Chapter 2

Diners and Dives

"Seriously, what the hell was that?!" Gregg throws a pierogi across the table into Mae's mouth. "I mean, it's a great band name, but you coulda warned us!"

Bae shakes her head. "If not for the crowd, I'm she would have but… let's be honest here. Mae's too impulsive to pass up a moment like that."

Mea swallows and nods. "Yeah, pretty much. I'd been thinkin on that band name for a while, and I just thought… it's everything to this band, from the start to now. Me, Gregg, and Casey all had our first practice in the woods behind his house, and we were so hyped we went back and kept jamming after dinner and until his mom literally dragged us in to sleep!"

Gregg nods somberly but smiles wider as he leans into Angus. "Cap'n and I confessed during a walk through the woods one night, cooling off after another fight with his mom."

Angus hums. "All those nights as a scout, and how they taught me to persevere enough to get that far."

Mae wraps an arm around Bea and pulls her in. "Can't forget our time as scouts, either! And Angus, you and I had that great chat on the cliff two months ago. I never thought I'd know ya that well man, but you're like a brother to me now!"

Selma huffs. "Well, different circumstances, but I guess I got picked up by the cops when hiding in the woods. Once I got out of rehab and had a few months of therapy, going back there with a clear head put things into perspective and…" She shrugs. "I guess I wouldn't have had it in me to jam with you guys if it weren't for that night. Hell, if I hadn't been arrested in those woods, I don't think I'd have been here long enough." She chuckles. "It's weird…" She hums. "Old city bricks, unhallowed ground. Beneath the trees, solace now found."

Gregg claps. "Ok, if you're in the band now, you gotta help with our lyrics."

"Gladly."

"Still sounds kinda crazy, taking the band this seriously." Bae hums. "But, I suppose it's a good change of pace. But if we're really gonna do this, where do we even start?"

Mae pulls her journal from her deep pockets and slaps it onto the table, opened to one of the latest pages. Doodles of concept cover art and band logos litter the two pages.

".. Ok, I should have expected that."

Lori hunches over from her spot in the corner of the booth between the window and Mae to get a closer look. "Oh, wow! This is some of your coolest stuff yet!" She tilts her head. "Um… What's with the v-volcano on that one? I-I don't think that fits the band…"

Mae huffs and crosses her arms. "I thought it was cool, ok? Maybe save it for a really specific album about the end of the world or something."

Angus inspects them with a hand pensively curled over his mouth, before reaching out and poking just above one particular design. "How about this one?" They all lean closer and slowly grin. Looking up through the trees of a foggy forest in the dead of night, with the stars connected to form the band name, Night in the Woods.

Bea hums and nods. "Yeah… it's simple, beautiful, a little haunting."

Gregg slams his hand on the table and points at Lori. "Kid, get your camera, we're shooting the real thing tonight!"

"W-What?" Lori stammers. "B-But um… O-Ok, I guess I'll have ot be o-out a little l-late, to get a shot that g-good, but um... I-I'll give it a shot! Are you s-sure the skies will be c-clear enough?"

Angus nods as he pushes his glasses up. "Certainly. Tonight should be perfect conditions."

Mae grins ear-to-ear, and for a moment, has to blink back some tears. "Y-You guys really like my designs that much?"

Gregg snorts. "Was there any way we wouldn't? Come on dude, you should know us well enough by now."

Bea sighs as she sits back and stares at the wood-paneled ceiling. She feels like she should be a lot more excited about it, but those damn cravings are holding her back. "So… We're really giving this a shot, then?"

Selma shrugs. "I don't see why not. Best chance I've got to get the hell out of here."

"No, I get that, we've all been stuck in this hell hole for too long, but how are we gonna make this actually work?"

Mae reaches up and pats Bea on the shoulder. "Aaah, Beatrice, you're forgetting someone who's the key to this whole operation." All eyes turn on her. "Since she kinda hates my guts it'll take a little convincing, but there's no better person to act as our manager than Jackie."

Bea's eyes widen as she goes ramrod straight for a moment. "… Holy shit, you're right." She sighs and sinks into her seat. ".. Fine, I'll call her. But she'll wanna see our talent first-hand before she decides on anything, so we really have to make a damn good first impression. We gotta get a few more songs down flawlessly before we call her out, cuz she'll want a sizable sample."

Angus nods as he finishes off another slice. "Mmm. Easy enough. We practice for another week or so, call her to schedule for a demo, and decide our venue before she shows up."

Mae groans and slams her head on the table. "I knew I was forgetting something!"

