2356/A small gig at a small cafe

A small gig at a small cafe
Date of Scene:	05 July 2020
Location:	The Coffee Bean
Synopsis:	Siobhan, Ella, and Caitlin have a short chat and music is played.
Cast of Characters:	Siobhan Smythe, Ella Normandy, Caitlin Fairchild

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Siobhan Smythe has posed:
It wasn't normal for the Coffee Bean to have a singer but they thought they'd try something new to try to get people in on an off night like Sunday Night. Usually not a big crowd time, they figured they might offer something special for their guests that do show. So, now sitting in a spot where a table usually is, Siobhan has set up a small amp with her guitar and is currently playing out a few popular songs for people. Even now she's playing Zombie by the Cranberries, enjoying it clearly as she bobs her head with the music and plays her guitar. She's really quite the singer, making people seem to really want to enjoy it with her as she gets into the music. Siobhan just likes singing for people so it really doesn't matter that she has only a half-full cafe but the owner seems pleased so that is what matters.

Ella Normandy has posed:
    It's funny, the things you forget to think about when you're pretending to be human. The solitude, for instance. In the real world, what woman shows up for a date made on a social media app (never mind which one but let's just say it wasn't Christian Mingle Dot Com) alone? Yet Vampirella does just that, with no backup to protect her should things go wrong. She is, at least, appropriately costumed; she's reshaped her outfit into a red crop top with comically high, flared, white collar intact. She's tossed a black leather jacket over it and black jeans under it, strapped on about a dozen decorative pins, eight or ten bracelets, and a studded belt, in case her hair, boots, "lipstick," and "nail polish" would send the wrong impression to her date, and shows up early to scope the place out. Her green eyes widen just barely with surprise when she notes Siobhan singing on the stage.

    Vampirella smiles a little to herself as she hangs back, arms folded over her chest but careful to leave her belly on display. She's burning a noticeable amount of blood to give herself that sixpack tonight, and she's not going to let it go to waste by hiding it. Her eyes keep straying to Siobhan's head, and she amuses herself imagining the singer wearing the cute top hat she'd been wearing that night at the Hellfire Club.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin joins the polite applause when Siobhan's first number ends; the small house is grateful for the live music. Most of the population looks like regular yuppies, young business folks, a few people in that middling area between young enough for college but too old for the party life. The sort of people with real lives that make casual socialization preferable to parties.

"Can you play some Bob Dylan?" Caitlin looks like she's at best at the upper register of the college age, though her skin's fair enough that she could be a junior or senior. The redhead leans way over and drops a folded five-dollar bill into Siobhan's tip jar, and sits back. She's certainly not dressed to impress, not like Ella; calf-length yoga pants in a blotchy shade of blue-green, and navy-blue hoodie that's been so heavily washed that the color's gone more grey and a little 'Justice League' emblem on the chest has peeled away in spots and bits.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
As the music wraps up, she smiles at the people clapping and then she hears Caitlin request something and she laughs, "If ya don't mind it sung with a bit o' Irish twist." She states and then she looks over toward Ella and smiles at her. She raises a hand and waves it, blinking slightly at the sight of what Ella is wearing. She hmms. She seems different but she also kinda isn't sure. She just shrugs and then smiles at Cait before she reaches down to adjust something on a small box. She then plays a few chords and nods.

The music starts up as a simple strumming of the guitar before she idly leans forward and says, "Sorry about the lack of Harmonica." She winks and then pulls back and continues the strumming.

"Come gather 'round people
Whereever you roam
And admit dat de waters
Around you have grown
And accept it dat soon
You'll be drenched to de bone"

She continues to play while singing and she wasn't lying. While she hits the same tone, her own voice carries that Irish tone and cadence flows into the music. Strangely, it doesn't take much from the song, if anything it adds to it given the tone of the song.

Ella Normandy has posed:
    Vampirella spares Caitlin a glance and a sniff, not of haughtiness but just to check her scent. She's been around long enough to know a 6'4" woman who has that kind of build is probably not human, and to know that if it's not human then she should probably have its scent just in case. At least from across the room, Vampirella isn't noticing any of the usual signs of monstrosity, so Caitlin's probably some kind of superhuman and therefore not her problem to deal with, which is fine with her.

