Livin' After Midnight (Fish)

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco

It was no secret that Marco wasn't a stranger to bars. While the tabloids tended to focus on Grass Ice and Fire's guitarist (and, yes, he actually read those things, what's your point?), their singer was certainly not without his, as Trish often put it, 'escapades.' He just lacked a tiny black miniskirt, so the photographers paid less attention. Which wasn't something he intended to change. Either half of that sentence.

Marco was, however, a stranger to this bar. Same old same old got boring after a while, so he was going to try someplace he hadn't been. He wasn't dressed up, really. Jeans, red T-shirt, his leather jacket, black shoes. His long hair was tied back as usual in a ponytail, and he thought it looked pretty good (with the amount of care he put into it, it better).

There was a pool table free, and for a moment he wished he'd been able to drag Trish with him. She liked to humour his love of pool by playing with him whenever he managed to talk her into going to the same bar. Of course, she also tended to completely wipe the floor with him, but it was still fun. Ah well...

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade sighed; she was supposed to be off tonight, but of course she had to cover for one of the slackers. But hey, it was extra money, and something to keep her mind off of her current crush--wait...Jade Summers? Crush!?! But, he wasn't seeming to get the hint, and that drove her crazy. But tonight, it was back to her usual life, despite grumbling about a certain lazy bartender who laid out for whatever reason. However, Jade's grumbling stopped when a certain...hot..celebrity...walked in. Suddenly, she smirked, recognizing him as Marco Wolfe, the singer for...some band. Or something. "What can I get ya, Hun?" she asked, her dark red top showing a little much skin, and her black mini-skirt looked like she stole some certain guitarist's fashion tips. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, and her fake glasses sat on the edge of her nose. [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco's pool-related train of thought was broken at the question. Yes, he probably shouldn't ignore the bartend...Whoa. To his credit, his electric blue eyes only momentarily flicked toward that skimpy red top before focusing back on her face. He gave her one of his easygoing smiles and shrugged a little. "I haven't been in here before," he said, having no idea if she worked in here often enough for that to be obvious, "What do you recommend?"

Marco wasn't really trying to flirt...yet. He didn't really take 'hun' to mean anything, since he knew plenty of girls who used names like that all the time whether they were interested or not. And he really did prefer to get a recommendation from a bartender the first time he went to a bar. But he'd be lying if he said that he didn't find her attractive. Marco supposed he'd just see what happened.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade gave a flirty grin, her eyes twinkling. "I have a few, but we'll start with drinks, hm?" she replied with a smirk. As she spoke, she began mixing her special mix of a drink, nothing too strong, and the fruit taste was counterbalanced by the alcohol. "Here. It's my own special mix. On me. So, what brings a familiar face to my bar?" She leaned in. "Though I gotta say, said face doesn't get near enough justice from the magazines." [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco chuckled faintly at the initial reply, smirking right back at her. He'd walked right into that, no question, but it certainly eliminated any doubts about interest. And she was just getting better; he supposed if he had any male pride, it would protest the idea of a woman paying for his drink, but as it was he simply flashed a grin and took a sip (which he quite enjoyed; she had clearly put a lot work into the mixture) as she gave him the final question and compliment.

His eyes twinkled a little. "I wanted to try somewhere new, and I've heard good things about this place from people. Though..." He dared another quick glance at her body, smirking, but still didn't stare or make any move to lean closer. "...They left out a few details..." Details that would very likely have brought him in here sooner.

With that subtle return-compliment, he smiled and asked casually, "You're a fan?" He supposed she could just have a passing knowledge of the band, but Marco was honestly curious, and he enjoyed talking to fans when they weren't completely crazy...And if she did just only have a passing knowledge, Marco may very well use that as an excuse to sing a few lines of one of their songs.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade chuckled. "Tonight was supposed to be my night off. So I guess it's just your lucky night~" Jade paused when he asked if she was a fan. "Not really, but I have heard of you, and I like what songs I've heard. I honestly just know your face from a few rock magazines, CD's I've seen, and the like. Heh." [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

How lucky? Marco just barely stopped himself from saying just that, rephrasing it as, "Must be," with that smirk still in place. She was working, after all, even though the place seemed fairly quiet. Famous and incredibly charming as he was, attempting to steal the bar's bartender may not go over well with whoever owned the place.

