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Tweak says, "Allons-y, Alonzo!"

Katie Aubrey Bell (quillschaser) wrote in quaffle_rpg,
@ 2009-09-01 04:58:00

RP: Pub Night
Characters: Katie Bell and ~~open~~ Kenneth Towler
Date: 01 September 2004
Location: The Leaky Cauldron
Status/Warning: Private/Drinking
Summary: Katie grabs a glass after a long day of reporting the news.
Completion: Complete

"Fill 'er up, Tom," Katie told the old barkeep with a smile, tossing some money on the counter before hopping up onto a seat. She slung her bag over the chair, which contained tomorrow's news story, already done. Katie had perfected the art of writing to a science. Less time trying to make deadlines left more time for the pub and other things. Like all of those gorgeous men she was allowed to be around all day.

Quidditch, you had to love it. And Katie did. She'd been good enough to go pro, but it hadn't been where her heart lay. Though, she did miss flying.

She smiled. It wouldn't be hard to convince one of those boys (or a girl) to take her out on a broom one of these days.

Taking a drink of her Scotch, Katie scanned the pub for any friends, anything she could potentially write about in The Prophet, and anyone attractive enough to take home.

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quillschaser
2009-09-02 07:03 am UTC (link)

"I could do a piece on you," Katie offered. She wouldn't mind helping out a friend and she was a damn good journalist.

Katie chuckled. "Oh, Kenneth. I don't think you could handle me in a shower. I'm fiesta," she told him, smiling. Feisty was not the real word for it; intense was more like it. She had been told that she could change a man with just one night.

She couldn't help it, she was gifted.

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one_song
2009-09-02 07:12 am UTC (link)

"You write about quidditch blokes, Bell. I'm not one of them anymore." The string of bad luck Kenneth had faced lately was horrid. First football and then quidditch and now he couldn't get his music off the ground. He wasn't about to take a pity article from Katie, but she was sweet to offer it. He just wanted to try and make it good and make it on his own terms. He'd done it with football and quidditch so why couldn't he do it with his music? He was damned good.

Smirking, Ken settled his guitar back against the bar and out of everyone's way. "Feisty or not, you ain't got nothing I haven't been up against, Katie." He downed a bit more out of his pint and leaned it on top of his knee for a minute.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-04 06:20 am UTC (link)
	"Yes. But you were. I think fans would like to know where you are now," she told him with a cute smile. Shaking her head and took a drink. "I don't know, Ken," she told him. She wasn't sure she wanted to push it too much. He was her friend and he needed more than a one night stand. Some nice girl would be lucky to have him, but Katie wasn't a nice girl. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-04 06:31 am UTC (link)

Kenny actually laughed. "No one wants to know where I am now. I don't even want to know where I am now." His flat wasn't suitable for cockroaches to live in, let alone human beings. He didn't want his fans knowing anything about his life now. He was struggling to survive just the way he was struggling for his music career to take off. But he wasn't going to let Katie know that.

"I promise, Bell. By now I've seen it all." He grinned, nudging her a little. "Besides, I think I can guess what kind of bird you are. We didn't spend years in the same house for me to just ignore you, ya know. I have my suspicions." He gave a wink and then downed the rest of his pint.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-05 08:52 am UTC (link)
	Katie shrugged. Fine. If he didn't want to... Laughing, she finished her pint. "I don't know if I should take that as an insult or not." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-05 10:06 am UTC (link)

"Oh, when have I ever insulted you, Kitten?" Kenny smirked, squeezing her hand gently. He was a joker, sure. He liked to tease. But he was never rude about it. Every joke he made as good natured and fun. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Besides, Katie, how could I ever insult you? You're an angel, yeah?" Maybe not in the traditional sense. Not purity and goodness. But she was certainly sweet enough. He could never hurt her feelings like that.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-07 08:51 am UTC (link)
	She gave him a smile and shrugged. "An angel? Me? You're so sweet," she said, kissing his cheek. "Now, are you going to play me a song or not? I do enjoy hearing you play." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-08 02:09 am UTC (link)

Kenneth gave a little laugh and flushed when she kissed his cheek. He really wasn't that smooth when it came to the ladies. Sure, he had his natural charm and he looked good naked. But that didn't help him much when it came to interacting with women. "You want me to play something right in the middle of the Leaky?" He normally wouldn't. He played in his own flat and at gigs. But he could, under the right circumstances, be persuaded to play elsewhere.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-10 11:34 am UTC (link)
	Katie grinned. "Of course I do. How can you become famous if you don't play in public?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-10 06:40 pm UTC (link)

Ken snorted a little. "I play in public, Katie. I just don't usually play in the Leaky. Tom sort of frowns on it." Not that he wouldn't. If Katie really wanted him to he would. Tom wouldn't mind once or twice, right? Especially on request of a pretty lady. He was a gentleman. And Ken could play quiet enough not to be too much of a disturbance to everyone else. Although he really did prefer just to play at home or at predetermined clubs during a set or something.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-11 09:10 am UTC (link)
	"Tom won't mind, will you Tom?" She asked, glancing over and giving him a wink. No man could resist her charm. "Now, play. Go." She waved at his guitar, smiling. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-12 12:40 am UTC (link)

