Drummer Boy - Down to Earth Ch. 02

Granny nodded and headed to toward the front door.

"Hey!" Jason said. "You can't go out there!"

But Granny was already going. "I can, I must, and I will," she said, the last bit coming from the hallway.

Jason rushed to the open door. He could try to stop her, but figured that if she was that hell-bent on doing ... whatever ... there wasn't much he could do to stop her.

"Just ... don't slay anyone!" he called after her.

Granny stopped. She turned to look at Jason, cocking her head slightly. "Please," she said. "Concede to me some sense of discipline and self-control. Unlike others I could name."

Jason could almost feel Pearl bristle at Granny's remark, even though she was still in the living room.

Granny turned around and resumed her exit. "I know not when, but I will return," she said, and disappeared down the stairwell.

Jason went back inside and closed the door. "What the hell was that about?" he said to Pearl.

Pearl pursed her lips. "Granny said not to say," she said.

"And what were you doing in there that took so long?" Jason said.

"Well, we had to get dressed," Pearl said.

"It doesn't take that long to put on clothes, Pearl," Jason said.

"And we had to work our disguise spell," Pearl said. "We didn't have much magic to work with, so that took a while."

"You're avoiding the question," Jason said.

Pearl looked away. "Granny said not to say," she said.

"'Granny said'", Jason echoed. "That never seemed to matter before."

"We had to make some plans," Pearl said. "And, well, Granny thought it would be best if you didn't know."

"Lemme guess," Jason said. "Because I might point out how stupid whatever you've planned was, and somehow get in the way?"

"That's one way to put it," Pearl said.

Jason threw his hands in the air. "And when are you gonna fill me in?" he said.

"When Granny's done what she needs to do," Pearl said.

"Whatever," Jason said. "So we're just supposed to wait until she gets back from her mystery mission?"

"Granny said -" Pearl began.

"Well, fuck that," Jason said. "I've gotta put some things in order."

"But -" Pearl began.

"I said 'fuck that'," Jason said. "I've got places to go, and you're coming with me."

"But it's daytime!" Pearl said. "I don't like going out there in daytime. It's too bright, and your sky is that weird blue color. It freaks me out."

"Uh-uh," Jason said. "There's no way am I'm leaving you unsupervised. Plus, I don't want Telly to wake up and see that the only other person home is this girl he doesn't know."

"Oh, he knows me," Pearl said, a small, knowing smile crossing her lips. Then, "Fine. What are we doing?"

"First stop is work," he said. "Hopefully I can sweet-talk Chad into giving me another chance."

Jason pulled on a pair of socks and grabbed his second-favorite pair of sneakers. Watching him, Pearl asked, "Am I going to need those?"

"Granny didn't think so," Jason said. He grabbed his keys. "Come on," he said, and Pearl, thankfully, didn't argue and followed him out the door.

* * *

Jason got back into the driver's seat of his truck and slammed the door.

"Goddammit," he said.

Pearl, who had been content to wait in the passenger seat with the window down while he'd gone inside the restaurant, turned to look at him. "Sounds bad," she said.

"About what I expected," Jason said. "Chad gave me the routine about being on a 'do-not-hire' status, since I was a no-call no-show for two weeks. I can't blame him, though. Still, I was hoping..." He trailed off.

"Slaying," Pearl said. "Just putting it out there."

Jason dismissed her with a wave. "For that job," he said, "not worth it." He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. "He said he'd give me a good recommendation, so that's something. I guess."

Pearl had been mostly quiet during their midday excursions. Jason suspected that she was keenly aware of how responsible she was for his current misfortunes.

They'd gone to his bank, where he'd failed to withdraw money from his account, due to his bank card and ID having been left behind in Tarterus. That made Jason aware that his phone, and even the golden diabolus, which he could have at least pawned for some cash, were also sitting in a heap with his clothes back in that other dimension.

"Dammit," Jason said again. No venom, just resignation.

They were driving down St. John Street, and Jason took a left onto Guadalupe.

"Where are we going now?" Pearl said.

"Campus," Jason said. "We practice in Percy's shed. May as well go for the trifecta of failure."

A few minutes later, they pulled up alongside Percy's house. Percy may be kind of spacey, but he'd been smart with his money, and bought a small ranch-style with a decent backyard. He'd put in a shed and tricked it out into a serviceable jam spot.

Jason got out of the truck, and was surprised to see that Pearl did too.

"You're probably not gonna want to be here for this," he said.

"I'm bored," Pearl said. "Besides, I might be able to, y'know, help you out."

