13197/Acoustics and Riff Offs

Acoustics and Riff Offs
Date of Scene:	05 May 2021
Location:	66 East 11th Street, Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Shannon stops by to talk to Jay and Andrea about music.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Icarus, Nightingale

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Rage has posed:
The sound of a guitar can be heard from the living room as Andrea strums along it, humming along with one of her favorite songs. It's a Laura Lee Bishop track called Within Me. At times she'll sing along with the husky voice of the popstarlet from a decade or so ago. "You can't live within me, you can't live within me. This is not your heart, this is not your soul! You can't live within me, this is not your body - I am not your home!" As she powers through the chorus, her voice rises upwards to fill the open room to give a crystaline echo.

"I won't allow you to control me! I'm not an object to possess! Iiiiii won't allow you to take ahold of me! I won't lower myself to one knee, it's now or never! You can't live within me!"

This song was her 'jam' about five years ago when she found it by accident deep diving YouTube. If anything, this song quietly set the tone for her album Backstabber and helped her move through a lot of her pain. Now? The song is like an old friend.

Icarus has posed:
Jay is currently in the kitchen. He's puttering around, doing the staring into the fridge thing as he ponders what he wants for dinner. In the end, he pulls out sandwich fixings and starts to put those together. One for him, one for her. Although she was in her music now so who knew when she might want to eat. It was a bad habit both of them had.

He smiled as he listened to her, familiar with the song as she sang it pretty often when feeling kind of nostalgic. Or just when it hit the emotions she might be feeling.

Nightingale has posed:
     Every once in a while, it was nice to get out and about--and be relatively sure of -not- accidentally finding trouble in the process. With the school year winding down, and the push towards final exams coming up--among other things--Shannon was starting to go a little stir-crazy. She dresses for flight in some flannel-lined blue jeans, a light but warm cream tunic sweater with a t-shirt underneath, and her favorite caramel suede boots. She's got her hair pinned up in a bun at the back of her head for good measure, little ice-blue braid and all.

     Slipping her phone out of her little brown leather bag, she taps out a quick message to Andrea. <<Cabin fever. Got a cure?>>

Rage has posed:
As she plays the guitar, Andrea hits harder notes along the instrument as she howls out. "I've become so numb! I can't feel you there, I've become so tired, so much more aware! I've becoming this - all I want to do ... is be more like me and less like you!" When the phone chirps, she pauses and puts the guitar to the side to pick it up.

<< Hey. Jay and I are just making sandwiches and about to do a round of Pitch Perfect Riff Off. Winner decides ice cream toppings that will not go on top of an ice cream. *winky face* You're welcome to join us. For Riff Off. Not for toppings. >>

Icarus has posed:
As Andrea shifts into Linkin Park, a voice joins in from the kitchen. Jay cannot resist that one. For the chorus he had joined in, singing along with her through the heartfelt part of the song.

Then he is continuing sandwich building and humming to himself.

Nightingale has posed:
     <<Haha, Riff Off sounds fun to watch. Don't know anything about toppings. Nope. I'm a good girl.>>

     With that, there is communications silence from Shannon for a while, as long as it takes for her to make the flight out from the mansion to Andrea and Jay's rooftop. She arrives on Jay's rooftop landing platform in a flurry of white feathered wings, settling them flat on her back with a little flick and mild bit of preening. She's got her music paper notebook in hand, as seems to happen more and more often these days. "Hey, you two! Have I missed anything yet?"

Rage has posed:
As she listens to Jay sing, Andrea sways back and forth a bit with a wild grin on her face. She can listen to him for days on end and never grow tired to his voice. She is his biggest fan. As their voices join together for the next round of lines, she taps away on the phone.

<< Come on over then. >>

"Shannon is coming over, she's bored." She says to him as she picks up a few things around the living room to straighten it out. Once she is satisfied, a bowl of popcorn is settled out in the large table as well.

Once the door is opened for her, she gives a smile. "Hey. Nope, not anything yet. We're just being silly and belting out random songs to each other. We're just in a mood."

Icarus has posed:
The sandwich was finished before Shannon arrived. Jay had moved into the living room with Andrea, his phone at the ready for musical support if he felt it fit the song better. There were also guitars at hand if they wanted to go that way.