Rolling his eyes a little, Kenny laughed. She was pretty damned eager. It was kind of amusing. And kind of flattering, too. And how could he tell someone like that no? "Alright, no need to get pushy, Kitten." Ken winked, pulling his guitar up and slipping the strap over his neck. "What do you want to hear? Ballad, something heavy, something fun and silly? You've got to give me some direction so I can properly please you, Katie." Ken winked. Yes, he was well aware what he'd just said.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-12 08:49 am UTC (link)
	Katie chuckled. "Well, we're being forward today, aren't we. How about...a ballad. Everyone loves those." And perhaps one of the birds here would hear his song and take him home. He really needed to milk this rockstar thing. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

((ooc disclaimer: lyrics tristan pettyman & jason mraz))

one_song
2009-09-13 12:46 am UTC (link)

After sharing a dorm with her for a handful of years, Ken had learned that forward was the only proper way to be around Katie. She tended respond better that way. So sometimes he said things he probably shouldn't or at least should have reworded. But it worked and that was what mattered in situations like these. He wasn't exactly articulate when he was speaking, so it was important to get his point across someway.

Musically, however, he was acutely articulate. He could say anything as long as he had a little while to get some lyrics and a melody down. It was all a matter of choosing the appropriate song. Ken slipped the pick from the strings of the neck. He resituated himself, propping his left foot up on the highest rung. After picking out a few chords to check for tuning (Angel was always tuned, but that was probably because he checked her every time he picked her up, which was often) he started to strum a bit until he found the right song.

"You know you're stunning / You're absolutely stunning / And I'm running, I'm always running / And now I'm crying / It's only 'cause I'm caring / And if you were more daring / Maybe you'd stop staring / And come over and talk to me / Tell me 'bout how you've been waiting so patiently / And how you tried, but I just turned away / And I'll say yeah well you know, / I'm shy that way / Shy that way / Maybe I'm shy that way"

He paused to catch eyes with Katie for a moment. And then took a quick glance around the bar. No one seemed to mind so he let himself play and sing a bit louder, almost normal volume.

"Ohh you know you're stunning / You're absolutely stunning / But you're always runnin' / But I'll catch up to you / The way you keep your distance is / Keeping my interest / So I'll keep it consistent / Ohh maybe someday / Someway, somehow in some town / We'll get together and / We'll break it down / And I'll ask why you've been / So shy, gotta be that way / Maybe baby, oh love, I like it that way / Shy that way / You know I love you so shy, / Shy that way"

Okay, so when Kenny played, he let himself open up more than he normally would. He did his best to keep up a wall. But he became vulnerable when he lost himself in the song. And he continued, full voice, unaware whether anyone else was paying attention now.

"There's always too much talking / And I wanna just keep walking / But I keep staring baby / Keep staring / Though I may not know the right things to say / I'll get it out to you one day / I'm shy that way / Do you like it? / When I'm shy this way? / I like it / I like it shy / You know it's alright, it's ok / 'Cause we're / Shy that way"

The song finished abruptly. More because Ken realized it was coming to an end and stopped. On a stage he was comfortable. In his living room, sure. He felt a bit too exposed here. Like everyone else was interfering with a private moment between them.

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quillschaser
2009-09-13 08:20 am UTC (link)

Katie smiled. He was truly talented. She wished that he was not so insecure about everything. His song was lovely and by all rights would win the hearts of many, but hers lay elsewhere. Three elsewhere. She didn't need a fourth...no, she had a forth, little Colin. Merlin, she was surrounded by men.

"That was beautiful," Katie told him, leaning over and giving him a small, friendly kiss. "When the album is released, I want ten copies, do you understand?"

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one_song
2009-09-13 11:10 pm UTC (link)

Kenneth shrugged. He wasn't that good. Katie had to think so; it was part of the friend thing. She was supposed to tell him it was great, even if it wasn't. Although that was one of his better songs. Ken just didn't think he was good enough for it to make a difference. He didn't have the opportunity to make anything of himself or his music.

"To get an album I need a label and no one wants to sign me." It was nice of her to say that. No one needed ten copies of any album, though. And Ken didn't expect to have an album for a long time, if ever.

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	quillschaser 2009-09-14 08:39 am UTC (link)
	"Then start one. The only way to do anything in this life is to want it and to make it happen, my dear." Once he wanted it enough, he would have it. "Obstacles are those things that you see when you take your focus off the real objective." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_song
2009-09-14 08:41 am UTC (link)

"Easy for you to say. You're making decent cash doing what you're good at." The thing Ken was good at was taken away from him. Twice. And now he had barely enough cash to eat most weeks. Real life was that annoying thing that interrupted his music, sure. But the important part of that sentence was "real". That was the thing he couldn't really avoid. "Besides, it's not so bad. I'm doing my own thing. Gotta be grateful for that I've got, now don't I?"

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	quillschaser 2009-09-16 05:27 am UTC (link)
	She ruffled his hair. "Yes, but if you ever need anything, you know who to ask, right?" She knew he didn't like asking for help, but if he ever needed it, she'd give it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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