Owner	Pose
Kyle Rayner	Mom's been called. Professional obligations, such as they are for a freelancer, have been sorted. Kyle even has a few dollars to rub together. He puts aside some into the rainy day fun, and he pockets others. Ring charged, and stowed, it is out to a little dive he knows.     It is a dive, but the owners keep it clean. They keep it safe and they keep it fun. The beer is cold, and he gets a little price break since he did the logo. The young man in a long sleeved green shirt settles in at one of the tables a little close to the stage. He has a beer in front of him. More important, is the pad and pencils. It's essential. He loves to draw people, and that is what he is out doing tonight. Happily drawing the human finger with a small smile as he does it. Drawing makes him happy, and fluff pieces like this done for the joy of drawing make him happy.     It takes him a few moments to smell it. He makes a face, and he sighs, reaching for his beer. "Damnit." he mutters. "They are right. Humans do stink. Balls." he swears as he lifts the beer and takes a long pull from it, nose wrinkling.
Dazzler	Dazzler hasn't been seen on a public stage in quite some time. Not since she outed herself as a mutant in front of a sold-out crowd. But Dazzler isn't singing tonight. A tall, leggy blonde makes her way to the stage from the back. Flannel shirt and artfully-ripped jeans, with strawberry blonde hair spilling out from beneath a worn cowboy hat. Just another hopeful girl singer trying to make a name for herself. As she takes the guitar out of the case, the little details start to become apparent. Beneath that hat are Hollywood-perfect features and a smile that is somehow familiar. The guitar is a Fender Strat that looks to be in really good condition. A professional-quality axe. Picking up a stool, she drags it up to the mic and plugs into the cheap sound system. Leaning in, she clicks on the mic and offers in a husky voice. "How about we start with some 'Stones tonight?"
Kyle Rayner	Leggy. Blond. Next artistic attempt unlocked. Legs are easy, it's feet and hands that are hard. That being admitted, Kyle stares at the face of the next performer. His pencil moves, but as she speaks, a memory engages. He was younger. So was she. Pictures and posters on the wall. A concert at the Holiday Bowl. Kyle drops his pencil and stares slack jawed at the woman. His green eyes are wide, and bats could roost in his open, gaping mouth.     "Holy shit." He mutters, bending over to get his pencil. "It's Dazzler!" He cannot geek out, as let's be honest. being a guy and being a Dazzler fan, yeesh. People start asking ignorant questions. He gets his mental stuff together as he starts to sit back up with his pencil. he bangs the hell out of the back of his head as he sits up and growls. His ring tumbles out of the chain for a moment, but he hastily tucks it in before any patrons see the green ring on the chain around his neck.     Kyle rubs the back of his head as she starts in, and then starts to draw her. Inside, his inner fan boy is delighted. Outside, he is merely happily smiling, obviously delighted.
Dazzler	Ali strums a test-chort on the guitar and gives a nod to dim the lights. Crossing one leg over the other, practiced hands go into the opening riff for 'Honky-Tonk Woman' and a single spotlight circles the stool where she's sitting. The source isn't immediately obvious, but it's probably coming from the ceiling.     Does she notice the fan starting to geek out near the stage? Maybe she does and maybe she overlooks it. But right now Ali is focused on the music as she starts to sing. "I met a... gin-soaked bar-room queen in Memphis...." There's no cowbell, but the lighting starts to dance with the rhythm of the tune.     As for the performance? She's good. Very, very good. There's also a reason why Ali isn't singing Dazzler songs, or even anything in a similar style. Ali isn't trying to attract attention; she just wants to perform again.
Kyle Rayner	He is internally geeking out. He manages to keep it in though.     Kye takes advantage of her set to get a sketch done. It's just a sketch though, and really he needs more time to actually make it something special. She's a genius, say what people want about pop singers, she has talent beyond the genre. She's a real talent. The bouncing lights confirm it is her.     In her last song, he orders two more beers, because he isn't going to get this drawn otherwise. He's going to have to talk to her. He's a frigg'n Green lantern. he dated a supermodel. he's got this, right?     Only barely. Steeling himself, as she exits the stage, he says to her, "Let a fan buy you a beer, ma'am?"     Kyle is trim, tall, about the same age, shaved, dressed decently, and well groomed. Heck, he even smells faintly of after shave. Maybe old spice. It's cheap, but he's clean. "I'm not a creep." He adds, a little lamely.