He chuckled a little at the explanation. He imagined Holly would consider that something to be rectified, but frankly Marco considered it a compliment that she wasn't a huge fan and still recognized him. All the same, he still cracked a grin. "You just might have to hear a few more songs, then." He was tempted to make an offer of a 'private concert' but instead he smiled and added, "I don't think I got your name."

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade had to smile at his reaction; most band members she talked to would be shocked--and usually turned off--by the fact that she didn't know much about the band. "I love music, but that's just the thing; I don't learn about bands and musicians, I just listen to and enjoy the music," she explained. "That can be arranged." The woman looked at the clock. Only midnight. Looked like she had a while to go... She sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. "Name's Jade. But sadly, I'm stuck here for a few more hours." [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco could understand her point of view. Frankly, he tended to be the same way, sometimes, though being a musician himself he tended to feel obligated to go out of his way to learn about artists and bands when he wouldn't normally. At the admission that she'd be here a while, he simply shrugged and smiled at Jade. "I have time."

A few hours chatting with a pretty bartender was hardly the wild partying he could be known for, but he'd just walked in here thinking that same old same old got boring, right? "Which songs have you heard, by they way?" He guessed she'd probably be familiar with songs from their Night Life album, but he wouldn't know for sure unless he asked. He also was a bit curious as to whether she'd know the titles of the songs or be a bit more vague.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]"You're offering to wait for me?" Jade asked, then added with a smirk, "Either you're really sweet, or really desperate to get laid. Either way, there'll definitely be something in it for you at the end of the shift~" After saying this, Jade went to tend to the other few in the bar. "I've heard Night Life, Night Daze, Venomous Shock, and Immobilized. And Livin' After Midnight, which I have to say was a really good version. I wonder why no other bands thought of having a guy and a girl sing it together, heh." The woman's blue eyes looked at the singer; she'd never slept with a musician before; to her knowledge, anyway. That is, assuming he made it until the end of the shift without passing out on her. [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco gave a deep laugh at that. "Well, I was aiming for sweet," he joked. Marco Wolfe was not lacking for interested women and men; a different, more crowded bar, and he'd probably have a date for the night that certainly wouldn't require waiting. But he'd already decided he liked Jade...and that little promise of hers certainly wasn't going unnoticed, lack of desperation or not.

Her list of songs was more-or-less what he'd expected. Night Life, Night Daze, and Venomous Shock were the big favourites, especially for nightclubs. Immobilized surprised him a little, but was on the radio sometimes...and he couldn't help but grin and chuckle when she mentioned Livin' After Midnight. "I don't think we could have stopped her from singing it if we wanted to," he said.

A bit of a smirk in place, he added, "You'd probably like Dark Disguise." Then, smiling, he sang deeply, "In the shadows, watching with those eyes. Looks like an angel, but it's a disguise. I've seen his illusions, I know them well. Girl, don't go, 'cause he's an angel straight from Hell..."

Marco shrugged a little after singing those few lines. "Not that I'm really trained for a cappella," he admitted; actually, he did have a little training, and he was naturally pretty good at it, but he still always felt he was at his best with the whole band.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)] Jade chuckled, continuing to multitask; serving other customers and keeping an eye on that rather attractive vocalist who was obviously into her, since he was willing to wait literally all night. When he sang, she gave a smile. "That does sound like my style. Though don't go throwing that voice around; I don't want some other chick snatching you up, ya hear, Hon?" she teased, her voice a light whisper. [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Throwing his voice around? Marco chuckled slightly at that. That was certainly one way to refer to it. "Consider my inner songbird caged, then," he replied in a similar volume, smirking. Frankly, even if women did start mobbing him, there wasn't much worry of him going anywhere; Marco was nothing if not a man of his word, and he was strong enough, he liked to think, to keep himself from being physically dragged anywhere by most folks.

