Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 75: Decibel Meter

"Any ideas what we can do with a decibel meter?" Monica asks wandering into the office from towards props mid-morning the next day, between sketch shoots, raising her voice to direct the question to the office at large.

"Uh... is that a trick question?" Shayne is the first to speak up.

"Measure sound?" Ian offers, poking his head out of his own office. Monica rolls her eyes.

"Obviously, yes. I mean videos," she redirects pointedly, Ian shrugging and returning to his own office as the others consider the question.

"I guess the obvious one is seeing how loud we can be?" Damien suggests.

"Could make it the rest of us trying to measure up to Shayne's screaming?" Courtney fills out the idea a little more, Monica nodding in response.

"Yeah, yeah, that works. You two wanna take the lead on fleshing out that idea for a full pitch early next week, Damien and Courtney?" she requests, both nodding in acceptance.

"We could also go totally the other way and do a quiet as possible challenge – like that stupid silent library show that gets dragged up for reruns all the time? Do some weird shit and see who can stay quietest?" Shayne adds his own idea, one of their other writers jumping on planning for that one.

Both ideas are fleshed out and pitched at a meeting the next Monday, and Monica explains where her question had come from: props had mentioned they found a company they could loan things like that through, and they were able to get it for about a day. They settle for that Friday, scheduling the two videos for filming back-to-back, deciding to go for the loud one first.

"So I have been told that I am loud..." Shayne starts the intro of the video, running through an explanation of what they're going to be doing, how the decibel meter works (with Courtney's help holding it up to the camera in demonstration), and their usual subscription plug; all the while with Noah, Damien, Olivia and Courtney dancing in the background behind him.

The crew had acquired quite the range of instruments and props for this one, and they start with the more musical options, quickly reaching a volume high with Noah on a vuvuzela. Courtney attempts a burp, although she knows beforehand that it won't be the loudest – there's only so loud a largely uncontrolled bodily response can be forced.

Noah is the first to start using his own body as a battering ram to produce noise, volunteering to be hit with a riding crop. It gives Courtney an idea, as she glances over at their collection of props to see a plunger.

"Can I plunge you?" She requests, earning a laugh for her phrasing and Noah's consent. She figures how it'll end before she even tries, but she goes ahead with it anyway, pushing the plunger against Noah's bare stomach but getting no real suction or noise.

"Can I try on you next baby?" she looks over to Shayne, figuring he has the most to work with. And he's usually okay with showing his abs.

"I- yeah okay," he confirms, with a put-on hesitance.

"I need more meat," she emphasises, everyone laughing and Shayne looking taken aback at her classification. He doesn't debate, though, moving into position behind their sound-making-space line. She glances at him for a moment as he lifts up his own shirt, seeing his silent consent to just go for it. She does just that, pushing the plunger against his stomach with force before pulling back to let it release. It's louder, although nothing on the vuvuzela, but it drives Damien to step forward with a foam sword requesting to also use Shayne's stomach.

"Would anyone be okay with me hitting their back?" Courtney requests after a few failed attempts with other props, holding up a pool noodle. There is a pause where no one volunteers, but she isn't surprised as to who breaks the miniscule silence.