He's sitting at one end of the couch, turned sideways, wings over the arm and hanging down to trail on the floor. "Hey, Shannon."

Nightingale has posed:
     Andrea's greeted with a hug and a grin, while Jay is met with a wiggle of one wing by way of a 'hello'. "This is going to be a treat, hearing you two sing. I won't bother asking if you two have been keeping out of trouble, though. That's no fun."

     Snickering softly, Shannon steps back, easing her way into the living room and looking for a free spot to flop down to watch the fun, holding on to her notebook. "Seriously, though, how've you two been?"

Rage has posed:
Returning the hug, Andrea smiles. "We've kept out of trouble. Our band just played at Club Lux the other day and we debuted our second single called Weapon that is coming out. It's the one I'm singing on, but his band has a song called Stick That In Your Country Song. I'm not on that one, but it's probably the best song I ever heard. So it's a single we're putting out with both songs on it. Kinda a teaser for our first album that we're throwing together. Besides that? School. Finishing up our second semester now."

"You should hear it. I got to hear them sing it live when it was just raw in a little bar in Kentucky. You gotta hear it mixed properly and mastered. It's incredible. I hate country music but this song changed my outlook on it."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Kind of ironic you're not all that keen on country music," Shannon replies, chuckling softly as she flops down in a chair, looking between her and Jay. "Especially since one, your boyfriend plays it and two, since most of the stuff I've been writing or singing so far has been country. And I never once figured myself for that kind of musician. Ever!"

     She grins, leaning forward as she listens to the tales of the Blue Pirates and one of their latest songs. "I wouldn't mind hearing both versions of the song, actually. The contrast between the two is always fascinating to me."

Rage has posed:
"That's because most country is screaming about trucks and dogs and Murica' or whatever. I like songs with real soul to them." Andrea takes her phone and points it at the TV, then taps along the glass a few times as she pulls up numerous videos. She finds the live one that she recorded back in Kentucky, then starts to play it. It's a small venue, Jay just got dragged up on the stage by his old bandmates and they cut loose into a rousing tune of rock-country. The camera is a bit wobbly because Andrea is also screaming like a fan girl over the music at times.

Icarus has posed:
"It's not exactly country. I think Andrea thought most country was still Conway Twitty style as oppose to the more modern stuff, with that almost rock back beat," Jay says as he grins a bit.

But when Andrea pulls up the video, he actually blushes bright pink. He wasn't expecting her to pull out that particular footage.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon grins at the shades of rose blossoming upon Jay's face, nudging Andrea. "Where does his face end and his wings begin?" she teases, chuckling softly, and lsitening to the song. Her fingers drum out a beat on the cover of her notebook, echoing that of the song Jay and his band are playing.

     "Honestly, though, no wonder you changed your mind on country music. That's some seriously good stuff."

Rage has posed:
As she watches, Andrea lets out a long 'sigh' as she gains a dopey look on her face as she leans in against Jay's shoulder. She's so love sick. There's a small giggle as she watches Jay look like a rock star on the stage. The way he moves and sings and how he thrills the audience.

Once the song ends, she plays the finished version that has been remixed and put through the studio machine. It's crisp, clean, and still dirty. She bobs her head a bit as she slips a hand into Jay's, giving a squeeze. "Yeah, I can listen to this all day. Have you heard Weapon yet?"

Icarus has posed:
"We were kind of inspired. Everyone thinks country and rap are so far apart and honestly, they are almost the same thing. Sure the music and cadence change but both genres are all about storytelling," Jay says with a shrug, managing to stop blushing as he focuses on something else for the moment.

"Weapon is a great one. We got to perform it live the other night. But I do want to hear yours as well. Heard it's great from Andrea."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just shakes her head, tucking a stray wisp of pale gold away behind her ear. "No, haven't heard that one. Kind of funny you mention rap, I can't stand rap. But I'm learning to appreciate country. Go figure."

     She listens to the songs a few moments longer, smiling as she tilts her head, focusing on the difference between the live performance and the remix. "Don't care how many times I hear the process, it's just amazing stuff... huh?" Blinking slowly, owlishly, she just turns her head to stare right at Jay for a moment. "Which song? I've got two now. Just finished up 'Homecoming Queen' about a week or so ago, but I've got a new one I've been working on for about the past week since a mission went kind of south."

