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Tweak says, "what are you? Mr. Teflon?"

Serafina Gallo (echoesinflames) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2009-10-19 15:13:00

Entry tags:

2009-06-18

I'm screaming "I love you so" / My thoughts you can't decode
Who: Fina and Rigby
What: Open Mic Night
When: Evening

With Roxy's blessing on her new song, Fina saw no reason not to head out to a bar for open mic night. It was her favorite bar, small, like the one she loved so much in Los Angeles. Having called ahead, she was alright on the list, grateful that her brother's friend was the bartender. It was always nice to have an in when it came to these sorts of things. So she walked in, calm, confident and carrying Remy. She was happy, feeling better than she had that afternoon. It wasn't that missing Rigby was such a terrible thing. It just hurt sometimes. Ciro helped a lot. It was good to have the bird around.

She made her way over to the bar and waved to her brother's friend and set her guitar case against the wall next to her stool. He brought over a water for her and she smiled as he waved off being paid. She left a couple of dollars in the tip jar anyways, knowing how hard it was to make a living as a bartender. Turning on her stool, she opened her water bottle as they announced the next singer on stage.

"Give a warm welcome to Rigby."

She nearly did a spit take as he took to the stage and started to play. "Oh. My. God." There was no way he was in her hometown. No possible way. A million emotions ran though her head. Fear. Amazement. Love. Confusion. Hurt. But it all boiled down to being completely in shock at the man on stage. This was not even possible. Immediately, she pulled out her cell and sent a quick message to Adi and Roxy before turning her eyes back to the man with the guitar on stage.

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troubador
2009-10-20 05:06 am UTC (link)

At that moment in time, Rigby was already playing, so he didn't notice Serafina walk in. It was just him and his guitar, on stage, doing what he loved the most. Though it was a Thursday night, the bar wasn't that crowded, which was something Rigby liked. When he got off stage, it would make it easier to handle getting out of here if there were less people to deal with.

It was stroke of luck that he found this place to begin with, having arrived in Scarlet Oak just that morning. The gas money had run out and it was time to look into finding something new to do for a while, it seemed. First things first, he had to see if he could find a place to play, and what did you know? Tonight was open mic night.

He started with Howie Day's "Sorry So Sorry," a song that had been on his mind for a while now and he wasn't quite sure why. His eyes scanned over the crowd, noticing a woman with bright red hair by the bar. It reminded him of Fina and he smiled, wondering again where she was now.

Maybe he'd never know. Rigby was a long ways from LA, after all. All he could do was wish her the best and hope it all worked out.

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echoesinflames
2009-10-20 05:12 am UTC (link)

Her fingers texted without really tearing her eyes from him. The sound of his voice soothed the ache that was in her heart from missing him and the words got to her. But inside, she was still freaking out. Fina had thought she would never see him again, that he was gone, but there he was, on stage with his guitar and looking like the day she'd first met him. God, she'd missed him.

When he looked out over the crowd, she was sure he'd seen her. But he wouldn't be looking for her, not here. Last he knew, she was thinking about moving home. Not that she'd done it. She hoped he would hear her once he stopped playing his song and she thought of him, of that night in the rain, how tender he'd been. That was the man she missed.

The song ended and she cleared her throat and closed her phone, slipping it into her pocket. She thought one thing, hard, hoping he could pick it out among the crowd. 'Rigby, I'm at the bar.' Would he have heard her? Fina waited, holding her breath for him to look at her again

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troubador
2009-10-20 03:51 pm UTC (link)

As long as he was playing, it was easier to handle the world around him. For those few minutes while the song was on, all he could hear was the music, feel the strings under his fingers, ignoring everything else he had going on. Rigby lived for this moment, this peace, something so many people took for granted.

The last note echoed over the bar and a few people clapped. He smiled, giving a slight bow as he headed for the exit. The thoughts started to trickle back in and one caught him completely off guard: Rigby, I'm at the bar.

He knew that one. Serafina.

No fucking way.

Rigby's head snapped up as he glanced over the bar again, looking for that woman with bright red hair. It had to be Fina; if he hadn't been playing, he would have heard her the moment she walked in. What the hell was she doing here? Last he knew she was still in LA. Though they'd parted on good terms, who knew if she actually wanted to see him?

Either way, she knew he was here and he wasn't about to run out the door on her. Putting his guitar back in its case, he ran a hand over his hair and headed over to the bar, trying to focus on her voice in his head, as if she could tell him what she was feeling in that moment, what he should do.

"Serafina," he murmured; he rarely called her by her full name, but the occasion called for it. "Hey." His first reaction was to give her a hug, which he did - a loose one, one where she could push him away if she wanted ot.

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echoesinflames
2009-10-20 04:04 pm UTC (link)

He saw her. Dear God, he saw her. Fina felt her heart going a mile a minute and the bar beneath her hand getting hot so she moved it before something bad happened. He was coming over and she ran a hand self consciously though her hair, hoping to smooth it down a little. With all the emotions running through him, joy was the one that surfaces as he murmured her name.

Fina wrapped her arms tight around him and buried her face in the fabric of his shirt, taking a deep breath. "I've missed you so much," she whispered, knowing he could tell how much from her thoughts. She could barely believe he was there and he was holding her and she just let all the bad stuff fade away. For now. She wanted to focus on how good it was hear his voice, to be in his arms again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, pulling away to look up at him. She wanted to stay in his arms, sure, but she was still a little conflicted. How long was he in town for? Where was he staying? Did he miss her as much as she missed him? All those thoughts ran through her mind and then she remembered how he knew each of them and she blushed a little. "Sorry," she said softly. "I'm just... You're here. In my hometown. It's a little... wow."