    She lifts a hand to wave back to Siobhan and gives her an encouraging smile. The song is even older than Vampirella is, marked by a kind of listless melancholy that Vampirella immediately notes as alien to her experience. She studies it carefully, doing her best to keep the cold analysis off her face and mostly succeeding. It really only comes through in her slightly narrowed eyes.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin listens appreciatively to the song, one foot tapping on the ground. The redhead's not possessed of some greater superawareness, but she does catch sight of Ella giving her a look of cool analysis. It takes Caitlin a blinking second to realize Ella's not looking past her, but /at/ her, and her ears pink a little in nervous surprise. She ventures a smile and a wave; but then, Ella's looking at Siobhan, and waving at the musician. Cait pushes a few stray red hairs behind her ear and bends over a tablet computer, using a stylus to mark on it. It's going a little frizzy; likely due to the muggy New York heat of midsummer.

"That was good," Caitlin tells Siobhan at the end. "I don't mind the Irish accent. My family's Irish. Way back," she amends. "It sounds ... good, that way. Guess all folk music sounds good with an accent," she ventures, and emits an abortive, self-conscious little laugh.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Thank you." Siobhan states to Caitlin and she idly puts her guitar down and states, "Going to take a little break folks. I'll be back up a little later on." She then stands up and walks over to the counter to get the drink she had ordered earlier and then walks back to Caitlin's table and gives it a tap, "Thanks again. I do appreciate it." She then walks over and waves, "I didn't expect ta see you here." She nods her head as she tilts her head, "And uh...I suppose you dress this way for every occasion den?" She asks and gestures to Ella with a grin, "I figured it was just for the party."

Ella Normandy has posed:
    Vampirella's lips tug leftward in a lopsided return smile at Caitlin, the kind of expression that could be quirky or could be a smirk or could be a dare with that wink added in. She drifts away from the wall and saunters over to Siobhan, smirking a little at the question. "Yeah, the kids at school love it," she deadpans, eyes twinkling to make up for any of the humor that might have been lost in her thick accent. She nods toward the stage. "Good set, from what I heard."

    Vampirella turns her attention to Caitlin and offers a hand. The coat's sleeves are short enough to reveal how tightly corded Vampirella's forearms are, which would probably be impressive in literally any other person's company than Fairchild's. "Hi. Ella."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks up and around in surprise as she's greeted by Vampirella, blinking. "H-huh? Oh golly, uh... I'm Caitlin." At that point Caitlin stands fully upright, and offers Ella a very gentle clasp of fingers. At a distance, Cait's proportions merely make her look athletic; up close it drives home how much sheer mass there is.

"Nice to meet you too," Caitlin tells Siobhan, and offers her a handshake in turn. There's a little awkward beat as Caitlin tries to get a read on the situation and figure out what to do next. Down-home hospitality takes over the driver's seat and she getstures at the table. "Um, if you two wanna sit, you can join me. I'm about ready to take a little break myself," she admits, and moves a few loose papers and books into a consolidated corner.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A smile at Ella and she nods her head, "Thanks." She then looks over as she goes to greet Caitlin and the girl is a bit confused but rolls with it. She walks over to join them and then smiles at Caitlin and offers her hand out to be shook, "Siobhan." Which is pronounced Shi-Vhan for those not in the know. SHe nods her head and settles into a seat, "Thanks. I am quite happy to share a seat with someone. Much better conversation than with just a drink by mehself." She chuckles and sips her drink.

Ella Normandy has posed:
    Vampirella, who understands better than almost anyone the importance of not drinking alone, bites back a smile and nods at Siobhan. "That's why I'm here, actually. I'm waiting to meet someone." Rather than sitting, she stands, rather closer to Siobhan than to Caitlin, whose work she nods toward. "What were you doing?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Me?" Caitlin looks back at her work, then gestures vaguely. "O-oh, it's nothing exciting," she promises. "Working on some principles of spring tension. I've got a friend who's uh..." Caitlin clears her throat. "She's a shoe-in for the US Olympic archery team, but her old bow broke, and we're trying to build her a new one. Well, I as in, me," she clarifies. "She's kind of short and she's got some ideas about trick shots, too so um, it's umh..."

The explanation's veering towards the technically obscure; Caitlin catches herself and clears her throat. "Well it's kind of complicated and boring to try and explain, but that's what I'm working on. Also enjoying the music; it's nice to hear a live guitar," she says, and flashes a grateful smile at Siobhan. "I'm learning the cello, myself."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A smile over at Ella, "Meeting someone? Sounds fun." Siobhan smiles and nods to Ella before looking over at Caitlin and then she hears the explanation. She hmms and nods her head, "I have no idea about any form of bow stuff unless it is used...well, on an instrument." She chuckles and then blinks.

"Cello? Such a beautiful instrument." She nods her head, "I have thought about that but I really can't afford such a thing." She laughs and nods her head, "At least not yet." She grins and nods her head before she looks down at the papers briefly and then looks up, "Glad you're likin' the music all the same."

