let's all get up and dance to a song

[acahellyeah]

WHO: ANDY BERNARD and KATURIAN KATURIAN
WHERE: NOHoPE.
WHEN: Saturday, during visiting hours.
WARNINGS: Nothing, probably.
SUMMARY: Andy delivers Katurian a song.
FORMAT: Para?


The hospital was large and more than just a little bit creepy; definitely a hospital, but he'd never been to a mental asylum before and had no idea what to expect beyond the front doors. The most recent experience he had to compare was from his production of Sweeney Todd -- and even Andy knew that play was not the portrait of realism. He took a moment at the front door to take off his roller skates, tucking them into his shoulder-bag.

Dressed in pastel colors (except for his red pants and black coat), he hummed quietly to himself as he signed himself in at the front desk. He wandered, from there, a bit awkwardly, feeling nervous and rubbing his hands on his sides a lot. Trying to smile professionally and not look like he was going to cry. This was his first telegram (or "Andygram", as that blonde had so cleverly coined) and the buyer was someone Andy was not looking to disappoint. This had to go well, or else.

He double-checked the patient information he was given, and walked down the hallway with more purpose. By the time he reached his destination, Andy was already feeling more confident, and smiled pleasantly at Katurian, flowers in hand.

"Delivery! Hope I'm not interrupting anything important," he said, not apologetic, "but what I have is pretty urgent. Rush delivery and everything, though sadly not quite in time for New Years. Come on, you gonna sign for it?"

Andy made a signature motion in the air with his hand.

Comments

[goryteller]

He took it as a compliment and grinned despite himself, sitting back down on the bed. For all the suffering in his life, for all the pain, Katurian always had his writing. It kept him afloat - soaring, even - and for someone to take in that part of him... well, it made him feel like he was sharing the best part of himself. In many ways, he was.

"I have more," he said. "Not with me, but I've written more before. Those are just all the ones I had memorized."

Further explanation was needed, maybe. Why he needed to write them from memory. Why it mattered. But he didn't want to get into that right now, and so he sat on his hands and leaned forward to peer at Andy, watching his expression. Lethargy aside, he was like a little kid showing off his refrigerator artwork.

[acahellyeah]

"What kind of stuff do you usually write about?" Andy asked, flipping another couple of pages. He hadn't read far enough to get a real impression of the genre, and to be fair -- he wasn't sure if he would understand it even if he did. English was one of the classes he'd done more poorly in, Art even less. But, he still enjoyed a good story when he was faced with one.

He closed the book, feeling a little under qualified.

[goryteller]

Katurian usually tried to avoid answering this question. Admitting that he wrote gruesome (and only gruesome) stories made him feel frustratingly one note, but also hyper-conscious of where all those images were coming from. That bolted-up room in his parents house. The screams reverberating off the walls. The answers he gave were vague. 'Fairy tales.' 'Short stories.' 'Stuff.'

"They're a little downbeat," he said, sheepish. Only now did he realize how much worse they'd probably sound from a mental patient. "I mean dark. Like Sweeney Todd, but with, um." He scratched behind his ear, frowning a bit. "Without any singing. I think, anyway. It's been a long time since I've seen anything put on. Not since I was little."

[acahellyeah]

"That's cool. I mean, not everything's a musical." Andy shrugged one shoulder, his hand gesturing as if it were totally obvious. He continued on, casually, "I'd probably write dark stuff too if I was any good at writing stories. Seriously depressing stuff up here now and then. Sometimes I think about talking to someone about it, but eh—"

He paused, realizing he'd gone on a tangent, and changed the subject as best he could. "I'm much more of a critic anyway. And that's like -- mind blowing," he said for lack of another adjective, and set the book beside him. "But I just can't believe you haven't seen a play since you were a kid. That's not right."

[goryteller]

Katurian was so ready to launch into that, the depressing thoughts, that it was visible in his eyes, in his shift forward on the bed. When Andy brought the conversation back on topic, he did his very best to hide his disappointment. He deflated. Just slightly.

"Things got a little crazy," he said, which was probably the understatement of the century. Katurian's childhood made some of his stories sound sane and reasonable. "I had to quit school and start working full time pretty early on. So, um, no plays."

[acahellyeah]

If Andy knew, he would be hard to convince to talk about it; finding an appropriate method to outlet those feelings was difficult, even more so after Anger Management. He ran his tongue along the inner of his cheek, pressing his fingers against his knees.

"Oh man, that sucks," he said, genuinely sympathetic. He set his jaw, speaking with determination. "Well, you are so lucky that you met me. Because I will make sure this happens."

[goryteller]

He gave a small, startled laugh, for a moment not entirely sure whether Andy was being serious. It was a grand promise to make for someone the man barely knew, for someone wearing a pastel medical bracelet. It seemed so genuine, though. That determination. That drive. He cared-- about the art, at the very least. That was all that mattered to Katurian.

"Well," he said, managing a smile. "I'll have to hold you to that."

[acahellyeah]

"I promise. And a Bernard promise is worth so much more than a regular promise. At least, in my case it does. Maybe it's impossible, but I'll do it. Just try and stop me."

Of course, he had no idea how possible it would be, but trying always counted, didn't it? He'd all but moved the moon and stars for Angela when they were engaged, putting on a play by all rights should be simpler.

"So yeah. Totally hold me to it, dude. I got your back."