Jason probably should have just told her to stay back, but he was tired of fighting her on everything. He was beginning to understand Granny's attitude toward her a little better.

"Fine," Jason said, "but no 'helping'. That always seems to backfire with you."

"What do you mean I can't help?" Pearl said.

"I mean," Jason said, "no magic, no mind tricks, no physical intimidation, no offering sex ... you know, Pearl Stuff."

Pearl pouted. "But I'm really good at Pearl Stuff," she protested.

"And try not to talk, while you're at it," Jason said. "You accidentally blabbing about being a demon and fucking people to death is just a recipe for disaster."

"You're no fun," Pearl said. Nonetheless, she remained silent as they opened the fence to the backyard and approached the shed.

The door was closed, but drone of music spilled out from within. Including the sound of drums being played.

Jason opened the door. They were practicing, not recording, so they weren't miked or using the monitors. Percy was closest and saw him first. He stopped mid-lyric, and the rest of the band trailed off shortly after. Last to finish was the guy in the back that Jason didn't recognize. He was playing the drums. Jason's drums.

"Jason," Percy said warily. "Long time no see, buddy."

"Hey, Percy," Jason said. "Yeah, I had to leave town unexpectedly."

"And you just decided to blow back in after two weeks?" Percy said.

"Sorry about that," Jason said. "Couldn't be helped. Hey Trevor. Ian." He addressed the bassist and lead guitar in turn, and they nodded back silently.

Jason spied Ian's cigarettes sitting on a table nearby, and realized that he hadn't even thought about smoking since Pearl had abducted him. Now he had an intense craving for one, even one of Ian's foul Parliaments.

"You mind?" Jason said, swooping up the pack and lighter before Ian could respond. He lit one and inhaled. It tasted terrible, but scratched his nicotine itch. After exhaling he said, "Who's the new guy?"

He was talking about the good-looking muscular black man sitting behind Jason's drum kit. The man spoke up.

"I'm Thumper," the guy said, pronouncing the name like "thumpa". "I just started with these cats yesterday."

"You wanna respect the throne, Thumper?" Jason said. The throne was the technical name for the stool that the drummer sat on.

Thumper got the message and stood up. "No disrespect intended," he said. "You fellas got some shit to talk about, so I'll catch up tomorrow. I'll bring my kit."

"You know it," Percy said. Thumper shot deuces at Trevor and Ian, and dapped Percy as passed. He nodded at Jason, and gave a slightly more lingering nod to Pearl, and then he was out of the shed.

Once Thumper was gone Jason shot an accusatory look at Percy.

"Really?" Jason said.

"What the hell'd you expect me to do, man?" Percy said.

"I expected a little loyalty," Jason said.

"Loyalty ain't gonna pay the rent, Jason," Percy said.

"Seriously," Trevor said. "No drummer, no shows. No shows, no money."

"And no pussy," Ian said. "And I need that fucking pussy, man."

"Besides, it don't look like you're going without," Trevor said, eyeing Pearl. "Even if it is gimpy pussy."

"I'd still hit it," Ian muttered. "Tits and ass like that, headless with no arms and I'd still hit it."

"Knock it off, dickheads," Percy said. "Show some goddamn respect for a female. Ignore those neanderthals, Miss...?"

"Pearl," Pearl said. "Consider them ignored."

"So," Jason said, "Thumper's out and I'm back in, right?"

"Fraid not, Jason," Percy said. "We're gonna stick with Thumper."

"Come on, Percy..." Jason said.

Percy shook his head. "Sorry, Jason," he said. "Look, you may think of this as just another gig, but believe it or not I'm trying to build something here. And I can't do that if folks can't show up, ready to play."

"I don't see why we need a drummer, anyway," Ian said. "We should just use a machine."

"Seriously," Trevor added. "Nobody comes to see some monkey in the back playing with his sticks."

Jason felt Pearl tense beside him, but he put a hand on her arm. "Ignore them, remember?" he said. "They're just really stupid."

"Maybe," Trevor said, "but we're in a band, and you're not."

Jason looked to Percy. "So it's like that?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's like that," Percy said with finality. "Sorry, Jason."

"Fine," Jason said. "I'll come by to pick up my kit tomorrow. C'mon, Pearl." They turned around to walk out.

"Call first," Percy said as they left.

Back outside, Jason leaned against his truck, finishing his purloined cigarette in silence.

"I'm sorry, Jason," Pearl said. "I really am. I can't help feeling like this is all my fault."

"Really? You think?" Jason said. "You mean if you hadn't kidnapped me, used me, thrown me through time and space, and then trashed my apartment, maybe I wouldn't be so thoroughly fucked right now?"