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troubador
2009-10-21 04:49 pm UTC (link)

She was clinging to him and Rigby let her, smoothing a hand over her hair. "I missed you too, darlin'," he said, the words whispered in her ear. It wasn't for the rest of the bar to hear, just her. Yes, he missed her as much as she missed him. As much as he could miss anyone - it wasn't a familiar feeling, for him.

Even now, her voice echoed in his head, warm and familiar and just like they'd never been a part. The last month and a half had been rough for him, a lot of driving, unable to stay in one place for very long in the wake of the Light of May. Things seemed to have settled a bit now, which was a good thing. Fina had every right to doubt Rigby's intentions, he was a nomad, this was what he did, after all. So, when she asked the one question outloud, he thought it better to answer all of them. Well, most of them. She wouldn't be happy to know he planned on spending the night in his truck.

"Didn't know it was your hometown," he said, letting her go. Over her shoulder, he flagged the bartender down for a beer. Who knew, he might need one. "And I just got here, today. Gas money ran out. Time to figure out I'm going to do for the next few weeks or so." He shrugged, he would figure that stuff out in time. "I've been travelling north since... May? Just ended up here."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry. Would've given you warnin', if I knew you were here. I thought you'd still be in LA. Almost came to see you, couple times." The only thing that stopped him was Fina's reaction, if she even wanted him back.

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echoesinflames
2009-10-21 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Just the way he said darlin' was enough to make her feel at ease. There was still a part of her that was mad at him for leaving, a small, mostly irrational part, but it was still there. Fina wasn't sure it she wanted it there or not, but there it was and she knew he was aware of it. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she would have had some kind of resentment or anger.

She wasn't in his arms, but she was still close to him. She didn't want to be away from him. They had been apart too long in her opinion. But she still understood that he would eventually leave again. Fina tried to focus on the way that he was here. And for a few weeks it seemed. It did make her smile. She moved over a little and left him some room at the bar. May. Oh, God, what had that been like for him? "That couldn't have been easy for you," she said softly, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Been here since about then. LA isn't kind to those who lose their jobs," she said honestly. "So I came home. Got a place of my own for the first time ever. And a bird, but I'll explain that later." She was just so happy that he was there, in that moment.

"Next up, Fina!"

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troubador
2009-10-22 05:32 am UTC (link)

She had every right to be mad at him. Rigby had expected that, but she hadn't slapped him and she hadn't told him to go to hell, so at least there was that. Minor victories, and he knew she had other questions to ask him, but they would get to that later.

"I'll be honest. May pretty much sucked." He nodded his thanks to the bartender, taking a sip of his beer. The migraine he got everyone's reaction to the news lasted for four days. Four very long and miserable days. Eventually he found himself on the side of a field somewhere in Oklahoma, finally alone, and slept until the pain subsided and he could stand to be around people again.

"Lost your job?" His forehead wrinkled, remembering. She'd mentioned possibly going back to Michigan, just didn't say what town. The last month and a half had been a bit of a blur for him, picking smaller places to stop than normal, keeping his distance more than usual. "I'm sorry, Fina. But at least you've got your own place now, and yeah, tell me about the bird after." Not something he picked up all the time, but over the last few days, people had been thinking about animals a lot. Maybe, if he had the money after paying his tab tonight, he'd pick up a newspaper and see what exactly was going on.

He knew Fina didn't want to let him go, but she was up next. "I ain't leaving while you play," he reminded her softly, laying a hand over hers, on his arm. "You know I like to hear you sing. Could never forget that."

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echoesinflames
2009-10-23 02:53 am UTC (link)

She rubbed her thumb against his arm, watching him. Part of her wished she could have been there for him, but that probably would have made it worse. Fina shook her head and looked up at him, wishing he hadn't had to deal with that. But she knew that wouldn't change anything.

Shrugging, she looked at her feet for a moment. "It's nice to finally have someplace quiet, someplace that's all me, though my brother often likes to crash on my couch for no apparent reason other than to make sure I'm going going to be killed in the middle of the night." Fina smiled and looked up at the stage. "I'll be back." Smiling, she took her guitar and walked up to the stage, a few people applauding, recognizing her as a regular.

Pulling over a stool, she sat and propped her guitar on her knee. "This is a song called 'Decode'," she said, strumming a moment before beginning, finding it easier to sing a song about a man who was in the room with her eyes closed. "I'm screaming I love you so and my thoughts you can't decode." To her, it seemed to come out better because he was there, because she knew the tone of the song more than all the words, with the exception of those lines, would show him how she felt, how she missed him. He was the one person in the world to have broken through her exterior to get to the woman underneath.

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troubador
2009-10-23 05:23 am UTC (link)

While he would have liked the company, the only thing that killed the migraine was being completely and utterly alone. And that meant driving until he couldn't see a building in sight, not a soul, no one but him. At that point in time, he drove without looking where he was going, just trying to get out.

Rigby nodded. He'd never had a place of his own, but he figured the privacy could be nice. He had the truck, and sometimes a motel room, that was enough for him. "He's tryin' to take care of you, can't blame him for that." The crowd knew her and a touch of a smile graced his lips. Good for her - she was the kind of artist who should be recognized. "And I'll be here."

The song - he didn't need to hear her mind to know it was about him. In that moment he could see his leaving did a lot more damage than he thought and Rigby kicked himself now. He couldn't help it, this was the life he lived, but the last thing he'd ever want to do was hurt her. Fina was the only person he missed in the last few years. The only one he couldn't walk away from. Not completely.

Rigby leaned back against the bar and slugged back his beer. This wasn't what he was expecting to walk into, arriving in this seemingly sleepy little town this morning. And he'd be damned if he let Fina hurt anymore on his account. Not if he could help it.