OOM: Open-Mic 2

[mogget_cat]

Yrael and Teja step through the door and out into a deserted alleyway in New Orleans. It's evening, here, around eight o'clock with the sun just having fully set. The people in the street before them haven't noticed them yet.

"All right... to find a clothing shop."

Comments

[ostro_goth]

Teja looks at him, worried. He expects to see his friend try, and then turn into a bird -- or something.

[mogget_cat]

He takes the drink and crushes the leaf between his fingers, then smells his fingers, inhaling deeply.












"Spearmint. It's fine," he grins.

[ostro_goth]

"Oh, good!" Teja says, exhaling.

He hadn't noticed he'd held his breath.

[mogget_cat]

Because what everyone wants is to be stuck in another time with an insane Bright Shiner.

He grins and winks, sipping his drink.

[ostro_goth]

Teja remembers that he has one as well, and drinks from it.

[mogget_cat]

"Interesting," he says, consideringly. "Bourbon is not my usual choice of drink, though I am not unfamiliar with it or the Sazerac. I had it once before, with another friend of mine before he left Milliways."

[ostro_goth]

"I merely took what was the most obvious and traditional choice for this city," Teja says. "Mint Julep seemed to make slightly more sense than Sazerac."

[mogget_cat]

"Well, true," he says.

"It'll start soon, so we should find a table near the stage. I'm the third one up."

[ostro_goth]

"There is one there, that only holds one lonely man; should we ask to share it?" Teja asks, pointing.

[mogget_cat]

"That will be fine," Yrael says, making their way over to that table.

The man at the table seems more than willing to share his table with them, nodding to them over the rim of his glass.

[ostro_goth]

"So," Teja says, sipping his drink and looking at the stage, "when will they start? What will you play?"

[mogget_cat]

"They should start any second now. These things do tend to start a bit late, as they're double-checking and making sure everything works correctly," Yrael says, sipping his mint julep.

"And I'm playing two songs, both my own compositions. Incense a la Mode, which is a characteristically smoky jazz tune, and Clearly, which is a kind of companion piece to the first one, lighter and much more straightforward."

[ostro_goth]

Teja nods, looking around in fascination -- all the people, the musicians, their instruments, the general low-key excitement.

[mogget_cat]

Pretty soon, the lights focused on the stage brighten, and a man comes to the mic to welcome them all and thank them for joining them tonight. It's a short speech, followed quickly by the introducing of the first performer; a young woman in a reddish top, long brown skirt, and sandals, who will be playing a couple of songs on the piano, and singing.

[ostro_goth]

Teja sits back, sips his drink, and watches with neutral curiosity.

[mogget_cat]

She plays very elegantly, though is noticeably nervous about playing in front of so many people. Her songs are soft, her voice lilting, singing about love, with the inner turmoil and the various difficulties that come with it.

[ostro_goth]

The inner turmoil, one would think, is deepened by the fact that one so sensitive would come upon a stage in front of so many, and tell what ails her heart -- or so, at least, Teja muses, watching her.

Love, indeed. Teja catches himself thinking of the eunuch and the blood-drinker, and how, it seems, he will have neither, so there isn't even a decision to me made.

[mogget_cat]

The girl ends her song without answering the questions that it asked, but with hope that she'll find her answers someday.

Yrael and the rest of the crowd applauds, making the girl smile. She gives an awkward curtsy, blushing, before heading off the stage.

[ostro_goth]

Teja looks at Yrael, expectantly.

He feels he is almost excited.-

[mogget_cat]

"Just one more," Yrael says, grinning up at the stage. He's looking forward to this. "I'm third, so just one more."

[ostro_goth]

"It is almost exciting," Teja says.

A Goth king would, of course, never be plainly excited. At least not this one. Totila would!!

[mogget_cat]

"Almost?" Yrael looks almost hurt.

Almost. The grin kind of undermines the legitimacy of the look.

"I'll have to fix that."

The MC announces the next performers, calling their names. As he does, a group of four young men, skinny in t-shirts and blue jeans, take the stage. One on guitar, one on bass, one at the recently vacated piano and one at a drum-set.

[ostro_goth]

"Now we shall see what those do," Teja says, waiting for them to begin.

[mogget_cat]

The bass starts, slow and sinuous as smoke, soon joined by the other instruments. The drums are understated, mostly keeping the beat as it adds the rhythmic background, while the piano provides the bass chord foundation of the sound. The man with the guitar steps forward to the microphone, singing into it with a very country drawl. For all the distortion from the accent, it fits the song. There is something hurting in the singer's voice, a true feeling of longing in the wail of the guitar, a weight in the heart of the slow drumbeat.

"Iiiiiii ain't got the change of a nickel-
Ain't got no bounce in my shoooes-
Ain't go no fancy to tickle...
I ain't got nothin'
but the blues.

Ain't got no coffee that's perkin'-
Ain't got no winnin's to lose-
Ain't got a dream that is workin'...
I ain't got nothin'
but the blues.

When trumpets flare up I keep my hair up-
I just can't maaake it come down-
Believe me buddy, I can't get happy
Since my ever lovin' baby left town.

Ain't got no rest in my slumbers-
Ain't got no feelin's to bruise-
Ain't got no telephone numbers...
I ain't got nothin'
but the blues."

[ostro_goth]

Teja listens to it, fascinated.

This is not mere jazz; and he does not feel the need, either, to ask Yrael what 'the blues' is. It is more than obvious. The song fair drips with that feeling which is oh so familiar to Teja.