Dazzler	Ali plays a set with an assortment of songs ranging from the Stones to Aerosmith, Eric Clapton to the Beatles. Without the overwhelming stage effects her voice has a simple, pure quality to it and those fingers work nothing short of magic on the guitar strings.     She carefully sets the guitar in its soft case and moves to the steps when the invitation comes. Taking the instrument with her, she smiles up at him and she nods. "I'd like that very much, thank you. Not a lot of people say 'ma'am' in New York, but you don't look like a cowboy either."     Offering a hand to him, she adds. "Call me Ali. Where're you sitting tonight?"
Kyle Rayner	"Right there." Kyle points at the table where the waitress is delivering two beers. There is a large artist pad on the table. The waitress grins over at Kyle, and makes as if to leave a beer on it, teasing him, then puts it aside. If he's a bad guy, he has the waitress fooled. "I would have looked really dumb if you said no." He also would have had to have the ring fly him home. Always embarrassing that.     "It's because I'm starstruck." Kyle replies, as he takes her hand. he has a warm hand, and a good grip. Some callouses, but just enough to give him a strong hand. He does some sort of thing with his hands, at least. "It is a real pleasure and an honor to meet, you, Ali." Kyle will walk her on over to the table. He will attempt to pull her chair out for her, on his very best ring-instructed manners and behavior. "I should let you in on my nefarious plan. I started sketching you while you did your set. If you drink a beer with me, I can finish it, you see."
Dazzler	Ah yes, the artist. Ali saw him sketching while she sung, of course. A good performer gets as much from the crowd as she gives, and she definitely noticed him. Her fingers curl over his own and she lets herself be seated like a proper lady. She's done this before. "I saw you sketching while I was singing. Wasn't sure whether you were sketching me or you were just bored." she replies.     Once seated, Ali settles back and crosses one leg over the other. The waitress gets an appreciative nod and she tips the hat back a bit to show her face better. "So are you an old fan or a recent convert? I'd be a poor performer indeed if I didn't indulge my fans, nefarious or not."
Kyle Rayner	"I'm an artist, though maybe not as liberal as some. I have nothing but admiration of what you did, and who you are. It takes will--" the word has importance to him given his cadence and the importance stressed on it. --"to give up millions in the name of principle. I was younger though, and I didn't appreciate that at the time. For me, it was just someone tired of hiding who and what she was."     He goes straight back to drawing her though. "Surely though, some label would take you? There must be someone who would put their money where their mouth is and sign you? I mean, you're very talented. You have a great range, and you are easy on the eyes. Why not Dazzler? I mean GaGa had little monsters, why can't Blair have little mutants?" His brow quirks up. He lifts his gaze and his smile is a little sly for a moment, before green eyes dip back down to regard his drawing as he works on it.
Dazzler	For what she did...? Ali tilts her head a little at that, picking up the beer and taking a swig from the bottle. That winning smile fades a touch, becoming wistful. And yet without sadness. She points the bottle neck towards him a bit and nods. "Y'know, every now and then someone -does- recognize me, from back then. I used to worry about it. Worry about the reaction. About what I'd say. About what they'd think."     "Truth is, I'm more than just Dazzler, now. I've been a lot of things since then, some I'm proud of and some not quite so much. Would a record label take me these days? I've honestly stopped looking. I sing because *I* want, not to satisfy some producer. If people like what they hear, then it's a good night. If not, then I'm usually somewhere else the next day."     Stretching her long legs out, she crosses her ankles and takes a long, slow pull from the bottle. "So does my biggest fan have a name?"
