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 Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:14 pm
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"Ha, what a long day..." Mei-Xing sighed as she pushed open the bar's door, eyes closed. She ran a hand through her hair as she picked a table and sat down, letting her bag hit the floor and leaning back. Today had been a deadline day, and it had been so full of stress and anxiety and yelling that her head was pounding, and her eyes were sore. He ground the heels of her palms into her eye sockets as she sat there, groaning quietly to herself. When a waitress came to her table, she ordered a lite beer, and promptly lounged back in the chair again.
She'd decided to stop and get a drink after work, but had turned down an offer to drink with her coworkers. They had a tendency to get very loud, and she already had a bit of a headache, so it wouldn't have helped at all. A quiet drink, however, sounded very nice. Her office was in the middle of the Minato district, and this bar was not too far away, so it was very convenient, considering she lived just a little over the border into the Shinjuku district. It was a bit of a commute, but she could live with it if it meant working at a high-profile publishing office.
When the waitress brought her drink, she sipped at it gently, not wanting to get simply plastered; that would only add to her headache. But she did not drive to work, and had walked here, which meant that she wouldn't run into the problem of driving while tipsy. It was so much easier to take the train, anyway. Her hazel gaze shifted across the bar toward the stage, where a band was warming up. It had been a while since she'd seen a live performance, and for free no less, so she decided to stick around and check it out. It wasn't like she had anything important to get done at home, anyway.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:46 pm
Gregory took the stage with his band mates. He waited with nervous anticipation as the rest of the band warmed up, making sure their instruments were tuned properly. Once they were ready, the spotlight turned onto them. The familiar churning in his stomach made him feel sick. As usual, the sense of running from the crowd tried to seize him. But as the first cords of the song started to play, Gregory relaxed, closing his eyes as he waited for the right beat to come. His mouth parted then a strong, soulful voice melded with the melody of the song that filled the bar.
When the set ended, Gregory left the stage with his band. His throat felt sore and parched after singing for that long. There was applause from the crowd gathered in the bar after they finished their final song, but Gregory was still in that thrilling, blissful period after having performed on stage that he hardly noticed the noise that the crowd made. "I'm going to get a drink," he told his friends then started making his way across the bar to order a drink to quench his parched throat.
His friends would take care of dealing with getting the money for playing the gig tonight. He always left that part up to the rest of them, since he wasn't very good at talking to the club or bar owners. Actually, he wasn't really all that good at talking with most people. His tall height had always made him a victim of teasing. Despite the height advantage, Gregory had always been rather thin and wiry and not very strong in comparison to the bullies at the schools he attended. He was glad those days seemed mostly behind him. He hadn't suffered the same teasing since he entered college and joined the band.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:05 pm
Mei-Xing had never heard of this band before, but they seemed good enough to her. She certainly wasn't an expert on music or anything, but she knew what she liked and what she didn't. At first, the singer seemed very apprehensive about being there, as if he expected someone to throw something at him at any moment. This made the woman frown, wondering why someone like that would be in a band in the first place. He looked very much like a kitten in a new place; completely unsure of himself. But when the music began to play, Mei-Xing watched his whole demeanor change. He became very lively and fluid, singing and dancing without any visible hesitation whatsoever. This change fascinated her, to be honest; she'd always had an interest in these sorts of things. His voice was soulful and deep, completely different from what she had expected and it caused her thin brows to lift slightly as she watched them play.
Soon enough, the performance was over, and the band split up, in a way. Well, the singer went off by himself, and the rest stayed to talk to someone who was no doubt the bar manager. She watched him curiously, seeing that his behavior had slipped back into the shy, quiet persona that had been shown before the music had begun to play. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she had an annoying urge to go and talk to him. But no, she couldn't just walk up to him like that; that would look really strange. He would probably just give her a strange look, or worse, run away from her. Was she really that scary? Her stomach churned as she indulged this thought path, but she shook herself gently and took another sip of her beer; she couldn't think like that, or she'd wig herself out.