Rage has posed:
As she tucks herself into Jay's arms, Andrea gets comfortable as she turns the TV off once she taps her phone again and slips it into her pocket. "I think I heard Homecoming Queen." She says with a smile as she rests her head against the winged mutant's shoulder.

"I like rap music. Some of it is really, really good. Old school rap from the nineties were amazing." She says as she shifts herself a bit to look at Shannon better. "We got guitars laying around if you want to pick one up and play for us."

Icarus has posed:
"Either of your songs is great. Homecoming Queen is the one I was told about," Jay says with a nod as he shifts on the couch to be more comfortable. It allows him to put one arm around Andrea as she settles in.

"So that one or the new one, if it is to the sharing point. I know when I'm working on them, a lot of times I haven't quite got them perfect in my mind and I don't like anyone to hear them."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Homecoming Queen it is, then."

     Shannon sets down her notebook on a nearby side table and gets up to find one of the aforementioned guitars, coming back with a simple six-string acoustic, very much like her own. Humming lightly, her fingers wander over the strings, tweaking the tuning pegs as she brings the instrument into tune. "I was going through a lot of stuff, and there was just so much going on a year and some months ago. It was crazy and it didn't feel like I could let anybody in. Not even when Jubilee pulled me in for counseling one time." She smiles somewhat, her wings ruffling in a shrug. "But that day is kind of what inspired the song, that it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes."

     With that, her fingers begin to dance over the strings, plucking out a simple, rhythmic accomopaniment; the song is ingrained enough in her mind that she doesn't even refer to her notebook now, each chord, each note committed to muscle memory. She begins to sing in a soft, silky alto voice thrumming with emotion.

"Hey homecoming queen
Why do you lie
When somebody's mean?
Where do you hide?
Do people assume
You're always alright?
Been so good at smiling
Most of your life

Look damn good in the dress
Zipping up the mess
Dancing with your best foot forward
Does it get hard
To have to play the part?
Nobody's feeling sorry for ya

But what if I told you the world wouldn't end
If you started showing what's under your skin
What if you let 'em all in on the lie?
Even the homecoming queen cries..."

Rage has posed:
As she listens to the song, Andrea taps her foot on the ground as she gets comfortable in the arms of the red winged angel. She hums along with the familiar lyrics that she heard once before, bobbing her head as she glances up at Jay to gauge his reaction.

Icarus has posed:
As she settles in, Jay doesn't press or try to rush. The steps she is going through are as natural as breathing to any musician. When she started, he was all ears. Focusing fully, listening intently. The beat was pretty easy to pick up onand he was tapping his foot in time.

When she reached the end, he was smiling ear to ear. "Wow. Just....wow." He shakes his head a little. "You have got some skills. That's just perfect."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just smiles, humming briefly as if between a refrain and another verse. "It's not quite done yet," she says. "Andrea hasn't heard the second part yet." With that, she keeps picking out the transitional chords a few more times, humming softly, her voice picking up the next words with more strength to them--an odd sort of strength in the sheer vulnerability of the music.

"Hey homecoming queen
How's things at home?
Still walking on eggshells
When that curtain's closed
Did your daddy teach you
How to act tough?
Or more like your mama?
Sweep it under the rug

Look damn good in the dress
Zipping up the mess
Dancing with your best foot forward
Did you want the crown
Or does it weigh you down
Nobody's feeling sorry for ya

What if I told you the world wouldn't end
If you started showing what's under your skin?
What if you let 'em all in on the lie?
Even the homecoming queen cries
Yeah, what if I told you the sky wouldn't fall?
If you lost your composure, said to hell with it all
Not everything pretty sparkles and shines
And even the homecoming queen cries
Oh yeah
Even the homecoming queen cries

Hey homecoming queen
Why do you lie?
When somebody's mean
Where do you hide....?"

     The final notes linger, her fingers growing still on the strings, her voice fading into nothingness as the song finally ends.

Rage has posed:
Giving a bright smile to Shannon, Andrea gives a soft clapping of her hands. "That's awesome. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like out of the studio, though I'm thinking you should keep it almost fully acoustic. That way you don't lose the vulnerability of the lyrics. No point in pop-starring up a song like that which speaks to the heart. Otherwise the message can get lost."