"Yeah," Pearl said. "That."

Jason flicked the cigarette butt out into the street. "There's a lot of 'sorry' going around," he said. "But guess what? 'Sorry's not doing a lot for me right now."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Pearl said.

"You've already done too much," Jason said. "And I'm stuck with you." Pearl looked crestfallen.

"Let's go home," Jason said.

They didn't talk on the drive back to the apartment. Pearl was obviously sullen. Jason felt bad for being so shitty to her. At the same time, though, they both knew he'd spoken the truth.

They got back into the apartment, right as Telly was leaving.

"Hey," Telly said.

"Hey," Jason said.

"I'm gonna go chill with the gang," Telly said. "Living room looks better."

"Don't mention it," Jason said. "I'm working on getting the stuff replaced."

"'Kay," Telly said. "Seeya later."

Telly left. Pearl said, "He's still pissed."

"Picked up on that, didya?" Jason said.

Pearl frowned. "You're mad at me, too," she said.

"Two for two," Jason said. "You really are a mind reader!"

"Stop it!" Pearl said, with a childish stamp of her foot. "I don't like it when you're mad at me. Not this kind of mad."

"Well, I am," Jason said. "Hell, I'm mad at the whole world right now."

"I could help you feel better," Pearl said. She stepped closer to him.

Jason knew what she meant. His cock twitched in anticipation. He'd never completely lost his erection from this morning. Despite his foul mood, he'd never been at less than a half-chub all day. Now he was instantly back at full mast.

"Pearl," Jason said as she slipped her arm around his waist, pressing her enormous breasts into his chest. "I don't think that would be a good idea. Besides, Granny said not to."

"I know," Pearl said. "But Granny doesn't know everything." She pulled him closer and nibbled at his neck.

"Just a little bit of pleasure," Pearl said. "Not for me. Just for you."

It was hard to resist her. She felt incredible against him. Big, soft breasts, her hand on his buttocks, slow, gentle gyrations against his dick, and the gentle kissing. Jason felt she really wanted to please him for the sake of pleasing him. She wasn't her usual hungry and aggressive self, but instead felt genuine and caring. She wanted to help, and this was the way that she knew best. Jason felt an incredible urge to let her.

Which is why Jason surprised himself, a second later, by pushing her gently away from him.

"It's okay, Pearl," Jason said. He removed her hand from his waist. "In spite of this," he indicated his now-throbbing member, "I'm really not in the mood."

"Not even a little bit?" Pearl said, concerned.

"Well, obvs a little bit," Jason said, "but all this misery has got me worn out. I just wanna listen to some music and go to sleep."

"Okay," Pearl said. She looked forlornly over at the couch.

Jason vacillated. Keeping separate was definitely the safer plan, but...

"You can sleep in my bed, Pearl," Jason said.

Pearl's face lit up. "Really?" she said. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "We can leave the couch for Granny, for whenever she comes back. Besides," and now it was his turn to look at the ground sheepishly, "I really don't want to be alone tonight."

"Oh, Jason!" Pearl said. She put her arm back around Jason and hugged him close.

His thrumming erection prompted Jason to add to that. "But just cuddling," he said. "No sex."

Pearl looked at him, confused. "'Cuddling'?" she said. "What's that?"

"It's like ... when you just lay down with a person," Jason said, "and, y'know, just be close to each other."

"And no sex?" Pearl said. Jason nodded. "No mouth sex or breast sex, or even hand sex?"

"Nope," Jason said.

"Seems like such a waste," Pearl said.

"You might like it," Jason said. "C'mon."

They went to Jason's room. The bed frame had been ruined from last night, and his clothes were strewn about from where Pearl and Granny had ransacked his closet. But Jason didn't care. He could sleep here. They could sleep here.

In one corner of his room was his practice drum set. Thankfully, none of the stuff in that corner had been broken in last night's battle. Also in that corner was where he kept his MP3 speaker, which also doubled as a charging station for his iPod. He went over to this now and turned it on, glad to discover that it was also undamaged.

"Hope you don't mind Tortoise," he said, as he tapped the iPod screen to start the music. "I think 'TNT' is their masterpiece."

"I didn't know your animals were musical," said Pearl distractedly.

"That's the name of band, goofy," Jason said. He turned around. Pearl was staring down, looking at the carpet.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Hmm ... There's still some chalk left," Pearl said. "Not enough to call you or bind you, but..." she trailed off.

The title track of 'TNT' was winding its way up into full instrumental glory, and they just stood for a while with their own thoughts.