Marco smiled, sipping his drink. Of course, that bit of singing had actually made it a bit hard for him not to sing more, the urge to at least hum a little surprisingly strong. Feeding the songbird before trying to shove it into a cage was a poor idea. Ah well, he'd survive. He'd just promised to keep a low profile, and so he would.

"Been working at this place a while?" he asked, struck by the desire to turn the conversation's topic onto something other than his music. It was the stuff of small talk, but, hey, simple small talk questions could lead to interesting conversations sometimes.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade smiled softly. "Don't worry, we can let that little songbird free later on. I don't want to have to hurt anyone to keep him to myself~" she purred, looking at him with a wink. "I've not been at this one long. I work at whatever bar wants me for the evening. I have no steady bar job, really. But I like it that way. I've been bartending since before I was old enough to drink though. So I know my way around the bar scene." If you get my drift... Jade gave him a sly look, though she guessed he'd know full well what she meant. [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco raised an eyebrow slightly at the idea of Jade fighting people. Not that he doubted that she would or could. Quite the opposite, really. He just found the mental image a little amusing for a moment.

If not for the sly look, Marco may have taken Jade's words at face value, or at least wonder if he should. As it was, he chuckled deeply and took a sip from his drink. "I can imagine some of those bars have wanted pretty badly for you to stay." Maybe a bit heavy on the compliment there, he realized, but he didn't think she'd mind. "But I can see the appeal in not. After all, I perform at different cities on different nights myself." Not that staying in one place (both literally and within the on-going metaphor) would be terrible, but who was he to complain about his current lifestyle?

That was at the point that Marco was pretty sure he felt eyes on him, but he didn't look back, remembering his promise to keep a low profile, though he was cursing the fact that his band's name was on his jacket. His feeling was correct, however; a pair of women had entered the bar and were standing not far from the doorway, staring in his direction in that way that indicated they were trying to figure out if he was who they thought he was.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade smiled at the compliment, but it dropped when she saw the women enter and eye Marco. In a flash, she'd pulled out her cell phone, dropping a text; then a moment later got one back. Jade kept her eye on the women, then mouthed 'he's mine' before smiling at Marco and pulling him into a soft kiss. [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Well, if Marco hadn't thought that there were people looking at him before, he did after he noticed Jade's change in expression. One of the women stepped back a little at the mouthed words, though the other one looked less than intimidated. They both more or less lost interest at the kiss, however, wandering to one of the pool tables.

Marco returned the kiss, and he gave a soft chuckle as they parted. "You're not helping me be patient," he teased, his voice dipping in pitch to a deep purr. Not that he was contemplating stealing her away from the bar. Well, not seriously contemplating it, at any rate.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade gave a grin as a large, rather intimidating woman walked in through the back, nodding at Jade. Jade smiled at her. "Thanks for covering Linda." The woman gave another nod as Jade slid over the bar, standing next to Marco. "I called for backup, Hun~" she whispered, taking his hand. "So you can have me early." [/scrolly]

[SongofWindchimes]

Marco couldn't help but grin at this turn of events. He gave a small, grateful nod toward Linda before moving a little closer to Jade, slipping his free arm around her. "I really would have waited..." he purred quietly, leaning in to kiss her gently. "...But you won't hear me trying to talk you out of this..." he added with a deep chuckle.

Of course, he realized, this did lead to the expectation that he would be worth missing the work for...which he was confident wouldn't be a problem.

[KARP KARP!]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/jadesummersposttable1.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height,297][atrb=style,border:0 midnightblue none,b,Table][scrolly:h(226),w(276),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:59px;margin-left:25px;)]Jade gave a slight smirk, returning the kiss. "I know, but I couldn't any longer. Besides I saw others eying my prize, and I can't have any of that, can I?" she purred, taking his hand. "Only question is, where to?" [/scrolly]