She got to her feet and, against her better judgment, approached the bar near where the boy was standing. Up close, she could see how young he was; no doubt younger than herself. His hair was styled very strangely, but it sort of made the corners of her mouth twist, as she's always been a fan of strange things. It took her a few moments of inner struggle before she spoke up, setting her glass down and propping herself on a stool. "Your band is really good, you know. I'm surprised I haven't seen you before," she said. It was partially a lie. They really were very good, but she wasn't surprised that she hadn't seen them earlier. She rarely had time to frequent bars and restaurants, so when would she have ever had the opportunity to see them play? Probably never. She began to second-guess her words, but could not take them back, and so she merely watched her own finger rim the edge of her glass, making a soft hum. Hopefully she wouldn't scare him off.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:49 pm
When he arrived at the bar, Gregory ordered a simple water from the bartender. He wasn't much of a drinker, and he doubted alcohol would do anything to help his nerves. The bartender poured a glass of water and set it down on the bar in front of him before moving on to tend to the request of his next customer. Gregory took a quick sip then set the glass down on the bar again. The cool liquid felt good going down his throat after having sung for a whole set.
Someone spoke to him. He only realized that he was being addressed because the woman mentioned the band. Gregory turned to face the speaker. But his nerves and awkwardness got the better of him. As he turned, his hand caught his glass, spilling the contents over the bar top. "A-Ah! S-Sorry!" he stuttered out in a strained voice as he searched for some napkins to mop up the water. He could feel the heat of embarrassment rising to his cheeks.
With a nervous swallow, Gregory glanced over at the woman. She looked older than him, a far more mature look around her compared to his punkish style. "S-Sorry about that," he mumbled again to her. This was exactly why he tended to stand in the corner and let his friends be the life of the party. He figured it was better for him to appear the cool, silent type rather than show off how clumsy he really was. "We only just started playing here once and a while." It didn't surprise him that she hadn't known about their band. They weren't very well known yet, only playing a couple of gigs.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:45 am
Mei-Xing noticed the way he seemed to shrink a bit when he noticed her presence, and the corners of her mouth twitched. He was cute, in that "younger boy" sort of way, compared to the men at her office. But they weren't very friendly most of the time, and at least this boy had responded. Even if..it meant spilling his drink all over the counter. Ah, well, at least it was only water (it could have very well been vodka, but it didn't smell like it). This elicited a small chuckle from the woman as she, too, reached out for some napkins. "No, it's alright. I probably startled you; I'm sorry." She could feel the coolness of the water as the napkins soaked it up, and her hazel eyes turned back to the boy as he spoke again. She felt bad for startling him; she hadn't meant to. This was why she usually refrained from speaking to others in a public setting, especially those she didn't know.
"Well, I hope to see more of your performances soon. It was a nice break from the typical stuff you hear nowadays." After a few short moments, she realized that she'd been terribly rude; she hadn't introduced herself! Clearing her throat softly and flushing at her stupidity, she held out a hand. "Mei-Xing Hong. And you are...?" He didn't look Asian, so she decided to give her name in the western order, instead of how it was done here, just to save a bit of trouble. She glanced across the bar as a shrill giggle erupted from a darker corner, where a small group was gathering. She couldn't tell who it was, but the sound had been tinged with a bit of drunkenness, which made her smile wryly. She looked back at the male, smiling warmly in an attempt to get him to relax. Was she really that scary?
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:54 pm
Why was he always like this? The question circled in his mind like a broken record as he mopped up the water on the bar counter. For as long as he could remember, he had always been awkward around people. "Ah, no, it's okay," he said, even more embarrassed at her apology. It only served to remind him of how many times that he had been startled over the years by someone simply saying hello to him. He frowned at the glossy surface of the bar. He had tried to get over his awkwardness around people, but he always seemed to make a mess of it. His clumsiness always came out in one form or another, like just now when he knocked over his glass of water.
His mouth stretched into a smile, and there was a warmth of appreciation in his eyes. "I'm glad you liked our music," he said, happiness swelling inside him. It always made him happy to know that people enjoyed their music. The band wasn't very well known or popular, and he wasn't sure they even had much of a fan base. So whenever he heard that someone say that they liked their music or wanted to hear them play again, it made him feel better about his abilities on stage. Of course, that didn't erase the initial nerves that tried to seize him every time right being their performances started.
A shrill giggle cut through the usual din in the bar. Gregory tore his gaze toward the small group gathered in the dark corner. The giggle immediately made his insides tense and twist, and his stomach lurched like he might lose his lunch. Was that giggle at him? Had they seen him spill his drink? The heat of embarrassment licked at his sides, and he fought hard to turn his attention back to the woman beside him at the bar. The giggle seemed to echo, rattling in his mind as he tried to recall what the woman had last said. Right. She had asked for his name. "I'm Greg- Er, Luka," he said, stumbling over the words that sounded tense and strained. He still had to remind himself that he was supposed to say his name was Luka while out with the band.
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