"Umm…" Lori slowly raises her hand. "I think I might know a few good places to record you guys. I-If you're looking for good acoustics, the old stage down by the tunnel works pretty great. If ya want something better for the a-ambience of the b-band, then maybe the you could film s-somewhere in the woods close enough to a p-power source to get some l-lights up?"

"Well," Germ interjects. "If you're lookin for close to the woods, my house works. And I got plenty of lights to work with. Industrial stuff. Also Longest Night decorations if ya want it dimmer."

Mae scratches her chin, then points at him. "How about both, but you can switch between em or both timed to the song?"

Germ grins. "If you're lookin for mechanical special effects, I'm your guy."

"I-I can handle cinemat-tography, setting, and c-costumes." She bites her lip. "A-And I've been getting pretty d-decent at d-digital editing? Like, if you use L-Longest Night lights, b-but ones with really b-brightly-painted cords that don't fit the woods, I-I can edit them out and make it look like they're f-floating!"

Gregg's jaw drops as he turns to Lori. "You've gotta be the coolest kid this town ever produced since me!"

Of course Lori turns crimson and tries to hide herself in her hoodie to calm down.

"Ok, that's good and all-" Bea interjects. "but there's a lot more involved in this. We can't just do shows, a new band like us can't book shows in big places, and we all work, so we can't just do that for now until we build a name somehow. We need sales, we need albums."

Angus hums. "I'm sure Jackie has connections that can get us into a studio, or someplace good enough to record a single at least. I'm sure we'll have input on what song we use for the single, but we should take her advice on what'll grab the most attention."

Germ nods as he sips his soda. "Mm... A single with a music video should work."

Lori's eyes light up and she pops back out of her hoodie. "I-I can make a video!"

Mae stands to reach across the table and hold a fist out to her. "Hell yeah!" A quick fistbump makes Lori even giddier, and Mae drops back into her seat as all eyes fall on Bea.

"… Ok, so we have a solid plan. I guess I'll give Jackie a call tonight and see if she's up for it. I'll let you guys know online as soon as she answers."

Greg throws his arms in the air. "WOOO! We're finally doin' this!"

Angus wraps an arm around him and holds on tight, a wide, genuine smile on his face, feeling more hopeful than he's ever recalled.

Selma sits back with a grin, fingers tapping away at her seat as she just can't stop drumming with this opportunity ahead.

Mae bounces in her seat, scarfing down another slice. "Mmmph… Pizza is so much better with good news." She pauses and turns to Gregg. "The pizza scale isn't just a scale, it's two axes where the other is the context it's eaten in."

Gregg slams his hands in the table. "Holy shit, you're right! I've been blind!"

.


.

The remainder of the feast goes as smoothly as expected, but in the end, night has long-since fallen and they must part ways. Mae bounces down the road with the full intention to walk home in the dark, too energized yet to keep still. Selma tries half-heartedly to keep up with her, but she knows that's a losing battle. Gregg and Angus wander back to their apartment, Gregg tucked under Angus' arm for warmth the whole way. Bea on the other hand has a car to take home, and a passenger to drop off.

"U-um.. t-thank for the r-ride, Bea."

She sighs and shrugs. "It's no big deal, Lori. Yeah, it's out of the way, but… well, anything to delay going back to the apartment, honestly."

An uncomfortable silence falls for a few moments, but Lori breaks it somehow without a stutter. "Yeah… I know how that feels. It's why I don't stay at home much anymore, either." She pulls her hood up and hides away in it. "W-With my mom gone, home just… never feels the same. Almost feels… w-wrong."

Bea's car slows down a bit as her mind splits. She feels like her thoughts have both slowed down and gone a mile a minute for just a split second, and when it comes crashing back together, she's left stunned for a moment. All this time, she's been right here, someone Lori can relate to, and she hasn't said a damn thing.

Maybe if she hadn't closed herself away for so long and stopped even trying to connect to anyone in this town, she could have done this sooner.

After a few moments to settle her mind, she sighs and tightens her grip on the wheel. "That's… accurate." She huffs and peeks down to the emergency pack of cigarettes in her door, unopened, but tears her eyes away and back to the road. "… What kind did your mother have?"

