Chapter 773: Beaulieu Manor
Monday, March 27th, Evening
At Beaulieu Manor, a range divides the base court from the inner court, which is dominated by a large gatehouse with a clock tower. Because of the clock tower, the range became known as the Clock Tower Range. Being a modern machine, the clock didn't take up a lot of space in the tower, nor was it loud, so an apartment was installed there. Very similar to what Henry VIII was doing to the gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace. The owner of Beaulieu Manor had given use of this apartment to her only son once he turned eighteen. Though he went to film school in California, he would return often and reside in these apartments.
Alix Hartmann stood across the apartment's great room from the before-mentioned son. She shook her head and sighed. She wore only boy shorts and a sports bra, as not many clothes were generally worn in the Clock Tower Apartment. Tucker Baker, her boyfriend, and the said son hunched over his editing unit, working on the rough cut of Nordwind's latest tour video. At the end of next week, he'd head out again with Nordwind for the South American leg of their tour.
Tucker was, if not anything, a perfectionist, especially in his work on films. She smiled at him and walked to the window overlooking the inner court. Alix was glad it was a one-way piece of glass. There were many times she wore less and stood in this window. Also, they were at the highest occupied point in Beaulieu, so people rarely looked up there or noticed a topless woman; this wasn't The Rescuers.
Alix turned around and listened to the air as she watched Tucker work. Tucker, like many people, liked to work while listening to music. He had a weird ability to multitask sonically. Alix also found it amusing his eclectic tastes in music. There was something he was listening to that caught Alix's attention. Tucker has also been into 1980s soundtracks as of late.
The current soundtrack was amazing. Alix could pick out songs by Aerosmith, Roy Orbison, Poison, LL Cool J, Slayer, and Public Enemy. Alix even enjoyed the rare non-punk Glen Danzig song. Finally, another song came out of the speakers. It started with a female harmony, followed by what sounded like sleigh bells, and then one hell of a riff came out of the speakers next.
"Whoa!" Alix said.
"Huh?" Tucker asked, looking at Alix over the big screen.
"That opening riff, whoever that guitarist is, can shred," Alix said.
Tucker nodded, "Yeah, she could; it's an interesting take on the song," he said.
Alix nodded. "Yeah, what are you listening to?" she asked.
"Hold on," Tucker said.
"Take your time," Alix said and enjoyed the music.
Tucker moved from looking at his main screen to another one. He waited, then looked up to Alix.
"I'm listening to the Less than Zero soundtrack," Tucker said.
"Oh, yeah?" Alix asked.
"Yeah," Tucker said.
"It was a Simon and Garfunkel song, right?" Alix asked.
Tucker nodded, "Paul Simon wrote it," he said.
Alix nodded, "I thought so," she said.
"What's this all about?" Tucker asked.
Alix shrugged, "About?" she asked, going to the nearby upholstered chair. She sat, pulled her feet underneath herself, pulled her laptop onto her lap, and started to plug away at the keyboard.
"Yeah, you never ask about the music I listen to," Tucker said.
"I do," Alix said.
"No, you don't," Tucker said.
"What do you mean?" Alix asked.
"You usually know the music," Tucker said.
"I did; I knew it was from Simon and Garfunkel," Alix said.
"True, but not who did the song," Tucker said.
"Well, not everyone is perfect, Tuck," Alix said, teasing.
"Not everyone grew up with a musical savant," Tucker said.
"Each their own," Alix said.
"Yeah, so what is that about?" Tucker asked.
"Again, about what?" Alix asked.
"Why are you so interested in that song?" Tucker asked.
"I thought it was a great version of the song," Alix said.
"So, what are you going to do with this information?" Tucker asked.
"I have plans for that song," Alix said as she poured over her laptop.
"That's not always a good thing," Tucker said.
Alix shook her head.
"Why did you do that?" Tucker asked.
"I enjoyed the song and the whole soundtrack," Alix said.
"So, what are your plans with the song?" Tucker asked curiously.
"Oh well, I guess you'll have to find out," Alix said, pressing a few buttons. A printer started to print off several sheets of paper. Alix put her laptop aside, untangled herself, and went to Tucker's printer, where she retrieved what she had printed. She went over to where her guitar was propped up.
"What are you doing?" Tucker asked.
"You'll see," Alix teased, grabbed her guitar, and returned to the upholstered chair. She took a seat and put the guitar on her lap. Slowly, she started to pluck at the strings.
"You want to play that song with Tacit Blue?" Tucker asked.
"No, I have another idea," Alix said.
Tucker nodded and went back to his editing. Alix played with the guitar until she felt she got the harmony, then started humming the song.
With a final smile, Alix put the guitar aside and went into the bathroom. While Tucker edited his video footage, Alix practiced singing in the bathroom.