "I just don't like being the center of attention."
"Yet," Emma prompted encouragingly. "You have the best voice of any of us, and that's a fact. But feel free to always sing with me. I'd love for folks to think that I'm the one with the so-sultry blues voice."
Cassie blushed, and said nothing.
Nandy gave a final soft strum. "In tune and ready as I'll ever be. So," She turned her attention to the brunette. "Emma, have our multi-colored predecessors finished their so-called set?"
She was answered with an eye-roll. "I hate that name, and since we are playing as an official group you should use stage names anyway. So it's Shasta." She over-enunciated the word.
"Right." Nandy drew out the word slightly as she looked down at her outfit to make sure she hadn't smudged anything. It was a scoop necked t-shirt probably intended for someone with more cleavage. The color was somewhere between green and yellow, with an overlong lizard with tiny legs coiling up the right side; the print across it read "Limp Lizard". They all also wore jeans, and knee high boots. It was unfortunate that the boots didn't really match each other. It would have to do.
After all, this was their second time at Café Coffee. They had to have done at least okay the first time to be invited back.
At that point the fourth member of their newly official band almost bounced into the unused storeroom that was effectively the green room. "Hey." Her voice was full of barely suppressed excitement, but at sharp glances from both Nandy and Emma, she immediately toned it down. "Ah, just wanted to let everyone know that there's a fairly full house tonight. And they're almost ready for us."
Nandy gave a sharp nod. "Lane, you and Cassie are in charge of getting the drums set up with enough space for the rest of us to work around it." She gave a tight grin. Last time she and Emma, neither of whom actually played drums had done that part of the setup. It hadn't gone well. As she spoke, Lane leaned forward to whisper a quick comment into Emma's ear.
Nandy thought to herself that Lane and Emma looked good together; they had the same long hair, the same pretty figure. She supposed it was lucky that all four of them were fairly slender. It made the curling lizard logo seem reasonable.
As soon as Cassie and Lane were gone, Emma murmured. "Rumor has it there is a talent scout, possibly more than one, in the house tonight."
"Do you really think so? Here?" Nandy's tone was tinged with disbelief.
"Hey it could happen." And before Nandy could argue the point, Emma added. "At the very least let's play like we think there is one. With Lane on drums there is actually a chance that Cassie will sing loud enough for someone to actually hear that sweet voice of hers."
"Good thinking as usual, Shasta."
"Lead on, Skink."
Just like last time, Nandy's father was sitting off to the side in the front row. He was sharing his table with several husky types with multi-colored hair and aggressive tattoos, but he seemed completely comfortable with them. Nandy shrugged to herself. Her father it seemed, could make friends with anyone. She gave him a subtle salute with her guitar as the Limp Lizards set up, and he lifted his cup of mocha coffee in return.
After a few brief riffs to make sure everyone was together, Nandy swung into the opening chords of "Broken Glass". Emma had written it after a particularly bad breakup, but seemed to prefer Nandy singing it. It started out depressing, and basically got worse. The last few lines were:
My life is / a garbage heap.
My life's filled / with choking gas.
Since you left
My world's like
Broken glass / Broken Glass
For the next number, they did The Visit, with Cassie and Emma, oops thought Nandy, that would be Gecko and Shasta, sharing the lead vocals.
I love the way you listen to me,
Always seem to care
Every time I need someone
You're always waiting there
You're patient while I'm crying
Never in a rush
No matter that I ramble
You never tell me hush
Yesterday you listened, and today you did the same
I'm feeling so much better, very grateful that I came
I've stayed too long with talking and for now I'll have to go
I'll come again when next I can as you already know
Cassie was singing her heart out, eyes closed. Lane had written the song, but somehow Nandy always thought of it as Cassie's song, and the way she was singing, that would be clear to anyone. Subtly, Emma held back, so that Cassie's clear voice came forward. She was really good at sorrowful songs.
Thank you, friend for being here
For listening to me
Somehow that is what I need
Someplace safe to be
It's quiet here and peaceful
Sounds and stress are dim
A place of sacred comfort
Each time that I come in
Yesterday you listened, and today you did the same
I'm feeling so much better, very grateful that I came
I've stayed too long with talking and for now I'll have to go
But I can't come back tomorrow 'cause the cemetery's closed.
There was a brief moment of silence, and then applause. Not wild applause, but soft, almost respectful as if the audience didn't want to disturb the mood. Nandy considered that. If Lane was right, and there was some kind of talent agent in the house, then it would be a good thing for the band itself to break the mood. A demonstration of versatility as it were. Unfortunately most of the stuff they had written was pretty depressing.
So she needed something that would distract Cassie from her awareness of half the audience being fixated on her. Something that would show the fans another side of the Limp Lizards. Something. Fun. Nandy grinned to herself, and started strumming.
"And for all you 'My Little Pony' fans out there-"
A couple of quickly drawn breaths behind her let her know that yes, the rest of the band realized where she was going with this, and that most definitely she would hear about it later. In the meantime, the group started in on the tale of Locket and 4-Speed's excellent party.
By the end of the song, the mood of Café Coffee had completely turned around, and many in the audience were tapping their toes. Nandy's father was drumming the fingers of his right hand against the table and smiling broadly.
It was only after they had stepped down and put their instruments away, that a slender dark-haired man in a suit approached them. Nandy didn't see him coming, but Lane's heel on her foot got her attention.
"Wonderful music, just wonderful." His tone was totally insincere, but the business card he held out looked legit. Starlight Music. Not a huge company, but a reputable one. "I'm Eric Raymond, and I'd like to invite you to participate in a contest. An annual battle of the bands, and the winner," His voice dropped in what was probably supposed to be an inviting way, but somehow Nandy just wanted to wash her ears.
He continued, "The winner gets an album contract with Starlight Music."