"It was supposed to be so easy," Pearl muttered sadly. "No one was supposed to know. I was going to fix things, and everything would be fine."

"Pearl," Jason said, "what on earth were you trying to do? What was the point of all that ... all that battle? And that war, and what happened to you after I ...?"

"After you blessed me with such great amounts of your male essence?" Pearl said. She smiled wanly. "I was supposed to score a decisive victory against the Spines, forcing them back into their realms in Tarterus, lest the 'Golden Avenger' return to smite them again."

She frowned. "Things didn't go as planned."

"Guess not," Jason said. He was glad they hadn't, or he might have ended up a withered corpse, his essence completely drained to fuel Pearl's power-madness.

"If only Granny hadn't interfered!" Pearl said. "If she hadn't stumbled in and -"

"Hey, ease up," Jason said. "I'm in no way her biggest fan, but you can't lay all this on Granny."

"If she hadn't tried to stop me, I wouldn't have had to waste so much time and power subduing her!" Pearl said. "And she's the one who trapped us here in your stupid blue no-magic world!"

"Get real, Pearl," Jason said. "You made a lot of poor decisions. You were reckless. You were out of control."

Pearl pouted. Man, she was good at that. "I'm not the only one," she said.

She cradled her arm under breasts that were barely held in check by the cotton of her borrowed t-shirt, giving them a little bounce with each subsequent syllable: "Isn't that right, Mister Can't-Say-No," she said.

Damn damn damn, Jason thought, his eyes feasting hungrily on those jostling breasts, his dick throbbing for release, preferably while sandwiched between their soft, fulsome embrace.

Keep it together, Jason.

"I'm not denying that," Jason said. "I'm just saying that you have to take responsibility for your actions.

Pearl let her arm fall to her side. "But I'm not the bad guy here!" she said.

"I'm not saying you are," Jason said. "You may have had good intentions, but it's like they say: 'the road to hell is paved with butter'."

Pearl cocked a suspicious eyebrow at him. "No it's not," she said. "I've seen it. It's not paved with anything."

Jason rolled his eyes. "It's just an expression," he said. "It means -"

"And what's butter?" Pearl asked.

Jason shook his head. "It's a food," he said. "It's really slippery, see -"

"Do you have any?" Pearl said. "I've been meaning to try some of your 'food'."

"I'm sure there's some in the fridge ... but you're missing the point."

"Is that the humming box in the other room?" Pearl said.

"Yeah, it keeps things cold ... hey, Pearl stop!" Jason said.

Pearl had turned to go back into the living room, but Jason's words had brought her up short.

"But I wanna do things!" Pearl said.

"I know," Jason said. "But just ... try to restrain yourself. Try to avoid indulging in every stray whim that comes into that gorgeous head of yours, okay? That's the kind of thing that got us all into this."

"Okay. I'll try," Pearl said, crestfallen. She looked around. "So ... what do we do now?"

Jason looked around. "Well, it's a mess in here, thanks to a certain pair of demons," he glared at Pearl meaningfully, but without any real malice.

"I can clean up for you!" Pearl said. "I remember where everything came from. Will that make you happy?"

"I wouldn't go so far as happy..." Jason said.

"Oh, I don't know," Pearl said with a grin. "Why don't you just lay down on your bed and let pretty Pearl do all the work."

Jason sat down on the bed. "Last time you said that, I ended up regretting it."

"Yeah," Pearl said, "things got a little messy. But you'll see." She bent down to give Jason am uncharacteristically innocent kiss on his forehead. "I can be a good girl. You just watch."

With that, Pearl set about to cleaning up his room. She picked up his clothes, putting them into heaps on the bed next to him. She gathered hangars, and took great care in hanging up his shirts and pants. She was efficient, but no means quick.

And Jason did watch. Pearl was definitely putting on a show for his benefit. She moved about the room with a deliberate ease. Each time she bent over to retrieve something from the floor she made sure Jason got a good view of her rear, from different angles, emphasizing the tightness of her jeans as the denim hugged her plump curves. It seemed to Jason that any one of those motions was liable to split a seam, and he found himself both dreading and hoping for it happen.

But Jason's eyes were also drawn to the swaying and bouncing of Pearl's amazing breasts as she worked. The t-shirt in no way hid neither their tremendous size nor enticing shape. His heart raced each time he caught a glimpse of her nipples, subtle bumps protruding from the dark cotton fabric. Similarly, his penis hammered against his pelvis when Pearl bent down just the right way, exposing the bare undersides of her boobs, giving him a breathtaking glimpse of what he and his cock hungered for.