Kyle Rayner	The pencil gets pointed at her. "Yeah. It has to come out." His tone is excited, as if her talking about singing sums his feelings about drawing. "I am so lucky. I make a modest living doing art, freelance. Patreon, Youtube, and the occasional bit of corporate freelancing. It's a blessing. To put this... energy that has to come out, and put it on the paper, and get it out of me." His green eyes are very bright when he looks over at her with a very warm smile. "I'm Kyle Rayner. I don't know I'm your -biggest- fan, but as a weird kid who liked comics, a gorgeous mutant singer was pretty bad ass.     His cheeks flush red. "Erm, yeah. Not a creep." Kyle tries to reassure her as his eyes go back to the paper. There is a flurry of activity, and then he signs the drawing before beginning to pull off for her. "Thank you. It's been a long time since I drew someone with your bone structure and your fame. I drew Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, for a few months. Admittedly, she would have been easier to color, but that is because of the more even skin tone." He holds his left hand open. "Not that there is anything wrong with your skin tone. It's remarkably even. But as it is lighter, there are some subtleties to it that she doesn't have." She's that green supermodel.
Dazzler	With her hat tilted back, Ali's eyes are bright even before meeting his, and she chuckles as she watches him. "Hey, you can call a girl 'bad ass' and still not be a creep, Kyle." the blonde offers in a lower voice. She sips while he works, watching the artist more than the developing picture.     "It's good to find a fellow artist as well. A talent needs to be nurtured, just like muscle. If it's not used, then it gets stiff and out of shape." Her smile adds a touch of mischief, then. "So you knew Jenny-Lynn Hayden, and you're still a starving artist? There's a story you're not telling, but I'm not going to pry."     She tilts her head to look at the picture when he finishes, nodding in approval. "You're very good, Kyle. And you're also very sweet. I think better lighting might help out, but I'm not about to make any major adjustments in -that- department." Another sip of the beer, then she asks. "Can I sign it?"
Kyle Rayner	"It's yours. Sign it if you want. I got to talk to you, and have a drink with you. My inner fanboy counts himself lucky." Kyle carefully slides it over to her.     "You are not prying. I'm nobody special. I've made peace with my lot." His jaw hardens a little as he quietly tells a practiced lie. "I'm a flaky artist. I have very little discipline and I could not hack a nine to five day job." He hates this lie, and maybe it comes across in his tone. "I dated Jen for a few months. She got me a job. I didn't take it. She dumped me. She was right to do so. I will never amount to anything, and I am happy with my meager existence drawing beautiful artists in poorly lit bars." His lips quirk the slightest of smiles. There's just maybe something in his eyes though.     He wants to tell her that he saves whole inhabited worlds, and has seen aliens, and tread on worlds no human being has. He wants to tell her that he's seen the birth of stars, and seen the first bits of life on alien worlds. He's fought planet conquerors and saved people on countless worlds.     "That's me." he says with false cheerful bravado. "I'm Kyle Rayner. I'm a flaky artist." He gives a wan smile and takes a very long drink from his beer to wash down the burning shame. Inside, his loathing at the lie is turned into just a little more determination. Just a little more inner strength. He grows stronger each time he tells the lie.
Dazzler	Ali sits up a bit, watching as he spins that practiced lie. She buys it, of course. And why wouldn't she? "There's one thing I've learned from being kicked around the show-biz industry, Kyle. Don't be down on yourself. There are plenty of people in the universe who'll do that for you. Be happy with who you are."     She watches his face, as if trying to read his emotions. That's never been something Ali was very good at, but it's never stopped her from looking. Ali takes a quick glance around the bar, then smiles again. "Well if the drawing is mine, then you should sign it."     Setting the empty bottle down, she continues. "I'm going to be staying upstate for a while. If you're local, I'd like to spend more time talking. You're easy to talk to, Kyle. And you're also not hard on the eyes, either."
Kyle Rayner	"I'll try not to flake on you." Kyle answers. There is this set to the jaw. He looks conflicted. She's a hero right? She can be trusted? He looks at the paper, then back at her. Conflict roils over his face. Kyle reaches for his beer and tosses it down. "Tell you what/' He says finally. "You come to New York, you call me? I'll show you New York like you've never seen it. i promise you that much." He leans over and carefully puts his phone number there on one corner of the drawing. "I already signed it. I sign everything. It's in your hat, hidden in the cross hatch."