"H-Huh?" Lori peeks up from beneath her hood, then flinches and averts her eyes when the question registers. "Oh, u-um… It... spread really fast. Lung… Leukemia… Breast… I-It eventually got to her brain, b-but… she d-didn't last long enough for that to e-effect her. I-I guess that was merciful, really…"

Bea nods shakily. "I… I've seen what brain cancer does. It's… it's horrible, Lori. Worse than you can imagine. But…" She slows to a stop out front of Lori's house. "… No matter how much she fell apart, I knew she loved me to the very end. And I'm sure your mom did too." She turns to Lori with a gentle smile. "And I'm sure your dad misses her as much as you do. So don't run from him, ok?" She huffs and turns away. "I've met the guy. I know he's a good man. Not like my dad turned out. He… He still has love to give. You just have to give him the time to."

Lori can't help but stare. Eventually, she nods, and before she can bring herself to leave the car, the leaps forth and pulls Bea into the tightest hug her tiny frame can muster. "T-Thanks, Bea."

She pulls away and hops out of the car before Bea can gather her thoughts and react, slack-jawed with her arms up. Eventually, she pulls herself together and manages to smile for a moment before recalling she has to go home to an empty apartment and a spare room she hasn't cleaned out yet.

.


.

Mae's kind of regretting heading home on foot by the time she gets there, but the warm embrace of her home the moment she opens the door is an instant recharge. "Hey, I'm home!"

Candy Borowski peeks out from the kitchen with a wide grin and wet hands as she handled dinner dishes. "Welcome home, kitten! You must have had some fun tonight, huh? Even we heard about the crowd you drew at practice today!"

Stan speaks up from the couch. "Wish I could have been there to record it!"

Mae grins ear to ear as she saunters in, shedding her jacket. "Oh, well, that'll happen soon. We're making a music video now, and trying to get a gig out of town!"

"Kitten, that's wonderful!" Candy rushes from the kitchen and pulls her into a tight hug, careful not to press her wet hands into Mae's back. "A job, new friends, a bigger, better band, you're doing amazing!"

Stan chuckles as he wearily forces himself off the couch. "Reminds me of my youth. Manual jobs and active hobbies don't mesh for most, but we Borowskis make it work just fine, don't we?" He ruffles her hair, and she just laughs it off.

"Yeah, we do. So, how'd your days go?"

As Candy pulls back, the two of them share a look, their smiles fading. "Well, sweetie… Molly stopped by, and had some… interesting news for us about the case she's been on."

Mae freezes entirely and rubs the back of her neck. "Right… yeah, of course she'd tell you guys."

"Kitten…" Stan slowly kneels to reach his daughter's height, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We... we can't blame you for not telling us." He sighs and hangs his head.

"Lord knows, we wouldn't have believed it."

Stan nods. "Yeah… still having trouble wrapping our heads around it. But… knowing what you've been through now, please just… promise us you won't keep any more secrets like that?"

Mae can't manage to stop the few tears in her eyes, eventually gulping down the lump in her throat and nodding. "O-Of course. Honestly, t-the biggest reason I didn't tell you two was… I didn't know if you'd believe it, but I didn't wanna scare you either, or get you wrapped up in it and hurt."

Candy nods and kneels to pull Mae into another, far tighter hug, "I promise, sweetie… We'll always believe you." She sighs in relief as Mae wraps her arms around their necks and clings.

"… I-I'm sorry I scared you. I just… I was having… so much trouble figuring myself out. I had to make sense of something, and that was the best I could do. I chased that mess like my life depended on it, and… it turned out, a lot of lives did."

Stan nods as he pulls away, wiping away a tear of his own. "Mae… we're so sorry about Casey."

Mae lowers her head and stares at the floor. For a moment, she can see that hole again, and the borders of her vision close in. "Y-Yeah… me too." She sighs shakily. "But… we know, now. And we stopped them. He can rest now."

Candy smiles somberly. "That he can. And I'm sure he's as proud of you as we are."

Stan nods. "Right… but on the note of all that mess, and knowing Dr. Hank was one of those crackpots… we'd like to take you to a new therapist starting next week. If you're willing to accept, that is."

Maw bites her lip. Part of her wants to object, but her thoughts are drawn back to Bea, and her struggle to stop smoking. ".. A… Alright. I'll do it. I'll just have to let Bea know she'll have to work my schedule around it."

Stan smiles and pats her shoulder. "That's my girl. Don't ever be afraid to accept help when you need it."

"Y-Yeah…" Her vision swims, and at first, she thinks it's tears, but as her father's face breaks down to nothing more than a navy oval and his hand on her shoulder becomes a prickling static, her heart begins to race. "When I n-need it…"
.


.
A.N.: Honestly, I just love writing these characters. Deeply relatable, emotional, and their dialogue just comes so naturally. An easy project to emotionally refresh myself with, and fill in some holes I feel this fandom has in it's fic concepts. And I'm just getting started...