Ella Normandy has posed:
    Despite the noise of the cafe, Vampirella's ears detect the door creaking open, and she glances over that way. Looks like Vic is right on time. She smiles a little to herself, squeezes Siobhan's shoulder briefly, and nods at Caitlin. "There's my cue," she says, trying not to be too obvious about whom she was looking at. "You two have fun. Siobhan, one of these days we'll meet for longer than three sentences. Caitlin, you I'm not sure about but one day we might *get* to three sentences." She tosses you both a cocky grin and saunters into the crowd.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin waves farewell to Ella and finds her seat again, a little pink in the ear at Ella's obvious flirtations. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like a flex," Caitlin apologizes to Siobhan. "It's kind of hard for me to find something that fits me for instruments unless it's custom made. The cello's big enough I can actually sit and play it comfortably. I might end up getting one made with a wider neck though, my cello teacher says my fingers aren't exactly made for something that delicate."

She sips her coffee and sets it carefully back on a plate. "Um, how about you? Have you been playing guitar long? You're very good," she assures the Irish lass.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Most my life." She states and nods her head, "My mother really encouraged me and I'm somethin' of a natural." She chuckles softly, "It's just something I do real well." She then considers Caitlin's hands before considering her and then nodding, "I can say, you do come on the big side." She states, "De trick, dough isn't really about your hand size though, it's about your hand movements. A wider neck likely gonna make it easier but be aware dat you have to feel the music. Don't let it be someting ya just do. You can't come at it like..." She gestures to the paper, "Spring bow science or whatever ye said. Music is both an art and an expression. Not a science."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin nods at the advice, with sincere gratitude; a shy smile works across her face and her ears pink at Siobhan's delicate comment about her size. Caitlin's not just talk, she's built on the same scale as Asgardians. "Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me," she agrees. "I mean-- that it's an art, not science. Science, I'm good at. Art stuff, not so much. But it's supposed to be good for the brain to play a musical instrument. I've only been at it a couple of years. I don't thin I'll ever get good enough to actually play in public. But it's a nice way for me to relax. I can't play and do math in my head at the same time so it's... I guess kinda 'zen', if that makes sense. I have to focus so hard on doing it right that I can't get distracted by anything else." Shoulders rise and fall asymmetrically. "Does that make any sense?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A nod and she smiles, "I understand." She states simply enough before shrugging, "It's something that can help your head slow down. I know some of you smarter types always seem to have a million tings goin' on in your head." She then shrugs. Siobhan smiles as she sips her drink before looking up, "So, are ya some kind of..." She gestures lightly, "Heroine or somethin'?" She asks and grins, "I don't mean to pry but you seem kinda on the big side for just an average person."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"O-oh me? Gosh, I'm ... I guess," Caitlin says. Her modesty seems sincere; no affectations, there. The sort of person who wears her heart on her sleeve at all times. "It's kind of hard to hide," she concedes. "My friends call me Caitlin but I guess they call me Fairchild in the newspaper."

Bookish, nerdy, wearing a comfortable hoodie; she's even got a pair of pencils holding her hair back, and minimal makeup. Even her posture contributes to it, quite a deviation from how a heroine lifting broken buildings overhead is expected to look. "B-but I really don't like to make a big deal of it," she adds, hastily. "It's why I like coming here. The coffee's good, they have a great bakery in the back, and no one looks too closely at you if they think you're working on final exam paperwork," she clarifies with a smile.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Ah." She states simply and then she makes the zipping her lip motion before she chuckles, "I'll have to look ya up den." She nods her head and then shrugs, "I'm rather new to the States and I have not really had a lot of time to learn who is who or what is what." Not to mention, she had a lot of her own problems back home, "Still, all the same I suppose it is nice to know that peopel with powers are out dere doin' good." She laughs before shrugging, "Saves me from gettin' my head blown off or somethin' when I don't look de other way at times." She shrugs before looking to the guitar and then at her phone, "Probably about time I get back to the music dough. Not gettin' paid to sit around all night."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Sure thing," Caitlin says, flashing a friendly smile. "I'm on Instagram and Snapchat, you can look me up real easy. I'm pretty good about answering PMs. Hit me up there and I'll add you on my personal account-- the public ones tend to get spammed up pretty fast so it's hard to talk with folks without getting a lotta gross requests." Her nose wrinkles up in distaste.

"But I'm sure enjoying the music," she promises Siobhan. "If you've got a YouTube channel or something, let me know. It'd be nice to have something to listen to when I'm at work. I'll see ya, I guess," she says, and wiggles fingers farewell at Siobhan before the musician returns to her musicality.