She slips off the couch and heads for the kitchen to seek out something to drink from the fridge, taking out a couple of waters, then brings it back to place them on the table before snagging the popcorn. She leans in to bump her shoulder against Jay's again.

"Didn't tell you we're buying a new house, huh? We're going to sell this one.. decided on selling." She says to Jay. "And then we're going to get a place out in Salem. A real home and not a penthouse. Somewhere in the country."

Icarus has posed:
"Definitely keep it acoustic. Nothing heavy with that one. Keep the purity of it. So your voice comes through loud and clear."

Jay takes a bottle of water, giving her a quick peck as a thank you then settles in to let Andrea share the information.

Nightingale has posed:
     Now it's Shannon's turn to blush, but she smiles, nodding. "Thanks, both of you. But I've gotta disagree with you, Jay. You and Andrea are the ones with the mad skills here. And let's hope your manager agrees with the three of us on keeping the song simple."

     As she gets up to return the guitar to its case, the news bomb that Andrea dropped hits her. "Wha...? Aw, man. That's great, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be missing this place a little. Have you guys actually picked out the house you want yet?"

Rage has posed:
"My manager isn't the final say in anything. The artist is and the producers. His job is to put it out there and make sure it gets plays. Negotiate rates with stations, yadda." Andrea says as she gives a happy rumble at the peck from Jay. She gives him a grin, then leans in and snatches up a kiss from his lips. "We can do strip riff off later." She says teasingly before she looks back to Shannon.

"We've kinda narrowed it down to a few houses but I thiiiiink he and I have a front runner." She says as she taps the phone again to pull up the house on the TV once she scrolls to the correct website. "Take in mind this place costs about twelve million. The penthouse in the city. Now look at this."

Icarus has posed:
"Strip? Wait, we were not ..." Jay shakes his head and gives Shannon an apologetic look. "It was just Riff Off, not strip. She's just trying to make me blush. For some reason, that's one of her favorite things."

As the conversation turns to the house, he falls quiet since Andrea is the lead on that pursuit, though they had gone and seen a few houses and his input had been used in choosing.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh wow. That place is gorgeous." Shannon's eyes widen as she glances at the phone, letting out a soft, low whistle. Her left brow, though, inches upwards as she glances at the price tag. "And you'll definitely come out ahead, besides."

     She happens to look up at -just- the moment the famed popstarlet seems determined to make Jay turn as red as his feathers, snickering softly. "Bless. You two remind me so much of..." She looks about to say something else, but then clamps her mouth shut, stifling a light giggle.

     "Right! Moving right along... prom's coming up. It's going to be held at Evolution. Don't suppose I could put either one of you forward as possibly handling the music for the evening...?"

Rage has posed:
"You should totally do it, Jay. Do the prom thing." Andrea says as she gives him a grin, leaning forward to brush her nose against his jaw as she admires his blush. She whispers against his ear. "Strip Riff Off when she leaves." She hums softly before she leans back and looks back towards Shannon. "I would do it but I've already been putting in a lot of gigging work and I think Prom is more of a band thing. Would be cool to give the boys some more exposure."

She takes another sip of water, humming around it in thought. "Maybe I can pop in at the end and do one song. Maybe." She does give a glance towards Jay, grinning. "Our prom was cute. You looked so handsome. Wish we could go back to that night again. It was really special for me."

Icarus has posed:
Yeah, there's that blush she was shooting for. Jay mock frowns at her then focuses on the point at hand. "Prom? I mean sure, the guys and I would be glad to but there. Did you want to perform as well, Shannon? Or anyone else? We can set up for a few folks if you all wanted to. Course, depends what your theme is too..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "A lot of prom's still in the planning stages, but I wanted to be able to put the idea to miss Grey about you or Andrea performing. I mean, come on, your band is -awesome-." Shannon smiles and nods. "I've just got 'Miss Me More', and maybe 'Homecoming Queen' I could do. Don't know about this third one I'm writing. If it's done in time, maybe. But that's a big maybe."

     So amiable talk goes on a little into the evening, with ideas tossed about, drinks, good food, and good company shared all around....